US3014700A

US3014700A - Adjustable foldable fence

Info

Publication number: US3014700A
Application number: US841116A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Arthur E May
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-09-21
Filing date: 1959-09-21
Publication date: 1961-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 A. E. MAY, JR 3,014,700

ADJUSTABLE FOLDABLE FENCE Filed Sept. 21, 1959 INVENTOR. ARTHUR E. MAY, JR.

ATTO R N EY hit This invention relates to foldable wire fences of the type designed for use particularly in gardens and on lawns, both for protective and for ornamental purposes, and, more specifically, relates to such fences which are formed of a series of identical, relatively small, sections hinged together so as to enable a considerable length of fence to be folded up into a compact package for shipment or storage, and also so as to enable the fence to be quickly, easily and removably set up on the ground as desired.

Such folding fences can be set up into any shape to conform to the shape desired for a particular protective or border fence line, provided the ground on which the fence is to be set up is not too irregular. However, one of the common difiiculties encountered with such fences has been the fact that they could not be properly set up in locations where changes of ground level or contour occur.

An object of the present invention accordingly is to provide an improved fence of this general type which, in addition to being foldable, will also be adjustable to such extent when set up that it can be made to extend continuously over ground irregularities and contour changes.

Another and specific object of the invention is to provide an improved protective and ornamental foldable fence, formed of identical sections, in which the individual sections will be adjustable up and down with respect to each other when the fence is being set up, but in which an individual section can also be quickly and easily detached from or attached to an adjacent section in the fence.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved adjustable foldable fence which will be simple and practical in construction, and which will be inexpensive to manufacture and thereby capable of meeting the market demand for an adjustable as Well as a foldable fence of the type indicated.

The manner in which these objects are attained and the manner in which this improved fence of the present invention is constructed, will be-readily understood from the following brief description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing a length of the fence set up on an irregular ground surface and illustrating the adjustability of the fence for such ground conditions;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating the details of the adjustable means by which the separate sections are attached together;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation taken on the line indicated at 3-3 of FIG. 2. and drawn to the same scale as FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view taken on line 4-4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan section, similar to FIG. 2 of the fence, illustrating the fence as made from square wire rods instead of round wire. 7

Referring first to FIG. 1, the fence is composed of a series of identical sections, each indicated in general by the reference character 10. Each section consists of a substantially rigid frame formed of metal wires or rods welded in place at their cross joints. Each section has a pair of lower and upper, substantially parallel, main members 11 and 12 on which the other members of the Patented Dec. 26, 1961 section or frame are mounted. In the preferred design, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a longer wire 13 in the form of an inverted U, having a pair of straight

upright portions

14, 14 extending below and above the lower and upper main members 11 and 12, and connected at the top by the curved portion of the wire, is centrally positioned intermediate the ends of the main members 11 and 12 in each section and is secured to these main members, preferably by welding, where the

upright portions

14, 14 cross the main members. A shorter wire 15, formed into a narrower, similarly inverted loop, having shorter upright portions 16, 16 is centrally positioned and spaced within the larger wire 13 in each section, with the upright portions 16, 16 of the wire 13 substantially parallel to the

corresponding portions

14, 14 of the longer wire and with these portions similarly secured to the main members 11 and 12 where they cross the main members. The

upright portions

14, 14 of the longer wire extend down further below the lower main member 11 than the corresponding portions 16, 16 of the inner shorter wire and constitute the legs for the section, the bottom ends of these legs being forced into the ground to hold the section upright in the ground when the fence is set in place.

The ends of the lower main member 11 are turned upwardly at right angles in each section, as shown at 11A and 1113 in FIG. 2 and 3, and the ends of the upper main member 12 are turned downwardly at right angles, as shown at 12A and 123 in FIG. 3, so as to be in alignment with the corresponding upturned ends 11A and 11B respectively of the lower main member in each section. A sleeve 17, broadened transversely into substantially elliptical or oval shape in cross section, and having a longitudinal slot 17 along one side extending from one end of the sleeve to the other, is mounted on the upturned and downwardly turned ends 11A and 12A respectively of each section, the length of this sleeve corresponding substantially to the entire distance between the members 11 and 12. A similar sleeve 18 is mounted on the

other ends

11B and 12B of the main members 11 and 12 of each section. The sleeve 1d has a similar longitudinal slot 18 '(see FIGS. 2 and 4) extending the entire length of the sleeve, but the slots of the sleeves 1'7 and 18 are located on opposite sides.

Consequently, when two sections it are to be placed adjacent each other in forming a length of fence, the two

adjacent sleeves

17 and 18 of the two sections can be slid into each other through their slots, as shown in :FIGS. 2 and 4, and in this way form a slip-joint connection between the two sections. It will'be apparent that, when I two sections are connected in this manner, each can be raised or lowered to a limited extent with respect to the other without causing the two sections to become disconnested. Thus when a length of fence, formed of several separate sections connected in this manner, is required to be extended over uneven ground having changing contour or slope, as illustrated by the ground G in FIG. 1, the slip-joint connection between the different sections of the fcncewill enable the fence to accommodate itself to the slope or irregularities of the ground surface without breaking the continuity of the fence. Obviously this could not be done'if. the sections were hinged together, as heretofore customary, in such manner that no section could be raised above or lowered below its adjoining sections. At the same time this slip-joint connection between the sections enables one section to be lifted entirely above an adjoining section so as to separate such sections completely. Byslipping one sleeve endwise into another sleeve two sections of the fence are connected together in a quick and easy manner. No snapping of hinge loops or other troublesome operations are required either to attach two sections of the fence together or to detach one section completely from another.

Although the FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive illustrate the fence sections as formed of wire which is circular in cross section, obviously it would also be possible to carry out the invention in a similar folding fence in which the sections were formed wholly or in part of wire or rods having a different cross sectional shape. Thus FIG. 5 illustrates portions of adjacent sections of such foldable adjustable fence in which square shaped rods 19 are used for the lower main members of each section, these main members having upturned ends 19A and 198. The sleeves forming the slip-joint could be similar to those shown in FIG. 2, or, if preferred, could be shaped to conform in part more closely to the square rods on which they are mounted, as illustrated by the sleeves 20- and 21.

Other modifications could of course be possible without departing from the principle of the invention. For example, the design of the individual sections could be changed in various ways, as long as the change in design does not prevent the mounting of sleeves at the ends of the sections and with the sleeves so arranged that a simple and effective slip-joint is formed by the companion sleeves of adjacent sections.

I claim:

1. In a foldable fence of the character described comprising a plurality of similar sections adapted to be connected together, improved means connecting each pair of adjacent fence sections and providing a combination hinge joint and adjustable slip joint between the pair of fence sections, said means comprising a pair of sleeves hingedly carried on the adjacent ends of the pair of fence sections respectively, each sleeve being elongated in cross section so as to have a pair of relatively broad side faces and a pair of narrower end faces, one of said broad side faces in each sleeve formed with a slot extending the entire length of the sleeve, the sleeves in each pair arranged with their slots at opposite sides respectively, whereby the outer portion of each sleeve beyond its supporting fence section may be slid into place in the slot of the companion sleeve and thereby enable the pair of connected fence sections to be freely raised or lowered with respect to each other.

2. In a foldable fence in the character described comprising a plurality of similar sections adapted to be connected together, improved means connecting each pair of adjacent fence sections and providing a combination hinge joint and adjustable slip joint between the pair of fence sections, said means consisting of a pair of identical sleeves hingedly carried on the adjacent ends of the pair of fence sections respectively, each sleeve being elongated in cross section so as to have a pair of relatively broad side faces and a pair of narrower end faces, one of said broad side faces in each sleeve formed with a centrally positioned slot extending the entire length of the sleeve, the sleeves in each pair arranged with their slots inopposite sides respectively, whereby the outer portion of each sleeve beyond its supporting fence section may be slid 0 into place in the slot of the companion sleeve and thereby enable the pair of connected fence sections to be freely raised or lowered with respect to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,842,344 Todd July 8, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 562,227 Canada Aug. 26, 1958