Extendable Fence

Abstract

An extendable fence is an underground fence barrier which prevents dogs from digging out underneath a fence and escaping the yard. The barrier is supported over the ground surface and includes a horizontal barrier strip with openings. Stakes are inserted trough the openings in the barrier strip and into the ground. The barrier strip extends the length of the fence section that is to be protected. The stakes are close enough together and sufficiently deep enough in the ground to provide an effective barrier under an existing fence. Also, the stakes are vertically adjustable to provide an effective barrier above the ground on uneven terrain whereby there is a gap between the fence bottom and the ground surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fences and particularly to underground fence barrier devices and a method of constructing a device for preventing dogs from digging under the bottom of a fence and escaping the yard.

There are various methods that homeowners use to prevent their dog from digging out underneath the fence. Often homeowners will dig down below a portion of the fence and insert a board to discourage such digging. The dog often then goes to another area of the fence or digs the board out of the ground. The homeowner often buried chicken wire, wire mesh, large rocks, or chain links under the fence. Some homeowners have even buried a portion of the fence below the soil surface. However, in addition to requiring excessive soil excavation, these methods can injure the dog. Still another approach has been to incorporate a trench filled with concrete under the fence. This approach, however, is expensive and may not be practical in situations where the homeowner has already built the fence, and installation of the trench and concrete would mean dismantling the existing fence and rebuilding the fence once the concrete filled trench is in place. Some prior art devices provide a group of rods in the openings at the bottom of the fence to anchor the fence section to the ground and to create a barrier in the ground to prevent dogs from digging under the fence section. However, these devices require physical attachment to the fence. Furthermore, these devices are not satisfactory in situations where there are small gaps between the bottom of the fence section and the ground line that is present on uneven terrain. Therefore, a review of known devices reveals that there remains a need for a simple device that does not require physical attachment to the fence, is satisfactory on uneven terrain, and prevents dogs from digging out underneath the fence.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an underground fence barrier which prevents dogs from digging out underneath a fence and escaping the yard. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for constructing an underground fence barrier which prevents dogs from digging out underneath a fence. The underground fence barrier is supported over the ground surface and includes a horizontal barrier strip which extends the length of the fence section that is to be protected. A plurality of stakes or rods are affixed to the horizontal barrier strip, each stake being vertically oriented. The barrier strip includes a plurality of equidistant openings such that a stake is inserted through each of the openings and the lower point of each stake is driven below the ground surface. The openings are cut to match the shape of the stakes such that the openings serve as key holes which are dimensioned just slightly smaller than the stakes. Therefore, there is a tight fit between the key holes and the stakes so that the stakes can be driven completely to ground level or partially driven to also protect any open space between the fence bottom and ground level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the underground fence barrier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing stakes driven sequentially through a barrier strip.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the horizontal barrier strip according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention after the stakes are driven through the strip.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a typical stake according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the underground fence barrier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing stakes with a larger striking surface being driven sequentially through the barrier strip.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the horizontal barrier strip according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention after the stakes with a larger striking surface are driven through the strip.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a stake with a larger striking surface according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a stake with string clips according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the barrier strip along side an existing fence on level terrain affixed with stakes oriented in variable vertical positions showing the stakes driven sequentially through the barrier strip and into the ground.

FIG. 9 is a prospective view of the barrier strip along side an existing fence affixed with stakes provided with a larger striking surface according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the barrier strip along side an existing fence on uneven terrain affixed with stakes oriented in variable vertical positions to protect the gap between the bottom of the existing fence and ground surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system, components and method of constructing the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of the embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 10 of the drawings, there is shown an underground fence barrier, which is constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and is generally indicated at 10. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5 the underground fence barrier 10 includes a plurality of barrier strips 50 and a plurality of stakes 20.

