WOOD POST PROTECTIVE CAP

Abstract

A wood fence post cover or cap is described, that is adapted for being readily installed over the tops of fence posts, even when the posts have an angle of chamfer, and even when such chamfer angles vary from post to post. The invention provides an added layer of environmental protection to outdoor wood fence posts, thereby extending their useable life.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/745,569, filed on Jan. 15, 2025, entitled ADJUSTABLE FENCE POST CAP/TOPPER, the contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally pertains to the field of protective hardware for use on outdoor wooden posts, such as fence posts, to reduce the negative impacts of weather (such as rain, sleet, ice, snow, sun, etc.), and more particularly, to a post cap which may be readily mounted on the top of a chamfered, wooden post.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Wood posts have been used outdoors for multiple purposes, extensively, for hundreds of years. Farmers have used them to construct fences to contain animals. Landowners have used fences to define property lines. Homeowners have used fences to protect gardens. Neighborhoods have used them in decorative fences for landscape enhancement and for privacy fencing. The list of outdoor uses of wood posts is vast and does not always involve fence (for example, sign posts suffer from the same environmental challenges). Of course, other types of non-wood posts exist as well (such as metal posts).

A problem with outdoor wood posts, is their exposure to weather, and subsequent effects of the natural environment, on the wood. Weather and other environmental events, such as rain, sleet, snow, ice, sun, humidity, wind, cold temperatures, hot temperatures, insects, etc., cause wood to decay, split, crack, rot, age faster, etc., as is well documented in public literature. Various methods have been used in the past to slow the rate of decay of wood, such as, painting, staining, coating with materials such as urethanes, and physical shaping (such as chamfering) that aid in water runoff, so that rainwater, for example, does not stay on a wood surface as long as it otherwise would. If water is allowed to remain standing on wood surfaces it seeps into the grain of the wood and nature begins the process of breaking down the wood.

Chamfering the top portion of a wood post, results in a sloped top surface that enables rainwater to run off the top surface of the post. Nevertheless, over time nature still finds a way to infiltrate the top of a chamfered post and decay begins to happen. Painting or staining the post can help to slow the process of decay by keeping more moisture out of the wood, but such methods still fail to prevent natural environmental decay of the wood post. To further slow the process of decay, post covers or caps or toppers as they are sometimes called, have been known to be used on wood posts, as another protective layer to further resist environmental infiltrations into the wood. But, known caps have suffered from size and fit issues, and have been designed for posts having flat tops. The present invention functions to cover a flat top or a chamfered top post. There is no standard chamfer angle by which the top portion of posts must be cut, resulting in a wide variety of angles. What is needed is a post cap that is adapted to fit various chamfer angles of the tops of different wood posts, while remaining relatively quick and easy to install.

In one example embodiment of the present invention a metal plate is provided having fastener holes therein, and comprising at least one attachment wing, for bending about a top of a chamfered post. Once formed to the top of the post, the plate may be nailed in place through nail holes formed therein. Once completely installed, the present invention extends the life of outdoor wooden posts by providing an extra layer of protection against various environmental factors. At the same time the present invention provides a decorative cap or cover on a post that aesthetically compliments the shape of the top of the post, making it architecturally pleasing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective image of a chamfered top portion of a wood fence post, for which the present invention has applicability;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective image of a top portion of a wood fence post that is rotting from weather events;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of one preferred embodiment (shown uninstalled) of a protective cap of the present invention, for use on the top of a wood post;

FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment cap of the present invention, about to be installed on the top portion of a wood post;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment cap of the present invention, fitted onto a top portion of a post having a chamfered top surface angle;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment cap of the present invention, fitted onto a top portion of a post having a chamfered top surface angle that is greater than the angle shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a front elevation view image of an exemplary embodiment cap of the present invention, installed onto a top portion of a wood fence post;

FIG. 8 shows a right side elevation view image of the fence post cap of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a left side elevation view image of the fence post cap of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a jig for use in preparing the present invention post cap for installation;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a left wing portion of an exemplary embodiment of the post cap of the present invention, place inside a receiving slot of the jig of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the post cap of FIG. 11, bent about the left wing portion, while in the jig;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the post cap of FIG. 11, having its right wing portion placed inside the receiving slot of the jig of FIG. 10; and,

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the post cap of FIG. 11, bent about the right wing portion, prior to removal from the jig of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a wood post 20 of the type commonly used in the construction of wood fence 30. The post shown at 20 includes a chamfered top surface 21, a front facing surface 23, and a side surface 25. Outdoor fence posts are subject to the destructive effects of the environment, such as, but not limited to, rain, sleet, snow, ice, sun, wind, humidity, and insects. Left unprotected the fence post will begin to rot and decay at a much faster rate than if protection is provided to the post. The present invention is a protective cap (which may be referred to as a cover or topper or other applicable terminology) for installation over the top surface 21 of the post 20.

FIG. 2 shows a wood post 500, that has not been protected by a cap, and the result over time is rot occurs in the wood, as shown at 502. Cracks 504 can also develop in the wood post 500 as the sun, and/or insects, and moisture have their natural effects on the wood. For example, rainwater sitting directly on the top surface of the wood post 500, eventually seeps into the wood causing decay to begin. Rotten wood posts eventually have to be replaced, which is costly to the property owner. The present invention cap extends the life of wood posts by providing a layer of protection for the posts, significantly decreasing the amount of moisture that is allowed to contact the top surface of the post.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the post cap 10 of the present invention, formed from one flat piece (which facilitates easier shipping to job sites). A center portion 11 is flanked by two co-extensive wing portions 12 and 18. A tail portion 14 is co-extensive off the back of the central portion 11. Orifices 19 may be formed into the cap 10, for accommodating fasteners, such as nails or screws, to secure the post cap onto a post. Bend lines 13, and 15, facilitate the bending of the wing portions 12 and 18, about the central portion 11, such that the wing portions will extend over the side surfaces of a post. Bend lines 24 and 26 facilitate bending of the tail portion 14 about the central portion 11, such that the tail portion extends down the face of the post. Bend line 24 may be used when a post top surface is cut in a chamfered angle, whereas bend line 26 may be used when the chamfered angle is even greater.

FIG. 4 shows post 100 about to receive a cap 104 of the present invention. The cap 104 fits over the top surface 102, such that the central portion 105 substantially covers the top surface 102, while wings 106, 108 are adapted to extend down the side surfaces of the post 100, and tail portion 110 is adapted to extend down the face of the post 100. Nail holes 116 may be formed in the cap 104 for receiving nails to secure the cap 104 to the post 100. Multiple bend lines, such as at 112 and 114, may be formed in the tail portion 110, to enable the tail to fit over various chamfered angle cuts on the tops of posts. In one exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, four bend lines are formed in the tail portion, along with two fastener orifices in each wing portion and the tail portion.

FIG. 5 shows the inventive cap 210 placed onto a post 200, and the wing portions and tail portion have been bent downward to be co-linear with the face and side surfaces of the post. The tail portion in this FIG. 5 is bent about bend line 212 to accommodate chamfer angle 220. FIG. 6 shows the inventive cap 310 on a post 300, which has a different chamfer angle 320, which is greater than the chamfer angle 220. In FIG. 6 the bend line 312 for the tail portion, is used to accommodate the greater angle 320. The caps 210 and 310 may be made of metal or plastic or other bendable materials. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the caps are made of thin aluminum cut into the shape shown in FIG. 3. The bend lines may be formed in the caps by machine laser cuts.

