EP0478563A1

EP0478563A1 - Retaining wall structure for a garden bed

Info

Publication number: EP0478563A1
Application number: EP90906741A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Lloyd
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-01-18
Filing date: 1990-04-19
Publication date: 1992-04-08
Also published as: AU4860990A; WO1991015943A1; AU622973B2; CA2059291A1; EP0478563A4

Abstract

L'invention se rapporte à une structure de mur de soutènement pour banc de terre de jardin ou tout autre remblai similaire, qui est composée d'un certain nombre d'éléments allongés (1) qui, lors de l'utilisation, sont conçus pour être assemblés de façon amovible et flexible, afin de créer un mur de soutènement. L'assemblage est obtenu grâce à l'utilisation d'au moins un élément d'assemblage (2), de préférence en plastique, destiné à être reçu dans des ouvertures de forme complémentaire (5) ménagées dans chaque élément allongé et à être retenu par ces ouvertures.The invention relates to a retaining wall structure for a garden soil bench or any other similar fill, which is composed of a number of elongated elements (1) which, when in use, are designed to be removably and flexibly assembled to create a retaining wall. The assembly is obtained through the use of at least one assembly element (2), preferably plastic, intended to be received in openings of complementary shape (5) formed in each elongated element and to be retained through these openings.

Description

RETAINING WALL STRUCTURE FOR A GARDEN BED

The present invention relates, in general terms, to an improved form of retaining wall or path and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to a retaining wall structure especially suited for use as so-called garden edging and/or mower edging strip. The invention furthermore relates to a connection means or hinge means for use in the formation of such a retaining wall, and also to a method of construction of a retaining wall using such a hinge or jointing means. Throughout the ensuing description, for ease of explanation reference will be made to an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, namely a retaining wall or the like structure intended to surround a garden bed or the like whereby, first of all, to provide a border for such a garden bed (mark out the boundaries thereof), furthermore to serve as a means for effectively preventing unwanted egress of dirt and the like from the garden bed and also to act as a means for defining the limits of a garden bed or the like, and/or to delineate between garden bed and lawn or grass. It should be realised, however, that the ensuing description is given by way of non-limitative example only and that an arrangement in accordance with the present invention would be equally suitable for a variety of other uses, in fact in any context wherein a limiting or retaining wall is required.

In the context of a garden it has been the practice in the past to employ concrete, brick, tiles, large timber lengths (such as railway sleepers, logs or the like material) as so-called edging. Such materials have been found generally to be somewhat difficult to place or position accurately, cannot be expected to conform to relatively tight curves or to lend themselves to the creation of an edging other than straight, and are not generally either reusable or particularly pleasing in an aesthetic sense. This lack of aesthetic appeal is of course rather important to the gardener, being a person who usually takes great pride in the presentation of his (or her) garden bed, plot or the like. In accordance with yet another known and currently in use technique garden edging will consist of a plurality of post elements and an elongate band means adapted, in use, in conjunction with other connecting means or elements to interconnect the plurality of posts whereby to provide a length of edging material which can then be disposed around a garden bed. Such an arrangement has been found, in use, to also suffer from a number of practical disadvantages. First of all such a prior art arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that dirt, weeds etc. can travel somewhat readily between the gaps provided between adjacent post elements. This capability for unwanted egress, or ingress, of dirt etc. can of course be understood to at least to some extent defeat the entire purpose of or for the garden edging and is therefore extremely unsatisfactory in a practical sense. Secondly such prior art configurations suffer by not readily lending themselves to use on blocks of land other than flat, or in other words sloping blocks. On sloping blocks, with a view to maintaining uniformity of shape, etc. of the garden wall or edging, it would be necessary to have adjacent numbers of said plurality of post elements readily and continuously adjustable, in terms of height or length, relative one to the other, whereby to have adjacent posts all extending to the same extent above ground level, for example. Such a capability is difficult, if not actually impossible, to achieve with the prior art arrangements. The present invention can therefore be seen to be intended to provide an improved form of retaining wall structure or edging material which is simple to both use and appropriately locate, and furthermore lends itself to ready adjustment whereby to maintain an aesthetically pleasing outlook. The present invention furthermore seeks to provide a retaining wall structure or garden edging material which is relatively economical to manufacture and which lends itself to ready transport for sale and use, and storage when not in use. The invention furthermore seeks to provide a means for constructing an improved wall structure or garden edging which can conform to any desired shape of garden bed or the like. In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a retaining wall structure for a garden bed or the like, said structure including: a plurality of substantially elongate members adapted to be interconnected in a substantially side-by-side relationship whereby to form said wall structure; and means adapted to be disposed between adjacent ones of said members whereby to allow for interconnection of said members in a flexible and adjustable manner in said substantially side-by-side relationship, thereby to allow for the creation of a wall structure of any desired shape or configuration.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an interconnecting means for use in a retaining wall structure, said interconnecting means being in the form of a flexible hinge member including a central web portion having at least one protrusion at opposed sides thereof, the or each said protrusion being adapted, in use, to be releasably received by and retained within said complementary-shaped slots, grooves, apertures or the like provided in said elongate wall members.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of jointing together a plurality of elongate members whereby to provide a wall structure suitable for use as garden edging, using at least one hinge or connection means of the aforementioned type for each join or joint.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a kit of parts including: a plurality of substantially elongate members adapted to be interconnected in a substantially side-by-side relationship whereby to form a structure; and means adapted to be disposed between adjacent ones of said members whereby to allow for interconnection of said members in a flexible and adjustable manner in said substantially side-by-side relationship, thereby to allow for the creation of said structure of any desired shape or configuration.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect there will now be described in detail a preferred embodiment of a retaining wall structure in accordance with the invention. The ensuing description is given by way of non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows, in top perspective view, a portion of a retaining wall structure in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a connecting means or hinge in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of two elongate members of the retaining wall of Fig. 1, as interconnected using a hinge of the type illustrated in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view of an elongate member of the retaining wall structure of Fig. 1 with a hinge of the type shown in Fig. 2 associated therewith, illustrating the manner in which the location of the hinge relative to the post or elongate member can be adjusted.

