GB2278397A - Anchor - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an anchor 10 for secure attachment to a member 12, such as a house wall. The anchor 10 comprises an elongate arm 16, 18 for insertion through a bore 28, 30. The anchor 10 may be u-shaped with two arms 16, 18 (fig 1) or P-shaped with one arm 16, (fig 5) for example. A retention member 24 is mounted on the arm 16, 18. The retention member 24 comprises a pivotable strip in a slot 22 and is arranged to swing downwardly from an initial position which will enable the arm 16, 18 to be moved through the bore 28, 30 into a retention position in which it protrudes from the elongate arm 16, 18 to prevent withdrawal of the arm from the bore 28, 30. As shown in fig 7 the device can function as a brace with an element 42 screw-threaded thereon. <IMAGE>

Description

AN ANCHOR The invention relates to an anchor for secure attachment to a member and is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with an anchor for secure attachment to a house wall.

With increasing bicycle theft it is no longer advisable to leave an unsecured bicycle unattended, even at home.

Bicycles should, therefore be locked away or suitably secured to an appropriate anchorage point, eg a drainpipe. However, not all such points are reliable and an object of the invention is to provide an improved anchor-suitable for securing items such as a bicycle.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an anchor to which an object can be secured, the anchor comprising an elongate arm for insertion through a bore and a retention member mounted on the arm, the retention member being arranged to move from an initial position, which will enable the arm to be moved through the bore, into a retention position in which it protrudes from the elongate arm to prevent withdrawal of the arm from the bore without access to the retention member.

The retention member may be pivotally mounted on the elongate arm. The retention member may be elongate and pivotally mounted at a longitudinally off-centre position whereby it can pivot under gravity from its initial position to its retention position.

The retention member may conveniently be mounted in a slot at one end of the elongate arm. Such a construction is particularly simple and enables the retention member to be assembled easily on the elongate arm with a pivot pin on the arm passing through the retention member to enable it to pivot within the slot.

Preferably, the retention member is of strip-like form.

Such form is particularly useful where the retention member is to be mounted in the aforesaid slot.

The anchor may be u-shaped so as to define two spaced apart arms, at least one of which has said retention member. Preferably both arms have respective retention members.

Means may be provided on the arm to which the object can be secured. The means on the arm to which the object can be secured may comprise a loop at one end of the arm remote from the retention member. Where the anchor is ushaped, the means to which the object can be attached takes the form of the bight of the u-shaped anchor at the ends of the arms remote from the retention member. In another embodiment the means on the arm to which objects can be secured comprises a screw-threaded portion to which articles with a co-operating screw-threaded portion can be secured.

In a preferred embodiment, where the securing means comprises a screw-threaded portion, the screw-threaded portion receives a nut and the anchor is arranged to extend, in use, between two surfaces to brace the surfaces together between the retention member and the nut.

In another embodiment, where the anchor is u-shaped, the anchor may be arranged and located in a surface to act as a step. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of anchors are located up the surface to act as a series of steps.

Three embodiments of anchors in accordance with the invention will now be described in detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of an anchor in accordance with the invention, shown attached to a segment of wall, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the anchor shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the anchor of Figs 1 and 2, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of anchor in accordance with the invention, shown attached to a segment of wall, Fig. 5 is an elevation of the anchor of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a plan view of the anchor of Figs 4 and 5 and Fig 7 is a plan view of a further embodiment of anchor in accordance with the invention, shown attached to a segment of wall.

In Fig. 1 an anchor 10 in accordance with the invention is shown attached to a segment of a wall 12. The anchor 10 has a U-shaped body 14 defining arms 16, 18, each of the arms 16,18 having a free end 20, formed with a slot 22. The planes in which the slots 22 lie are perpendicular to the plane containing the arms 16, 18.

A retention member 24 is pivotally mounted in each slot 22 by means of a pivot pin 26 through the associated free end 20.

Each retention member 24 is elongate and is pivoted at a longitudinally off-centre position on a pivot pin 26.

In order to attach the anchor 10 to a wall 12, it is first necessary to drill two parallel bores 28, 30 through the wall 12. The bores 28, 30 may lie in a common horizontal plane and are spaced apart by the same distance as the spacing between the arms 16, 18. The retention members 24 are then pivoted into the broken line position shown in Fig. 2 in which they lie wholly within the cross-section of each free end 20. The broken line position defines the aforesaid initial position.

The arms 16, 18 are then inserted into the bores 28, 30 and the anchor 10 is pushed through the bores until the whole length of the slots 22 protrude from the other side of the wall 12. The retention members 24 then pivot under gravity into a retention position due to the offcentre position of the pivot pins 26. In this position each retention member 24 extends both below and above its respective arm 16, 18. Attempted withdrawal of the anchor 10 from the wall 12 results in each end of each retention member 24 abutting an inner surface 32 of the wall 12, thereby preventing removal.

An object such as a bicycle can be secured to the bight of the u-shaped body indicated at 33 and connecting the arms 16, 18 remote from the retention members 24.

If desired only one of the arms 16, 18 need incorporate a retention member 24.

In a preferred embodiment the u-shaped body comprises relatively short arms 16, 18 and a laterally elongate bight 33. A plurality of such anchors 10 may be arranged vertically up a wall to act as a ladder.

Figs 4 to 6 show an alternative embodiment of the invention which is similar in certain respects to that shown in Figs 1 to 3 and parts corresponding to parts in Figs 1 to 3 carry the same reference numerals.

The anchor of Fig. 4 comprises a P-shaped body 34 defining an arm 16 having a free end 20. At the end of the arm 16 spaced from the free end 20 is a closed loop 36 to which an object such as a bicycle can be secured.

The free end 20 of this embodiment is substantially similar to the free ends of the embodiment shown in Figs 1 to 3 and is formed with a slot 22. A retention member 24 is pivotally mounted at a longitudinally off-centre position in the slot 22 by means of a pivot pin 26. The retention member 24 and pivot pin 26 are substantially similar to those described above in relation to the previous embodiment.

In use, the retention member 24 is pivoted into the broken line position shown in Fig. 5 so as to lie wholly within the cross-section of the free end 20. The free end 20 of the anchor is then inserted into a bore 28 drilled in the wall 12. Once the entire length of the slot 22 protrudes from the other side of the wall 12 the retention member 24 pivots under gravity into the retention position. Again, attempted removal of the anchor from the wall results in the retention member 24 engaging an inner surface 32 of the wall 12.

The anchor of Fig 7 is similar in many respects to the anchors of Figs 1 to 6 and parts corresponding to parts in those figures carry the same reference numerals.

In Fig 7 an anchor 10 comprises an elongate body 38 defining a single straight arm 16. The arm 16 has a retention member 24 at one end and a screw-threaded portion 40 at the other. The retention member 24 is arranged identically to those of Figs 1 to 6 and will not be described further here. The screw-threaded portion 40 is arranged to receive a nut 42.

The anchor of Fig 7 can be used as a bracing member eg for cavity walls. In order to use the anchor in that way, a bore 43 is drilled through a section of wall 44 to be braced. The anchor 10 is then inserted through the bore 43 so that the retention member 24 drops into its retention position. On the other side of the wall 44, a bracing plate 45 having an aperture 46 therein is slid along the screw-threaded portion 40 and the nut 42 is screwed onto the screw-threaded portion until the nut 42 abuts the bracing plate 45 which in turn abuts the wall 44. The nut 42 is tightened on the screw-threaded portion until the wall 44 is adequately braced.

Whilst the anchor has been described with the retention member 24 pivoting under gravity into the retention position, it will be appreciated that other methods of attaining the retention position are possible, for instance the retention member may be biased into the retention position by resilient means, e.g. a spring.

Furthermore, the retention member need not be pivotally mounted, for example a bolt slidably mounted in a transverse bore at the or each free end could be arranged to drop into a retention position once clear of the bore or bores.

Once the anchor is in the position shown in Fig. 1 or 4 it can be removed only by obtaining access to the other side of the wall. Once installed, therefore, the anchor provides an extremely safe secure point to which bicycles, ladders etc can be locked.

Claims (14)

1. An anchor to which an object can be secured, the anchor comprising an elongate arm for insertion through a bore, and a retention member mounted on the arm, the retention member being arranged to move from a initial position which will enable the arm to be moved through the bore, into a retention position in which it protrudes from the elongate arm to prevent withdrawal of the arm from the bore.

2. An anchor according to Claim 1 in which the retention member is pivotally mounted on the elongate arm.

3. An anchor according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the retention member is elongate and is pivotally mounted at a longitudinally off-centre position whereby it can pivot under gravity from its initial position to its retention position.

4. An anchor according to any of Claims 1 to 3 in which the retention member is mounted in a slot at one end of the elongate arm.

5. An anchor according to any preceding claim in which the retention member is of strip-like form.

6. An anchor according to any preceding claim in which the anchor is u-shaped so as to define two spaced apart arms, at least one of which mounts a said retention member.

7. An anchor according to Claim 6 in which both arms have respective retention members.

8. An anchor according to any preceding claim, in which means being provided on the arm to which the object can be secured.

9. An anchor according to Claim 8, in which the means on the or each arm to which the object can be secured may comprise a loop at one end of the or each arm remote from the respective retention member.

10. An anchor according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, in which the means to which the object can be attached takes the form of the bight of the u-shaped anchor at the ends of the arms remote from the or each retention member.

11. An anchor according to Claim 8 in which the means on the arm to which the object can be secured comprises a screw-threaded portion to which articles with a cooperating screw-threaded portion can be secured.

12. An anchor according to any preceding claim in which the arm includes a screw-threaded portion to receive a nut and the anchor is arranged to extend, in use, between two surfaces to brace the surfaces together between the retention member and the nut.

11. An anchor according to any preceding claim in which the anchor may be arranged and located in a surface to act as a step.

14. An anchor substantially as described herein with reference to Figs 1 to 3, Figs 4 to 6 or Fig 7 of the accompanying drawings.