In WO 02/073079 Al of common ownership herewith, couplings are described which retain in sealing engagement a first body such as a housing, manifold or valve block, for example, and a second body such as a pipe or other conduit, for example. The sealing function is performed by flexible or elastomeric sealing members such as"O"ring seals, for example, whilst the retention function is performed by deformable or moveable first securing members which inter-engage between the first and second bodies. In some embodiments of coupling, portions of the first securing member are held in engagement with features of the second body which features have different diameters from the general diameter of the body, for example, the features of different diameter may be either a raised shoulder around the circumference of a pipe or a groove or depression therearound, for example.

Furthermore, the first securing member may comprise a plurality, i. e. two or more discreet items which when assembled together in the final coupling constitute the first securing member.

Where the couplings are sold as unit, l e with first and second bodies already assembled this is not a problem.

However, some uses of couplings according to WO 02/073079 may be where the first body is an integral part of a

larger piece of equipment such as a motor vehicle engine, or pump, for example, and the securing members must be fitted to the first body by a customer on-site, for example. Thus, in such circumstances and in an embodiment where the first securing member comprises a plurality of discreet items, there may be an issue of ease of assembly to be addressed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device, method and apparatus whereby assembly of couplings as described above may be facilitated.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for aiding the assembly of a coupling wherein the coupling comprises a first body held in sealing engagement with a second body, both the first and second bodies having a plurality of first securing members in inter-engagement therewith so as to retain the second body in engagement with the first body in use, the device being for placing the plurality of said first securing members in said first body prior to insertion of said second body in said coupling, the device comprising a holding member for holding and retaining said plurality of first securing members in a manner such that they may be inserted into a second body receiving cavity of said first body.

The device may also be provided with an ejection member for ejecting said first securing members from said holding member into said second body receiving cavity of said first body.

In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the holding member

holds the first securing members, hereinafter referred to as"locking collar segments", in a manner wherein the. locking collar segments are held resiliently outwardly biased. Such resilient outward biasing may be accomplished by a resilient band, such as a discontinuous metal band, for-example, which whilst the locking collar segments are held by the holding member, produces a force tending to move the locking collar segments apart in the radial direction relative to the axis of the coupling.

The resilient band may comprise any suitable means whereby a radially outward force may be achieved. An alternative resilient band may comprise an annular coil spring, for example.

The holding member may comprise a tubular portion within which at least a part of each of the locking collar segments are resiliently located against the inner wall of the tubular portion. The resilient location may be effected by the resilient band which exerts a radially outwardly directed force on the locking collar segments to hold them against the inner wall of the holding member.

When held by the holding member, the locking collar segments are held closely together in the circumferential and/or radial direction such that their overall diameter when held by the holding member is smaller than the orifice of the second body receiving cavity in the coupling first body into which the device comprising the holding member, resilient member and locking collar segments is to be inserted.

The locking collar segments held by the holding member are inserted into the second body receiving cavity with the holding member and are then ejected from the holding member by the ejection member into the receiving cavity.

The ejection member may be of substantially tubular form having a portion of a diameter which is an easy sliding fit within the bore of the holding member such that when the end of the ejection member meets the end faces of the locking collar segments, further relative motion between the holding member and the ejection member causes the locking collar segments to be ejected from the holding member and be placed in the required position within the second body receiving cavity of the first body.

Furthermore, the resilient band is also ejected with the locking collar segments so as to position and hold the locking collar segments in the required position, both axially and radially, in the second body receiving cavity of the first body of the coupling.

Effectively, when ejected from the holding member, the locking collar segments are forced in an outwardly direction by the resilient band to lie against the internal wall of the second body receiving cavity of the first body. Thus, the overall diameter formed by the locking collar segments when in place in the first body is substantially greater than their diameter when held by the holding member. However, the inner diameter of the orifice formed by the inner walls of the locking collar segments may generally be greater than the general outer diameter of the second body so that the latter may be easily inserted into the coupling without interference from the locking collar segments.

