AU2007100458A4

AU2007100458A4 - Temporary fences or hoardings

Info

Publication number: AU2007100458A4
Application number: AU2007100458A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Steven Kilby
Original assignee: AUSTRALIAN FENCING HIRE Pty Ltd
Current assignee: AUSTRALIAN FENCING HIRE Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-05-30
Filing date: 2007-05-30
Publication date: 2007-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2015-05-30

Description

P/00/012 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: "TEMPORARY FENCES OR HOARDINGS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: TITLE: TEMPORARY FENCES OR HOARDINGS SBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention THIS INVENTION relates to temporary fences or hoardings.

00 0 5 The invention is particularly suitable for, but not limited to, Stemporary fences or hoardings which may be erected around building sites, public utility repair sites, dangerous workplaces or equipment or the like.

N The invention may also be used to provide temporary advertising or instruction and signs, eg., directing customers to the temporary entrances for buildings during renovations or repairs.

2. Prior Art Since the introduction of the temporary fencing system disclosed in AU-B-81709/91 (640807) (Rynenberg et al), there has been a rapid increase in the use of temporary fences on building construction sites, at public utility electricity/gas/water/sewerage) repair sites, around dangerous workplace machinery, for temporary parking areas or the like.

Such temporary fencing enables the person(s)/organisation(s) responsible for a site to easily and relatively inexpensively control the access of persons/equipment to and from the site.

AU 2003100411 A4 (Australian Fencing Hire Pty Ltd) discloses a temporary fence which has a plurality of fence sections fitted with fencing panels, the panels being rotationally moulded from plastics material, to infill the spaces defined by the stiles and rails of the fence sections. Vertical recesses releasably engage the adjacent stiles of the fence sections; and vertical reinforcing ribs are formed integrally in the substantially planar panel bodies. Releasable fasteners can secure the fencing panels to the stiles, rails and/or wire mesh of the fence sections.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 0o 0 5 It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fencing panel, formed from plastics material, to infill the space defined by the stiles and rails of a fence section of the prior art hereinbefore described.

N It is a further preferred object of the present invention to provide a releasable clipping mechanism on the panel to enable their engagement with the stiles and/or rails of the fence section.

It is a further preferred object of the present invention to provide such a panel, moulded in plastics, which has a relatively high impact resistance, and which is resistant to dents or tears.

It is a still further preferred object of the present invention to provide a temporary fencing system incorporating a plurality of the panels.

Other preferred objects of the present invention shall become apparent from the following description.

In one aspect, the present invention resides in a fencing panel for mounting on a temporary fence section of the type having at least a pair of substantially vertical stiles interconnected by at least a pair of substantially horizontal rails, the fencing panel including: a substantially planar panel body, formed of plastics material; and means to secure the panel body to at least the substantially Shorizontal rails, the securing means including: at least one hook member extending from a rear face of the panel body and engageable with an upper of the substantially horizontal rails; and oO I 5 at least one protrusion extending from the rear face of the Spanel body engageable with an underside of a lower of the substantially horizontal rails.

N Preferably, the or each hook member includes a plurality of flanges or blocks extending from the rear face of the panel, with adjacent pairs of flanges or blocks being interconnected by at least one connecting plate, at or adjacent distal ends of the flanges or blocks, substantially parallel to, but spaced from, the rear face of the panel.

Preferably, the at least one protrusion engageable with the lower of the substantially horizontal rails includes a plurality of clip blocks spaced along the panel body, preferably adjacent a lower edge thereof, and distal ends of the clip blocks may have ribs or lips releasably engageable with the lower of the horizontal rails.

In a second aspect, the present invention resides in a temporary fence section including: a pair of substantially vertical stiles, connected by at least a pair of substantially horizontal rails, the lower ends of the stiles being operably received in sockets or recesses of supporting blocks or feet; and a fencing panel as hereinbefore described secured to at least the substantially horizontal rails by the securing means.

4 0 Preferably, the fencing panel is integrally moulded from plastics c material and may incorporate dyes and/or reinforcing fibres, eg., of glass, Splastic filaments or carbon fibre.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0 5 To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: N FIG. 1 a perspective view of a portion of a temporary fencing having temporary fence sections provided with the fence panels of the present invention; FIGS. 2 and 3 are respective rear and front views of one of the fence panels; and FIGS. 4 to 6 are end sectional views illustrating the installation of the fence panels on the temporary fence sections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The section of temporary fence 100 has a plurality of interconnected temporary fencing sections 10, supported by concrete feet which have a pair of recesses or holes (not shown) in their upper faces to receive the lower ends 11 of the vertical stiles 12 of adjacent pairs of fencing sections The longitudinal axes of the feet 20 extends substantially transverse to the respective longitudinal axes of the adjacent fence sections to provide support and stability for the temporary fence 100.

SConnecting brackets 30 interconnect the upper ends 13 of the Sstiles of adjacent fencing sections 10 to provide a stable hinge connection therebetween.

The vertical stiles 12 are connected by substantially horizontal 00 0 5 top and bottom rails 14, 15; and the stiles 12 and rails 14, 15 define a Ssubstantially rectangular space 16 which is to be infilled by the fence panel to be hereinafter described in more detail.

SReferring in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fence panel 40 has a planar panel body 41 formed of, eg., high density polyethylene (HDPE) which may, eg., be fibre reinforced with, eg., glass or carbon fibres.

A hook assembly 42 extends from the rear face 43 of the panel body 41 and has a plurality of spaced flanges or blocks 44 interconnected at their distal ends by a substantially vertical connecting plate 45 parallel to, but spaced from, the rear face 43 of the panel body 41.

In the embodiment illustrated, the hook assembly 42 is spaced a distance below the top edge 46 of the panel body 41 so that the top edge 46 is, in use, substantially aligned with the top ends 13 of the vertical stiles 12.

A set of spaced clip blocks 47 extend rearwardly from the panel body 41 and are provided adjacent the bottom edge 48 of the panel body 41.

The clip blocks 47 may be solid blocks fixed to the rear face 43 of the panel body 41, or may be moulded as recesses in the front face 49 of the panel body 41. (Similarly, the blocks or flanges 44 may be formed by recesses in the front face 49 of the panel body 41, or may comprise solid blocks or plates fixed to the rear face 43 of the panel body 41 by suitable tadhesives or glues or welding techniques.) As illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, the fence panels 40 can be detachably secured to the fence sections 10 by engaging the hook assembly 00 47 with the top rail 14, and then hingedly swinging the panel body 41 to 0cause the clip blocks 47 to engage the underside of the bottom rails If preferred, ribs or lips may be provided on the tops of the clip N blocks 47, adjacent their distal ends, to releasably engage the bottom rails on the side spaced from the panel body 41.

If further required, a latching plate or finger may be provided at the distal ends of some or all of the clip blocks 47 to be movable into, or out of, engagement with the lower rails 15 on the side thereof spaced from the panel body 41.

Respective notches 50 may be provided at the lower corners of the panel body 41 to provide clearance between the fence panels 40 and the supporting feet The front faces 49 of the fence panels 40 may be provided with advertising material or information and material, such as providing safety warnings or directions to temporary entrances for buildings under renovation or repair.

By manufacturing the panels 40 from plastics material such as HDPE, the panels 40 can be relatively light, but be very strong and resistant to impact, scratches or tears.

It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that adjacent 7 pairs of the flanges or blocks 44 may be connected by respective connecting cplates 45; and the flanges or blocks 44 and the connecting plate(s) 45 may Sbe formed integrally, eg., by injection moulding.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the oo 0 5 embodiments described and illustrated without departing from the present invention.

Claims

1. A fencing panel for mounting on a temporary fence section of the type having at least a pair of substantially vertical stiles interconnected by at least a pair of substantially horizontal rails, the fencing panel including: oo 5 a substantially planar body, formed of plastics material; and Smeans to secure the panel body to at least the substantially horizontal rails, the securing means including: N at least one hook member extending from a rear face of the panel body and engageable with an upper of the substantially horizontal rails; and at least one protrusion extending from the rear face of the panel body engageable with an underside of a lower of the substantially horizontal rails.

2. A fencing panel as claimed in Claim 1, wherein: the or each hook member includes a plurality of flanges or blocks extending from the rear face of the panel, with adjacent pairs of flanges or blocks being interconnected by at least one connecting plate, at or adjacent distal ends of the flanges or blocks, substantially parallel to, but spaced from, the rear face of the panel.

3. A fencing panel as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein: the at least one protrusion engageable with the lower of the substantially horizontal rails includes a plurality of clip blocks spaced along the panel body, preferably adjacent a lower edge thereof, and distal ends of the clip blocks may have ribs or lips releasably engageable with the lower of 00 Cc 00 oo t\ 9 the horizontal rails.

4. A fencing panel for mounting on a temporary fence section, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 5. A temporary fence section including: a pair of substantially vertical stiles, connected by at least a pair of substantially horizontal rails, the lower ends of the stiles being operably received in sockets or recesses of supporting blocks or feet; and a fencing panel, as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, secured to at least the substantially horizontal rails by the securing means. DATED this thirtieth day of May 2007. AUSTRALIAN FENCING HIRE PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY