Patent ID: 8011149

Claim:
A sleeve assembly for a post, comprising: a body of a material that is substantially impervious to water; a cavity extending longitudinally within the body; an upper aperture extending in the body to a first end of the cavity; a plurality of standoff elements extending inward from inner walls of the cavity, an innermost surface of each of the plurality of standoff elements defining, a respective portion of an inner space within the cavity; a lower aperture extending in the body from a second end of the cavity to an exterior of the body; a plurality of drain channels within the cavity configured to permit fluid to flow through and exit the body via the lower aperture while the innermost surface of each of the standoff elements is in contact with a surface of a post positioned in the cavity; and a first plurality of stops, each extending inward from an inner wall of the cavity without extending into the inner space beyond the innermost surface of an adjacent one of the plurality of standoff elements, and having a bearing surface lying substantially in a first plane, the first plane lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cavity.