FLEXIBLE PIPE FITTING

RACCORD DE TUYAU FLEXIBLE

English Abstract

A flexible pipe fitting for joining a first length of pipe to a second length of pipe at an arbitrary angle is provided. The apparatus includes a primary fitting having a substantially circular opening at a first end thereof for receiving an end of a first length of pipe, and an enlarged opening at a second end thereof for receiving a first flexible coupling member. The first flexible coupling member includes an outer wall having an outer surface engaging an inner surface of the enlarged opening, and an inner wall having a lower end connected to a lower end of the outer wall. The inner wall further includes a substantially circular opening therein for receiving a second, rigid member. The inner surface of the second, rigid member is configured to receive an end of the second length of pipe. The enlarged opening in the primary fitting is preferably fish-mouth shaped, or alternatively, cone shaped. Adhesive, such as PVC cement may be used to bond the various fittings, and lengths of pipe together to form a sealed joint.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un raccord de tuyau flexible permettant de raccorder une première longueur de tuyau à une deuxième longueur de tuyau à un angle arbitraire. L'appareil comprend un raccord principal comportant une ouverture sensiblement circulaire à une première extrémité de celui-ci permettant de recevoir une extrémité d'une première longueur de tuyau, et une ouverture élargie à une deuxième extrémité de celui-ci permettant de recevoir un premier élément d'accouplement flexible. Le premier élément d'accouplement flexible comprend une paroi extérieure ayant une surface extérieure s'engageant avec une surface intérieure de l'ouverture élargie, et une paroi intérieure ayant une extrémité inférieure raccordée à une extrémité inférieure de la paroi extérieure. La paroi intérieure comporte de plus une ouverture sensiblement circulaire permettant de recevoir un deuxième élément rigide. La surface intérieure du deuxième élément rigide est configurée pour recevoir une extrémité de la deuxième longueur de tuyau. L'ouverture élargie dans le raccord principal est de préférence de forme bâillante, ou alternativement de forme conique. Un adhésif, tel que du ciment PVC, peut être utilisé pour coller ensemble les différents raccords, et des longueurs de tuyau pour former un raccord étanche.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. An apparatus for joining a first length of pipe to a second length of
pipe at an
arbitrary angle comprising:
a primary pipe fitting having a substantially circular opening at a first end
thereof for receiving an end of said first length of pipe, and an enlarged
opening at
a second end thereof, said enlarged opening being large enough relative to an
outer diameter of the second length of pipe to permit the second length of
pipe to
be oriented at an arbitrary angle relative to the primary pipe fitting; and
a first flexible pipe coupling member positioned in the enlarged opening,
said first flexible coupling member having an outer wall having an outer
surface
engaging an inner surface of the enlarged opening, and an inner wall having a
lower end connected to a lower end of the outer wall, said inner wall further
including a substantially circular opening therein for receiving an end of
said
second length of pipe to permit the second pipe to be inserted therein at an
arbitrary angle relative to the primary pipe fitting.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second, rigid member
having an
outer surface engaging the substantially circular opening of said inner wall
of said first
flexible coupling member, and an inner surface for receiving the end of the
second length
of pipe.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising adhesive interposed between
the first
flexible coupling member and the enlarged opening, and between the first
flexible
coupling member and the second, rigid member for bonding said components
together.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first, flexible member is formed
of a
polymeric material that is resilient and unaffected by soil conditions.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the polymeric material is inert and
resistant to
chemicals, ultraviolet rays, fungus growth, and sewer gases.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the polymeric material is leak-proof,
root-proof
and seals against infiltration and exfiltration.
7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the polymeric material is elastomeric
polyvinyl
chloride (PVC).
8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the primary fitting and the second,
rigid
member are formed of a rigid plastic material.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the rigid plastic material is selected
from a
group consisting of PVC, CPVC, and ABS.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enlarged opening is fish-mouth
shaped.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enlarged opening is substantially
cone
shaped.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arbitrary angle is between 0
degrees and 42
degrees.
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Description

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FLEXIBLE PIPE FITTING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to pipe fittings, and methods of
assembling pipe fittings, and in particular to a flexible pipe fitting and
method for
assembling pipes at various angles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of fittings and connectors have previously been developed for
joining
fluid-conveying pipes and other components. Common connectors include
couplings,
crosses, elbows, tees, unions and wyes. These connectors are used to join two
lengths of
pipe, such as PVC pipe for carrying fluids. Elbows are used to account for
direction
changes in the pipe string. Common elbow fittings are at fixed angles and
include 90
degree elbows, 45 degree elbows, and 22 1/2 degree elbows.
Flexible couplings, such as those manufactured by Fernco, also exist in the
marketplace. While flexible, these couplings are limited in their range of
motion to
approximately 5 degrees and cost significantly more than standard PVC pipe.
Further,
these couplings require pipe clamps to be placed at each end of the fitting to
secure the
coupling to the pipe, and are made of rubber.
Swivel or ball fittings, such as are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,286,565,
have
also been used to allow for connecting pipes that are not aligned at angles
which are
common to elbow fittings as discussed above. However, these types of fittings
have
multiple additional parts and components, such as o-rings, compression
fittings and the
like, that can create additional opportunities for leakage.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these limitations by providing a variable
fitting that
has no gaskets, swivels, or moving parts that could leak. The device and
method of the
present invention are intended to replace existing pipe fittings that only
provide for a
fixed angle or are made of flexible materials that are inferior due to the
lack of rigidity
and increased risk of failure or blockage.
Use of the present invention allows for joining of two pipes together at
arbitrary
angles. It also replaces the need to stock several fixed angle pipe fittings,
such as 45
degree and 22 1/2 degree fittings.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
apparatus for
joining a first length of pipe to a second length of pipe at an arbitrary
angle. The
apparatus includes a primary fitting having a substantially circular opening
at a first end
thereof for receiving an end of said first length of pipe, and an enlarged
opening at a
second end thereof A first flexible coupling member may be positioned in the
enlarged
opening. The first flexible coupling member includes an outer wall having an
outer
surface engaging an inner surface of the enlarged opening, and an inner wall
having a
lower end connected to a lower end of the outer wall. The inner wall further
includes a
substantially circular opening therein for receiving an end of the second
length of pipe.
A further aspect of the invention includes a second, rigid member having an
outer
surface engaging the substantially circular opening of the inner wall. An
inner surface of
the second, rigid member is configured to receive the end of the second length
of pipe.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is the use of an adhesive
interposed
between the various components of the apparatus for bonding the components
together.
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According to another aspect of the present invention, the first, flexible
member may
be formed of a polymeric material that is strong, resilient and unaffected by
soil
conditions. That material may be inert and resistant to chemicals, ultraviolet
rays, fungus
growth, and normal sewer gases. In addition, the polymeric material may be
leak-proof,
root-proof and seals against infiltration and exfiltration. Preferably, the
polymeric
material may be elastomeric polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Similarly, the primary
fitting and
the second, rigid member may preferably be formed of a rigid plastic material
selected
from a group consisting of PVC, CPVC, ABS, SDR 21, SDR 26 and SDR 35.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the enlarged opening is fish-
mouth
shaped to allow for a significant range of motion. Alternatively, the enlarged
opening
may be substantially cone shaped.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent with reference to the text and the drawings of this
application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a fish mouth pipe fitting according to
a
presently preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIGURE 2 a top view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 5 is a side sectional view of the fish mouth pipe fitting of FIGURE 3
shown
along the line A-A.
FIGURE 6 is a bottom view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 1.
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FIGURE 7 is a side perspective view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE 1
with a flexible fitting inserted into the fish mouth opening.
FIGURE 8 is a front perspective view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE 1
with a flexible fitting inserted into the fish mouth opening.
FIGURE 9 is a top view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 1 with a
flexible fitting inserted into the fish mouth opening.
FIGURE 10 is a front perspective view of a fish mouth pipe fitting according
to an
alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIGURE 11 a top view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 10.
FIGURE 12 is a front elevation view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE
10.
FIGURE 13 is a side elevation view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE 10.
FIGURE 14 is a side sectional view of the fish mouth pipe fitting of FIGURE 12
shown
along the line A-A.
FIGURE 15 is a bottom view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 10.
FIGURE 16 is a side perspective view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in
FIGURE
with a flexible fitting inserted into the fish mouth opening.
FIGURE 17 is a top view of the fish mouth pipe fitting shown in FIGURE 10 with
a
flexible fitting inserted into the fish mouth opening.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As best shown in FIGURES 1-6, the present invention is an innovative flexible
pipe connector 10 having a primary fitting 12 which has a substantially
circular opening
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14 at a first end thereof, and a fish-mouth shaped opening 16 and a second end
thereof.
The circular opening 14 at the first end is configured to receive an end of a
pipe 20
therein. The size of the circular opening 14 corresponds to the exterior
diameter of the
pipe to be received therein such that a tight, friction fit is created. For
example, standard
PVC and CPVC pipe, schedule 40 and schedule 80, used in plumbing applications
have
nominal diameters of y2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3", 4", 5",
6", 8", 10", 12", 14"
and 16". The circular opening 14 may preferably be sized to accommodate one of
these
pipe sizes. Alternatively, the fish-mouth shaped opening 16 can be formed
directly into
the end of a length of pipe. The specific geometry of the fish-mouth opening
16 can be
varied to accommodate a greater or lesser range of angles without departing
from the
spirit of the invention. An infinite number of angles between 0 degrees and 42
degrees
can be achieved.
As shown in FIGURES 7-9, a flexible coupling 30 may be provided in the
opening 16 to allow for a pipe to be inserted into the opening 16 at a variety
of angles.
The flexible coupling 30 may include a first, flexible member 32 having an
outer wall 34
with a shape similar to the shape of, and configured to engage, the opening
16, and an
inner wall 36 having a substantially circular opening therein for engaging a
second, rigid
member 38. The second, rigid member 38 has an opening therein for receiving a
length
of pipe (not shown) to be joined to the length of pipe 20 which is connected
to the
circular opening 14 in the fitting 12. Alternatively, the opening in the inner
wall 36 may
be sized to receive the length of pipe (not shown) without the need for a
second rigid
member 38.

