Milliken + Co

Wesco Distribution, Inc.

Steven Lee Bedingfield

Christopher G Durham

David Drew Morris

Kai Chen

Jerry L Allen

Andrew D Child

Charles William Prestridge

Andrew Broadway

Kwee C Lee

Stacey Brown

A process of forming an elongated enclosed pathway containing the steps of forming an inner structure containing at least one inflatable tube and forming an outer structure comprising a narrow woven cylinder. The narrow woven cylinder contains a plurality of warp yarns, a plurality of weft yarns, and at least one catch yarn. The weft yarns have a repeating stitch pattern containing a knit stitch with a catch yarn, stitching with the warp yarns in a counterclockwise direction around the circumference, a knit stitch with a catch yarn, and stitching with the warp yarns in a clockwise direction around the circumference. The forming of the narrow woven cylinder is concurrent with inserting the at least one inflatable tube into the narrow woven cylinder and wherein the narrow woven cylinder is woven around the at least one inflatable tube.

Method of making an elongated enclosed pathway

A fabric sleeve in the form of a strip of material having compatible attachment members along its lateral edges, is applied to a cable by a device located at a site where the cable can be introduced into a conduit. The device includes a beam carried by a post. The beam carries a plurality of formers which receive the sleeve and the cable from rolls and which progressively fold the sleeve around the cable. The beam also carries an attachment device which receives the sleeve and cable from the formers and which connects the attachment members of the sleeve to confine the cable therein. The attachment device can be opened so that the sleeved cable can be removed. The device is operated at the site until the sleeved cable reaches a downstream installation site and the process is repeated at that downstream site.

Apparatus for applying a sleeve to a cable and method of insertion into a conduit

The process of forming a blowable flexible innerduct contains the steps of forming an inner innerduct structure comprising at least one inner longitudinal chamber, where the at least one inner longitudinal chamber comprises an inflatable tube and forming a textile. Concurrently forming an outer innerduct structure from the textile having at least one outer longitudinal chamber and inserting at least one inner longitudinal chamber into at least one of the outer longitudinal chambers. The inflatable tube has a wall thickness of less than about 0.5 mm. The inner longitudinal chamber alone has an air permeability of less than about 1 cfm, outer longitudinal textile chamber alone has an air permeability of greater than about 100 cfm, and the outer and inner longitudinal textile chambers together have an air permeability of less than about 1 cfm.

Blowable flexible innerduct

An innerduct for a cable containing one or more strip-shaped lengths of woven textile fabric configured to create a flexible, longitudinal compartment for enveloping a cable. The woven fabric comprises a plurality warp yarns and a plurality of picks of weft yarns, the weft yarns contain a repeating first weft pattern of at least one monofilament yarn and optionally at least one single-inserted multifilament yarn. The woven fabric contains an alternating pattern containing first weave zones and partial float weave zones. The warp yarns in the first weave zone pass successively over and under each adjacent weft yarn and at least a portion of the warp yarns in the partial float zone float over some adjacent weft yarns.

Partial float weave fabric

A flexible innerduct structure having a first margin region, a second margin region, and a middle region, where the middle region is located between the first and second margin regions. The innerduct structure contains at least two flexible, longitudinal chambers, with each chamber being designed for enveloping at least one cable. The flexible innerduct structure contains at least one strip-shaped textile, each strip containing a first side and a second edge and extending in the longitudinal direction. All first and second edges of the strips are located in the middle region and each strip-shaped textile extends outwards from the middle region, folds about a fold axis located in either the first or second margin region and returns to the middle region. At least one strip extends from the first to the second margin region and the strips are attached together in the middle region.

Multiple chamber folded innerduct structure

A flexible innerduct structure having a first edge, a second edge, a first margin region, a second margin region, and a middle region. The middle region is located between the first and second margin regions. The innerduct structure comprises at least two flexible longitudinal tubes, each longitudinal tube forming two chambers. Each chamber is designed for enveloping at least one cable, where at least one of the longitudinal tubes extends from the first margin region to the second margin region, and wherein the tubes are attached together at an attachment in the middle region.

Multiple chamber innerduct structure

An innerduct for a cable containing one or more strip-shaped lengths of woven textile fabric configured to create a flexible, longitudinal compartment for enveloping a cable. The woven fabric comprises a plurality warp yarns and a plurality of picks of weft yarns, the weft yarns contain a repeating first weft pattern of at least one monofilament yarn, at least one multiple-inserted multifilament yarn, and optionally at least one single-inserted multifilament yarn. The woven fabric contains an alternating pattern containing first weave zones and partial float weave zones. The warp yarns in the first weave zone pass successively over and under each adjacent weft yarn and at least a portion of the warp yarns in the partial float zone float over some adjacent weft yarns.

An innerduct for a cable containing one or more strip-shaped lengths of woven textile fabric configured to create a flexible, longitudinal compartment for enveloping a cable. The woven fabric comprises a plurality warp yarns and a plurality of picks of weft yarns and contains an alternating pattern containing first weave zones and partial float weave zones. The warp yarns in the first weave zone pass successively over and under each adjacent weft yarn and at least a portion of the warp yarns in the partial float zone float over some adjacent weft yarns.

An article containing an innerduct structure and a woven rope located within the innerduct structure. The woven rope an inner portion comprising a plurality of multifilament fibers in the length direction of the woven rope and a jacket portion covering the inner portion. The jacket portion contains a plurality of monofilament fibers in the length direction of the woven rope and at least one multifilament fiber in the circumferential direction interwoven with the monofilament fibers in the length direction of the jacket portion. The monofilament fibers of the jacket portion form the majority of the outer surface of the woven rope.

Innerduct structure containing monofilament jacketed woven rope

A woven fabric containing an alternating pattern containing first weave zones and partial float weave zones. The woven fabric contains a plurality warp yarns arranged into groupings of warp yarns. In each first weave zone, the picks of weft yarns contain a repeating first weft pattern. In each partial float zone, the picks of weft yarns within the partial float weave zone contain a repeating second weft pattern of at least one monofilament yarn and at least one multiple-inserted multifilament yarn. Within the partial float zone, only a portion of the warp yarns within at least a portion of the warp groupings float over 3 weft yarns including floating over at least one multiple-inserted multifilament weft yarn in at least a portion of weft pattern repeats. An innerduct structure containing the woven fabric is also described.

Fabric

A woven rope an inner portion comprising a plurality of multifilament fibers in the length direction of the woven rope and a jacket portion covering the inner portion. The jacket portion contains a plurality of monofilament fibers in the length direction of the woven rope and at least one multifilament fiber in the circumferential direction interwoven with the monofilament fibers in the length direction of the jacket portion. The monofilament fibers of the jacket portion form the majority of the outer surface of the woven rope.

Growing community of inventors

LaGrange, GA, United States of America

Steven Lee Bedingfield