AU2007203401A1 - A fence panel - Google Patents

Description

A FENCE PANEL This invention relates to a fence panel and the erection of temporary fencing.

This invention has particular, but not exclusive application to a fence panel for use in the erection of temporary fencing and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to same.

However, it will be appreciated that the fence panel may also be used in combination with water fillable road barrier elements to construct a temporary road barrier and/or people barrier for

O

I crowd control.

OFor reasons of security, and in order to safeguard members of the public, temporary i fences are often used to form a barrier around construction sites and other potential hazards, and are placed across accesses so as to prevent any unauthorized movement there through.

Temporary fences typically include a plurality of fence panels each comprising two opposing posts that are interconnected by a top rail and a bottom rail, all of which are made from steel pipe. The posts and the top and bottom rails are welded together so as to form a rectangularly shaped opening which is often closed by either a sheet of wire mesh or at least one metal sheet in which there are no openings. A lower portion of each fence post extends below the bottom rail.

Because of the manner in which these fence panels are constructed, they are both costly to produce and their production is labour intensive. In turn these costs are reflected in the costs associated with the hire of temporary fencing.

The fence panels are maintained in an operative upright position by a plurality of concrete anchor blocks. Each anchor block has two adjacent, vertically orientated, post apertures that are adapted to receive a respective lower portion of a post, and whereby in use each anchor block may provide support for a post of two adjacent fence panels.

Unfortunately temporary fences of the type described have been shown to be ineffective in keeping out determined thieves and vandals. Typically when the fence is erected there exists a gap of approximately 150 mm between the foundation on which the fence stands and the bottom rail and wherein intruders have been known to crawl through this gap.

While the height of the top rail above the foundation is typically approximately 1800 mm, this has not prevented persons from climbing over the temporary fence. Consequently some manufacturers of fence panels have elected to weld a plurality of steel bars to their fence panel, -2- N each bar having a bottom portion that is attached to the bottom rail and a top portion that is attached to the top rail and which, in use, extends in an upward direction beyond said top rail.

S However, in addition to the increased labour costs associated with the construction of these fence panels, because the component parts are made of steel the fence panel may weigh as much as kg. It is anticipated that laws governing workplace health and safety may in future prohibit a person from lifting such heavy panels on their own, thereby necessitating that more persons than are currently employed in the erection of temporary fencing will be required in order to comply with the law and/or erect temporary fences in a timely manner.

Other fence panel manufacturers have chosen to extend the length of each post beyond the top rail and to suspend barbed wire between these two opposing upper portions of the posts.

Further, clamps are typically used to secure the barbed wire to the upper portions. However it has been observed that there is nothing preventing intruders from forceably sliding the clamps off the end portions and thereby displacing the barbed wire.

It has also been observed that the size of the openings in the mesh that is used to infill the fence panels is generally too small to receive a person's hand and accordingly presents difficulties to those persons whose task it is to carry and/or erect the fence panels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fence panel and a temporary fence that ameliorates at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art.

With the forgoing in view, this invention in one aspect relates to a fence panel for use in the construction of a temporary fence of the type that includes at least two concrete anchor blocks for supporting the fence panel in an upstanding position, each of said anchor blocks having two adjacent, vertically orientated, post apertures, said fence panel including: a panel body having a left side end portion, a right side end portion, a top portion and a bottom portion; two opposing spigots that extend downwardly from said bottom portion, each of said spigots being located adjacent a respective one of said end portions and wherein at least a lower portion of each of said spigots is capable of location within a respective post aperture, and wherein said panel body is manufactured from a plastics material or predominantly from a plastics material.

It is envisaged that the panel body and the spigots may be made separately and that they may be constructed from different materials, i.e. plastics and metal materials, or from the same N, class of materials but which may differ in their respective composition and thus their qualities, i.e. different plastics materials.

In one embodiment the panel body and the spigots may be manufactured separately and subsequently assembled. Alternatively, one component, i.e. the spigots, may be manufactured first and subsequently attached to the second component during the construction of the latter component. For example, the spigots, having been manufactured using a separate process, may C be moulded or cast in situ with the panel body during the production of the latter. However it is preferred that the panel body and the spigots are of integral construction.

SIn another aspect, this invention relates to a fence panel for use in the construction of a S temporary fence of the type that includes at least two concrete anchor blocks for supporting the fence panel in an upstanding position, each of said anchor blocks having two adjacent, vertically orientated, post apertures, said fence panel including: a panel body having a left side end portion, a right side end portion, a top portion and a bottom portion; two opposing spigots that extend downwardly from said bottom portion, each of said spigots being located adjacent a respective one of said end portions and wherein at least a lower portion of each of said spigots is capable of location within a respective post aperture, and wherein said panel body and said spigots are integral and are made of a plastics material.

The panel body may be either substantially open or closed. In other words, the panel body may include one or more openings formed therein. Further, apart from any openings that are adapted to receive a persons hand and which may be used to assist with the carrying and/or erection of the fence panel, it is preferred that the size and/or the orientation of any openings are such that they may not be used as footholds.

As mentioned above the panel body may include one or more openings that are adapted to receive a person's hand. These hand openings may be substantially rectangular in shape and may include either a substantially flat upper surface which a person's hand and/or fingers may press against in use or an upper surface in which there are formed grooves that are adapted to receive one or more fingers. Alternatively, instead of an opening that is adapted to receive a person's hand there may be provided a suitably sized recess.

-4- The panel body may include a plurality of ribs and wherein these ribs may extend across all or part of the panel body when erected in a substantially vertical and/or horizontal direction.

For example, the panel body may have a substantially corrugated profile.

The bottom portion of the panel body may include a guard portion that when the fence panel is supported by two anchor blocks is located between said anchor blocks.

SThe top portion may include a top edge that is substantially flat. Alternatively, the upper c portion may include an edge in which there is formed one or more breaks or discontinuities. For S example, the top portion may include ajagged top edge or a castellated top edge. However it will also be appreciated that the top portion may include one or more upwardly or generally upwardly ,I directed protrusions and wherein these protrusions may be extensions of the aforementioned ribs.

The top portion may also include two opposing upwardly directed, or generally upwardly directed, posts and wherein each of the posts may be located adjacent a respective end of the panel body. These posts, in use, may be used to support barbed wire suspended there between, and wherein each post may include a free end portion having an outwardly directed protrusion that will resist the removal of a clamp that is attached to said post.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a fence panel having a panel body and two depending spigots, said fence panel having been constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a detailed view of a portion of a panel body of an alternative fence panel that is constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 3 is a pictorial view of another fence panel having a panel body and two depending spigots, said fence panel having been constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is another pictorial view of the fence panel shown in figure 3, and Fig. 5 is a pictorial view showing an opposite face of the the same fence panel shown in figures 3 and 4.

Figures 3 to 5 show a fence panel 10 that may be used in the construction of a temporary fence of the type that includes at least two concrete anchor blocks, not shown, for supporting the fence panel in an upstanding position, each of said anchor blocks having two adjacent, vertically orientated, post apertures.

i The fence panel 10 includes a panel body 11 having a left side end portion 12, a right side end portion 13, a top portion 14 and a bottom portion 15. The fence panel 10 also includes two opposing spigots 16 and 17 that are located adjacent a respective one of the side end portions 12 and 13, and wherein at least a lower portion 18 and 19 of each of the respective spigots 16 and 17 is capable of location with a respective post aperture.

The panel body 11 and the spigots 16 and 17 are integrally formed, and wherein the fence C panel 10 is manufactured from a plastics material.

The panel body 11 is of hollow construction, namely the panel body 11 includes three hollow portions 20, 21 and 22. The hollow portions 20 and 21 are separated by a rectangularly N, shaped recess 23 formed in a rear side face 24 of the panel body 11, said recess extending across substantially the whole of the panel in a direction that is substantially parallel to substantially straight top and bottom edges 25 and 26 of said panel.

Similarly, the hollow portions 21 and 22 are separated by a rectangularly shaped recess 27 formed in the rear side 24 of the panel body 11, said recess extending across substantially the whole of the panel in a direction that is substantially parallel to the top and bottom edges 25 and 26.

Each of the hollow portions 20, 21 and 22 include a plurality of ribs 28 that are formed in the rear face 24. The ribs 28 extend across the hollow portions 20, 21 and 22 in a direction that is generally transverse to the recesses 23 and 27.

Between alternate pairs of ribs 28 there is provided a rectangularly shaped recess 29 that also is formed in the rear side face 24. These recesses 29 are substantially parallel to the ribs 28.

It is believed that the generally hollow construction of the panel body 11 and the fact that it is made from a plastics material will greatly reduce the overall weight of the panel 10 while the ribs 28 and recesses 23, 27 and 29 will provide the panel body with strength.

Figure 5 shows the front side face 30 of the panel 10. Unlike the rear side face 24, the front side face 30 is substantially flat and does not include any deep recesses or ribs that may in use assist a person to climb up and possibly over said panel. However, the front face 30 does include a plurality of shallow recesses 31 that extend between the top and bottom edges 25 and 26 for strength purposes, as shown.

-6- The fence panel 10 also includes four tubular hand recesses 32 that extend between the front and rear side faces 24 and 30. The hand recesses are large enough that a person may extend there fingers there through, but too small to accommodate a persons foot.

The hand recesses may also, in use, receive a portion of a clamp or brace that is used to secure the fence panel to an adjacent panel and/or provide support for same.

The top portion 14 of the fence panel 10 includes two opposing, upwardly directed, posts C 32 and 33 that in use may support barbed wire suspended there between.

N, Figuresl and 2 show two alternative fence panels 40 and 50 that are also manufactured from a plastics material and include integrally formed spigots. Each fence panel includes a panel body in which there is formed a plurality of apertures that are too small to assist a person to climb up and over said panel and wherein the panels are strengthened by a plurality of ribs.

It will be appreciated that the above has been given as an illustration only of the present invention and that all such modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (4)

1. A fence panel for use in the construction of a temporary fence of the type that includes at least two concrete anchor blocks for supporting the fence panel in an upstanding position, each of said anchor blocks having two adjacent, vertically orientated, post apertures, said fence panel including: a panel body having a left side end portion, a right side end portion, a top portion and a bottom portion; Stwo opposing spigots that extend downwardly from said bottom portion, each of said S spigots being located adjacent a respective one of said end portions and wherein at least a lower portion of each of said spigots is capable of location within a respective post aperture, and wherein said panel body and said spigots are integral and are made of a plastics material.

2. A fence panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein said panel body and said spigots are of integral construction.

3. A fence panel as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the panel body is substantially closed and wherein the size and/or the orientation of any openings formed therein are too small to be used as footholds.

4. A fence panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said panel body includes a plurality of ribs that extend across the panel body. A fence panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said panel body includes a guard portion that when the panel is supported by the anchor blocks is located between said anchor blocks. Dated this twentieth day of July, 2007 BJJLTE Pty Ltd By their Patent attorneys AHEARN FOX