U.S. patent application number 11/067145 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-01 for ground anchor for securement of lumber products.
This patent application is currently assigned to Gust. Alberts GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Alberts, Dietrich.
Application Number | 20050188627 11/067145 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32478428 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050188627 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alberts, Dietrich |
September 1, 2005 |
Ground anchor for securement of lumber products
Abstract
A ground anchor includes an anchoring post for securement in a
ground; and an angle secured to an upper end of the anchoring post.
The angle has two legs which extend perpendicular to one another.
At least one of the legs is constructed for securement of two
horizontal lumber products disposed in end-to-end relationship in
an area of the legs with at least two screw holes provided for each
of the lumber products.
Inventors: |
Alberts, Dietrich;
(Herscheid, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HENRY M FEIEREISEN, LLC
350 FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 4714
NEW YORK
NY
10118
US
|
Assignee: |
Gust. Alberts GmbH & Co.
KG
|
Family ID: |
32478428 |
Appl. No.: |
11/067145 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/166 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 15/02183 20130101;
E04F 2015/02061 20130101; E04H 12/223 20130101; E02D 5/801
20130101; E02D 27/14 20130101; F16B 25/00 20130101; E04F 15/02044
20130101; F16B 35/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/166 |
International
Class: |
E02D 005/74 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 27, 2004 |
DE |
20 2004 003 022.5 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ground anchor, comprising: an anchoring post for securement in
a ground; and an angle secured to an upper end of the anchoring
post and including two legs extending perpendicular to one another,
wherein at least one of the legs is constructed for securement of
two horizontal lumber products disposed in end-to-end relationship
in an area of the legs with at least two screw holes provided for
each of the lumber products.
2. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein at least one of the legs
of the angle extends perpendicular to an axis of the anchoring post
so as to provide a support surface for the lumber products.
3. The ground anchor of claim 2, wherein the angle is connected to
the anchoring post via said one leg which extends perpendicular to
the axis of the anchoring post.
4. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein at least one of the legs
has a configuration in the shape of a quadrilateral, with four
screw holes provided in corners of the quadrilateral.
5. The ground anchor of claim 4, wherein the quadrilateral is a
rectangle.
6. The ground anchor of claim 4, wherein the quadrilateral is a
square.
7. The ground anchor of claim 4, wherein the one leg is provided
with a central screw hole.
8. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the angle has an L-shaped
configuration, with one of the legs being connected to the
anchoring post and defined by a length which is greater than a
length of the other leg.
9. The ground anchor of claim 8, wherein the one leg is
horizontal.
10. The ground anchor of claim 8, wherein the shorter one of the
legs is smaller or equal to a minimum side width of a lumber
product, whereas the longer one of the legs has a length between
the minimum side width and a maximum side width of the lumber
product.
11. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the angle has a U-shaped
configuration.
12. The ground anchor of claim 11, wherein the U-shaped angle has
parallel side legs and is constructed to allow adjustment of a
distance between the side legs.
13. The ground anchor of claim 12, wherein the parallel side legs
of the angle are provided with the screw holes for securement of
the lumber products.
14. The ground anchor of claim 12, wherein each side leg of the
angle is provided with a retention plate extending perpendicular to
the side leg in a direction of a cutout in the opposite side leg
and formed with an oblong hole for receiving a screw.
15. The ground anchor of claim 11, wherein the U-shaped angle has a
center leg which interconnects the side legs and is provided for
securement to the anchoring post.
16. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the angle is connected in
one piece with the anchoring post.
17. The ground anchor of claim 16, wherein the angle is welded to
the anchoring post.
18. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the anchoring post is
constructed in the form of a screw anchor.
19. The ground anchor of claim 18, wherein the screw anchor has a
coarse thread.
20. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the anchoring post is
constructed in the form of a concrete anchor.
21. The ground anchor of claim 1, wherein the anchoring post is
constructed for vertical adjustment.
22. The ground anchor of claim 21, wherein the anchoring post is
made of two post parts and includes a sleeve with left-hand and
right-hand threads for threaded engagement of the two post parts.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority of German Patent
Application, Serial No. 20 2004 003 022.5, filed Feb. 27, 2004,
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a ground anchor for
securement of lumber products.
