Fences – Wire – Stretcher
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-16
2001-06-05
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Fences
Wire
Stretcher
C256S039000, C256S047000, C256SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241217
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fence gates and in particular to connection of a loose gate post to a fixed gate post of a wire-fence gap-closer gate.
2. Relation to Prior Art
Many farm and ranch wire fences have wire-fence gap-closer gates which are not used frequently and which often are not intended to be permanent structure. Accordingly, these wire-fence gap-closer gates are preferably inexpensive instead of elaborate and highly convenient.
Conventionally, wire-fence gap-closer gates have ends of fence wiring from one direction affixed to a loose post that is attachable to a fixed post having fence wiring from another direction. To close a gap-closer gate, a bottom of the loose post is inserted into a bottom loop of wire that is affixed to the fixed post. Then a top of the loose post is positioned in a top loop of wire that is affixed to a top of the fixed post.
Difficulties with these gap-closer gates occur in tightening the top loop on the loose post sufficiently to achieve tightness of fence wiring of the gap-closer gate and sufficiently also to achieve fence tightness of fence wiring attached to fixed posts at opposite sides of the gap-closer gates. Un-looping the top loop to open a tightly closed gap-closer gate is difficult. These are problems that can be overcome inexpensively and conveniently with this invention. The age-old gap-closer gate becomes a gate of relative convenience instead of a time-consuming hassle with unreliable closing.
There are other known wire-fence gates, but none for opening and closing a wire-fence gap-closer gate in a manner taught by this invention.
Examples of different but related gates are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,083, issued to Rass, described an electric fence with a vertically pivotal arch that was swung up to allow passage under it while maintaining electrical contact across the gate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,320, issued to Hegarty, described a total fence system for wire-mesh fences having an angle-iron post that could be used as a gate, terminal or corner post. U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,480, issued to Nichol, described an electrified hanging-wire gate that shocked animals touching closely hanging electrically charged wires to prevent their passage but allowed non-shock passage of vehicles with rubber wheels that insulated against current flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a wire-fence gap-closer-gate fastener which:
Permits wire-fence gap-closer gates to be opened and closed quickly and easily;
Assures sufficient tightening of wires of wire-fence gap-closer gates to prevent sagging of gate wires and fence wires at sides of the wire-fence gap-closer gates; and
Is sufficiently inexpensive, easy to install and long lasting for low-cost use intended for wire-fence gap-closer gates.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a wire-fence gap-closer-gate fastener having a lever rod that is pivotal vertically on a lever pivot proximate a pivot end of the lever rod. The lever pivot is positioned proximate a lever end of a post-attachment member that is attachable to a top portion of a fixed gate-latch post. Fence wiring is extended in a first direction from the fixed gate-latch post at a latch side of a wire-fence gap-closer gate of a fence. Fence wiring is extended in a second direction from a loose gate-latch post to a fixed gate-pivot post from which the fence wiring of the fence is extended further in the second direction. For a gate-closed mode, the loose gate-latch post is attachable juxtaposed to the fixed gate-latch post. For a gate-open mode, the loose gate-latch post is detachable from the fixed gate-latch post to open the wire-fence gap-closer gate with the loose gate-latch post being hand-held, laid down or otherwise positioned as desired for the gate-open mode.
To attach the loose gate-latch post juxtaposed to the fixed gate-latch post for the gate-closed mode, a first step is to position a bottom portion of the loose gate-latch post in a bottom post loop that is extended from a bottom portion of the fixed gate-latch post in a direction towards the fixed gate-pivot post. A second step is to position a top portion of the loose gate-latch post in a top post loop that has a lever end attached pivotally to a gate-tightening anchor that is pivotal at a desired position intermediate the lever pivot at the pivot end of the lever rod and a handle end of the lever rod. A third step is to lower the handle end of the lever rod to pivot the lever rod downward to a circumferential position in which the gate-tightening anchor is sufficiently below the lever pivot vertically to cause tightness pressure of the fence wiring to maintain the lever rod buttressed against a lever rest. An optional fourth step is fastening the lever rod to the lever rest.
REFERENCES:
patent: 355135 (1886-12-01), Bunch
patent: 553380 (1896-01-01), Zimmerman
patent: 626931 (1899-06-01), Rasmussen
patent: 2772070 (1956-11-01), Stevenson
patent: 3667729 (1972-06-01), Hinkel
patent: 3961789 (1976-06-01), Tabacheck
patent: 4493480 (1985-01-01), Nichol
patent: 4508320 (1985-04-01), Hegarty
patent: 5419083 (1995-05-01), Rass
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
Van Gilder Derek R.
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