Patent ID: 6994326

Claim:
A fence comprising: a hollow post having a flat side, a generally rectangular hole in said flat side for insertion of a rail into said post; a hollow, generally rectangular rail having an open terminal end, said rail having three continuous elongated flat sides, one of said flat sides being horizontal, the remaining two flat sides being vertical and parallel to each other, said rail having another side that defines a channel opening running the entire length of said rail, said flat sides being joined to each other at right angles so that said rail has the configuration of a three sided square with one open side that faces downwardly, each of said flat sides having an inside surface that is exposed to the atmosphere through said open side, one of the flat vertical sides having a ledge at its lower end that projects from its inside surface into said open side toward the other vertical side, said ledge having an upper surface, said one flat vertical side having a rib on its inside surface that extends toward said other vertical side, said rib having a lower surface, said upper surface of said ledge and said lower surface of said rib being parallel and spaced apart inside of said rail; said open terminal end of said rail being inserted into said hole in said post with said open side of said rail facing downwardly, said open side of said rail and said open terminal end of said rail providing a continuous atmospheric pathway to said post through said hole; and an integral resilient plug for substantially blocking said atmospheric pathway between said hole in said post and said open side of said rail, comprising: a main body portion having four sides of equal length and equal width and equal thickness, said sides being joined to each other at right angles, a plurality of shoulders of uniform thickness protruding from said main body portion, said shoulders being spaced from each other along a longitudinal axis of said main body portion, each of said shoulders having a segment that is integral with one of said four sides of said main body portion, each of said segments having a continuous upper flat surface and a continuous lower flat surface, said upper and lower flat surfaces of each segment extending perpendicularly from the sides of said main body portion in parallel planes that are perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, and an end cap having a flat inner surface integral with said main body portion that closes one end of said main body portion; and the upper flat surface of one of said segments engaging said rib inside of said rail and the lower flat surface of another of said segments engaging said ledge on the inside of said rail so as to cause a friction fit between said plug and said rail that holds said plug inside of said rail wherein said plug blocks the continuous atmospheric pathway to prevent flying insects from entering said post through said hole.