The wall structure or edging as illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a plurality of substantially elongate members 1, adjacent ones of said members 1 to be interconnected in side-by-side relationship by means of one or more hinge members 2 whereby to create the desired wall. In an especially preferred embodiment, as illustrated, the members 1 can be formed of a suitable timber material, such as for example treated pine. It must be realised, however, that the actual material of construction of said members does not constitute part of the invention. A suitable material, preferably of a bio-degradable nature, may in fact be employed, as for example moulded fibreboard.

For decorative purposes, or to provide aesthetic appeal, preferably one end of each member 1, being that end to be located above ground level, could be appropriately shaped, as for example corner-cut, rounded, etc. Such a shaped member 1 would be especially suitable for edging of gardens and for purposes of soil retention. Alternatively, however, even the upper end of the member or members 1 could be square cut, an arrangement which would be especially suitable for purposes of use as lawn edging material, with such an arrangement then providing a form of so- called mowing strip. It should be realised, however, that the actual shape of the members 1 forms no part of the invention and that effectively any shape may be employed, dependent only on the intended usage therefor.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated the hinge means or member 2 includes a web portion 3 having a substantially bulbous protrusion 4 provided at each end thereof. It should be realised, however, that the actual shape of the protrusion 4 is not of the essence of the invention. In a practical sense all that is required is for the web portion 3 to include a discontinuity, e.g. a flange or other protrusion, at each end thereof. With such an arrangement, once the hinge member 3 is located within the slot 5, it provides a form of protection against unwanted separation of thus interconnected members 1. Indeed, separation can only be effected by sliding the hinge member along the slot 5 until such time as it is totally clear of that slot.

The hinge member 2 could be constructed of any suitable material, as for example a flexible plastics material, or galvanized steel sheet, or aluminium. It should be understood, however, that the hinge member 2 should preferably be constructed of a material which provides flexibility, such that lateral movement or bending of the web portion 3 can take place in order to allow for the forming of curved or other than straight wall structures. It should furthermore be understood that, with the arrangement in accordance with the present invention, both the actual length of adjoining elongate members, and the spatial location of the or each hinge member 2 relative to the associated elongate member 1 in a vertical direction relative one to the other, may be varied, whereby to compensate for differing levels in height or depth of a garden bed to suit varying ground contours, whilst at the same time providing an overall wall structure illustrating a substantially uniform height as projecting above ground level. In the preferred embodiment illustrated each member 1 includes, along each vertical edge thereof, at least one slot or aperture 5 of a shape complementary to the protrusions 4 of the hinge member 2, the arrangement being such that a hinge member 2 is adapted to be received and releasably retained within the slot or aperture 5 as desired. In a preferred embodiment a slot or aperture 5 extends over substantially the entire height dimension of each member 1, the arrangement being such that the slot or aperture 5 receives its associated hinge member, or members, 2 in an interference-type fit. Such an arrangement will assist in containing the soil, etc., within the defined area and will also serve to prevent weeds from growing between members 1. It should be realised, however, that such need not be the case, and in an alternative embodiment (not illustrated) two or more separate slots 5 may be provided along each vertical side edge of each member 1, at least one slot 5 at the top and one at the bottom of said member, with neither slot extending more than halfway down the height of the member 1. In the embodiment illustrated two such hinge members 2 are employed, one to be located at or in the vicinity of the top of the slot 5 (or the top slot if two slots are involved), and the other to be located towards the bottom of the slot 5 (or in the lower slot if two slots are involved). In the preferred embodiment illustrated, a single slot 5 will be provided extending along each side of each member 1 and along substantially the entire height dimension thereof. A single hinge member 2, of a height dimension substantially the same as the length of the slot 5, may then be employed. Such a single slot 5 - single hinge member arrangement 2 can be expected to afford perhaps the best barrier to unwanted egress of soil etc. through the retaining wall thus formed. In order to allow for the creation of a curved or arcuate retaining wall structure a longitudinally extending array of elongate members 1 may be effectively forced into the desired shape by bending the associated hinge members 2 to a sufficient extent, the arrangement being such that at the same time adjacent ones of the members 1 will be held together without undue separation.

The length of each elongate member 1 is not of the essence of the invention. Indeed, for purposes of use or, for example, sloping blocks, the members 1 may be of differing lengths in order to compensate for such slope and still allow for construction of a dividing wall illustrating a substantially uniform length of material protruding above the ground. To provide for such a result, in an especially preferred embodiment of the invention the materials suitable for the construction of a retaining wall in accordance with the invention may be packaged for marketing in what might be termed kit form, including a plurality of elongate members, perhaps of different lengths, with an associated number of hinge members 2. Although the preferred embodiment discloses protrusions 4 being complementary in shape to slot 5, this is not essential. Protrusion 4 may, for example, be a resilient member which can bite into the walls of slot 5 if longitudinal tension is exerted on the assembled edging.

The preferred embodiment discloses the use of the invention for a wall structure or edging. The invention can also be applied to paths by lying the elongate member 1 flat instead vertically. In this manner a very convenient walking surface can be provided.

Finally, it is to be understood that the aforegoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.

Claims

1. A retaining wall structure for a garden bed or the like, said structure including: a plurality of substantially elongate members adapted to be interconnected in a substantially side-by-side relationship whereby to form said wall structure; and means adapted to be disposed between adjacent ones of said members whereby to allow for interconnection of said members in a flexible and adjustable manner in said substantially side-by-side relationship, thereby to allow for the creation of a wall structure of any desired shape or configuration.

2. The structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each said elongate member has at least one slot, groove, aperture or the like discontinuity extending from at least one end thereof in a height direction along each opposed lateral edge thereof, over at least partially the height dimension thereof, said slot, groove aperture or the like being adapted, in use, to receive and releasably retain therein at least one said interconnecting means whereby to allow for interconnection with an adjacent wall member or members.

3. The structure as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each said wall member includes two of said slots, grooves, apertures or the like extending from opposed ends thereof, neither of which extends over greater than half the height dimension.

4. The structure as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each said elongate wall member includes two opposed said slots, grooves, apertures or discontinuities, one on each side thereof, each extending over the entire height dimension of said member.

5. The structure as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the or each said interconnecting means is in the form of a substantially elongate member adapted, in use, to be received by and releasably retained within a slot, groove, aperture or the like of an elongate wall member.

6. An interconnecting means for use in a retaining wall structure as claimed in Claim 1, said interconnecting means being in the form of a flexible binge member including a central web portion having at least one protrusion at opposed sides thereof, the or each said protrusion being adapted, in use, to be releasably received by and retained within said complementary-shaped slots, grooves, apertures or the like provided in said elongate wall members.

7. The interconnecting means as claimed in Claim 6, wherein each said protrusion or projection is in the form of a flange- like extension of said hinge member, adapted to co-operate with a complementary-shaped groove, slot or the like provided in said elongate member of said wall structure.

8. The interconnecting means as claimed in Claim 6, including a substantially circular-shaped (in section) protrusion or projection disposed at each side of said central web portion, said protrusion or projection being adapted to be received within a complementary-shaped slot or aperture or groove of said elongate wall member.

9. The interconnecting means as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, constructed of a plastics material.

10. The interconnecting means as claimed in any one of the preceding claims constructed of a metallic material.

11. The interconnecting means as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, constructed if a bio-degradable material.

12. The structure as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said elongate wall members are constructed of a bio¬ degradable material.

13. A pathway or retaining wall structure for a garden bed or the like, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A kit of parts including: a plurality of substantially elongate members adapted to be interconnected in a substantially side-by-side relationship whereby to form a structure; and means adapted to be disposed between adjacent ones of said members whereby to allow for interconnection of said members in a flexible and adjustable manner in said substantially side-by-side relationship, thereby to allow for the creation of said structure of any desired shape or configuration.

15. An interconnecting means for use in a retaining wall structure or pathway, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A method for joining together a plurality of elongate members whereby to provide a wall structure suitable for use as garden edging, using at least one interconnecting means as claimed in Claim 6, substantially as described herein.