POST INSTALLATION SYSTEMS
Systems and methods relating to post or pole installation wherein a post-attachable member with outward projections is fastened to a post or pole prior to installation.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 14/315,022, filed Jun. 25, 2014, entitled “POST INSTALLATION SYSTEMS”, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/839,294 filed Jun. 25, 2013, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSTreated lumber, also referred to as pressure-treated wood or pressure-treated lumber, is lumber treated with a preservative to prevent the lumber from rotting and from consumption by insects. Treated lumber is used in many construction projects including fence posts and deck posts, mailbox posts, light posts, arbors, residential building foundations, and many others. Treated lumber is known to shrink over time. After installation, a fence post of treated lumber that has shrunk can make the resulting fence unstable as the shrunken fence post may loosen and wobble in its installation location. For example, a pressure-treated lumber post set into a concrete foundation may eventually shrink to such a degree that the post can be lifted away from the concrete with relatively little effort. A system that solves the above-noted problems associated with treated lumber would be highly beneficial. Additionally, when installing posts or poles, a system that assists in balancing and stabilizing the post or pole during installation would be highly beneficial.
The systems and methods of the present disclosure include embodiments that increase the positional stability of concrete-embedded posts and poles. The post-attachable embodiments of the present disclosure may be fastened to a wood post prior to installation in a concrete foundation. The pole-attachable embodiments of embodiments of the present disclosure may be fastened to a pole prior to installation in a concrete foundation.
Preferred embodiments of the present system, including the depicted post-attachable member 104, are designed to improve the long-term stability of wood posts or poles (or posts of poles made of other materials, such as, for example, metal) placed within concrete foundations.
Square post sleeve 105 is preferably designed to engage a post having a square cross sectional base 123. Posts of this type are widely used in the construction of fences, decks, and the support of signs. It is noted that, within the present disclosure, the terms “post” and “pole” are used interchangeably to refer to elongated pieces of, for example, timber or other material, such as, for example, metal, that can be set upright in the ground for the support of secondary elements or as a marker.
Square post sleeve 105 is preferably made up of four substantially planar side walls 120 joined together to form a sleeve-like member having open upper and lower ends and a central passage 122 arranged to accommodate the passage of a post or pole, as illustrated in
As shown in
In an example implementation, each projection 110 is about two to about four inches in length. Under appropriate circumstances, other lengths of such projections may suffice. In preferred embodiments of the present system, projections 110 comprise sets of rigid metallic bars, each one having a preferred outer diameter of between about ¼ inch and about ⅜ inch. Depending on the intended use, other outer diameters of projections may suffice. Projections 110 may comprise segments of steel reinforcing bar having deformed or roughened outer finishes. The terminating end 108 of each projection 110 may be blunt to simplify transport logistics and reduce the potential for injury to installer during use.
Square post sleeve 105 is preferably made of a substantially rigid material, preferably a metallic material, most preferably steel. To reduce corrosion, the steel forming square post sleeve 105 preferably receives a protective coating, most preferably a zinc coating applied using a hot-dip galvanization process. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, under appropriate circumstances, other anti-corrosive metals or materials or coating methods may be used as well.
Side walls 120 of square sleeve post 105 are preferably formed from sections of sheet steel or steel plate. Preferred steel-plate materials are of a sufficient thickness to permit the permanent attachment of projections 110 to side walls 120 using a thermal welding process. Thus, a minimum preferred thickness of the steel-plate material forming side walls 120 is about 16 gauge (about 0.06 inch). This preferred minimum thickness allows the projections 110 to be coupled to side walls 120 using a continuous circumferential fillet weld 112.
In an example method of construction, rectangular steel plates are bent on a metal brake to form a pair of L-shaped members. Each L-shaped member comprises two side walls 120 integrally joined at a 90-degree bend. Square post sleeve 105 is preferably formed by joining the two L-shaped members along their lateral edges using a thermal welding process. Alternately, the four side walls 120 may be formed by cutting segments from pre-formed tubular-steel structural members of an appropriate size. Upon reading this specification, those with ordinary skill in the art will now appreciate that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other construction arrangements such as, for example, forming a sleeve using an extrusion process, molding portions of the apparatus, etc., may suffice.
According to an example implementation hereof, square post sleeve 105 shown in
According to one preferred embodiment of square post sleeve 105, each side wall of side wall 120 has a preferred length of about six inches and a preferred width of about 3 and ¾ inches with projections of length about three inches and an outer diameter of projections of about ¼ inch. The center of apertures 115 are preferably positioned about 1 and ¼ inch from the top (or bottom) of side wall 120 and about one inch from the side of side wall 120. Projections 110 are positioned about 2 and ¼ inches from the top (or bottom) of side wall 120 and about 1 and ¼ inches from the side of side wall 120. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such dimensions may be modified depending on the size of the post or pole to which the post-attachable member will be fastened.
