Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H17/00—Fencing, e.g. fences, enclosures, corrals
  • E04H17/14—Fences constructed of rigid elements, e.g. with additional wire fillings or with posts
  • E04H17/1413—Post-and-rail fences, e.g. without vertical cross-members
  • E04H17/1417—Post-and-rail fences, e.g. without vertical cross-members with vertical cross-members
  • E04H17/1426—Picket fences
  • E04H17/1439—Picket fences with separate pickets going through the horizontal members
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H17/00—Fencing, e.g. fences, enclosures, corrals
  • E04H17/14—Fences constructed of rigid elements, e.g. with additional wire fillings or with posts
  • E04H17/1413—Post-and-rail fences, e.g. without vertical cross-members
  • E04H17/1447—Details of connections between rails and posts
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H17/00—Fencing, e.g. fences, enclosures, corrals
  • E04H17/14—Fences constructed of rigid elements, e.g. with additional wire fillings or with posts
  • E04H17/1413—Post-and-rail fences, e.g. without vertical cross-members
  • E04H17/1447—Details of connections between rails and posts
  • E04H17/1448—Adjustable, angled or hinged connections

Definitions

• This invention relates to the assembly of fence panels, which may be angled to follow the contours of the ground, from pales and rails.
• Fence panels made from pales and rails are well known in the art, and comprise a plurality of parallel vertical pales supported near their top and bottom ends respectively by an upper rail and a lower rail. Intermediate rails may be disposed between the top and bottom rails for additional support.
• Each pale typically comprises a steel tube or bar, and in this specification a pale is taken to be any generally vertical member forming a fence panel.
• a number of panels may be used to form a fence by sinking a line of upright posts into the ground and attaching each panel at the ends of the rails between adjacent posts.
• each panel should be deformable from a generally rectangular shape to that of a parallelogram. This enables the panel to be adjusted during installation so as to enable it to follow the contour of the ground without leaving gaps underneath. It is known in the art to provide fence panels with a range of angular movement between the pales and rails to permit this adjustment during installation.
• the pales may be attached to the rails by means of rivets about which the pales can pivot.
• this design leaves the rivets vulnerable to attack by an intruder armed with a cold chisel or the like, which may be used to remove one or more pales and thus penetrate the fence.
• EP 1016768 to Garfex discloses a fence comprising tubular pales which are located in recessed rails by fixed and resilient pins, about which the pales may pivot. Each pale is inserted into the rails and then rotated a quarter turn to locate the fixed pins in recesses in one rail; the resilient pins spring into holes in the other rail to lock the pale in position.
• resilient fastening pins are employed, the possibility remains that an intruder with suitable tools may force back the pins and thereby disengage the pale from the rail.
• a further disadvantage is that the pales are diffucult to remove without causing damage to the rails. Once assembled on site, a panel cannot then be dismantled if it is no longer required.
• a fence panel comprising at least two substantially horizontal rails and a plurality of substantially vertical pale members arranged therebetween; each pale member having a lug, and at least one rail having a plurality of apertures formed therein together with recess means associated with each aperture, each pale member passing through an aperture such that the lug engages with the recess means so as to locate the pale member to the rail; and characterised in that there is further provided a locking piece, the locking piece cooperating with the recess means so as to secure the lugs therein.
• the fence panel may be easily transported in the dismantled condition then assembled on site to the required size, and the vertical pale members are securely retained within the rails once assembled.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fence assembled from panels according to the invention
• Figures 2a and 2b are perspective views of the upper rail of one of the panels shown in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 2c is a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the rail along line A - A as shown in Figure 2a;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upper part of one vertical member of the fence of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of a locking piece of the fence of Figure 1;
• Figures 5a - e are perspective views of various stages in the assembly of the vertical member and locking piece into the rail of Figure 2c;
• Figures 6a - c are perspective views of further stages of assembly of the same rail
• Figure 7 shows a cross section through the assembled rail along line B - B in Figure 6a;
• Figure 8 is a perspective view of the component parts of the attachment means of the rail;
• Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the configuration of the rail, the attachment means and a post of the fence.
• a fence comprises a number of upright posts 1 which are erected on sloping ground 2, together with panels 3 which are supported between the posts.
• Each panel 3 comprises an upper rail 4 and a lower rail 5 which support a plurality of vertical pale members 6 between them.
• the panels are angled to follow the slope of the ground, and this is made possible by the rails 4 and 5 which allow the vertical members 6 to pivot within them to a limited degree.
• the rails are thus aligned with the ground surface whilst the vertical members remain generally vertical and in alignment with the posts.
• the panels are attached to the posts by attachment means 7, which permit the rails to be angled with respect to the posts.
• the upper and lower rails 4 and 5 are identical.
• the rail comprises a generally C-shaped steel section having one open side 20, and a plurality of apertures 21 formed in the opposite side 29. Each of the remaining two sides of the section is folded to form an inner wall 23 and an adjacent outer wall 24, defining a channel 25 therebetween. A gap 28 is defined between the top 23' of each inner wall 23 and the side 29. Adjacent each aperture is a recess means comprising a semicircular recess 22 which is formed in the inner wall 23 of the rail. A cutout 26 is formed in each inner wall 23 adjacent each recess. A number of slots 27 are also formed in each inner wall.
• the recess 22 may alternatively be V-shaped.
• a vertical pale member 30 of the fence comprises a steel tube.
• a steel pin 31 is fixed through holes in the tube wall across the diameter of the tube, for example by pressing or welding, so that its ends project outwardly from the tube wall to form two lugs.
• the pin 31 is positioned a little way from the upper end 32 of the tube, so that when the pin is engaged in the upper rail 4 as described below, the tube projects for a short distance above the upper rail.
• An identical second pin is similarly attached to the tube near its bottom end, and this second pin similarly engages the lower rail 5 so that the tube extends for a short distance downwardly from the lower rail to meet the ground surface when the fence is erected.
• a locking piece 40 comprises an angled bar such as a length of unequal angle, which may be made for example from plastics material or steel, with a wide side 41 and a narrow side 42.
• each vertical member 30 is first inserted through the open side 20 of the rail 4 into an aperture 21.
• Each aperture 21 is elongate in form with its longer axis coaxial with the rail. The longer axis is longer than the pin 31, allowing the vertical member to be inserted through both the upper rail 4 and the lower rail 5 so that the pin 31 and the identical second pin are located respectively within the upper and lower rails.
• each end of the pin 31 locates within a cutout 26 in an inner wall 23 of the rail.
• the shorter axis of each aperture 21 is orthogonal to the main axis of the rail and approximately equal to the distance between the inner walls 23, and is slightly longer than the outside diameter of the vertical member 30.
• the vertical member 30 thus fits snugly between the inner walls and within the shorter axis of the aperture 21 , but with enough clearance along the longer axis of the aperture to enable it to pivot longitudinally with respect to the rail, as described below.
• the vertical member is then dropped (5d) into position so that the ends of the pin 31 locate in the semicircular recesses 22.
• the upper surface of each end of the pin is then level with the top 23' of the inner wall 23 of the rail 4.
• the identical second pin is similarly located in the lower rail 5.
• the locking piece thus prevents each pin 31 from being lifted out of the recess 22.
• a locking piece 40 may be inserted into one or both channels 25 in one or both rails 4 and 5.
• an end cap 60 is then inserted into each end of each rail to retain the locking pieces 40 in the rail, preventing their removal whilst the end caps 60 are in position.
• the end cap 60 comprises two halves 81 and 81', which may be moulded from metal or suitable plastics material and are retained together by the rail into which the end cap 60 is inserted.
• Flanges 82 are provided on each half and locate in the slots 27 in the inner walls 23 of the rail; this is more clearly seen in Figures 2a and 2b.
• Slots 27 are provided between each pair of apertures 21, enabling the rails 4 and 5 to be cut to any required length.
• Each panel of the fence may therefore be manufactured on site to the length required.
• a steel plate 83 is placed between the two halves of the end cap 60, and retained by a dowel 84 on one half 81' of the end cap.
• the dowel 84 passes through a hole 85 in the plate and locates in a corresponding hole 86 in the other half 81.
• a hole 87 is provided in one end of the plate 83 which projects from the end cap, the plate 83 and end cap 60 together forming attachment means for attaching the rail to a post 1 of the fence.
• the post 1 is provided with a bracket 90 which receives the projecting end of the plate 83, for example by bolting through the hole 87 using a suitable security fastener.
• a similar bracket is provided near the base of the post for securing the lower rail 5.
• the plate 83 is able to pivot within the bracket allowing the rails 4 and 5 to be angled to follow the slope of the ground.
• each panel is fully dismantlable once removed from the fence, but each vertical member remains fully secure whilst the panel is in position. The dismantlable capability of the fence therefore does not compromise its integrity in use.
• Means may be provided for retaining the end caps in the rails.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Fencing (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9910707

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (17)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2001
  • 2001-03-14 GB GB0106353A patent/GB2373261B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-03-06 WO PCT/GB2002/000959 patent/WO2002072982A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-03-06 EP EP02701451A patent/EP1370738A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-03-06 AU AU2002234780A patent/AU2002234780B2/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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