Not Applicable.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The patent owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
None.
This disclosure relates to tie-down anchors for use in planked decks or the like, and in particular, to portable tie-down anchors.
Back yard wooden decks, or other plank type decks, often are used to store or display various items, such as chairs, tables, cooking equipment, plants, or other items that might be desirable to secure when such items are not in use. Most decks are not built with tie-down anchors thereon, and installation of permanent tie-down anchors may be inconvenient—such as causing trip hazards—or may be aesthetically undesirable. Even if permanent tie-down anchors are made available, they may not be conveniently located, or may not be easily accessible or may not otherwise be available for securing objects to the deck.
And, while on occasion decks may be provided with tie-down points, many such designs may not be specifically designed to easily and securely receive a rope, line, or eyebolt, carabiner, or other tie-down or fastening device that may be useful in securing objects to the deck. Moreover, permanent tie-down anchors may not be desirable, as, for example, they may be in the way of foot traffic during seasonal use of a planked deck. In any event, permanently installed tie-down anchors may not be easily removed for use elsewhere. Thus, in the event that a tie-down anchor is needed at a different spot on the planked deck, or at another location, an additional tie-down anchor must be obtained.
Accordingly, it would be desirable if an easily installable and easily removable tie-down anchor device were available for use on planked decks. It would be even more desirable if such a device were available that provided a safe and adequate securing point, and which can be conveniently attached, yet easily removed for use elsewhere, and which avoids tripping hazards or unsightly appearance.
Thus, there remains a continuing unmet need for a portable and easily installable and removable tie-down anchor for a plank deck, and in which tie down ropes, snaps, bungee cords, or other devices can be easily and conveniently attached to a deck.
A tie-down anchor for securing an object to a plank deck structure is provided. Such plank deck structures may have adjacent first and second members of thickness T1 and T2, respectively, which are spaced apart by a gap of width W1. Basic components of the tie-down anchor include a shaft and a spring assembly. The shaft includes (a) a longitudinally extending rod having a first end and a second end, (b) an anchor portion located at the first end of the longitudinally extending rod, and an attachment portion at the second end of the longitudinally extending rod. The anchor portion may include a bar portion sized and shaped for engaging a lower side of the first or second member, or both. The first end of the longitudinally extending rod and the anchor portion each having a maximum width suitable for fitting through the gap of width W1.
The spring assembly may include (a) a compression spring, (b) an upper spring retainer, and (c) a lower spring retainer. The upper spring retainer may have a first inner edge defining a first shaft receiving aperture, for adjustably receiving a portion of the shaft therethrough. The lower spring retainer may have a second inner edge defining a second shaft receiving aperture, for adjustably receiving a portion of the shaft therethrough. The spring assembly is longitudinally adjustable along the axis of the shaft, and is located around the longitudinally extending rod, and adjustably located between the anchor portion and the attachment portion. The lower spring retainer includes a bottom surface suitable for engaging an upper side of the first member or the second member, or both.
In use, by engaging the lower spring retainer with the upper side of the first member or the second member, or both, and compressing the compression spring, the bar portion of the anchor portion may be pushed below the first member or second member, or both. Then, the shaft (a) may be rotated, for example, by ninety degrees (90°) and then (b) released, so as to release pressure on the compression spring, so that the tie-down anchor is placed in an installed configuration. In such installed configuration, the tie-down anchor securely engages at least the first member or at least the second member, or both, by and between (1) the bar portion at the lower side of the first or second members, or both, and (2) the lower spring retainer at the upper side of the first or second members, or both.
To secure the tie-down anchor to a plank deck, the bar portion at the anchor portion is first aligned with a gap between two deck planks. The anchor portion is then inserted through the gap sufficiently so it may then be axially rotated so as to allow the bar portions of the anchor portion to engage the lower side of the first member or second member, or both. In an embodiment of the method, the bar portions may be rotated until the bar portions are substantially perpendicular to the gap between the deck planks. Thereafter, pressure on the compression spring may be released.
Once the first member or second member, or both, are securely sandwiched between the anchor portion and the lower side of the lower spring retainer, an attachment device, such as a rope or bungee cord, may be secured to the tie-down anchor. The method of the installation process may be easily reversed for removal of the attachment device, and easy removal of the tie-down anchor from the plank deck.
The present invention(s) will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, using for illustration the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals denote like elements in the various figures of the drawing, and in which:
The foregoing figures, being merely exemplary, contain various elements that may be present or omitted from a final configuration for an embodiment of a portable tie-down anchor for use with a plank deck having a gap between first and second members, or that may be implemented in various embodiments described herein for a tie-down anchor device. Other variations in tie-down anchors may use other mechanical structures, mechanical arrangements, or size and shape of components, and yet employ the principles described herein and as generally depicted in the drawing figures provided, and as more specifically called out in the claims set forth below. In particular, although specific dimensions have not been provided, sufficient detail is provided so that those of skill in the art will be easily able to make and use the claimed invention. Thus, a tie-down anchor device may be provided which is sized up or down from any relative configurations provided, without affecting the scope of the appended claims. An attempt has been made to draw the figures in a way that illustrates at least those elements that are significant for an understanding of exemplary tie-down anchor devices which may be used in various applications.
It should be understood that various features may be utilized in accord with the teachings hereof, as may be useful in different embodiments as useful for various sizes and shapes of tie-down anchors depending upon specific requirements (such as thickness of various members of a plank deck, the materials of constructions) selected for a particular application, within the scope and coverage of the teachings herein as defined by the claims. Further, like features in various embodiments for tie-down anchors may be described using like reference numerals, or other like references, without further mention thereof.
Attention is directed to
As seen in
In an embodiment, the shaft assembly 30 may be provided as a unitary, one-piece component wherein the anchor portion 40 and the attachment portion 42 are manufactured by bending the end portions of a length of suitable raw material, such as a steel or stainless steel rod. In an embodiment, such a rod may be provided in the form of a cylindrical rod.
In an embodiment the anchor portion 40 may have a bar portion 50 sized and shaped for engaging a lower side 52 of at least the first member 26 of the structure 24. In an embodiment, the bar portion 50 of anchor portion 40 may include a first bar portion segment 501 and a second bar portion segment 502. In various embodiments, the first end 36 of the longitudinally extending rod 34 and the anchor portion 40 may each have a maximum width W40 (at least along the axis of bar portion 50, or along the axis of first bar portion segment 501 and second bar portion segment 502) of less than or about equal to width W1 of gap GS.
The spring assembly 32 may include an upper spring retainer 46 that has a first inner edge 76 defining a first shaft receiving aperture 78. The spring assembly 32 may include a lower spring retainer 48 that has a second inner edge 68 and defines a second shaft receiving aperture 70. As seen in
As can be appreciated by reference to
As can be seen in
As seen in various figures, but particularly in
As seen in
As may be seen by comparison of
As seen in
In
In various embodiments, for example as seen in
As earlier noted, in order to install the tie-down anchor 20 in a structure 24 such as a plank deck with a gap between first 26 and second 28 members, the shaft assembly 30 must be rotatably adjustable with respect to the spring assembly 32. Also, in order to install the tie-down anchor 20 in a structure 24 such as a plank deck with a gap between first 26 and second 28 members, the shaft assembly 30 must be axially adjustable—that is up and down—with respect to the spring assembly 32.
A method is provided herein for anchoring an object 22 to structure 24 such as a plank deck having at least two planks including a first member 26 and second member 28 and a gap GS therebetween. In an embodiment of the method each of the planks in the plank deck, i.e. the first member 26 the second member 28 may each have an upper side 62 and 64, respectively, and a lower side 52 and 80, respectively. First a tie-down anchor 20 as described above is provided. The tie-down anchor 20 is placed in juxtaposition with the plank deck structure 24 so that the anchor portion 40 aligns with the centerline GC of the gap between two deck planks, namely the first member 26 and the second member 28. The anchor portion 40 is inserted into the gap, and at least some of the longitudinally extending rod 34 extends into the gap between the two deck planks (that is, between first member 26 and second member 28) until the bar portion 50 (and where present, first bar portion segment 501 and second bar portion segment 502) extend below the lower side 52 of first member 26 and lower side 80 of second member 28. The shaft assembly 30 is rotated about its longitudinal axis (see centerline 30CL in
In an embodiment, the method just described may further include providing an attachment portion 42 which includes a hook shaped portion 90 having a hook base 92 and a hook distal end 94, wherein a hook gap of width GH is provided between the hook distal end 94 and the hook base 92. Then, the upper spring retainer 46 is urged against the compression spring 44 as indicated by reference arrow 100, and the both are urged toward the lower spring retainer 48, in order to space the hook distal end 94 away from the upper spring retainer 46, to expose the hook gap GH. Then, a portion of a fastening element 23 may be inserted through the hook gap GH, provided the fastening element 23 has an outside dimension D (diameter if a cylindrical fastening element 23 such as a rope is provided) less than or equal to width of hook gap GH. Finally, the upper spring retainer 46 is released, so that the upper spring retainer 46 closes the hook gap GE, so as to securely retain the fastening element 23 in the attachment portion 42. In various embodiments, it is to be appreciated that the tie-down anchor 20 is sized and shaped for manual installation and removal to and from the plank deck structure 24 without the use of tools.
It is to be appreciated that the tie-down anchor system as disclosed herein is an appreciable improvement in the art of tie-down anchors for use in plank deck structures or the like. The novel design provided for a tie-down anchor addresses the problem of how to provide for seasonal or temporary attachment of objects to a plank deck structure. The embodiments have been thoroughly described to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention, and the devices may include embodiments which utilize materials appropriate for the service, such as steel, stainless steel, high grade aluminum, or other treated materials suitable for corrosion resistance during years of outdoor use.
Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detail, various details are sufficiently set forth in the drawings and in the specification provided herein to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention(s), which need not be further described by additional writing in this detailed description.
The aspects and embodiments described and claimed herein may be modified from those shown without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages provided by this invention, and may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiments presented herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. As such, this disclosure is intended to cover the structures described herein and not only structural equivalents thereof, but also equivalent structures. Numerous modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention(s) may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Thus, the scope of the invention(s), as set forth in the appended claims, and as indicated by the drawing and by the foregoing description, is intended to include variations from the embodiments provided which are nevertheless described by the broad interpretation and range properly afforded to the plain meaning of the claims set forth below.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170082241 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |