Abstract:
A fabric fence system and method of manufacturing the fabric fence system is disclosed. The fence system has posts that are laterally spaced from one another with a fence fabric position between the posts. The fence fabric has end protrusions that are inserted into the sides of the fence posts and held in place by a rod inserted into the hollow inner portion of the post such that the rod engages the protrusions of the fence fabric. The slots that accommodate the fence fabric are set at an angle relative the length of the post. The fence system also includes top and bottom cross members into which the top and bottom portion of the fence fabric are inserted and attached to provide a panelized fence system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to fence systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fence system that combines polymer structural components with a fence fabric to form fence panels. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Wire mesh fences, also commonly called chain link fences, are widely utilized throughout the country today. The fences are strong and consist of metal fence posts to which wire mesh is attached. 
     To install a chain link fence, the fence post is first installed, customarily by encasing it in concrete below ground level. The chain link fabric is stretched taut between posts and the fabric is attached to the post by the bands. Additionally, tension bands and stretcher bars may be included. Intermediate support, if needed, is provided by additional posts, commonly referred to as line posts. In addition, brace assemblies are required in some fence applications and these assemblies occur at the terminal posts. 
     There are, however, many disadvantages to conventional chain link fencing systems. Chief among these is the problem of attaching fence fabric to the fence post. These conventional methods employ a multitude of small parts including tension bands, brace bands, stretcher bars and assorted nuts and bolts. The tension bands are inserted into the end of the mesh and attached to the exterior of the post using the bands, nuts and bolts. Along the length of the fence mesh the mesh must be attached to the cross members using several ties (typically metal) to prevent the mesh from sagging. The ties are bent partially around the cross bar and each end is twisted around a strand of the fence material to secure the material to the cross bar and to intermediate posts. The ends of the wire ties are sharp and occasionally pose a safety hazard to those that come in contact with these exposed ends. 
     Thus, the installation of these fences is performed almost universally by professionals, and is relatively expensive because of the labor involved and the multitude of parts that the installer must inventory. 
     In an effort to simplify installation by reducing the parts needed, some proposals have been made to interweave wire meshing with the post itself. U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,527 to Uroshevich is an example of this application. Another is Ashworth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,836. These references, however, have not truly solved the problem. It has been found that the interweaving of the chain link fencing mesh is difficult because of the inherent strength of the material, and that the finished job has frequently stretched the metal into an unsightly appearance. 
     There are several other patents which disclose other fence systems which purport to including means for easy assembly. 
     Engstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 751,622 discloses a fence post having a recessed area for receiving a clamping rod. The clamping rod is held in place by a plurality of eye-bolts through the eyes of which the clamping rod extends. Tightening of the nut of the eye-bolt draws the clamping rod into the recess, bending and clamping the wire runners therein. 
     Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 1,150,373 discloses a tubular fence post having retaining leaves struck outwardly to provide spaces between the respective retainers and the body of the tubular post. After the wires are in position, a key or holder is inserted through the spaces to hold the wire in place. The post shown is an intermediate post, not an end, corner or gate post, for a rectangular grid wire fence. The post is not designed for use as an end, corner or gate post and does not provide a recessed and protected connection. 
     Gerken, U.S. Pat. No. 1,160,709 discloses a fence post having extending hooks and tongues for receiving a tie or retaining rod. The posts are intermediate posts, not end, corner, or gate posts, and do not provide a recess to receive and protect the rod. 
     James, U.S. Pat. No. 1,330,809 discloses a metallic fence post (intermediate post, not an end, corner, or gate post) which has depressed or concave grooved sections between straps or bands. The straps are used to secure single strand fencing, e.g. barbed wire fencing, by hog-ring clips and are not used for chain link fencing. 
     Ashworth et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,836 discloses a chain link fence having an end, corner, or gate post or corner post with expanded strips providing apertures with the same spacing as the fence links. The end links of the fence are secured to the apertures provided by the expanded strips by a serpentine wire interconnecting the end links thereto. 
     Bishop, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,303 discloses an intermediate (not an end, corner, or gate post) fence post having horizontal slots for receiving individual wires of single strand wire fencing. A locking rod or wire is vertically extended between the wires and the interior of the post to hold them in place. 
     Muckelrath, U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,882 discloses a metal post of angle iron or hollow square construction having holes punched along the corners thereof. The posts are intermediate posts for wire fencing comprising a plurality of separate single strands. A retaining tie wire is placed through the hole after engagement with each individual fence wire and twisted to hold the wire in place. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fence system that offers ease of installation; is easily packaged for resale stocking and portability; is an attractive improvement over standard chain link fence; requires less parts than conventional chain link fence systems; requires less maintenance than conventional chain link fence systems; provides more security than typical rigid PVC fence or conventional chain link fence systems. 
     The fence system comprises a first post and a second post laterally spaced from one another by a predetermined distance, each post having i) a hollow portion along a length of the post, ii) a first lower slot and a first upper slot in a first side portion of the post, the first lower slot and the first upper slot substantially parallel to the length of the post, and iii) a first plurality of slots disposed between the first lower slot and the first upper slot in the first side portion of the post, the plurality of slots set at an angle with respect the length of the post; a first cross member coupled between the first lower slot of the first post and the first lower slot of the second post; a second cross member coupled between the first upper slot of the first post and the first upper slot of the second post; a fabric extending between the first post and the second post, the fabric having a plurality of projections at a first end of the fabric and a second end of the fabric, each of the plurality of projections extending through a respective one of the plurality of third slots disposed in the first post and the second post; and a retainer inserted through each of the plurality of projections at least a first end of the fabric to couple the fabric to an inside portion of at least the first post. 
     The present invention also discloses a method for fabricating a fence panel. The method comprises the steps of providing a first post and a second post, each post having a hollow portion; forming a lower slot and an upper slot in a side portion of the post, the lower slot and the upper slot substantially parallel to the length of the post; forming a first plurality of slots disposed between the lower slot and the upper slot in the side portion of the post, the plurality of slots set at an angle with respect the length of the post; coupling a first cross member between the lower slot of the first post and the lower slot of the second post; extending a fabric between the first post and the second post, the fabric having a plurality of projections at a first end of the fabric and a second end of the fabric; inserting each of the plurality of projections of the fabric through a respective one of the plurality of third slots disposed in the first post and the second post; inserting a retainer through each of the plurality of projections at least the first end of the fabric to couple the fabric to an inside portion of at least the first post; and coupling a second cross member between the upper slot of the first post and the upper slot of the second post. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the fence fabric is attached to an inside portion of the upper and lower cross members. 
     According to still another aspect of the invention, adjacent cross members are attached to one another through a coupling plate. 
     According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the retainer passes through a top portion of the lower cross member and captures the lower cross member within the post. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention, the retainer is a metallic or polymer circular rod. 
     According to still another aspect of the invention, the cross members include a slot into which the fabric is inserted. 
     These and other aspects of the invention are set forth below with reference to the drawings and the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following Figures: 
     FIGS.  1 A- 1 C are various views of a portion of a fence system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is cross sectional view of a cross member of the exemplary embodiment of FIGS.  1 A- 1 C; 
     FIGS.  3 A- 3 F are illustrations of end, corner and intermediate posts of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the fence according to the first exemplary embodiment adapted for a sloping grade; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional end view of an intermediate post of the present invention detailing coupling between adjacent fence sections; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional end view of an intermediate post of according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional end view of an intermediate post of according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the fence structure according a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1A illustrates a section of the fence system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1A, fence system  100  is formed from posts  102 , spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance. This distance may be determined according to a variety of factors, such as the terrain at the installation site, customer requirements, industry standards and packaging considerations. The posts  102  may be made from a rigid polymer material such as PVC and may have a rectangular or square or substantially circular cross section. The post  102  has a hollow potion  102 C to accommodate the cross members and fence fabric discussed more fully below. 
     Lower cross member  104  is inserted into slots  116  (shown in FIG. 1C) formed at a bottom portion of each post  102 . Fence fabric  108 , which may be a polymer coated chain link fence material is positioned between posts  102  and within slot  104 A of lower cross member  104 . In addition, the polymer may be a vinyl coating. 
