An Improved Fence.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fence.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 106, 107, and 108, Victoria 'Chambers,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Lewis
Barnes, and William Albert Nichols, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.,
Inventors) to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements in fences,
and the object of the invention is to provide means whereby the several parts of the
fence may be better joined than hitherto.
By this invention fence posts are provided with vertical openings having a
lateral slot, the lower portion of the opening being expanded on the side opposite
the slot.
By this means a substantially L-shaped opening is formed in the post. The rails
are passed through this opening, and are provided with lugs which engage with the
slots at the sides of the apertures, and are thereby held in place.
Dated this 21st day of March 1891
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fence.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 106, 107, and 108 Victoria Chambers,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Lewis Barnes,
and William Albert Nichols, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Inventors,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in fences; and it consists in devices
for securely interlocking the rails and posts in what are ordinarily denominated
"rail fences."
accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a fence embodying my
improvement.
Fig. 2' is a side elevation of a portion of one of the posts, showing two rails in
cross-section.
Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively,
Fig. 2; and
Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged views showing the lugs upon the rails in side
elevation.
.
The present invention relates more particularly to an improvement on the fence
shown my United States Patent No. 445,531, dated February 3rd, 1891. In the
fence shown in said Patent the rails may be removed from any panel of the fence
after the fence is completed unless some separate locking device is used to secure
the parts. In the present invention I provide the rails with locking devices which
hold each rail securely in its proper position, rendering it impossible to dismember
the fence at any point between its ends, the rails of each panel forming keys to
prevent the removal of the adjacent panels.

page_text: In the drawings, A represents the rails and B the posts. Each post is formed
with one or more openings to receive the rails, and the openings are made substan-
tially L-shaped. As shown, the stem of the L-shaped opening extends upward
from the foot 61, which extends to the right, as seen in Fig. 2; but it will be obvious
that it is immaterial whether the L be turned to the right or to the left, or inverted,
so far as the essential features of the present invention are concerned. As shown,
the upper part of the opening is made slightly larger than the section of the rail
to be used, and the lower portion 6' is made wide enough to admit two rails
side by side, as shown in Fig. 2. At the back of the L-shaped opening and
opposite the portion is formed a notch 2, for a purpose to be hereinafter
described.
The rails A are preferably made of metal, and upon one end of each rail is
stamped or cast a lug or lugs a and upon the other a lug a' and a tongue a². The
lugs a al may be of any desired shape; but they should present abrupt shoulders
facing toward the middle portion of the rail to engage the sides of the post. The
tongue a² is made to correspond with and fit into the notch 62 in the post.
As above stated, the rails are preferably made of metal, in which case the lug
and tongue are usually formed integral therewith; but in some instances I may
form the lugs separate and attach them to the rail, as shown in my prior United
States Patent.
The method of constructing a fence embodying my present improvements is as
follows: The end of a rail provided with the tongue a² is first passed through the
wide portion 6' of one of the openings and then raised up into the narrow portion b,
the tongue being upon the same side as the notch 62. The end of the adjacent rail
provided with a lug a is then inserted into the wide portion of the opening from
the opposite side of the post and slid out into the offset of the opening, as shown in
Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The first rail is then lowered until it comes opposite the second,
and then drawn outward until its tongue a² enters the notch 62 and the shoulder of its
lug a¹ comes against the post. As the rail is thus drawn out to cause its tongue to
enter the notch, its opposite end is passed into the wide portion of the corresponding
opening in the adjacent post, the tongued end of another rail having been previously.
placed in the narrow portion of said opening. It will thus be seen that the rails of
one panel act as keys to prevent lateral motion of the rails of the previous panel,
and that vertical motion of the rails is prevented by the tongue engaging the notch
upon one side and the shoulder 3 preventing the rail upon the other side from
rising. The lugs a a¹ prevent longitudinal displacement of the rails. Thus all
parts are securely interlocked and it is impossible to disturb the bars while the
fence remains intact.
As shown, the lugs upon each rail are upon the same side of the rail and the
L-shaped openings in adjacent posts face in opposite directions. This arrangement
enables me to place the rails parallel to the direction of the fence, both ends of any
particular rail being located in front of or behind the ends of the adjacent rails;
but I may place all of the posts so that their L-shaped openings face in the same
direction and arrange the lugs a al upon different sides of the rails, in which case
the rails will overlap like shingles, one end of each rail being in front of and the
other behind the ends of the adjacent rails. The difference in construction just
stated, it will be understood, is a mere matter of taste and not of the essence of the
present invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A fence-post having L-shaped openings to receive the rails and a notch at
the side of each opening opposite the foot of the L, substantially as described.
2. A fence-rail having a shouldered inwardly-facing lug at each end and a
tongue extending from the shoulder of one of the lugs, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 3. The combination, with posts having L-shaped openings and notches 62, of rails
having each a shouldered inwardly-facing lug at each end and a tongue extending
from the shoulder of one of the lugs, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of December 1891
W. H. MUNNS,
Applicant's Agent.