Retractable fencing or barrier

1. A retractable fence system comprising:

a plurality of hollow ground tubes adapted for mounting substantially vertically into ground, each ground tube of said plurality of hollow ground tubes containing a resiliently upwardly biased substantially hollow post, said post being upwardly biased within said ground tube by means of a resilient actuator journalled in each said ground tube and in contact with a lower end of the post for applying an upwardly biased force thereon, said post adapted for sliding vertically telescopic translation relative to said ground tube between a fully upwardly extended position and a fully lowered retracted position,

each said post containing a retractable non-resilient flexible fence panel selectively retractably mounted within said post on a retractable means rotatably positioned within said post and affixed to a base end of said fence panel, said fence panel, when said post is in said extended position, selectively extendable from and retractable into said post between a laterally retracted position substantially fully contained within said post, and a laterally extended position extended laterally of said post,

wherein each said post includes a vertical slot in a sidewall thereof and wherein said fence panel extends and retracts through said slot,

and wherein each said fence panel has opposite base and leading ends, said base end mounted within said post, said leading end located in said slot when said fence panel is in its said laterally retracted position, a substantially rigid latching member mounted to said leading end of said fence panel, said latching member adapted to releasably mount to a next adjacent post corresponding to a next adjacent ground tube spaced apart in said plurality of hollow ground tubes,

a collar rigidly mounted at an upper end of each said ground tube in sliding relation with said post, said collar substantially covering said upper end of said ground tube when said post is positioned in said collar,

a post latching system comprising one or more biased latching means formed between said post and said tube for selectively latching each said post in both of said fully extended and fully retracted positions in said tube,

a fence panel latching system formed at an upper end of said post and in cooperation with said retractable means of the fence panel for latching each said fence panel in said fully laterally extended position so as to inhibit deforming by lifting or lowering of said fence panel when extended by inhibiting further lateral extension of said fence panel from said post beyond the amount of lateral extension of said fence panel required to attain said fully laterally extended position, wherein said amount of lateral extension is dictated by a spacing distance between said post and said next adjacent post.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each said post includes a traveler block mounted at the lower end of said post, said traveler block elongate in a longitudinal direction of said ground tube and sized to substantially snugly slidingly fit within said ground tube, and wherein said block travels vertically between said collar and said actuator.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said traveler block and the inner wall of said ground tube include at least one mating vertical rail and corresponding channel for interlocked vertical sliding translation of said block along said tube.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said channel is formed in said traveler block and said rail is on said inner wall.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein each said post includes an internal roller mechanism and said flexible fence panel is stored, when in said fully laterally retracted position, rolled within said post on said internal roller mechanism.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each said fence panel latching system includes said internal roller mechanism and said actuator includes a spring.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein each said fence panel has a height dimension and wherein said height dimension is substantially equal to a longitudinal length of said post above said traveler block.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each said rigid latching member includes at least one latch coupling member mounted thereon adapted to releasably couple to said next adjacent post when said fence panel is in said fully laterally extended position and wherein said next adjacent post is adapted to releasably couple to said coupling member, and wherein said collar includes at least one notch to accommodate vertical translation of said coupling member when carried in said vertical translation of said post relative to said collar.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein second latch coupling members are mounted on each said post for said coupling with said latch coupling member, and wherein further notches of said at least one notch are formed in said collar to accommodate vertical translation of said second latch coupling members.