42 results about "Fish tape" patented technology

Taught is a powered fish tape having an integrated electric rewinding mechanism that winds a tape onto a rotating reel using an electric motor. A cross-member is mounted to the rotating reel. A flexible shaft and a mechanical clutch couple the cross-member to the electric motor. The powered fish tape is beneficially powered by a rechargeable battery.

A means for encasing a connection zone formed by joining an end of a fish tape to an object, e.g., a cable or wire, to be fished through an opening and / or conduit. The encasing means preferably is a protective guide being a hollow tube generally cone or funnel shaped for encasing the connection zone. By encasing the connection zone, the protective guide creates a smooth transition from the relatively small fish tape wire to the relatively large object being fished. The protective guide reduces the likelihood of the connection zone getting snagged on an opening or conduit through which a wire or cable is to be fished. The protective guide can have one or more lateral slits through its outer surface and extending from a second larger end toward a first smaller end for decreasing the outside diameter of the protective guide upon the exertion of pressure against the protective guide. The lateral slits allow the protective guide to adapt to external inward pressure applied, for example, by the walls of a narrow cavity or opening.

A winder insert for a fish tape reel fits into a center opening of the fish tape reel and engages an inner periphery of the reel. The insert has an attachment member, which can be a multi-sided socket for example, that is engaged by a removable handle or lever member to rotate the insert and in turn the reel with respect to a reel handle grasped by the user so as to wind and / or unwind fish tape in the reel. In one preferred form, a roller clutch is pressed into a center opening of the insert about a drive shaft that is rotated by the handle. The handle and shaft can be rotated in one direction to engage the clutch and thereby rotate the reel. Rotating the winder handle in the opposite direction overruns the clutch so that the handle can ratchet back to the original position without unwinding the reel. The winder insert removably snaps onto the reel.

A fish tape assembly has a flat tape made of a hybrid composite of electrically non-conductive materials, preferably a fiberglass core surrounded by a nylon jacket. The flat tape has a rectilinear lateral cross-section with its width dimension being greater than its thickness. A non-conductive feed piece is bonded to the leading end of the fish tape. The feed piece has a wedged leading end. A non-conductive anchor piece is bonded to the trailing end of the fish tape to attach the fish tape to a reel assembly. The anchor piece is angled to mount the fish tape in a generally tangential direction relative to the reel.

A fish tape reel has an ergonomic center handle disposed across the center opening of an annular, high-drop strength housing that defines a cavity containing a fish tape cassette. The interior of the cavity can have rib-like friction reducers against which the fish tape slides. Flat metal fish tape is wound around a hub of the cassette with one end secured to the cassette and the opposite end fed through an exit aperture of the housing. The cassette is rotatably mounted in the housing cavity by a retaining ring sonically welded to the housing. A handle mounted to the cassette facilitates rotating the cassette relative to the housing for winding and unwinding the fish tape. The ergonomic handle is positioned generally along a vertically center line of the housing in position for grasping with a straight wrist when winding and unwinding the fish tape.

The fish tape includes a measuring scale. The tape is scaled from zero to a number equal to the length of the tape. The numbers incrementally increase from the tapes proximal end to the tapes distal end.

A fish tape leader and coupling are disclosed wherein the coupling attaches to a fish tape using an adaptor that fits within the coupling and has a slot through which the fish tape can be inserted. Twisting the fish tape deforms the tape so that the tape cannot be pulled back through the adaptor and coupling.

A fish tape reel has an ergonomic pistol grip and ergonomic hand grips at an inner periphery of a hollow housing. Fish tape is wound into the housing cavity by rotating the housing with respect to the pistol grip. This can be done manually by grasping the interior handle(s) or using a ratcheted winder that fits into the housing opening and has a lever handle for ratcheting the housing. The reel is held with the housing beneath the pistol grip which has a retainer shoe slidably sandwiched between halves of the housing. The pistol grip is positioned behind a vertical center line of the reel so that the weight of the reel is balanced in a neutral position in which the pistol grip can be grasped with the user's wrist being essentially straight and horizontal. A method of assembling the reel is also disclosed in which the fish tape is attached and wound after the housing is assembled.

A fish tape assembly has a flat tape made of a hybrid composite of electrically non-conductive materials, preferably a fiberglass core surrounded by a nylon jacket. The flat tape has a rectilinear lateral cross-section with its width dimension being greater than its thickness. A non-conductive feed piece is bonded to the leading end of the fish tape. The feed piece has a wedged leading end. A non-conductive anchor piece is bonded to the trailing end of the fish tape to attach the fish tape to a reel assembly. The anchor piece is angled to mount the fish tape in a generally tangential direction relative to the reel.

It is provided an electrically powered fish tape manipulating device. The device includes a control unit, a power source and a two-way belt system rotatable in accordance with the provided power. A segment of the fish tape is disposed forcibly on the belt such that rotating the belt system forces the fish tape to propagate accordingly. The device includes a rotatable reel assembly for receiving a length of a fish tape. Manipulation parameters include direction and speed of belt rotation, and a serial list of manipulations, defined by direction, speed and duration values. A motor receives the provided power, a gear reduces rotation speed, and drives the two-way rotating belt system. A sliding clutch having a sliding surface forces the fish tape segment to propagate whenever the belt rotates. The control unit is associated with a wireless remote controller. A conduit coupler receives the fish tape and guides it into a conduit. The coupler includes a guiding pipe for guiding the fish tape between the device and the conduit, a fastening member, and means for pressing portions of the fastening member to walls of a structure associated with the conduit, thereby connecting the guiding pipe to the conduit.

The fish tape includes a measuring scale. The tape is scaled from zero to a number equal to the length of the tape. The numbers incrementally increase from the tapes proximal end to the tapes distal end.

A steel fish tape that is functional and time- and money-saving. The original wide, flat form of the fish tape allows for imprinted measurements, thereby enabling the measurement imprints to start at one (1) inch and reach up to the length of the fish tape including every inch in between each foot.

A side reel adaptor for a fish tape reel allows the fish tape reel to be spun with a drill. In one embodiment, the side reel adapter includes an attachment plate and a central bit. The attachment plate includes a plurality of holes that are aligned with the screw holes of one or more fish tape reels so that the attachment plate can be attached to the side of the one or more fish tape reels using the screws of the one or more fish tape reels. The central bit is connected to the center of the attachment plate so that the central bit is perpendicular to the attachment plate. The central bit is adapted to accept a drill chuck so that a drill can spin attachment plate about the axis of the central bit and, in turn, spin the fish tape reel attached to the attachment plate.

A fish tape pliers is formed with opposed planar and curvilinear edges that form or channel disposed distally from the pliers' pivot connection axis. In one operable embodiment, the edges frictionally engage the fish tape within the channel. The fish tape in pulling an electrical wire through a conduit, is directed away from the handles and the users' grip hand. The jaws may have differently contoured or cross-ridged surfaces to provide the desired frictional engagement without damaging the fish tape. The fish tape pliers includes diverse complementary features for crimping, stripping, bending and / or cutting an electrical wire.

A fish tape feed mechanism that is electrically powered and which feeds a fish tape into as well out of a section of electrical conduit. The fish tape feed mechanism includes a housing, an electrically powered motor drive assembly, a fish tape drive assembly, and a drive mechanism mechanically linked between the electrically powered motor drive assembly and the non-electrically conductive drive wheel of the fish tape drive assembly.

A fish tape reel has an ergonomic pistol grip and ergonomic hand grips at an inner periphery of a hollow housing. Fish tape is wound into the housing cavity by rotating the housing with respect to the pistol grip. This can be done manually by grasping the interior handle(s) or using a ratcheted winder that fits into the housing opening and has a lever handle for ratcheting the housing. The reel is held with the housing beneath the pistol grip which has a retainer shoe slidably sandwiched between halves of the housing. The pistol grip is positioned behind a vertical center line of the reel so that the weight of the reel is balanced in a neutral position in which the pistol grip can be grasped with the user's wrist being essentially straight and horizontal. A method of assembling the reel is also disclosed in which the fish tape is attached and wound after the housing is assembled.

A device to automate or semiautomate a fish tape is provided that can include an attachable handle with battery operated motor, rollers, gears and controls that can be integrated into its own or existing fish tape spools. Another embodiment provides a left and right plate and an assembly about a member to be driven by a crank or other automated means to mobilize a fish tape which over comes the limitations of existing manual and automatic fish tapes making it safer, more efficient and easier for an operator to pull wire.

A winder insert for a fish tape reel fits into a center opening of the fish tape reel and engages an inner periphery of the reel. The insert has an attachment member, which can be a multi-sided socket for example, that is engaged by a removable handle or lever member to rotate the insert and in turn the reel with respect to a reel handle grasped by the user so as to wind and / or unwind fish tape in the reel. In one preferred form, a roller clutch is pressed into a center opening of the insert about a drive shaft that is rotated by the handle. The handle and shaft can be rotated in one direction to engage the clutch and thereby rotate the reel. Rotating the winder handle in the opposite direction overruns the clutch so that the handle can ratchet back to the original position without unwinding the reel. The winder insert removably snaps onto the reel.

A winder assembly includes a lever member that drives a hub attached to the reel of a fish tape reel assembly to wind or unwind fish tape within the reel. The lever member can be a ratchet with a handle at one end and a rotatable drive lug at the other end that engages a socket in the hub. The hub has spokes with ends that removably engage the reel so that torque from the lever member is transferred to rotate the reel with respect to its handle. The spokes can have hooks received in openings in the reel to apply torque to the reel.

A fish tape assembly has a handle slidably mounted on a case formed by a pair of case halves. The periphery of the case has a gap formed therein. The handle has an exterior grip and shoe with a web extending from the shoe through the gap in the case to an interior belt. The belt is continuous around the full circumference of the case to provide increased strength and a shield that precludes a fish tape inside the case from inadvertently popping out through the gap. The handle has a passageway for the tape. The passageway includes a pair of laterally disposed posts that prevent the tape from popping out of the passageway.

The invention relates to a fishing rod fitting, especially to a magnetic signal alarming device for fishing. The magnetic signal alarming device comprises a hollow sliding way 1, magnetic resistors 2, an annular sliding block 3, a permanent magnet 4, a baffle plate 5, and a printed circuit board 6. When the annular sliding block makes falling body motion, the magnetic resistors are cut by a magnetic coil during the falling process and thus the resistances of the magnetic resistors are influenced, so that the currents of the magnetic resistors change correspondingly. When the number of the resistors influenced by the annular sliding block reaches the preset number, alarming is triggered. According to the invention, the structure is simple and the novel alarming way is provided. After a fish bites a hook and wants to flee, alarming can be carried out when the fish tape is loosened and downward chamber movement occurs.

The invention provides a bonding method for a support pad of a large-aperture reflecting mirror, relates to the field of large-aperture reflecting mirrors and solves the problems that the reflecting mirror cannot be correctly placed once, the position of the reflecting mirror cannot be adjusted and glue thickness is uncontrollable with a conventional bonding way. According to the method, the position of the support pad is determined by a laser tracker, a fish tape is inserted between the support pad and the reflecting mirror to determine the thickness of a glue layer, glue mixed by a glue gun is smeared uniformly to the support pad, then the position of the support pad is adjusted by a positioning tool until requirements are met, the support pad is left to stand for a week, the positioning tool is removed after glue curing, and bonding of the support pad is completed. The position precision of the support pad is adjustable and controllable, the thickness of the glue layer is controllable, the bonding is firm, the position precision and the bonding strength both meet use requirements, and the method can be applied to bonding and fixing of the support pads on the back and side surface of any large-aperture reflecting mirror.

An apparatus that attaches to the end of the electrical fish tape to eliminate or reduce drag and friction while the fish tape is pushed through bends in electrical pipe with a roller attached to the end of an electrical fish tape or snake to drastically reduce friction and drag when the fish tape or snake is being pushed through bends in electrical pipe. The roller is designed to rotate when coming into contact with the inner pipe wall at any position. Inner bearing further magnifies roll, takes advantage of the flat side of the fish tape to position the roller going into and through the bend for optimum roll.

A fish tape pliers is formed with opposed planar and curvilinear edges that form or channel disposed distally from the pliers' pivot connection axis. In one operable embodiment, the edges frictionally engage the fish tape within the channel. The fish tape in pulling an electrical wire through a conduit, is directed away from the handles and the users' grip hand. The jaws may have differently contoured or cross-ridged surfaces to provide the desired frictional engagement without damaging the fish tape. The fish tape pliers includes diverse complementary features for crimping, stripping, bending and / or cutting an electrical wire.