Patent Application
20250122960
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The disclosure relates to crimp ring devices and more particularly pertains to a new crimp ring device to facilitate a worker to visually identify that a crimp ring on a plumbing line has been fully crimped. The device includes a crimp ring and a reactive layer extending around the crimp ring. The reactive layer normally displays a neutral color and the reactive layer displays a highly visible color when the reactive layer is exposed to sufficient compressive force. In this way the reactive layer changes color when the crimp ring is crimped with a crimping tool to facilitate a worker to visually identify that the crimp ring has been fully crimped.
The prior art relates to crimp ring devices including a variety of crimped pipe connections for forming a fluid impermeable joint between a pair of pipes by employing a crimping tool. In no instance does the prior art disclose a crimping ring which has a reactive layer that normally displays a neutral color and which displays a highly visible color when exposed to sufficient compressive force to facilitate a worker to visually identify that the crimp ring has been fully crimped.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a crimp ring that is comprised of deformable material to resist being deformed until exposed to a sufficient compressive force generated by a crimping tool for crimped the crimp ring around a cross-linked polyethylene plumbing pipe. A reactive layer is applied to the crimp ring and the reactive layer normally displays a neutral color. The reactive layer reacts to the sufficient compressive force generated by the crimping tool such that the reactive layer displays a highly visible color. In this way the reactive layer facilitates a worker to visually identify that the crimp ring has been fully crimped onto the cross-linked polyethylene plumbing pipe.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A reactive layer 18 is applied to the crimp ring 12 and the reactive layer 18 normally displays a neutral color which may include but not be limited to grey or white. The reactive layer 18 reacts to the sufficient compressive force generated by the crimping tool 14 such that the reactive layer 18 displays a highly visible color. In this way the reactive layer 18 facilitates a worker 20 to visually identify that the crimp ring 12 has been fully crimped onto the cross-linked polyethylene plumbing pipe 16. The reactive layer 18 comprises a lower layer 22 which has a bottom surface 24 that is bonded to an outer surface 26 of the crimp ring 12. The lower layer 22 completely covers the outer surface 26 of the crimp ring 12 having the lower layer 22 extending around a full circumference of the outer surface 26. Furthermore, the lower layer 22 may comprise a synthetic textile, including but not being limited to polyester or nylon.
The reactive layer 18 includes a series of tubules 28 applied to a top surface 30 of the lower layer 22. Each of the series of tubules 28 is continuous such that each of the series of tubules 28 forms a closed loop extending around a full circumference of the lower layer 22. Furthermore, the series of tubules 28 is positioned adjacent to each other and is distributed across a full width of the top surface 30 of the lower layer 22. Each of the series of tubules 28 contains a fluid dye 32 that has a highly visible color, including but not being limited to various shades of green. Additionally, each of the series of tubules 28 is comprised of a fluid impermeable material to inhibit the fluid dye 32 from escaping the series of tubules 28. Each of the series of tubules 28 is comprised of a shatterable material, including but not being limited to glass or plastic, such that each of the series of tubules 28 shatters when the crimping tool 14 applies the sufficient compressive force. In this way the fluid dye 32 in each of the series of tubules 28 is released from the series of tubules 28.
The reactive layer 18 includes an outer layer 34 that has a lower surface 36 which is bonded to the series of tubules 28 and the lower surface 36 completely covers the series of tubules 28. The outer layer 34 is continuous such that the outer layer 34 defines a closed loop which extends around a full circumference of each of the series of tubules 28. The outer layer 34 is comprised of a fluid absorbent material, including but not being limited to polyester or nylon, thereby facilitating the outer layer 34 to absorb the fluid dye 32 when the series of tubules 28 is shattered. In this way the outer layer 34 is infused with the highly visible color of the fluid dye 32 such that the fluid dye 32 in the outer layer 34 is visible to the worker 20.
In use, the crimp ring 12 is positioned around the cross-linked polyethylene plumbing pipe 16 at a strategic location to form a joint and the crimping tool 14 is employed to crimp the crimp ring 12. In this way the reactive layer 18 is exposed to the sufficient compressive force to change colors. Thus, the worker 20 can visually identify that the crimp ring 12 has been fully crimped. In this way the worker 20 can quickly inspect a plumbing project to visually verify that each crimp ring 12 in the plumbing project has been fully crimped rather than having to physically inspect each crimp ring 12.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
