Patent ID: 8808600

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a barrier assembly, the method comprising: forming a barrier inside a mold using a polymeric material; removing the formed barrier from the mold while the barrier is still warm; and inserting an elongated coupler into a passage extending from a top surface to an opposing bottom surface of the formed barrier while the barrier is still warm, the coupler comprising a shaft and a securing member outwardly projecting from the shaft, the passage having a constricting portion, the warm constricting portion of the barrier pliably bending as the securing member passes therethrough; and allowing the formed barrier to cool and harden, the hardened constricting portion of the barrier preventing the securing member of the coupler from passing back through the constricting portion of the passage or making it more difficult for the securing member of the coupler to pass back through the constricting portion of the passage relative to when the securing member was initially passed through the warm constricting portion.