AU666428B2

AU666428B2 - Garden edging element

Info

Publication number: AU666428B2
Application number: AU57994/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Konrad Hartz
Original assignee: INTEREDGE Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Garden City Planters Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-24
Filing date: 1994-03-23
Publication date: 1996-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-23
Also published as: AU5799494A

Description

I I P/U/U71 215/01 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 666428

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: GARDEN EDGING ELEMENT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us i; '11 GARDEN EDGING ELEMENT F'ELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to garden edging elements, more particularly to such elements which can be interconnected to form the garden edging which is used, as is well known, to retain soil adjacent a lawn area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A number of problems exist in :elation to the installation of existing garden edging elements or systems. It has generally been found that existing edging elements or systems do not provide adequate stability and furthermore require considerable amount of preparation during installation. Some of these elements i or systems require separate mechanisms to hold individual elements together.

Furthermore, existing garden edging elements or systems are unable to be used on existing lawns without prior preparation.

All of the above disadvantages of existing elements and systems necessarily increase the costs of the installation of the garden edging.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a principal objective of this invention to provide a garden edging element which is devoid of the aforementioned problems associated with existing elements and systems.

It is a further objective of this invention to provide a garden edging element which can more simply and efficiently be installed, and which has greater stability both during and after installation and which can be easily interconnected with adjacent elements.

It is yet a further objective of this invention to reduce the costs of installation.

Accordingly, the present invention provides, in its br aspect, a garden edging element comprising integral int ing means located at opposite ends thereof for interlockin ~element with an adjacent identical element to form an elonted garden edging, integral earth engaging means for stabilising t el ment relative to the earth, and a stabilising member extending tt ,tt t1 la SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides, in its broadest aspect, a garden edging element comprising integral articulated interlocking means located at opposite ends thereof for interlocking and articulating said element with an adjacent identical element to form an elongated garden edging, integral earth engaging means for stabilising the element relative to the earth, and a stabilising member extending from the rear side of said element substantially at right angles to the direction of I i

I-

12 ground insertion of the element and located at or near the base of the element above the ground engaging means.

Conveniently, the interlocking means may comprise male and female ;interlocking members such as, for example, T-bar tongue/slot (socket) or T-ball tongue/slot (socket) members located respectively at opposite ends of the element.

I A further embodiment of the male/female interconnecting means may comprise a pair of flanges extending from opposite sides of the element, one of i said flanges being lipped and the other having a slot extending therethrough.

tt a-further embodiment af the mtae rn P" -4mk, comprise one or more fingers es of the element and one Hm, em i s ,etetSr leeated i s;d u- Conveniently, the integral earth engaging means may be constituted by a spike or stake shaped extension of the element.

Conveniently, the stabilising member may take the form of a flange.

As a further embodiment, the stabilising member may have an additional spike or stake shaped extension.

DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to a number of 20 preferred embodiments as shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 shows an oblique view of the garden edging element of this invention and the manner of interlocking wi t h adjacent elements; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional vievi along A-A of the element shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the garden edging element with San alternative interlocking means; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the garden edging element with a further alternative interlocking means; Figre 5 shiwas a fi elevaliegg gaid em 7V I 1 3 I Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a garden edging element, generally indicated as 1, comprises a generally flat plate 6 which has a T-ball shaped 'I tongue 2 at one end therec' and a complemental slot 3 located at the opposite Ij end extending from the bEse 6a of plate 6.

Extending downwardly from base 6a of the plate 6, are two spikes 4 and two reinforcing ribs 5 associated with spike 4.

i 10 Extending at right angles from one side of plate 6 at or near base 6a is a flange (or ledge) 7.

Referring to Figure 3, plate 20 has a slot 8 extending from base 6a along one end thereof and a complemental T-bar shaped tongue 9 extending along the other end of plate Referring to Figure 4, plate 30 comprising a flange 11 with lip 12 which interlocks with slot 10 of a complementally identical plate n e-----Rel-iig 1to FtQgesiS5anM -let 40 'as at hedK 13 extending from one end thereof and a sin 1I ending from the opposite end thereo engaging complemental sockets 15 and 16 S 20 Ol.r ntl ie ni-- ts respectiv.

Referring to Figure 5, flange 7 has a third spike 4a extending therefrom to provide additional stability.

It will be appreciated that the provision of the integral interconnecting means associated with the elements provides a stable interlocking between the individual elements forming the garden edging and provides good stability to the edging. This stability is enhanced by the provision of the ground engaging means which clearly enable the element to be easily secured to the ground or earth and the stabilising flange extending from the element which, in use, provides additional stability with regard to the surrounding earth with which it engages after installation.

Claims

2. Element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interlocking means comprises male and female interlocking members.
3. Element as claimed in claim 2 wherein said interlocking members comprise T-bar tongue/slot or T-ball tongue/slot members located respectively at opposite ends of the element.
4. Element as claimed in claim 2 wherein the interlocking member's comprise a pair of flanges extending from opposites sides of the element, one of said flanges being lipped and the other having a slot extending therethrough. Element as claimed in claim 2 wherein the interlocking members comprise one or more fingers extending from the sides of the element and one or more complemental sockets located in the sides.
6. Element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said earth engaging means comprises one or more spike or stake shaped extensions of the element.
7. Element as claimed in claim 6 wherein the stabilising member has an additional spike or stake shaped extension. *IL
8. Element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the stabilising member consists of a flange. I 9. Garden edging element substantially as hereinbefore described and I illustrated with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this 22nd day of March 1994. INTEREDGE PTY. LTD. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS THE ATRIUM 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 SAUSTRALIA AU000p17976.WPC (Doc 31) LCG/BAS/JZ i6 i f t4 Ohl II ABSTRACT A garden edging element is provided which has integral interlocking means located at opposite ends thereof for interlocking the element with an adjacent identical element to form an elongated garden edging. The element also has integral earth engaging means for stabilising the element relative to i the earth and a stabilising member extending from the rear side of the j element substantially at right angles to the direction of ground insertion of the f element and located at or near the base of the element above the ground engaging means LI ii t LC I