Patent Application
20110049451
The present invention is directed to the alignment of posts. In particular, the present invention is directed to positioning T-posts used in fencing.
Fencing systems have long been necessary to demarcate property lines and restrict movement of persons or animals across boundaries. Fences may be used to contain persons, exclude intruders, restrict livestock, and cordon off dangerous areas. A brief survey of fencing systems reveals agricultural, privacy, perimeter, decorative, and boundary fencing, all designed to serve either symbolic or functional purposes. Indeed, many fencing systems serve both purposes, as the fence's appearance may impart notice of its purpose and therefore the use being made of the land within the fence's borders.
Fences may comprise several varieties depending on the purpose and appearance desired. Certain fencing systems may comprise pickets or posts driven into the ground and fencing wire or other material running between the posts. A familiar example of such a system is the T-post fence, in which the posts are often cruciform or T-shaped.
T-post fencing systems generally provide a cost-effective and durable fence with relative ease of installation. T-posts may be known by other names including Y-posts and star-posts, but all generally share a T-shaped or cruciform cross section. This cross section may be of a lower-case or upper-case T-shape, or various other configurations. The T-posts are often fabricated from steel, although other materials may be used, including wood. The T-post may include notches, protrusions or holes along its length to accommodate fencing or fence clips, and a plate or flange along the bottom portion to accommodate driving the post into the ground and stabilizing the post thereafter.
Various tools may facilitate driving the T-post or other fence post into the ground. Such tools, or pounders, may comprise a cylinder or hollow member with closed and open ends adapted to encompass and drive a post. Other pounders may further comprise a traveling member or sleeve adapted to travel over the hollow member and ram the closed end of the hollow member into the post. The magnitude of the force required to drive the post may depend on several factors, including the soil type and concentration of rocks. Other tools known to those of skill in the art facilitate the pulling or removing of posts from the ground.
Once the posts are driven into the ground, fencing is often strung between the posts. Several devices facilitate the attachment of the fencing to the posts, most notably fence clips that attach to the posts and guide the fencing. Fencing may comprise plain wire, barbed wire, or more elaborate systems such as mesh fencing. Corner posts may be installed to brace or anchor the fence. Fence clips may comprise simple wire twisted around the post to secure the fencing, or pre-fabricated clips that the user applies to the post to accommodate the fencing.
During installation, fence posts are often misaligned or bent. Those of skill in the art will appreciate the problems associated with misaligned fence posts. By way of illustration, a misaligned post may compromise the integrity of the fencing wire. If the post is not aligned correctly, fencing wire will travel in a crooked fashion, thereby creating unwanted stress points throughout the fence. The wire or fencing may rest against an edge of the post rather than along its side, subjecting the fencing to fraying or breakage. Animals, intruders or inclement weather may all apply further stress to the fence, often causing breakage and incurring damage, lost livestock, or danger to people and animals.
To correct a misaligned post, an adjustable wrench is often applied. However, this approach often proves ill-suited or dangerous. For example, the opening of the wrench is often not suited to the post and may slip, damaging or further misaligning the post, or worse, injuring the user. In addition, adjustable wrenches are often not of a proper length to facilitate properly adjusting a fence post. Appreciable force is generally required to drive the post into the ground. The driving of multiple posts may therefore quickly fatigue the user, making the situation increasingly dangerous.
In addition, portions of the post may become warped or deformed after installation, or the post may simply have been manufactured defectively. The defect may subsist only in an edge of the post, or the post may be bowed across its length. An adjustable wrench or other device may again be applied to correct such defects, but this approach is rarely successful given that the wrench is seldom of the proper size or shape. Once deformed, therefore, the warped post must often be pulled and discarded in favor of a conforming post.
The present invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, an alignment tool that includes a lever arm interconnected to an alignment plate is provided. The alignment plate is designed to accept a fence post through a center aperture. Accordingly, the aperture may be cruciform or T-shaped to encompass a T-post. A notch in the periphery of the alignment plate may be provided for crimping or otherwise correcting defects or inconsistencies in the T-post. In accordance with at least some embodiments, the alignment tool is operable both to drive a post into the ground and rotationally align or position the driven post. Handles extending along the length of the lever arm may be provided to facilitate driving or rotating the post.
In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, a method for adjusting fence posts is provided, comprising placing a plate with an aperture formed therein around some or all of a post and applying, through a lever arm, a torque to twist the post into a new rotational alignment. According to some embodiments, the user may drive the post, crimp a portion of the post, attach fence clips, or attach fencing.
Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, particularly when taken together with the accompanying drawings.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the alignment tool 100 may incorporate other features and/or functionalities. For example, the alignment plate 112 may include notches 128 formed in a periphery of the alignment plate that can be used to engage a flange of the fence post 104. As a further example, the lever arm 120 may comprise a post pounder 132 with a closed end 134 that is joined to the alignment plate 112, and an open end 136 opposite the closed end 134. The alignment tool 100 can also include handles 124.
As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the fence line 108 can include a plurality of fence posts 104. For example, as shown, the fence post 104 can comprise T-posts that include a planar front plate or face 138 and a back or stiffening flange 140. Moreover, support lugs or protrusions 142 can be formed at intervals along the face 138 of the fence post 104 to provide a mechanical stop that assists in maintaining the fencing 140 at a desired height above the ground. Fence clips 144 may be used to secure the fencing 140 to the fence post 104.
