GB2435886A

GB2435886A - Hollow elongate member and use thereof in fencing

Info

Publication number: GB2435886A
Application number: GB0604352A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Hartshorn
Original assignee: HL Plastics Ltd
Current assignee: Liniar Ltd
Priority date: 2006-03-06
Filing date: 2006-03-06
Publication date: 2007-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-06
Also published as: GB0604352D0; GB2435886B

Abstract

An elongate member 10 of hollow cross-sectional shape for use in a fence panel or the like comprises a plurality of elements 12, 14 connected to one another along adjacent longitudinally extending free edge portions 16, 18 of the elements 12, 14. The elongate member 10 is preferably rectangular in cross-sectional shape, wherein the two elements 12, 14 are generally L-shape in cross-section, The longitudinally extending free edge portions 16, 18 of each of the elements have formations 28, 30 which co-operate with corresponding formations 32, 34 on the respective other element, allowing the elements to snap together to form an elongate member 10. A later embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing said elongate member.

Description

Title: Elongate Member and Use thereof in Fencing and the Like

Description of Invention

This invention relates to an elongate member and to its use in fencing, barriers, hand rails and the like.

It is known that elongate extruded plastics members can be used in the construction of decorative/security fencing, barriers and the like. Usually such extruded members have been hollow in cross-section, and extruded in one piece. Certain difficulties are presented by such members, particularly where, at the intersection of members extending in different directions, one member is required to extend through the interior space of the other member. In a fence, this may be required where each of the vertical picket members of the fence intersects a horizontal stringer of the fence. Where the pickets and stringer are extruded plastics components and hollow in cross-section, the stringer will generally be of larger cross-sectional dimensions than each picket, *.

so it is necessary to provide aligned apertures in opposite walls of the stringer s')' where each picket is to pass therethrough. S. * I..

Hitherto, such aligned apertures in opposite walls of a hollow plastics.. : component have had to be made by one or more drilling or routing processes. *::::, It is not generally possible to make aligned apertures in spaced opposite wall.*:.

parts of a hollow-section component by a single punching process. The additional operations involved in such drilling or routing have been inconvenient, and the use of additional components has thus sometimes been necessary.

It is broadly an object of the present invention to provide an elongate member of hollow cross-sectional shape, which may be used in fencing or the like, for example, as a horizontal member or stringer, or as a handrail or like member, Al 1495GB which enables the above described disadvantages of conventional members to be overcome or reduced.

According to one aspect of the present invention, we provide an elongate member of hollow cross-sectional shape for use in fencing or the like, comprising a plurality of elements connected to one another along adjacent longitudinally extending free edge portions of the elements.

The member may include wall portions, which may be substantially flat, facing one another across the member. Each of the elements constituting the member may have one of said wall portions.

The member may be generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape, in which case two elements may be provided, each of said elements being generally L-shaped in cross-section. Preferably the elements are substantially identical to one another in cross-sectional shape. Each of said elements may alternatively be generally C-shaped or U-shaped in cross-section. * S.. * * S S *

The longitudinally-extending free edge portions of each of the elements may *5S have formations which co-operate with corresponding formations on a respective other element, to secure the elements together to form the elongate member. * *5*

* S *5 * S * I. Such formations may inter-engage with a snap fit and present a high resistance to mutual disengagement of the formations.

For example, one longitudinally-extending free edge portion of each element may comprise a projection formation, while the other free edge portion may comprise a recess formation, shaped to retain the projection formation of another element constituting the elongate member, e.g. by being of undercut configuration.

Al 1495GB Apertures extending transversely through a wall portion of a said element may be provided therein by a punching process, since only a single wall portion needs to be penetrated. An elongate member having aligned apertures in opposed wall portions thereof may be provided by the connection together of two such elements having apertures, appropriately longitudinally aligned with one another so that the apertures of each pair thereof are in transverse alignment with one another. This is useful where the elongate member is intended to form a stringer of a fence system, spaced from the upper and lower ends of picket rails of the fence.

An element having apertures therein may be connected to an element having fewer or no such apertures therein to provide a member which may be used as a stringer at the top or bottom of picket rails of a fence system, or a hand

rail for example.

The elements may be extrusions of a plastics material, or may be of any other material such as a metal e.g. steel which may be rolled to the required cross-sectional shape or an aluminium alloy which may be rolled or extruded to the . required cross-sectional shape. Such materials may have apertures formed in them by punching: in the case of an extruded plastics material it may be punched after having cooled and stabilised following extrusion. s..

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According to a second aspect of the invention, we provide a method of manufacturing an elongate member of hollow cross-sectional shape for use in fencing or the like, comprising connecting a plurality of constituent elements to one another along adjacent longitudinally extending free edge portions of the elements.

Al 1495GB The method may comprise engaging longitudinally extending complementary formations along the free edge portions of the elements with one another, to connect the elements together.

The formations may be snap-fitted together, and to this end may comprise a projection formation and a recess formation on each of said elements, the projection on each of the elements being engaged in the recess formation of the respective other element.

The method may comprise forming apertures in a wall portion of at least one of the elements prior to securing the elements together. In the case where apertures are provided in two or more of said elements, the apertures may be aligned with one another to provide apertures in respective wall portions of the elongate member opposed to one another across the cross-section of the member.

In both the first and second aspects of the invention, the elements may be substantially identical to one another in cross-sectional shape: in a preferred embodiment, where the elongate member is generally of rectangular cross-sectional shape, two elements may be provided, each of the elements being generally L-shaped in cross section. e *

The elements may be provided by extrusion of an appropriate plastics or.:.

metallic material, or by shaping a metallic material such as by rolling.

According to a further aspect of the invention, we provide a fencing unit including at least one elongate member according to the first aspect of the invention.

The member may be a stringer member provided at an intermediate position between the uppermost and lowermost ends of a number of spaced parallel Al 1495GB picket members, or may be a stringer member at the top or bottom of picket members of a fencing unit. The member may be a hand rail member.

Specific and non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described, strictly by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an elongate member; FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the elongate member of Figure 1; and FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a fencing unit including the elongate member of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring first to Figure 1, an elongate member is shown generally at 10, and comprises two substantially identical elements 12, 14 connected together., along their longitudinal free edges 16, 18, such that the member 10 has a hollow, generally rectangular cross-section.

As will be seen more clearly from Figure 2, each element 12, 14 is generally L-shaped in cross-section, and comprises a generally flat wall portion 20, 22 in.".

which are provided transversely-extending apertures 24, 26 which, when the.": member 10 is assembled by longitudinally aligning and connecting the elements 12, 14, are transversely aligned, such that a cross-member (e.g. a fence picket) may pass through the member 10.

Each element 12, 14 is provided, towards the longitudinal free edge 16, 18 thereof, with a projection formation 28, 30. Each wall portion 20, 22, towards a free edge thereof, is provided with a recess formation 34, 32, of undercut configuration, shaped to receive the projection formation 28, 30 of the other Al 1495GB element 12, 14. Each projection formation 28, 30 is formed in the shape of a barb or arrow-head, such that it is easily engageable with the corresponding recess formation 34, 32 by effecting a snap-fit' engagement with the recess formation 34, 32. However, once so engaged, the flat underside of the projection formation 28, 30 bears upon an interior face of the recess formation 34, 32 making disengagement of the elements 12, 14 difficult.

In this example, the elements 12, 14 are of a plastics material, but it is envisaged that they could equally be of a metal or alloy, such as steel or an aluminium alloy. In a preferred embodiment, the elements 12, 14 are formed by extruding a section of plastics material and punching the apertures 24, 26 into the extruded sections, prior to their engagement together. Alternatively, where the elements 12, 14 are of metal, they may be roll-formed, with the..

apertures again being provided by a punching operation. * :: It will be appreciated that an elongate member 10 formed from elements 12, 14 is less complicated to manufacture that a conventional, one-piece, elongate..

member, as the elements can be formed and punched individually and simply *". **S

clipped together, once the apertures of each element have been correctly aligned with one another. This obviates the need for routing or drilling of opposed sides of the "combined" member in separate operations, and the attendant difficulties in correct positioning of the member during those operations to ensure that the apertures are correctly aligned.

Although the elongate member 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is formed from two interconnected members 12, 14, each of which is provided with apertures 24, 26 in a wall portion 20, 22, it will of course be appreciated that the elongate member 10 could also be formed from apertured and non-apertured members for use in applications where a vertical cross-member is not required to extend all the way through the elongate member 10, e.g. if the elongate member 10 is intended to be used as a hand rail.

