U.S. patent number RE40,577 [Application Number D/231,513] was granted by the patent office on 2008-11-25 for flexible tube having a variable stiffness bellows.
This patent grant is currently assigned to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Invention is credited to Michel C. Renaud.
United States Patent |
RE40,577 |
Renaud |
November 25, 2008 |
Flexible tube having a variable stiffness bellows
Inventors: |
Renaud; Michel C. (Prangins,
CH) |
Assignee: |
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and
Company (Wilmington, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
29738783 |
Appl.
No.: |
D/231,513 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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29142253 |
May 22, 2001 |
D460536 |
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29125826 |
Jun 30, 2000 |
D447792 |
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Reissue of: |
29162123 |
Jun 10, 2002 |
D484953 |
Jan 6, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
D23/266 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L
11/121 (20130101); F16L 11/111 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
2301 () |
Field of
Search: |
;D23/266
;138/118,121,173,177 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Webster; Robin V
Claims
CLAIM
The ornamental design for a flexible tube having a variable
stiffness bellows, as shown and described.
Description
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible tube having a stiffness
bellows showing my new design;
FIG. 2 is a front view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof; and,
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 in FIG. 3.
The invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 where there is shown a
flexible tube that includes a bellows having a plurality of
convolutes formed therein spaced at an interval from each other in
the axial direction of flexible tube. The convolutes are raised
circumferential ridges formed in the surface of the tube as an
integral part thereof, have bending sections that are approximately
the same height above the outer surface of the tube and restrained
elongation sections that are approximately the same height above
the outer surface of the tube with the bending sections having a
height above the outer surface of the tube greater than the height
of the restrained elongation sections above the outer surface of
tube.
In FIG. 2, there is shown another embodiment of the invention which
is similar to that shown in FIG. 1, except that the shape of the
convolutes has been modified such that near the surface of the tube
the convolutes are narrower in the area of the higher restrained
elongation sections of the convolutes than in the area of the lower
bending sections of the convolutes, with the width of the
convolutes being tapered moving from the bending sections to the
restrained elongation sections.
Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3, where there
is shown a flexible tube as in FIG. 1, where the restrained
elongation sections include two radially-spaced ridges which are
attached at both ends to the bending sections of the
convolutes.
* * * * *