Frank J. Mafera

Francesco "Frank" John Mafera, Sr. (July 18, 1898 – February 13, 1956) was an American businessman and inventor notable for patenting the first method for weaving chain-link fencing. In 1930, Mafera filed an application for a "method of forming wire fence fabric", which was approved in 1931. and Mafera's 1931 patent was one of the several advancements made by the Maferas in the development of chain-link fencing.

Mafera first sold the fencing from his house in Raymond, New Hampshire, under the name of the Barnyard Fence Company. This company eventually became the New Hampshire Fence Company. In 1956, Mafera and his wife died in their sleep when their house caught fire. Here, Frank and Guy were inspired by the bed's spring system and weaving to experiment with integrating these features into fencing. Chain-link fence had been invented by this time, but was not used widely. Mafera was inspired by the way residents in cramped Boston neighborhoods stood spring beds up between houses to create a makeshift barrier. At this time, Mafera was living in Revere, Massachusetts. Their marriage was kept a secret from their respective families until the day of the wedding. The couple honeymooned in Bangor, Maine.

Around this time, Guy had opened the American Chain Link Fence Company on Ship Avenue in Medford, Massachusetts. and wire fabric. Building on his brother's patent on wire fabric, Mafera applied for a patent for a "method of forming wire fence fabric" on September 3, 1930. The patent was granted to Mafera on June 23, 1931. Manchester Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire Advertising Club, and Revere's Lodge of Elks.

Death

On February 10, 1956, Mafera and his wife died when their house caught fire in the middle of the night. Mafera's neighbors reportedly tried to rescue the couple, but were unsuccessful in trying to break down the door of the house. The cause of the fire was never determined.

Mafera and his wife were buried in the New Pine Grove Cemetery in Raymond. but it is unlikely Mafera or his brother knew of Bernard's invention and were instead inspired by spring beds.

Weaving wire fabric, too, was not an invention of Mafera's. As early as 1872, a patent had been filed for "improvement in machines for weaving wire fabric". However, this patent was filed for the purpose of "connecting ends of helical springs for mattresses". Whether Mafera knew of this patent or not is inconsequential, as it expired before his birth.

In 1949, Mafera was granted a patent for "woven wire fencing" which "embod[ied] a plurality of wire units extending in overlapped relation transversely of the fencing" with "each unit embodying two spaced wire strands extending in spaced zig-zag paths traversely across and connected at the margins of the fencing". This method of chain-link fencing is still commonly used today.

The American Chain Link Fence Company split off into a multitude of fence installation companies across northern New England, many of whom claim Guy Mafera to be the patent-holder for weaving chain-link fence. Shannon Fence Company Inc. in Billerica, Massachusetts, state on their website that Guy "held a patent for a wire twisting machine that created the most popular fencing material in the United States — chain-link." However, no patent under Guy's name related to chain-link fencing exists that predates Mafera's.