TEMPORARY FENCE

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application for patent claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2007905238 entitled "TEMPORARY FENCE", filed 25 September 2007, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to providing a temporary fencing system. In a particular form the present invention relates to a retractable fencing system suitable for use in mustering or assembling livestock such as cattle and sheep.

BACKGROUND

Often it is a requirement to fence an area in order to prevent the movement of people or animals into a certain area or otherwise guide their movement in a predetermined direction. One such example is the mustering of livestock such as sheep or cattle to be transported or moved to a holding pen. Typically, livestock are held in large fenced regions such as a paddock where they are allowed to roam freely and graze. This complicates the task of mustering livestock to the desired location as they must be gathered from across the paddock and directed to this single location.

Often this is difficult as the livestock cannot be sufficiently surrounded so as to prevent them from escaping the mustering process. Typically, the initial gathering of livestock is fairly straightforward. However, as livestock approach the single location their movement becomes more difficult to control as they attempt to escape. As such, it is often necessary to have multiple personnel with the help of dogs to muster or assemble any significant quantity of livestock.

In an attempt to address this problem, customised fencing arrangements have been developed which have a large throat region and taper down to the desired location. In this manner, the livestock only need to be directed to the throat region and then the mustering personnel remain behind the livestock driving them towards the desired location. However, whilst these fencing arrangements simplify the mustering process, the installation and maintenance of this type of infrastructure can be expensive and accordingly these types of fencing arrangements are often only viable in large scale operations.

There is therefore a need for a fencing system that is cost effective and may be readily deployed to aid in guiding the movement of people or animals or to prevent them entering a given region.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect the present invention accordingly provides a retractable fencing system including: an upright housing member forming a first end of the retractable fencing system; an anchor post forming a second end of the retractable fencing system; at least one elongate barrier means extending from the upright housing member to the anchor post, at least one intermediate upright spacer member attached to the elongate barrier means between the first end and the second end of the retractable fencing system, wherein the upright housing member is adapted to retractably dispense the at least one barrier means from the upright housing member.

In another form, the upright housing member includes keying portions to locate the upright housing member to a support structure.

In another form, the anchor post includes keying portions to locate the anchor post to an anchor support structure.

In another form, the upright housing member includes a spindle including at least one spool corresponding to the at least one barrier means.

In another form, the spindle includes a handle for an operator to rotate the spindle. Preferably, the handle has a locked position, wherein the handle is prevented from rotating.

In another form, the at least one barrier means includes a plurality of cords or lines.

In another form, the plurality of cords or lines are electrically conductive cables.

In another form, the at least one spacer member may be used to change the direction of the at least one barrier means.

In another form, in a stowed configuration the at least one spacer member is captured between the upright member and the anchor post.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a rear perspective view of a retractable fencing system in a part deployed configuration according to a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front perspective view of the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1; FIGURES 3A, 3B and 3C are back, side and top views of the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the upright housing member forming a first end of the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1 in a stowed configuration;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of an anchor post from the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1 attached to a star picket showing a first line tensioning arrangement;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the anchor post depicted in Figure 6 showing a second line tensioning arrangement; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of an intermediate spacer member from the retractable fencing system illustrated in Figure 1 attached to a star picket to form a corner section in a temporary fence.

In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the invention will have numerous applications, however for the purposes of description only, the invention will be described in relation to one application namely its use in relation to the mustering of livestock. Clearly, the present invention may be employed in any circumstances where it is necessary to direct or guide the movement of people or animals or prevent them from entering a given region.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 8, there is shown a retractable fencing system 100 according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Retractable fencing system 100 includes an upright housing member 110, a pair of intermediate upright spacer members 170 and an anchor post 180.

As best seen in Figure 4, upright housing member 110 incorporates a rotatably mounted spindle 120 having a handle 160 located at its top end. Spindle 120 includes four cable reels or spools 122 joined by tube portions 126 which form the central rotational axis of spindle 120. Each spool 122 consists of two opposed spool flanges 123 and an intermediate cylindrical portion 124 upon which the cable or line (not shown) is wound. Spindle 120 is fabricated from glass filled nylon and is designed to be injection moulded using an open-shut tool by incorporating appropriate passages and channels along its length. Spindle 120 is mounted within two opposed generally symmetrical front and rear body portions 130, 111 each having top part circular collars 133, 113 each receiving a correspondingly shaped bearing cup 128 formed of lubricated plastic which when joined together form a bearing surface to receive a top neck

portion 125 of spindle 120. Similarly, body portions 111, 130 each have a bottom part cylindrical recess 119, 134 which when joined together forms a receiving region for a bearing cup formed of lubricated plastic (not shown) which in turn receives and provides a bearing surface for the end cylindrical portion 127 of spindle 120. In this manner, spindle 120 is radially restrained at the top neck portion 125 and both radially and axially restrained at the end cylindrical portion 127 of spindle 120. Furthermore, each body portion 111, 130 incorporates four spool receiving regions 118, 140 which when joined together form a top frusto conical region 117, an intermediate recessed sleeve region 115 and a bottom firusto conical region 114 (with reference to body portion 111).

On assembly of front and rear body portions 130, 111, there is provided a tight clearance region between spool flanges 123 and the shoulders 134 of the inner cylindrical surface 133 (with reference to body portion 130) that corresponds to recessed sleeve region 115. This tight clearance region ensures that the cable or line remains wound onto spools 122. Tube portions 126 are furthermore received in corresponding sleeve regions 141 with each sleeve region 141 including a number of longitudinally spaced apart ribs 142.

Handle 160 has three different positions including a neutral position, a rotating position and a locked position. Moving the handle to a substantially vertical orientation engages the handle in the neutral position by a series of co-operating detents formed in the handle mounting region of housing member 110 and the pivot mount 161 of handle 160. In the neutral position, spindle 120 may be easily rotated in an anti-clockwise direction (when looking from above) allowing the cord or line to be easily unwound from spools 122.

In the rotating position, the handle 160 is moved downwards from the neutral position about the horizontal axis of pivot mount 161 so that the finger grip portion 163 of handle 160 is oriented generally upwardly. In the rotating position, the handle 160 may be employed by an operator to wind spindle 120 clockwise to tension or retract the cord or line.

To lock the handle 160, the handle can then be moved by approximately 180 degrees about pivot mount 161 so that finger grip portion 163 of handle 160 is oriented generally downwards to the locking position. In this locking position, the engagement tab 190 which extends vertically upwards from the top of housing member is received within locking aperture 162, thereby preventing rotation of spindle 120.

Rear body portion 111 of housing member 110 includes four attachment regions 112 which in this illustrative embodiment correspond to the location of spools 122 located on spindle 120. Attachment regions 112 incorporate a keying recess which allows the housing member to be located on a support structure having correspondingly located bolt or screw heads.

Front body portion 130 of housing member 110 includes four apertures or slots 131 (as best seen in Figure 2) located in line with spools 122 to deploy the cable or line wound onto each spool 122. A pair of opposed outwardly extending wall portions 132 are located either side of aperture 131. Each wall portion includes a centrally disposed wedging rib 135 located on the outer face of each wall portion 132.

In this illustrative embodiment, upright intermediate spacer members 170 have a ribbed structure and incorporate four pairs of opposed recesses 171 which line up with corresponding wall portions 132. Spacer members 170 also include a plurality of spaced apart apertures 172 which are centrally located with respect to recesses 171 and through which the cord or line may be threaded. Located on the sides of spacer members 170 is a pair of opposed longitudinally extending engagement channels or slots 173 which are dimensioned to receive a projecting rib 310 of a star picket or dropper 300 (as best seen in Figure 8).

Anchor post 180 is formed as an open ended frame member narrowing to an apex 186, thereby forming a V-shaped channel 190 (as best seen in Figure 3C). At the apex of V-shaped channel 190 there is once again formed a longitudinally extending engagement channel or slot 187 which is dimensioned to also receive a projecting rib 310 of a star picket or dropper 300 (as best seen in Figure 6).

In line with each spool 122 of spindle 120 and each recess 171 of spacer members 170 there is a first inlet aperture 184 for outwardly threading cord or line through and a horizontal groove or channel 181 which extends about the exterior of anchor post 180 ending in a terminating aperture 182 located opposite inlet aperture 184. The end of cord or line 200 is first threaded outwardly through inlet aperture 184 wrapped about anchor post 180 by virtue of channel 181 and then threaded inwardly through terminating aperture 182. The end of cord or line is then attached back onto itself by a standard line tensioning arrangement 210 to allow individual re-tensioning of cord or line 200 should this be required.

In another illustrative embodiment shown in Figure 7, the end of cord or line 200 will be first threaded inwardly through first inlet aperture 184 and then outwardly through oppositely facing terminating aperture 182 and then attached back onto cord or line 200 by a re-tensioning arrangement 210 such as described earlier.

Anchor post 180 also includes a pair of external attachment regions 183 which similarly to the attachment regions 112 incorporate a keying recess which allows the anchor post to be located on a support structure having correspondingly located bolt or screw heads prior to more secure attachment.

Housing member 110 and anchor post 180 are both formed of ultraviolet (UV) stabilised high density polyethylene which as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art ensures that retractable fencing system 100 will have excellent wear characteristics. Intermediate spacer members 170 in this illustrative embodiment are formed from UV stabilised low density polyethylene.

In operation, retractable fencing system 100 is taken to the required location in a stowed configuration (as best seen in Figure 5). In the stowed configuration, a pair of retaining straps or webs 199 is threaded through respective apertures 195, 193 in the housing member 110 and anchor post 180 respectively to secure the components of retractable fencing system 100 by a suitable buckle or clip that terminates one end of the retaining strap 199.

In another illustrative embodiment, anchor post 180 may be removably attached or fastened to upright housing member 110 by the wedging ribs 135 located on wall portions 132 which in this further embodiment function to removably wedge into the V-shaped channel 190 of anchor post 180.

V-shaped channel 190 in combination with upright housing member also forms a storage channel that retains the intermediate spacer members 170 in a compact configuration. In addition, intermediate spacer members 170 are attached to housing member 110 by engaging opposed recesses 171 to the inner surfaces of opposed wall portions 132.

As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this stowed configuration is especially convenient as the retractable fencing system 100 can be easily transported in a car or utility without losing any of the component parts as they are secured together by retaining straps 199 or other retaining arrangements.

As applied to the mustering of livestock to a desired location, an operator would first attach upright housing member 110 to a support structure such as fence post located near to the desired location. In this illustrative embodiment, keying recesses are used to first locate upright housing member 110 to a set of corresponding bolt heads such as provided by TEK™ screws or the like pre-located on the fence post. The operator is then free to then secure retaining straps 199 about the fence post to further secure housing member 110. As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, other attachment methods are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention. These include but are not limited to hooking arrangements, other tying or strapping arrangements or the temporary attaching of the upright housing member to a support structure by a series of bolts or screws.

In another embodiment, upright housing member 110 incorporates a ground engagement portion such as a stake that is driven into the ground thereby fixedly locating upright housing member 110. In another embodiment, upright housing member incorporates an elongate sleeve adapted to receive a permanent

fence post. In one embodiment, the elongate sleeve is formed in the center of spindle 120. In yet another embodiment, upright housing member 110 incorporates a foldable support stand that folds out to allow upright housing member 110 to support itself independent of a support structure.

Handle 160 is then put into the neutral or free position and anchor post 180 is then taken by the operator to the desired location by simply walking away from housing member 110. As anchor post 180 is moved from upright housing member 110, spools 122 will freely dispense or deploy the line or cord through apertures 131 as spindle 120 rotates within upright housing member. As the spools 122 are located on a common axis of rotation, the individual cords or lines corresponding to each spool 122 will dispense more or less equally and under suitable tension provided by bearing cup 128, thereby ensuring that the cords, lines or cables do not tangle during the deployment process. In another illustrative embodiment, spindle 120 includes biasing means such as a coil spring or further frictional resistance to provide further tension under deployment for the cords or lines. In another embodiment, the biasing means may be made operable to facilitate retraction of the cords or lines.

The exact positioning of the anchor post 180 will depend on the surrounding environment but one typical arrangement would be to form the boundary of a region tapering to the desired location in combination with the permanent fencing. Anchor post 180 may then be fixed to a star picket by virtue of longitudinally extending engagement channel or slot 187. The operator can then proceed back to the first end of retractable fencing system 100 (i.e. housing member 110) and change the handle 160 from the neutral position to the locked position thereby preventing rotation of spindle 120 and hence the further deployment of cord or line.

The operator then proceeds to anchor post 180 to which the cord or line is attached to and tensions the cord or line as described previously. Spacer members 170 may then be suitably positioned along the cords or lines to ensure that the individual cords or lines are adequately separated over the span of the fence.

In other illustrative embodiments, anchor post 180 may either be attached to an upright support structure such as described earlier with respect to upright housing member 110 or alternatively driven into the ground.

Although in this illustrative embodiment, a standard polyethylene cord or line is employed, equally other barrier means are contemplated within the scope of the invention. These include but are not limited to webbing, tapes or straps or sheets of suitable material. In another illustrative embodiment, electrified cable may be employed as the design of the retractable fencing system 100 described herein advantageously functions to keep each of the cords or lines insulated from each other and from the ground due to the choice of materials and the configuration of the component parts. In this illustrative

embodiment, clip leads may be attached to individual cables to electrify them, thereby providing a temporary electric fence.

In another example deployment of retractable fencing system 100 as shown in Figure 8, the spacer members 170 may be used to form a penned area by using them to form the corners of this area. In this example deployment, the longitudinally extending engagement channels or slots 173 of spacer members 170 are attached to suitably located star pickets 300 whilst maintaining electrical insulation. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this ability to change the direction of the fence as desired adds a great degree of flexibility to retractable fencing system 100 when compared to known temporary fencing systems.

Once the temporary fence is no longer required, the retractable fencing system 100 may then be stowed or packed away. The operator simply detaches anchor post 180 from its support structure and unlocks handle 160 from the locking position to the rotating position and then simply turns handle 160 to wind each strand of cord or line back on to the individual spools 122. In this process, anchor post 180 and intermediate support members 170 will be retracted back to upright housing member 110 where they can be resecured as previously described in the stowed configuration.

An alternative method for packing retractable fencing system 100 is to first lay the upright housing member 110, intermediate support members 170 and anchor post 180 on the ground prior to winding handle 160 to retract the cords or lines. Retractable fencing system 100 may then be stowed as has been described previously.

A brief consideration of the above described embodiments will indicate that the invention provides an extremely effective and economical means to temporarily fence an area. In the illustrative embodiments described herein, spans of up to 100 metres may be temporarily fenced by an electrical fence thus representing a significant advance over other known temporary fencing systems. A further advantage of the present invention is that it may be both deployed and stowed by a single operator, thereby simplifying the operation of the retractable fencing system and reducing associated labour costs.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.