Pipes and tubular conduits – Longitudinally seamed – With tongue in slot
Patent
1995-05-16
1996-10-22
Scherbel, David
Pipes and tubular conduits
Longitudinally seamed
With tongue in slot
138121, 138128, 138169, 425539, F16L 900, B29B 1500, B29C 4900
Patent
active
055667228
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a corrugated protective sleeve for enclosing lengths of conducting equipment, such as cables, wiring and tubing, and more particularly, to a corrugated plastic sleeve adapted to have male and female locking members located along first and second longitudinal edges which allow the corrugated plastic sleeve to be closed upon fully inserting the male member within the corresponding female member.
2. Description of Related Art
Many protective tubular enclosures having longitudinal points of attachment are known. Generally, the tubular enclosures include sheets of material wrapped around elongated objects such as wiring, cables or other forms of tubing which are closed along the longitudinal edges to provide a sealed environment for the object or objects contained therein. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,895,133 which issued to Quarnstrom on Jan. 23, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 2,067,665 which issued to Holt on Jan. 12, 1937; U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,259 which issued to Kennedy on Dec. 7, 1971; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,976 which issued to Plummer on Jul. 31, 1990 all disclose various designs of tubular enclosures, however, none of the aforementioned patents disclose the use of corrugated tubing having male and female locking members. Furthermore, the known patents which disclose corrugated tubular enclosures such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,787 do not disclose tab and detent locking between with the male and the male locking member.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a corrugated protective sleeve which is capable of enclosing relatively long lengths of conducting devices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece corrugated protective sleeve which is selectively openable and closeable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a corrugated tube which is closeable and may be permanently sealed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a corrugated protective sleeve which is readily producible at a relatively low cost.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive method of producing the corrugated tubing of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention provides a corrugated protective sleeve assembly made by blow molding plastic. The corrugated sleeve generally comprises a single piece of corrugated plastic having a longitudinal body with alternating, enlarged and reduced diameter portions, and an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the outer surface contains a plurality of projecting members which serve to lock the tube together about first and second longitudinal edges.
The corrugated sleeve of the present invention is formed by extruding a single length of relatively round plastic tubing between a plurality of first and second moving mold plates arranged along a linear path and adjoining the mold plates for a specific amount of time. A longitudinal cavity having sections of successive enlarged and reduced diameter is provided when the first and second mold plates are adjoined along their mating faces. The first plurality of mold plates are provided with a male locking portion located below the level of the mold plates face that contacts a second plurality of mold plates. The second mold plates include a portion of mold cavities which contain a plurality of female mating lug and recess portions, respectively, disposed perpendicularly to the second plate's face.
The plastic tubing is then blow molded such that the plastic flows within the mold plates and becomes contoured according to the dimensions of the mold plates. The enlarged and reduced diameter portions are formed and the male and female parts of the locking portions become filled by displaced plastic to form the outward projections contained on the outer surface of the corrugated sleeve.
The corrugated protective sleeve is adapted to have first and second longitudinal edges by slitting the co
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Hook James F.
Proprietary Technology, Inc.
Scherbel David
LandOfFree
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