Support structure for supporting a wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10790654-B2
Application number	US-201816154787-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A support device for supporting a wire includes a first support portion. A second support portion includes a first leg portion and a second leg portion that extends linearly and is attached to the first leg portion and to the first support portion. A third support portion includes a third leg portion having a third inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the third axial opening, and a third outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the third axial opening. The third inwardly facing surface and the third outwardly facing surface have a different surface roughness. A fourth leg portion has a fourth inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the fourth axial opening, and a fourth outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the fourth axial opening. The fourth inwardly facing surface and the fourth outwardly facing surface have a same surface roughness.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A support device for supporting a wire, the support device comprising:
a first support portion extending along a non-linear axis between a first end and a second end, the first support portion defining a support opening through which the first support portion is configured to receive an attachment structure;
a second support portion comprising:
a first leg portion having a first helical winding that defines a first axial opening; and
a second leg portion extending linearly, the second leg portion attached to the first leg portion and to the first end of the first support portion; and

a third support portion comprising:
a third leg portion having a third helical winding that defines a third axial opening, the third helical winding having a third inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the third axial opening, and a third outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the third axial opening, the third inwardly facing surface and the third outwardly facing surface having a different surface roughness; and
a fourth leg portion having a fourth helical winding that defines a fourth axial opening, the fourth helical winding having a fourth inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the fourth axial opening, and a fourth outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the fourth axial opening, the fourth inwardly facing surface and the fourth outwardly facing surface having a same surface roughness, the fourth leg portion attached to the third leg portion and to the second end of the first support portion;

wherein the first helical winding is configured to engage at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding such that the first helical winding and at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding are axially aligned to receive the wire.

2. The support device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first leg portion has a first leg length;
the second leg portion has a second leg length;
the third leg portion has a third leg length; and
the fourth leg portion has a fourth leg length.

3. The support device of claim 2 , wherein a sum of the third leg length and the fourth leg length is greater than the first leg length.

4. The support device of claim 3 , wherein the second leg length is equal to the fourth leg length and the first leg length is different than the third leg length.

5. The support device of claim 3 , wherein the first leg length is greater than the third leg length.

6. The support device of claim 3 , wherein the first leg length is less than the third leg length.

7. The support device of claim 1 , wherein when the first helical winding engages at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding, an end of the first leg portion opposite the second leg portion is axially offset from an end of the third leg portion opposite the fourth leg portion along an axis along which the wire extends.

8. The support device of claim 1 , wherein the fourth inwardly facing surface has a different surface roughness than the third inwardly facing surface.

9. The support device of claim 8 , wherein the third inwardly facing surface has a greater surface roughness than the fourth inwardly facing surface.

10. The support device of claim 9 , wherein, when the wire is received within the fourth axial opening, the wire is movable axially within the fourth axial opening with respect to the fourth helical winding.

11. The support device of claim 9 , wherein the wire is non-movable with respect to the first helical winding and the third helical winding upon the first helical winding and the third helical winding receiving the wire within the first axial opening and the third axial opening.

12. A support device for supporting a wire, the support device comprising:
a first support portion extending along a non-linear axis between a first end and a second end, the first support portion defining a support opening through which the first support portion is configured to receive an attachment structure;
a second support portion comprising:
a first leg portion having a first leg length, the first leg portion having a first helical winding that defines a first axial opening; and
a second leg portion having a second leg length, the second leg portion extending linearly, the second leg portion attached to the first leg portion and to the first end of the first support portion; and

a third support portion comprising:
a third leg portion having a third leg length, the third leg portion having a third helical winding that defines a third axial opening; and
a fourth leg portion having a fourth leg length, the fourth leg portion having a fourth helical winding that defines a fourth axial opening, the fourth leg portion attached to the third leg portion and to the second end of the first support portion, the second leg length equal to the fourth leg length, the first leg length different than the third leg length;

wherein the first helical winding is configured to engage at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding such that the first helical winding and at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding are axially aligned to receive the wire.

13. The support device of claim 12 , wherein when the first helical winding engages at least one of the third helical winding or the fourth helical winding, an end of the first leg portion opposite the second leg portion is axially offset from an end of the third leg portion opposite the fourth leg portion along an axis along which the wire extends.

14. The support device of claim 12 , wherein the first leg length is greater than the third leg length.

15. The support device of claim 12 , wherein the first leg length is less than the third leg length.

16. The support device of claim 12 , the third helical winding having a third inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the third axial opening, and a third outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the third axial opening, the third inwardly facing surface and the third outwardly facing surface having a different surface roughness.

17. The support device of claim 16 , the fourth helical winding having a fourth inwardly facing surface, which faces towards the fourth axial opening, and a fourth outwardly facing surface, which does not face towards the fourth axial opening, the fourth inwardly facing surface and the fourth outwardly facing surface having a same surface roughness.

18. A method of supporting a wire with a support device, the method comprising:
inserting a wire into a fourth axial opening defined by a fourth helical winding of a fourth leg portion to engage the wire with a fourth inwardly facing surface of the fourth helical winding, the fourth inwardly facing surface having a fourth surface roughness;
moving the wire axially within the fourth axial opening with respect to the fourth helical winding; and
winding a first helical winding and a third helical winding around the wire such that the wire is received within a first axial opening defined by the first helical winding and a third axial opening defined by the third helical winding to engage the wire with a first inwardly facing surface of the first helical winding and a third inwardly facing surface of the third helical winding, the first inwardly facing surface having a first surface roughness different than the fourth surface roughness and the third inwardly facing surface having a third surface roughness different than the fourth surface roughness such that the w

Assignees

• Preformed Line Products Co

Inventors

• Ling Lan-Ping
• Wallace Cameron

Classifications

• H01B17/22

  Fastening of conductors to insulator · CPC title

• H02G7/056 Primary

  Dead-end clamps · CPC title

• H02G7/02 Primary

  Devices for adjusting or maintaining mechanical tension, e.g. take-up device · CPC title