Cable with an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9741473-B2
Application number	US-201514870056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 10, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

The present invention is a cable, which carries signal, having an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper. The cable has a segment near an end that is stiffer than the cable generally. This segment can be bent by hand, and once bent, will retain its bent shape. If the flexible part of the cable is wrapped into a coil, or otherwise gathered together, then the stiffer portion can be bent around the gathered portion to secure it in its gathered form.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a) a cable, having a proximal end, a distal end and an axis, the cable being capable of carrying electrical current, light, sound, video, or data;
b) a connector at the proximal end of the cable;
c) a flexible segment of the;
d) a stiff segment of the cable, such that the stiff segment
(i) is between the connector and the flexible segment, is adjacent to the flexible segment, and is proximate to the connector,
(ii) is more resistant to bending than the flexible segment, and
(iii) is capable of being bent by hand,
(iv) once bent into a shape, will retain that shape unless bent again; and

e) a first annulus-shaped cap at the distal end of the stiff segment that retards longitudinal movement of contents of the stiff segment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible segment is wrapped into a coiled form and the stiff segment is wrapped by hand around the coil, the bendable segment retaining the flexible segment in the coiled form.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiff segment includes
(i) an inner layer, containing an electrical wire,
(ii) an outer layer, that encloses the inner layer and the intermediate layer, and
(iii) an intermediate layer, between the inner and outer layer, containing a stiffening component.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein each of the three layers includes a material that differs in a physical or chemical property from all materials in the other two layers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the outer and intermediate layers each include a polymer of different composition from the other.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the outer layer is fabricated primarily from fiberglass, carbon and fiber, or fiber.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the intermediate layer contains a second stiffening component along an interval of length that includes the first stiffening component.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the stiffening component includes a wire that is oriented essentially parallel to the axis over at least half of the stiff segment of the cable.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the wire is a copper or copper-alloy wire.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the stiffening component is a wire that is wrapped in a spiral around the inner layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the stiffening component includes metal, polymer, glass, or fiberglass.

12. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the outer layer is bonded to the inner layer by, at least in part, plastic injection molding.

13. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the outer layer is bonded to the inner layer by, at least in part, melting or an adhesive.

14. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the outer layer is fabricated primarily from a polymer.

15. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the intermediate layer is fabricated primarily from a polymer.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer layer is formed, and bonded to the intermediate layer, by molding.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer is formed by extrusion.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second stiff segment of the cable, such that the second stiff segment
(i) is adjacent to the flexible segment, and is proximate to the distal end of the cable,
(ii) is more resistant to bending than the flexible segment, and
(iii) is capable of being bent by hand, and
(iv) once bent into a shape, will retain that shape unless bent again.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising:
a second connector, at the distal end of the cable, and proximate to the second stiff segment.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second annulus-shaped cap at the proximal end of the stiff segment that further retards longitudinal movement of contents of the stiff segment.

21. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first and second stiffening component are braided together over at least a portion of their respective lengths.

22. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first and second stiffening components each have a spiral shape over at least a portion of their respective lengths.

23. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the outer layer includes a spiral-shaped grip.

Assignees

• Hess Matthew
• Tseng Joseph
• Verstockt Kris
• Hsu Hui-Hsiu
• Ye Daowu
• Bby Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hess Matthew
• Tseng Joseph
• Verstockt Kris
• Hsu Hui-Hsiu
• Ye Daowu

Classifications

• H01B1/026

  Alloys based on copper · CPC title

• H01B13/24 Primary

  by extrusion {(extrusion of cables with plastic material in general B29C48/15)} · CPC title

• H01B3/47

  fibre-reinforced plastics, e.g. glass-reinforced plastics · CPC title

• H01B3/28

  natural or synthetic rubbers · CPC title

• H01B7/40

  with arrangements for facilitating mounting or securing · CPC title