GB2510577A

GB2510577A - Sheath for hanging gates on posts

Info

Publication number: GB2510577A
Application number: GB1302164.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Putman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-02-07
Filing date: 2013-02-07
Publication date: 2014-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 2033-02-07
Also published as: GB201302164D0; GB2510577B

Abstract

A sheath for a pillar comprises a unitary body 1 of sheeting having first 5 and second 6 ends and orthogonal sides 7, 8, together defining an interior 4 arranged to receive the pillar, and attachment means 2, 3 to attach the first and second ends. The attachment means may comprise interlocking parts integral with the ends, or separate fixtures such as nuts and bolts. The sheath may further comprise a hinge bracket or a gudgeon and pintle bracket. The body may be composed of flexible material. The sheath may be adjustable so it may fit over pillars that vary slightly in size, or include imperfections.

Description

A SHEATH

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sheath, more particularly but not exclusively a sheath for hanging gates or the like on posts, or the like.

Background

When arranging or installing fencing there is often requirement for addition of at least one gate to allow access to an adjacent fenced area or an area associated with the fenced area.

Usually a gate hanger, fixture or hinge will be attached to a post, for example by means of drilling a hole or series of holes into the post or otherwise inserting fixings into the post.

However this thay be very difficult in some posts, in particular concrete posts, used for fencing and will often require specialist equipment not within the means of gardeners. As a consequence it may be difficult to attach standard gates to the concrete post based fencing found in many gardens.

Prior Art

Accordingly a number of patent applications have been filed in an attempt to resolve the problem or similar including the following: United Kingdom patent application GB 2 431 089 (MURRAY) discloses a bracket * 30 comprises a planar piece of material which is formed into a C-shape. The C-shaped * bracket can be slid over a post such that the two free ends engage a rear face of. the post. A front face of the bracket is furnished with a screw hale for screwing a bolt * .. through which then engages with a front face of the post to provide a frictional grip to secure the bracket to the post, The bracket can be used with various adapters to *:*::* s suspend different articles from the post, such as hanging baskets, gate hinges, bird box holders or solar lamps.

wherein said safety gate can be attached to said second side of said wooden gate attachment member with said assembly/attacbrnen hardware of said safety gate.

United Kingdom patent application GB 2 401 304 (LAPPAGE) discloses a bracket used for attaching hanging baskets, or as a platform for shelving for a concrete post of the type used to support fencing panels comprises a bracket that has the same profile of the concrete post. The bracket may have a clamping action secured by a wing nut or screw 7 so that no tools or expertise is required to fit the bracket and hence no damage is caused to the post. The bracket does not interfere with the opposite side of the post and may be easily removed or repositioned from the users side of the post; the grip of the clamp may also be increased by the vertical loads on the blade. The bracket may be formed from two strips of metal with bends Ia, lb, and a notch or hole 6 for securing the hanging baskets.

Granted United Kingdom patent US 6 802 106 (TAGLIANETTI) discloses an apparatus for attaching a fence post to a fence gate, comprising: a clamp with attached threaded bolt that is secured to an existing fence post using a conventional bolt and nut; and a nut with attached round stock pin, wherein the nut is threaded Upon the aforementioned clamp and a standard female gate bracket, attached to an existing gate, will slide and rest upon the round stock pin.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a sheath for a pillar comprising a unitary body of sheeting having first and second ends and orthogonal sides, together defining an interior body, said body arranged in use to receive said pillar; and in which said sheath further comprises at least one attachment means to attach the first and second ends together. * * 30

The body may be arranged in use to form a substantially close fit with said pillar and said attachment means may be wholly comprised by the ends, for example to include interlocking male and female parts on opposing ends, or independent, for example to include nuts and bolts passing through the ends.

*:::* 35 The sheath may be composed of flexible material so as to accommodate the pillar, for example an irregular shaped pillar.

Said sheath is arranged with at least one attachment means to attach the ends together. hinges, brackets or other fixtures may be provided to engage with or cooperate with said attachment means or may be comprised by said attachment means. For example the attachment means may comprise a fixture with bolts therethrough, to engage with apertures in the ends.

In another embodiment the attachment means may include a separate portion which is attached to the sheath so as to enable it to be closed about the post. For example the separate portion may be arranged in use between the ends or around them.

Said pillar or post is typically formed of concrete wherein the pillar is cast in a shape with at least one channel for acceptance of and maintenance within of a fence panel.

In this way the sheath permits adaptation of said panel so as to provide a point at which to accept a gate hinge or bracket securement point, without interference with maintenance and acceptance of said panel.

In this way the sheath may be arranged about posts at desired heights so as to support a gate wherein the sheath accepts a hinge or has an integrated hinge to support a gate. Typically two sheaths may be provided on one post in vertical alignment in order to hang one gate, so as to the gate is level and to prevent dropping of the gate over time.

Wherein some prior hangers may be adapted to fit around part of the concrete post, for example into recesses which recesses are used to accept fencing panels.

