Vacuum-constriction erection aid device

To simplify and increase the efficacy of tubular vacuum chamber (6) used to induce and maintain erections in impotent men, a penile sealing diaphragm (7) forms an airtight seal between the tubular chamber (6) and the penis (28). A constriction band dislodging mechanism comprising a flexible strap (36) which is attached to the sealing diaphragm (7) provides a simple method for transferring any constriction band (8) from the chamber (6) onto the penis (28). A constriction band dislodging-vacuum release mechanism is used to simultaneously dislodge a constriction band (8) and relieve the vacuum within a chamber with an air hole (38). A unique constriction band (44) is formed from an inexpensive rubber band and two strips of glass tape which is easy to dislodge from the vacuum chamber (8) and easy to remove from the penis (28).

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of Invention 
This invention relates to erection aids, specifically to 
vacuum-constriction erection aid devices used to induce and maintain 
erections in impotent males. 
2. Description of Prior Art 
Impotence is a common medical problem affecting over 10,000,000 American 
males. In the past, psychological impotence was treated primarily by sex 
therapy while organic (physical) impotence usually was treated by 
injection therapy or implantation of a penile prosthesis. All of these 
treatment modalities have major disadvantages. Sex therapy is costly, time 
consuming, and often ineffective; injection therapy is painful and may 
induce scarring of the erectile bodies; and penile implants require costly 
surgical procedures which may result in serious complications. 
Vacuum-constriction therapy provides an attractive alternative to these 
standard treatment options because it is a noninvasive, painless, and 
relatively inexpensive procedure which produces immediate results and can 
be used in all types of impotence. 
Vacuum-constriction therapy employs erection aid devices which produce a 
partial vacuum around the penis. This vacuum expands the blood vessels in 
the penis which in turn increases blood flow to the organ and causes it to 
become erect. After an erection has been achieved, an elastic constriction 
band is placed around the base of the penis to impede blood flow from the 
organ and maintain the erection. Prior developments in this field will be 
generally illustrated by reference to the following patents, publications, 
and commercial products: 
______________________________________ 
Patent No. Patentee Issue Date 
______________________________________ 
347,300 Giuseppe Meldi (Italy) 
02/22/57 
2,874,698 F. W. Sell 03/24/59 
4,378,008 Gedding D. Osbon, Sr. 
03/29/83 
4,741,329 Benjamin F. Marcune 
05/03/88 
4,753,227 Rudolph R. Yanuck, Jr. 
06/28/88 
______________________________________ 
Witherington R. Suction Device--Therapy in the Management of Erectile 
Impotence Urol. Clinics North Am. 15:123(1988). 
VED.TM. Vacuum Constriction Device--Mission Pharmacal Co., P.O. Box 1676, 
San Antonio, Tex. 
Osbon ERECAID SYSTEM.TM. Erection Inducer--Osbon Medical Systems Ltd., 1253 
Broad Street, P.O. Box 1478, Augusta, Ga. 
E.I.D..TM. Erection Inducer Device--Performance Medical, Berlin, N.J. 
All of these vacuum-constriction devices, except meldi's, have four 
essential components--a cylindrical penile vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump, 
a vacuum release valve, and a constricting elastic band (Osbon patent, 
supra). There have been numerous modifications of these devices since Dr. 
Otto Lederer described the first erection aid device in 1917 (Witherington 
R., supra). A comprehensive review of these is beyond the scope of this 
discussion, so only those listed above, which relate to our invention, 
will be reviewed herein. 
To achieve a partial vacuum around the penis, the open end of a penile 
vacuum chamber must make an airtight seal with the penis or the abdominal 
wall around the penis. Devices which form a junction with the abdominal 
wall surrounding the penis (Marcune patent, supra) may suck the skin and 
testicles into the vacuum chamber, causing inconvenience, pain, and 
injury. Devices which form a seal with the penis require adapter inserts 
(Osbon ERECAID.TM., supra) to decrease the diameter of the chamber's 
opening. The adapter inserts are inconvenient to use and may make it 
difficult to remove the device from the erect penis. 
