55390 PAB:JPH P/00/011 AUSTRALIA Regulation 3.2 Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: LANCE MALCOLM VATER Actual Inventor(s): LANCE MALCOLM VATER Address for Service: COLLISON & CO.,1 17 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention Title: SUPPORT BRACKET Details of Associated Provisional Application(s): Australian Patent Application No. 2004902120 Dated 22 April 2004 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 The present invention relates to a support bracket, an arrangement using a support bracket and a method of construction generally for use in the construction of a fence or barrier. This invention relates to the use in constructing fences and barriers of steel 5 tube of constant cross-section (one form of this is known as Rolled Homogenous Steel, or RHS). RHS is useful because of its relatively low cost and high strength. This material can be used for both upright posts and rails that can be arranged to extend between the posts. It is a desirable feature of such fences or barriers, to fix rails to the posts 10 such that they have a common orthogonal centre line with an end of a respective rail abutting a side of the upright. This construction technique has aesthetic advantages, and it also means that the rails do not project beyond the width of the posts, which in turn reduces the extent to which the fence or barrier may encroach upon the thoroughfare. 15 Brackets, which are not admitted to form part of the common general knowledge, have been developed to facilitate the attachment of square RHS rails to square RHS posts in this fashion. The problem with these brackets however, is that they comprise two separate components that must be assembled around each end of the rail before the rail can be attached to the 20 post. Furthermore, there is additional complexity and cost associated with producing two separate components. It is an object of the present invention to provide a support bracket, an assembly using a bracket and a method of construction for use in the construction of a fence or barrier that overcomes or at least substantially 25 ameliorates the problems associated with the brackets of the prior art. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying 3 drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. In one form of this invention although this may not necessarily be the only or indeed the broadest form of this there is proposed a support bracket having 5 at least two integral portions, a first being an attachment portion, and the second a rail support portion, the rail support portion having a substantially constant cross sectional size and shape along its length and defining a rail supporting shape, the rail support potion having a top and two oppositely positioned legs which each have an inwardly directed end portion extending 10 partly across an otherwise open lowermost side of the second portion, the first portion of the support bracket being at least approximately orthogonally aligned with the second portion and being adapted to be secured to an upright to support the bracket and thereby any attached rail. Preferably, the attachment portion is joined to the support portion by one of 15 the support portions legs. Preferably, the rail support portion is joined to the attachment portion by a connecting portion that extends from a side wall of the rail support portion to the attachment portion. Preferably, the bracket is formed from a blank shape that is cut or stamped 20 from an integral sheet of metal. Preferably, the blank includes a pair of localized recesses that allow the connecting portion to be bent into position such that the face of the connecting portion and the end face of the rail support portion are substantially coplanar, and each of these faces abut a common face of the 25 upright post when assembled. In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a support bracket comprised of a single integral sheet of metal and having two portions, a first 4 being an attachment portion, and the second a rail support portion, the rail support portion having a constant cross sectional size and shape along its length and defining a rail supporting shape that is adapted to receive and substantially surround an end of the rail, the first portion being orthogonally 5 aligned with the said second portion and being adapted to be secured to an upright to support the bracket and thereby any attached rail thereby. Preferably, the second portion is a flange adapted to complement the shape of an upright post. In a further form of this invention there is proposed an assembly which 10 includes a support bracket as above where there is a rail with its end positioned in and supported by the support portion and the attachment portion is attached to an upright post. In a further the invention may be said to lie in a method of supporting a rail with respect to an upright post using the support bracket as described above, 15 which includes the steps of inserting an end of the rail into the rail supporting shape of the supporting portion of the support bracket, then attaching the attachment portion of the bracket to the upright post. For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with respect to the preferred embodiment which shall be described herein with the 20 assistance of drawings wherein; Figure 1 is a perspective view of the support bracket according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the support bracket in Figure 1, illustrating it in use attaching a square RHS rail to a square RHS post; 25 Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the rail, of the support bracket in Figure 2; 5 Figure 4 is a top plan view of the support bracket in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a plan view of a blank, from which the bracket in Figure 1 can be formed. Now referring to the illustrations, and in particular to Figure 1, there is a 5 support bracket 1, having two main portions, a first being an attachment portion 2, and the second a rail support portion 4. The rail support portion 4 defines a rail supporting shape, which is adapted to receive the end of a rail 14. The rail support portion 4 has a top 6 and two oppositely positioned legs 8a and b, each of which have an inwardly directed end portion 10 extending 10 partly across only an otherwise open lowermost side 13 of the said second portion 2. The first portion 2 is orthogonally aligned with the second portion by a connection portion 16 that extends between the two portions. The second portion 4 then is adapted to be secured to an upright post 12 by a flange 18. 15 The flange 18 has a pair of holes 20 passing through it, which can facilitate screws or rivets that will secure the bracket 1 to the post 12. Similarly, leg 8b has a hole 22 passing through it. This hole is adapted to receive a screw or rivet that will secure the rail 14 received in the rail-supporting portion 4 to the bracket 1, and the post 12. 20 A significant advantage of the bracket according to the present invention is that it can be formed from a single blank 30. This blank may be punched from a mild steel plate. The blank is then produced with a series of bending operations to produce the bracket 1. Referring now to Figure 5, the blank 30 is positioned in a specially built tool jig, in which a first series of bending 25 operations simultaneously bends the blank 30 along lines A, B, E and F. The next set of bending operations simultaneously bends the blank along lines C and D, completing the part.
6 A further advantage of the bracket according to the present invention, is that it facilitates the connection of a rail 14, which may for instance be a length of 40mm square RHS tubing, to a post 12, which may for instance be a length of 65mm square RHS tubing, such that the two lengths of tubing have 5 orthogonally aligned centerlines CL1 and CL2 respectively. Referring to Figure 5, it can be seen that a pair of recesses R1 and R2 have been stamped into the blank 30 at the points at which bend lines A and D would otherwise intersect bend line E. These recesses R1 and R2 allow the connecting portion 16 to be bent into position such that the face 16F of the 10 connecting portion and the end face 4F of the rail support portion 4 are coplanar, which in turn allows each of these faces to abut a common face 12F of the upright post 12 when assembled. If a blank were produced without these recesses, it would not be possible to bend connecting portion 16 into this position without damaging the blank during the bending operation. This 15 in turn means that it would not be possible to produce a support bracket of this type from a single integral blank, that can abut the upright in the same fashion as the support brackets of the prior art, which must be formed from at least two separate pieces to achieve this same effect. It is to be understood by a person skilled in the relevant art, that the bracket 20 according to the present invention could be adapted for use in the construction of fences or barriers from materials of many varied cross sectional shapes. For instance, the bracket could be adapted for use with perma-pine logs of circular section, by adapting the first and second portions so that they complement the circular shape of the logs. 25 It is considered therefore that a support bracket such as that described herein would prove to be of considerable benefit to those who desire a bracket that facilitates the quick and easy construction of fences and barriers. Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised 7 that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. 5