Patent Publication Number: US-4060222-A

Title: Prefabricated fencing system

Description:
A BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a new and improved fence, and more particularly to a prefabricated fence that can be readily assembled and disassembled on site. 
     Conventional fences suffer from the disadvantage of being difficult and costly to erect. This is particularly true of post and rail fences of the type that are often made of roughly debarked wood. These fences require that post holes of substantial diameter be dug, which is time consuming and costly. Such post holes are particularly undesirable if the fence is not to be permanent. Moreover, the wood of which such fences are constructed is subject to rotting and termite infestation. 
     Another disadvantage of such conventional wood fences is that they are heavy, thus increasing shipping costs and making erection more difficult. They also require precision on site cutting if rails are to be joined to posts at angles which permit the fence to form corners and follow the contour of the land. 
     Prefabricated non-wood fences that have been devised previously have not been entirely satisfactory. One such prior art fence is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,213 to Blease issued on Oct. 24, 1972. That fence is not, however, easily installed and is not readily disassembled. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a prefabricated fence, in the form of both an unassembled kit and erected fence that overcomes many of the above-mentioned disadvantages of conventional fences. The fence includes a plurality of bulb-shaped connection members projecting radially outwardly therefrom in at least two opposite directions. A plurality of rails are horizontally disposed between said poles, said rails defining cylindrical openings axially aligned with said rails at their ends. The openings are dimensioned to surround and slidably engage the connection members. The rails are thus supported and held in place at their ends by the connection members when the fence is assembled. 
     The fence thus constructed is capable of forming corners and following the contour of the land. It is easily assembled and disassembled and is relatively maintenance free. A preferred fence post construction utilizes a rod driven axially through the post into the ground to eliminate the need for post hole digging. 
    
    
     A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a complete understanding of the present invention, references may be had to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pole for a fence constructed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional pictorial view of a rail for use in a fence constructed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional pictorial view of a fence constructed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a front plan view of a portion of a fence shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a fence post shown in FIG. 4 taken along the line 5--5 of that figure; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional fragmentary view of the fence of FIG. 3 taken along the line 6--6 of that figure. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 3 shows a fence constructed in accordance with the invention which includes a plurality of vertically upstanding posts 10. A plurality of vertical rails 12 are horizontally disposed between the posts 10. It is possible, in accordance with the invention, to utilize any desired number of parallel rails disposed one above another, but in the embodiment depicted here there are two such rails between each two successive posts. 
     An exemplary post 10 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 1 and 5. Each post 10 consists of a main cylindrical tube-like body portion 14 having a plurality of integrally formed bulb-like connection members 16 projecting radially therefrom. The connection members 16 project from the main body 14 of the post 10 in two opposite directions. There is one connection member 16 on each side of the post 10 for each rail 12 to be connected on that side, and the connection members 16 on one side of the post 10 are radially aligned with those on the opposite side. Each connection member 16 includes a narrow shaft-like portion 18 by which it is attached at the main body 14. 
     A bottom plate 20 is integrally formed with the lower end of the main body 14 but may be a separate piece. This plate 20 has a concaved bottom surface for stability and adaptability to small terrain variations and is larger in diameter than the main body 14. The bottom plate 20 also includes three downwardly projecting spikes 24 by which the post is firmly anchored to the ground. 
     The post further includes a rod 26 having a pointed end 28 which is inserted downwardly from the top of the main body 14 through the central axial opening 30 and then through a central opening 32 in the bottom plate 20. The top end 33 of the rod 26 is slightly flaired to secure a tight fit within the opening 30. The pointed end 28 of the rod 26 is then driven into the ground below the plate 20 until the top of the rod 26 is substandardly flush with the exposed top end of the main body 14. The rod thus provides greater support and stability for the post 10. 
     After the rod 26 has been driven into the ground, a cap 34 is attached to the top end of the main body 14 to cover the opening and provide a finished appearance for the post 10. 
     A representative rail 12 of the fence shown in FIG. 3 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2; it includes a cylindrical opening 36 at each end which is axially aligned with the rail. The axial opening 36 may extend continuously throughout the length of the rail 12 to provide openings at both ends. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the rails 12 are supported and held in place by the bulb-shaped connection members 16 of the post 10. The connection members 16 and the openings 36 are dimensioned so that the ends of the rails surround, fit over, and slidably engage the connection members 16. Each rail 12 is thus supported by the connection members 16 and cannot be removed while both of its supporting posts 10 remain in position. 
     When it is desired that one of the rails 12 form an angle with the supporting post 10 other than that at which the appropriate connecting member 16 projects, it is desirable to modify the rail 12 by forming a slot-like opening 38 extending axially from one end thereof. It is then possible to cause the rail 12 to extend from the post 10 in any desired direction by rotating the rail until the slot engages the shaft 18 of the connection member 16 at the point closest to the post 10. In this manner universal positioning of the rails can be accomplished. 
     As example of the use of slotted rails 12 forming a corner 40 is shown in FIG. 3. The technique of providing slots in the rails may be used to form corners at any desired angle and may be used to incline the rails upwardly or downwardly to accomodate ground contours. 
     To provide a more finished appearance, connection members 16 on free ends of posts 10 may be sawed off as shown at the right-hand side of FIG. 4. Additionally, covers 45 similar to the caps 34 may be used at the open ends 42 of rails 12 where corners are formed. Such a cover 45 is shown as an additional element in FIG. 6. The posts 10 and rails 12 are preferably made of plastic that is roughly contoured to give the appearance of natural wood. Other materials such as aluminum may also be used. 
     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiment described above is meant to be merely exemplary and that the specifications and structure of the fence are susceptible to modification and variation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the fence may include additional structure between the posts 10 to form a picket, mesh, or stockade fence. Therefore, the invention is not deemed to be limited except as defined by the appended claims.