GB2234272A - A screen wall assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A screen wall assembly system comprising a plurality of support posts 1 each securable in upwardly extending disposition to one of a plurality of mounting means located or locatable in the ground with each support post having locating means along at least one side thereof for retainably engaging with the edge of a light-weight wall member or block 4 and/or with a locating rail or cross member 3; wherein a plurality of said light-weight wall members or blocks are provided and located or locatable in horizontal rows, one above the other, or in vertical rows adjacent each other; wherein said rows are retained, respectively, by horizontal or vertical locating rails 3 engaging with the edges of adjacent blocks with said rails extending, respectively, either horizontally between said posts with the ends engaging therewith or, vertically, with the ends thereof engaging with cross members which engage at their ends with the posts. A plinth member 5 may be provided to accommodate ground irregularities. A coping 7 may also be provided. Ground anchor or concrete post feet may be provided with means to vertically and horizontally adjust the position of posts 1. <IMAGE>

Description

A SCREEN WALL ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a screen wall assembly for use in gardens.

The average size of garden provided with new housing in the United Kingdom decreases veer by year, with a consequent effect on both privacy and growing area. At the same time, there is an increasing tendency towards the use of garden space for leisure living rather than cultivation.

Over recent years, the market for conservatories, a halfway-house between interior and exterior living, patio flagging and walling, barbecues and outdoor furniture has accelerated strongly. With this increasing tendency towards outdoor living, in ever more confined spaces, a need is perceived for a garden screen assembly system capable of serving a number of functions, such as site-screen, wind-break and climbing frame for climbing and trailing plants. With the accent on easy erection and minimum maintenace, a suitable system should be capable of erection up to two metre height without specialist skills, and sufficiently flexible in its design to accommodate uneven ground surfaces and changes of direction at any angle or through curves.It is also desirable that the layout of the exterior room should be easily variable to accommodate changes in leisure or screening requirements and that co-ordinated plant holders should be available so thatclimbingend trailing plants may be grown across the screen assembly even above paved areas of the garden.

Traditionally, screen walls are constructed of concrete block, wood or wrDught iron. The latter two materials, although relatively light in weight for ease of handling, require regular maintenance which cannot be conducted one climing plants become established. Concrete screening, although maintenance free, is necessarily heavy, limited in design scope and semi-permanent in location. It requires considerable disruption to an established garden and a commitment of time and effort beyond the average leisure gardener.

According to the present invention there is provided a screen wall assembly system comprising a plurality of support posts each securable in upwardly extending disposition to one of a plurality of mounting means located or locatable in the ground with each support post having locating means along at least one side thereof for retainably engaging with the edge of a light-weight wall member or block and/or with a locating rail or cross member; wherein a plurality of said light-weight wall members or blocks are provided and located or locatable in horizontal rows, one above the other, or in vertical rows adjacent each other; wherein said rows are retained, respectively, by horizontal or vertical locating rails engaging with the edges of adjacent blocks, with said rails extending, respectively, either horizontally between said posts with the ends engaging therewith or, vertically, with the ends thereof engaging with cross members which engage at their ends with the posts; and preferably wherein assembly of wall members or blocks with the rails, and of the rails, and optionally cross members,and wall members or blocks with the posts is securable without the use of adhesive material such as cement.

Preferably the wall members or blocks will be located in horizontal rows, one above the other, and retained by horizontal, cross rails of generally I- or H-shaped cross section disposed between rows and preferably under the bottom row with the horizontal edges of the wall members locating in the channels of the rails.

The support posts may have a projection or projections as locating means along at least one side which engage in cooperating recesses or grooves formed in the vertical edges of the wall members but the support posts are preferably formed with a channel along at least one side as the locating means and in which the ends of the cross rails are slidably locatable as one, preferably the vertical edges of adjacent wall members. A suitable upper cross member or capping rail may be provided preferably of generally inverted U-shape section for retaining the top edge of the uppermost row of wall members and be engage able with or securable to two adjacent support posts. Suitable capping and/or cladding means may be provided.Some of the wall members or blocks may be shaped to include features other than design e.g. may be formed as troughs or containers for growing plants or for water or other surfaces or constructions or ornaments as are used in gardens. Whilst the preferred embodiment is with horizontal cross rails, it is also envisaged to be within the scope of the present invention for vertical rails to be provided between vertical rows of wall members with the top and bottom ends of the rails being held in position by horizontal cross members whose ends engage with adjacent posts by suitable means.

