Patent ID: 8567171

Claim:
A cable protection and guide apparatus, comprising: a plurality of link frames; each of said link frames includes a pair of link plates laterally and separately disposed from each other, each of said pair of link plates includes left and right link plates; each of said left and right link plates are articulately connected to each other in a longitudinal direction enabling said link plates to form a flexional circumferential bend having a flexional inner circumferential side and flexional outer circumferential side during bending; each of said link plates includes a flexional inner circumferential side residing during bending on said flexional inner circumferential side of said bend; each of said link plates includes a flexional outer circumferential side residing during bending on said outer flexional circumferential side of said bend; each link frame includes first and second connecting plates, said first and second connecting plates crosslink said left and right link plates respectively on said flexional inner and outer circumferential sides, respectively; said cable is inserted through said link frames in said longitudinal direction; each of said right and left link plates of said frame includes a shoe on said flexional inner circumferential side thereof; each of said shoes includes a slidable contact side and a back side; each of said slidable contact sides of each of said shoes includes a slidable contact portion; each of said slidable contact portions of each of said slidable contact sides of each of said shoes includes a slidable contact surface, each of said slidable contact surfaces being in the shape of a parallelogram; a first portion of said slidable contact surfaces of said slidable contact portions of said slidable contact sides of said shoes residing on said flexional inner circumferential sides of said left and right link plates face toward and engage a second portion of said slidable contact surfaces of said slidable contact portions of said slidable contact sides of said shoes residing on said flexional inner circumferential sides; and, each of said shoes includes: a mounting surface, said mounting surface resides on said back side of said shoes; a link plate nipping outer wall portion and a link plate nipping inner wall portion extending from said mounting surface to said flexional inner circumferential side of said link plate removably gripping said link plate in a plate width direction; and, a shoe supporting projection extending from said mounting surface to said first connecting plate cross-linking said left and right link plates of said link frame on said flexional inner circumferential side.