Gate panel assembly

Abstract

A gate panel assembly comprising a pair of poles and a panel having a pair of sleeves formed on opposing ends of the panel. Each pole respectively engages one of the sleeves. An end of at least one of the sleeves is closed to engage the top portion of the pole sleeved therein and to prevent the panel from sliding vertically downward relative to the poles.

1 . A gate panel assembly, comprising: 
 a panel including a pair of sleeves on opposing ends of said panel; and    a pair of poles, each pole respectively engaging one of said pair of sleeves; wherein    an end of at least one of said pair of sleeves is closed to prevent said panel from sliding vertically downward relative to said poles.    
   
   
       2 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said panel is attached to at least one of said pair of poles by a panel attachment assembly, said panel attachment assembly comprising: 
 a fastening member;    a cord having a fixed end housed in said fastening member forming a loop in said cord; and    a mounting surface affixed to said panel and adjacent to one of said pair of sleeves; wherein    the loop of said cord is fed through a hole defined in said mounting surface, around one of said poles engaged in one of said sleeves, and over a top of said fastening member.    
   
   
       3 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said fastening member is a button, a ball or a rod.  
   
   
       4 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said fastening member is plastic or rubber.  
   
   
       5 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the loop of said cord rests between a lower surface of said fastening member and said mounting surface.  
   
   
       6 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said fixed end of said cord is positioned opposite said loop and is crimped by a fastener.  
   
   
       7 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 6 , wherein said fastener is metal.  
   
   
       8 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 6 , wherein said fastening member houses the fixed end of said cord and said fastener in an inner surface thereof.  
   
   
       9 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the fixed end of said cord is positioned opposite said loop and is formed integrally with said fastening member.  
   
   
       10 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said cord is formed of an elastic material that stretches around the sleeved pole to create a tension that retains said pole in said sleeve of said panel.  
   
   
       11 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said panel attachment assembly further comprises a grommet formed in said hole.  
   
   
       12 . The gate panel assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a strength member, said strength member being affixed to at least said panel and said sleeve having said closed end.  
   
   
       13 . A gate panel, comprising: 
 a first pair of sleeves formed on opposing ends of a panel; wherein    an end of at least one of said first pair of sleeves is closed.    
   
   
       14 . The gate panel of  claim 13 , further comprising a second pair of opposing sleeves; wherein 
 each of said second pair of opposing sleeves is positioned adjacent to one of said first pair of sleeves; and    the diameters of said second pair of opposing sleeves differ from the diameters of said first pair of sleeves.    
   
   
       15 . The gate panel of  claim 13 , wherein said closed end engages a top end of a sleeved pole to prevent said panel from sliding vertically downward relative to said pole.  
   
   
       16 . The gate panel of  claim 14 , wherein each of a pair of poles respectively engages one of said first pair of sleeves or one of said second pair of sleeves.  
   
   
       17 . The gate panel of  claim 13 , wherein said panel is attached to at least one of a pair of poles respectively engaged in said first pair of sleeves by an attachment assembly, said attachment assembly comprising: 
 a fastening member;    a cord having a fixed end housed in said fastening member forming a loop in said cord; and    a mounting surface affixed to said panel and adjacent to one of said first pair of sleeves; wherein    the loop of said cord is fed through a hole defined in said mounting surface, around one of said poles engaged in one of said first pair of sleeves, and over a top of said fastening member.    
   
   
       18 . The gate panel of  claim 17 , wherein said fastening member is a button, a ball or a rod.  
   
   
       19 . A method of assembling a gate panel assembly, comprising: 
 inserting each of a pair of spaced poles into one of a pair of sleeves formed on opposing ends of a gate panel; wherein    said gate panel is prevented from sliding vertically downward relative to said poles by a closed end formed in at least one of said pair of sleeves.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of attaching at least one of said pair of poles to said gate panel, said step of attaching comprising: 
 feeding a loop end of an elastic member through a grommet formed in a mounting surface affixed to said gate panel and adjacent to one of said sleeves until a fastening member at an opposite end of the loop end of said elastic member comes into contact with said grommet; and    extending the loop end of said elastic member around one of said pair of poles inserted in said sleeve and over a top of said fastening member to rest between a bottom surface of the fastening member and the grommet.