The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 24, 1996
Filed:
Jun. 01, 1995
Alain Pecot, Lannion, FR;
Philippe Lesueur, Tregastel, FR;
France Telecom, Paris, FR;
Abstract
To lay an underground cable, a first drum is stationarily positioned and supplies the cable to a trench that is dug in the ground. A hauling pig is connected to the leading end of the cable. A second drum, mounted to a movable tractor, supplies a tube to the trench and is intended to receive the cable. The tractor also has a plowshare mounted to its forward end for forming the trench as the tractor moves. A compressor is connected to a tube section, rearwardly of the pig, for propelling the leading end of the cable to a predetermined point in a turn of a rolled tube as stored on the second drum. In the event an obstacle is encountered by the tractor, the compressor is interrupted and a length of tube, at least as long as one turn on the second roll, is payed out from the second drum and temporarily remains unoccupied by cable. The payed out length of tube is cut at an end so that the tractor becomes free to move around the obstacle. The payed out length is repositioned to negotiate the obstacle and the cut end is then spliced to the corresponding end of the tube on the second drum. Restoration of compressor operation continues to propel the leading end of the cable to the predetermined point in the turn of the rolled tube on the second drum.