DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to safely and theft-free storing of valuables on a sandy beach or other soft surface soil. When using a beach locker (also known as beach safe), it is essential that the locker cannot easily be taken away by unauthorized persons. Presently, there are a number of solutions known to prevent theft of valuables from the beach. One option is anchoring the locker to a beach chair, for example. However, a beach chair is often not available. It is also possible to hide the valuables on the beach or in a container that is buried or screwed into the beach soil. But after discovery, the container including the valuables can easily be taken away.

With the present invention, it is, in principle, virtually impossible for unauthorized persons to take the valuables with them. The locker compartment is lockable and equipped with a combination lock or similar lock.

The invention now ensures that the beach locker can be anchored safely and firmly into the sandy beach. A screw anchor is used for this purpose. This screw anchor is manually screwed into the sandy beach by means of the supplied auxiliary tool. Then the locker compartment is placed over the anchor extension piece and a locking pin is inserted into this anchor extension piece at the top of the anchor extension piece. As a result, the beach locker can no longer be pulled up and is inseparably connected to the beach soil. After the locker compartment has been closed, the anchor can no longer be unscrewed from the beach soil. The screw-out force of the screw anchor is so high that, even after partial excavation, it cannot be unscrewed from the beach soil without using special tools.

Removal of the screw anchor.

In order to remove the screw anchor from the beach soil, the locker compartment must therefore first be opened and removed, after removal of the locking pin. Only then the screw anchor can be unscrewed from the beach soil.

The force with which the screw anchor would have to be pulled out of position by an unauthorized person may be above 2000 Newton if necessary. After installation, the locker can be rotated freely in the horizontal plane. The anchor extension piece which protrudes from the bottom of the locker compartment is provided with a rotatable outer sleeve and an equally rotatable inner sleeve which both can be turned freely around the anchor extension piece. These sleeves overlap each other. As a result, the screw anchor can never from the outside be unscrewed from the surface soil, even after partial excavation. The depth over which the screw anchor can be screwed-in is easily adjustable. The screw anchor is of a vertical type. It is designed in such a way that the screw-in force is minimal. The anchor is slim with a small core and provided with a flattened portion at the tip. This provides for a small front surface and therefore requires a low penetration force. The flat sides of the flattened portion ensure that the sand, at the tip of the anchor, is removed sideways, creating an opening and allowing the core to rotate and move vertically without resistance. Around the core there is a spiral with a relatively high pitch. This creates a situation in which the spiral disrupts relatively little sand. Only sand that is not disturbed gives the maximum pull-out resistance. The spiral must be sufficiently precise so that the spiral continues to slide effortlessly into the opening created. The end of the spiral is provided with a radial impeller. The sand that vertically rises out of the spiral is removed sideways by means of the vanes of the impeller. This creates a corridor through which the rest of the anchor assembly can be screwed into the sand without touching the wall.

The invention will be explained in more detail below.

Figure 1 shows a side view of the beach locker with the anchor assembly. The starting point is that locker compartment 9, including accessories, has not yet been installed.

Prior to screwing the screw anchor 1 into the sandy beach, firstly the screw anchor is provided with an impeller 2, and the rotatable inner sleeve 3 is slid onto the end of the screw anchor. Then the anchor extension piece 4 is mounted. This anchor extension piece has a number of superjacent holes provided one above the other, the holes having a radial offset of 90 degrees. The anchor extension piece 4 and the screw anchor 1 are coupled by fitting the anchor extension piece at the correct depth into the screw anchor and inserting the locking bolt 5. Then the rotatable outer sleeve 6 is mounted.

Then, at the chosen location on the beach, the whole anchor assembly is screwed by rotating into the sand, by means of an auxiliary tool 7. For that purpose, the auxiliary tool 7 is temporarily inserted into hole 8 of the anchor extension piece 4. Subsequently, the locker compartment 9, after removal of the auxiliary tool 7, is placed over the anchor extension piece 4. The locking hole 10 in the anchor extension piece will now become visible again and a locking pin 11 can be inserted. The locker compartment now rests on the rotatable outer sleeve 6 and is now locked between the rotatable outer sleeve 6 and the locking pin 11. Now the valuables can be placed into the locker compartment and the beach locker can be locked with lock 12.

Figure 1 shows a cross-section of the completely assembled anchor assembly including the installed locker compartment.

A shows the front view of the impeller. By means of the arrows is indicated how the sand is displaced laterally outwards.

B shows the tip of the anchor and also shows by means of the arrows how the sand is displaced laterally outwards by the flattened portion.