Al 1495GB Similarly, whilst the elongate member 10 has been described by reference to the Figures, which show a member 10 of generally rectangular cross-section formed from two elements 12, 14, it will be appreciated that elongate members of different cross-sections could be produced simply by using different numbers of appropriately-configured elements. For example, a member of generally triangular cross-section could be formed from three interconnected elements. Where it is necessary for the member to be able to intersect other members, hexagonal, octagonal or other such cross-sections could be employed.

Turning finally to Fig. 3, a fencing unit (known conventionally as a "fence panel") is shown generally at 40, comprising end uprights 42 and a plurality of ** generally parallel pickets 44. The end uprights 42 are connected by stringers in the form of elongate members 10 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) located at S* intermediate positions between uppermost and lowermost ends of the pickets * .I* 44, with the pickets 44 passing through the apertures 24, 26 of the elongate members 10, so as to be held in a generally upright orientation, Of course, the *S*.

fence panel could be of an alternative configuration, e.g. including a hand rail formed from interconnected apertured and non-apertured members, as described above, or having a stringer at the top or bottom of the pickets 44.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the wall portions 20, 22 need not be flat, as shown in these specific embodiments. Thus, the wall portions 20, 22 could be curved or contoured, as may especially be beneficial where the elongate member 10 is to be used as a barrier or hand rail, for example.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

A11495GB The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

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Claims

Claims 1. An elongate member of hollow cross-sectional shape for use in

fencing or the like, comprising a plurality of elements connected to one another along adjacent longitudinally extending free edge portions of the elements.

2. An elongate member according to Claim 1 having substantially flat wall portions, facing one another across the member.

3. An elongate member according to Claim 2 wherein each of the elements constituting the member has one of said wall portions.

4. An elongate member according to any of the preceding Claims wherein *. S...

the member is generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape.

5. An elongate member according to Claim 4, wherein two elements are provided, each of said elements being generally L-shaped in cross-section. S... * S *5S*

6. An elongate member according to Claim 5 wherein the elements are substantially identical to one another in cross-sectional shape.

7. An elongate member according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the longitudinally-extending free edge portions of each of the elements have formations which co-operate with corresponding formations on the respective other element, to secure the elements together to form the elongate member.

8. An elongate member according to Claim 7 wherein the formations inter-engage with a snap fit and present a high resistance to mutual disengagement of the formations.

Al 1495GB 9. An elongate member according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein one longitudinally-extending free edge portion of each element comprises a projection formation, and the other free edge portion comprises a recess formation, shaped to retain the projection formation of another element constituting the elongate member 10. An elongate member according to Claim 9 wherein the recess formation comprises an undercut configuration 11. An elongate member according to any of Claims 2 to 10 wherein apertures are provided in a wall portion.

12. An elongate member according to Claim 11 having aligned apertures in *.

opposed wall portions thereof.

13. An elongate member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings. e.

14. A method of manufacturing an ?longate member of hollow cross-S...

sectional shape for use in fencing or the like, comprising connecting a plurality ** : of constituent elements to one another along adjacent longitudinally extending free edge portions of the elements.

15. A method according to Claim 14 comprising engaging longitudinally extending complementary formations along the free edge portions of the elements with one another, to connect the elements together.

16. A method according to Claim 14 or Claim 15 wherein the formations are snap-fitted together.

Al 1495GB 17. A method according to Claim 16 wherein the elements comprise a projection formation and a recess formation, the projection formation on each of the elements being engaged in the recess formation of a respective other element.

18. A method according to any of Claims 14 to 17 comprising forming apertures in a wall portion of at least one of the elements prior to securing the elements together.

19. A method according to Claim 18 comprising aligning apertures in two or more of said elements to provide apertures in respective wall portions of the elongate member opposed to one another across the member.

20. A method according to any of Claims 14 to 19 wherein the elements *:: are substantially identical to one another in cross- sectional shape.

21. A method according to Claim 20 wherein the elongate member is..

generally of rectangular cross-sectional shape and two elements are provided, *Se* each of the elements being generally L-shaped in cross section.

22. A fencing unit including an elongate member according to any of Claims ito 13.

23. A fencing unit according to Claim 22 wherein the member is a stringer member provided at an intermediate position between the uppermost and lowermost ends of a number of spaced parallel picket members.

24. A fencing unit according to Claim 22 wherein the member is a stringer member at the top or boftom of picket members of the unit.

Al 1495GB 25. A fencing unit according to Claim 22 wherein the member is a hand rail member.

26. A fencing unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

27. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings. *.** * S S... * *IS * S S * S S.. * *SS * S S ** . S... * S S... S * * ** S

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