This invention relates to a clamp arrangement and in particular to a clamp arrangement for releasably securing easily movable objects such as vehicles.

Theft in general and vehicle theft in particular is a major problem in society today and people need to go to extraordinary lengths to secure their movable personal property. Cars, trailers, motor bikes, quads, boats and other vehicles are the target of thieves and it is necessary to have these easily movable objects safely secured when they are not in use. Indeed some insurance companies offer reduced rate insurance for vehicles of this nature if the policy holder agrees to use an approved type of security device. A wide variety of locking and securing mechanism already exists for the purpose of clamping easily movable objects such as vehicles to a substantially fixed object such as a building, a pillar or the ground. A considerable number of these products have the drawbacks associated with complexity of structure, a large number of interconnected parts and a large number of moving parts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp arrangement with a simplified structure and a reduced number of both interconnected and moving parts in order to reduce manufacturing complexity and costs in addition to reducing the number of points of weakness on the clamp for a thief to attack. Accordingly, the present invention provides a clamp arrangement for releasably securing easily movable objects such as vehicles, the clamp arrangement comprising an anchor fastenable securely into a surface and a separable unitary clamp bracket, the unitary clamp bracket having an anchor engaging base plate and a first inclined arm extending away from the base plate at an obtuse angle and terminating in a U-shaped hook for passing around an easily movable object and a second inclined arm extending from the other end of the U-shaped hook, the second

inclined arm extending to a point adjacent the surface, the clamp arrangement further comprising means for releasably securing the separable unitary clamp bracket and the anchor together.

Advantageously, the unitary clamp bracket self locks into the surface because the second inclined arm of the unitary clamp bracket is inclined to dig into the surface as a person tries to move the secured object away from the anchor.

Preferably, the second inclined arm extends back towards the base plate.

Ideally, the included angle between the first inclined arm and the surface when the unitary clamp bracket is-fastened to the anchor is in the range of 30° to 60°

Preferably, the second inclined arm and the first inclined arm are substantially parallel. Ideally, the means for releasably securing the separable unitary clamp bracket and the anchor together comprises a male part and a female part and a-locking mechanism.

Preferably, the male part protrudes from the anchor.

Ideally, the female part is defined by the base plate of the unitary clamp bracket.

Preferably, the locking mechanism is a padlock. Alternatively, any locking mechanism suitable for securing one object to another is encompassed within the ambit of the present invention.

Ideally, the anchor and the unitary clamp bracket are formed from hardened steel.

Preferably, at least the unitary clamp bracket is manufactured from carbon manganeese steel. Ideally, the anchor is securely boltable onto concrete or some other surface/ground covering material.

Preferably, the anchor has a spigot fixed thereto which is upstanding from a surface thereof.

Ideally, the base plate of the unitary clamp bracket defines an opening for locating the unitary clamp bracket on the upstanding spigot.

Preferably, the base plate of the unitary clamp bracket has a concealed surface in contact with the anchor in use and an exposed surface.

Ideally, the exposed surface of the base plate has an annular ridge having a larger diameter than and enclosing the spigot receiving opening. Preferably, a puck-shape pad lock fits neatly into the space defined by the annular ridge.

In a first and second embodiment, the base plate of the unitary clamp bracket is sized so as to conceal anchor openings of the anchor.

Preferably, an initial inclined portion of the first inclined arm adjacent the base plate has the same width as the base plate. Ideally, the width of the first inclined arm reduces as it extends away from the base plate.

In a second embodiment, the anchor has an elongated body with means for engaging the second inclined arm disposed thereon.

In the second embodiment, the means for engaging the second inclined arm is located on • the anchor distal to the means for engaging the base plate. ' In the second embodiment, the means for engaging the second inclined arm is an inverted u-shaped loop extending from the surface of the anchor in the same direction as the means for engaging the base plate.

In the second embodiment, stop means is provided on the elongated body of the anchor to prevent release of the second inclined arm from the engaging means. In the second embodiment, the stop means also extends from the anchor in the same direction as the u-shaped loop and the spigot and is located proximal to the u-shaped loop intermediate the u-shaped loop and the spigot.

In the second embodiment, the second inclined arm has a corresponding engaging means for engaging with the engaging means of the anchor plate.

In the second embodiment, the engaging means of the second inclined arm is located on the free end of the second inclined arm.

In the second embodiment, the engaging means of the second inclined arm is a protruding hook extending rearwardly from the second inclined arm for engagement with the u-shaped loop of the anchor plate.

Ideally, the anchor is a plate of hardened steel with a central countersunk bore for receiving a locking bolt, the central countersunk bore being located so that the head of the locking bolt rests flush with the surface of the anchor plate in contact with the ground in use.

Preferably, the shank of the locking bolt is threaded and extends through the countersunk bore and stands proud of the top surface of the anchor plate in use.

Preferably, the spigot has a tubular main body with a tapped bore for receiving the / threaded free end of the shank of the locking bolt rigidly fixing the spigot onto the anchor plate. ;

Ideally, the end of the spigot opposite the tapped bore has a machined tongue with an aperture defined there through with a substantially horizontal axis in use. Preferably, the anchor plate has four countersunk anchor openings equi-spaced angularly and radially around the central counter sunk bore for receiving bolts to permanently fix the anchor plate to concrete or some other material on the ground.

In a third embodiment, the clamp arrangement further comprises a cover plate having a central through bore for locating the cover plate onto the spigot and over the top of the anchor plate covering the countersunk anchor openings and any bolts located therein. Advantageously, the cover plate prevents thieves gaining access to bolts fastening the anchor plate onto the surface when the unitary clamp bracket is secured to the anchor in use. hi the third embodiment, the cover plate has a bevelled groove extending along and through a portion of one edge of the cover plate for reducing the angle which the unitary clamp bracket can swivel through.

In the third embodiment, the cover plate also has a bore for receiving a screw to penetrate into the anchor plate to prevent angular rotation of the cover plate relative to the anchor plate.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a clamp arrangement for releasably securing easily movable objects such as vehicles, the clamp arrangement comprising a unitary clamp bracket having an anchor fastenable securely into a surface, the unitary clamp bracket having a first inclined arm extending away from the anchor at an obtuse angle and terminating in a U-shaped hook for passing around an easily movable object and a second inclined arm extending from the other end of the U-shaped hook, the second inclined arm extending to a point adjacent the surface. The unitary clamp bracket self locks into the surface if a person attempts to move the object to be secured away from the anchor.

Preferably, the included angle between the first inclined arm and the surface in use is in the range of30° to 60°.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, three embodiments of a clamp arrangement in accordance witlv the invention, In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of clamp arrangement;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a unitary clamp bracket of the clamp arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial front elevational view of the unitary clamp bracket of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a partial top plan view of the unitary clamp bracket of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of clamp arrangement;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a unitary clamp bracket of the second embodiment of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a partial front elevational view of the unitary clamp bracket of Figures 5 and 6; Figure 8 is a partial top plan view of the unitary clamp bracket of Figures 5 to 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of clamp arrangement;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the unitary clamp bracket of the clamp arrangement of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a partial top plan view of the unitary clamp bracket of Fig. 10; Figure 12 is a top plan view of an anchor and spigot;

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of Fig. 12;

Figure 14 is a side elevational view of the spigot;

Figure 15 is a side elevational view of the spigot and locking bolt;

Figure 16 is a top plan view of a cover plate; and Figure 17 is a side elevational view pf the cover plate of Fig. 16.

In general, the following specific embodiments relate to ground mounted clamp arrangements and therefore the terms upwardly inclined arm and downwardly inclined arm replace the terms first inclined arm and second inclined arm respectively. However, it will be appreciated that the clamp arrangement of the present invention can equally be mounted on a vertical surface.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 to 4 there is shown a clamp arrangement indicated generally by the reference numeral 101 for releasably securing easily movable objects such as vehicles. The clamp arrangement 101 comprises an anchor 102 which has apertures (not shown) for receiving fasteners such as bolts for fastening the anchor 102 into the ground.

The anchor 102 has an upstanding spigot 104 with a spigot bore 105 having a substantially horizontal axis in use extending through the spigot 104. Unitary clamp bracket 107 has an anchor engaging base plate 108 defining a base plate bore 109 extending through the base plate 108. The exposed surface 111 of the base plate 108 has an annular ridge 112 located there

on which has a larger diameter than the base plate bore 109 which is located eccentrically within the circumference of the annular ridge 112.

A first upwardly inclined arm 114 extends up and away from the base plate 108 and ground in use at an obtuse angle and terminates in a u-shaped hook 115. The included angle between the upwardly inclined arm 114 and the ground when the unitary clamp bracket 107 is fastened to the anchor 102 is in the range of 30° to 60°. The u-shaped hook 115 is passed around an axle or other similar structural component of a vehicle to secure the vehicle to the ground via the base plate 108. The base plate 108 has a typical width in the range of 130mm to 170mm and a portion 121 of the upwardly inclined arm 114 adjacent the base plate 108 retains the same width . as the base plate 108. As the upwardly inclined arm 114 extends upwards the width reduces to • within a range of approximately 30mm to 70mm and the remaining portion 122 of the unitary -. clamp bracket 107 is typically within this width range. Advantageously, the initial upwardly inclined portion 121 of the upwardly inclined arm 114 having the same width as the base plate .. 108 is an additional safety feature which prevents anyone accessing any lock within the'annular > ridge 112 with a power drill or chisel and hammer from a position substantially laterally of the lock.

A second downwardly inclined arm 117 extends from the other end of the u-shaped hook 115 and the downwardly inclined arm 117 extends to a point just above the ground so that the unitary clamp bracket 107 self locks into the ground if a person attempts to move any vehicle or object secured by the clamp arrangement 101 away from the anchor 102. A puck padlock (not shown) is fitted onto the upstanding spigot 104 and fits neatly into the space defined by the annular ridge 112. The puck padlock is fitted so that the actuation element of the puck padlock faces the initial upwardly inclined portion 121 of the upwardly inclined arm 114.

In use, the anchor plate 102 is located on a secure surface such as concrete or tarmac at a location where a movable vehicle is to be secured for a period of time. The anchor plate 102 is

fastened to the surface by bolts or some similar fastening devices and the u-shaped hook 115 of the unitary clamp bracket 107 is hooked around a structural component of the movable object or vehicle to be secured. The base plate 108 of the unitary clamp bracket 107 is located via the base plate bore 109 onto the spigot 104 of the anchor 102 and a puck padlock (not shown) is located onto the protruding portion of the spigot 104. The puck padlock fits neatly into the space defined by the annular ridge 112 and the locking mechanism of the puck padlock is pushed into the spigot bore 105 until it reaches a locked position thereby securing the unitary clamp bracket 107 to the ground via the anchor 102. The puck padlock fitting neatly into the annular ridge 112 means that it is practically impossible for a thief to get a tool between the ridge 112 and the padlock to exert leverage on the padlock to try and break it off.

Referring to the drawings and now to Figures 5 to 8 there is shown a second embodiment . of clamp arrangement indicated generally by the reference numeral 201 for releasably securing ' easily movable objects such as vehicles. The clamp arrangement 201 comprises an.anchor 202 : , which has apertures (not shown) for receiving fasteners such as bolts for fastening the anchor 202 into the ground. The anchor 202 has an elongated body 241 with an inverted u-shaped loop 242 extending out from the surface of the anchor 202 at the opposite end of the elongated body 241 to and in the same direction as a spigot 204. A stop 243 also extends from the anchor 202 in the same direction as the u-shaped loop 242 and the spigot 204 and is located proximal to the u- shaped loop 242 intermediate the loop 242 and the spigot 204. The anchor 202 has the upstanding spigot 204 with a spigot bore 205 having a substantially horizontal axis in use extending through the spigot 204. Unitary clamp bracket 207 has an anchor engaging base plate 208 defining a base plate bore 209 extending through the base plate 208. The exposed surface 211 of the base plate 208 has an annular ridge 212 located there on which has a larger diameter than the base plate bore 209 which is located eccentrically within the circumference of the annular ridge 212.

A first upwardly inclined arm 214 extends up and away from the base plate 208 and ground in use at an obtuse angle and terminates in a u-shaped hook 215. The included angle between the upwardly inclined arm 214 and the ground when the unitary clamp bracket 207 is fastened to the anchor 202 is in the range of 30° to 60°. The u-shaped hook 215 is passed around an axle or other similar structural component of a vehicle to secure the vehicle to the ground via the base plate 208. The base plate 208 has a typical width in the range of 130mm to 170mm and a portion 221 of the upwardly inclined arm 214 adjacent the base plate 208 retains the same width as the base plate 208. As the upwardly inclined arm 214 extends upwards the width reduces to within a range of approximately 30mm to 70mm and the remaining portion 122 of the unitary ^• clamp bracket 207 is typically within this width range. Advantageously, the initial upwardly inclined portion 221 of the upwardly inclined arm 214 having the same width as the base plate \ 208 is an additional safety feature which prevents anyone accessing any lock within the annular \ ridge 212 with a power drill or chisel and hammer from a position substantially laterally of the lock. A second downwardly inclined arm 217 extends from the other end of the u-shaped hook

215 and the downwardly inclined arm 217 extends to a point just above the ground. The free end of the second inclined arm 217 has a protruding hook 251 extending rearwardly from the second inclined arm 217 for engagement with the u-shaped loop 242. A puck padlock (not shown) is fitted onto the upstanding spigot 204 and fits neatly into the space defined by the annular ridge 212. The puck padlock is fitted so that the actuation element of the puck padlock faces the initial upwardly inclined portion 221 of the upwardly inclined arm 214.

In use, the anchor plate 202 is located on a secure surface such as concrete or tarmac at a location where a movable vehicle is to be secured for a period of time. The anchor plate 202 is fastened to the surface by bolts or some similar fastening devices and the u-shaped hook 215 of the unitary clamp bracket 207 is hooked around a structural component of the movable object or

vehicle to be secured. The protruding hook 251 of the second inclined arm 217 is located in the u- shaped loop 242 of the anchor plate 202 and the base plate 208 of the unitary clamp bracket 207 is located via the base plate bore 209 onto the spigot 204 of the anchor 202. A puck padlock (not shown) is located onto the protruding portion of the spigot 204 and the puck padlock fits neatly into the space defined by the annular ridge 212. The locking mechanism of the puck padlock is pushed into the spigot bore 205 until it reaches a locked position thereby securing the unitary clamp bracket 207 to the ground via the anchor 202. The puck padlock fitting neatly into the annular ridge 212 means that it is practically impossible for a thief to get a tool between the ridge 212 and the padlock to exert leverage on the padlock to try and break it off. The stop 243 prevents the protruding hook 251 being released from the u-shaped loop 242 when the base plate 208 is located on the spigot 204.

Referring to the drawings and now to Figs. 9 to 11 there is shown a third embodiment of clamp arrangement indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 for releasably securing movable objects such as vehicles to a substantially permanently secured object such as a concrete driveway laid on the ground. The clamp 1 comprises an anchor 2 securely boltable onto the concrete and a separable unitary clamp bracket 3 releasably mounted onto the anchor 2 by a spigot 4 fixed to the anchor 2 and upstanding from the top surface of the anchor 2 in use. A base plate 6 of the unitary clamp bracket 3 defines an opening 5 at an anchor engaging end thereof for locating the unitary clamp bracket 3 on the upstanding spigot 4. The unitary clamp bracket 3 has base plate 6 and an upwardly inclined arm 9 extending up and away from the anchor 2 and the ground in use at an obtuse angle. The upwardly inclined arm 9 terminates in a U-shaped hook 10 for passing around a prominent portion of an easily movable object such as an axle of a car or trailer. A downwardly inclined arm 11 extends from the other end of the U-shaped hook 10. The downwardly inclined arm 11 extends to a point just above the ground in use. The included angle between the upwardly inclined arm 9 and the ground when the unitary clamp bracket 3 is

fastened to the anchor 2 is in the range of 30° to 60°. In this configuration, the unitary clamp bracket 3 self locks into the ground if a person attempts to move the easily movable object away from the anchor 2. The downwardly inclined arm 11 and the upwardly inclined arm 9 are substantially parallel and of substantially equal length. Referring to the drawings and now to Figs. 12 to 15, there are shown detailed views of the anchor 2 and the spigot 4. The anchor 2 is a substantially square plate 12 with a central countersunk bore for receiving locking bolt 14. A head 15 of the locking bolt 14 rests flush with the undersurface of the anchor plate 12 in use. The shank 16 of the locking bolt 14 extends through the countersunk bore and stands proud of the top surface 17 of the anchor plate 12 in use. The spigot 4 has a tubular main body 19 with a tapped bore 21 for receiving a threaded end 18 of the shank 16 of the locking bolt 14. This rigidly fixes the spigot 4 onto the anchor plate 12. The - end of the spigot 4 opposite the tapped bore 21 has a machined tongue 22 with an aperture 23 •". defined there through with a substantially horizontal axis in use. The anchor plate 1*2 has four ..- countersunk anchor openings 25 equi-spaced angularly and radially around the central counter :„ sunk bore for receiving bolts (not shown) to permanently fix the anchor plate 12 to concrete or some other material on the ground. This anchor is suitable for use with all three embodiments of clamp arrangement.

Referring now to Figs. 16 and 17, a cover plate 35 has a central through bore 36 for locating onto the spigot 4 and over the top of the anchor plate 12 covering the countersunk anchor openings 25 and the bolts located therein. Advantageously, the cover plate 35 prevents a thief gaining access to bolts fastening the anchor plate 12 onto the ground. The cover plate 35 has a beveled groove 37 extending along and through a portion of one edge of cover plate 35 for reducing the angle which the unitary clamp bracket 3 can swivel through. The cover plate 35 also has a bore 39 for receiving a screw to penetrate into the anchor plate 12 to prevent angular rotation of the cover plate 35 relative to the anchor plate 12.

In use, the locking bolt 14 is inserted into the anchor plate's central countersunk bore. The tapped bore 21 of the spigot 4 is then screwed onto the screw threaded end 18 of the upstanding shank 16 until the bottom of the spigot 4 rests flush on top of the anchor plate 12. The anchor plate 12 is then located on a substantially permanent surface such as a concrete drive or a fixed flagstone where movable objects such as cars, trailers, quads, etc. are regularly located. The anchor plate 12 is bolted to the surface by drilling/screwing bolts through countersunk anchor openings 25. The cover plate 35 is then located onto the upstanding spigot 4 via central through bore 36 and a screw is driven into the top surface 17 of the anchor plate 12 via bore 39.

When a person wishes to secure a movable object to the clamping arrangement 1, they locate the object such as a car or trailer with an axle adjacent and/or above the anchor plate 12 - and cover plate 35. The U-shaped hook 10 of the unitary clamp bracket 3 is manually located , _* , around the axle for example, and the anchor engaging opening 5 of the clamp bracket 3 is located over the upstanding spigot 4. A padlock (not shown) is then passed through the aperture 23 in < ^■ the tongue 22 and is fastened to prevent the unitary clamp bracket 3 being removed from the > anchor 2.

Variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.