US4631098A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat-recoverable article
Assignee: Tyco Electronics UK Ltd
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Filing: 1983-12-30
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Granted: 1986-12-23
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Expires: 2003-12-30
Abstract
Abstract A heat recoverable article comprises a recoverable fabric and a polymeric layer of at least 0.03 mm thickness, and preferably unstressed. Such an article can be recovered by means of a torch to provide an environmental seal around substrates such as cables and pipes.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth B. Pithouse
- 👤 Thomas A. Kridl
- 👤 James T. Triplett
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:19
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B25/00; B32B25/04; B32B25/08; B32B27/00; B32B27/12; B29; B29C; B29C61/00; B29C61/06; B29C61/0608; B29C61/0633; B29C61/0658; B29C61/10; B29C65/00; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/11; B29C66/112; B29C66/1122; B29C66/50; B29C66/51; B29C66/52; B29C66/522; B29C66/53; B29C66/532; B29C66/5326; B29C66/70; B29C66/72; B29C66/729; B29C66/73; B29C66/737; B29C66/7371; B29C66/73715; B29D; B29D23/00; B29D23/001; B29D23/003; B29D23/008; B32B1/00; B32B1/08; B32B27/32; B32B5/00; B32B5/02; B32B5/024; H; H02; H02G; H02G15/00; H02G15/08; H02G15/18; H02G15/1806; H02G15/1813; B29C61/0666; B29C2061/0683; B29C2793/00; B29C2793/0081; B29C57/00; B29C65/56; B29C65/62; B29C66/20; B29C66/23; B29C66/234; B29C66/71; B29C66/721; B29C66/7214; B29C66/72141; B29C66/73711; B29K; B29K2313/00; B29K2995/00; B29K2995/0037; B29K2995/0049; B32B2262/00; B32B2262/02; B32B2262/0253; B32B2305/00; B32B2305/72; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/50; B32B2307/54; B32B2307/70; B32B2307/732; B32B2307/734; B32B2310/00; B32B2310/04; B32B2310/0445; B32B2310/0454; B32B2323/00; B32B2323/04; B32B2323/043; B32B2597/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S174/00; Y10S174/08; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/13; Y10T428/1328; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/20; Y10T442/2025; Y10T442/2861; Y10T442/291; Y10T442/30; Y10T442/3976; Y10T442/3992
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article for enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises a fabric having fibres which will recover when heated and which have a tensile strength of at least 0.1 MPa at their recovery temperature, the fabric having an external surface that is coated with a layer of polymeric material of at least 0.03 mm thickness, the polymeric material being softenable without flowing when heated to accomodate recovery of the article.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article for enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises a fabric having fibres which will recover when heated and which have a tensile strength of at least 0.1 MPa at their recovery temperature, the fabric having an external surface that is coated with a layer of polymeric material of at least 0.03 mm thickness, the polymeric material being softenable without flowing when heated to accomodate recovery of the article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of polymeric material has a thickness of at least 0.07 mm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
An article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the polymeric layer has a thickness of at least 0.1 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
An article as claimed in claim 3, wherein the polymeric layer has a thickness of at least 0.2 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
An article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the polymeric layer has thickness of not more than 2 mm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymeric layer has a softening point below the recovery temperature of the fibres.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
An article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fabric has a layer of polymeric material on each side thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
An article as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fabric has a layer of polymeric material on its internal surface that is of greater thickness than the layer of polymeric material on its external surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of polymeric material on the external surface of the fabric comprises an ethylene homo- or copolymer having a density of not more than 0.94 g cc -1 .
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymeric layer has been applied to the fabric by an extrusion coating process, by spray coating, by dip coating, or by sheet lamination.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat-recoverable fibres are formed from high density polyethylene.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric includes dimensionally heat stable fibres.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
An article as claimed in claim 12, wherein the dimensionally heat-stable fibres lie substantially perpendicularly to the heat-recoverable fibres.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric is woven with a plain, twill, broken twill or satin weave.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
An article as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fabric has a satin weave.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymeric material of the layer is substantially unstressed.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, which is tubular in configuration.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
40 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, which is in the form of a wraparound device having opposed edge portions which extend substantially perpendicularly to the direction of recovery of the article and which can be retained together in engagement.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
50 words
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a composite structure which comprises a polymeric matrix material and heat-recoverable fibres by virtue of which the composite structure is recoverable, a layer at an outwardly facing surface of the matrix material being cross-linked to a greater extent than the remainder of the matrix material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
50 words
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a composite structure which comprises a polymeric matrix material and heat-recoverable fibres by virtue of which the composite structure is recoverable, a layer at an outwardly facing surface of the matrix material being cross-linked to a greater extent than the remainder of the matrix material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
An article according to claim 19, wherein the matrix material is cross-linked by irradiation.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
An article according to claim 20, wherein the different extents of cross-linking result from different beam responses of different regions of the matrix material.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises: (a) surrounding said part with a dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a recoverable composite structure recoverable by virtue of a heat-recoverable fibre component thereof; and (b) heating the structure with an open flame or hot-air gun to cause the structure to recover into engagement with the substrate.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises: (a) surrounding said part with a dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a recoverable composite structure recoverable by virtue of a heat-recoverable fibre component thereof; and (b) heating the structure with an open flame or hot-air gun to cause the structure to recover into engagement with the substrate.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the structure comprises an article according to claim 1 or 19.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the substrate comprises a pipe or a cable or a join or splice therein.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-12-22 | 1990-06-23 | 1990-12-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-12-22 | 1994-06-23 | 1994-12-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-12-22 | 1998-06-23 | 1998-12-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |