Abstract:
An edging strip having improved mating features. The edging strip is an elongate segment of extruded material which has top and bottom edges and front and rear sides. Mating features are provided on the top and bottom edges and are configured to unite with each other only when one edging strip is upside down relative to the other edging strip and axially aligned so that one edging strip is slidable axially relative to the other edging strip to thereby cause an interconnecting mating of the mating features.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to landscaping equipment and, more particularly, to an edging strip having mating features on only one side configured to allow, when there exists two or more of such strips and the aforesaid one sides face one another, two or more edging strips to become interconnected end to end or to form an endless edging construction or to be stacked edge-to-edge one on top of the other.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Edging strips are utilized in a number of landscaping applications. These strips are typically formed of elongated segments of extruded aluminum or plastic or rubber. The edging strips are positioned in the ground to form a boundary between a desired area, such as a flower bed or a pathway, and the remainder of the property. While these edging strips could theoretically be manufactured to any length, practicality limits the actual lengths of available edging strips. When two or more edging strips are needed to bound a desired area, it is preferable to mate the strips together to form a single elongate strip. Similarly, when an edging strip, or an elongate strip formed of two or more individual strips, is curved to bound a circular area, it is desirable to mate the ends of the strip together in an endless edging construction. Additionally, some planting beds or grassy areas that are to be bounded by the edging strips often contain root systems that extend deep into the ground. Thus, it is desirable to stack the edging strip edge-to-edge to enable a placement of edging deeper into the ground and yet have an upper edge exposed above the ground.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention is directed to an edging strip having improved mating features to allow for a reliable connection between two separate and mutually adjacent edging strip ends. The edging strip is an elongate segment of extruded material which has top and bottom edges and front and rear sides. Mating features are provided on only one side of the edging strip and two of such strips are configured to unite with each other only when the aforesaid one sides face one another, are initially axially offset from one another and thereafter one edging strip is slid axially relative to the other edging strip to thereby cause the mating features to interconnect. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]     Features and benefits of this invention will be understood by reference to the following detailed description, as well as by reference to the following drawings, in which:  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is an end view of an edging strip embodying the present invention;  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of two interlocked edging strip ends according to the  FIG. 1  embodiment;  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is an end view of an alternate embodiment of an edging strip embodying the invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary cross sectional view of two interlocked edging strips according to  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is an end view of a still further embodiment of an edging strip embodying the invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of two interlocked edging strips according to the  FIG. 5  embodiment;  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary illustration of a modified bead structure;  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  when the edging strips are stacked edge-to-edge one on top of the other;  
         [0013]      FIG. 9  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3  when the edging strips are stacked edge-to-edge one on top of the other; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 10  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5  when the edging strips are stacked edge-to-edge one on top of the other. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is illustrated an end view of an end  11  of an edging strip  10  according to the present invention. The edging strip  10  is preferably formed of an extruded material, such as aluminum or plastic or rubber and, if desired, includes a number of longitudinally extending reinforcing grooves  12  extending along the full length of the strip  10 .  
         [0016]     The edging strip  10  has a front side  13  and a rear side  14  and top and bottom edges  16  and  17 . A side opening C-shaped or U-shaped channel  18  is formed adjacent the top edge  16  along the entire length of the edging strip  10 . The channel  18  is defined by two spaced apart and generally parallel walls  19  which extend approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the rear side  14  of the edging strip  10 . An identical side opening C-shaped or U-shaped channel  21  opening in the same direction as the channel  18  is formed along the entire length of the bottom edge  17  and also includes spaced apart and generally parallel walls  22  which extend approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the rear side  14  of the edging strip  10 . The distal ends of each of the walls  19  are in the form of a right angle section as at  19 A so that the interior of the channel  18  has a T-shape as depicted at  18 A. Similarly, the distal ends of each of the walls  22  are in the form of a right angle section as at  22 A so that the interior of the channel  21  has a T-shape as depicted at  21 A.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates the mating of two edging strip ends  11  and  11 ′. The ends  11  and  11 ′ are ends of two different edging strips  10  and  10 ′, as illustrated. The second edging strip  10 ′ is identical to the edging strip  10  described above, and therefore, like features of the second strip  10 ′ have been and will be identified with like feature numbers and differentiated from the features of the first strip  10  by the prime (“′”) suffix.  
         [0018]     The ends  11  and  11 ′ are positioned next to one another so that the rear sides  14  and  14 ′ oppose one another. This can be accomplished by turning one edging strip 180° from top to bottom or 180° left to right. In  FIG. 2 , the edging strip  10 ′ has been turned 180° top to bottom relative to the edging strip  10  and initially oriented axially offset therefrom. At least the wall section  22 A′ is axially aligned with the channel  18  and at least the wall section  19 A′ is axially aligned with the channel  21 . This alignment will simultaneously cause the wall section  19 A to become axially aligned with the channel  21 ′ and the wall section  22  to become axially aligned with the channel  18 ′. Thereafter, one edging strip may be slid axially relative to the other until the rear side  14  of the end  11  is directly opposing the rear side  14 ′ of the end  11 ′. The-top edge  16  of the edging strip  10  is adjacent the bottom edge  17 ′ of the edging strip  10 ′ and the bottom edge  17  is adjacent the top edge  16 ′. Along the top edge  16 , one of the distal ends  19 A of the channel  18  is interlocked with one of the distal ends  22 A′ of the channel  21 ′ so that the channel  18  is mated with the channel  21 ′, as illustrated. Similarly, and along the bottom edge  17 , one of the distal ends  19 A′ of the channel  18 ′ is interlocked with one of the distal ends  22  of the channel  21  so that the channel  21  is mated with the channel  18 ′, as illustrated. Since the distal ends  19 A,  22 A,  19 A′ and  22 A′ are in the form of wall sections extending at right angles to the respective walls  19 ,  19 ′ and  22 ,  22 ′, the edging strips  10  and  10 ′ will be locked together when the channels are mated. In order to avoid twisting of the edging strips, two or more edging strips can be mated in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 2  to create either an endless edging construction or an elongated edging boundary.  