Meldi shows an erection aid device with a penile sealing diaphragm. Meldi's 
device increases the effectiveness of erection aids designed solely to 
induce an erection because it makes a tight seal with the penis rather 
than the abdominal wall. Meldi's erection aid, however, is not a true 
vacuum-constriction device because it does not have the elastic 
constriction band which most impotent men require to maintain the erection 
generated within a vacuum chamber. There are two other significant 
disadvantages to Meldi's device. First, Meldi's penile sealing diaphragm 
is designed for use with a vacuum chamber which has a lip of rim to fix 
the diaphragm to the vacuum chamber. The diaphragm would easily slip off 
of a chamber which did not have a flanged end. The need for such an 
attaching means greatly decreases the versatility and applicability of 
Meldi's device since modern vacuum chambers do not have protruding lips of 
rims to which the diaphragm could be attached. Present-day vacuum chambers 
have smooth walls because any protrusion on their distal wall would 
interfere with band transfer from the chamber to the penis. Second, 
Meldi's diaphragm is a complex device having a very irregular shape. 
Because of its complexity, Meldi's diaphragm can not be made from a simple 
segment of rubber tubing, rather it must be formed by a molding process, a 
manufacturing technique which greatly increases the cost of producing the 
device. 
Prior-art vacuum-constriction devices also are difficult to operate because 
the operator must use his fingers to push the constriction band off of the 
penile vacuum cylinder onto the penis. Recognition of this problem 
resulted in the development of erection aid devices with an outer sleeve 
which can be pushed or pulled toward the abdomen to dislodge the 
constriction band from the penile vacuum chamber to the penis (Sell 
patent, supra; Yanuck patent, supra). While these devices may facilitate 
transfer of the constriction band to the penis, their construction entails 
complicated mechanical alterations of the penile vacuum chamber which are 
costly to manufacture. 
Another disadvantage of prior-art vacuum erectors is the need to perform 
two separate and distinct functions, to transfer the constriction band 
from the vacuum chamber to the penis and to relieve the vacuum within the 
chamber. The sequence of these functions, which may be confusing to 
elderly males most in need of the device, is important because the 
erection may be lost if the vacuum is released before the constriction 
band has been transferred. To obviate these disadvantages Yanuck also 
shows a vacuum release valve which opens automatically when a sleeve is 
activated to transfer the constriction band to the penis. This mechanism 
facilitates the use of erection aid devices, but is complicated and costly 
to manufacture. 
Finally, the constriction bands used to maintain the erection induced in a 
penile vacuum chamber are expensive to manufacture, difficult to dislodge 
from the penile vacuum chamber, and difficult to remove from the penis. 
Strings have been looped around the constriction bands to facilitate their 
removal from the penis (rubber bands with safety loops, VED.TM. Vacuum 
Constriction device, supra). Constriction bands also have been made with 
side loops (Osbon ERECAID.TM., supra) or tabs (E.I.D..TM. Erection Inducer 
Device, supra) which may be used to pull the bands from the penis. 
However, such strings easily become tangled in the pubic hair and the 
loops and tabs are difficult to use because they stretch and become more 
difficult to grasp when they encircle the erect penis. 
The constriction bands also must apply differing degrees of tension to the 
penis to accommodate variations in penile anatomy. The tension applied by 
the bands has been increased by doubling the bands (Osbon ERECAID.TM. 
supra), but this makes them extremely difficult to apply to the vacuum 
chambers and equally difficult to remove from the penis. Variations in 
band tension also have been achieved by varying the elasticity of the 
rubber used to manufacture the bands (E.I.D..TM. Erection Inducer Device, 
supra), a method which increases the complexity and expense of 
manufacturing the bands. Also, doubling the bands may create excessive 
constrictive forces, which may cause gangrene. 
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of our invention are to provide 
an improved penile erection device which is easy to use, reliable and 
inexpensive to manufacture. Other objects are to provide such a device 
which: 
a) forms an airtight seal between modern smooth-walled penile vacuum 
chambers and the penis; 
b) provides a simple method for dislodging a constriction band from a 
penile vacuum chamber onto the penis; 
c) provides a simple, inexpensive means to simultaneously dislodge a 
constriction band from a penile vacuum chamber and relieve the vacuum in 
the chamber; and 
d) provides a unique constriction band which can be manufactured from 
simple, inexpensive components. 
Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent from a 
consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS: 
6 penile vacuum chamber 
7 penile sealing diaphragm 
8 constriction band 
10 vacuum source 
12 connecting tube 
14 penile sealing sleeve 
16 distal opening in penile sleeve 
18 proximal opening in penile sleeve 
20 distal wall of penile vacuum chamber 
22 open end of penile vacuum chamber 
24 inlet orifice 
26 closed end of penile vacuum chamber 
28 penis 
30 proximal penile shaft 
32 root of penis 
34 glans penis 
36 constriction band dislodging strap 
38 air hole in penile vacuum chamber 
40 air hole in penile sealing diaphragm 
42 air hole sealing plug 
44 specific constriction band 
46 glass tape 
48 central penile constricting segment 
50 lumen of central constricting segment 
52 finger loop 
DESCRIPTION--ERECTION AID DEVICE WITH PENILE SEALING DIAPHRAGM, FIGS. 1 AND 
2 
Such terms as "upward" and "downward" and "left" and "right" refer to the 
device as illustrated in the drawing, not to their position in actual use, 
which is indeterminate. 
FIG. 1 shows an erection aid device in accordance with the invention. It 
consists of a penile vacuum chamber 6, a penile sealing diaphragm 7, a 
constriction band 8, and a flexible tube 12 which communicates with a 
source of vacuum indicated by arrow 10. Diaphragm 7 is formed from a 
segment of thin walled elastic tubing (not shown) approximately 7.5 cm 
long, 2.5 cm in diameter, and having a wall thickness of approximately 0.1 
cm. To form penile sealing diaphragm 7, approximately 2.5 cm of the 
material of diaphragm 7 is stretched and placed over distal wall 20 of 
vacuum chamber 6 to cover the chamber's open end. Diaphragm 7 is shown 
separated from chamber 6 to facilitate illustration, but in actuality 
diaphragm 7 will be tightly pressed to chamber 6 in all figures. The 
remaining unstretched tubing segment forms a penile sealing sleeve 14 with 
a distal opening 16 and a proximal opening 18. An elastic constriction 
band 8 encircles distal wall 20 of chamber 6. Note that chamber 6 has no 
lip, rim, or other means for attaching diaphragm 7 to the chamber. 
Therefore, the segment of tubing which covers the distal wall of chamber 6 
must be long enough to firmly grip the chamber's wall so that the 
diaphragm will not become detached from the chamber during use. 
An inlet orifice 24 or nipple is situated on closed end 26 of chamber 6. A 
flexible tube 12 connects orifice 24 of chamber 6 to a source of vacuum 
(not shown). A suitable vacuum source may be a hand-operated vacuum pump, 
such as used in the ERECAID.TM., supra, or an electronically operated pump 
which produces a vacuum of about 175 mm of mercury. 
FIG. 2 shows a chamber 6 installed over a penis 28. Sealing sleeve 14 has 
been inverted into the chamber so that it forms a seal with the proximal 
end of penile shaft 30. Although sleeve 14 is shown separated from penis 
28 to facilitate illustration, in actuality sleeve 14 is tightly pressed 
to penis 28 in all figures. After an erection has been generated, band 8 
is dislodged from the distal wall of chamber 6 onto the root of penis 32 
as indicated by arrows A and by the phantom band 8'. 
OPERATION OF THIS EMBODIMENT 
The device is used to create an erection in an impotent male as follows: 
penile sealing sleeve 14 is inverted into chamber 6 as shown in FIG. 2. A 
surgical lubricant, such as that sold under the mark SURGILUBE, 
manufactured by E. Fougera & Co., Melville, N. Y., is applied to the inner 
and outer surfaces of sleeve 14, the inner surface of chamber 6, and penis 
28. The vacuum pump (not shown) is activated and glans penis 34 is 
introduced into proximal opening 18 of sleeve 14. The partial vacuum 
generated in chamber 6 sucks penis 28 further into the chamber, until 
penile sealing diaphragm 7 reaches the abdominal wall (not shown) and 
sealing sleeve 14 surrounds the proximal part of penile shaft 30. The 
partial vacuum is maintained until an erection is achieved, which usually 
occurs in about 3 minutes. After an erection has been achieved, band 8 is 
dislodged from chamber 6 to position 8' on the root of penis 32 by the 
user's fingers (not shown). Referring to FIG. 1, the vacuum is relieved by 
disconnecting tube 12 from orifice 24 prior to removing chamber 6 from 
penis 28. At the completion of intercourse, band 8' is removed from penis 
28. 
Use of this embodiment eliminates the need for expensive adapter rings 
since the penile sealing sleeve stretches to accommodate penises of 
varying girth. The penile sealing diaphragm prevents suction of the 
testicles and scrotal skin into the penile vacuum chamber when a partial 
vacuum is generated within the chamber. The sealing diaphragm also 
increases the success of vacuum-constrictor therapy because its sealing 
penile sleeve provides a more reliable airtight seal than do devices which 
form a seal with the abdominal wall. Furthermore, since the diaphragm 
makes a seal with the penis, shaving or cutting the hair around the penis 
is not necessary as it is with erection aid devices which form a seal with 
the abdominal wall. Because the elastic tube from which sealing diaphragm 
7 is constructed is long enough to cover a significant portion of the 
vacuum chamber's distal wall, the diaphragm grips the chamber's wall and 
will not slip off of the chamber during use. Thus our penile sealing 
diaphragm may be used with modern vacuum chambers which do not have lips 
or rims to fix the diaphragm to the chamber's wall. This design feature is 
important because a penile sealing diaphragm such as Meldi's, supra, would 
slip off of a modern smooth-walled vacuum chamber during use. 
DESCRIPTION--ERECTION AID DEVICE WITH ELASTIC BAND DISLODGING MEMBER, FIG. 
3 
FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the erection aid device according to the 
invention. Here diaphragm 7 has a constriction band dislodging strap 36. 
Strap 36 is shown separated from diaphragm 7 for illustration; in 
actuality the proximal end of strap 36 is tightly pressed against 
diaphragm 7 by band 8 in all figures. Strap 36 is formed from a portion of 
flat flexible, but mimimally stretchable, material, such as latex rubber, 
approximately 2.0-4.0 cm wide, 4.0-6.0 cm long and 0.15 cm thick. One end 
of the strap is attached by a suitable adhesive, such as that sold under 
the mark LOCTITE SUPER BONDER, manufactured by Loctite Corporation, 
Newington, Conn., to diaphragm 7 at the point where it crosses the open 
end of the chamber. Band 8 is positioned over strap 36 so that an upward 
pull on strap 36 pushes band 8 off the distal wall of chamber 6 onto the 
root of penis 32, as indicated by arrows A. 
OPERATION OF THIS EMBODIMENT 
Before insertion of penis 28 into chamber 6 band 8 is placed over 
dislodging strap 36 where the strap crosses distal wall 20 of chamber 6. 
After an erection has been generated in chamber 6, strap 36 is pulled 
upward, as shown by arrow B, to dislodge band 8 from the chamber onto the 
root of penis 32. 
Use of this embodiment of the invention simplifies the use of erection aid 
devices since it provides a simple method for the user to transfer an 
elastic band from a penile vacuum chamber to the penis. Our band transfer 
mechanism also is easier and cheaper to manufacture than are the prior-art 
devices (Sell patent, supra; Yanuck patent, supra) which utilize a sleeve 
to push the constriction band off of the chamber onto the penis. 
DESCRIPTION--ERECTION AID DEVICE WITH BAND DISLODGING AND VACUUM RELEASE 
MECHANISMS, FIG. 4 
FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment. This device is formed from vacuum 
chamber 6 which has an air hole 38 in its wall adjacent to its distal 
(left) end. Penile sealing diaphragm 7 has an air hole 40 and a 
constriction band dislodging strap 36. Diaphragm 7 is positioned over the 
open end of chamber 22 so that air hole 40 overlies air hole 38. The 
proximal portion of strap 36 is placed over air hole 40 in diaphragm 7 so 
that it forms an airtight seal with air holes 40 and 38. Band 8 is 
positioned over the portion of the strap which covers air hole 40. An 
upward pull on strap 36 dislodges band 8 and uncovers air holes 40 and 38 
to allow atmospheric air to enter chamber 6 and release the vacuum as 
indicated by the arrows A and by phantom band 8'. 