[0003] Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art
is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
[0004] Ground anchors with an anchoring post are known for
securement in a concrete floor or ground and have an upper end for
attachment of an L-shaped angle or U-shaped angle through a welding
process. Placed on the angles are vertical studs whereby the
upright legs of the angles form a stop in horizontal direction and
are formed with holes for securement of the studs with nails or
screws. Three screw holes are traditionally positioned vertically
or slantingly above one another.
[0005] It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an
improved ground anchor which allows attachment of lumber products
in particular in horizontal position for assembly of, for example,
wooden decks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a ground
anchor includes an anchoring post for securement in a ground, and
an angle secured to an upper end of the anchoring post and having
two legs extending perpendicular to one another, wherein at least
one of the legs is constructed for securement of two horizontal
lumbers disposed in end-to-end relationship in an area of the legs
with at least two screw holes provided for each of the lumber
products.
[0007] To ensure clarity, it is necessary to establish the
definition of several important terms and expressions that will be
used throughout this disclosure. The term "lumber product" is used
here in a generic sense and should be construed to include stud,
joist, beam, log, timber, scantling, and the like. The term
"ground" is also used here in a generic sense and should be
construed to cover all types of bases or floorings, including soil,
stone base, concrete floor, etc. The term "horizontal" relates to a
typical mounting situation in which the anchoring post extends
vertical in relation to the ground. In other words, the lumber
product extends transversely to the direction of the anchoring
post.
[0008] The present invention resolves prior art problems by
constructing the ground anchor in such a way that a framework of
horizontally laid lumber products can be made easier by allowing
two lumber products to be placed in end-to-end disposition in the
area of the ground anchor. Both lumber products are supported by
the angle of the ground anchor and can be securely connected via at
least two screw holes with the ground anchor.
[0009] According to another feature of the present invention, the
anchoring post may be constructed in the form of a screw anchor.
The screw anchor may hereby have a coarse thread for threaded
engagement in the ground. As an alternative, the anchoring post may
also be constructed in the form of a concrete anchor for insertion
in concrete flooring.
[0010] According to another feature of the present invention, the
anchoring post may be constructed for vertical adjustment. While
the vertical adjustment of the anchoring post can be realized in
many ways, it is currently preferred to make the anchoring post of
two parts which are interconnected via a sleeve with internal
thread.
[0011] According to another feature of the present invention, at
least one of the legs of the angle extends perpendicular to the
axis of the anchoring post so as to provide a support surface for
the lumber products. Suitably, the angle is connected with the
anchoring post via this leg extending transversely to the anchoring
post.
[0012] According to another feature of the present invention, at
least one of the legs may have a configuration in the shape of a
quadrilateral, such as a rectangle or square, with four screw holes
provided in corners of the quadrilateral. Suitably, this one leg
may, optionally, be provided with a central screw hole, e.g. in the
center of the quadrilateral. The center screw hole may be used to
secure a continuous lumber product centrally to the ground anchor
with little effort.
[0013] According to another feature of the present invention, the
angle may have an L-shaped configuration, with one of the legs,
typically the horizontal leg, being connected to the anchoring post
and constructed of a length which is greater than a length of the
other leg. In this way, the ground anchor is applicable for lumber
products of different standard size. The shorter leg is hereby
smaller or equal to the minimum side width of the lumber products
being used, whereas the longer leg has a length between the minimum
and maximum side widths of the lumber products. In the event
squared lumber products are used that have minimum side width, the
longer leg of the angle projects slightly out, unlike the shorter
leg, so that the angle does not project beyond the lumber product
upwards. When squared lumber products of maximum side width are
used, the horizontal longer legs still provide sufficient support
for the lumber products.
[0014] As an alternative, the angle may have a U-shaped
configuration. Suitably, the opposing parallel side legs of the
angle may hereby be provided with screw holes for securement of the
lumber products. This type of angle is suitably connected to the
anchoring post via the center leg which interconnects the side
legs. The U-shaped angle is especially applicable for secure
support of lumber products of a width which corresponds to a
distance between the side legs.
[0015] According to another feature of the present invention, the
U-shaped angle can be constructed to allow adjustment of a distance
between the side legs. In this way, the ground anchor may be used
for lumber products of various side widths.
