MXPA00007123A - Protective tubular sheath with longitudinal slit - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective sheath (10) for an elongate substrate such as bundle of wires, hoses or the like consists of a body (11) of resilient material provided with substantially circumferentially extending corrugations (12, 13) and a side wall longitudinally slit at (25) to allow for installation over the substrates. The sides of the slit are defined by edges (21, 22) of the corrugated body wall biased towards and abutting, slit-closing disposition. Fastening means (30) in the form of complementary strips of hook-and-loop fastening tape (14, 15) is applied to the abutting edges (21, 22) of the slit so that the hooks and loops interlock when the slit is closed. The hook-and-loop tape protects the fingers of the worker during opening of the slit for installation of the tubular article, and prevents relative movement of the slit edges caused by turning and twisting forces, thereby eliminating undesirable noise during use and the need for taping following installation.

Description

PROTECTIVE TUBULAR WRAP WITH LONGITUDINAL OPENING.

Field of the invention. This invention relates to a protective 1-tubular jacket for the protection of elongated substrates, such as electrical wiring or hose members. In particular, this invention relates to a tubular casing of the type having a longitudinal opening that allows installation on top of the elongated substrate to be protected and which is flexible to conform to the flexure of the substrate.

- Background of the invention. Protective tubular casings made of a plastic material are commonly used in the automotive industry as protective coatings for the components of a vehicle, which protect the latter from abrasion. In order to provide protection for a long period of time, desirably, to the life of a vehicle, the materials used are rigid, relatively, and resistant to abrasion, the so-called engineering of plastics ^ and the envelope that REF.121760 av "." __- .. * - preferably fabricates with a wavy or rolled wall configuration, where the undulations or convolutions extend substantially, and in a circumferential manner, to impart to the product a flexibility, which allows you to follow a trajectory that can include one or more abrupt changes without collapsing in the bending points. The term "plastics engineering" is used in this specification as a reference to plastics, usually thermoplastics, plastics materials that have tensile, compression and shear strength properties, impact resistance and stiffness, properties that can be retained by long periods of time and under a variety of load bearing conditions. Examples of such materials useful for carrying out the invention are the poly olefins, the polyamides, the poly esters, the polyketones, the polyvinyl chloride and the fluoro polymers. The preferred materials are, generally, and relatively rigid, which prevent them from collapsing and which provide an abrasion resistance, and the corrugations are supplied to impart the requirement of flexibility that fits over the articles that have sudden changes, in a relative way, in the points of flexion.

In a typical compartment of a motor vehicle, the components comprising the substrates to be protected, i.e. the elongated members such as hoses, tubes or cables, are often installed, in advance, and the protective sheath is cut off. lengthwise, longitudinally, so that the edges of the opening can slide on the substrate. To prevent a situation, in which the folding or bending of the envelope, causes the envelope to fall from the substrate, it is usual for the edges of the opening to be inclined, in order to tend to close, naturally , one edge over the other. However, as it may be possible to ensure that the protected substrate members are wrapped, in their own way, during installation, subsequent handling of the wrapped members can create forces that cause or allow the opening to open, and to avoid such a possibility , it is also usual to apply tape or other supplementary securing means to the envelope to effect a more permanent closure of the opening. The installation and use of possible forms of the protective tubular casing described, have several technical and economic limitations. First, when relatively rigid materials are used, which are preferred for the purposes of imparting durability and abrasion resistance to the product, relatively, sharp edges of opening are created, which in conjunction with the edges of Natural opening closure, make it difficult for a worker to separate the opening edges without injuring the fingers or forcing him to use a separate opening tool. Secondly, the supplementary restraint that secures against opening the opening, is an intense stage of work, which is expensive, undesired. Finally, during the use of the vehicle, torsion and bending forces occur, in particular, when the vehicle moves on rough surfaces, in a relative manner, and unwanted noise and wear are created by the edges of the opening. , which rub against each other. Despite supplemental restraint, these forces can still result in the opening opening sufficiently to allow small items, such as wires, to be gripped or separated, or to allow foreign material to enter. It has been proposed to manufacture protective wraps with means to close, effectively, the longitudinal opening, because with them it has the primary purpose of sealing the opening to prevent the passage of any object or garbage, rather than close the opening against the wrapping opening undesirably. Document FR-A1-2745962 shows a protective tubular envelope with a longitudinal opening, where the opening is closed to prevent it from opening inadvertently or entering foreign matter by means of a skirt or the like, which is secured to the wall outside of the envelope and bridges the opening, externally. FR-Al-2745429 also shows a protective tubular envelope with a longitudinal opening, the opening has an internal wall, which is smooth and carries a skirt on one side of the opening, which bridges the opening internally. DE-U1-89030702 shows a molded protective tubular wrap of thermoplastic material having a rolled-up wall construction. The tubular structure has a longitudinally extending opening, it also has a side that is defined by means of a longitudinally extending flange, which is integrally molded, and also has another side that is defined by means of a complementary groove extending longitudinally and integrally molded to locate the flange and which bridges the opening in the peripheral inner and outer walls of the wrapping. The components of the fastening means are continuous and inextensible throughout, which limits the flexibility of the envelope.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular protective wrap with an opening, of longitudinal shape, of simple construction that can be applied to an elongate substrate with less effort and at a higher cost, effectively, as hitherto. It is an additional objective to provide a protective tubular casing with a longitudinal opening, which is capable of improving to resist opening without supplementary fastening means, as hitherto. A still further objective, capable of being reached by a tubular protective wrap that is constructed according to the invention, is a feeling of softness imparted to the opening edges, which makes it easier for operators to adjust the coating over the Items that are going to be protected without injuring your fingers.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a protective tubular wrap that eliminates unwanted noise associated with the opening edges that friction against each other when exposed to the bending and torsional forces experienced during the operation of A vehicle. According to the present invention a protective tubular casing which is placed in a surrounding relationship with an elongate substrate, comprises a tubular body with an opening, longitudinally, of elastic plastic material having outer and inner wall surfaces, the opening longitudinal has opposite sides, which are defined by the edge portions of the body wall interconnecting the exterior and interior surfaces of the wall, which are placed opposite each other, and is characterized by a fastening means capable of being released , which has complementary parts, each part is secured to the body wall and covers a respective part of the edge parts, which faces the other edge part and protrudes towards the other complementary part, the complementary parts are sensitive to each other. to force the edge portions towards each other to close the longitudinal opening by means of an inter-clutch of one with the other. Preferably, but not essentially, the body wall is tensioned to provide an oblique force which pushes the edge portions towards each other and the complementary parts of the fastening means which are placed to inter-engage in the absence of a force of separation larger than the oblique force. The tubular body wall can be undulated by means of a longitudinal succession of peaks and valleys that are formed, in an integral manner, each of the peaks and valleys extend, substantially, and circumferentially, of the body and define the edge portions having an effective thickness greater than the thickness of the material of the body wall, and at least one of the complementary parts of the fastening means has a width greater than the thickness of the material of the body wall and covers the ends of the undulations exposed in the edge part towards which it is secured. In this specification the term "wavy" is used in relation to the tubular body by means of uniform periodic changes in cross section in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis which produces, in a longitudinal plane, a cross section that is square, substantially , (which includes a trapezoidal section), or a sinusoidal section, substantially (including a semi-circular section). It is further intended that the term includes circumvolutions, where the undulations are defined by a longitudinal succession of discrete peaks and valleys that extend, circumferentially, and also a helix, where a peak extends, longitudinally, and so circumferential and substantial, defines by means of successive revolutions the effect of convolutions. Preferably, the body wall of the protective tubular casing is made from an engineering of plastic materials, which provides the properties of durability and • resistance to abrasion, as well as a degree of elasticity that is required to effect a longitudinal flexibility and a limited closure and opening of the longitudinal opening. The embodiment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention, will be further apparent based on the reference to the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a protective tubular casing, according to a first embodiment of the invention, including a corrugated tubular body, in which the longitudinally extending opening is formed and included on that point the fastening means capable of being released. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a tubular casing of Figure 1, in which the opening is shown open, as the tubular body is deformed until both sides of the opening are facing the same direction in a common plane, illustrating both complementary parts of the fastening means; and Figures 3 (a) to 3 (c) are partial cross sections, through variants of the corrugated envelope of Figures 1 and 2 illustrating different associations between the dimensions of the complementary parts of the fastening means and the corrugated wall of the body of the article.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Modality of the Invention. In carrying out the invention, reference is made to Figures 1 and 2 which show a part of a protective tubular casing 10, which comprises the tubular body 11 with a longitudinal opening, having the inner and outer wall surfaces 11 and 11 > , respectively. The body wall is undulated by means of a longitudinal succession, of peaks and valleys 12 and 13, which are formed integrally, and respectively, each one extends substantially, and circumferentially of the body and end in the edge parts 21 and 22, which interconnect the outer and inner surfaces of the body, each of which parts have an effective thickness W, radially, which is larger than the thickness of the material of the body wall. The edge portions 21 and 22, in a normal manner, face one another and define the opposite sides of the longitudinal opening, which is indicated at point 25, and the body wall is tensioned, so that the parts of edge are inclined towards a contact relationship with one another. The tubular body is elastic, relatively, at least until the extension of the edge portions 21 and 22 can be forced to separate when the closing tendency that allows the body to be placed in a surrounding relationship expires. with the substrate members to be protected, and until the extension of the corrugated tube, longitudinally, can be bent into various configurations. The tube is made from plastic material and, in particular, from an engineering of plastic materials, as defined above, although the materials suitable to resist abrasion and collapse are rigid, in general, and do not be very elastic. In this exemplary embodiment, the tubular body is formed of polyvinyl chloride with a wall thickness of about 0.025 cm (0.01 inch) and an outside diameter of 2.54 cm (1 inch) and a ripple space of about 3 spaces per cm (8 spaces per inch). A tubular protective envelope consists of a tubular body with an opening, longitudinally, per se, known as discussed above. The previous discussion also highlights that it has been necessary to build the tubular body with a high level of internal-construction with a closing-opening tilt to prevent it from opening inadvertently and also the practical difficulty that this presents, that the body tubular opening deliberately during installation or disposal. In accordance with the present invention, the casing 10 is provided with a releasable fastening means which is indicated, generally, at the point 30, and which is secured to the body wall 11 and which covers the parts 21. and 22 edge. The fastening means comprises the complementary parts 14 and 15, each linked to one of the respective edge parts 21 and 22, as extending strips, respectively, on the plane • of each of the edge portions, longitudinally, along the opening by, substantially, the entire length of the opening. The complementary parts 14, 15 of the fastening means comprise ribbons of loop elements and hooks 16, 17 protruding, each of the elements projecting from a substrate 18, 19, respectively, which are of the marked type, in a common manner , under the trademark VELCRO. The loop and hook tapes are preferably joined to the edge portions 21 and 22 inclined by means, well known in the art, such as adhesive or ultrasonic bonding, so that the tape of hook elements 14 reinforces an edge portion and the loop element belt 15 which reinforces the other edge portion, projecting substantially, and in a normal manner, from the edges of the opening towards the clutch with one another, so that they are immobilized under the natural oblique forces in the body which tends to close the opening and thereby closes the opening without contact of hard material, and noisily, potentially, of the body wall.

- The complementary parts of the fastening means are, of course, capable of being released from their mutual inter-clutch and are capable of being separated based on the provision of a force that overcomes the inter-clutch and the oblique force. It will be appreciated that with such an envelope it is only normal to open the opening, locally, in any longitudinal position of installation and that the opening region moves progressively along the tubular body and towards this end thereof. The clamping means is positioned to have the complementary parts 14 and 15 separated, locally, by passing in a direction along the opening of an opening member (not shown) that extends towards the casing through the opening. the complementary inter-engaging parts. In particular, by having flexible and deformable hook and loop elements with respect to a human finger, the oblique force is placed to be overcome, and the loop and hook elements disengaged, by an opening member comprising a human finger. . In spite of the oblique force and the sharp corners of the corrugations, which exist in the edge portions, as illustrated in point 13a, the casing opens, quickly, and adjusts, progressively, to along its length without the need for special tools and without injuring the operator, which allows an adjustment rate increase. Supplementary restraint, such as with a tape, as an additional step in the sealing process is unnecessary and thereby avoids the risk of wires or other members protruding out of the opening. Similarly, edge friction caused by the forces that bend the tubular sheath in use is greatly inhibited by eliminating an annoying noise source within a motor compartment. Further, when used with a substrate comprising a bundle of wires or similar members, one or more members of the bundle can be exited from the opening without risk of abrasion due to the relatively soft nature of the fastening means. It will be appreciated that the provision of the fastening means capable of being released, in particular, of the loop-and-feel-of-smoothness type, allows a wide variation in the choice of the closing-opening tilt that is constructed within the body. tubular. At one end, because an operator's finger is protected from sharp edges by the fastening means, an increase in inclination would be tolerable. At the other end, due to an additional separation force that is required to separate the complementary parts 21 and 22, - the inclination can be reduced from the necessary inclination previously considered without risk of the wrap releasing its contents, yet under a zero slope. Such reduction in inclination would also facilitate the opening to the operator and / or allow the use of fastening means having different inter-clutch methods, which with the traditional oblique force would not be convenient to open with the use of the operator's finger. It will be appreciated that although it is convenient in many situations that a human finger is to be used as the opening member, any inanimate tool that protrudes will be used, welded manually, or by means of a machine, and will be used with fastening means having the above described as inter clutch forms or other means not suitable for a direct separation by means of the operator's finger in the prevailing inclination. In the embodiment described above, the width of each complementary hook and loop strip is larger than the thickness of the material of the wall and covers the ends of the exposed corrugations in the edge portion to which it is secured. Furthermore, it is chosen to have a width, substantially equal to the total thickness of the corrugated wall, so that the sharp corners and edges of the wall are covered. This is shown, in particular, in Figure 2, which shows the tubular body that deforms when opening the opening and separates the complementary parts of the fastening means until the extension of them is placed in a common longitudinal plane, although it must be to understand that the opening, in a normal way, would not be open for such extension in practice, nor would the elastic material allow it. It will be appreciated that the effectiveness of the fastening means depends not only on the inter-clutch capable of being released between the complementary parts, but also depends on the extension, towards which the complementary parts, individually, and together influence the flexibility of the tubular casing and the bond between substrates 16 and 17 and the edge portions of the body. These, in turn, may depend on the thickness of the material of the wall and the shape, amplitude and spacing of the corrugations. The inter clutch between the complementary parts can be made less dependent on the bond between the substrate and the wall by varying the width of one or both complementary parts with respect to the total thickness of the rolled wall. With reference to Figure 3 (a), a cross section through a second embodiment of the tubular casing 40, shows that at least one complementary portion 41 of the fastening means corresponds in width Wa to the thickness w of the wall material of body and continues the path of the undulations. With reference to Figure 3 (b), a similar cross section through a third embodiment of the tubular envelope 50, shows at least a complementary portion 51 of the fastening means having a width b smaller than the total thickness W of the corrugated wall, so that it only covers the parts that extend radially. The absence of a coupling towards the longitudinally extending portions of the corrugations can improve the longitudinal flexibility. Figure 3. { c) shows in a third embodiment 60, a complementary part of the fastening means 61, which has a front part or interconnection face wider than the total thickness of the corrugated wall that maximizes the inter clutch or ensures that the complementary parts inter clutch, properly, even if the tubular body is deformed. It will be appreciated that in all the previous variants, the complementary parts can show the same shape and dimensions as the one a. the other, or different in that each one comprises any of the previous variants. It will be appreciated that as it is convenient to secure the complementary parts of the fastening means to the edge portions 21 or 22 of the body wall, one facing the other through the opening, the parts can be secured to the surfaces of outer wall and interior 11b, lia, so as to cover the edge portions without being directly secured thereto. Also, the complementary parts of the fastening strips can be secured by any convenient method, for example, if the strips are supplied with a self-adhesive layer, so that they only have to be tightened between the sides of the opening. It will also be appreciated that although the protective wrap of the invention has been described in terms of a tubular body, which is formed from an engineering of plastic materials in line with the preceding wrapping constructions that are divided, longitudinally, it is possible to that the opening is made from a cheaper plastic material or even from a non-plastic material, which exhibits the desired degree of flexibility and elasticity it has with respect to the level of the closing-opening tilt that is considered necessary , in view of the resistance of the fastening means that opens and that lacks a current contact of the edge parts. It is reiterated that a protective tubular wrap according to the present invention is not limited to a wavy shape as shown. The form and the amplitude, and the space of the corrugations can be varied until the extension of the body wall is smooth and comprises the thickness of the wall material, although this may require a material having an inherent elasticity, and results in a wrap that has less longitudinal flexibility. Furthermore, despite the material and the wall structure of the tubular body, it can be formed with another, more than the circular cross-section having different characteristics important for longitudinal flexibility and for opening and closing the opening.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects or products to which it refers.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS,
2. Having described the invention as an antecedent, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A protective tubular casing which is placed in a surrounding relationship with an elongated substrate, the casing comprises a tubular body with an opening, longitudinally, of elastic plastic material, having outer and inner wall surfaces, the longitudinal opening has "opposite" sides, which are defined by the edge portions of the body wall, interconnecting the outer and inner surfaces of the wall, which are placed one in front of the other, characterized in that the fastening means capable of being released has complementary parts, each part is secured to the body wall and covers a respective part of the edge portions facing the other edge part and protrudes towards the other complementary part, the complementary parts are sensitive to force the edge parts towards each other to close the longitudinal relief when releasing the inter clutch from one to the other. A protective tubular wrap according to claim 1, characterized in that the body wall is tensioned to provide an oblique force pushing the edge portions towards each other and the complementary parts of the fastening means are placed to inter-clutch in the absence of a force of separation greater than the oblique force.
3. 3. A tubular protective wrap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the complementary parts of the fastening means comprises protruding hook and loop elements, each of them extending from a substrate that is secured to a part of the fastener. respective edge of the edge parts.
4. 4. A tubular protective wrap according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the complementary parts of the fastening means comprises strips extending in the plane of each edge part, longitudinally, along of the opening for the entire length of the opening, substantially.
5. 5. A tubular protective wrap according to claim 4, characterized in that the fastening means capable of being released, is placed to have the complementary parts separated, locally, when passing in a direction along the opening of the housing. a member that opens and extends towards the casing through the inter-engaging complementary parts of the fastening means.
6. 6. A tubular protective wrap according to claim 5, which depends on claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the loop and hook elements are flexible and deformable and do not injure a human finger and the oblique force is placed to be overcome, and the hook and loop elements disengaged, by a member that opens and comprises a human finger.
7. 7. A tubular protective wrap according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tubular body wall is undulated by means of a longitudinal succession of valleys and peaks that are formed, integrally, each valley and peak extend, substantially, and circumferentially of the body and which define by means of the corrugations the edge portions having an effective thickness greater than the thickness of the material of the body wall.
8. 8. A protective tubular wrap according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the complementary parts of the fastening means corresponds in width to the thickness of the material of the body wall and continues the path of the corrugations. A tubular protective wrap according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that at least one of the complementary parts of the fastening means has a width 'greater than the thickness of the material of the body wall and covers the ends of the body. the ripples that are exposed in the edge part towards which it is secured. A tubular protective wrap according to claim 9, characterized in that at least one of the complementary parts of the fastening means has a width greater than the total thickness of the corrugated edge portion.