IE20000182A1 - Fence support - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a fence support, and in particular to a support for a temporary fence such as might be erected around a building site for example. According to the invention there is provided a fence support having a number of openings, each opening being adapted to receive a fence post, the fence support having handle means, the handle means being manufactured of a material different to that of the remainder of the support. There is also provided a fence support having a number of openings, each opening being adapted to receive a fence post, the fence support having at least one aperture by which a handle means may be located relative to the remainder of the fence support. In certain embodiments the fence support has a top surface and each opening has a top edge, and the top edge is spaced from the top surface. <Figure 3>

Description

FENCE SUPPORT FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a fence support, and in particular to a support for a temporary fence such as might be erected around a building site for example.

In the following description, directional terms such as top, height, vertical etc, refer to the normal orientation of the support and fence in use, i.e. with the support in the orientation as drawn in Fig.l.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION When building sites and the like are in use, it is often desirable or necessary to erect fencing to prevent access to the site by unauthorised persons. Unauthorised persons might be injured whilst on the site, or might be intent on causing damage by vandalism.

It is possible to build a substantially permanent fence around the site, but this is usually uneconomic, and site owners generally prefer to erect a temporary fence which can be both readily erected, and readily removed when no longer required.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Several types of temporary fence are known, but the invention is directed towards the type of fence constructed from a number of prefabricated fence panels which are supported in fence sup ports (sometimes referred to as footblocks) laid upon the ground. The fence panels usually comprise a metallic mesh mounted upon a metal framework. The vertical members of the metal framework IE 000182 - 2 extend beyond the lower edge of the mesh to provide a post which can be located in an opening in the support.

The support is designed to be sufficiently heavy in order to maintain the fence upright in the presence of cross-winds or acts of vandalism. However, the support should not be so heavy that it cannot be moved about the site by one person, for example when the fence is being erected or dismantled. Fence supports of the type in question are usually made of concrete cast into the desired shape, though fence supports of recycled plastic are also known.

A concrete fence support is known having the approximate dimensions: length 75 cm, width 20 cm, and height 15 cm. The support is usually employed with its longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the line of the fence, and the fact that the support has a considerably greater length than width allows it to withstand a large transverse loading upon the fence, which loading might be provided by a crosswind, or by a vandal intent on pushing or pulling down the fence, for example.

A known fence support has a recess or cut-away section at both ends, the purpose of which is to permit the uBer(s) to place his hand or hands (or the fingers thereof) into the recess and so lift the support. However, the surface of the recesses or cut-away sections is concrete (or perhaps recycled plastic), and so may be rough and uncomfortable to the user's fingers, so limiting the duration for. which the support can be carried. In addition, the orientation of the surface of the recesses is substantially horizontal when the fence support is in use; the recesses are therefore suitable for lifting both ends of the support together so that the support may be carried, but not for lifting only one end so that the support may be dragged. It will be understood that a person will usually be able to drag a support for a greater distance than he could carry it, since whilst dragging the support only part of its weight needs to be IE 000182 - 3 lifted. Despite the advantages offered by dragging a support, this option is not usually available with the known fence supports - the form of the recesses and the weight of the support usually precluding the dragging of the support, at least for significant distances.

The openings to receive the posts of the fence panel (which posts are referred to herein as fence posts) are formed during the casting process, and are usually open at the top and bottom, i.e. each opening runs through the support.

It is a recognised disadvantage of such fence supports that the bottom of the fence, defined by the bottom member or rail of the framework which in use runs from the top of one fence support to the top of an adjacent fence support, is spaced from the ground by approximately the height of the support, which may be 15cm for example. This presents a sufficient gap underneath the fence panel to permit unauthorised access to the site. Whilst such a gap would not allow access by all persons, the gap might locally be greater than this if for example the ground sinks at a particular point between the supports. It is a known recommendation of the Health and Safety Executive in the United Kingdom that the bottom of the fence be as low as possible to prevent unauthorised access to the site; accordingly, it is desired that the gap underneath the fence be minimised.

To reduce the gap underneath the fence, it is known to fit a skirt or the like to the bottom of each fence panel, which skirt hangs down from the fence panel, between the supports, and is intended substantially to fill the gap between the bottom framework rail and the ground. However, such a skirt is not always suitable, and furthermore is not always successful, since the fitment to the fence panel is awkward and might not always be completed sufficiently to prevent relative movement of the skirt (which reduces the effectiveness of the skirt). Also, the skirt is vulnerable IE 000182 - 4 to damage during non-use, for example whilst the fence panel is being moved about the site.

