Patent ID: 7442256

Claim:
An apparatus for spraying maintenance enhancing material onto the periphery of a tubular member positioned above a ground surface, comprising: a) an apparatus frame which is longitudinally displaceable with respect to the tubular member; b) at least one stabilizer member rigidly connected to said frame; c) at least one rotatable member supported and radially restrained by a plurality of guide rollers rotatably mounted on the at least one stabilizer member, wherein each of the at least one rotatable member, upon application of a torque thereto, is rotatable relative to the corresponding stabilizer member, following immobilization of said frame; d) at least one nozzle which is displaceable along and/or around the tubular member for generating a spray of maintenance enhancing material onto the periphery of the tubular member, each of the at least one nozzle being carried by a corresponding conduit rotatably mounted within a sheathing which is connected to the at least one rotatable member in such a way that i. the at least one nozzle continuously faces the periphery of the tubular member; ii. the periphery of said tubular member is completely impinged by the spray issuing from each nozzle; and iii. a line corresponding to the shortest distance of a spray issuing from the at least one nozzle to the periphery of said tubular member is oblique with the radius of said tubular member or is collinear with the radius of said tubular member upon displacement of the at least one nozzle longitudinally along or rotatable about a circumferential distance less than the circumference of, the tubular member; and e) means for delivering maintenance enhancing material to said at least one displaceable nozzle, wherein torque is transmitted to each of the at least one rotatable member by a plurality of driven sprockets mounted on the outer side of each of the at least one stabilizer member, said plurality of driven sprockets being engageable with a toothed transmission device mounted between two plates from which a rotable member is formed.