Since the resilient band is transferred with the locking collar segments into the first body and still exerts a radially outwardly force to hold the locking collar segments against an internal wall of the first body they cannot interfere with insertion of the second body into the coupling. The resilient band thus becomes part of the coupling and confers on the coupling the very important advantage of permitting the first and second bodies to be repeatedly disassembled and reassembled, in a manner to be described in detail hereinbelow, whilst leaving the locking collar segments resiliently positioned in place in the first body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a first body of a coupling for conveying fluids, the portion of the coupling having a female cavity portion for receiving in. sealing engagement therewith a second body so as to constitute said coupling, wherein said cavity in said first body has a plurality of locking collar segments therein, the locking collar segments being for retaining engagement with said second body and being resiliently biased in a radially outwardly direction.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the locking collar segments are permanently resiliently biased in a radially outwardly direction even though they may be moved radially inwardly by additional locating or positioning means when the first and second coupling bodies are in the final coupled condition.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a coupling for conveying fluids, the coupling comprising a first body having a female cavity

portion for receiving in sealing engagement therewith a second body so as to constitute said coupling, wherein said cavity in said first body has a plurality of locking collar segments therein, the locking collar segments being for retaining engagement with said second body and being resiliently biased in a radially outwardly direction.

In both the second and third aspects of the invention the locking collar segments may be resiliently biased in a radially outwardly direction by a resilient band as described hereinabove.

In the coupling according to the present invention there may be at least two locking collar segments and preferably three segments. It has been found that three segments having a total circumferential engagement of about 295° with the first and second bodies provides the optimum stress distribution and strength in a coupling according to the present invention. Thus, each locking collar segment has an arc of contact with'the first and second bodies of about 98°. However, this radial dimension is not limiting and segments having a radial extent of from about 200° to about 330° may be employed.

It is believed that three segments having the radial extent described above provide the best combination of strength and stress distribution, however, the present invention is not so limited and two or four or more segments may be used of differing radial extent.

In couplings according to the present invention there may preferably also be a second securing member, hereinafter referred to as a'positioning cap"which serves to move the locking collar segments into retaining engagement

with retention features of at least the second body. In the first body, the engaging feature may be a circumferentially directed recess into which an outer surface of the locking collar segments fit with facility to move in a radial direction, either in a radially inwardly or a radially outwardly direction or both.

Generally, the locking collar segments are always in engagement with the first body once placed therein. The leading edges of the locking collar segments, i. e. those circularly shaped edges nearest to the mouth of the second body when inserted into the coupling, are held open and apart by the resilient band. Once the second body has. been inserted into the coupling to its fullest extent, a positioning cap, generally in the form of a tubular member which slides over the outer surface of the second body, is inserted into the mouth of the first body so as to lie between the bore of the first body and at least a portion of the outer surface of the locking collar segments so as to mechanically move the locking collar segments radially inwardly to engage with the retaining feature or features on the second body against the outwardly directed resilient force of the resilient member. However, the actual radially outwardly directed force of the resilient member is relatively low needing only to be sufficient to hold the locking collar segments in the holding member in the radially outwardly position prior to placement in the first body and then to hold the locking collar segments against an inner wall of the second body receiving cavity of the first body.

Removal of the positioning cap from the coupling by sliding away from the coupling in the axial direction permits the locking collar segments to move outwardly under the influence of the radially outwardly directed

force of the resilient member so freeing the second body from retained engagement with the first body and permitting withdrawal thereof.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for assembling locking collar segments into the device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: assembling a plurality of locking collar segments in a radially spaced-apart array; causing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collar segments to surround a resilient expanding member; compressing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collar segments in a radially inward direction so as to cause said resilient expanding member to have a radially outwardly directed resilient force against said locking collar segments; placing a holding member over at least a portion of the axial length of said radially compressed locking collar segments ; and releasing a radial compressive force on said locking collar segments such that they are allowed to lie against an inner wall of said holding member and are retained there by said resilient force of said resilient expanding member.

The method may also comprise the further step of placing an ejection member in said holding member to permit ejection of said locking collar segments when required.

When the locking collar segments are radially compressed so as to nestle together with the expanding member, it is preferred that adjacent, radially directed side faces of the locking collar segments touch each other. When the compressed locking collar segments are inserted into the holding member and the compressive force released it is

preferred that the degree of radial expansion is limited so as to prevent significant relative rotation of each locking collar segment thus generating a force in the axial direction which would tend to cause the locking collar segments to slip out of the holding member under the force of the expanding member.

The method of the fourth aspect of the present invention may be modified by separately compressing the expanding member and bringing the plurality of locking collar segments into engagement thereabout.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for assembling locking collar segments into the device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus comprising: means for assembling a plurality of locking collar segments in a radially spaced-apart array; means for causing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collar segments to surround an expanding member; means for causing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collars to be compressed in a radially inwardly direction so as to cause said expanding member to have a radially outwardly directed resilient force against said locking collar segments; and, means for permitting said radially compressed array of locking collar segments and said expanding member to be inserted into and retained by a holding member.

The apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention may also be provided with means to fit an ejection member to the holding member to permit subsequent ejection of the locking collar segments and expanding member therefrom.

The holding member and the ejection member may be made of mouldings of plastics material and effectively be. disposable since they may be made very cheaply. However, if these components can be collected after insertion of locking collar segments into first coupling bodies on- site, they may be re-used.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for assembling locking collar segments into a first body of a coupling according to either the second or the third aspects of the present invention, the method comprising the steps of : assembling a plurality of locking collar segments in a radially spaced-apart array; causing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collar segments to surround a resilient expanding member; compressing said radially spaced-apart array of locking collar segments in a radially inward direction so as to cause said resilient expanding member to have a radially outwardly directed resilient force against said locking collar segments; placing said compressed radial array of locking collar segments into a locking collar segment receiving cavity of said first body; and releasing a radial compressive force on said locking collar segments and retained are retained therein by said resilient force of said resilient expanding member.

The fifth aspect of the present invention relates to the case where locking collar segments are installed directly in the first body of fluid conveying rather than via an intermediate device according to the first aspect of the present invention. This would be appropriate where the

production of couplings or of first bodies is of a high volume.

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood, examples will now be described by way of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figures 1A to 1E show schematically a series of steps in the assembly of a device according to the first aspect of the present invention; Figures 2A to 2D show schematically a series of steps in the placement of a plurality of locking collar segments in the second body receiving cavity of a first body by the assembled device of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an axial cross section of a coupling first body having locking collar segments placed therein according to the second aspect of the present invention ; Figure 4 shows an axial end view of the coupling first body as shown in Figure 3 according to both the second and third aspects of the present invention ; Figure 5 shows an axial cross section of a coupling second body according to a first embodiment of a coupling according to the third aspect of the present invention; Figure 6 shows an axial cross section of the first embodiment of a coupling according to the third aspect of the present invention; and

Figure 7 shows an axial cross section of a second embodiment of a coupling according to the third aspect of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings and where the same or similar features are denoted by common reference numerals.

Figure 1 shows schematically a series of steps in the assembly of a device according to the first aspect of the present invention for the placement of locking collar segments in a first body (not shown in Fig. 1) of a fluid conveying coupling. The upper series of drawings (Figs 1A to 1D) show a plan view of the components to be fitted to the device 10 of Figure 1E whereas the lower series of drawings (Figs 1A to 1E) show the corresponding components in cross section in elevation. Figure 1 depicts essentially the method steps involved in the assembly of the device 10 rather than apparatus features.

However, once the method steps are known, the person normally skilled in the mechanical handling art will be able to provide suitable apparatus means for feeding, sorting, handling, holding and conveying the component parts using either hydraulic or pneumatic tools, for example. Figure 1A shows an expanding member 12 in the form of a discontinuous, resilient metal band, the discontinuity being shown by the overlap 14 in the upper Figure 1C. The band 12 is radially compressed by the jaws of a tool (represented in the drawings by arrows 16).

Three locking collar segments 18 are arranged in a radially spaced-apart array as shown in upper Figure 1B.

Each segment 18 comprises a leading edge 20 having a tapered face 22, a shoulder 24 for retaining engagement with a first body 70 (see Figure 2), a radially thickened

portion 26 for retaining engagement with a second body 90 (see Figure 5), a recess 28 in the inner surface thereof for receiving the resilient band 12 without interfering with the second body 90 to be fitted when the coupling is completed and, a radially thinner portion 30 lying axially between the tapered face 22 and the shoulder 24.

The radially compressed band 12 is placed in the centre of the radial array of locking collar segments (see lower Figure 1C) and allowed to expand so as to lie in the recess 28 (see upper Figure 1C). The radial array of spaced-apart locking collar segments 18 is then radially compressed by a suitable tool (indicated by arrows 32 in upper figure ID) until the resilient band 12 is again fully compressed by virtue of the side faces 34 of each of the three locking collar segments being brought into contact with each other. The compressed radial array of locking collar segments is held in this manner whilst a holding member 40 comprising a tube member 42 having a leading edge 44 and an upper flange 46 is placed over the section comprising the radially thinner portions 30 and with the holding member leading edge 44 abutting against the shoulder 24. The placement of the holding member is by a tool indicated by the arrow 38. However, the holding member may be placed over the compressed array of locking collar segments manually rather than by a tool. Thus, the three locking collar segments 18 are held in the compressed condition with the resilient band 12 exerting an outwardly directed force (indicated by the arrows 48) on the faces of the recesses 28. The degree of actual radial movement in the outwardly direction when the holding member 40 is fitted and the compressive force 32 released is relatively small compared with the positions of the locking collar segments shown in upper Figure 1D.

