Patent ID: 8770632

Claim:
A quick-connect fitting comprising: a female connector and a male connector, wherein the female connector and the male connector lock together to form a gas-tight seal wherein the inside of the male connector is in fluidic communication with the inside of the female connector; the female connector comprising a substantially tubular body having an inwardly directed protrusion comprising an integral part of the substantially tubular body, wherein the protrusion is substantially rigid and is axially spaced from an end of the tubular body; the male connector being generally cylindrical and having an entry portion and a groove, the entry portion comprising a substantially flat surface, the flat surface being formed substantially along a chord line between two points of the generally cylindrical male connector, wherein the maximum distance from the substantially flat surface to a diametrically opposite surface of the generally cylindrical male connector is less than the overall diameter of the male connector, to allow engagement of the female connector with the male connector when the protrusion is aligned with the entry portion; and, the groove extending for at least a portion of a circumference of the male connector, the groove locking the female connector to the male connector upon rotation that causes the protrusion to move past the entry portion and engage the groove; the female connector and male connector comprising a sliding fit when the protrusion is aligned with the entry portion and an interference fit that locks the female and male connectors together when the protrusion is rotated into the groove.