Pinning of garden edging

Abstract

A means of securing garden edging using pins is disclosed. The garden edging uses a pin retaining member arranged to locate within tabs on a rear face of a garden edging panel. The pin retaining member has two aligned apertures, one larger than the pin and the other smaller than the pin, with the smaller aperture having a friction-applying tab arranged to bend in order to accommodate the pin.

Description

“PINNING OF GARDEN EDGING”Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to edging for gardens, lawns, artificial turf and similar landscaping elements. The present invention has been developed for use in garden edging formed largely from sheet metal.Background to the Invention

[0002] Modular garden edging consists of a series of panels arranged to be joined together end-to-end and positioned on the edge of a garden or lawn. The traditional method of fixing such edging in position is the digging of a trench, the locating of lower portions of the panels within the trench, and then backfilling of the trench to secure the panels.

[0003] This method presents some difficulties. Any variability in the depth of the trench can result in an uneven finish to the top of the garden edging. Where the ground in which the edging is to be installed is uneven, this can also result in portions of the edging not being sufficiently supported within the trench.

[0004] An alternative method which seeks to avoid these problems is the use of stakes driven into the ground, to which the edging can be connected. Although this can provide a secure connection to the ground, the connection between stakes and panels can be difficult to secure.

[0005] The present invention has been developed in light of these issues.Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a means of securing garden edging, the garden edging including at least one panel; at least one pin retaining member; and at least one pin having a shaft; the panel having an outer face and a rear face, the rear face including a means for connecting the pin retaining member;the pin retaining member having a first end arranged to engage with the means for connecting the pin retaining member, and a pin receiving portion, the pin receiving portion including a first aperture aligned with a second aperture; the first aperture being larger than an outer diameter of the shaft; the second aperture including a friction-applying tab, the frictionapplying tab being moveable so as to increase the size of the second aperture, the friction-applying tab being resiliently biased towards a position where the size of the second aperture is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft; whereby the shaft can be passed through the first aperture, the second aperture and the ground in order to secure the garden edging to the ground.

[0007] It is preferred that the rear face of the panel has a first means for connecting the pin retaining member, the first means extending from an upper edge of the panel, and a second means for connecting the pin retaining member at a lower edge of the panel. The pin retaining member in this embodiment has a first end arranged to engage with the first means for connecting the pin retaining member, and a second end arranged to engage with the second means for connecting the pin retaining member.

[0008] The second means for connecting the pin retaining member preferably extends from the lower edge of the panel.

[0009] The means for connecting the pin retaining member may be formed by an outer lip of the panel, which may be bent through 180°.

[0010] The pin retaining member may be formed from a sheet material, such as sheet steel. It is preferred that spring steel is used.

[0011] The pin retaining member may have a first end portion arranged, in use, to be parallel to the panel, a second end portion generally co-planar to the first end portion, an intermediate portion parallel to the first and second end portions but laterally spaced therefrom, a first transition portionextending between the first end portion and the intermediate portion, and a second transition portion extending between the intermediate portion and the second end portion. The first and second transition portions may be formed by a bend of about 75° at each end.

[0012] It is preferred that the first aperture is located in the first transition portion, and the second aperture is located in the second transition portion.

[0013] The friction-applying tab may be fixed to the intermediate portion. In a preferred embodiment the friction-applying tab is arranged to pivot about a connection to the intermediate portion.

[0014] The second aperture may have a plurality of friction applying tabs spaced around its periphery.

[0015] The pin preferably has a shaft having a diameter greater than that of the second aperture.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a pin retaining member for use in securing garden edging, the pin retaining member having a first end arranged to engage a garden edging panel, and a pin receiving portion, the pin receiving portion including a first aperture aligned with a second aperture; the first aperture being larger than an outer diameter of a shaft of a pin to be used in securing the garden edging; the second aperture including a friction-applying tab, the frictionapplying tab being moveable so as to increase the size of the second aperture, the friction-applying tab being resiliently biased towards a position where the size of the second aperture is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a means for connecting two garden edging panels, each panel having an outer face and a rear face, each rear face including an outer lip extendingfrom each of an upper edge of the panel and a lower edge of the panel, at least one T-shaped aperture being located within a lip; the means including a panel joining member having two end portions, each end portion sized to locate between the rear face and an outer lip of each of the panels; the panel joining member including at least one T-shaped tab arranged, in use, to locate within the T-shaped aperture of each panel; wherein the T-shaped tab is resiliently biased to extend outwardly from the end portion of the panel joining member.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently the particularity of the following discussion is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a front perspective of a garden edging panel, shown with a panel joining member extending from one end thereof;

[0020] Figure 2 is a rear perspective of the garden edging panel of Figure 1 , shown with two pin retaining members attached;

[0021] Figure 3 is a rear view of the garden edging panel of Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 4 is a plan view of the garden edging panel of Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 5 is a front perspective of a pin retaining member such as that attached to the garden edging panel of Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 6 is a rear perspective of the pin retaining member of Figure 3;

[0025] Figure 7 is a side view of the pin retaining member of Figure 3;

[0026] Figure 8 is an upper perspective of the pin retaining member of Figure 3, shown with a pin extending therethrough;

[0027] Figure 9 is an inner perspective of the arrangement of Figure 8;

[0028] Figure 10 is a perspective of the panel joining member from within the arrangement of Figure 1 ; and

[0029] Figure 11 is a side view of the panel joining member of Figure 10.Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0030] Referring to the Figures, Figures 1 to 4 show a garden edging panel 10 having an outer face 12 and a rear face 14. It will be appreciated that, in use, the outer face 12 is arranged to be visible and the rear face 14 is arranged to be largely invisible, such as against a garden bed.

[0031] The panel 10 as shown in the drawings is constructed from sheet metal. It will be understood that in other embodiments other materials could be used, such as rigid plastic.

[0032] The panel 10 has an upper edge 16 and a lower edge 18. Along each of the upper edge 16 and lower edge 18 an outer most edge of the panel 10 is bent through 180° towards the rear face 14, creating a lip 20. As shown in the drawings, each lip 20 has vertical cuts 22 spaced along its horizontal extent, to assist in bending of the panel about a curved garden edge.

[0033] A thin channel is formed between each lip 20 and the rear face 14 of the panel 10. This thin channel represents a means for connecting a pin retaining member 30. The lip 20 at the upper edge 16 represents a first means for connecting the pin retaining member 30, and the lip 20 at the lower edge 18 represents a second means for connecting the pin retaining member 30.

[0034] A pin retaining member 30 is shown in more detail in Figures 5 to 7. The pin retaining member 30 is formed from sheet metal, which has been bent at four bends in order to form five portions: a first end portion 32; a first transition portion 34 extending away from the first end portion 32 at an angle of about 75°; an intermediate portion 36 extending away from the first transition portion at an angle of about 105°, that is, parallel to the first end portion 32; a second transition portion 38 which extends away from the intermediate portion 36 in a mirror image to the first transition portion 34; and a second end portion 40 which is co-planar to the first end portion 32.

[0035] The pin retaining member 30 is sized so as to locate within the rear face 14 of the panel 10, with the first end portion 32 locating within the channel formed by the lip 20 along the upper edge 16, and the second end portion 40 locating within the channel formed by the lip 20 along the lower edge 18. It will be appreciated that the pin retaining member 30 can bend elastically to enable easy insertion within the channels of the panel 10.

[0036] The first and second transition portions 34, 38 and the intermediate portion 36 are each of similar length, each being about two-thirds of the length of the first and second end portions 32, 40.

[0037] The pin retaining member 30 has a width about twice the length of the intermediate portion 36.

[0038] It will be appreciated that when the pin retaining member 30 is located within the lips 20 of the panel 10, the intermediate portion 36 will be spaced from the rear face 14 of the panel 10.

[0039] The first and second transition portions 34, 38 and the intermediate portion 36 combine to form a pin receiving portion.

[0040] The first transition portion 34 includes a first aperture 42 located alongside the bend of the intermediate portion 36.

[0041] The second transition portion 38 includes a second aperture 44. The second aperture 44 is generally vertically aligned with the first aperture 42. The second aperture 44 has the same nominal diameter as the first aperture 42, but has a smaller effective diameter as described below.

[0042] The pin retaining member 30 includes a friction applying tab 46. The tab 46 is formed by two vertically aligned cuts which extend tangentially to the second aperture 44 through the second transition portion 38 and about 25% of the way along the intermediate portion 36.

[0043] The tab 46 is arranged to resi liently flex about a horizontal line defined by its connection to the intermediate portion 36. In this way, the effective size of the second aperture 44 can be increased by flexing the tab 46 downwardly. When a flexing force is removed, the tab 46 is resiliently biased to ‘close’, that is, to reduce the effective size of the second aperture 44.

[0044] The garden edging panel 10 can be secured to the ground using a pin 50 having a head 52 and a shaft 54. The head 52 has a diameter greater than that of the first aperture 42. The shaft 54 has a diameter less than that of the first aperture 42, but slightly larger than the effective diameter of the second aperture 44 when the tab 46 is closed.

[0045] The pin 50 is introduced into the first aperture 42, passes through the second aperture 44, and may be driven into the ground. The passing of the pin 50 through the second aperture 44 causes flexing of the tab 46.Once the pin has been driven into the ground, the tab 46 will press against the shaft 54 of the pin 50, creating a frictional force between them which resists relative movement. This is shown in Figure 9.

[0046] The channels created by the lips 20 have an additional function, being arranged to receive a panel joining member 60.

[0047] The panel joining member 60 is shown in Figures 10 and 11 . The panel joining member 60 is formed from sheet metal, which has been bent at four bends in order to form five portions: a first end portion 62; a first transition portion 64 extending away from the first end portion 62 at an angle of about 75°; an intermediate portion 66 extending away from the first transition portion 64 at an angle of about 105°, that is, parallel to the first end portion 62; a second transition portion 68 which extends away from the intermediate portion 66 in a mirror image to the first transition portion 64; and a second end portion 70 which is co-planar to the first end portion 62.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the panel joining member 60 has vertical slits passing though the intermediate portion 66 to allow for flexing of the panel joining member 60, and a plurality of screw apertures along the first and second end portions 62, 70 to allow for screwing of a panel 10 to a panel joining member 60 in the event that additional strength is required.

[0049] The first and second end portions 62, 70 of the panel joining member 60 are similar in depth to the lips 20 of the panel 10. The first and second transition portions 64, 68 extend about two-thirds of the depth of the first and second end portions 62, 70. The intermediate portion 66 extends through most of the depth of the panel joining member 60.

[0050] The arrangement is such that the panel joining member 60 can be slid into the panel 10 from an outer end thereof, with the first and second end portions 62, 70 locating between the rear face 14 and the lips 20 of the panel 10, and the intermediate portion 66 being spaced from the rear face 14.

[0051] The panel joining member 60 is arranged to ‘snap’ into position within the panel 10, such that half of the panel joining member 60 is located within the panel 10. It will be appreciated that the other half of the panel joining member 60 will snap into position within an adjoining panel 10.

[0052] The panel joining member 60 has four flexible T-shaped tabs 72; two along the first end portion 62 and two along the second end portion 70. The T-shaped tabs 72 are oriented with the ‘tail’ 74 of the ‘T-shape’ oriented towards an outer end of the panel joining member 60, and the ‘head’ 76 of the T-shape being general vertical and oriented toward the intermediate portion 66 of the panel joining member 60. The heads 76 of the T-shaped tabs 72 are located on the inside of the tails 74.

[0053] The T-shaped tabs 72 are formed by cut outs within the first and second end portions 62, 70, with the base of the tails 74 remaining connected to the respective end portion 62, 70 and providing a pivot point 78 along a vertical axis.

[0054] The T-shaped tabs 72 are resiliently biased about their respective pivot points 78 such that the heads 76 of the T-shaped tabs extend above the transition portions 64, 68.

[0055] The lips 20 of the panel 10 have complementary T-shaped holes 80 arranged to receive the T-shaped tabs 72. The arrangement is such that when a panel joining member 60 is slid into the panel 10 the T-shaped tabs deflect about the pivot point 78. When the panel joining member 60 is slid to the correct location the T-shaped tabs 72 locate within the T-shaped holes 80, and deflect back to their extended position so as to snap into place and retain the panel joining member 60 in position.

[0056] The panel joining member 60 has rectangular additional tabs 82 located along its midline to provide an additional guide to correct insertion of the panel joining member 60 within the panel 10. The additional tabs 82 are resiliently biased to act against the lip 20 of the panel 10, which has the effect of pushing the first and second end portions 62, 70 of the panel joining member 60 against the rear face 14 of the panel 10. The result of this pushing effect is that the front faces 12 of adjoining panels 10 are flush with each other.

