Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/10569988
Timestamp: 2020-05-27 00:48:44
Document Index: 204558408

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 60', 'art\n5379174']

US Patent for Integrated systems facilitating wire and cable installations Patent (Patent # 10,569,988 issued February 25, 2020) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents Shaping Means Removably Mounted On TieUS Patent for Integrated systems facilitating wire and cable installations Patent (Patent # 10,569,988)
Jan 8, 2018 - Southwire Company, LLC
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/836,319, filed Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “Integrated Systems Facilitating Wire and Cable Installations,” now U.S. Pat. No. 9,864,381, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety and which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/726,992, filed on Mar. 18, 2010, entitled “Integrated Systems Facilitating Wire and Cable Installations,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,967, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/162,589, filed on Mar. 23, 2009, entitled “Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/174,210, filed on Apr. 30, 2009, entitled “Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/221,216, filed on Jun. 29, 2009, entitled “Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/244,919 filed on Sep. 23, 2009, entitled “Layered Reel and Layering Multiple Parallels on a Single Reel,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application further incorporates by reference the entire contents of issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,557,301, filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/017,222 on Jan. 21, 2008, and entitled “Method of Manufacturing Electrical Cable Having Reduced Required Force for Installation,” as if the contents thereof were set forth verbatim herein. In addition, this patent application incorporates by reference the following as if the contents thereof were set forth verbatim herein: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/587,584; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/858,766, filed on Sep. 20, 2007, now abandoned, and Ser. No. 11/675,441, filed on Feb. 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,749,024.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating additional examples of the pulling eyes, as well as illustrating installation scenarios in which a number of different pulling eyes are attached to the terminal ends of respective wires, connected to pulling ropes, and linked to a common attachment point for pulling through conduit.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the snap hook shown in FIG. 8, along with a protective cover that may be installed over a pulling head to reduce friction encountered by the pulling head when a given run of wire or cable is pulled through conduit.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating examples of non-threaded pulling eyes.
A variable-speed tugger 414 may also be provided as part of the integrated systems 110. The variable speed tugger 414 may include a drum to which the pulling rope 412 is attached. In some implementations, this variable-speed tugger 414 may be an electric motor controllable by a two-speed switch or a variable-speed switch. This electric motor may be fitted with an output shaft connected to a 90° output chuck, with this output chuck coupled to drive the drum of the tugger 414.
Turning to the payoff systems 408 in more detail, these systems 408 may include a base platform 602 of sufficient size and weight to provide stability for the overall systems 408 during shipment, delivery, and installation at a construction job site. The base platform 602 is generally horizontal in configuration and may include two or more slots 610 or channels in the base spaced such that the payoff system 408 may be lifted and carried as a single unit by a standard forklift. The payoff systems 408 may also include vertical supports 604A and 604B (collectively, vertical supports 604). The vertical supports 604 may rotateably support the ends of the reel 406, allowing the reel 406 to spin while paying-off the conductors 402. The reel 406 may also include flanges 606A and 606B (collectively, flanges 606) to direct the conductors 402 away from the vertical supports 604.
In implementations in which the pulling eyes 700 are crimped onto the ends of the conductors 402, the pulling eyes 700 may be manufactured of material suitable for crimping (e.g., aluminum, or alloys thereof). In general, the pulling eyes 700 may be manufactured using any suitable processes, including but not limited to, machining from a single piece of stock aluminum or other material, as well as forging, casting, molding, or the like. In addition, the pulling eye 700 may define an aperture 706 through which a pulling rope may be secured, as described further below with FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 illustrates additional examples, denoted generally at 800, of pulling eyes 700A, 700B, and 700C, as attached respectively to the terminal ends of conductors 402A, 402B, and 402C. In further embodiments, the conductors 402A, 402B, and 402C may be included within an armor of an armored cable. The pulling eyes 700 are connected respectively to pulling ropes 802A, 802B, and 802C (collectively, pulling ropes 802). More specifically, connecting rings, carabiners, or devises 804A, 804B, and 804C (collectively, connecting rings 804) may pass through the apertures 706 shown in FIG. 7, and couple the pulling eyes 700 to the pulling ropes 802. However, some implementations of this description may omit the connecting rings 804, in favor of passing an end of the pulling rope 802 through the aperture in the pulling eye 700 and fastening the end of the pulling rope back on itself. The end of the pulling rope 802 may be swaged, crimped, or otherwise attached to the main body of the pulling rope, forming a loop that secures or captures the pulling eye 700. As shown in FIG. 8, the pulling ropes 802 may be linked to a common hook clip 806 for pulling through the conduit.
In the examples shown in FIG. 8, the different pulling ropes 802 are different lengths. These different lengths effectively stagger the different pulling eyes 700A, 700B, and 700C within the conduit, thereby reducing the risk that the pulling eyes 700 may jam within the conduit. In contrast, if the three pulling ropes 802 were the same lengths, the three pulling eyes 700 may stack one on top of the other, and if the conduit is sufficiently small in diameter, these three stacked pulling eyes 700A, 700B, and 700C may jam when pulled through the conduit. Regarding armored cable, the staggering of the different pulling eyes 700 allows the total diameter of the armored cable with the pulling eyes affixed to the included conducts to be smaller than if the different pulling eyes were staked one on top of the other.
FIG. 9 illustrates the snap hook 806 and the pulling ropes 802A, 802B, and 802C carried forward from FIG. 8. A pulling head 902 may include different types of mechanisms 806 (e.g., including but not limited to the snap hook example shown in FIG. 9) for attaching to the pulling ropes 802. Other examples of the attachment mechanisms 806 may include the various pulling eyes and devises illustrated and described herein, suitable for attaching the pulling ropes 802 to one another for pulling wires or cables through conduit. FIG. 9 illustrates a protective cover 904 that may be installed over the pulling head 902 to reduce friction encountered by the pulling head 902 when a given run of wire or cable is pulled through conduit. The protective cover 904 may define a slit or aperture 906 through which at least a portion of the snap hook 806 may pass. In example implementations, the protective cover 904 may be constructed from a suitable polymeric material. The protective cover 904 may also contribute to reducing the force involved with drawing the pulling head 902 through the conduit.
The individual pulling cables 1004 may include loops, referenced collectively at 1006, which may be formed by suitable crimps, swages, or other attachment means (denoted collectively at 1008). In turn, any number of the pulling cables 1004 may be connected to a clevis 1010. The clevis 1010 may facilitate attachment of the pulling cables 1004 to the pulling rope 412. The pulling rope 412 may include a loop 1012 facilitating attachment to the clevis 1010. The clevis 1010 may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallic materials, chosen as appropriate for the loads anticipated to be borne by the clevis 1010 during pulls of the completed head assembly through conduit. In addition, implementations of the clevis 1010 may be dimensioned and shaped differently from the examples shown in FIG. 10, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description.
In different possible implementations, a given pulling cable 1004 may be attached to one or two of the pulling eyes 1002. For example, the pulling cables 1004C and 1004N may be the same pulling cable, with one end attached to the pulling eye 1002C and the other end attached to the pulling eye 1002N. FIG. 8, described previously, illustrates examples in which the pulling ropes 802A-802C are attached to respective single pulling eyes 700A-700C. However, the examples shown in FIG. 10 may reduce the number of loops 1006 passing through the clevis 1010, by attaching two pulling eyes 1002 to a given pulling cable 1004. Finally, the clevis 1010 may be attached to a loop 1012 formed within a pulling rope 412 (carried forward for convenience from FIG. 4).
In some implementations, the reels 406 may be loaded with the multiple conductors at a facility, where the conductors themselves are manufactured. In other implementations, a warehouse or distribution facility may load the multiple conductors onto the single reels. In general, multiple differently-colored conductors may be loaded in combination onto single reels before delivering the single reels to jobsites, thereby relieving jobsite personnel from pulling from multiple reels simultaneously.
FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate aspects of the crimping of the pulling eyes 1204 to the conductors 402. More specifically, FIG. 13A shows the pulling eye 1204 before the compression sleeve is crimped. The pulling eye 1204 may include areas 1302, represented in darker tone in FIG. 13, that indicate where the compression sleeve may be crimped. In implementations of this description, the areas 1302 may be colored, knurled, or otherwise visually distinguished from the rest of the pulling eye 1204. The areas 1302 may indicate to personnel where to align dies or other crimping tools when compressing the sleeve.
FIG. 14 also illustrates additional examples of a clevis, denoted generally at 1406. As shown, the clevis 1406 may include rounded portions mounted within the ends of the clevis, for receiving and engaging loops formed by the pulling cables 1202 and the pulling rope 412 (carried forward from FIG. 4). In some implementations of this description, the clevis 1406 may include two or more different segments that rotate or swivel relative to one another. Thus, the clevis 1406 may be characterized as a “swivel” or “swiveling” clevis. For example, during a given pull, the pulling cables 1202 and/or the pulling rope 412 may twist axially, experiencing forces as the pull proceeds. However, the swiveling devises 1406 may serve to isolate the pulling cables 1202 and the pulling rope 412 from each other, allowing, for example, the pulling cables to twist axially relative to the pulling rope 412, without also exposing the pulling rope 412 to those same twisting forces.
The tugger 1502 may include appropriate mechanical components, such as an electric drive motor (not shown), which may drive a rotating circular drum 1508. Only for example, FIG. 15 carries forward the pulling rope 412 from FIG. 4. The pulling rope 412 may be attached to the cable pulling head 902, with the pulling rope 412 secured to and wrapped around the rotating drum 1508. When the drum 1508 rotates, the pulling rope 412 may be wound onto the drum 1508 in the direction indicated by the arrow 1510, thereby drawing the cable pulling head 902 through a given run of conduit.
As shown generally at 1602C, the pulling eyes may be assembled onto a given pulling cable or rope, as carried forward from FIG. 12 at 1202A. First, the pulling cable 1202 is passed through the interior of a cylindrical sleeve or barrel portion 1604C (which represents either the barrel portions 1604A or 1604B), and through the interior of a head portion 1606C (which represents either the head portions 1606A or 1606B). Afterwards, the head portion 1606C and the sleeve/barrel portion 1604C are threaded together. Finally, fasteners 1612B and 1612M may be threaded through the head portion 1606C, to engage the sleeve/barrel portion 1604C.
FIG. 17 illustrates examples of non-threaded pulling eyes, denoted generally at 1700. As shown in FIG. 17, a representative head portion 1701 may define a passageway 1702, sized as appropriate to receive a pin 1704. As understood from FIG. 17, the head portions 1701 provide additional examples of the head portions 1606 shown in FIG. 16. Further, implementations of this description may include head portions 1701 and 1606 having different configurations without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description.
In the examples shown in FIG. 17, the sleeve or barrel portion 1604 may define a passageway 1710, having an axis that is generally perpendicular to an axis of the interior passageway 1708. When the head portion 1701 is slid sufficiently far into the barrel portion 1604, the passageway 1702 aligns with the passageway 1710. In turn, this alignment may allow the pin 1704 to slide into both passageways, as indicated at 1712, and secure the pulling rope or cable 1202 to the barrel portion 1604.
FIG. 17 illustrates examples in which the head portion 1701 is a male portion that slides into a corresponding female portion provided by the sleeve or barrel portion 1604. However, it is noted that implementations of this description may also include the head portion 1701 serving as a female portion, which receives the barrel portion 1604 as a male portion.
Referring first to the view 2208, this size of the pulling eye 2202 may be characterized by a first outside diameter (OD1) and a first inside diameter (ID1). The difference between the OD1 and the ID1 represents a wall thickness associated with this size of the pulling eye 2202.
Although FIG. 22 is not drawn to scale, the wall thicknesses of the two pulling eyes represented at 2208 and 2210 may be approximately equal, although the outside diameters and inside diameters may vary to accommodate different sizes or gauges of conductors. More specifically, the inside diameters ID1 and ID2 may be sized to snugly receive a conductor having a given size or gauge. Put differently, the inside diameters ID1 and ID2 may be chosen for a given conductor gauge, such that the conductor encounters slight friction or physical resistance when being inserted into the pulling eye 2202. In different implementations, different tolerances or clearances are possible between the pulling eye 2202 and the conductor. In example implementations, however, these tolerances may be less than or equal to approximately 100 mils. However, experimentation in crimping the pulling eye 2202 with different tolerances may yield similar or different results. The snug engagement described here may enable secure crimps without using the plugs, wedges, or other auxiliary devices, as described above.
Although the description above is primarily focused on wire or cables pulled through conduit, the description may also be applied to armored cable, such as MC cable, or any other cable not necessarily required to be pulled through conduit. FIGS. 25A and 25B illustrate embodiments in which the cable is armored cable. FIG. 25A illustrates pulling head assemblies of an armored cable, denoted generally at 2500. Respective pulling eyes 2506A-2506C are shown affixed to corresponding insulated conductors 2504A-2504C which are encompassed by a covering or armor 2502 which may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallic material. It is noted that the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C as shown in FIG. 25A may include any of the alternative pulling eyes discussed above and may be affixed to the corresponding insulated conductors 2504A-2504C in any manner discussed above. The pulling eyes 2506A-2506C serve to attach the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C to respective pulling cables 2508A-2508C. Although FIG. 25A illustrates each of the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C affixed with one of the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C, it should be understood that less than all of the insulated conductors of the armored cable 2500 may be affixed with one of the pulling eyes. As discussed above, the pulling cables 2508A-2508C may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallic material, and may be coated or impregnated with friction-reducing compounds, as discussed in more detail above. Moreover, the pulling cables 2508A-2508C may be constructed in any manner as discussed above.
The insulated conductors 2504A-2504C may be cut to lengths associated with the staggered lengths of the pulling cables 2508A-2508C, as further discussed above with regards at least to FIG. 8, and a portion of the insulation of the insulated conductors may be stripped to expose a portion of the conductors for affixing the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C, as further discussed above with regards at least to FIGS. 7 and 11. Affixing the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C to the portions of the conductors of the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C results in the pulling head assemblies of the armored cable 2500 as illustrated in FIG. 25A.
Steps as % of Overhead 250′ pull, 4 conductors 500 with 1/0 ground total pull time -
Traditional Pipe and Wire installation time - minutes time - minutes Improved Solutions EC using old THHN
5 × 1,000′ reels black conductor arrives 45 10 Single reel THHN with 5 14% at job site, EC off loads and transports conductors (brown, orange, to pull site yellow, gray and green) paralleled on single reel EC sets up 5 reels on jacks in 30 5 EC sets up 1 reel on jacks in 10% preparation for pull - may need preparation for pull -may need equipment and leveling equipment and leveling Transport 5 gal bucket pulling lube and 2 0 1% rags to pull site EC applies phase tape to each 15 0 5% conductor 3 × 5 EC pulls braided, poly pulling rope and 10 5 EC pulls pulling rope through 3% rag through 250 feet conduit 250 feet conduit EC prepares conductor heads for 60 0.5 Attach pulling eye to pulling 19% pulling rope EC sets up to apply lube to head of 30 0 10% conduit at start of pull EC Sets up to apply lube at 1 pull boxes 30 0 10% EC sets up tugger (bolted to floor) 30 15 EC sets up light weight tugger 10% Cable pull starts, EC workers apply lube 45 30 Cable pull starts, rope pulling 14% at 2 locations, rope pulling speed 6 feet speed varies from 6-25 feet minute minute (average 16′ min) Clean lube off conductors and 15 0 5% enclosure Total Minutes 312 65.5 Labor 6 men $70.00 per hour $2,184.00 $305.67 4 men 100%
1. A pulling eye for pulling a conductor, the pulling eye comprising:
a body portion defining an interior cavity for receiving the conductor, wherein the body portion comprises a first crimp and a second crimp for securing the body portion onto the conductor, and a first indicia indicating a first position on the body portion for applying the first crimp and a second indicia indicating a second position on the body portion for applying the second crimp, wherein at least the first indicia further indicates a sequence for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion; and
a head portion.
2. The pulling eye of claim 1, wherein the sequence for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion indicated by at least the first indicia comprises applying the first crimp at the first position on the body portion before applying the second crimp at the second position on the body portion.
3. The pulling eye of claim 2, wherein the sequence indicated by at least the first indicia for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion allows material of the body portion displaced by the first crimp and by the second crimp to flow unimpeded along the body portion in a direction away from the head portion.
4. The pulling eye of claim 1, wherein the first crimp and the second crimp have a differing rotational alignment relative to one another.
