Abstract:
A panel is provided for construction of a fence and for connection to a similar panel in interlocking relationship. The panel includes a receiver, a mounting portion and a side wall. The side wall is disposed between the receiver and the mounting portion wherein the receiver of a first panel is interlocked with the mounting portion of a second panel. The rounded features of the mounting portion facilitate insertion into the receiver forcing the receiver to expand beyond its original dimension. Once inserted a base leg of the receiver and a flange of the mounting portion remain in biased contact forcing the shoulder of the mounting portion into contact with the contact wall of the receiver and effectively interlocking the two panel members and thereby limiting lateral movement.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to an interlocking fence panel with an interlock useful for holding fence panels in engagement and presenting a pleasing ornamental appearance. More particularly, it is concerned with a panel having an improved interlock structure which provides improved means for determining interlocking engagement of the panels, increased durability and greater rigidity of the panel and improved windload resistance.  
         [0002]     Vinyl fencing is used to provide a decorative and protective barrier or boundary for property owners. The panels are typically located between posts firmly anchored into the ground and the panels are supported by horizontal guide rails at the upper and lowermost reaches of the panels thereby holding the fence panels in a vertical orientation.  
         [0003]     It is desirable to provide a rigid interlock structure to connect adjacent fence panels. Fencing panels with a loosely connecting interlock are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,904,343 and 5,725,201 which provide for adjustable width panel assemblies. While these siding panels have certain advantages, it is believed that structural improvements would enhance the performance of the fencing panels in use.  
         [0004]     Thus, there has developed a need for a fencing panel which is not only attractive, but also provides improved rigidity an audible confirmation of the interlock and increased durability of the final assembly.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     These objectives have largely been solved by the fencing panels of the present invention. That is to say, the fence paneling hereof retains the attractive appearance of the prior art panels but yields improved performance by greater resistance to wind and other applied loads and provides the user with an audible confirmation of the interlocking of the panels sections.  
         [0006]     The fence panel hereof is preferably formed as an elongated panel with a receiver and a mounting portion with a side wall disposed between the receiver and mounting portion. The receiver of a first panel is configured to receive the mounting portion of a second panel thereby allowing a fence of varying length to be constructed depending upon the number of panel sections utilized.  
         [0007]     The mounting portion is a continuation of the side wall configured generally in the shape of the letter “G” that rolls under the side wall and is comprised of a series of bends that ultimately terminate in a cantilevered flange. The third bend, upright and knee of the mounting portion are the features that are initially inserted into the gap that exists between the upper end of the base leg of the receiver and the second side of the side wall. The receiver gap is of a lesser dimension than the combined height of the third bend, upright and knee; however, the rounded corners of the third bend and the knee coupled with the flexibility of the cantilevered base leg allows the gap to spread a sufficient amount to receive the mounting portion. Once fully received into the receiver the cantilevered flange audibly snaps into biased contact with the base leg of the receiver causing the shoulder of the mounting portion to move into contact with the contact wall of the receiver. It is the resulting biased contact between the mounting portion and the receiver that serves to interlock the fence panels and minimize the relative movement between the panel sections.  
         [0008]     As a result, a superior panel is provided which yields both qualitative and quantitative levels of improvements over prior art panels. The benefits noted above and other improvements will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and the attached description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a fence panel in accordance with the present invention in a vertical orientation, showing a series of adjacent panels positioned within the lower fence rail with the upper fence rail elevated to reveal the interlocking configuration;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a single fence panel;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a mounting portion of a first fence panel approaching a receiver of a second fence panel and immediately prior to insertion;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the mounting portion of a first fence panel passing midway through the gap of the receiver of the second panel and further showing the receiver base leg deflected to its extreme open position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a plan view, similar to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , showing the mounting portion of a first fence panel inserted into the receiver of a second panel in interlocking engagement;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of several interlocking fence panels inserted into the fence rails; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is an elevation view of an isolated fence rail utilized to support the fence panels. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0016]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , interlocking fence panels  10 ,  11  in accordance with the present invention are preferably manufactured as single elongated articles from a unitary sheet of synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride. One preferred technique is extruding the fence panels  10 ,  11  which are shaped by passing through dies to achieve the desired configuration. As further depicted in  FIG. 2 , the panels  10 ,  11  present a side wall  12  further comprised of a first side  14  and a second side  16 . Broadly speaking, and as seen in  FIG. 2 , the fence panels present a mounting portion  18 , a receiver  20  and the side wall  12 .  
         [0017]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the mounting portion  18  and the receiver  20  are disposed opposite one another with the side wall  12  disposed there between. Successive fence panel  10 ,  11  sections can be interlocked by snapping the mounting portion  18  into the receiver  20  thereby ensuring a rigid connection between the two panel  10 ,  11  sections. The locking engagement of the panel sections  10 ,  11  is audibly confirmed by the snapping into position of several key features of the receiver and mounting portion and will be discussed in more detail in the following sections.  
         [0018]     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the mounting portion  18  comprises a generally “G” shaped configuration and relies upon a biased contact between various features of the mounting portion  18  and the receiver  20  to accomplish the rigid interlock between the adjacent panels  10 ,  11 . The various features of the interlocking panel that will be discussed in detail below are preferably 0.070 inch in thickness but may vary depending upon the specific requirements of the fence. It should be understood that the above referenced dimension is only exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  depicts the side wall  12  transitioning into the mounting portion  18  which comprises a first bend  24  of about 90 degrees that transitions into a shoulder  26 . The mounting portion shoulder  26  transitions into a second bend  28  of about 90 degrees that leads into a strut  30  before encountering a third bend  32 . The third bend  32  of about 90 degrees extends upwardly toward the second side  16  and leads into an upright  34  before encountering a knee  36 . The knee  36  extends into a flange  38  that extends angularly away from the second side  16 . At the furthest most reach of the flange  38  is the contact edge  40  wherein force is applied against the base leg  66  of the receiver  20  when the mounting portion  18  is inserted into the receiver  18 . An alternative configuration as will be discussed in more detail below utilizes the entire, or potentially a portion, of the flange  38  for engagement against the base leg  66 . It is the biasing force of the base leg  66  against the contact edge  40  or a greater portion of the flange  38  that drives the mounting portion  18  further into the receiver  20 , securely interlocks the two components and provides for an audible confirmation of the interlock. This rigid interlocking characteristic of the fence panels  10 ,  11  will be described more fully below following a description of the receiver  20 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  further reveals that the receiver  20  is disposed opposite the mounting portion  18  with the side wall  12  interposed between the receiver  20  and mounting portion  18 . The receiver  20 , similar to the mounting portion  18 , is comprised of several critical features. The side wall  12  transitions through a 90 degree elbow  60  forming a contact wall  62 . The contact wall  62  transitions into a base curve  64  that extends upwardly toward the second side  16  to form a base leg  66 . At the upper end  68  of the base leg  66  a return bend  70  in the shape of a serpentine loop is formed transitioning into a cantilever leg  72 . The cantilever leg  72  terminates at a tip  74 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  reveals a mounting portion  18  of a first panel section  10  immediately prior to insertion into the receiver  20  of a second panel section  11 . The gap identified by G in  FIG. 3  represents the receiver opening in its relaxed position which is narrower than the width W of the mounting portion  18  that will be inserted there through.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the mounting portion  18  during insertion into the receiver  20  spreads the opening with an initial dimension of G to an opening width equivalent to W. This widest dimension for G occurs when the knee  36  of the mounting portion  18  passes directly over the upper end  68  of the receiver  20 . The mounting portion  18  readily slides into the receiver  20  because the rounded knee  36   32  readily slides over the rounded upper end  68  of the base leg  66  when pressure is applied to the fence panels  10 ,  11  that are being interlocked. The thermoplastic material comprising the fence panels  10 ,  11  allows the cantilevered base leg  66  of the receiver  20  to flex primarily through deflection at the base curve  64 . Once the mounting portion  18  fully penetrates into the receiver  20 , the gap G rapidly returns to its original or resting separation distance. Moreover, once the mounting portion is fully inserted into the receiver there is an audible snap confirming that the contact edge  40  of the flange  38  has moved into contact with the base leg  66  and pressure is being applied along the line of contact P.  
         [0023]     An alternative embodiment of the interlocked configuration has some portion, or potentially all, of the surface of the flange  38  in biased contact with the base leg  66  thereby distributing the pressure exerted by the two surfaces against one another over a wider area than just along line of contact P. This alternative embodiment would function equally as well to drive the shoulder  26  into contact with the contact wall  62  thereby forming a rigid interlock between the two panels  10 ,  11  and would not detract from the interlocking functionality of the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  depicts the mounting portion  18  fully inserted into the receiver  20  with the contact edge  40  of the flange  38  in biased contact with the base leg  64  at line of contact P. The flange  38  and the base leg  66  are subject to oppositely disposed forces because of the pressure being applied along line of contact P against one another. The pressure along line of contact P further forces the shoulder  26  of the mounting portion  18  against the contact wall  62  of the receiver  20 . The pressure along P maintains the fence panels  10 ,  11  in a rigid and interlocked state minimizing relative lateral movement of the fence panels and increasing their ability to withstand high wind and other types of loads that may be applied against the fence.  
         [0025]     The fence panels  10 ,  11  when in operation are positioned within fence rails  100  and  102  as seen in  FIG. 6 . The fence rails  100 ,  102  contain channels  104 ,  106  and are of a width appropriate for receiving the fence panels  10 ,  11 . Multiple fence panels  10 ,  11  are assembled to cover the length of the fence rail except for the end segments  110 ,  112  that will be inserted into the openings  120 ,  122  of the fence post  125 . The protruding end segments  110 ,  112  of the fence rails  100 ,  102  are slid into the openings and can be appropriately secured in position using various techniques known by those skilled in the art. Both ends of the fence rails  100 ,  102  are supported in place by being inserted into the openings  120 ,  122  of separate fence rails.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  shows an elevation view of a fence rail  104 . The fence rail is comprised of side walls  150 ,  152  and a base portion  154  for supporting and securing the fence panels in position. The fence rails are preferably constructed of a thermoplastic material and can be produced in a variety of dimensions to accommodate varying fence panel dimensions.  
         [0027]     While the present invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. Different formats, embodiments, and adaptations besides those shown and described as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements may also be used to implement the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.