PROTECTIVE COVER FOR A POST

Description

BACKGROUND

A post extending from the ground or other surface often presents safety risks to individuals because of the risks that individuals encountering the posts unintentionally make hard contact with the exposed end of the post. Such potentially dangerous posts may be in the form of metal fence posts, metal rods, bollards, sign posts, tent spikes, farm post, re-bars or any other elongated metal or non-metal structure protruding from the ground or from any structure. They may exist at locations for many different reasons and may serve a useful function as part of an existing meaningful structure or part of or the result of an obsolete structure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a protective cover for an end of a post. The protective cover includes a base having a wall defining a bore configured to receive the end of the post, a top integral with the base configured to engage the end of the post when the end of the post is within the bore, and a plate disposed within the top for providing rigidity to the top.

The base may comprise a first material and the top comprises a second material, the first material being more flexible than the second material. One or both of the first material and the second material may be a plastic, such as any type of silicone. The first plastic may be more flexible than the second plastic. For example, the first material may be a first silicone having a hardness in the range of 44°-55° Shore A and the second material may be a second silicone having a hardness in the range of 25°-35° Shore A. The plate may be constructed of aluminum or other metal or hard material. The plate may be disk shaped. The top may include a top surface, an outer rim and a flange surrounding the top surface and interconnecting the top surface and the rim, the flange extending outwardly at an angle from the top surface. The top may include a plurality of grommets interconnecting the base and the top. The base and top may be molded together and the plate is molded within the top so that the protective cover is a single integral structure.

Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The concepts described herein are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figures. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Where considered appropriate, reference labels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a protective cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure secured to a post;

FIG. 2. is a bottom perspective of the protective cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the protective cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective of the plate of the protective cover of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.

References in the specification to an “embodiment” indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such term is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

FIGS. 1-5 disclose a protective cover 10 for an end of a post 12 in accordance with an illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure. The protective cover 10 includes a top 14, a base 16 and a plate 18 molded into or otherwise disposed within the top 14. The illustrated top 14 has a generally circular cross section and includes a top surface 22, a rim 24, a bottom surface 26, an upper angled flange 28 extending from the top surface to the rim 24, a lower angled flange 30 extending from the rim, and a plurality of grommets 32 extending radially from the top 14 to the base 16. The upper and lower angled flanges 28 and 30 provide structural benefits. Additionally, having upper and lower angled flanges 28 and 30 instead of hard corners provides safety benefits because hard corners increase risks of injury in the event of impact. The top surface 22, rim 24, upper and lower angled flanges 28 and 30 and grommets 32 define a plurality of bores 34 surrounding a proximal end of the base 16. The illustrated top 14 defines a pin hole 36 that receives a mold pin during the molding process to secure the plate 18 in position during the molding process.

The base 16 of the protective cover 10 is a tubular structure that extends from the bottom surface 26 of the top 14 and includes a wall 40 having a circular cross section that defines a bore 42 for receiving the post 12. The wall 40 has a thickness that decreases as it extends distally from the bottom surface 26 and the top 14 to provide additional flexibility and facilitate engagement of the post 12. The top 14 and the base 14 are integral with each other. For example, the top 14 and base 16 may be part of a single mold or may otherwise be secured or joined together in any other suitable manner to form an integral structure.

The top 14 and the base 16 may be constructed of any suitable silicone or any other suitable plastic. The top 14 may be constructed of a material that is less flexible than the base 16 to provide structural and durability benefits during impacts that the protective cover 10 may experience. The base 16 is constructed of a more flexible material to facilitate easy engagement to the post 12 and to facilitate engagement to posts of different sizes and configurations. In accordance with an illustrated embodiment, the top 14 is constructed of a silicone having a hardness in the range of 25°-35° Shore A and the base is constructed of a silicone having a hardness in the range of 44°-55° Shore A. The top 14 or the entire protective cover 10 may be constructed of high visibility orange or yellow silicone or other high visibility color or material to provide additional safety benefits. The top 14 and the base 16 may have any other suitable configuration and may be constructed of any other suitable materials in accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure.

The plate 18 may be in the form of a disk constructed of aluminum or any other suitable metal or hard material. The plate 18 is molded into or otherwise disposed within the top 14. The plate 18 provides structural integrity to the top 14 when the protective cover 10 is engaged with the post. The plate also eliminates or minimizes any deformation of the top 14 when the protective cover 10 is engaged with the post 12, such as, for example, when the protective cover 10 is secured to a post having an unconventional or deformed end. The illustrated plate 18 includes a molding pin hole 44 for receiving a mold pin during the molding process to secure the plate 18 in position during the molding process. The plate 18 may have any other suitable configuration and may be constructed of any other suitable materials in accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure.

The disclosure in accordance with embodiments of the invention provides many benefits. For example, in addition to the benefits described above, the protective cover 10 is easy to install on the pole 12 due to the construction and flexibility of the base 16. The rigidity of the top 14 that results from the higher grade silicone and the plate 18 disposed within the top 14 enables the protective cover 10 to engage the end of the post 12 with minimal, if any, deformation of the protective cover. With this rigidity, the top 14 and the plate 18 are engageable with posts of different sizes and different configurations. The plate 18 also serves to disperse or soften the impact felt by an individual when an impact with the protective cover 10 occurs because the top 14 is able to compress against the plate upon impact. The protective cover 10 is also durable and can sustain impacts and extreme weather conditions. The protective cover 10 adheres firmly to posts of all sizes and configurations to mitigate or eliminate risks of people or animals that come into contact with the post.

As used in the foregoing description, the terms “top”, “base” and “bottom” simply refer to a position or orientation of the illustrated structure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to any specific position or orientation. Additionally, as used in the foregoing description, the term “post” includes metal fence posts, metal rods, bollards, sign posts, tent spikes, farm posts, re-bars or any other elongated metal or non-metal structure protruding from the ground, floor or other structure.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. There exist a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the apparatus, systems, and methods of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described, yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the apparatus, systems, and methods that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure.