Electromagnetic energy-carrying tube and fabrication method therefor, and the combination thereof with suction cleaning apparatus

In a combination of a flexible tube and electromagnetic energy-carrying means in which said tube comprises elongated strip means helically wound into tubular form, the improvement in which:

• said strip means includes first and second margins separated by a flexible segment;
• said first strip margin comprises means which entirely overlaps and is secured to said second strip margin at adjoining convolutions of said strip means and which has at least partial independent movement with respect to said second strip margin, to form a secured-together margin structure which permits longitudinal flexing of said tube but resists radially-exerted crushing forces thereon;
• and
• said second strip margin comprises a structurally supporting walled enclosure defining helically extending cavity means acting both as a conduit carrying said electromagnetic energy-carrying means and as an integral component of the secured-together margin structure.

A flexible tube in combination with electromagnetic energy-carrying means comprising:

• elongated strip means helically wound into tubular form with one strip margin secured to an adjacent margin at adjoining convolutions of said strip means;
• helically extending cavity means in which said electromagnetic energy-carrying means are carried and which is positioned at a first edge of said strip means at least at one of said secured-together strip margins, and including a generally U-shaped channel having a base, a first side wall extending from said base at the end of said strip edge, a second side wall spaced from said first side wall and extending from said base, and a top wall hinged to said first side wall and extending towards and generally in contact with said second side wall for closing said channel;
• adjoining strip material comprising a generally hook-shaped cover extending around and generally in contact with said pair of spaced side walls and said top wall;
• and
• material bonding said top wall to said second side wall for sealing said electromagnetic energy-carrying means within said cavity means and bonding at least said second side wall to said hook-shaped cover for securing and sealing said strip margins together in an air-tight manner while permitting facile bending of said tube.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with at least two electromagnetic energy-carrying conductors comprising the steps of:

• forming as many elongated strips as there are conductors or multiples thereof, each of the strips having first and second margins which define components of a crush-resistant, flexible tube structure with at least one cavity means at a first margin thereof;
• inserting a first pliable electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of a first of the strips;
• closing the first strip cavity means with the first conductor enclosed therein;
• securing the second margin of a second of the strips to the closed cavity means of the first strip;
• inserting a second pliable electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of the second strip;
• closing the second strip cavity means with the second conductor enclosed therein;
• repeating said inserting and closing steps in seriatim for any further conductors and strips;
• and
• helically winding the strips in parallel formation and securing the second margin of the first strip to the closed cavity means of the last strip at adjoining convolutions of the parallelly-formed strips to form the crush-resistant, flexible structure.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with electromagnetic energy-carrying means comprising the steps of:

• forming elongated strip means with at least one open cavity means therein at a first margin thereof;
• forming the cavity means as a generally U-shaped channel having a base, a first side wall extending from the base at the margin edge, a second side wall spaced from the first side wall and extending from the base, and a top wall hinged to the first side wall and extending towards and generally in contact with the second side wall for closing the channel;
• forming the second margin as a generally hook-shaped cover;
• inserting electromagnetic energy-carrying means into the open cavity means;
• closing the cavity means;
• helically winding the strip means upon itself and extending the hook-shaped cover around and generally in contact with the pair of spaced side walls and the top wall;
• and
• securing the first strip margin to a second strip margin at adjoining convolutions of the strip means by bonding the top wall to the second side wall for sealing the cavity means, and at least the second side wall to the hook-shaped cover for securing and sealing the strip margins together in an air-tight manner while permitting operational handling of the tube.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with electromagnetic energy-carrying means comprising the steps of:

• forming elongated strip means with first and second margins thereof forming components of a radially-directed crush-resistant, flexible structure and with at least one open cavity means at the first margin thereof;
• inserting the electromagnetic energy-carrying means into the open cavity means;
• closing the cavity means;
• and
• helically winding the strip means upon itself and securing the first strip margin to the second strip margin at adjoining convolutions of the strip means to form the crush-resistant, flexible structure.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with electromagnetic energy-carrying means comprising the steps of:

• forming elongated strip means having a top wall, a hinge securing the top wall to the strip means and placed above the area center of gravity of the strip means, and at least one cavity means with an opening therein at a first margin of the strip means;
• inserting electromagnetic energy-carrying means into the cavity means opening;
• closing the cavity means by bending the top wall about the hinge to close the opening in the cavity means;
• and
• helically winding the strip means upon itself and securing the first strip margin to a second strip margin at adjoining convolutions of the strip means.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with at least two electromagnetic energy-carrying conductors comprising the steps of:

• forming as many elongated strips as there are conductors or multiples thereof, each of the strips having first and second margins and having at least one cavity means at a first margin thereof;
• forming the cavity means as a generally U-shaped channel having a base, a first side wall extending from the base at the margin edge, a second side wall spaced from the first side wall and extending from the base, and a top wall hinged to the first side wall and extending towards and generally in contact with the second side wall for closing the channel;
• forming the second margin as a generally hook-shaped cover;
• inserting a first electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of a first of the strips;
• closing the first strip cavity means with the first conductor enclosed therein;
• securing the second margin of a second of the strips to the closed cavity means of the first strip;
• inserting a second electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of the second strip;
• closing the second strip cavity means with the second conductor enclosed therein;
• repeating said inserting and closing steps in seriatim for any further conductors and strips;
• helically winding the strips in parallel formation and extending the hook-shaped cover around and generally in contact with the pair of spaced side walls and the top wall;
• and
• securing the second margin of the first strip to the closed cavity means of the last strip at adjoining convolutions of the parallelly formed strips by bonding the top wall to the second side wall for sealing the cavity means, and at least the second side wall to the hook-shaped cover for securing and sealing the strip margins together in an air-tight manner while permitting operational handling of the tube.

A method for fabricating a flexible tube in combination with at least two electromagnetic energy-carrying conductors comprising the steps of:

• forming as many elongated strips as there are conductors or multiples thereof, each of the strips having first and second margins, a top wall, and a hinge securing the top wall to the strip means and placed above each strip's area center of gravity, and having at least one cavity means with an opening therein at a first margin of each strip;
• inserting a first electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of a first of the strips;
• closing the first strip cavity means with the first conductor enclosed therein by bending the top wall about the hinge to close the opening in the cavity means;
• securing the second margin of a second of the strips to the closed cavity means of the first strip;
• inserting a second electromagnetic energy-carrying conductor into the cavity means of the second strip;
• closing the second strip cavity means with the second conductor enclosed therein by bending the top wall about the hinge to close the opening in the cavity means;
• repeating said inserting and closing steps in seriatim for any further conductors and strips;
• and
• helically winding the strips in parallel formation and securing the second margin of the first strip to the closed cavity means of the last strip at adjoining convolutions of the parallelly formed strips.

In a combination of a suction hose defined as a tube with electrical conductors, and a cleaning apparatus having an electrically-driven vacuum pump coupled to a power supply and a separate suction head with electrically actuated cleaning brush means, in which said tube is substantially air-tight and flexible and is pneumatically coupled between said vacuum pump and said suction head and in which said electrical conductors electrically couple said cleaning brush means to said power supply, the improvement in said suction hose comprising:

• elongated strip means having a pair of margins with flexible and support elements separated by a flexible central segment and helically wound into tubular form,
• one of said strip margins enclosing and being secured to an adjacent one of said margins at adjoining convolutions of said strip means to form a secured-together margin structure in which said flexible and support elements are capable of at least partial independent movement and, together with said flexible central segment, permit longitudinal flexing of said tube and in which said support elements resist radially-exerted crushing forces on said tube, and
• said adjacent one of said secured-together strip margins, including said support elements, comprising a structurally supporting closed wall enclosure defining helically extending fully enclosed cavity means acting both as a conduit carrying said electrical conductors and as an integral component of said secured-together margin structure.

In a combination of a suction hose defined as a tube with electrical conductors, and a cleaning apparatus having an electrically-driven vacuum pump coupled to a power supply and a separate suction head with electrically actuated cleaning brush means, in which said tube is substantially air-tight and flexible and is pneumatically coupled between said vacuum pump and said suction head and in which said electrical conductors electrically couple said cleaning brush means to said power supply, the improvement in which said suction hose comprises:

• elongated strip means helically wound into tubular form with one strip margin secured to an adjacent margin at adjoining convolutions of said strip means,
• at least one of said secured-together strip margins defining helically extending cavity means in which said electrical conductors are carried, said cavity means being positioned at a first edge of said strip means and including a generally U-shaped channel having a base, a first side wall extending from said base at the end of said strip edge, a second side wall spaced from said first side wall and extending from said base, and a top wall hinged to said first side wall and extending towards and generally in contact with said second side wall for closing said channel,
• an adjoining strip margin comprising a generally hook-shaped cover extending around and generally in contact with said pair of spaced side walls and said top wall, and
• material bonding said top wall to said second side wall for sealing said electrical conductors within said cavity means and for bonding at least said second side wall to said hook-shaped cover to secure and seal said strip margins together in an air-tight manner while permitting facile bending of said tube.