Pliable sheet and coupling strip

A coupling strip for releasably interconnecting two ends of a pliable sheet to form a substantially rigid cylindrical sleeve assembly, the sheet including a first fluke at one of the ends and a second fluke at the other of the ends, the coupling strip comprising:

• a rigid outer elongated base having a predetermined width,
• a pivot beam having a proximal portion integrally fixed to the base so that the pivot beam extends along the length of the base and a distal portion projecting away from the base, the pivot beam partitioning the base to provide oppositely extending first and second ribs,
• an elongated inner seesaw member integrally fixed to the distal portion of the pivot beam for limited pivotal movement thereon toward and away from the base, the seesaw member including first leg means for cooperating with the first rib to provide first nest means for receiving the first fluke and second leg means for cooperating with the second rib to provide second nest means for receiving the second fluke, the first and second leg means both having a straight proximal portion fixed to the pivot beam and a curved distal portion that extends toward the companion rib and having a tip situated in close proximity to the companion rib so that the proximal portion, the distal portion, and the rib cooperate to define a nesting chamber having a substantially triangular cross section, and
• wherein the seesaw member has a predetermined width extending between outermost portions of the first and second leg means, with the predetermined width of the seesaw member being slightly less than the predetermined width of the base.