Patent Abstract:
The invention is a quick connect and disconnect coupling system which limits the free rotation between the female socket and the male plug of the coupling with respect to one another. It comprises a male plug having a coupling end and a female socket having a coupling end with a receiving opening therein to receive the coupling end of the male plug when the connectors are in a coupled condition. A holding mechanism is associated with the coupling end. The male plug includes a non-circular surface that inter-engages the locking balls within the female quick connect socket to substantially prevent relative rotation of the male plug in relation to the female socket. The coupling is particularly useful for attaching accessories for fluid dispensing as used in highly pressurized spray applications to allow the ability to rotationally adjust the dispensing action.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/967,388 filed Dec. 31, 2007, and now abandoned herewith. Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional application No. 60/897,883 filed Jan. 29, 2007. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of quick connect couplers. 
     Quick connect couplers are well known and commonly used in connecting air powered tools to highly pressurized spraying systems. Quick connect couplers allow a user to merely push two portions of the coupler together to connect a fluid or gas line. Numerous types of quick connect couplers exist in the art. These couplers are usually designed to be freely rotatable around a center axis. The problem with such couplers is that there exist applications where minimal, or no rotatable action is desired. In some dispensers, for example, accessories exist that require the user to rotate the nozzle in order to adjust the spray pattern. Traditionally configured couplers do not allow the convenient use of such accessories in a quick connect configuration due to the fact that the coupler will rotate freely, thus not providing the resistance necessary to adjust the accessory and requiring the operator to use two hands, one to hold the work piece in position and the other to adjust the controls. Another example would be in a sprinkler system using rotating sprinkler heads, such as impact heads. The base of such heads has to be held against a rotation so that the sprinkler head will rotate as desired. If the coupler and the base of the sprinkler head are free to rotate, the sprinkler may stay in substantially one position with the sprinkler head base moving back and forth. Another example would be when connecting hose lines in pneumatic or hydraulic applications. There exist instances where it is required to orient the connector in such a manner and have it remain in the intended rotational position. Examples include the use of in-line pressure gauges, venturi valves, and other auxiliary pieces. Traditionally configured couplers do not allow the user to orient the connector in such a manner because the hose or accessory would freely self-adjust to its most natural position being influenced by the weight of gravity or the twisting influence of a hose line. Another example would be when it is required to open or close a shut-off valve after the coupler is engaged or before it is disengaged, as is the case with some industrial and medical hose lines. Once connected the coupler is rotated to open the nipple valve and allow flow. 
     These quick connect couplers have been known in the art for a long time and some attempts have been tried over the years to stop the natural rotation. These attempts are usually designed in such a way that require changes to both the male and female portions of the coupler, thus making them not compatible with the standard mating piece on the market. That is to say, the male portion of the recently improved components may be compatible with a standard female socket, but the features that prevent rotation may not be functional. Thus, it is desirable to provide a quick connect coupler that limits rotation and is backwards compatible with traditional configured couplers while still maintaining its additional function of rotation limitation. It is in this light that the present invention seeks to limit rotation through implementation of an improved quick connection device that interacts with the common feature of a traditional mating coupler piece in order to achieve limited rotational movement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention comprises a quick connect and disconnect coupling system which includes a respective male and female fittings having respective interlocking portions which prevent relative rotation there between in the coupled condition and a dispensing accessory. The coupling is particularly useful for applications wherein free rotation of the ends of the coupler is undesirable such as for connecting accessories such as spraying devices that require rotary action to adjust the dispensing action. 
     The quick connect and disconnect coupling system includes a male plug having a coupling end and an attachment end and a female socket having a coupling end with a receiving opening to receive the coupling end of the male plug. A locking mechanism is associated with and co-operable between the male plug and the female socket to secure the coupling end of the male plug when the coupling end of the male plug is inserted into the receiving opening and to release the coupling end of the male plug from the receiving opening when desired to disconnect the male plug from the female socket. The male plug includes a male component and an annular groove with integrated longitudinal ridge that engages the locking mechanism on the female socket to prevent relative rotation of the male plug and the female socket when the connectors are in a coupled condition. Such interlocking or engaging surfaces may take the form of one or more ridges extending radially from the ball receiving recess in the coupling end of the male plug to mate with at least one retaining ball located in the female socket of the locking mechanism. 
