Measuring and testing – Vibration – By mechanical waves
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-01
2004-08-10
Raevis, Robert (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Vibration
By mechanical waves
C073S632000, C073S623000, C073S622000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06772634
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to systems for construction and renovation of buildings and, more particularly, to systems for facilitating the installation of interior electrical wiring in commercial and residential buildings. After conduit for the wiring has been installed in the buildings, the invention facilitates the identification of the conduit ends and thereby the determination of the location at which the conduits terminate or originate.
The amount of time expended and degree of difficulty of the task of installing electrical wiring in a building depends on proper installation of conduit for the wiring. But the conduit has been typically installed by another type of construction worker whose job goals and primary job focus are different from those of the electrical wiring installer. The conduit has been installed leading from and to various parts of the building depending on the particular needs for electrical devices and electrical outlets at various locations of the building as well as the particular location of the electrical power input for the building. Modern residential and commercial building utilize an ever increasing number of devices and systems which require electrical power. Thus, there are typically a large number of conduits each of which extend from at least one building location to various other locations. The conduits have one open end of each grouped together at the one location where, for example, the electrical power input for the building is located. It is common for there to be a large number of open ends at a single location and set up in an array for providing access to, for example, the electrical power input for the building. This usually makes them easily viewable and easily accessible for the worker who is to install electrical wiring therein. Often, these open ends will terminate in a single container such as, for example, a breaker box. But, the conduits may also be laid out so that their open end are not in any kind of container and simply unattached. All the conduits used for a single purpose are typically the same standard size and same material composition and also often unpainted so that they are visually indistinguishable from each other. In addition, due to time constraints there is often insufficient time during building construction to properly mark or tag conduits to identify where they branch out or at what locations they terminate. Consequently, to the installer of electrical wiring, the open ends of the conduits which are grouped together at, for example, the electrical power input all appear the same, and there is thus no pragmatic way of determining which conduit open ends lead to which areas of the building. As a result, the installer cannot visually determine which open end should receive the particular wiring intended for routing to particular areas of the building. Since each conduit may be one-hundred feet or more in length, it is time consuming and labor intensive to install wiring in the conduits. Each area of the building may have its own distinct requirement for a set of wiring of a particular length, size and number. Therefore, if the wiring set is not right for the particular conduit in which it has been mistakenly installed, the installer must remove that wiring set from the conduit and install the proper wiring set thereby expending time and labor which is essentially wasted.
Various ways of expeditiously determining which conduit open end is a part of the which opposite open end situated at various locations of the building. One such method requires two persons to work together as a team. This method requires one person situated at one open end talking thereinto and another person situated at the other open end listening for his voice. However, this method has the disadvantage of requiring the use of two persons whereas the remainder of the work of installing wiring requires only one person. Also, it may be difficult to both find another available worker and add another worker solely for the purpose of conduit identification. In addition, adding another worker solely for that limited task may involve a financial cost which may be excessive considering the amount of time contributed by that added worker. Also, it may be unduly burdensome to take time out from one's normal work to provide adequate briefing to that other worker about the task specifics including purpose, background and hazards. Consequently, this method may be unduly time consuming.
Another prior art method also requires two persons working together as a team. One person feeds a fish tape into and through a particular conduit until it comes out of the other end of the conduit. However, if there are many bends in the conduit, the tape may get hung up inside the conduit requiring more time and trouble to get it past the site of the hang up. In addition, such a method may be dangerous if the metal tape feeds out into a live electrical circuit box. Moreover, as with the other method, this method is time consuming and labor intensive.
Some prior art methods for locating a pipe use a signal. An example of such a system is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,561 to Haddon. The Haddon system uses a means of generating an electrical signal into a pipe in order to locate a pipe. However, the Haddon system does not directly attach to or mount at a pipe and thus is not able to identify the respective ends of a particular pipe. Moreover, such a system may be dangerous or otherwise result in damage in instances where the pipe is part of an electrical system or closely adjacent to an electrical device or circuit. Moreover, such a system requires that the pipe be electrically conductive and therefore may not be utilized in many pipe systems.
Another prior art system for locating a pipe utilizes an audio signal. An example of such a system is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,735 to McCullough. The McCullough system uses an audio signal generating means and a sensor for receiving the signal. But, the McCullough system is designed to emit a signal through the walls of a metallic discharge pipe in order to locate the joint of a drain pipe and discharge pipe. Thus, since this type of system cannot send a signal through the entire length of the pipe it cannot be used for pipe end identification. Moreover, the McCullough system is not attached to or mount at the ends of a pipe but instead must be inserted relatively far into the pipe and thus is not designed to locate or identify the respective ends of a pipe.
Another prior art system for locating a pipe is that of Ptashinski disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,055. The Ptashinski invention is uses a permanently mounted physical structure in an end of the pipe for locating the pipe when the pipe is overlaid with concrete while leaving the physical structures exposed. Visual observation of the physical structures provides the means for locating the pipe. However, this type of device cannot be attached and detached from a plurality of pipes and so cannot pragmatically be used to locate the respective ends of a particular pipe when in a group of pipes.
Other prior systems for locating a pipe use a transmitter antenna and receiver antenna. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,050 to Eggleston. The Eggleston system uses an antenna attached to a cable for inserting the antenna into a hole drilled into a structure supporting a pipe. Transmission of electromagnetic energy through the pipe results in a signal which is picked up by a receiver connected to the antenna in the hole. However, this type of system is not designed to transmit a signal completely through the entire length of a pipe and thus not designed to locate the respective ends of a particular pipe.
What is therefore needed is a system that can be quickly and effectively used by a single worker to identify the respective ends of each of a plurality of conduits. In addition, such a system is needed especially when the conduits and ends thereof are identical in size, shape and color and grouped together so that they
Fayyaz Nashmiya
Papageorge Chris
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