T/EP2007/050359

"A pole support for a sporting fence"

Introduction

The present Invention relates to a pole support suitable for forming a sporting fence.

Many types of po!e supports used in the assembly of sporting fences and in particular equestrian fences are well known. The main disadvantage with known pole supports is that due to their configuration, the type of fence which can be assembled using lhese supports is limited.

A standard pole support comprises a vertical support upright comprising a number of spaced holes at different heights into which jump cups may be engaged. These jump cups then support the poles used to assemble the fence. One such type of pole support is that disclosed in UK Patent Publication No. GB 2 152 822. This document discloses a bracket for use in forming a horse show jump or a high jump used in athletics. The bracket can be supported in a desired vertical position on an upright member and comprises a cradle member on which in use one end of a crossbar can rest.

With standard pole supports of this type the height of the fence can be easily adjusted by inserting the jump cup or bracket into one of the spaced holes at a higher position on the vertical support member thereby allowing a pole or crossbar to be supported at this height. The main disadvantage of these standard pole supports, however is that if the spread of the fence is to be extended, a number of pole supports are required to provide a fence of sufficient length. This has an obvious cost disadvantage in that it increases the number of pole supports required. Additionally, associated problems with storage space and transport requirements can result.

in an attempt to overcome the problems associated with standard pole supports, a modified version of these pole supports has been developed. The main modification to this pole support is that the support upright is essentially a peripheral frame forming top, bottom and side edges with a plurality of spaced bars secured between the edges of the frame. With this pole support as well as adjusting the height of the fence, the

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spread of the fence can also be increased by supporting poles on jump cups engaged with and extending from some of the bars.

One such type of modified pole support is that disclosed in UK Patent Publication No. GB 2 244 928. This document discloses a multi-purpose show jump which can be transformed into a number of different configurations, in one configuration, the support poles can be supported in variable positions from the bars of the support uprights thus allowing the spread of the fence to be adjusted.

Modified pole supports of this type, however, have been found to be very heavy and bulky and generally at least two people are required to relocate them in an arena. Additionally these supports take up a lot of space during storage, In order to reduce the size and weight of these pole supports, they are generally constructed to be shorter than standard pole supports thus limiting the height of the resultant fence. A further drawback of these types of pole supports is that it can be compiicated and time-consuming to create an accurate fence from these supports as there are generally too many holes in the support upright and associated bars to choose from.

Another type of modified pole support which has been developed to overcome the problems of standard pole supports is a plastic block. This type of pole support is usually of rectangular construction and comprises a cavity for receiving and supporting a pole at each side of the block. These pole supports can also be stacked to achieve a desired height. A pole support of this type is disclosed in European Patent No. 0 051 408.

The main drawback of pole supports of this type is that generally a large number of them are needed to assemble the required fence. Furthermore, they have been found to be complicated to use when constructing anything other than an upright fence. They are less structurally stable, especially if a fence requires more than two blocks to be stacked on top of one another. Additionally, as a large amount of blocks are required in order to have the capability to produce a selection of fences, this can lead to both cost and storage problems.

Thus there is a need for a pole support which has greater versatility than standard

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pole supports but without any of the disadvantages of other known modified pole supports.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a pole support suitable for forming a sporting fence comprising:

a support member;

means for mounting at least one jump cup on the support member; wherein

the or each jump cup is configured to receive and support one end of a pole;

characterised in that;

the or each jump cup is mounted on a jump cup arm; and wherein

the jump cup arm is pivotaily mounted on the support member.

The advantage of this configuration is that the jump cup arm, which comprises at least one jump cup can be pivoted and positioned at a number of axes thus allowing both the height and the spread of the resultant fence to be easily modified. As these pole supports provide greater versatility only a pair of them is required regardless of the complexity of the fence. Thus the number of pole supports required is therefore reduced, and this leads to an associated reduction in storage and transport costs. The pole supports are also easy to assemble and carry.

Preferably, the support member comprises a support upright having a plurality of vertically spaced-apart holes; and wherein

the jump cup arm is pivotaily mounted on the support upright through

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one of the spaced holes in the support upright.

Further preferably, the jump cup arm is pivotatly mounted on the support upright through a central mounting hole in the jump cup arm.

Ideally, the pole support further comprises:

means for positioning the jump cup arm at one of a number of predetermined axes relative to the vertical axis of the support upright; and

means for securing the jump cup arm in place.

Preferably, the jump cup arm positioning means comprises a coupling bracket siidabty mounted on the support upright having:

a central mounting hole; and

a plurality of radially arranged hoies equidistant from the central mounting hole; such that

the coupling bracket is rigidly secured between the jump cup arm and the support upright through the centra! mounting hole; and

the jump cup arm is secured to the coupling bracket through one of the radialiy arranged holes in the coupling bracket; wherein

the position of the radially arranged hole through which the jump cup arm is secured determines the axis of the jump cup arm relative to the vertical axis of the support upright

The advantage of slidably mounting the coupling bracket to the support upright is that it aliows the height of the jump cup arm to be more easily adjusted and is thus more user friendly.

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Preferably, the jump cup arm is secured to the coupling bracket through a positioning hole located adjacent the central mounting hole on the jump cup arm. Further preferably, the spacing between the positioning hole and the central mounting hole of the jump cup arm is substantially the same as between each radially arranged hole and the central mounting hole of the coupling bracket.

Ideally, adjacent radially arranged holes are spaced apart equally. Preferably, the jump cup arm securing means comprises a spring pin.

Further preferably, the or each jump cup comprises a support platform for receiving and supporting one end of the pole. Ideally, the support platform is substantially concave.

In one embodiment of the invention, the jump cup arm comprises a main support member and at least one auxiliary support member coupled to the main support member. The advantage of using a jump cup arm of this configuration is that if the fence is being used for training purposes it allows a lunge rope to freely move over the pole support without the possibility of it getting caught up and thus provides increased safety.

Preferably, the jump cup arm comprises interlocking means for rotatably mounting the or each jump cup on the jump cup arm.

In one embodiment of the invention, the interlocking means comprises:

at least one interlocking bolt for receiving an associated jump cup; wherein

the interlocking bolt has a head portion and is rigidly attached to the jump cup arm via a shaft portion.

in this embodiment of the invention, the associated jump cup comprises a slot having a narrow locking portion and an enlarged inlet forming portion at the base of the slot;

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such that

the diameter of the enlarged inlet forming portion at the base of the slot is slightly greater that the diameter of the head portion of the interlocking bolt; and when interlocked

the associated jump cup is rotatable around the shaft portion of the or each interlocking bolt; and can be positioned so that the support platform of the associated jump cup is substantially horizontal with respect to the vertical axis of the support upright

In another embodiment of the invention, the interlocking means comprises:

a substantially circular interlocking slot in the jump cup arm for receiving an associated jump cup.

tn this embodiment of the invention, the associated jump cup comprises an interlocking bolt having a head portion and rigidly attached to the jump cup via a shaft portion; such that

the diameter of the interlocking slot is greater than the diameter of the head portion of the bolt; and when interlocked

the associated jump cup is rotatable around the shaft portion of the bolt; and can be positioned so that the support platform of the associated jump cup is substantially horizontal with respect to the vertical axis of the support upright.

The advantage of the interiocking means being of this configuration, i.e. where the jump cup comprises the bolt for insertion into a slot in the jump cup arm is that it provides increased safety as there are no protrusions extending from the jump cup arm.

The invention, further provides a sporting fence comprising a pair of pote supports

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according to the invention and at least one pole mounted therebetween

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention wit! now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of one pole support according to the invention;

Fig, 2 is a front view of the support upright;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the coupling bracket;

Fig. 4 is a front view of one jump cup arm according to the invention;

Fig, 5 is a side view of one jump cup arm according to the invention;

Fig. 6a is a side view of one jump cup according to the invention;

Fig. 6b is a front view of one jump cup according to the invention;

Fig, 7 is a front view of another jump cup arm according to the invention;

Fig. 8 is a front view of another jump cup according to the invention;

Fig. 8b is a side view of another jump cup according to the invention;

Fig, 9 is a front view of another pole support according to the invention; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one fence comprising a pair of poie supports according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is provided a pole support indicated generally by reference

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numeral 1 comprising a support upright 2 having a plurality of vertically spaced-apart holes 3 and supported by a support base 4, The support base 4 may optionally comprise a pair of wheels 5 for ease of movement. The pole support 1 further comprises a jump cup arm 6 having a central mounting hole 7 equidistant intermediate the ends of the jump cup arm 6 and at least one interlocking bolt 8 for holding a jump cup 9. The jump cup arm 6 is pivotatly mounted on the support upright 2 through the central mounting hole 7 in the jump cup arm 6 and one of the spaced holes 3 in the support upright 2 via some attachment means 10.

The pole support 1 further comprises a coupling bracket 11 which is slidabSy mounted on the support upright 2 via a sleeve (not shown) which extends around the support upright 2. The coupling bracket 11 also has a central mounting hole 12 and a plurality of radially arranged holes 13 equidistant from the central mounting hole 12. The coupling bracket 11 can be rigidly secured between the jump cup arm 6 and the support upright 2 via some attachment means 10.

Referring now to Fig, 2 there is shown the support upright 2 and the plurality of spaced holes 3 which are positioned along the vertical axis of the support upright 2. These holes allow for the coupling bracket 11 and the jump cup arm 6 to be attached at one of a number of points along the vertical axis of the support upright 2, thus allowing for the height of the resultant fence to be adjusted.

Referring now to Fig. 3 there is illustrated a front view of the coupling bracket 11 showing the central mounting hole 12 and the plurality of radially arranged holes 13 equidistant from the central mounting hole 12. The spacing between adjacent radially arranged holes 13 is substantially the same.

Referring now to Fig. 4 there is illustrated a front view of one jump cup arm 6 according to the invention. As illustrated, in addition to the central mounting hole 7, the jump cup arm 6 further comprises a positioning hole 14 situated adjacent the central mounting hole 7. The spacing between the positioning hole 14 and the central mounting hole 7 of the jump cup arm 6 is substantially the same as between each radially arranged hole 13 and the central mounting hole 12 of the coupling bracket 11. This jump arm 6 also comprises a plurality of interlocking bolts 8.

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Referring now to Fig. 5 there is illustrated a side view of the jump cup arm 6 also showing the jump cup arm 6 having a plurality of interlocking bolts 8. Each interlocking bolt 8 comprises a head portion 15 which is directly connected to the jump cup arm 6 via a shaft portion 16. The head portion 15 of the interlocking bolt 8 has a greater diameter than the diameter of the shaft portion 16.

A side view of the jump cup 9 according to the invention is illustrated in Fig. 6a and front view of this jump cup 9 is illustrated in Fig. 6b. The jump cup 9 comprises an inverted keyhole slot 17 for interlocking the jump cup 9 with an associated interlocking bolt 8 on the jump cup arm 6. The slot 17 consists of a narrow locking portion 17a and an enlarged inlet forming portion 17b. The enlarged inlet forming portion 17b of the slot 17 has a slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the head 15 of the interlocking bolt 8. The jump cup 9 also has a support platform 18 extending laterally from the base of the jump cup 9. The support platform 18 is substantially concave so as to support a cyiindπcally shaped pole (not shown).

Referring now to Fig. 7 there is illustrated a front view of another jump cup arm 19 according to the invention, In this embodiment the jump cup arm comprises a main support member 19a and at least one auxiliary support member (19b, 19c) coupled to the main support member 19a. The jump cup arm 19 also comprises a central mounting hole 7 and a positioning hole 14. The jump cup arm 19 further comprises a plurality of interlocking slots 20.

A front view of another jump cup 21 according to the invention is illustrated in Fig. 8a. The jump cup 21 comprises a bolt 22 for interlocking the jump cup 21 with the interlocking slot 20 on the jump cup arm 19. A side view of this jump cup is shown in Fig. 8b. Each bolt 22 comprises a head portion 23 which is directly connected to the jump cup 21 via a shaft portion 24. The head portion 23 of the bolt 22 has a greater diameter than the shaft portion 24 of the bolt 22. The jump cup 21 also has a substantially concave support platform 18 extending laterally from the base of the jump cup 9. The bolt 22 extends from an opposing side of the jump cup 21 from which the support platform 18 extends.

