US4781958A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sealed edge detectable tape
Assignee: Reef Industries Inc
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Filing: 1987-09-21
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Granted: 1988-11-01
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Expires: 2007-09-21
Abstract
Abstract A detectable tape including a ductile metal foil layer which is enclosed in a sheath of thermoplastic coating which provides a sealed edge along the length of the tape. The thermoplastic coating sheath protects the foil from corrosion when the detectable tape is placed underground above a nonmetallic body such as plastic pipe. The sealed edge detectable tape can also include a reinforcement layer which provides additional tensile strength.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald E. Gilbert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 11:06
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B15/00; B32B15/04; B32B15/08; B32B15/085; B32B27/00; B32B27/32; B32B3/00; B32B3/02; B32B3/04; F; F16; F16L; F16L1/00; F16L1/024; F16L1/06; F16L1/11; G; G01; G01V; G01V15/00; H; H02; H02G; H02G1/00; H02G9/00; H02G9/02; H02G9/025; B32B2305/00; B32B2305/08; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/40; B32B2307/402; B32B2307/50; B32B2307/54; B32B2323/00; B32B2323/04; B32B2323/046; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23; Y10T428/239; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24851; Y10T428/24868; Y10T428/24876; Y10T428/24893; Y10T428/24901; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678; Y10T428/31681; Y10T428/31692
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
151 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of ductile metal foil having two surfaces, a first surface and a second surface, and two sides, each side culminating in an edge, a first film of thermoplastic material coating the first surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a first strip and a second strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, a second film of thermoplastic material coating the secodn surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a third strip and a fourth strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, and the first and third strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and the second and fourth strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
151 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of ductile metal foil having two surfaces, a first surface and a second surface, and two sides, each side culminating in an edge, a first film of thermoplastic material coating the first surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a first strip and a second strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, a second film of thermoplastic material coating the secodn surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a third strip and a fourth strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, and the first and third strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and the second and fourth strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A detectable tape of claim 1 wherein said ductile metal foil is color coated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A detectable tape of claim 1 wherein the tape bears a printed message on at least one side.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A detectable tape of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic material is a resin with tensile strength which provides reinforcement to the tape.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A detectable tape of claim 4 wherein said resin is selected from the group consisting essentially of polyester, oriented polypropylene, nylon and high performanace engineering polymers and mixtures thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
164 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of ductile metal foil having two surfaces, a first surface and a second surface, and two sides, each side cullinating in an edge, a first film of thermoplastic material coating the first surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a first strip and a second strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, a second film of thermoplastic material coating the second surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a third strip and a fourth strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, and the first and third strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and the second and fourth strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and a layer of reinforcing material laminated to the layer of metal foil.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
164 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of ductile metal foil having two surfaces, a first surface and a second surface, and two sides, each side cullinating in an edge, a first film of thermoplastic material coating the first surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a first strip and a second strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, a second film of thermoplastic material coating the second surface of the foil and extending beyond the foil's edges to form two strips, a third strip and a fourth strip, adjacent to and along the foil's edges, and the first and third strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and the second and fourth strips overlapping and sealed together to form a protective barrier along the foil edge to which they are adjacent, and a layer of reinforcing material laminated to the layer of metal foil.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein a printed message is applied to at least one side of the laminate underneath said thermoplastic material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein a printed message is applied to at lest one surface of said thermoplastic material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein said ductile metal foil is chosen from the group consisting essentially of aluminum, cooper, steel, iron and silver.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein said reinforcing material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene non-woven fabric, polyester film, oriented polypropylene, nylon, high performance engineering polymers, polyimide fibers and carbon fibers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein said thermoplastic material is low density polyethylene.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A detectable tape of claim 6 wherein said layer of foil is laminated with a layer of color coating between the foil layer and the reinforcing material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
A detectable tape of claim 12 wherein said layer of color coating is a low density polyethylene film impregnated with color stable pigment.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of aluminum foil, a layer colored coating resin laminated to said foil, a layer of substantially transparent polyethylene non-woven fabric laminated over said layer of color coating resin so that the color is visible through said non-woven fabric, and a sheath of thermoplastic coating which surrounds said layers of said foil, colored coating resin and non-woven fabric.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
63 words
A detectable tape comprising a layer of aluminum foil, a layer colored coating resin laminated to said foil, a layer of substantially transparent polyethylene non-woven fabric laminated over said layer of color coating resin so that the color is visible through said non-woven fabric, and a sheath of thermoplastic coating which surrounds said layers of said foil, colored coating resin and non-woven fabric.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
A detectable tape fo claim 14 wherein a printed message is applied to at least one side of the tape under the sheath of thermoplastic coating.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
a detectable tape of claim 14 wherein a printed message is applied to at least one side of said tape in said sheath of thermoplastic coating.
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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) | 1991-11-01 | 1992-05-02 | 1992-11-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-11-01 | 1996-05-02 | 1996-11-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-11-01 | 2000-05-02 | 2000-11-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |