Vacuum-insulated valved coupling

Claim 1

A VACUUM-INSULATED VALVED COUPLING FOR TRANSFERRING LOW-BOILING LIQUEFIED GASES, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION FIRST AND SECOND MATED MEMBERS WHICH ARE INTIMATELY JOINED, THE SECOND WITHIN THE FIRST, WHEN THE COUPLING IS CONNECTED; SAID FIRST MATED MEMBER COMPRISING A THINWALLED INNER SHELL FOR RECEIVING SAID SECOND MATED MEMBER, A FIRST LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT, AND A FIRST VALVE GUIDE UNIT INTEGRALLY JOINING SUCH CONDUIT TO ONE END OF THE INNER SHELL, A THIN-WALLED OUTER SHELL WHICH ENCLOSES SAID INNER SHELL AND SAID FIRST LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT THEREBY FORMING A FIRST EVACUABLE INSULATION SPACE, AND AN ANNULAR CONNECTOR ENCLOSING ONE END OF SUCH INSULATION SPACE BY INTEGRALLY JOINING ONE END OF SAID OUTER SHELL TO THE END OF SAID INNER SHELL OPPOSITE TO THE CONDUIT-INNER SHELL JOINT; SAID SECOND MATED MEMBER COMPRISING A SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT, A SECOND LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT INTEGRALLY JOINED TO SAID SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT, A THIN-WALLED SHELL ENCLOSING SAID SECOND LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT THEREBY FORMING A SECOND EVACUABLE INSULATION SPACE, SUCH SHELL BEING INTEGRALLY JOINED TO SAID SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT AND CONSTRUCTED TO DEFINE A CLEARANCE SPACE WITH SAID INNER SHELL WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MATED MEMBERS ARE JOINED, COUPLING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ANNULAR CONNECTOR FOR COUPLING SAID SECOND MATED MEMBER TO SAID FIRST MATED MEMBER WHEN INSERTED THEREIN; MEANS OPERATED BY THE COUPLED COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT OF SAID ANNULAR CONNECTOR AND SAID COUPLING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LIQUEFIED GAS TRANSFER FROM ONE LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT TO THE OTHER WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MATED MEMBERS ARE COUPLED, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST VALVE ELEMENT SLIDEABLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID FIRST VALVE GUIDE UNIT, A SECOND VALVE ELEMENT POSITIONED IN SAID SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT, SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT AND SAID FIRST VALVE GUIDE UNIT HAVING RESPECTIVE COOPERATING VALVE SEAT SURFACES, SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT AND SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT HAVING MATING CONTACT PORTIONS POSITIONED FOR AXIAL CONTACT IN COUPLING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MATED MEMBERS; THE FIRST AND SECOND VALVE ELEMENTS BEING ARRANGED AND CONSTRUCTED SO THAT ENGAGING POSITION THEREBY PREVENTING INGRESS AND EGRESS TO SAID FIRST LIQUEFIED GAS CONDUIT UNTIL SAID FIRST AND SECOND MATED MEMBERS ARE COUPLED THEREBY AXIALLY CONTACTING SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT WITH SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT, THE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT FROM ITS VALVE SEAT SURFACE ENGAGING POSITION TO PERMIT THE TRANSFER OF LIQUEFIED GAS FROM ONE MATED MEMBER TO THE OTHER BEING CONTROLLED BY THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE COUPLED ANNULAR CONNECTOR AND THE COUPLING MEANS; AT LEAST ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEALING RING AFFIXED TO SAID SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT SUCH THAT UPON INSERTION OF SAID SECOND VALVE GUIDE UNIT IN SAID FIRST MATED MEMBER SUCH SEALING RING CONTACTS THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID INNER SHELL, AND AT LEAST ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEALING RING AFFIXED TO SAID COUPLING MEANS SUCH THAT UPON INSERTION OF SAID SECOND MATED MEMBER IN SAID FIRST MATED MEMBER SUCH SEALING RING CONTACTS SAID ANNULAR CONNECTOR, SUCH SEALING RINGS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ISOLATE SAID CLEARANCE SPACE PRIOR TO CONTACT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE ELEMENTS; AND A BLEED VALVE AFFIXED TO SAID COUPLING MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CLEARANCE SPACE TO PERMIT PURGING SAID CLEARANCE SPACE PRIOR TO CONTACT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE ELEMENTS.