IP Verse

Glow Fish Tape System

Patent No. US11713209 (titled "Glow Fish Tape System") was filed by Jpmorgan Chase Bank Na As Administrative Assistant on Nov 26, 2019.

What is this patent about?

’209 is related to the field of fish tapes, specifically those used for pulling electrical wires or fiber optic cables through conduits or enclosed spaces. Traditional fish tapes often employ light-emitting tips to enhance visibility in dark areas. However, these tips may become ineffective once they pass the desired opening, creating a need for improved visibility solutions along the entire length of the tape.

The underlying idea behind ’209 is to integrate a luminescent material directly into the fish tape itself, enabling it to emit light along its entire length after being energized by a light source. This is achieved by using a case that is at least partially transparent, allowing ambient light to reach and energize the luminescent material within the storage compartment, ensuring the tape is ready to glow when deployed in dark spaces.

The claims of ’209 focus on a fish tape system comprising a fish tape with a luminescent material and a case with a storage compartment. The case has at least a transparent portion to allow light to energize the luminescent material. The claims also specify a donut-shaped case with sidewalls and an annular opening, along with a handle that slides around the circumference of the opening to deploy and reload the fish tape.

In practice, the fish tape is constructed with a flexible core coated or embedded with a luminescent substance like strontium aluminate. The case, molded from transparent or partially transparent plastic, houses the coiled tape. Ambient light charges the phosphorescent material , causing the tape to glow when pulled into a dark conduit. A sliding handle facilitates easy deployment and retraction of the tape.

This design differentiates itself from prior art by eliminating the need for separate light-emitting tips. The integrated luminescence provides continuous visibility along the entire tape length, addressing the limitations of traditional fish tapes with only a lit tip. The transparent case ensures the tape is constantly charged and ready for use, offering a more convenient and reliable solution for working in low-light conditions.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’209 was filed, fish tapes were typically implemented using nylon, fiberglass, nylon jacketed fiberglass, or a suitable metal, such as stainless steel or tempered spring steel or multi-stranded steel wire at a time when hardware or software constraints made providing sufficient stiffness to be pushed through a conduit or other enclosed space while being sufficiently flexible to flex around bends or corners in the conduit or other enclosed space non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected in a non-final office action, and the applicant filed arguments in response. The examiner issued a final rejection of all claims. The prosecution record does describe the technical reasoning and specific claim changes that led to the rejection.

Claims

The patent has 18 claims, with independent claims 1, 6, and 14. The independent claims are directed to a fish tape system comprising a fish tape with luminescent material, a case with a storage compartment, and a handle. The dependent claims generally add further details and limitations to the elements recited in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Annular opening
(Claim 1, Claim 6, Claim 14)		“The donut shaped case has a pair of sidewalls extending between a radially innermost wall and a radially outermost wall, the outermost wall having an annular opening extending around a circumference of the outer wall, the sidewalls being spaced from each other to define a fish tape storage compartment that stores the length of fish tape for deployment via the annular opening in the case. The case further includes an annular opening extending around a circumference of one of the inner and outer walls.”An opening extending around a circumference of one of the inner and outer walls of the case, used for deploying and reloading the fish tape.
Donut shaped case
(Claim 1, Claim 6)		“In accordance with one feature of this disclosure, a fish tape system includes a fish tape and a donut shaped case. The fish tape has a length extending from a first end to a second end, and the length of the fish tape includes a luminescent material that emits light after being energized by exposure to a light source. The donut shaped case has a pair of sidewalls extending between a radially innermost wall and a radially outermost wall.”A case with a pair of sidewalls extending between a radially innermost wall and a radially outermost wall.
Fish tape storage compartment
(Claim 1, Claim 6, Claim 14)		“The sidewalls are spaced from each other to define a fish tape storage compartment that stores the length of fish tape for deployment via the annular opening in the case. The case further includes an annular opening extending around a circumference of one of the inner and outer walls. At least a portion of the case is transparent to allow the luminescent material to be energized by light passing through the portion.”A compartment within the case that stores the length of fish tape for deployment.
Luminescent material
(Claim 1, Claim 6, Claim 14)		“The fish tape has a length extending from a first end to a second end, and the length of the fish tape includes a luminescent material that emits light after being energized by exposure to a light source. The donut shaped case has a pair of sidewalls extending between a radially innermost wall and a radially outermost wall. The sidewalls are spaced from each other to define a fish tape storage compartment that stores the length of fish tape for deployment via the annular opening in the case.”A material included in the fish tape that emits light after being energized by exposure to a light source.
Slide within the annular opening
(Claim 1, Claim 6, Claim 14)		“In one feature, the fish tape system further includes a handle engaged with the case for sliding movement along a circumference of one of the inner and outer walls, the handle engageable with the fish tape to deploy the fish tape from the storage compartment and to reload the fish tape into the compartment.”The handle is mounted to slide within the annular opening of the case around the entire circumference to deploy the fish tape from the storage compartment and to reload the fish tape into the compartment.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
1:25-cv-00143Feb 4, 2025Klein Tools, Inc. V. Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation

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US11713209

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NA AS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Application Number
US16696383
Filing Date
Nov 26, 2019
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Sep 28, 2041
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents