Leak detection tape
First Claim
1. An elongated, flexible tape for use in detecting liquid leaks comprising:
- a) an elongated substrate formed from a flat, flexible, electrically insulating material, said substrate having a length, a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface having an adhesive layer thereon;
b) first and second spaced, parallel flat electrical conductors disposed on said top surface;
andc) liquid responsive visual indicating means on said top surface of said substrate for indicating when liquid comes in contact with said top surface;
whereby, liquid flowing across said first and second conductors can be detected by sensing a reduction in electrical impedance between said first and second conductors and providing an indication with a communication device, and a position along said length where liquid flows across said first and second conductors is indicated by said visual indicating means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An elongated, flexible, flat conductive tape can be applied to any surface to be monitored for water or other liquid leaks, and electrically connected to any suitable type of conventional electrically operated leak detector. A pair of parallel spaced conductors is disposed on one side of the tape that run longitudinally along the length thereof. The conductors are spaced from one another by a small distance to insure that only a small quantity of water or other conductive liquid is necessary to bridge the gap between the conductors, and create an electrical short circuit or substantial impedance reduction between the two. In addition, the conductors are preferably as flat as possible to insure that liquid can freely flow transversely across them without being impeded thereby. Both of these features insure that the detector tape can sense even very small quantities of liquid, thereby generating an early warning of a leak condition before extensive damage results. A liquid responsive visible indication is also provided on the tape to identify the location along the tape where water or other leaking liquid has come in contact therewith, and eliminates the need for using an expensive sensing device to locate the source of a leak.
217 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An elongated, flexible tape for use in detecting liquid leaks comprising:
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a) an elongated substrate formed from a flat, flexible, electrically insulating material, said substrate having a length, a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface having an adhesive layer thereon;
b) first and second spaced, parallel flat electrical conductors disposed on said top surface;
and c) liquid responsive visual indicating means on said top surface of said substrate for indicating when liquid comes in contact with said top surface;
whereby, liquid flowing across said first and second conductors can be detected by sensing a reduction in electrical impedance between said first and second conductors and providing an indication with a communication device, and a position along said length where liquid flows across said first and second conductors is indicated by said visual indicating means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20)
wherein said tape is arranged in a plurality of runs of said tape that are electrically connected in parallel with one another;
whereby, each of said additional runs may be used in combination with said leak detecting device to monitor one or more large areas.
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14. An elongated, flexible tape for use in detecting liquid leaks comprising:
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a) an elongated substrate formed from a flexible, electrically insulating material said substrate having a length, a top surface, a bottom surface and a minimal thickness, said bottom surface having an adhesive layer thereon;
b) first and second parallel flat electrical conductors disposed on said top surface, and spaced apart from one another by a gap of between ¼ and
1.5 inches, each of said conductors having a vertical thickness no greater than 20 mils; and
c) liquid responsive visual indicating means on said top surface of said substrate for indicating when liquid comes in contact with said top surface;
whereby, liquid flowing across said first and second conductors can be detected by sensing a reduction in electrical impedance between said first and second conductors and providing an indication with a communication device, and a position along said length where liquid flows across said first and second conductors is indicated by said visual indicating means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A method for early detection of water and other liquid leaks comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an elongated, flexible tape comprising;
1) an elongated substrate formed from a flexible, electrically insulating material, said substrate having a length, a top surface, a bottom surface and a minimal thickness, said bottom surface having an adhesive layer thereon;
2) first and second spaced, parallel flat electrical conductors disposed on said top surface; and
3) liquid responsive visual indicating means on said top surface of said substrate for indicating when liquid comes in contact with said top surface;
b) applying said tape with said adhesive layer to a surface in an area to be monitored for liquid leaks;
c) electrically connecting an electrically operated leak detecting device to said first and second conductors an said tape;
d) determining when a leaking liquid flows across said first and second conductors by detecting a reduction in electrical impedance between said first and second conductors with said detecting device and providing an indication with a communication device; and
e) locating said detected leak by locating a position along said length of said tape where said liquid responsive visual indicating means has provided a visual indication that liquid has come into contact with said top surface of said tape. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
f) providing additional runs of said elongated flexible tape; and
g) electrically connecting said additional runs in parallel;
whereby, each of said additional runs may be used in combination with said leak detecting device to monitor one or more large areas.
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19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first and second conductors each have a vertical thickness of no greater than 20 mils, and are separated from one another by a gap having a width of between ¼
- and 1.5 inches.
Specification