Patent ID: 7497231

Claim:
A female coupling member of a pipe coupling, the female coupling member comprising: a female coupling member body with a tubular wall having a male coupling member receiving portion extending from a forward end toward a rear end thereof; and a locking member mounted on the tubular wall and extending in an axial direction of the tubular wall, the locking member having a latch portion at a forward end thereof that engages an engaging portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of a male coupling member as inserted into the male coupling member receiving portion to lock the male coupling member in the female coupling member body; the tubular wall comprising: a fulcrum portion that is positioned radially inside and engages the locking member to support the locking member in a lever fashion, and a radial through-hole positioned adjacent to the fulcrum portion and extending through the tubular wall; the locking member being configured to turn about the fulcrum portion between a latching position where the latch portion extends through the through-hole and engages the engaging portion of the male coupling member as inserted into the male coupling member receiving portion and an unlatching position where the latch portion is displaced radially outward from the latching position to disengage from the engaging portion of the male coupling member, thereby allowing the male coupling member to be pulled out of the male coupling member receiving portion; and the tubular wall further having: an inward inner surface that slidingly engages a forward end outer peripheral surface of the male coupling member when the male coupling member is inserted into the male coupling member receiving portion and before the male coupling member reaches a lock position where the engaging portion of the male coupling member is engaged by the latch portion of the locking member as placed in the latching position; and a forward end inner surface that slidingly engages an outer peripheral surface of the male coupling member that is more rearward of the forward end outer peripheral surface than the engaging portion of the male coupling member at a same time as the inward inner surface slidingly engages the forward end outer peripheral surface of the male coupling member; the female coupling member further comprising: locking member actuating device for pressing the latch portion of the locking member into the latching position in a state where the male coupling member has been inserted to the lock position in the male coupling member receiving portion.