Picket fence with removable intermediate flats

A picket fence arrangement in which vertically positioned picket members are provided with longitudinal grooves or slots along their lengthwise edges. Metal slats or strips are inserted into oppositely facing and neighboring grooves. The slat inserts cover the gaps separating the vertically standing picket members, so that the fence serves to peserve privacy of the area about which the fence is positioned. The pickets are held in vertically standing position by means of cross bars, and the metal insert slats may have a substantially slight curvature in the cross-sectional plane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the application of fences to private areas and swimming pools, for 
example, it is desirable to install fences which are flexible from the 
viewpoint that they may be adapted so as to prevent visual sight through 
the fence, whenever deemed appropriate. At the same time, it is desirable 
to be able to adapt the fence so that it may be opened to the extent that 
it is possible to see through the fence. It is also desirable that the 
fence be arranged so as to allow flexibility in assembling and installing 
in an irregular area. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fence in 
which supporting pickets spaced from each other may be adapted so as to 
close the spaces from the viewpoint of visibility therethrough. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible 
arrangement of the foregoing character in which the spaces between pickets 
may be opened or closed at will. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fence 
arrangement, as described, which may be economically fabricated and is 
simple in construction. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a picket 
fence which may be readily maintained in service and which has a 
substantially long service life. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a picket 
fence in which vertically standing picket members are spaced from each 
other and are held in place by means of cross bars. Each of the vertically 
standing picket members is provided with longitudinal grooves along the 
two lengthwise edges. 
When closing the fence against visibility therethrough, metal slats are 
inserted in oppositely facing and neighboring grooves, so that the slats 
cover the spaces or gaps between the neighboring grooves or neighboring 
picket members. The metal slats or strips may be in the form of venetian 
blind elements and have a substantially slight curvature imparted to them 
for purposes of providing strength and flexibility. 
To open the face so that it is possible to see therethrough, the metal 
slats are removed from the grooves. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood 
from the following description of the specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, the picket fence in accordance with the present 
invention has vertically standing picket members 10 spaced from each 
other. Cross bars 12 support the vertically standing picket members 10, 
and maintain a predetermined spacing between these members. 
Each member 10 is provided with grooves 14 which run along the edges of the 
member 10 in lengthwise direction. 
A metal slat or strip 16 may be inserted between neighboring grooves that 
are facing oppositely to each other. The slats 16 serve to close the gaps 
or spaces between picket members 10 when installed in place and assembled 
wth the cross bars 12. 
The metal slats or strips 16 may be in the form of thin metallic strips of 
spring-like material such as venetian blind strips. At the same time, the 
metal slats or strips 16 have imparted to them a substantially slight 
curvature. This curvature serves to add structural strength to the slat or 
strip, and allows the strip to retain its originally intended shape in the 
event that they become bent, for example, during use or assembly. Such 
spring-like material, furthermore, provides the strips with flexibility, 
so that they may be inserted easily lin place. 
When the fence is to be used only for the purpose of marking off or 
defining a particular area, then the metal slats 16 may be omitted from 
their places between the vertically standing picket members 10. When, on 
the other hand, the fence is to be used for preserving privacy of the area 
that is fenced, then the metal elements or slats 16 are inserted into 
place in their respective grooves of oppositely adjacent members 10. When 
in place, the metal slats 16 serve to cover against visibility any of the 
spaces that are present in the fence. 
The metal slats 16, furthermore, permit considerable flexibility in 
positioning of the fence along areas having an irregular outline. The 
shape and spring-like character of the metal slats 16 allow the fence to 
be used, for example, along border lines or area perimeters having sharply 
circular-shaped curvatures, for example. For this purpose, the cross bars 
12 may also be substantially flexible members which may be adapted to the 
shape of the perimeter of the area to be fenced. 
The top portions of the picket members 10 may have the triangular-shape, as 
shown in FIG. 1, or they may be of substantially other shapes as shown in 
FIG. 5, for example. The width of the picket members may, for example, be 
4 to 6 inches, and their height may for example be 4 to 6 feet. The 
grooves or slots 14 along the edges of the picket members 10, may, for 
example, be 3/16 inch wide. 
The picket members 10 and cross bars 12 may be made of wood, metal or 
plastic material, for example. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and 
therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended 
within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.