The reason for this is that the resilient band 12, when

viewed in cross section in Figure 1E extends below the leading edge 44 of the holding member 40 and too much dimensional radial expansion between that shown in Figure ID and Figure 1E would allow the segments 18 to rotate about the shoulder 24 with a resultant force in the axial direction shown by the arrow 50 with the possible result that the segments 18 and band 12 may self-expel themselves from the holding member. The device 10 further comprises an ejection member 52 which is constituted by a second tubular portion 54 having a closed leading face 56 and a flange portion 58 at the opposite end. The tubular portion 54 is an easy sliding fit in the bore 60 of the holding member tubular portion 42. The face 56 of the ejection member 52 is brought into contact with the leading edge faces 20 of the locking collar segments and held in this position until the segments are to be placed in the first body of the coupling. Alternatively, the ejection member 52 may be left out of the device 10 until a customer, for example, is ready to place the locking collar segments into a coupling ready for use.

Furthermore, a single ejection member may be repeatedly used for a plurality of devices 10. The device 10 . comprising at least the holding member 40, the locking collar segments 18 and resilient band 12 may be shrink- wrapped (not shown), for example, for shipping and protection pending use.

Figure 2 shows the device 10 described above with reference to Figures 1A to 1E ready for use to place the locking collar segments 18 and resilient member 12 in the second body receiving cavity 72 of a first body 70 of a fluid conveying coupling. The first body 70 is a female member of a complete coupling (described in detail hereinbelow with reference to Figures 3 to 7). The first

body 70 is shown only in a generalised schematic form in Figure 2 since it may constitute part of a coupling for joining two pipes, for example, or may be constituted by a feature such as a valve block or manifold, for example, on a larger piece of equipment such as a pump, for example. Figure 2A shows the device 10 with locking collar segments 18 and resilient band 12 positioned above the second member receiving cavity 72 of the first body or female portion 70 of a coupling. Such positioning of the device 10 may be by mechanical handling means where, for example, a large number of complete couplings are to be produced and shipped as complete coupling units. On the other hand, where the female part 70 of the coupling is at a customer's work site, for example, the device 10 may be placed manually by an operator and, in fact, the flange portions 46,58 are intended for ease of manual application of the locking collar segments by a human operator. Where mechanical handling of the device 10 is envisaged, it may be suitably modified with appropriate features to be more amenable to mechanical handling. The cavity 72 has internal features which co-operate with the features of the locking collar segments 18 as will be described in more detail hereinbelow. The device 10 is placed in the cavity 72 as shown in Figure 2B with a lower radial face 74 of the thickened portion 26 of the locking collar segments in contact with an axially inner radial face 76 of a circular locking collar receiving recess 78. The two flange portions 46,58 of the holding member 40 and ejection member 52 are then squeezed together which effectively means that the holding member 40 is raised relative to the cavity 72 and ejection member 52. The locking collar segments are thus released from the holding member and the resilient band 12 causes the locking collar segments to move radially outwardly so

that the portions of the segments 18 lying axially between the shoulder 24 and end face 74 are received in the recess 78 of the cavity 72 as shown in Figure 2C. The holding member 40 and ejection member 52 are then removed, minus the locking collar segments and resilient member as shown in Figure 2D. Thus, the locking collar segments are positively but resiliently held in the recess 78 by the outwardly directed force of the resilient band 12. The segments cannot fall out of the mouth 80 of the cavity 72 since they are mechanically engaged with the first body 70 by virtue of the shoulders 24 with the face 82 of the recess 78. The holding member 40 and ejection member 52 may be re-used.

