VIEWER FENCE
A viewer fence that can be rotated from a position of privacy to a position that allows one to view what is behind the fence. The boards of the fence are rotated automatically by a motor. The motor may be controlled remotely.
The present application incorporates by reference Provision Application Ser. No. 61/075,526 titled “Viewer Fence,” filed on Jun. 25, 2008.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe preferred embodiments of the invention are directed to a fence with boards (also known as slats or pickets) that are able to rotate so that the fence appears open, partially open or closed. The boards have a width shown in
As previously mentioned, a power switch may be located at the fence site such as in the detachable cover or there may be a remote detector such as an infrared eye located at the site and responsive to a remote controller. Thus, an operator may activate the fence remotely.
The upper and lower wires are coupled to each board using any type of coupling mechanism such as a bolt, for example. In addition, optionally a support wire located in the middle of the fence may couple each board to its adjacent boards. The support wire is not physically coupled to either upper or lower gear. The support wire is optional and may be used to provide additional support.
Preferably the fence is of typical height of about 6 to 8 feet. Its length can range preferably from about 12 to about 25 feet. Of course it could be made shorter or longer depending on its location. In addition multiple fences may be used to cover a large area. The controls for each section may be linked so that they operate simultaneously.
Instead of a motor, gear and pulley system, the fence may be controlled hydraulically or pneumatically, for example. Each board would be rotatably coupled to the bottom base by a peg and hole combination as previously described. In the base, the boards are operatively coupled to rotate simultaneously for example by a piston and cam arrangement or any other way known to those or ordinary skill in the art. Because the boards are coupled only at their bottom ends, they may rotate a full 180° without any wires getting in the way. This could be useful in situations where in a first closed position, one message is displayed across the fence and in a second closed position, rotated 180° from the first closed position a different message is displayed across the fence.
The fence according to the embodiments of the invention can be used in homes or businesses to enhance the property's landscape, or could inform people whether a business is open or closed. It has individual set of boards that are movable; the ability to rotate boards simultaneously to allow for privacy in one's yard or other property, or open view by the flip of a switch. The viewer fence may have two sides of information displays available as well as optional special design orders, such as, “Christmas” lightings, “Birthday welcomes.” The boards are preferably made of wood, hard plastic, or metals.
The shape of the boards of the fence may vary depending on the user's tastes. Their cross-sections may be square, rectangular, round, for example. In addition, ornamental features may be added to their top portions. The viewer fence may be rotated so that its boards are between the open state and closed state depending on the user's needs.
In another embodiment, the boards of the viewer fence may be translated instead of rotated.
Claims
1. A viewer fence comprising:
- a plurality of boards located along a base member, each board having a width and a thickness wherein the boards are located adjacent to one another so that their widths are displayed in a first position; and
- an activation means for rotating the boards from the first position to a second position wherein in the second position, the thickness of each board is displayed.
2. The fence of claim 1 wherein the activation means comprises:
- a motor
- a lower gear operatively coupled to the motor
- an upper gear
- a pulley coupling the lower gear to the upper gear
- a lower wire coupled to the lower gear and each board of the fence near a bottom portion; and
- an upper wire coupled to the upper gear and each board of the fence near an upper portion wherein when the motor is activated, the lower and upper gears rotate and pull the lower and upper wires respectively.
3. The fence of claim 1 further comprising:
- a safety net coupled to a surface of each board so that the safety net is exposed when the boards are rotated to their second positions.
4. The fence of claim 3 wherein the safety net is a mesh material.
5. The fence of claim 1 wherein each board has a front width and a back width and in a first closed position the front width of each board is displayed and in a second closed position the back width of each board is displayed.
6. The fence of claim 5 wherein a first message is displayed when the boards are in the first closed position and a second message is displayed when the boards are in the second closed position.
7. The fence of claim 1 wherein the thickness of each board is displayed in the second position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 25, 2009
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2009
Inventor: Glen Robinson (Minneapolis, MN)
Application Number: 12/491,670