GROUND ANCHORS

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/938,579 filed Apr. 22, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to ground anchors.

Ground anchors are commonly used to anchor items to the ground. For example, ground anchors (sometimes simply referred to herein as “anchor”) are often used to anchor a tent to the ground to prevent the tent from blowing away in windy conditions. Other examples include ground anchors placed underwater for anchoring boats and ground anchors placed in the ground as anchors for animal tethers and leashes.

Known types of ground anchors include what will be referred to herein as “stake-type” anchors, two examples of which are represented in FIG. 1A, and “screw-type” anchors, two examples of which are represented in FIGS. 1B and 1C. The stake-type anchors 100 represented in FIG. 1A have one or more substantially straight shafts 102 that are simply hammered into the ground, with a retention feature (e.g., bend) 104 remaining exposed or otherwise accessible with which the item to be secured is engaged. Once embedded in the ground, stake-type anchors withstand sideways (lateral) loads quite well, but are less able to withstand axial loads (e.g., upward or vertical). To overcome this limitation, screw-type anchors incorporate one or more screw sections. FIG. 1B represents one such screw-type anchor 200 as having a screw section 206 in the form of an auger (or other helical plate) 208 attached to and spiraling about a straight shaft 202 that defines a longitudinal axis of the anchor 200 (hereinafter referred to as an “auger-type anchor”). FIG. 1C represents another such screw-type anchor 300 as having a shaft 302 in which a screw section 306 is formed as a helical, spiral, or corkscrew shape 308 revolving about a central longitudinal axis of the anchor 300 (hereinafter referred to as a spiral-type anchor). The screw sections 206 and 306 of the screw-type anchors 200 and 300 of FIGS. 1B and 1C enable the anchors 200 and 300 to be screwed into the ground, with a retention feature (e.g., a loop or eyelet) 204 or 304 remaining exposed or otherwise accessible to enable an item to be secured to the anchors 200 and 300. When embedded in the ground, the screw sections 206 and 306 enable the anchors 200 and 300 to withstand axial loads along the axis of the anchor 200/300 as well as lateral loads transverse to the axis of the anchor 200/300.

FIG. 1D represents a spiral-type anchor 400 equipped with a hex nut or an equivalent feature disposed at one end of a shaft 402 and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 402 to serve as a drive head 410 for twisting the anchor 400 into the ground. With this design, a user can mount a power drill 420 or other rotary driver with an appropriate socket attachment to the drive head 410 to rotate the anchor 400 axially and thereby screw the shaft 402 into the ground. FIG. 1D further shows the addition of a low-profile top plate 412 attached to the drive head 410 of the anchor 400 with a bolt 414, and a lay-flat shackle 416 fastened to the top plate 412 to serve as a retention feature (e.g., a loop or eyelet) 404 that remains exposed or is otherwise accessible for securing an item to the anchor 400. In this example, opposite ends of the shackle 416 are received in channels 418 to pivotably couple the shackle 416 to the upper surface of the top plate 412, enabling the shackle 416 to be pivoted to lay flat on the top plate 412 so that the shackle 416 is able to only slightly protrude from the ground when not used to secure an item to the anchor 400. However, a user must remove the bolt 414 and top plate 412 from the drive head 410 in order to be able to couple a driver to the drive head 410 to screw the shaft 402 into the ground. In addition, because the top plate 412 and bolt 414 must be completely removed from the drive head 410 during this process, there is a greater chance that one or both of those items could be misplaced and lost.

The spiral-type anchor 400 represented in FIG. 1D is also more complicated to manufacture, in that the drive head 410 must be attached (e.g., welded) or otherwise formed on the end of the shaft 402, and the channels 418 used to secure the shackle 416 are welded to the top plate 412. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1D, up to seven different components must be assembled, and up to five attachment points (welds) are required to secure the drive head 410 to the shaft 402 and secure the channels 418 to the top plate 412. FIG. 1E represents another spiral-type anchor 500 that includes a low-profile top plate 512 attached to a drive head 510, and a lay-flat shackle 516 fastened to the top plate 512 to serve as a retention feature 504. The anchor 500 reduces the number of components to six by permanently affixing (welding) the drive head 510 to the upper surface of the top plate 512. However, in doing so six attachment points (welds) are required to secure the shaft 502, channels 518, and drive head 510 to the top plate 512.

In view of the above, there is an ongoing desire for screw-type ground anchors that are versatile in their use and yet relatively uncomplicated to manufacture and use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The intent of this section of the specification is to briefly indicate the nature and substance of the invention, as opposed to an exhaustive statement of all subject matter and aspects of the invention. Therefore, while this section identifies subject matter recited in the claims, additional subject matter and aspects relating to the invention are set forth in other sections of the specification, particularly the detailed description, as well as any drawings.

The present invention provides, but is not limited to, screw-type ground anchors.

According to one nonlimiting aspect, a screw-type ground anchor includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and having a screw section configured to drive the shaft along the longitudinal axis into the ground when rotated about the longitudinal axis in a first direction. A drive head is disposed at an upper end of the shaft and is axially aligned with the longitudinal axis. The drive head is configured to receive a rotational drive for rotating the shaft in the first direction. The drive head has a transverse bore therethrough that is transverse to the longitudinal axis, and a pivot pin is received in the transverse bore of the drive head. A lay-flat shackle is rotatably coupled to the drive head with the pivot pin. The lay-flat shackle is operable to rotate about the pivot pin so as to enable the lay-flat shackle to pivot between an upright position extending generally along the longitudinal axis to a lay-flat position extending generally transverse to the longitudinal axis.

According to another nonlimiting aspect, a screw-type ground anchor includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and having a screw section configured to drive the shaft along the longitudinal axis into the ground when rotated about the longitudinal axis in a first direction and to drive the shaft along the longitudinal axis out of the ground when rotated about the longitudinal axis in a second direction opposite the first direction. A drive head is disposed at an upper end of the shaft and is axially aligned with the longitudinal axis. The drive head is configured to receive a rotational drive for rotating the shaft in the first and second directions. The drive head has a transverse bore therethrough, and the upper end of the shaft extends laterally relative to the longitudinal axis and is received in the transverse bore. A lay-flat shackle is rotatably coupled to the drive head so as to enable the lay-flat shackle to pivot between an upright position extending generally along the longitudinal axis to a lay-flat position extending generally transverse to the longitudinal axis.

Technical aspects of screw-type ground anchors as described above preferably include the ability to be manufactured with relatively few individual components and relatively few attachment points.

These and other aspects, arrangements, features, and/or technical effects will become apparent upon detailed inspection of the figures and the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1E illustrate various prior art ground anchors.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a spiral-type ground anchor that has a drive head and lay-flat shackle according to a nonlimiting embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are different enlarged perspective views of the drive head and lay-flat shackle of FIG. 2 depicting the lay-flat shackle in an upright position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another spiral-type ground anchor that has a drive head and lay-flat shackle according to another nonlimiting embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are different enlarged perspective views of the drive head and lay-flat shackle of FIG. 5 depicting the lay-flat shackle in an upright position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an auger-type ground anchor equipped with a drive head and lay-flat shackle of the type depicted in FIGS. 5 to 7.

FIGS. 9A and 9B depict alternative embodiments of drive heads that can be used with any of the ground anchors of FIGS. 2 through 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The intended purpose of the following detailed description of the invention and the phraseology and terminology employed therein is to describe what is shown in the drawings, which include the depiction of and/or relate to one or more nonlimiting embodiments of the invention, and to describe certain but not all aspects of the embodiment(s) to which the drawings relate. The following detailed description also identifies certain but not all alternatives of the embodiment(s). As nonlimiting examples, the invention encompasses additional or alternative embodiments in which one or more features or aspects shown and/or described as part of a particular embodiment could be eliminated, and also encompasses additional or alternative embodiments that combine two or more features or aspects shown and/or described as part of different embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims, and not the detailed description, are intended to particularly point out subject matter regarded to be aspects of the invention, including certain but not necessarily all of the aspects and alternatives described in the detailed description.

To facilitate the description provided below of the embodiment(s) represented in the drawings, relative terms, including but not limited to, “proximal,” “distal,” “anterior,” “posterior,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “lateral,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “forward,” “rearward,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “right,” “left,” etc., may be used in reference to the orientation of the ground anchor during its use and/or as represented in the drawings. All such relative terms are useful to describe the illustrated embodiment(s) but should not be otherwise interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

As used herein the terms “a” and “an” to introduce a feature are used as open-ended, inclusive terms to refer to at least one, or one or more of the features, and are not limited to only one such feature unless otherwise expressly indicated. Similarly, use of the term “the” in reference to a feature previously introduced using the term “a” or “an” does not thereafter limit the feature to only a single instance of such feature unless otherwise expressly indicated.

Turning now to the FIGS. 2-4, a screw-type ground anchor 10 is represented as including a shaft 12, a drive head 14 disposed at an upper end of the shaft 12, and a lay-flat shackle 16 located at an upper end 14A of the drive head 14 to serve as a retention feature 13 adapted to remain exposed or otherwise accessible to enable an item to be secured to the anchor 10 when embedded in the ground. The shaft 12 extends generally along a longitudinal axis 18 of the anchor 10. The shaft 12 has a screw section 11 formed as a helical, spiral, or corkscrew shape revolving about a central longitudinal axis 18 of the anchor 10 and adapted for screwing the shaft 12 into the ground, such as was previously described for the screw-type anchors 200, 300, 400, and 500 of FIGS. 1B through 1E. Screw sections of other types and with different shapes may be used, as explained hereinafter.

The drive head 14 is attached to an upper end of the shaft 12 and the upper end 14A thereof is configured to be easily engaged by a rotational drive mechanism (such as the power drill 420 shown in FIG. 1D) for rotating the shaft 12 about the longitudinal axis 18. In this example, the drive head 14 is in the form of a hex nut with a central bore 15 axially aligned with the longitudinal axis 18 of the shaft 12 so that a standard socket or wrench can be used to rotate the shaft 12 about the longitudinal axis 18, though it is foreseeable that other types of nuts and/or shapes could be used for the drive head 14. As nonlimiting examples, FIGS. 9A and 9B depict alternative embodiments of drive heads 14 that could be used with anchors 10 shown in the drawings, wherein only the upper ends 14A of the drive heads 14 are configured to be engaged by a rotational drive mechanism and the remainder of the longitudinal length of each drive head 14 has a circular cross-sectional shape. The upper end of the shaft 12 is coupled to a lower portion of the drive head 14, and the shackle 16 is coupled to an upper portion of the drive head 14 above where the shaft 12 is coupled to the drive head 14. In this embodiment, the upper end of the shaft 12 has a stub end portion 22 that extends radially inwardly toward the longitudinal axis 18 along a lateral second axis 20 that is substantially orthogonally transverse to the longitudinal axis 18. The stub end portion 22 is received within a transverse bore 24 disposed within the lower portion of the drive head 14 to couple the drive head 14 to the upper end of the shaft 12. The stub end portion 22 may be secured within the transverse bore 24 by any sufficient mechanism, such as a weld, solder, friction fit, adhesive, or other type of fastener. The drive head 14 is axially aligned with the longitudinal axis 18 to facilitate rotating the shaft 12 by rotating the drive head 14.

The shackle 16 is pivotably coupled to the upper portion of the drive head 14 such that it can pivot between the upright position shown in the drawings and a lay-flat position, as illustrated by the arcuate arrows in FIG. 4. In the upright position, the shackle 16 protrudes above the upper end 14A of the drive head 14 so that an item can be secured to the anchor 10 by securing a cord, rope, twine, wire, leash, clip, etc., of the item to the shackle 16. In the lay-flat position, the shackle 16 extends horizontally or downwardly so that shackle 16 does not project upwardly past the upper end 14A of the drive head 14. This allows the shackle 16, for example, to lay flat against the ground when the shaft 12 is embedded all the way into the ground. This reduces the profile of the exposed portion of the ground anchor 10 when embedded in the ground, which may reduce the risk of a person tripping on the drive head 14 and increases the chance that machinery, such as a lawn mower, can safely pass over the top of the drive head 14 when the shackle 16 lays flat against the ground. In this example, the shackle 16 is in the form of a D-ring pivotably mounted to the drive head 14 with a pivot pin 26. The pin 26 extends through another transverse bore (not visible in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) through the upper portion of the drive head 14. The pin 26 also extends through bores 34 in each of the two opposite ends 36a and 36b of the shackle 16 such that the pin 26 is also coupled to each of the ends 36a and 36b of the shackle 16. In this configuration, the shackle 16 rotates between its upright position and its lay-flat position about a second axis 30 that is transverse to the longitudinal axis 18. One or both of the bores 34 within the ends 36a and/or 36b of the shackle 16 may include threads so that the pin 26 can be threadedly secured to the shackle 16 to prevent the shackle 16 from being unintentionally removed from the drive head 14. Preferably, the transverse bore in the drive head 14 that receives the pin 26 is spaced downwardly from the very top of the drive head 14 so that the upper end 14A of the drive head 14 can be received within a complementary-shaped drive socket when the shackle 16 is in the lay-flat position for rotating the shaft 12 as described hereinafter.

In use, the ground anchor 10 can be embedded into the ground by pressing the lower end of the shaft 12 into the ground and then rotating/twisting the shaft 12 clockwise about the longitudinal axis 18 to screw the shaft 12 down into the ground. To help rotate the shaft 12, a rotational drive mechanism can be coupled or otherwise engaged with the upper end 14A of the drive head 14. For example, a wrench may be mounted to the drive head 14 to rotate the shaft 12, or a drill, such as a power drill, with a socket attachment may be mounted to the upper end 14A of the drive head 14 and used to rotate the shaft 12. To mount a socket to the upper end 14A of the drive head 14, the shackle 16 may be rotated down toward the shaft 12 and/or in some embodiments the shackle 16 may optionally be removed completely from the drive head 14 by temporarily removing the pin 26 from the shackle 16 and drive head 14. When the anchor 10 is suitably screwed into and embedded in the ground, the shackle 16 may be raised to its upright position when it is desired to attach something, such as a tent rope, animal leash, etc., thereto. When nothing is attached to the shackle 16, it may be rotated downwardly about the lateral axis 30 until the shackle 16 lays flat against the ground or otherwise is pivoted to no longer extend upwardly above the upper end 14A of the drive head 14.

The screw-type ground anchor 10 depicted in FIGS. 2 through 4 can be manufactured with relatively few individual components and attachment points. In particular, both the retention feature 13 (shackle 16) and the shaft 12 are each individually and directly coupled to the drive head 14, in other words, without any intervening components therebetween, such as the top plates 412 and 512 of FIGS. 1D and 1E. Additionally, the only attachment point that may be desirably permanent is for the purpose of securing the stub end portion 22 of the shaft 12 within the transverse bore 24 of the drive head 14. As such, the anchor 10 can be assembled utilizing a single weld that joins the shaft 12 and the drive head 14. Alternatively, it is foreseeable that this single attachment point could be non-permanent, e.g., a threaded coupling. The lateral orientation of the stub end portion 22 of the shaft 12 to the drive head 14 is also advantageous in that torque is not directly applied to stub end portion 22 that would tend to dislodge the stub end portion 22 (and therefore the shaft 12 as a whole) from the drive head 14 as the anchor 10 is driven into the ground.

FIGS. 5 through 8 depict additional configurations of screw-type ground anchors in accordance with further embodiments of this invention. In these figures, consistent reference numbers are used to identify the same or functionally related/equivalent elements as was described for the embodiment of FIGS. 2 through 4. In view of similarities between the different embodiments, the following discussion of FIGS. 5 through 8 will focus primarily on aspects of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 through 8 that differ from the embodiment of FIGS. 2 through 4 in some notable or significant manner. Other aspects of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 through 8 not discussed in any detail can be, in terms of structure, function, materials, etc., essentially as was described for the embodiment of FIGS. 2 through 4.

The screw-type ground anchor 10 depicted in FIGS. 5 through 7 includes the spiral shaft 12, drive head 14, and shackle 16 generally as described in reference to FIGS. 2 through 4. The transverse bore previously described in reference to but not shown in FIGS. 2 through 4 as located in the upper portion of the drive head 14 and receiving the pivot pin 26 of the shackle 16 is visible in FIGS. 6 and 7 and identified with reference number 38. The anchor 10 depicted in FIGS. 5 through 7 differs in the manner in which the stub portion 22 at the upper end of the shaft 12 is coupled to the drive head 12. In particular, the stub portion 22 is coaxial with the longitudinal axis 18 of the shaft 12 and is received within the central bore 15 at the lower portion of the drive head 14. In this embodiment, the lower transverse bore 24 through the drive head 14 may optionally be omitted. The stub portion 22 may be secured within the central bore 15 of the drive head 14 by any suitable connection, such as a weld, solder, adhesive, etc. If the drive head 14 is a threaded hex nut, such that the central bore 15 is threaded, the stub portion 22 may include corresponding threads so that the drive head 14 can be screwed onto the stub portion 22.

The screw-type ground anchor 10 depicted in FIG. 8 also includes the drive head 14 and shackle 16 mounted to the top of a shaft 12, and the drive head 14 and shackle 16 are shown as coupled to the upper end of the shaft 12 generally as described with regard to FIGS. 5 through 7, though it is also within the scope of the invention that the drive head 14 is coupled to the upper end of the shaft 12 generally as described with regard to FIGS. 2 through 4. In FIG. 8, however, the screw section 11 of the anchor 10 is in the form of an auger (or other helical plate) 32 attached to and spiraling about the shaft 12, which is represented as a straight shaft that defines the longitudinal axis 18 of the anchor 10.

Although the screw sections 11 of the screw-type ground anchors 10 are shown as auger-type or spiral-type, other types of screw sections could be used if capable of enabling the shaft 12 to be driven down into the ground when rotated in one direction, and drive the shaft 12 up out of the ground when rotated in the opposite direction.

The various components of the ground anchors 10 may be formed of any material having suitable stiffness to embed the anchors 10 in the ground by rotating the shaft 12 and to permit an item to be secured to their retention features 13 that remain exposed or otherwise accessible for securing an item to the anchor 10 when so embedded into the ground. Typically, the components may be formed of a metal, such as steel or aluminum, or a plastic, although other suitably strong materials could be used.

As previously noted above, though the foregoing detailed description describes certain aspects of one or more particular embodiments of the invention, alternatives could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the ground anchors 10 and their components could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, functions of certain components of the ground anchors 10 could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, and various materials could be used in the fabrication of the ground anchors 10 and/or their components. As such, and again as was previously noted, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to any particular embodiment described herein or illustrated in the drawings.