FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a bracket for attaching a reel to a support.

BACKGROUND

Portable or movable electric fencing systems are commonly used to retain and control livestock. A typical system comprises one or more electrically conductive tapes or wires, an energiser or power source arranged to energise the tapes by providing an electric current to the tapes, and a plurality of removable, spaced apart fence standards arranged to support and retain the tapes. Livestock that touch any electrically conductive part of the fence, such as the tape, receive an electric shock.

It is known to provide electrically conductive wire or tape wound onto a reel. One end of the tape is attached to the reel and the other end is a free end. The free end usually has a hook. Typically, the free end of the tape is attached to a wire of a permanent electric fence using the hook. The reel is then transported away from the permanent electric fence, drawing the tape off the reel. The reel is then attached to another support located at a distance from the permanent electric fence, with the tape extending between those two locations, forming a portable electric fence. The reel is electrically conducting and has an insulated handle. It is also known to use a similar method, but attach the reel to the fence and draw the tape away from the reel by transporting the free end away from the reel.

It is an object of at least preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a bracket for securely attaching a reel to a support, and/or to at least provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect, there is provided a bracket for attaching a reel to a support, the bracket comprising : a bracket member having a body that is operatively attachable to the reel, a first hook at or near a first end of the body, the first hook being configured to receive a first portion of the support, and a second hook at or near a second end of the body, the second hook being configured to receive a second portion of the support; and an abutment intermediate the first hook and the second hook, the abutment being configured to retain the support within the first hook and the second hook. The support may have a front and a back, and the abutment may be configured to secure the front of the support and the first hook and the second hook may be configured to secure the back of the support.

The support may have a top and a bottom, and the body may be configured to secure the bottom of the support and the first hook and the second hook may be configured to secure the top of the support.

The first hook may have an opening and the size of the opening may generally correspond to the size of the first portion of the support.

The second hook may have an opening and the size of the opening of the second hook may generally correspond to the size of the second portion of the support.

The abutment may be or may comprise a fastener.

The fastener may be configured to attach the bracket to the reel.

The fastener may be a bolt and/or a nut.

The first hook and the body may be integral.

The second hook and the body may be integral.

The bracket may be a rigid component.

The bracket may be symmetrical about a vertical plane.

The bracket may be electrically conducting.

The support may be a fence or part of a fence.

In accordance with a second aspect, there is provided a combination of the bracket of any one of the preceding claims together with a reel.

In accordance with a third aspect, there is provided a method of attaching a reel to a support, comprising the steps of:

a. providing a reel and a bracket as described above;

b. hooking the first hook around a first portion of the support; and c. hooking the second hook around a second portion of the support such that the abutment retains the support within the first hook and the second hook. The support may be a wire.

The term 'comprising' as used in this specification and claims means 'consisting at least in part of'. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which include the term 'comprising', other features besides the features prefaced by this term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as 'comprise' and 'comprised' are to be interpreted in a similar manner.

It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for example, 1 to 10) also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for example, 1, 1.1, 2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational numbers within that range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7) and, therefore, all sub-ranges of all ranges expressly disclosed herein are hereby expressly disclosed. These are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting. Where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

As used herein the term '(s)' following a noun means the plural and/or singular form of that noun.

As used herein the term 'and/or' means 'and' or 'or', or where the context allows both.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bracket.

Figure 2 is a top view of the bracket of figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front view of the bracket of figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end view of the bracket of figure 1.

Figure 5 is a top view of the bracket showing the path of the wire.

Figure 6 is a front view of the bracket of figure 5 showing the path of the wire. Figure 7 shows the initial stage of attaching a reel and bracket to a wire.

Figure 8 shows the next stage of attaching the reel and bracket to the wire.

Figure 9 shows a further stage of attaching a reel and bracket to the wire.

Figure 10 shows the reel and bracket attached to the wire.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the bracket and a reel support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to figures to 1 to 11, there is shown a bracket for attaching a reel 100 to a support 200. Figures 10 show the bracket attaching a reel to a support 200. The support 200 is a fence, or part of a fence. In figures 7 to 10, the support is a wire of a permanent electric fence. The support may be a rope, shock cord, trailer, or ATV.

In the form shown, the bracket is a bracket member 1 with a body 3 that is operatively attachable to the reel 100. The body 3 may be directly attached to the reel 100, or there may be one or more components between the body 3 and the reel 100. The bracket member 1 is attachable to the reel 100 by a fastener 2, which is described in more detail below.

The body 3 of the bracket member 1 is a generally rectangular component when viewed from above, shown in figure 2. The body 3 has a central portion 4 with a first wing 5 and a second wing 6 each extending outwardly from the central portion

4. The wings 5, 6 are relatively long compared to the central portion 4. The wings

5, 6 extend in opposite directions to each other. The central portion 4 is substantially flat. The central portion 4 has an aperture 7 located near the middle of the central portion 4. Figure 2 shows the aperture 7 is slightly offset from the geometrical centre X of the central portion 4. The aperture 7 is located in the centre between the ends of the body 3, but is located nearer the front of the bracket member 1 (bottom of figure 1) than the rear of the bracket member 1 (top of figure 2). The aperture 7 is sized to be slightly larger than the fastener 2 that extends through the aperture.

Each wing 5, 6 is generally gullwing shaped - each of the wings 5, 6 has a relatively shorter portion 8 that initially extends outwardly and upwardly from the central portion 4 that transitions into a relatively longer portion 9 that extends outwardly and downwardly. The angle A of the relatively short portion 8 (compared to horizontal) is steeper than the angle B of the relatively longer portion 9 (compared to horizontal). In the form shown, the angle A of the short portion 8 is about 53° and the angle B of the long portion 9 is about 7°. The angle A may be other suitable angles such as about 45° to about 60°, or about 50° to about 55°. The angle B may be other suitable angles such as about 0° to about 15°, or about 5° to about 10°. The transition between the central portion 4 and each of the wings is a curved bend 10. The transition between the relatively shorter portion 8 and the relatively longer portion 9 is also a curved bend 11.

The relative lengths of the central portion 4 and the wings 5, 6 are designed to fit around features of the reel 100. If a different reel 100 is used to the reel 100 shown in the drawings, the shape and dimensions of the bracket member 1 may be different to those shown in the accompanying drawings.

The bracket member 1 shown in the drawings is formed from a single bar of metal that is pressed or stamped into the shape shown. The manufacturing process of pressing the bracket member 1 gives the bracket member 1 the curves between each of the portions. If other manufacturing methods are used to form the bracket member 1, the bracket member 1 may have a different shape. For example, the thickness and/or width of the bracket member 1 may not be constant. Further, the transitions between the portions may be sharper, or more curved. The bracket member 1 may be cast or moulded rather than being stamped and pressed.

The bracket member 1 has a first hook 12 at or near a first end 13 of the body 3. The first hook 12 is configured to receive a first portion of the wire 200. The bracket member 1 has a second hook 14 at or near a second end of the body 3. The second hook 14 is configured to receive a second portion of the wire 200. In the form shown, the first hook 12 is at the first end 13 of the body 3 and the second hook 14 is at the second end of the body 3. The first hook 12 and the body 3 are integral and the second hook 14 and the body 3 are also integral. The second hook 14 has the same features and functionality of the first hook 12. Accordingly, only the first hook 12 will be described herein.

The first hook 12 extends upwardly from the first end 13 of the body 3, which is the outer end of the first wing 5. The hook 12 extends generally perpendicularly from the wing 5. As described earlier, the angle of the long portion is about 7° from a horizontal axis. Accordingly, the hook extends at an angle C of about 7° from a vertical axis.

The first hook 12 has a shank 15 and a bend 6 that define an opening 17. The size of the opening 17 generally corresponds to the size of the first portion of the wire. The shape of the opening 17 also generally corresponds to the shape of part of the wire. In particular, the opening 17 has a semi-circular profile that corresponds to the circular profile of the wire 200 and has a size corresponding to the size of the fence wire.

The bracket member 1 is symmetrical about a vertical plane. The first hook 12 and the second hook 14 both face the same direction - the shank 15 of both hooks 12, 14 is at the back of the bracket member 1 (top of figure 2) such that access to each hook is from the front of the bracket member 1.

Once assembled with the wire 200, it can be seen that the bracket member 1 is securely attached to the wire. The first hook 12 and the second hook 14 secure the bracket member 1 from moving forwardly relative to the wire 200 while an abutment (described below) and the body 3 secure the bracket member 1 from moving rearwardly relative to the wire 200. As a result, the bracket member 1 together with the reel 100 is securely held relative to the wire 200.

As described above, the bracket member 1 shown in the drawings is formed from a single bar of metal that is pressed or stamped into the shape shown. The hooks 12, 14 are also formed as part of the pressing and stamping process. The transition 15 between the hook 12 and the end of the wing 5 is a curve.

The bracket member 1 has an abutment intermediate the first hook 12 and the second hook 14. The abutment is or comprises the fastener 2. The fastener 2 is located centrally between the hooks 12, 14, but may be located closer to one hook or the other hook. The fastener 2 is configured to retain the wire 200 within the first hook 12 and the second hook 14.

In the form shown, the fastener 2 is a nut 19 and bolt 20. In addition to being the abutment, the fastener 2 is also configured to attach the bracket member 1 to the reel 100. In an alternative embodiment, the abutment and the fastener may be separate components. For example, the bracket member 1 may have an integrally formed boss that forms the abutment, and a separate fastener that attaches the bracket member 1 to the reel 100.

The wire 200 has a front and a back, a top and a bottom. The fastener 2 is configured to secure the front of the wire 200 and the first hook 12 and the second hook 14 are configured to secure the back of the wire 200.

The body 3 is configured to secure the bottom of the wire 200 and the first hook 12 and the second hook 14 are configured to secure the top of the wire 200.

When the bracket member 1 is secured to the wire 200, it can be seen that the wire 200 bends at the hooks 12, 14 and bends at the fastener 2. When the bracket member 1 and wire 200 are viewed from the front, figure 3, the wire 200 enters the first hook 12 in a generally horizontal direction, then bends slightly at the first hook 12 and extends upwardly towards the fastener 2. When the wire 200 reaches the fastener 2, the wire 200 bends slightly and extends downwardly towards the second hook 14. The wire 200 then bends slightly again and leaves the bracket member 1 in a generally horizontal direction. The portion of the wire 200 leaving the bracket member 1 is substantially co-linear with the portion of the wire 200 entering the bracket member 1.

The wire 200 has a similar path when the bracket member 1 and wire 200 are viewed from above. In particular, the wire 200 bends at each of the hooks 12, 14 and also at the fastener. As shown in figure 5, the wire 200 enters the first hook 12 in a generally horizontal direction, then bends slightly at the first hook 12 and extends rearwardly towards the fastener 2. When the wire 200 reaches the fastener 2, the wire 200 bends slightly and extends forwardly towards the second hook 14. The wire 200 then bends slightly again and leaves the bracket member 1 in a generally horizontal direction. The portion of the wire 200 leaving the bracket member 1 is substantially co-linear with the portion of the wire 200 entering the bracket member 1.

The wire 200 is a metallic wire, specifically steel wire. The combination of the metallic material, cross-section of the wire 200, and length of the wire 200 result in the wire 200 being a resiliently deformable component. When the bracket member 1 and the wire 200 are assembled together, the resiliently deformable nature of the wire 200 provides retaining forces that act against each hook 12, 14 and the fastener 2. The general direction of the retaining forces are shown in figure 5.

In addition to being resiliently deformable, there is some friction between the wire 200 and each of the hooks 12, 14, and between the wire 200 and the fastener 2. Those three locations of friction prevent, or at least substantially inhibit, the bracket member 1 from sliding along the wire. That friction assists in securing the bracket member 1 to the wire.

As described above, each hook 12, 14 has a recess that is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of the wire 200 providing a tight fit, or at least a close fit, between each hook and the wire. That tight fit, or close fit, also provides friction that assists in securing the bracket member 1 to the wire.

In use, the resilient nature of the wire, together with the friction provided by the hooks 12, 14 and the fastener 2 secure the bracket member 1 and the wire 200 together. As a result, the bracket member 1 secures the reel 100 to the wire.

Figure 11 shows the bracket member 1 together with a reel support 300. The reel support 300 has an inverted U shaped-body with a generally horizontal member 302 and two downwardly extending arms 302. The support further includes a handle with a hook 305 and an insulated handle 303.

The bracket member 1 may be or comprise an electrically conducting material. In some embodiments, at least one of the hooks 12, 14 is or comprises an electrically conducting material. In other embodiments, each of the of the hooks 12, 14 is or comprises an electrically conducting material. In the form shown, the bracket member 1 is formed from a single piece of metal. As a result, the entire bracket member 1 comprises an electrically conducting material and the entire bracket member 1 is electrically conducting. With reference to figures 7 to 10, a method of attaching a reel 100 to a support 200 will now be described. Figure 7 shows the reel 100 together with the bracket member 1 being introduced to the wire 200 of the fence. The bracket member 1, together with the reel 100, are initially attached to the wire 200 by hooking the first hook 12 around a first portion of the wire 200. The reel 100 is then manoeuvred until the second hook 14 is hooked around a second portion of the wire 200. The wire 200 is then retained within the first hook 12 and the second hook 14 by the nut and/or bolt. The wire 200 will have the path between the hooks and the nut and/or bolt as described earlier. The bracket member 1 and the reel 100 can be readily removed from the wire 200 by reversing the method described above.

As mentioned earlier, the bracket member 1 is manufactured by pressing and/or forming metal. In the form shown, the bracket member 1 is manufactured by pressing a bar, such as a steel bar. In an alternative embodiment, the bracket member 1 may be a cast or moulded component. The bracket member 1 may comprise a suitable metallic material, such as steel (including galvanized steel, spring steel, stainless steel, or uncoated mild steel) or aluminium. Alternatively, the bracket member 1 may comprise a polymeric material. The thickness of the bracket member 1 may increase or decrease compared to what is shown in the figures, if a different material is used. The bracket may be treated, for example the bracket may be painted, powder coated, or galvanised.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example only and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

The bracket has been described as having a body with a central portion with a pair of wings. In an alternative embodiment, the bracket may have a different shape. For example, the body may be a generally flat or planar component.

For example, the bracket may have two or more abutments.

The bracket described herein is intended to be used with a wire fence. The bracket member 1 may be used with other supports, such as other supports that have a wire. The bracket member 1 may be used with different supports with elongate components. However, the relative dimensions of the bracket member 1 may be different to those described herein depending on the size and dimensions of the support. For example, the bracket member 1 may be used with a support having a component in the form of a bar that has a larger diameter than the wire shown in the figures. The hooks 12, 14 would be larger and have larger openings that correspond to the size of the bar.