Patent ID: 9404557
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: F16G,F16L,H02G

Claim Text:
1. A flexible protective guide internally holding elongated members that include at least one of a flexible cable and a flexible duct, the protective guide comprising: a flexible curved strip-shaped base made of a synthetic resin and formed into a shape of an elongated plate having a longitudinal direction provided when the guide is not curved; and a plurality of flexible sectioning members made of a synthetic resin and integrally formed with the flexible curved strip-shaped base, the plurality of sectioning members having a ceiling opposed to the curved strip-shaped base via a space and a pair of side walls uprising from both side ends of the curved strip-shaped base in a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the ceiling being divided by a first slit into two portions in the lateral direction, the ceiling and the pair of side walls being divided by a plurality of second slits into a plurality of ceilings and a plurality of pairs of side walls, the plurality of ceilings and the plurality of pairs of side walls being apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and cooperatively defining the space together with the curved strip-shaped base, the elongated members being accommodated in the space, wherein: the curved strip-shaped base is formed to have a cross section perpendicularly crossing the longitudinal direction, the strip-shaped base being curved inwardly toward the space in the cross section when the flexible protective guide moves with a linear posture thereof in the longitudinal direction, and the strip-shaped base being deformed to be flattened when the flexible protective guide moves along with a curved posture thereof, the first slit is composed of a single slit running through the plurality of ceilings, the first slit being configured to have i) a predetermined width in the lateral direction when the flexible protective guide moves with the linear posture thereof in the longitudinal direction and ii) a width narrower than the predetermined width in the lateral direction when the flexible protective guide moves with the curved posture thereof each of the second slits is configured to have a predetermined spacing in the longitudinal direction when the flexible protective guide moves with the linear posture thereof in the longitudinal direction, and a part of the second slits is present in a curved portion of the flexible protective guide when the flexible protective guide moves with the curved posture therefore, the part of the second slits being widened to have a spacing, at radially top positions thereof, wider than the predetermined spacing in the longitudinal direction.