Patent Publication Number: US-2007101674-A1

Title: Method of making a post cover and a post cover made in accordance with the method

Description:
This application claims priority from Canadian Application Serial No. 2,527,184 filed Nov. 10, 2005.  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a method of making a post cover and a post cover made in accordance with the teachings of the method.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,845 (Laronde 1999) discloses an invention relating to post covers entitled “Post cover with tongue and groove joint”.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a post cover. A first step involves providing a rigid elongate substrate having a first face, a second face, a first side edge and a second side edge, with parallel “V” grooves positioned lengthwise in the first face and a flexible backing covering the second face. A second step involves placing glue in all but one of the “V” grooves and forming the substrate into a tube, with the flexible backing covering the one “V” groove left unglued serving as a hinge which allows the tube to open and close lengthwise around a post.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a post cover which includes a tubular body formed out of a rigid elongate substrate having an interior face, an exterior face, a first side edge and a second side edge. The exterior face is substantially covered by a flexible substrate. The interior face has a plurality of parallel “V” grooves positioned lengthwise, all but one of the “V” grooves being glued. The flexible backing covering the one “V” groove left unglued serves as a hinge which allows the tube to open and close lengthwise around a post.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a post cover constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an end elevation view of the post cover illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in an open position.  
       FIG. 3  is an end elevation view of the post cover illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in a closed position around a post.  
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a rigid substrate used in the construction of the post cover illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 5  is an end elevation view of the rigid substrate illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
       FIG. 6  is a detailed end elevation view of the rigid substrate illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The preferred method of making a post cover will now be described with reference to  FIG. 1  through  6 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the method of making a post cover begins with the steps of providing a rigid elongate substrate  12  having, referring to  FIG. 5 , a first face  14 , a second face  16 , a first side edge  18  and a second side edge  20 . Parallel “V” grooves  22  are positioned lengthwise in first face  14  and a flexible backing  24  covers second face  16 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , glue  28  is then placed in all but one of the “V” grooves  22 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , the unglued “V” groove is labelled  22 A. Referring to  FIG. 2 , substrate  12  is then formed into a tube  30 , with flexible backing  24  covering the one “V” groove  22 A left unglued. Unglued “V” groove  22 A can then serve as a hinge which allows tube  30  to open and close lengthwise around a post  32 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , when the tube is positioned around post  32 , first side edge  18  and second side edge  20  are secured together to prevent removal of post  32 .  
      As examples, rigid substrate  12  may be made from made from drywall, MDF, plastic, or any other suitable rigid material and flexible backing  24  may be made from drywall paper, resin impregnated paper, cloth, or any other suitable material that is sufficiently strong and flexible. Also, referring to  FIG. 4 , rigid substrate  12  is divided into eight sections by “V” grooves  22 . The angle of each groove  22  is sufficient to create a closed polygon with all surfaces touching, such that glue  28  can bond them together. It will be understood that any reasonable number of sets of “V” grooves  22  may be used, with an appropriate angle used.  
      Cautionary Warnings:  
      Care must be taken when selecting the flexible backing. The flexible backing must be strong enough to act as a hinge. When it acts as a hinge, the stress on the outside of the bend always exceeds the stress on the inside of the bend. If the flexible backing is not strong enough, it will tear. Conversely, if the backing is too thick, surface defects will appear in the form of creases or bubbles. For best results, a material that will provide strength and flexibility ought to be used, examples of which are given above.  
      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 one and only one of the elements.  
      It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims.