This invention relates to methods and hardware for reinforcing and repairing deteriorated fence posts.
Wood fence posts tend to deteriorate even when they are imbedded in concrete footings. Replacement of deteriorated fence posts is very difficult, time consuming and expensive. Removing and replacing fence posts along a section of fence can also disrupt and damage landscaping. Although a fence post that has deteriorated at and below ground level can no longer support a section of fence, in most cases, the remaining portions of the post are in good condition and can still support a section of fence. Fence hardware is available for installing posts without the wooden post penetrating the surface of the ground. Such hardware is expensive and can be difficult to install. It is also questionable as to whether or not such hardware will last any longer than a conventional wooden post. What is needed is a method for reinforcing and repairing fence posts of a fence that are deteriorated at and below ground level that requires a minimum of effort, that will not disrupt landscaping and that will restore the structural integrity of the fence.
The first embodiment of the fence post reinforcing hardware and method of the present invention satisfies this need by providing hardware and a method for installing that hardware which will substantially restore the structural integrity of a deteriorated fence post. The hardware of the present invention includes an angle iron stake and a stake driver for driving the angle iron stake down the corner of a fence post. The stake has a pointed lower end. The stake driver includes a body, handles, a first sliding surface for sliding along the corner of the fence post, a hammer surface for hammering the flat upper surface of the stake and a second surface extending below the hammer surface that is offset from the from the first sliding surface for retaining the stake against the fence post as the stake is being driven down the corner of the post.
The method for using the hardware of the present invention to reinforce a deteriorated post includes the following steps: (1) Hold the stake against a corner of the post. (2) Place the stake driver directly above the stake against the corner of the post so that the stake is trapped between the post and the second surface of the stake driver. (3) Slide the stake driver up and down the post so that the hammer surface of the stake driver strikes the flat upper surface of the stake to drive the stake down the corner of the post and into the ground. (4) Secure the stake to the post with fasteners.
The hardware and method of the present invention provides a way to restore the structural integrity of a fence by reinforcing fence posts deteriorated at and below ground level with an absolute minimum of time and effort. Using the hardware and method of the present invention, a worker can repair the deteriorated posts of a large section of fence with far less effort and material than would be required without using the invention hardware and method.
A second embodiment of the fence post repair stake and method includes a straight, generally flat upper portion, a straight, generally flat lower portion and a slightly curved central portion connecting the upper portion and the lower portion. The second embodiment of the fence post repair stake has a curved, three dimensional shape that curves out of the plane of the generally flat lower portion. The upper portion includes a fastening flange that projects at a right angle relative to the generally flat upper portion. The fastening flange and the rest of the upper portion have fastener holes. At the end of the flat lower portion of the stake is a cutting edge and a cutting flange that extends the cutting edge at an acute angle in relation to the stake. The lower portion of the stake, including the cutting flange, should have a width substantially equal to or slightly greater than that of a standard fence post.
The method for using the second embodiment repair stake to reinforce a damaged fence post that is embedded in a concrete cast includes the following steps: (1) Hold the stake against a first side of the fence post with the lower portion of the stake in contact with the one side of the fence post and the upper portion bent away from the fence post. The edges of the bottom portion of the stake should align with the edges of the fence post. (2) Strike the top end of the upper portion of the stake to drive the lower portion of the stake between the fence post and the concrete cast until the upper portion of the stake is so close to the side of the fence post that it can no longer be struck with the hammer. (3) Secure the upper portion of the stake to the fence post by inserting fasteners through the fastening holes in the upper portion to the first side of the fence post and then by inserting fasteners in the fastening holes in the fastening flange to a second adjacent side of the fence post. The resulting installation, if performed on two corners of a damaged fence post will return that fence post to its original strength.
The repair stake and method of the second embodiment provides a way to restore the structural integrity of a fence by reinforcing fence posts deteriorated at and below ground level with an absolute minimum of time and effort. Using the repair stake and method of the present invention, a worker can repair the deteriorated posts of a large section of fence with far less effort and material than would be required without using the invention hardware and method.
A third embodiment of a stake for reinforcing a rectangular post set in a concrete cast includes a generally flat blade. The flat blade has an upper portion which includes fastener holes for receiving fasteners for fastening to the post, a flat lower portion that is narrower than the upper portion and pointed at its lower end and a curved central portion connecting the upper portion to the lower portion. The upper portion, central portion and the lower portion all lie in a plane and define a serpentine or curved shape. The upper portion has an alignment edge that will align with a first wall of the concrete cast. The lower portion has an alignment edge that will also align with the first wall of the concrete cast. The central portion curves away from the upper portion and then back to the lower portion and has an alignment edge that can align with an opposite second wall of the concrete cast. If the third embodiment reinforcing stake is preferably made from a material that is slightly elastic so that it can have an overall width that is slightly greater than the distance between the opposite walls of the concrete cast.
The third embodiment stake is first inserted between the post and the concrete cast in an angled fashion and then forced between the post and the walls of the concrete cast until all three alignment edges are in contact with opposite walls of the concrete cast. When the upper portion of the reinforcing stake is fastened to the post, the stake provides a structural extension that anchors the post to the concrete cast thereby reinforcing any deteriorated portions of the post. If a second reinforcing stake of the third embodiment is installed on an opposite side of the post, then the post will be returned to a condition that is as strong or even stronger than when it was first installed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds