US4866252A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat-recoverable article
Assignee: Commscope Connectivity Belgium BVBA
•
Filing: 1989-02-22
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Granted: 1989-09-12
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Expires: 2009-02-22
Abstract
Abstract A heat-recoverable article for bonding to an object, particularly for sealing a joint between pre-insulated pipes, consists of a layer of heat-recoverable polymeric material, a layer of a bonding material which preferably is heat-activatable, and a laminar metal heating element which has a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in the shape of the apertures, and which is inbuilt either in one of or between the said layers. The recoverable material is arranged so that when it is heated by the element, it can recover and deform the element as aforesaid, in use to force the layer of bonding material against the object.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert H. Van Loo
- 👤 Johannes M. Cordia
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 06:53
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C61/00; B29C61/06; B29C61/10; F; F16; F16L; F16L53/00; B29C44/00; B29C44/02; B29C44/12; B29C44/1295; B29C61/0608; B29C61/0625; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/34; B29C65/3404; B29C65/3444; B29C65/3448; B29C65/3472; B29C65/3476; B29C65/348; B29C65/48; B29C65/4805; B29C65/481; B29C65/4815; B29C65/50; B29C65/5007; B29C65/5021; B29C65/5042; B29C65/66; B29C65/68; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/11; B29C66/112; B29C66/1122; B29C66/20; B29C66/23; B29C66/232; B29C66/345; B29C66/3452; B29C66/40; B29C66/41; B29C66/43; B29C66/432; B29C66/4322; B29C66/49; B29C66/50; B29C66/51; B29C66/53; B29C66/532; B29C66/5324; B29C66/53241; B29C66/70; B29C66/72; B29C66/723; B29C66/7232; B29C66/72321; B29C66/727; F16L59/00; F16L59/14; F16L59/16; F16L59/18; F16L59/20; B29C44/34; B29C44/58; B29C44/581; B29K; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/0097; B29K2623/00; B29K2623/04; B29K2623/06; B29K2627/00; B29K2627/06; B29K2705/00; B29K2705/08; B29K2705/12; B29L; B29L2009/00; B29L2023/00; B29L2023/22; B29L2023/225
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A heat-recoverable article for bonding to an object, comprising a layer of heat-recoverable polymeric material, a layer of a bonding material for forming a bond between the recoverable material and the object, and a laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in the shape of the apertures, and being inbuilt in one of, or between, the said layers, the recoverable material being arranged such that when heated by the element, it can recover and deform the element as aforesaid, in use to force the layer of bonding material against the object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
A heat-recoverable article for bonding to an object, comprising a layer of heat-recoverable polymeric material, a layer of a bonding material for forming a bond between the recoverable material and the object, and a laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in the shape of the apertures, and being inbuilt in one of, or between, the said layers, the recoverable material being arranged such that when heated by the element, it can recover and deform the element as aforesaid, in use to force the layer of bonding material against the object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the heating element is disposed between the layer of heat-recoverable material and the layer of bonding material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the layer of heat-recoverable material is provided in two laminated portions, the heating element being disposed between them.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the bonding material is heat-activatable.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the compositions of the bonding material and the heat-recoverable material are substantially the same.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the cross-link density in the heat-recoverable material is greater than that in the layer of bonding material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, in which the heating element has an electrical resistivity of from 1.7×10 -6 to 100×10 -6 ohm.cm over a substantial part of its area.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, which is a wraparound article.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
An article as claimed in claim 8, having a a closure member positioned towards an edge of the article which edge is orientated substantially perpendicularly to the direction of recovery of the article, the closure member being adapted to engage a girdle member for holding the sleeve in its wrapped configuration during recovery thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, having a total thickness before recovery over a substantial part of its area of at least 1.0 mm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
An article as claimed in claim 1, which includes a sheet of bonding material contiguous with the layers of heat-recoverable material and bonding material, to form the inner layer of the wrapped around article.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of making a heat-recoverable article for bonding to an object, comprising: (a) laminating together a layer of polymeric backing material, a layer of bonding material, and an inbuilt laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in shape of the apertures; (b) cross-linking the backing material; and (c) deforming the heating element as aforesaid, together with the layers laminated therewith, while the backing material is heated above its crystalline melt temperature, so as to render the layer of backing material heat-recoverable.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of making a heat-recoverable article for bonding to an object, comprising: (a) laminating together a layer of polymeric backing material, a layer of bonding material, and an inbuilt laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in shape of the apertures; (b) cross-linking the backing material; and (c) deforming the heating element as aforesaid, together with the layers laminated therewith, while the backing material is heated above its crystalline melt temperature, so as to render the layer of backing material heat-recoverable.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as claimed in claim 12, in which the backing material is cross-linked by irradiation with high energy electrons.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of bonding a heat-recoverable article to an object, comprising: (a) positioning around the object a heat-recoverable article which comprises a layer of heat-recoverable material, a layer of a bonding material for forming a bond between the recoverable material and the object, and an inbuilt laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in the shape of the apertures; (b) applying heat to the article, by means of the heating element, to cause the recoverable material to recover and to deform the heating element as aforesaid, in use to force the layer of bonding material against the object.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of bonding a heat-recoverable article to an object, comprising: (a) positioning around the object a heat-recoverable article which comprises a layer of heat-recoverable material, a layer of a bonding material for forming a bond between the recoverable material and the object, and an inbuilt laminar metal heating element having a plurality of apertures through its thickness to permit the element to be deformed in the plane thereof by a change in the shape of the apertures; (b) applying heat to the article, by means of the heating element, to cause the recoverable material to recover and to deform the heating element as aforesaid, in use to force the layer of bonding material against the object.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of forming a fusion bond between a tubular first object and a second object placed coaxially therewithin, which method comprises: (a) positioning a heat- recoverable driver around the first and second objects, and an interface heater at the interface between the first and second objects; (b) heating the driver to cause it to recover and to deform the first object into contact with the second object; and (c) connecting the interface heater to a source of electrical power so as to cause the first and second objects to fuse together.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of forming a fusion bond between a tubular first object and a second object placed coaxially therewithin, which method comprises: (a) positioning a heat- recoverable driver around the first and second objects, and an interface heater at the interface between the first and second objects; (b) heating the driver to cause it to recover and to deform the first object into contact with the second object; and (c) connecting the interface heater to a source of electrical power so as to cause the first and second objects to fuse together.
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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) | 1992-09-11 | 1993-03-13 | 1993-09-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-09-11 | 1997-03-13 | 1997-09-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-09-11 | 2001-03-13 | 2001-09-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |