BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is common practice to provide temporary fencing around building sites or to use temporary fencing as a crowd control barrier. In most cases such fencing consists of steel mesh panels (generally wire mesh supported on a tubular metal frame which has legs depending therefrom) which are removably located m concrete base blocks. Alternatively, the panels may utilise hessian or other fabric or even sheet metal instead of wire mesh. In any case, the panels may be located as required to provide a temporary line of fencing for the purpose of providing security or safety at building sites, excavation sites etc, or used to control the location and/or . ow of crowds as necessary at venues or other locations such as sporting events or other open air spectaculars or the like, Any reference herein to mesh panels is not limited solely thereto and is meant to encompass any similar temporary fencing arrangement where such panels are employed. Similarly any reference to controlling a crowd or the like is meant to encompass any analogous situation where temporary fencing is meant to prevent any person straying into an area in which they are not meant to be.

One major drawback of the aforementioned fencing however is that the concrete base blocks are roughly rectangular in shape and are normally provided with a pair of holes generally around their middle region so that when the legs of adjacent mesh panels are inserted into such holes, the concrete block extends a substantial distance either side of the actual fence line. Whilst this is an advantage in the sense that such an arrangement provides stability for the fence, both against the crowd itself or the elements such as wind, in many

circumstances this is a major disadvantage, especially where the crowd to be controlled is moving alongside the fence (ie the fence provides a. harder along a walkway or pathway as opposed to a relatively static viewing situation), since the blocks will be an impediment to the flow of pedestrians. In other words, the location of the concrete blocks which thus extend perpendicularly from the line of the fence, provides a potential safety hazard in that people passing close by the perimeter of the fence are likely to stumble on or over that portion of each concrete block which juts out into the pedestrian path as defined by the fence line, One alternate arrangement offering an improvement over previously known arrangements is described in my earlier Australian patent No 742458, This earlier patent describes a temporary fencing arrangement comprising mesh panels removably located in base support blocks to form a line of fencing, in which the panels are substantially rectangular but have leg members located at and depending from their ends for removable location in support means associated with the base support blocks. In this case however, each block is provided with support means located in the vicinity of one edge of the block for receiving the respective legs of adjacent fence panels so that the line of fencing defined by the panels is substantially in line with one edge of the blocks, the blocks extending substantially from one side only of the fence line. In this arrangement, each block has suitable reinforcing therein to prevent the block from breaking up under normal use conditions, and the support means are provided by a top and bottom plate arrangement, in which the top plate has at least a pair of holes therethrougb and the bottom plate is a single plate or pair of strips, with means provided to join the upper and lower plates, for example by bolts. Tubular means extend upwardly from the top plate into which the legs of the respective panels are inserted.

Whilst this arrangement has been found to be a substantial improvement over previous arrangements, it does have the disadvantage that the tubular means extend upwardly from the top plate. In other words, the legs of the panel sit above the block, so that if an otherwise conventional mesh fencing panel is employed, there will be a substantial gap between the bottom frame member of the panel and the ground on which the arrangement is utilised, by virtue of not only the height of the tubular support means itself but the fact that it is mounted on the block, and therefore the height of the block itself.

In order to compensate for this effect, my earlier aforementioned patent provided as a preferred embodiment, a panel having a spacer plate facility affixed for example by welding to the bottom comer of the fence panel to enable each panel to fit in such a way that adjacent panels are not only brought into close proximity with each other along their side edges but the lower edge of each panel is located approximately along the line drawn between the upper edges of consecutive base blacks. This however is a much more complicated panel construction than a conventional panel, leading to a higher cost factor. It would be advantageous to provide an arrangement having the aforementioned improvements but utilising a conventional mesh panel.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to further overcome or at least ameliorate some or all of the foregoing disadvantages (not only of conventional arrangements but also that which is described m my aforementioned patent) by providing a further improved temporary fence arrangement in which not only am the footings or base blocks of the fence arranged so as not to extend significantly beyond the line of the fence as defined by the mesh panels, at least along one side of the fence, but wherein the support means into which the panel legs are inserted, are themselves located about the periphery of the block or footing so that they do not need to extend above the footing or base block itself. This may be achieved by providing a bracket or plate arrangement located at the end of the block or footing, or where desired along the side of the block, with tubular means associated therewith, which need not extend above the height of the block, and into which the legs of conventional mesh panels may be inserted. At the very least, the invention provides a further alternative to previously known methods of erecting a temporary fence.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a temporary fencing arrangement comprising mesh panels or the like removably located in support means associated with base support blocks or other suitable footings to form a line of fencing ;, the panels being substantial rectangular and having leg members located at and depending from their ends for removable location in said support means, each block or footing being provided with

one or more support means located at or about the periphery of the block or footing for receiving the respective legs of adjacent fence panels so that the line of fencing defined by the panels is beyond the periphery of each block or footing, the blocks or footings as the case may be therefore extending entirely from one side only of the fence line, the support means being integral with or affixed to the block or footing and located at or adjacent the end of the block or footing or along a side of the block or footing, so that in use, the tubular means are located adjacent the block or footing but beyond the periphery thereof for receiving the legs of the respective panels which are to be located therein.

Preferably the support means is provided by a bracket or plate arrangement to which one or more tubular means or suitable posts are affixed In the case of tubular means the respective legs of the fence panels will be inserted therein, whilst in the post arrangement, the respective legs of the fence panels (where they are hollow) are fitted over the post.

Again, where two (or more) tubular means or posts are provided, they may be located parallel to the end or side of the block or footing, or alternatively they may be located in perpendicular arrangement to the said end or side as the case may be, so that the panels in effect overlap when viewed from a position beside the fence line.

Preferably the support means are located at the end of the block or footing, so that each block or footing extends perpendicularly away from the fence line on the one side only, thereby providing maximum stability. However, where stability is less of an issue, it may be preferred to have the support means along the side of the block or footing, thereby providing an essentially more compact arrangement, the Mocks or footings following the line of fencing, albeit on one side only. Of course it will be appreciated that additional stability will be inherently provided, where the line of temporary fencing turns a corner.

Similarly, there may be portions of the fence where the blocks or footings all extend on one side, but where for other portions they can extend on the other side, thereby improving the relative stability of the arrangement, since there will be a resistance to the fence toppling over from either side.

It will also be readily appreciated that although it will be generally required that only a single plate or bracket having two tubular means (for the respective legs of adjacent panels) will suffice as the support means, there may be advantage in having more than one such

support means, for example on opposite ends or even sides of the block or footing to allow a line of fencing to run on either or both sides of a row of Mocks of footings as requited.

This may be particularly advantageous where there will be pedestrian flow etc on both sides of the temporary fencing. This arrangement, although less economical in terms of panel usage (utilising double the number of panels) will however be inherently more stable and provide improved safety on each side of the fence line.

Preferred embodiments utilising base blocks will now be described. Generally speaking, where base blocks are utilised, it is preferred that the base blocks will be made from concrete, reinforced if and when required. However any suitable material including composites may be employed. In such arrangements it will be generally the case that the support means will be fabricated from metal, especially steel and be attached to each block as described above. However, once again, the support means itself may be manufactured from any suitable material including metal, plastics, composites etc.

As mentioned, the support means may be either a bracket or plate arrangement. In the case of a plate arrangement when fixed to a block, fixing of the plate will be directly to the end or side of the block as required, whereas in a bracket arrangement one or more additional faces may be utilised in conjunction with the face on which the support means are located (ie the face approximating the plate of the just mentioned embodiment) In this latter situation, one face, having the tubular means attached thereto, will be located at the end (or side as the case may be) of the Mock, whilst the one or more other faces will extend generally perpendicular thereto and therefore be located in use along one or more of the other sides, top or bottom of the block to which it is attached. In such arrangements, it will generally be more convenient to affix the bracket through such other faces which thus extend from the face having the support means, although fixing through this latter face may also be utilised.

In such embodiments utilising a block, the support means may be attached to the block in any known way, although a preferred means is to provide holes through the relevant face or plate as the case may be corresponding with preformed holes in the base block into which bolts, threaded bar or screws may be suitably inserted (utilising appropriate nuts and

washers etc as required in lmomm manner). Wbere screws are utilised, suitable anchoring means may be required such as plugs or the like.

The tubular means may be either square or round or of other suitable cross section to receive the legs of the mesh panel. It will be appreciated that in many instances square tubular means arc particularly preferred ;, especially when utilising round leg members for the mesh panel, as the extra free space will allow small stones, dust etc to fall through without impeding the insertion of the leg member therein. This is particularly advantageous having regard to the likely situations in which temporary fencing of this nature is employed. One particularly simple tubular means can be formed welding angle iron to the relevant plate or face.

