Abstract:
The invention concerns a protective sheath reclosable by overlapping comprising an outer longitudinal edge ( 10   a ) adapted to overlap an inner longitudinal edge ( 10   b ) of the sheath ( 10 ) in an overlap portion ( 13 ). Adhesive means ( 11 ) are fixed on an inner surface of the outer longitudinal edge ( 10   a ), the adhesive means ( 11 ) extending over a portion of the inner surface of the sheath ( 10 ) adapted to extend beyond the overlap portion ( 13 ). Said reclosable protective sheath is useful in particular for protecting at least an elongated object ( 15 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a protective sheath recloseable by overlapping. 
   Using recloseable sheaths to protect elongate members, such as bundles of electrical cables, control cables or pipes or hoses, routinely used in automobile vehicles, is known in the art. 
   The purpose of these sheaths is to protect the elongate members from the external environment mechanically and sometimes acoustically. 
   They are additionally used to hold these elongate members together, in particular in the case of bundles of electrical cables or control cables. 
   To facilitate fitting a protective sheath to an elongate member, a substantially tubular sheath is used, slit longitudinally, so that it can be opened up and then reclosed after positioning it along the length of an elongate member. 
   This sheath is a textile sheath, for example, of the woven or braided polyester type. It may be conformed so that, when unstressed, it takes the form of a tubular sheath closed by virtue of an overlapping portion in which the two longitudinal edges of the sheath are superposed. A sheath of this kind is referred to as self-closeable. 
   However, although this sheath is self-closeable, it is sometimes necessary, in order to ensure that the sheath actually remains properly closed, to tape it at a regular distance along its length, for example with adhesive tape, or to position fixing clips along its length. 
   Furthermore, it is necessary to prevent movement of these sheaths in translation along the elongate member, and in particular along straight sections of this elongate member. 
   In this case a portion of adhesive tape is frequently placed at each end of the sheath so that the adhesive overlaps the sheath and the elongate member that it protects. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to solve the problems previously cited and to propose a protective sheath recloseable by overlapping that may be simultaneously closed and held in place on an elongate member without requiring the operator to perform a large number of accessory interventions. 
   To this end, the present invention is directed to a protective sheath recloseable by overlapping, an exterior longitudinal edge being adapted to overlap an interior longitudinal edge of the sheath in an overlapping portion. 
   According to the invention, this protective sheath comprises adhesive means fixed to an internal face of the exterior longitudinal edge, said adhesive means extending over an internal face portion of the sheath adapted to extend beyond the overlapping portion. 
   Thus, by virtue of the presence of adhesive means on the internal face of the sheath, it is possible simultaneously to close the sheath in the overlapping portion, by virtue of the adhesive present between the exterior longitudinal edge and the interior longitudinal edge of the overlapping portion, and to fix this sheath to the members that it protects, by virtue of a portion of the adhesive means that extends beyond the overlapping portion and therefore faces the members that it protects. 
   When fitting this protective sheath, this achieves reliable closure of this sheath, even in the portions where it is highly stressed, and in particular in curved portions. 
   Furthermore, movement of this sheath in translation along an elongate member that it protects is prevented by the presence of adhesives beyond the overlapping portion. 
   According to a preferred feature of the invention, the adhesive means extend over an internal face portion of width from ¼ to half the width of said sheath. 
   By virtue of the presence of the adhesive means over a great width of the internal face of the sheath, it is possible at the same time to close the sheath and to fix it to the elongate member, regardless of the diameter of this elongate member, and consequently regardless of the width of the overlapping portion of the longitudinal edges of the sheath. 
   These adhesive means preferably extend over an internal face portion of width substantially equal to ⅓ the width of the sheath. 
   A second aspect of the present invention is directed to the use of a recloseable protective sheath as previously described to protect at least one elongate member and in particular a bundle of cables or a pipe. 
   According to the invention, in such use, the adhesive means are adapted firstly to fasten the exterior longitudinal edge to the interior longitudinal edge of the overlapping portion of the sheath and secondly to fix said sheath to the elongate member. 
   Mounting this recloseable sheath on an elongate member, and in particular on components of an automobile vehicle, is greatly facilitated and does not require the use of accessories to hold this sheath in position, such as an adhesive tape or various mounting clips. 
   Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in the course of the following description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the appended drawings, which are provided by way of nonlimiting example: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a protective sheath conforming to a first embodiment of the invention, the protective sheath being held in an open position; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the sheath from  FIG. 1  in a self-closed position; 
       FIG. 3  is a view analogous to  FIG. 2  in which the protective sheath is mounted on a cable bundle; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a protective sheath conforming to a second embodiment of the invention, the protective sheath being held in an open position; and 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the protective sheath from  FIG. 4  in a self-closed position. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A first embodiment of a protective sheath recloseable by overlapping will be described first of all with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 . 
   Here, this protective sheath  10  is self-closeable, i.e. when unstressed (with no external load), it takes the form of a tubular sheath slit longitudinally. 
   Here, this protective sheath  10  is woven from polyester filaments. 
   Of course, other materials may be used, such as glass fibers. The filaments may be monofilaments or multifilaments, or a mixture of the latter. The structure may be obtained by weaving, braiding, knitting, etc. 
   As shown clearly in  FIG. 2 , this self-closeable protective sheath is closed along its longitudinal axis X so that the longitudinal edges of the sheath overlap each other. 
   As shown clearly in  FIG. 2 , an exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  is adapted to overlap an interior longitudinal edge  10   b  when the protective sheath is in its self-closed position. 
   The protective sheath may assume its self-closed position when unstressed if the woven structure is produced in tubular form or if a thermoforming operation has been applied to a plane textile strip to conform it to a tubular shape. 
   Adhesive means  11  are fixed to an internal face  12  of the sheath. 
   Here, these adhesive means  11  consist of an adhesive tape that extends in the longitudinal direction X of the sheath. They are disposed on an internal face  12 , at the level of the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a . This adhesive tape  11  preferably extends in the vicinity of the free edge  10 ′ a  of the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  of the overlapping portion  13  of the sheath. 
   Although this adhesive tape  11  is shown as extending continuously along the longitudinal edge  10   a  of the sheath  10 , the adhesive means could equally consist of different portions of tape aligned in the longitudinal direction X of the sheath along the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a.    
   As shown clearly in  FIG. 1 , in which the protective sheath is shown held open, this adhesive strip extends over an internal face portion  12  whose width L is from ¼ to half the width L 0  of the sheath  10 . This adhesive tape  11  preferably extends over an internal face portion  12  of width L equal to ⅓ the width L 0  of the sheath  10 . 
   Here, this adhesive tape consists of a double-sided adhesive. A first adhesive side of the tape  11  is fixed to the internal face  12  of the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  of the overlapping portion  13  and a second adhesive side is covered with a detachable protective film  14 . 
   This detachable protective tape  14  prevents the adhesive tape sticking to portions of the sheath before fitting the latter. 
   To facilitate removing this protective film  14  when fitting the sheath to a member to be protected the detachable protective film  14  projects slightly beyond the adhesive tape  11  itself, in a manner that is known in the art. 
   As shown clearly in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , this adhesive tape has a width L such that in the closed position of the sheath it comprises a first portion  11   a  that extends inside the overlapping portion  13  of the sheath and a second portion  11   b  that extends beyond this overlapping portion  13 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , if this sheath is used to protect a bundle of cables  15 , for example, after removing the protective film  14  the first portion  11   a  of the adhesive tape fixes together the exterior and interior longitudinal edges  10   a ,  10   b  of the sheath inside the overlapping portion  13 . 
   At the same time, the second portion  11   b  of the adhesive tape  11  fastens the sheath to a portion of the bundle of cables  15  so that any movement of this sheath  10  in translation along the bundle of cables  15  may be carefully prevented. 
   A second embodiment of the present invention will be described now with reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
   Once again, it is a question here of a sheath  10  as previously described that is self-closeable by overlapping so that an exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  is adapted to overlap the interior longitudinal edge  10   b.    
   Here, the adhesive means consist of an adhesive bead  20  disposed along a sinusoidal curve in the longitudinal direction X of the sheath  10 . 
   They also occupy a portion of the internal face  12  of the tape whose width L is from ¼ to half the width L 0  of the sheath and preferably equal to about ⅓ that width L 0  of the sheath  10 . 
   By virtue of this sinusoidal disposition of the adhesive, the latter comprises first curve portions  20   a  inside the overlapping portion  13  of the sheath and second curve portions  20   b  that extend beyond the overlapping portion  13 . 
   Here, these adhesive means consist of an adhesive activated by heat, such as a hot melt adhesive. Sticking by the adhesive is therefore obtained by heating this sheath portion after it is mounted around the element to be protected. 
   As shown clearly in  FIG. 5 , the first sinusoidal curve portions  20   a  fix the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  to the interior longitudinal edge  10   b  of the sheath  10  in order to close this sheath even if it is highly stressed. 
   The second sinusoidal curve portions  20   b  fix the sheath  10  to an elongate member that it protects, such as a bundle of cables  15  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   This produces a protective sheath whose fitting and use do not require the use of accessories to close it and to hold it in position on a bundle of cables to be protected. 
   By virtue of the judicious disposition of the adhesive means, certain closure of the sheath and its retention in place are obtained at the same time. 
   Of course, many modifications may be made to the embodiments described hereinabove without departing from the scope of the invention. 
   In particular, the use of this recloseable protective sheath is not limited to the protection of bundles of cables or hoses, and it may be used to protect any type of elongate members. 
   Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape  11  previously described could equally be replaced by a tape made from a heat-activated adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive. 
   Moreover, the adhesive means may occupy a different width of the internal face  12  of the sheath  10 , up to the whole of the internal face  12  of the sheath. 
   Moreover, the adhesive means may comprise a plurality of adhesive portions distributed over the internal face  12  of the sheath in the vicinity of the exterior longitudinal edge  10   a  of the sheath  10 . 
   Finally, although the examples just described relate to a self-closeable sheath, the invention equally concerns any type of sheath recloseable by overlapping.