Protective cap for masonry straps

Abstract

A cap apparatus for preventing punctures and lacerations caused by exposed sheet metal hardware includes a base and a sleeve which are coupled together. The sleeve has a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of lateral walls and has a slot surrounded by the same. The slot is sized such that the sleeve fits around an exposed end of an article of hardware. The front wall and the back wall are corrugated, and inner portions of the front wall and the back wall define an envelope which contains the exposed end of the article of hardware when the cap apparatus is placed over the article of hardware. The envelope has a rectangular cross section.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A cap apparatus for covering an exposed end of an article of hardware, the cap apparatus comprising:
 a base having a top side, a bottom side, and a perimeter side, the perimeter side extending between the top side and the bottom side; and   a sleeve coupled to and extending away from the top side of the base, the sleeve having a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of lateral walls, the lateral walls being coupled to and extending between the front wall and the back wall, the sleeve defining a slot surrounded by the front wall, the back wall, and the pair of lateral walls, the slot being open at a top end of the sleeve, the slot being sized and configured to fit around the exposed end of the article of hardware, the front wall being corrugated to have a plurality of inner front wall segments and a plurality of outer front wall segments arranged in alternating fashion between the pair of lateral walls, the front wall further comprising a plurality of joining front wall segments, each joining front wall segment of the plurality of joining front wall segments being coupled to and extending between an associated inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments and an associated outer front wall segment of the plurality of outer front wall segments, wherein an envelope is defined between the plurality of inner front wall segments and the back wall, the envelope having a rectangular cross section.   
     
     
         2 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the perimeter side tapers from the top side to the bottom side. 
     
     
         3 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the top side and the bottom side have rounded shapes. 
     
     
         4 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is sized and configured to have an interference fit with the article of hardware. 
     
     
         5 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments and each outer front wall segment of the plurality of outer front wall segments being equal in length to each other as measured between the pair of lateral walls. 
     
     
         6 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each lateral wall of the pair of lateral walls is coupled to a corresponding inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments. 
     
     
         7 . The cap apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the back wall is corrugated to have a plurality of inner back wall segments and a plurality of outer back wall segments arranged in alternating fashion between the pair of lateral walls, the back wall further comprising a plurality of joining back wall segments, each joining back wall segment of the plurality of joining back wall segments being coupled to and extending between an associated inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments and an associated outer back wall segment of the plurality of outer back wall segments; and   the envelope is defined between the plurality of inner front wall segments and the plurality of inner back wall segments.   
     
     
         8 . The cap apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein each inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments and each outer back wall segment of the plurality of outer back wall segments being equal in length to each other as measured between the pair of lateral walls. 
     
     
         9 . The cap apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein each lateral wall of the pair of lateral walls being coupled to a corresponding inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments. 
     
     
         10 . The cap apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein each inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments is positioned opposite an associated inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments across the slot. 
     
     
         11 . A cap apparatus for covering an exposed end of an article of hardware, the cap apparatus comprising:
 a base having a top side, a bottom side, and a perimeter side, the perimeter side extending between the top side and the bottom side, the perimeter side tapering from the top side to the bottom side, the top side and the bottom side having rounded shapes; and   a sleeve coupled to and extending away from the top side of the base, the sleeve having a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of lateral walls, the lateral walls being coupled to and extending between the front wall and the back wall, the sleeve defining a slot surrounded by the front wall, the back wall, and the pair of lateral walls, the slot being open at a top end of the sleeve, the slot being sized and configured to fit around the exposed end of the article of hardware, the sleeve being sized and configured to have an interference fit with the article of hardware, the front wall being corrugated to have a plurality of inner front wall segments and a plurality of outer front wall segments arranged in alternating fashion between the pair of lateral walls, the front wall further comprising a plurality of joining front wall segments, each joining front wall segment of the plurality of joining front wall segments being coupled to and extending between an associated inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments and an associated outer front wall segment of the plurality of outer front wall segments, each inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments and each outer front wall segment of the plurality of outer front wall segments being equal in length to each other as measured between the pair of lateral walls, each lateral wall of the pair of lateral walls being coupled to a corresponding inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments, the back wall being corrugated to have a plurality of inner back wall segments and a plurality of outer back wall segments arranged in alternating fashion between the pair of lateral walls, the back wall further comprising a plurality of joining back wall segments, each joining back wall segment of the plurality of joining back wall segments being coupled to and extending between an associated inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments and an associated outer back wall segment of the plurality of outer back wall segments, each inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments and each outer back wall segment of the plurality of outer back wall segments being equal in length to each other as measured between the pair of lateral walls, each lateral wall of the pair of lateral walls being coupled to a corresponding inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments, wherein an envelope within the slot is defined by the pair of lateral walls, the plurality of inner front wall segments, and the plurality of outer front wall segments, the envelope having a rectangular cross section, each inner front wall segment of the plurality of inner front wall segments being positioned opposite an associated inner back wall segment of the plurality of inner back wall segments across the slot.