Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H12/00—Towers; Masts or poles; Chimney stacks; Water-towers; Methods of erecting such structures
  • E04H12/22—Sockets or holders for poles or posts
  • E04H12/2207—Sockets or holders for poles or posts not used
  • E04H12/2215—Sockets or holders for poles or posts not used driven into the ground
  • E04H12/2223—Sockets or holders for poles or posts not used driven into the ground by screwing
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
  • E02D5/00—Bulkheads, piles, or other structural elements specially adapted to foundation engineering
  • E02D5/74—Means for anchoring structural elements or bulkheads
  • E02D5/80—Ground anchors
  • E02D5/801—Ground anchors driven by screwing

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to support devices and more particularly to a support device anchorable in the ground for holding an object fixed above the ground.
• Support devices that can be anchored in the ground exist in many forms. An inspection of the prior art reveals the existence of numerous devices that can be anchored in the ground, more particularly in a soil of any granular composition, such as in the ground, sand, snow, or other. To lighten the text, the earth will occasionally be used as an exemplary composition. A large number of support devices exist and differ essentially by the geometry of the end of the support intended to be driven into the ground.
• support devices that include a tubular rod with hollow section that rises vertically once anchored in the ground.
• the lower end of the rod intended to be anchored in the ground comprises a lower opening and a net in the form of a blade or a pointed helical bar having the same shape as an unconstrained spring constituting the screwing means in the ground.
• the upper end comprises a fastening opening in which it is possible to fix any object such as the post of an umbrella, for example.
• the soil By pushing the support device into the ground through the lower opening, the soil can penetrate the tubular shaft of the support by its lower end, which allows the rod to sink more easily, the earth not having to to be compacted to the leakage and as the device is screwed into the ground, as is the case for example with a closed bottom end rod of conical shape.
• the earth when the earth penetrates and piles up in the tubular body of the stem, it can be difficult to dislodge it.
• the tubular shaft may become filled with soil all the way through until the soil obstructs the attachment opening at the upper end of the stem, preventing fixation of the object such as the parasol.
• the present invention relates to a support device for being temporarily anchored in the ground, comprising:
• an elongate hollow tubular shaft defining an upper end and a lower end;
• the present invention also relates to a support device intended to be temporarily anchored in the ground, comprising:
• an elongate hollow tubular shaft defining an upper end and a lower end;
• a deflector attached inside said rod opposite said orifice and intended to deflect a flow of granular material from said first opening towards said orifice.
• the support device further comprises screwing means for said device located on the lower portion of said rod, for facilitating the anchoring of said device in the ground.
• said screwing means consist of a helical bar forming a net fixedly attached to the lower portion of said rod.
• said helical bar is attached to said rod so that a lower portion of said helical bar does not surround said rod and that it extends freely beyond the end lower of said post.
• the support device further comprises a screw arm attached to the outer wall of said tube, said arm being intended to provide a handle to facilitate the rotation of said tube.
• said arm is pivotally attached by one of its ends to said rod, said screwing arm being able to switch between a storage state where said arm is parallel to said rod, and an operational state deployed where said arm is perpendicular to said rod.
• said hollow tubular rod defines an inner surface
• said baffle being formed of a plate whose peripheral rim adjoins said inner surface of said rod, said plate facing inclined to said intermediate orifice.
• an elongate hollow tubular shaft defining an upper end and a lower end;
• deflection means attached to the interior of said rod opposite said orifice; said device being for use on a soil composed of granular material; said rod being intended to allow said granular material comprising the soil to penetrate and accumulate in said sadite section by first sadite opening during its anchoring to the ground, said deflection means being intended to block the passage of the granular material ascending along the said rod of said first opening towards said second opening, and said deflecting means being for directing the granular material from said first opening to said orifice.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the support device of the invention with its screw arm in the folded position
• Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the support device with the screw arm in deployed operational position
• Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of the support device anchored in the ground, and further suggests a flow of surplus granular material exiting an orifice on the side of the device;
• Figure 4 is an enlarged view of region IV of Figure 3.
• Figures 1 to 4 show the support device 10 of the invention, which is intended to be used on a soil S of granular composition, and which aims to support an object not forming part of the invention, such as a parasol for example, fixed above the ground.
• the support device 10 comprises a hollow tubular section rod 12 which defines two ends: a lower end corresponding to the end which can be anchored in the ground S, and an upper end, opposite to the lower end.
• a lower opening 14 is present at the lower end of the rod 12.
• An upper opening 16 is present at the upper end of the rod 12.
• a pointed helical bar 22 is fixedly attached to the lower portion of the rod 12, as shown in FIG. 1.
• This helical bar 22 represents a means for screwing the device 10.
• the helical bar 22 is intended to assist the user the device 10 to anchor the device 10 in the ground S.
• the role of the helical bar 22 is similar to that of the threads of a screw.
• a convergent lower portion 22a of the helical bar 22 projects downwardly from the lower end of the rod 12 to facilitate the anchoring of the device 10 in the ground S.
