AU2005201414B2

AU2005201414B2 - An electrical insulator to mount an electric wire to a support

Info

Publication number: AU2005201414B2
Application number: AU2005201414A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Terence James Golding
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-04-19
Filing date: 2005-04-05
Publication date: 2011-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-04-05
Also published as: AU2005201414A1

Abstract

The present invention disclosed an insulator (6) having a flange (15) having a projection (18) which passes through an aperture (14) in the star picket post (10). The projection has a barbed and longitudinally split tip which engages an aperture (25) in a second flange (24). In this way the flange (15) abuts the post (10) and the insulator is secured to the post. Preferably the first and second flanges are hinged together. A catch (22) enables an electric wire to be retained on the insulator.

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 5 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 10 ORIGINAL Name of Applicant(s): GOLDING, Terence James 15 Actual Inventor(s): GOLDING, Terence James Address for Service: FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys PO Box 560 20 MILSONS POINT NSW 1565 Invention Title: Electric Insulator to Mount an Electric wire on a Support 25 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 30 5385A-AU An Electric Insulator to Mount an Electric Wire on a Support. Technical Field The present invention relates to electric insulators to mount electric wires on a support 5 and more particularly, but not exclusively, to electric insulators employed in electric fences to attach the wires thereof to a fence post. Background of the Invention Typically electric fences employed in the agricultural industry for, inter alia, the 10 effective control of livestock include a "star" picket (steel post) that is driven into the ground. Attached to the picket is an insulator via which an electric fence wire is attached to the post. The installation of these insulators is tedious and time consuming as both hands of an operator are required to install each insulator. Still further both hands are required to attach the wire to the insulator. 15 Accordingly electric fences are relatively time consuming to construct and therefore relatively expensive. Genesis of the Invention 20 The genesis of the present invention is a desire to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed an insulator to 25 attach an electric wire to a substantially vertical support post having at least an substantially horizontal aperture therethrough, said insulator comprising: a body having a first flange, a projection fixed to the first flange so as to extend generally normally therefrom, a second flange hingedly connected with respect to said first flange and 30 having an opening therein to receive said projection, said projection being sized to extend through said aperture with both said flanges abutting said support post to secure said insulator to the support post, and a clip fixed to the first flange to engage the wire to secure the wire to the insulator and therefore attach the wire to the support, the clip encompassing a space 2 through which the wire passes, and wherein said clip includes a catch member movable between a first position allowing insertion of said wire in said space, and a second position inhibiting removal of said wire from said space. 5 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of one handed attachment of the above insulator to a substantially vertical support post having at least one horizontal aperture therethrough, said method comprising the step of: grasping said first flange with said one hand and inserting said projection into 10 said aperture or one of said apertures, and swinging said hinged second flange into engagement with said projection to thereby secure said insulator to said post with said first flange abutting said post. Brief Description of the Drawings 15 Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic isometric view of a fence post with an insulator attaching an electric wire of an electric fence thereto; Fig. 2 is a further schematic isometric view of the post, insulator and wire of 20 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a schematic side elevation of the post insulator and wire of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a schematic end elevation of the post insulator and wire of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a schematic top plan view of the post, insulator and wire of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a schematic isometric view of a further fence post, and insulator 25 attaching an electric fence wire to the post; Fig. 7 is a further isometric view of the post, insulator and wire of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a schematic side elevation of the post, insulator and wire of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a schematic end elevation of the post, insulator and wire of Fig. 6; and Fig. 10 is a schematic top plan view of the post, insulator and wire of Fig. 6. 30 3 Detailed Description In the Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a "star" fence post 10 that is part of an electric fence. The post 10 has attached to it an insulator 11 that attaches an electrified wire 12 to the post 10. 5 3A The prior art post 10 is formed of metal and has three flanges 13 arranged in a Y shaped configuration with at least one of the flanges being provided with an aperture 14. 5 The insulator II is integrally moulded from plastics material and includes a first flange 15 that abuts a major surface of one of the flanges 13 and preferably a portion of the next adjacent flange 13. More particularly, the flange 15 includes a first flange portion 16 that abuts the flange 13 having the aperture 14, and a second portion 17 that abuts the next adjacent flange 13. 10 Extending from and fixed to the flange 15 is a projection 18 that passes through the aperture 14 to secure the insulator to the post 10. The projection 18 extends generally normal from the flange 15 and is bifurcated so as to have two resiliently deflectable portions 19 that are resiliently deflected towards each other to enable the projection 18 15 to pass through the aperture 14, but then assume a shape which inhibits their withdrawal through the aperture 14. Preferably the deflectable portions 19 form a barb or arrow head as seen in Fig. 5. Attached to the flange 15 is a clip 20 including a clip base 21 and a catch 22. The clip 20 20 encompasses a space 23 through which the wire 12 passes so as to be captively located therein. The catch 22 is resilient so as to be deflectable from a first position as shown in Figure 1 closing the space 23, to a second position allowing the wire 12 to pass between the base 21 and catch 22 by resilient deformation of the catch 22. Once the wire 12 is located in the space 23, the catch 22 resumes a position abutting the 25 base 21 so as to close the space 23. The wire can be removed again by again resiliently deforming the catch 22 so as to move it away from the base 21. Preferably, the insulator 10 includes a second flange 24 that co-operates with the flange 15 so that the post flange 13 is located therebetween. The flange 24 has an 30 aperture 25 to be aligned with the aperture 14 so that the projection 18 passes through the aperture 14 as well as the aperture 25. Once projecting through the aperture 25 barbed portions 26 of the projection 18 inhibit the projection 18 passing back through the aperture 25, thereby securing the insulator 11 to the post 10. However, resilient 4 compression of the projection 18 enables the projection 18 to pass back through the apertures 14 and 25 should removal of the insulator I I be required. The flange 24 is pivotally attached to the flange 15 so as to be angularly movable into 5 engagement with the projection 18 during installation of the insulator 11 with respect to the post 10. In the embodiment of Figures 6 to 10 the flange 24 is attached to the flange 15 by means of a flexible line 27. Additionally there is fixed to the flange 15 a guide 10 member 28 that passes through an elongated slot 29 in the flange 24 to guide the flange 24 into its engagement with the projection 18. The base 21 has a recess 30 within which the catch 22 is received to inhibit lateral displacement of the catch 22 relative to the base 21. 15 The above described preferred embodiments have the advantage that the insulator 10 is installed on the post 10 in a single handed operation. Also the wire 12 is attached to the insulator 10 by a single handed operation. The insulator 10 is formed of material (preferably plastic) that will electrically 20 insulate the wire 12 with respect to the metal post 10. The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. 25 The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of" 5 Case Note First page of claims is also numbered page 5

Claims

1. An insulator to attach an electric wire to a substantially vertical support post having at least an substantially horizontal aperture therethrough, said insulator comprising: a body having a first flange, a projection fixed to the first flange so as to extend generally normally therefrom, a second flange hingedly connected with respect to said first flange and having an opening therein to receive said projection, said projection being sized to extend through said aperture with both said flanges abutting said support post to secure said insulator to the support post, and a clip fixed to the first flange to engage the wire to secure the wire to the insulator and therefore attach the wire to the support, the clip encompassing a space through which the wire passes, and wherein said clip includes a catch member movable between a first position allowing insertion of said wire in said space, and a second position inhibiting removal of said wire from said space.

2. The insulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein said opening extends through said second flange and said projection extends through said second flange.

3. The insulator as claimed in claim 2 wherein the tip of said projection is bifurcated.

4. The insulator as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the tip of said projection is longitudinally split.

5. The insulator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 and being integrally moulded from plastic material.

6. A method of one handed attachment of the insulator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 to a substantially vertical support post having at least one horizontal aperture therethrough, said method comprising the step of: grasping said first flange with said one hand and inserting said 5 JJ0JI-1-1-lU projection into said aperture or one of said apertures, and swinging said hinged second flange into engagement with said projection to thereby secure said insulator to said post with said first flange abutting said post. Dated this 23 rd day of May 2011 GOLDING, Terence James By FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicants 6