Patent Description:
Positioning cables in underground communication conduits which extend for several thousand feet (one thousand feet = three hundred meters) has long been a problem. Such is particularly true when it is desired to position an additional cable or cables into a conduit that already has a cable in it. That cable, particularly because of its plastic jacket, provides a great deal of friction to the new cable as it is being inserted into the conduit. As a result, the new or the existing cable may be damaged due to that friction. Such is particularly true when the cable in the conduit is undulating which causes the cable being introduced to take a sinuous, friction-laden path.

An extremely successful solution to this problem is a fabric innerduct sold under the trademark MAXCELL® by WESCO Distribution, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and shown in <CIT>. This innerduct can be first positioned in a conduit to divide the conduit into longitudinally extending compartments. A cable can be positioned in one of the compartments, and a pull tape or rope can be positioned in another compartment which can later be utilized to pull a second cable into that compartment. Because there is fabric between the cables, the friction is not on the cable jacket but on the fabric which makes installation easier.

While such provides an extremely efficient solution to the problem, its use is a two-step operation. That is, first the innerduct is installed in the conduit and then a cable is inserted into the innerduct. As a result, a system was designed whereby a fabric sleeve, having a coefficient of friction less than that of a cable, is provided around the sleeve and then, in a one-step process, the cable with the sleeve on it can be inserted into a conduit. Such a system is described, for example, in <CIT>.

That patent contemplates that the sleeve could be attached to the cable while the cable is being introduced into an underground conduit. The present invention relates to a device which accomplishes that function.

<CIT> discloses wrapping an article such as a cable or optical fiber in wrapping material by a progressive operation in which the wrapping material is pressed along a narrow width portion to the article and then succeeding width portions are also turned around the article and pressed against it.

<CIT> discloses an exterior member attaching device for attaching a sheet member to a lead wire of a wiring harness.

<CIT> discloses a method of forming a cable with a pliant sleeve and introducing the cable and sleeve assembly into a conduit.

A sleeve in the form of a strip of material having compatible attachment members along its lateral edges is applied around a cable by an apparatus which includes a post, and a beam carried by the post. A plurality of formers are carried at spaced locations along the beam. The formers receive the cable and the sleeve and fold the sleeve around the cable. An attachment device which is carried by the beam receives the sleeve and the cable from the formers and connects the attachment members so that the sleeve is applied to the cable.

The sleeve of material is applied around a cable by an apparatus which includes a beam. First and second formers are spaced along the beam, each former receiving the cable and the sleeve. The sleeve is received in an arcuate slot provided in each former. The radius of curvature of the slot in the first former is larger than the radius of curvature of the slot in the second former so that the sleeve is being wrapped around the cable as the sleeve and the cable move along the beam.

A sleeve in the form of a strip of material having compatible attachment members along its lateral edges is applied around a cable by an apparatus which includes a beam. A plurality of formers are carried by the beam, the formers receiving the cable and the sleeve and folding the sleeve around the cable. An attachment device receives the cable and the sleeve from the formers and may include two plates joined by a hinge. When the plates are closed against each other, the attachment members are connected to each other, and when the plates are rotated on the hinge to an open position, the cable having the sleeve applied thereto may be removed from the apparatus.

The invention also includes a method of creating a cable with a sleeve around it, and installing the sleeved cable into a conduit at a plurality of spaced installation sites. The cable and sleeve are fed into a device which applies the sleeve to the cable. The sleeved cable is introduced into a conduit which is accessed at a first installation site. The sleeved cable is transferred through the conduit to a second installation site. When the sleeved cable reaches the second installation site, the sleeved cable is removed from the device and the sleeve is cut to form a first portion of a sleeved cable between the first and second installation sites. At the second installation site, the cable and a sleeve are fed into a device which applies the sleeve to the cable. The sleeved cable is then transferred form the second installation site through the conduit toward the next installation site to ultimately form a second portion of sleeved conduit between the second and the next installation site.

A preferred exemplary embodiment of a device for applying a sleeve to a cable according to the concepts of the present invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings. The invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

A device made in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral <NUM>, and is depicted at the site where a cable <NUM> is introduced into an underground conduit. Device <NUM> applies a sleeve <NUM> to the cable <NUM> and together they are introduced into a conduit. A supply of cable <NUM> is carried by a conventional reel <NUM>, and a supply of the sleeve <NUM> is carried by a conventional reel <NUM>. Sleeve <NUM> may be made of any suitable material, preferably a fabric material, which has a coefficient of friction less than that of the cable so that a sleeved cable can be more easily inserted into a conduit than a bare cable. As is known in the art, reel <NUM> and reel <NUM> can carry one or more thousand feet (one thousand feet = three hundred meters) of cable <NUM> and sleeve <NUM> for introduction into the conduit.

