Resilient coupling

Claim 1

A resilient coupling comprising a synthetic resin, injection molded, sleeve having an interior cylindrical bore provided with a slight conical configuration from each end thereof to the center of said sleeve, a smooth central cylindrical surface on the outside thereof and a thin, substantially uniform wall section, on either side of said central surface, making up the major part of the outside of said sleeve, each of said thin sections being reinforced by a plurality of circumferentially spaced solid ribs on the outside of said sleeve extending outwardly from said central surface and parallel to the axis of said coupling, said ribs being tapered from a maximum height adjacent the ends of said central surface to a point closely adjacent each end of said sleeve where they intersect the surface of said uniform sections, so that they provide maximum reinforcement substantially at the center of said smooth central cylindrical surface and minimum reinforcement at the ends of said sleeve, the walls of said ribs being slightly tapered to facilitate removal of said sleeve from a mold, and a bead at each end of said sleeve to prevent chipping of said sleeve during shipping, handling and installation, whereby said sleeve offers substantial reduction in weight and material with substantially no loss in beam or shear strength and provides easier field application due to its flexibility.