US4028902A — Apparatus for laying elongated flexible tubing

Claim 1

Independent Claim 258 words

Apparatus for laying elongated flexible tubing in a trench adapted to be secured to a trenching boom carried by a vehicle, said apparatus comprising: an upwardly open hopper having a forward end adapted to be secured to a trenching boom in trailing relation thereto, and a trailing end; a first partition adjacent said forward end defining a flexible tubing tunnel, said tunnel opening to the top and bottom of said hopper so that flexible tubing may enter the top of said hopper and exit the bottom thereof behind said trenching boom; a second partition in said hopper rearwardly of said first partition defining first and second fill material receiving compartments, said compartments opening upwardly to receive fill material such as sand and downwardly to release fill material rearwardly of said tunnel, said second compartment opening downwardly at a level above the downward opening of said first compartment; a first compactor carried by said hopper rearwardly of said first compartment and forwardly of said second compartment for compacting fill material released from said first compartment; a second compactor carried by said hopper rearwardly of said second compartment for compacting fill material released from said second compartment; and a groover carried by said hopper at the bottom thereof forwardly of said tunnel for cutting a groove in the bottom of the trench dug by the trenching boom to which said apparatus may be attached, said groover being configured to cut a groove having a cross section substantially equal to that of the lower third of the flexible tubing being laid.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 258 words

Apparatus for laying elongated flexible tubing in a trench adapted to be secured to a trenching boom carried by a vehicle, said apparatus comprising: an upwardly open hopper having a forward end adapted to be secured to a trenching boom in trailing relation thereto, and a trailing end; a first partition adjacent said forward end defining a flexible tubing tunnel, said tunnel opening to the top and bottom of said hopper so that flexible tubing may enter the top of said hopper and exit the bottom thereof behind said trenching boom; a second partition in said hopper rearwardly of said first partition defining first and second fill material receiving compartments, said compartments opening upwardly to receive fill material such as sand and downwardly to release fill material rearwardly of said tunnel, said second compartment opening downwardly at a level above the downward opening of said first compartment; a first compactor carried by said hopper rearwardly of said first compartment and forwardly of said second compartment for compacting fill material released from said first compartment; a second compactor carried by said hopper rearwardly of said second compartment for compacting fill material released from said second compartment; and a groover carried by said hopper at the bottom thereof forwardly of said tunnel for cutting a groove in the bottom of the trench dug by the trenching boom to which said apparatus may be attached, said groover being configured to cut a groove having a cross section substantially equal to that of the lower third of the flexible tubing being laid.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 253 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus for attachment to a vehicle, comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom, a front and a rear; a downwardly and rearwardly extending tunnel in said housing adjacent the front thereof, said tunnel having openings at the top and the bottom of said housing and being adapted to receive a flexible tube to be laid; guide means in said tunnel adjacent said bottom opening for guiding a flexible tube out of said bottom opening; a first fill receiving compartment in said housing having an upper opening into which fill may be deposited and a lower opening from which fill may exit said first compartment, said first compartment lower opening being aligned with said bottom opening from front to rear of said housing and being above said bottom opening whereby fill from said first compartment will be deposited upon a flexible tube exiting said tunnel through said bottom opening; a compactor within said housing and just rearwardly of said first compartment lower opening for compacting fill deposited from said first compartment; and a second fill receiving compartment in said housing having an upper opening into which fill may be deposited and a lower opening from which fill may exit and said second compartment, said second compartment lower opening being aligned with said bottom opening and said first compartment lower opening from front to rear of said housing and being above said first compartment opening whereby fill from said second compartment will be deposited on compacted fill from said first compartment.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 253 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus for attachment to a vehicle, comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom, a front and a rear; a downwardly and rearwardly extending tunnel in said housing adjacent the front thereof, said tunnel having openings at the top and the bottom of said housing and being adapted to receive a flexible tube to be laid; guide means in said tunnel adjacent said bottom opening for guiding a flexible tube out of said bottom opening; a first fill receiving compartment in said housing having an upper opening into which fill may be deposited and a lower opening from which fill may exit said first compartment, said first compartment lower opening being aligned with said bottom opening from front to rear of said housing and being above said bottom opening whereby fill from said first compartment will be deposited upon a flexible tube exiting said tunnel through said bottom opening; a compactor within said housing and just rearwardly of said first compartment lower opening for compacting fill deposited from said first compartment; and a second fill receiving compartment in said housing having an upper opening into which fill may be deposited and a lower opening from which fill may exit and said second compartment, said second compartment lower opening being aligned with said bottom opening and said first compartment lower opening from front to rear of said housing and being above said first compartment opening whereby fill from said second compartment will be deposited on compacted fill from said first compartment.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 34 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus according to claim 2 further including an additional compactor carried by said housing and just rearwardly of said second compartment lower opening for compacting fill deposited from said second compartment.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 89 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said front includes a concave formation adjacent said bottom and forwardly of said bottom opening, said concave formation adapted to be complementary to the configuration of the lower end of a trenching device, and a groover carried by said bottom forwardly of said bottom opening, said groover having a cross section transverse to the front to rear of said housing substantially conforming to that of at least the lower third of the flexible tubing to be passed through said tunnel.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 181 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus for attachment to a vehicle comprising a housing having a top, a bottom, a front and a rear; a downwardly extending tunnel in said housing adjacent the front thereof, said tunnel having openings at the top and bottom of said housing and adapted to receive a flexible tube to be laid; means in said housing defining a fill receiving space and including an upper opening into which fill may be introduced into said fill receiving space; a first fill depositing opening in said bottom rearwardly and above said bottom opening, said first fill receiving opening being in communication with said fill receiving space; compacting means within said housing and rearwardly of said first fill depositing opening for compacting fill exiting through said first fill depositing opening; a second fill depositing opening in said bottom rearwardly and above said first fill depositing opening and in communication with said fill receiving space; and second compacting means carried by said housing rearwardly of said second fill depositing opening for compacting fill exiting said housing through said second fill depositing opening.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 181 words

Flexible tube laying apparatus for attachment to a vehicle comprising a housing having a top, a bottom, a front and a rear; a downwardly extending tunnel in said housing adjacent the front thereof, said tunnel having openings at the top and bottom of said housing and adapted to receive a flexible tube to be laid; means in said housing defining a fill receiving space and including an upper opening into which fill may be introduced into said fill receiving space; a first fill depositing opening in said bottom rearwardly and above said bottom opening, said first fill receiving opening being in communication with said fill receiving space; compacting means within said housing and rearwardly of said first fill depositing opening for compacting fill exiting through said first fill depositing opening; a second fill depositing opening in said bottom rearwardly and above said first fill depositing opening and in communication with said fill receiving space; and second compacting means carried by said housing rearwardly of said second fill depositing opening for compacting fill exiting said housing through said second fill depositing opening.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 28 words

The apparatus of claim 5 further including a partition in said fill receiving space to define two fill receiving compartments, one for each of said fill depositing openings.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 35 words

The apparatus of claim 5 further including a generally semicylindrical groover secured to said bottom to extend downwardly therefrom forwardly of said bottom opening and extending in a direction front to rear of said housing.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1980-06-13	1980-12-13	1981-06-14	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1984-06-13	1984-12-13	1985-06-14	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1988-06-13	1988-12-13	1989-06-14	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus for laying elongated flexible tubing

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