Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Insulated
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2002-05-14
Nguyen, Chau N. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Insulated
C116S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06388194
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cables and conductors and, in particular, to insulation therefore.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In alternating current or direct current electrical power transmission, electrical conduction processes in condensed matter, under certain conditions, consist of the transport of heat, electric charge, mass, and magnetism or some combination of the four in some possible response to an imposed temperature gradient, electric field, density gradient, or magnetic field.
Electrical conductivities vary greatly between various materials, and conductivities may vary by an amount of 20 decades or more between metals and most commercially used insulating materials. In electrical cables a thermodynamic equilibrium is established between the particular materials used as the electrical insulation and the electrical conductors.
Influences on the conduction processes in insulation are known as traps, polarizability or treeing. Such influences contribute to what is known as electrical breakdown, either thermal or electronic. External cold temperature plays a part in insulation degradation (i.e., cracking) by what is known as cold bend or static temperature. An insulation or dielectric material can under certain conditions experience dielectric breakdown or may spark over when the insulation or dielectric strength drops either because of deterioration, impurities, moisture or physical abuse or damage by the user or abnormal electrical conditions. The existence of foreign materials in the insulation and also what is known as electrically stressed insulation, may under certain conditions result in dielectric break down resulting in heating and unwanted shorts. Some dielectric heating may also result from molecular friction from alternating current which may result in a dielectric loss and dielectric strength drops. Presently today's commercial insulation on an electrical cable assembly or wire hides electrical damage and does not have the capabilities to indicate and/or locate varied inner cable faults and/or malfunctions and/or damage and/or hazards.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical cable assembly that will indicate, through an attention getting means, preferable visually through sight or smell or taste or touch, the presence of a fault and/or malfunction and/or damage and/or hazard in the electrical cable assembly. A further object of the present invention relates to a repair jacket and tape to be used in combination with an electrical cable assembly where in the repair jacket or tape also has the capability to indicate the presence of electrical repaired cable faults, and/or malfunction, and/or damage, and/or hazard by an attention getting means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a new jacket, sheath or insulation covering for electrical cables or a new electrical cable assembly with at least one attention getting stimulation means, which will be know as a reactee, having a noticeable awareness means, by giving off at least one response by a reacting material that may be at least one visual or color change that is temporary or permanent or in combination and/or testable and/or odoriferous and/or physically changeable that may extend or travel through some dimension of the cable that will:
detect an electrical overload condition of itself;
detect and/or locate the spot of internal electric sparks and arcs and/or a pre-shortening condition, and/or an intermittent malfunction;
detect and/or locate the spot where the beginning of an internal dielectric break down process is starting and/or taking place;
detect and/or locate the spot where internal dielectric break down is occurring and/or was occurring;
give information as to whether a particular circuit is on or off under the proper environmental and engineered conditions;
give an indication of an arc or spark and or dielectric break down and the conduction process occurring internally;
detect and/or locate its own internal electrical malfunction quickly without devices or electrical and electronic instruments, making itself capable of indicating its own condition or conditional level without reference to a normal function, and may automatically reset itself with no calibration needed;
allow inspectors to see dangerous cable and wires that should be taken out of service;
reduce the risk of fires, electrical shock and electrocution and thus make for a safer electrical distribution system;
warns of harsh environment temperature, example: cold bend, “WARNING—DO NOT BEND,” so cable insulation does not crack when cable assembly is bent;
give a visual warning of the existence of critical temperature ranges or thermal ratings for electrical insulation as is set forth by the National Electric Code or a governing agency or a manufacturer's specifications:
to deter a child or pet from playing with (i.e., especially putting in the mouth);
provide any of the above mentioned functions so that a partially color blind persons can see critical points or critical temperatures and detect and/or locate electrical problems;
provide any of the above mentioned functions so a totally blind person can tell a critical point or critical temperature and detect and/or locate electrical problems;
provide any of the above mentioned functions so that the hearing impaired person can identify a critical point or critical temperature and detect and/or locate electrical problems;
provide any of the above mentioned functions if desired a better higher surface electrical resistance of ohmic values by spacing strategically the visually reacting formulation so a surface area of higher resistance surrounds the surface area of a lower resistance visually reacting formulation or by adding at least one additive;
provide any of the above mentioned functions with a displayable form of moving colors, or a color moving effect, and/or a readable language or alphanumerics.
This new electrical cable assembly, repair jacket and tape, alone or in combination, consist of an electrically insulating means which can be described as containing or coupled to a reacting material. The reacting material, a reactee, reacts while maintaining its insulating properties to various cable conditions. The reacting material can be coupled to an electrically extending electrovisual wire, cord or cable. A reactor is an internal and/or outer abnormal condition occurring within or on an electrical cable assembly and having noticeable results to the outside of the electrical cable assembly through the reacting material, the reactee. The preferred action of the electrically insulating means is an outer visually reacting reactee reacting to an internal reactor.
The term “reactive” or “reacting” as used herein will be understood to mean a change which will gain the attention on one via the sense of sight or touch. Examples include color changes or lettering or words which suddenly appear and become visible or physical deformations like swelling, blistering, shrinking and/or melting. Other sensory-like changes will include non-palatability when a material or composition is chewed or bitten into, (i.e., hot pepper extract, citric acid, etc.) or audio resulting from special materials that produce sounds when undergoing physical deformation, and/or smell, from releasing material composition (i.e., methyl nonylketone, oil base odor releasing gels, a sulfur base composition that may contain chlorides, etc.).
The term “electrical cable” as used herein will be understood to mean or comprise an electrical wire, cable or cord, electrically insulated wire conductor, an electrical cable assembly or anything used in the form of an extending or rope-like insulating and conducting medium for the transmission, distribution, conduction or retainment of electrical energy. The electrical cable may have at least one delivery system, for example, an insulated conducting path, which is used as a facilitator for the transmission, distribution, conduction or retainmen
Hazardguard, Inc.
Nguyen Chau N.
Sand & Sebolt
LandOfFree
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