Patent 7254933 was granted and assigned to DeepFlex on August, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A reinforced flexible pipe having a tubular core member and a plurality of reinforcing tape members wrapped on the core member; the innermost tape member includes a plurality of openings that communicate with the external surface of the core member; and a polymer material embedded in the openings in the tape such that the polymer material contacts the core member and the tape to improve the hoop strength and the collapse resistance of the pipe. The polymer layer may also be bonded to the outer reinforcing tape to provide abrasion resistance to the reinforced flexible pipe.