GB2465084A

GB2465084A - Fence kit and method of erecting a fence

Info

Publication number: GB2465084A
Application number: GB0919700A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neal Griffith; Steven Brough
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-11-10
Filing date: 2009-11-10
Publication date: 2010-05-12
Also published as: GB0919700D0; WO2010051605A1

Abstract

A method of erecting a fence includes the steps of providing a fence structure, a fence pale 10 and a bracket 20. The fence pale has an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face 12 of the profile defines the rear face of the pale and the outer face (14, fig. 2) of the profile defines the front face of the pale. The bracket includes affixing portions adapted to allow the bracket to be affixed to the pale. The affixing portions are affixed to the pale such that the bracket extends across the rear face. The bracket is fastened to the fence structure using a fastening member which may extend though an opening 22 in the bracket 20 and which is unable to be accessed from the front face of the pale. The bracket may be secured by welding or by location in slots formed in the pale. The bracket may include a second plate (112, fig.11a) parallel to the first plate (114, fig.11a). The fastening member may be a protrusion (32, fig.3) integrally formed with said bracket. A corresponding bracket, fence pale and fencing kit are also provided.

Description

FENCE KIT AND METHOD OF ERECTING A FENCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fences and, in particular, to fences formed of fence pales.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Palisade fences are formed from a number of fence pales bolted or otherwise secured to a supporting fence structure in spaced and generally parallel relationship. Fences of this type are generally used to provide a secure barrier or perimeter to prevent unauthorised access to an area.

The types of fence pale typically used are the so-called D-or W-profile.

The D-profile pale is an elongated metal body having a generally angled or curved cross-sectional profile as viewed along its length. Such a pale is normally produced by rolling strip metal stock, such as steel, which may be carried out by a hot rolling operation or a cold rolling operation. The W-profile effectively has a pair of generally angled or curved portions as cross-sectional profile. An example of a W-profile pale can be seen in International PCT application no. W095/331 13.

When erecting a palisade fence, the fence pales are normally fastened to a fence structure, such as a fence rail or post, by punching a hole through the pale and inserting a fastening member, such as a bolt or screw. The problem associated with this is that the head of the bolt or screw is accessible from the front face of the pale. This means that a determined intruder could use a prying tool on the exposed bolt head and remove it. Hence, the pale could be removed from the fence structure and allow unauthorised access through the fence.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for erecting a more secure fence which would hinder unwanted removal of a pale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of erecting a fence, including the steps of: providing a fence structure; providing a fence pale, the fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of the profile defines the rear face of the pale and the outer face of the profile defines the front face of the pale; providing a bracket, said bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale; affixing said affixing portions to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face; fastening said bracket to said fence structure using a fastening member; wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a fence kit, including: a fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of the profile defines the rear face of the pale and the outer face of thew profile defines the front face of the pale; a bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of the profile defines the rear face of the pale and the outer face of the profile defines the front face of the pale, the pale including a bracket, the bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a bracket for a fence pale of the type having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of the profile defines the rear face of the pale and the outer face of the profile defines the front face of the pale, the bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.

The present invention advantageously provides the means for erecting a fence in which the members which fasten the fence pales to the fence structure are not readily accessible from the front face of the fence, thereby providing a secure fence.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I illustrates a fence pale having a bracket affixed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pale of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a pale having the bracket of Figs. 5a to 5c affixed; Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the pale and bracket arrangement of Fig. 1; Figs. 5a to 5c show an alternative embodiment of a bracket in isolation; Figs. 6a to 6c show the bracket of Fig. 1 in isolation; Figs. 7a to 7c show an alternative embodiment of a bracket in isolation, fig. 7d show the bracket affixed to a fence pale; Figs 8a to 8c show a fastening stud for use with the bracket of Figs. 7a to 7d; Figs. 9a to 9c show an alternative embodiment of a bracket in isolation, fig. 9d show the bracket affixed to a fence pale; Fig. 10 shows the arrangement of Figs. 9a to 9d with a received fence rail; and Figs. 11 a to II c show an alternative embodiment of a bracket in isolation, fig. lid show the bracket affixed to a fence pale.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figs. I and 2 show a conventional D-profile fence pale 10. The fence pale has an elongated body with a curved cross-sectional profile. The inner face 12 of the profile defines the rear face 12 of the pale 10 which is erected facing a fence structure (not shown). A typical fence structure would include a number of posts embedded in the ground with fence rails extending between the posts.

The outer face 14 of the pale 10 defines the front face 14 of the pale 10 which faces away from the fence structure.

A bracket 20 is affixed to the pale 10 extending across the rear face of the pale 10. Referring to Figs. 6a to 6c, the bracket 20 has a rectangular plate construction with an opening in the form of a hole 22 formed through the bracket 20. The opposed side edges 24, 26 act as affixing portions to be affixed to the pale 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the edges 24, 26 can be affixed by welding 28. As will be appreciated, the edges 24, 26 could be affixed in any suitable manner.

With the bracket 20 affixed to the pale 10, as shown in Figs 1 and 4, a fastening member can be inserted through the hole and fasten to the fence structure, e.g. a fence rail. A suitable fastening member would be a threaded bolt, for example. The opening 22 can be formed with complementary threads for the bolt. In this manner, the head of the bolt would be positioned between the rear face 12 of the pale 10 and the bracket 20 when the bolt is fastened to the fence structure. In this position, the bolt head is not exposed to the front face 14 of the pale and is effectively inaccessible from the front face 14. Thereby, preventing the bolt from being tampered with from the front face 14.

