Ornamental fence insert

An ornamental fence insert for a picket fence. The picket fence is of the type having two upper rails and a plurality of pickets extending through the rails to define spaces therebetween. The ornamental fence insert, having diametrically opposed projecting brackets, with each bracket having a pair of opposed sidewalls is adapted for installation in one of the spaces by straddling and engaging the pickets or the rails without the aid of welding or riveting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(i) Field of the Invention

This invention relates to ornamental inserts, and more particularly, relates to an ornamental fence insert for a picket fence or a trellis.

(ii) Description of the Related Art

It has been known in the art to have a fence assembly including an upper rail, a lower rail, a plurality of vertical pickets and to further have a third intermediate horizontal rail positioned slightly below and parallel to the upper horizontal rail so as to define square or rectangular openings between the rails and the adjacent pickets in which ornamental rings have been inserted. The rings have generally been attached by welding, rivets or other attachment means.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,664,080 for an Ornamental Stair Rail Structure has annular members interposed between vertical bars and pairs of rails. Horizontal connectors for connecting adjacent annular members to intermediate vertical bars are shown.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,256 for a Method of Assembly of Tubular Metallic Fences shows two rows of hoops positioned between pickets, one row being positioned between but spaced apart from a pair of railings and the other row of hoops independent of railings. Joints to hold together tubular parts of the fence, including the hoops and pickets, are formed by applying transverse forces to deform the working surfaces of parts into receiving openings of adjoining parts.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,064 for an Ornamental Ring for Fence has an ornamental ring attached to an upper horizontal rail by an upper tang and to a lower horizontal rail by a lower ear. Each of upper tang and lower ear has a hole through which a rod runs.

It would be beneficial to reduce the time and expense inherent in prior art means for fixing ornamental fence inserts in place.

It is according to a principal object of the present invention to provide an ornamental insert installable in a picket fence or trellis without the use of additional attachment means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an ornamental insert for a metal picket fence or a trellis which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

It is a further object to provide an ornamental fence or trellis which can be easily and quickly assembled by a workman without the need of special tools or equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In its broad aspect, the ornamental fence insert of the invention comprises a body with a perimeter, with brackets projecting from the perimeter on diametrically opposite sides of the body, each bracket having a pair of opposed sidewalls adapted for straddling and engaging vertical pickets of a fence or parallel rails of a trellis.

In accordance to a further aspect of the invention, the ornamental fence insert has an upwardly facing abutment surface and a downwardly facing abutment surface formed diametrically opposite on the perimeter of the body, with the brackets projecting outwardly and horizontally from the perimeter of the body, each bracket having a pair of opposed sidewalls adapted for straddling and engaging the vertical pickets of a fence.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided an ornamental insert for a metal picket fence comprising a substantially horizontally extending top rail having a bottom surface, a substantially horizontally extending intermediate rail having a top surface and being spaced below the top rail, and a plurality of equi-spaced substantially vertical pickets extending through the intermediate and top rails to define rectangular spaces with the rails. The intermediate rail would normally be intermediate to a top rail and a bottom rail, but it is possible for there to be more than one rail below the intermediate, or none. The ornamental fence is located in one of the rectangular spaces having brackets engaging the vertical pickets, the upwardly facing flat abutment surface abutting the top rail bottom surface and the downwardly facing flat abutment surface abutting the intermediate rail top surface to fixedly engage the fence insert with the metal picket fence.

A further aspect of the invention provided includes the opposed sidewalls being joined by a web to define a u-shaped recess.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an ornamental fence insert for a tubular metal picket fence in which each of the sidewalls overlaps a surface of one picket, in the direction of the horizontally extending direction of the rails, by a distance less that one half of the dimension of the picket in the direction of the rails, whereby the sidewalls of adjacent fence inserts do not impinge.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of the ornamental fence insert in a metal picket fence having a plurality of equi-spaced vertical pickets and parallel rails secured to the pickets defining a square opening with a pair of adjacent pickets.

