Annular-pleated circular braid
AssigneeRagner Technology Corporation
InventorGary Dean Ragner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of this disclosure can be used to implement a braided cover comprising a plurality of left handed fibers and a plurality of right-handed fibers braided into a hollow tube of fabric. Such a braided cover may be adapted to form a plurality of annular ridges and annular valleys along the longitudinal length of the braided cover when compressed from an extended length to a compressed length.
Claims20
A tube comprising a plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers braided to form a channel inside the tube and adapted to longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length
- in response to a longitudinal extension force, wherein:
- a) the tube is adapted to, when contracting from its extended length to its compressed length, compress into a plurality of annular pleats, each annular pleat comprising an annular ridge and an annular valley and having an inner diameter which is greater at the annular ridge than at the annular valley;
- and
- b) for each annular pleat, the annular ridge from that annular pleat and the annular valley from that annular pleat are both centered around a longitudinal axis of the channel inside the tube;
- wherein the tube is adapted to compress into the plurality of annular pleats based on the plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers being heat set into a configuration comprising the plurality of annular pleats;
- and
- wherein each annular ridge from the plurality of annular pleats comprises a plurality of areas melted in the pleated configuration.
A tube comprising a braided fabric comprising a plurality of right and left handed fibers formed into a circular braid defining an interior channel, wherein the braided fabric is adapted to:
- a) longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length in response to a longitudinal extension force;
- b) compress from the extended length to the compressed length in response to a longitudinal compression force;
- and
- c) form a plurality of repeating annular pleats when at the compressed length;
- wherein the braided fabric is adapted to form the plurality of repeating annular pleats based on being heat set into a configuration comprising the plurality of annular pleats;
- and
- wherein each pleat from the plurality of repeating annular pleats comprises an annular ridge, and wherein the fibers comprised by the braided tube are melted at the annular ridges from the plurality of repeating annular pleats.
A tube comprising:
- a) a tube shaped cover comprising a plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers braided to form a channel inside the tube shaped cover and adapted to longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length in response to a longitudinal extension force;
- b) a pleat forming means for forming a plurality of annular pleats along a length of the tube shaped outer cover when it contracts from the extended length to the compressed length, wherein:
- i) each annular pleat from the plurality of annular pleats comprises an annular ridge and an annular valley and has an inner diameter which is greater at its annular ridge than at its annular valley;
- and
- ii) for each annular pleat, the annular ridge from that annular pleat and the annular valley from that annular pleat are both centered around a longitudinal axis of the channel inside the tube shaped cover;
- wherein the pleat forming means is the plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers, the plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers having been heat set into a configuration comprising the plurality of annular pleats;
- and
- wherein the plurality of left-handed and the plurality of right-handed fibers comprise melted portions.
A tube comprising a plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers braided to form a channel inside the tube and adapted to longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length
- in response to a longitudinal extension force, wherein:
- a) the tube is adapted to, when contracting from its extended length to its compressed length, compress into a plurality of annular pleats, each annular pleat comprising an annular ridge and an annular valley and having an inner diameter which is greater at the annular ridge than at the annular valley;
- and
- b) for each annular pleat, the annular ridge from that annular pleat and the annular valley from that annular pleat are both centered around a longitudinal axis of the channel inside the tube;
- wherein the tube is adapted to compress into the plurality of annular pleats based on, for each annular pleat from the plurality of annular pleats, a polymer material being bonded to the annular ridge of that annular pleat.
A tube comprising a braided fabric comprising a plurality of right and left handed fibers formed into a circular braid defining an interior channel, wherein the braided fabric is adapted to:
- a) longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length in response to a longitudinal extension force;
- b) compress from the extended length to the compressed length in response to a longitudinal compression force;
- and
- c) form a plurality of repeating annular pleats when at the compressed length;
- wherein the braided fabric is adapted to form the plurality of repeating annular pleats based on a polymer material bonded to the braided fabric.
A tube comprising:
- a) a tube shaped cover comprising a plurality of left-handed and right-handed fibers braided to form a channel inside the tube shaped cover and adapted to longitudinally extend from a compressed length to an extended length in response to a longitudinal extension force;
- b) a pleat forming means for forming a plurality of annular pleats along a length of the tube shaped outer cover when it contracts from the extended length to the compressed length, wherein:
- i) each annular pleat from the plurality of annular pleats comprises an annular ridge and an annular valley and has an inner diameter which is greater at its annular ridge than at its annular valley;
- and
- ii) for each annular pleat, the annular ridge from that annular pleat and the annular valley from that annular pleat are both centered around a longitudinal axis of the channel inside the tube shaped cover;
- wherein the pleat forming means comprises a polymer material bonded to the plurality of annular pleats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.