An alternative bracket 30 is shown in Figs. 3 and 5a to 5c. Instead of having an opening for receiving a separate fastening member, this bracket 30 has an integral fastening member 32 protruding from the bracket. Again, with this arrangement, the fastening member is effectively inaccessible from the front face l4ofthepalelo.

It is perceived that a variation on brackets 20 and 30 would be to include protrusions extending from opposing sides. Such protrusions could define affixing portions which could be inserted into complementary slots formed on the pale 10. This would provide an alternative form of fixing from direct welding or could be supplemented by welding to provide a secure fix.

A further form of bracket 34 is shown in Figs. 7a to 7d. This bracket 34 is similar to bracket 20 of Fig. 6 with an opening in the form of a slot 72 instead of a hole, for receiving a bolt or other suitable fastening member, such as the stud arrangement 33 shown in fig. 8a to 8c. It will be appreciated that this bracket could also be adapted with the side protrusions variation as discussed with respect to brackets 20 and 30.

Another form of bracket 36 is shown in Figs. 9a to 9d. This bracket 36 has a pair of substantially parallel plates 92, 94 joined in a U-shape construction with aligned openings 96, 98, shown as slots, in each plate 92, 94. With this bracket 36, a fence rail 100 can slot between the plates 92, 94 and a bolt 102 or other suitable fastening member can, be inserted through the plates 92, 94 and the received fence rail 100, see Fig. 10. It will be appreciated that this bracket 36 can be modified to have the side protrusions variation, similar to the discussion with respect to brackets 20 and 30. Similarly, the bracket 36 could use openings in the form of enclosed holes instead of the slots 96, 98 as shown.

Another form of bracket 35 is shown in Figs. 11 a to lid. This bracket 36 is a variation of bracket 36. This bracket 35 includes only one slot 116 in plate 112.

The other plate 114 is solid. Again, it will be appreciated that this bracket 35 can be modified to have the side protrusions variation, similar to the discussion with respect to brackets 20 and 30. Similarly, the bracket 35 could use an opening in the form of an enclosed hole instead of the slot 116, as shown.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes could be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, while the embodiments have been shown in use with a D-profile fence pale, other pale profiles including curved or angled portions could be utilised, e.g. W-profile pales.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method of erecting a fence, including the steps of: providing a fence structure; providing a fence pale, said fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of said profile defines the rear face of said pale and the outer face of said profile defines the front face of said pale; providing a bracket, said bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale; affixing said affixing portions to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face; fastening said bracket to said fence structure using a fastening member; wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said bracket includes a rectangular plate structure.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure define said affixing portions which are affixed to said pale by welding.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure include protrusions which define said affixing portions, which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots formed in said pale.
5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bracket includes an opening for receiving said fastening member therethrough.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said fastening member is a threaded bolt and said opening is formed with complementary threads.
7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said bracket includes a second plate structure arranged substantially parallel with said first plate structure.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said fastening member is a protrusion integrally formed with said bracket.
9. A fence kit, including: a fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of said profile defines the rear face of said pale and the outer face of said profile defines the front face of said pale; a bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.
10. The kit according to claim 9, wherein said bracket includes a rectangular plate structure.
11. The kit according to claim 10, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure define said affixing portions which are affixed to said pale by welding.
12. The kit according to claim 10, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure include protrusions which define said affixing portions, which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots formed in said pale.
13. The kit according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein said bracket includes an opening for receiving said fastening member therethrough.
14. The kit according to claim 13, wherein said fastening member is a threaded bolt and said opening is formed with complementary threads.
15. The kit according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein said bracket includes a second plate structure arranged substantially parallel with said first plate structure.
16. The kit according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein said fastening member is a protrusion integrally formed with said bracket.
17. A fence pale having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of said profile defines the rear face of said pale and the outer face of said profile defines the front face of said pate, said pale including a bracket, said bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.
18. The fence pale according to claim 17, wherein said bracket includes a rectangular plate structure.
19. The fence pale according to claim 18, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure define said affixing portions which are affixed to said pale by welding.
20. The fence pale according to claim 18, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure include protrusions which define said affixing portions, which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots formed in said pale.
21. The fence pale according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein said bracket includes an opening for receiving said fastening member therethrough.
22. The fence pale according to claim 21, wherein said fastening member is a threaded bolt and said opening is formed with complementary threads.
23. The fence pale according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein said bracket includes a second plate structure arranged substantially parallel with said first plate structure.
24. The fence pale according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein said fastening member is a protrusion integrally formed with said bracket.
25. A bracket for a fence pale of the type having an elongated body with an angled or curved cross-sectional profile, wherein the inner face of said profile defines the rear face of said pale and the outer face of said profile defines the front face of said pale, said bracket including affixing portions adapted to allow said bracket to be affixed to said pale such that said bracket extends across said rear face, said bracket being adapted to be fastened to a fence structure by a fastening member, wherein said fastening member is unable to be accessed from the front face of said pale.
26. The bracket according to claim 25, wherein said bracket includes a rectangular plate structure.
27. The bracket according to claim 26, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure define said affixing portions which are affixed to said pale by welding.
28. The bracket according to claim 26, wherein opposing edges of said rectangular plate structure include protrusions which define said affixing portions, which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots formed in said pale.
29. The bracket according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein said bracket includes an opening for receiving said fastening member therethrough.
30. The bracket according to claim 29, wherein said fastening member is a threaded bolt and said opening is formed with complementary threads.
31. The bracket according to any one of claims 26 to 30, wherein said bracket includes a second plate structure arranged substantially parallel with said first plate structure.
32. The bracket according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein said fastening member is a protrusion integrally formed with said bracket.
33. A method of erecting a fence, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
34. A fence kit, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
35. A fence pale, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
36. A bracket, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.