Flexible cable bus duct including grounding means and telescopically engaging tubular members permitting expansion and contraction

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE BUS DUCT UNIT COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST END SECTION HAVING A TUBULAR BODY AND CONNECTING MEANS AT ONE END THEREOF FOR JOINING SAID BUS DUCT TO OTHER UNITS; (B) AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST END PORTION COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF TELESCOPICALLY CONNECTED TUBULAR MEMBERS EACH OF WHICH HAS A TAIL PORTION WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS SECTION, A TAPERED NECK PORTION ADJACENT TO SAID TAIL PORTION, AND A BULGING FRONT PORTION ADJACENT TO SAID NECK PORTION ADAPTED TO INSERT INTO THE TAIL SECTION OF A SIMILAR TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID FRONT PORTION HAVING A CURVED OUTER SURFACE ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDING A MAXIMUM OUTER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE INNER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID TAIL PORTION OF A SIMILAR UNIT; (C) A SECOND END SECTION CONNECTED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION HAVING A TUBULAR BODY AND CONNECTING MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID BUS DUCT UNIT TO OTHER UNITS; AND (D) ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVE LIMITING MEANS AT THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BUS UNIT LIMITING THE EXPANSION OF SAID MEMBERS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY GROUNDING EACH MEMBER OF SAID BUS DUCT UNIT.