Connectors for vessels or pipes

Connector for vessels or pipes which includes first and second connection members (20, 60) which are clamped and sealed together. The second connection member (60) is closed by a wall (51) through which a hole (53) is cut after the vessels or pipes have been positioned. An insertion tool (90) is used to engage a clamping bracket (40) with the wall (51) to secure the connection members together when the first connection member (20) is fitted to the hole (53). A resilient sealing ring (30) surrounds the hole (53) and is compressed between the connection members (20, 60). An O-ring seal (70) on the second connection member (60) allows for relative movement between the vessels or pipes. The connector may be installed from inside a vessel or pipe where access is restricted and the connector allows for misalignment between the inlets or outlets of the vessels or pipes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Field of the Invention 
THIS INVENTION relates to a connector for connecting vessels or pipes 
together. 
(2) Description of the Prior Art 
There are many applications where vessels or pipes must be connected to 
pipework already installed. One example is the connection of baths, 
showers and urinals to drainage pipework which is installed during the 
construction of buildings. 
It has been found in practice that forming an effective connection between 
such a vessel and such prelocated pipework is extremely difficult. 
Firstly, it is rare to find that the inlet or outlet of the vessel is 
accurately aligned with the pipework. Secondly, the connections generally 
available are rigid and cannot accommodate any relative movement between 
the vessel and the pipework at the connection point. Should any movement 
occur, e.g. when a person steps into a bath, the sealing of the connection 
may be damaged or destroyed. Thirdly, the connection can only be made 
after the vessel is installed and, as access to the connector is often 
restricted, this makes the connection operation very difficult. 
In an attempt to overcome the problem of misalignment between the inlet or 
outlet of the vessel and the pipework, a number of solutions have been 
proposed. One of these which has come to the applicant's attention is that 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,053 (Jones). The connector disclosed in 
that Patent uses an offset flange having an opentopped body to which is 
fitted a cover selected from a range of covers having holes at relative 
dispositions in the cover so that the plumber selects a cover which will 
provide the closest alignment between the hole in the cover and the inlet 
or outlet of the vessel. This connector is not satisfactory as it requires 
the plumber to have a supply of such covers (allowing for misalignment in 
two axes) and access to the connector may be restricted. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connection 
which can be easily and simply sealed. 
It is a preferred object to provide a connection which will allow some 
relative movement between the vessels or pipework without damaging or 
destroying the seal. 
It is a further preferred object to provide a connector for connecting 
vessels or pipes which are misaligned in at least one axis. 
It is a still further preferred object to provide a connector which can be 
assembled to form a connection where the connection point is not readily 
accessible and the connection operation may be carried out from inside the 
vessel. 
Other preferred features will become apparent from the following 
description. 
In one aspect the present invention resides in a connector for connecting 
vessels or pipes comprising: 
a first connection member adapted to be connected to a first vessel or 
pipe; 
a second connection member adapted to be connected to a second vessel or 
pipe; and 
clamping means adapted to secure said first and second connection members 
together; characterized in that: 
said second connection member has a portion of greater diameter than the 
diameter of said first connection member; and 
a wall closing the said portion, said wall being adapted to have a hole 
formed therein to receive said first connection member to form the 
connection between said vessels or pipes. 
Preferably the connector further includes resilient sealing means 
surrounding the hole formed in the wall and adapted to be compressed 
between said first and second connection members to form a fluid-tight 
seal therebetween. 
Preferably the resilient sealing means has an annular body formed of 
resilient material, e.g. rubber, neoprene or plastics material, a 
peripheral groove in said body to receive and engage an outlet of the 
first vessel or pipe; and an internal laterally extending peripheral lip 
adapted to engage the wall of the second connection member. 
Preferably the clamping means includes: 
a clamping bracket adapted to engage the face of the wall spaced from the 
first connection means; and 
fastening means interconnecting said first connection means and said 
clamping bracket. 
Preferably the clamping bracket includes: 
a body with a maximum dimension less than the diameter of the hole formed 
in the wall; and 
a plurality of substantially radially extending arms each of a radial 
length greater than the radius of the hole. 
Preferably the first connector means includes a tubular outlet body fitted 
to an outlet of the first vessel or a pipe and a peripheral laterally 
extending flange adapted to engage the face of the wall of the first 
vessel or pipe spaced from the second connection means. 
Preferably the second connector means includes: 
a substantially cylindrical tubular body adapted to be slidably received in 
an inlet of the second vessel or pipe; 
slidable sealing means on the body to maintain a fluid-tight seal between 
the body and the inlet; 
a frusto-conical portion connected to the body terminating in an axial 
peripheral flange; and 
the wall is connected to said flange to normally close the end of the 
second connection means adjacent the first connection member. 
Preferably the slidable sealing means includes a flexible O-ring (e.g. of 
rubber, neoprene or plastics material) seated in but extending from a 
peripheral groove around the tubular body. 
In a second aspect, the present invention resides in a connection between 
vessels or pipes incorporating the connector. 
In a third aspect the present invention resides in a method of connecting 
vessels or pipes employing the connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector includes screws 10, grated outlet 
20, washer 30, clamp bracket 40, clamping base 50, adaptor 60 and O-ring 
70. 
The screws 10 may be of any suitable type although screws with self-tapping 
threads are preferred. 
The grated outlet 20 has an inlet mouth 21 connected to a tubular outlet 
body 22. A peripheral flange 23 is provided around the mouth 21. The 
outlet mouth 24 is provided with a grate 25 having a peripheral ring 26 
and a central body 27 interconnected by radial arms 28 to form a series of 
outlet passages 29. An axial bore 27a is formed in the central body 27, 
while axial bores 26a are formed in the peripheral ring 26. 
Washer 30 is substantially annular in plan, is formed of neoprene, rubber 
or a resilient plastics material and has an axial bore 31. The body of the 
washer has a peripheral groove 32 and an integral sealing lip 33. 
Clamp bracket 40 has a central body 41 with a tapped axial bore 42 
therethrough. Three arms 43 radiate from the central body and the midpoint 
of each arm is thicker in plan and has a plain axial bore 44 therethrough. 
The cramping base 50 is substantially circular in plan and has a wall 51 
provided with a laterally extending peripheral flange 52. 
The adaptor 60 has a substantially cylindrical tubular body 61, with an 
axial bore 62 provided at one end with a frusto-conical portion 63 forming 
an inlet mouth 64. A peripheral groove 65 is formed around the body 61 
adjacent the other end to receive and seat the annular O-ring 70. 
The O-ring 70 is made of suitable resilient rubber, neoprene or other 
plastics material and is substantially circular in section. 
The clamp bracket 40, clamping base 50 and adaptor 60 are preferably 
injection moulded from a suitable plastics material. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the method of assembling the connection will 
now be described, where a vessel 80 (e.g. a bath) is to be connected to 
pipework 81 previously installed in floor 82. The pipework 81 includes a 
pipe 83 with an inlet mouth 84 above the floor. 
O-ring 70 is fitted to the groove 65 on adaptor 60 and the adaptor 60 is 
fitted in the bore 85 of the pipe 83. The O-ring 70 forms a seal between 
the pipe 83 and the body 61 of the adaptor, while allowing relative 
sliding movement therebetween. The clamping base 50 is secured to the 
adaptor 60 by a "snap-lock" fitting or by suitable fasteners or glues to 
close the inlet mouth 64. Washer 30 is fitted to the vessel 80, the rim of 
vessel outlet 86 being engaged in peripheral groove 32 of the washer. 
The vessel 80 is then positioned with the outlet 86 above the pipework. The 
operator cuts a hole 53 through the wall 51 of clamping base 50 using a 
hole-saw which passes down through the outlet 86 of the vessel. The 
hole-saw is withdrawn and the circular portion of wall 51, which has been 
cut out, is removed. Referring to FIG. 4, the operator now takes insertion 
tool 90, which has a wing-nut 91 screw-threadably mounted on threaded 
shank 92, and feeds the shank 92 through hole 27a in the grated outlet and 
then engages the shank in the threaded hole 42 in the clamp bracket 40. 
By holding the tool 90 at an angle, the operator passes the clamp bracket 
40 down through the outlet 86, washer 30 and hole 53 in the cramping base 
50. The operator returns the tool 90 to the vertical and pulls it upwardly 
until the arms 43 engage the underside of the wall 51 (the arms spanning 
the hole 53). 
The operator pushes the grated outlet 20 downwardly so that the tubular 
body 22 passes down through the bore 31 of washer 30. 
The operator screws the wing-nut down the shank 92 to compress the washer 
30 between the vessel 80 and the wall 51 of the clamping base 50 to form a 
seal therebetween. 
The holes 26a in the grated outlet 20 are aligned with the holes 44 in the 
arms 43 of the clamp bracket 40 and the screws 10 are fitted to secure the 
two components firmly together. Wing-nut 91 is released, and the shank 92 
is unscrewed from the clamp bracket 40 to enable the tool 90 to be 
removed. 
The connection between the vessel 80 and the pipework 81 has been 
completed. 
If the vessel 80 moves relative to the pipework 81, any movement is taken 
up as adaptor 60 slidably moves in pipe 83, the O-ring 70 maintaining a 
secure seal. 
Any misalignment between the outlet 86 of the vessel 80 and the inlet mouth 
84 of the pipe 83 is accommodated as it is not necessary that hole 53 in 
wall 51 be cut directly above the bore 85 of the pipe 83. Therefore the 
connection can accommodate misalignment of the vessel 80 to the pipework 
81 in all three axes and so the vessel can be easily connected to the 
pipework which has already been installed. Washer 30 and O-ring 70 ensure 
that a secure seal is always formed between the vessel 80 and the pipework 
81. 
It will of course be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that the 
connector may be used in any orientation. Where relative movement between, 
e.g. the vessel and the installed pipework does not occur, the sliding 
connection between the adaptor 60 and the pipe 81 can be replaced by a 
fixed joint. 
Various changes and modifications may be made to the arrangement described 
and illustrated without departing from the scope of the present invention 
as defined in the appended claims.