Patent Application
20080173855
This invention relates generally to fencing. More specifically, to a fencing system that includes fence panels constructed and arranged to be pivoted to a horizontal position to prevent fencing damage from high winds and flying debris.
The United States has experienced over 60 weather-related disasters in the past 25 years, each of which has caused in excess of $1 billion in damages. Together, these disasters have caused in excess of $350 billion in damage.
Population growth along the coastline of the United States has resulted in an increased risk to life and property from hurricane related damage. There are approximately 153 million residents that live in coastal counties of the United States, with areas such as Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas, where hurricanes frequently strike, experiencing rapid population growth. In addition, many coastal areas experience substantial but temporary population increases from holiday, weekend, and vacation visitors during hurricane season.
Homes, buildings, fences and other permanent structures often suffer substantial damage when windborne debris and storm generated winds overload the capacity of the structure.
Fences are often erected in congested areas to provide privacy and safety to the homeowner. In fact, many coastal areas have laws requiring fences to be built around swimming pools or yards that contain swimming pools to reduce pool related accidents. These fences are often constructed of wood, plastic, aluminum, steel or other structural material at great expense to the homeowner. The fences generally include a plurality of vertically oriented posts anchored within the ground and fence panels permanently affixed to and extending between the vertical posts. Due to the permanent and structural nature of fences, they are often damaged or destroyed by the strong winds generated in coastal storms.
Removal and storage of the fence panels before a storm is generally impractical. Most fences are not constructed to allow for disassembly without destroying the fence panels. Even if the panels could be removed, storage of the panels would be difficult and would consume a significant portion of the available storage space. In addition, the inherent weight of the fence panels would require a support structure to prevent the panels from tipping or falling while stored. Still yet, due to the congested population of coastal areas, many families live in condominiums or apartments. Most of these dwellings do not have a garage or other space which could be dedicated to fence panel storage.
Prior art fencing examples include, Itri et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,262, discloses a portable expandable barrier which comprises a pair of fences slideably interconnected and releasably held in a desired orientation by locking means such as lock set cylinders. Nicholls, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,076, discloses a fence structure including a barrier and elongated fence posts. The fence posts include T-shaped slots in which end portions of the fence sections are received prior to final assembly of the posts. In general these fences are constructed as permanent structures. Thus, removal of the panels to minimize storm related damage to the fence would require complete disassembly of the fence structure.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a fence system that allows the fence panels to be pivoted to a substantially horizontal position during a storm which produces high winds. The fence system should provide brackets that are constructed for easy installation on pre-existing as well as new fencing. The construction of the upper retainer brackets should allow detachment of the upper portion of the fence panels from the posts while the lower brackets should be hinged so that the fence panels can be pivoted for securement to the ground in a substantially horizontal orientation. Stakes should be provided to secure the fence panels to a ground surface in their horizontal orientation. After the storm, the panels should be re-engagable to the posts in the vertical orientation to provide privacy and security.
The present invention provides a fence system for homes, buildings and the like. The fence system according to the instant invention includes panels constructed and arranged to be pivoted between a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation. When connected to permanently mounted posts in a vertical orientation, the fence panels may be utilized for privacy and/or security. Pivoting the panels to horizontal position during storms, such as hurricanes, reduces or eliminates the damage caused to the fence by high winds and/or windborne debris. The panels include hinged brackets mounted on the lower portions thereof which allow the panels to be pivoted between the two positions. Removable retainer brackets are secured to the mid and upper portions of the panels and the fence posts to maintain the panels in a vertical orientation. Removal of the retainer brackets permits pivoting the panels between the two positions. Hold-down assemblies are provided which cooperate with the ground surface and the panels to hold the panels in the horizontal position for storms. The hold-down assemblies prevent the panels from lifting during high wind situations. This construction permits the panels to be secured either in a vertical position with respect to the posts or in a horizontal position for protecting the fence from high winds and/or wind-borne debris.
Therefore, it is an objective of this invention to provide a high wind fence system.
It is another objective of the instant invention to provide a fence system capable of providing privacy as well as reduce or eliminate damage caused to the fence from high winds.
It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a fence system which includes panels adapted to pivot for protection against high winds and wind-borne debris.
It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a fence having panels that are constructed and arranged for pivotal movement between a vertical position for privacy and a horizontal position for protection against high winds and wind-borne debris.
A still further objective of the instant invention is to provide a hinged bracket assembly and a retainer bracket member that can be used to convert a pre-existing fence into a hurricane fence.
Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
While the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, the invention, both as to organization and content, will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
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The panel 12 includes a lower stringer 22, an upper stringer 34 and a middle stringer 36, each having sufficient length to extend between a first end 30 and a second end 32 of the panel. A plurality of substantially vertical members 38 are secured to the stringers to provide privacy and/or security. In the preferred embodiment, the stringers and the vertical members are constructed of wood. However, it should be noted that the stringers and/or the vertical members may be constructed of any material suitable for use as fencing, such materials may include, but should not be limited to metal, plastic, concrete and suitable combinations thereof.
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All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.
One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.
