Abstract: A plastic sheath cutting and slitting hand tool for cutting and slitting a cable sheath of a cable includes a generally flat, elongated body; a handle portion adapted to be grasped by the hand; a tool portion extending outwardly from the handle portion and exposing a sheath scoring blade for scoring a plastic sheath to a controlled depth less than a nominal thickness of the sheath; and, a generally flat sheath engaging and slitting edge including a sheath slitter for engaging, spreading and slitting the plastic sheath lengthwise when the handle portion is grasped and drawn along the sheathed body from a cut of the sheath made by the sheath cutting blade.

Abstract: A plastic sheath cutting and slitting hand tool for cutting and slitting a cable sheath of a cable includes a generally flat, elongated body; a handle portion adapted to be grasped by the hand; a tool portion extending outwardly from the handle portion and exposing a sheath scoring blade for scoring a plastic sheath to a controlled depth less than a nominal thickness of the sheath; and, a generally flat sheath engaging and slitting edge including a sheath slitter for engaging, spreading and slitting the plastic sheath lengthwise when the handle portion is grasped and drawn along the sheathed body from a cut of the sheath made by the sheath cutting blade.

Abstract: An electrical cable device such as a heating cable includes a braidless ground return layer surrounding an inner jacket. The ground return layer is formed by a conductive polymer and a ground return wire connected to the conductive polymer. The polymer may be made suitably conductive for ground fault detection by addition of a particulate conductive filler such as carbon black, carbon fibers, or a blend thereof.

Abstract: A thermally insulated substrate, e.g. a system of pipes, is maintained above a selected minimum temperature by means of one or more electrical heaters, preferably elongate self-regulating heaters. Each heater is successively switched on for a heat-up period and then off for a cool-down period. The durations of these periods are successively determined by reference to the ambient air temperature adjacent the substrate at an earlier time, e.g. at the end of the previous cool-down period. The method is particularly useful for temperature-maintenance systems in which a number of heaters are used to heat a complex system of pipes. The durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods for each heater (or for a group of two or more heaters) are separately determined by means of a single microprocessor.

Abstract: An electrode construction comprising a support structure, a conductive electrode material carried by the support structure and having a length and a width and having proximal and distal extremities, said support structure including a compliant sleeve having an open end and surrounding the distal extremity of the conductive electrode material while permitting the conductive electrode material to protrude through the open end, and conductive contact means making contact with the proximal extremity of the conductive electrode material.

Abstract: Electrode construction having a support structure. A conductive material is carried by the support structure. The conductive material has a length which is at least as great as its width.

Abstract: Large surface area electrode for use with a power supply having a more uniform current density distribution for contacting the exposed surface of a living body having a contour. The electrode comprises a layer of flexible conductive material of a predetermined geometrical shape and having first and second surfaces. The layer is normally relatively flat and is capable of assuming contours of the skin of the body when the electrode is placed in contact with the body with the first surface of the layer engaging the exposed surface of the body. The layer of conductive material has a central portion and a surrounding ring portion. The central portion and the surrounding ring portion have outer margins with edges. A flexible carrier layer is provided which is secured to the second surface of the layer of flexible conductive material and serves to support the central portion and the said surrounding portion so that the surrounding portion is spaced from and insulated from the central portion.

Abstract: Electrode adapted to be placed in contact with the skin of a patient for reducing the surface resistivity of the skin of the patient and comprising a member formed of a dry-conductive material and having an outer surface adapted to be placed in contact with the skin of the patient. A composition is disposed on at least a portion of the surface of the member. The composition as is the surface of a plurality of water-containing vesicles.

Abstract: The present invention provides curable gel compositions and also cured gel compositions which possess unexpectedly superior combinations of physical properties and aging resistance. These compositions are particularly useful for environmentally protecting substrates especially electrical conductors, connectors and splices and for sealing around jacketed cables, for example, where they enter splice cases.