Mueller Industries has been granted a patent for a sealing member designed to connect pipes. The innovative design includes wing portions, inner and outer protruding portions, and a spiral connection, allowing for deformation by external force while maintaining contact with the pipe’s outer surface and the connector’s inner surface. GlobalData’s report on Mueller Industries gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Mueller Industries, was a key innovation area identified from patents. Mueller Industries's grant share as of May 2024 was 77%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Sealing member for connecting pipes with wing portions
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11982380B2) discloses a sealing member designed for connecting pipes. The sealing member comprises a body portion in the form of a ring positioned between the outer surface of a pipe and the inner surface of a connector. Wing portions are formed on the body portion, protruding from opposite sides along the width direction, with an inner protruding portion located between the wings and the body portion, and an outer protruding portion in contact with the inner surface of the connector. This design allows the sealing member to be deformable by external force while maintaining contact with the pipe's outer surface, with the inner and outer protruding portions connecting in a spiral shape along the body portion's outer surface.
Furthermore, the patent includes additional claims specifying the formation of the wing portions along the longitudinal direction of the body portion, the gradual increase in height of the inner protruding portion from the sides to the center, and the comparatively higher protrusion height of the inner protruding portion compared to the outer protruding portion. Additionally, a sealing portion is included between the wing portions, protruding towards the pipe, with variations in the protruding height specified in different claims. These features collectively enhance the sealing member's effectiveness in connecting pipes by ensuring a secure and deformable fit while maintaining contact with both the pipe and the connector's inner surface.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Mueller Industries, buy the report here.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
