Post, Rail, and Connector System For Fences

Abstract

A connector for constructing a fence including a body and ears. The body terminates in ends and forms a passage that can receive a post. Each ear is formed with one of the ends and includes both inner and outer apertures. The inner apertures are interposed between the body and the outer aperture. The ears are spaced apart from each other. The inner apertures and the outer apertures are generally aligned with each other, respectively. The outer apertures and a rail aperture receive a threaded bolt to support a rail and the inner apertures receive another bolt which, when rotated into a nut, draws the first and second ends toward each other, reduces a dimension of the passage, and clamps the body to the post.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a fence system using the post, rails, end connector, and two-way variable angle connector in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the fence system of FIG. 1 showing a junction using two rails and two-way variable angle connectors with a single post;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the fence system of FIG. 1 showing a junction involving an end connector, rail, and post;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded assembly view of the junction of FIG. 3 showing how the end connector, rail, and end cap are assembled;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fence system showing several junctions that use two outside three-way variable connectors and one middle three-way variable angle connector to attach three rails to the same location on a single post;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the top junction of FIG. 5 using three-way variable angle connectors to attach three rails to the same location on a single post;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fence system showing four junctions that use two outside four-way variable connectors and two inside four-way variable connectors to attach four rails to the same location on a single post;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the top junction of FIG. 7 using four-way variable angle connectors to attach four rails to the same location on a single post;

FIG. 9 is front plan view of an end connector in its folded and flat state;

FIG. 10 is a front plan view of the outside three-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state and of the middle three-way variable angle connector in its folded state;

FIG. 11 is a front plan view of the two-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state;

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of the outside four-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state and the inside four-way variable angle connector in its folded and flat state; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the fence system of FIG. 1 that is seamlessly integrated with a structure.

While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Looking at FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a rail 20, post 22, and connector system for a fence that satisfies the aforementioned needs. It includes a plurality of tubular steel posts 22 that are first inserted into the ground using well-known means. Once in place, end caps 24 made of cast aluminum are placed on top of the exposed ends to keep items from falling within the space found within the posts 22 and to prevent any injury to a person who might fall on top of the post 22. Several different types of connectors made of steel are available in this system. One is an end connector 26 for attaching a rail 20 to a post 22 at the end of the fence. Another is a two-way variable angle connector 28 for attaching two rails 20 to a post 22 at the same location. The construction of the two-way variable angle connectors 28 allows a user to align two rails 20 so that they are at the same height while also allowing the freedom to adjust the angle formed by the intersection of the two rails 20 in a continuous fashion. Finally, wood rails 20 are also provided. The connectors allow a fence to be created in any number of rail configurations and fence shapes. The posts 22, end caps 24, and connectors 26, 28 can be powder metal coated with a color to match the color of the wood rails 20. This allows a user to create a fence that has a consistent aesthetic motif.

The end connector 26, best seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 11, comprises a c-clamp portion 30 that is capable of encircling more than 180 degrees of the circumference of the post 22 so that a sufficient clamping force can be produced to hold the end connector 26, and any rail 20 that is attached thereto, stationary with respect to the post 22. The c-clamp portion 30 terminates on both sides into two ears 32 that have three holes 34 each that are in alignment. Thus, the ears 32 are mirror images of each other.

When assembling the end connector 26 to a post 22, the c-clamp portion 30 is slid over the post 22 such that it is free to ride up and down the post 22 but is otherwise secured around the post 22. Then the rail 20 is placed between the two ears 32 such that its holes 38 are aligned with the two of the holes 34 of each ear 32 that are furthest away from the c-clamp portion 30 and that run in a direction that is parallel to the post 22. Afterwards, two galvanized carriage bolts 36 are placed through the holes 38 of the rail 20 and those holes 34 of the end connector 26 that align with the holes 38 of the rail 20. The last step involves making sure that the carriage bolts 36 are fastened to the end connector 26 and rails 20 via two nuts 40 that are rotated onto the exposed ends of the carriage bolts 36 after the bolts 36 have passed through the end connector 26 and rail 20. At this point, a secure attachment has been made between the end connector 26 and the rail 20 but the rail 20 and end connector 26 are still free to ride up and down the post 22.

Next, the user moves the rail 20 and end connector 26 until the desired vertical position has been attained. Then a third carriage bolt 36 is placed through the remaining free holes 34 that are located on the ears 32 next to the c-clamp portion 30 and are fastened to the end connector 26 via a third nut 40. It should be noted that the end connector 26 and rail 20 are configured so that the third carriage bolt 36 passes by the end of the rail 20 and does not engage the rail 20. This ensures that the clamp force exerted by the third nut 40 and carriage bolt 36 combination is directed toward shrinking the c-clamp portion 30, which fixes the position of the end connector 26 and rail 20 with respect to the post 22. Finally, an end cap 24 is placed over the end of the post 22 once all the desired rails 20 have been attached to the post 22. At this point, all the components of the fence have the same color, even the heads of the carriage bolt 36 are powder coated to match in color with the rest of the fence.

Looking now at FIGS. 2 and 11, a couple of two-way variable angle connectors 28 are used when two rails 20 are attached to the same post 22 and the user wishes that the rails 20 be at the same height. A two-way variable angle connector 28 includes a c-clamp portion 42 whose height is roughly half of that of the rail 20 to which it is to be attached and that is capable of encircling more than 180 degrees of the circumference of the post 22. The c-clamp portion 42 terminates on both sides in a pair of ears 44 that are L-shaped members having a first portion 46 that extends a predetermined distance away from the c-clamp portion 42 and a second portion 48 that extends away from the first portion 42. The length of the extension of the second portion 48 is such that the overall height of the ear 44 is substantially equal to the height of the rail 20 to which the two-way variable angle connector 28 is to be attached. Each ear 44 also has three holes 50 that are in alignment with the holes 50 of the other ear. Thus, the ears 44 of the two-way variable angle connector 28 are mirror images of each other.

Two of these holes 50 are used to attach the two-way variable angle connector 28 to a rail 20 using bolts 36 and nuts 40 in the same fashion as previously discussed for the end connector 26 after the connector 28 has been slid over the top of the post 22. Then the third nut 40 and bolt 36 combination are used with the last set of holes 50 to fix the position of the connector 28 and rail 20 vertically with respect to the post 22 as discussed previously for the end connector 26. It ideal that the width of the second portion 48 of the L-shaped ears 44 is less than the length of the first portion 46 so that a gap is created between the second portion 48 of the ears 44 and the post 22 so that the c-clamp portion 42 of another two-way variable angle connector 28 can be placed therein with the second portion 48 of the L-shaped ears 44 of the second connector 28 extending in a direction that is opposite of that of the second portion 48 of the L-shaped ear 44 of the first connector 28. The user then attaches another rail 20 to the second connector 28. Now the user moves the second connector 28 until it contacts the first connector 28 and rotates the second rail 20 and connector 28 until the desired angle is formed between the first rail 20 and the second rail 20. As can be seen, this provides a joint that allows two rails 20 to be at the same height, to be attached to the same post 22, and to form virtually any angle necessary between the first and second rails 20.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 10, a method for joining three rails 20 to the same post 22 at the same vertical position is provided by using two outside three-way variable angle connectors 52 and a middle three-way variable angle connector 54. The construction of the outside three-way variable angle connector 52 is essentially the same as that of the two-way variable angle connector 28, having ears 53 with holes 55, except the height of the c-clamp portion 56 of the outside three-way variable angle connector 52 is approximately a third of the height of the rails 20 that it will be connected to instead of being half of the height. Looking more closely at the middle connector 54, we see that the middle connector 54 has c-clamp portion 58 that is centered with respect to its ears 60. The ears 60 also have holes 62 for attaching the middle connector 54 to a rail 20 and for clamping the middle connector 54 to a post 22. Of course, these connectors 52, 54 are configured such that there is clearance between their ears 53, 60 and the post 22 so that the c-clamp portions of other connectors can fit therebetween, allowing a middle connector 54 to sit on top of a outside connector 52 and another outside connector 52 to sit on top of the middle connector 54.

These features allow a user to create a junction of three rails 20 at the same height, attached to the same post 22, in the following manner. First, the user slides the first outer three-way variable angle connector 52 over the top of the post 22 with its c-clamp portion 56 being located so that it will be near the bottom of the rail 20. It is then attached to the rail 20 and post 22 once the desired orientation and position of the rail 20 has been achieved in the same manner as described for the end connector 26. Then the middle connector 54 is slipped over the post 22 until it rests on top of the first outside connector 52. The second rail 20 and connector 54 are then fixed in position using the same method as described previously once the desired orientation and position of the rail 20 has been obtained. Finally, the second outside connector 52 is slid over the post 22 with its c-clamp portion 56 positioned to be near the top of the rail 20 until it rests on top of the middle connector 54. The second outside connector 52 and third rail 20 are then secured once the desired angle with respect to the other rails 20 has been achieved. An end cap 24 is placed over the end of the post 22 once all the desired rails 20 have been attached to the post 22.

Likewise, FIGS. 7, 8 and 12 show how four rails 20 can be attached to the same post 22 and also be at the same height. This is accomplished by using two outside four-way variable angle connectors 64 and two inside four-way variable angle connectors 66. The construction of the outside four-way connector 64 is virtually identical to that of the outside three-way connector 52 in that it has L-shaped ears 68 with holes 70 as well as a c-clamp portion 72. However, the height of the c-clamp portion 72 is only a quarter of the height of the rail 20 to which it is to be attached. The inside four-way connector 66 has ears 74 with holes 76 and a c-clamp portion 73 whose height is also a quarter of the height of the rail 20 to which it is to be attached. The c-clamp portion 72 begins at a distance from the beginning of its ears 74 that is one fourth of the height of the ear 74. The height of ear 74 is equal to the height of the rails.

The four-way junction can be created in the following way. First, the user slides the first outside four-way connector 64 over a post 22 and attaches it to a rail 20 with its c-clamp portion 72 facing down as previously described for the outside three-way connector 52. Once the desired orientation and position has been achieved, the user fixes the rail's 20 position as mentioned earlier. Then, the user slides the first inside four-way connector 66 over the post 22 with its c-clamp portion 73 oriented so that it will be next to the lower half of the rail 20 until it bottoms out on the first outside four-way connector 64. The user then attaches a rail 20 and fixes its position as previously described. Next, a second inside four-way connector 66 is slid over the post 22 with its c-clamp portion 73 oriented so that it will be next to the upper half of the rail 20 to which it will be attached until it bottoms out on the first inside four-way connector 66. The third rail 20 is then attached to the connector 66 and its position is fixed in the same way as the previous two rails 20. Finally, the second outside four-way connector 64 is slid over the post 22 with its c-clamp portion 72 facing up until it bottoms out on the second inside four-way connector 66. The last rail 20 is then attached to the connector 64 and its orientation is fixed as desired by the user.

FIG. 13 shows that the variable angle connectors 28 allow the user to create a fence to structure transition where the rails 20 of the fence have gaps between them while the rails 20 of the structure have rails that are directly on top of each other. This also allows a user to retrofit this system to existing structures or to create new ones easily. So the user can use as many or as few rails 20 as needed, reducing cost. Those rails 20 of a structure that do not transition to the rails 20 of the fence can be attached to a post 22 using an end connector 26. As can be seen by the structure itself, the top portion can be created by using vertical rails 20 instead of horizontal rails 20.

As can be seen, this fence system provides for connectors having ears that all have the same height and that are configured to connect to a single style of rail that has a consistent hole pattern and outside dimensions. In addition, all the variable angle junctions utilize at least two of the same connector to make assembly as simple as possible while also reducing the cost of manufacturing. All of the connectors can be stamped and folded using a progressive die operation, which is the most economic way to make the connectors. Using the variable angle functionality, paddocks can be created with a central hub that has pens that are of different sizes because rails that form them can make different angles with each other. Furthermore, the connectors, end cap, and carriage bolts can be colored the same to provide a consistent aesthetic motif. Hence, this fence system is cost effective, versatile in application, and satisfies all the aforementioned needs.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Claims

1. A connector for constructing a fence having a post, rails with rail apertures, and bolts corresponding to nuts, the connector comprising: a body terminating in opposing first and second ends, the body forming a passage therethrough, the passage configured to receive the post therein;an outwardly-extending first ear unitarily formed with the first end, the first ear including a first inner aperture and a first outer aperture, the first inner aperture interposed between the body and the first outer aperture; andan outwardly-extending second ear unitarily formed with the second end and spaced apart from the first ear, the second ear including a second inner aperture and a second outer aperture, the first and second inner apertures and the first and second outer apertures generally aligned with each other, respectively, the first and second outer apertures and one of the rail apertures receiving one of the threaded bolts to support one of the rails and the first and second inner apertures receiving another of the threaded bolts which, when rotated into one of the threaded nuts, draws the first and second ends toward each other, reduces a dimension of the passage, and clamps the body to the post.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the body is an axially-extending penannular body and the first and second ears are offset on opposing sides of a vertically-extending central axis of the post such that the rails extend radially outwardly from the central axis.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein the axially-extending penannular body is configured to encircle greater than fifty percent of a periphery of the post.

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein the connector further comprises a colored powder coating substantially covering the body and the first and second ears.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein a body height of the body is about one half of an ear height of the first and second ears.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein a body height of the body is less than or equal to about one third of an ear height of the first and second ears.

7. A system for constructing a containment structure using a vertically oriented post, the system comprising: a first connector clamping the post, the first connector supporting a first rail at a first height along the post, the first rail extending away from the post in a first direction;a second connector clamping the post and mating with the first connector, the second connector supporting a second rail at a second height along the post, the second rail extending away from the post in a second direction; anda third connector clamping the post and mating with the second connector, the second connector supporting a third rail at the second height along the post, the third rail extending away from the post in the first direction.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the post defines a central axis extending vertically through the post, and wherein the first and second directions extend radially outwardly from the central axis.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the third connector mates with the second connector such that a bottom linear surface of the third rail engages a top linear surface of the first rail as the first and third rails in the first direction.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the system further comprises fourth and fifth connectors, the fourth connector clamping the post and mating with the third connector, the fourth connector supporting a fourth rail at a third height along the post, the fourth rail extending away from the post in the first direction, and the fifth connector clamping the post and mating with the fourth connector, the fifth connector supporting a fifth rail at a fifth height along the post, the fifth rail extending away from the post in the second direction and spaced vertically above the second rail.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the first and second directions form an angle that is not ninety degrees and not one hundred eighty degrees.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third connectors are each covered with a colored powder coating substantially matching a color of at least one of the first, second, and third rails and the post.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the first, second, and third connectors has an inner aperture and an outer aperture, each of the outer apertures receiving a threaded bolt to support the first, second, and third rails, each of the inner apertures receiving another threaded bolt to clamp the first, second, and third connectors to the post when rotated into a threaded nut.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the first, second, and third connectors has an axially-extending penannular body, and wherein the first connector has a pair of substantially rectangular ears, and wherein the second and third connectors have a pair of non-rectangular ears.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the system includes a plurality of additional connectors, the additional connectors configured to support additional rails forming a roof structure over the rails extending in the first direction.

16. A method of constructing a fence using a fence post defining a central axis extending vertically therethrough, the method comprising the steps of: clamping a first body of a first connector onto the fence post such that first ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis; andclamping a second body of a second connector onto the fence post such that second ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis, the second body mating with the first body such that the first ears and the second ears are approximately equally vertically disposed along the fence post.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises clamping a third body of a third connector onto the fence post such that third ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis, the third body mating with the second body such that the first, second, and third ears are approximately equally vertically disposed along the fence post.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises clamping a fourth body of a fourth connector onto the fence post such that fourth ears extend generally horizontally away from the fence post and are offset on opposing sides of the central axis, the fourth body mating with the third body such that the first, second, third, and fourth ears are approximately equally vertically disposed along the fence post.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of orienting the second body relative to the first body such that the first ears are substantially co-planar with the second ears.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of orienting the third body relative to the first and second bodies such that the third ears are generally transverse with the first and second ears.