FI101838B - Marking device - Google Patents

Description

101838

Labeling machine

The present invention relates to an apparatus for marking an electrical conductor or the like, which apparatus is formed of a unitary unit, preferably made of an elastic plastic material by extrusion. When the device is not mounted on a conductor, it has in cross-section an outer portion shaped like an inverted U or a semicircle, the ends of which are connected to an inner portion 10 having two lateral arms and a central portion, said arms defining itself and said outer portion to receive an empty space conductor as a result of the axial insertion of the conductor, the device remains reliably on the conductor. 15 For several decades, the prior art has comprised two main types of such marking devices, namely devices similar to a sleeve or ring axially threaded at the free end of a conductor and devices mounted on 20 conductors in radial motion and held on the conductor by spring action. In other words, in their installed state, marking devices of the first type cannot become unintentionally disconnected, whereas this often happens in the case of devices of the latter type, e.g. as a result of vibration or unintentional displacement. For this reason, devices of the latter type are generally used only when the conductors need to be identified temporarily, e.g. in connection with alterations or repairs carried out on existing ones. 30 sa device. Markers of the first type are used in installations where the drowning of markers is unacceptable because it results in an incomplete or incorrect identification image.

35 In certain cases, access to either of the two marking options mentioned above, fixed and temporary, is required, simultaneously or during different stages of the installation work. It is an object of the invention to provide a marker which satisfies this condition in such a way that the same device can alternatively be fixedly mounted or temporarily fixed by means of a spring effect. According to the invention, this is realized in such a way that said central part of the device is elastically deformable so that the conductor can be moved radially into the space between the branches, after which said part substantially completely surrounds the conductor holding the marker in place by spring action.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a marker 15 designed in accordance with the present invention and shown in its unmounted condition.

Figure 2 shows a device mounted on a conductor in a fixed manner.

Figure 3 shows a sauna marker mounted on a conductor and held in place by a spring action.

The device according to this illustrated embodiment can be made in a manner known per se by extruding an elastic plastic material into a long hose, which is later divided into individual markers by cross-cutting operations. Each such marking device has two main parts, namely an outer part 1 roughly inverted U-shaped, the central part of which comprises a marking symbol 30 2 on its outer wall and an inner part 3. The latter part has two side branches 4, 5 and a bellows part between them. 6. Between this part and the outer part 1 there is a space which can receive the conductor 7 in such a way that the marker is threaded axially on the conductor 35, as shown in Fig. 2. According to Figure 2, the device 3 101838 is mounted on a conductor of relatively small thickness, which means that substantially only the bellows-shaped part 6 has changed its shape. However, according to the same principle, the continued deformation of the entire marker 5 also allows its use for significantly thicker conductors. As will be appreciated, under this installation option, the marker is held, in a manner known per se, by a conductor so that it cannot be inadvertently removed.

Figure 1 also shows that the second space is bounded between the branches 4 and 5, which space, in contrast to the above-mentioned space, is not closed on all sides, but is open at its bottom. This shape makes it possible to alternatively mount the marker on the conductor 8, as shown in Fig. 3, by forcing the marker on the conductor in the radial direction. It is equally obvious that due to the shape of the marker and the elasticity of the plastic material, the marker remains in place in this case due to the spring action, i.e. there is no protection against inadvertent release. However, this retention effect can be enhanced if the arms 4 and 5 are provided with shoulder-like projections 9 adjacent to the joints between the arms and the outer part 1.

In the practice of the invention, the device may differ substantially from the embodiment presented herein in terms of its general shape and internal relationships. The only essential feature of the inventive idea is that the inner part of the marker delimits, in the unmounted state, two spaces, one of which is closed on all sides, while the other is not. As described above, the first-mentioned space is adapted to receive the conductor by an axial threading movement, which results in the marker being mounted in a manner that protects it against unintentional detachment. The outer space is bounded between the arms 35 of the inner part and, due to the presence of the bottom opening, can receive 101838 4 a conductor which is mounted in a radially inward movement to a place where the marker is held by the spring effect.

Claims (3)

A device for marking electrical conductors, which device is made, preferably by extrusion, in a unitary piece of resilient plastic material, said device having an unassembled condition having a cross-section comprising an outer part (1) in the form of a inverted U or a semicircle and the ends of which connect to an inner part (3) with two side legs (4, 5) and a middle part (6) 10 and which define between themselves and said outer part a space for receiving the conductor, which device is then protected against accidental loosening by stepping on the conductor in its longitudinal direction, characterized in that to allow an alternative mounting of the device, the conductor (7) being routed into the space between said legs (5, 6), said middle part (6) is resiliently deformable, the device being in its mounted position by spring action being poured onto the conductor, which is then enclosed by said part (6) on the larger part of its circumference. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said center part (6) in the inner part is formed in a manner known per se as a bellows to permit the use of the marking device on the conductor 25 of different diameters. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said legs (4, 5) in the vicinity of their connections with said outer part (1) have opposing projections (9) or the like, which reinforce 30 spring action, which holds the device in place.