[0057] Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. For instance, it is possible to connect the pin retaining member 30 to the rear face 14 of the panel 10 using a single means for connecting a pin retaining member, such as the lips 20 along only one of the upper edge 16 or the lower edge 18. Other means of connection of the pin retaining member 30 to the rear face 14 of the panel will be readily apparent to a skilled addressee. Similarly, the shape of the pin retaining member 30 may be varied from that shown in the drawings and described above, provided the feature of two spaced apertures is maintained.

Claims

Claims1 . A means of securing garden edging, the garden edging including at least one panel 10; at least one pin retaining member 30; and at least one pin 50 having a shaft 54; the panel 10 having an outer face 12 and a rear face 14, the rear face 14 including a means for connecting the pin retaining member 30; the pin retaining member 30 having a first end 32 arranged to engage with the means for connecting the pin retaining member, and a pin receiving portion, the pin receiving portion including a first aperture 42 aligned with a second aperture 44; the first aperture 42 being larger than an outer diameter of the shaft 54; the second aperture 44 including a friction applying tab 46, the friction applying tab 46 being moveable so as to increase the size of the second aperture 44, the friction applying tab 46 being resiliently biased towards a position where the size of the second aperture 44 is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft 54; whereby the shaft 54 can be passed through the first aperture 42, the second aperture 44 and the ground in order to secure the garden edging to the ground.

2. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rear face 14 of the panel 10 has a first means for connecting the pin retaining member 30, the first means extending from an upper edge 16 of the panel 10, and a second means for connecting the pin retaining member 30 at a lower edge 18 of the panel 10.

3. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pin retaining member 30 has a first end 32 arranged to engage with the first means for connecting the pin retaining member 30, and a second end 40 arranged to engage with the second means for connecting the pin retaining member 30.

4. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the second means for connecting the pin retaining member 30 preferably extends from the lower edge 18 of the panel 10.

5. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for connecting the pin retaining member 30 is formed by an outer lip 20 of the panel 10.

6. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outer lip 20 of the panel 10 is bent through 180°.

7. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pin retaining member 30 has a first end portion 32 arranged, in use, to be parallel to the panel 10, a second end portion 40 generally coplanar to the first end portion 32, an intermediate portion 36 parallel to the first and second end portions 32, 40 but laterally spaced therefrom, a first transition portion 34 extending between the first end portion 32 and the intermediate portion 36, and a second transition portion 38 extending between the intermediate portion 36 and the second end portion 40.

8. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second transition portions 34, 38 are formed by a bend of about 75° at each end.

9. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the first aperture 42 is located in the first transition portion 34, and the second aperture 44 is located in the second transition portion 38.

10. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the friction applying tab 46 is fixed to the intermediate portion 36.11 . A means of securing garden edging as claimed in claim 10, wherein the friction applying tab 46 is arranged to pivot about a connection to the intermediate portion 36.

12. A means of securing garden edging as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second aperture 44 has a plurality of friction applying tabs 46 spaced around its periphery.

13. A pin retaining member 30 for use in securing garden edging, the pin retaining member 30 having a first end 32 arranged to engage a garden edging panel 10, and a pin receiving portion, the pin receiving portion including a first aperture 42 aligned with a second aperture 44; the first aperture 42 being larger than an outer diameter of a shaft 54 of a pin 50 to be used in securing the garden edging; the second aperture 44 including a friction applying tab 46, the friction applying tab 46 being moveable so as to increase the size of the second aperture 44, the friction applying tab 46 being resiliently biased towards a position where the size of the second aperture 44 is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft 54.

14. A means for connecting two garden edging panels 10, each panel 10 having an outer face 12 and a rear face 14, each rear face 14 including an outer lip 20 extending from each of an upper edge 16 of the panel 10 and a lower edge 18 of the panel 10, at least one T-shaped hole 80 being located within a lip 20; the means including a panel joining member 60 having two end portions 62, 70, each end portion 62, 70 sized to locate between the rear face 14 and an outer lip 20 of each of the panels 10; the panel joining member 60 including at least one T-shaped tab 72 arranged, in use, to locate within the T-shaped hole 80 of each panel 10; wherein the T-shaped tab 72 is resiliently biased to extend outwardly from the end portion 62, 70 of the panel joining member 60.

Images