Hingeless fence

Abstract

A hingeless fence assembly is described as having a free-standing post and a tubular member. The free-standing post extends upwardly from a hole in the ground and is positioned within the ground to a depth sufficient to provide the necessary stability. The tubular member is rotatably received over the free-standing post and has a greater diameter than the free-standing post. The tubular member is free to rotate about the free-standing post.

Description

PRIOR RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 862,880, filed on Oct. 25, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This invention relates generally to the field of fence gates and more particularly to hingeless fence assembly.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Conventional fencing for farms, ranches, and other rural applications use sections of immobile fence interspersed with gates for the passage through the fence. Large gates, such as those found in fences on cattle ranches and farms, often include a hinge mechanism to allow the gate to move from an open to a closed position, and vice versa. Hinge mechanisms include several inherent disadvantages, such as a propensity to rust and wear out, thus causing the owner to have to continually maintain, repair or replace the hinge mechanism. Other problems associated with hinge mechanisms are that they can be misaligned...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004]A hingeless fence assembly is described as having a free-standing post and a tubular member. The free-standing post extends upwardly from a hole in the ground and is positioned within the ground to a depth sufficient to provide the necessary stability. The tubular member is rotatably received over the free-standing post and has a slightly greater diameter than the free-standing post. The tubular member is coupled to or integrated with a gate or other moveable section of fencing, and thus is free to rotate about the free-standing post to open the gate or moveable fence section for passage therethrough. The disclosed structure and functionality eliminates the use of a traditional hinge mechanism between the fixed fence post and the gate.

Problems solved by technology

Hinge mechanisms include several inherent disadvantages, such as a propensity to rust and wear out, thus causing the owner to have to continually maintain, repair or replace the hinge mechanism.

Other problems associated with hinge mechanisms are that they can be misaligned during installation or though extended use or abuse, also requiring continuous maintenance or repair.

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