Fences – Earth – stone – plastic – and wooden
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-06
2004-03-30
Lagman, Frederick L. (Department: 3673)
Fences
Earth, stone, plastic, and wooden
C256S023000, C256S024000, C256S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06712340
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weather resistant fence cover for use in connection with fencing materials. The weather resistant fence cover has particular utility in connection with covering the less durable fence and post elements that comprise a wooden fence, while simultaneously providing aesthetic enhancement.
1. Description of the Prior Art
The use of wood in construction of fences is common. Wood is widely available and easily worked. Wood can be painted or stained to provide some weather and wear resistance, but no finish can provide complete wear and weather protection. There is an increasing tendency to make fences of metal, but that is an expensive proposition compared with the use of wood. All PVC fences are also weather resistant but are more expensive than the described invention. The weather resistant fence cover is desirable for providing an attractive, durable and economical alternative to all metal fencing.
The use of structural coverings in fencing materials is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,390 to Oliveri et al. discloses a structural covering for deck railings and floorboards. However, the Oliveri '390 patent does not describe the invention at hand, in that the protective covering is provided for the top rail of the fence only, and has further drawbacks of being designed in discrete segments, one covering per board, and thus does not provide protection for the entire structural entity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,187 to St. Marie et al discloses a cover for a fence rail that also utilizes a material with better wear and weather resistant properties than wood, for protection of the top rail. However, the St. Marie '187 patent does not cover and thus protect the whole fence, merely the top rail, and additionally does not provide the shielded design of the present invention's top rail design, which covers the side covering component of the present invention, as well as aids in the dispersal of rain and snow.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,764 to Totten discloses a fence rail covering and method of making the railing that provides weather and abrasion resistance. However, the Totten '764 patent does not cover the entire fence structure from the effects of weather, and can not provide the privacy and screening inherent in the fence of the present invention.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,942 to Miller discloses a form fitting fence rail covering that provides wear and weather resistance. However, the Miller '942 patent does not contain the same elements as the present invention, and has the additional deficiency of not providing privacy and screening, which could be desirable in a residential setting.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,756 to Beatty discloses a covering for fence members that is adaptable for both rails and posts. However, the Beatty '756 patent does not contain the same elements as the present invention, and has the additional deficiency of being better suited for upright fencing materials than horizontal fencing materials. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 257,177 to Demarest discloses a fence design that consists of panels. However, the Demarest '177 patent does not contain the same structural elements, and has the additional deficiency of not providing the utility of complete structural covering for the fence.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a weather resistant fence cover that allows for complete covering of all elements of the fence structure. The patents also do not describe an invention with the ease of exchange of the side covering component elements as contained in the present invention. The various patents also make no provision for the privacy and security that is desirable in a residential fence.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved weather resistant fence cover that can be used for residential fencing. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the weather resistant fence cover according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of aesthetically pleasing, cost effective fencing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of fence coverings now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved weather resistant fence cover, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved weather resistant fence cover which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a weather resistant fence cover which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a covering for a wooden fence structure. The fence is composed of two by four boards horizontally attached to four by four posts. The top two by four has another two by four joined to it perpendicularly to form a T-shape. The T-shape strengthens the fence to help prevent warping, and allows for a quick change-out of boards should any warping occur. The top board has an extruded plastic covering, with sides at the outer edges that curve down in a J shape to cover the top of the side covering component. The top covering component would be attached to the top two by four by flanges that would slide over the sides of the two by four. There are no ribs or projections on the bottom of the top covering component, so that the cover sits tightly on top of the board.
The corner covering component is also formed of extruded plastic and is used where the fence joins to make a corner. The corner covering component also has sides at the outer edges that curve down in a J shape to cover the top of the side covering component. The corner covering component would be attached to the top two by four by flanges that would slide over the sides of the two by four. There are no ribs or projections on the bottom of the corner covering component, so that the cover sits tightly on top of the board.
The side covering component is composed of siding, usually vinyl, attached to the fence by the usual means of attachment, usually nails, in a vertical rather than horizontal orientation. The siding can be easily changed out should a piece become damaged. The use of siding ensures that the cost of the fence can be kept low while providing the low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing looks of a PVC or metal fence.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a finial or other topping at either the corner or along the top covering component. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments
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