Thermal insulation covering for pipes and the like

Claim 1

A THERMAL INSULATION FOR COVERING CYLINDRICAL SURFACES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTS OF THERMAL INSULATION COMPLETELY SEPARABLE AT A JOINT BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS AND ADAPTED TO SURROUND A CYLINDRICAL SURFACE TO BE UNSULATED WHEN SAID SEGMENTS ARE BROUGHT INTO ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP, AN IMPERFORATE WATER VAPOR BARRIER SHEET OVERLYING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SEGMENTS, AN HINGE DISPOSED AT SAID JOINT BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID VAPOR BARRIER SHEET AND SAID SEGMENTS TO PREVENT PERFORATION OF SAID VAPOR BARRIER SHEET AT SAID JOINT DUE TO HINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID SEGMENTS, SAID HINGE COMPRISING A RIBBON OF SHEET MATERIAL DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID JOINT AND EXTENDING FOR A LIMITED DISTANCE ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF, ADHESIVE WHICH SECURES SAID RIBBON DIRECTLY TO EACH OF SAID ADJACENT SEGMENTS OF THERMAL INSULATION IN AN ANCHORING ZONE SPACED AWAY FROM THE ABUTTING LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF EACH OF SAID ADJACENT SEGMENTS AND HINGEDLY ANCHORING SAID HINGE RIBBON TO SAID ADJACENT SEGMENTS FOR FREE HINGING MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SAID SEGMENTS ALONG EACH OF SAID ANCHORING ZONES WIHOUT SHARP BENDING OF SAID VAPOR BARRIER SHEET WHICH WOULD TEND TO PERFORATE THE SAME, AND AN ADHESIVE LAYER BONDING SAID BARIER SHEET TO SAID THERMAL INSULATION SEGMENTS OVER SAID HINGE.