US20100237308A1

US20100237308A1 - Fence

Info

Publication number: US20100237308A1
Application number: US12/382,706
Authority: US
Inventors: Chong-Yi Lo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-23
Filing date: 2009-03-23
Publication date: 2010-09-23

Abstract

This invention offers a fence, comprising vertical tubes, horizontal tubes joined with the vertical tubes, and integrated connectors for the join of the vertical tube and the horizontal tube. The interior of the horizontal tube is divided into an axial through hole and an axial embedded trough. An indented axial guiding notch is provided on the corresponding location of each interior wall of the embedded trough. The vertical tube is divided with a plurality of axial tube chambers. The integrated connector is made up of an insert piece and a slide piece, where both can be connected either in single-point pivot connection or into a single piece. The slide piece is provided with a protruded guiding bar corresponding to the guiding notch of the embedded trough. The single-piece type of the integrated connector will suit for the landforms where the vertical tube and the horizontal tube are perpendicular to each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fences, more particularly, to one handy in the assembly of horizontal and vertical tubes, where the angle joined by the two tubes is adjustable according to a certain landform.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The fence is made up of a plurality of horizontal tubes and vertical tubes, where the vertical tubes are vertically joined by the horizontal tubes and confined by side posts. The join of the horizontal and the vertical tube is usually fastened by a bolt, or through a right-angle linker capping the join of the horizontal tube and the vertical tube for the assembly purpose. The aforementioned threaded fastening method for immobilizing the horizontal tube and the vertical tube calls for one of these two tubes to be broadened or shrunk at one end for the capping and fixing of one by the other, which would sizably hassle the producer. And each specification of a different length of the horizontal tube demands its own mold for the production, which tremendously boosts the manufacturing cost. The right-angle linker attachment approach for the join of the horizontal tube and the vertical tube is sure to improve the aforementioned drawbacks; however, once the landform is a ramp, failing to form perpendicularity of the two tubes, which would bring about an inappropriate use of the right-angle linker to join the horizontal tube and the vertical tube. If simply use it in disregard of the suitability, it is not only awkward in looks but clumsy in the strength of the assembly.
In light of the aforesaid drawbacks, this inventor conceived the idea for the improvement, which eventually gave birth to this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide a fence which is handy in the assembly of horizontal and vertical tubes, where the angle joined by the two tubes is adjustable according to a certain landform.
The main traits of this invention lie in: the interior of the horizontal tube is divided into an axial through hole and an axial embedded trough, where the through hole is for the accommodation of an inner tube which is fixed to the side posts that enables the outside horizontal tube to be supported by the inner tube. The integrated connector offered for the join of the horizontal tube and the vertical tube is made up of an insert piece and a slide piece, and both can be connected either in pivot connection or into a single piece, where the insert piece is placed in the vertical tube from the tube opening for a fixing while the slide piece is slid into the embedded trough from the horizontal tube opening for a fixing, and the embedded trough of the horizontal tube is provided with an opening facing the vertical tube. The slide piece of the integrated connector, fixed on each of both ends of the tube, is been sliding into the embedded trough of the horizontal tube from its opening and followed by a fixing, which achieves the join of the horizontal tube and the vertical tube and eases the assembly. Once the join of the horizontal tube and the vertical tube is not perpendicular to each other, the single-point pivot connection type of the integrated connector is selected for the join of the two tubes, where the pivot is used as the axis which makes the angle of the two joined tubes adjustable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional assembled reference view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially sectional view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view (I) illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view (II) illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an assembled plan view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. 5 observing from the left side 6-6;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 5 observing from the top side 7-7;

FIG. 8 is a reference view showing the adjustable angle joined by the horizontal tube and the vertical tube in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a exploded view of partial components showing the one piece shape of the integrated connector made up of the slide piece and the insert piece in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatical view showing the assembly of the one piece shape of the integrated connector made up of the slide piece and the insert piece in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is an assembled sectional view showing the one piece shape of the integrated connector made up of the slide piece and the insert piece in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The adopted techniques and the structure for achieving aforesaid objective and function of the present invention are detailed described with reference to the following preferred exemplified embodiments.
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the fence of the embodiment of this invention comprises:
Horizontal tubes 10, where the interior of each is divided into an axial through hole 11 and an axial embedded trough 12. The through hole 11 is provided for the accommodation of an inner tube 20 that enables the outside horizontal tube 10 to be sustained by the inner tube 20, which substantially enhances the stress of the horizontal tube 10. Both ends of the inner tube 20 are fixed on the side posts. The embedded trough 12 is provided with an opening 120 at the direction of facing the vertical tube 30, where the width of the opening 120 is wider than that of the vertical tube 30, and an indented axial guiding notch 121 is provided on the corresponding location of each interior wall of the embedded trough 12.
Vertical tubes 30, joining the horizontal tube 10 body at their ends, where each is made up of a plurality of axial tube chambers 31.
Integrated connectors 40 (shown in FIG. 4), which are used for joining the horizontal tube 10 and the vertical tube 30, and each is made up of a slide piece 41 and an insert piece 42. The slide piece 41 is provided with a protruded extension 410 (shown in FIG. 4) on each side facing the insert piece 42, and a pivot hole 411 is devised at the center of each extension 410. The slide piece 41 is being placed entirely in the embedded trough 12 of the horizontal tube 10, and is provided with a protruded guiding bar 412 at the location of each side corresponding to that of the guiding notch 121 of the embedded trough 12, which enables the slide piece 41 to be placed in the embedded trough 12 and its guiding bars 412 in the guiding notch 121, to avoid the slide piece 41 falling down from the embedded trough 12 (shown in FIG. 6). The insert piece 42 has embedded chunks 420 protruded facing the openings of the tube chambers 31 of the vertical tube 30, where the embedded chunks 420 are inserted into the tube chambers 31 of the vertical tube 30 respectively and each is fastened by a bolt 21. And the insert piece 42 joins the slide piece 41 at the location between the two extensions 410 of the slide piece 41, followed by the single-point pivot connection through a fastening piece 22, which enables the insert piece 42 to swing with respect to the slide piece 41 with the pivot as the axis (shown in FIG. 8).
Assemble the Fence:

