GB2320416A - Security anchorage - Google Patents

Abstract

A security anchorage for use in a garage, shed or outbuilding, comprising at least two support members 12 adapted for coupling to a fixed or immovable surface such as a garage floor or wall and an anchor member 20 coupled to and extending between the at least two support members, the anchor member including a plurality of apertures spaced along its long axis. Garden tools and other equipment may be separately secured to the individual apertures for improved security and easy access.

Description

SECURITY ANCHORAGE The present invention relates to security anchorages and in particular to anchorages which may be attached to a fixed immovable object, for securing articles thereto.

Examples of prior art security anchorages are bicycle racks and other ground anchors which may be cemented into place in the ground.

Such security anchors are generally provided in public places, particularly outdoors, to which bicycles may be secured using a lock and chain or other locking device.

In the present specification, the term security anchorage is used to encompass items which are intended to be attached to an immoveable surface in a non-removable manner except by destruction or damage to the anchorage, its fixings or the surface to which it is affixed. The term is also intended to encompass anchorages which offer a significant degree of resistance to being cut, sawn or otherwise broken.

In recent years, theft of gardening implements, power tools and other items from garden sheds, garages or outbuildings has become an increasing problem. One way of improving security is to chain all valuable items such as lawnmowers, tools and wheelbarrows together with a long chain. Generally, the use of a long chain in this manner is inconvenient, particularly when access to only one or two items in the chain is required, and particularly when in the confines of a crowded garden shed.

For added security, the chain may also be passed through a fixed immovable object or anchorage point, such as a rafter or other structural member of the building in which the tools reside. However, the inconvenience of this arrangement, with regard to access to the individual tools, remains.

In addition, both of these arrangements suffer from an additional disadvantage in that theft of all of the items may be effected if the chain or its anchor are severed in just one place.

The present invention seeks to provide a more convenient and more secure anchorage arrangement which may be used in garden sheds, garages and outbuildings, to which assorted tools and other equipment may be conveniently and independently stored.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a security anchorage comprising: at least two support members adapted for coupling to a fixed surface; and an anchor member coupled to and extending between the at least two support members, the anchor member including a plurality of apertures spaced along its long axis.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an elongate security anchorage for permanently fixing to an immovable surface, which anchorage includes a plurality of individual anchorage sites therealong and which is extendable in the longitudinal direction to provide an anchorage which is variable in length.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a security anchorage according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows (a) a side view, and (b) a top view of a security anchorage similar to figure 1; Figure 3 shows the separate component parts of an anchorage similar to figures 2(a) and 2(b); Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show respective side and top views of a security anchorage according to another embodiment of the present invention, in partly extended condition; Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show respective side and top views of the security anchorage of figure 3 in fully extended condition; and Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show a non-extendable security anchorage.

With reference to figures 1 and 2, a security anchorage 10 comprises a pair of brackets 12 which may be secured generally to an immovable surface 2 such as a wall, floor or ceiling of a building.

Reference to top, side and bottom of the security anchorage are used throughout the present specification in the context of the security anchorage being affixed to, and upstanding from, a floor, although it will be understood that the security anchorage may be mounted on a wall in a different orientation.

Preferably, the brackets 12 are secured to the immovable surface 2 by way of fixing means which are resistant to removal. Such fixing means may be shear bolts 11 which pass through bolt holes 13, 14, and whose heads shear off under the forces involved in tightening the bolts.

Alternatively, keyed bolts or screws, or screws with "one way" screw heads may be deployed through bolt holes 13, 14. Alternatively, the bottom surfaces 15 of the brackets 12 may be adhered to a suitable surface 2, such as a concrete floor or brick wall, by a chemical fixing method such as resin bonding.

Connected to a top surface of the brackets 12 is an anchor bar 20.

In one arrangement as shown in figures 1 and 2, the anchor bar 20 is butted onto the top surface 16 of the bracket 12. In another arrangement as shown in figure 3, the bracket 12 may include an aperture 18 adapted to receive the bar 20, butting against internal surface 17. The anchor bar 20 is preferably connected to the brackets 12 by fixing means which are resistant to removal, preferably shear bolts 19 driven into threaded apertures 22 in the brackets 12 and bolt holes 25 in the anchor bar 20.

Other types of fixing means resistant to removal similar to those described above can similarly be used.

Spacer plates 30 may be used between the bar 20 and the bracket 12, or within the aperture 18 in the bracket 12, for purposes which will become clear later.

At intervals along the anchor bar 20 are provided pairs of bolt holes 25 adapted to receive the shear bolts or other fixing means which pass therethrough into the brackets 12.

Also at intervals along the anchor bar 20 are provided securing apertures 27 which are suitable for receiving therethrough a locking device such as a chain, a padlock, a shackle lock, steel cable or the like.

The plurality of securing apertures 27 provide two important features. Firstly, a plurality of items may be secured to the anchor bar at intervals along the bar 20. This is useful in storage locations such as sheds or garages where it is often convenient to store tools and other items against the walls or hanging thereon. Secondly, the individual securing apertures 27 allow independent connection of locks for different items at each aperture. Severing of the bar at one aperture, or on one side of an aperture allows only one item or group of items locked through that aperture to be stolen. All other items secured to the bar still may not be removed. Thus cutting through the bar allows release of only a small proportion of the items secured thereto.

A further advantage of the individual apertures is that it enhances the ease of use of the anchorage in that there is less tendency for locks and chains for different items to become tangled or unintentionally interlinked.

