Patent ID: 7915531

Claim:
A cable assembly comprising: a conductor core; and a binding element configured helically around the conductor core, the binding element configured to, when the cable assembly is pushed through a conduit having at least one sweep, eliminate buckling of the cable assembly and cause a first pushing force on the cable assembly having a magnitude less than a second pushing force on the cable assembly corresponding to pushing the cable assembly through the conduit without the binding element on the conductor core, wherein the binding element comprises: a substantially round wire, and a coating material extruded around the substantially round wire configured to cause the binding element to have a substantially round cross-section and configured to cause the substantially round wire to be substantially at the center of the binding element, the coating material including a lubricating material configured to migrate or permeate toward an exterior of the coating material and to excrete onto an exterior surface of the binding element, wherein the exterior surface of the binding element having the excreted lubricating material is in contact with and configured helically around the conductor core.