For example in some prior art a screw must be tightened so as to form a friction * 30 fitting of the body against the post and such hangers may be liable to slipping due to the small area of contact between the post and the screw tip. The present invention enables a strong and reliable contact to be made and said sheath may be capable of defoation for slight variances in post dimensions or addition of fillets may further enable variance in body shape.

In preferred embodiments the sheath is adapted to be lifted on or over posts and in particular concrete posts for fencing providing at least one face with raised and lowered parts. Typically such posts have substantially square cross sections with grooves that extend longitudinally along the post length for acceptance of fencing panels or rails.

Advantageously the sheaths are adapted or formed at manufacture so as to match post shapes including shaping or recessing for the longitudinal grooves so as to allow the post still be able to accept the fencing panels in use. Advantageously the sheaths are formed with inclined faces so as to close in tighter lowermost when the means is used or tightened.

In all preferred embodiments the sheath is dimensioned internally so as to be greater than the external dimensions of the concrete post, so as to allow the sheath to be filled to posts with minor imperfections in their construction such as a rogue pebble in the concrete. Ideally the sheath may be engineered to be at least 1mm greater than the dimensions of the post, preferably at least 1.5mm greater and typically no greater than 3mm.

Advantageously the sheaths may be provided with separable or separate fillets or inserts for filling between the sheath and the post so as to fill any gaps where the sheath does not contact the post. For example the fillets may be triangular wedges of L-shaped sections so as to fit in the sheath's corners or the fillets may be substantially planar so as to fit between any exterior face of the post and against any interior side of the sheath.

Typically the sheath is formed from metal or metal alloy so as to be strong, durable and resiliently deformable. In preferred embodiments the attachment means comprises a sheath that is defined in use by spacing between the ehds in use, and * 30 wherein the means further comprises at least one part connecting or bridging said spacing.

Additionally more than one type or format of sheath may be provided so as to accommodate posts of different shapes for example square, rectangular or round posts.

The sheath may consequently be arranged to accept different types of post such as a corner post or an end post wherein the longitudinal grooves may be required on different faces of the post or not at all on some sides. For example a standard post may have longitudinal grooves on two Opposing faces of one square concrete post, whereas an end post may only have a longitudinal groove on one face therefore the sheath must be adapted to reflect this so as to ensure an optimal fit.

Preferably the sheath is adjustable by means of a mechanism that enables the sheath to be widened so as to be slid onto or fit over the post and tightened so that the ends approximate and pull the body about the post, so as to be fixed by friction in position. The mechanism also enables the sheath to be locked at a particular tightness around the post so as not to widen without unlocking the mechanism, and for the mechanism to be unlocked by a user so as to remove or reposition the sheath.

The sheath may be widened so as to readily fit over the post and once in position the spacing may be reduced, closed or in some embodiments the sheath ends may overlap. Advantageously this enables the sheath to be positioned on posts that may vary slightly in size, or may include imperfections In preferred embodiments the sheath allows attachment of a gate fitting or hinge to the attachment means, ends, or around said mechanism or sheath or ends.

Typically the ends are situate on one side of the sheath which has no recesses It may be envisaged that in some embodiments the ends may be on the corner of the sheath so as to gate to be hung off the corner of the post rather than from a face.

In some embodimen the ends comprise two Opposing plates mounted on each end wherein the plates become closer under force and may touch when the sheath is * 30 closed but may be displaced from one another to widen the spacing in order to allow the sheath to fit over the post. 0 * * * *

* Preferably each plate includes at least one aperture capable of accepting the mechanism or part of such, providing the means. In some preferred embodiment the mechanism may comprise a nut and bolt in order to be able to close one plate to the opposing plate by tightening the nut on the bolt. Ideally the nut and bolt may be arranged with a washer such as a split washer so as to reduce likelihood of the nut loosening and to provide an Optimal surface for tightening against.

Ideally the plates may include more than two apertures so as to accept two or more bolts so as to ensure the plates and ends are closed evenly along the plate length, thereby improving fit around the post. For example there may be an aperture at the top, middle and bottom of the plate.

In other embodiments the mechanism may be a ratchet system or locking clamp or clip which may be incrementally changed to adjust tightness.

It may be envisaged that the ends are sprung biased to open and the mechanism enables closing therefore the sheath may be readily placed over the post without requirement for it to be levered or forced open. Therefore the sheath may be readily placed over the post and moved up and down its length until the desired height is achieved.

In some embodiments the hinge may be sandwiched in use between the plates and include apertures so as to accept the adjustment mechanism. For example the hinge bracket may include apertures to accept the bolts used for the adjustment mechanism.

In some other embodiments the plates may include an integrated mounting for accepting the hinge. For example one plate may be longer than the second plate so as to include a perpendicular planar projection on to which a hinge maybe welded.

Alternatively the mounting may include an integrated hinge therefore requiring no further parts.

In yet further embodiments a removable mounting may be provided which may be " 30 accepted onto the bolts thereby being either sandwiched between the ends or positioned on one of the plate backs. Typically the removable mounting is a 1- * section which serves to provide a platform on which the hinge may be attached for example by welding and a leg which includes apertures so as to be accepted by the bolts. Preferably the removable mounting is formed from the same material as the sheath although it may be of a greater thickness so as to better bear the weight of * *, the gate.

In other embodiments the hinge may be arranged in use on faces without a collar, for example wherein in some embodiments the sheath may be used to hang two gates in different orientations and the mechanism may interact with other sections of the sheath. For example where two gardens or fields are adjacent and separate entry may be required It may be envisaged that the sheath may be adapted to accept a plurality of different hinges such as drop hinges, barrel hinges or strap hinges.

Brief DescriDtian of Figures Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a first embodiment of the gate hanger; Figure 2 shows isometric view of a second embodiment of the gate hanger; Figure 3 shows an isometric view of a third embodiment of the gate hanger; Figures 4A and 4B show isometric views of a fourth embodiment of the gate hanger; Figures 5 show views from above of embodiments of the gate hanger; Figure 6 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of the gate hanger with hinge attached; And Figure 7 shows an isometric view of a second embodiment of the gate hanger with hinge attached. * . .

* * 30 **.... * *

Detailed Description of Figures

In preferred embodiments there are three styles of bracket, a standard hinge, drop-in **.* 35 hinge and plain bracket for attaching a specialised hinge, and each can be used in ** five different situations, namely: and end post with a gate perpendicular to a fence, an end post or intermediate post with a gate in line with a fence, an intermediate post with a gate perpendicular to a fence, a three-way post with a gate on a fourth side, and a corner post with a gate on one other side.

The standard hinge 12 comes with a standard hinge 12 already attached, which requires screws to fit onto the gate.

A drop-in hinge comes with a gudgeon 10 and pintle 11 arrangement already attached.

A plain bracket comes with just a plain steel plate attached, so that specialised hinges can be screwed or welded on.

Figures 4A and 4B show the removable 1-section 13 so that it may be positioned and secured between the two ends, 5 and 6. The T-section 13 has a platform 14 so that a hinge may be attached.

Further embodiments may comprise hooks or catches for temporary or reversible use to interface with fixtures, brackets or hinge.

Indented edges around the sheath are slightly sloped to ensure that the fence posts fit tightly in place.

Each bracket is produced from 2mm pressed sheet steel, in some embodiments galvanised for durability. A thicker piece of steel is welded at the ends to make the attachment stronger and stiffer.

S

* ..*S* With reference to the figures, the body 1 comprises two ends 5, 6, two orthogonal sides 7,8 and a recess 4 for fitting in longitudinal grooves. -*55

*:. The ends 5, 6 are joined by an attachment means comprising nuts 2 and bolts 3, wherein in use a gate is hung on shanks 9 of said nuts, or alternatively on said nut 2 and said bolt 3, or more particularly between said nut 2 and the end 5, and said bolt 3 and said end 6.

The pictured embodiment is formed of a relatively rigid piece of steel which can be slid over a post top and tightened in sitU.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realised that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present inv!ntion.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construdion and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. S. 55 * S S * * *

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* S. 9

Claims

Ctaims 1. A sheath for a pillar comprising a unitary body of sheeting having first and second ends and orthogonal sides, together defining an interior body, said body arranged in use to receive said pillar; and in which said sheath further comprises at least one attachment means to attach the first and second ends together.
2. A sheath according to claim 1, in which said sheath further comprises a hinge bracket.
3. A sheath according to claim 1 in which said sheath further comprises a gudgeon and pintle bracket.
4. A sheath according to claim 1, in which the attachment means is provided by a detachable fixture.
5. A sheath according to claim 4 wherein the fixture may be a hinge.
6. A sheath according to any of the preceding claims wherein the body is composed of flexible material.
7. A sheath with reference to the figures. *4 ** * . * * 4 ** *4te
S. 5 * S * . * * *4* 4* # .4. S* * * * * * *. * 4* * S * * .. 5e.4 * 4 *S * S S *4% * S *S SS S S * SS * 45 * 5 45.. 10 Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims 1. A sheath for a post comprising: a unitary body of sheeting adapted to correspond to shape of the post having first and second ends and orthogonal sides, together defining an interior body, said body arranged in use to receive the post; and in which the sheath further comprises at least one attachment means to attach the first and second ends of the unitary body together wherein the sheath includes at least one channel for accepting a fence panel.2. A sheath according to claim 1, in which said sheath further comprises a hinge bracket.3. A sheath according to claim 1, in which said sheath further comprises a gudgeon and pintle bracket.4. A sheath according to claim 1, in which the attachment means is provided by a detachable fixture.5. A sheath according to claim 4 wherein the fixture may be a hinge.6. A sheath according to any of the preceding claims wherein the body is composed of flexible material.7. A sheath according to any preceding claim including a mechanism by which the *....: sheath can be tightened about the post.: .".

S. A sheath as substantially herein described with reference to the figures. * .* * * * * .******* *