Lee CruseSpringfield, MO

4494728, Jan 22, 1985

Jun 7, 1982

6/385579

Lee H. Cruse - Ozark MO

Foster Manufacturing Company - Springfield MO

F16L 3728

2511499

O-rings, which are disposed within pneumatic couplings and which are recurrently moved past ports within those pneumatic couplings, tend to be abraded as they recurrently engage the changes of surface at the mouths of those ports. The present invention minimizes the abrading of the O-rings by providing the ports with bell mouths which merge smoothly into at least two spaced points on the surface of the body in which the ports are located.

4615545, Oct 7, 1986

Jul 22, 1985

6/757428

Lee H. Cruse - Ozark MO

Foster Manufacturing Company - Springfield MO

F16L 4108

285 24

A connect-disconnect coupling for a plural-passage fluid line has an outer socket which has an inner plug mounted therein; and an outer plug has an inner socket mounted in it. That inner plug includes a yieldable tube which has one end thereof in fluid-tight engagement with a partition in that outer socket; and the other end of that yieldable tube can automatically align itself with the inner socket in the outer plug as that outer plug is telescoped into that outer socket. The other end of that yieldable tube is capable of automatically returning to a position which is generally central of the outer socket even if that yieldable end had been moved all the way to one side of that outer socket.

4765657, Aug 23, 1988

Apr 13, 1987

7/037935

Lee H. Cruse - Ozark MO

Foster Manufacturing Company - Springfield MO

F16L 3722

285 91

A quick connect-disconnect coupling for fluid lines has a tubular female member, a sleeve member which encircles and is moveable relative to that female member, a tubular plug which telescopes into one end of that female member, locking surfaces on that sleeve member and on that female member which prevent relative movement between that sleeve member and that female member until the tubular plug has been telescoped into that one end of that female member, and interacting surfaces on that female member and on that sleeve member which require progressive relative movement of that sleeve member and of that female member from a normal, plug-unlocked, fluid-off position to a plug-locked, fluid-on position and then back to that normal plug-unlocked, fluid-off position. The locking surfaces include a plurality of locking pins on one of the members, and a corresponding plurality of recesses in the other of those members; and each recess has an abutting notch at one side thereof which has a configuration that is complementary to one side of one of the locking pins. The plurality of locking pins and the corresponding plurality of notches coact to prevent any cold flowing or peening of the metal of those members, even if the coupling is dropped onto a hard surface from a substantial distance.

4437647, Mar 20, 1984

Jun 7, 1982

6/385858

Lee H. Cruse - Ozark MO

Foster Manufacturing Company - Springfield MO

C11D 700

2511499

A quick connect-disconnect coupling for fluid lines has a tubular socket as the female member thereof, has a sleeve which encircles and is movable relative to that socket, has a tubular plug as the male member thereof, and has interacting surfaces on that socket and sleeve which readily permit that sleeve to move successively from a plug-unlocking position through a plug-locking position to a fluid-on position. Those interacting surfaces automatically prevent accidental movement of that sleeve back from either that plug-locking position or that fluid-on position to that plug-unlocking position.