Figure 3 is in effect the same as the lower part of Figure 2D, however, Figure 4 shows an end elevation looking into the mouth 80 of the second body receiving cavity 72 of the first body 70 of Figure 3. The three locking collar segments 18 may be seen in their expanded position lying in the recess 78 under the influence of the resilient band 12. Each segment 18 has an arc of contact of about 98° in the circumferential direction with both the first body and the second body 90 (shown in Figure 5) as this is considered, as noted hereinabove, to provide the best combination of strength and stress distribution when a coupling according to the present invention is in use under fluid pressure. Whilst Figure 4 shows the locking collar segments evenly distributed around the cavity of the first body, however, in reality, the individual locking collar segments are relatively free to move circumferentially around the cavity or recess 78 in which they lie. Thus, initially two or three of the segments may lie closely together, for example.

However, this does not significantly affect the manner in which the coupling works.

Figure 5 shows a second body 90 which is effectively the male member of the complete coupling 92 which is shown in a first embodiment in Figure 6. The second body 90 comprises a leading, generally cylindrical portion 94 for entry into and retention within the second body receiving cavity 72 of the first body 70; and, a trailing portion 96 for connection with a hose (not shown) for example, the trailing portion 96 having known serrations 98 for gripping engagement with a hose and a groove 100 for receiving a flange (not shown) of a crimped clamping ferrule (not shown) to retain the hose. Whilst a second body having features for connection to a flexible hose is described, the second body 90 may be a tube or other conduit in any form for conveying fluid so long as it has the necessary features for retained engagement with the first body as described hereinbelow. In the leading portion 94 is a groove 102 for receiving a sealing member 104 such as an elastomeric"O"ring, for example, the groove 102 and sealing member 104 being received in a reduced diameter cylindrical portion 106 of the first body 70 for sealing engagement therewith. The sealing member 104 may also have a so-called backing ring 108 to prevent fluid loss by extrusion of the sealing member 104 under high pressure. The second body 90 has a plain smooth cylindrical portion 110 on the leading portion 94, the extent of which is delimited by a flange 112. On this cylindrical portion 110 is carried a sliding ring member 120 known as a"second securing member"in our earlier WO 02/073079 publication but is herein referred to as a "positioning cap". The positioning cap 120 comprises a leading cylindrical portion 122 having a front face 124

with a tapered face 126 extending on the inner surface back to a cylindrical face 128 which itself has a tapered face 130 extending to a further cylindrical bore 132 which is an easy sliding fit on the cylindrical surface 110 of the second body 90. The outer surface 134 of the leading cylindrical portion 122 is a generally plain cylindrical portion save for two grooves 140,142. The outer surface 134 of leading portion 122 is received in the entry bore portion 144 of the first body 70, the entry bore portion 144 being plain save for groove 146 therein. The outer surface 134 of the positioning cap 120 is an easy sliding fit in the entry bore portion 144 of the first body. The axial extent of the leading portion 122 is delimited by the flange 148 at the right hand extremity as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and is slightly less than the distance from the front face 150 of the first body 70 to the face 82 of the locking collar segment receiving recess 78 as may be seen in Figure 6 showing the complete assembled coupling. Groove 140 in the outer periphery of the positioning cap 120 receives a metal split ring 160 of circular cross section and a soft elastomeric ring 162 radially below the split ring 160, the arrangement being such that in the free state the outer surface of the split ring 160 lies proud of the surface 134 of the positioning cap but is easily able to be depressed into the groove 140 to enable the positioning cap 120 to be pushed fully into the entry bore 144 of the first body. When the positioning cap is pushed into the entry bore to its fullest extent, the split ring 160 coincides in the axial direction with the groove 146 in the entry bore 144 and is raised by the force of the compressed elastomeric ring,. 162 to locate in groove 146 to provide positive axial location of the positioning cap 120 and to prevent inadvertent removal

thereof unless a positive axial extraction force is applied in the right hand direction to extract the cap 120 from the bore 144. The groove 142 receives a sealing member 166 such as an"O"ring, for example and which seals with the bore 144 of the first body to prevent unwanted ingress of dirt or debris therebetween. A further groove 168 is provided in the bore 132 of the positioning cap 120, the groove 168 receives a sealing member 170 such as an"O"ring seal and prevents dirt or debris from entering between the bore 132 of the positioning cap 120 and the outer surface 110 of the leading portion 94 of the second body.

In order to complete the coupling 92, and as shown in Figure 6, the leading portion 94 of the second body is inserted into the mouth 80 of the first body until the front face 172 of the second body abuts the face 174 in the first body, the face 174 being formed as result of the provision of a reduced diameter fluid flow conduit 176 in the first body. A fluid flow passage 178 in the second body 90 coincides with the passage 176 in the first body when the coupling is made. As may be seen from Figure 3, the effective bore of the three locking collar segments when held in the radially outward position by the resilient band 12 is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the leading portion 94 of the second body.