In accordance with an further aspect of the invention, there is provided a trellis comprising a pair of parallel, spaced-apart rails and a plurality of equi-spaced transverse pickets extending between the rails to define rectangular spaces, preferably square spaces, with the rails, and the ornamental inserts of the invention inserted in said spaces. The ornamental insert comprises a body with a perimeter and brackets projecting outwardly from the perimeter of the body on diametrically opposite sides of the body, each bracket having a pair of opposed sidewalls adapted for straddling and engaging the transverse pickets. It is also in accordance with the invention for the trellis to have diagonal rails and pickets.

Further aspects of the invention provided include an ornamental insert having a body which is substantially circular, astroidal, elliptical, diamond-shaped or cross-shaped.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference first toFIGS. 1 to 3, the present invention is for an ornamental insert10for a metal picket fence12, the picket fence12having a plurality of equi-spaced vertical pickets22and upper and lower spaced-apart parallel rails14,18secured to the pickets22, defining an opening23with each pair of adjacent pickets. The opening can be a rectangular space40, e.g. square, or it can be a non-rectangular quadrilateral, depending on the angles of the rails14,18relative to the pickets22. The rails could be non-horizontal for a variety of reasons, such as the fence being constructed on uneven ground.

The ornamental fence insert10comprises a body24, with brackets32projecting from diametrically opposite sides of the perimeter of the body24, each bracket32having a pair of opposed, spaced-apart sidewalls34adapted for straddling and engaging the vertical pickets22or the parallel rails14,18. The invention as generally defined could also find application in other constructions, such as stairway railing and fence combinations, and trellises.

In the preferred embodiment of an ornamental fence insert10for a metal picket fence12, as shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, the picket fence12comprises a substantially horizontally extending top rail14having a bottom surface16, a substantially horizontally extending parallel intermediate rail18having a top surface20spaced below the top rail14, and a plurality of equispaced substantially vertical pickets22extending through the intermediate and top rails to define square spaces40with the rails. The ornamental fence insert10comprises a body24, having abutment surfaces formed on a perimeter of the body, in particular an upwardly facing flat abutment surface28and a downwardly facing flat abutment surface30equispaced from the brackets about the perimeter. Brackets32project outwardly and horizontally from the perimeter of the body on diametrically opposite sides of the body24, each bracket32having a pair of opposed sidewalls34adapted for straddling and engaging vertical pickets22.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the ornamental fence insert10is located in one of the rectangular spaces40, having lateral brackets32engaging vertical pickets22, and the upwardly facing flat abutment surface28abutting the top rail bottom surface16and the downwardly facing flat abutment surface30abutting the intermediate rail top surface20to fixedly engage the fence insert10with the metal picket fence12.

Opposed sidewalls34of brackets32are joined by a web38, preferably being joined by web38to define a U-shaped recess36, as shown most clearly inFIG. 4. Each of the sidewalls34overlaps a surface of one picket22, in the direction of the horizontally extending direction of the rails14,18, by a distance less that one half of the dimension of the picket22in the direction of the rails14,18, whereby the sidewalls34of adjacent fence inserts10do not impinge.

With reference toFIG. 9, another embodiment of the invention is for a trellis42comprising a pair of parallel, spaced-apart rails44and a plurality of equispaced transverse pickets46extending between the rails to define rectangular spaces, preferably square spaces, with the rails, and the ornamental insert10of the invention inserted in said spaces. The ornamental insert10comprises a body24with a perimeter and brackets32projecting outwardly from the perimeter of the body on diametrically opposite sides of the body, each bracket32having a pair of opposed sidewalls34adapted for straddling and engaging the transverse pickets46, or rails44.

The invention can be employed in other embodiments, such as ornamental insert10having different shaped bodies such as shown inFIGS. 4 to 8.

The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples of the present invention and alterations and modifications may be affected thereto by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope and purview of the invention which is defined by the claims appended hereto.