Improvements in Metallic Fence Posts.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by BENJAMIN FRY RANDALL, of Fall River, in
the County of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, United States of Americă,
Cotton Dealer.]
Improvements in Metallic Fence Posts.
I, ERNEST DE Pass, of 78 Fleet Street in the City of London, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
This invention relates to fencing which comprises wire or other strands tied or
secured to metal posts by locking devices, and the invention has for its objects to
provide a new and improved wrought metal post which is susceptible of being
easily driven into the ground, and to provide novel, simple, efficient, and economical
incans for firmly locking the wires or strands at every post, for securely holding the
strands under tension and preventing lengthwise movement and sagging thereof,
while enabling repairs to be conveniently and quickly effected for preserving the
fencing in perfect order at small expense.
To accomplish these objects the invention involves the features of construction
and the combination or arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed,"
reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which :
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a metal fence post constructed in accordance with
the invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a portion of the fence post with a wire strand"
tied or secured thereto by the improved locking devices.
Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a modified construction of the hook for securing
or locking the fence strand to the post.
Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the hook illustrated on the post in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the hook illustrated on the post in
Fig. 3, and
Fig. 6 is an edge view of the post to illustrate the bevelled construction of the
slot with which the fence strand engages, the strand being shown in dotted lines to
exhibit the bend therein which prevents lengthwise movement of such strand.
1.
In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use this invention, I will
now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, where the numeral 1
indicates a fence post formed from a single piece of wrought metal which is rolled
integral with a right angular base comprising flanges 2 and 3, which stand at right
angles to each other, and one of which, 3, terminates at a suitable distance to form
a driving head 4 for the purpose of driving the post into the ground. The flange 2.
constitutes a continuation of the metal plate which comprises the post above the
ground, and this metal plate is formed at its rear edge with a lateral rib 5 for the
purpose of imparting rigidity and strength to the structure as a whole. The flange 3
is formed at its outer edge with a lateral rib 6, for strengthening such flange and
enlarging the driving head 4 to facilitate driving the post. The front edge of the
metallic plate of which the post is composed, is formed at proper points with pairs
of slots 7 and 8, the upper one of each pair being inclined from the edge of the..
post in a downward direction, and the lower one of each pair, as here illustrated,
being inclined from the edge of the post in an upward direction. The bottom wall
of each upper slot 7 is bevelled to provide sharp edges 9, for biting or engaging
the fence wire or strand 10. The upper slots 7 are preferably V-shaped, but they.
can be U-shaped, or of other form approximating thereto and suitable for the
'
Price RI

page_text: conditions required. The wire strand is inserted into an upper slot and is then
pressed downward at opposite sides of the post so that the strand is formed with a
bend 12 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the shoulders formed by such bend
serving to engage opposite sides of the post and thereby prevent lengthwise move-
ment of the wire or strand. To tie or lock the fence strand in the position
described, a hook is provided which, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, is composed
of two substantially parallel arms 13 connected as at 14 and provided with hooked
free extremities 15, in such manner that when the connecting portion 14 is engaged
with a lower slot, the hooked extremities 15 can be engaged with the fence strand
at opposite sides of the fence post for the purpose of holding the bent portion of
the strand tightly down in a slot 7, whereby the fence strand is held under tension
and is prevented from moving lengthwise and sagging, while the hooked extremities
can be readily disengaged from the strand to enable repairs to be conveniently and
quickly effected.
In the modification, Figs. 3 and 5 the hook comprises a single arm 16 suitably
engaged at its lower end 17 with a lower slot 8, and having its upper hooked.
extremity 18 engaged with the wire or fence strand at one side of the fence post.
I have illustrated the hooks as engaged with slots 8, but do not confine myself to
this specified construction as the lower portions of the hooks can be engaged with a
recess, perforation, or opening formed in the post other than as an inclined slot.
The metallic fence post, constructed as described, is in a single complete piece
ready for immediate use, and it can be conveniently driven into the ground througle
the medium of the driving head formed by the upper end of the Hange 3. The
construction is such that the post can be cut and formed complete in a series from a
single piece of metal.
The slots into which the wires or strands are inserted are so constructed and
shaped that their lower edges will be sharp for the purpose of biting or engaging
the fence strand, and as the upper slots are approximately V-shaped, the fence
strands can be driven in so that the sharpened lower edges of the slots will bite
into the fence strand and thereby hold it securely in position and prevent it from
moving lengthwise.
In practice, the hooks are so constructed that their length is less than the
distance between the upper and lower slots so that the hooks will retain the fence
strand down in the upper slots 7 and preserve the bends 12.
The construction described and shown provides a new and improved metal fence
post, and novel, simple, efficient and economical means for tying or securing the
wire or other strands to each post in such manner that the strands are held under
tension and are prevented from moving lengthwise and sagging, while repairs can
be conveniently and quickly effected for keeping the fencing in good order at the
least expense.
It will be observed that the fence post is of such construction that while it
possesses an angular base one flange of which is short and terminates in a driving
head, the post as a whole can be cut in a single piece out of a piece of metal, thereby
avoiding skilled mechanical labor which is necessary to fit together and connect
the parts where a fence post is made in sections. The formation of the wire
receiving slots with converging edges, as when V-shaped or approximate form, is a
very useful feature of the post, in that the fence wires or strands can be forced or
driven into these slots and be securely held by the converging edges thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent :
1. A fence post consisting of a single piece of wrought metal having at one edge
a lateral strengthening rib and rolled integral with an angular base comprising two
flanges one of which terminates in a driving head for the purpose of driving the
post into the ground, substantially as described.
2. A metal fence post consisting of a single piece of wrought metal having

page_text: inclined wire receiving slots and rolled integral with a right angular base com-
prising two angular flanges one of which terminates in a driving head below the
lowermost slot for the purpose of driving the post into the ground, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a fence post having upper and lower slots or recesses,.
of a hook which engages the lower slot or recess and is adapted to hook over
a fence strand passing through the upper slot or recess, substantially as described.
4. The combination with a fence post having a pair of slots 7 and 8 which are
inclined in reverse directions relatively to one edge of the post, of a hook engaged
with the lower slot 8 and having a hooked extremity which engages a fence strand
passing through the upper slot 7, substantially as described.
5. The combination with a fence post having an inclined slot the bottom wall or
edge of which is bevelled, of a hook engaged with the post below the inclined slot
and adapted to hook over a fence strand passing through the slot, substantially as.
described.
6. The combination with a fence post having upper and lower inclined slots, and
a fence strand passing through the upper slot and formed with a bend 12, of a hook
engaged with the lower slot and adapted to hook over the fence strand passing
through the upper slot, substantially as described.
7. A metal fence post composed of a flat plate having wire receiving slots, the
edges of which converge, said slotted plate being formed with an angular base one
flange of which.terminates as a driving head below the lowest wire receiving slot,
substantially as described.
ANCE Bay or Day 1
ERNEST DE PASS,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Chartered Patent Agent.