Patent ID: 8235427

Claim:
A combination sealing and restraint system for insertion within an annular groove provided within a mouth region located adjacent an end opening of a pipe fitting capable of both sealing and restraining the pipe fitting to a mating male pipe having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the sealing and restraint system comprising: an annular gasket body made of a resilient elastomeric material, the annular gasket body having an inner circumferential region and an outer circumferential region which circumscribe a central axis of the gasket body, the annular gasket body being installed within the annular groove provided in the mouth region of the pipe fitting so that the outer circumferential region forms a seal with the fitting mouth region and the inner circumferential region forms a sealing surface for a mating male pipe; a plurality of rigid gripping segments extending outwardly from the annular gasket body at an inclined angle with respect to a horizontal axis of the mouth region of the pipe fitting and at a predetermined spacing around the circumference of the annular gasket body; wherein the gripping segments are comprised of an inner planar surface and an outer planar surface separated by a thickness, and wherein the inner planar surface has at least one row of gripping teeth capable of engaging selected points on the exterior surface of the mating male pipe and apply a gripping force to the exterior surface; wherein the gripping segments are separated by flexible elastomeric extension regions of the gasket body, each of the gripping segments being provided with a shelf region at a base thereof, the shelf regions having lock regions formed therein which cooperate with mating portions of the resilient elastomeric material of the gasket body, whereby the gripping segments are mechanically secured to the gasket body; wherein the outer circumferential region of the gasket body is formed by an alternating arrangement of the flexible elastomeric extension regions of the gasket body and the gripping segments, and wherein the flexible elastomeric extension regions are slightly radially recessed inwardly in the direction of the central axis of the gasket body and with respect to the adjacent outer circumferential regions of the gripping segments, and wherein the inner planar surfaces of the gripping segments protrude radially inward past the adjacent elastomeric extension regions in the direction of the central axis of the gasket body; and wherein the annular gasket body, when viewed in cross section, includes a leading nose region and a radially inwardly slanting sealing surface which forms a lip seal for engaging the mating male pipe end during insertion.