Patent ID: 7861501

Claim:
An apparatus for applying a flexible, expandable sleeving over an elongated structure comprising: a first section for receiving the elongated structure; an elongated hollow conduit that receives the elongated structure within a hollow interior space thereof, the conduit having an outer surface for receiving the sleeving and permitting the sleeving to be stored along the outer surface in a compressed, bunched state; and a second section that includes a pair of rollers that are disposed about one end of the conduit and are configured so that they contact the sleeving as it is paid out onto an outside of the elongated structure and prevent the compressed sleeving from suddenly releasing its stored energy and self-ejecting off of the conduit as the sleeving and elongated structure are mated and are moved away from the rollers, wherein the rollers are located such that the sleeving contacts the rollers before the sleeve contacts the elongated structure.