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Fence rail bracket with tool-less fasteners

a technology of brackets and rails, applied in fencing, building types, construction, etc., can solve the problem of high price of screws

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-10-28
ERWIN RONALD D
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The specific techniques and structures employed by the invention to improve over the drawbacks of the prior art and accomplish the advantages des

Problems solved by technology

But such screws can be expensive.

Method used

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  • Fence rail bracket with tool-less fasteners
  • Fence rail bracket with tool-less fasteners
  • Fence rail bracket with tool-less fasteners

Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0017]Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a fence bracket assembly 10 according to a first example embodiment of the present invention. The bracket assembly 10 is shown in use in a fence system 12 to mount a lateral fence rail 14 to an upstanding fence post 16, the rail and the post both being molded of vinyl or another plastic. It will be understood, however, that the bracket assembly 10 can be adapted for use in other types of fence systems, including banisters, handrails, picket fences, and fence systems made of wood, metal, and / or other materials.

[0018]The bracket assembly 10 includes a mounting bracket 18 and two retainer clamps 20 that lock to the bracket, without using any tools, to secure the rail 14 on the bracket. The mounting bracket 18 and the clamps 20 can be packaged together and sold as a kit, or they can be provided individually.

[0019]The mounting bracket 18 is preferably molded of vinyl or another plastic in the manner of conventional fence rail brackets...

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PUM

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Abstract

A fence rail bracket assembly for mounting a fence rail to a fence post includes a mounting bracket and at least one retainer clamp that locks to the bracket without using any tools. The mounting bracket mounts to the post, has a bottom wall that supports the rail, and has two sidewalls that receive the rail between them. At least one sidewall coupling element interlocks with at least one clamp coupling element to lock the clamp to the bracket and thereby secure the rail on the bracket. In example embodiments, the bracket assembly includes two clamps each having one coupling element, one clamp having two coupling elements, push-lock coupling elements, slide-lock coupling elements, and angular slide-lock coupling elements.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 172,082, filed Apr. 23, 2009, entitled FENCE RAIL BRACKET WITH TOOL-LESS FASTENERS, is hereby claimed, and the specification thereof is incorporated herein by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates generally to fence systems and, in particular, to mounting brackets for attaching fence rails to fence posts.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Typical fence systems include vertical posts, horizontal rails extending between the posts, and sometimes vertical pickets mounted to the rails. Fence systems with these components molded of vinyl or another plastic have become popular because of their durability and low cost. In such fence systems, plastic brackets are mounted to the posts to support the rails. The brackets are usually mounted to the posts by metal screws, and then metal screws are inserted through holes in the brackets and into th...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): E04H17/14
CPCE04H2017/1452E04H17/1421E04H17/1452E04H17/1417E04H17/1488
Inventor ERWIN, RONALD D.
Owner ERWIN RONALD D