This invention relates to a cover, and in particular to a cover for posts used for carrying road signs and the like, or for covering pipework.

Posts are widely used to carry road signs which advise drivers of junctions or potential hazards or give directions. To improve the visibility of such signs, the posts may be painted with contrasting colours such as black and white, or black and amber. To maintain the posts in good condition they have to be painted on a regular basis which can be a slow and tedious progress and is relatively costly in terms of the maintenance time and personnel required. Similarly, pipes and other posts such as fence posts and the like, particularly external posts and pipework which is exposed to the elements also require regular painting to maintain them in good condition.

The present invention is directed towards overcoming this problem.

According to the invention there is provided a cover for an object such as a post or pipe, comprising a number of associated sleeve sections for end to end engagement on said object surrounding said object to form an outer cover for said object. Preferably each sleeve section is a close sliding fit on said object.

in a particularly preferred embodiment the sleeve sections are inter-engageable. Preferably for inter-engagement complementary male and female inter-engageable formations are provided on the sleeve sections.

Conveniently, the inter-engageable formations may comprise a male spigot and a female socket. Each sleeve section

may be provided with a spigot at one end and a complementary socket at its other end. Alternatively, each sleeve section may be provided with either a socket or a spigot at both ends.

Each sleeve section may be of tubular construction. Preferably, each sleeve section has a tubular body with an internal bore for reception of the object, the sleeve body having a first end and a second end, a socket at the first end of the sleeve body co-axial with the bore and having an internal diameter greater than the bore, an annular spigot at the second end of the sleeve body having an inner diameter corresponding to and forming an extension of bore and an outer diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of the socket such that the spigot is a sliding fit in the socket.

In an alternative arrangement, the cover comprises inter- engageable male and female sleeve sections, each sleeve section having a tubular body with an internal bore for reception of the object, the sleeve body having a first end and a second end, each female sleeve section having a socket at each end of the sleeve body co-axial with the bore and having an internal diameter greater than the bore, each male sleeve section having an annular spigot at each end of the sleeve body having an inner diameter corresponding to and forming an extension of the bore, and an outer diameter of the spigot corresponding to the internal diameter of the socket such that the spigot is a sliding fit in the socket.

Conveniently, an annular shoulder is provided at an inner end of the spigot for engagement with an outer rim of the socket.

Alternatively, each sleeve section may comprise two or more parts which inter-engage to fit around the object. Ideally each part is of arcuate section having a connector at each side edge for engagement with an adjacent part. Depending on the width of the arc chosen parts of a single size may be assembled into sleeve sections to cover posts or pipes of different diameter. Ideally the width of each arcuate section is 1.6 inches (40 mm).

The connectors may be complementary male and female inter- engageable formations along each side edge. Preferably the connectors are formed by a male dovetail projection and a coir.plementary female dovetail slot.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the parts inter-engage end to end forming a joint between adjacent parts and means is provided to cover said joint.

Preferably, said cover means is a cover flap projecting outwardly along a side edge of one part for overlying engagement with a complementary side edge of an adjacent part. Ideally, the cover flap is engageable with an associated rebate at the side edge of the adjacent part.

Ideally each sleeve section is of plastics material and may be of any desirable colour.

Sleeve sections in different colours may be provided, for example, black, white or amber. Thus a number of sleeve sections may be conveniently mounted on the object to provide an outer cover for the object in contrasting colours, for example, having alternate black and white sleeve sections.

Preferably a cap is provided for mounting at an end of a cover section to close the cover.

In another aspect the invention provides a sleeve section of the type described above for a cover according to the invention.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which ;

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a sleeve section forming portion of a post cover according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional elevational view showing two interconnected sleeve sections;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevational view showing a cap mounted at an end of a sleeve section;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a road sign on which a post cover according to the invention is mounted;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of part of a sleeve section according to another embodiment of the invention, a number of the parts being interconnected to form a sleeve section;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve part; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional end view showing a number of the parts interconnected to form a sleeve section.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a post cover according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The post cover 1 comprises a number of associated sleeve sections 2 for end to end engagement on a post 3 (shown in broken outline. Fig. 4) to form an outer cover for the post 3. Each sleeve section 2 has a tubular plastics material body having an internal bore 4 which is a close sliding fit on the post 3. An annular spigot 6 projects outwardly at one end of the sleeve section 2. A complementary socket 7 is provided at the other end of the sleeve section 2. A number of the sleeve sections 2 can be joined together end to end with the spigot 6 of one sleeve section inter- engaging with a socket 7 of an adjacent sleeve section 2 as shown in Fig. 2 to securely join the sleeve sections 2 together to form the cover 1. It will be noted that each spigot 6 has an inner diameter corresponding to and forming an extension of the bore 4 and thus when a number of the sleeve sections 2 are joined together, a smooth internal bore of even diameter is formed. An outer diameter of the spigot 6 corresponds to an internal diameter of the socket 7 such that the spigot 6 is a sliding fit in the socket 7. The internal diameter of the socket 7 is greater than the diameter of the bore 4 and an annular land 12 is provided at an inner end of the socket 7 for engagement with an outer free end 13 of a spigot 6. A rim 14 of the socket 7 seats against a shoulder 15 at an inner end of the spigot 6. In some cases, the depth of the spigot 13 may be less than the depth of the socket 7 to ensure snug seating of the rim 14 against the shoulder 15. An external diameter of the socket 7 corresponds t ^r the external diameter of the sleeve section 2 and forms an extension thereof so that when a number of the sleeve sections are joined end to end, a substantially continuous outer surface of even diameter is provided.

As shown in Fig. 4 sleeve sections 2 of contrasting colours, in this case black and white, may be provided. Fig. 3 shows a cap 10 for mounting on the uppermost sleeve section 2 having a socket 11 for reception of a spigot 6 of the sleeve section 2.

In use, a number of the sleeve sections 2 are joined end to end on a post 3 to provide an outer cover for the post 3. It will be appreciated that as the sleeve sections 2 are of plastics material, they will not need to be painted and they will provide weather protection for the post 3. Thus, advantageously, the maintenance required to keep the post 3 in good condition is significantly reduced.

Conveniently, in some cases, each sleeve section may comprise a number of inter-engageable parts which fit around the post. Referring now in particular to Figs. 5 to 7, there is shown a sleeve section 20 of a post cover according to another embodiment of the invention. The sleeve section 20 comprises a number of segments or parts 22, in this case four, which build together to form the sleeve section. Each part 22 is of arcuate section having a male dovetail projection 23 along one side edge and a complementary female dovetail slot 24 extending along its other side edge. Thus a number of the parts 22 can be connected as shown in Fig. 7 with the projection 23 on one part engaging within the slot 24 on the adjacent part 22. It will be noted that a circumferential flap 26 projects outwardly of one side edge of the part 22 to cover the joint between adjacent parts 22, the flap 26 nesting within an associated rebate 27 in an adjacent part 22. The arcuate width of each part 22 is 1.6 inches (40 mm). Thus advantageously this standard sized part can be used for covering pipes of different sizes from a two inch nominal diameter upwards. On assembly of a number of the parts 22 to form the sleeve section 20 formations at each

end of the parts 22 form the annular spigot and complementary socket for interconnection of adjacent sleeve sections 20 as described for the sleeve sections in Figs. 1 to 4.

In use, a number of the parts 22 can be assembled around a post, pipe or the like to form a sleeve section 20 on the post and a number of the sleeve sections 20 are interconnected as previously described to cover the exterior of the post. Advantageously, the post or pipework does not have to be disassembled for fitting the sleeve sections 20 which can be readily easily mounted.on the post or pipework in situ.

It will be appreciated that the covers may be of any suitable colour. Conveniently any posts, pipes, stanchions or the like of round or box section can be readily easily covered as an alternative to painting to give relatively long life, low maintenance protection.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.