Improvements in or relating to flexible ducts
AssigneeBFM Technology Limited
InventorBlair Forres MCPHEAT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible duct able to be removably inserted to partially nest into a rigid tube that has an annular channel. The flexible duct comprises of a cylindrical flexible plastic film to convey flowable matter. An injection moulded cuff is provided at an end of the cylindrical plastic film that is over-moulded to the flexible film and that is over-moulded to a resilient band that is held captive by the flexible plastic film and/or the injection moulded cuff. The cuff has an annular rib that can nests in the annular channel. The cuff and resilient band are able to inwardly collapsible to facilitate insertion to and removal of the rib from the rigid tube.
Claims29
A flexible duct able to be removably inserted to partially nest into a less flexible or rigid tube that has a primary duct adjacent a tube end provided with an annularly profiled set out and via the tube flowable matter can be transported into or out of the flexible duct, the flexible duct comprising:
- a ducting body of a flexible plastic film to confine and allow the captive conveying of flowable matter to or from the tube through the flexible duct, an injection moulded cuff of an elastomeric material at an end region of the ducting body that is over-moulded to the flexible plastic film of the ducting body to be integrally connected with the flexible plastic film and that is over-moulded to a resilient band that is held captive by the flexible plastic film and/or the injection moulded cuff, the cuff comprising of at least one annular rib that, when inserted to the tube, nests in an annular channel of the annularly profiled set out, the cuff and resilient band being resilient so as to be inwardly collapsible to facilitate insertion to and removal of the cuff from the tube at the annularly profiled set out and with return bias to or towards a more relaxed condition such that at the set out and between a rib to channel engagement the rigid tube holds the duct against axial separation from the rigid tube.
An assembly as part of a flowable matter transportation system comprising:
- a rigid tube that has a primary duct adjacent tube end provided with an annularly profiled set out, and
- a flexible duct according to any one preceding claim,
- wherein the cuff has at least one annular rib that when inserted to the rigid tube nests in an annular channel of the annularly profiled set out, the cuff and resilient band being resilient so as to be inwardly collapsible to facilitate insertion and removal of the cuff from the rigid tube into the set out and with a return bias to or towards a more relaxed condition such that a rib to channel engagement holds the duct against axial separation from the rigid tube.
A tubular flexible connector to duct particulate material from a rigid discharge tube to a rigid receiving tube, the flexible connector comprising:
- a duct of a flexible plastic film material that has at least one end region that comprises a resiliently banded cuff of an injection moulded material over moulded to the plastic film material and defining an external profile comprising at least one rib adapted to each mate, after a return from a distorted form of the cuff, in a complementary internal channel of at least one of the discharge tube and the receiving tube, the cuff being resilient so as to be deformable inwardly of a notional tube axis of the connector thereof to facilitate insertion or removal of the coupling at the channel and with a return bias to or towards a more relaxed condition such that the rib to channel engagement holds the connector to the discharge or receiving tube to which it is connected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.