| Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker -> Monitor Keywords |
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Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy markerPlastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070044394, Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present application relates to methods, systems and apparatus providing markers, guards, and the like on guy wires. More particularly, this application is directed to guy marker devices, bulk guy wire marker articles of manufacture, a method of dispensing guy markers, a manual tool for installing guy markers, and further to a dispenser for storing the bulk marker and enabling payout of the bulk marker for cutting into selected lengths for installation onto associated guy wires. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Typically, guy markers are used for visually identifying down guys or other wire and cable installations where anchoring devices in the ground are exposed to pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic. Guy markers are usually manufactured from plastic and sold as individual rigid elongate tubes, typically having a longitudinal slit or opening. In practice, bundles of these devices are carried to the job site in large boxes and selectively applied onto down guys or other wires and/or cables as necessary. Difficulties exist related to the handling and storage requirements owing to the awkwardness of these devices and to the bulky volume occupied by bundled markers. Simply, they do not stack or transport well. Also, typically, all of the bundled guy markers are of like size. This limits the range of applications and often forces modifications in the field when the length of the standard guy marker does not match the application need. [0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,336 to Bogese, III describes a method for manufacturing and installing a rigid plastic guy wire guard on a guy wire. In particular, that patent describes a plastic guy wire guard having an enlarged first end shaped to surround and protect anchor assemblies, and a narrow second end adapted to encompass the relatively small diameter guy wire therein. The guy wire guard is formed of plastic and is manufactured using extrusion, casting or molding techniques to first form tubes having a diameter sufficient to accommodate guy wire cables. The plastic is heated to a melt temperature, agitated and extruded through a suitably shaped die to form round, uniform cross-section tubing. The tubing is immediately quenched in a cooling liquid, such as water, and is cut to desired lengths to form a plurality of tubular members. The tube is then cut longitudinally so as to form a slit comprised of a pair of opposed and adjacent edges. The basic function of the slit is to create an opening for later installation of the tube about a guy wire. [0006] The above-described initial forming step imparts an inherent memory characteristic in the tube. That is, after the plastic has been melted and cooled to room temperature, the tube has the ability to maintain or "remember" its basic shape as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the '336 patent, and will tend to return to that basic shape even if subsequently deformed. [0007] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the '336 patent, upon installation, the larger diameter portion contracts owing to the shape memory characteristic to secure the guard to an anchor. According to the patent, however, the desired contraction requires the application of heat, either via the sun or a portable source. [0008] Further, the markers/guards described in the '336 patent are cut to a single common length during manufacture and prior to transport to the application site. They are thus handled in bundles by the relevant technicians. [0009] There remains a need, therefore, for providing plastic wire guy markers and a dispenser system therefor which alleviates the problems related to handling and storage requirements owing to the volume occupied by bundles of manufactured guy wires prior to their installation onto associated guy wire cables. [0010] There is also a need for a plastic guy marker which is easy to manufacture, transport, and install. [0011] A need also exists for an installation tool for manually applying the marker onto the associated guy wire. [0012] Further, there remains a need to provide a dispenser system for storing multiple plastic guy wire markers in bulk on a spool prior to installation onto associated guy wire cables. SUMMARY [0013] The present application provides novel and unique guy markers, tools for installing the guy markers, a dispenser therefor, and methods for manufacture and use of the guy markers, which overcome all of the deficiencies noted above and others with respect to the prior art devices. [0014] In accordance with one aspect of the present application, a guy marker apparatus is provided for use on an associated guy wire. The guy marker apparatus includes a substantially rectangular main body member having opposite parallel first and second edges extending along a longitudinal axis of the main body member, with a first connection portion on the first edge and a second connection portion on the second edge. The first and second connection portions are selectively interlockable to hold the main body member in a folded or curled tubular conformation surrounding the associated guy wire. [0015] In accordance with a further aspect of the guy marker apparatus, the first and second connection portions are selectively interlockable and slidable to hold the main body member in the folded conformation with the first and second edges extending along the longitudinal axis of the main body member and, thereafter, for holding the main body member in a spiraled conformation wherein the first and second connection portions intermate at a three-dimensional curve that turns around an axis defined by the associated guy wire at a substantially constant distance while moving parallel to the axis defined by the guy wire. Essentially, a helix is defined thereby. [0016] In accordance with another aspect of the present application, a dispensing system is provided for use with a bulk coil of guy marker material having either the preferred foldable tube construction or the shape memory characteristic as desired. The dispensing system includes a housing defining a cavity adapted to hold the guy marker material in a tight coiled configuration. An outlet opening is provided at a suitable location on the housing so that the bulk guy marker material can be payed out as desired and cut into selected lengths. The guy marker material includes coiled flattened layers within the cavity. The guy marker material is a flat sheet rolled into the coil and, selectively, may be imparted with a memory characteristic. The memory characteristic includes a tubular shape. [0017] In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present application, a hand tool is provided for manipulating an associated self-locking article such as a guy marker between unlocked and self-locked states. The tool is particularly useful with articles foldable from a substantially flat state to a rolled or curled state. In that regard, the tool includes a main body member, an alignment portion adapted to guide the associated article in its unlocked state relative to the main body member, a production portion adapted to guide the associated article in a self-locked state relative to the main body member, and a forming wall formed between the alignment portion and the production portion. The forming wall is shaped with a contour adapted to move the associated article between its unlocked state and its self-locked state based on relative movement between the associated article and the main body member. [0018] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present application, a method of forming a guy wire guard from a roll of bulk guy marker material is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a guy marker material, rolling flattened layers of the guy marker material and, placing the coiled guy marker material into a dispenser. The preferred dispenser includes a resilient outer housing defining a cavity adapted to surround the coil. The method further includes the step of drawing the guy marker material from the housing and cutting the material to desired lengths. In one embodiment, opposite edges of the bulk marker material are connected together to form the guy marker around the associated guy wire. In another embodiment, a shape memory characteristic is imparted to the marker material prior to the coiling or rolling step causing the cut guy material to curl into a tubular shape onto the associated guy wire making use of the tool somewhat easier. Additionally, the method further includes the step of wrapping the guy material around a guy wire to form the guy wire guard. [0019] In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present application, an article of manufacture is provided including a holder member and a bulk guy marker material held in a coil by the holder. The bulk guy marker material is selectively unrolled from the coil and selectively cut into sections of desired length for placement onto an associated guy wire. In its preferred form, the bulk guy marker material is plastic and includes mutually lockable outer edges having connection portions disposed therealong. Preferably, the mutually lockable outer edges are slidably lockable to permit relative movement between the edges along a line defined at the connection portions. In another embodiment, the bulk guy marker material has a shape memory is adapted to self curl after removal from the holder member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] The foregoing advantages, and others, will in part be obvious and in part pointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the description of the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings in which: [0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view which illustrates the guy marker apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention shown partially applied onto an associated guy wire; Continue reading about Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker... Full patent description for Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Plastic guy wire marker apparatus, bulk guy marker material, bulk guy marker dispenser system, and tool for installing a guy marker patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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