Apparatus for protecting timbers against marine borer attack

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR PROTECTIVELY ENCASING A SUBMERGED PILE AGAINST MARINE BORER ATTACK COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR SHEET OF A PLIABLE SUBSTANTIALLY WATERPROOF MATERIAL HAVING A WIDTH EXCEEDING THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID PILE; A PAIR OF ELONGATE RIGID SEMI-CYLINDRICAL POLE PIECES BOTH OF WHICH ARE AFFIXED ON THEIR FLAT SIDES TO ONE OF THE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING EDGES OF SAID SHEET ON THE SAME SURFACE OF SAID SHEET AND BOTH OF WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SHEET TO PROVIDE HANDLE PORTIONS WHEREBY SAID POLE PIECES CAN BE MANIPULATED FROM ABOVE THE BODY OF WATER IN WHICH SAID PILE IS PLACED TO PASS SAID SHEET AROUND SAID PILE TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL ENCASEMENT AROUND SAID PILE, SAID HANDLE PORTIONS ALSO SERVING TO PERMIT VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SHEET RELATIVE TO SAID PILE; COMPLEMENTARY MEANS ON THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POLE PIECES TO RELEASABLY INTERCONNECT SAID LOWER ENDS IN RESPONSE TO MANIPULATION OF SAID HANDLES AND ADAPTED TO PERMIT SAID POLE PIECES TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN CYLINDER-DEFINING RELATIONSHIP, SAID COMPLEMENTARY MEANS THEREAFTER HOLDING THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POLE PIECES AGAINST SEPARATION WHEN SAID HANDLES ARE MANIPULATED TO ROTATE SAID POLE PIECES AS A UNIT FOR CONTRACTING SAID SHEET INTO CONTACT WITH SAID PILE; A FASTENER MEANS TO CONNECT SAID HANDLES TOGETHER AND TO SAID PILE TO PREVENT COUNTER-ROTATION OF SAID POLE PIECES WHEREBY SAID CONTACT IS MAINTAINED; AND A MEANS TO RESTRICT ENTRY OF WATER IN A GAP BETWEEN SAID SHEET AND SAID PILE AT THE LOWER END OF SAID SHEET UNDER THAT EDGE PORTION OF SAID SHEET EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY FROM SAID PILE TO THE OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE OF SAID POLE PIECES.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR PROTECTIVELY ENCASING A SUBMERGED PILE AGAINST MARINE BORER ATTACK COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR SHEET OF A PLIABLE SUBSTANTIALLY WATERPROOF MATERIAL HAVING A WIDTH EXCEEDING THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID PILE; A PAIR OF ELONGATE RIGID SEMI-CYLINDRICAL POLE PIECES BOTH OF WHICH ARE AFFIXED ON THEIR FLAT SIDES TO ONE OF THE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING EDGES OF SAID SHEET ON THE SAME SURFACE OF SAID SHEET AND BOTH OF WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SHEET TO PROVIDE HANDLE PORTIONS WHEREBY SAID POLE PIECES CAN BE MANIPULATED FROM ABOVE THE BODY OF WATER IN WHICH SAID PILE IS PLACED TO PASS SAID SHEET AROUND SAID PILE TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL ENCASEMENT AROUND SAID PILE, SAID HANDLE PORTIONS ALSO SERVING TO PERMIT VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SHEET RELATIVE TO SAID PILE; COMPLEMENTARY MEANS ON THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POLE PIECES TO RELEASABLY INTERCONNECT SAID LOWER ENDS IN RESPONSE TO MANIPULATION OF SAID HANDLES AND ADAPTED TO PERMIT SAID POLE PIECES TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN CYLINDER-DEFINING RELATIONSHIP, SAID COMPLEMENTARY MEANS THEREAFTER HOLDING THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POLE PIECES AGAINST SEPARATION WHEN SAID HANDLES ARE MANIPULATED TO ROTATE SAID POLE PIECES AS A UNIT FOR CONTRACTING SAID SHEET INTO CONTACT WITH SAID PILE; A FASTENER MEANS TO CONNECT SAID HANDLES TOGETHER AND TO SAID PILE TO PREVENT COUNTER-ROTATION OF SAID POLE PIECES WHEREBY SAID CONTACT IS MAINTAINED; AND A MEANS TO RESTRICT ENTRY OF WATER IN A GAP BETWEEN SAID SHEET AND SAID PILE AT THE LOWER END OF SAID SHEET UNDER THAT EDGE PORTION OF SAID SHEET EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY FROM SAID PILE TO THE OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE OF SAID POLE PIECES.