AU2016277617A1 - Safety fence - Google Patents

Abstract

A safety fence (1) including: an elongate sheet (3) of polymer material; and a plurality of apertures (5) provided through at least a substantial portion of the sheet (3); wherein the sheet (3) includes a reinforced portion (7) extending along at least one peripheral edge (6) of the sheet, the reinforced portion (7) including at least one reinforcing cord (9) laminated between the sheet (3) and an overlying sheet portion (8). r ~ / t~J 9, 9, / 9' 1 99, '-"".4 ,1' a I 9~ / '9 9 '-'-"9 9, "9 ~ I 9 9, 9 '4' 4 .1~'

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is generally directed to safety products used in the building construction industry and in other industrial applications, and in particular to a safety fence. While the present invention will be described in relation to its use in building construction applications, it is to be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to this application, and that other applications are also envisaged. For example, the safety fence could also be used as a shade cloth in building or agricultural applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Safety fences are typically used to prevent the access of unauthorized persons to a building site. Metal chain link fences can be used for this purpose. However, such fences are difficult to transport and install because of the inherent size and weight of the components of these fences. Lightweight fences made from polymer material have therefore been introduced to provide greater convenience in the transport and installation of these fences. Polymer fences are typically formed to match the look of traditional metal chain screens and can be transported in a rolled state between building sites.

[0003] The polymer safety fences are still however relatively heavy and cannot therefore be readily used in other applications such as on building scaffolding due to its weight. Polymer mesh material is instead typically used for scaffolding applications, but such material can trap the wind leading to ballooning of the mesh material and further wind stress being applied to the scaffold structure.

[0004] It is furthermore not possible or difficult to have warning or other signs directly applied to the material forming the polymer fence. A separate sign is therefore typically secured to such fences to warn unauthorised persons away from the enclosed area.

2016277617 21 Dec 2016 [0005] It would therefore be advantageous to provide a safety fence that addresses one or more of the disadvantages associated with existing safety fences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention provides a safety fence including: an elongate sheet of polymer material; and a plurality of apertures provided through at least a substantial portion of the sheet;

wherein the sheet includes a reinforced portion extending along at least one peripheral edge of the sheet, the reinforced portion including at least one reinforcing cord laminated between the sheet and an overlying sheet portion.

[0007] The overlying sheet portion may be provided by a folded over peripheral edge portion of the sheet. The reinforced portion may therefore be formed by folding over between 20 mm to 50 mm of the peripheral edge portion of the sheet prior to lamination thereof. It is also envisaged that the overlying sheet portion be a separate strip of material, preferably made of the same material as the sheet. The overlying sheet portion may be welded to the sheet during lamination of the sheet and the overlying sheet portion between heated rollers to thereby retain in position the reinforcing cord therebetween. The cord may be made from polyethylene, polypropylene or steel. The use of other cord materials are also envisaged.

[0008] The sheet may be woven with high density polyethylene (HDPE) yarn, and may be heat laminated with at least one sheet of low density polyethylene (LDPE). It is also envisaged that alternative polymer materials such as polypropylene (PP) yarn be used to weave the sheets. The polymer may be manufactured incorporating an ultraviolet additive. The yarn may be produced from polymer pellets within which has also been added an ultraviolet additive in the form of ultraviolet resin pellets. Alternatively, an ultraviolet additive may be applied during manufacture of the sheet. This helps to provide grater protection for the sheet due to damage by exposure to ultraviolet light.

2016277617 21 Dec 2016 [0009] The present invention may also be used as a shade cloth. The apertures may be distributed over the sheet to thereby control the shade percentage of the sheet when used as a shade cloth. The shade percentage may be between 30% and 50%.

[00010] The apertures are preferably evenly distributed over the sheet, and are preferably circular in shape. The use of apertures of other shapes are however also envisaged. According to the one embodiment of the invention, the apertures are preferably aligned in a series of parallel rows extending across the sheet. The aperture size and spacing of the apertures on the sheet may vary depending on the intended application of the present invention. When used as a safety fence, the apertures may have a diameter between 10 to 100 mm, and when used as a shade cloth, the apertures may have a diameter of between 2 to 50 mm. The apertures may be spaced between 2 to 150 mm apart on the sheet.

[00011] Polymer yarns of different colours may be used during weaving of the sheet. Therefore, one or more stripes of different colours may be woven into the sheet. This may be achieved by weaving the sheet using a welt yarn of a different colour to the warp yarn of the weave to produce the colour stripe within the woven sheet. The colour stripe may act as a warning indicator for the safety fence. Warning signs or the product trade mark can also be integrally woven into the woven sheet. It is however also envisaged that the signs may be printed on the surface of the sheet.

[00012] Metal eyelets may be provided adjacent the peripheral edge sheet to facilitate securing of the safety fence to the appropriate support. It is also envisaged that a die cast hole be simply provided through the reinforced section of the sheet for this purpose.