     The holding mechanism may include at least one ball retaining hole through the coupling end of the female socket with a ball positioned in at least one ball retaining hole. A sleeve having a first inside diameter portion and a tapered portion extending from the first diameter portion to a larger diameter portion is slidably mounted on the coupling end of the female socket over at least one ball retaining hole so that the first diameter portion or tapered portion may be selectively aligned with at least one ball retaining hole so that the first diameter portion or tapered portion may be selectively aligned with the at least one ball retaining hole. When the first diameter portion is aligned with the at least one ball retaining hole, it holds the ball in the at least one ball retaining hole in an inward position wherein the ball extends into the receiving opening. When the tapered portion of the larger diameter portion is aligned over the at least one ball retaining hole it allows the ball in the at least one ball retaining hole to move to an outward position of the receiving opening. A spring biases the sleeve to a biased position wherein the first diameter portion is aligned with the at least one ball retaining hole. A ball receiving recess in the coupling end of the male plug, receives the ball in the at least one ball retaining hole when the coupling end of the male plug is received in the receiving opening of the female socket. The male and female couplers are held together by holding the ball in the at least one ball retaining hole in inward position to extend into the ball receiving recess. 
     One of the primary characteristics of the improved quick connect coupler system is that only one portion of the coupler system, namely the male plug, has an improved design. The improvement applied to the male plug is intended to function within the existing design of the traditional female socket. That is, by to say that each of both the female and male couplers are interoperable with or without the improvement, thereby ensuring backwards compatibility with the traditional or non-improved designs. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing detailed description. 
    
    
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Brief description for carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a male quick connect plug attached to a dispensing accessory implementing an embodiment of the non-circular surface, or ridge, located between the ball engagement surface and the backwardly rising surface, thus bridging the two surfaces. 
         FIG. 1B  is a side elevation view of the same male quick connect plug. 
         FIG. 1C  is a side view of the same male quick connect plug; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a male quick connect plug attached to a dispensing accessory and a female quick connect socket assembly; 
         FIG. 3A  is a side view of a male quick connect plug attached to a dispensing accessory and a female quick connect socket assembly. 
         FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of the same dispensing accessory attached to a female quick connect socket assembly; 
         FIG. 4A  is a partial perspective view of a male quick connect plug with an alternate embodiment of the ridge located between the ball engagement surface and across toward the backwardly rising surface. 
         FIG. 4B  is a side view of the same male quick connect plug with an alternatively designed ridge; 
         FIG. 5A  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative design showing a quick connect plug and an attachable clip. 
         FIG. 5B  is a perspective of a clip assembled to a male connect plug; 
         FIG. 6  is a lateral sectional view of  FIG. 3A  showing an anti-rotation ridge on the male plug and engagement surfaces of the female socket; 
         FIG. 7  is a transverse sectional view taken through plane A-A of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 8  is an elevated perspective view of a sprayer accessory rotatably adjustable; 
         FIG. 9  is a side sectional view of a sprayer accessory threadably attached to male quick connector plug; 
         FIG. 10  is an elevated perspective view of multiple sprayer accessories usable with same socket. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention. The following exemplary embodiment is provided to further illustrate the invention and is not to be construed to unduly limit the scope of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B , the non-rotating quick connector  10  comprises a male connector  31 , a female connector  67 , a tubular sleeve  62 , a compression spring  63 , a lock ring  60 , O-rings  61  and one or more locking balls or pins  64 . 
     Male connector  31  includes an internally or externally threaded portion  57  forming an attachment end integrally connected to a male plug or coupling portion or end  50  by means of a shoulder portion  54  intermediate the length of the connector  31 . Male plug  50  has an annular surface and further includes a fluid or air channel  97  which extends either partially or completely through the male connector  31 , at least one selectively annular retaining ball groove  55  about coupling portion  50 , and one or more ridges  52  purposely positioned generally longitudinal along axis  20  and extending between forwardly angled ball retention inclined surface  51 , across annular groove  55  and interconnecting to backwardly angled inclined surface  53 , ridge  52  thereby extending longitudinally and radially within groove  55 . Male connector  31  further includes a hexagonally or otherwise flattened sided shaped gripping surface  56 . A highly pressurized sprayer attachment accessory  30  is shown attached to the male connector  31 , as an example, but may comprise other forms or configurations. There exist other configurations of male plug designs that incorporate single shut-off, double shut-off and straight-through configurations which all could apply to the present invention. 
     Female connector  67  comprises an externally or internally threaded portion  73  forming an attachment end integrally connected to a female quick connect socket portion  66  by means of a shoulder portion  58 . Female connector  67  further comprises a hexagonally or otherwise flattened sided shaped gripping surface  72 . Female connector  67  further includes a water of air channel  71  ( FIG. 7 ) which extends partially or completely through female connector  67 , one or more tapered ball or pin recesses  65  extending through female socket portion  66 , and internal o-ring grooves (not shown) inside a shoulder portion (not shown). There exist other configurations of female socket designs that incorporate single shut-off, double shut-off and straight-through configurations which all could apply to the present invention. 
     Sleeve  62  includes an annular internal shoulder  15  having an annular tapered portion  70 , an axially flat annular portion  81  and a radially flat annular portion  75 , and also includes an annular exterior gripping surface  69 . Lock ring  60  is secured in annular lock ring groove  68  during assembly after sleeve  62  is slid over female coupling portion  66  with balls or pins  64  in recesses  65 . There exist other configurations of quick connect sleeve assemblies of which this invention would apply. 
     Compression spring  63  biases sleeve  62  against lock ring  60  and comprises a piece of wire wound around one or more turns at such a radius as to closely fit about female socket portion  66  of female socket  67 . There exist other configurations of quick connect spring assemblies of which this invention would apply. 
     Locking rings  60 , O-rings  61  and retaining balls or pins  64  are of standard construction known in the fluid and air flow industries, as is the construction of the ball or pin retaining recess  65  to retain balls or pins  64  therein. There exist other configurations of quick connect locking and O-ring assemblies of which this invention would apply. 
     Female socket portion  66 , sleeve  62 , compression spring  63 , lock rings  60 , O-rings  61  and retaining balls or pins  64  fit together as shown in  FIGS. 7, 3A and 3B . Spring  63  is disposed about female socket portion  66  of female connector  67  with sleeve  62  disposed thereabout, retaining balls or pins  64  being retained within respective retaining recesses  65  by internal shoulder  15  of sleeve  62 . Sleeve  62  is retained on female connector  67  by means of lock rings  60 , which are secured in annular lock ring groove  68  about female socket portion  66  and abut internal shoulder  15  of sleeve  62  as sleeve  62  is biased by spring  63  to a forward locking position. When in locking position, retaining balls or pins  64  are retained in an inwardly biased position by contact with axially flat annular portion  81  of sleeve  62  so as to partially extend into the media channel  71 . When sleeve  62  is manually influenced against the bias of spring  63  to a rearward position by engagement between the spring and radially flat annular portion  75 , balls or pin  64  are disposed adjacent annular tapered portion  70  or larger diameter annular portion  16  of sleeve  62 , which permits balls or pins  64  to move radially outwardly so as to be removed from inside media channel  71 . O-rings  61  are disposed within respective O-ring grooves (not shown). 
     Male and female connectors  31  and  67  removably couple together by forcing sleeve  62  to the rearward position against the bias of spring  63  such that retaining balls or pin  64  can clear the media channel  71  when the male coupling portion  50 , which fits closely in media channel  71 , is moved into position in media channel  71 . When male and female connectors  31  and  67  are rotated relative to one another to the proper position or otherwise interconnected, anti-rotation ridge or ridges  52  each fit into a region  17  between two adjacent retaining balls or pins  64 , the respective surfaces thereof on opposite sides of region  17  being thereby engageble by ridge  52  as shown in  FIG. 6  to prevent such relative rotation. Male coupling portion  50  is moved into the opening in female socket portion  66  so that groove  55  is aligned with ball or pin receiving recesses  65  and balls or pins  64  therein so that balls or pins  64  can extend into groove  55 . Sleeve  62  is then released so as to be biased back to the forward position by spring  63  such that annular flat portion  81  thereof holds retaining balls or pins  64  in ball or pin retaining groove  55  of male connector  31 . In such a coupled condition, male and female connectors  31  and  67  are locked together both longitudinally and rotationally with O-rings  61  sealing therebetween. The procedure is reversed to uncouple male and female connectors  31  and  67 , without the possible need of rotating since anti-rotation ridge or ridges  52  already align to fit in region  17  in between balls or pins  64 . 
     Another alternate embodiment of anti-rotation ridge  52  is illustrated in  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B  where ridge  74  can be one or more longitudinally and radially extending surfaces within groove  55  and retained within forwardly inclined surface  51  and rearwardly inclined surface  53 . The ridges  74  may extend all the way across groove  55  and in line with the surface of coupler  50  or the surface of shoulder  54 , or may have any number of shapes and sizes that would prevent rotation of retention balls or pins  64  around annular surfaces  53  or  51 , or rotation within groove  55 . 