1. Cap the through hole 11 of the horizontal tube 10 on the inner tube 20 to have the horizontal tube 10 sustained by the inner tube 20.
2. Integrate the slide piece 41 with the insert piece 42 by the pivot connection to form the integrated connector 40. Insert the embedded chunks 420 of the insert piece 42 into the tube chambers 31 of the vertical tube 30 respectively, and fasten the embedded chunks 420 together with the vertical tube 30 by the bolt 21, thus to equip each vertical tube 30 with integrated connectors 40 fixed at its top and bottom ends, where the integrated connector 40 is placed at the top of the ends of the vertical tube 30 (Shown in FIG. 3).
3. Hold the vertical tube 30 and place a portion of the integrated connector 40 into the embedded trough 12 of the horizontal tube 10, which is done by placing the slide piece 41 of the integrated connector 40 into the embedded trough 12 and placing the guiding bar 412 into the guiding notch 121. Then push the vertical tube 30 to move the integrated connector 40 and part of the vertical tube 30 along the axial direction of the embedded trough, guiding notch and the opening 120, where the adjacent vertical tubes can join closely each other by the complementary design of the indented and protruded surfaces at both sides (shown in FIGS. 1, 5 & 7). Since the guiding bars 412 of the slide piece 41 of the integrated connector 40 are placed in the guiding notches 121 of the embedded trough 12 respectively, the integrated connector 40 and the vertical tube 30 will not be fallen down from the opening 120 of the embedded trough 12 of the vertical tube 10 (shown in FIG. 6), which would sizably boosts the firmness of the joining.
4. Since the integrated connector 40 is formed by the pivot connection between the slide piece 41 and the insert piece 42, the angle formed by the two is adjustable. Moreover, the end portion of the vertical tube 30 is being inserted in the downward opening 120 of the horizontal tube 10, which makes the angle formed by the vertical tube 30 and the horizontal tube 10 available for the adjustment according to a certain tubes installation landform (shown in FIG. 8).

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, the slide piece 40 and the insert piece 42 of the aforesaid integrated connector 40 can also be shaped into one single piece, and the single piece formed by the two has a fixed angle, which will suit for the landforms where the vertical tube 30 and the horizontal tube 10 are perpendicular to each other.
Accordingly, the present invention has the following advantages and features:

1. The horizontal tube 10 and vertical tube 30 of the assembly-type fence is handy for the installation.
2. Once a demand for the angle joined by the horizontal tube 10 and the vertical tube 30 to be changed, the integrated connector 40 formed by the pivot connection between the slide piece 41 and the insert piece 42 will be selected, which means the angle joined by the horizontal tube 10 and the vertical tube 30 is adjustable according to the certain landform.

To sum up the aforesaid, the present invention features not only novelty but industrial practicality, a patent application for the invention is then filed according to the patent law, which deserves your favorable examination and approval.

Claims

1. A fence, comprising a plurality of vertical tubes, at least two horizontal tubes for the join with the vertical tubes, at least two side posts for the fixing of both ends of the horizontal tube, and a plurality of integrated connectors for the join of the vertical tube and the horizontal tube; wherein,

1.) horizontal tubes, having an axial embedded trough separated from its interior, which has an opening at the side facing the end of the vertical tube, and the width of the opening being wider than that of the vertical tube, where an indented axial guiding notch is provided on the corresponding location of each interior wall of the embedded trough;

2.) vertical tubes, having axial tube chambers therein;

3.) integrated connectors, where each is made up of an insert piece and a slide piece, and the slide piece being provided with a protruded guiding bar at the location of each side corresponding to that of the guiding notch of the embedded trough, which enables the slide piece to be placed in the embedded trough and its guiding bars in the guiding notch to avoid the slide piece fallen down from the embedded trough; the insert piece, having embedded chunks protruded facing the openings of the tube chambers of the vertical tube, where the embedded chunks are inserted into the tube chambers of the vertical tube respectively for a fixing.

2. A fence as recited in claim 1 wherein the insert piece and the slide piece of the integrated connector are in single-point pivot connection.

3. A fence as recited in claim 1 wherein the insert piece and the slide piece of the integrated connector are shaped into a single piece.

4. A fence as recited in claim 2 wherein the integrated connector made up of the insert piece and the slide piece is a single-point pivot connection structure, where the slide piece is provided with a protruded extension on each side facing the insert piece, and a pivot hole being devised at the center of each extension, while the insert piece joining the slide piece at the location between the two extensions of the slide piece, followed by the pivot connection with the insert piece through using a fastening piece to pierce through the pivot hole.

5. A fence as recited in claim 1 wherein the insert piece of the integrated connector is inserted into the vertical tube and both being fastened by a bolt.

6. A fence as recited in claim 1 wherein the interior of the horizontal tube is provided with an axial through hole, where the through hole is provided for the accommodation of an inner tube that enables the outside horizontal tube to be sustained by the inner tube, and both ends of the inner tube being fixed to the side posts.