Post sleeve assembly
OwnerN. Eric Knudseninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A post sleeve provides a substantially permanent base for supporting a post for a fence or sign, and from which one post can be removed and replaced with another post. The sleeve includes a concrete body that is poured on site, using a sleeve core prepositioned in the post hole, and around which wet concrete is poured. After the concrete is cured, the core is removed, leaving a post sleeve cavity configured to receive a post. The core can be rigid, or can include a flexible shell and stiffener. A preformed post sleeve top can be attached to the sleeve core and positioned therewith in the post hole, to become a permanent part of the post sleeve, once the concrete cures. A drain is attached to the core, and remains in the sleeve when the core is removed, and can be a percolation chamber, or passage extending below the sleeve.
Claims21
A reusable fence post sleeve formation device that is removable from a footing material after the footing material is positioned in a fence post hole in the ground to surround the reusable fence post sleeve formation device so as to form a fence post sleeve in the footing material for receiving and supporting a fence post, the reusable fence post sleeve formation device comprising:
- a removable sleeve core shaped to form a fence post receiving cavity of the fence post sleeve when the removable sleeve core is removed from the footing material of the fence post sleeve, the fence post receiving cavity being sized and shaped to insertably receive and support the fence post in an upright manner;
- and
- elements located on and extending in a direction parallel to a longitudinal length of an exterior of the removable sleeve core that are shaped to form longitudinal stand-off ribs including respective planar landings in the footing material of the fence post sleeve which abut all sides of the fence post and support the fence post in the upright manner when the fence post is installed in the fence post receiving cavity.
A reusable fence post sleeve formation device that is removable from a footing material after the footing material is positioned in a fence post hole in the ground to surround the reusable fence post sleeve formation device so as to form a fence post sleeve in the footing material for receiving and supporting a fence post, the reusable fence post sleeve formation device comprising:
- a removable shell made of a flexible elastomeric material, the removable shell including an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end, the removable shell including an internal cavity with an opening at the upper end, and the removable shell including an exterior profile shaped to form a fence post receiving cavity of the fence post sleeve when the removable shell is removed from the footing material of the fence post sleeve, the fence post receiving cavity being sized and shaped to insertably receive and support the fence post in an upright manner, wherein the exterior profile of the removable shell includes elements shaped to form stand-off ribs including respective planar landings of the fence post sleeve, the planar landings of the stand-off ribs defining a cross-sectional profile of the fence post receiving cavity within which to receive the fence post;
- and
- a removable stiffener sized and shaped to fit in the internal cavity of the removable shell and prevent the removable shell from collapsing during formation of the fence post sleeve from pressure applied to the removable shell by the footing material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.