CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from South African complete patent application number 2020/02982 filed on 21 May 2020, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a fencing clamp and to a fencing assembly including a fencing panel, a support post, and a fencing clamp.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Fencing products are well known and generally include spaced apart support posts that are positioned vertically in the ground and fencing panels that fill in the areas between the support posts. A well-known type of fencing panel uses parallel or mesh wire strands to provide a barrier whilst allowing some visibility through the fence for security and light purposes. The wire strands are vandal-resistant, prevent climbing, and are sufficiently durable to prevent easy cutting.

The fencing panels are secured to the support posts by a range of known fixings. The fixings may provide a weak point in a fencing assembly if the fixing can be levered or broken from the support posts.

The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in the art as at the priority date of the application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fencing clamp for attaching a fencing panel to a support post, the fencing clamp comprising: a plate having an underside configured to be disposed flush against a surface of the support post and the plate including an aperture configured to receive a fastener for location through a corresponding aperture in the support post; and a support member extending from a straight side of the plate and configured to accommodate an edge wire of a fencing panel and the support member having a plurality of spaced openings to accommodate a plurality of cross wires of the fencing panel extending perpendicularly from the edge wire, wherein the support member is configured to support the edge wire against the surface of the support post adjacent the underside of the plate.

The support member may have an arch configuration to accommodate the edge wire of the fencing panel with an open base of the arch on an underside of the support member to position the edge wire against the surface of the support post adjacent the underside of the plate and a free side of the arch in a same plane as a plane of the underside of the plate. The plurality of spaced openings may extend from the free side of the support member across the arch configuration of the support member.

The aperture of the plate may be an elongate aperture allowing for adjustment of the position of the plate in relation to the fastener. The elongate aperture may be provided along a length of the fencing clamp generally parallel to the support member.

The plate may be rectangular with a width between the straight side and an opposing side of 2 to 4 times a width of the support member to provide rigidity to the fencing clamp transverse to the edge wire of the fencing panel. The fencing claim may include at least four spaced openings and the straight side of the plate may be at least 50mm in length to provide longitudinal support along the edge wire of the fencing panel.

The fencing clamp may be formed of single sheet of metal having a constant depth between an upperside and the underside of the plate and extending into the support member with the same constant depth. The sheet of metal may be stainless steel with a constant depth in the range of 2 to 5 mm. The fastener may be a tamper-proof fastener, such as a shear nut.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a fencing assembly comprising: a fencing panel formed of wire strands; a support post; and a fencing clamp for attaching the fencing panel to the support post, wherein the fencing clamp includes: a plate having an underside configured to be disposed flush against a surface of the support post and the plate including an aperture configured to receive a fastener for location through a corresponding aperture in the support post; and a support member extending from a straight side of the plate and configured to accommodate an edge wire of the fencing panel and the support member having a plurality of spaced openings to accommodate a plurality of cross wires of the fencing panel extending perpendicularly from the edge wire, wherein the support member is configured to support the edge wire against the surface of the support post adjacent the underside of the plate. The fencing assembly may include two fencing clamps for attaching two adjacent fencing panels on either side of the support post with a single fastener provided through the apertures of each of the fencing clamps.

The spaced openings of the fencing clamp may include tolerance for the plurality of cross wires to be disposed on alternating sides of the edge wire.

The support member of the fencing clamp may be disposed in use on a vertical side of a support post being outward-facing to a security threat.

The surface of the support post may have two planes angled towards the corresponding aperture to enable the fastener to tighten the plate against the surface of the support post.

The support post may have opposing surfaces with planes angled towards the corresponding aperture such that the aperture is at a narrowest point of the support post allowing tolerance to tighten plates on either side of the support post towards each other.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a fencing assembly in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2A is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a fencing clamp from a top view in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2B is a perspective view of the example embodiment of the fencing clamp of Figure 2A from an underneath view;

Figure 3A is a plan view of an example embodiment of a fencing clamp in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3B is an side view of the fencing clamp of Figure 3A from direction of arrow B; Figure 3C is an side view of the fencing clamp of Figure 3A from direction of arrow C;

Figure 3D is an end view of the fencing clamp of Figure 3A from direction of arrow D;

Figure 3E is a cross-sectional view of the fencing clamp of Figure 3A from through line E;

Figure 3F is an underneath view of the fencing clamp of Figure 3A; and

Figure 4A is a perspective view of another example embodiment of a fencing clamp from a top view in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4B is a perspective view of the example embodiment of the fencing clamp of Figure 4A from an underneath view; and

Figure 5 is a cross section of a fencing post with two fencing clamps as an example embodiment of a fencing assembly in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of a fencing clamp is described for use in an embodiment of a fencing assembly. The fencing assembly includes one or more fencing panels formed of wire strands and one or more support posts. The described fencing clamp is used to secure a fencing panel to a support post with a plate of the fencing clamp flush against a surface of a support post and in a manner that holds an edge wire of a fencing panel against the surface adjacent the plate.

Referring to Figure 1 , an example embodiment of a fencing assembly (200) is shown. The assembly (200) includes a fencing clamp (100) with a fastener (210), a support post (400) and a fencing panel (300). The fastener (210) may be a tamper-proof fastener, such as a shear nut or self-breaking fastener and is provided through an aperture (120) in the clamp (100) and through a corresponding aperture (420) in the support post (400).

Support posts (400) may have various cross-sectional profiles and generally include a surface (413, 414) to which a fencing panel (300) is secured. In the illustrated embodiment, the support post (400) has a cross-section with a core (410) with front and back flanges (411 , 412) that face the front and rear of the assembled fence and shield the core (410). The core (410) may have flat surfaces (413, 414) on either side of the support post (400) from which fencing panels (300) extend in the assembled form of the fencing assembly (200). The surfaces (413, 414) may be slightly angled towards a central aperture (420) as shown more clearly in Figure 5. The fencing panels (300) may be formed of meshes of wire strands and may have spaced parallel wires in a horizontal or a vertical direction with spaced parallel wires in the perpendicular direction to provide rigidity to the panels. The spacings of the wires in the two directions may vary to form different patterns of mesh. For example, vertical wires may be closely spaced with wider horizontal wires or vice versa. Each fencing panel (300) has edge wires (310) that are secured to a support post (400) when forming an assembled fence. Each edge wire (310) of a fencing panel (300) has ends of perpendicular wires (321 -324) attached to it in a spaced arrangement. In some embodiments, the ends of the perpendicular wires (321 -324) are alternately attached to either side of an edge wire (310) to provide additional strength to the fencing panel (300). The vertical edge wires (310) of the fencing panels (300) are secured to the surfaces (413, 414) of the core (410) on either side of the support post (400) by the fencing clamps (100).

An embodiment of the described fencing clamp (100) is shown in Figures 2A and 2B and includes a plate (110) having an underside (111) configured to be disposed flush against a surface (413, 414) of the support post (400). The plate (110) includes an aperture (120) for securing the plate (110) to the support post (400) with a tamper-proof fastening (210). The plate (110) has an extension on one side to provide a support member (140) in the form of an elongate arch configuration (146) that in use accommodates an edge wire (310) of a fencing panel (300). An open base (147) of the arch (146) on an underside (149) of the support member (140) positions the edge wire (310) against the surface (413, 414) of the support post (400) adjacent the underside (111 ) of the plate (110) with a free side (145) of the arch (146) in the same plane as the plane of the underside (111 ) of the plate (110).

This form of the clamp (100) provides a strong clamping fixture of an edge wire (310) of the fencing panel (300) to the support post (400) with increased protection against tampering. The flat plate (110) being provided in the same plane as the edge wire support member (140) reduces an amount of available leverage that might be used to force the clamp (100) from the support post (400).

As shown in Figure 1 , the described fencing clamp (100) is provided to secure an edge wire (310) of a fencing panel (300) to a surface (413, 414) of a support post (400). The edge wire (310) is secured at a front of a surface (413, 414) of the support post (400). The front of the surface (413, 414) is considered to be the portion towards an outside of the fence, where the fence is enclosing a protected area. The plate (110) of the fencing clamp (100) is provided towards the rear of the surface (413, 414) of the support post (400) such that a fencing panel (300) is secured to a support post (400) with the clamp (100) behind the fencing panel (300) within the protected area. In the illustrated embodiment in which the support post (400) has a core (410) with protective flanges (411 , 412), the clamp (100) is secured on the core (410) adjacent the front flange (411), so that the front flange (411) protects the side edge (310) of the fencing panel (300).

In another embodiment, the fencing panel (300) may have portions that extend out of the plane of the panel such that the edge wire (310) of the panel (300) is not straight and has an outward extension for a length of a group of perpendicular wires (321 -324). The clamp (100) may be positioned to secure the edge wire (310) in such an outward extension portion.

Referring to Figures 2A and 2B and Figures 3A to 3E, an example embodiment is shown of the fencing clamp (100). The clamp (100) is formed of a plate (110) and a support member (140) extending from one straight side (113) of the plate. In this embodiment, the plate (110) is rectangular with two opposing long sides (113, 114) and two opposing shorter sides (115, 116) and having an upperside (112) and an underside (111 ). The plate (110) may have curved corners.

The support member (140) extends from one of the long sides (113) and is of an elongated arch form (146) with a free side (145) of the arch (146) being in the same plane as an underside (111) of the plate (110) and the arch (146) extending upwardly from the upperside (112) of the plate (110) to form an upperside (148) of the support member (140). The underside (149) of the support member (140) includes the open base (147) of the arch (146) in which an edge wire (310) is held. The support member (140) includes a plurality of spaced openings (141 -144) that extend from the free side (145) towards the plate (110) of the support member (140). Each of the openings (141-144) has curved edges and may extend past the top of the curve of the arch (146) to accommodate the perpendicular wires (321 -324) of a secured fencing panel (300). The openings (141-144) may extend across the entire width of the support member (140) or may extend across a major portion of the support member (140) whilst leaving some of the support member (140) to prevent rotation of the perpendicular wires (321 -324) in the openings (141-144).

The clamp (100) includes an aperture (120) for receiving a fastener to secure the clamp (100) to a support post whilst capturing an edge wire of a fencing panel in the arch (146) of the support member (140). The aperture (120) of the plate may be an elongate aperture (120) allowing for adjustment of the position of the plate (100) in relation to the fastener. The elongate aperture (120) may be provided along a length of the rectangular clamp (100) generally parallel to the support member (140). The elongate aperture (120) may be provided centrally transversely between the free side (114) of the plate (110) and the free side (145) of the support member (140).

The rectangular plate (110) may have a width between the long sides (113, 114) of 2 to 4 times a width of the support member (140) to provide rigidity to the fencing clamp (100) transverse to the edge wire of the fencing panel. The clamp (100) may include at least four spaced openings (141-144) and the long sides (113, 114) of the plate (100) may be at least 50mm in length to provide longitudinal support along the edge wire of the fencing panel.

The clamp (100) may be formed of single sheet of metal having a constant depth (150) between the upperside (112) and the underside (111 ) of the plate (110) and extending into the support member (140) with the same constant depth (150). The sheet of metal may be, for example, stainless steel or mild steel with a constant depth in the range of 2 to 5 mm.

In one embodiment, an example clamp (100) is 56.8mm by 42mm with a constant depth of 2.5mm and has four spaced openings (141 -144) each having a width of 6.7mm. The arch (146) of the support member (140) may have an internal height of 5mm and an external height of 7.5mm. An external width of the arch (146) may be 11 mm. The elongate aperture (120) may have a width of 7mm and a length of 40mm with curved ends.

Clamps (100) of longer rectangular size may be provided with larger widths of spaced openings or with a greater number of spaced openings. Longer rectangular clamps (100) provide greater support along the edge wire (310) and may require fewer clamps (100) to be used to support a side of a fencing panel (300) along a height of support post (400).

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2A, 2B and 3A to 3F, the openings (141 -144) extend across approximately two thirds of the width of the support member (140). Flaving the openings (141 - 144) arranged such that they do not extend all the way across the support member (140) provides a limit to any rotation of the perpendicular wires (321 -324) within the openings (141 -144). Each of the openings (141 -144) has curved edges and their size includes tolerance for the perpendicular wires (321-324) of the fencing panel (300) that extend through the spaced openings (141-144) when the clamp (100) secures the fencing panel (300) to a support post (400). The tolerance may be provided for differing wire spacings of fencing panels (300) and for the perpendicular wires (321-324) to be disposed on alternating sides of the edge wire (310).

Referring to Figures 4A and 4B, another example embodiment of a fencing clamp is shown (500) in which the openings (542-544) extend fully across the width of the support member (140). This embodiment provides additional tolerance for the perpendicular wires (321 -324) of the fencing panel (300). For example, perpendicular wires (321-324) may be used with thicker cross- sectional diameters. The tolerance may also allow for the perpendicular wires (321-324) to be disposed on alternating sides of the edge wire (310).

Referring to Figure 5, an example embodiment is shown of two clamps (100) secured by a fastener (210) on either side of a support post (400). Figure 5 shows the opposing surfaces (413, 414) of the core (410) of the support post (400) between front and back flanges (411 , 412). As shown in this figure, the surfaces (413, 414) may be slightly angled to the centre of the core (410) where the aperture (420) is provided. This enables the fastener (210) to be tightened to an extent where the clamp (100) may bend to follow the surface (413, 414). The edge wires (310) of each of the fencing panels (300) are shown in cross-section secured within the arches (146) of the support members (140) of the clamps (100).

As the plate (110) of the clamp (100) is secured flush on the surface (413, 414) of the support post (400), a shorter fastener (210) is required to pass through the support post and the one or two clamps (100) compared to a fastener required for a non-flush clamp.

A flush arrangement of the clamps (100) is also aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive to the fencing design. The form of the clamp (100) requires simple tooling and manufacture and provides strength as it is formed from a single piece of stainless steel or other rigid material.

Once the fastener (210) is tightened to secure the clamp (100) or opposing clamps (100) to the support post (400), a friction hold secures the edge wire (210) in place against the surface of the support post (400).

Referring again to Figure 1 , in an example arrangement in use, a support post (400) may support a fencing panel (300) having an attack side (600) from which a security threat is anticipated. In such an arrangement, the support member (140) of the fencing clamp (100) may be disposed in use on a vertical side (602) of a support post (400) supporting the fencing panel (300) outward facing to a security threat. The fencing clamp (100) may be behind the fencing panel (300) on an opposite side of the fencing panel (300) to the attack side (600). This may prevent any tampering with the fencing clamp (100) from the attack side (600) of the fencing panel (300).

The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

The language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention set forth in any accompanying claims.

Finally, throughout the specification and any accompanying claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word ‘comprise’ or variations such as ‘comprises’ or ‘comprising’ will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.