Metal fence structure
AssigneeGandara System
InventorEnrique P. Gandara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet metal fence of very few different components. A bottom fence panel assembly includes a corrugated panel with a lateral stiffener compression fit to each corrugated panel edge. A top panel assembly is identically formed. The ends of the top and bottom panel assemblies are inserted into respective channel-shaped half-posts that are anchored in the ground. Eight fasteners fasten the panel assemblies via only two of the lateral supports, to the half-posts, to thus provide a fence section with only eight total components, with three being different.
Claims20
A fence structure, comprising:
- a pair of post members, each having at least a portion thereof that is cross-sectionally channel shaped;
- a first panel assembly comprising a corrugated panel and a pair of lateral stiffeners, each lateral stiffener having a channel receptacle for receiving therein an opposing corrugated edge of the corrugated panel, each end of said pair of lateral stiffeners being insertable within a respective channel of the post members;
- and
- a second panel assembly constructed substantially identical to said first panel assembly, whereby when said first and second panel assemblies are inserted one over the other within the respective channels of said post members, a rigid fence structure is formed.
A method of fabricating a fence structure, comprising the steps of:
- forming four identical lateral support members of sheet metal with two elongate sides thereof joined together to define a channel receptacle, and where said elongate side edges have a curved portion to allow a guiding entry to said channel receptacle;
- forming two identical corrugated panels each with a peak-valley dimension that is greater than a transverse entry dimension of the channel receptacle of said lateral support members;
- and
- forming of sheet metal two identical half-posts having opposing sides spaced apart to receive therein an end of each said lateral support member.
A fence structure, comprising:
- a first fence section, including,
- a) at least one corrugated panel constructed of a rigid material;
- (b) a first and second sheet metal lateral stiffener engageable with respective corrugated edges of said corrugated panel, each said lateral stiffener being identically constructed and including,
- a channel receptacle having a planar base and sides generally orthogonal to said planar base, said sides having a portion extending toward each other to define an entrance opening to said channel receptacle, said extending portion including elongate curved portions to facilitate guiding a respective corrugated panel edge therein, said entrance opening to said channel receptacle being of a lateral dimension that is smaller than a peak-to-valley dimension of said corrugated panel, whereby said corrugated panel edge is compression fit within the entrance opening of said channel receptacle;
- c) a pair of post members adapted to be set at spaced-apart locations within an earth material, each said post member being constructed of sheet metal and including a planar base and orthogonal sides defining a channel, said post member channel for receiving therein respective ends of said lateral stiffeners;
- and
- a second fence section constructed substantially identical to said first fence section, and including one or more fasteners for fastening a planar base of a post member of said first fence section to a planar base of a post member of said second fence section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.