As shown in FIG. 2. the barrier strip 50 may be in the form of a longitudinal half pipe or half cylinder sections because plastic pipe is readily available and easy to cut. However, the barrier strip 50 could also be flat or any other suitable shape. Since the barrier strip 50 may be provided in sections, the barrier strip 50 may be attached in series to another barrier strip 50 to form a continuous barrier around the entire fence 80 using a plurality of fastening devices, such as screws, nails or the like. However, the barrier strip 50 may be provided in the form of continuous coil which is rolled out along side the length of fence 80. The barrier strip 50 includes a plurality of equidistant openings 60 such that a stake 20 is inserted through each of the openings 60 and the lower point 40 of each stake 20 is driven below the ground surface 70. The equidistant openings 60 are spaced sufficiently close together to prevent a dog from crawling or tunneling through to the opposite side of the fence 80. The openings 60 are spaced most preferably approximately 4 inches apart, and 2 inches from the end of the barrier strip 50. It is important to achieve a close spacing of the stakes 20 to achieve the desired protective barrier around the fence 80.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of openings 60 that are cut through the barrier strip 50 are cut to match the cross sectional shape of the stakes 20 such that the openings 60 serve as key holes which are dimensioned just slightly smaller than the stakes 20. The close tolerance between the key holes and the stakes 20 yield a tight and secure fit. The key holes serve as a means to securely fit the stakes in the barrier strip, but other means of securing the fit is satisfactory. The secure fit is important because the fit resists any upward movement in the soil which force the stakes 20 upward and out of the soil, enabling the dog to dig downward and crawl between the remaining stakes 20. Also, the secure fit resists the lifting of a stake 20 by a dog. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10 the secure fit allows vertical adjustment of a stake 20 to install the underground fence barrier 10 along a fence 80 on uneven terrain in which case a longer stake length is selected depending upon the distance the bottom of the fence is from the ground.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 the plurality of stakes 20 anchor the barrier strip 50 to the ground 70 surface. The stakes 20, barrier strip 50, and fence 80 are coplanar to each other. As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7 the stakes 20 may be concave shaped, but any shape is suitable so long as it matches the key hole openings 60 in the barrier strip 50. The stakes 20 could also be in the form of rods, nails, or the like. The stakes 20 are provided in different lengths and selected depending upon the distance the bottom of the fence 80 is from the ground 70 and also depending upon the nature of the soil. A longer stake 20 is more appropriate if the soil in a certain area is softer or more easily dug. A stake 20 is inserted into each of the openings 60 and driven into the ground 70 to provide the underground barrier. Each stake 20 has an enlarged head 30 which limits the downward passage of each stake 20 when it contacts the barrier strip 50. Each stake 20 has a lower point 40 that extends into the ground 70.

Stakes 20 of different variations are shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7. In FIG. 6, the stakes 20 are provided with a 90° bend near the head 30 to offer a larger strike surface and lift point for removal. In FIG. 7, another variation of the stakes 30 include a stringing clip near the head which serves as a working stop against the barrier strip 50 when driving the stake 20. The stakes may be in the form of readily available curbing stakes because these are readily available in a hardware store. Typically, as shown in FIG. 3, an off-the-shelf curbing stake measures 1 in wide×¼ in. thick×18 in. in length, and the key hole openings 60 in the barrier strip 50 are cut to match the cross sectional shape of the curbing stake.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes the method of constructing the underground barrier device 10. In use, it is intended that the device be constructed of readily available hardware components such that it can be installed as a do-it-yourself type assembly. As best shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the method of using the present invention includes the steps of positioning a barrier strip section as close as possible to the existing fence. A stake is inserted through the key hole openings at the ends of the barrier strip section and driven into the ground. The remaining stakes are then inserted through the remains key hole openings in the barrier strip and driven into the ground. An appropriate stake length is selected based on the nature of the soil, the dog's ability to dig a tunnel, and the nature of the terrain. Longer stakes are used where there are soft soils easy to dig, dogs that possess superior tunneling ability, and uneven terrain which creates a gap 90 between the bottom of the fence and the ground.

The underground fence barrier may be supplied in kit form, with a plurality of barrier strip 50 sections and stakes 20. The barrier strip 50 may be provided in the form of a continuous coil that is rolled out along the edge of the fence. The stakes may be provided in different variations as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7. The kit will also contain a set of installation instructions.

It can be appreciated that the embodiments described above are illustrative of just a few of the numerous variations of arrangements of the disclosed elements used to carry out the disclosed invention. Moreover, while the invention has been particularly shown, described and illustrated in detail with reference to preferred embodiments and modifications thereof, it should be understood that the foregoing and other modifications are exemplary only, and that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as claimed, except as precluded by the prior art.

Claims

1. An underground fence barrier to prevent dogs from digging under an existing fence comprising:

a horizontal barrier strip near the bottom edge of existing fence;

a plurality of openings in said strip;

a plurality of stakes, said stakes being vertically oriented and coplanar with respect to existing fence and said barrier whereby one stake passes through each opening in said strip, and each of said stakes having a lower point driven below a ground surface.

2. The underground fence barrier of claim 1 wherein said horizontal barrier strip is held to the ground by a plurality of stakes.

3. The underground fence barrier of claim 2 wherein stakes of different length are used along said horizontal barrier strip.

4. The underground fence barrier of claim 1 wherein said openings are keyed to the cross sectional shape of said stakes.

5. A method for preventing dogs from digging under an existing fence comprising:

attaching a a horizontal barrier strip near the bottom edge of existing fence;

inserting a stake through each said opening in said strip;

driving said stake into said ground below said ground surface whereby an underground barrier is formed which provides a barrier to any dog attempting to dig under the fence; and

vertically adjusting the stakes to cover any gaps between the fence and the ground.

6. A underground fence barrier kit to prevent dogs from digging under an existing fence comprising:

a horizontal barrier strip with a plurality of openings;

a plurality of stakes; and

a set of installation instructions.