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  Palisade fencingUSPTO Application #: 20070221902Title: Palisade fencing Abstract: A palisade fence is described comprising support posts and rails extending between the posts, and pales mounted between the rails. The rails define V-shaped apertures for receiving the pales. The pales are additionally secured to the rails by bolts (end of abstract)
Agent: Dykas, Shaver & Nipper, LLP - Boise, ID, US Inventor: Ian Kerr USPTO Applicaton #: 20070221902 - Class: 256022000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fences, Metallic, Picket The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070221902. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIORITY STATEMENT [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/910,157, filed on Aug. 2, 2004, which itself claims priority from United Kingdom Application GB0321547.2 having a filing date of Sep. 15, 2003, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to fencing, and in particular to palisade fencing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Palisade fencing typically comprises a number of upright support posts fixed in concrete foundations and upper and lower rails which extend between the posts and provide mounting for a plurality of upright pales secured to the rails. The pales are usually of corrugated or angled section and may have spiked or rounded upper ends, depending on the fence application. The pales are fixed by centrally located bolts to the L-section rails which are in turn secured to the H-section support posts using fish plates. [0004] The applicant's UK Patent GB 2256447 B describes an alternative fence configuration in which the horizontal arm of each L-section rail is cut to define a number of apertures, each aperture adapted to receive the end of a pale. The pales are configured such that only a selected length of each pale end portion may pass through the respective aperture. The earlier patent describes a number of means of achieving this, and in the commercial embodiment of the invention dimples are formed on the centre line of each pale to ad as stops. [0005] This arrangement allows a secure fence to be constructed without the requirement to bolt the pales to the cross rails and the applicant has supplied fencing of this configuration for use in a wide variety of security applications. [0006] Of course no fence configuration can repel a sustained and determined attack and on occasion pales of fences made in accordance with GB 2256447 B have been at least partially detached from one or both cross rails by deforming or cutting portions of the apertured arm of the L-shaped cross rail, thus enlarging the aperture to allow displacement or removal of the pale. [0007] In conventional palisade fencing, unauthorised pale removal or displacement is typically achieved by cutting one or both of the bolts which secure the pale to the vertical arms of each L-shaped cross rail. One method of cutting the bolts involves insertion of a chisel into the space between the rear of an angle section pale and the front face of the cross rail. [0008] It is among the objectives of embodiments of the present invention to provide a palisade fence configuration which obviates or mitigates these and other difficulties. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a palisade fence comprising: [0010] support posts; [0011] rails for extending between the posts; and [0012] pales for mounting between the rails, the rails defining apertures for receiving the pales and the pales additionally being secured to the rails by fasteners. [0013] Fences in accordance with the invention offer the advantage over fencing as disclosed in GB 2256447 B that cutting or deforming an apertured portion of a rail is not alone sufficient to allow displacement or removal of a pale, as the pale will remain secured to the rail by the fastener. Furthermore, where the rail has an L-section, the rear face of the vertical portion of the rail and the front face of the pale through which the fastener passes are preferably directly adjacent one another. Accordingly, there is little if any possibility of gaining access to the very short portion of fastener extending between the rail and pale, thus protecting the fastener from attack by a chisel or the like. [0014] Reference will be made primarily herein to L-section rails having a vertical arm and a horizontal arm, the horizontal arm being apertured to receive the rail while the vertical arm receives the fastener. However, those of skill in the art will recognise that the arms of the rail could of course be at angles other than 90.degree., and may be inclined to the horizontal or vertical, may have a C, I or H-section, or a box section, or indeed may take a non-rectilinear form. [0015] Preferably, the apertures are of substantially complementary shape to the pales. In a preferred arrangement, the apertures are of substantially complementary shape to end portions of the pales and the ends of the pales extend through the apertures, the end portions of each pale being provided with a projection spaced from an end of the pale such that only a selected length of each end portion may pass through the associated aperture in the rail. In a preferred embodiment, the projection on each pale end portion is provided by pressing a bead or dimple from the pale, although the projection may be formed by many different means, such as those described in GB 2256447 B, or by locating a welding bead on the pale. Where the projection is formed by a bead or dimple, the bead may be provided centrally of the pale. However, for increased security one or more beads may alternatively or in addition be provided spaced from the centre line of the pale, which beads may remain effective in restraining the pale relative to the rail even when a central part of the apertured portion of the rail is deformed in an attempt to remove a pale. [0016] A palisade fence normally comprises an upper and a lower rail. In certain embodiments of the invention a third rail may be provided, providing additional security. [0017] At least in the United Kingdom, palisade fencing will generally comply with British Standard BS 1722: Part 12: 1990. Specification For Steel Palisade Fences. Fencing made in accordance with this standard is typically supplied in 2.75 m long panels, each panel comprising upper and lower rails and 17 pales. In embodiments of the invention a larger number of pales may be provided, and up to 27 pales may be provided with a single panel. Increasing the number of pales in this manner has a number of benefits. One is to decrease the level of visibility through the fence, and to make it more difficult to climb the fence. Furthermore, the decreased spacing between the pales makes it more difficult to locate tools between the pales; it is known for car jacks to be located in the space between two pales, and the jack extended to create a gap through which objects or persons may pass. The decreased spacing also makes it more difficult to access the rear of the fence to attack the rail or the fastener. [0018] The fastener may take any appropriate form, and is preferably a bolt. Preferably, the fastener passes through the front portion of the rail, typically a substantially vertical portion of the rail, and through a central portion of the pale. The bolt may be secured by a nut which engages with a rear face of the pale. The nut will preferably be of the type provided with a nut having an outer portion for engagement with a tightening tool such as a spanner or wrench, and an inner portion of a shape which is not easily gripped by a conventional tool. The two portions are frangibly connected such that when the nut is fully tightened and the operator continues to apply force to the outer portion of the nut, the outer portion will shear from the inner portion. The preferred pale has an angled or curved section and the nut is located centrally of the pale such that the inner portion of the nut is relatively inaccessible, and thus protected from attack. [0019] Those of skill in the art will recognise that many of the features described above have utility in fencing not necessarily made in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, and may be provided in fences individually or in combination in accordance with further aspects of the invention. [0020] In another aspect of the invention a palisade fence comprises pales, each pale having a face for location directly adjacent a face of a support rail and fasteners for securing the pales to the rail and passing through the faces. Continue reading... Full patent description for Palisade fencing Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Palisade fencing patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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