Pre-fabricated fencing panels

Abstract

A fence panel, comprising, an elongated top member, an elongated bottom member and a plurality of boards have a first end and a second end. The first end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the top member and the second end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the bottom member. The boards are arranged in parallel spaced relation along a length of the top member and a length of the bottom member, thereby creating an adjustable parallelogram structure.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pre-fabricated fencing panels

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pre-fabricated fencing panels are assembled in end to end relation to form a fence. As the panels are pre-fabricated, the fence panels are easy to assembly and a fence can be erected quite quickly with minimal tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

What is required is prefabricated fencing panels which can be erected over sloped or uneven surfaces.

According to the present invention there is provided a fence panel, comprising, an elongated top member, an elongated bottom member and a plurality of boards have a first end and a second end. The first end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the top member and the second end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the bottom member. The boards are arranged in parallel spaced relation along a length of the top member and a length of the bottom member, thereby creating an adjustable parallelogram structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a fence comprised of pre-fabricated panels;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view two pre-fabricated fence panels;

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the upper rail of the pre-fabricated fence panel;

FIG. 4 is a detailed side elevation view, in section of the upper end of a pre-fabricated panel with the boards having angled ends;

FIG. 5 is a perspective end view of a pre-fabricated fence panels showing a stabilizing member;

FIG. 6 is a detailed side elevation view, in section of the upper end of a pre-fabricated panel with board having rounded ends;

FIG. 7 is a detailed end view of the pre-fabricated fence panel without any stabilizing member.

FIG. 8 is a perspective end view of an alternative pre-fabricated fence panel.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the boards of the alternative pre-fabricated fence panel shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment, a pre-fabricated fencing generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a fence panel 10 which has an elongated top member 12 and an elongated bottom member 14. A plurality of boards 16 are provided which have a first end 18 and a second end 20. FIG. 4, first end 18 of each of boards 16 is pivotally secured to top member 12. Referring to FIG. 5, second end 20 of each of boards 16 is similarly pivotally secured to the bottom member 14. Referring to FIG. 2, boards 16 are arranged in parallel spaced relation along a length of top member 12 and a length of the bottom member 14, thereby creating an adjustable parallelogram structure generally referenced by numeral 21.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the illustrated embodiment, each of first ends 18 of boards 16 is shown as being truncated at an angle, and being pivotally secured top member 12 so as to define a horizontal pivot axis 21 which is positioned off center. It will be appreciated that first end 18 of boards 16 could also be other shapes and have differing positions for pivot axis 21. Referring to FIG. 6, by way of example, first end 18 of boards 16 could be rounded with a centrally positioned pivot axis 21.

Referring to FIG. 5, top member 12 has a bottom surface 22 with a channel 24 positioned in bottom surface 22 which extends for the length of top member 12. First end 18 of each of the boards 16 is sheltered within channel 24. Bottom member 14 has a bottom surface 26, with a channel 28 positioned in bottom surface 26 which extends for the length of bottom member 14. Channel 28 is adapted to receive a ground engaging panel 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, a stabilizing member 32 is positioned perpendicular to boards 16 and intermediate to top member 12 and the bottom member 14. Stabilizing member 32 can be woven between boards as illustrated in FIG. 5. This provides the most stability. Alternatively, stabilizing members 32 can be placed on either side of boards 16 as illustrated in FIG. 7. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that fence panels 10 can still function without stabilizing members 32.

Referring to FIG. 1, ground engaging posts 34 are provided for securing fence panels 10 in end to end relation to form a fence generally referenced by numeral 36. Brackets 38 are provided for securing fence panels 10 to ground engaging posts 34. Referring to FIG. 6, it will be appreciated that instead of brackets 28, screws 35 could be used instead to secured panels 10 to ground engaging posts 34.

Operation:

Referring to FIG. 1, fence panels 10 are assembled in end to end fashion to form fence 36. Referring to FIG. 2, should the fence panels 10 be erected over a sloped surface or on a hill, boards 16 which are pivotally secured to top member 12 can be pivoted to allow fence 36 to slope so as to accommodate the gradient of an underlying surface 37. This can be done by pushing top member 12 in the desired direction. Referring to FIG. 5, if underlying surface 37 is uneven, the ground engaging panel 30 can be inserted into channel 28 of bottom member 14, thereby closing any gaps between bottom member 14 and underlying ground surface. Referring to FIG. 3, top member 12 has a top surface 40 which sheds waters. First end 18 of board 16 is sheltered within channel 24 so as to inhibit water and other environment damage to boards 16. This also provides a more aesthetic look to fence 36 if viewed from above.

Variation:

Referring to FIG. 8, boards 16 of fence panel 10 may be arranged differently than the continuous arrangement shown in the Figures discussed above. In this arrangement, referring to FIG. 9, the vertical sides of boards 16 are slightly overlapped to create a “board on board” effect for improved privacy.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A fence panel, comprising:

an elongated top member;

an elongated bottom member;

a plurality of boards have a first end and a second end, the first end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the top member and the second end of each of the boards being pivotally secured to the bottom member, the boards being arranged in parallel spaced relation along a length of the top member and a length of the bottom member, thereby creating an adjustable parallelogram structure.

2. The fence panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the top member has a bottom surface, a channel being positioned in the bottom surface which extends for the length of the top member, the first end of each of the boards being sheltered within the channel.

3. The fence panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom member has a bottom surface, a channel being positioned in the bottom surface which extends for the length of the bottom member, the channel being adapted to receive a ground engaging panel.

4. The fence as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one stabilizing member is positioned perpendicular to the boards and intermediate to the top member and the bottom member.

5. The fence as defined in claim 1, wherein means are provided for securing fence panels in end to end fashion.

6. The fence as defined in claim 5, wherein the means for securing the fence panels in end to end fashion are ground engaging posts which have brackets that can be secure to a first end or a second of each fence panel.

7. The fence as defined in claim 5, wherein the means for securing the fence panels in end to end fashion are ground engaging posts and fastening screws which are adapted to be inserted through one of either a first end or a second of each fence panel and into the ground engaging post.

8. The fence panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the first end of each of the boards is truncated at an angle, and is pivotally secured to the top member so as to define a horizontal pivot axis which is positioned off center.

9. The fence panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the first end of each of the boards is rounded, and is pivotally secured to the top member so as to define a horizontal pivot axis which is centrally positioned.

10. The fence panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the vertical sides of adjacent boards overlap.