Patent Grant
9142337
This application claims priority from provisional application No. 61/648,195 filed on May 17, 2012.
The present invention is related to electric fences and specifically to insulators used in electric fences. More specifically, the present invention relates to an insulator having a modified shape configured for fastening to tree trunks, poles and posts of various sizes, shapes and materials.
Prior art references disclose a variety of electric fence insulators.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,611 discloses a fence wire mount and insulator device adapted for mounting on a metal fence post of T-shaped cross section in which wire is supported in spaced relationship relative to the fence post by a bracket member which engages the fence post and is shaped to accommodate a variety of configurations and dimensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,158 relates to electric wire insulators for connection with a T-shaped corner fence post formed by a generally U-shaped rigid mounting member having parallel legs transversely spanning a T-shaped post.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,363 is for a unitary insulator of plastic material that supports an electrified conductor wire in a horizontal position when the insulator is fastened to either a vertical post or is rotated slightly and is fastened to the diagonally extending wires of a chain link fence.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,216,852, a support bracket is adapted to secure wire fence elements to posts having T-shaped cross-sections with a leg and two cross-arms. The bracket includes a first slot adapted and constructed to receive a cross-arm of a fence post, and a second slot adapted and constructed to receive a cross-arm of the fence post, the second slot being generally aligned with the first slot. A third slot is adapted and constructed to receive a leg of the fence post, and is generally perpendicular to the first and second slots.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,511,227 teaches a connector adapted to engage with a support member, preferably being formed with a T-post configuration which provides a plurality of divergent arms. The connector can include a main body adapted to define a central recess and two or more clamping surfaces which extend from the main body. These clamping surfaces are configured to engage with a divergent arm of the support member.
The t-post fence bracket described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,627 provides a simple and effective means of securing a variety of items by use of u-hooks, plates or brackets to a widely used metal t-post without the use of tools.
US publication 20020125466 provides for a fence support device and method for constructing a fence support which comprises a sleeve for fitting over a supporting member such as a rod extending vertically from a concrete base.
The electric fence insulators disclosed in the prior art references do not seem to configure for attaching to tree trunks in a way that minimizes the damage that may occur to the trees from prolonged contact with clamping arms and other attaching means to the trees. Also, the designs of the prior art references do not seem to configure for attaching to pipes and posts of various sizes, shapes and materials.
In one aspect of the present invention, an electric fence insulator assembly configured to provide for stability in attachment to a variety of post materials and surfaces and for attaching to a tree in a manner as to prevent damage to a growing tree, the electric fence insulator assembly comprises: a first lateral panel having an inner end and an outer end and a second lateral panel having an inner end and an outer end, the first panel inner end being attached to a first side of a connecting member, the second panel inner end being attached to a second side of the connecting member; a first cord gripping member attached to a rear side of the first lateral panel, the first cord gripping member containing a vertical panel and a horizontal panel, the horizontal panel of the first cord gripping member containing an arcuate shaped cutout, the vertical panel of the first cord gripping member containing an indent; a second cord gripping member attached to a rear side of the second lateral panel, the second cord gripping member containing a vertical panel and a horizontal panel, the horizontal panel of the second cord gripping member containing an arcuate shaped cutout, the vertical panel of the second cord gripping member containing an indent; and an electric wire holder.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.
Electric fences are configured to keep domestic animals in certain confined areas as well as keep wild animals from entering these areas. The fences comprise electrified wired that surround these areas. In order to keep the wires elevated above ground, the wires must be supported in a way that they do not make contact with materials that conduct electricity including the posts and trees, which would cause the electrical current to be lost to the ground. In order to solve the problem, insulators that hold the electric wires are placed between the electric wires and the posts and trees.
Numerous types of electric fence post insulator types and holders are known to support a wire in an electric fence. However, these prior insulator holders when fastened to trees create tree wounds and leave behind hardware such as nails or wire embedded in the tree as the tree grows. Additionally, these wire or nail fasteners may become dislodged or lost and become a source of hardware disease in livestock. It is further desirable that the insulator have a shape that reduces the contact area with the tree in order to minimize any possible damage to the tree. The attachment to the tree must be stable and secure and allow for tree growth as well as easy adjustment and removal of the insulator assembly.
The object of this invention is to provide an elastic electric fence insulator assembly fastener that stretches as the tree grows allowing electric fence attachment to trees without injuring the tree or having the risk of hardware damage to the tree or livestock. Another object of this invention is to provide an electric fence post insulator fastener which is adaptable to different sizes, shapes and materials and can be used to fasten electric fence insulators to fence posts, poles or fence post, pole and tree combinations. Yet another object of this invention is to provide an electric insulator holder structure which is constructed to have the insulator easily removed, adjusted or replaced.
The present invention is illustrated in
1. The electric wire holder having a first part 28 and a second part 29. The function of the electric wire holder is to keep the wire 15 in place and away from the conductive materials onto which the insulator 10 is fastened onto.
2. An attaching support system comprising of a first angled support panel 44, a second angled support panel 45 and a clamp 27. Connecting member 71 bridges between the panels. The support panels 44 and 45 are used for attaching the insulator 10 to round objects such as poles or pipes 11 and trees 25, while the clamp 27 is used to fasten onto the back rib 43 of t-post 22 in conjunction with cord 14 placed between front ribs 23 of the t-post. The insulator of the present invention is designed to be versatile so that it may be attached to standard shaped trees as well as irregular shaped trees as shown in
3. The cords are held by two cord gripping members each having a horizontal panel and a vertical panel. The first cord gripping member contains 1st horizontal panel 49 and 1st vertical member 58 while the second cord gripping member contains 2nd horizontal panel 42 and 2nd vertical member 55. The cord 14 is wedged into openings 47A and 21B respectively in the horizontal and vertical panels 49, 58 of the first gripping member and 47B and 21A respectively in the horizontal and vertical panels 42, 55 of the second gripping member as shown in
Additionally, t-posts 22 may contain front ribs 23 and a rear rib 43 as shown in
The present invention electric fence insulator assembly attempts to minimize the surface area that the panels and the cord come in contact with as the insulator assembly is tied to the tree trunk. This may be accomplished by the following:
1. Optimizing the angle between the angled panels. The angle between the panels may be adjustable by placing a hinge inside the connecting member 71 or making the connecting member from a flexible plastic. The adjustability feature allows the insulator to better conform to variety of sizes and shapes of tree trunks.
2. Configuring the distance of the cord gripping members such that the cord is gripped at an angle that takes the cord away from the tree. This is illustrated in
3. Using a meshed netting cord.
Tree trunks vary in size and shape. Generally, for a small and round tree, the panel contact area tends to be large while the cord contact area tends to be small as may be seen in
The preferred angle β between the first angled support panel 44 and the second angled support panels 45 is in the range between about 110 degrees and about 130 degrees as shown in
The electric fence insulator assembly cord may be made of a variety of elastic, rubber or bungee materials. They preferred thickness is ⅜″; however other sizes also fall within the scope of the present invention.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140318828 A1 | Oct 2014 | US |