• the rod 12 has an intermediate orifice 18 on its side, between the openings 14 and 16 and spaced therefrom.
• the rod 12 is provided with a deflector 24 in the form of an oval metal plate, the deflector 24 being fixed inside the hollow body of the rod 12, and its peripheral rim conforming to the inner wall of the rod 12.
• the deflector 24 is disposed obliquely inside the rod 12 so that it faces the orifice 18 in an inclined manner. The highest part of the deflector 24 is aligned with the upper part of the contour of the orifice 18.
• An elongated screw arm 20 is pivotally attached to the shaft 12 at one end thereof.
• the point of attachment between the arm 20 and the rod 12 is located between the orifice 18 and the upper opening 6, for example directly above the orifice 18 as illustrated.
• This arm 20 can pivot between two limit positions: a folded position, where the arm 20 is parallel to the rod 12, and where the free end of the arm 20 is oriented towards the top of the rod 12, as shown in Figure 1 ; and an extended operational position, where the arm 20 is perpendicular to the rod 12, as shown in Figure 2.
• This arm 20 will facilitate the rotation of the device 10 about its central axis of symmetry.
• the arm 20 is therefore a lever arm favoring the application of a moment of rotation in the rod 12, and thus the screwing of the device 10 in the ground S.
• Two clamping screws 26 and 27 are present on the rod 12. These two screws 26 and 27 are face to face and at diametrically opposite positions on the rod 12.
• the screws 26 and 27 are intended to hold in place by clamping an object inserted into the hollow section of the rod 12 through the opening 16, for example the lower end of the pole of a parasol.
• the support device 10 operates as follows: the arm 20 is first rotated to the operative position. Subsequently, the lower tip of the helical bar 22 is pressed against the ground S. The device 10 is then rotated about its central axis of symmetry repetition. Each turn made by the device 10 contributes to the depression of the helical bar 22 and the rod 12 in the soil S, the helical bar acting as a net. The support device 10 can be depressed to a desired depth; nevertheless, the intermediate orifice 18 must remain above the ground S at all times.
• the granular material composing the soil S will penetrate inside the rod 12 through the opening 14.
• a column of soil will thus gradually form inside the rod 12. This column may be more or less difficult to dislodge, depending on the composition of the material composing the soil S.
• the material composing the soil S does not not moving apart, but penetrating inside the rod 12, the center of gravity of the device 10 is further lowered, which contributes to improving the strength of the ground fixing S of the device 10.
• the arm 20 is tilted to its folded position.
• An object, having a mounting post, such as a sunshade for example, can then be temporarily or permanently attached to the support. Explanations will be continued by taking the example of the umbrella as an object which is fixed above the ground, although it is understood that any object that can be attached to the rod 12 could be used with the device 10.
• the lower end of the object fixing post is inserted into the rod 12 through the upper opening 16, and is held in place by means of the clamping screws 26 and 27, which, once screwed in, exert an sufficient pressure on the object's attachment post to keep it firmly in place.
• the earth column formed during a previous use of the device 10 may have remained at least partially inside the hollow body of the rod 12. If the device 10 is removed and screwed again later in the ground S, the another earth will be inserted into the rod 12 by its lower end 14. The earth column will therefore be higher and higher in the rod 12 until it reaches the level of the intermediate orifice 18.
• the deflector 24 prevents the flow of granular material ascending from the ground S further than the intermediate orifice 18 and thus avoids the obstruction of the upper opening 16, which allows the insertion of an object in the opening 16.
• the earth column is in effect gradually deflected by the deflector 24 to the orifice 18 and discharged from the rod 12 through the orifice 18 as the new earth is inserted through the lower end 14.
• the helical bar 22 may be replaced by an alternative anchoring means. According to one embodiment of the invention, the helical bar 22 is welded to the rod 12. Nevertheless, it could alternatively be decided not to include a helical bar 22, the depression of the device 10 in the soil S being then accomplished by applying hammer or mallet strikes on the upper end of the rod 12.
• the arm 20 could not be included in the form previously described.
• a removable arm one end of which would be inserted in a socket located on the side of the rod 12 when it is desired to screw the device 10 into the ground S, for example, could have been provided.
• clamping screws 26 and 27 may be replaced by alternative fixing means.
• a push button could have been placed in the upper part of the rod 12.
• the tubular rod of the object to be supported would then comprise holes on its lower portion, one of which could accommodate the push button located on the rod 12, keeping the object in place. Any other modification to the present invention which does not deviate from the general scope of the appended claims is considered included.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Paleontology (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Piles And Underground Anchors (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Harvester Elements (AREA)
• Road Signs Or Road Markings (AREA)

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Cited By (7)

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Citations (4)

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• 2002
  • 2002-06-19 AT AT02742585T patent/ATE532909T1/de active
  • 2002-06-19 WO PCT/CA2002/000919 patent/WO2004001140A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-06-19 CN CNB028291824A patent/CN100347380C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-06-19 EP EP02742585A patent/EP1518028B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-06-19 AU AU2002344871A patent/AU2002344871A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-06-19 CA CA2489287A patent/CA2489287C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related

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