A Heated Rail

Abstract

A heated towel rail comprises two opposed manifolds and at least one tubular rail 4 between the manifolds. Mechanical couplings 2 are provided to provide fluid communication between the manifolds via

Description

The present invention relates to a heated rail, for example a heated towel rail. Conventionally, heated rails comprise an inlet manifold, an outlet manifold and one or more tubular rails disposed between the manifolds wherein a heated fluid flows from the inlet manifold, through a lumen defined by the or each tubular rail and into the outlet manifold. The heated fluid heats the rail(s) in addition to the manifolds. Conventionally, the manifolds are arranged vertically and the tubular rail(s) are arranged horizontally, but such an arrangement is not essential in the context of the present invention. In known heated rails, the tubular rails are welded to the respective manifolds via manifold ports. However, the welding process can result in an unsightly appearance and / or it can distort the manifold(s) or tube(s). For example, the heat of the welding process can discolour and / or distort the manifold / tube. In order to address this and to provide an alternative arrangement, the tubular rails may be secured to the respective manifolds via a mechanical coupling arrangement. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a heated rail comprising opposed manifolds (e.g., an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold) and at least one tubular rail disposed between the opposed manifolds; wherein the or each tubular rail defines therein a lumen; wherein couplings are provided between each manifold and the respective ends of the or each tubular rail such that the or each tubular rail is in fluid communication with both of the opposed manifolds; wherein each coupling comprises a manifold port, one end of the respective tubular rail and an intermediate coupling element; and wherein the intermediate coupling element includes a tube portion which is threadedly coupled to the end of the respective tubular rail, and a manifold portion which is coupled to the manifold port. It will be appreciated that the manifold port suitably forms part of the respective manifold. The heated rail of the invention uses mechanical couplings between each end of the tubular rail(s) and the respective manifold. The mechanical coupling provides a fluid-tight coupling between the manifolds and the respective tubular rail(s) such that a heated fluid may flow through the tubular rail(s) from one of the manifolds to the other of the manifolds (i.e., from an inlet manifold to an outlet manifold). It will be appreciated that the term "tubular rail" need not have a circular cross-section. In the context of the present invention, the tubular rail needs simply to define therethrough a lumen through which a fluid may flow. In an embodiment of the invention, the or each tubular rail carries an external thread at each end and the intermediate coupling elements each carry a complementary internal thread. In this way, the threaded coupling does not interfere with the flow of fluid through the tubular rail. A sealing element may be disposed between each intermediate coupling element and respective end of the tubular rail. Such an arrangement ensures a fluid-tight seal between each end of the tubular rail and the respective intermediate coupling element. For example, the tube portion of the intermediate coupling element may carry the sealing element. In such an arrangement, the sealing element may sealingly engage a surface (e.g., an end surface or an external surface) of the tubular rail. The sealing element is suitably an O-ring seal. In a further embodiment of the invention, the heated rail further includes a locking element which secures each manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element to the respective manifold port. The use of a locking element provides an entirely mechanical connection between the tubular rail and the opposed manifolds. Suitably, the locking element engages the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element; the locking element carries a first thread; the manifold port carries a second thread; and the first and second threads together form a threaded coupling between the locking element and the manifold port. The tubular rail is thus connected at its ends to the respective manifolds via the intermediate coupling element and the locking element. The manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element is suitably disposed between the locking element and the manifold port, which in turn are secured to each other via the threaded coupling. In an embodiment of the invention, the manifold port carries an external thread and the locking element carries a complementary internal thread. Again, such an arrangement provides the threaded coupling outside of the fluid lumen defined by the tubular rail and the manifold port. The intermediate coupling element may include a flange and the locking element may engage the flange. For example, the flange may form part of the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element and the flange may be disposed between the locking element and manifold port. In such an arrangement, the flange may be urged into engagement with a portion of the manifold port by the locking element. In order to achieve a fluid-tight seal between the manifold port and the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element, a sealing element may be provided between these two components. For example, the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element may carry the sealing element which sealingly engages the manifold port. Suitably, the sealing element disposed between the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element and the manifold port is an O-ring seal. In a further embodiment of the invention, the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element tapers inwardly from the flange to a manifold end of the coupling element. The manifold port may define a corresponding taper. The heated rail of the invention may include two or more tubular rails. The skilled person will appreciate that the features described and defined in connection with the aspects of the invention and the embodiments thereof may be combined in any combination, regardless of whether the specific combination is expressly mentioned herein. Thus, all such combinations are considered to be made available to the skilled person. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a tubular rail, an intermediate coupling element, a locking element and a manifold port according to the invention in a disassembled arrangement; Figures 2 shows the components of Figure 1 in a partially assembled configuration. For the avoidance of doubt, the skilled person will appreciate that in this specification, the terms "up", "down", "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "width", etc. refer to the orientation of the components as found in the example when installed for normal use as shown in the Figures. Figure 1 shows a mechanical coupling 2 for a heated rail comprising one end of a tubular rail 4, an intermediate coupling element 6, a locking element 8 and a manifold port 10. The end of the tubular rail 4 carries an external helical thread 12. At one end (a rail end), the intermediate coupling element 6 carries an internal helical thread (not shown) which corresponds to the helical thread 12 carried by the end of the tubular rail 4. As shown in Figure 2, the intermediate coupling element 6 is secured to the end of the tubular rail 4 via the threaded coupling formed by the complementary threads. The intermediate coupling element 6 further defines a flange 14. A frustoconical surface 16 is defined between the flange 14 and a manifold end 18 of the intermediate coupling element 6. A circumferential groove is defined within the frustoconical surface 16 within which is disposed an outwardly extending O-ring seal 20. A second O-ring seal 22 is provided around the inner end (i.e., the end of the thread that is closest to the middle of the intermediate coupling element 6) of the internal helical thread carried by the intermediate coupling element 6. The locking element 8 carries an internal thread 24. It also defines an array of radially outwardly extending projections 26 around its peripheral edge. The locking element 8 further includes a radially inwardly extending skirt 28. The manifold port 10 defines an internal lumen which terminates in a frustoconical surface 30. The frustoconical surface 30 is complementary to the frustoconical surface 16 defined by the intermediate coupling element 6. The manifold port 10 further carries an external thread 32 which is complementary to the internal thread 24 carried by the locking element 8. The manifold port 10 is connected to an inlet manifold or an outlet manifold in accordance with a conventional coupling arrangement, for example, a threaded coupling, a soldered coupling, a push-fit coupling, etc. Figure 2 shows an partially assembled arrangement of the components. To couple the tubular rail 4 to the manifold port 10, the locking element 8 is first slid over the end of the tubular rail 4 with the internal threaded portion 24 facing the end of the rail 4. The intermediate coupling element 6 is then screwed onto the external thread 12 carried by the end of the tubular rail 4. When the threaded coupling between the external thread 12 and the internal thread of the intermediate coupling element 6 is tight, the second O-ring seal 22 forms a sealing engagement with an end portion 4a of the tubular rail 4. The frustoconical surface 16 of the intermediate coupling element 6 is urged towards the corresponding frustoconical surface 30 of the manifold port 10. The locking element 8 is then moved axially towards the manifold port 10. The skirt 28 of the locking element engages the flange 14 of the intermediate coupling element 6. This prevents further axial movement of the locking element 8 relative to the intermediate coupling element 6. The locking element 8 is then rotated relative to the intermediate coupling element 6 so that the internal thread 24 of the locking element 8 forms a threaded coupling with the external thread 32 carried by the manifold port 10. As the threaded coupling between the locking element 8 and the manifold port 10 is tightened, the frustoconical surface 16 of the intermediate coupling element 6 is urged into sealing engagement with the frustoconical surface 30 of the manifold port 10. In this arrangement, a fluid-tight seal is provided between the tubular rail 4 and the manifold port 10.

