Grate Wall

Abstract

A barrier for preventing wildlife from entering a roadway is disclosed. The barrier includes a plate having a bottom edge adapted for piercing a ground surface, and at least one opening in the plate for connecting a corresponding at least one post to the ground so as to provide additional vertical support for the plate.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/383,772, filed on Sep. 17, 2010, to Lill, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] 1. Field of the Disclosed Embodiments

[0003] The disclosed embodiments relate to a barrier for preventing animals from crossing onto a roadway.

[0004] 2. Background of the Disclosed Embodiments

[0005] A structure is required which is suitable for providing a fence surface which prevents turtles and other wildlife from crossing onto a road when other means of connecting manmade obstructions, such as guardrail structures, are unavailable. The structure should be modular so as to enable the creation of miles of roadway barriers.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] A barrier for preventing wildlife from entering a roadway is disclosed. The barrier includes a plate having a bottom edge adapted for piercing a ground surface, and at least one opening in the plate for connecting a corresponding at least one post to the ground so as to provide additional vertical support for the plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0007] Figures are provided, which are not limiting, and in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of the disclosed barrier;

[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the disclosed barrier;

[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the disclosed barrier;

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a post for the disclosed barrier;

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates one side view of the post;

[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates another side view of the post; and

[0014] FIG. 7 is a top view of the spike.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a grate wall 10 having a vertical plate 10 and a horizontal return or flange 14. The plate and flange 10, 14 can be unitary, connected at a bend 16, or can be separate plates welded together. The material can be sixteen gauge galvanized steel. The width of the plate 10, from proximate end 18 to distal end 20, is approximately four feet while its height, bottom 26 to top 22, is approximately ten inches. The depth of the flange, front 22 to back 24, is approximately between two and two and a half inches. In addition, reference has been made to "proximate" and "distal" ends. In the illustration, the proximate side is the right side and the distal side is the left side of the figures.

[0016] The bottom edge 26 of the vertical plate 12 has a profile comprising a bank 28 of continuously oriented triangular serrations or notches. Each notch, e.g., notch 28, is substantially similar and is approximately an inch in height and two inches wide, trough 27 to trough 29, that is, vertical low point to vertical low point, with peaks therebetween. The bank of notches 30 enables pushing the wall 10, bottom edge 26 first, into a ground surface.

[0017] Once in place, in a ground, use is made of a bank of slots 32 widthwise spaced on the flange 14, including slot 34, each of which having substantially the same size and shape. For example, slot 34 has a V-shape, with the peak or center joint 36 of each slot positioned mid-depth in the flange 14 and facing a common side of the flange, e.g., distal side edge 38. Each side slot 40, 42 of each "V" shaped slot extends towards the proximate edge 44 of the flange 14 by an angle of about forty-five degrees from a widthwise extending centerline 46 of the flange. Thus, a ninety degree angle exists between each side slot 40, 42.

[0018] The illustration provides for three such slots 44, 47, 48 in the bank of slots. However two slots 44, 47 can be provided at opposing proximate and distal ends 38, 44 of the flange 14, omitting the center slot 48. Alternatively, more slots can be provided as needed.

[0019] Into each slot, a post 50 illustrated in FIGS. 4-7 is provided, which is fabricated from the same material as the grate wall 10. Each post 50 has a cross sectional shape, defined by connected side walls 52, 54, connected at a central joint 55, which is configured to enable passing substantially freely into the individual slots 34, 47, 48 in the bank of slots 32. As illustrated, each side wall 52, 54, is about an inch long. Each post 50 functions as a spike for spiking the grate wall 10 into the ground and vertically supporting the grate wall 10 at an embedded location.

[0020] Assisting in the embedding process is a bank of tabs 56 in each post 50 which includes, e.g., tab 58 on side wall 54, which is representative of each tab. The tab 58 is angled outwardly from its connecting joint 60 on the side wall 54 by about twenty to thirty degrees from the vertical, when the post is vertically oriented, and is approximately a half inch long and has a square surface area. There are approximately twelve aligned tabs on each wall 52, 54 in the post defining the bank of tabs 56. The tabs provide a scoping function which resists pulling the posts from the ground and from the slot in the grate wall flange.

[0021] Each post 50 is about two feet long and the side walls 52, 54 of each post 50 each have an angled or chamfered bottom end 62, 64, with, for example, a twenty to thirty degree outward pitch. The chamfered bottom creates a spike 66 or a "V" from the perspective view (FIG. 4), for piercing the ground.

