Patent ID: 8328244

Claim:
A sealing assembly comprising: first and second sealing members, each comprising: a face component comprising an annular groove; at least said first sealing member comprising: a hose connector component integral with said face component; and a collar component; one or more gasket members partially or fully comprising one or more elastomeric materials and disposed into and fittingly received by the annular groove of said first sealing member; wherein said sealing members are in mutually-aligned pressurized contact mediated by said one or more gasket members; and wherein the collar component of said first sealing member comprises two subsections, each subsection contacting said face or hose connector component over an arc of substantially 180 degrees, and comprising: i) a face element seat; ii) a tang comprising: an arc-shaped pedestal positioned at a diameter outlying the diameter of the face element seat; a barb positioned atop the pedestal and comprising tabs which laterally or circumferentially overhang the pedestal; iii) a receiving area outside the face element at a diameter outlying the diameter of the face element seat and adjacent to the pedestal, said receiving area comprising an arc-shaped slot comprising inner and outer walls, an arc-shaped guard wall at a diameter outlying the diameter of the outer wall, tang-deforming projections from a wall selected from a group consisting of the inner walls and the outer walls; iv) a projecting hinge element; v) a hinge element receptacle; wherein said subsections can be interlocked via their respective hinge elements and hinge element receptacles to form the first sealing member, such that the collar component contacts said face and/or hose connector component over substantially 360 degrees; and wherein said second sealing member comprises a second tang and a second receiving area, in a configuration complimentary to the tangs and receiving areas of the first sealing member, such that a seal can be formed by forcing the tangs on the first sealing member into the receiving areas of the second such that during axially directed motion, the tangs flex radially upon contacting the projections, at least partially relaxing upon further axial motion, mutually immobilizing said sealing members.