OPERATION OF THIS EMBODIMENT 
To use this device, airholes 40 and 38 are covered by strap 36 to prevent 
air entering chamber 6. Band 8 is placed over strap 36 to hold strap 36 
over airholes 40 and 38 while a partial vacuum is being developed around 
penis 28. After a penile erection has been generated within chamber 6, 
strap 36 is pulled upward, as indicated by arrow B, to dislodge band 8 
from the chamber. As strap 36 is pulled upward, airholes 40 and 38 are 
uncovered, allowing atmospheric air to enter chamber 6 and relieve the 
vacuum. Thus, with one movement of the user's hand, the vacuum within 
chamber 6 is relieved and band 8 is transferred from the chamber to penis 
28, as indicated by arrows A and phantom band 8'. 
The use of this embodiment greatly simplifies vacuum-constriction therapy 
because the elastic band is transferred from the vacuum chamber to the 
penis and the vacuum is relieved in the chamber simultaneously with one 
movement of the user's hand. The effectiveness and success of vacuum 
therapy also is increased by this mechanism since it is impossible for the 
user to release the vacuum within the chamber, and by so doing lose his 
erection, before the constriction band has been transferred to this penis. 
The vacuum constriction system described by Yanuck (Yanuck patent, supra) 
also provides a mechanism for simultaneous band transfer and vacuum 
release; however, this device is much more complicated and expensive to 
manufacture. 
DESCRIPTION--BAND TRANSFER VACUUM RELEASE DEVICE WITH AIR HOLE SEALING 
PLUG, FIG. 4A 
FIG. 4A shows a modification of the erection aid device shown in FIG. 4. An 
airhole sealing the plug has been attached to the undersurface of strap 36 
so that plug 42 may enter and seal air holes 40 and 38. Band 8 is 
positioned over strap 36 and plug 42 to hold the plug firmly in air holes 
40 and 38 while a partial vacuum is being generated in chamber 6. 
OPERATION OF THIS EMBODIMENT 
After a partial vacuum has been generated in chamber 6, an upward pull on 
strap 36 draws plug 42 from air holes 40 and 38 to relieve the vacuum in 
chamber 6 while simultaneously dislodging band 8 from the distal wall of 
the chamber onto the penis, as indicated by the arrow A and by phantom 
band 8'. 
This embodiment of our device increases the reliability of the band 
transfer vacuum release device because the presence of the air hole 
sealing plug on the undersurface of the band dislodging strap assures that 
an airtight seal is made between the strap and the vacuum chamber. This 
mechanism is different from the one described by Yanuck (Yanuck patent, 
supra) since the strap and sealing plug are held firmly in position by the 
overlying elastic band whereas Yanuck's device relies on a sleeve to hold 
the vacuum release value and sealing plug in the vacuum chamber air hole. 
DESCRIPTION--SPECIFIC CONSTRICTION BAND, FIG. 5 
The devices described above are designed to function with any prior-art 
constriction band. FIG. 5 shows a specific constriction band 44 of our 
invention that has been formed from a rubber band 12-16 cm in length, 
1.0-2.0 cm in width, and having a wall thickness of approximately 0.15 cm. 
Two 1.25.times.7.5 cm strips of glass tape (not shown) have been wrapped 
tightly around the rubber band to divide the band into a central penile 
constricting segment 48 and two lateral finger loops 52. To prevent 
movement of the strips 46 when lumen 50 of segment 48 is stretched, the 
rubber band is stretched to a length of approximately 30 cm before the 
glass tape strips are applied to it. The length of central segment 48, 
defined by the distance between the strips of glass tape, determines the 
tension developed in the walls of the constricting segment when it 
encircles the penis (not shown). Thus, constricting segments 48 of varying 
tensions may be formed from the same size rubber bands by varying the 
distance between the strips of glass tape. Depending on the elasticity of 
the rubber band, its dimensions, and the tension desired in its central 
segment, the length of unstretched central segment 48 of band 44 may vary 
between 1.5 and 3.0 cm. 
The segments of tape strips 46 also form dislodging bosses when they are 
wrapped around the rubber band. The dislodging bosses may be used to push 
band 44 off chamber 6 onto the penis. Finger loops 52 are used to pull 
constricting segment 48 from the penis following intercourse. Because 
finger loops 52 are separated from constricting segment 48 by tape strips 
46, the finger loops do not change configuration when central segment 48 
is stretched over the penis. 
