Covering strip for a fence post of a lattice mesh fence and lattice mesh fence

Abstract

A cover strip (1) for a fence post (2) of a mesh fence (3), wherein the cover strip (1) has a front side (11), a back side (12) and a plurality of through-openings (13) each for a fastening screw (5), which each extend from the front side (11) to the back side (12), wherein the cover strip (1) is arranged parallel to the fence post (2) in the assembled state and the back side (12) of the cover strip (1) faces the fence post (2). The cover strip (1) is particularly easy to produce in that the cover strip (1) is designed as a hollow profile made of plastic and that the hollow profile has a plurality of ribs (16), which each connect the front side (11) of the cover strip (1) to the back side (12) of the cover strip (1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cover strip for a fence post of a mesh fence, wherein the cover strip has a front side, a back side, and several through-holes for a fastening screw, each extending from the front side to the back side. When installed, the cover strip is arranged parallel to the fence post, with the back side of the cover strip facing the fence post.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a mesh fence comprising a plurality of mesh panels, a plurality of fence posts, and a plurality of cover strips, wherein two mesh panels are each attached to a fence post by means of a plurality of support brackets and a plurality of fastening screws. The individual support brackets each have a front side, a rear side, and a through-hole for a fastening screw. The front side of the individual support brackets serves to support the bars of two adjacent mesh panels, and the rear side serves to attach the respective support bracket to a fence post.

[0003] Fences made of mesh panels are widely used in both private and commercial areas to demarcate or fence off properties. The individual mesh panels, consisting of multiple vertical and horizontal bars, are available in various heights and widths. These types of mesh panels are often referred to as double-bar panels because the vertical bars are typically welded to several pairs of parallel horizontal bars. Due to their minimalist design, mesh panel fences blend into any environment. Their applications are diverse thanks to the various designs and manufacturing methods.

[0004] When erecting a fence, the individual mesh panels are each attached to the corresponding fence post. Fence posts are commonly used with several support stands mounted lengthwise along the fence post at a distance from each other, onto which two mesh panels can be suspended. The individual support stands are attached to the fence post using screws; for this purpose, blind rivets with a corresponding internal thread are inserted into holes in the hollow fence post. To secure the mesh panels, one mounting plate per support stand can be pressed against the outer vertical bars of the attached mesh panels using the screw. Alternatively, to using one mounting plate per support stand, a cover strip extending the length of the fence post can be attached to the support stands or the fence post using the screws.In addition to fastening, cover strips are also used for aesthetic reasons, as they cover the joint between two mesh panels on a fence post, so that the fence is perceived as a harmonious surface.

[0005] Such a fence, in which the support blocks are attached by means of screws screwed into rivet nuts in the fence post, is known from EP 2 020 473 A2. According to this document, the installation of a cover plate on the fence post is to be simplified by providing a fixing slot in each of the edges of the U-shaped legs of the U-shaped support block facing away from the fence post. The fixing slots serve to accommodate corresponding sheet metal edges of the cover plate, so that the cover plate does not need to be screwed to the support blocks.

[0006] A slightly different way of attaching mesh panels to fence posts is known from DE 299 06 653 U1. This fence fastening also comprises a fence post, a support bracket and a fastening screw, whereby the support bracket has a through-hole for the fastening screw. Instead of a rivet, with this fence fastening a dowel is inserted through the through-hole in the support bracket into a corresponding hole in the fence post. Barbs are formed on the dowel which grip behind the wall of the fence post surrounding the hole in the fence post, so that a support bracket is pre-assembled on the fence post after the dowel is inserted. To ensure a secure fit, after the mesh panels have been hung on the support bracket, a fastening screw is screwed into the dowel, which spreads the dowel and presses it against the edge of the hole in the fence post.In one design variant, the vertical fence bars are attached to the fence post by means of an additional retaining plate, for which a screw is screwed through a hole in the retaining plate into the dowel inserted in the support bracket or in the fence post.

[0007] The present invention is based on the object of providing a cover strip as described above that is easy to manufacture while maintaining good functionality. Furthermore, a mesh fence is to be provided in which the cover strip can be inserted and easily attached to a fence post.

[0008] This object is achieved with the cover strip described above with the features of patent claim 1 in that the cover strip is designed as a hollow plastic profile, wherein the hollow profile has several ribs, each of which connects the front of the cover strip to the back of the cover strip. By designing the cover strip as a hollow plastic profile and not, as previously customary, from sheet steel, the production of the cover strip is very simple and cost-effective. Furthermore, the lower weight also simplifies the transport of the cover strips to the installation site.

[0009] The cover strip can be manufactured, in particular, by extrusion. Due to the high efficiency of the process, only short production times are required, especially for the production of series products such as cover strips. During extrusion, the plastic material is fed into the extruder in powder or granulate form and pressed under high pressure and high temperature in a viscous state through a shaping opening, the so-called nozzle. This creates a body of almost any length that has the same cross-section as the nozzle and can then be further processed into a finished end product. In this case, a cover strip of almost any length can be cut to different lengths as required and with great flexibility.The plastic material used in the production of the cover strip preferably contains a UV stabilizer so that the cover strip remains colorfast even after prolonged exposure to sunlight.

[0010] Thanks to the ribs formed in the hollow profile of the cover strip, which connect the opposite long sides of the cover strip, the front and back, the cover strip has sufficient rigidity even with a thin wall thickness, allowing it to be easily attached to a corresponding fence post using fastening screws. The individual ribs preferably extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the cover strip. Due to the significantly lower weight compared to a cover strip made of sheet steel, while maintaining sufficiently high torsional rigidity, the cover strip is particularly easy to handle when mounting it on the fence post.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the through-openings are arranged in the central region of the cover strip, in particular on the central axis of the cover strip, relative to the width of the cover strip, and a plurality of ribs are formed to the right and left of the through-openings. Preferably, an even number of ribs, for example four, six or eight ribs, is provided. The individual through-openings are then formed between the two central ribs at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the cover strip. This gives the area of ​​the front and back of the cover strip surrounding the individual through-openings sufficient stability so that the front side in particular is not bent excessively when the fastening screws are screwed into the corresponding threads in the fence post.The additional ribs, which are formed between the middle ribs and the outer sides of the cover strip, serve in particular to ensure a sufficiently high torsional rigidity and stability of the cover strip even at longer lengths of 2000 mm and more.

[0012] The cover strip preferably has a rectangular cross-section, with the length and width of the cover strip being adapted to the length and width of the corresponding fence post to which the cover strip is to be attached. In particular, both the length and width of the cover strip correspond to the length and width of the corresponding fence post. The cover strip preferably always has the same width and depth regardless of its length, with the width being a multiple of the depth. With a width of approximately 40 mm, for example, the cover strip can have a depth of 4-8 mm, in particular 5-7 mm.

[0013] According to a further design of the cover strip, the through-holes on the front of the cover strip are each surrounded by a recess to accommodate the screw head of a fastening screw. This prevents the screw head from protruding beyond the front of the cover strip when the cover strip is attached to the fence post using the fastening screws, ensuring that the cover strip has a flat, homogeneous front even when installed.

[0014] According to patent claim 8, the mesh fence mentioned above comprises, in addition to several mesh panels, several fence posts, and several support trestles, as well as a corresponding number of fastening screws, several cover strips according to the invention, each of which is fastened to a fence post by means of several fastening screws. Preferably, the number of cover strips corresponds to the number of fence posts, so that on each fence post, the joint between two adjacent mesh panels is covered by a cover strip. The mesh fence then has a harmonious surface, with the color of the cover strips preferably matching the color of the fence posts and the mesh panels. Since the cover strips are made of plastic, they can be of almost any color.

[0015] The mesh panels are attached to the support brackets attached to the individual fence posts in the same way as is generally known in practice: first, two mesh panels are hooked onto the support brackets of a fence post. To secure the mesh panels, the cover strip is then pressed against the attached mesh panels using the fastening screw.

[0016] The support trestles are particularly easy to use for attaching two mesh panels to a fence post thanks to their H-shaped design. Each support trestle has two legs extending from the front and two from the back. The legs extending from the front serve as the lateral support for two vertical bars of two mesh panels, while the legs extending from the back serve as the lateral support for the fence post, preventing the support trestles from slipping perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fence post.

[0017] The support trestles are preferably also made of plastic, especially polypropylene, so that they can be easily manufactured mechanically, for example, by injection molding. The material of the support trestles, like the material of the cover strips, preferably contains a UV stabilizer to ensure the support trestles remain colorfast even after prolonged exposure to sunlight.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the mesh panel fence, a post cap is attached to the upper end of each individual fence post, forming the upper end of the fence post. Since the fence post is hollow, the fence post is closed at the top by the post cap, so that no water or dirt can get into the interior of the fence post. The post caps preferably each have an overhang that engages over the upper end of the cover strip attached to the fence post. This also closes the cover strip, which is designed as a hollow profile, so that no water or dirt can penetrate into the cover strip from above. In addition, the cover strip is then additionally fixed in position by the post cap.

[0019] According to one design of the mesh panel fence, each support post is assigned a mounting plate with a through-hole such that the cover strips rest with their backs against the mounting plates of the support posts of a fence post. The mounting plates serve to further secure the mesh panels to the individual support posts. Furthermore, the use of the mounting plates also ensures that the cover strips rest flat against the respective fence post.

[0020] In detail, there are several possibilities for designing and developing the cover strip according to the invention. Reference is made to the dependent claims as well as to the following description of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a section of a mesh fence with two mesh panels, a fence post and a cover strip attached to the fence post, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the upper end of the fence post, with a support bracket and a cover strip, in the not yet assembled state, Fig. 3 a perspective view of the upper end of the fence post according to Fig. 2 , in the assembled state,, Fig. 4 the cover strip from the front, Fig. 5 one end of the cover strip, diagonally from above, and Fig. 6 the cover strip from above.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a cover strip 1 for a fence post 2 of a partially shown mesh fence 3, with two mesh mats 4 attached to the fence post 2. Several support blocks 6 are arranged on the fence post 2, of which Fig. 1The two upper ones are shown. The support blocks 6 are each attached to the fence post 2 with a fastening screw 5. The cover strip 1 is also fixed to the fence post 2 using the fastening screws 5, so that the cover strip 1 covers the mat joint between the two mesh mats 4 attached to the fence post 2.

[0022] The cover strip 1 also secures the two mesh panels 4 to the fence post 2 and the support trestles 6, respectively, by pressing the outer vertical bars 41 of the two suspended mesh panels 4 against a support trestle 6 by the cover strip 1 using the fastening screw 5. The fastening screws 5 thus serve both to secure the support trestles 6 to the fence post 2 and to secure the cover strip 1 to the fence post 2, and thus also to secure the mesh panels 4 to the support trestles 6.

[0023] The Fig. 2 and 3show a perspective view of the upper end of the fence post 2 with a support bracket 6 and a cover strip 1, wherein in Fig. 2 the support bracket 6 and the cover strip 1 are not yet mounted on the fence post 2, while Fig. 3 shows the fence post 2 with the mounted support bracket 6 and the mounted cover strip 1. When mounted, the cover strip 1 is then arranged parallel to the fence post 2.

[0024] At the upper end of the fence post 2, a post cap 7 is attached, which has a projection 71 that overlaps the upper end of the cover strip 1 attached to the fence post 2. The post cap 7 then serves not only as the upper end of the fence post 2, but also as the upper end of the cover strip 1. The post cap 7 and the projection thus close off both the hollow fence post 2 and the hollow cover strip 1 at the top, so that no water or dirt can penetrate into the fence post 2 and the cover strip 1 from above.

[0025] As is particularly evident from Fig. 2As can be seen, the support block 6 has a front side 61, a rear side 62, and a through-opening 63, which extends from the front side 61 through the support block 6 to the rear side 62. The through-opening 63 serves to accommodate a fastening screw 5, with which the support block 6 can be fastened to the fence post 2, for which purpose an internal thread 21 is provided in the fence post 2. The internal thread 21 is preferably introduced into a hole collar formed in the fence post 2. When the support block 6 is mounted on the fence post 2, the front side 61 serves to support the bars 41 of the mesh mats 4, and the rear side 62 serves to support the support block 6 on the fence post 2.

[0026] So that the support frame 6 can be attached to the fence post 2 before the fastening screw 5 is screwed into the internal thread 21 in the fence post 2, the support frame 6 has a plurality of four locking elements 64 on its rear side 62 facing the fence post 2, which can be inserted into corresponding openings 22 in the fence post 2. The support frame 6 can thus be easily pre-assembled on the fence post 2 before it is fixed to the fence post 2 by means of the fastening screw 5 after the mesh mats 4 have been hung in. The locking elements 64 are arranged on the rear side 62 of the support frame 6 such that the through-opening 63 is located centrally between the locking elements 64.

[0027] As from Fig. 2 and 3As can be seen, the support frame 6 is H-shaped. For this purpose, the support frame 6 has two legs 65 protruding from the front side 61 and two legs 66 protruding from the rear side 62. The legs 65 protruding from the front side 61 each serve to laterally support the outer vertical bar 41 of a mesh panel 4 on the support frame 6, so that the mesh panels 4 can be easily positioned. In addition, the support frame 6 has a lug 67 on the upper and lower edge of each of the legs 65 protruding from the front side 61, wherein when the mesh panels 4 are assembled, the upper lugs 67 engage between the two parallel horizontal bars 42 of the mesh panels 4. As a result, the mesh panels 4 have a defined distance from the fence post 2.The legs 66 projecting from the rear side 62 serve to laterally support the support bracket 6 on the fence post 2 so that the support bracket 6 cannot slip perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the fence post 2.

[0028] In particular from the separate illustration of the cover strip 1 in the Figures 4 to 6 It can be seen that the cover strip 1 has a front side 11, a back side 12 running parallel to the front side 11, and a plurality of through-openings 13. The through-openings 13 each extend from the front side 11 to the back side 12, i.e. through the cover strip 1, so that a fastening screw 5 can be pushed through each through-opening 13 and screwed into an internal thread 21 in the fence post 2. The cover strip 1 also has two side walls 14, 15, which are arranged parallel to one another and perpendicular to the front side 11 and the back side 12, so that the cover strip 1 has a rectangular cross-section.

[0029] From the Figs. 5 and 6 It can be seen that the cover strip 1 is designed as a hollow profile, wherein the hollow profile or the cover strip 1 has a plurality of ribs 16, each of which connects the front side 11 of the cover strip 1 to the rear side 12 of the cover strip 1. The ribs 16 are thus aligned perpendicular to the front side 11 and the rear side 12 and thus parallel to the side walls 14, 15 and run in the longitudinal direction of the cover strip 1.

[0030] The through-openings 13 are arranged in the central region of the cover strip 1, in relation to the width B of the cover strip 1, in particular on the central axis of the cover strip 1, with a plurality of ribs 16, three in each case, being formed to the right and left of the through-openings 13. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the cover strip 1 therefore has a total of six ribs 16, although the invention is independent of the number of ribs 16. Both more and fewer ribs 16 than the number shown can be provided. The individual through-openings 13 are formed in the longitudinal direction of the cover strip 1 at a distance from one another between the two central ribs 16, as a result of which the region of the front side 11 and the back side 12 of the cover strip 1 surrounding the individual through-openings 13 has sufficient stability so that the cover strip 1 orwhose front side 11 is not bent or pressed in too much when the fastening screws 5 are screwed into the internal thread 21 in the fence post 2.

[0031] The cover strip 1, preferably made of plastic by extrusion, has a length L and a width B that are adapted to the length and width of the fence post 2 to which the cover strip 1 is to be attached. In principle, however, the cover strip 1 can have almost any dimensions, in particular different lengths, since the fence posts 2 are also sold in different lengths in practice. The width B of the cover strip 1 is a multiple of the depth T, as can be seen in particular from Figs. 5 and 6 is evident. Reference symbol

[0032] 1.Cover strip 11.Front 12.Rear 13.Through opening 14, 15.Side walls 16.Ribs 2.Fence post 21.Internal thread 22.Openings 3.Mesh panel fence 4.Mesh panels 41.Vertical bars 42.Horizontal bars 5.Fastening screw 51.Screw head 6.Support bracket 61.Front 62.Rear 63.Through opening 64.Locking elements 65.Front leg 66.Rear leg 67.Lubricants 7.Post cap 71.Protrusion LLength BWidth TTepth

Claims

1. Cover strip (1) for a fence post (2) of a mesh fence (3), wherein the cover strip (1) has a front side (11), a back side (12) and a plurality of through-openings (13) for a fastening screw (5) each extending from the front side (11) to the back side (12), wherein the cover strip (1) is arranged parallel to the fence post (2) in the assembled state and the back side (12) of the cover strip (1) faces the fence post (2), characterized by that the cover strip (1) is designed as a hollow profile made of plastic and that the hollow profile has a plurality of ribs (16) which each connect the front side (11) of the cover strip (1) to the rear side (12) of the cover strip (1).

2. Cover strip (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the ribs (16) each run in the longitudinal direction of the cover strip (1).

3. Cover strip (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in thatthe through-openings (13) are arranged in the central region of the cover strip (1) in relation to the width of the cover strip (1).

4. Cover strip (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that several ribs (16) are formed to the right and left of the through openings (13).

5. Cover strip (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cover strip (1) has a rectangular cross-section.

6. Cover strip (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the through-openings (13) on the front side (11) of the cover strip (1) are each surrounded by a recess for receiving the screw head (51) of a fastening screw (5).

7. Cover strip (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cover strip (1) is produced by extrusion, wherein the plastic preferably comprises a UV stabilizer.

8. A mesh fence (3) comprising a plurality of mesh mats (4) and a plurality of fence posts (2), wherein each pair of mesh mats (4) is secured to a fence post (2) by means of a plurality of support brackets (6) and a plurality of fastening screws (5), wherein the individual support brackets (6) each have a front side (61), a rear side (62) and a through-hole (63) for a fastening screw (5), wherein the front side (61) of the individual support brackets (6) serves to attach bars (41) of two adjacently arranged mesh mats (4) to the respective support bracket (6) and the rear side (62) serves to attach the respective support bracket (6) to a fence post (2), and comprising a plurality of cover strips (1), each of which is secured to a fence post (2) by means of a plurality of fastening screws (5), characterized by that the cover strips (1) are designed according to one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Mesh fence (3) according to claim 8, characterized in thatthe support blocks (6) each have a plurality of locking elements (64) on their rear side (62) facing the fence post (2) and a plurality of openings (22) are formed in the fence post (2) for receiving a respective locking element (64), wherein the through-opening (63) of a support block (6) is preferably arranged centrally between the locking elements (64) of the support block (6).

10. Mesh fence (3) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that a post cap (7) is fastened to each individual fence post (2) at its upper end, wherein the post caps (7) preferably each have a projection (71) which engages over the upper end of the cover strip (1) fastened to the fence post (2).

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