The present invention enables the provision of a lightweight and highly versatile home assembly screen system for the none-too-practical gardener. The system is based upon an assembly of preferably polymer modified fibre-reinforced cement screen blocks or wall members held together by a light, preferably plastics material, framework. P.F.R.C. technology allows for slender sections and design freedom akin to that of wrought iron but accompanied by the maintenace freedom of concrete. Screen block elements as wall members may be offered in a co-ordinated range of sizes, patterns and colours to allow the user extensive freedom of design in the assembly of his screens.

P.F.R.C. enables a screen assembly to be produced of such comparatively low weight that it may be supported by an abnormally light framework. It is increasingly common for wooden fence posts, to be supported by a pressed steel anchor post, typically 450 mm or 600 mm long, with a box-section opening at the head to receive the base of the wooden post and in one embodiment of the invention a modified anchor post is utilised as the mounting means.

Anchor posts may be driven into the ground, after the fashion of a tent peg, requiring neither diffing nor concreting and are therefore ideal for the concept of the current invention.

They are of more than adequate strength for lightweight screening and may be driven into, and subsequently removed from, existingflowerbedsandlawns with minimal disruption.

The various embodiments and arrangements defined in claims 1 to 24 are to be taken as incorporated herein as subject matter of the present application.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an end part of a screen wall assembly showing an end support post with covering horizontal rows of wall blocks between horizontal locating rails; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a support post of the assembly of Fig. 1 without ornamental cover and without other components; Fig. 3 is en exploded perspective view of an anchor device for mounting the support post of Fig. 2 in the ground; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of part of the top of a support post and an end of a horizontal locating rail showing the interengaging portions thereof;; Fig. 5 is an exploded schematic perspective view from above of a post cap for a four-way junction and the ends of the three of four capping rails to be held by said cap on the top of the post.

A screen wall assembly system as illustrated comprising a plurality of support posts 1 (only one shown) firmly secured on a plurality of mounting means or anchor devices 2 (Fig.2) driven into the ground and a plurality of horizontal disposed locating rails 3 generally of I- or H- section extending between and engaging with adjacent pairs of posts 1.

The rails 3 define oppositely facing channels 3', 3" which receive the horizontal edges of horizontal rows of light weight wall members or blocks 4 to hold such in position.

A single larger wall member or plinth 5 is provided at the base end extends between adjacent posts 1 with its ends engaging in channels in the posts 1. Decorative and protective post-covering members 6 of suitable shape and engaging projections (not shown) are provided. R generally inverted U-shaped capping rail 7 is provided along the top of the top horizontal row of blocks 4 and is held in position by a post capping member 8 which engages therewith and with the top of each post 1.

The wall members or blocks 4 and/or plinth 5 are lightweight and preferably formed of plastics material or polymer modified fibre reinforced cement (P.F.R.C.) such as marketed by Pilkingtons plc. under the trade mark "CEMFIL". The support posts 1, support rails or cross members 3, post covering members 6, capping rails 7 and capping members B are preferably formed of plastics material such as uPUC.

Figs. 2 and 4 illustrate the nature of the support posts 1 in detail and such are of hollow box section with a central space 1' with two rows of smaller hollow rectangular sections 9 on opposite side faces as strengthening portions. Along each of the four side faces of post 1 (or possibly only on one, two or three sides of other posts 1) there are formed two projecting parallel ribs 10 defining a channel 11 in which the ends 3"' (only one shown) of each of rails 3 may be located. Two retaining ribs 12 are formed along the length of ribs 10 and extending from adjacent feces of ribs 10 and towards each other but terminating so as to define a slot in which a reduced width portion 13 of rail 3 may pass so as to be displaceable therealong with the end 3"' preventing lateral removal.

The anchor device 2 in Fig. 2 comprises a pointed earth-penetrating part 14 formed of an arrangement of tapering steel plates in the form of a cross and having a flat,square steel plate 15 welded thereto to facilitate the driving of the part 14 as accurately as possible into the ground. Elongate securing apertures 16 are provided at each corner for the adjustable securement by nuts and bolts 17, 171 (only one shown) of a second support post locating post or mounting part 1B. The part 18 is a vertical steel box section post which may be for example 30D mm tell. Welded to its base is a flat square steel plate 19 of similar dimensions to that on the head plate 15 of the part 14.By elongate securing holes 20 at its four corners, the base of the locating part 18 may be attached to the head plate 15 of the anchor part 14 by nuts and bolts.

The securing holes 16 in the head of the part 14 are slots, for example of 25 mm length, running at right angles to the line of the to be completed screen assembly. The slots 20 in the plate 19 of the locating part 18 may be of similar length, running parallel to the line of the to be completed screen assembly. In this way, the distance between parts IS and thus posts 1 and the accuracy of line in the finished assembly may be governed. In bolting the two parts 14, 18 together, steel shims 21 may be included as necessary to ensure the verticality of the locating part 18.

Once locating or supporting parts 18 have been accurately aligned and secured, they become the foundation for the bearing framework which will support the completed screen wall assembly. The elements of the framework are the vertical support posts 1, which may be up to two metres high and of hollow box section, caps or finials B to close the tops of the vertical support posts 1 and the horizontal "H" section rails 3 to grip the upper and lower edges of each horizontal row of screen blocks or members 4. All of these components may be manufactured in uPUC of a quality widely used in the production of maintenance-free window frames and conservatory frames. Such vertical uPVC posts 1 are primarily of hollow box section designed to fit tightly over the steel locating post parts 18 which support them.Any or all of the four visible faces of each uPUC post may feature a vertical channel section. It is within the vertical channel sections of adjacent posts that the finished screen may be assembled.

Screen wall assembly is progressive from ground level upwards. Support posts 1 are located on devices 2.

On uneven ground, P.F.R.C. plinth 5 may be inserted at ground level, spanning from post 1 to post 1 and creating a horizontal base for the screen wall assembly. The first horizontal "H" section rail 3 is then slid down channels II of adjacent posts 1 and placed over plinth 5 and the first row of screen blocks 4 is then inserted tightly into the upper channel profile of rail 3. The next "H" section rail 3 is then slid down channels II and slotted onto the heads of the first row of blocks 4. This process continues until the desired height is reached. A purpose designed capping rail 7 of matching uPUC, is slotted over the complete assembly.

Finally, purpose designed uPVC caps B, B' are fitted to the heads of the vertical posts 1. These post caps B, 8' are so designed as to clip over the ends of adjacent capping rails 7 and a mechanical fixing (not shown) may be supplied for the purpose of attaching post caps to capping rails or, preferably, resilient parts (not shown) of the caps B engage in apertures 22 in opposite sides of each end of capping rails 1.

Fig. 5 illustrates a four-way junction cap 8' of uPUC and capping rails 7. Cap B' comprises an inverted central box-like section 23 having four engaging arms 24 extending therefrom and for engaging over the ends of capping rails 7 and for securement thereto by resilient portions (not shown) releasably engaging in apertures 22 in each of the ends of rails 7 also of uPVC.

The dimensions of all components are closely co-ordinated. P.F.R.C. screen blocks are of standard thickness. Horizontal "H" rail channels are designed to grip the edges of screen blocks1 using the slight elasticity of uPVC. In turn, the vertical channels of the primary box-section posts are designed to grip the end of the horizontal "H" rails.

Feature accessories, such as plant holders, are designed to match the screen pattern and to be inserted into the framework in place of conventional screen blocks.

Screens, accessories, posts and rails are produced in suites of matching colour and screen blocks in a range of co-ordinated sizes and patterns. The householder therefore has considerable design freedom in planning his leisure garden.

Various modifications may be effected without departing from the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims and applicable herein. For example, a row of blocks or wall members (4) may be integrally formed to span between adjacent posts and thus the locating rails may be dispensed with. Such integral larger wall members may be vertically disposed in which case horizontal supporting cross members engaging between the posts would be needed.

Claims (24)

1. A screen wall assembly system comprising a plurality of support posts each securable in upwardly extending disposition to one of a plurality of mounting means located or locatable in the ground with each support post having locating means along at least one side thereof for retainably engaging with the edge of a light-weight wall member or block and/or with a locating rail or cross member; wherein a plurality of said light-weight wall members or blocks are provided and located or locatable in horizontal rows, one above the other, or in vertical rows adjacent each other; wherein said rows are retained, respectively, by horizontal or vertical locating rails engaging with the edges of adjacent blocks, with said rails extending, respectively, either horizontally between said posts with the ends engaging therewith or, vertically, with the ends thereof engaging with cross members which engage at their ends with the posts.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the mounting means comprises a concrete or like material set in the ground and having means therein to enable a support post to be detachably secured thereto.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which each mounting means comprises an anchorpost or device which may be driven into the ground and to which a support post may be detachably secured.

