Abstract:
A split nut assembly ( 100 ) for joining a threaded pipe ( 90 ) with a flanged pipe ( 95 ), the split nut assembly having a two-piece split nut ( 110, 130 ) having locking pins ( 113, 133 ) that engage locking apertures ( 115, 135 ) to properly align the split nut. A locking ring ( 150 ) slidably engages the properly aligned split nut to hold the assembly together. Rectangular apertures ( 123, 143 ) are provided on the split nut, that engage corresponding channels ( 163 ) in the locking ring, whereby the locking ring is rotationally coupled to the split nut when assembled. Locking tabs ( 164 ) hold the locking ring in place after assembly. This split nut assembly allows the pipes to be joined without threading any hardware along the length of either pipe, and with the split nut threads ( 112, 132 ) engaging the pipe threads ( 92 ) without having to rotate the nut.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention pertains to pipe fittings and, more particularly, fittings for coupling a flanged pipe to a threaded pipe.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    When assembling pipe for fluid equipment manufacture, plumbing, and other applications, it is often necessary to couple a flanged pipe to a threaded pipe. The conventional method of joining a flanged pipe to a threaded pipe utilizes a nut slidably disposed on the flanged pipe, the nut having a threaded portion that is large enough to fit over the flange and engage the threaded pipe. The nut includes an inwardly extending flange at its back end, whereby the aperture at the back end of the nut is smaller than the pipe flange, so that the flanged pipe is pulled toward, and held tightly to, the threaded pipe as the nut is tightened.  
           [0003]    A disadvantage to this conventional method is that the nut cannot be slid over the flange on the pipe. The nut must therefore be slid onto the opposite end of the pipe, and along the length of the pipe to its final position. This requirement can be impractical and/or impossible when the opposite end of the flanged pipe is already connected to another apparatus or pipe, or when the pipe has an enlarged portion, bend, mounting bracket, or other impediment to sliding the nut along the length of the pipe. Another disadvantage of this conventional method is that assembly and disassembly of the joint generally requires that a length of the flanged pipe equal to the axial length of the nut be free from obstruction. This obstruction-free length is required in order to allow sufficient room to back the nut off of the threaded portion of the pipe. In many plumbing applications it is desirable to locate components very close together, and the conventional nut for flanged pipes presents an undesirable design constraint.  
           [0004]    There have been attempts in the prior art to remedy these problems. One example of a previously available nut configuration is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,278 to Lamond. Lamond discloses a plumbing trap with a collar for connecting a flanged pipe to a threaded pipe. Lamond uses a collar nut that has two opposed locking ears that extend inward. The locking ears engage the flange of the flanged pipe by temporarily deforming and snapping over the flange of the flanged pipe. Lamond also discloses a ferrule and a split brass washer that are received in the nut between the ends of the flanged pipe and the threaded pipe for sealing.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,244,100 to Kortas discloses a pipe coupling utilizing a split reducer having a threaded inner aperture for engaging the threaded portion of the pipe, and a threaded outer portion. A threaded casing screws onto the split reducer to hold them together so that the assembled unit essentially replicates the conventional nut described above. Assembly is complicated, however, requiring first utilizing lugs at the ends of the split reducer to screw the reducer into the casing, and then screwing the unit onto the threaded pipe. In addition no mechanism is provided to properly align the threaded reducer halves so that they properly engage the casing.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,201,022 to Conniff similarly discloses a pipe coupling that uses a split nut with a locking ring for holding the split nut together. Conniff, however, teaches using a circumferential groove on the locking ring inner surface that accommodates a pair of narrow lugs on the split nut. This invention is also difficult to use, however, requiring that a first half of the split nut be first inserted through a longitudinal groove in the locking ring to engage the circumferential groove, then the locking ring is rotated 180 degrees and the second half of the split ring nut is inserted through the same longitudinal groove to engage the circumferential groove. The assembled unit is then screwed onto the threaded portion of the pipe in a manner similar to the conventional nut described above.  
           [0007]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,743 to Rochelle, the inventor of the present application discloses a two-piece nut assembly including a nut having an inside diameter that slides over a pipe flange, and a one-piece split insert that fits within the nut to retain nut on the flange. While providing an innovative solution to the disadvantages of conventional couplings discussed above, the split ring must be twisted out of shape for installation.  
           [0008]    It will be appreciated that all of these prior art designs incorporate a locking ring or nut that must be unscrewed, and therefore assembly and disassembly will require that the nut move laterally along the flanged pipe for a distance at least equal to the length of the nut. Therefore (assuming a typical joint wherein the threaded and flanged pipes are laterally constrained) a portion of the flanged pipe must remain free of obstructions, to permit disassembly of the joint.  
           [0009]    What is needed, therefore, is a coupling assembly for joining a threaded pipe to a flanged pipe that is easy to use, can be installed without requiring sliding a coupling nut along the length of the pipe, and minimizes the length of the flanged pipe that must be kept free of obstruction.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    A split nut assembly for releasably coupling a pipe having an externally threaded end with a pipe having an annular flange is disclosed. The split nut assembly includes a two-piece split nut having a threaded inner surface adapted to engage the threaded pipe end and an inwardly disposed flange portion adapted to engage the flanged pipe end. At least one protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the two-piece split nut. A locking ring having at least one inwardly disposed channel slidably engages the two-piece split nut, with the channel(s) on the locking ring aligned with the protrusion(s) on the split nut, thereby holding the split nut together.  
           [0011]    In an embodiment of the invention the split nut includes at least four rectangular protrusions that are aligned parallel to the axis of the split nut, and the locking ring has similarly disposed channels.  
           [0012]    In an aspect of the invention, an inwardly projecting locking tab is provided in each channel that engages the split nut protrusion when the split nut is fully inserted into the locking ring.  
           [0013]    In another aspect of the invention the locking ring may engage the split nut from the threaded pipe side of the joint whereby only a minimal length of the flanged pipe need be free of obstruction.  
           [0014]    In an embodiment of the invention, the split nut is provided with a plurality of circumferentially-oriented locking pins and corresponding locking apertures that engage to facilitate proper alignment of the split nut portions. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows a split thread nut assembly of the present invention installed to join a pipe having a threaded end to a pipe having a flanged end.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the split thread nut assembly shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the split nut and locking ring shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 shows a front view of the locking ring shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 shows a sectional view through  5 - 5  of the locking ring shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 shows a front view of the left half split nut shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 shows a side view of the left half split nut shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 shows a side view of the right half split nut shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 shows a front view of the right half split nut shown in FIG. 8. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a fully assembled split thread nut assembly  100  according to the present invention is shown connecting a flanged pipe  95  to a threaded pipe  90 . As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, the flanged pipe  95  has an outwardly extending end flange  97  at the pipe end  96  and the threaded pipe  90  includes a threaded end portion  92  at the pipe end  91 . The flanged pipe  95  and the threaded pipe  90  are axially aligned, and may have approximately equal pipe internal diameters. The outer diameter of the flange  97  is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the threaded end portion  92  and the two pipes  90 ,  95  butt up against each other to cooperatively form a continuous flow channel. The split thread nut assembly  100  of the present invention has particular advantages when the flanged pipe  95  has a larger diameter portion, i.e., a portion having a diameter greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the flange  97 , or in applications where there is an obstruction such as a pipe support or an equipment casing near the flange  97  of the flanged pipe  95 . In these applications it may be inconvenient or impossible to utilize a conventional, single-piece threaded nut. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention is not intended to be limited to such applications, and it is contemplated that the invention may be used in other applications, including joining of two straight and/or constant diameter pipes, and joining pipes having different sized flow channels.  
         [0026]    The split thread nut assembly  100  shown without pipes  90  and  95  for clarity in FIG. 3 includes a split hut having a first nut half  110 , a second nut half  130 , and a locking ring  150  that releasably connects the first nut half  110  to the second nut half  130 . The first nut half  110  and second nut half  130  cooperatively form a threaded nut that is adapted to engage the threaded portion  92  of the threaded pipe  90 . The locking ring  150  slidably engages the first nut half  110  and the second nut half  130 , releasably securing the nut halves  110 ,  130  together.  
         [0027]    A front view of the first nut half  110  is shown in FIG. 6, and a side view is shown in FIG. 7. The first nut half  110  includes a half-tubular portion  111  having internal threads  112 , and a flange portion  121  extending inwardly from the back end of the half-tubular portion  111 . Each end of the first nut half  110  has a circumferentially extending locking pin  113  extending generally from the flange portion  121  and a circumferentially-oriented locking aperture  115  disposed near the front end of the first nut half  110 . The outer surface of the half-tubular portion  111  includes a plurality of generally rectangular protrusions  123   a ,  123   b , and  123   c  that are aligned parallel to the symmetry axis of the first nut half  110 . In the disclosed embodiment, the protrusions  123   a  and  123   c  abut opposite ends of the first nut half  110 , and are approximately half as wide as the protrusion  123   b.    
         [0028]    A front view of the second nut half  130  is shown in FIG. 8, and a side view is shown in FIG. 9. The second nut half  130  is very similar to the first nut half  110 , and includes a half-tubular portion  131  having internal threads  132 , and a flange portion  141  extending inwardly from the back end of the half-tubular portion  131 . Each end of the second nut half  130  has a circumferentially-extending locking pin  133  extending from near the front end of the second nut half  130 , and a circumferentially-oriented locking aperture  135  disposed generally at the flange portion  141 . The outer surface of the half-tubular portion  131  includes a plurality of generally rectangular protrusions  143   a ,  143   b , and  143   c  that are aligned parallel to the symmetry axis of the second nut half  130 . The protrusions  143   a  and  143   c  abut opposite ends of the second nut half  130 , and are approximately half as wide as the protrusion  143   b.    
         [0029]    It will be appreciated by comparing FIGS. 6 and 7 to FIGS. 8 and 9 that the locking pins  113  on the first nut half  110  are positioned to engage the locking apertures  135  in the second nut half  130  when the locking pins  133  on the second nut half  130  engage the locking apertures  115  in the first nut half  110 . When the first and second nut halves  110 ,  130  are so engaged, they form a nut having internal threads  112 ,  132  that are adapted to cooperatively engage the threaded end portion  92  of the threaded pipe  90 . The flanged portions  121 ,  141  cooperatively form a circular flange having an internal diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the flange  97  on the flanged pipe  95 . Moreover, the adjacent rectangular protrusions  121   a ,  141   a , and  121   c ,  141   c , respectively, each cooperatively forms a rectangular protrusion similar to rectangular protrusions  121   b  and  141   b.    
         [0030]    A front view of the locking ring  150  is shown in FIG. 4 and a sectional side view of the locking ring  150  is shown in FIG. 5. The locking ring  150  includes a generally tubular portion  151  with an inwardly extending rim  161  at one end. The tubular portion  151  of the locking ring  150  includes a plurality of longitudinal rectangular channels  163  that are open at the front end of the locking ring  150 . The rectangular channels  163  are sized to slidably receive the rectangular protrusions  123   b ,  143   b , and pairs  123   a ,  143   a , and  123   c ,  143   c . The internal diameter of the tubular portion  151  is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the tubular section formed by half-tubular portions  111  and  131 , when the first half nuts  110  and  130  are engaged as discussed above, whereby the locking ring  150  can slidably receive the engaged first and second nut halves  110 ,  130  when the rectangular channels  163  are aligned with the rectangular protrusions  123 ,  143 ( a, b, c ).  
         [0031]    The open end of each rectangular channel  163  includes a locking tab  164  that engages the back end of the rectangular protrusions  123 ,  143  when the engaged first and second nut halves  110 ,  130  are fully inserted into the locking ring  150 . The locking ring rim  161  is narrow, and provides a stop for the nut halves  110 ,  130  when they are slidably inserted into the locking ring  150 . The rim  161  is sufficiently narrow that it will not interfere with when the split thread nut assembly  100  is screwed onto the threaded pipe  90 .  
         [0032]    The preferred method of using the split thread nut assembly  100  is as follows. Place the locking ring  150  around the threaded pipe  90  and place the flange  97  against the threaded portion  92  with the pipes axially aligned. Join the first nut half  110  with the second nut half  130  by aligning the locking pins  113  and  133  with the locking apertures  135  and  115 , respectively, and pushing the nut halves  110 ,  130  together such that the threaded portions  112  and  132  engage the threaded end portion  92  of the threaded pipe  90 , and the flange portions  121  and  141  are disposed behind the flange  97  of the flanged pipe  95 . Slide the locking ring  150  over the joined nut halves  110 ,  130  until the locking tabs  164  snap into place behind the rectangular protrusions, and tighten the assembly, as needed. It will be apparent that the present invention allows the split nut halves  110 ,  130  to be assembled with the split nut already screwed onto the threaded pipe  90 , eliminating, or greatly decreasing, the amount that the split nut must be rotated to firmly connect the pipes. This is particularly advantageous in applications where there the space for manipulating the joint is limited, and in mass production applications wherein a large number of split nuts must be installed.  
         [0033]    Moreover, in the preferred embodiment the locking ring  150  may be oriented to engage the assembled split nut halves  110 ,  130  from either the flanged pipe  95  side of the joint, or from the threaded pipe  90  side of the joint. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the split nut halves  110 ,  130  may be assembled with the threads engaging the threaded pipe  90 , and the locking ring  150  may engage the split nut from the threaded pipe side, so that the joint can be assembled even if there is an obstruction very close to the flange  97 . Only a free length equal to the axial thickness of the flanged portions  121 ,  141  need be available on the flanged pipe to assemble the joint. It well also be apparent that the split nut assembly  100  can be easily assembled and disassembled by hand, with no, or minimal, turning of the nut required, by simply sliding the locking ring  150  axially on or off the split nut halves  110 ,  130 .  
         [0034]    The split thread nut assembly  100  may be made from any suitably rigid material or combination of materials, as are well known in the art, including metals, hard plastics such as PVC, and the like. It will be appreciated that although certain advantages are inherent in the preferred embodiment disclosed, a number of variations may be made to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the invention. For example, a different number and/or shape of protrusions  123 ,  143  and channels  163  may be used. The rim  161  and/or locking tabs  164  may be eliminated, or incorporated as shorter elements. Rather than using locking pins  113 ,  133  and apertures  115 ,  135 , other mechanisms for properly aligning the nut halves may be employed, such as mirrored notches or interlocking elements, or no alignment mechanism could be employed, relying solely on the locking ring to properly align the nut halves.  
         [0035]    The present invention is believed to provide a reliable split nut assembly that is much easier to assemble and use than all prior art devices.  
         [0036]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various additional changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.