Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a wire fence, comprising attaching a plurality of vertical stays to a plurality of horizontal wires, wherein the distance between the attached vertical stays is not constant.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention is directed toward a method of manufacturing wire fencing material having stays, and more specifically, toward a method of manufacturing wire fencing material having a reduced number of stays in the vicinity of its ends.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Wire fences are generally formed from a number of parallel wires running in a first direction held together by a plurality of stays running perpendicular to the first direction. When the fence is installed, these wires generally run in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground or other surface over which the fence is installed, and therefore may be referred to hereinafter as horizontal wires. The stays, being perpendicular to the wires, may be described to as vertical.  
           [0003]    A machine suitable for use in making the wire fence of the invention Such wire fences are produced on wire looms in a manner that is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. A machine suitable for use in making the wire fence of the invention is the South Fence Fixed Knot Farm Fence Machine, manufactured by South Fence Machinery Ltd., 256 Main South Road, Christchurch, New Zealand.  
           [0004]    For example, the wires may be spaced about eight inches apart and the stays may be formed periodically along the horizontal wires at a spacing such as six inches. The material is produced continuously and cut into desired lengths, usually about half-way between two stays to leave a stay near each end of the cut strip of material to hold the wires in proper alignment near the ends of the material. The material is then wound into rolls, and the free end of the material is secured to the roll to keep it together for shipping or storage.  
           [0005]    To install a wire fence, a user opens a roll of this wound fencing material and strips off the first several stays at the free end in order to provide a length of wire to attach to a fence post or to splice to another wire. Because each stay is attached to each of the horizontal wires, and as there may be a dozen or more horizontal wires in a section of fence, stripping stays can be a time consuming process, often taking five to twenty minutes depending on the height of the fence. This process must be repeated at both ends of each roll of wire fence that is being installed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention is directed toward a method of forming wire fencing material having a reduced number of stays in the vicinity of its ends.  
         DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In a first preferred embodiment (FIG. 1), a machine produces fencing material having stays spaced periodically at a distance x, where x may be in the range of from 3 to 15 inches. This range includes all specific values and sub-ranges there between, such as, but not limited to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 inches. In a preferred embodiment, distance x is 6 inches.  
           [0008]    As the machine nears a point at which fencing material is to be cut, the machine skips the attachment of from 1 to 5 stays (FIG. 1, Region A). In a preferred embodiment, the number of stays skipped in Region A is 2.  
           [0009]    Subsequently, the machine resumes with the attachment of two isolated stays, the distance between the two isolated stays being x, where x is in the range of from 3 to 15 inches. This range includes all specific values and sub-ranges there between, such as, but not limited to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 inches.  
           [0010]    After the two isolated vertical stays are attached, the machine again skips the attachment of from 1 to 5 vertical stays (FIG. 1, Region B). In a preferred embodiment, the number of vertical stays skipped in Region B is 2.  
           [0011]    The machine then returns to the periodic placement of stays at a distance x, where x is in the range of from 3 to 15 inches until another cutting location is approached. This range includes all specific values and sub-ranges there between, such as, but not limited to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 inches.  
           [0012]    The fencing material may be cut between the two isolated stays so that each end of the fencing material includes an end stay spaced apart from the preceding stays. Preferably, the distance between the end stay and the remaining stays is about 24 inches. However, it will be appreciated that this distance may be more or less than 24 inches varied depending on the number of vertical stays skipped in Regions A and B. For example, depending on the spacing of the stay material, it would also be possible to form fencing material with a gap of only one stay between the end stay and the periodic stays or to form a gap of more than two stays.  
           [0013]    Thus, the person installing this fencing material need only strip one stay from each end of the fence which results in a significant savings of time. Significantly, because each end of the fencing material includes a stay, the material can be handled by other machinery normally used for ordinary fencing material. That is, machines that attach to an end stay in order to wind the material into a roll can still attach to an end stay in a well known manner. However, as noted above, two of the three stays that a worker previously would have had to remove have been eliminated, thus reducing the amount of work at each end of the fencing material by two thirds. Moreover, the amount of wasted stay material is also reduced by two-thirds.  
           [0014]    In a second embodiment (FIG. 2), as a cutting location is neared on the fencing material, the loom skips two stays, forms a single isolated stay, skips two more stays, and then continues forming periodic stays. The material is then cut near the single stay. This results in sections of material having a single stay at a first end and wires missing three stays at a second end (in a preferred embodiment, this will result in about 24 inches of stay-less wire at the second end of the material). This method thus leaves a first end having a stay that can be attached to other machinery for winding or further processing as discussed above. The free wire ends will be located at the outer end of a roll of fence material and can be secured thereto in any conventional manner. This reduces both the time required to strip stays when the wire is being used and the wasted stay material by another 50 percent.  
           [0015]    In a third embodiment (FIG. 3), the machine does not place a stay in the vicinity of the cutting location on the fencing material. The material is then cut near the cut line indicated in FIG. 3. This results in sections of material having wires missing a number of stays at first and second ends. The free wire ends will be located at each end of a roll of fence material.  
           [0016]    With common machinery, it is desirable to leave at least one stay at the end of a section of material to facilitate further processing. However, a loom could also be set to skip six stays where the material is to be cut so that cutting will produce two ends of material having free ends without stays over, for example, about 24 inches. Processing machinery that attaches to the horizontal wires could easily accommodate such wires, and applications where the wire is not processed any further after being formed could also employ this process. This provides a further reduction both in installation time and the waste of stay material. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a section of fencing material made according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is an elevation view of a section of fencing material made according to a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a section of fencing material made according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
     
    
       [0020]    As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.  
         [0021]    With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and the manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.  
         [0022]    Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modification and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modification and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.