GB2363058A

GB2363058A - Support bracket for mounting on fence posts

Info

Publication number: GB2363058A
Application number: GB0113200A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Sargeant
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-06-06
Filing date: 2001-05-31
Publication date: 2001-12-12
Also published as: GB0113200D0; GB0013769D0

Abstract

A fence post bracket, eg for a hanging basket, has a C-shaped element 16 which engages the slots 18 of the post and is retained in position by screw 19 mounted in threaded hole 22 whereby the screw bears on the post and clamps the bracket in place. The element 16 may be separate from the remainder of the bracket and have a box-like portion 21 which receives the bracket upright 11, or it may be welded to or integral with the bracket.

Description

S"GE102:.: 5/Mi 2363058 5 BRACKET MOUNTINGS

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field

10 This invention relates to bracket mountings and in particular to means for the mounting of load support brackets of the kind that comprise an upright element for attachment to a vertical surface, and an outwardly extending element to support a load. The outwardly extending element may project at right-angles to the upright element or at an inclined angle thereto. Optionally a third element may be provided between the 15 upright element and the outwardly extending element to strengthen the bracket and improve its load bearing capacity.

Backgrou The conventional method of mounting load support brackets of the said kind is by 20 screwing or bolting the upright element to the vertical surface. This is difficult to achieve where the vertical surface is a concrete post - as is used, for example, for the edge retention of wooden fencing panels (e.g. in gardens and elsewhere). The difficulty arises because the concrete post is usually reinforced by an embedded metal beam and cannot be easily drilled. Although, when used in gardens, a load support bracket of the said kind can be attached by the conventional method to one of the wooden fencing panels itself, this is not wholly satisfactory as the loads are often such as to distort or otherwise damage the fencing panels.

It is thus clearly desirable to provide bracket mounting means which can overcome the 30 above-mentioned andlor other difficulties.

SARGE101.6 5/2001 Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided bracket mounting means comprising an element engageable (preferably slidably) with a post, clamping means to urge said element against the post such as to be held frictionally fast therewith, and means for attaching a load support bracket of said kind to said element.

Said means for attaching the bracket may be by welding it to the element or by forming the bracket and element from a unitary metal strip such as, in either case, to provide the element and bracket integral with one another.

Alternatively the element and bracket may be two separate structures attached to one another by said clamping means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there i s provided bracket 15 mounting means comprising:

an element having a general C-shape with inturned ends directed towards one another, these inturned ends being for insertion into the pair of opposite vertical rebates in a concrete post of I-shaped cross-section; and further comprising a threaded member to extend in use through an aperture in 20 the upright element of a bracket, be in threaded engagement of a threaded hole in the element, and to engage reactingly against a face of the concrete post.

Brief Description of the Drawings

By way of example one embodiment of this invention will now be described with 25 reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first.. embodiment of the invention adjacent a concrete post of I-shape cross section; Figure 2a is a similar view showing a second embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2b is a schematic perspective view on an enlarged scale of a detail of Fig 2a.

SARGE102:uk: 512001 Detailed Description of Example(s) of the Invention

The triangular load support bracket 10 shown in Fig I comprises an upright element 11 to abut against a concrete fencing post 20, an outwardly extending element 12 having a curled end 14 from which can hang a load, e.g. a basket of plants, and an 5 inclined element 13 extending at an angle between the elements 11 and 12 to strengthen the bracket and improve its load bearing capacity. The upright element 11 extends upwardly a short distance (e.g. of the order of 2.5cms to 5cms) beyond the upper face of element 12, and this upwardly protruding portion is provided with a hole therethrough.

Bracket mounting means 15 are provided to mount the bracket 10 to a concrete fencing post 20 of conventional I-beam cross-section. The bracket mounting means 15 comprises an element 16 engageable slidably with the post 20. Element 16 has a general C-shape with the inturned ends 17 of the "C" directed towards one another, 15 these inturned ends 17 being for insertion into the pair of opposite vertical rebates 18 in the I-shaped cross-section, concrete post 20.

In the embodiment of Fig 1, the bracket 10 is attached permanently to the C-shaped element 16 by being welded to the bight wall of the 'C'. Alternat ively the bracket 10 20 and element 16 can be formed from a unitary metal strip. In either case, the element and bracket are integral with one another.

A screw, bolt or similar threaded member 19 extends in use through the aperture (optionally threaded) in the upwardly protruding portion of upright element 11 of the 25 bracket 10, and this threaded member 19 is in threaded engagement of an aligned threaded hole 22 in the element 16. The free end of threaded member 19 in use engages reactingly against a face of the concrete post 20 to urge the element's inturned ends 17 against the faces of rebates 18 and clampingly hold the bracket 10 against the post 20 such that the bracket is held frictionally fast to the post.

SARGE102:uk: 512001 In the embodiment of Figs 2a and 2b, the element 16 and bracket 10 are two separate structures, the element 16 being provided with a box-like structure or slot 21 to receive the upper protruding end of the bracket's upright element 11. Clamping of the bracket and element, in combination, to the post 20 is effected by threaded member 19 in a 5 similar fashion to that for the embodiment of Fig 1. The separable nature of bracket 10, clamping element 16 and threaded fastener member 19 allow all three items to be packaged together in a relatively flat box or like package to minimise storage space and transport costs. It also permits the bracket 10 to be mounted without the clamping element 16 (i.e. omitting it entirely) on a wood or likewise easily- drilled vertical 10 surface.

The load support bracket 10 need not be of the right-triangular type illustrated and the above-described and illustrated mounting means 15 can equally be used for the mounting onto a concrete post of I-beam cross-section of a triangular load support 15 bracket with the outwardly protruding element inclined upwardly (or downwardly) instead of at a right-angle to the upright element 11, or of a two- element right-angle type load support bracket that omits the lower inclined element 13. Other modifications and embodiments of the invention, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art, are to be deemed within the ambit and scope of the invention, and the 20 particular embodiment(s) hereinbefore described may be varied in construction and detail, e.g. interchanging (where appropriate or desired) different features of each, without departing from the scope of the patent monopoly hereby sought.

SARGE102:u6:5/2001

Claims

1. Bracket mounting means comprising:

an element engageable with a post, clamping means to urge said element against the post such as to be held frictionally fast therewith, and means for attaching a load support bracket of the said kind to said element.

2. Bracket mounting means according to Claim 1, wherein said element is 10 engageable slidably with said post.

3. Bracket mounting means according to Claim I or Claim 2, wherein said means for attaching the load support bracket comprise welding it to the element such as to provide the element and bracket integral with one another.

4. Bracket mounting means according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said means for attaching the load support bracket comprise forming the bracket and element from a unitary metal strip such as to provide the element and bracket integral with one another.

5. Bracket mounting means according to Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the element and bracket are two separate structures attached to one another by said clamping means.

25

6. Bracket mounting means comprising:

an element having a general C-shape with inturned ends directed towards one another, these inturned ends being for insertion into the pair of opposite vertical rebates in a concrete post of I-shaped cross-section; and further comprising a threaded member to extend in use through an aperture in 30 the upright element of a load suppport bracket of the said kind, be in threaded SARGE102:uk: 5/2001 engagement of a threaded hole in the element having said general C-shape, and to engage reactingly against a face of the concrete post.

7. Bracket mounting means substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A load support bracket of the said kind and having associated therewith bracket mounting means according to any one of the preceding Claims.