Winged Slat

Abstract

A winged slat for a chain link fence having a front, a back, a first side, and a second side. A first wing or fin, which is not flexible and resilient, extends along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from any location other than a corner of the first side of the elongate body. A second wing or fin extends along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from any location other than a corner of the second side of the elongate body. Preferably the wings or fins extend the full length of the elongate body. The wings can be attached at any location to the side of the elongate body and can be at any angles to such sides. Furthermore, the two angles need not be the same.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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. As far as the Inventor is aware, however, the two patents which are the closest to the present invention are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,775,676 and 6,634,623.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,676 has fins extending from the sides of the elongate body of a slat. Although this patent may seem to suggest that there could be other embodiments of the fins by using the terminology “in one embodiment,” it never describes or otherwise discloses a fin that does not have an intermediate leg adjacent to, and extending in a direction normal to, each side of the elongate body with, for each intermediate leg, a more distant leg attached to the outer end of the intermediate leg and extending at an angle with respect to the intermediate leg. In fact, the description of FIG. 3 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,676, which shows such an angled more distant leg describes FIG. 3 as being “a cross-sectional view of the present invention. . . . ”

And U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,623 states, in lines 49 through 55 of column 1, “The present invention provides a chain link privacy slat that is easily inserted into the vertical or angled channels of the fence and which securely engages the knuckles of the fence wire by providing an elongated body member having a pair of longitudinal fins along the outside edges thereof wherein at least one notch is provided in at least one of said fins for engaging a knuckle of the fence. . . . ”

U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,957 (Finkelstein) does have a slat with wings, but the wings are described as “flexible and resilient” (lines 28 through 29 of column 2 and lines 47 through 49 of column 5). Indeed, in lines 32 through 34 of column 2, Finkelstein emphasizes the criticality of flexibility and resilience to the wings of his inventions by indicating that the wing portions flex around the fence knuckles—a feature that is extremely rare in the art.

Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,628 (Hoggan) explains, in rather abstruse language, that the fins extend from the corners (the intersection of either side with the face or back) of the slat—either in line with a face (front or back) or at an angle thereto. And this is verified by the figures of Hoggan.

Lines 8 through 10 in column 2 of Hoggan provide, “In one embodiment the present invention is directed to a slat having a body member and first and second fins extending along and from the body member.”

Similarly, lines 20 through 22 in column 2 of Hoggan state, “ . . . the first and second fins may extend from and along longitudinal sides of the body member, proximate a proximal face sheet [front] (e.g., wall) of the body member . . . .”

And lines 41 and 46 through 49 of column 2 declare, “In another embodiment of the present invention, . . . third and fourth fins extending along and from longitudinal sides of the body member, proximate a distal face sheet [back] (e.g., wall) of the body member, are provided. . . . ”

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventor has, however, discovered that a slat having wings or fins adjacent to the longitudinal body of the slat which contain no notches and which extend in substantially a straight line provide satisfactory engagement with the fence to prevent unintentional removal of the slat and satisfactory privacy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the Winged Slat.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the Winged Slat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As indicated above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the Winged Slat comprises an elongate body 1 having a front 2, a back 3, a first side 4, and a second side 5. It is immaterial whether the Winged slat one or more internal supports 6 within the elongate body 1 proceeding from the front 2 to the back 3.

A first wing or fin 7 which is not flexible and resilient extends along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from the first side 4 of the elongate body 1, preferably the full length of such elongate body 1; and a second wing or fin 8 extends along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from the second side 5 of the elongate body 1. The wings 7, 8 can be attached at any location, other than a corner 9 (which, as noted above, is the intersection of any side 4, 5 with either the front 2 or the back 3 of the elongate body 1), to the sides 4, 5 of the elongate body 1 and can be at any angles α, β to such sides 4, 5. Furthermore, the angles need not be, but preferably are, the same.

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.

Claims

1. A winged slat, which comprises: an elongate body having a front, a back, a first side, and a right side;a first wing, which is not flexible and resilient, extending along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from any location except a corner of the first side of said elongate body; anda second wing extending along and, in a substantially straight line, outward from the second side of said elongate body.

2. The winged slat as recited in claim 1, wherein: said first wing extends the full length of the first side of said elongate body; andsaid second wing extends the full length of the second side of said elongate body.