Claims

1. A heated rail comprising opposed manifolds and at least one tubular rail disposed between the opposed manifolds, wherein couplings are provided between each manifold and the respective ends of the or each tubular rail such that the or each tubular rail is in fluid communication with both of the opposed manifolds; wherein each coupling comprises a manifold port, one end of a respective tubular rail and an intermediate coupling element; and wherein the intermediate coupling element includes a tube portion which is threadedly coupled to the end of the tubular rail, and a manifold portion which is coupled to the manifold port.

2. A heated rail according to Claim 1, wherein the or each tubular rail carries an external thread at each end, and the intermediate coupling elements each carry a complementary internal thread.

3. A heated rail according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a sealing element is disposed between each intermediate coupling element and respective end of the tubular rail.

4. A heated rail according to Claim 3, wherein the sealing element is an O-ring seal.

5. A heated rail according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the heated rail further includes a locking element which secures each manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element to the respective manifold port.

6. A heated rail according to Claim 5, wherein the locking element engages the manifold portion of the intermediate coupling element; the locking element carries a first thread; the manifold port carries a second thread; and the first and second threads together form a threaded coupling between the locking element and the manifold port.

7. A heated rail according to Claim 6, where the manifold port carries an external thread and the locking element carries a complementary internal thread.

8. A heated rail according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the intermediate coupling element includes a flange and the locking element engages the flange.

9. A heated rail according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the manifold portion of the5 intermediate coupling element carries a sealing element which sealingly engages themanifold port.

10. A heated rail according to Claim 9, wherein the sealing element is an O-ring seal.10 11. A heated rail according to any of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the heated rail includes two ormore tubular rails.

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