Device <NUM> includes a stand <NUM> that can be positioned on the ground. Stand <NUM> carries a tube <NUM> which receives a post <NUM>. Tube <NUM> is provided with a plurality of apertures <NUM>, and post <NUM> is provided with a plurality of apertures <NUM>. An aperture <NUM> can be aligned with an aperture <NUM> and a pin (not shown) or other device is provided through the apertures. As such, the height of device <NUM> can be adjusted.

Post <NUM> carries the main beam <NUM> of the device such that beam <NUM> extends generally laterally from post <NUM>. Beam <NUM> carries a plurality of former assemblies, a first former being generally indicated by the numeral <NUM> and shown in <FIG>, a second former being generally indicated by the numeral <NUM> and shown in <FIG>, and a third former being generally indicated by the numeral <NUM> and shown in <FIG>. Formers <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be selectively positioned, as desired, along the beam <NUM>, by being bolted or otherwise attached through selected holes <NUM> in beam <NUM>. Formers <NUM>, <NUM>- and <NUM>-fold sleeve <NUM> around cable <NUM> in a manner to be hereinafter described.

Sleeve <NUM> is in the form of a strip of material <NUM> having opposed compatible attachment members <NUM>, <NUM> formed at the lateral edges of the strip of material <NUM> as by stitching. The overall width of the sleeve <NUM> is preferably slightly larger than the circumference of the cable <NUM> that is selected for insertion. As a result, sleeve <NUM> surrounds cable <NUM>, but cable <NUM> may be pulled through sleeve <NUM> as may be necessary as will hereafter be described. Attachment members <NUM>, <NUM> are preferably, respectively, the hook and loop components of VELCRO® attachment system, but could include other attachment devices such as an adhesive or the like.

Each former <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> includes a generally crescent shaped body <NUM> integrally carried by a hub <NUM> which provides the means to be connected to body <NUM>. A slot, generally indicated by the numeral <NUM>, is formed in body <NUM>. Slot <NUM> includes an arcuate portion <NUM> and enlarged portions <NUM> and <NUM> at the ends of arcuate portion <NUM>. The sleeve <NUM> is received in slot <NUM> with the strip of material <NUM> being received in arcuate portion <NUM> and the attachment members <NUM>, <NUM> being received in enlarged slot portions <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

The top center of body <NUM> is provided with an arcuate recess <NUM> which is adapted to receive the cable <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a cover <NUM> may be removably attached to body <NUM> as by bolts <NUM> extending through cover <NUM> and into threaded holes in body <NUM>. Cover <NUM> serves to confine the cable <NUM> in recess <NUM>. Although each former <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided with a cover <NUM>, such is shown as not being provided for third former <NUM> as it has been found that a cover <NUM> for former <NUM> may not be necessary.

Thus formers <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are generally identical except for the configuration of the arcuate portion <NUM>. As will hereinafter become evident, the arcuate portion <NUM> of former <NUM> (<FIG>) has a larger radius of curvature than the arcuate portion <NUM> of former <NUM> (<FIG>) which, in turn, has a larger radius of curate than the arcuate portion <NUM> of former <NUM> (<FIG>).

Device <NUM> also includes a sleeve attachment portion generally indicated by the numeral <NUM> and positioned adjacent to third former <NUM>. Attachment portion <NUM> is carried by post <NUM> and to that end includes a plate <NUM> which may be welded or otherwise attached to post <NUM>. A pivotable plate <NUM> is carried by plate <NUM> by means of a threaded pivot pin <NUM> which extends through a hole <NUM> in plate <NUM> and through a hole <NUM> in plate <NUM> to be engaged by a wing nut <NUM>. Another pin <NUM> extends through a hole <NUM> in plate <NUM> and through an adjustment slot <NUM> in plate <NUM> to be engaged by a wing nut <NUM>. As such, by loosening wing nut <NUM>, pin <NUM> may be moved in slot <NUM> to a desired position to adjust the angular position of plate <NUM>, and all of the components attached to plate <NUM>, now to be described, relative to post <NUM>.

Plate <NUM> is attached to beam <NUM> by a plurality of bolts <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Plate <NUM> also carries an attachment unit generally indicated by the numeral <NUM> and best shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. Attachment unit <NUM> is formed by two plates <NUM> and <NUM> joined by a hinge <NUM>. Each plate <NUM>, <NUM> is provided with a semicircular recess <NUM> which, when plates <NUM> and <NUM> are closed against each other, form an aperture <NUM> approximately the size of the cable <NUM> with the sleeve <NUM> on it.

Each plate <NUM>, <NUM> is provided with a first channel <NUM>, a second channel <NUM>, and a third deeper channel <NUM> located between channels <NUM> and <NUM>. When plates <NUM> and <NUM> are positioned together as shown in <FIG>, a recess <NUM> is formed. As will hereinafter become evident, recess <NUM> receives and attaches the attachment members <NUM> and <NUM> with the opposed deeper channels <NUM> forming a space for the stitching that attaches the members <NUM> and <NUM> to the strip of material <NUM>.

Plate <NUM> is attached to plate <NUM> by being welded or the like. As shown, for example in <FIG>, plate <NUM> carries, as by welding, a flap <NUM>. Flap <NUM> is provided with two pins <NUM> which are aligned with threaded lugs <NUM> on plate <NUM>, and flap <NUM> may be attached to plate <NUM> to hold plates <NUM> and <NUM> together on their hinge <NUM> by knob screws <NUM>.

The cable <NUM> and sleeve <NUM> may be guided into and out of attachment portion <NUM> by roller assembles generally indicated by the numeral <NUM>. Each roller assembly <NUM> includes brackets <NUM> having one end attached to beam <NUM> as by bolts <NUM>. The other end is journaled so as to have a busing or roller <NUM> carried thereby. As such, as the cable and sleeve combination travel through device <NUM>, rollers <NUM> can ease and align the entry and exit from attachment portion <NUM>, as may be necessary.

The operation of device <NUM> will now be described in detail. The device <NUM>, as well as the reel <NUM> of cable <NUM> and reel <NUM> of sleeve <NUM>, are positioned at a cable installation site such as a manhole or the like. The height of device <NUM> and the angular orientation of the attachment unit <NUM> may be adjusted, as previously described, as may be necessary for ease of entry into the conduit, the access to which has been gained in the manhole.

With the attachment unit <NUM> open, as shown in <FIG>, the sleeve is threaded through the arcuate portions <NUM> of slots <NUM> of formers <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. Because of the decreasing radii of curvature of arcuate positions <NUM>, sleeve begins a sequence of folding around a cable <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, and once the attachment unit <NUM> is closed, the attachment members, which have been received in portions <NUM> and <NUM> of slots <NUM>, engage each other. The cable <NUM> is also fed into the device <NUM> onto the recess <NUM> in each former body <NUM> and beneath covers <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

A pull rope or tape is typically already positioned in the conduit, and it is attached to the exposed end of the cable <NUM> and sleeve <NUM> shown in <FIG>. A pulling device is located at another access point, such as another of a plurality of manholes, downstream of the location of device <NUM>. Once attached, the pulling device is activated to automatically pull cable <NUM> off of reel <NUM> and sleeve off of reel <NUM> and through device <NUM> which automatically wraps the sleeve <NUM> around the cable which is then continuously moved through the conduit.

When the sleeved cable reaches the next downstream location, the attachment unit <NUM> is opened on hinge <NUM>, caps <NUM> are taken off the formers <NUM> and <NUM>, and the sleeved cable may be removed from the device. At that time the sleeve can be cut from around the "rear" end of the cable that has been pulled to the next downstream location. Then, the device <NUM> and the sleeve roll are moved to the next downstream location and the exposed end of the cable, as it is shown in <FIG> is at the downstream location, and the cable can be slid through the sleeve until enough cable is exposed to be received again in device <NUM> with a new supply of sleeve. The expanse of sleeve between the two manholes stays in place as the new supply of sleeve is applied to the bare cable that is being pulled into the next conduit section. This process is continued, from manhole to manhole, until the desired length of cable has been covered with the sleeve.

Claim 1:
An apparatus for applying a sleeve (<NUM>) around a cable (<NUM>), the sleeve (<NUM>) being in the form of a strip of material (<NUM>) having compatible attachment members (<NUM>,<NUM>) positioned along its lateral edges, the apparatus comprising a post (<NUM>), a beam (<NUM>) carried by said post (<NUM>), a plurality of formers (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) carried at spaced locations along said beam (<NUM>), said formers (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) adapted to receive the cable (<NUM>) and the sleeve (<NUM>) and folding the sleeve (<NUM>) around the cable (<NUM>), and an attachment device (<NUM>) carried by said beam (<NUM>), said attachment device (<NUM>) adapted to receive the sleeve (<NUM>) and the cable (<NUM>) from said formers (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) and adapted to connect the attachment members (<NUM>,<NUM>) so that the sleeve (<NUM>) is applied to the cable (<NUM>), characterised by each said former (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) having an arcuate slot (<NUM>) to receive the sleeve (<NUM>), the radius of curvature of said slots (<NUM>) varying from former (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) to former (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) so that the sleeve (<NUM>) progressively surrounds the cable (<NUM>).