A further embodiment is now described in connection with figures 4 and 5. As discussed above, it is a common requirement to store tools and gardening implements along the walls of a garage or shed. The security anchorages of figures 1, 2 and 3 are ideally suited to this type of storage, but as illustrated in figures 4 and 5, can be modified to be adaptable to any convenient length of shed, garage, or storage space therein. Multiple brackets 12 are deployed to connect several independent anchor bars 20. Specifically, in the arrangement shown, an intermediate bracket 12a connects two anchor bars 20a and 20b.

The predetermined regular spacing of apertures 27 and bolt holes 25 means that adjacent anchor bars 20 may overlap to a variable extent, as exemplified by a "two aperture" overlap in figure 4 and a "no aperture" overlap in figure 5. The number of anchor bars 20 used may be chosen to suit any particular length of storage space or building. The number of securing holes available also ensures longitudinal flexibility in the siting of both end brackets and intermediate brackets where availability of fixing sites on an immovable surface is restricted.

To accommodate the dual thickness of bars 20 at an intermediate bracket 12a where they overlap, the end brackets 20 may be provided with spacer plates 30 which are of equal thickness to the anchor bars 20 and lie between the anchor bars 20 and the respective bracket 12.

Clamp plates 32 may be used over the anchor bars 20 to act as load spreaders when the shear bolts or other fixing means are passed through bolt holes 25.

It will be understood that the spacer blocks 30 may be omitted where there is sufficient flexibility in the bar 20a to flex about an axis orthogonal to its side face as viewed in figures 4(a) and 5(a).

Preferably, all components are formed in hardened steel or other suitable material which is highly resistant to severing by a saw or by shearing devices such as bolt cutters.

It is also possible to provide an extendible anchorage by omitting the centre bracket 12a and coupling the adjacent anchor bars 20a and 20b directly to one another, again using a fixing means which is resistant to removal. Alternatively, the bars 20a and 20b could be provided with a telescopic slide arrangement in which the first bar 20a is in sliding engagement with the second bar 20b allowing relative longitudinal displacement, but not relative lateral displacement.

It will be understood that the brackets 12 need not support the bar 20 at each end thereof, but may be situated a small distance toward the centre of the bar longitudinally.

Although the brackets 12 at the ends of the bars 20 have been shown extending laterally from the bar orthogonally to the plane of the apertures 27, it will be understood that this represents a convenient configuration for mounting the anchorage on a floor or wall while allowing satisfactory passage of locking devices through the apertures.

However, the brackets may, for example, extend longitudinally from the ends of the bars 20 to secure to end walls beyond the ends of the bars.

Preferably, the anchorage 10 is coloured in a bright colour scheme to draw attention to its present. This provides a dual function of drawing a potential thief's attention to it for deterrent purposes, and, in particular where the anchorage is floor mounted, to reduced the likelihood of persons falling over it.

In a further embodiment, the security anchorage 10 is provided with an alarm device. Such an alarm device could be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the electrical resistance of the bar along its length may be monitored such that an attempt to sever the bar or part thereof will result in any increased electrical resistance. Alternatively, a vibration sensor may be incorporated into at least one bracket. The alarm system may be independent, or may be coupled to a domestic burglar alarm system.

Although the security anchorages described above have separate brackets for ease of installation and adjusting the position of the brackets, the anchorage could have brackets integrally formed with the anchor bar 20 as shown in figure 6 which is of a unitary construction.

It will be understood that although the security anchorage of the present invention has been described as having particular utility in a garage, shed or outbuilding, the anchorage may be usefully deployed in any indoor or outdoor situation where separate connection of a plurality of items to an anchor is desired.

Claims (14)

1. A security anchorage comprising: at least two support members adapted for securely coupling to a fixed surface; and an anchor member coupled to and extending between the at least two support members, the anchor member including a plurality of apertures spaced along its long axis.

2. A security anchorage according to claim 1 wherein said anchor member comprises a plurality of anchor bars each including a plurality of said apertures, including means to connect said anchor bars together substantially parallel to one another and in one of a plurality of longitudinal positions relative to one another, to thereby vary the length of the security anchorage.

3. A security anchorage according to claim 2 further including an intermediate support member coupled to the anchor member between said at least two support members.

4. A security anchorage according to claim 3 wherein the intermediate support member provides said means to connect said anchor bars together in overlapping relation to one another.

5. A security anchorage according to claim 4 wherein each anchor bar includes a plurality of equidistant longitudinally spaced securing holes for coupling said support members to said anchor bars.

6. A security anchorage according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the plurality of apertures of each anchor bar are of the same size and regularly spaced along the bar.

7. A security anchorage according to any preceding claim in which the anchor member is attached to the support members by way of a fixing means which is resistant to being undone.

8. A security anchorage according to claim 7 in which said fixing means comprise shear bolts.

9. A security anchorage according to any preceding claim formed from hardened steel.

10. A security anchorage according to any preceding claim including an integral alarm system to detect attempts to sever the anchorage.

11. A security anchorage according to claim 10 in which the alarm is adapted to monitor resistivity along the anchor member.

12. A security anchorage according to claim 10 in which the alarm is adapted to sense vibration at said support members.

13. An elongate security anchorage for permanently fixing to an immovable surface, which anchorage includes a plurality of individual anchorage sites therealong and which is extendable in the longitudinal direction to provide an anchorage which is variable in length.

14. A security anchorage substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.