GB2092638A - Pole support - Google Patents

Abstract

This comprises a tube into one end of which a pole or rod is to be inserted and held by a gripping member. Attached to the other end of the tube is an auger which is to be embedded in the ground. A handle may be provided for assisting in rotating the device to force the auger into the ground. The support may be used for beach umbrellas, fishing rods, flagpoles, signposts, or poles for games. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An improved supporting device This invention relates to a supporting device designed to support articles with respect to the ground, for example, the supporting device can be used for supporting beach or sun umbrellas. In the past, it has been common practice to support such umbrellas by embedding the ends of the stems of the umbrellas in the ground. The ends of the stems may even be sharpened to assist in this purpose.

However, even with such sharpened ends, the insertion of these can have deleterious effects upon the ends and if the ground should be hard then it may still be difficult to insert the ends of the umbrella stems into the ground. Furthermore, strong winds can often easily dislodge the umbrella stems from the ground.

An object of the present invention is to provide a supporting device by which articles such as beach or sun umbrellas, amongst other articles, can be supported with respect to the ground without having to be themselves inserted or embedded in the ground.

The present invention consists in a supporting device comprising; an elongated hollow tube open at one end, an auger attached to the tube and extending from the tube, and a spring loaded gripping member attached to and extending into the tube, said gripping member being adapted to press against and grip an object, of sufficient size, when the object is inserted into the tube.

The above gives a broad description of the present invention a preferred form of which, and some modifications of which, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred form of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view; Figure 3 shows a perspective view with a removable handle detached from the tube; Figure 4 illustrates one means whereby the auger is attachable to the tube; Figure 5 illustrates an alternative method whereby the auger is attachable to the tube; Figure 6 shows a modification of the invention where the handles are pivotally attached to the tube; and Figure 7 illustrates a modification of the invention where the tube is of square section and also shows an alternative form of handle which can be used with such a tube; Figure 8 shows a cross section of the upper end of the tube with a spring clip type gripping means.

The preferred supporting device of the present invention is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. The supporting device comprises an elongated hollow tube 1 which is of circular cross-section and which is open at one end 2. An auger 3 is attached to the tube at its end opposite the open end. The auger projects away from the tube and the axes of the tube and the auger are substantially aligned. The tube and auger are both preferably made of steel with the auger being welded to the tube. If necessary, the end of the auger to be attached to the tube, can be welded to a steel plug which is inserted into the appropriate end of the tube and is in turn, welded to the tube.

Preferably at or towards the open end of the tube, this has means which enables a handle to be releasably engaged with the tube and in this preferred form of the invention, said means comprises a pair of holes 4 passing through the tube. The handle comprises an elongated member, such as an elongated rod or tube, preferably made of high tensile steel and this handle can be passed through the holes 4 to extend laterally from one or preferably both sides of the tube. The handle is then in an operative position allowing the device to be rotated about the axis of the auger to screw the auger into the ground. The weight of the person using the supporting device can be applied to the handle to assist in this operation. Once the auger has been driven sufficiently into the ground, the handle 5 is removed.If the supporting device is to be used to support a beach umbrella, the bottom end of the stem of the beach umbrella is then inserted into the tube 1 of the supporting device.

To prevent the possibility that strong winds might blow a beach umbrella clear of the supporting device, means can be provided to secure the beach umbrella to the supporting device. According to the invention a spring loaded gripping member is attached to the tube and extends into the tube, the purpose of the gripping member being to press against and grip an object, of sufficient size, when the object which will typically be the stem of a beach umbrella, is inserted into the, tube. The gripping force exerted by the gripping means should be sufficient to prevent accidental dislodgement of the umbrella stem by the wind, for example, but should permit the umbrella stem to be deliberately pulled from the tube by a person wishing to separate them.

As best shown in Figure 8 the preferred gripping means is a steel spring clip 1 3 which is attached to the upper open end of the tube 1. The clip is hooked over the upper rim and the major portion of the length of the clip lies within the tube and is shaped in a curve to extend into the tube.

An umbrella stem can be pushed past the curved portion, this causing it to flatten somewhat and thus to press firmly against the stem. The outer end of the clip is preferably turned into the tube where it is engaged in a notch 1 4 cut into the tube. This prevents the clip from being easily disengaged from the tube.

Use of the clip enables articles whose stems may be somewhat thinner than the interior dimensions of the tube to be held reasonably securely in place.

The spring clip may have other shapes and be attached to the tube in different ways and other types of spring loaded gripping means are also possible.

In addition to the gripping means, the stem of the beach umbrella can be provided with holes at a height such that when the stem is inserted in the tube 1 of the supporting device, these holes align with the holes 4 in the tube of the supporting device. This allows the handle 5 to be reinstated through the holes 4 in the tube and also through the holes in the stem of the beach umbrella to secure the beach umbrella to the supporting device.

Where the handle 5 is separate from the rest of the supporting device as has been described, its loss may be prevented by attaching it to the supporting device by means of a flexible tie. In Figure 3 the ends of a chain 6 are respectively attached by any suitable means, for example screws, to the tube 1 and to an end of the handle 5. Alternatively a clip can be used to releasably hold the handle.

The dimensions of the device will depend upon its particular application, but for use with most beach umbrellas an overall length of approximately 50 centimetres, of which the tube 1 forms about three quarters of this length, is satisfactory. The outside diameter of the tube may be approximately 2.5-3 centimetres. The rod or tube forming the handle can have a diameter of between 0.5 to 1 centimetre and a length of between 30 and 30 centimetres, this being to allow a sufficient length of handle to project from each side of the tube when the handle is inserted through the holes 4 and so to provide an adequate hand grip on each side for effective leverage.

The above describes the preferred form of the invention and indicates some possible modifications but various other modifications and alterations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Some of these modifications and alterations are detailed below.

Within the term 'auger' is included any screw threaded member having a sharpened point at one end or an elongated spirally wound member.

Preferably the auger is an elongated substantially cylindrical member (i.e. having substantially parallel sides) with a helical groove running lengthwise to an end of the member as illustrated in the drawings.

Usually there will be a sharpened point at that end, this being the end remote from the tube 1.

The auger instead of being fixidly attached to the tube may be separate from but attachable to the tube. For example, in Figure 4, the auger is welded to a threaded plug 7 which is screwed into the internally threaded end of the tube 1. Preferably, some means is provided to prevent the plug from unscrewing from the tube when the supporting device is being rotated to drive the auger into the ground or to remove the auger from the ground. In Figure 5, the auger is again welded to a plug 7 which is simply pushed into the appropriate end of the tube 1. Once again, some means, such as grub screw 9, is provided to prevent auger from inadvertently detaching from the tube.

Various modifications of the handle are also possible. For example, two handles may be rigidly attached to the tube by welding so as to project laterally from opposite sides of the tube.

Alternatively, two nuts may be welded on opposite sides of the tube and two rods, each forming a handle, may be threaded at one of their ends so as to be able to be screwed into the nuts. In another arrangement as shown in Figure 6, a pair of lugs 10 are welded on opposite sides of the tube and between each of these pairs of lugs an end of a handle is pivotally mounted by means of pin 11. in Figure 6 the handles are pivotal between a lateral or operative position as shown on the right hand side and a folded position as shown on the left hand side. In this case, the handles are swung towards the auger end of the tube to the folded position but a disadvantage of this is that it is difficult to apply weight to the handles to assist in driving the auger into the ground.This problem can be overcome by having the handles pivotal in the opposite direction, that is, towards the open end 2 of the tube. Alternatively, any suitable ratchet or catch means can be provided to retain the handles in their operative positions but which when released allows the handles to be folded.

The tube can have shapes other than circular in section. For example, in Figure 7 it is shown with a square section. In this case, the handle may be in the form of a T shaped member, the leg 12 of the T also being of a square section and forming a key capable of insertion into the open end 2 of the tube as illustrated.

The main advantage of those forms of the invention where the handle or handles are coliapsible or releasable from the tube is that the device is more easily packed or stored.

Where folding handles are provided, these may include a clamp member extending into the tube through an aperture in the tube wall. The handles when folded can then be used also to grip an article held in the supporting device to prevent its inadvertent removal.

In use, the auger is screwed into the ground leaving the tube extending above the ground and providing a socket into which an umbrella stem can be inserted to be held thereby. Thus the end of the umbrella stand need not be embedded in the ground and thus can be kept free of dirt which might otherwise corrode the end of the rod.

In alternative forms of the invention the auger and tube need not necessarily be collinear if the device is to be used to support an article other than vertically.

The device of this invention can be used for supporting a wide variety of articles other than beach umbrellas, for example, fishing rods, poles for pennants or flags or other purposes, signposts, poles for swing-ball games and any other articles which might otherwise have to be inserted into the ground. The auger is much easier to insert into the ground especially if the ground is hard than is the straight end of a rod or pole. It also provides a much more secure engagement with the ground.

The device of the invention may be made of other, preferably non-corrosive, materials such as aluminium or any aluminium alloy, or plastics materials.

Claims (22)

1. A supporting device comprising; an elongated hollow tube open at one end, an auger attached to the tube and extending from the tube, and a spring loaded gripping member attached to and extending into the tube, said gripping member being adapted to press against and grip an object, of sufficient size, when the object is inserted into the tube.

2. A supporting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the auger is attached to the tube at its end opposite the said open end, the auger projecting away from the tube with the axes of the tube and the auger being substantially aligned.

3. A supporting device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the device includes a handle or means enabling a handle to be attached or releasably engaged with the tube.

4. A supporting device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the handle or said means for a handle is located at or towards the open end of the tube.

5. A supporting device as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the handle in the operative position extends laterally from the tube.

6. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 3-5 wherein the handle extends laterally from the tube in two opposite directions.

7. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 3-6 wherein the handle comprises an elongated member separate from the tube and the means which enables the handle to be attached or releasably engaged with the tube comprises holes passing through the tube through which holes the handle can be passed to extend laterally from the tube.

8. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 3-7 wherein the handle is attached to the tube by a flexible tie or a clip.

9. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 3-7 wherein the handle is rigidly attached to the tube.

10. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 3-7 wherein the handle is pivotally attached to the tube and is movable between the operative position and a folded position in which it lies substantially against the tube.

11. A supporting device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein there are two handles, these being located on opposite sides of the tube.

12. A supporting device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the auger is screwed into the tube.

13. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 1-11 wherein an end of the auger is inserted into an end of the tube and is secured thereto by a screw passing through a hole in the tube and screwed into said end of the auger.

14. A supporting device as claimed in any one of claims 1-11 1 wherein the auger is welded to the tube.

1 5. A supporting device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the gripping means comprises a spring clip attached to the upper portion of the tube.

16. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

1 7. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3.

1 8. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 4.

1 9. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 5.

20. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 6.

21. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 7.

22. A supporting device substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 8.