[0016] According to another feature of the present invention, the
angle may be connected in one piece with the anchoring post, e.g.
through material union by welding.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0017] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of
currently preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a top and side perspective view of a first
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ground anchor of FIG. 1,
depicting the support of a continuous lumber product;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ground anchor of FIG. 1,
depicting the support of two lumber products disposed in end-to-end
relationship;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of a wooden deck,
showing the securement of lumber products, using ground anchors
according to FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a top and side perspective view of a second
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a top and side perspective view of a third
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a top and side perspective view of a fourth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present
invention;
[0025] FIG. 8 is a top and side perspective view of a fifth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention;
and
[0026] FIG. 9 is a top and side perspective view of a sixth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Throughout all the Figures, same or corresponding elements
are generally indicated by same reference numerals. These depicted
embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of the invention
and not as limiting in any way. It should also be understood that
the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments
are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines,
diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain
instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of
the present invention or which render other details difficult to
perceive may have been omitted.
[0028] Turning now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1,
there is shown a top and side perspective view of a first
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 10. The ground anchor has
a lower portion in the form of an anchoring post 11 which is
constructed as screw anchor with a cylindrical shank 11a and a
screw thread 11b in the form of a helical ridge formed on the shank
11a. The shank 11a of the anchoring post 11 terminates in an upper
cone-shaped portion 13 by which the ground is compacted as the
ground anchor 10 is threaded into the soil. The cone-shaped portion
13 is formed with an upper throughbore 14 for insertion of a
suitable tool, such as a rod or the like, to facilitate the
insertion of the ground anchor 10. In addition, the cone-shaped
portion 13 is formed with a lower hole 12a.
[0029] Connected to the upper end of the anchoring post 11, e.g. by
welding, is an L-shaped angle 15 having a leg 16a, which extends
transversely to a length axis of the anchoring post 11, and a leg
16b. In other words, the leg 16a of the angle 15 extend horizontal
when the ground anchor 10 is ultimately mounted in the ground,
whereas the leg 16b points vertically upwards. The horizontal leg
16a is formed in midsection with a hole 12b. The hole 12b in the
horizontal leg 16a and the hole 12a in the cone-shaped portion 13
are intended as run-off bores for zinc during galvanizing of the
entire ground anchor 10 as well as water drainage. The free leg 16b
has a quadrilateral configuration, here rectangle or square, and is
formed with four screw holes 17 which are placed in the corners of
the rectangle. In other words, the screw holes 17 are placed in
pairs vertically above one another. In addition, the leg 16b is
formed with a central screw hole 18.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows the ground anchor 10 with a lumber product 1 in
the form of a square timber being fully received by the angle 15.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, the legs 16a, 16b of the angle 15 have
different lengths, with a height H of the vertical leg 16b being
smaller than a length L of the horizontal leg 16a. As a consequence
of the difference in length between the legs 16a, 16b, the angle 15
is applicable for supporting lumber products 1 of different sizes,
whereby the vertical height H of the leg 16b typically reflects the
minimum side width of the lumber products 1 and the length L of the
leg 16a reflects the maximum width of the lumber products 1. When
the side width of the lumber products 1 ranges between the limits H
and L, it is ensured that the vertical leg 16b is prevented from
projecting upwards beyond the lumber product, on one hand, and the
lumber product 1 is fully placed upon the leg 16a of the angle 15
and thus in full contact with the leg 16a, on the other hand.
Examples of typical values of leg sizes include H=65 mm and L=90
mm. In this case, standard lumber products 1 between the sizes of
70.times.70 mm and 90.times.90 mm can be mounted.
[0031] Securement of the lumber product 1 can be realized in the
constellation of FIG. 2 via the four screw holes 17 and/or the
central screw hole 18.
[0032] FIG. 3 shows an alternative application which involves the
support of two lumber products 1 in end-to-end disposition upon the
ground anchor 10. When the butt joint between the lumber products 1
is in approximate midsection, two pairs of superimposed screw holes
17 are provided in the leg 16b of the angle 15 for secure
connection of the two lumber products 1 to the angle 15.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an exemplified
application of the ground anchor 10 for making a wooden deck. For
example, groups of three ground anchors 10 are respectively screwed
in one line into the ground 3 so as to allow placement of a lumber
product 1, such as a joist, on their angles 15. In this way,
several (here five) lumber products 1 can be placed in parallel
side-by-side relationship. Mounted across the lumber products 1 are
wooden boards or panels 2 to produce the flooring for the deck.
[0034] FIG. 5 shows a top and side perspective view of a second
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 20. The ground anchor 20
includes an L-shaped angle 25 of a configuration resembling the
angle 15 of the ground anchor 10, and a rod-like concrete anchoring
post 21 whose lower end is slightly bent. The ground anchor 20 is
especially suitable for insertion in a concrete floor.
[0035] FIG. 6 shows a top and side perspective view of a third
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 30. The ground anchor 30
has an anchoring post 31 in the form of a screw anchor similar to
the configuration of the ground anchor 10. The difference to the
ground anchor 10 resides in the provision of a U-shaped angle 35
for connection to the upper end of the anchoring post 31. The angle
35 includes a center leg 36a as well as two vertically upwardly
extending side legs 36b, 36c respectively connected to opposite
ends of the center leg 36a. The side legs 36b, 36c are each formed
with screw holes similar to the screw holes 17 in the leg 16b of
the angle 15 of the ground anchor 10.
[0036] FIG. 7 shows a top and side perspective view of a fourth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 40. The ground anchor 40
resembles the ground anchor 20 and includes a rod-like concrete
anchoring post 41 whose lower end is slightly bent. In this
embodiment, provision is made for attachment of a U-shaped angle 45
(corresponding to the angle 35 of the ground anchor 30) upon the
upper end of the anchoring post 41. The angle 45 of the ground
anchor 40 thus includes a center leg 46a as well as two vertically
upwardly extending side legs 46b, 46c respectively connected to
opposite ends of the center leg 46a. The side legs 46b, 46c are
each formed with screw holes similar to the screw holes 17 in the
leg 16b of the angle 15 of the ground anchor 10.
[0037] FIG. 8 shows a top and side perspective view of a fifth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 50. The ground anchor 50
has an anchoring post 51 in the form of a screw anchor 11 similar
to the configuration of the ground anchor 10. Disposed on the upper
end of the screw anchor 51 is a U-shaped angle 55 having two
vertically upwardly extending side legs 56b, 56c which are each
formed with screw holes similar to the screw holes 17 in the leg
16b of the angle 15 of the ground anchor 10. In addition, the
vertical legs 56b, 56c are constructed for relative movement to
adjust their distance from one another. The adjustability of the
distance between the legs 56b, 56c is realized by providing each of
the legs 56b, 56c with a retention plate 56a of smaller width which
extends perpendicular from the leg 56b or 56c toward the other leg
56c or 56b and is formed with an oblong hole 58. The side legs 56b,
56c are suitably formed with a cutout 56d for passage of the
retention plates 56a, if necessary. These retention plates 56a can
be adjusted relative to one another via screws 59 which engage
through the oblong holes 58 and are insertable in respective screw
holes in a backing plate 57 mounted at the upper end of the screw
anchor 51. The horizontal position can thus be modified in
accordance with the dimension of the oblong holes 58.
[0038] FIG. 9 shows a top and side perspective view of a sixth
embodiment of a ground anchor according to the present invention,
generally designated by reference numeral 60. The ground anchor 60
includes a U-shaped angle 65 similar to the angle 55 of the ground
anchor 50 and thus has two vertically upwardly extending side legs
66b, 66c which are each formed with screw holes similar to the
screw holes 17 in the leg 16b of the angle 15 of the ground anchor
10. In addition, the vertical legs 66b, 66c are constructed for
relative movement to adjust their distance from one another through
provision of retention plates 66a, as afore-described in connection
with the angle 55. The angle 65 is connected to a three-part
anchoring post 61 having a lower portion formed with flutes for
secure fixation of the ground anchor 60 in a concrete floor. In an
upper area, the anchoring post 61 is constructed with a mechanism
for length adjustment. The mechanism includes a sleeve 63 having
opposite end formed with a hexagon for attachment of a wrench. The
sleeve 63 is formed interiorly with a left-handed thread and from
the other side with a right-handed thread for threaded engagement
of the lower and upper parts of the anchoring post 61,
respectively. A rotation of the sleeve 63 in a certain rotation
direction causes the parts of the anchoring post 61 to move out or
to move in.
[0039] While the invention has been illustrated and described in
connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described
in detail, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown
since various modifications and structural changes may be made
without departing in any way from the spirit of the present
invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the invention and practical
application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters
Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents
of the elements recited therein:
* * * * *