Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force – Apparatus for hauling or hoisting load – including driven... – Device includes rotatably driven – cable contacting drum
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2001-09-04
Marcelo, Emmanuel M. (Department: 3653)
Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force
Apparatus for hauling or hoisting load, including driven...
Device includes rotatably driven, cable contacting drum
C342S403000, C342S164000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283454
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to livestock enclosures. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus which facilitates the efficient construction and repair of fences used to enclose farmland or livestock on a ranch.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various devices exist for dispensing wire used to construct fences for enclosing livestock and farmland. These devices are often difficult to use, include complex wire-tensioning systems which make them expensive to manufacture, or are limited to dispensing a single type of wire or a single spool of wire at once. Additionally, these devices are not fully self-contained fencing apparatuses in that they do not provide all the materials and tools necessary to completely install a fence or repair a downed fence. Another disadvantage of these devices includes a need to have pre-installed fence posts to which the dispensed and tensioned fence wire can be attached. To fully construct or repair a line of fence thus requires that at least two trips along the fence line be made. The first trip is necessary to dig fence post holes and place fence posts into the ground, and the second trip is made to dispense, stretch, and attach the fence wire to the fence posts. The inefficient process of making two trips along a long line of fence is especially notable on a large acre ranch or farm and is not highly expedient in installing or repairing fences. Additionally, prior art devices are not capable of assisting in the repair of downed fencing where tools and materials would be necessary to make such a repair, as for example when fence posts are damaged or destroyed and must be replaced to effect the repair. Currently, such repairs necessitate an often lengthy trip back to a supply and tool storage facility to gather the proper tools and materials to effect the repair, as well as acquiring the use of an appropriate vehicle for transporting these tools and materials.
An example of a current fencing device includes that described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,216 to Smith et al. which discloses a drawn support frame with upstanding spindle for coaxially mounting various rolls or spools of fence wire and drag, clamp, and wire installation post assemblies for wire pay-out control, wire tensioning control, and payed-out wire organization respectively. While this device provides for dispensing and tensioning various types of fence wire and numerous spools of fence wire at one time, it is limited to paying out such wire along a line of preset fence posts and does not permit a one-time fence installation along a designated fence route or the repair of a downed fence along a prior installed line of fence. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,900 to Conroy discloses an apparatus for dispensing various spools of fence wire via a draw bar adapted to fit into a receiver hitch of a vehicle, but suffers the same disadvantages of requiring that a preset line of fence posts exist while not permitting a one-time fence installation along a designated fence route or the repair of a downed fence along a prior installed line of fence. U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,470 to Leland and U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,521 to Farnsworth are still further examples of devices which disclose wire fencing dispensers and tensioners which suffer the disadvantages described herein above.
Accordingly there exists the current need for an inexpensive, easy to use, fully self-contained apparatus for constructing and repairing fences for enclosing farmland or livestock on a ranch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a trailer for the repair and construction of fences which would enclose, for example, farmland or livestock on a ranch. The trailer is a fully self-contained fencing apparatus which can be conveyed by various vehicles capable of traversing the terrain to be fenced. The trailer of the present invention is particularly useful for conserving expensive, heavy-duty conveyance vehicles such as 4-wheel drive pick-up trucks since it is a fully self-contained fencing apparatus and can easily be conveyed by smaller, less expensive vehicles such as ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). The trailer includes carriers such as tool boxes, mounting posts and mounting cylinders for carrying and storing fencing tools and materials. Discs which have centrally located spindles that protrude upward are mounted on the trailer for carrying and spooling out fence wire and can be extended outward from the trailer such that numerous lines of fence wire can be spooled out simultaneously without the lines interfering with each other. The trailer has a hitch mounted on a tongue for connecting to a vehicle. A jack is mounted on the tongue of the trailer which is used to jack up the trailer and disconnect it from the vehicle. The jack permits the trailer to be secured and left in the field after a fencing period is complete such that fencing can be immediately resumed at some later time without the need to again gather together all the necessary fencing tools and materials.
Advantages of the present invention generally include its self-contained nature which affords an efficiency and flexibility not previously available in fencing technology. Specific advantages include the elimination of numerous trips along fence lines to first install fence posts and then attach fence wire. The present invention permits a one-time traversal of significant lengths of fence line to complete the construction of those portions of the fence line. Additionally, downed fences can be repaired on-the-spot without valuable time being taken to return to storage facilities to gather the tools and materials necessary to effect such repairs. A further advantage of the present invention is the minimal equipment investment necessary to convey the trailer. An ATV fitted with a proper hitch can be used to convey the self-contained fencing trailer while larger, more capital intensive equipment such as trucks and tractors are free to be used elsewhere in a farming or ranching operation. Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ability to unhitch and secure the trailer out in the field using a pre-mounted jack such that the fencing operation can be easily interrupted with virtually no disruption or loss of time or efficiency. The fencing operation can be easily resumed by simply re-hitching the trailer previously stored in the field.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fully self-contained apparatus for constructing and repairing fences as would be used for enclosing farmland or livestock on a ranch.
The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements.
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patent: 5315853 (1994-05-01), Scheiterle
patent: 5316232 (1994-05-01), Lambert, Jr.
patent: 5568900 (1996-10-01), Conroy
patent: 5582216 (1996-12-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5632470 (1997-05-01), Leland
patent: 5904314 (1999-05-01), Babcock, Jr.
patent: 494785 (1950-07-01), None
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