Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to ground anchors and, more particularly, is concerned with a method and apparatus for anchoring a beam, such as a pole, in the ground.

Background Art

Devices related to ground anchors have been described in the related art, however, none of the related art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention. In U.S. Patent No. 2,029,439 dated February 4, 1936, Ochiltree disclosed a fence post mountable in the ground. In U.S. Patent No. 5,135,192 dated August 4, 1992, Winkler disclosed a ground anchor. In U.S. Patent No. D277,643 dated February 19, 1985, Fambrough disclosed a holder and ground anchor unit for a rectangular fence post. In U.S. Patent No. 7,090,117 dated August 15, 2006, Lackey, et al., disclosed a ground mount post. In U.S. Patent No. 7,325,790 dated February 5, 2008, Lee disclosed a post setting insert. In U.S. Patent No. 7,722,014 dated May 25, 2010, Godwin disclosed a surface mount. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0272053 dated November 5, 2009, Dent disclosed a ground anchor assembly. In U.S. Patent No. 6,219,989 dated April 24, 2001, Tumura disclosed a construction method of joining a column and beam related to heavy-weight steel frame construction. In U.S. Patent No.4,272,929 dated June 16, 1981, Hanson disclosed a tower for a wind generator and a related method of construction. While these devices related to ground anchors may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. Disclosure of the Invention

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for supporting a post or beam member in an upright position in a manner that allows the member to be secured into the ground. The present invention comprises an upper portion which is disposed above the ground which receives and supports the upright member and a lower portion which is secured beneath the surface of the ground in a manner so as to secure the member in an upright position. The upper portion is attached to the lower portion using an anchor plate which is secured to the lower portion using threaded studs which are mounted into the cement of the foundation. The anchor plate is attached to a lower enclosure box which is sunk into the cement foundation with the lower box being secured into the foundation using a plurality of generally upright standing reinforcing bars, i.e., rebars.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means of securely attaching a post or beam into the ground. A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for attaching a supporting beam in an upright position using a device which is extremely strong for attachment into the ground so that the beam is held securely in an upright position. A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for supporting a beam in an upright position which can be easily used by an operator of the present invention. A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for supporting a beam in an upright position which can be relatively easily and inexpensively manufactured.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Brief Description of Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the present invention shown in operative connection.

Figure 3 is a side view of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a channel member for use with the present invention.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a channel member for use with the present invention.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a channel member for use with the present invention.

Figure 11 is a plan view of a typical foundation of a building. Figure 12 is a perspective view of a typical wall section of a building

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, Figures 1 through 12 illustrate the present invention wherein a method and apparatus for supporting a beam in an upright position is disclosed.

Turning to Figures 1-3, therein is shown the present invention 10 which has generally an upper, above ground portion 12 and a lower, below ground portion 14. The upper portion 12 comprises a receptacle 16 wherein the receptacle is shown as being square-shaped for illustration only. It should be clear that any shape receptacle could be used whether round, square, rectangular or the like for receiving a similarly shaped beam. The receptacle 16 has upper 15 and lower 17 ends, a bore 19 and an upstanding wall 18 having at least one aperture 20 therein for receiving at least one lag bolt 22 or the like therein. A post or beam member 24 having upper end portion 23 and lower end portion 25 and having holes or apertures 26 therein which mate to apertures 20 is shown which post has its lower end 25 disposed in the upper receptacle 16 being secured to the upper receptacle using the lag bolts 22 and nuts or fastener 28 as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art. The upper receptacle 16 is secured to an anchor plate 30 using corner or spot welds 32 or the like. Spot welds 32 are used for illustration only and any means of securing the receptacle 16 to the anchor/base plate 30 would be acceptable. The lower portion 14 of the present invention 10 comprises an enclosure or grade box 34 having upper 33 and lower 35 end portions, inner 37 and outer 39 surfaces, an interior 41 which surrounds one or more anchor or U-bolts 36 which have upper threaded ends 38 having fasteners or nuts 40 or the like thereon so that the anchor bolts 36 can be secured to the anchor/base plate 30 which has upper 29 and lower 31 surfaces and a flange 43 thereon; all of this forms a structure which provides slight flexibility, at points of joinder between members, during high lateral wind conditions such as might occur in a tornado or hurricane which contributes to help make the present invention 10 extremely strong. Enclosure 34 extends about 1/3 of the distance between the top and the bottom of the reinforcing or reinforcement bars, i.e., rebars, 46 to provide effectively strong support to the rebars. It should be clear that the present invention 10 could be configured to operate with any shape enclosure 34 whether round, square, rectangular or the like. It can be seen that the anchor bolts 36 are illustrated here as being U-bolts on their lower portions 42 which bolts are cast into a cement foundation 44 as shown in Figure 2. U-bolts 36 may be made entirely of all-thread. Also shown are a plurality of reinforcing bars or rebars 46 having upper 45 and lower 47 end portions and which are also disposed or cast into the cement 44 as shown in Figure 2 wherein the rebars are secured to each other by an upper band 48 and lower band 50 which bands are wrapped around the rebars, which are steel rods with ridges thereon, in a portion of the rebars having a smaller diameter than at the upper end of the rebars. Also shown is a center strap on rebar 52 which is secured to the lower portions 42 of the anchor bolts 36 and to the rebars 46 by spot welds 32 which is best shown in Figure 2. It should be clear that upright member 24 could be made of any suitable material, e.g., wood, metal or concrete. The ends 47 of the rebars 46 extend an effectively long distance below the enclosure/grade box 34 and are cast an effective depth into the cement 44 and are disposed an effective depth into the ground 56, about 6 inches as shown in Figure 2, so as to provide adequate vertical and lateral support to the beam 24 to support the beam in a high lateral wind conditions such as might occur in a tornado or hurricane. Rebars 46 or angled or bent inwardly toward the central axis of the present invention 10 at about 1/2 its length so that the rebars have a smaller diameter near the bottom portions than at the top portions to form somewhat of a leg near the lower portion of the rebars.

Turning to Figure 2, therein is shown the present invention 10 additionally showing an edge of the hole 54 of a surrounding soil 56 having cement 44 placed therein for receiving the lower portion 14 of the present invention 10 therein. It should be clear that the present invention 10 provides an extraordinarily strong means for supporting a post or beam 24 in an upright position while anchoring the present invention 10 into the soil 56. It can be seen that cement 44 is poured from the bottom 53 of hole 54 up to the top portion of grade box 34 so that the U-bolts 42 are embedded almost completely in cement to provide stability to the U-bolts and anchor plate 30. The upper end 33 of the

enclosure/grade box 34 is used as a point for surveying purposes with which to adjust the grade of the apparatus 10 which grade can be adjusted by adjusting the depth of the lower ends 47 of rebars 46 in the ground 56.

Turning to Figure 4, therein is shown an exemplary use of the present invention 10 firmly anchored into the surrounding ground or soil 56 wherein the upper portion 12 is shown generally above the surface of the ground and a lower portion 14 is shown generally below the surface of the ground. In this embodiment a fence post 60 is shown for supporting the horizontal fence members 62 wherein the fence post 60 is secured in an upright position in the receptacle 16 while being secured into the ground.

Turning to Figure 5, therein is shown an exemplary use of the present invention 10 wherein a barn 64 or like is shown being constructed about a plurality of upright members 66 being a corner post of the barn 64 wherein the lower end portion of the upright member 66 is secured in the receptacle 16 of the present invention 10 which is secured in the ground 56 as previously described.

Turning to Figure 6, therein is shown an exemplary use of the present invention 10 wherein a street light pole 68 is shown for supporting a light 70 on top in the conventional manner wherein the light pole is mounted into a complementarily sized and shaped receptacle 16 of the present invention 10 wherein the present invention 10 is secured below the surface of the ground 56 as previously described.

Turning to Figure 7, therein is shown an exemplary use of the present invention 10 wherein a telephone pole 72 is shown for supporting at least one telephone line 74 on top in the conventional manner wherein the telephone pole is mounted into a complementarily sized and shaped receptacle 16 of the present invention 10 wherein the present invention 10 is secured below the surface of the ground 56 as previously described.

Turning to Figures 8-12, therein are shown attachments 76, 78, and 80 for being mounted on the top end of the present invention 10 so that the foundation of a building can be supported above the surface of the ground 56 so as to provide a crawl space thereunder as generally shown in Figure 12. Each attachment 76, 78 and 80 has an upwardly disposed channel 84 therein mounted on plate 86 which is mounted on a receptacle 88 which receptacle receives an upper end portion of beam 24 as shown in Figure 12. Plate 86 and receptacle 88 together form an upper receptacle member 90 which is similar to the previously disclosed upper receptacle 16 as shown in Figures 1-3, except receptacle 90 is downwardly disposed for receiving the upper end portion of upright member 24 and receptacle 16 is upwardly disposed for receiving the lower end portion of upright member 24. Attachments 76, 78 and 80 are each attached by welding or the like to plate 96.

Receptacle member 90 is attached to the upper end portion of a beam similarly to the lower receptacle 16 using lag bolts or the like which pass through apertures 89. Figure 8 shows attachment 76 configured for use at the corner of a building foundation 82 having a channel 84 therein for receiving the corner of foundation 82 as shown in Figure 11. Figures 9 and 10 show attachments 78, 80 configured for use on the side wall and an interior wall, respectively, of building foundation 82 as shown in Figure 11. Figure 11 shows the locations of attachments 76, 78 and 80 being placed about foundation 82 as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art.

Figure 12 shows an illustrative building wall section 92 having a top plate 94 and a bottom plate 96 supported by floor joists 98, 100 which joists are cradled or supported in the channel 84 of attachment 78 which is mounted on the upper end of upright member 24 so as to create a crawl space 108 under the building. Joists 98, 100 are similar members, such as a header of a joist or the like, of a building foundation as shown as members 82 in Figure 11. Also shown are all-thread rods 102 extending from the top of top plate 94 to the underside of attachment 78 for joining all components of wall section 92 together. Fasteners 104 or the like and brackets 106 are also shown on top of top plate 94. It is believed that this typical wall section 92 would comply with applicable building codes for these type structures.

Approximate dimensions, which are provided for illustration only, are as follows: depth of hole 54 about 42 inches; about 520 pounds of cement 44 to fill the hole; rebar ends 47 extend about 6 inches into soil 56; plate 30 is about 8 1/2 inches square and about 3/16 inch thick; and, receptacle 16 is about 8 inches long and sized to receive an about 6 inch by 6 inch beam 24. In summary, and by reference to all the Figures, the present invention 10 provides a method for anchoring a vertically extending solid beam 24 in a receptacle 16 by enclosing a bottom portion of the beam wherein the receptacle is resting on and attached to a horizontally extending base plate 30, wherein the base plate forms a top cover for a downwardly extending enclosure 34, wherein the enclosure has walls 39 with interior surfaces 41 and a bottom opening for receiving rebars 46 and U-bolts bolts 36 therein, and providing a U-bolt in an interior of the enclosure, wherein the U-bolt has a pair of upwardly extending legs (see Fig. 2) with bottoms of the legs connected to each other by a base portion (see Fig. 1), wherein the legs extend through and are secured to the base plate, furthermore, providing a plurality of reinforcing bars 46, wherein each reinforcing bar has upper and lower end portions, wherein the reinforcing bars are spaced apart from each other, the upper portions being disposed against and directly attached (see 32, Fig. 1) to the interior surfaces of the walls of the enclosure, with the lower portions extending downwardly from a lower end of the enclosure and so that the reinforcing bars terminate below the base plate (see Fig. 1), further using a joining rebar 52 to connect the base portion of the U-bolt to the reinforcing bars below the enclosure, further disposing portions of the plurality of reinforcing bars, the enclosure, and the U-bolt in a concrete 44 foundation so that the beam is anchored whereby the assembly when embedded in ground 56 forms a structure having flexibility contributing to structural strength resistant to lateral forces produced by a tornado or hurricane. Also, providing a hole 54 in the ground so that the enclosure is partially within the hole so that the base plate is above ground surface, and the hole is filled with concrete or cement which fills the enclosure. Wherein the reinforcing bars 46 converge partially below the bottom opening of the enclosure/receptacle and are attached to the distal ends of the joining rebar 52 where convergence is ended and where the distal ends of the joining rebar join the reinforcing bars (see Fig. 1). Also, wherein the distal ends of the joining rebar 52 are attached to the reinforcing bars using a band 48 surrounding the reinforcing bars 46 and the distal ends of the joining rebar 52.