WO2000067264A1

WO2000067264A1 - Insulator for electric fencing

Info

Publication number: WO2000067264A1
Application number: PCT/CA2000/000457
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric White
Original assignee: Eric White
Priority date: 1999-04-29
Filing date: 2000-04-28
Publication date: 2000-11-09
Also published as: CA2286419A1; AU4096500A

Abstract

An insulator (1) for electric fencing having a base (2) with a pair of integrally moulded supports (3, 4) with an elongated roller (5) therebetween. Projections or ridges (22) may be provided in the base between the supports.

Description

INSULATOR FOR ELECTRIC FENCING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an insulator for electric fencing,

and in particular to an injection molded plastic insulator for such fencing that may be mounted directly onto a surface, especially a fence post, at straight (line) or angled sections of electric fencing and which is capable of being used with

electrically conductive rope, electrically conductive polymer tape or wire and with high tensile wire. In embodiments, projections or ridges are provided to maintain

the insulator in position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional fences are barrier type fences which attempt to keep

animals in or out of the enclosure by creating an immovable barrier. Stone walls and wood were the early materials of choice. Barbed wire and high tensile wire have been widely used for many years. Vinyl board fence and wire mesh fence

are more recent developments. Recycled rubber, rigid pipe, polymer coated wire

and extruded polymer (non-metallic) wire are all used today as fence materials.

Fences have always presented problems. They are expensive to build and troublesome to maintain. When a weak link is found, or created, by an

animal, or by a falling tree, the fence is penetrated. When a fence is penetrated,

animals escape from the enclosure with the risk of serious injury to animals or people, and potential loss of the animals.

Animals, particularly horses, can both damage and be damaged

by traditional fence materials. Horses can kick through wood fences, chew wood until it is severed, get puncture wounds from wood splinters, nails and loose wire

ends, get cut by wire, and get serious injuries from loose ends of wire which

tangle around their legs.

The most frustrating problems to farmers are the time, trouble and cost to erect traditional fences, and the constant need to repair them.

Electric fence technology introduced a psychological deterrent to

fences. Electric fences may be used as separate fencing or to supplement and

protect traditional fences made of wood or wire or plastic.

Several attempts have been made to devise a strong and durable

electric fence, suitable for use as a permanent fence. Electrified high tensile wire on posts has been widely used as permanent electric fencing, but it is heavy and

cumbersome to install and repair, and it undergoes expansion and contraction

with changes in temperatures. Another type of electric fence is made by twisting wire conductors with strands of fibreglass or polymer fibres to form a twisted rope. A further type of electric fence line comprises tapes woven from a plurality of textile or fibreglass threads with electrically conductive filaments of wire

woven-in longitudinally, as disclosed by Olsson in US 4,449,733.

Electrically conductive rope is disclosed by Eric White in published

PCT application No. WO 98/20505 published on May 14, 1998.

In use, the electric fencing may be strung along a fence line, so as

to prevent an animal from pushing through the fence. The electric fencing may also be used to section off an area of a field and restrict movement of an animal or animals within the field. Electric fencing may be strung along roadsides or in

other areas to prevent or restrict access of animals to a designated area. The electric fencing may be supported on posts, which may be wooden, metal,

plastic or other materials. Moreover, the posts may be round, square, T-bar or flat, the uneven surfaces of tree trunks or any other suitable support surfaces. All of these methods require use of insulators to isolate the electric fencing from the support structure.

A wide variety of methods are used for attachment of the insulator

to a substrate. Insulators may be sold commercially as for instance groove line

insulators, corner insulators, strain insulators, wooden post insulators, rod insulators, steel post insulators, gate anchors, tape insulator, reel insulators, with different types of insulators being intended for use with different support structures. Some such insulators are intended to be attached to the support using wire or screw systems, whereas other systems are adapted to be fitted

directly onto a particular style of posts e.g. T-bar posts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An insulator for electric fencing that is capable of being used on

a wide variety of substrates, and for use on line fencing, corners or other angles

in a substantially universal manner would be useful. Such an insulator has now

been found.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides an

insulator for electric fencing, said insulator being directly attachable to a

substrate, comprising:

(a) a base having a pair of opposed integrally moulded supports

extending therefrom, said supports being smoothly contoured with said base, each support having an orifice therethrough, said base having at least one orifice for attachment of the base directly to a substrate;

(b) an elongated roller with a smoothly tapered waist and an axial

orifice, said roller being located between said supports with the axial orifice cooperatively aligned with the orifices of each support; and

(c) an axle extending through said orifices and adapted for retention of the roller between said supports, said roller being rotatable.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of said

base and said roller are injection moulded from a non-conductive thermoplastic

composition.

In a further embodiment, the supports are joined to the base by a radiused and flared integral junction on each side of each support.

In another embodiment, the base has a plurality of ridge

projections extending from said base between the opposed integrally moulded

supports.

In yet another embodiment, the ridge projections have a non-

rounded apex.

In further embodiments, the projections are in the form of ridges

with a planar upper edge, especially in a parallel alignment and in particular with

the ridges having a W cross-section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by the embodiment shown in

the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a perspective view of an

insulator;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an end view of the

insulator of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a longitudinal cross- section, along A-A of the insulator of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a perspective view of an alternate insulator; and

Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the insulator of Figure 4,

through B-B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an insulator, generally

indicated by 1. Insulator 1 has base 2 from which extend first support 3 and second support 4. First support 3 and second support 4 are in a spaced apart

relationship, but are aligned with roller 5 therebetween.

Base 2 has first end 6 and second end 7, with first support 3 and

second support 4 being spaced from therefrom, respectively. First end 6 is shown as having base orifice 8 therein, for use in attachment of insulator 1 to a

support substrate. Base 2 would normally have a second base orifice located on second end 7, not shown in Figure 1.

First support 3 is shown having support orifice 10, which is used

in attachment and retention of roller 5 in position. It is understood that second

support 4 would also have an orifice and such orifices would be aligned. First support 3 is shown as being integrally contoured with base

2, at integral contour 9. Integral contour 9 occurs on both sides of first support

3, and similarly is on both sides of second support 4 at the juncture of first support 3 and second support 4 with base 2. Integral contours 9 are important

to provide strength and support for first support 3 and second support 4, to resist

strains and stress during use of the insulator. It is preferred that the integral contour be radiused and flared, so that there is not a sharp juncture between the base and support, to maximise the strength of the juncture of the base and support. It is intended that first support 3 and second support 4 would be injection moulded as a single unit with base 2.

Roller 5 has roller waist 11 located between first roller end 12 and second roller end 13. Roller waist 11 is for retention of the electric fencing i.e.

rope or wire, during use and may have a depth of 25-75% of the radius of the

roller. Roller 5 is located between first support 3 and second support 4, and is freely rotatable therein. Roller 5 is retained in position using an axle or other attachment means located in support orifice 10, extending through an orifice (not

shown) that is axially located within roller 5 and into a support orifice located in

second support 4.

Figure 2 shows an end view of the insulator of Figure 1. First

support 3 extends upwards from base 2, and is shown as being in a truncated triangular shape. This is a preferred shape. First support 3 is integrally

connected to base 2 at an integral contour 9. Roller 5 is located behind first

support 3, as viewed, and has first roller end 12 and roller waist 11. Roller 5 is

supported at support orifice 10, using an axle therein. Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the insulator of Figure 1 , through

A-A. Base 2 has two base orifices, shown as 8A and 8B. Base orifice 8A is shown in first end 6 and base orifice 8B is shown in second end 7. First support

3 and second support 4 extend from base 2, being connected thereto at integral contours 9. First support 3 has support orifice 10A and second support 4 has

support orifice 10B. Roller 5 has roller orifice 14 extending therethrough in an

axial position. Roller orifice 14 is cooperatively aligned with support orifices 10A and 10B. Support orifice 10A would have an axle or other attachment means extending therethrough and through roller orifice 14 for retention of roller 5 in position between first support 3 and second support 4 so as to permit rotation

of roller 5 between the supports. The gaps 16A and 16B between roller 5 and

first support 3 or second support 4, should be small, of sufficient width to permit

roller 5 to freely rotate between first support 3 and second support 4 but to do so without significant wobble or axial movement. Electrically conductive rope 15 is shown as located in waist 11 of

roller 5, in a location between roller 5 and the section of base 2 located between

first support 3 and second support 4.

In an embodiment of the invention, the region of the base 2

between first support 3 and second support 4 has a plurality of ridge projections,

which preferably have non-rounded apices. It is to be understood that the ridges could have a non-planar upper edge e.g. the ridge could have peaks and

valleys, also known as peaks and saddles. However, as illustrated in Figures

4 and 5 discussed below, the projections are preferably in the form of ridges with

a planar upper edge. The ridges should be aligned in parallel and extend for at least a substantial part of the width of base 2. The ridges preferably have a

cross-section that is in the form of a "W". For instance, each ridge could be of a V cross-section and the intervening valley in the shape of an inverted V. An example of such an alternate and preferred embodiment is illustrated in Figures

4 and 5.

In Figure 4, base 2 has a plurality of ridges 22 extending transversely across the base in the region of base 2 located between first support 3 and second support 4. Ridges 22 have a V shape, and the intervening valleys have an inverted V shape. In Figure 4, ridges 22 are aligned in parallel and extend across the full width of base 2. Ridges 22 should extend across a

major part of such width. In addition, ridges 22 are shown as extending from first support 3 to second support 4, which is a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The embodiment of Figure 4 shows axle 20 located in support orifices 10A, as discussed herein.

Figure 5 shows a cross-section of Figure 4, through B-B. Axle 20,

with axle head 24, is located in support orifices 10A and 10B. Axle 20 retains

roller 5 in position. Roller 5 is rotatable, but axle 20 is preferably in a force-fit in

support orifices 10A and 10B. While being removable, e.g. by prying out, axle 20 is intended to remain in position during normal use.

Reference has been made to use of an axle to retain the roller in

position, and permit rotation. A wide variety of axles may be used. For instance,

one end could resemble the head of a bolt and the other end have a nut, split pin, cotter pin or other means to retain the axle in position. The axle could be a

tapered spindle that would be retained in position by a friction fit or the tapered spindle with the walls of the orifice of the support or of the roller. The axle could be intended to rotate with the roller, or be independent thereof. In preferred

embodiments, the axle is readily capable of insertion and removal, while remaining in position during use.

The insulator of the present invention is readily attachable to a substrate. If the substrate is a wooden post, the insulator may be nailed on. If the post is other than a wooden post, then the insulator may be wired, taped or

strapped onto the post, or attached using ratchet-type systems or by a variety

of other methods.

In many instances, it is inconvenient, time-consuming or not feasible to attach the insulator using nails or screws, especially when the post will not readily accept nails or screws. In such cases, use of wire, tape or straps may be preferred. This is usually done before roller 5 is placed in position. The

tape, or other attachment, would normally be applied by hand, or using a

convenient dispenser, in a tight manner. Nonetheless, in use, and especially in

use at angles or corners in the fence, tension may be applied to the insulator due to contours of land, presence of an animal contacting the fence or for other reasons. For example, the electric fencing passing through the insulator may not do so in a horizontal manner, but may angle upwards or downwards from the

insulator. In such situations, there is a tendency for tape used to attach the

insulator to the post to move position within the insulator so that it becomes

adjacent to either the first support 3 or second support 4, depending on the direction of the tension. The consequence is that the insulator has a tendency to tip or flip out of position. In the latter situation, the insulator could be useless and not perform its expected function as an insulator.

The alternate embodiment, illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, alleviates tendencies for the tape or other attachment to move out of position. The raised ridges permit the insulator to move freely in a horizontal direction along the tape, thereby allowing the insulator to orient with respect to the direction of tension on the electric fence rope or wire. As the tension is applied, the tape bites into the ridges, which stops slippage of the tape in a vertical direction, upward or

downward, and this tends to prevent tipping or flipping. The insulator may be used on line fencing, and at corners or

angles of fencing. It is not necessary to have insulators of different constructions for different locations. In extreme cases, two or more insulators located in close proximity can be used to attach the electric fence rope or wire to a substrate

(post) at the corner. The base and roller may each be formed in injection moulding

processes from thermoplastic polymer compositions. The compositions should

contain UV and other stabilizers for protection against sunlight and other

environmental conditions of use. For example, the compositions could be polyethylene filled with carbon black. Other polymers may be used e.g.

polyesters and polyamides.

The composition should be electrically non-conductive and

preferably have self-lubricating properties.

An insulator may be used with a single electrically conductive rope,

or with two or even more e.g. at a junction of electric fences. In many instances, the insulator can be installed using one nail, with a second nail added later. This will permit adjustment of the position of the insulator when the electric fencing is entering the insulator from a non-horizontal

position. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The insulator is used in conjunction with electric fencing for

mounting such fencing onto surfaces, such as fence posts, for use in line fences, corners or other angles in a substantially universal manner. Such fencing may include electrically conductive rope, electrically conductive polymer tape or wire.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An insulator for electric fencing, said insulator being directly

attachable to a substrate, characterized by:

(a) a base (2) having a pair of opposed integrally moulded supports (3,4) extending therefrom, said supports being smoothly contoured with said base, each support having an orifice (10A, 10B) therethrough, said base having at least one orifice (8) for attachment of the base directly to a

substrate;

(b) an elongated roller (5) with a smoothly tapered waist (11 )

and an axle orifice, said roller being located between said supports with the axial orifice (14) cooperatively aligned with the orifices (10A, 10B) of each

support; and

(c) an axle extending through the orifices of said support and

said axle orifice and adapted for retention of the roller between said supports,

said roller being rotatable.

2. The insulator of Claim 1 , characterized in that each of said

base and said roller is injection moulded from a non-conductive thermoplastic composition.

3. The insulator of Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the

supports are joined to the base by a radiused and flared integral junction (9)

on each side of each support.

4. The insulator of Claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterized in that the base has a plurality of ridge projections (22) extending from said base between the opposed integrally moulded supports.

5. The insulator of Claim 4, characterized in that the ridge projections have a non-rounded apex.

6. The insulator of Claim 5, characterized in that the non-

rounded apex is pointed.

7. The insulator of any one of Claims 4-6, characterized in that the ridge projections are in the form of ridges with a planar upper edge.

8. The insulator of any one Claims 4-7, characterized in that the ridge projections are in a parallel alignment.

9. The insulator of any one of Claims 4-8, characterized in that the ridge projections have a W cross-section.