Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – With piercing or expanding earth anchor – Pivot means connecting separate fluke or hook
Reexamination Certificate
1996-01-16
2001-05-29
Safavi, Michael (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
With piercing or expanding earth anchor
Pivot means connecting separate fluke or hook
C052S155000, C052S156000, C052S166000, C405S259100, C405S259500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237289
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of plate or wing-type earth or ground anchors which are driven lengthwise into the ground and then pulled when reaching an optimum depth to tilt into a flat transverse position for anchoring guy rods, cables or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plate or wing-type ground anchors are well-known and an example of a particularly effective ground anchor is described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,317. Said ground anchor includes a tubular central body portion, a pair of wings radiating laterally from the body portion, and a cruciform star point at the front of the body portion which includes sharpened leading edges and operates like a star drill for penetrating the soil. The leading edges of the wings are also sharpened for facilitating penetration of the soil. A pull rod is connected to an eye portion of the ground anchor's body portion, and the trailing end of the ground anchor is sharpened and includes an extended curved lip for facilitating tilting of the anchor. In use, a drive rod is inserted into a socket in the tail end of the body portion, the drive rod is used to drive the ground anchor to an optimum depth within the ground, and the pull rod is then used to pull on the eye portion of the anchor so that the ground anchor tilts in the ground and assumes a position generally transverse to the hole in the ground.
While the U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,317 discloses a highly effective ground anchor, it is believed that it would be beneficial to further improve the device to facilitate its passage through the ground in order to conserve the driving energy required to place the ground anchor at its optimum depth within the ground.
It would also be an improvement in this art to provide means for balancing the profile of the ground anchor so that it follows a linear drive path in the ground even in the presence of de-stabilizing obstacles. It would also be an improvement to provide features which facilitate turning of the ground anchor in the ground. Features that reduce impact forces on the connection between the ground anchor and the pull member would also be a beneficial improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An important aspect of this invention lies in providing a ground anchor which represents an improvement over the ground anchor disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,317 and which includes means for facilitating passage of the anchor through the ground. In the present invention, such objectives are achieved by providing the cruciform star point at the front of the ground anchor with multiple sharpened leading edges which are longitudinally offset with respect to each other. Generally, each of the sides of the cruciform star point includes a first forward leading edge and a second rearward leading edge, and the second or rearward edges projects laterally outward from the anchor body a greater distance than the first or forward leading edges. The offset or staged leading edges facilitate penetration of hard soil by advancing the smaller leading edges first which helps chip and crack hard soil layers and then facilitate passage of the rearward and larger leading edges.
The ground anchor also includes a pair of wings which radiate laterally from the body portion and the wings have leading and trailing edges. The leading edges of each of the wings are divided into a plurality of sharpened leading wing edges which are longitudinally offset with respect to each other. The wing edges are staggered and each wing edge successively extends a greater distance outward from the body portion. In use, each of the successive leading wing edges takes an increasingly larger bite out of the soil as the ground anchor is pushed through the ground. The smaller and foremost leading edges penetrate the ground easily and make it easier for the successive and larger wing edges to pass through the ground.
Another important aspect of this connection lies in providing the ground anchor with wings that diminish in thickness and taper between their leading and trailing edges to reduce friction between the wings and the ground. The leading edges of the wings are thicker than the remainder of the wings and plow through the ground to form a wide opening so that contact between the remainder of the wing surfaces and the ground is greatly reduced. Since contact and friction between the wing surfaces and the ground is greatly reduced, the driving energy required to push the ground anchor through the ground is also greatly reduced.
Another aspect of the invention lies in providing a secondary curved lip portion along the bottom of the ground anchor at its maximum profile. Generally, the secondary curved lip portion is positioned opposite from the connection between the pull member and the eye portion of the anchor so that the profile of the ground anchor is balanced which aids the anchor in maintaining a linear drive path as it ground anchor is driven through the ground. The second curved lip portion is small than and positioned forwardly of the first curved lip portion at the rear end of the ground anchor and facilitates penetration of hard soil by advancing the smaller curved lip portion first. Once the ground anchor is positioned at its optimum depth, the secondary curved lip portion also aids the first lip portion in digging into the ground and providing leverage for tilting the ground anchor within the soil.
The ground anchor of this invention is also provided with an elongated slot in the eye portion of the ground anchor. The elongated slot is sized to permit a pivot pin which secures the pull member to the ground anchor to longitudinally move with respect to the ground anchor. Accordingly, stresses on the connection between the ground anchor and the pull member are reduced since impact forces are dissipated by allowing the pull member to move freely with respect to the ground anchor as it plows through the ground.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will also become apparent from the following description of the drawings.
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patent: 4574539 (1986-03-01), Deike
patent: 4688360 (1987-08-01), Luong et al.
patent: 4802317 (1989-02-01), Chandler
patent: 5026213 (1991-06-01), Habib et al.
patent: 5031370 (1991-07-01), Jewett
Jewett Thomas E.
Yapundich John
Foresight Products, Inc.
Hill & Simpson
Safavi Michael
Wilkens Kevin D.
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