Patent Application
20070057243
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to slats which are inserted into chain link fences in order to increase privacy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous patents exist for slats which are to be inserted into chain link fences.
Wooden slats have been used in the past with a thickness greater than is commercially feasible for plastic slats.
Moreover, in the case of plastic slats, the industry has generally considered the elongated nature of the slat to create excessive flimsiness, and, consequently, has employed techniques to increase the rigidity of the slat and, consequently, the ease with which such a slat can be inserted into a chain link fence. Ease of insertion is of paramount importance since slats are preferably inserted into a chain link fence by machine before the fence is placed on sale.
Rigidity of a plastic slat has been increased by two means, viz., (a) utilizing a second wall in conjunction with the first wall and thereby creating a double-wall slat and (b) bending the slat about at least three longitudinal axes to create one or more structural ribs.
An example of this first technique is given by U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,676.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,243 and Re. 36,085 provide examples of the second technique.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,676, furthermore, illustrates the use of fins or wings on a double-wall slat in order to increase privacy (by decreasing the area in which one can see through a fence) and facilitate frictional retention of the slat within the fence.
Serving similar purposes on a double-wall slat are the serrated fins (therefore, composed of fingers or strands) of the slat which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,623.
And a metal slat having a curved or arched cross section is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,150.
The present inventor has, however, surprisingly discovered that a single-wall plastic or composite slat can, despite its relatively limber nature, be rapidly and successfully inserted into a chain link fence. The present invention, thus, covers a single-wall slat made of plastic or composite materials.
Furthermore, an optional new technique for stiffening the slat is running one or more (preferably, two) strips longitudinally along the face of the slat and, preferably, also along the back of the slat.
An increase in stiffening can also be achieved by having the cross section of the slat curved or arched as is done for the metal slat in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,150.
Although primarily intended for increasing privacy and frictional retention of the slat within a chain link fence, the addition of wings similar to those employed for the double-wall slat of U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,676 also provides some increase in rigidity of the slat.
And increased privacy and frictional retention can also be achieved by employing segmented wings similar to those shown in
The decrease in material necessary to create a single-wall slat as compared to a double-wall slat constitutes the primary reason for an approximately fifty percent reduction in the cost for producing a slat. And the fact that the volume of a single-wall slat is generally only one-eighth the volume of a double-wall slat creates an approximately eight hundred percent economic advantage with respect to shipping costs.
The present Single-wall Slat, the cross section of which is seen in
The Single-wall Slat has an elongated body 1 with a face 2, a back 3, a first side 4, and a second side 5.
When constructed of plastic, the thickness, i.e., the length of either the first side 4 or the second side 5, of the body 1 is preferably in the range of 0.020 inch to 0.25 inch. When composed of a composite material, the thickness of the body 1 is preferably in the range of 0.020 inch to 0.375 inch. And, for either material, the preferred thickness is 0.030 inch.
The most preferred material for the body 1 is polyethylene, especially high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
When a composite material is used, such material preferably comprises plastic and fiber. The fiber is preferably wood.
Although, as mentioned above, the inventor has surprisingly discovered that the Single-wall Slat can be inserted by machine into a chain link fence, the rigidity of the body 1 is optionally reduced in several ways.
First, one or more (preferably, two) strips 6, as shown in
Second, the body 1 optionally has a curved cross section, as illustrated in
Again as discussed above, some stiffening (but primarily an increase in security and frictional retention of the body 1 of the slat in a chain link fence) is achieved with the optional embodiment portrayed in
Finally, a first segmented wing 10 optionally extends, as illustrated in
The angle α between the longitudinal axis 12 of the body 1 and each of the divisions 13 which create the segments 14 of a segmented wing 10, 11 can be any angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees but is preferably greater than 0 degrees and no larger than 90 degrees and is most preferably 45 degrees. The preferred range for the angle α facilitates insertion of the Single-wall Slat into a fence. Preferably, all the divisions 13 are substantially parallel to one another. Furthermore, each division 13 commences at the outer edge 15 of each segmented wing 10, 11 and extends either partially or completely across the segmented wing 10, 11.
The first segmented wing 10 and the second segmented wing 11 are preferably constructed of the same material as the body 1 but optionally are constructed of a softer material than that of the body 1. When a softer material is utilized, the segmented wings 10, 11 could still be co-extruded with the body 1. Such softer material is preferably ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA). A softer material for the segmented wings 10, 11 enhances flexibility and resiliency.
The divisions 13 can be formed in any way that is known in the art, e.g., being created as part of the extrusion process or being cut into the segment wings 10, 11.
When the body 1 has neither wings 8, 9 nor segmented wings, 10, 11, the body 1 is stapled to a chain link fence.
It is well known in the art that a chain link fence is comprised of wire formed into an elongated sheet having a height and a length.
As used herein, the term “substantially” indicates that one skilled in the art would consider the value modified by such terms to be within acceptable limits for the stated value. Also as used herein the term “preferable” or “preferably” means that a specified element or technique is more acceptable than another but not that such specified element or technique is a necessity.