FIG. 7 shows a cap 10 placed over the top of a wood post 20, the post supporting a fence 30. Central portion 11 of the cap 10 fits over the top surface of this 4″×6″ post 20. Right wing portion 12 is bent down over the right side of the post 20, while left wing portion 18 is bent down to extend over the left side of the post 20. Tail portion 14 is bent down over the face of the post 20, about bend line 24. Additional, optional bend lines for the tail portion, such as at 26, are also shown to accommodate different chamfer angles which post top surfaces frequently have. In another embodiment of the present invention a two-piece post cap may include a first piece having the central portion and at least one wing portion, as described above, plus a separate, second piece tail portion that fits partially under the central portion and contains bend lines, as described above.

FIG. 8 shows the cap 10 and the right wing portion 12 secured to the post 20 by fastener 16. FIG. 9 shows the opposite side elevation view, with the left wing portion 18 secured by fastener 17, to the wood post 20. Additional fastener orifice 19 is shown if more fasteners are desired. Central portion 11 of the cap extends over the top surface of the post 20. Tail portion 14 is shown bent down over the face of the post 20.

To aid in installation of the present invention on a post, a simple, low cost jig 400 may be provided as shown in FIG. 10. A receiving slot 410 is formed in the jig 400 to receive the wing portions of the cap. FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the cap 420 of the present invention, with one wing portion placed inside the slot 410 up to the bend line 422, while opposite wing portion 430 remains outside the slot. The main central body portion of the cap 420 may then be manually pushed down to contact the top surface of the jig 400, thereby imparting a 90 degree bend between the wing portion and the cap 420, as best shown in FIG. 12. The cap 420 is then lifted out of the jig 400, now having the bent wing portion 450 outside the jig as shown in FIG. 13, and the other wing portion 430 is then placed in the slot 410 of the jig. The same manual bending process is repeated to impart a 90 degree bend between wing portion 430 and cap 420, as best shown in FIG. 14. The cap with both wing portions now bent, is removed from the jig, and is ready to be installed on the top surface of a post. Once the cap is secured by fasteners to the post, the tail portion 440 may be bent down toward the face of the post, using a hand tool such as a rubber mallet to pound the tail portion 440 into position. Once in position over the face of the post, the tail portion 440 may be optionally secured to the face of the post, by fasteners (such as nails), through orifices formed in the tail portion.

The present invention cap may be made from metal or plastic or other bendable, weather resistant materials. It may be powder coated, painted, or primed, as desired. The present invention is resistant to moisture, bugs/insects, and solar radiation, to mitigate wood rot. The cap of the present invention may be used on chamfered wood post tops or flat post tops. Bend lines formed in the cap accommodate different sizes and angles of post top surface chamfers. The present invention mitigates water ingress, is easy to install, and greatly extends the life of wood posts.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the features of the other embodiments of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide substantially the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a. A plate, having a center portion adapted for substantially covering a top chamfered surface of a wood post;

b. at least one wing portion extending from said center portion, such that the at least one wing portion is bendable about the center portion and said at least one wing portion is adapted to extend onto a vertical side surface of the post; and,

c. at least one orifice located in said at least one wing portion, said orifice adapted for receiving a fastener to securely attach said apparatus to the post.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said post is a fence post.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plate and said at least one wing portion are entirely made from a single piece of flat sheet metal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fastener is a nail.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tail portion extending from said center portion in a direction perpendicular to the at least one wing portion, such that the tail portion is bendable about the center portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein two wing portions extend from said central portion, in opposing directions to one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tail portion includes a plurality of bend lines about which said tail portion may be bent in relation to said center portion.

8. A post cap system, comprising:

a. A metal cap having a center portion and two wing portions extending from

said center portion;

b. A plurality of fastener orifices formed in said cap;

c. A jig containing a receiving slot for accommodating the wing portions separately, to enable bending of the wing portions about the center portion prior to installing said cap on a post;

d. Wherein said center portion is adapted to substantially cover a top surface of a post when installed on the post, and the wing portions are adapted to extend down opposing side surfaces of the post when installed, and at least one of said wing portions are adapted to be secured to said post by fasteners.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising an adjustable tail portion extending from said center portion, said tail portion having a plurality of bend lines relative to said center portion.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said bend lines are machine laser cut into said tail portion.