Pop-up cable electronic marker
First Claim
1. A marker fixture comprising:
- an elongate extension member;
an electronic marker attached to a first end of said extension member; and
means for securing a second end of said extension member to a utility structure, wherein said extension member is movable between a retracted position and an extended position, said electronic marker being adjacent the utility structure when said extension member is in the retracted position, and said electronic marker being distant from the utility structure when said extension member is in the extended position and said extension member is biased toward the extended position, further comprising a tie wrap releasably securing the first end of said extension member proximate the utility structure.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A marker fixture for attachment to a utility conduit such as a telecommunications cable. The fixture has an extension member with an electronic marker at one end, and is secured at the other end to the cable. The extension member is movable between a retracted position wherein the marker is adjacent an access point and an extended position wherein the marker is distant from the access point. The extension member is preferably biased toward the extended position and releasably secured at the marker end proximate the utility structure. The marker fixtures may be pre-installed on a utility infrastructure. The extension member is loosely secured so that the fixture may be moved around the cable after it has been installed in a trench to lie atop the access point. The low profile and conforming shape of the fixture make it particularly advantageous for pre-installation on flexible cables wound on large reels.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A marker fixture comprising:
-
an elongate extension member; an electronic marker attached to a first end of said extension member; and means for securing a second end of said extension member to a utility structure, wherein said extension member is movable between a retracted position and an extended position, said electronic marker being adjacent the utility structure when said extension member is in the retracted position, and said electronic marker being distant from the utility structure when said extension member is in the extended position and said extension member is biased toward the extended position, further comprising a tie wrap releasably securing the first end of said extension member proximate the utility structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A method of deploying an electronic marker used in relocation of a buried utility structure, comprising:
-
securing a first end of an elongate extension member to the utility structure; releasably securing a second end of the extension member adjacent the utility structure in a retracted position, wherein the electronic marker is attached to the second end of the extension member and the extension member is biased toward an extended position in which the electronic marker is distant from the utility structure; placing the utility structure with the extension member in the retracted position into a trench; after said placing, releasing the second end of the extension member such that the extension member moves to the extended position closer to a ground level of the trench; and
burying said utility structure. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A utility infrastructure comprising:
-
a utility conduit; a plurality of access points along a length of the utility conduit; and a plurality of marker fixtures attached to said utility conduit at said access points, the marker fixtures each having an elongate extension member secured at a first end to the utility conduit and an electronic marker affixed to a second end of said extension member, said extension member being movable between a retracted position wherein said electronic marker is adjacent an access point and an extended position wherein said electronic marker is distant from said access point and said extension members are biased toward the extended position and further comprising tie wraps which releasably secure the second ends of the extension members to the utility conduit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of pre-installing a utility infrastructure, comprising:
-
forming a plurality of access points along a utility conduit; and attaching a plurality of marker fixtures each to the utility conduit at the access points, the marker fixtures having an elongate extension member secured at a first end to the utility conduit and an electronic marker affixed to a second end of the extension member, the extension member being movable between a retracted position wherein the electronic marker is adjacent an access point and an extended position wherein the electronic marker is distant from the access point and the extension members are biased toward the extended position and are releasably secured in the retracted position by tie wraps. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification