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BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to configurable fence and gate systems.  
           [0002]    Man has employed many types of fences having different characteristics to indicate property lines, ensure privacy, segregate activities, and provide barriers for property, people and animals. For example, fences made of stones, bricks, and concrete have long service life, but are difficult to alter after construction. Wood fences have low initial cost, are flexible to alter, but have shorter life when exposed to severe climate or pest infestation. Metal fences having insertable panels are durable, pest resistant and have good service life, but have other problems. For example, the manufacturing tolerances necessary to assemble the metal fences make them vulnerable to vibration and noise generation in wind. One metal fence has lateral stiffeners to hold corrugated sheet metal panels, but the stiffener is a fixed width which limits its application to one width of corrugated sheet metal panel. Another metal fence uses a molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) interlocking sleeve to hold the fence panels. The interlock sleeve is a fixed width, however, which again restricts flexibility in panels that can be used. In addition, sun exposure degrades the molded PVC interlocking sleeve over time destroying the integrity of the fence.  
           [0003]    Fences also fail to address certain problems. For example property boundaries are often polygons, that is, closed figures made up of line segments. Two adjacent line segments often form a non-perpendicular angle. Thus, fence sections join at non-perpendicular angles yet need freedom to adjust the angle during construction while maintaining connection strength. Separately, gate widths are often oversized to make sure the gate fits, then a lip or shim added to the gate to cover the gap. This lip/shim technique is labor intensive and affects the appearance of the gate. Another problem concerns the attachment of the gate to the fence post. Gates are cantilever structures which stress the gate hinges. The wider or heavier the gate, the more load the hinge must support. The load can fatigue or deform the hinge causing the gate to sag, the hinge hardware to loosen, and even cause damage to the gate frame or gate post. In some cases, if this damages the gate frame or gate post too much, the gate hinges will need to be relocated.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention relates to a fence and gate system. In an embodiment, the system includes a pair of fence posts connected by two fence stringers forming a fence framework. The system also includes a pair of L-shaped retainer angles, which are parallel to each other, attached adjacent the fence framework, and define the thickness of the panel to be inserted. The retainer angles are mounted on the surface of the framework either face-to-face or back-to-back forming a slotted frame. At least one fence panel is inserted into the slotted frame. Thus, the invention describes a fence and gate system capable of accommodating a variety of panel styles, materials and thicknesses.  
           [0005]    In other features, the system provides for an insert sandwiched between the panels, an adjustable post angle adapter for joining fence sections, a gate width opening adjuster, and a threaded insert bolt structure that distributes stress in a gate hinge and gate post, but is not strictly limited, to the fence and gate system.  
           [0006]    In various embodiments, the fence and gate system is moderate in cost, easy to install, reconfigure, maintain and repair, and is strong, durable, able to withstand severe climate conditions, pest resistant, and attractive in appearance. In an embodiment, the fence and gate system is made of preformed and pre-coated galvanized steel sheet metal panels, steel structures and extrusions tubing which is readily available, strong, rigid, corrosion resistant, durable, flexible in style, easy to install and reconfigure, and have long service life.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the fence and gate system.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of the finished fence and gate system.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2B is an exploded view of fence and gate system shown in FIG. 2A.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3A is a top view of a fence post shown in FIG. 2A showing face-to-face mounting of a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles to the fence post holding the fence panel.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3B is a front view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3C is an exploded view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3D is a top view of the fence post showing back-to-back mounting of a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles to the fence post holding the fence panel.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3E is an exploded view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3D.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4A is a top view showing two fence panels sandwiching a panel insert held in place by a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles .  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4B is a front view of one fence panel shown in FIG. 4A.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4C is an enlarged top view of the fence panels held in place by a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles partially shown in FIG. 4B.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5A illustrates a fence and gate system configured to use fence boards.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5B is a top view of the fence and gate system shown in FIG. 5A.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5C is a sectional side view of the fence and gate system shown in FIG. 5A.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6A illustrates the frame of the fence and gate system shown in FIG. 5A.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6B shows the top view of the frame shown in FIG. 6A.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the fence post with stringers shown in FIG. 6A.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7B is a top view of the fence post with stringers shown in FIG. 7A.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8A illustrates post angle adapters as used in the fence and gate system.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 8B shows the top view of post angle adapters shown in FIG. 8A.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 9A is an enlarged front view of the post angle adapter to connect a gate frame to a section of the fence frame also shown in FIG. 8A.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 9B is an exploded top view of the post angle adapter shown in FIG. 9A.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 10A is a detailed front view showing another post angle adapter for connecting fence sections also shown in FIG. 8A.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 10B is a detailed exploded assembly top view of FIG. 10A.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 11A is a detailed front view showing part of the gate frame attached to the fence post through a gate hinge also shown in FIG. 8A.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 11B is a top section view of FIG. 11A showing the use of gate post threaded insert assemblies holding the gate hinge in place.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 11C is a detailed view of FIG. 11B showing the design of the gate post threaded insert.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 12A is a front view of a gate frame and a gate width opening adjuster assembly in another embodiment, wherein the gate hinges are on the left side.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 12B is a section view of one end of a gate frame in FIG. 12A showing a welded on surround metal back flange.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 12C is a full section view of FIG. 12A.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 12D is an exploded assembly view of FIG. 12C showing the gate hinge and the attachment of the gate width opening adjuster to the opposite end.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0038]    The following description includes the best mode of carrying out the invention. The detailed description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the claims. Each part, even if structurally identical to other parts, is assigned its own part number to help distinguish where the part appears in the drawings.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 1 illustrates the fence and gate system. As shown in FIG. 1, the fence and gate system includes at least one fence section  17  connected to at least one gate assembly  12 . The embodiment can be configured to different fence framework styles as well as gate styles to fulfill the requirements and needs according to the user&#39;s imagination. This flexibility in configuration will be illustrated with examples as other embodiments of the present invention later.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 2A shows the finished fence and gate system in an embodiment including the parts that comprises it. FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the assembled fence and gate system shown in FIG. 2A. FIGS. 2A-2B shows the parts of the fence and gate system. Each fence section  17  includes two fence posts  26 ,  27 , which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel tubing of predetermined length. Each end of the fence section  17  is anchored to the foundation or soil  34  by fence posts  26 ,  27 . Placed on top of each fence posts  26 ,  27  is a post cap, such as post cap  24  on fence post  26 . It can be a variety of styles such as an ornamental post cap to keep out rain or ornamental lamp (not shown). A fence stringer  22 , which in one embodiment is constructed of industry standard thickness galvanized steel tubing of predetermined length, is placed at the bottom with specified clearance from the soil, and connects the two fence posts  26 ,  27 . Each end of the fence stringer  22  is firmly attached to the fence posts  26 ,  27  using a pair of stringer hangers  13 ,  19  and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw  42  shown in FIG. 3A.  
         [0041]    A pair of cross section L-shaped retainer angles, the front L-shaped retainer angle  20  being shown, which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastened parallel and face-to-face to the fence stringer  22  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws such as the screw  42  forming a cross section U-shaped slot along the length of the fence stringer  22 .  
         [0042]    A pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles  30 ,  31 , which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastened parallel and face-to-face to the interior side of each fence post  26 ,  27  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw  42  forming a cross section U-shaped slot along the length of the interior side of the fence posts  26 ,  27 .  
         [0043]    A cross section U-shaped three-sided slotted fence framework is thus formed to insert and to hold the fence panels  28 ,  33  and the lattice fence panel  18  in place. The fence panels  28 ,  33  are constructed of but not limited to corrugated precoated galvanized steel sheet metal of predetermined length, wood, plastic, fiber glass or composite material, and the lattice fence panel  18  is constructed of but not limited to wood, steel sheet metal or other materials, are inserted into the slotted structure sequentially. The design of the individual panels such lattice or corrugated etc. is not considered to be essential to the present invention and is simply a matter of preference.  
         [0044]    A pair of cross section L-shaped retainer angles, the front L-shaped retainer angle  21  being shown, is fastened parallel and face-to-face to a fence stringer  23  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw  42  forming a cross section U-shaped slot along the full length of the fence stringer  23 . The lattice fence panel  18  is capped under compression by the slotted top fence stringer assembly. The fence stringer  23  is firmly attached on both ends to the fence posts  26 ,  27  using a pair of stringer hangers  15 , 16  on each side, and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw  42 . If necessary, additional self drilling and self tapping screws can be used to hold the panels in place.  
         [0045]    In another embodiment, the L-shaped retainer angles  20 ,  21  and the L-shaped side retainer angles  30 ,  31  can be fastened parallel and back-to-back on the fence stringers  22 ,  23  and fence posts  26 ,  27  to form a cross section U-shaped three-sided slotted fence framework in similar manner to that shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E.  
         [0046]    The gate assembly  12  is in one embodiment constructed of Industry standard thickness galvanized steel tubing and sheet metal strips of predetermined length. The rectangular structure is welded together with a surround back metal flange  82  (FIG. 11B) to form a gate frame  38  with resemblance to a picture frame. A plurality of gate hinges such as gate hinge  14  is welded onto the gate frame  38 . The gate panel  40  constructed of material not limiting to corrugated precoated steel sheet metal or wood and the lattice gate panel  36  constructed of not limiting to wood, steel sheet metal or other material, are fastened onto the gate frame  38  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  42  to form the gate assembly  12 . The gate assembly  12  is firmly attached to the fence post  27  through a plurality of gate hinges identical to gate hinge  14 , using a combination of a plurality of hardware to be described in detail in FIGS. 11A, 11B and  11 C. A gate width opening adjuster  10  is attached to the gate frame  38  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  42 . Those who are skilled in arts will realize that the panel and lattice material used in the preferred embodiment is not limited to precoated sheet metal, wood, plastic, composite material, fiber glass and therefore is not restrictive in interpretation.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 3A is a detailed top section view of the fence post in an embodiment. A pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles  25 ,  30 , which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastened parallel and face-to-face to the interior vertical side of each fence post using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw  42  forming a cross section U-shaped slot along the interior side of the fence posts  26 . A fence panel  28  of certain thickness that determines the spacing of the cross section L-shaped side retainer angles  25 ,  30  is held tightly in the cross section U-shaped slot formed.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 3B is a front view of FIG. 3A showing the fence panel  28  being held in place by a pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles, the front angle  30  being shown. FIG. 3C is an exploded assembly view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3D is a detailed top section view of the fence post in another embodiment. A pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles  25 ,  30 , which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastened parallel and back-to-back to the interior vertical side of the fence post  26  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  42  forming a cross section U-shaped slot along the interior side of the fence post  26 . A fence panel  29  has a certain thickness that determines the spacing between the cross section L-shaped side retainer angles  25 ,  30  is held tightly in the cross section U-shaped slot formed. FIG. 3E is an exploded assembly view FIG. 3D showing the parts that comprise the structure.  
         [0049]    The U-shaped slot formed in the embodiments shown in FIG. 3A and 3D has the flexibility to accept fence panels  28 ,  29  of different thicknesses by adjusting slot width or mounting orientations without the need to change the types of fence parts.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 4A shows the top view of panel in another embodiment with a panel sandwiching configuration. FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 4A with sandwiching panel configuration held in place by a pair of retainer angles  20 ,  47  (FIG. 4C) on each side. FIG. 4C is a detailed view of FIG. 4A. The panels  43 ,  45  are held tightly in place by a pair of retainer angles  20 ,  47 . The fence panels  43 ,  45  are constructed of a wide range of material and are not limited to such as precoated corrugated sheet metal, wood, plastic, fiber glass or any composite material. The panel insert  44  is constructed of a wide range of material and not limited to such as fiber board, plastic, composite or foam. The panel insert  44  functions as spacer to fill slack under compression from the retainer angles  20 ,  47  on each side. If the panel insert  44  material has acoustic property, it also functions as a noise suppression layer to dampen panel resonance, vibration or echoes under wind load and traffic noise. The extent of sandwiched area may vary from a full fence width to a portion of the fence width.