[0022] A top cap 68 on the post, horizontally positioned when the post is vertically disposed, enables hammering the post into the ground. The cap 68 is essentially a quarter-round plate, an inch on each side, which spans the top edges of the spike 66 formed by the side walls 52, 54.

[0023] The above structure is suitable for providing a fence surface, preventing turtles and other wildlife from crossing onto a road when other means of connecting obstructions, such as guardrail structures, are unavailable. The grate wall can be adjacently positioned next to other grate wall structures, creating miles of roadway barriers.

[0024] Accordingly, a barrier for preventing wildlife from entering a roadway has been disclosed. Generally, the barrier includes a plate having a bottom edge adapted for piercing a ground surface, and at least one opening in the plate for connecting a corresponding at least one post to the ground so as to provide additional vertical support for the plate.

[0025] Alternatively, the plate can be a mesh nylon polypropylene material between the posts instead of a plate. While certain advantages exist with a plate, such as its inherent stability and ability to pierce the ground, and the additional stability provided by the integrated flange. However, the mesh material would provide a less expensive alternative. In addition, a cross member could be snaked through the mesh fence, between the posts, along top or bottom fence edges, or vertically between those edges, such as a one tall by quarter inch thick plate which spans the distance between the posts. Such would provide at least some horizontal stability otherwise lost by utilizing a mesh instead of the disclosed plate.

[0026] The disclosed embodiments may be configured in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics identified herein. The embodiments are in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. The scope of the embodiments is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims and their combination in whole or in part rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A barrier for preventing wildlife from entering a roadway, comprising: a plate having a bottom edge adapted for piercing a ground surface; and at least one opening in the plate for connecting a corresponding at least one post to a ground so as to provide additional vertical support for the plate.

2. The barrier of claim 1, wherein the bottom edge of the plate is contoured to pierce a ground surface.

3. The barrier of claim 2, where the contour forms a triangular waveform.

4. The barrier of claim 2, where the contour extends from a proximate edge to a distal edge of the bottom edge of the plate.

5. The barrier of claim 1, where the plate includes a strengthening flange extending substantially perpendicular thereto.

6. The barrier of claim 5, where the flange extends from a top edge of the plate.

7. The barrier of claim 5, where the flange dimension in a barrier depth-wise direction is less then the plate dimension in a barrier height-wise direction.

8. The barrier of claim 5, where the at least one opening for connecting posts to a ground is disposed in the flange.

9. The barrier of claim 8, where the at least one opening includes a V-shape slot which sweeps towards a proximate side of the barrier.

10. The barrier of claim 9, where an angle between first and second segments of the slot which define the V-shape are substantially perpendicular to each other.

11. The barrier of claim 9, where the at least one opening includes plural V-shaped slots regularly spaced from each other along the widthwise span of the flange, between opposing proximate and distal ends of the flange.

12. The barrier of claim 11, comprising plural posts, one for each respective slot in the plate.

13. The barrier of claim 12, where the post includes first and second side walls, extending from a common vertically oriented center joint, configured to fit in the respective first and second segments in the V-shaped slot.

14. The barrier of claim 13, where each side wall in the post includes at least one tab, angled away from the respective side wall, from a horizontal joint, for gripping ground once installed, thereby preventing removal from the ground.

15. The barrier of claim 14, where each tab is angled outwardly from each post side wall.

16. The barrier of claim 15, where each side wall in the post includes a plurality of the tabs, uniformly spaced from each other, along a height-wise span of each side wall.

17. The barrier of claim 13, where each side wall in the post has a chamfered bottom edge for penetrating ground.

18. The barrier of claim 17, where the chamfered edges sweep outwardly from the center joint in the post.

19. The barrier of claim 13, where the post includes a Lop plate connecting respective top edges of the post side walls, for rigidly separating each side wall and providing a surface for driving the post into a ground.

20. The barrier of claim 19, where the top plate forms a quarter-round.

21. The barrier of claim 12, where the barrier is formed from steel.

22. A barrier for preventing wildlife from entering a roadway and simultaneously barricading trash from falling outside of a roadway, comprising: a mesh fencing; and posts disposed on outer bands of the mesh fencing for providing the mesh fencing with vertical stability.

23. The barrier of claim 22, including one or more cross members snaked horizontally through the mesh fencing for providing horizontal stability to the barrier.

24. A method of barricading animals from entering a roadway a and simultaneously barricading trash from falling outside of a roadway, comprising: inserting posts, with sidewall tab formations, along the roadway; and inserting mesh fencing between the posts; wherein the posts resist removal from the ground once inserted via tab formations disposed on side walls of the post.