Ratcheting hose nut for a fluid delivery device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440246-B2
Application number	US-201213709968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2012
Priority date	Dec 10, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A hose nut for coupling a fluid delivery device to a fluid conduit is provided. In one embodiment, the hose nut includes a pawl configured to rotate about a hinge between a locked position and an unlocked position. The hose nut is configured to rotate in a first tightening direction relative to the fluid delivery device and a second loosening direction opposite the first tightening direction when the pawl is in the unlocked position, and the pawl is configured to radially engage the fluid delivery device to move the pawl to the unlocked position during rotation in the first tightening direction and the pawl is configured to engage the fluid delivery device to resist rotating in the second loosening direction when the pawl is in the locked position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid coupling for a fluid delivery device, the fluid coupling comprising:
a hose nut including:
a sidewall extending along a longitudinal axis and supporting threads;
a pawl coupled to the sidewall by a hinge, the hinge integrally formed with the sidewall, and the pawl configured to pivot about the hinge between a locked position and an unlocked position;
the hinge biasing the pawl radially outwardly from the unlocked position to the locked position;
the sidewall being rotatable about the longitudinal axis in a first tightening direction relative to the fluid delivery device and rotatable about the longitudinal axis in a second loosening direction relative to the fluid delivery device opposite the first tightening direction when the pawl is in the unlocked position;
the sidewall being rotatable about the longitudinal axis in the first tightening direction relative to the fluid delivery device and restrained from rotating about the longitudinal axis in the second loosening direction relative to the fluid delivery device when the pawl is in the locked position; and
a release supported by the pawl and configured to pivot the pawl about the hinge between the unlocked position and the locked position.

2. The fluid coupling of claim 1 , wherein the pawl engages the fluid delivery device to radially move the pawl to the unlocked position during rotation in the first tightening direction, and the pawl engages the fluid delivery device to resist rotating in the second loosening direction when the pawl is in the locked position.

3. The fluid coupling of claim 1 , further comprising a waterway including a connector wherein the pawl is configured to engage one of a plurality of teeth extending from the connector.

4. The fluid coupling of claim 3 , wherein the teeth longitudinally extend from a top surface of the connector.

5. The fluid coupling of claim 1 further comprising an external threaded surface of the hose nut configured to cooperate with an internal threaded surface of the fluid delivery device.

6. The fluid coupling of claim 1 further comprising a clip connecting the hose nut to a fluid conduit.

7. The fluid coupling of claim 1 , further comprising a first channel and a second channel, wherein the hinge is defined between the first and second channels and the release is positioned between the first and second channels.

8. The fluid coupling of claim 7 , wherein the release further comprises a raised button.

9. The fluid coupling of claim 1 , wherein the pawl comprises a leading end and a trailing end, the leading end being thinner than the trailing end, the leading end being configured to radially engage an interior surface of the fluid delivery device during rotation in the first tightening direction and the trailing end being configured to engage an interior surface of the fluid delivery device to resist rotation during rotation in the second loosening direction.

10. A fluid coupling for a fluid delivery device, the fluid coupling comprising:
a waterway including a connector having a plurality of teeth around a circumference of the connector defining a plurality of circumferential gaps between the plurality of teeth; and
a hose nut coupled to a fluid conduit, the hose nut including a pawl configured to rotate about a hinge between a locked position and an unlocked position, the pawl being radially received within one of the circumferential gaps between the plurality of teeth of the connector in the locked position;
the hinge biasing the pawl radially outwardly from the unlocked position to the locked position;
wherein the hose nut is configured to rotate in a first tightening direction relative to the waterway and a second loosening direction opposite the first tightening direction when the pawl is in the unlocked position;
wherein when the hose nut is in the locked position, the pawl is configured to radially engage at least one of the plurality of teeth during rotation in the first tightening direction, the radial engagement pivoting the pawl about the hinge towards the unlocked position, and the pawl is configured to circumferentially engage at least one of the plurality of teeth during rotation in the second loosening direction, the circumferential engagement resisting rotation in the second loosening direction; and
a release configured to rotate the pawl about the hinge between the locked position and the unlocked position.

11. The fluid coupling of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of teeth longitudinally extend from a top surface of the fluid delivery device.

12. The fluid coupling of claim 10 , wherein the hose nut further comprises an external threaded surface and the waterway further comprises an internal threaded surface, the internal threaded surface and external surface cooperating to couple the hose nut and waterway.

13. The fluid coupling of claim 10 , wherein the hose nut is coupled to the fluid conduit with a substantially C-shaped clip.

14. The fluid coupling of claim 10 , wherein the hose nut further comprises a first channel and a second channel, the hinge being defined between the first and second channels and the release including a raised button positioned between the first and second channels.

Assignees

• Masco Corp
• Delta Faucet Co

Inventors

• Meehan Steven Kyle
• Tang Yilin
• Luo Sishen

Classifications

• B05B1/00 Primary

  Nozzles, spray heads or other outlets, with or without auxiliary devices such as valves, heating means (B05B3/00, B05B5/00, B05B7/00 take precedence; devices for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by contact B05C; nozzles for ink-jet printing mechanisms B41J2/135; nozzles for liquid-dispensing, e.g. in vehicle service stations, B67D7/42) · CPC title

• E03C2001/0415

  having an extendable water outlet · CPC title

• E03C1/04

  Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths (valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K) · CPC title

• F16L19/005 Primary

  comprising locking means for the threaded member · CPC title

• B05B15/65 Primary

  Mounting arrangements for fluid connection of the spraying apparatus or its outlets to flow conduits · CPC title