Under-fence barrier

Abstract

An under-fence barrier for installation along the fence line for the purpose of preventing or retarding the growth of grass, weeds, and other vegetation under and along a fence.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to fences, including both residential and commercial fences, and to highway guardrails. More particularly, it involves a covering to be laid under fences, trees, or buildings, or other outdoor structures so as to deter the growth of vegetation under the fence or vertical structure.

2. Problems in the Art

An age-old landscaping problem results from the difficulty in trimming vegetation immediately adjacent to either side of a fence, or underneath the fence. Despite the development of string trimming devices and herbicides for such application, the problem remains an inconvenience, environmental issue, time-consuming chore, and an unsightly eyesore.

Despite the fact that there currently do not appear to be any products readily available on the market to address this issue, there are, nonetheless, numerous patents addressing the problem. Perhaps the unnecessary complexity of these patents explains the absence of the subject inventions from the market. Of course, many of these patents address more than the issue of providing a barrier to vegetation along a fence bottom. A number effectively create mini-walls and curbs that attempt to integrate the fence, fence posts and ground. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,819B1 to Damon, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,859 to Damon, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,156 to Hoke; U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,989 to Snider, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,753 to Michiaels; U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,472 to Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,369 to Syx; U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,783 to Fisk, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,619 to Glidden, Jr.

Many of the prior art devices that are complex are accordingly expensive to make and both difficult and expensive to install. Some of the more simple prior art devices, while improving mightily on the complicated solutions previously offered, nonetheless have deficiencies that could allow improvement, such as the waste inherent in overlapping materials, the slowness of piecemeal installation, and unsightly appearance resulting from dirt accumulating in the design. In addition, some of the prior art devices have more intricate designs such as turned-under edges that complicate the manufacture of the device.

Accordingly, there is a real need in the art for an easy, economical, and readily manufactured and marketed device to prevent unwanted and unattractive vegetation growth underneath various outdoor structures. It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to overcome the problems and deficiencies in the art.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide an improved vegetation barrier that, even when stepped on by persons or animals and run over by mowers, can be adapted to a wide variety of ground contours and surfaces; and is adaptable to any type of fence or guardrail or other vertical outdoor area, as well as any length of fencing, corners or intersections of fencing, and both existing fences and new installations. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide an under-fence barrier that is designed to reduce fence line lawn maintenance and produce an attractive fence area.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an under-fence barrier that is capable of being installed in cooperation with existing fences of substantially any design, and which can be quickly and easily installed with the minimum amount of time and required tools.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an under-fence guard for eliminating grass, weeds, and the growth of other vegetation along fence lines by providing a flexible barrier underneath the bottom of the fence and in cooperation with the fence posts to seal an area of ground along the fence row at a selected distance transverse to the fence row.

Another object of this invention is to provide a weed and grass under-fence barrier that includes a generally elongated barrier capable of being installed in cooperation with existing fences of substantially any design, and which is adapted to compensate for directional changes in the fence, whether the directional changes are at a conventional 90 degrees or otherwise, and which also compensate for intersecting fence lines.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an under-fence barrier that is adapted to facilitate the opening and closing of fence gates. Yet another object of this invention is to provide an under-fence barrier for preventing the growth of weeds, grass, woody growth, and other vegetation along the fence line or other vertical outdoor surface, which barrier is attractive, easily maintained, and which, by various alternate designs, is adapted to drain water away from the slope of its sides, or alternately, to act as a gutter or water conduit with a concave structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a vegetation barrier for the space beneath and immediately adjacent to a fence, guardrail, or other vertical outdoor structure. The objectives of the invention are provided in an improved under-fence barrier for preventing the growth of grass, weeds, objectionable woody growth, and vegetation along a fence line.

It comprises an elongated member having opposite ends and a width terminating in opposite edges. The opposite edges are substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower portions of the elongated member. The elongated member is provided in rolled portions of varying length, to cover the length of a fence run or some substantial portion thereof, rather than merely addressing the area between fence posts. The elongated member is made of a somewhat rigid but somewhat flexible material and is capable of being slit and fitted with apertures at repetitive intervals to accommodate fence posts and points of directional change of the fence line, or points where other fences intersect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the perspective view of an under-fence barrier according to the present invention prior to being installed under a chain link fence;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 installed beneath a chain link fence;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of a convex alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention having substantially perpendicular edges;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view of a substantially flat alternative embodiment of the present invention having tapered sides.;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation view of another concave embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 6, as installed underneath a guardrail;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the apparatus cut and overlapped to form a corner portion of the under-fence barrier of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the apparatus cut and laid end-to-side to form a corner portion of the under-fence barrier of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the under-fence barrier of this invention is designed to be installed in cooperation with the fence such as the chain link fence 12, and is generally illustrated by reference 10. Fence 12 includes fence posts 14 secured into the ground at spaced apart positions, top rails 16 secured between posts 14, and the chain link portion 18 strung between poles 14. Under-fence barrier 10 is positioned under the bottom of chain link 18 of fence 12 along its entire length. It is to be understood that although under-fence barrier 10 is herein discussed in the context of use with a chain link fence, such as are in common use and well known, it is also meant to be used with other types of fences, such as wood, guardrails, bricks, or even in conjunction with vertical structures such as the side of the building. Some examples will be discussed later.

