AU689540B2 - Ventilation ducting - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For A Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

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Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: ACME GROUP PTY LTD KENNETH JOHN PURNELL

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Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, 239 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "VENTILATION DUCTING" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PM4998 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to ventilation ducting. In particular the invention relates to ventilation ducting which is formed of flexible impervious sheet like material.

One particular application of the invention relates to the provision of ventilation ducting for mines.

In the past ventilation ducting has been formed of flexible sheet material where the ends of the ducting can be readily modified from a male end to a female end or alternatively from a female end to a male end such that lengths of duct ng can be mounted end to end to provide a sealed junction in order that the joined lengths of ducting can be used to convey air along the length. Various of methods have been proposed in the past in forming the male or female ends however, it has been found in the past that many of those methods are time consuming and/or labour intensive which increases the manufacturing costs of the ducting.

It is an object of this invention to provide ventilation ducting in which the ends of the ventilation ducting can be formed with a connecting means which enables a sealed interconnection between the lengths of ducting to be formed and in which 20 the manufacture is less labour intensive than at least some of the previous methods.

Accordingly, the invention resides in a length of flexible ducting comprising a main tubular body and an end connector provided on at least one end of the body, said end connector comprising a tubular element, a hem formed at one end of the tubular element and having coupling means mounted at spaced intervals around the hem, said tubular element being fixed at a location inward from the outer end of the hem to at least one end of the body to enable the coupling ooo...

means to be accessible from the exterior of the main body, the remaining portion of the tubular element beyond the location being capable of occupying an extended position extending outwardly beyond the at least one end to form the male end and also being receivable within the main body to occupy a retracted -3position at which it extends inwardly from the at least one end to form a female end.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the tubular element is accommodated within the body. According to a further preferred feature, the at least one end is received within the hem of the tubular element. In such an arrangement, the remaining portion is accommode'ted within the main body and is capable of being extended from the main body to form the male end.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the tubular element is mounted around the exterior of the at least one end of the body and the location on the tubular element is positioned inward of the coupling means. In such an arrangement, the remaining portion extends beyond the at least one end of the body to form a male end and is capable of being folded into the main body to form a female end.

According to another form, the invention resides in a method of forming a length of ventilation ducting formed of flexible sheet material comprising forming the main body of the tubing from a first length of sheet material by interconnecting opposite sides of the first length, forming a tubular element from a second length of sheet material by interconnecting opposite sides of the second length, forming a hem in one end of the tubular element, fixing the tubular element at a location inward of the outer end of the hem to a position on the main body at or adjacent an end of the main body such that the remaining portion of the tubular element is capable of occupying an extended position extending beyond the end of the main body and a retracted position at which the remaining portion extends inwardly into the main body from the end.

SAccording to a preferred feature of the invention, the method further comprises accommodating the tubular element within the main body prior to interconnecting the tubular element to the main body such that the location is located at or adjacent the one end of the main body and the remaining portion of the tubular -4element extends into the main body. According to a preferred feature, the end may be received within the hem of the tubular element.

According to a further preferred feature, the tubular element is located around the exterior of the main body prior to interconnection of the tubular element to the main body such that the location located at or adjacent the one end and the remaining portion extends upwardly from the one end of the main body.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of two specific embodiments. The description is made with reference of the accompanying drawings of which:

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Figure 1 is a part sectional view of ventilation ducting according to the first embodiment illustrating the junction between two lengths of ducting; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of one side of a length of ducting according to the first embodiment illustrating the mounting of the tubular element to the main body of the tubular element in the retracted position defining a female end; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of one side of the first embodiment shown at Figure 2 with the tubular element in the extended position defining a male end; Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of one side of the end of a length of ventilation ducting according to the second embodiment showing the tubular element in the extended position defining a male end; and Figure 5 is a section elevation of one end of the second embodiment showing the tubular element in the retracted position defining a female end.

Each of the first embodiments are directed to ventilation ducting which can be utilised in mines for the conveying of air to or from the workings with a mine.

The ducting is formed from lengths of ducting connected in end to end relationship where each length of ducting has a connecting means at each end of substantially identical form and whereby the connecting means may be modified from a male end to a female end or alternatively from a female end to a male end for interconnection with the end of another length of ducting of corresponding form.

The first embodiment comprises a main tubular body 11 formed of flexible impervious sheet material. Each end of the body has mounted thereto a connecting means which comprises a tubular element also formed of a flexible impervious sheet material (but not necessarily of the same grade as that of the main body 11). One end of the tubular element 12 is formed with a hem 13 in which a plurality of spaced coupling elements in the form of eyelets 14 are fixed at spaced intervals around the hem. The tubular element 12 is applied to the main body such that the end 15 of the main body is received between each of the layers which form the hem 13. The stitching 16 is then applied through the layers to sew the layers and the end 15 of the main body together such that the o remaining portion 17 of the tubular element 12 lies within the main body 11 of the tubular member. As a result, the remaining portion 17 is located within the main body as shown at Figure 2 to form a female end. If it becomes necessary to form a male end the remaining portion 17 is extracted from within the main body to extend from the main body as shown at Figure 3. The portion of the hem 13 which accommodates the eyelets 14 is free from the main body and of the remaining portion of the tubular element to enable full access to the eyelets 14 such that when the two lengths of tubing are interconnected with a male end S accommodated within a female end, the adjacent coupling elements of the adjacent hems 13 can be laced, wired or otherwise interconnected as required.

In the case of the second embodiment as shown at Figures 4 anr' 5, the tubular element 12 is of a substantially similar form to that of the first embodiment. In the -6- In the case of the second embodiment as shown at Figures 4 and 5, the tubular element 12 is of a substantially similar form to that of the first embodiment. In the case of the second embodiment however, the tubular element 17 is applied to the exterior of the main body 11 such that it surrounds that outer end of the main body. The hem 13 is stitched to the main body 11 at a location on the tubular body inward of the eyelets 14 by stitching 16 at a position on the main body spaced inward from the free end of the main body and such that the portion of the hem accommodating the eyelets 14 remains free of the main body and the remaining portions 17 of the tubular element. The mounting of the 10 tubular element to the main body is such that the remaining portion 17 is located to extend beyond the end 15 of the main body to form a male end. When it becomes necessary to convert the ends of tubes so formed to a female end, the *remaining portion 17 is folded to lie within the main body 11.

Each of the embodiments of the present invention provides an improvement over previous methods of manufacturing flexible ventilation ducting, in that it comprises a two piece construction only and in that the interconnecting means provides the coupling as well as a means for providing interconnection with adjacent lengths of tubing. The construction of ventilation tubing according to both of the embodiments is less labour intensive that of at least some of the previous methods.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprises", or variations such as "comprise" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

Claims (9)

1. A length of flexible ventilation ducting comprising a main tubular body and an end connector provided on at least one end of the main tubular body, the end connector further comprising a tubular element formed as a separate element having a hem formed at one end of the tubular element and having coupling means mounted at spaced intervals in the hem around the one end, the tubular element being fixed to said at least one end of the main tubular body at a location at or adjacent the hem to enable said coupling means to be accessible from the exterior of the main body, a remaining portion of the tubular element 10 beyond the location being capable of occupying an extended position extending outwardly beyond said at least one end to form a male end and also being receivable in the main body to occupy a retracted position at which it extends fl ,ew inwardly from the at least one end to form a female end.

2. A length of flexible ventilation ducting as claimed at claim 1 wherein the 15 remaining portion of the tubular element is accommodated within the main body. -food: C

3. A length of flexible ventilation ducting as claimed at claim 2 wherein the at least one end is receivable within the hem of the tubular element.

4. A length of flexible ventilation ducting as claimed at claim 1 wherein the tubular element is mounted around the exterior of the at least one end of the body and the location on the tubular element is positioned inward of the coupling means whereby the remaining portion extends beyond the at least one end of the body to form a male end. A length of flexible ventilation ducting substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of forming a length of flexible ventilation ducting formed of flexible sheet material comprising forming a body of the ducting from a first length of sheet material by interconnecting opposite sides of the first length, forming a tubular element from a second length of sheet material by interconnecting opposite sides of the second length, forming a hem at one end of the tubular element, fixing the tubular element at an end of the main body at a location at or adjacent the hem such that a remaining portion of the tubular element is capable of occupying an extended position extending beyond the one end of the main body to form a male end and a retracted position at which the remaining portion extends inwardly into the main body from the one end to form a female end.

7. A method as claimed at claim 6 wherein prior to fixing the tubular element to the main body, the tubular element is accommodated within the main body.

8. A method as claimed at claim 7 wherein the end of the main body is received within the hem of the tubular element prior to fixing the tubular element to the main body.

9. A method as claimed at claim 6 wherein, prior to fixing the tubular element to the main body, the tubular element is mounted around the exterior of main body at the end thereof whereby the i'emaining portion extends beyond the end to form a male end. oo •I A method as claimed at any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein a tubular element is fixed to both ends of the main body.

11. A method of manufacturing a length of flexible ventilation ducting ~25 substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying :drawings. Dated this Fourteenth day of October 1997. ACME GROUP PTY LTD Applicant WRAY ASSOCIATES Perth, Western Australia 1Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. I -a~ara -9- ABSTRACT A length of flexible ducting comprising a main tubular body (11) rnd an end connector provided on at least one end (15) of the main body, the end connector comprising a tubular element a hem (13) formed at one end of the tubular element (12) and having coupling means (14) mounted at spaced intervals in the hem around the one end, the tubular element (12) being fixed at a location at or adjacent the hem to said at least one end (15) of the body to enable said coupling means (14) to be accessible from the exterior of the main body the remaining portion (13) of the tubular element (12) beyond the location being capable of occupying an extended position extending outwardly beyond said at least one end (15) to form a male end and also being receivable in the main body to occupy a retracted position at which it extend inwardly from the at least one end to form a female end. *e o 6 o *oo* o *ooof