The lever arm 120 in this exemplary embodiment comprises a post pounder or driver 132. Accordingly, the lever arm 120 is generally cylindrical and features an internal bore 216 that can receive a fence post 104 through the open end 136. The bore 216 terminates at a stop 218 proximate to the end 134 of the post pounder 132 that is attached to the alignment plate 112. Accordingly, as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, by placing the post pounder 132 over a fence post 104, such that the fence post 104 is received by the bore 216, a user can drive the fence post 104 into the ground by lifting the post pounder 132 and then dropping the post pounder 132 such that the stop 218 or closed end 134 impacts the top of the T-post 104. Handles 124 may be provided to facilitate driving a fence post 104 using the post pounder 132. In accordance with still other embodiments, the handles 124 may be interconnected to a traveling member that allows an impact force to be applied without requiring movement of the T-post pounder bore 216 with respect to the fence post 104.
The alignment plate 112 may be joined to the end 134 of the lever arm 120 through any suitable means including mechanical attachment and/or welding. Moreover, the alignment plate 112 may be interconnected to an otherwise conventional post pounder 132, or to a plain lever arm 120. In addition, although the alignment plate 112 in the illustrated example lies parallel to and generally along the longitudinal axis 220 of the lever arm 120, other configurations are possible. For example, the plane defined by the top surface 214 of the alignment plate 112 can be at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lever arm 120. For instance, the plane defined by the top surface 214 of the alignment plate 112 may be at an angle of from +45° to −45° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lever arm 120. Alternatively or in addition, although the longitudinal slot 208 of the aperture 116 is illustrated as being parallel to the longitudinal axis 220 of the lever arm 120, other configurations are possible. For instance, the longitudinal slot 208 can be at an angle of from 0° to 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lever arm 120.
At step 612, a determination is made as to whether the fence post 104 is aligned correctly. More particularly, it is desirable to align each fence post 104 such that the front plates 138 of the fence posts 104 in a fence line 108 are parallel or nearly parallel to each other. If it is determined that the fence post 104 is not aligned correctly, the alignment tool 100 can be placed over the fence post 104 and a torque can be applied to rotate or twist the fence post 104 into the desired alignment (step 616) (see
Once it is determined at step 612 that the fence post 104 has been aligned correctly, a determination can be made as to whether an edge of the fence post 104 is bent (step 620). For example, as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the process of driving the fence post 104 into the ground can cause the top of the fence post 104 to become deformed. Alternatively or in addition, an edge of the fence post 104 may be deformed at other locations along the length of the fence post 104, for example due to damage or manufacturing variability. If it is determined that an edge of the fence post 104 is bent, a notch 128 in the alignment plate 112 of the alignment tool 100 can be used to crimp or otherwise bend the affected edge into a desired alignment or configuration (step 624). More particularly, a notch 128 can be positioned to receive the affected edge and, by applying a force through the lever arm 120, the edge can be realigned (see
After it has been determined at step 620 that the edges of the fence post 104 have been satisfactorily aligned, a determination may be made as to whether additional fence posts 104 remain to be set (step 628). If additional fence posts remain to be set, the process may return to step 604.
If no additional fence posts 104 remain to be set, a determination may be made as to whether fencing 140 is to be installed (step 632). If fencing is to be installed, the fencing 140 (e.g., the wire) can be attached to an end post 104 and strung across the appropriate intermediate fence post or posts 104 to a second end post (step 636).
After stringing the fencing 140, a determination may be made as to whether fence clips 144 are required (step 640). If fence clips are required, they may be attached (step 644). After attaching any required fence clips, or after determining that no fence clips are required, a determination may be made as to whether additional fence posts or fencing are to be installed (step 648). If additional fence posts or fencing are to be installed, the process may return to step 604. Alternatively, the process may end.
Although the method has been described as a series of steps in a particular order, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention are not so limited. In particular, the described steps may be performed in different orders, as desired or required in a particular situation.
In the description set forth above, particular configurations of an alignment tool 100 have been described. However, embodiments of the present invention are not intended to be limited to those particular configurations. For example, an alignment plate 112 can include notches 128 at other locations along the periphery of the alignment plate 112. Moreover, an alignment plate can be provided that includes any number of notches 128, or no notches at all. In addition, although an alignment plate 112 with an aperture 116 having a cruciform shape has been illustrated, other shapes are possible. For example, a T-shaped aperture 116 can be provided. Other shapes, suitable for engaging a fence post 104, including fence posts that do not have a T-shaped cross-section, are possible. In particular, the shape of the aperture 116 can be any shape that will operatively engage the edges of a fence post 104, to allow a torque to be applied to that fence post 104.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the alignment plate 112 and lever arm 120 can be formed from steel or other metallic alloys. In addition, the alignment plate 112 may be fixed to the lever arm 120 by welding. Alternatively or in addition, the alignment plate 112 may be mechanically attached to the lever arm 120. In accordance with still other embodiments, the alignment plate 112 may be provided as a separate component that can be attached to any suitable lever arm 120. Accordingly, the lever arm 120 can comprise a length of pipe, a post pounder or driver, a post puller, a wrench, or other implement.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, within the skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain the best modes presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or in other embodiments, and with the various modifications required by their particular application or use of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