Barrier 10 is produced in lengthy rolled amounts 20. Accordingly, the treatment of long stretches of fence 12 with barrier 10 is easily and quickly accomplished. Roll 20 is rolled alongside fence 12 to a convenient length or end of the fence, or to a fence corner. However, obviously, rolls 20 could be made any length and could have variable length.

Each roll of 20 of barrier 10 is ready for installment. A preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, where barrier 10 has preformed slits 22 and apertures 24 along its length. The slits and apertures are preformed to correspond with standard distance between posts 14 in fence 12. Alternatively, the preformed slits at 22 and apertures 24 could be customized to any particular post distances.

FIG. 2 shows barrier 10 as installed under-fence 12. As can be seen in FIG. 2, barrier 10 covers and deters vegetation growth under-fence 12 and for a distance of the sides of fence 12. It also gives the appearance of a foundation or base which is visually appealing. It is to be understood that barrier 10 could be made of different colors, including to match the color of the fence or to match the color of vegetation, such as a green for grass, to assist in the improved appearance.

More detail of the structure and installment of barrier 10 can be seen in FIG. 2. Fasteners 26 are placed through barrier 10 to secure it to the ground. Fasteners 26 could be landscaped, staples, spikes, roofing nails, or any suitable device. While it is not necessary to secure barrier 10 with fasteners 26, doing so will enhance the stability of the device such that it is resistant to transfers or lateral movement.

Barrier 20 may be made from any durable material. Preferably, barrier 20 is made from polyvinal chloride or polyethelene with ultraviolet (UV) resistance. Barrier 10 can be made of recycled materials, and preferably has a thickness between 1/32nd″ to 2″. Its width may be of any useful dimension, but is preferably between 2″ in width. As such, barrier 10 preferably is made of a high quality, flexible, molded plastic with U-block, and as such will not rust, rot, or lose its shape. Moreover, barrier 10 is formed of a material capable of being easily manipulated and cut. Cuts for slits 22, apertures 24 may be provided on-site during application, as when customizing to a pre-existing fence, or during manufacture, particularly to aid in the rapid installation of a new fence over non-rocky terrain, so as to aid in the uniformly spaced positioning of fence posts 14.

Under-fence barrier 20 may be convex, as shown in FIG. 3, flat with perpendicular sides, as shown in FIG. 4, flat with tapered sides, as shown in FIG. 5, or concave, as shown in FIG. 6. The convex embodiment invention can function as a sloped drain for directing water down a slope atop which the fence 12 sits. As shown in FIG. 7, however, it may be preferable when installing under-fence barrier 10 beneath fence or guardrail 12, to employ a concave configuration in order to keep water directed away from a road surface.

Any of these configurations should provide effective vegetation growth control when properly matched to the desired or existing underlying terrain. The flat embodiment provides advantages in cost control in manufacturing, by simplifying the manufacture of barrier 10; the convex embodiment of barrier 10 facilitates installation by reducing its contact with the ground to two points; the concave embodiment can aid in road safety by directing water accumulation and flow away from the road surface. All three embodiments effectively deter vegetation growth by securely covering the ground and reaching the ground.

Unlike the prior art, there is no need for any sort of tie down or fastener to affix the barrier 10 to particular guardrail 12. Rather, the method of installation utilized with under-fence barrier 10 greatly reduces the movability of barrier 10. Because there is no need for securing the barrier to the bottom of fence 12, or for connection to the chain link 18 strung between the posts 14, installation time is also greatly reduced.

Further, unlike the prior art, there is no need for post covers or spacers to cover the area around fence posts. Rather than having to manipulate and interlock or attach multiple portions of an under-fence barrier 10, all that is required in the present invention is unrolling the essentially continuous barrier 10. New fence posts 14 may be installed directly over barrier 10 when it is provided with holes during manufacture; T-shaped fence posts may be driven directly through the fabric into the ground; and existing fence posts 14 are accommodated by use of slits 22 and apertures 24.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of under-fence barrier 10. Barrier 10 is provided with slits 22 at appropriate intervals, leading to one or more cutout apertures 24. The installer would knock out the center of aperture 24 to the diameter needed. Increasing diameters could be provided to accommodate different sized posts 14. Barrier 10 could then be pulled around the post 14 via the slit 22. The included preferred embodiment is given by way of example only and not by way of limitation to the invention, which is solely described by the claims herein. Variations obvious to one skilled in the art will be included within the invention defined by the claim.

For example, barrier 10 can be made out of a number of materials. Plastics are generally preferred. Examples are polyvinal chloride, polyprolene, and polyetheline. The characteristics needed are set forth above including being able to flex, being able to survive all types of environmental conditions out of doors, and being able to take mowers and people and animals stepping on it. Plastic could be molded to the shapes indicated herein.

As previously mentioned, the size and shape can vary. It can be manufactured by a number of methods widely known in the art. An example is injection molding.

It is to be understood that under-fence barrier 10 can easily be customized to produce slits 22 and apertures 24 using conventional tools such as scissors, utility knives, tin snips, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 8, overlapping ends 28 and 30 of barrier 10 cooperate to hold barrier 10 in alignment with the fence. In FIG. 9, abutting end 28 and side 30 of barrier 10 cooperate to hold barrier 10 in alignment.

Many times fence posts 14 are not precisely spaced apart in 10′ intervals. Therefore, as indicated in FIG. 9, squared off end 28 can simply be cut to length on the spot with conventional tools such as scissors so that barrier 10 can be made to follow the run, or even the angle, of the fence. A slit 22 can be made in end 28, and an aperture 24 formed as well, so that the succeeding portion of under-fence barrier 10 may be slipped around fencepost 14.

Aperture 24 can be on the order of 2″ in diameter, or larger or smaller, of square, rectangular, or circular shape, as needed to conform with the dimensions of fence post 14. Slit 22 can be approximately 0.25″ in width, or of negligible size. The smaller the width of the slit 22, the closer the cut edges 32 meet together to prevent sunlight from reaching the ground underneath barrier 12. The slit 22 and aperture 24 may be sealed with caulking, tape, or other suitable material, if desired. Similar to what is discussed relative to FIG. 1 previously, slit 22 can be pre-formed. Scoring or other methodology can be used to create concentric lines, for example, to provide the ability to easily expand aperture 24 to fit different sized fence posts as needed.

As previously discussed and as illustrated in the drawings, barrier 10 is molded (for example, through a die) with a pre-formed radius of curvature for the general barrier 10. The material for barrier 10 is HTPE plastic. In one embodiment its weight per foot is 0.12 pounds. A further description of material that can be used with barrier 100 is set forth below.

As is well known, the following are the specifications of the EXXON wide—spec HTPE:

	Meltflow:	.25 g/10 min.	(average)
	Density:	.951	(average)

The following are the properties of the EXXON HTPE AA55-003 when prime:

Flexural Modulus:   151,000 psi
Tensile @ Yield:    4030 psi
Elongation @ break: 602.0%
Durometer:          69 Shore HORE D
Vicat Softening:    258 F

It can therefore be seen that the embodiments shown provide a convenient and easy way of installing a barrier under these fences. Improvements over the prior art both in speed of installation, attractiveness, and versatility are achieved. A completely uniform appearance can be achieved by the conventional plastic production of lengths of barrier 100. Pre-punched apertures 24 coordinate with slits 22 to allow positioning of the barrier 10 around fence posts to assist in keeping them in place. This completely one-piece system is user friendly, does not involve the use of specialized or numerous tools, does not require additional and hard to handle equipment or components such as ties or fasteners to secure barrier 10 to fence 12, does not require nailing or gluing or caulking (although it does not prevent such), and does not require the use of specialized templates or customization procedures. In fact, a simple roll of barrier 10 can be used, whole, underneath any new fence installation, or transported to any existing fence and easily adapted with a simple snip to fit various size postholes and distances between posts.

Claims

1. A barrier apparatus for covering and deterring vegetation growth at and near fence bottoms, foundations, or other structures comprising:

(a) Any elongated member made of a relatively thin, flexible and resilient material having first and second opposite ends and opposite sides and an intermediate portion between said opposite sides having a width, a top and a bottom.

2. The barrier of claim 1 wherein the elongated member is made of plastic.

3. The barrier of claim 1 wherein the elongated member includes a pre-formed opening and further comprising a pre-formed slot between a side of the elongated member and the pre-formed opening.

4. The barrier of claim 3 wherein the slot is between the outer edge of the first and the preformed opening.

5. The barrier of claim 3 wherein the slot is between the outer edge of the first and the preformed opening.

6. A method of covering ground or vegetation under a fence that is mounted on a plurality of fence posts comprising:

(a) Manufacturing a length of any elongated member having first and second opposite ends and opposite sides with one side having a slit leading to an aperture in the central portion of the elongated member;

(b) Placing the elongated member adjacent to the fence on top of the ground;

(c) Placing the elongated member under the fence by opening the slit and fitting the fence post into the aperture.

7. A method of covering ground or vegetation under a fence that is mounted on a plurality of fence posts comprising:

(a) Manufacturing a length of any elongated member having first and second opposite ends and opposite sides with one side having a slit leading to an aperture in the central portion of the elongated member;

(b) Placing the elongated member adjacent to the fence on top of the ground;

(c) Placing the elongated member under the fence by opening the slit and fitting the fence post into the aperture.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising pre-forming an aperture in the center portion of the elongated member and forming a slit from the perimeter of the elongated member to the opening, then manipulating the elongated member to position the opening around a first fence post, and placing the remainder of the elongated member under the fence.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising measuring the distance between first and second fence posts and cutting the perimeter of the elongated member so that it is positioned to receive and transmit a second fence post when the opening of the first end of the elongated member is installed around the first fence post.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising overlapping adjacent ends of an elongated member at a corner fence post.