Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Fence attachment system

This application claims the priority of German Patent Application Serial No. 10 2007 002 601.5, filed Jan. 12, 2007, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a fence attachment system for connecting fence posts with fence panels. The invention relates further to specifically configured posts for providing a fence with such posts and a system incorporating the forgoing elements.

Fences of all types for bordering private and/or public property are well known. Generally these fence systems consist of fence posts fixed in the ground at predetermined distances from which the fence panels extend between the fence posts. In industrially manufactured fences the fence panels are normally matched to the fence post, such that a fence system incorporates only those components that are mutually matched.

It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved fence system which, relative to its construction, is highly flexible in its need for matched components.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the fence attachment system serves in general the attachment of fence posts to fence panels and includes the following components:

A fence post clamp which can be connected to a fence post and which comprises at least a first anchoring device. In principle, the attachment of the fence post to the clamp can be carried out in a variety of ways, for example by means of a hook, by means of screws or also by means of gluing, soldering or welding. Especially preferred is the attachment through force-fitting engagement by clamping.

The fence attachment system further includes an adapter for fastening to a fence panel and which provides a second anchoring device, which can be connected with the first anchoring device.

The present invention resolves prior art problems by allowing a flexible combination of components where any type of fence post can be combined with any type fence panel, because only suitable post clamps need be provided for the fence posts and only suitable adapters have to be provided for the fence panels which are then coupled to each other via the uniform connection between the first and the second anchoring devices. Thus, in a production program which includes for example four different types of fence posts and four different types of fence panels maximally eight different construction components, that is, only four different post clamps and four different adapters are necessary in order to produce 16 different combinations of post and panels. As a consequence a considerable increase of the product assortment is realized at a minimal additional production cost. Optionally the system also provides utilization of products from other manufacturers which are realized with the respective post clamps or adapters.

A variety of embodiments of the fence post clamp are possible. According to a preferred embodiment, the fence post clamp is constructed as radially or circumferentially contractible ring. In an extended condition, such a fence post clamp is slid over a fence post and at a predetermined height can be clamped to the post by tightening the ring to a contracted position. This type of attachment has, among others, the advantage of a simple handling and to realize the attachment of the clamp at any height, while at the same time dimensional tolerances of the fence posts are balanced out.

In order to make the afore-described ring contractible, the ring is preferably provided with gap which is bridged by a screw, whereby the screw head is held back at a first end of the ring, for example through the edge of a bore and the thread of the screw engages a corresponding counter thread in the other end of the ring. When tightening the screw the gap is decreased and the ring form fittingly attached around the post.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the ring shaped fence post clamp, the ring has at least one section where a cross section, which by definition is perpendicular to the ring's extension, has straight inner and/or outer sides, that is, the side facing the post and the side facing away from the post. In particular, the ring can have an essentially rectangular cross section, where the inner and outer side as well as the top surface and the bottom surfaces are straight.

A straight inner side of the ring has the advantage that the ring, instead of abutting the fence post only at certain points can sit flush against the fence post, which provides for a more firm positioning of the ring. With suitable dimensioning the slightly canted ring can be fixed to the post in an immovable manner.

A straight outer side of the ring has the advantage of an aesthetically pleasing look. Furthermore, straight surfaces at the outer side of the fence post clamp can serve as a substrate for some decorating elements or can serve as an information carrier such as for example signs or placing the name of the manufacturer. For affixing decorations or informational elements, the ring is optionally provided with a groove at its outer side for affixing such elements in a removable manner for example by means of a clamping device to the fence post clamp, thereby allowing decorations in a simple manner.

The shape of the ring can essentially be variable as long as interiorly an opening remains for sliding the ring over a post. According to a preferred embodiment, the ring is conceived in an essentially oval shape, wherein the longer sides of the oval are advantageously extending straight. In this case the shape of the ring fits a correspondingly shaped fence post, as further described in the following paragraphs.

The first anchoring device at the fence post clamp can be of variable shape. In an especially simple embodiment, the first anchoring device is conceived as a through hole in the fence post clamp, into which an adapter can be fastened via a corresponding second anchoring device, for example by hooking into the through hole. The through hole can also be an elongated hole in order to balance dimensional tolerances.

The fence post clamp may optionally be provided with only one first anchoring device. It is however preferred that either two or four of the first anchoring devices are located circumferentially at the clamp at even distances. Thus, several adapters can be fasted at the fence post clamp simultaneously and/or an adapter can be can be fasted at different locations. In particular two adapters can be attached at opposite sides on the fence post clamp, as is required when mounting the fence post between two fence panels. When providing four anchoring devices, then a fence corner can be made where two fence panels are meeting at right angle with a fence post.

Optionally, the fence attachment system can include plugs with which the unused clearance holes at the fence post clamp are closed. Such as closure could be desired due to aesthetic reasons or to avoid the intake of water.

The connection between the fence post clamp and an adapter is predominantly prone to tension stress which it has to withstand. Thus, the connection can be configured that when coupling the first and second anchoring devices, the adapter is still mobile relative to the fence post clamp, especially, that the adapter is still rotatable around one or two axes. Alternative to the foregoing, this connection can be also fixed such that the adapter is not movable relative to the fence post clamp. In the preferred case there is rotatable mobility around at least one axis in order to compensate for permissible variation during installation of the fence, or to realize the angular configuration of the fence posts and the fence panels relative to the plane of the posts, for example when installing the fence on a hillside and/or also in a plane perpendicular thereto, for example when installing fence corners.

One of the many possible variations for embodiments of the adapter or its second anchoring device includes at least a bracket provided with a screw hole. This embodiment is compatible with the first anchoring device at the fence post clamp which is configured as a through hole whereby a simple and secure connection of fence post clamp and adapter is realized by means of a pin element such as a bolt or screw inserted through a screw hole and the through hole.

The fence post clamp can optionally include a joint element for connection of a fence gate. Such a fence post clamp thus permits the installation of a fence gate onto any type fence post.