     As more clearly shown in FIG. 1B, the posts  102  have a plurality of slots  110  cut into at least one side of the post  102 . End portions or “elbows”  112  of the fence fabric  108  are inserted into the slots  110  to protrude into the hollow portion  102 C of post  102 . Slots  110  may be sized in accordance with the gage of the fence fabric  108  and are spaced to match the spacing between each of the elbows  112  of fence fabric  108 . 
     A retainer rod  114  is inserted through the top opening of the post and slides through the inside of the protruded “elbows” to retain the chain link fence to the post. Retainer  114  may be a polymer rod, a vinyl coated metallic rod, or a non-coated metallic rod. The retainer  114  may also be used to retain the lower cross member  104  to the post  102  by insertion of the rod through the top portion of lower cross member  104 . 
     To complete the frame assembly of fence  100  the upper cross member  106  is inserted through the top slots  118  formed at the upper portion of posts  102 . The cross member  106  may be inserted into slots  118  by sliding one end of upper cross member  106  into the first post  102  until the end  106 B of cross member  106  is clear to be inserted into the second slot  118 . 
     The upper portion of the fence fabric  108  may also be inserted into a slot  106 A formed in upper cross member  106 . The upper and lower portions  108 A of fence fabric  108  may be fixed to the upper and lower cross members  104 ,  106  with fasteners  120 , which may be self tapping screws or rivets for example. The fasteners  120  pass through the upper or lower portion  108 A of fence fabric  108  and into support member  104 C,  106 C (shown in FIG. 2) of cross members  104 ,  106 , respectively. 
     FIG. 2 is a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a cross-section of upper or lower cross members  104 ,  106  is shown. The cross members include support members  104 B,  104 C,  106 B,  106 C integrally formed within cross member  104 ,  106 , respectively. These support members  104 B,  104 C,  106 B,  106 C provide rigidity both torsionally and laterally to the cross members and forms the slot  104 A,  106 A mentioned above. As an alternative to fastening fence fabric  108  with fasteners  120  to cross member  104 ,  106 , the fence fabric may be formed with a modified “knuckle”  108 B at one or both of the upper and lower portions of the fence fabric  108 . The knuckle  108 B may be inserted into slot  104 A,  106 A by sliding the fence fabric  108  along slot  104 A,  106 A. The opening  104 D,  106 D in the cross member  104 ,  106  is dimensioned according to the thickness of the fence fabric  108  such that the fence fabric  108  fits snuggle within opening  104 D,  106 D. 
     The knuckles  108 B of the fence fabric  108  may be bent past the point where they would be aligned to form a curled end. The spring of the fence fabric  108  permits the curl to straighten as the knuckles are pushed into the slot  104 A,  106 A. After the knuckles are inserted into the slot  104 A,  106 A any force exerted to pull the fence fabric  108  out of the slot  104 A,  106 A will be countered by the curled end of the knuckle  108 B acting on the inner surface of the cross member  104 ,  106 . The fence fabric is thus locked into the slot  104 A,  106 A without the need for auxiliary fasteners. The assembly of the fence  100  may then proceed as discussed above in the first exemplary embodiment. 
     Referring back to FIG. 1, the structural integrity of fence  100  may be enhanced by attaching coupling plate  122  to the upper or lower cross members  104 ,  106  using fastener  120 . The details of the coupling plate  122  are shown with reference to FIG.  5 . 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the coupling plate  122  fits within the hollow portion  102 C of post  102  and preferably snuggly between opposite walls  102 A and  102 B of post  102 . Once attached with fasteners  120 , coupling plate  122  prevents cross members  104 ,  106  from moving within slots  116 ,  118 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 1, to complete the assembly, a cap  124  may be placed on the end of post  102  to prevent moisture and debris from entering post  102  and to provide a finished appearance. 
     Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, it is understood that additional sections of fence  100  may be constructed in a linear or orthogonal manner to form an enclosure (not shown). 
     Referring to FIG. 6, it is also contemplated that adjacent fence sections may be set at a variety of angles by enlarging the slots  116 ,  118  in post  102  such that the upper cross member  106  and lower cross member  104  may be disposed in post  102  at an angle. The coupling plate  122  may also be used to secure the additional fence sections as is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     FIGS.  3 A- 3 C are exemplary embodiments of posts  102  of the present invention. Although the posts depicted in FIGS.  3 A- 3 C have essentially square or rectangular cross-sections, it is understood that the posts  102  may also have a circular cross section to accommodate irregular shaped (i.e. non-orthogonal) site conditions (see FIG.  7 ). It may also be desirable to present different esthetics. 
     FIG. 3A illustrates a corner post  302 , which has slots  304 ,  306  formed within immediately adjacent side walls  308 ,  310 , respectively. The angle of slots  304 ,  306  are determined based on the angle of the elbows  112  of fence fabric  108  (shown in FIG.  1 ). Preferably the angle of slots  304 ,  306  may between about 30° and 60° and preferably between about 40° and 50°, and most preferably about 45°. In addition, slots  304 ,  306  may have a downward slope to the right or to the left depending on the fence fabric  108 . 
     FIG. 3B illustrates a line post  320  in which slots  322 ,  324  are formed in opposite walls  326 ,  328 , respectively. 
     FIG. 3C illustrates an end post  330  in which slots  332  are formed in only one wall  334 . End post  330  may also be used as a transition between the fence system and a gate system (not shown). Although not illustrated in FIGS.  3 A- 3 C, it is understood that in addition to the slots to accommodate the fence fabric  108 , slots  116 ,  118  are also formed in the respective posts below and above each set of slots, respectively. 
     In addition, although not shown in FIGS.  3 A- 3 C, a post may have slots  110 ,  116 ,  118 , formed in  3  sides of the post or in all sides of the post, as desired, to accommodate a variety of customer needs. Furthermore as shown in FIG. 7, if a post having a circular cross section is used, such as shown in FIGS.  3 D- 3 F, a fence configuration where a non-orthogonal fence layout is required, such as in irregular plots, may be accommodated. As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of a circular cross section post, the coupling plate  122  may be formed with curved ends if desired to fit within the circular post  102 . 
     Terrain that is sloped requires knowledge of the amount of grade (slope) to be accommodated so proper selection of vertical posts can be made from a range of about 1% to 25% (standard) grade, although other grades of slope may be accommodated as necessary. FIG. 4, illustrates a fence  400  that accommodates a slopped terrain. 
     In FIG. 4, fence  400  is installed over sloping grade  404 . Post  402  has upper slots  406 ,  408  and lower slots  410 ,  412  offset from one another by a distance  414  consistent with the slope of grade  404 . This arrangement of slots in post  402  preferably minimizes the space between the grade  404  and the bottom of the bottom rail  414 . The result is a fence that has a stepped or tiered arrangement. In all other aspects the fence  400  is identical to the fence  100  shown in FIG.  1 . 
     Referring to FIG. 8, a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In FIG. 8, upper cross member  106  has a notch  802  formed in an end portion of upper cross member  106 . The slot  802  is formed in approximately the shape of an inverted “U” so that retainer rod  114  may engage within slot  802  through opening  806  and seat within groove  804 . 
     As described above with respect to the first exemplary embodiment, retainer rod  114  is inserted through the top opening of the post and slides through the inside of the protruded “elbows” to retain the chain link fence to the post  102 . After the upper cross member  106  is inserted into the upper slot  118  of post  102 , the retainer rod  114  may be raised slightly so as to engage slot  802 . The retainer rod  114  is then seated in groove  802  thereby capturing upper cross member  106  within post  102 . This approach provides the benefit of greater structural integrity of the fence  100 . As mentioned above, the retainer  114  may also be used to retain the lower cross member  104  to the post  102  by insertion of the rod through the top portion of lower cross member  104 . 
     As is typical with most fence systems, entry points for an area enclosed with a fence are desirable. It is contemplated that a gate system may be added to fence  100  by forming a gate in a similar manner as disclosed above with respect to the fence  100 . The gate may have similar structural elements to those of the fence  100  and scaled as required for the particular application. The gate may be attached to post  102  using conventional hinges or another means to allow the gate to open and close. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed to include other variants and embodiments of the invention which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.