US 12,492,769 B2
Quick connector made of plastics
Morgan Ryman, Anderstorp (SE)
Appl. No. 17/767,489
Filed by Oetiker Schweiz AG, Horgen (CH)
PCT Filed Oct. 10, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/074318
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 8, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/069048, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0097783 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. F16L 37/088 (2006.01); F16L 37/098 (2006.01)
CPC F16L 37/0985 (2013.01) [F16L 37/088 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A quick connector, comprising:
a male part (50);
a female part (40);
a seal (30) set within a mouth portion (41) of the female part (40) and connecting the female part (40) to the male part (50) while forming a seal between the male part (50) and the female part (40); and
a tubular retainer (10) set within the mouth portion (41) and having at least one first flexing member (12) with a first tongue portion (14) protruding radially inwards and snap engaged with the male part (50) and at least one second flexing member (22) with a second tongue portion (24) protruding radially outwards and snap engaged with the female part (50), wherein the tubular retainer (10) has a ring-shaped base portion (11) from which the first and second flexing members (12, 22) protrude in an axial direction;
wherein the first and second flexing members (12, 22) are provided at circumferentially spaced portions of the retainer (10);
wherein a series of axial slits (15) are formed between the first and second flexing members (12, 22) so that the first and second flexing members (12, 22) can be flexibly deformed in a radial direction orthogonal to the axial extension of the retainer (10);
wherein the first flexing member (12) has a first ring segment (13) axially protruding from the ring-shaped base portion (11) of the retainer (10); and
wherein the first tongue portion (14) protrudes from the first ring segment (13) inwards in said radial direction orthogonal to the axial extension of the retainer (10).