Patent ID: 9417153
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: G01M

Claim Text:
1. A universal inlet adapter for a leak detection device using a pressurized detection media for detecting a leak in a fluid system having a fluid duct, the universal inlet adapter comprising: a pair of rigid end caps, each rigid end cap having an undulating outer surface sized and configured to form a series of tips and a series of cavities, each cavity being positioned between a pair of adjacent tips; an inflatable bladder having opposed ends and being sized and configured to extend over the series of tips and at least partially fill the series of cavities formed on each rigid end cap, the inflatable bladder being selectively transitional between an inflated configuration and a deflated configuration, the inflatable bladder being configured to be engagable with the fluid duct to form a fluid tight seal therebetween as the inflatable bladder transitions from the deflated configuration to the inflated configuration; a pair of locking rings extending over respective portions of the inflatable bladder and respective ones of the pair of rigid end caps, the pair of locking rings being sized and configured to urge portions of the inflatable bladder against the series of tips and urge portions of the inflatable bladder into the series of cavities formed on the respective ones of the pair of rigid end caps to create a fluid tight seal between the inflatable bladder and the pair of rigid end caps; and a test fluid delivery tube extending through the inflatable bladder such that the inflatable bladder is disposed radially outward from the test fluid delivery tube, the test fluid delivery tube being fluidly connectable with the leak detection device for delivering the pressurized detection media into the fluid duct for testing; and the test fluid delivery tube having a first threaded surface that mates to a second threaded surface of one of the pair of rigid end caps, the first threaded surface extending along a length greater than that of the second threaded surface to enable translatable movement of the at least one of the pair of end caps relative to the test fluid delivery tube so that the distance between the first rigid end cap and the second rigid end cap is adjustable to adjust a configuration of the inflatable bladder.