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment using substantially identical parts that can be configured to accept traditional fence boards  48  and gate boards  46 . In various embodiments, the parts could be made of wood, metal, or a combination thereof. The parts will be now described as primarily of wood. FIG. 5B shows the top view of the fence and gate shown in FIG. 5A. A plurality of stringer angle hanger identical to the angle hangar  51  and a wood horizontal gate stringer  50  are used in this configuration. FIG. 5C shows the sectional side view of FIG. 5A. The fence stringers  22 ,  23  are rotated  90  degree from what was described in the earlier embodiment, and mounted on the top and the bottom across the fence posts  26 ,  27  with a plurality of stringer angle hangers identical to the stringer angle hangar  51 . Wood horizontal fence stringers  54 ,  55  are attached to the fence stringers  22 ,  23  through a plurality of stringer angle hangers  52 ,  53  and wood screws. Wood fence boards  48  are attached onto the horizontal fence stringers  54 ,  55  by a plurality of wood screws.  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 6A illustrates the frame of fence and gate system shown in FIG. 5A. It can be made of wood, metal or a combination thereof. Thus, wood horizontal fence stringers  54 ,  55  are attached to the fence stringers  22 ,  23  through a plurality of stringer angle hangers including the stringer hangers  52 ,  53  and wood screws forming a hybrid metal and wood member framework across the full fence width on the top and the bottom. Wood fence boards  48  are to be attached to the hybrid framework by a plurality of wood screws forming a traditional wood fence. A wood horizontal gate stringer  50  is attached to the top of the gate frame  66  by a plurality of machine screw/bolts  58 , flat washers  64 , nut and flat washer assemblies  62 . The wood horizontal gate stringer  50  length can be sized accordingly to provide a good fit to the gate width opening functioning and a gate width opening adjuster. The style of the gate frame  66  is not limiting to this embodiment that has a cross brace welded diagonally to increase support of the wood gate boards  46 .  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 6B is the top view of the system shown in FIG. 6A showing the hybrid metal wood framework in this embodiment. The gate frame  66  is attached to the fence post by a gate hinge  14  and a combination of gate post threaded inserts  32  and bolt and flat washer assembly  72 .  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 7A is a detailed view  60  of the fence post  26  shown in FIG. 6A, which is connected differently to the stringers  23 ,  69 . In this embodiment, the fence stringer  23  is rotated 90 degrees. The two stringer angle hangers  51 ,  56 , one on the top end and the other in the bottom end of the fence stringer  23  are mounted to the fence post  26  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping including the screws  67 ,  49 .  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 7B is a top view of FIG. 7A showing the configurations of fence stringers  23 ,  69  mounted to the fence post  26 . The fence stringer  69  is mounted without rotation to the fence post  26  using a pair of stringer hangers  16 ,  59  one on each side and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the numbered screws  57 ,  73 .  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 8A illustrates the use of post angle adapters  70 ,  76  of the fence and gate system. The gate is connected to another section of the fence using a post angle adapter  70  that has an acute angle of about  20  degrees. The fence is connected to another section of the fence through another post angle adapter  76  that has an acute angle of about 45 degrees. One of ordinary skill would understand that these illustrated angles are not essential to the invention. The details of gate hinge  74  will be discussed later.  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 8B shows the top view of FIG. 8A showing the post angle adapters  70 ,  76 . Both the post angle adapters  70  and  76 , which in one embodiment are constructed of standard industry thickness preformed and precoated steel sheet metal parts, can be formed in a range of angle increments to connect adjacent sections of the fence structure.  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 9A is a detail front view of FIG. 8A showing a gate frame  66  connected to another section of the fence on a fence post  27  using a post angle adapter  70 . The post angle adapter  70  is attached firmly to the gate post  27  on both sides using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to the numbered screw  65 .  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 9B is a detail top view of portion  80  shown in FIGS. 8B and 9A. In this illustration, a gate frame  66  is connected to another section of the fence on a fence post  27  using a post angle adapter  70  and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  63 . The fence stringers  71 ,  75  are connected to the post angle adapters  70  with a pair of stringer hanger  61 ,  73  on each side and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screws  63 ,  89 . In this illustration, an angle of 20+/−10 degree can be achieved by flexing the post angle adapter  70  from its mounted position on the fence post  27 . It is also shown that the stringer hanger  61  on one side of the fence stringer  71  is being flexed slightly. This minor flexing is tolerated by the steel sheet metal material construction.  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 10A is a detailed front view showing using another post angle adapter  76  to connect two fence sections together in FIG. 8A. The post angle adapter  76  is attached firmly to the gate post  26  on both sides using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws  81 ,  83 . FIG. 10B is a detailed top view of portion  78  shown in FIGS. 8B and 10A. In this illustration, two fence sections are connected on a fence post  26  using a 45+/−10 degree post angle adapter  76  and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping identical to the screws  81 ,  91 . It is also shown that there is no flexing on the stringer hanger  90 ,  92  on either side of the fence stringer  77  using this post angle adapter  76 .  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 11A is a detailed front view of portion  74  shown in FIG. 8B. This shows the portion of the gate frame  66  attached to the fence post  27  through a gate hinge  14  in FIG. 8A.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 11B is a section view of FIG. 11A showing the use of a gate post threaded insert  32  with a gasket  82  swaged tightly with the matching bolt and flat washer assemblies  72  across both sides of the fence post  27  holding the gate hinge  14  in place. Also shown is gate frame  66  connected to the gate hinge  14 .  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 11C is a detail view of FIG. 11 B showing the design of the gate post threaded insert  32 . The gate post threaded insert  32  in an embodiment is machined from a solid hard metal or alloy such as steel. One end forms the head with a pattern that can be held in place or driven with a tool. The head pattern is not limiting in its current hexagonal design. A nut driver or other tools can be fitted over the head to hold the gate post threaded insert  32  in position or to rotate for tightening. The body of the gate post threaded insert  32  is smooth. The tail end is blind drilled and tapped to a specified depth. The thread size of the gate post threaded insert  32  will be industry standard. It is threaded to mate with common and available bolt hardware. It should be pointed out that the outer body of this preferred embodiment structure can be machined to a lower diameter forming a minor diameter at the tail end for hole clearance to the steel fence post  27  when under tight compression.  
         [0064]    In the preferred embodiment, the gate post threaded insert  32  is used together with a combination of the gasket  82  for a moisture seal and a bolt and flat washer assembly  72  to achieve tight compression on both surfaces of a hollow steel fence post  27 . Along with the benefits of other anticipated applications, one of the purposes of this gate post threaded insert  32  is to distribute suspended load stress across the entire hardware assembly. This improves the strength of the hardware holding the gate hinge  14 . It is understood that the post threaded insert  32  is suitable for a variety of application beside its illustrated use in the fence and gate systems.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 12A is a front view of a gate frame  39  and a gate width opening adjuster  10  in another embodiment, wherein the gate hinges, e.g., gate hinge  14  are on the left side. FIG. 12B is a section of one end of the gate frame shown in FIG. 12A showing a weld  84  between the gate frame  39  to the surround metal back flange  86 .  
         [0066]    [0066]FIG. 12C is a full section view of FIG. 12A. The gate width opening adjuster  10  in one embodiment is constructed of Industry standard thickness galvanized steel metal extrusion or formed from sheet metal. The top end of the gate width opening adjuster  10  is welded close to keep rain out while the other end is open for venting. The gate hinge  14  is welded to the gate frame  39 .  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 12D is a detailed exploded assembly view of FIG. 12C showing the gate hinge plate  14  welded to the gate frame  39  to one end and the attachment of the gate width opening adjuster  10  to the opposite end. The width adjustment is achieved by attaching the gate width opening adjuster  10  at the opposite end of the gate frame  39  by sliding back and forth to determine the position using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  87 . The gate panel  88  is screwed down to the surround metal back flange  86  using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw  93 . This gate width opening adjustment method eliminates the use of a gate shim or lip.

Summary:
The present invention relates to flexible fence and gate systems, which are flexible to alterations, have common parts, are easy to assembly, durable, and have long service life. The frame can be made of pre-coated galvanized steel parts. The panel is held in a U-shaped slotted rectangular fence frame formed by a parallel pair of L-shaped retainer angles mounted back-to-back or face-to-face on the stringers to accommodate a wide choice of panel styles, materials and thicknesses without adding any new components. Another feature provides a panel insert which can be sandwiched between two panels to further suppress noise. Another feature relates to adjustable post angle adapters. Another feature relates to a gate width opening adjustment member using a sliding rail at the far end. A gate post threaded insert can be also used at the gate hinges to distribute the load of the gate across the gate hinge hardware.