Barbed Tape and Apparatus for Deploying a Barbed Tape

Abstract

Some embodiments are directed to a barbed tape formed from a planar strip of flexible material and including a plurality of barbs disposed therealong, the barbs being sufficiently resilient so as to impede, by entanglement with or otherwise, the passage of an object therepast. In some aspects, the tape incorporates a crease in a central portion thereof, which acts to provide stiffness to the tape. In other aspects, the tape incorporates a fold such that the barbs overlie a central portion of the tape. Apparatus for shaping and deploying barbed tape are also disclosed.

1 . A barbed tape formed from a planar strip of flexible material and comprising a plurality of barbs disposed therealong, said barbs being sufficiently resilient so as to impede, by entanglement with or otherwise, the passage of an object therepast, the tape comprising:
 a central portion having first and second side edges and a longitudinal axis;   a plurality of barbs disposed at spaced locations along at least one of said side edges, each of said barbs comprising at least one spike;   
       wherein the central portion incorporates at least one crease therein, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         2 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1  which is a micro-barbed tape. 
     
     
         3 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one spike or said pair of spikes project from a connecting portion which extends laterally from said at least one side edge. 
     
     
         6 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1 , wherein the material is a metal or a plastics material. 
     
     
         9 . A barbed tape according to  claim 8 , wherein the material is stainless steel having a thickness of approximately 250-500 microns. 
     
     
         10 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1 , wherein the tape comprises a coating which includes at least one of ultra-violet reflective matter and infra-red reflective matter. 
     
     
         11 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1 , wherein the central portion comprises sprocket holes arranged to receive a driving/securing member. 
     
     
         12 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1  wherein the tape has a U-shaped, V-shaped or a W-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         13 . A barbed tape according to  claim 1  wherein the barbs are arranged to extend past one another and to mutually interfere to resist the crease being opened up. 
     
     
         14 . A barbed tape formed from a planar strip of flexible material and comprising a plurality of barbs disposed therealong, said barbs being sufficiently resilient so as to impede, by entanglement with or otherwise, the passage of an object therepast, the tape comprising;
 a central portion having first and second parallel side edges and a longitudinal axis;   a plurality of barbs disposed at spaced locations along at least one of said side edges, each of said barbs comprising at least one spike;   wherein the central portion incorporates at least one fold therein, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, such that the barbs overlie the central portion.   
     
     
         15 . A barbed tape according to  claim 14  in which the barbs lie substantially parallel to the central portion and do not protrude beyond the central portion 
     
     
         16 . A barbed tape according to  claim 14  which is arranged to be unfolded and formed with a crease. 
     
     
         17 . A barbed tape according to  claim 14  in which at least one fold line forms at least one crease line. 
     
     
         18 . An apparatus for dispensing barbed tape according to  claim 1 ; the apparatus comprising;
 punching means for punching out the profile of the barbed tape from a strip of un-profiled tape;   feeding means for feeding the un-profiled tape past the punching means, and   profiling means, disposed downstream of said punching means in a tape feed direction, for profiling the tape by introducing at least one crease substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tape.   
     
     
         19 . An apparatus according to  claim 18  comprising tape twisting means, for twisting the barbed tape dispensed by the apparatus into a spiral. 
     
     
         20 . A handheld device comprising the tape dispensing apparatus of  claim 18 , the device further comprising control means and trigger means wherein the control means is operable to control the tape dispensing apparatus to dispense barbed tape in response to a user activating the trigger means. 
     
     
         21 . A device according to  claim 20 , wherein the tape dispensing apparatus comprises cutting means for cutting off a length of dispensed tape. 
     
     
         22 . A device according to  claim 21 , the control means being operable to activate the cutting means in response to the trigger means moving from an activated state to a non-activated state. 
     
     
         23 . A device according to  claim 20 , wherein the control means is operable to control the punching means and the feeding means to vary the rate at which barbed tape is dispensed in dependence on a degree of activation of the trigger means. 
     
     
         24 . Apparatus for dispensing barbed tape comprising a handheld device according to  claim 18 , a container for storing a supply of un-profiled tape and a conduit between the container and the handheld device allowing the passage of tape therealong. 
     
     
         25 - 29 . (canceled)