US 11,705,711 B2
Support core for an elastic sleeve
Anton F. Jachim, St. Paul, MN (US); Sally M. Grambusch, Round Rock, TX (US); Robert M. Anderton, Cedar Park, TX (US); Mark A. Hoisington, Austin, TX (US); Jeffrey M. Maki, Inver Grove Heights, MN (US); and Christopher J. Evoniuk, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
Appl. No. 17/593,003
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 10, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/052054
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 3, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/208440, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 15, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/893,886, filed on Aug. 30, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/831,422, filed on Apr. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0181863 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. H02G 15/00 (2006.01); H02G 15/18 (2006.01); B29C 63/18 (2006.01)
CPC H02G 15/1826 (2013.01) [B29C 63/18 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A support core configured to maintain an elastic sleeve in a radially expanded state, said support core comprising:
a first cylindrical section disengagably connected to a second cylindrical section,
wherein each cylindrical section of the first and second cylindrical sections comprises an annular sidewall having a plurality of interlocking plates extending longitudinally along a portion of the support core between an abutment end and a distal end, wherein the abutment end has a generally helical edge,
wherein each of the plurality of interlocking plates, comprises a bottom surface, a top surface that is substantially parallel to the bottom surface and two opposing longitudinal edges extending between the bottom surface and the top surface on opposite sides of the interlocking plate wherein each of the two opposing longitudinal edges comprises a joining feature configured to connect to a mating feature of at least one other interlocking plate to form one of the first and second cylindrical section of the support core, and
further comprising two interlocking features extending from the helical edge on opposite sides of each of the first and second cylindrical sections to secure the first and second cylindrical sections together in an end to end arrangement until the interlocking features are disengaged,
wherein the interlocking features of each of the first and second cylindrical sections comprise a tab portion and a receptacle portion configured to receive the tab portion of the mating cylinder section when the first and second cylindrical sections are assembled to form the support core, wherein the tab portion includes a distal portion having a maximum width that is larger than the minimum width of an opening of the receptacle portion in which the tab portion resides when the first and second cylindrical sections are assembled together into the support core and wherein the maximum width of the tab and the minimum width of the receptacle establish a torque required to initiate a separation of the first and second cylindrical sections.