US3671017A

US3671017A - Fence dropper

Info

Publication number: US3671017A
Application number: US44036A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roger Norman Sachs
Original assignee: NATIONAL NAIL Pty Ltd
Current assignee: NATIONAL NAIL Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1970-06-08
Filing date: 1970-06-08
Publication date: 1972-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-20

Abstract

A wire fence dropper with top and bottom grips for engaging top and bottom wires of a fence has intermediate catches for intermediate fence wires, each catch being two opposite U-bends one above the other, interconnected by a transverse S-bend in one curve of which the fence wire seats.

Description

United States Patent Sachs 1 June 20, 1972 541 FENCE DROPPER 576,455 2/1897 Johnson ..256/48 607,204 7/1898 Warner 1 ..256/7 [72] Invent 1 3 2";1" Sachs Brsbane Queen 834,867 10/1906 Biesemeier.. .256/32 x S 1,647,913 11 1927 Herrod "256/35 [73] Assignee: National Nail Pty. Ltd., Mayne Junction,

Brisbane, Queensland Australia FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed June 8 1970 250,297 3/1964 Australia ..256/32 [2]] A l. No 44,036 Primary E.\-aminerDennis L. Taylor Artorney0berlin, Maky, Donnelly & Renner [52] US. Cl ..256/47, 256/48 57 ABSTRACT [5|] Int. Cl ..E04h 17/02 I 581 Field of Search .256/47, 48, 32, 33, 34 A We fence dropper Wlth 1 and bottom grips tor s s g top and bottom wires of a fence has intermediate catches for intermediate fence wires, each catch being two opposite U [56] References cued bends one above the other, interconnected by a transverse S- n- STATES PATENTS bend in one curve of which the fence wire seats. 315,767 4/1885 Goodwin ..256/48 X 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 19 [fins 18 0 20 A FENCE DROPPER This invention relates to an improved fence dropper.

It is well known to make fence droppers of wire, such a fence dropper having a generally upright portion with its upper and lower ends bent substantially at right angles, inthe same direction, each being shaped to form a grip substantially in the form of an elongated helix withwhich the top or bottom wires of a fence, as the case may be, may be inter-twisted, the main upright part of the dropper being formed at intervals with intermediate catches, each for engagement with an intermediate wire of the fence.

A disadvantage in these fence droppers'hitherto made is that they are so designed that to engage the top and bottom grips, the intermediate catches are so turned as to tend to kink the fence wires engaged therewith, and so difficulty will be encountered if any wire should be broken,- repaired and subsequently re-strained, as such a wire will be held firmlyat each dropper. Another disadvantage is that such a dropper is so designed that it must bemade of fairly heavy gauge wire, forif an engaged fence wire is forced downwardly, it acts to bring about torsional stresses in the dropper, which must be made'of wire of sufficient diameter to resist these. The droppersare therefore heavier, and also less resiliently flexible, than is desirable. As a result they are more difficult totransport, and whenv installed may not recover satisfactorily from being sharply bent by an impact load. Furthermore such droppers are not well suited to simple and economical manufacture by machine.

The present invention has been devised with the general object of evercomingthe said present disadvantages, by providing a fence dropper of such novel and improved construction that it is very simple and economical tomanufacture; and which, not being subjected to undue torsional stresses when installed in a fence, may be made of smaller diameter wire than commonly used hitherto, with the advantages of increased resilience, lower weight and lower cost.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly in a fence dropper of the type formed of wire and having at top and bottom means for engagement with wires of a fence, and a series of intermediate catches for engagement with intermediate wires of the fence, characterized in that each such intermediate catch is comprised of two U- bends formed in the wire in opposite directions one above the other and interconnected by a transverse section preferably in the form of an S-bend, such that a fence wire may be passed up between the lower U-bend and the portion of wire extending downwardly from the inverted upper U-bend, and seated on the transverse section, preferably in the downwardly extending curve of the transverse S-bend, and adjacent to the portion of wire extending up from the lower U-bend,'and to the said portion of wire extending down from the upper inverted U-bend. Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

One exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partly broken-away side elevational view of wires of a fence with a dropper according to the invention engaged therewith,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an intermediate catch of the dropper, to enlarged scale, and in the direction of the arrow 3 in FIG. 2.

The fence dropper shown in the drawings is formed of a single piece 10 of spring wire, which may be of slightly heavier gauge than the wires of a fence to which it is to be applied. At

top and at bottom, the wire 10 is bent through an angle somewhat more than a right angle to form a grip l l, inwhich a further bend is formed at 12, in opposite direction, through a small angle, and another bend 13, again in reversed direction and through an angle of, say, about is formed near to the extremity of the grip. In the two grips 11, then, the extremities are bent substantially towards each other. Neither of the grips is bent helically, the axis of the wire comprising the grip being substantially in the plane of the upper or lower part of'the'wire 10 from which the grip 11 extends.

The upper grip 11 may be intertwisted with the topwire 14 of a fence, and the bottom grip may be intertwisted with the bottom fence wire 15, as shown in FIG. 1, and since the grips 11 are bent in normally substantially vertical planes, the

fence wires

14 and 15 will require to be bent, when intertwisted, in substantially horizontal planes.

At the required intervals, the required number of intermediate catches 16 are formed by appropriately shaping the wire 10. At each of these positions, the wire 10 extending normally downwards is shaped to form a U-bend 17, which is substantially in the form of part of a helix, and from the extremity of which the wire is shaped to form a transverse S-bend 18, with two fairly sharply curved bends in opposite directions. From the S-bend, the wire is shaped to form a further U-bend 19, similar to the U-bend 17 but inverted, so that from it the wire 10 continues downwardly, its axis substantially parallel to but displaced from that of the wire above the catch 16.

, Each of the intermediate fence wires 20 shown in FIG. 1 is b end 19 of the catch 16. The dropper requires to be turned to I engage the grips 11 with the top and

bottom fence wires

14 and 15, and this turning of the dropper so positions the S-bend 18 of each catch that the intermediate wire 20, passing through the upper inverted U-bend 18 is prevented by the S- bend 18 from moving down from this U-bend; and the fence wire will tend to seat in the downward curve of the S-bend, and will be closely adjacent to the sections of wire 10 leading to and'from the catch, but without the fence wire 20 being kinked thereby, and without the dropper being subjected to torsional stresses at or in the vicinity of the catches.

Each intermediate catch of the fence dropper may be easily formed mechanically by the engagement of the wire at an appropriate position by a bifurcated mandrel which is simply related through a sufficient angle to form the catch, from which the mandrel may then be withdrawn. The top and bottom grips 11 are also easily formed mechanically.

Fence droppers according to the invention will be found to be simple and economical to manufacture, of light weight and therefore economically transported, and capable of being easily and conveniently applied to the wires of a fence, any one of which may be strained without displacing or distorting the fence dropper. As light gauge spring wire is used in the manufacture of the droppers, they will not be likely, if bent even fairly sharply by an impact load, to remain bent, but will resiliently resume normal form, holding the fence wires in correct spaced arrangement.

lclaim:

l. A wire fence dropper comprising, at top and bottom, grips extending generally perpendicular to said fence dropper and adapted for twisted engagement with wires of a fence, said fence dropper further comprising a series of intermediate catches adapted for engagement with intermediate wires of the fence, each such intermediate catch being comprised of two U-bends formed in the wire in opposite directions one generally above the other and interconnected by a transverse section such that a fence wire may be passed up between the lower U-bend and the portion of wire extending generally vertically downwardly from the upper inverted U-bend and seated, when said dropper is subsequently turned, on the transverse section, the vertically extending portion of wire extending up from the lower U-bend being closely adjacent one side of said fence wire and said portion of wire extending generally vertically downwardly from the upper. inverted U- wire, the transverse section inclining upwardly from its 7 juncform a seating for said fence wire, leading from the upper inverted U-bend, and an upwardly curved part, adapted to restrain said fence wire from leaving said seating, leading to the lower U-bend.

Claims

1. A wire fence dropper comprising, at top and bottom, grips extending generally perpendicular to said fence dropper and adapted for twisted engagement with wires of a fence, said fence dropper further comprising a series of intermediate catches adapted for engagement with intermediate wires of the fence, each such intermediate catch being comprised of two U-bends formed in the wire in opposite directions one generally above the other and interconnected by a transverse section such that a fence wire may be passed up between the lower U-bend and the portion of wire extending generally vertically downwardly from the upper inverted U-bend and seated, when said dropper is subsequently turned, on the transverse section, the vertically extending portion of wire extending up from the lower U-bend being closely adjacent one side of said fence wire and said portion of wire extending generally vertically downwardly from the upper inverted U-bend being closely adjacent the opposite side of said fence wire, the transverse section inclining upwardly from its junction at one side of the catch with the upper inverted U-bend to its junction at the other side of the catch with the lower U-bend thereby to retain said fence wire in its seated position therein.

2. A wire fence dropper according to claim 1 wherein said transverse section has a downwardly curved part, adapted to form a seating for said fence wire, leading from the upper inverted U-bend, and an upwardly curved part, adapted to restrain said fence wire from leaving said seating, leading to the lower U-bend.