Fences – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2001-07-10
Dayoan, B. (Department: 3629)
Fences
Electric
C242S380000, C191S01220R, C256S032000, C256S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257558
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to devices that include electrified wire for keeping animals away from fencing. More particularly, it relates to a reel for dispensing and collecting a wire for electrification of a hingedly mounted gate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High voltage, low amperage currents are commonly applied to wires that protect enclosures for large animals such as cows and horses. The electrified wires are commonly mounted along the length of fences and gates to prevent such animals from leaning on them and possibly knocking them down. For example, at feeding time a horse may become excited and press against a gate, trying to get to the food before it is delivered. Cows and horses also press against fences if they can see thick green grass or other attractive food on the other side of the fence. Their great strength and weight often leads to a damaged gate or fence. If animals receive a non-lethal but painful shock when pressing against a gate or fence, they soon learn to avoid that behavior, thereby preserving the structural integrity of the fence or gate.
If an electrified wire protects a fence and gate structure, such structure need not be as expensive or intrusive as an unprotected structure built to withstand pressure from animals often weighing a half-ton or more. An electrified wire can even be used as a temporary enclosure or barrier with relatively weak posts as the only means for support.
The gate area is problematic because the electrified wire must be temporarily removed when the gate is opened, and reinstalled across the gate when the gate is closed. The wire remains electrified when it is moved to allow opening of the gate so the person opening the gate must be careful not to touch it. Typically, the wire length is ten to fourteen feet in length, and may be much longer. Accordingly, it is very difficult to handle without being shocked. There is no particular place to put the electrified wire that has been removed from the gate, so it is usually just placed on the ground and care is taken not to step on it.
When the electrified wire is lying on the ground, the animals are also at risk of receiving an accidental shock.
Reinstalling the electrified wire after the gate has been closed is just as problematic. A person who avoids a shock during the gate-opening procedure might still receive a shock during the time the gate is open and during the gate-closing procedure.
What is needed, then, is an apparatus that substantially reduces the chances that a person handling an electrified wire during gate-opening and gate-closing procedures will receive a painful shock.
However, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the needed improvements could be provided, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an innovation that overcomes the limitations of the prior art is now met by a new, useful, nonobvious and therefore inventive apparatus for dispensing and collecting an electrified wire in a way that protects a person opening and closing an electrified gate from being shocked. The novel apparatus also protect animals from receiving shocks during the time a gate is open.
When it is desired to protect a gate from damage of the type caused by an animal such as a horse pressing against it, an insulated plastic housing for storing electrified wire in coiled configuration is mounted to a first fence post or support member to which the gate is hingedly attached. A distal free end of the wire is then dispensed from a reel that is rotatably mounted within the housing until it extends across the breadth of the gate and said distal end is attached to a bracket secured to a second fence post or support member adjacent the free end of the gate. A gate catch means is also mounted on the second fence post, said gate catch means being adapted to releasably engage a gate latch means mounted to the free end of the gate.
More particularly, the novel apparatus includes a hollow plastic reel housing adapted to be mounted on the first support member and a rotatably mounted reel means is disposed within the hollow reel housing.
A preselected length of wire is disposed in coiled relation about the reel means and a proximal end of the wire is adapted for connection to a remote source of electrical power that is external to the hollow reel housing.
A distal free end of the wire is electrically connected to a handle latch means having a proximal end and a distal end. An electrically insulated handle means is disposed between the proximal and distal ends of the handle latch means so that a user can grasp the handle means without being shocked.
A bias means is connected to the reel means. The bias means is loaded when a preselected length of the wire is dispensed from the reel means; the bias means rotates in a first direction during such dispensing. The bias means is unloaded when the preselected length of wire is collected onto the reel means; the bias means rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction during such collecting.
A continuous contact means maintains the proximal end of the wire in electrical contact with the remote source of power when the wire is being dispensed from the reel means and collected onto the reel means.
Accordingly, a user of the apparatus need touch only the insulated handle means when dispensing and collecting wire and wire that is not extended across the gate is coiled about the reel means.
A first opening is formed in the hollow reel housing and a first or proximal end of the wire extends through the first opening for connection to the remote source of electrical power.
A first bracket is formed of an electrically conducting material and is mounted on the first support member adjacent the hollow reel housing. The first bracket is electrically connected to the remote source of electrical power. The proximal end of the wire is connected to the first bracket.
A second bracket is formed of an electrically conductive material and is mounted on the second support member adjacent the free end of the gate. A gate catch means is mounted on the second support member and a gate latch means is mounted on the free end of the gate. The gate catch means is adapted to releasably engage the gate latch means when the gate is closed. The second bracket means is in electrical communication with the remote source of electrical power and includes a second bracket catch means. The wire extends across the gate when the gate is closed and is held in place when the distal end of the handle latch means is engaged to the second bracket catch means.
The continuous contact means includes a cap member that rotates conjointly with the reel means. The cap member includes a first electrical contact on an interior surface thereof that is in electrical communication with the proximal end of the wire and the cap member further includes a second electrical contact on an exterior surface thereof. The first electrical contact is in electrical communication with the second electrical contact.
The continuous contact means further includes a non-rotating contact member mounted on an interior wall of the hollow reel housing; it is biased toward and is disposed in sliding contacting relation to the second electrical contact. In this way, power applied to the proximal end of the wire is delivered to the first and second electrical contacts, and said second rotating contact remains in electrical communication with the non-rotating contact mounted on the non-rotating hollow reel housing even when the reel means is rotating in a first direction during wire dispensing or in a second direction during wire collection.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an apparatus that dispenses and collects a gate-protecting electrified wire in such a way as to minimize the chances that a user will be inadvertently shocked when a gate is opened and closed.
A more specific object is to provid
Levine Kristen M.
Levine Paul A.
Dayoan B.
Malcolm Tomlyne
Smith Ronald E.
Smith & Hopen , P.A.
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