U.S. patent number 3,903,626 [Application Number 05/498,659] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-09 for earth anchors.
Invention is credited to John B. Ford.
United States Patent |
3,903,626 |
Ford |
September 9, 1975 |
Earth anchors
Abstract
My invention relates to earth anchors, particularly to devices
which may be screwed into the earth so as to form a solid grip for
anchoring plastic or paper between rows in gardens to minimize the
growth of weeds and to prevent evaporation of moisture. The device
may also be used to anchor covering for trees and plants to prevent
damage from frost, as well as to anchor ornamental lawn fence
edging and the like. My improved earth anchor comprises an
elongated rod which has auger-type screw threads extending from a
tip at its bottom to substantially the entire length of the rod. A
top member is pivoted to the upper end of the rod so that it may be
swung from one position wherein it is disposed crosswise of the rod
upper end to act as a hold-down device for an object to be held to
the earth, to another position wherein it is disposed
longitudinally of the rod to act as an indicator device.
Inventors: |
Ford; John B. (Kinsman,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
23981972 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/498,659 |
Filed: |
August 19, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/645; 47/32.1;
52/157; 411/340; 52/104; 135/118; 411/409 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G
9/28 (20180201); A01G 13/0231 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01G
13/02 (20060101); A01G 1/08 (20060101); E02D
005/74 (); A45F 001/16 (); G09F 003/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;135/15PE
;52/103,157,102,104 ;85/3R ;47/33 ;116/114AJ ;40/1C,1D,1R,67 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Assistant Examiner: Berman; Conrad L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Williams; Michael
Claims
I claim:
1. An earth anchor, comprising:
an elongated rigid supporting rod member having augertype screw
threads which extend from its lower tip to substantially the entire
length thereof,
a head member which is U-shaped in cross-section with its legs
pivoted to the upper end of said rod member intermediate the length
of said head member to provide arms on either side of the pivot so
that said head member may be swung from one position wherein it is
disposed cross-wise of said rod member, to another position wherein
it is disposed longitudinally of said rod member,
the upper extremity of said rod member above the pivot being
disposed within the confines of said head member when the latter is
in said one position,
one arm of said head member encompassing at least a peripheral
portion of the upper part of said rod member when said head member
is in its other position,
said one arm having a transverse wall which spans the U-shaped
cross-section of said head member, said wall having a keyhole
opening providing marginal surfaces which engage said rod member
with a snap fit to yieldably hold said head member in said other
position.
2. An earth anchor, comprising:
an elongated supporting rod having auger-type screwthreads which
extend continuously from its lower tip to substantially an upper
end portion, said rod being adapted to be screwed into the ground
an amount wherein at least its upper end portion projects above the
ground surface,
a cross-head of rigid clear, plastic sheet material which is
U-shaped in cross-section to provide spaced legs joined by a bight,
the upper end portion of said rod closely fitting between said legs
and a pivot pin passing through aligned openings in said legs and
said rod upper portion to pivotally connect said cross-head to said
rod upper end portion intermediate the opposite ends of said head
and thereby provide head arms on either side of said pin,
said cross-head being swingable about said pivot to move it from
position cross-wise of said rod upper end portion to another
position wherein it extends longitudinally relative to said rod,
with one arm fitting around said rod upper end portion and the
other arm extending upwardly from the latter,
the extremity of said rod upper end portion being spaced from the
inner surface of said bight an amount sufficient so that it does
not engage such bight surface during swinging action of said
cross-head,
and a strip of material disposed within and longitudinally of said
cross-head within the space between said rod extremity and said
bight inner surface, said strip being visible through said clear,
plastic cross-head.
3. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said legs have
opposed longitudinally extending grooves, and said strip is of a
width so that its longitudinal edge portions slidably fit within
respective grooves.
4. An earth anchor, comprising:
an elongated rigid supporting rod having auger-type screw-threads
which extend continuously from its lower tip to substantially an
upper end portion, said rod being adapted to be screwed into the
ground an amount wherein at least its upper end portion projects
above the ground surface,
a cross-head of rigid sheet material which is U-shaped in
cross-section to provide spaced legs joined by a bight which has a
smooth, unbroken outer surface, the upper end portion of said rod
closely fitting between said legs and a pivot pin passing through
aligned openings in said legs and said rod upper portion to
pivotally connect said head to said rod upper end portion
intermediate the opposite ends of said head and thereby provide
head arms on either side of said pivot pin,
said cross-head being swingable about said pivot pin to move it
from position cross-wise of said rod upper end portion to another
position wherein it extends longitudinally relative to said rod,
with one arm fitting around said rod upper end portion and the
other arm extending upwardly from the latter,
the extremity of said rod upper end portion being spaced from the
inner surface of said bight an amount sufficient so that it is at
all times within said bight and yet does not engage such bight
surface during swinging action of said cross-head,
said smooth unbroken surface of said bight protecting against
injury if a part of a person comes in contact therewith when said
cross-head is in its position cross-wise of said rod and the latter
is screwed into the ground.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
Ground stakes for guy and tent ropes are known, as are stakes for
holding ground coverings and for identifying the location and type
of planted seeds, but these have usually been of the variety
comprising a pointed wooden or metal peg which is forced into the
ground.
My invention provides an earth anchor which is adapted for mass
production and which serves an all purpose function in that it may
be used to anchor ground covering, ornamental lawn fences, guy and
tent ropes, as well as for indicators for the type of plants or
vegetables planted in seed form.
The anchor comprises a low-cost assembly of a rod having auger-type
threads substantially throughout its length and a crosshead pivoted
to the upper end of the rod. The cross-head may be disposed in
position crosswise of the rod to serve as a substantial anchoring
element for ground coverings or for plants, tree coverings, or for
rope or like hold-down devices. The cross-head may be pivoted to a
position wherein it is disposed longitudinally of the rod and is
provided with replaceable strips which identify the seed planted in
a predetermined location.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part
of this application, there is shown, for purpose of illustration,
an embodiment which my invention may assume, and in this
drawing:
FIG. 1 is a small scale side elevational view of my improved earth
anchor,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view corresponding to
the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing the head member
of the anchor in position crosswise of the supporting rod, and an
indicia-bearing slip in separated relation;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing the head member
in position longitudinally of the supporting rod,
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view of one end of the head
member, and
FIGS. 6 through 8 show certain uses of my improved earth
anchor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As seen in the various views in the drawing, the earth anchor
comprises a supporting rod member 10 which is provided with an
auger-type screw thread 11 from its lower tip 12 to a point short
of its upper end. The rod member is preferably formed of a rigid,
plastic material, although it may be formed of metal.
Pivotally mounted to the upper end of the rod member is a head
member 14 which is preferably formed of a rigid, clear plastic. The
head member is U-shape in cross-section, as best seen in FIG. 2,
and a pivot pin 15 extends through a hole in the upper end of the
rod member and through aligned holes in the legs 16--16 of the head
member. If necessary, the opposite ends of the pin 15 may be
headed, as shown, to hold the pin in place.
The pivot formed by the pin 15 is intermediate the ends of the head
member 14 to provide arms 17 and 18 on opposite sides of the pivot.
At its extremity, the arm 18 is formed with a transverse wall 19
which spans the U-shaped cross-section of the arm. A key-hole
opening 20 is formed in the wall 19 so that when the head member 14
is swung to a position longitudinally of the rod member, a
peripheral portion of the rod member snaps through the small part
of the opening 20 and is thereby releasably held within the
opening. As seen in FIG. 4, the arm 18 encompasses a substantial
portion of the upper end of the rod member.
A replaceable strip 21 is disposed within the head member and bears
indicia which may be seen through the clear plastic material.
Preferably, opposed inside wall surfaces of the head member are
provided with longitudinally extending grooves 22--22 for slidably
receiving the strip 21 so that the latter may be replaced at will.
The strip 21 may be formed of plastic, paper, or the like, and
preferably that surface of the strip which faces upwardly is
provided with a fluorescent covering so that it will glow in the
dark.
In FIG. 6, my improved device is shown in position to anchor an
ornamental lawn fence in position. Such fence is usually formed of
wire or plastic to provide an ornamental loop effect, with the
loops interconnected by horizontal wire or plastic members 25. The
anchor is shown threaded into the earth with the head member 14
overlying a portion of the lower horizontal fence member 25.
In FIG. 7, a cover 26 formed of paper or flexible material is
disposed in position to cover plants. In this case the rod member
10 may be pushed through the covering and threaded into the
earth.
In FIG. 8, my improved device is shown in position to anchor a tent
or guy rope which usually has a loop 27 at its end. In use, the rod
member 10 is disposed through the loop and screwed into the earth
until the head member 14 secures the loop to the ground. The fact
that the strip 21 has fluorescent properties will easily locate the
anchor and the lower end of the tent or guy rope so that no one
will trip thereover.
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