GB2549255A

GB2549255A - A post clamp and a post support system

Info

Publication number: GB2549255A
Application number: GB1605001.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gorman Lee
Original assignee: Line Starter Ltd
Current assignee: Line Starter Ltd
Priority date: 2016-03-24
Filing date: 2016-03-24
Publication date: 2017-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-24
Also published as: GB201605001D0; GB2549255B

Abstract

The post clamp 100 comprises plates 30, 40, 50, 60 which connect to form a tube and encompass an end of a post and clamp it in packed gravel. There may be a hinged joint 32, 42, 52, 62 between two of the plates so they disconnect and reconnect to one another. The hinges may comprise removable hinge pins 85, 95, 105, 115 which disconnect two of the plates when removed thereby releasing the post by reducing compaction of the gravel. The hinge pins may have a spike 87, 97, 107 for fixing in the ground. The tube may be triangular. The tube may have an even number of four or more plates which collapse into a flat stack while remaining connected. Also claimed is a post support system comprising a post, gravel, and the clamp, wherein the plates are connected to form the tube and the tube encompasses the gravel and the post to thereby support the post upright. Pea shingle may be used as gravel.

Description

A POST CLAMP AND A POST SUPPORT SYSTEM Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a post clamp in the form of a collapsible tube formed of connected plates for the purpose of holding upright a clamped post. The invention also relates to a post support system comprising: a post having an end packed in aggregate, the aggregate itself, and the post clamp. The post clamp is for use in the fields of building construction, fencing, and related industries where posts which extend upright from the ground.

Background

Typically, a post is supported in an upright position by excavating a hole in the ground and dropping in an end of the post. However, after the hole is backfilled, removing he post is difficult.

Some posts have a wide base on which the post can stand upright. However, this requires the post to have a wide base which increases weight, cost, an inconvenience.

Prior Art

An example of a fence post bracket is disclosed in US-B-5203817 (Klumpjan). While this bracket is useful for supporting a post above the earth to prevent moisture rotting the post, it does not solve the problems mentioned above.

Another example of a fence post bracket is disclosed in US-B-3809346 (Jackson), which rests on a ground surface. It requires a fence post to be nearly the same size and shape of the bracket itself. So while it does solve some of the problems mentioned above, it only does so for a preselected post. A fence post bracket that adjusts for vertical alignment is disclosed in US-B-5884874 (Spreece). While this bracket is helpful for accommodating for un-even ground, it does not solve the problems mentioned above.

Another drawback of devices mentioned in the prior art is that they are bulky. So if a one needs to transport a thousand brackets to a building supply store or a work site, a lorry need to be hired just to transport the brackets separately. A whole warehouse is also required store them.

An invention is required to overcome the problems with supporting a bracket in the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention there is a post clamp to be packed with gravel into an excavation to hold a post upright, the post clamp comprising plates which connect to form a tube to encompass an end of the post and clamp it in packed gravel.

Advantageously the post does not require a special wide base to be held upright in a stable position.

Preferably the post clamp comprises a joint whereby two of the plates are adapted to be disconnected one from another and re-connected one to another. Preferably the joint is a hinge.

Advantageously the post is easily freed from the clamp by disconnecting two of the plates so removing the post is easy.

Preferably the plates are connected by hinges in addition to the joint. Advantageously the hinges ease collapsing the post clamp for transport and storage.

Preferably the hinges comprise hinge pins aligned along parallel axes. In use the axes a parallel to the long axis of the post. Advantageously from a collapsed form of stacked plates, the post clamp is easily opened to form an open ended box to receive an end of the post.

Preferably the joint is arranged to disconnect the two plates which are connected by the joint, so as to sever the tube along its length. Before the plates are disconnected the clamp acts as band around the gravel and compacts the gravel around post. Advantageously, disconnecting the plates severs the band and releases the gravel which holds the post upright, so the post may be easily removed.

Preferably one of the hinges comprises a removable hinge pin, whereby removal of the pin from the hinge to disconnects two of the plates.

Preferably the joint is arranged to disconnect the two plates thereby releasing the post by reducing compaction of the gravel.

Preferably the post clamp comprises a spike to fix the post into the ground of the excavation. Preferably at least one of the hinge pins has a spike end to fix the post into the ground of the excavation.

Preferably the length of the hinge pin with the spike, from the head of the hinge pin to the tip of the spike, is longer than the length of the tube.

Preferably the post clamp has three plates which connect to form a triangular tube.

Preferably the post clamp comprises an even number of plates of four or more arranged to collapse into a flat stack while remaining connected.

Preferably the plates are in pairs connected alternately, each plate in any of the pairs has substantially the same width between points of connection to adjacent plates.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is a post support system comprising: a post having an end packed in gravel, the gravel, and a post clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the plates are connected to form the tube and the tube encompasses the end of the post and retains the gravel, whereby the post is supported upright.

Preferably the post support system comprises pea shingle, wherein the tube is set within walls of an excavation and the pea shingle is packed between the walls and the tube.

Preferably the in post support system, the gravel and the pea shingle are the same aggregate.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Brief Description of the Figures

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a post clamp in tube form according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of a post clamp collapsed into flat form according to the invention; and

Figure 3 is a detail view of a hinge connection at a corner of a post clamp according to the invention.

Figure 4 is a view of a post clamp support system including a post clamp, post, and gravel is situ in an excavation according to the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring to the Figures, there is shown in Figure 1 a perspective view of a post clamp 100.

The post clamp is to be packed with gravel into an excavation so as to hold a post 200 in an upright position. However, in Figure 1 the post clamp is not shown in situ. Both the clamp 10 and the post 100 are shown in situ in Figure 4.

The post clamp comprises plates 30, 40, 50, 60. The plates connect to form a tube. To support a post in the upright position, an end of the post is inserted into the tube so that the tube encompasses the end of the post. Between the tube and the post there is space which is packed with gravel 11. Thus the post 200 is clamped in the tube 100 by the packed gravel 11 which is pressed against the post and tube.

The plates 30, 40, 50, 60 are connected by means of connection which permit joined plates to rotate with respect to each other around the axis of the means of connection. The axis of rotation of each means of connection is parallel to the axis of rotation of all the other means of rotation. For post clamps which comprise four or more plates, the plates are free to rotate around the means of connection when all the plates are connected. For post clamps which comprise three plates, the plates are locked into a triangular tube form when they are all connected.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 there are four plates connected by four means of connection which are hinges. Each hinge comprises a hinge cylinder 32, 42, 52, 62. The axis of all the hinge cylinders are parallel to each other. Each hinge also comprises a hinge pin 85, 95, 105, 115.

The plates 30, 40, 50, 60 of the post clamp shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 are rectangular. First rectangular plate 30 has an edge 34 which when the post clamp is in situ is the top edge of the first rectangular plate. Second rectangular plate 40, third rectangular plate 40, third rectangular plate 50, and fourth rectangular plate 60 have second top edge 44, third top edge 54, and fourth top edge 64 respectively. Third rectangular plate 50 and fourth rectangular plate 60 have third bottom edge 56 and fourth bottom edge 66 respectively.

The plates are specially made flat to facilitate collapse of the post clamp 100 into a flat stack.

Each plate comprises at least two means of connection. For example, shown in facing the viewer in Figure 1 is a rectangular plate 60 which has a first hinge on a first edge of the plate and second hinge on the other edge of the plate which is parallel to the first. So the axes of the hinges are parallel. Each of the four plates has two hinges on parallel edges. It not necessary for means of connection such as the hinges to be located at the edges of the plates.

At least one of the means of connecting two of the plates is a joint whereby two of the plates may disconnected from each other and re-connected. For example, the joint may be a hinge having a hinge pin 85 which in position in hinge cylinder 62, 63 on adjoining plates 50, 60 connects the plates. The hinge pin may be withdrawn from the cylinders to disconnect the plates. The hinge pin may be re-inserted into the cylinder to re-connect the two plates.

Withdrawing a hinge pin 85, 95, 105,115 severs the tube along its length. The severed tube is weaker than the fully connected tube. Severing the tube releases pressure of compaction of the gravel on the end of the post inside the tube. By withdrawing the hinge pin, the post is released from most of the clamping force and the post can be pulled out of the post clamp without having to dig out the gravel between the tube and the post end.

The post clamp comprises a spike to fix the post into the ground of the excavation. As shown in Figure 1, the hinge pin 85 has a spike tip 87, and the hinge pin 95 has a spike tip 97, and the hinge pin 105 has a hinge pin 107. The hinge pins are longer than the tube. For example, the length of the hinge pin 85 from the head 83 to the spike tip 87 is longer than the length of the tube. So it is possible to place the post clamp on the ground of the excavation and drive the hinge pin into the ground. The hinge pin extends along the length of the tube and into the ground.

Post clamps which comprise and event number of the plates of four or more are able to collapse into a flat stack while remaining connected. In the form of a flat stack, the post clamp takes up much less volume than when it is in the form of a tube.

Many post clamps can be stored on shelves of a van or a shed in the flat stack form.

It is not necessary to disconnect any of the even number of plates to collapse the post clamp into the flat stack form. So it is not necessary to withdraw a hinge pin and store it separately just to put the post clamp into the flat stack form.

Figure 2 shows a post clamp 100 comprising four rectangular plates 30, 40, 50, 60 connected by hinges which is collapsed into a flat stack.

The post clamp comprises pairs of plates which are connected alternately. There is a first pair of plates 30, 50, and there is a second pair of plates 40,60. Both of the plates in the first pair have a width between the connection means which are the same. The connection means are hinges located at opposite edges of the rectangular plate, and both of the plates in first pair have the same width. In the same way both the plates of the second pair have a width between the connection means which are the same. The width of the second pair is not necessarily equal to the width of the first pair. If the width of both pairs are equal, the post clamp opens into a square tube. If the width of the pairs is not equal, then the post clamp opens into a rectangular tube.

Figure 4 illustrates a post support system comprising a post 200 having an end packed in gravel 11, the gravel 11, and a post clamp 100. The plates 30,40, 50,60 of the post clamp are connected to form the tube, and the tube encompasses the end of the post and retains the gravel whereby the post is supported upright.

The heads 83, 93, 103,113 of the pins remain above the surface level of the aggregate after aggregated is placed in situ. All that is needed to release the post is to pull one of the pins its head up and out of the post clamp to sever the tube and the compaction of the gravel 11 so that the post is easily pulled up and out of the post support system.

The post clamp 100 is situated within a wall 300 of an excavation. The post clamp system comprises pea shingle 10 intermediate the wall of the excavation and the post clamp. The pea shingle 11 is packed and the post clamp 100 is constrained by the pea single and cannot move within the excavation. Since post 200 is constrained by the gravel 11 which is held by the post clamp, the post also cannot move within the excavation.

Construction of the post support system is simplified by replacing separate gravel 11 and pea shingle 10 with a single aggregate. Suitable aggregates include sand, gravel, and pea shingle.

The invention has been described by way of examples only. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. A post clamp to be packed with gravel into an excavation to hold a post upright, the post clamp comprising plates which connect to form a tube to encompass an end of the post and clamp it in packed gravel.

2. A post clamp according to claim 1 comprising a joint whereby two of the plates are adapted to be disconnected one from another and re-connected one to another.

3. A post clamp according to claim 2 wherein the joint is a hinge.

4. A post clamp according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the plates are connected by hinges in addition to the joint.

5. A post clamp according to claim 4 wherein the hinges comprise hinge pins aligned along parallel axes.

6. A post clamp according to claim 4 or 5 wherein the joint is arranged to disconnect the two plates which are connected by the joint, so as to sever the tube along its length.

7. A post clamp according to claim 4 wherein one of the hinges comprises a removable hinge pin, whereby removal of the pin from the hinge to disconnects two of the plates.

8. A post clamp according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the joint is arranged to disconnect the two plates thereby releasing the post by reducing compaction of the gravel.

9. A post clamp according to any preceding claim comprising a spike to fix the post into the ground of the excavation.

10. A post clamp according to claim 5 wherein at least one of the hinge pins has a spike end to fix the post into the ground of the excavation.

11. A post clamp according to claim 10 wherein the length of the hinge pin with the spike from the head of the hinge pin to the tip of the spike is longer than the length of the tube.

12. A post clamp according to any preceding claim having three plates which connect to form a triangular tube.

13. A post clamp according to any one of claims 1 to 11 comprising an even number of plates of four or more arranged to collapse into a flat stack while remaining connected.

14. A post clamp according to claim 13 wherein the plates are in pairs connected alternately, each plate in any of the pairs has substantially the same width between points of connection to adjacent plates.

15. A post support system comprising: a post having an end packed in gravel, the gravel, and a post clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the plates are connected to form the tube and the tube encompasses the end of the post and retains the gravel, whereby the post is supported upright.

16. A post support system according to claim 15 comprising pea shingle, wherein the tube is set within a wall of an excavation and the pea shingle is packed between the walls and the tube.

17. A post support system according to claim 15 comprising pea shingle, wherein the tube is set within a wall of bucket, and the pea shingle is packed between the bucket and the tube.

18. A post support system according to claim 16 or 17 wherein the gravel and the pea shingle are the same aggregate.

19. A post clamp and a post support system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.