         [0019]     It is conceivable that the channels  18  and  21  could be located at locations other than at the top and bottom of the strip. If this is the case, care must be exercised to locate them equidistantly from the respective top and bottom to facilitate mating while maintaining flushness of the strips at the tops and bottoms.  
         [0020]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated an end view of an end  31  of an edging strip  30  according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. The edging strip  30  has a number of longitudinally extending reinforcing grooves or reinforcing undulations  32  similar to the grooves  12  formed in the edging strip  10 .  
         [0021]     The edging strip  30  has a front side  33  and a rear side  34  and top and bottom edges  36  and  37 . Adjacent the top edge  36  there are provided a pair of wall sections  38  and  39  which overlap the edging strip from opposite sides to form respective channels  38 A and  39 A both opening in a direction of and parallel to the general plane of the front and rear sides  33  and  34 . Adjacent the bottom edge  37  there is provided two parallel walls  42  straddling the general plane of the edging strip  30  to define a U-shaped channel  41  thereat. The respective legs of the channel  41  are aligned with a corresponding one of the channels  38 A and  39 A on a common side of the edging strip  30 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates the mating of two edging strip ends  31  and  311  of two edging strips  30  and  30 ′. Two edging strips  30  and  30 ′ are first aligned axially with the ends  31  and  31 ′ positioned next to one another so that the top and bottom ends  36  and  37  of the strip  30  are adjacent the bottom and top end  37 ′ and  36 ′, respectively, of the strip  30 ′. The rear side  34  of the strip  30  directly opposes the rear side  34 ′ of the strip  30 ′ during a relative axial installation movement to cause the wall section  39  of the end  31  to be received into the channel  41 ′ between the walls  42 ′. Similarly, the wall section  39 ′ of the end  31 ′ is received into the channel  41  between the walls  42 . As with the previous embodiment, if the edging strip ends  31  and  31 ′ are the ends of two different edging strips  30  and  30 ′, the edging strip  30 ′ is merely turned upside down and positioned adjacent the edging strip  30  for mating.  
         [0023]     Flanges  46  and  47  extend laterally outward from the front and rear sides  33  and  34  and the planes thereof are inclined or perpendicular to the plane of the edging strip. These flanges  46  and  47  (or  46 ′,  47 ′) are configured so that a surface thereon operatively engages further inclined or perpendicular surfaces  48 ′ and  49 ′ on a mutually adjacent and directly opposing edging strip and serve to guide the relative axially sliding movement of the edging strips when the walls  42 ,  42 ′ are received in channels  38 ′,  38  respectively.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates a modified edging strip  10 B similar to  FIG. 1  except that the channel  21  has been replaced with an elongate T-shaped bead  50  extending outwardly from the rear side  14 . This modified edging strip  10 B will, for the structure componentry that is identical to the  FIG. 1  structure, use the same reference character, but with the suffix “B” added thereto.  
         [0025]     Referring now to the structure of the bead  50 , it has a T-shaped cross section as depicted in  FIG. 5 . The size and shape of the T-shaped bead  50  is conformed to the size and shape of the channel  18 A. Thus, when it is desired to mate the mutually adjacent ends of separate edging strips  10 B and  10 B′ as depicted in  FIG. 6 , the edging strip  10 B′ is turned upside down and positioned adjacent the edging strip  10 B so that the T-shaped bead  50 ′ is axially aligned with the T-shaped channel  18 A and the bead  50  is axially aligned with the T-shaped channel  18 A′ so that one edging strip can be slid axially relative to the other so that the beads  50  and  50 ′ will enter, respectively, the channels  18 A′ and  18 A. It will be noted that when the strips  10 B and  10 B′ are mated as shown in  FIG. 6 , the top and bottom edges are flush with each other to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance when installed.  
         [0026]     It is deemed to be within the scope of this invention to provide on a modified edging strip  10 C a bead  50 A (see  FIG. 7 ) that is L-shaped instead of the T-shaped bead  50  depicted in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0027]     As is depicted in  FIGS. 8-10 , each of the previously described embodiments of  FIGS. 1, 3  and  5  can be stacked edge-to-edge one on top of the other in order to accommodate installations that are to extend deep into the ground. If desired, each strip can have an integrally formed ribbon of material forming a loop oriented about a common vertical axis when the strips are stacked in order to accommodate a stake extending therethrough.  
         [0028]     Although particular preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications lie within the scope of the present invention and do not depart from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the foregoing description and drawings, and in the following claims.