Patent Application
20190301118
This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Bollard fences or barriers are constructed of metal tubular members that are spaced laterally apart a sufficient distance to permit sight across the barrier and to allow water to pass through the barrier while preventing the passage of people through the gap. The bollards are often constructed of heavy steel pipe ranging in length from twenty to forty feet and more and which may be filled with material such as concrete. Erecting the bollards to form a lengthy barrier can be a tedious and time consuming endeavor.
An exemplary brace for supporting a bollard panel in a vertical position includes a linear structure having an arch section that includes a panel connector to secure the brace to the bollard panel, a first longitudinal section extending in a first axial direction away from the arch section, and a second longitudinal section extending in a second axial direction away from the arch section. When attached to a bollard panel the brace extends generally perpendicular to the bollard panel with the first longitudinal section located on a first side of the bollard panel and the second longitudinal section located on a second side of the bollard panel.
Another exemplary brace for supporting a bollard panel in a vertical position includes a linear member carrying a lower panel connector and separating a first longitudinal section from a second longitudinal section, and a diagonal member having a bottom end pivotally connected to the first longitudinal section and a top end carrying an upper panel connector configured to attach to the bollard panel above the lower panel connector. When the lower panel connector is attached to the bollard panel the brace extends generally perpendicular to the bollard panel with the first longitudinal section located on a first side of the bollard panel and the second longitudinal section located on a second side of the bollard panel.
An exemplary apparatus includes a bollard panel having adjacent bollards and a gap between the adjacent bollards, a brace having a panel connector, a first longitudinal section, and a second longitudinal section, and the brace supporting the bollard panel in a vertical position relative to a ground with the brace disposed in the gap with the first longitudinal section located on a first side of the bollard panel, the second longitudinal section located on a second side of the bollard panel, and the panel connector attached to the bollard panel.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of claimed subject matter.
The disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of various illustrative embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, a figure may illustrate an exemplary embodiment with multiple features or combinations of features that are not required in one or more other embodiments and thus a figure may disclose one or more embodiments that have fewer features or a different combination of features than the illustrated embodiment. Embodiments may include some but not all the features illustrated in a figure and some embodiments may combine features illustrated in one figure with features illustrated in another figure. Therefore, combinations of features disclosed in the following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the teachings in the broadest sense and are instead merely to describe particularly representative examples. In addition, the disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Bollard fences may be utilized to provide a security perimeter to prevent or limit the ability of vehicles and pedestrians to enter a protected area. Bollard fences are adapted for use in locations that are not in physical view of security personnel and/or in which the response time for security personnel to respond to an attempted breach is delayed. For example, the bollard fence may be used to protect areas that do not have security personnel on-site and large geographic areas such as airports, rail depots, seaports, manufacturing facilities, refineries, power generation facilities, and national border crossings. Accordingly, various embodiments of the bollard fence are configured to provide protection against ramming by a motor vehicle, to limit penetration by pedestrians, and/or provide anti-tampering features.
Bollard fence or bollard panel 3 is used herein to generally refer to a section or panel of bollard fencing that that comprises two or more elongated metal bollards 5 (e.g., pipe, square tubing) that are spaced apart, leaving an open gap 9 between adjacent bollards 5, and interconnected so as to extend vertically when mounted in an earthen foundation. In accordance to an example, the bollard fence extends greater than ten feet above grade when erected. In accordance to some of the illustrated embodiments, the bollards extend about thirty feet above grade level. A non-limiting example of a bollard fence panel is illustrated in
Referring first to
An exemplary bollard panel connector 12 includes arch horizontal member 20 (e.g., a fixed jaw), a jaw member 24 extending parallel to horizontal member 20, from at least one of vertical leg 16a or vertical leg 18a and moveable relative to horizontal member 20, and a tendon 26 connecting horizontal member 20 and jaw 24. In
Using exemplary brace 10 to support a bollard panel 3 for installation is now described with reference to
Lateral support 11 is position between horizontal beam 20 and jaw member 24 and horizontally between tendon 26 and stop 36. In the example illustrated in
With reference in particular to
In an exemplary installation, see, e.g.,
Braces 100 include a longitudinal member 102, constructed in the illustrated example by a 4 inch by 3 inch by 0.188 inch hollow structural steel (HSS), and a lower panel connector 104. Lower panel connector 104 is located on a top or bottom surface of longitudinal member 102 separating longitudinal member 102 into a first leg 106 and a second leg 108. In use, longitudinal member 102 is positioned in a gap 9 in bollard panel 3 with first leg 106 extending on one side 42 of bollard panel 3 and second leg 108 extending on the other side 44 of bollard panel 3. Panel connector 104 secures longitudinal member 102 to bollard panel 3.
Brace 100 may include a diagonal brace 110 extending from a bottom end 112 attached to longitudinal member 102 on first or second leg 106, 108 and top end 114 having an upper panel connector 116 configured to attach to bollard panel 3. Bottom end 112 is hinged or pivotally attached to longitudinal member 102 at tab plates 130 (
Panel connector 104 is configured to attach brace 100 to bollard panel 3 via a lateral support 11, see, e.g.,
As will be understood by those skilled in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, the lower panel connector 104 may be configured in other manners such as shown at
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should be determined only by the language of the claims that follow. The term “comprising” within the claims is intended to mean “including at least” such that the recited listing of elements in a claim are an open group. The terms “a,” “an” and other singular terms are intended to include the plural forms thereof unless specifically excluded.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include such elements or features.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “inboard,” “outboard,” “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction. As used herein, the terms “connect,” “connection,” “connected,” “in connection with,” and “connecting” may be used to mean in direct connection with or in connection with via one or more elements. Similarly, the terms “couple,” “coupling,” and “coupled” may be used to mean directly coupled or coupled via one or more elements.
The term “substantially,” “approximately,” and “about” is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified (and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The extent to which the description may vary will depend on how great a change can be instituted and still have a person of ordinary skill in the art recognized the modified feature as still having the required characteristics and capabilities of the unmodified feature. In general, but subject to the preceding, a numerical value herein that is modified by a word of approximation such as “substantially,” “approximately,” and “about” may vary from the stated value, for example, by 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, or 15 percent.
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure and that they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should be determined only by the language of the claims that follow. The term “comprising” within the claims is intended to mean “including at least” such that the recited listing of elements in a claim are an open group. The terms “a,” “an” and other singular terms are intended to include the plural forms thereof unless specifically excluded.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62648453 | Mar 2018 | US | |
| 62712468 | Jul 2018 | US |
