Wraparound recovery article
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsKenneth B. Pithouse, Thomas A. Kridl, James T. Triplett, Marc Wille
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A recoverable article comprising a recoverable fabric, optionally with a matrix material, is provided with a closure whereby it can be retained in the wrapped around configuration. The article is suitable for environmentally protecting cables and pipes and joins therein.
Claims50
A recoverable wrap-around article which comprises a recoverable fabric cover portion, the fabric having a recovery ratio of at least 20%, and edge regions provided with a mechanical closure for maintaining the edge regions in proximate relationship during recovery of the cover portion.
A heat-recoverable wraparound article which comprises a recoverable fabric cover portion, the fabric having a recovery ratio of at least 20%, and edge regions (8) provided with a mechanical closure (3,7,9) for maintaining the edge regions (8) in proximate relationship during recovery, wherein the article comprises a recoverable fabric in which recoverable fibres (6) run from the first edge region (8) to the second edge region (8), and at each said edge region (8) turn back around the closure elements (7) towards the other edge region (8), thus fixedly trapping the closure elements (7);
- and wherein the mechanical closure is selected from the group consisting of one or more discrete clamping elements which can hold together first and second closure elements at first and second edge regions of the article or the mechanical closure comprising first and second closure elements (3,7,9) provided on first and second edge regions respectively, the elements being interengageable by virtue of cooperating surfaces thereof.
A method of forming a closure member at an edge portion of a sheet having at least a component of recoverability perpendicular to said edge region, which comprises:
- folding over an edge of the sheet to form a loop at said edge region;
- securing said fold by holding together the resulting double thickness of sheet;
- positioning a support within the loop;
- and
- causing recovery of that part of the sheet which forms the loop, thereby trapping the support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.