Claims
- 1. An elongate metal stake suitable to be screwed into the earth comprising:an elongate metal body; a first end region to the body tapered to a point suitable to be plunged into the earth; at least a middle region to the body externally threaded with threads that are both deeply cut and steeply inclined so as to be suitable for screwing into the earth; and a second end region to the body having threads contiguous with the threads of the body's middle region, presenting at butt end a feature that is suitable to be engaged and to be rotated so as to turn all regions of the body by action of a torquing force applied to the feature, in combination with at least one pair of nuts that are (i) entered onto the threads of the body's second end region regardless of the second end region's butt end feature and (ii) advanced by turning first along the threads of the body's second end region and then along the contiguous threads of the body's middle region so as to, predetermining a position in the body's middle region, hold locked between the at least one pair of nuts an external member to the body's middle region, and thus to the body; wherein the elongate metal body is suitably screwed into the earth, the first end region downward, as a stake by application of a torquing force to the butt end feature of the body's second end region; and wherein the at least one pair of nuts hold the external member to the body's middle region at the predetermined position on the elongate metal body which position is above a surface of the earth into which the body is screwed as the stake.
- 2. The elongate metal stake suitable to be screwed into the earth according to claim 1 wherein the butt end feature of the body's second end region comprises:threads contiguous with the threads of the body's second end region and further with the threads of the body's middle region; in combination with at least a pair of nuts threading the threads of the body's second end region's butt end feature and locked together thereon so as to suitably be engaged and rotated at their outer surfaces by a torquing force in order to turn all regions of the body and screw it into the earth as the stake.
- 3. The elongate metal stake suitable to be screwed into the earth according to claim 2wherein the pair of nuts threading the body's second end region have a linear extent relative to a thread helix inside of each nut so that, the linear dimension of each nut corresponds to a whole number of helical rotations when the nuts are mutually tightened upon the thread of the body's second end region to a maximum desired amount; wherein the surfaces of the nuts align when the nuts are locked together.
- 4. A stake suitable for use in construction comprising:an elongate threaded metal member with a bottom end and a top end having a length between 0.45 meter and 1.8 meter, a tapered first end region that is suitable to be plunged into earth, a second end region having a feature of polygonal shape in cross section that is suitable to be engaged and to be rotated, turning the entire elongate threaded metal member, by action of a torquing force; and an externally threaded middle region, the thread of the middle region being contiguous with the thread of the second end region, deeply cut, the threaded middle region having at a ratio of root diameter to outside diameter less than 0.80, and steeply inclined, the threads having an incline at the major diameter of at least 1 in 20; and at least one pair of nuts that are at a first time (i) entered onto the threads of the second end region over the second end region's feature and (ii) advanced by turning first along the threads of the second end region until (iii) temporarily locked together at the second end region, and then, at a second time, (iv) unlocked, and (v) further threaded along the contiguous threads of the middle region so as to, predetermining a position in the middle region, (vi) hold locked between the at least one pair of nuts an external member to the middle region, and thus to the elongate metal member; wherein at the first time the elongate threaded metal member is suitably first screwed into the earth first end region downward to a variable extent by action of torquing the at least one pair of nuts that are locked together upon the second end region at the first time; and wherein at the second time, and after the elongate threaded metal member is so screwed into the earth, then the at least one pair of nuts that are then relocated to the member's middle region can be threaded along the threads of this middle region so as to hold the external member is held to the stake at a predetermined position above the surface of the earth; wherein the same at least one pair of nuts that serve for screwing the stake into the earth at the first time also serve at the second time to hold the external member.
- 5. The stake according to claim 4 wherein the elongate threaded metal member's second end region comprises:threads contiguous with the threads of the middle region, and extending to the first end region; and wherein the second end region's feature comprises: a plurality of nuts, at least at times separately used from at least one pair of nuts but identically the same as the nuts of the at least one pair, threading the threads of the second end region from the top end, the plurality of nuts locked together so as to present in cross section the polygonal shape; wherein the locked plurality of nuts can be used first while locked in torquing the stake into the ground, and can then be unlocked and threaded further along the second region and into the middle region until two of the plurality of nuts being at a predetermined position serve to hold the external member locked between the nuts; wherein the same nuts that are used in torquing the stake into the ground are also later used in holding the external member to the stake.
- 6. The stake according to claim 5wherein the plurality of nuts threading the treads of the second end region from the top end are locked together in alignment, therein permitting that the rod may be rotated by torque applied to at least two of the locked plurality of nuts at the same time.
- 7. The stake according to claim 5wherein each of the plurality of nuts threading the threads of the second end region's feature from the top end has a linear extent relative to its interior thread so that when a pair of the plurality of nuts are mutually jammed and tightened together upon the threads of the second end region's to a maximum desired amount then the surfaces of the nuts align while the nuts are locked together.
- 8. An elongate metal stake suitable to be screwed into the earth comprising:an elongate metal body having a first end region tapered to a point suitable to be plunged into the earth, a middle region to the body externally threaded with threads suitable for screwing into the earth, the threads having at a ratio of root diameter to outside diameter less than 0.80, and an incline at the major diameter of at least 1 in 20, and a second end feature suitable to be externally engaged and torqued and rotated so as to screw the body into the earth as a stake by action of the threads upon the body's middle region when the body's first end region point is plunged into the earth; in combination with at least one pair of nuts threading of the body's middle region threads so as to, upon predetermining a position in the body's middle region above a level of the earth, hold locked between the at least one pair of nuts at this level an external member to the body's middle region, and thus to the body; wherein the same middle region threads of the elongate metal body that permit that (i) the body should be screwed into the earth, the first end region downward, as the stake by application of a torquing force to the second end feature of the body also permit that the (ii) at least one pair of nuts should thread the same middle region threads, and should hold the external member to the body's middle region at the predetermined position on the elongate metal body and above the surface of the earth into which the body is screwed as the stake.
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This application is a CIP of Ser. No. 08/600,408 filed Feb. 12, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,378 which is a CIP of Ser. No. 08/398,356 filed Mar. 3, 1995 abn which is a CIP of Ser. No. 08/299,474 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,235 Provisional Application No. 60/013,589 filed Mar. 15, 1996.
US Referenced Citations (17)
Provisional Applications (1)
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60/013589 |
Mar 1996 |
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Continuation in Parts (3)
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08/600408 |
Feb 1996 |
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09/185336 |
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08/398356 |
Mar 1995 |
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08/600408 |
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08/299474 |
Aug 1994 |
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08/398356 |
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