Attachment of the tubular means to the end face of the bracket arrangement or where a plate only is utilised, that plate itself, may be accomplished by any suitable means or mechanism, although welding will be particularly preferred, especially where the plates are manufactured from steel or other metals which may be suitably welded. Besides metals, the support means may be manufactured from high density plastics or any other suitable material strong enough to support the mesh panels. In such other cases the plate/bracket and tubular means may in fact be integrally moulded or cast.

Preferably, each block has means associated therewith for interconnecting one or more blocks to provide additional stability as required against the likelihood of the fence falling away from that side on which each block extends, the means for interconnecting the blocks being provided in the form of one or more holes located through the blocks, through which threaded bar or other suitable material may be inserted so that one or more blocks may be connected and secured by means of a nut threaded onto the bar and tightened accordingly, or the blocks may be linked by means of metal strapping or other suitable means.

In one particularly preferred embodiment, it has been found that enhanced stability is achieved by using a pair of blocks, the first having the support means at one end and thus extending perpendicular to the line of temporary fencing, whilst a second block is located perpendicularly to the first in generally T-shaped arrangement, the second block being attached to the end of the first block remote from the support means attached thereto. It

has also been found useful to provide in this case a single connecting rod which extends through the centre (ie along the longitudinal axis) of the nrst Mock and then across the centre of the second (ie along the axis extending across the second block). It will be readily appreciated that in this arrangement such rod may also conveniently extend through a hole in the centre of the plate or face having the support means, thereby providing a single means for coupling both of the blocks as well as the support means, once suitable nuts are located on the rod a. nd tightened m the usual fashion. Alternatively, two or more blocks may be utilised side by side.

As an alternate to the foregoing embodiments, suitable footings may be utilised instead of the aforementioned blocks. Thus, as far as footings (as distinct from blocks) are concerned, these may take any suitable form, but where lighter construction may be required for example (including but not limited to indoor use), one preferred footing is made from a suitable metal, for example in the form of a plate, with which the support means itself may then be integral. In other words a single preformed construction is contemplated which is formed perhaps by suitable moulding or by means of joining the footing (ie a metal plate in this case) with the support means (of similar material) by welding or other suitable means.

Such arrangements will be found to be particularly advantageous where the need for heavier concrete blocks is not apparent, and where trafflc may occur on both sides of the fence line as the relatively Rat plate of the footing itself will not cause obstruction. Furthermore there may be advantages in overall cost from such a singular construction for the footing and construction of the temporary fence utilising such an integral arrangement for each footing/support will be arguably easier.

It will also be readily appreciated that many other footing arrangements will be found useful besides utilising a plate. Footings fabricated from hollow section, channel, flange, 1-Beam, H-beam or solid bar material to name but a few, are also contemplated. Similarly the choice of materials for the footing and support combination is not limited to steel or other metals, although these may be the preferred choice, but extends to any useful material having the capability to hold the relevant panels in the required use situation.

As a result of the design possibles arising from the wide choice of materials for the footing, it will also be appreciated that the footing itself (unlike the aforementioned base

blocks described above) need not necessary be a single fixed footing but may be extendible having for example a telescopic region. Where more stability is required the footing is this case may be extended to provided greater coverage across the terrain on which the fence is located to improve the overall stability.

Furthermore, the foregoing variations with respect to the support means described above in relation to embodiments utilising a base block, may also be utilised where appropriate in relation to embodiments utilising a footing as just described, the essential difference only being that instead of attaching the support means to a block the support means are attached to or otherwise integral with a suitable footing such as a plate, which substitutes for the block.

Where extra stability is required when using a footing in the form of a plate, several possibilities are available. Amongst these are that weights may be placed on the plate of the footing (eg conventional base blocks may be used in conjunction with such footings where necessary) or with advantage, holes may be provided in the footings and pegs or other Sing means inserted therethrough to temporarily affix the plate of the footing to the ground or terrain on which it is located.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated m the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 is a schematic representation (being a top view) of a typical fence line resulting from using base blocks and panels according to the prior art, Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of an improved fence line resulting from using base blocks and panels according to one aspect of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a base block and plate arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a base block and bracket arrangement according to another embodiment of the invention, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another base block and bracket arrangement according to another embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of one panel located in the tubular means associated with a base block according to the general precepts of the invention, Fig. 7 is a top view schematic view of two base blocks according to one aspect of the invention showing them in joined relationship, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment having a simple plate as a footing instead of abase block, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment having a U-shaped channel section for a footing, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a further embodiment having an I-beam section for a footing.

PEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring generally to the drawings and in particular to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a conventional fence arrangement (Fig. 1) and an embodiment according to the present invention (Fig. 2) in which like elements are referenced with the same numerals. Thus fencing panels 11 are located between base blocks 12 to define a boundary, eg along a path or pedestrian way 13. In the case of the conventional fence shown in Fig 1, the fence line as defined by the panels 11 of the fence runs from the centre of one block 12 to another. This means that the blocks in the region 14 thereof extend into the pathway 13 by approximately half their length. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, panels 11 of the present invention are located along corresponding ends of the base blocks 12, so that regions 14 do not extend at all into the pedestrian path 13, instead the whole of the block being located on the opposite side to path 13.

Figs-3 to 5 show three embodiments of the invention in which like components are again referenced with identical numerals. Referring specifically to Fig. 3, there is shown a plate arrangement generally referenced 21, having two tubular portions or oversized pipe sections 22 attached to a plate 23. In the case of metal construction these may be conveniently welded to the plate 23 (at position 24). Optionally a spacer element (not shown) may be utilised to set the tubular sections 22 out jfrom the plate 23, Plate 23 is provided with one or more holes 25 through which suitable screws or bolts 26 may be inserted to attach the plate to the end of a block 12.

Figs 4 and 5 show a similar arrangement to that shown in Fig. 3, except that the plate arrangement 21 of Fig. 3 is replaced in each of these Figures by a bracket arrangement 21' in which either a rearwardly projecting upper face 27 Fig 4 or a pair of side faces 28 and 28'extend along the top or side faces of the block 12 respectively. In each of these embodiments additional holes 25' for affixing the bracket arrangement 2I'are located in the respective upper face 27 or side faces 28, 28' as required.

Fig, 6 shows in general terms, the location of the leg member 29 of a mesh panel 11 in one of the tubular portions 22 located at the end of the block 12. This arrangement holds true whether the support is a bracket 21'or plate arrangement 21 as illustrated in any of Fig. 3 to 5. Because of the location of the tubular members 22 at-the end of the block 12, the bottom rung 30 of the panel 11 is able to extend generally along the line between the tops of adjacent blocks 12. Naturally if additional protection is required, eg to exclude animals etc, a skirt arrangement (not illustrated) may be utilised below the bottom rung 30 of the panel X l. proper.

Fig. 7 shows a t-shaped formation, wherein a pair of base blocks 12 and 12'are located adjacent each other and bolted together with a connecting rod 15, the ends of which are threaded (not specifically shown) and onto which nuts 16 are secured in known fashion.

In this way, fence panel sections 2 T may be located in useful relationship to provide a secure barrier for safety or control, the panels 11 being located without significant gaps therebetween and more particularly because of the location of the tubular sections 22 in relationship to the base block 12 itself, conventions ! panels 11 form a line of fence which is substantially along the front ends of the base blocks as discussed earlier in relation to Fig. 2.

Referring generally to Figs. 8 to 10 there are three further embodiments shown utilising footings in the form of a simple plate, U-shaped channel and I-beam respectively instead of the concrete blocks as utilised in Figs. 3 to 7. Similar features are identified with the same reference numerals throughout these and the earlier Figures.

Referring specifically to Fig. 8, there is shown a simple flat plate arrangement generally referenced 21, having two tubular portions or oversized pipe sections 22 attached to an end

plate 31, which extends perpendicularly upwards : from a base plate 32. The two plates 31,32 maybe joined for example by welding. As with previous embodiments, a optional spacer element (not shown) may be utilised to set the tubular sections 22 out from the end plate 31. In use a concrete block (not shown) may be located on Bat base plate 32 to provide additional rigidity where required.

Figs 9 and 10 show a similar arrangement to that shown in Fig. 8, except that the base plate arrangement 32 of Fig. 8 is replaced in each of these Figures by either a U-shaped footing 33 in Fig 9, or beam 34 as shown in Fig. 10, otherwise the footing functions in the same as previously described.

Throughout the specification the word"comprise'and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the context requires otherwise.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The invention has industrial applicability at least in relation to the provision of temporary fencing.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.