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Referring now to Fig. 9, there is illustrated a front view of another pole support 25 comprising the jump cup arm 19. ft will be appreciated that although the jump cup arm 6 is shown to have interlocking bolts 8 and the jump cup arm 19 is shown to have interlocking slots 20, that the jump cup arm 6 could instead have interlocking slots 20 and the jump cup arm 19 could have interlocking boits 8 suitable for receiving associated jump cups (21, 9),

It wit! be appreciated that although the assembly of only one pole support 1, 25 is described above, that two pole supports 1 , 25 will be required in order to construct a fence 26. A perspective view of a fence 26 assembled using a pair of pole supports 25 each comprising the jump cup arm 19 and some poles 27 mounted between the pole supports 25 is illustrated in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 also shows the sleeve 28 at the rear of the coupling bracket 11 which allows the coupling bracket 11 to slide up and down the support upright 2. Fig. 10 further shows the support upright 2 comprising a rear member 29 connected to the top and bottom ends of the support upright 2, which prevents the coupling bracket 11 from sliding off the top or bottom of the support upright 2.

in order to assemble a fence each pole support 1, 25 is firstly constructed in a manner so as to achieve a fence 26 of a desired height and spread. The height of the required fence 26 is decided upon and the coupling bracket 11 with the attached jump cup arm

6, 19 is slid along the vertical axis of the support upright 2 to the desired height. The coupling bracket 11 and jump cup arm 6, 19 are then secured at this height to the support upright 2 via attachment means 10 such as a bolt or spring pin through one of the spaced holes 3 on the support upright 2. The attachment means 10 is defivered through each of the central mounting hole 7 of the jump cup arm 6, 19 the central mounting hole 12 of the coupling bracket 11 and the chosen hole 3 of the support upright 2. At this stage the coupling bracket 11 is rigidly attached to the support upright 2 and the jump cup arm 6, 19 is pivotatiy attached to the support upright 2.

The jump cup arm 6, 19 is then tilted at an angle to give an axis which will provide the desired spread of the fence 26 and the jump cup arm 6, 19 is secured in that position to the coupling bracket 11 through one of the radialfy arranged holes 13 via a locking pin 30 as shown for example in Fig, 9. The number of poles 27 required to provide the

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desired height and spread of the fence 26 is then determined. As each poie 27 must be supported by a jump cup 9, 21. the desired number of jump cups 9, 21 are attached at the required locations to the jump cup arm 6, 19.

In one embodiment of the invention, in order to attach each jump cup 9 to the jump cup arm 6, 19, the enlarged inlet forming portion 17b of the slot 17 of the jump cup 9 is fed over the head portion 15 of the interlocking bolt 8 on the jump cup arm 6. The jump cup 9 is then pulled downwards so that the narrow locking portion 17a of the slot 17 interlocks with the shaft portion 16 of the interlocking boit 8. The jump cup 9 can rotate 360° around the shaft 16 of the interlocking bolt 8 such that the jump cup 9 can be positioned at a correct angle to receive and support a pole 27 regardless of the angle of the jump cup arm 6, 19.

In another embodiment of the invention, in order to attach the jump cup 21 to the jump cup arm 6, 19, the head portion 23 of the bolt 22 on the jump cup 21 is fed through the interlocking slot 20 in the jump cup arm 6, 19. The jump cup 21 can rotate 360° around the shaft 24 of the boit 22 such that the Jump cup 21 can be positioned at a correct angle to receive and support a pole 27 regardless of the angle of the jump cup arm 6, 19.

A second pole support I ₁ 25 will then be assembled in the same way and placed at a suitable distance from the first pole support 1 , 25 to give the desired fence width. The poles 27 are then placed horizontally between corresponding jump cups 9, 21 of each jump cup arm 6, 19 on opposite poie supports in order to complete the fence 26.

tt will be appreciated that the above description is one way of assembling the fence 26 of the present invention. Alternatively, the coupling bracket 11 could first be secured to the support upright 2 at a desired height prior to attaching the jump cup arm 6, 19 to the coupling bracket 11 and the support upright 2.

The pole support 1 , 25 may be made from any suitable materia! such as mild steel, aluminium or plastic,

In this specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" and

the terms "include, includes, included and including" are ail deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims.