Land anchor

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6606829
  • Patent Number
    6,606,829
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, April 19, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 19, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
The collapsible land anchor of this invention includes an anchor body, a drive anvil coupled to the top end portion of the anchor body, and a runner member that is slidable longitudinally through the drive anvil between an operative position and a collapsed position. A retraction anvil is coupled to the top end portion of the runner member, and a hammer weight is carried on the runner member. In its operative position, the runner member extends beyond the drive anvil away from the cavity of the anchor body to space the drive anvil apart from the retraction anvil. Also in the operative position, the hammer weight is slidable along the runner member into the drive anvil to drive the anchor body into the ground. In the collapsed position, the runner member is displaced towards and at least partially stowed in the cavity of the anchor body.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to the field of anchors, and in particular is directed to land anchors that may be driven into the earth, or other stationary or stable objects. This invention is particularly useful for use as a land anchor for tethering boats or other water-borne objects and land-borne objects, and methods of use of the land anchor.




2. Description of Related Art




Anchors are well known in the art for securing a vessel to a seabed. The Fisherman's anchor, Danforth anchor, Bruce anchor, and folding grapnel are just a few of the many types of anchors known for seabed anchoring. A mooring line or rode connects the anchor to the vessel. When lowered onto the seabed, the anchors and mooring line function to retain the vessel in its desired location and prevent drifting of the vessel far from the desired location.




Smaller vessels, such as sailboats and small yachts, often rely shore-docking devices for inhibiting drifting and permitting ingress and egress to and from the vessel. Most commonly, smaller vessels use a rope or multiple ropes for tying to docks.




It is often the case, however, that boaters wish to dock their vessels at locations lacking conventional boat docking facilities, such as in the event that the boater wishes to partake in sunbathing at a beach or hiking at the shore, for instance. On such occasions, shore anchors are commonly used for preventing the vessel from floating away while removing the need to put the vessel aground.




Examples of land anchors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,064 to Mestas and U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,458 to Owen. Each of these land anchors has a unitary elongated spike-like anchor rod extending the length of the anchor. A hammer element is captured on the anchor rod to slide between two anvils along a portion of the anchor rod length. In order to secure the anchor to the ground, the pointed lower end of the anchor rod is placed in contact with the ground and the hammer element is repeatedly slid between the anvils into striking engagement with the lower of the two anvils, also known as the drive anvil. Each time the hammer element strikes the drive anvil, the anchor rod is driven further into the ground. Opposite ends of a rode are tied to the vessel and the embedded anchor, respectively, to secure the vessel.




One problem associated with conventional land anchors is their poor stowability. Conventional land anchors often have lengths as great as about four feet. On small ships, where room may be very limited and space cramped, there is great desire to maximize available space. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a land anchor which has sufficient length to permit repeated striking movement of a captured hammer along a shaft of the anchor, yet which requires less stowage space during storage than conventional land anchors.




OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION




It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide a land anchor that is collapsible into a compact state to facilitate its stowage, especially stowage on a boat.




It is another object of this invention to provide a boat that either carries or is docked with the land anchor of this invention.




It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of using the land anchor of this invention to dock a boat to the earth or other stationary or stable objects, or the like.




Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




To achieve foregoing objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the invention as embodied and broadly described in this document, a collapsible land anchor is provided. According to an aspect of the invention, the collapsible land anchor comprises an anchor body having a tapered bottom end portion and a top end portion. The anchor body is provided with a cavity extending longitudinally between the tapered bottom end portion and the top end portion. A drive anvil is coupled to the top end portion of the anchor body. The collapsible land anchor further comprises a runner member slidable longitudinally across the drive anvil between an operative position and a collapsed position. A retraction anvil is coupled to the top end portion of the runner member. A hammer weight is carried on and preferably captured by the runner member.




In its operative position, at least a portion of the length of the runner member extends beyond the drive anvil away from the cavity of the anchor body to space the drive anvil apart from the retraction anvil. A locking mechanism is provided for locking the runner member in the operative position. The hammer weight is capable of sliding along the runner member between the drive anvil and the retraction anvil when the runner member is in the operative position. By repeatedly striking the hammer weight into the drive anvil, the anchor body may be driven into the ground or other stationary bodies. By pulling or striking the hammer weight against the retraction anvil with sufficient force, the anchor body may be dislodged from the ground. The locking member is capable of being disengaged to allow movement of the runner member towards the anchor body and into the collapsed position, in which at least a portion of the length of the runner member is stowed in the cavity of the anchor body. Preferably, the locking member is capable of being re-engaged for locking the runner member in the collapsed position.




In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a boat is provided which carries or is docked with the land anchor of this invention. Preferably, but optionally, a rode, such as a mooring or tether, is used to interconnect the boat to the land anchor.




In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for docking a boat to the land or a stationary or stable body, such as a dock or the like with the use of the land anchor of this invention.




In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, there is provided a novel rode-tying member that may be used with a collapsible or non-collapsible land anchor.




Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the preferred embodiments and methods that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and methods given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In such drawings:





FIG. 1

illustrates in schematic view a collapsible land anchor in an operative position according to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 2

is an illustration of the collapsible land anchor of

FIG. 1

in schematic view, showing the anchor in a collapsed position;





FIG. 3

is another illustration of the collapsible land anchor of

FIG. 1

, showing the anchor in an exploded schematic view;





FIG. 4

is an isolated schematic view of the anchor body and collars of the collapsible land anchor of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a side sectional view taken along sectional line V—V of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is an end sectional view taken along sectional VI—VI of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 7

is a plan schematic view of a rode-tying ring of the collapsible land anchor of

FIG. 1

; and





FIG. 8

is a plan schematic view of a locking mechanism shown in locked (solid lines) and unlocked (phantomed lines) positions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND METHODS OF THE INVENTION




Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments and methods of the invention as described below. It should be noted, however, that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative devices and methods, and examples described in this section in connection with the preferred embodiments and methods. The invention according to its various aspects is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the attached claims read in view of this specification, and appropriate equivalents.




It is to be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, by way of example, the term “collar” includes in its definition a combination of two or more collars, for example.




As referred to herein, the term “land” is sued in its common but broad sense to include not only earthen materials, e.g., such as dirt, sand, beach terrain, clay, and the like, but also to stationary or stable objects that are suited for receiving and securing anchors according to the various aspects of the invention. The term “land” also may include submerged materials, such as sea bed, river bed, lake bed, silted areas, marshes, and the like. Also as referred to herein, the term “boat” is used in its common but broad usages to include such items as ships, yachts, catamarans, crafts, sailboats, barges, and other flotation vessels, especially those capable of carrying one or more persons.




Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a land anchor in accordance with one preferred embodiment of this invention. The land anchor comprises an anchor body


10


. In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor body


10


comprises an angle iron defined by angled walls


10




a


and


10




b


(FIG.


6


), which are symmetrical to each other and joined along a common side edge to define a V-shaped cross section. The V-shape of the cross section of the anchor body


10


is best seen in FIG.


6


. The anchor body


10


extends from a tapered bottom end portion


12


to a top end portion


14


. In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered bottom end portion


12


is truncated for safety reasons. It should be understood, however, that the tapered bottom end portion


12


may extend into a point or apex, although not shown in the various figures.




The anchor body


10


may be comprised of, for example, a metal or metal alloy, such as aluminum or steel, or other material or combinations of material having sufficient strength to withstand the stress of being driven into the earth.




Positioned between the tapered bottom end portion


12


and the top end portion


14


is an open cavity


16


, which in the illustrated embodiment has an inverted pyramid (or triangular) cross section. Although the cavity


16


is shown extending longitudinally from the tapered bottom end portion


12


to the top end portion


14


, it should be understood that as used herein the term “between” also means that the cavity


16


may be intermediate to, but not coextensive with, the tapered bottom end portion


12


and the top end portion


14


.




A drive anvil


20


is coupled to the top end portion


14


of the anchor body


10


. Preferably, coupling is achieved by welding or otherwise permanently affixing the drive anvil


20


to the anchor body


10


. It is possible, however, to couple the drive anvil


20


to the anchor body


10


in a removable fashion. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive anvil


20


is a heavy duty washer having an aperture


22


. Although illustrated as a circular hole, the aperture


22


can undertake other configurations, such as polygonal. Alternatively, the aperture


22


may be shaped in the form of an open groove in the drive anvil


20


.




The drive anvil


20


is preferably, although not necessarily, comprised of the same material as the anchor body


10


, and should have sufficient strength to withstand the stress of operation, which is described in more detail below.




A runner member


30


, a hammer weight


32


, and a retraction anvil


40


are provided for the purpose of driving the anchor body


10


into and dislodging the anchor body


10


from the ground, docking body, or the like. The runner member


30


is illustrated as an elongated rod having the retraction anvil


40


coupled to its distal end. The retraction anvil


40


may be permanently affixed to the runner member


30


by welding, or may be removable to permit separation of the hammer weight


32


from the runner member


30


. In order to reduce the overall weight of the land anchor, the runner member


30


may be a hollow tube. Although not shown, the runner member


30


may also have a polygonal or non-circular cross section, although the outer peripheral surface of the runner member


30


will preferably be complementary to the shape and size of the aperture


22


of the drive anvil


20


. Suitable materials of which the runner member


30


and retraction anvil


40


may be comprised include metals and alloys, such as aluminum and stainless steel, although other material and combinations of material may be used. In the illustrated embodiment the retraction anvil


40


is a heavy duty washer.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the runner member


30


is capable of sliding longitudinally relative to the drive anvil


20


between an operative position shown in

FIG. 1 and a

stowed position shown in FIG.


2


. The hammer


32


is carried on the runner member


30


. Preferably the hammer weight


32


is annular in shape and has a bore


34


through which the runner member


30


is received, so that the hammer weight


32


is captive on the runner member


30


. In the operative position, at least a portion of the length of the runner member


30


extends beyond the drive anvil


20


away from the cavity


16


of the anchor body


10


to space the drive anvil


20


apart from the retraction anvil


40


by a sufficient distance to allow sliding movement of the captive hammer weight


32


between the anvils


20


and


40


. In the operative position, it is preferred for the majority of the length, and still more preferably at least 80 percent of the length, of the runner member


30


to extend beyond the drive anvil


20


and away from the cavity


16


of the anchor body


10


. The hammer weight


32


may includes at least one graspable arm


36


or handle for facilitating sliding movement of the hammer weight. As shown in

FIG. 3

, the arms


36


are preferably diametrically opposed relative to each other, and are perpendicular to the axis of the runner member


30


. The arms


36


may optionally be covered with a gripping material, such as a rubber sheath.




In the illustrated embodiment, the runner member


30


is moved from the operative position (

FIG. 1

) to the collapsed position (

FIG. 2

) by sliding the runner member


30


through the aperture


22


of the drive anvil


20


. In the collapsed position, the runner member


30


is displaced towards the cavity


16


of the anchor body


10


relative to the operative position, so that at least a second portion of the length of the runner member


30


is stowed in the cavity


16


of the anchor body


10


. In the collapsed position, it is preferred for the majority of the length, and still more preferably at least 80 percent of the length, of the runner member


30


to be accommodated in the cavity


16


of the anchor body


10


. In the most preferred embodiment, the collapsed position is characterized by sandwiching of the hammer weight


32


between the retraction anvil


40


and the drive anvil


20


to prevent sliding movement of the hammer weight


32


along the runner member


30


, as shown in FIG.


2


.




The preferred land anchor further comprises a locking mechanism


50


for retaining the runner member


30


in the operative and collapsed positions. As illustrated, the locking mechanism comprises a first collar


52


and a second collar


54


having respective passages that are coaxially aligned. (Although two collars are illustrated, it is to be understood that a single collar or more than two collars may be used.) The runner member


30


is received in the coaxially aligned passages of the collars


52


and


54


. Referring to

FIG. 8

, a clamp


68


carrying a quick release lever


60


is interposed between the first collar


52


and the second collar


54


. The clamp


68


is held captive on the runner member


30


, which passes through a passage (unnumbered) of the clamp


68


. When placed in its locked position, the quick release lever


60


decreases the size of the passage of the clamp


68


and immobilizes the runner member


30


relative to the anchor body


10


. On the other hand, when unlocked, the quick release clamp


60


opens the passage of the clamp


68


by a sufficient degree to allow sliding movement of the runner member


30


through the clamp


68


(and adjacent collars


52


and


54


) between the operative and collapsed positions.




A retention pin


64


extends from a bottom end portion (unnumbered) of the runner member


30


and is received in the cavity


16


. The retention pin


64


functions to avoid unintentional disengagement of the runner member


30


from the anvil body


10


by preventing sliding movement of the bottom end portion of the runner member


30


past the collars


52


and


54


, the clamp


68


, and the drive anvil


20


. If desired, the retention pin


64


may be removable to facilitate disassembly of the land anchor.




As shown in

FIGS. 1

,


3


, and


7


, the land anchor may also optionally include a rode-tying ring


70


. The rode-tying ring


70


is received around the periphery of the anchor body


10


. In the illustrated embodiment, the rode-tying ring


70


is joined to the anchor body


10


via a lanyard


72


. A first end of the lanyard


72


is attached to the rode-tying ring


70


. A second end of the lanyard


72


is knotted through a hole


74


in the anchor body


10


. The lanyard


72


is sufficiently short in length to prevent the rode-tying ring


70


from slipping over the tapered bottom end portion


12


of the anchor body


10


.




In operation, the preferred land anchor works as follows. The land anchor is placed into the operative position illustrated in FIG.


1


. The runner member


30


is locked into its extended or operative position by actuating the quick release lever


60


. Actuation of the quick release lever


60


restricts the size of the passage of the clamp


68


and causes the clamp


68


to grasp the runner member


30


. Longitudinal movement of the clamp


68


, and hence the runner member


30


, is prevented by the stationary collars


52


and


54


located on opposite sides of the clamp


68


, thus immobilizing the runner member


30


relative to the anchor body


10


.




The tapered bottom end portion


12


of the anchor body


10


is then placed in contact with the earth, or another stationary or stable object. The user may then grasp the arms


36


of the hammer weight


32


, and thrust the hammer weight


32


along the runner member


30


and into striking contact with the drive anvil


20


. As the hammer weight


32


is driven into the drive anvil


20


, the anchor body


10


is embedded further into the ground. The hammer weight


32


may then be withdrawn towards the retraction anvil


40


, and the thrusting and striking movements repeated until the anchor body


10


is embedded further into the earth, or other stationary or docking object. Once the anchor body


10


has been securely lodged, the rode-tying member


70


is placed in contact with the ground or moved in proximity to the ground, depending on the distance of movement that the length of the lanyard


72


allows. The rode or mooring line of a boat may be tied around the rode-tying member


70


of the land anchor to dock the boat. By positioning the rode-tying member


70


in proximity to the ground, the rode-tying member


70


provides higher resistance to dislodging due to pulling forces applied by a mooring line than if the mooring line had been attached to a higher point on the anchor.




Undocking may be accomplished by untying the rode from the rode-tying member


70


, then removing the land anchor from the ground or stationary object. For example, the land anchor may be removed from the ground by pulling the hammer weight


32


towards the retraction anvil


40


. In the event that the pulling force applied by the hammer weight


32


on the retraction anvil


40


is not sufficient to dislodge the land anchor, the hammer weight


32


may be repeatedly thrust along the runner member


30


and into striking contact with the retraction anvil


40


until the anchor body


10


is dislodged from the ground.




The following dimensions are provided by way of illustration and example, and are not intended to be limiting on the scope of this invention. The anchor body


10


may be characterized by a length of 20 inches, with the tapering portion extending about 5 inches. The angled walls


10




a


and


10




b


of the angle iron may have a maximum width of 2 inches and a thickness of {fraction (3/16)} inch. The runner may be characterized by length of 20 inches, with approximately 17 inches extending from the drive anvil


20


when in the operative state, and a ⅞ inch diameter. The diameter of the drive anvil


20


may be approximately 3 inches or slightly less. A suitable weight for the hammer weight


32


may weigh about 6 to 8 pounds, for example. The inner diameter of the rode-tying ring


70


may be 3.75 inches. The anchor may be painted, such as powder coating steel parts, for ornamental and anti-rusting protective reasons.




It is to be understood that several variations and modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment. Several possible variations and modifications have been discussed above. Other changes that may be made to the illustrated embodiment and fall within the scope of this invention include the following. The anchor body


10


may undertake a configuration other than the illustrated angle iron. For example, the anchor body


10


may be configured as a hollow tube having a cavity that surrounds the runner member


30


when the runner member is in the collapsed position. The tapered bottom end portion


12


of the tube can be cut at an oblique angle to provide an edge that facilitates driving of the anchor body


10


into the ground.




Another modification that can be made to the preferred embodiment comprises placement of the quick-release lever


60


on either of the collar members


52


or


54


, or replacement of the quick-release lever


60


with another locking mechanism, such as a locking pin. For example, one of the collar members may be provided with a radial orifice, and the runner member may be provided with similar upper and lower radial orifices located in proximity to the upper and lower ends of the runner member, respectively. Locking of the land anchor into the operative position may then be accomplished by aligning the lower radial orifice of the runner member with the orifice of the collar member, and inserting the locking pin through the aligned orifices. On the other hand, locking of the land anchor into the collapsed position may then be accomplished by aligning the upper radial orifice of the runner member with the orifice of the collar member, and inserting the locking pin through the aligned orifices. This alternative embodiment is exemplary of the many variations and modifications to the locking mechanism that may fall within the scope of this invention.




Also, the lanyard


72


may be replaced by another part or parts having an equivalent function, such as flanges radially extending from the anchor body


10


, for preventing disengagement of the rode-tying ring


70


. It is also possible to weld or otherwise affix the rode-tying ring


70


to the anchor body.




Other modifications that may be practiced within the scope of this invention include making the arms


36


detachable from the hammer weight


32


. For example, the arms


36


and hammer weight


32


may have complementary screw threads for engagement and disengagement by rotation of the arms


36


about their axes. The arms may also be jointed or articulated to permit their collapse into a more compact arrangement.




It should also be understood that several of the illustrated features are optional, such as the arms


36


, the retention pin


64


, rode-tying ring


70


, and the lanyard


72


, and may be omitted altogether. Further, it is within the scope of this invention for the land anchor to include additional components or parts, such as protective or decorative ornaments. Especially useful is the use of a bright light source


80


, such as a battery operated LED, on land anchor for enhancing awareness of the land anchor to alter and prevent potential injury to persons in the vicinity of the land anchor. The LED may be placed on the end of the retraction anvil


40


, as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




The land anchor of this invention may be used in applications other than for anchoring boats. For example, the land anchor may be used for tethering a leashed dog or other animal, tethering to a seaplane, such as a pontoon plane, or as the stake of a tent or other dwelling.




The foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention cover various modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A collapsible land anchor comprising:an anchor body having a tapered bottom end portion and a top end portion, the anchor body provided with a cavity extending longitudinally between the tapered bottom end portion and the top end portion; a drive anvil coupled to the top end portion of the anchor body; a runner member having a length and slidable longitudinally across the drive anvil between an operative position, in which at least a first portion of the length of the runner member extends beyond the drive anvil away from the cavity of the anchor body, and a collapsed position, in which the runner member is displaced towards the cavity of the anchor body relative to the operative position and in which at least a second portion of the length of the runner member is stowed in the cavity of the anchor body; a retraction anvil coupled to the top end portion of the runner member so as to be longitudinally spaced apart from the drive anvil when the runner member is in the operative position; a hammer weight slidable along the runner member between the drive anvil and the retraction anvil when the runner member is in the operative position; and a locking mechanism constructed and arranged to lock the runner member in the operative position.
  • 2. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the tapered bottom end portion is truncated.
  • 3. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the anchor body comprises first and second walls connected to each other to define a V-shape cross section.
  • 4. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the anchor body comprises an angle iron.
  • 5. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is open.
  • 6. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the drive anvil has an aperture.
  • 7. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 6, wherein the runner member is slidable through the aperture of the drive anvil.
  • 8. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 7, wherein the aperture comprises a circular hole.
  • 9. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the runner member has a tubular configuration.
  • 10. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein in the operative position a majority of the length of the runner member is located outside of the cavity of the anchor body, and wherein in the collapsed position the majority of the length of the runner member is stowed in the cavity of the anchor body.
  • 11. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein in the operative position at least 80 percent of the length of the runner member is located outside of the cavity of the anchor body, and wherein in the collapsed position at least 80 percent of the length of the runner member is stowed in the cavity of the anchor body.
  • 12. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the runner member comprises stainless steel.
  • 13. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the runner member comprises aluminum.
  • 14. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein in the collapsed position, the hammer weight is sandwiched between the retraction anvil and the drive anvil to prevent sliding movement of the hammer weight along the runner member.
  • 15. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the hammer weight has an annular cross section and is engaged around the runner member.
  • 16. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, further comprising diametrically opposed arms extending from the hammer weight.
  • 17. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises:first and second collar members longitudinally spaced apart from each other and defining respective passages that are coaxially aligned and through which the runner member passes; a clamp interposed between the first and second collar members and having a clamp passage through which the runner member passes; and a clamping mechanism in operative association with the clamp for decreasing the size of the passage of the clamp for grasping of the runner member.
  • 18. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 17, wherein the clamping mechanism comprises a quick release lever.
  • 19. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, further comprising a retention pin extending from a bottom end portion of the runner member and retained in the cavity, wherein the retention pin is arranged to prevent sliding movement of the bottom end portion of the runner member through the aperture of the drive anvil.
  • 20. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, further comprising:a rode-tying ring extending around the anchor body and movable longitudinally along a portion of the anchor body; and a lanyard having a first end attached to the rode-tying ring and a second end attached to another part of the collapsible land anchor, wherein the lanyard has a sufficient short length to prevent the rode-tying ring from slipping over the tapered end portion of the anchor body.
  • 21. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1, further comprising an LED positioned on the retraction anvil.
  • 22. A collapsible land anchor comprising:an anchor body having a tapered bottom end portion and a top end portion, the anchor body provided with a cavity extending longitudinally between the tapered bottom end portion and the top end portion; a drive anvil coupled to the top end portion of the anchor body; a runner member having a length and slidable longitudinally across the drive anvil between an operative position, in which at least a first portion of the length of the runner member extends beyond the drive anvil away from the cavity of the anchor body, and a collapsed position, in which the runner member is displaced towards the cavity of the anchor body relative to the operative position and in which at least a second portion of the length of the runner member is stowed in the cavity of the anchor body; a retraction anvil coupled to the top end portion of the runner member so as to be longitudinally spaced apart from the drive anvil when the runner member is in the operative position; a hammer weight slidable along the runner member between the drive anvil and the retraction anvil when the runner member is in the operative position; and a locking mechanism constructed and arranged to lock the runner member in the operative position and the collapsed position.
  • 23. A land anchor comprising:an anchor body having a tapered bottom end portion and a top end portion; a drive anvil coupled to the top end portion of the anchor body; a runner member; a retraction anvil coupled to the top end portion of the runner member and longitudinally spaced apart from the drive anvil; a hammer weight slidable along the runner member between the drive anvil and the retraction anvil; a rode-tying ring extending around the anchor body and movable longitudinally along a portion of the anchor body; and a lanyard having a first end attached to the rode-tying ring and a second end attached to another part of the collapsible land anchor, wherein the lanyard has a sufficient short length to prevent the rode-tying ring from slipping over the tapered end portion of the anchor body.
  • 24. A collapsible land anchor according to claim 1 in combination with a boat, further comprising a rode connecting the boat to the collapsible land anchor.
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Number Name Date Kind
299086 Over May 1884 A
722531 McGoron Mar 1903 A
3117378 Bowen Jan 1964 A
3774361 Tanner Nov 1973 A
3896769 McGehee Jul 1975 A
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4960064 Mestas et al. Oct 1990 A
4971479 Byers, Sr. et al. Nov 1990 A
5613458 Owen Mar 1997 A
20020007775 Woyjeck Jan 2002 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number Date Country
3326428 Jul 1985 DE
4-27012 May 1990 JP
WO 9202406 Jul 1991 WO