5. The pulling eye of claim 4, wherein the first indicia further indicates a first rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning a crimping tool to apply the first crimp to the body portion and the second indicia further indicates a second rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning the crimping tool to apply the second crimp to the body portion.
6. The pulling eye of claim 1, wherein the head portion defines an aperture.
7. The pulling eye of claim 6, further comprising a pulling rope connected to the pulling eye via the aperture.
8. A method for installing a pulling eye on a conductor, the method comprising:
placing a terminal end of the conductor into a body portion of the pulling eye, wherein the body portion of the pulling eye comprises a first indicia indicating a first position on the body portion for applying a first crimp and a second indicia indicating a second position on the body portion for applying a second crimp, wherein at least the first indicia further indicates a sequence for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion;
causing, based on at least the first indicia, the first crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the first position on the body portion prior to causing the second crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the second position on the body portion; and
after causing the first crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye, causing, the second crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the second position on the body portion.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sequence indicated by at least the first indicia for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion of the pulling eye allows material of the body portion displaced by the first crimp and by the second crimp to flow unimpeded along the body portion in a direction away from a head portion of the pulling eye.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first indicia indicates a first rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning a crimping tool to apply the first crimp to the body portion and the second indicia indicates a second rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning the crimping tool to apply the second crimp to the body portion.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein causing the first crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the first position on the body portion further comprises applying, using the crimping tool, the first crimp to the body portion at the first position on the body portion at the first rotational alignment relative to the body portion as indicated by the first indicia and applying, using the crimping tool, the second crimp to the body portion at the second position on the body portion at the second rotational alignment relative to the body portion as indicated by the second indicia such that the first crimp and the second crimp have differing rotational alignment relative to one another.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein causing, based on at least the first indicia, the first crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the first position on the body portion prior to causing the second crimp to be applied to the body portion of the pulling eye at the second position on the body portion comprising applying, using a crimping tool, the first crimp to the body portion of the pulling eye at the first position on the body portion prior to applying, using the crimping tool, the second crimp to the body portion of the pulling eye at the second position on the body portion.
13. The method of claim 8, further comprising before placing the terminal end of the conductor into the body portion of the pulling eye, causing the conductor to be wound onto a reel.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising connecting a pulling rope to the pulling eye.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pulling rope is connected to the pulling eye via an aperture of the pulling eye.
16. A body portion of a pulling eye, the body portion comprising:
an interior cavity for receiving a conductor;
a first crimp and a second crimp for securing the body portion onto the conductor, and
a first indicia indicating a first position on the body portion for applying the first crimp and a second indicia indicating a second position on the body portion for applying the second crimp, wherein at least the first indicia further indicates a sequence for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion.
17. The body portion of the pulling eye of claim 16, wherein the sequence for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion indicated by at least the first indicia comprises applying the first crimp at the first position on the body portion before applying the second crimp at the second position on the body portion.
18. The body portion of the pulling eye of claim 17, wherein the sequence indicated by at least the first indicia for applying the first crimp and the second crimp to the body portion allows material of the body portion displaced by the first crimp and by the second crimp to flow unimpeded along the body portion in a direction away from a head portion of the pulling eye.
19. The body portion of the pulling eye of claim 16, wherein the first crimp and the second crimp have a differing rotational alignment relative to one another.
20. The body portion of the pulling eye of claim 19, wherein the first indicia further indicates a first rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning a crimping tool to apply the first crimp to the body portion and the second indicia further indicates a second rotational alignment relative to the body portion for positioning the crimping tool to apply the second crimp to the body portion.
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Patent Publication Number: 20180129228
Inventors: John R. Carlson (Newnan, GA), David Brian McCardel (Marietta, GA), David A. Cooper (Douglasville, GA), David Mercier (Carrollton, GA), Allan W. Daniel (Woodland, AL), Timothy M. Andrea (Douglasville, GA)
Application Number: 15/864,520
Current U.S. Class: Shaping Means Removably Mounted On Tie (249/217)
International Classification: H02G 1/08 (20060101); B65H 55/00 (20060101); G05D 7/06 (20060101); B65H 54/00 (20060101); H02G 15/04 (20060101);