Method of repairing corrugated tubing about a core

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR REPAIRING A FAULT IN CORRUGATED TUBING FORMED ABOUT A CORE BY A PROCESS IN WHICH AN INDEFINITE LENGTH OF STRIP MATERIAL AND AN INDEFINITE LENGTH OF CORE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSED LENGTHWISE AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER CONTINUOUSLY ALONG A PATH IN SEQUENCE THROUGH A TUBE FORMING POSITION, A TUBE GRIPPING POSITION, AND A TUBE CORRUGATING POSITION, AND WHICH PROCESS INCLUDES ACTING ON SAID STRIP MATERIAL AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID TUBE FORMING POSITION TO FOLD THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID STRIP TOGETHER ABOUT SAID CORE THEREBY FORMING A TUBE OF SAID STRIP MATERIAL HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SPLIT DEFINED BY SAID EDGES AND TO SEAL SAID SPLIT THEREBY FORMING A LONGITUDINAL SEAM ON SAID TUBE, ACTING ON SAID TUBE AT SAID GRIPPING POSITION TO HOLD SAID TUBE AGAINST ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE AND TO PULL SAID TUBE FROM SAID TUBE FORMING POSITION TOWARD SAID CORRUGATING POSITION, AND ACTING ON SAID SEALED TUBE AT SAID CORRUGATING POSITION TO FORM LATERAL CORRUGATIONS ABOUT SAID TUBE IN WHICH THE VALLEYS OF SAID CORRUGATIONS FIRMLY GRIP SAID CORE, WHICH METHOD INCLUDES LOCATING A SAID FAULT IN SAID CORRUGATED TUBING, REMOVING A SECTION OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING CONTAINING SAID FAULT FROM ABOUT SAID CORE, POSITIONING A LENGTH OF UNCORRUGATED TUBING EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING POSITION AND SAID CORRUGATING POSITION, DRAWING SAID CORRUGATED TUBING INTO SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING TO LOCATE WITHIN SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING SAID EXPOSED CORE PORTION FROM WHICH SAID FAULTY SECTION WAS REMOVED WITH AN END OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING ADJACENT THE PORTION THEREOF REMOVED FROM SAID CORE, LOCATED BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING POSITION AND SAID CORRUGATING POSITION AND WITH THE NON-FAULTY CORRUGATED TUBING EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CORRUGATING POSITIONS THEREAFTER PASSING SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING AND SAID CORRUGATED TUBING TOGETHER WHILE ACTING ON SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING AT SAID CORRUGATING POSITION TO CORRUGATE SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING IN REGISTER WITH THE UNDERLYING CORRUGATIONS OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING AND THEREAFTER TO CORRUGATE SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING OVERLYING SAID EXPOSED CORE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR REPAIRING A FAULT IN CORRUGATED TUBING FORMED ABOUT A CORE BY A PROCESS IN WHICH AN INDEFINITE LENGTH OF STRIP MATERIAL AND AN INDEFINITE LENGTH OF CORE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSED LENGTHWISE AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER CONTINUOUSLY ALONG A PATH IN SEQUENCE THROUGH A TUBE FORMING POSITION, A TUBE GRIPPING POSITION, AND A TUBE CORRUGATING POSITION, AND WHICH PROCESS INCLUDES ACTING ON SAID STRIP MATERIAL AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID TUBE FORMING POSITION TO FOLD THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID STRIP TOGETHER ABOUT SAID CORE THEREBY FORMING A TUBE OF SAID STRIP MATERIAL HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SPLIT DEFINED BY SAID EDGES AND TO SEAL SAID SPLIT THEREBY FORMING A LONGITUDINAL SEAM ON SAID TUBE, ACTING ON SAID TUBE AT SAID GRIPPING POSITION TO HOLD SAID TUBE AGAINST ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE AND TO PULL SAID TUBE FROM SAID TUBE FORMING POSITION TOWARD SAID CORRUGATING POSITION, AND ACTING ON SAID SEALED TUBE AT SAID CORRUGATING POSITION TO FORM LATERAL CORRUGATIONS ABOUT SAID TUBE IN WHICH THE VALLEYS OF SAID CORRUGATIONS FIRMLY GRIP SAID CORE, WHICH METHOD INCLUDES LOCATING A SAID FAULT IN SAID CORRUGATED TUBING, REMOVING A SECTION OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING CONTAINING SAID FAULT FROM ABOUT SAID CORE, POSITIONING A LENGTH OF UNCORRUGATED TUBING EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING POSITION AND SAID CORRUGATING POSITION, DRAWING SAID CORRUGATED TUBING INTO SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING TO LOCATE WITHIN SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING SAID EXPOSED CORE PORTION FROM WHICH SAID FAULTY SECTION WAS REMOVED WITH AN END OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING ADJACENT THE PORTION THEREOF REMOVED FROM SAID CORE, LOCATED BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING POSITION AND SAID CORRUGATING POSITION AND WITH THE NON-FAULTY CORRUGATED TUBING EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CORRUGATING POSITIONS THEREAFTER PASSING SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING AND SAID CORRUGATED TUBING TOGETHER WHILE ACTING ON SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING AT SAID CORRUGATING POSITION TO CORRUGATE SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING IN REGISTER WITH THE UNDERLYING CORRUGATIONS OF SAID CORRUGATED TUBING AND THEREAFTER TO CORRUGATE SAID UNCORRUGATED TUBING OVERLYING SAID EXPOSED CORE.