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The first, flexible member 32 is formed of a polymeric material that is
strong,
resilient and unaffected by soil conditions. The material must also be
resistant to
chemicals, ultraviolet rays, fungus growth, and normal sewer gases due to the
inert nature
and physical properties of the material. The material must also be leak-proof,
root-proof
and seal against infiltration and exfiltration. According to one preferred
embodiment of
the present invention, the first, flexible member 32 is made of elastomeric
polyvinyl
chloride (PVC).
The outer wall 34 of the first flexible member 32 is secured and sealed
against the
inner wall of the opening 16. Similarly, the inner wall 36 of the first
flexible member 32
is secured and sealed against the outer surface of the second rigid member 38.
Preferably, some type of water-resistant or water-proof adhesive, such as PVC
cement,
that will bond to the two different materials is used.
The pipe connector 10 preferably comes pre-assembled in that the outer wall 34
of the first flexible member 32 has been pre-glued to the opening 16 of the
primary fitting
12 and the inner wall 36 of the first flexible member 32 has been pre-glued to
the outer
surface of the second rigid member 38. Use of the pipe connector 10 at this
point is as
simple as priming one end of the outer surface of the pipe 20 and the inner
surface of the
circular opening 14. Glue or PVC cement is then applied to the outer surface
of the end
of the pipe 20 and/or the inner surface of the circular opening 14. The end of
the pipe 20
is then inserted into the circular opening 14 and given a quarter turn. Once
the
glue/cement is dry, primer is applied to both the inner surface of the second
rigid member
38 and the outer surface of the second pipe (not shown). Glue or PVC cement is
then
applied to the inner surface of the second rigid member 38 and outer surface
of the
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second pipe (not shown), and the end of the second pipe is inserted into the
second rigid
member 38 and given a quarter turn. Once the glue is dried, the fitting is
ready for use.
The primary fitting 12 and second, rigid member 38 are preferably formed of a
plastic material such as PVC or CPVC. Other plastics, such as ABS, SDR 21, SDR
26,
SDR 35 as well as others that may now, or in the future be used in plumbing
applications,
may also be used. Other rigid or semi-rigid materials other than plastics,
such as metals
or composite materials, are also contemplated.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 10-17.
This alternative embodiment is identical to the preferred embodiment shown in
FIGURES 1-9, with the exception of the shape of the enlarged opening 16, and
the shape
of the corresponding outer wall 34 of the first flexible member 32. Instead of
a fish-
mouthed shape, the enlarged opening 16 and outer wall 34 according to the
alternative
embodiment are substantially cone shaped. In all other respects, the
alternative
embodiment is identical to the preferred embodiment of FIGURES 1-9, wherein
like
reference numerals indicate like components. As such, to avoid repetition, a
specific
description of the remaining components of the alternative embodiment will not
be
discussed.
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and
describing
embodiments of the present invention. The specific components and order of the
steps
listed above, while preferred is not necessarily required. Further
modifications and
adaptation to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art
and may be
made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
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Representative Drawing