Thus, the locking collar segments do not interfere with the insertion of the second body which, at this initial entry step, has the positioning cap 120 at its rightward extremity with the flanges 112, 148 abutting. Once the second body is pushed fully home with faces 172,174 abutting, the positioning cap 120 is then pushed in the leftward direction to enter the mouth 80 of the first body. Initially the oppositely tapered faces 22 of the

locking collar segments and the tapered faces 126 of the position cap abut each other. Continued movement of the positioning cap 120 in the leftward direction causes the tapered faces 22 and 126 to slide over each other and since the circular face 126 cannot move in a radially outwardly direction, the faces 22 (and the whole of the locking collar segments) are caused to move radially inwardly so that the thinned portions 30 are held radially inwardly of the face 128 of the leading portion 122 of the positioning cap. At this point (as shown in Figure 6), the split ring 160 engages with the groove 146 in the first body. The effect of this inward movement of the locking collar segments is to bring a projection 180 on the thickened portion 26 of the locking collar segments into engagement with a groove or depression 182 formed around the circumference of the of the leading portion 94 of the second body 90. Thus, in the completed coupling, the locking collar segments 18 are engaged with both the face 82 of the locking collar receiving groove 78 of the first body by the shoulder 24; and also with the groove 182 in the second body by the face74 of the thickened portion 26 which includes projection 180 with face 184 of the groove 182 so as to prevent disengagement of the first and second bodies.

In order to disassemble the coupling 92 shown in Figure 6, the positioning cap 120 must be withdrawn from the bore 144 of the first body. This may be effected by inserting a tool such as a screwdriver blade or a special purpose-made tool between face 150 of the first body and the left-hand face of the flange 148 of the positioning cap 120. The left-hand face of the positioning cap flange 148 may be provided with suitable features so as to co- operate with the jaws of a specific removal/disengagement

tool, for example. When sufficient force is applied, which in general terms is not very high, the split ring 160 will be depressed into the groove 140 and permit the positioning cap to be moved rightwards. As the positioning cap moves in a rightward direction the thinned portions 30 of the locking collar segments are released by the annular face 128 of the positioning cap leading portion 122 and, under the resilient force of the compressed resilient band 12 move radially outwardly into the locking collar receiving recess 78 of the first body thus moving out of engagement the projections 180 and depression 182 and releasing the second body from engagement with the first body allowing complete withdrawal. The locking collar segments are resiliently retained by the band 12 and the coupling can be remade when desired and as described hereinabove.

In the embodiment described with respect to Figures 3 to 6, the positioning cap 120 is made from metal and is therefore substantially inflexible in practical terms.

Such a construction permits a very rigid coupling to be formed where the combination of the first body bore 106 and the positioning cap 120 provide great rigidity and allow large side loads to be born by the second body 90 and associated hose (not shown) without fear of leakage.

Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of a coupling according to the present invention. Most of the complete coupling 200 including the first body 70, locking collar segments 18, resilient band 12 and second body 90 are substantially the same as those shown in Figures 3 to 6.

Therefore, only those features which are different will be described. In this second embodiment, the positioning cap 202 is formed of a plastics material moulding. The

positioning cap has an annular leading sleeve portion 204 which enters the mouth 80 of the first body 70 to engage with the locking collar segments 18. The leading edge 206 of the sleeve also has a tapered face 208 which engages with the tapered face 22 of the locking collar segments to force them radially inwardly so that the projection 180 engages with the recess 182 of the second body so as to make the coupling complete. However, the positioning cap 202 is held in position in the coupling first body by resiliently deflectable tabs 210 integrally moulded into the leading sleeve portion 204. When fully home, the tabs 210 have a claw 212 which resiliently clicks into place in the groove 146 in the first body. The positioning cap 202 also has grooves to receive sealing means such as"0" ring seals to prevent ingress of dirt or debris.

Disassembly of the coupling 200 is essentially the same as with the first embodiment by prising the positioning cap away from the first body to release the locking collar segments. This second embodiment is significantly more economic to manufacture than the first embodiment which has the metal positioning cap. However, the second body is less able to sustain high side loads as in the case of the first embodiment.

Clearly, many modifications to the embodiments and component parts thereof as described above may be made by one skilled in the coupling art without departing from the essence of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.