GB2288964A - Edge member - Google Patents

Abstract

An edge member comprises a length of strip material (10) and an in-use lower edge (14) provided with a plurality of spaced apart spike elements (16) for penetrating the ground. Each end (18, 24) of the edge member is provided with attachments (20, 22, 26, 28) for connecting together adjacent edge members. The attachments may comprise a vertically extending tab member 20 for engagement with a corresponding slot 26 on an adjacent edge member and a horizontally extending tab member 22 for engagement with a corresponding slot 28. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Edge Member This invention relates to an edge member such as may be used for example to define and support the edge of a lawn.

An edge member is known in the form of a flexible strip, usually of a plastics material, from which a length may be cut appropriate to the length of lawn edge at which the length of strip material is to be located. Such material is usually quite flexible and the lower edge of a cut length thereof has to be pressed into the ground adjacent the edge of the lawn in order that the cut length of material may be installed to support the edge of the lawn. In practice it may be extremely difficult if not impossible to force the flexible material vertically downwardly, especially into hard ground, with the result that the cut length of material is not firmly inserted in the ground and cannot therefore function effectively to support the adjacent edge of the lawn.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved form of edge member such as may be utilised to support the edge of a lawn.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an edge member comprising a length of strip material, an in-use lower edge of the member comprising a plurality of spaced apart spike elements for penetrating the ground, each end of said member being provided with attachment means whereby when a first said edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its said spike elements, a second said edge member may be inserted in the ground by means of its said spike elements adjacent said first edge member with the attachment means at one end of said second edge member engaged with the attachment means at the adjacent end of said first edge member.

Conveniently said attachment means on each said edge member comprises first and second tab members at one end thereof and first and second slots at the other end thereof whereby when a first said edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its said spike elements, a second said edge member may be inserted in the ground by means of its said spike elements adjacent said first edge member with a first said tab member of said second edge member engaged in said first slot of said first edge member and a said second tab member of said second edge member engaged in said second slot of said first edge member.

Conveniently said first tab member extends downwardly and outwardly of the plane of the edge member and is engageable over a lower edge of an open topped said second slot. Said second tab member mav extend longitudinally of the edge member in the plane thereof and may be deformed out of the plane of the edge member when aligned with a said second slot so as to extend through said second slot and prevent relative vertical movement between said edge members when inserted in the ground.

The said first tab member conveniently extends outwardly of the plane of the edge member in a direction rearwardly thereof, and a planar end portion of said edge member which contains said slots may be displaced out of the plane of the remainder of the edge member in a direction rearwardly thereof whereby, when the tab members of one said edge member are engaged with the slots of an adjacent said edge member, the end of said one edge member which contains the tab members overlies said end portion of said adjacent edge member which contains the slots in substantially co-planar relationship with the remainder of said adjacent edge member.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 comprises a set of somewhat diagrammatic drawings representing side, end and top plan views of a first embodiment of edge member constructed in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 comprises a similar set of diagrammatic drawings of a second embodiment of edge member in accordance with the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, an edge member in accordance with the invention comprises a length of relatively stiff strip material 10 which may be metal or plastics but which conveniently comprises galvanised steel of approximately 3mm thickness. The steel strip is conveniently coated with an epoxy powder textured paint and may be of the order of 1 metre in length. The upper edge 12 of the strip 10 is linear apart from a slot at one end thereof as referred to below. The lower edge 14 of the strip is also linear and is parallel to the upper edge 12 but is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart spikes 16 extending downwardly of the lower edge 14 of the strip.

At one end of the strip 10, the lefthand end 18 as shown in Figure 1, there are provided two tab members 20 and 22 comprising part of the attachment means whereby adjacent edge members may be interengaged with one another when inserted in the ground. A first or upper tab member 20 comprises a tongue extending downwardly and outwardly of the plane of the strip 10 whereas a second or lower tab member 22 extends longitudinally of the strip 10 in the plane thereof. At the other end of the strip 10, the right hand end 24 as shown in Figure 1, there is provided a slot 26 opening downwardly from the upper edge 12 of the strip and below this first slot 26, there is provided a second slot 28 of rectangular configuration having a length extending longitudinally of the strip 10 which is greater than the length of the second tab member 22 at the other end 18 of the strip.The second tab member 22 and the second slot 28 are disposed at the same distance below the upper edge 12 of the strip 10. That end 24 of the strip which contains the two slots 26 and 28 is planar and is displaced out of the plane of the remainder of the strip in a direction rearwardly thereof.

In use, a first said edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its spikes 16 so as to ensure that the upper edge 12 of the strip is substantially horizontal. A second similar edge member is then inserted in the ground adjacent the first member and is positioned relative thereto so that the lower edge of the upper tab member 20 is engaged over the lower edge of the open-topped slot 26 at the adjacent end of the first member which is already installed in the ground.

When the second edge member has been levelled relative to the already installed first member i.e. so that the two adjacent upper edges are substantially co-linear, the lower tab member 22 on the second edge member will be in alignment with the second slot 2S at the adjacent end of the first member. This tab member 22 is then pressed rearwardly so as to project through the slot 28 thereby to prevent relative vertical movement between the two edge members. Relative horizontal movement between the two edge members is of course prevented by virtue of the fact that each is firmly anchored in the ground bv means of its respective spikes 16.As will be appreciated, when the tab members 20, 22 at the one end 18 of one edge member are engaged with their respective slots 26, 28 at the adjacent end 24 of an adjacent edge member, that end 18 of the one member which contains the tab members is positioned to overlie the rearwardly displaced end 24 of the edge member which contains the slots. Thus adjacent edge members are interengageable with one another so as to be in substantially co-planar relationship if it is desired for example to install a series of edge members along a straight edge of a lawn.

It will be appreciated that there will be some flexibility in each length of edge member whereby a set of such members may be interengaged with one another to extend along a curved edge of a lawn adjacent the actual lawn edge to support it.

In Figure 2 of the drawings there is shown a second embodiment of edge member wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts hereinbefore described. The edge member of Figure 2 differs only from that of the first embodiment described with reference to Figure 1 by the provision of upstanding decorative elements 30 extending upwardly from the upper edge 12 of the strip 10. The decorative elements 30 are conveniently formed integral with the strip 10. The spikes 16 for anchoring each edge member in the ground and the tab and slot attachment means are the same as previously described with reference to the embodiment of Figure 1. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 is particularly suitable for use around small plant beds or in rockeries etc since it will normally be formed of a more flexible material than that previously described.For example, although the edge member of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 may be formed of a galvanised steel the thickness of the steel may be only of the order of 2mm.

Although the edge members of the invention have been described herein as comprising strip material of the order of 1 metre in length, it will be appreciated that other lengths of strip may be provided. Also, it will be appreciated that an edge member may be cut to length to enable a plurality of interconnected edge members to extend along any required length of lawn edge.

There may also be provided a corner member with which adjacent edge members of the invention may be engaged by either their tab or slot attachment means so that a substantially uninterrupted top edge may be provided by two adjacent edge members and an interconnecting corner member at a corner of a lawn. The included angle provided by the corner member may be a right angle or may be acute or obtuse.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (8)

1. An edge member comprising a length of strip material, having an inuse lower edge provided with a plurality of spaced apart spike elements for penetrating the ground, each end of the edge member being provided with attachment means whereby when a first edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its spike elements, and a second edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its spike elements with a first end adjacent a second end of the first edge member attachment means at the first end of the second edge member are engageable with the attachment means at the adjacent second end of the first edge member.

2. An edge member according to claim 1 wherein the attachment means on each edge member comprise first and second tab members at the first end thereof and first and second slots at the second end thereof whereby when a first edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its spike elements and a second edge member is inserted in the ground by means of its spike elements with its first end adjacent the second end of the first edge member the first tab member of the second edge member is engaged in the first slot of the first edge member and the second tab member of the second edge member is engaged in the second slot of the first edge member.

3. An edge member according to claim 2 wherein the first tab member extends downwardly and outwardly of the plane of the edge member, and the first slot is open topped with a lower edge, wherein the first tab member is engageable over the lower edge of the first slot.

4. An edge member according to claim 3 wherein the first tab member extends outwardly of the plane of the edge member in a direction rearwardly thereof.

5. An edge member according to claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the second tab member extends longitudinally of the edge member in the plane thereof and in use is deformable out of the plane of the edge member when aligned with a second slot so as to extend through the second slot.

6. An edge member according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the second end of the edge member comprises a planar end portion containing the slots which is displaced out of the plane of the remainder of the edge member in a direction rearwardly thereof whereby, when the tab members of the second edge member are engaged with the slots of the first edge member, the first end of the second edge member which contains the tab members overlies the planar end portion of the first edge member which contains the slots is in substantially coplanar relationship with the remainder of the first edge member.

7. An edge member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figure 1 or 2.

8. Any novel feature or novel combination of features as herein defined and or/shown in the accompanying drawings.