Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 27th Feb.. 1897
1, ALFRED EDWIN STOVE, of 101 Leadenhall Street, City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates
First: To a method of preparing the several parts of an interchangeable fire
hose and like coupling.
Secondly To means for preventing escape of water at the coupling when the
hose is under pressure.
Thirdly: To appliances for preventing the coupling becoming detached or
loosened during the various conditions under which such couplings are subjected.
The details of the invention are particularly applicable to those couplings known
as Nuuan's in which each half coupling has a ring with grip lugs and have a partial
rotation for moving against incline ribs when the two halves are being coupled up
aud while being uncoupled.
The invention can be adapted for ordinary leather or canvas hose used by fire
brigades, by brewers, for connection with ships pumps, for garden and other
purposes in which hoses are generally employed. Its chief purpose however is for
fire brigades on account of the many and extraordinary changes, risks, and
exposures it has to undergo.
My invention consists first: in making the ring, the collar, the neck tube, and
the sleeve separately, and after passing the collar into the ring to rest upon its
inner shoulder from the top I fit the sleeve over the neck tube and push the neck
up into the cellar until the edges are flush which I solder for attachment, the ring
and the sleeve being free for rotation in either direction.
For the purpose of the second part of my invention, I cone shape the neck tube
on the outside for its full length or so much of it as is necessary and I corre-
spondingly cone shape the inner surface of the sleeve, this being a gradual cone
for the length of the touching parts but if desired the cone may be short, the
surfaces in contact being ground to fit so that in turning they touch as a piston
plunger does in a cylinder without escape.
Instead of the soldering as before mentioned, the neck tube and the collar can
be united by screwing or otherwise.
For effecting the third part of my invention, I make the lugs hollow in two
directions and arrange sliding click or catch bolts therein at right angles to each
other. One bolt has a free to and fro motion in its aperture or hollow without
becoming detached, and the other, or more properly speaking two bolts on one base
or shoulder plate is or are under control of a spring encircling a short tube within
which is a guide stud of a screw plug capable of adjustment to suit pressure of the
spring for forcing the dual catch bolts home, one of said catches engaging in the
other or transverse moving bolt while the other of the dual bolts takes into rack
teeth formed in the under or iuclined edge of the rib of the counter-part of the
coupling for locking the ring of its own half coupling, duplicate locking devices
being within the lug of the ring of the counter half coupling.
By this latter means, the connection of couplings of hoses can be absolutely
relied upon under every condition of use, the cone neck tube and cone sleeve

page_text: permitting any length of hose to turn and straighten itself to remove kinks or
folds, and ensure a free and fall passage of water in a manner so much desired.
Dated this 7th day of March 1896.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alfred Edwin Stove.
I, ALFRED EDWIN STOVE, of 101 Leadenhall Street, City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates
First To a method of preparing the several parts of an interchangeable fire
hose and like coupling.
Secondly: To means for preventing escape of water at the coupling when the
hose is under pressure.
Thirdly: To appliances for preventing the coupling becoming detached or
loosened during the various conditions under which such couplings are subjected.
The details of the invention are particularly applicable to those couplings known
as Nunan's in which each half coupling has a ring with grip lugs and have a partial
rotation for moving against incline ribs when the two halves are being coupled up
and while being uncoupled.
The invention can be adapted for ordinary leather or canvas hose used by fire
brigades, by brewers, for connection with ships pumps, for garden and other
purposes in which hoses are generally employed.
Its chief purpose however is for fire brigades on account of the many and
extraordinary changes risks and exposures it has to undergo.
My invention will be clearly understood by reference to the annexed drawings.
Sheet 1 shows the several parts detached. Sheet 2 the parts combined. Sheet 3
two half couplings, one of said halves being partly in section to show the catch.
The several letters of reference agree in all the figures.
Figure 1 section of band.
Figure 2 section of ring.
Figure 3 section of sleeve.
Figure 4 section of neck.
Figure 5 exterior elevation of one half coupling.
Figure 6 sectional elevation of the adjoining half.
Figure 7 part sectional elevation of the two half couplings.
Figure 8 right angled elevation of the catch appliance to that shown at Figure 2.
Hitherto, each half coupling has been in a single casting, that is, the band and
the neck, and to enable the ring to be fitted and held in position a separate band
had to be soldered, brazed, or screwed on, an operation which raised the cost of
manufacture beyond the commercial value of the article when completed.
The object therefore is to reduce the cost of production by making each piece
separately and then combining them by any desired means, a process by practice
being found to have the advantage of considerably increasing their strength and
offering facilities for easy repairs should such be necessary.
A, is the band with reduced diameter at B for fitting into the recesses C, D, of
the ring E, this being provided with two lugs F F with undercuts GG for

page_text: engaging over the inclined segmental ribs H H of the opposite half coupling when
coupling up, each half coupling being alike and interchangeable.
The neck I has a deep shoulder J which fits exactly the smaller diameter K of
the ring and also the smaller diameter L of the band A. The neck I is slightly
coned from M to N and terminates in a lip P on which the sleeve Qrests, said
sleeve being also coned and ground in to fit the exterior of the neck I on which it
can turn to a twist pull of the flexible hose piping when attached to the sleeve,
the projections R R serving for the wrapping of the binding wire to fix the hose
to it.
With parallel necks and sleeves the ends only need be cone shaped as at 6-
Figure 7 the outer and inner surfaces of the neck and the sleeve being ground to
fit as for the long cone shown at Figures 3 and 4.
The larger recess S in the band in conjunction with the extension T of the neck
shoulder form an annular chamber into which an india rubber packing ring U
can be placed, the rubber projecting beyond the edge for compression when the
two half couplings are being coupled up, said compression making the meeting
faces absolutely watertight against internal pressure.
I serrate the face edges of the inclined ribs H H for the reception and locking
action of a catch V, this being within but capable of projecting from one of the-
lugs F of each half coupling, said catch V being on a plate W and governed by a
spring X located in the lug F by a cap Y.
The plate W has also a stud Z extending into the lug F and is operable in one
direction by a transverse bolt a which when pushed in by hand forces down the
stud Z and with it the catch V to release said catch from the serration of the rib H
which then enables the rings E E to be turned in opposite directions by an.
attendant for separating the half couplings.
The catch V is slightly shorter than the stud Z so that when the bolt a is
pushed in, the catch V is released without the stud Z being actually out of the
inclined recess with which the bolt a is provided.
The push in action on the bolt a for the release of the catch V is effected by an
attendant when in the act of uncoupling, the bolt a being in such position that.
the first portion of the pressure to separate the lugs FF is upon the bolt, a
continuation of such pressure effecting the turning of the lugs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Constructing interchangeable half couplings for flexible hose in separate
parts and then locating them by any suitable means, as herein before described and
as represented in the drawings.
2. Constructing interchangeable half couplings for flexible hose with a cone-
neck, and applying thereon a cone sleeve ground to fit as described and shown at
Figures 3 and 4 of the annexed drawings.
3. Constructing interchangeable half couplings for flexible hose with parallel
exterior and parallel interior sleeve ground in to fit, the ends of both neck and.
sleeve being cone shaped and ground to fit to prevent escape of water.
4. Providing the lugs of interchangeable half couplings used with flexible hose
with a spring catch and a serrated face on the inclined rib, said catch being
controlled for release by a transverse bolt in the lug, as and for the purposes.
explained.
11
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,.
Agent for A. E. Stove.