Plug-type device for interconnecting conduits

Claim 1

A fluid tight joint, comprising: a wall bounding a space adapted to receive fluid pressure, said wall having an opening therethrough; a semi-rigid conduit of outside diameter at least as small as that of the wall opening; and an elongated tubular body of semi-rigid material having an axial inner passage extending therethrough, a conical outer surface on said body tapering from a maximum diameter at one end to a smaller diameter at an intermediate point spaced from the opposite end, the outer surface of said body between said intermediate end and said opposite end being substantially cylindrical, said tubular body having a flange at said opposite end in contact with the inside of the conduit, and a pair of slots extending from said opposite end axially along said cylindrical outer surface and through to said axial passage thereby forming a bifurcated end portion on said body, said bifurcated end portion being biased apart to exert a slight outward force on the inside surface of the conduit; the total of said maximum diameter and twice the thickness of the semi-rigid conduit's wall being greater than the diameter of the wall opening; said semi-rigid conduit being positioned circumjacent the elongated tubular body with its end generally coincident with said one end of the tubular body, and a portion of the conduit near its end being stretched over the conical outer surface of the tubular body to form a reinforced conical end portion of the conduit; said reinforced conical end portion of the conduit, with the tubular body inside, being tightly wedged in the wall opening and oriented toward said space adapted to receive fluid pressure; whereby, when fluid pressure increases in the space and in the conduit, the conduit end portion tends to become more tightly wedged in the wall opening to more tightly seal the joint.