OPERATION OF SPECIFIC CONSTRICTION BAND 
To operate band 44, two fingers of each hand are introduced into its 
central lumen 50. The lumen is stretched and positioned over the distal 
wall of penile vacuum chamber 6 as shown in FIG. 1. Surgical lubricant is 
placed on the central constricting segment to facilitate its removal from 
chamber 6. After an erection has been generated in chamber 6, the user's 
fingers are used to push glass tape dislodging bosses 46, and band 44, 
from chamber 6 onto the penis. If the erection aid device has a dislodging 
strap 36, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the strap is used to dislodge band 44 
from chamber 6. Following intercourse, the penis is lubricated again and 
finger loops 52 are used to pull band 44 from the penis. 
There are several advantages to our constriction band. The band may be 
manufactured from a simple, inexpensive rubber band and two strips of 
glass tape. The tension of the constriction band's control segment may be 
altered simply by varying the distance between the tapes when they are 
applied to the rubber band. The glass tape strips also form dislodging 
bosses which facilitate transfer of the band from the penile vacuum 
chamber to the penis while the finger loops provide an easy way to remove 
the band from the penis. 
SUMMARY, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
Thus, the reader will see that there are many advantages to the various 
embodiments of our invention. Our penile sealing diaphragm forms an 
airtight seal with normal sized penises of varying girth and eliminates 
the need for adapter rings. Since the seal is made with the penis, rather 
than the abdominal wall, shaving or cutting of the hair around the penis 
is not necessary as it is with erection aid devices which do not have a 
penile sealing diaphragm. The sealing diaphragm also prevents suction of 
the scrotal skin and testicles into the chamber when a vacuum is generated 
within the chamber. The penile sealing diaphragm may be used with modern 
vacuum chambers because it does not require a lip or rim to fix the 
diaphragm to the chamber. Such a protrusion would impede the transfer of 
an elastic band from the chamber to the penis. 
Our constriction band dislodging strap provides a simple way to transfer 
the constriction band from the penile vacuum chamber to the penis and 
eliminates the frustration men experience pushing the bands off of the 
vacuum chamber. Our air holed penile vacuum chamber provides a way to 
simultaneously dislodge the constriction band and release the vacuum 
within the penile vacuum chamber preventing premature release of the 
vacuum and loss of the erection before the constriction band has been 
transferred to the penis. Our constriction bands have dislodging bosses 
which facilitate their transfer to the penis and finger rings which make 
it easy to remove the bands from the penis. Finally, the embodiments of 
our invention are simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which will reduce 
the cost of vacuum-constriction therapy. 
While our above description contains many specificities, these should not 
be considered as limitations of the scope of the invention, but rather as 
amplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are 
possible. 
For example, the penile sealing diaphragm may be molded so that the 
diameter of the segment that is positioned over the end of the penile 
vacuum chamber is larger than the diameter of the segment which forms the 
penile sleeve. This design makes it easier to place the diaphragm over the 
open end of the penile vacuum chamber. The wall thickness of the middle 
and ends of the sealing diaphragm also may be different to make it easier 
to stretch the end which is placed over the cylinder. The end of the 
diaphragm's sleeve also may be serrated to increase the effectiveness of 
the seal which is achieved with the penis. 
The constriction band dislodging strap may be formed from a nylon filament, 
such as heavy fishing line, rather than from a flexible strap. 
Alternately, the dislodging member can be formed from inflexible material 
such as plastic. The dislodging member can be attached to the open end of 
any penile vacuum chamber or to a cylinder adapter ring, rather than to 
the penile sealing diaphragm we have shown in our preferred embodiment. 
Similarly, an erection aid device can be formed with more than one 
constriction band dislodging member, rather than the single strap we have 
used in our illustrations. 
It also will be apparent to the reader that our constriction bands can be 
formed from rubber bands of varying lengths, widths, and wall thicknesses. 
Similarly, round bands of elastic material similar to "O-rings" may be 
used to form the constriction bands. Rubber bands or tapes of different 
colors can be used to identify differing tension constriction bands. 
Similarly, segments of heat-shrunk tubing, manufactured by California 
Terminal Products, El Cajon, CA, of differing colors may be placed over 
the glass tape strips to identify bands with differing tension. 
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims 
and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.