4. An anchorpost as described in claim 3 in which adjustment means, such as steel shims, are provided to enable the post to be adjusted for verticality.

5. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which adjustment means are provided to enable lateral and fore-and-aft adjustment of the position of the support post relative to said mounting means.

6. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in which the mounting means comprise an anchor post device comprising two sections, horizontally divided by spacing shims as may be required to ensure the verticality of the upper section and attachable together by nuts and bolts through slotted or oversized holes so as to allow for horizontal adjustment.

7. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6, in which each support post is of hollow section and the upper section of each anchorpost is of an external horizontal cross section appropriate to fit tightly or closely within the internal cross section of the support post and is of such height when protruding from the ground as to prevent unacceptable lateral movement of the support post placed upon said upper section.

8. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which each support post comprises a central hollow box section portion designed to fit closely or tightly over mounting means such as an anchorpost as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6, and at least four other box section portions, each adjacent to one of the four faces of said central box section portion such that the horizontal cross section of the post is generally cruciform.

9. A support post as claimed in claim B in which sections of any or all of the extreme outer walls of the four peripheral box sections constituting the legs of the cruciform may be omitted so as to create an open receiving channel for the edge of an assembly of wall members or blocks.

10. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, in which horizontal locating rails are provided and the two ends of each horizontal locating rail are so designed as to engage in receiving channels of adjacent vertical support posts so as to prevent them from separating laterally of the posts.

11. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, in which horizontal locating rails are provided and in which an upper horizontal capping rail is provided extending or extendable between two adjacent support posts and having a normally downwardly facing channel which is located or locatable over the upper edges of the uppermost row of wall members or blocks; said capping rail being securable to the support posts by securing means.

12. An assembly as claimed in claims 1 to 11, in which a post cap is incorporated which is securable to the top of a support post to prevent vertical movement and dislocation of a capping rail, wall members or blocks and horizontal rails therebelow.

13. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, in which each support post, capping rail, locating rail and postcap is of a plastics material such as uPVC.

14. An assembly as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 13, in which the wall members or blocks are of a lightweight material such as plastics or fibre reinforced cement.

15. An assembly as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 14, in which at least one wall member or block is a plinth or base member of a length sufficient to extend between and be engageable with two adjacent posts to provide a level support for rows of wall members or blocks thereabove.

16. An assembly as claimed in claims 1 to 15, in which wall members or blocks are constructed to a range of standard lengths and widths, such as 300 mm x 300 mm, and of uniform thickness so that the receiving channels of support posts and locating rails may be sized relative thereto in order to effect a close or tight fit in the completed assembly.

17. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16, in which one or more of the wall members or wall blocks are formed to include container portions such as for growing plants or holding water or the like, or formed to provide garden or patio accessories, such as bird boxes or tables, plant container holders or light fittings so as to integrate into the screen wall assembly system.

IS. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17, in which the wall members or blocks are formed as ornamental members having features or patterns applied thereto or formed therewith.

19. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 18 in which horizontal locating rails, preferably of I- or H- shaped crosssectionsere provided and have means at each end displaceably or slidably engageable with cooperating means of said supporting posts so as to be displaceable along two adjacent support posts into position whilst being retained against lateral displacement.

20. An assembly as claimed in claim 19, in which the slidably engageable means of the rails comprise a reduced width portion spaced from each end which is locatable between a width restriction of channels extending along each said support post for receiving the ends of said rails and/or edges of said wall members or blocks.

21. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, in which the support posts have a channel extending along opposite sides or along one side only or along three or four sides thereof.

22. A wall assembly system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

23. A wall assembly system comprising a plurality of support posts each securable in upwardly extending disposition to one of a plurality of mounting means located or locatable in the ground with each post having locating means along at least one side thereof for retainably engaging with the edge of a wall member, a plurality of said wall members of lightweight material and of a length such as to extend between adjacent support posts and be locatable one above the other to form a wall.

24. A wall assembly comprising a plurality of support posts detachably securable to mounting means locatable in the ground, and a plurality of wall members arrangeable in horizontal rows and retainable by horizontal cross members or rails extending between adjacent posts.