Patent ID: 7100947

Claim:
A tubing and connector system for a food handling system comprising: a length of tubing, said tubing having a consistent repeated geometry in an axial direction, the geometry including a generally smooth, constant diameter inner surface and a helical outer surface; a lock nut having a threaded inner surface complementing the helical outer surface of said tubing to enable rotation of said lock nut directly on and along said length of said outer surface of said tubing, said lock nut having an absence of internal barriers to prevent continuous rotation of said lock nut along said tubing, and said lock nut having generally identical end portions and a generally consistent geometry in an axial direction; and a fitting for connection to a food handling apparatus, said fitting having a generally smooth inner surface and a barbed outer surface to engage a portion of said generally smooth inner surface of said tubing and to distort said tubing wherein upon rotating said lock nut along the outer surface of said tubing to a location over the portion of the tubing inner surface engaging the fitting, the tubing is compressed between said fitting and said lock nut.