     Another alternate embodiment of anti-rotation ridge  52  is illustrated in  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  where ridge  77  is a separable component clip  18  and attachably held onto the male quick connector  31 . Clip  18  would snap into or within grooves  79  and  78  which could also be located in an alternate location of male quick connector  31 , for example within shoulder portion  54 . Groove  78  on the male quick connector plug would engage segment  76  of clip  18  to retain the clip  18  longitudinally and retain the clip from removal. Groove  79  would engage ridge segment  77  to prevent clip  18  against rotational movement. Ridge segment  77  would protrude into groove region  55  and thus acting in a similar manner as ridge  52  or  74 . Anti-rotation clip  18  could be either rigidly connected to male quick connector  31  or may incorporate compliant, non-rigid features in order to be moveably connected to connector  31 , but maintain the intended purposes of anti-rotation. The ridges  77  may comprise one or more locations along groove  55 . 
     The method of forming an anti-rotation feature as shown in ridge  52 ,  74  and  77  may vary in method and design. As an example, the feature could also be threadably attached to the male quick connect plug  31  and act as the anti-rotation ridge itself or retain another such piece to act in the same. The anti-rotation feature may be constructed via various means which include standard machining methods, a separate piece fusably linked as with welding or epoxy, use of electro-discharge machining (EDM), forging, casting, swaging, or other alternate technologies known to manufacturing. 
     Another alternate embodiment of the anti-rotation ridge would be where the user would physically engage a button or other interface means in order to bias the anti-rotation ridge into position or out of position. In this manner the user would choose when to use the anti-rotation feature or to just allow the system to freely rotate. Examples of ridge actuation would include pivoting or sliding the ridge into position via an interlocking means back to the various interface means available. 
     Another alternate embodiment of the anti-rotation ridge would be where the anti-rotation feature would be configured not to fully prevent rotation, but instead to provide resistance in the turning process, only to a desired force, and then allow the ridge to release and move past the locking ball. This would result in the ability to provide an audible clicking sound while rotating, as the ridge engages each locking ball. Additionally, the operator would be provided with a resistance feedback that provides physical indication of how much the plug has rotated by counting the number of points of higher resistance. 
     Another alternate embodiment of the anti-rotation ridge would be where the anti-rotation feature is configured in such a way as to act as a cam surface to the retention balls and thereby gradually influencing the balls radially outward and thus initiating a disconnection of the plug to the coupler. The operator would rotate the nozzle assembly or other mechanism and thereby disengage the coupler socket from the male plug. This is particularly relevant to auto-lock coupler configurations where the user pulls back the retaining collar, and the male plug automatically ejects from the socket via a biasing spring mechanism. 
     A fluid accessory  30  is shown coupled to the female connector  67  via the male connector  31  in  FIG. 8 . However, other fluid accessories, such as those illustrated in  FIG. 10 , may be used rather than the fluid accessory in  FIG. 8 , such as a fixed brush  28 , which may be coupled to the female connector  67 . The fluid accessory  29  may output a rotating spray pattern, while the fluid accessory  27  may, for example, be configured to output a wide-angle spray pattern, a narrow-angle spray pattern, or any other type of fixed (non-adjustable) spray pattern. 
     In addition, the fluid accessory may be configured to output a different pattern depending on the rotational position selected by the user (nozzle changeover). The adjustable nozzle assembly  30  may be adjusted by the user by axially rotating the housing. For example, the adjustable nozzle  30  housing may be axially rotated about a longitudinal axis  20  between a first position, in which the fluid accessory  30  provides a high pressure spray, and a second position, in which the fluid accessory  30  provides a low pressure spray. Further, the fluid accessory  30  of the illustrated construction includes an independently adjustable mechanism  150  for altering the spray pattern (see  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The spray pattern may be adjusted by rotating the housing about a longitudinal axis  20 , such that at a first rotational orientation, the fluid accessory  30  provides a wide-angle spray pattern, and at a second rotational orientation, the fluid accessory  30  provides a narrow-angle spray pattern. Since the spray pattern is independently adjustable for the nozzle assembly  151 , several different combinations of the spray patterns and discharge pressures exist. Nozzle  27  is fitted with a standard male plug  154  to illustrate the backward compatibility of the system. Wand  153  is shown in  FIG. 10  to illustrate possible connection configuration. 
     While illustrated embodiments show, what is known as, a straight-through coupling assembly, the invention would apply to, what is known in the fluid and air flow industry as, one-way shut-off systems as used in compressed air &amp; paint spray applications to name a few. Additionally, the design would apply to, what is known as, double-shutoff systems as commonly associated with use in hydraulics as well as other material such as steam, solvents, cooling water, oil and a host of other media. 
     The invention also includes the process for connecting a quick connect coupling by using any of the anti-rotation devices disclosed herein. 
     Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with reference to embodiments thereof presently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out such invention in actual practice, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in adapting the invention to different embodiments without departing from the broader inventive concepts disclosed herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5