Patent ID: 8689836

Claim:
A method of attaching a marker to a flexible hose, the method comprising: providing a flexible hose having a cured or vulcanised outer cover positioned over an inner layer; separating and removing an annular segment of the outer cover from the flexible hose to form an annular groove in the outer cover extending from an external surface of the outer cover to an external facing surface of the inner layer; positioning a marker over the external facing surface of the inner layer within the groove; applying an uncured or unvulcanised transparent encapsulating component over the marker; applying a containment means over the encapsulating component to cover an outer surface of the encapsulating component and a region of the outer cover of the flexible hose either side of the groove; heating the uncured or unvulcanised encapsulating component and the cured or vulcanised outer cover such that the mating surfaces of the encapsulating component and the outer cover chemically bond or fuse together to provide a substantially seamless joint; and removing the containment means from the outer surface of the encapsulating component and the outer cover; wherein an outer surface of the encapsulating component is aligned axially substantially flush with an external surface of the outer cover of the flexible hose after the step of heating the encapsulating component.