A connector for constructing a fence including a body and ears. The body terminates in ends and forms a passage that can receive a post. Each ear is formed with one of the ends and includes both inner and outer apertures. The inner apertures are interposed between the body and the outer aperture. The ears are spaced apart from each other. The inner apertures and the outer apertures are generally aligned with each other, respectively. The outer apertures and a rail aperture receive a threaded bolt to support a rail and the inner apertures receive another bolt which, when rotated into a nut, draws the first and second ends toward each other, reduces a dimension of the passage, and clamps the body to the post.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/843,050, filed Sep. 8, 2006, the teachings and disclosure of which are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference thereto. 
     
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention generally relates to fencing systems and, in particular, to a connector for use in a fencing system. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Fences are used for a wide variety of reasons and in a multitude of environments. One arena in which fences are frequently used is to create pens or corrals to keep animals within certain defined areas. Pens or corrals are typically intended to keep predators out, protecting the animals that are being held within them. They also prevent the animals from wandering off, running away, or being stolen. Of course, these things lead to monetary losses for the owner. For example, horses are usually worth thousands of dollars so that their loss can have a significant impact on the owner. Furthermore, horses are large animals that could cause injury to themselves or others if they are set loose. For this reason, horse owners are particularly interested in using fences to create corrals. 
         [0004]    Fence construction can vary a great deal. One of the most common forms of fence construction is a rail and post system. The posts are usually cylindrical members that are inserted into the ground and the rails are frequently rectangular members that stretch between the posts, creating the obstructions necessary to keep the animals in their proper place. Usually, connectors are used to attach the rails to the post so that the different components for the fence including the posts and rails can be easily transported to the site where the horse owner wishes to construct the corral. Obviously, it is very important for the horse owners to be able to select a connector that will provide both the functional and aesthetic characteristics that they need. 
         [0005]    One frequently used type of fence construction for horse corrals involves the use of steel tubular posts that have the desired structural strength to support the fence. One end is driven into the ground while the other typically has an end cap attached to its top, preventing items from falling into the tubular structure and being stuck therein while also reducing the risk of injury to someone who might fall on top of the post. The rails, on the other hand, are often made of wood for reasons related to cost. The wood rails can also be painted with the color of paint desired by the owner of the corral. This often leads to some undesirable aesthetic disparities between the posts and wood, which the corral owner might not like. 
         [0006]    One prior art solution to this problem has been to provide a metal connector that attaches only to the interior of the rail, thereby providing the needed structural functionality without comprising the desired aesthetic consistency to observers that are outside of the corral. However, this solution is not completely satisfactory for two reasons. First, this design limits the strength of the attachment of the connector to the wood rail because the bulk of the attachment is only on one side of the rail. Second, this design does not satisfactory solve the aesthetic problems as viewed by an observer within the corral. Accordingly, there is still a need to provide a post, rail, and connector system that can provide the desired functionality and blended aesthetic motif to observers that are both within and outside the corral. 
         [0007]    Increasingly, corral owners need to adapt their new fence system so that it matches both functionally and aesthetically with existing structures and fences. This requires the new post, rails, and connectors to be able to adapt to a variety of aesthetic motifs. So there is also a need to provide a post, rail, and connector that can mate with existing structures in a manner that is functionally and aesthetically acceptable. 
         [0008]    Sometimes, the corral owner wishes to create a paddock with a plurality of pens with a central hub. This situation provides a challenge to the corral owner to construct because connectors do not properly accommodate the attachment of more than two rails at the same location on a post. Accordingly, there exists a need for a connector that can be used to connect three or more rails to a post at the same location. Also, the owner may wish to create fences where the rails are not substantially parallel or perpendicular to each other. Most connectors that are currently available are either in line connectors for the attachment of rails that will form a 180-degree angle or right angle connectors for the attachment of rails that will form a 90-degree angle. Hence, a connector that allows for the attachment of rails that that can form angles within a continuous spectrum is desired. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    In one embodiment, a connector for constructing a fence having a post, rails with rail apertures, and bolts corresponding to nuts, is provided. The connector includes a body, an outwardly-extending first ear, and an outwardly-extending second ear. The body terminates in opposing first and second ends and forms a passage therethrough. The passage is configured to receive the post therein. The outwardly-extending first ear is unitarily formed with the first end and includes a first inner aperture and a first outer aperture. The first inner aperture is interposed between the body and the first outer aperture. The outwardly-extending second ear is unitarily formed with the second end and spaced apart from the first ear. The second ear includes a second inner aperture and a second outer aperture. The first and second inner apertures and the first and second outer apertures generally aligned with each other, respectively. The first and second outer apertures and one of the rail apertures receive one of the threaded bolts to support one of the rails and the first and second inner apertures receive another of the threaded bolts which, when rotated into one of the threaded nuts, draws the first and second ends toward each other, reduces a dimension of the passage, and clamps the body to the post. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, a system for constructing a containment structure using a vertically oriented post is provided. The system includes first, second, and third connectors. The first connector clamps the post and supports a first rail at a first height along the post. The first rail extends away from the post in a first direction. The second connector clamps the post, mates with the first connector, and supports a second rail at a second height along the post. The second rail extends away from the post in a second direction. The third connector clamps the post, mates with the second connector, and supports a third rail at the second height along the post. The third rail extends away from the post in the first direction. 
         [0011]    In yet another embodiment, a method of constructing a fence using a fence post, which defines a central axis extending vertically therethrough, is provided. The method includes the step of clamping a first body of a first connector onto the fence post such that first ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis. The method also includes the step of clamping a second body of a second connector onto the fence post such that second ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis. In addition, the second body mates with the first body such that the first ears and the second ears are approximately equally vertically disposed along the fence post. 
         [0012]    Other embodiments of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a fence system using the post, rails, end connector, and two-way variable angle connector in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the fence system of  FIG. 1  showing a junction using two rails and two-way variable angle connectors with a single post; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the fence system of  FIG. 1  showing a junction involving an end connector, rail, and post; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged exploded assembly view of the junction of  FIG. 3  showing how the end connector, rail, and end cap are assembled; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a fence system showing several junctions that use two outside three-way variable connectors and one middle three-way variable angle connector to attach three rails to the same location on a single post; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the top junction of  FIG. 5  using three-way variable angle connectors to attach three rails to the same location on a single post; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fence system showing four junctions that use two outside four-way variable connectors and two inside four-way variable connectors to attach four rails to the same location on a single post; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of the top junction of  FIG. 7  using four-way variable angle connectors to attach four rails to the same location on a single post; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is front plan view of an end connector in its folded and flat state; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a front plan view of the outside three-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state and of the middle three-way variable angle connector in its folded state; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a front plan view of the two-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state; 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a front plan view of the outside four-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state and the inside four-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the fence system of  FIG. 1  that is seamlessly integrated with a structure. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    Looking at  FIGS. 1-4 , there is shown a rail  20 , post  22 , and connector system for a fence that satisfies the aforementioned needs. It includes a plurality of tubular steel posts  22  that are first inserted into the ground using well-known means. Once in place, end caps  24  made of cast aluminum are placed on top of the exposed ends to keep items from falling within the space found within the posts  22  and to prevent any injury to a person who might fall on top of the post  22 . Several different types of connectors made of steel are available in this system. One is an end connector  26  for attaching a rail  20  to a post  22  at the end of the fence. Another is a two-way variable angle connector  28  for attaching two rails  20  to a post  22  at the same location. The construction of the two-way variable angle connectors  28  allows a user to align two rails  20  so that they are at the same height while also allowing the freedom to adjust the angle formed by the intersection of the two rails  20  in a continuous fashion. Finally, wood rails  20  are also provided. The connectors allow a fence to be created in any number of rail configurations and fence shapes. The posts  22 , end caps  24 , and connectors  26 ,  28  can be powder metal coated with a color to match the color of the wood rails  20 . This allows a user to create a fence that has a consistent aesthetic motif. 
         [0029]    The end connector  26 , best seen in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  11 , comprises a c-clamp portion  30  that is capable of encircling more than 180 degrees of the circumference of the post  22  so that a sufficient clamping force can be produced to hold the end connector  26 , and any rail  20  that is attached thereto, stationary with respect to the post  22 . The c-clamp portion  30  terminates on both sides into two ears  32  that have three holes  34  each that are in alignment. Thus, the ears  32  are mirror images of each other. 
         [0030]    When assembling the end connector  26  to a post  22 , the c-clamp portion  30  is slid over the post  22  such that it is free to ride up and down the post  22  but is otherwise secured around the post  22 . Then the rail  20  is placed between the two ears  32  such that its holes  38  are aligned with the two of the holes  34  of each ear  32  that are furthest away from the c-clamp portion  30  and that run in a direction that is parallel to the post  22 . Afterwards, two galvanized carriage bolts  36  are placed through the holes  38  of the rail  20  and those holes  34  of the end connector  26  that align with the holes  38  of the rail  20 . The last step involves making sure that the carriage bolts  36  are fastened to the end connector  26  and rails  20  via two nuts  40  that are rotated onto the exposed ends of the carriage bolts  36  after the bolts  36  have passed through the end connector  26  and rail  20 . At this point, a secure attachment has been made between the end connector  26  and the rail  20  but the rail  20  and end connector  26  are still free to ride up and down the post  22 . 
         [0031]    Next, the user moves the rail  20  and end connector  26  until the desired vertical position has been attained. Then a third carriage bolt  36  is placed through the remaining free holes  34  that are located on the ears  32  next to the c-clamp portion  30  and are fastened to the end connector  26  via a third nut  40 . It should be noted that the end connector  26  and rail  20  are configured so that the third carriage bolt  36  passes by the end of the rail  20  and does not engage the rail  20 . This ensures that the clamp force exerted by the third nut  40  and carriage bolt  36  combination is directed toward shrinking the c-clamp portion  30 , which fixes the position of the end connector  26  and rail  20  with respect to the post  22 . Finally, an end cap  24  is placed over the end of the post  22  once all the desired rails  20  have been attached to the post  22 . At this point, all the components of the fence have the same color, even the heads of the carriage bolt  36  are powder coated to match in color with the rest of the fence. 
         [0032]    Looking now at  FIGS. 2 and 11 , a couple of two-way variable angle connectors  28  are used when two rails  20  are attached to the same post  22  and the user wishes that the rails  20  be at the same height. A two-way variable angle connector  28  includes a c-clamp portion  42  whose height is roughly half of that of the rail  20  to which it is to be attached and that is capable of encircling more than 180 degrees of the circumference of the post  22 . The c-clamp portion  42  terminates on both sides in a pair of ears  44  that are L-shaped members having a first portion  46  that extends a predetermined distance away from the c-clamp portion  42  and a second portion  48  that extends away from the first portion  42 . The length of the extension of the second portion  48  is such that the overall height of the ear  44  is substantially equal to the height of the rail  20  to which the two-way variable angle connector  28  is to be attached. Each ear  44  also has three holes  50  that are in alignment with the holes  50  of the other ear. Thus, the ears  44  of the two-way variable angle connector  28  are mirror images of each other. 
         [0033]    Two of these holes  50  are used to attach the two-way variable angle connector  28  to a rail  20  using bolts  36  and nuts  40  in the same fashion as previously discussed for the end connector  26  after the connector  28  has been slid over the top of the post  22 . Then the third nut  40  and bolt  36  combination are used with the last set of holes  50  to fix the position of the connector  28  and rail  20  vertically with respect to the post  22  as discussed previously for the end connector  26 . It ideal that the width of the second portion  48  of the L-shaped ears  44  is less than the length of the first portion  46  so that a gap is created between the second portion  48  of the ears  44  and the post  22  so that the c-clamp portion  42  of another two-way variable angle connector  28  can be placed therein with the second portion  48  of the L-shaped ears  44  of the second connector  28  extending in a direction that is opposite of that of the second portion  48  of the L-shaped ear  44  of the first connector  28 . The user then attaches another rail  20  to the second connector  28 . Now the user moves the second connector  28  until it contacts the first connector  28  and rotates the second rail  20  and connector  28  until the desired angle is formed between the first rail  20  and the second rail  20 . As can be seen, this provides a joint that allows two rails  20  to be at the same height, to be attached to the same post  22 , and to form virtually any angle necessary between the first and second rails  20 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  10 , a method for joining three rails  20  to the same post  22  at the same vertical position is provided by using two outside three-way variable angle connectors  52  and a middle three-way variable angle connector  54 . The construction of the outside three-way variable angle connector  52  is essentially the same as that of the two-way variable angle connector  28 , having ears  53  with holes  55 , except the height of the c-clamp portion  56  of the outside three-way variable angle connector  52  is approximately a third of the height of the rails  20  that it will be connected to instead of being half of the height. Looking more closely at the middle connector  54 , we see that the middle connector  54  has c-clamp portion  58  that is centered with respect to its ears  60 . The ears  60  also have holes  62  for attaching the middle connector  54  to a rail  20  and for clamping the middle connector  54  to a post  22 . Of course, these connectors  52 ,  54  are configured such that there is clearance between their ears  53 ,  60  and the post  22  so that the c-clamp portions of other connectors can fit therebetween, allowing a middle connector  54  to sit on top of a outside connector  52  and another outside connector  52  to sit on top of the middle connector  54 . 
         [0035]    These features allow a user to create a junction of three rails  20  at the same height, attached to the same post  22 , in the following manner. First, the user slides the first outer three-way variable angle connector  52  over the top of the post  22  with its c-clamp portion  56  being located so that it will be near the bottom of the rail  20 . It is then attached to the rail  20  and post  22  once the desired orientation and position of the rail  20  has been achieved in the same manner as described for the end connector  26 . Then the middle connector  54  is slipped over the post  22  until it rests on top of the first outside connector  52 . The second rail  20  and connector  54  are then fixed in position using the same method as described previously once the desired orientation and position of the rail  20  has been obtained. Finally, the second outside connector  52  is slid over the post  22  with its c-clamp portion  56  positioned to be near the top of the rail  20  until it rests on top of the middle connector  54 . The second outside connector  52  and third rail  20  are then secured once the desired angle with respect to the other rails  20  has been achieved. An end cap  24  is placed over the end of the post  22  once all the desired rails  20  have been attached to the post  22 . 
         [0036]    Likewise,  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  12  show how four rails  20  can be attached to the same post  22  and also be at the same height. This is accomplished by using two outside four-way variable angle connectors  64  and two inside four-way variable angle connectors  66 . The construction of the outside four-way connector  64  is virtually identical to that of the outside three-way connector  52  in that it has L-shaped ears  68  with holes  70  as well as a c-clamp portion  72 . However, the height of the c-clamp portion  72  is only a quarter of the height of the rail  20  to which it is to be attached. The inside four-way connector  66  has ears  74  with holes  76  and a c-clamp portion  73  whose height is also a quarter of the height of the rail  20  to which it is to be attached. The c-clamp portion  72  begins at a distance from the beginning of its ears  74  that is one fourth of the height of the ear  74 . The height of ear  74  is equal to the height of the rails. 
         [0037]    The four-way junction can be created in the following way. First, the user slides the first outside four-way connector  64  over a post  22  and attaches it to a rail  20  with its c-clamp portion  72  facing down as previously described for the outside three-way connector  52 . Once the desired orientation and position has been achieved, the user fixes the rail's  20  position as mentioned earlier. Then, the user slides the first inside four-way connector  66  over the post  22  with its c-clamp portion  73  oriented so that it will be next to the lower half of the rail  20  until it bottoms out on the first outside four-way connector  64 . The user then attaches a rail  20  and fixes its position as previously described. Next, a second inside four-way connector  66  is slid over the post  22  with its c-clamp portion  73  oriented so that it will be next to the upper half of the rail  20  to which it will be attached until it bottoms out on the first inside four-way connector  66 . The third rail  20  is then attached to the connector  66  and its position is fixed in the same way as the previous two rails  20 . Finally, the second outside four-way connector  64  is slid over the post  22  with its c-clamp portion  72  facing up until it bottoms out on the second inside four-way connector  66 . The last rail  20  is then attached to the connector  64  and its orientation is fixed as desired by the user. 
         [0038]      FIG. 13  shows that the variable angle connectors  28  allow the user to create a fence to structure transition where the rails  20  of the fence have gaps between them while the rails  20  of the structure have rails that are directly on top of each other. This also allows a user to retrofit this system to existing structures or to create new ones easily. So the user can use as many or as few rails  20  as needed, reducing cost. Those rails  20  of a structure that do not transition to the rails  20  of the fence can be attached to a post  22  using an end connector  26 . As can be seen by the structure itself, the top portion can be created by using vertical rails  20  instead of horizontal rails  20 . 
         [0039]    As can be seen, this fence system provides for connectors having ears that all have the same height and that are configured to connect to a single style of rail that has a consistent hole pattern and outside dimensions. In addition, all the variable angle junctions utilize at least two of the same connector to make assembly as simple as possible while also reducing the cost of manufacturing. All of the connectors can be stamped and folded using a progressive die operation, which is the most economic way to make the connectors. Using the variable angle functionality, paddocks can be created with a central hub that has pens that are of different sizes because rails that form them can make different angles with each other. Furthermore, the connectors, end cap, and carriage bolts can be colored the same to provide a consistent aesthetic motif. Hence, this fence system is cost effective, versatile in application, and satisfies all the aforementioned needs. 
         [0040]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
         [0041]    The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
         [0042]    Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.