[00013] The safety fence according to the present invention provides a lightweight and relatively low cost alternative to existing metal and polymer safety fences. In addition, the present invention can be safely used on scaffolding due to the lightweight and resistance to ballooning. Furthermore, the present invention can also be used as a shade cloth for gardening and other applications.

2016277617 21 Dec 2016

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [00014] It will be convenient to further describe the invention with respect to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the safety screen according to the present invention. Other embodiments of the invention are possible, and consequently, the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

[00015] In the drawings:

[00016] Figure 1 is a photo showing a partial view of a safety screen according to the present invention; and [00017] Figure 2 is a detailed view of the safety screen of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [00018] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the safety fence 1 according to the present invention can be formed from an elongate sheet of polymer material 3. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet is woven with high density polyethylene (HDPE) yarn. The woven sheet is then heat laminated between heated rollers with at least one sheet of low density polyethylene (LDPE). Ultraviolet additives for protecting the sheet from sun damage can be incorporated into the polymer during manufacture or may be added during manufacture of the sheet 3.

[00019] The sheet 3 includes a plurality of apertures 5 that are evenly distributed across the surface of the sheet 3. The apertures 5 are circular in shape and are distributed across the surface of the sheet to thereby control a shade percentage of the sheet when the present invention is used in an alternative application as a shade cloth. This shade percentage can be between 30 % to 50 % depending on the application to which it is being used.

2016277617 21 Dec 2016 [00020] The sheet 3 includes a reinforced portion 7 which extends along the upper and lower peripheral edges 6 of the sheet 3 when the sheet 3 is held vertically. The reinforced portion 7 is produced by locating a reinforcing cord 9 made from polyethylene or polypropylene between the sheet 3 and an overlying sheet portion 8. The overlying sheet portion 8 is provided by a folded over peripheral edge portion of the sheet 3. The sheet 3 and overlying sheet portion 8 are welded together during lamination between heated rollers thereby retaining the reinforcing cord 9 therebetween. The folded peripheral edge portion 8 may extend approximately 20 mm to 50 mm from the peripheral edge 6 of the sheet 3.

[00021] According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the apertures 5 can be spaced, preferably in a series of rows across the sheet 3. The diameter of the aperture 5 will vary depending on the application of the safety fence 1. The apertures 5 may have a diameter of between 10 to 100 mm when the safety fence 1 is used specifically as fencing. The aperture 5 may alternatively have a diameter of between 2 to 50 mm to facilitate use as a shade cloth. The apertures may be spaced at intervals between 2 to 150 mm apart on the sheet 3.

[00022] Polymer yarns of different colours can be used during the weaving of the sheet 3 to provide contrasting colour stripes as shown in Figure 1. The contrasting stripe 4, as well as providing a visual warning signal, can support the trade mark used for the safety fence 1. These signs can be woven into the sheet 3, or alternatively printed on the sheet 3.

[00023] Modifications and variations as would be deemed obvious to the person skilled in the art are included within the ambit of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.

2016277617 21 Dec 2016

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS:

   1. A safety fence including:

   an elongate sheet of polymer material; and a plurality of apertures provided through at least a substantial portion of the sheet;

   wherein the sheet includes a reinforced portion extending along at least one peripheral edge of the sheet, the reinforced portion including at least one reinforcing cord laminated between the sheet and an overlying sheet.
2. 2. A safety fence according to claim 1, wherein the overlying sheet portion is provided by a folded over peripheral edge portion of the sheet.
3. 3. A safety fence according to claim 1, wherein the overlying sheet portion is provided by a strip made of the same material as the sheet.
4. 4. A safety fence according to claim 2, wherein the reinforced portion is formed by folding over between 20 mm to 50 mm of the peripheral edge portion of the sheet prior to lamination thereof.
5. 5. A safety fence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the overlying sheet portion is welded to the sheet during lamination of the sheet and overlying sheet portion between heated rollers.
6. 6. A safety fence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet is woven with high density polyethylene (HDPE) yarn, and is laminated with at least one sheet of low density polyethylene (LDPE).
7. 7. A safety fence according to claim 6, further including an ultraviolet additive within the yarn.

   2016277617 21 Dec 2016
8. 8. A safety fence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apertures are distributed over the sheet to thereby provide a shade percentage of between 30% and 50% for the sheet when used as a shade cloth.
9. 9. A safety fence according to claim 8, wherein the apertures are circular in shape.
10. 10. A safety fence according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the apertures are aligned in a series of parallel rows extending across the sheet.
11. 11. A safety fence according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the apertures have a diameter of between 10 to 100 mm.
12. 12. A safety fence according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the apertures have a diameter of between 2 to 50 mm.
13. 13. A safety fence according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the apertures are spaced apart between 2 to 150 mm on the sheet.
14. 14. A safety fence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reinforcing cord is made from polyethylene, polypropylene or steel.
15. 15. A safety fence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein polymer yarns of different colours are used during weaving of the sheet to thereby provide stripes of contrasting colours within the sheet.

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