Cable enclosure

Claim 1

A method performed by a workman at a splice or termination along a cable for forming an enclosure of a desired size and shape about the splice or termination from a stiff, resilient, polymeric sheet grooved on at least one surface to reduce its thickness and define intersecting latticed sets of spaced parallel narrow strips connecting segments of the sheet including a first longitudinally extending set; a second set perpendicular to and intersecting the first set to define a rectangular pattern; and third and fourth sets oblique to each other, intersecting at the intersections of the first and second sets, and extending diagonally of the rectangular pattern so that the shape of each segment is triangular; said method comprising the steps of: cutting said sheet along a strip of the first set spaced to provide a remaining sheet section having edges and a width between the edges measured along the second set of strips adapted to extend around the splice or termination; cutting the sheet along strips of the third and fourth set to provide, on at least one end of the sheet section, adjacent triangular projections projecting from a common strip of the second set; bending the strips of the first set to shape the sheet section into a generally cylindrical enclosure around the splice or termination with said edges of the sheet section in contact; attaching together said contacting edges of the sheet section by applying an overlapping layer of tape of a joining strip adapted to frictionally receive and retain the contacting edges; pressing the triangular projections toward the cable to bend the strip of the second set from which the triangular segments project until the tips of the triangular projections are deflected against the cable and their edges are closely adjacent; and wrapping tape around the triangular projections to attach them together and to the cable.

Claim 2

A method performed by a workman at a splice or termination along a cable for forming an enclosure of a desired size and shape about the splice or termination from a stiff, resilient, polymeric sheet grooved on at least one surface to reduce its thickness and define intersecting latticed sets of spaced parallel narrow strips connecting segments of the sheet including a first longitudinally extending set; a second set perpendicular to and intersecting the first set to define a rectangular pattern; and third and fourth sets oblique to each other, intersecting at the intersections of the first and second sets, and extending diagonally of the rectangular pattern so that the shape of each segment is triangular; said method comprising the steps of: cutting said sheet along a strip of the first set spaced to provide a remaining sheet section having edges and a width between the edges measured along the second set of strips adapted to extend around the splice or termination; cutting the sheet along strips of the third and fourth set to provide, on at least one end of the sheet section, adjacent triangular projections projecting from a common strip of the second set; bending the strips of the first set to shape the sheet section into a generally cylindrical enclosure around the splice or termination with said edges of the sheet section in contact; attaching together said contacting edges of the sheet section by applying an overlapping layer of tape of a joining strip adapted to frictionally receive and retain the contacting edges; pressing the triangular projections toward the cable to bend the strip of the second set from which the triangular segments project until the tips of the triangular projections are deflected against the cable and their edges are closely adjacent; and wrapping tape around the triangular projections to attach them together and to the cable.