Plug-in coupling for garden and other hoses

Claim 1

A plug-in hose coupling comprising a male and a female part; said male part being connectable with one section of a hose and comprising a double conical bead having an inner sloping, oblique face and an outer sloping, oblique face, with both said oblique faces meeting at their widest parts and sloping radially inward with respect to said male part away from the meeting point of the sloping faces; said female part being connectable with another hose section and comprising a plurality of resilient locking fingers, which normally assume a position that biases said fingers radially inward with respect to said female part so as to lock said male part; said fingers each including a notch having an outer oblique face, which is sloped to mate with said inner face of said male part bead, and having an inner face, which is sloped to mate with said outer face of said male part bead; said fingers each further including an outer surface portion, which is obliquely sloped radially inward with respect to said female part in the direction away from said male part; a sleeve connected with and encircling said female part in the vicinity of the junction with said male part; said sleeve being lengthwise movable along said female part; said sleeve having a cooperatingly sloped surface to mate with said finger outer surface portion; a spring on said coupling connected to normally urge said sleeve to move toward said male part and to move its said sloped surface into engagement with said finger outer surface portions thereby to lock the fingers against being shifted radially outward; whereby when said male and said female parts are to be coupled and said bead of said male part is pushed against said female part fingers, said bead outer face pushes said fingers radially outward and, due to the sloping cooperating surfaces on said fingers and said sleeve, pushes said sleeve along said female part and away from said male part; thereby permitting the radially outward movement of said fingers to admit said male part, and thereafter said male part bead becomes engaged and locked by said cooperating oblique surfaces of said fingers.