Tubular picket fence

Claim 2

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasterners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, rail-topost locking means associated with the post and the rail and including a pre-formed integral locking-projection carried by one of them and interlocking with the wall of the other and so arranged that during the aforementioned telescoping of the end of the rail into the rail-receiving hole in the wall of the post a portion of one of two said members is temporarily sprung to permit the pre-formed locking-projection to reach its interlocking position with the wall of the other member, whereupon the sprung portion returns to its unsprung condition, and picket-to-rail locking means associated with the rail and the picket and including an integral locking-projection carried by one of them and interlocking with the wall of the other.

Claim 3

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, rail-to-post locking means associated with the post and the rail and including a pre-formed integral locking-tang carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other and so arranged that during the aforementioned telescoping of the end of the rail into the rail-receiving hole in the wall of the post a portion of one of two said members is temporarily sprung to permit the pre-formed locking-projection to reach its interlocking position with the wall of the other member, whereupon the sprung portion returns to its unsprung condition, and picket-to-rail locking means associated with the rail and the picket and including an integral locking-tang carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other.

Claim 4

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, rail-to-post locking means associated with the post and the rail and including a pre-formed integral locking-tang carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other and so arranged that during the aforementioned telescoping of the end of the rail into the rail-receiving hole in the wall of the post a portion of one of two said members is temporarily sprung to permit the pre-formed locking-projection to reach its interlocking position with the wall of the other member, whereupon the sprung portion returns to its unsprung condition, and picket-to-rail locking means associated with the rail and the picket and including an integral locking-tang carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other.

Claim 5

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, rail-to-post locking means associated with the post and the rail and including a pre-formed integral locking projection carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other, and picket-to-rail locking means associated with the rail and the picket and including a pair of integral locking-projections extending outwardly from the walls of the picket immediately adjacent to the wall of the rail so as to interlock with the wall of the rail.

Claim 6

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, rail-to-post locking means associated with the post and the rail and including a pre-formed integral locking projection carried by one of them and snap-locked to the wall of the other, and picket-to-rail locking means associated with the rail and the picket and including a pair of integral locking-projections extending outwardly from the walls of the picket immediately adjacent to the wall of the rail so as to interlock with the wall of the rail.

Claim 7

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their ends concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having integral spring-tangs extending outwardly from the walls thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and said pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes in the horizontal walls of the rails and having portions of their walls near the ends thereof extending outwardly into interlocking relation to the walls of the rails, thereby to lock the ends of the pickets to the rails.

Claim 8

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their ends concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having integral spring-tangs extending outwardly from the walls thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and said pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes in the horizontal walls of the rails and having portions of their walls near the ends thereof extending outwardly into interlocking relation to the walls of the rails, thereby to lock the ends of the pickets to the rails.

Claim 9

A tubular metallic picket-fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their ends concealed within said posts said rails having picket-receiving holes in both horizontal walls thereof, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into both picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having integral spring-tangs extending outwardly from the walls thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and the ends of the pickets being telescoped through the two picket-receiving holes in the opposite parallel horizontal walls of the rails with a terminal portion of at least one of the ends of the pickets protruding beyond the rail into the holes of which it is telescoped, and having integral bead-like projections extending outwardly from the walls thereof into interlocking justaposition to the walls of the rails adjacent the picket-receiving holes thereof, thereby to lock the pickets to the rails.

Claim 10

A tubular metallic picket-fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their ends concealed within said posts said rails having picket-receiving holes in both horizontal walls thereof, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into both picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having integral spring-tangs extending outwardly from the walls thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and the ends of the pickets being telescoped through the two picket-receiving holes in the opposite parallel horizontal walls of the rails with a terminal portion of at least one of the ends of the pickets protruding beyond the rail into the holes of which it is telescoped, and having integral bead-like projections extending outwardly from the walls thereof into interlocking justaposition to the walls of the rails adjacent the picket-receiving holes thereof, thereby to lock the pickets to the rails.

Claim 11

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their end concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes in the horizontal walls thereof, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having spring-tangs extending outwardly from the wallS thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and said pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails and having spring-tangs extending outwardly from the ends thereof and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails and thereafter to snap outwardly with their ends engaging the apertured walls of the rails interiorly thereof, thereby to lock the pickets to the rails.

Claim 12

A tubular metallic picket fence, adapted to be assembled without welding and without screws, bolts or like separate fasteners, said picket fence including tubular posts having upper and lower rail-receiving holes in the walls thereof adapted telescopically to receive the ends of tubular rails, tubular rails having their ends telescoped into the rail-receiving holes of the posts and having their end concealed within the posts, said rails having picket-receiving holes in the horizontal walls thereof, tubular pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails, said rails having spring-tangs extending outwardly from the wallS thereof near their ends and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the rail-receiving holes in the posts and thereafter to snap outwardly so that their ends lock the rails to the walls of the posts, and said pickets having their ends telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails and having spring-tangs extending outwardly from the ends thereof and arranged to be depressed when said ends are telescoped into the picket-receiving holes of the rails and thereafter to snap outwardly with their ends engaging the apertured walls of the rails interiorly thereof, thereby to lock the pickets to the rails.

Claim 13

In a tubular picket fence including a gate-hinge post and gate-latch post, each having a below-ground portion of substantial length, aligned horizontal through-holes in the below-ground portions of each of said posts, a horizontal spacer-bar extending between said posts and through said through-holes with terminal portions of said spacer-bar extending beyond said below-ground portions of said posts, said spacer-bar having two pairs of holes therein, with the two holes of each pair flanking one of the below-ground portions of said posts, and stop-members in said flanking holes of said spacer-bar maintaining the below-ground portions of said posts in predetermined spaced relation to the said horizontal spacer-bar and spacing said below-ground portions of said posts in predetermined relation to each other.

Claim 14

In a tubular picket fence including a gate-hinge post and gate-latch post, each having a below-ground portion of substantial length, aligned horizontal through-holes in the below-ground portions of each of said posts, a horizontal spacer-bar extending between said posts and through said through-holes with terminal portions of said spacer-bar extending beyond said below-ground portions of said posts, said spacer-bar having two pairs of holes therein, with the two holes of each pair flanking one of the below-ground portions of said posts, and stop-members in said flanking holes of said spacer-bar maintaining the below-ground portions of said posts in predetermined spaced relation to the said horizontal spacer-bar and spacing said below-ground portions of said posts in predetermined relation to each other.