Spiral conductor cover

Claim 1

A removable protective device for use in insulating an elongated, energized conductor and comprising: an elongated, continuous sheet of relatively thin electrically insulative material shaped to present a spiral-like cross section with a series of connected, arcuate, spiral-like convolutions each spaced from an adjacent convolution a distance at least equal to the diameter of said conductor to provide an arcuate passageway for the conductor during installation of the device, the latter including: an arcuate outer wall portion of configuration to substantially circumscribe the section of said conductor to be received therein, and an arcuate inner wall portion having an inner concave face dimensioned to at least partially wrap about the conductor to provide insulation for the latter and to suspend the device from the conductor, said inner wall portion being spaced from the outer, longitudinally extending edge of the outer wall a distance to provide a conductor entryway communicating with said conductor passageway, the opposed ends of said inner and outer wall portions being shaped to present respective male and female connection ends respectively for complemental interfitting of at least a pair of said devices in aligned end-to-end relationship with the male ends of each device being telescopically received in adjacent female ends of the proximal device, said inner wall portion including smooth generally semicylindrical segments on the opposed male and female ends thereof, the semicylindrical segment of said female end being complemental with and of greater radial dimensions than the corresponding semicylindrical segment on said male end, said outer wall portion including generally frustoconical shoulder-defining segments on the opposed male and female ends thereof, the shoulder-defining segment of said female end being complemental with and of greater radial dimensions than the corresponding shoulder-defining segment on said male end.