US3721260A — Pleated extensible carriage for conveying flowabl…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 264 words

A pleated extensible carriage adaptable for supporting at least one conduit therealong, said carriage being adapted to be employed in combination with and reciprocatably along an elongate tracking means therefor, the conduit extending in pleated fashion along and co-movable with the pleated carriage structure and having an inlet rear-end and an outlet front-end, the pleated carriage structure having a selectable relatively collapsed compact-station along a given finite-length of the tracking means whereat the respective carriage pleats are spaced relatively close together, said carriage structure commencing from a said compact-station thereof being forwardly longitudinally extensible along the tracking means whereby the respective pleats become spaced progressively far apart, said pleated extensible carriage structure at a compact-station thereof comprising: A. A plurality of shoulder members respectively extending transversely of the tracking means of the tracking means and being longitudinally reciprocatably movable therealong; B. Consecutively positioned carriage pleats comprising a said shoulder member together with a pair of elongate legs including a first-leg and a second-leg, each of said legs being attached to and extending uprightly from transversely separated locations of the shoulder whereby there is a transversely extending given-breadth between intra-pleat legs and the intrapleat legs have portions more remote from the said intra-pleat shoulder, there being a longitudinally spreadable relationship between intra-pleat legs the longitudinal degree of which becomes progressively greater toward the legs remote ends; and C. Inter-pleats bridges located remote from the respective shoulders and extending transversely from the first-leg to the second-leg of consecutive pleats, the longitudinal distance between consecutive bridges becoming greater as the intra-pleat legs become increasingly relatively spread apart.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 264 words

A pleated extensible carriage adaptable for supporting at least one conduit therealong, said carriage being adapted to be employed in combination with and reciprocatably along an elongate tracking means therefor, the conduit extending in pleated fashion along and co-movable with the pleated carriage structure and having an inlet rear-end and an outlet front-end, the pleated carriage structure having a selectable relatively collapsed compact-station along a given finite-length of the tracking means whereat the respective carriage pleats are spaced relatively close together, said carriage structure commencing from a said compact-station thereof being forwardly longitudinally extensible along the tracking means whereby the respective pleats become spaced progressively far apart, said pleated extensible carriage structure at a compact-station thereof comprising: A. A plurality of shoulder members respectively extending transversely of the tracking means of the tracking means and being longitudinally reciprocatably movable therealong; B. Consecutively positioned carriage pleats comprising a said shoulder member together with a pair of elongate legs including a first-leg and a second-leg, each of said legs being attached to and extending uprightly from transversely separated locations of the shoulder whereby there is a transversely extending given-breadth between intra-pleat legs and the intrapleat legs have portions more remote from the said intra-pleat shoulder, there being a longitudinally spreadable relationship between intra-pleat legs the longitudinal degree of which becomes progressively greater toward the legs remote ends; and C. Inter-pleats bridges located remote from the respective shoulders and extending transversely from the first-leg to the second-leg of consecutive pleats, the longitudinal distance between consecutive bridges becoming greater as the intra-pleat legs become increasingly relatively spread apart.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 95 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 1 wherein the several transversely extending shoulders at a carriage compact-station are substantially parallel to each other and at substantially constant elevation, the shoulders of consecutive carriage pleats and the inter-pleats bridges intersecting a common vertical-plane; and wherein the several upright first-legs and second-legs of consecutive pleats have a leg-length bearing a ratio of at least two with respect to the shoulder given-breadth, the intra-pleat legs being located and remaining on opposite transverse sides of said vertical-plane whereby a pleated conduit along each carriage pleat transversely intersects said vertical-plane.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 121 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 2 wherein the transversely extending shoulder member of consecutive carriage pleats is suspended by an upright hanger from the tracking means and the shoulder member is sufficiently structurally rigid to support the entire carriage pleat and the two inter-pleats bridges; wherein both of the intra-pleat legs of consecutive carriage pleats are linear structural members that depend from and are pivotably associated with the shoulder on opposite trAnsverse sides of the hanger whereby the first-leg and second-leg of the same carriage pleat are adapted to be pivotably spread in opposite longitudinal directions from the same transversely extending shoulder; and wherein the first-leg and the second-leg of consecutive carriage pleats are pivotably associated at the inter-pleats bridge.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 45 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 2 wherein the two intra-pleat legs of respective carriage pleats are substantially rigid linear members that remain in planes parallel to and located on opposite transverse sides of said vertical-plane as the carriage is being longitudinally extended and retracted.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 41 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 2 wherein the shoulder and the two legs of respective consecutive carriage pleats and the inter-pleats bridges are provided of communicating tubular members whereby the carriage tubular structural members themselves additionally provide a pleated conduit.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 46 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 5 wherein the two intra-pleat legs of respective carriage pleats are substantially rigid linear tubular members that remain in planes parallel to and located on opposite transverse sides of said vertical-plane as the carriage is being longitudinally extended and retracted.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 119 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 6 wherein the two tubular intra-pleat legs of respective carriage pleats depend from the tubular shoulder member, at least one of the two intra-pleat legs of consecutive carriage pleats being pivotably associated with the shoulder and being of substantially like leg-length whereby the consecutive inter-pleats bridges are located at substantially common elevation, said bridges being at a higher common elevation when the carriage through said pivotal legs is longitudinally extended from a compact-station; and wherein the transversely extending shoulder member of consecutive carriage pleats is suspended by an upright hanger from the tracking means and the shoulder member is sufficiently structurally rigid to support the entire carriage pleat and the two inter-pleats bridges.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 69 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 7 wherein both of the intra-pleat legs of consecutive carriage pleats are pivotably associated with the shoulder on opposite transverse sides of the hanger whereby both intra-pleat legs are adapted to be spread pivotably in opposite longitudinal directions from the same transversely extending shoulder; and wherein the first-leg and the second-leg of consecutive carriage pleats are also pivotably associated at the inter-pleats bridge.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 69 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 8 wherein there is a flexible conduit extending uninterruptedly continuously in pleat-like fashion along at least two consecutive carriage pleats including externally along and attached to both intra-pleat legs, the transverse directional path of said conduit of a transverse-length extending along and loosely detached from said shoulder, said conduit transverse-length having an average cross-sectional dimension that is less than one-eighth the conduit transverse-length.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 35 words

The pleated extensible carriage combination of claim 9 wherein for at least two consecutive carriage pleats the given-breadth of the two consecutive shoulder members and the leg-length of the two consecutive first-legs are substantially identical.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 76 words

The pleated extensible carriage of claim 2 wherein there is a flexible conduit extending continuously uninterruptedly in pleat-like fashion along at least two consecutive carriage pleats including externally along and attached to both intra-pleat legs and also including a transverse directional path of said flexible conduit of a transverse-length extending along and loosely detached from a medial portion of said shoulder, said conduit transverse-length having an average cross-sectional dimension that is less than one-eighth said transverse-length.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 27 words

The pleated extensible carriage combination of claim 11 wherein the said flexible conduit extends transversely along aNd is loosely detached from medial portions of the inter-pleats bridges.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-03-19	1976-09-18	1977-03-20	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-03-19	1980-09-18	1981-03-20	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-03-19	1984-09-18	1985-03-20	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Pleated extensible carriage for conveying flowable energy therealong

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