AU776328B2

AU776328B2 - Color cable and the manufacturing method therefor

Info

Publication number: AU776328B2
Application number: AU36378/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Cheng-Lang Tsai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-04-14
Filing date: 2000-05-23
Publication date: 2004-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-23
Also published as: FR2807868B1; TW490682B; SG101421A1; BR0002201A; PT102506B; NL1015406C1; DE10027867B4; ES2166714A1; PT102506A; CA2308901C; GB0013058D0; CA2308901A1; NZ504674A; DE10027867A1; AU3637800A; TW466506B; ZA200002698B; ES2166714B1; GB2362988A; FR2807868A1

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: a a a a Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Cheng-Lang Tsai Actual Inventor(s): CHENG-LANG TSAI Address for Service: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: COLOR CABLE AND THE MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR Our Ref: 617139 POF Code: 1106/452628 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): -1- 6006q COLOR CABLE AND THE MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the art of cable and more particularly to a color cable and the manufacturing method therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, a transmitting cable (including the one for transmitting signal and the one for passing current) manufacturing technique comprises the step of surrounding a strand of conductor by an insulated cylinder of opaque plastic material using extrusion molding techniques. Color versions of such a cable are obtained by adding a color additive to the plastic material. However, this design suffers from the disadvantage that the color of cable, whether monotonous or irregular, is determined solely by the additive to the plastic material of the outer insulated cylinder and as a result, it is impossible to provide a multi-colored cable, or a color cable in which the color or colors of individual strands or cables within the insulation may be viewed.

Another conventional transmitting cable manufacturing technique is to surround a strand of conductor by a transparent plastic material in the form of a cylinder by extrusion molding. However, in this technique, color is still obtained by adding a color additive to the plastic material and, therefore, despite its transparency, the color of the cable is still determined solely by the additive to the material of the outer insulator. As a result, it is impossible to obtain a multi-colored cable through such a cable manufacturing technique.

The above discussion of background art is included to explain the context of the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any of the documents or other material referred to was published, known or part of the common general knowledge in Australia at the priority date of any one of the claims of this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It would be desirable to provide a color cable and the manufacturing method therefor wherein said cable includes a conductor body having one or more conductors, one or more color winding uniformly wound around and secured to conductor body by heating, and a transparent plastic covering formed on the winding by extrusion molding. Therefore, colorful cable is obtained by changing color, number of strand, or winding of the winding during the process. Further, a decorative purpose is achieved. The color of cable is varied as electrical specifications and usage, whereby the user can recognize the same from the color of cable.

It would be further desirable to provide a color cable and the manufacturing method therefor wherein the color of the winding wound around the conductor body can be seen through the surrounded transparent plastic material, resulting in a colorful cable.

It would be further desirable still to provide a color cable and the manufacturing method therefor wherein the color of the cable can be varied as electrical specifications and usage, whereby the user can recognize the same from the color of cable.

The above features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying S: drawings.

.0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS b be 2FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a first preferred 20 embodiment of color cable according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a second preferred embodiment of color cable according to the invention where a central positioning wire is provided; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the manufacturing process of color 25 cable according to the invention where cable is not formed together with transparent plastic material; be* FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the manufacturing process of color cable according to the invention where cable is formed together with transparent plastic material; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of color cable according to the invention where two windings with different colors are wound around conductor body sequentially; and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another manufacturing process of color cable according to the invention where two windings with different colors are stranded as one prior to being wound around the conductor body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a color cable constructed in accordance with the invention comprising a conductor body 20 having one or more conductors six strands shown on FIG. 2) 21, one or more color winding 3 (including one with a rectangular cross section) uniformly wound around and secured to conductors 21 by heating, and a covering 4 of transparent plastic material formed on the color winding 3 by extrusion molding. As a result, the color of winding 3 may be seen from outside through the transparent plastic covering 4.

Preferably, the color winding 3 is made from Mylar.

Preferably, the transparent plastic covering 4 is made from PET, PP, PVC or

PE.

Referring to FIG. 1 specifically, the number of conductor body 20 may be varied for the application two conductor bodies 20 are shown). Importantly, they are spaced from each other if two or more sets of conductor bodies 20 are provided in order to maintain insulation therebetween. Also, the number of conductor 21 may be varied for the application. The number of conductor 21 is at least one.

Referring to FIG. 2 specifically, a central positioning wire 1 is provided with six conductors 21 wound around to form a conductor body 20. Also, color winding 3 20 may be formed of a single color, or alternatively two or more windings 3 with different colors stranded as one. As a result, a colorful cable is obtained by changing the color of winding 3, number of strands thereof, or winding of the winding 3. Also, the color of winding 3 may be seen from outside through the transparent plastic covering 4.

25 Referring to FIG. 3, the manufacturing process of color cable according to the invention is illustrated as below. Conductor body 20 is penetrated through the bore 631 of a shaft 63 of winding device 60. Conductor body 20 is axially moved through the bore 631 in a predetermined speed. Shaft 63 is supported by at least one bearing means 90 (two are shown). A pulley 61 is connected to the shaft 63. A belt 62, at a distal end of shaft 63, driven by a drive source (not shown) is over the shaft 63. As such, shaft 63 can be rotated. A spool 64 and a flywheel 65 are located between the bearing means 90 wherein spool 64 with one or more color windings 3 wound is fixed on shaft 63 and flywheel 65 is rotatable on shaft 63 by having shaft 63 passing through the hole 652. As shown, one line of winding 3 is passed through one eye 651, while the other line of winding 3 is passed through the other eye 651 prior to being wound around conductor body 20 to form a color conductor body 5. Flywheel 65 is rotated in a speed slower than the spool 64 due to the friction with the shaft 63. As such, the stability of color winding 3 may be maintained during rotation, resulting in a uniform winding of color winding 3 on conductor body 20. Preferably, winding 3 may be coated with an adhesive in a preparatory manufacturing process in order to increase the adhesion therebetween and between conductor body 20 and thereof during the winding process. This assures the uniformity of wound winding 3. A heating device 80 is provided at the proximal end for heating the passed color conductor body 5. This further secures the winding 3 on conductor body Referring to FIG. 4, one or more color conductor body 5 (two are shown) are guided through an extrusion molding device 70 for surrounding a transparent plastic material on the color conductor body 5. Extrusion molding device 70 has a mold 72 with a hole 721 penetrated through extrusion molding device 70 and mold 72. A color conductor body 5 with a transparent plastic covering 4 is formed after going through the extrusion molding device 70 wherein two color conductor bodies 5 are spaced from each other in order to maintain insulation therebetween as well as transmit signal and allow current to pass. As a result, the cable of winding 3 can be seen through the surrounded transparent plastic covering 4.

2 .0A number of techniques are capable of changing the color of cable as 20 detailed below.

Referring to FIG. 5, two windings 30 and 301 with different colors driven by respective winding devices 60 in different speeds are wound around conductor body 20 sequentially.

o•9 Referring to FIG. 6, two windings 311 and 312 with different colors are *0 25 stranded as one winding 30 prior to being wound around conductor body The benefits of this invention include: An additional decoration purpose of cable is achieved.

2. The color of cable is varied as electrical specifications and usage, whereby the user can recognize the same from the color of cable.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A color cable including: at least one conductor body having at least one conductor and at least one color winding uniformly wound around and secured to said conductor body; and a transparent plastic covering formed on said color conducting body by extrusion molding; wherein each of said at least one color conductor bodies is spaced from all other of said color conductor bodies in order to maintain insulation therebetween, transmit signal, and allow current to pass.

2. The color cable of claim 1, further including a central positioning wire with said at least one conductor wound around.

3. The color cable bf claim 1 or 2, wherein said color winding is formed of a plurality of windings with different colors stranded as one.

4. A color cable manufacturing method including the steps of: uniformly winding at least one color winding around at least one conductor body by at least one winding device to form at least one color conductor body; guiding said at least one color conductor body through an extrusion molding device to surround said at least one color conductor body within a transparent plastic covering; wherein each of said at least one color conductor bodies is spaced from all other of *said color conductor bodies in order to maintain insulation therebetween. said conductor body by heating with a heating device.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said winding is coated with an adhesive in a preparatory process for increasing the adhesion between said winding and the conductor body, and between windings, thereby assuring the uniformity of said color winding.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 6, wherein said color winding is formed of a plurality of windings with different colors stranded as one winding prior to being wound around said conductor body.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 6, wherein a plurality of color windings with different colors driven by respective associated winding devices are wound around said conductor body sequentially.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4 6, wherein said color winding is formed of a plurality of threads with different colors. The method according to any one of claims 4 9, wherein said conductor body is formed of a plurality of conductors.

11. A color cable including: at least one conductor body having at least one conductor and at least one color winding uniformly wound around and secured to said conductor body; and a transparent plastic covering formed on said color conducting body by extrusion molding; wherein each of said at least one color conductor bodies is spaced from other of said color conductor bodies in order to maintain insulation therebetween, transmit signal, and allow current to pass, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying diagrams.

12. A color cable manufacturing method including the steps of: uniformly winding at least one color winding around at least one conductor body by at least one winding device to form at least one color conductor body; guiding said at least one color conductor body through an extrusion molding device to surround said at least one color conductor body within a transparent plastic covering wherein each of said at least one color conductor bodies is spaced from all other of said color conductor bodies in order to maintain insulation therebetween, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. DATED: 13 July 2004 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: Cheng-Lang Tsai o oooo* o EDITORIAL NOTE APPLICATION NUMBER 36378/2000 This specification does not contain a page 7.