Air-powered system for routing a pulling cord through a conduit
A system for routing a pulling cord endwise through a cylindrical conduit for purposes of securing the pulling cord to an item desired to be pulled through the conduit with the pulling cord utilizes an elongated carriage including a disc-shaped head and a stem portion to which the pulling cord is securable and which is joined to the disc-shaped head for trailing the head of the elongated carriage through the conduit as the carriage is advanced head-first along the conduit. The stem portion is arranged substantially normal to the rearwardly-directed face of the head, and the disc-shaped head of the carriage is sized to substantially span the inner diameter of the conduit. For purposes of delivering air under pressure into the conduit for the purpose of advancing the carriage therealong, a leaf blower can be utilized.
1 . A system for moving a pulling cord endwise through a cylindrical conduit, the system comprising:
an elongated carriage to which an end of a pulling cord is capable of being attached so that by moving the elongated carriage through a cylindrical conduit, the end of the pulling cord is moved through the conduit with the elongated carriage wherein the elongated carriage includes a disc-shaped head which substantially spans the interior of the cylindrical conduit through which the pulling cord is desired to be moved and an elongated stem portion which is joined to the disc-shaped head for trailing the disc-shaped head of the elongated carriage through the conduit as the elongated carriage is moved through the conduit, the disc-shaped head having a circular and forwardly-directed face and an opposite rearwardly-directed face, wherein the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head has an outer diameter which is within about one-half inches less than the inner diameter of the conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be moved and the elongated stem portion being joined to the disc-shaped head so that the longitudinal axis of the elongated stem portion is arranged substantially normal to the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head, and wherein the elongated carriage is comprised of a relatively hard and inflexible plastic material which prevents the formation of an air seal between the elongated carriage and the inner surface of the conduit; and
means for delivering air, under pressure, into the conduit so that by attaching the pulling cord to the elongated stem portion of the elongated carriage, inserting the elongated carriage head-first into the conduit and then delivering air, under pressure, into the conduit for acting against the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head of the elongated carriage, the elongated carriage, with the pulling cord attached thereto, is moved along the length of the conduit under the influence of the delivered air.
2 . The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the cylindrical conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be moved has an inner diameter, and the length of the elongated carriage as measured rearwardly therealong from the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is at least as great as the inner diameter of the cylindrical conduit.
3 . The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated stem portion of the elongated carriage defines a pulling cord-accepting passageway which extends axially therethrough to facilitate the securement of the pulling cord to the elongated carriage.
4 . The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is bordered by a rearwardly-curved lip portion disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the disc-shaped head.
5 . The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head lies substantially in a plane.
6 . A system for routing a pulling cord endwise through a cylindrical conduit having an inner diameter for purposes of securing the pulling cord to an item desired to be pulled through the cylindrical conduit with the pulling cord, the system comprising:
an elongated carriage capable of being advanced along the length of the cylindrical conduit for carrying the pulling cord along the length of the cylindrical conduit as the elongated carriage is advanced therealong wherein the elongated carriage includes a disc-shaped head having a cross section which is sized to substantially span the interior of the cylindrical conduit through which the pulling cord is desired to be carried and has a circular and forwardly-directed face having an outer diameter which is within about one-half inches less than the inner diameter of the conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be moved, and the elongated carriage further includes an elongated stem portion which is joined to the disc-shaped head for trailing the disc-shaped head of the elongated carriage through the conduit as the elongated carriage is moved through the conduit, the disc-shaped head having a forwardly-directed face and an opposite rearwardly-directed face, and the elongated stem portion being joined to the disc-shaped head so that the elongated stem portion extends rearwardly of and is arranged substantially normal to the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head, and wherein the elongated carriage is comrised of a relatively hard and inflexible plastic material which prevents the formation of an air seal between the elongated carriage and the inner surface of the conduit; and
means for delivering air, under pressure, into the conduit so that by securing the pulling cord to the elongated carriage, inserting the elongated carriage head-first into the conduit and then delivering air, under pressure, against the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head, the elongated carriage is moved along the length of the conduit with the pulling cord.
7 . The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the length of the elongated carriage as measured rearwardly therealong from the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is at least as great as the inner diameter of the cylindrical conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be moved.
8 . The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the elongated stem portion of the elongated carriage defines a pulling cord-accepting passageway which extends axially along the elongated stem portion to facilitate the securement of the pulling cord to the elongated carriage by directing the pulling cord axially through the pulling cord-accepting passageway.
9 . The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is bordered by a rearwardly-curved lip portion disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the disc-shaped head.
10 . The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head lies substantially in a plane.
11 . The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the elongated stem portion has a trailing end which follows the rearwardly-directed of the disc-shaped head of the elongated carriage as the elongated carriage is moved through the conduit, and the end of the pulling cord is securable to the carriage so that as the elongated carriage is moved through the elongated conduit, the pulling cord trails along behind the trailing end of the elongated stem portion.
12 . A system for routing a pulling cord endwise through a cylindrical conduit having an inner diameter for purposes of securing the pulling cord to an item desired to be pulled through the conduit with the pulling cord, the system comprising:
an elongated carriage capable of being advanced along the length of the cylindrical conduit and for carrying the pulling cord as the elongated carriage is advanced along the length of the cylindrical conduit wherein the elongated carriage includes a disc-shaped head having a cross section which is sized to substantially span the interior of the cylindrical conduit through which the pulling cord is desired to be carried and an elongated stem portion which is joined to the disc-shaped head for trailing the disc-shaped head of the elongated carriage through the conduit as the elongated carriage is advanced through the conduit, the disc-shaped head having a circular and forwardly-directed face and an opposite circular and rearwardly-directed face, wherein the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head has an outer diameter which is within about one-half inches less than the inner diameter of the conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be advanced and wherein the elongated stem portion is joined to the disc-shaped head at about the center of the rearwardly-face thereof so that the elongated stem portion is arranged substantially normal to and extends rearwardly of the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head, and wherein the elongated carriage is comrised of a relatively hard and inflexible plastic material which prevents the formation of an air seal between the elongated carriage and the inner surface of the conduit and is devoid of a conduit-engaging skirt portion for extending along the inner surface of the conduit, and
means for delivering air, under pressure, into the conduit so that by securing the pulling cord to the elongated stem portion of the elongated carriage, inserting the elongated carriage head-first into the conduit and then delivering air, under pressure, into the conduit so that the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is exposed to the delivered air, the elongated carriage is advanced along the length of the conduit with the pulling cord.
13 . The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the elongated carriage has an overall length as measured rearwardly therealong from the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head which is at least as great as the inner diameter of the cylindrical conduit through which the elongated carriage is desired to be advanced to reduce the likelihood that the elongated carriage will tumble stem portion-over-disc-shaped head portion as the carriage is advanced along the conduit.
14 . The system as defined in claim 13 wherein the forwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head lies substantially in a plane.
15 . The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the elongated stem portion of the elongated carriage defines a pulling cord-accepting opening which extends lengthwise through the elongated carriage to facilitate the securement of the pulling cord to the elongated carriage.
16 . The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the rearwardly-directed face of the disc-shaped head is bordered by a rearwardly-curved lip portion disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the disc-shaped head.
17 . The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the means for delivering air is a leaf blower.