US3381763A

US3381763A - Removable ground-penetrating stake

Info

Publication number: US3381763A
Application number: US567953A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl G Matson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-07-26
Filing date: 1966-07-26
Publication date: 1968-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1985-05-07

Description

N O S T A M G. C.

REMOVABLE GROUND -PENETRATING STAKE Filed July 26, 1966 FES. 5

3,381,763 REMOVABLE GROUND-PENETRATING STAKE Carl G. Matson, 401 E. Central Blvd., Kewanee, Ill. 61443 Filed July 26, 1966, Ser. No. 567,953 2 Claims. (Cl. 173-91) This invention relates to a stake, post or the like which may be driven into and removed from the ground or like supporting object or substance without the aid of y'additional and separate tools.

Such stakes, posts, etc. find particular utility in, for example, roadside markers, temporary fences, braces, signs and the like and eliminate the prior practice in such usage of either driving the stakes by a mall or Sledge or alternately using a more complicated erection such as a tripod, weighted standard and so forth. Where the stake is driven by -a separate hammer, mall etc., no means is presently provided on the stake for removing it from the ground except by the application of gripping land pulling forces.

According to the present invention the stake includes its own built-in hammer means that is sleeved or otherwise slidably arranged on the stake for back and forth movement lengthwise of the stake and having striker or hammer portions selectively engageable with anvil portions rigid on the stake, the spacing of the cooperative portions being such that the ham-mer means is operative selectively on driving and withdrawing strokes to impart impact forces or blows respectively to the anvil portions; e.g., on its driving strokes the hammer means is repeatedly moved .away from and then forcibly returned to one anvil portion to drive the stake into the ground; on its withdrawing strokes the process is reversed, the other hammer means striker portion imparting successive blows to the other anvil portion for withdrawing the stake from the ground.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a novel stake of the character described. It is a further object to provide a low-cost stake in which additional driving tools are unnecessary. A still further object is to provide such stake with means by which associated structural, display etc. components may be easily attached. Other and equally significant objects are to provide a Stake having an abutment including opposite faces that serve as the anvil portion and an associated hammer having an internal pocket enclosing the abutment and fashioned with opposite end walls serving as the striker portions; and to provide a stake wherein the abutments aifording the anvil portions are relatively distantly spaced apart and the hammer means has opposite end portions of which at least one is in the form of a cup-shaped recess capable of receiving and surrounding the associated abutment throughout both strokes of the hammer means, the marginal wall of the recess thus preventing the user from pinching his iingers between the associtaed anvil and striker portions.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features, inherent in and encompassed by the invention, will become apparent as several embodiments thereof are disclosed, by way of example, in the ensuing description ,and accompanying drawing, the figures of which are described below.

FIGURE 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional View of one form of stake and associated hammer means.

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of another form of the improved stake.

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a third form of stake.

States Patent O FIGURE 6 is an end view as seen on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

The stake per se of FIGURES l and 2 is an elongated element 10, here in the form of a rod of cylindrical section having

opposite ends

12 and 14, the former being po-inted to penetrate the ground and the latter including means, such as a plurality of holes 16, for receiving bolts, wire etc. such as Imay be used for aixing to the stake related structural, display etc. elements. The stake is shown here as having its end 12 driven into the ground G, which is representative of a stake-supporting object or substance and which may of course be other than horizontal. The stake has upper rand

lower abutments

18 and 20 rigid thereon, as by Welding at 22 and 24, and spaced apart lengthwise of the stake so that the lower radial or transverse face of the upper abutment provides Ian upper anvil portion 26 opposed to a lower anvil portion 28 afforded by the upper face of the lower abutment.

A sleeve 30, of cylindrical section and having a central bore 32 to slidably t the stake 10 and of a length less than the spacing between the

abutments

18 and 20, serves as a hammer means having opposite, upper and lower transverse or

radial ends

34 and 36 functioning as harnmer or striker portions respectively cooperative with the

anvil portions

26 and 28.

The hammer or sleeve 30 is shown in FIGURE 1 in an intermediate position; i.e., between and not engaging either anvil portion. If it be assumed that the stake here is to be driven still further into the ground, the hammer 30 will tbe raised to a point just short of where its upper end 34 forcibly strikes the upper anvil 26, after which the hammer is either dropped or forcibly moved downwardly on its driving stroke so that its lower end or striker 36 imparts an impact or blow to the anvil 28 on t-he lower abutment. Repeated driving strokes will be employed until the stake is driven to the extent desired. The length of the driving strokes is governed by the length of the 'hammer 30 relative to the axial spacing of the abutments or

collars

18 and 20.

When the stake is to be removed, the hammer is moved upwardly on repeated withdrawing strokes, its upper end 34 delivering repeated blows to the upper :anvil 26 to the extent necessary to free the lower end of the stake from the ground.

Since the collars or

labutments

18 and 20 are rigidly united with the stake, they not only govern the length of the hammer strokes but also confine the hammer to the stake so that it is always available as a driving or removing tool. The weight of the hammer is a matter of choice.

The stake in FIGURES 3 and 4 is also a rod-like element 40 on which a hammer 42, centrally bored at 49, is slidable on alternate driving and withdrawing strokes to cause the lower pointed end 46 of the stake to be driven into or withdrawn from the ground G. The hammer 42 has at one end an interior pocket 48 having opposite

radial end walls

50 and 52 and a marginal (here cylindrical) wall 54. The upper end of the stake 4) is headed to provide a circular abutment 56 having upper and lower

radial faces

58 and 60 providing upper and lower anvil portions spaced apart less than the axial spacing of the cooperative striker portions provided by the hammer

pocket end walls

50 and 52. The relative diameters of the abutment 56 and hammer pocket wall 54 are such that the former is loosely coniined within the latter. The relative axial spacings of the

anvil portions

58 and 60 and

striker portions

50 and 52 determine the length of the driving and withdrawing strokes of the hammer, it being evident that as the hammer is moved forcibly downwardly on repeated driving strokes the striker portion 50 strikes repeated driving blows on the upper anvil portion 58. Conversely, the hammer striker 52 imparts withdrawing yblows to the lower or under anvil portion 6l) upon repeated withdrawing 3 strokes of the hammer to remove the stake from the ground.

The enclosing of the abutment 56 in the pocket 48 prevents the entrance of dirt, etc. and also precludes injury to the lingers of the user. Broadly construed, the wal1'54 is part of the hammer extending between and joined to the

striker walls

50 and 52. The wall 50 is here shown as a cap or cover welded as at 62 to the upper end of the hammer after the stake and hammer have been assembled. The lower end of the stake may be provided with a stabilizing space 64, welded to the stake at 66. Any appropriate means could be provided on the hammer to serve the purpose of the holes 16 in FIGURE 1. Without such means, it is obvious that related structural, display, etc. components could be wired to the hammer 42 or could be provided with special brackets, etc.

The stake in FIGURES and 6 is an elongated element 70 having upper and

lower ends

72 and 74, the latter of which is pointed to enter the ground and the former having holes 76 like those at 16 in FIGURE l. Rigid on the stake 70, as by welding at 78 and 80, are upper and lower axially spaced apart abutments or

collars

82 and 84, the lower and upper radial faces of which respectively provide upper and

lower anvil portions

86 and 88.

An axially bored hammer 90 is slidable on the stake 70 on driving and withdrawing strokes between the

anvil portions

86 and 88, which are alternately struck by upper and

lower striker portions

92 and 94 rigid on the hammer and spaced axially apart less than the axial spacing of the

anvil portions

86 and 88. To this extent, the FIGURES 5-6 construction generally follows that of FIGURES 1-2.

There is however a basic difference in that opposite end portions ofthe FIGURES 5-6 hammer 90 are respectively in the forms of axially opening recesses or

cups

96 and 98 opening or facing respectively toward the

stake ends

72 and 74. The upper cup 96 has as its bottom the striker portion 92 from which rises an integral annular skirt or marginal wall 100. The lower cup 98 is symmetrical, having a skirt or wall 102 extending axially from the lower striker portion 94 which of course provides the bottom of the inverted lower cup. The cups and abutments are so relatively dimensioned that both abutments are contained within their respective cups during all parts of both the driving and withdrawing strokes of the hammer. That is to say, in the particular conliguration shown the outside diameter of each abutment is less than the inside diameter of its associated cup and the axial length of each marginal wall equals a hammer stroke plus the axial thickness of an abutment. Thus, regardless of the posi tion of the hammer, neither

anvil portion

86 or 88 is axially exposed beyond the rim of its associated

marginal wall

100 or 102 of the hammer. This prevents the user from having his lingers pinched between the wall rims and anvil portions. The above dimensional requirements would of course be satisfied if the axial length of each marginal wall is approximately equal to a hammer stroke, so long as the rim of a marginal wall does not axially expose an anvil portion by an amount sufcient to receive part of the users hand. It may be desirable in some instances to provide the cup conguration at only one end of the hammer.

Stakes of the character of any of those described above, or fashioned as variations or equivalents thereof, feature economy, simplicity and ease in design, manufacture and use. Such stakes may be employed singly or in multiples for many purposes. Since in each case, the hammer is built into the stake, no additional tools are required for either driving or removing the stake.

What is claimed is:

1. A removable ground-penetrating stake comprising an elongated element having opposite ends, hammer means slidable back and forth on and lengthwise of the element, and two-way means confining the hammer means to the element and for limiting its movement to opposite driving and withdrawing strokes, said two-way means including driving and withdrawing anvil portions rigid on and spaced apart lengthwise of the element, and driving and withdrawing striker portions rigid Von the hammer means and spaced apart lengthwise a distance different from the spacing of the anvil portions and adapted to strike and impart driving and withdrawing blows to the driving and withdrawing anvil portions selectively upon movement of the hammer means through its driving and withdrawing strokes respectively, characterized in that the hammer means is of sleeve-like construction having a length less than that of the element and including opposite end portions, at least one of which is in the form of a cup-like recess opening toward the proximate end of the element, said recess having a transverse bottom serving as a striker portion and a marginal wall extending lengthwise from said bottom, the other hammer means end portion serving as the other striker portion, and the anvil portions are spaced on the element respectively lengthwise beyond said striker portions, said recess and its associated anvil portion being so relatively dimensioned that said anvil portion is receivable within the recess and surrounded by the marginal wall during movement of the hammer means on both driving and withdrawing strokes.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 in whichv both end portions are similarly formed as cup-like recesses and both anvil portions are so relatively dimensioned that each an vil portion is receivable lwithin its respective recess and is surrounded by the associated marginal wall during movement of the hammer means on both driving and withdrawing strokes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,759,486 8/1956 Pesaturo 173-91 2,629,985 3/1953 McDowell 173-91 2,742,266 4/1956 Voelkerding 173-91 2,791,926 4/ 1957 Guyton 173--91 2,923,335 2/1960 Joyce 173-91 2,934,984 4/1960 Woodman 173-91 JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A REMOVABLE GROUND-PENETRATING STAKE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ELEMENT HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, HAMMER MEANS SLIDABLE BACK AND FORTH ON AND LENGTHWISE OF THE ELEMENT, AND TWO-WAY MEANS CONFINING THE HAMMER MEANS TO THE ELEMENT AND FOR LIMITING ITS MOVEMENT TO OPPOSITE DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING STROKES, SAID TWO-WAY MEANS INCLUDING DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING ANVIL PORTIONS RIGID ON AND SPACED APART LENGTHWISE OF THE ELEMENT, AND DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING STRIKER PORTIONS RIGID ON THE HAMMER MEANS AND SPACED APART LENGTHWISE A DISTANCE DIFFERENT FROM THE SPACING OF THE ANVIL PORTIONS AND ADAPTED TO STRIKE AND IMPART DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING BLOWS TO THE DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING ANVIL PORTIONS SELECTIVELY UPON MOVEMENT OF THE HAMMER MEANS THROUGH ITS DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING STROKES RESPECTIVELY, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE HAMMER MEANS IS OF SLEEVE-LIKE CONSTRUCTION HAVING A LENGTH LESS THAN THAT OF THE ELEMENT AND INCLUDING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS IN THE FORM OF A CUP-LIKE RECESS OPENING TOWARD THE PROXIMATE END OF THE ELEMENT, SAID RECESS HAVING A TRANSVERSE BOTTOM SERVING AS A STRIKER PORTION AND A MARGINAL WALL EXTENDING LENGTHWISE FROM SAID BOTTOM, THE OTHER HAMMER MEANS END PORTION SERVING AS THE OTHER STRIKER PORTION, AND THE ANVIL PORTIONS ARE SPACED ON THE ELEMENT RESPECTIVELY LENGTHWISE BEYOND SAID STRIKER PORTIONS, SAID RECESS AND ITS ASSOCIATED ANVIL PORTION BEING SO RELATIVELY DIMENSIONED THAT SAID ANVIL PORTION IS RECEIVABLE WITHIN THE RECESS AND SURROUNDED BY THE MARGINAL WALL DURING MOVEMENT OF THE HAMMER MEANS ON BOTH DRIVING AND WITHDRAWING STROKES.