Patent Publication Number: US-2023147876-A1

Title: Fence Post Sleeve Assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to sleeve devices and more particularly pertains to a new sleeve device for facilitating a fence post to easily be removed or replaced. The device includes a sleeve that is defined by a first half attached to a second half. The sleeve is insertable into a post hole and a fence post is insertable into the sleeve. In this way the fence post can be easily removed or replaced. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to sleeve devices including a pair of brackets that are positionable around a fence post. The prior art discloses a rectangular sleeve that is insertable into a post hole for insertably receiving a fence post. The prior art discloses a variety of sleeves that are positionable around a buried portion of a fence post for protecting the fence post against moisture. The prior art discloses a post sleeve which is constructed of reinforced concrete and which includes drainage channels integrated into the post sleeve for draining moisture around a fence post that is inserted into the post sleeve. The prior art discloses a post sleeve which has a corrugated interior surface for engaging a fence post to retain the fence post in the post sleeve. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a post guide which includes a first half that is coupled to a second half. The post guide defines a sleeve to insertably receive a fence post. Furthermore, the post guide is comprised of a rigid material thereby facilitating the post guide to be buried in a post hole without collapsing. In this way the fence post can be inserted or removed from the post hole. A base is attached to the post guide to inhibit the fence post from passing through the sleeve defined by the first half and the second half. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a fence post sleeve assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a cut-away perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a right side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is a below ground in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    is a detail view taken from circle  8  of  FIG.  2    of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS.  1  through  8    thereof, a new sleeve device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS.  1  through  8   , the fence post sleeve assembly  10  generally comprises a post guide  12  which comprises a first half  14  being coupled to a second half  16  such that the post guide  12  defines a sleeve  18  for insertably receiving a fence post  20 . The post guide  12  is comprised of a rigid material thereby facilitating the post guide  12  to be buried in a post hole  22  without collapsing. In this way the fence post  20  can be inserted or removed from the post hole  22  without requiring the fence post  20  to be permanently fixed in the post hole  22 . Thus, the fence post  20  can be easily replaced in the event that the fence post  20  is damaged. 
     Each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has an upper end  24 , a lower end  26  and an outer wall  28  extending between the upper end  24  and the lower end  26 . Each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  is elongated between the upper end  24  and the lower end  26 . Additionally, the outer wall  28  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a first lateral edge  30  and a second lateral edge  32 . The outer wall  28  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a first bend  34  extending between the upper end  24  and the lower end  26  to define a first portion  36  forming an angle with a second portion  38 , and the first bend  34  is centrally positioned between the first lateral edge  30  and the second lateral edge  32 . The outer wall  28  corresponding to the first portion  36  has a second bend  40  extending between the upper end  24  and the lower end  26  to define a lip portion  42  of the outer wall  28 , and the second bend  40  is spaced from the first lateral edge  30 . Moreover, the lip portion  42  is folded over onto itself having the first lateral edge  30  being aligned with the second bend  40  to define a channel  44  in the lip portion  42  which extends between the upper end  24  and the lower end  26 . 
     The channel  44  in the lip portion  42  associated with the first half  14  insertably receives the second lateral edge  32  of the second half  16 . Additionally, the channel  44  in the lip portion  42  associated with the second half  16  insertably receives the second lateral edge  32  of the first half  14 . In this way the sleeve  18  defined by each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a rectangular shape. The outer wall  28  of the first portion  36  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  is folded over onto itself along a line positioned adjacent to the upper end  24  such that the upper end  24  associated with the first half  14  is directed downwardly along the outer wall  28 . Additionally, the outer wall  28  of the second portion  38  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  is folded over onto itself along a line positioned adjacent to the upper end  24  such that the upper end  24  associated with the second half  16  is directed downwardly along the outer wall  28 . 
     The outer wall  28  associated with the second portion  38  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a hole  46  extending through the outer wall  28 . The hole  46  can receive a fastener  48  to engage the fence post  20  for retaining the fence post  20  in the sleeve  18  defined by the first half  14  and the second half  16 . Additionally, the hole  46  is positioned adjacent to the upper end  24 . The fastener  48  may be a screw or other type of penetrating fastener which can engage the fence post  20 . 
     The outer wall  28  of the first portion  36  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a third bend  50  that is positioned adjacent to the lower end  26  to define a first flange  52 . The outer wall  28  of the second portion  38  of each of the first half  14  and the second half  16  has a fourth bend  54  that is positioned adjacent to the lower end  26  to define a second flange  56 . A base  58  is attached to the post guide  12  to inhibit the fence post  20  from passing through the sleeve  18  defined by the first half  14  and the second half  16 . The base  58  has an upper surface  60  and a lower surface  62 , and each of the first flange  52  and the second flange  56  lies on the upper surface  60  of the base  58 . Furthermore, each of the first flange  52  and the second flange  56  is bonded to the upper surface  60 . The base  58  has a plurality of holes  64  each extending through the upper surface  60  and the lower surface  62 . 
     In an alternative embodiment  66  as is most clearly shown in  FIG.  5   , the post guide  12  has a top end  68 , a bottom end  70  and a perimeter edge  72  extending between the top end  68  and the bottom end  70 , and the perimeter edge  72  has a first side  74  and a second side  76 . The post guide  12  is rolled onto itself such that the first side  74  overlaps the second side  76  thereby facilitating the post guide  12  to define a cylinder to insertably receive a round fence post  78 . 
     In use, a post hole  22  is excavated to a desired depth and a brick  80 , or other resilient object, is placed in the bottom  82  of the post hole  22 . The post guide  12  is lowered into the post hole  22  such that the base  58  rests on the brick  80  in the bottom  82  of the post hole  22 . The post hole  22  is filled with concrete, dirt or other type of fill to surround the post guide  12  and retain the post guide  12  in the post hole  22 . Additionally, the post hole  22  is excavated to a depth that facilitates the post guide  12  to extend upwardly out of the post hole  22  a distance of at least 6.0 inches. In this way the fence post  20  can be lowered into the post guide  12  in order to vertically orient the fence post  20  to construct a fence. Furthermore, the fence post  20  can be removed from the post guide  12  at any time to service or replace the fence post  20 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.