In addition, the size of the skirt must be controlled to permit it substantially to fill the gap between adjacent supports, and the siting and orientation of the supports can affect the distance therebetween (and so the length of the gap which must be filled).

It is another known recommendation of the Health and Safety Executive of the United Kingdom that the supports be clearly visible in use where these project into pedestrian or other public areas. Thus, since building sites often border pavements or other public places, and the fence support is adapted to lie transverse to the line of the fence, a large part of a support may lie upon a pavement, in a position in which a pedestrian can strike and be injured by it, or trip over it for example.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the invention to provide a fence support which avoids or reduces the disadvantages with the known fence supports, and in particular which seeks to address the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive.

According to the invention, there is provided a fence support having a number of openings, each opening being adapted to receive a fence post, the support having a top surface, the opening having a top edge, characterised in that the top edge is spaced from the top surface.

The spacing of the top edge from the top surface allows the fence post to be supported closer to the ground, so that the fence panel will itself be closer to the ground than was previously possible, and the requirement for a skirt or IE 000182 - 5 other means to reduce the gap beneath the fence is avoided or reduced.

Preferably, the fence support has a handle, desirably a pair of handles, the handles being manufactured of a material other than concrete. Preferably also, the handle is substantially circular in cross-section. Desirably, the diameter of the handle is between 1.5cm and 3cm, ideally 2.0cm.

The provision of such a handle or handles makes it easier to grasp the fence support and lift its weight if the fence support is to be carried, or to lift only part of the fence support (usually one end of the fence support), if the fence support is to be dragged.

Desirably, the handle is located adjacent a longitudinal end of the support; if there is a pair of handles they are desirably located at opposed longitudinal ends.

Preferably, the or each handle is brightly coloured to be more easily visible to pedestrians for example. The inventors have therefore realised that the provision of a handle other than of concrete allows considerable design freedom in the handle, and it is possible to comply with the second recommendation of the Health and Safety Executive by the colouring of the handle.

Desirably, the handle can have enlarged ends to make it even more visible to pedestrians.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:IE 000182 Fig-1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 is a side view of the fence support according to the invention; is an end view of the fence support; and is a plan view of the fence support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The fence support 10 is of cast concrete. It has overall (approximate) dimensions of length L = 70 cm, width W = 22 cm and height H = 14 cm. It will be understood that in other embodiments other materials, such as recycled plastic, and other dimensions, can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As better seen in Fig.3, the fence support 10 has a number of (in this embodiment four) openings 12 (two of which are designated 12a, and two of which are designated 12b) to receive the fence posts of fence panels (not shown) which are to be supported thereby. It will be understood by those skilled in this art that a minimum of two openings are usually required, so that the fence support can locate the fence posts of two adjacent fence panels; however, four openings is a typical number since this allows the fence support to be used at a corner where four fence panels meet, and also to permit the user some freedom in deciding which set of openings to use if only two fence posts are to be located.

As can be seen from Fig.l, the top edge 14 of the openings 12 is at a height h from the bottom edge 16 of the fence support. The height h is lower than the overall height H of the fence support, so that in use the fence panel is supported closer to the ground than is possible with prior art fence supports. In this embodiment, the height h is 7 cm, so that the bottom of the fence panel will be located IE 000182 - 7 7cm closer to the ground than would be the case if the top edge 14 was flush with the top edge 18 of the support (as in the prior art designs). In addition, it is understood that a gap of 7cm below the fence panel (assuming that the ground is level and flat) will prevent access by unauthorised persons underneath the fence.

As seen in Fig. 3, above the top edge 14 of the openings 12a are two walls 20 which are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X-X of the support 10. It will be understood that when a fence panel is located in the support, its lowermost framework member will lie between the walls 16, and will be closely constrained relative to the support. Such an arrangement will enhance the ability of the fence to withstand an attack by vandals or the like who might be intent upon distorting the line of the fence.

Above the top edge 14 of the openings 12b are two walls 22,24 which are not parallel to each other and which will consequently allow a fence panel to pivot relative to the fence support, and so relative to its neighbour. The angle a between the walls 18 and 20 is in this embodiment 45°, and so the fence panels having posts located in the openings 12b can be angled relative to one another by 0° to 90°, as desired, so that the fence support is suitable for use in straight sections of fencing as well as at corners.

In this embodiment, the openings 12b are located at approximately mid-way between the opposed ends 26,28 of the fence support 10, and the openings 12a are located approximately mid-way between the end 26 and the openings 12b.

It will be understood that more openings can be provided if desired; also, the positions of the openings, and the heights of the top edges thereof, can be adjusted to suit the requirements of the designer or user.

IE 000182 - 8 Adjacent each end 26,28 of the fence support 12 there is a recess 30 which is sized to receive a hand of a user. Spanning the recess 30 is a handle 32. The handle 32 is of a material other than concrete, i.e. it is formed separately to the remainder of the support. In this embodiment the handle is of a plastics material. The handle 32 has enlarged ends 34. The handle 32, and in particular its enlarged ends 34, are of brightly coloured material, perhaps even fluorescent or Dayglo material, and are designed to be highly visible to pedestrians or the like. Thus, the handle 32,34 serves the two functions of enabling easier moving of the support around the site, and also of alerting pedestrians and the like to the presence of the support. As above indicated, in use a fence support will be located with its longitudinal axis X-X substantially perpendicular to the line of the fence; the end 26 or 28 may very well project into a public area such as a pavement, and in such circumstances one or other of the handle ends 34 would face pedestrians approaching along the pavement, considerably increasing the likelihood that the support was observed and therefore could be avoided by the pedestrian.

In the embodiment shown there are two handle's 32, one adjacent each of the ends 26,28. The provision of two handles allows the support to be lifted and carried e.g. by two persons, and to be dragged with only one or other end 26,28 being lifted. In addition, either end 26 or 28 may project onto a public area. In alternative embodiments, one or other of the handles can be omitted so that the support has only one handle. Whilst such a support would have undoubted utility, it is not preferred since the provision of two handles has the advantages outlined above.

It will be apparent from the drawings that the fence support 10 employs curved edges and large draft angles, to give the support a more pleasing aesthetic appearance than the prior art designs. In addition, the curved edges, and in IE 000182 - 9 particular the curved corners of the upper surface, reduce the likelihood of a pedestrian or the like causing himself or herself an injury if he or she should brush a leg against the fence support for example. The provision of rounded edges and large draft angles also makes the support easy to remove from the mould in which it is cast.

The fence support 10 includes voids 36,38, which comprise holes in the support and are provided to reduce the weight of the support 10. Thus, with the dimensions given the weight of the support when made of concrete can be sufficient to permit the voids to be provided. It will be understood that instead of providing the voids the overall length, height or width of the support could be reduced, but it is preferred to provide voids since the overall dimensions of the support are beneficial to is function In preventing the fence from toppling over in the presence of cross-winds or vandalism.

Claims (19)

1. A fence support having a number of openings, each opening being adapted to receive a fence post, the fence support having handle means, the handle means being manufactured of a material different to that of the remainder of the support.

2. A fence support according to claim 1 constructed principally of concrete in which the handle means is of a plastics material.

3. A fence support having a number of openings, each opening being adapted to receive a fence post, the fence support having at least one aperture by which a handle means may be located relative to the remainder of the fence support.

4. A fence support according to claim 3 in which the fence support has a pair of aligned apertures, one to either side of a recess in the fence support, respective parts of the handle means being located in each aperture and with a further part of the handle means spanning the recess.

5. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-4 in which the handle means is substantially circular in cross-section.

6. A fence support according to claim 5 in which the diameter of the handle means is between 1.5 cm and 3 cm, ideally approximately 2.0 cm.

7. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-6 in which the handle means is located adjacent a longitudinal end of the support. IE 000182 - 11

8. A fence support according to claim 7 in which there is a handle means located adjacent each opposed longitudinal end of the support.

9. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-8 in which the handle means is of a different colour to the remainder of the support.

10. A fence support according to claim 9 in which the handle means is brightly coloured.

11. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-10 in which the handle means has enlarged ends.

12. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-11 in which the support has a top surface, and each opening has a top edge, the top edge being spaced from the top surface.

13. A fence support according to claim 12 in which there is a pair of spaced walls between the top edge and the top surface.

14. A fence support according to claim 13 in which there is a first set of openings having a first top edge, and a second set of openings having a second top edge, the spaced walls between at least the first top edge and the top surface being substantially parallel.

15. A fence support according to claim 13 in which there is a first set of openings having a first top edge, and a second set of openings having a second top edge, the spaced walls between at least the second top edge and the top surface being at an acute angle relative to each other.

16. A fence support according to claim 14 or claim 15 in which the first set of openings are located IE 000182 - 12 approximately one quarter of the way along the support and the second set of openings are located approximately half-way along the support.

17. A fence support according to any one of claims 12-16 in which the support has a bottom surface, the distance between the bottom surface and the top edge of each opening being approximately half the distance from the bottom surface to the top surface.

18. A fence support according to any one of claims 1-17 in which the junctions between the top surface and the side walls of the support are curved.

19. A fence support constructed and arranged substantially as described in relation to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.