As the treated lumber forming wood post 121 shrinks, the nails 117 installed through apertures 115 hold the post in place preventing wobbling of the wood post 121 within the assembly. If shrinkage of the treated lumber occurs, square post sleeve 105 secures wood post 121 in position. The cross-pattern of nails 117 driven into wood post 121 secures wood post 121 to square post sleeve 105. The arrangement of projections 110 contacting the surrounding concrete ensures that wood post 121 will remain in place. Without square post sleeve 105, wood post 121 would shrink and loosen away from the surrounding concrete, thus allowing the wood post to shift within the foundation material. As noted above, the securing of the square post sleeve 105 to post 121 with nails 117 through apertures 115 and securing projections 110 in concrete prevents issues with shrinkage of the treated lumber along with providing much stabilization to post 121.
Detection member 505 preferably consists of a frangible strip of metal having an arrangement of spaced-apart grooves or perforations 510 to assist a user in manually “snapping off” or cutting away unneeded portions of detection member 505. During installation, appropriate portions of detection member 505 are removed leaving a small visible portion to assist detection after installation. The detection member 505 is preferably snapped or cut so that it slightly projects above ground level.
In view of the similarity between rectangular post sleeve 200 of
Referring to both the top view of
Side wall 254 of circular post sleeve 250 preferably includes a set of apertures 115 for passage of a fastener, preferably a self-tapping metal screw, used to secure circular post sleeve 250 to a circular post or pole in a manner similar to the installation depicted in
Circular post sleeve 250 is preferably made of a substantially rigid material, preferably a metallic material, most preferably steel. To reduce corrosion, the steel forming circular post sleeve 250 preferably receives a protective coating, most preferably a zinc coating applied using a hot-dip galvanization process. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, under appropriate circumstances, other anti-corrosive metals or materials may be used as well.
The material forming side wall 254 is of a sufficient thickness to permit a welded attachment of projections 110 to side wall 254, preferably about a 16 gauge minimum thickness. This preferred minimum thickness allows the projections 110 to be joined to side wall 254 using a continuous circumferential fillet weld 112. It should be noted that preferred circular embodiments of the present system may be modified to comprise the detection member 505 illustrated and described in
In a preferred method of construction, U-shaped bracket 352 is formed from a rectangular steel plate or sheet that is bent on a metal brake. Each full side wall 354 comprises four symmetrically-spaced projections 110, as shown. Each partial side wall 356 comprises two vertically-stacked projections 110, as shown. Each full side wall 354 comprises four symmetrically-spaced nail-receiving apertures 115 with each partial side wall 356 comprising two nail-receiving apertures 115, as shown. In view of the similarity between split rectangular post sleeve 350 of
As shown in
Post-attachable plate members 500 are preferably made of a substantially rigid material, preferably a metallic material, most preferably steel. To reduce corrosion, the steel forming post-attachable plate members 500 preferably receives a protective coating, most preferably a zinc coating applied using a hot-dip galvanization process. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, under appropriate circumstances, other anti-corrosive metals or materials may be used as well.
Rectangular plate 502 of post-attachable plate member 500 is preferably formed from sections of sheet steel or steel plate. Preferred steel-plate materials are of a sufficient thickness to permit the permanent attachment of projections 110 using a thermal welding process.
The embodiments illustrated herein may be used in several application including fence post installation, deck post installation, mailbox post installation, pole installation, telephone pole installation, utility pole installation, pillar installation, column installation, or any installation having a direct ground burial, etc. The dimensions and shapes of the post sleeves and the numbers and arrangements of projections and apertures may be scaled accordingly for the desired application.
When a fence post securing device comprising installation detection member is used, the fence post and fence post securing device are positioned so that the installation detection member is visible above ground after the concrete has set and the installation area has been cleaned and/or leveled. The installation detection member is positioned, or, if needed, cut to length, so as to be visible when inspected.
According to a preferred embodiment hereof, the post-attachable members of the present invention may be sold to consumers with the pole or post already attached to the post-attachable member (see
Different preferred embodiments, methods, applications, advantages, and features of the invention have been described above; however, these particular embodiments, methods, applications, advantages, and features should not be construed as being the only ones that constitute the practice of the invention. Indeed, it is understood that the broadest scope of this invention includes many uses and design variations. Further, other embodiments of present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.
Claims
1. A method of securing a fence post into the ground, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) preparing a hole for installation of a fence post;
- b) placing a fence post securing device onto a fence post, the fence post comprising pressure-treated lumber, the fence post securing device comprising i) an exterior surface, ii) an interior surface, iii) at least one concrete reinforcing projection extending outwardly from the exterior surface, iv) at least one fastener aperture that permits passage of a fastener through the exterior surface so as to embed a fastener into a fence post and also attach a fence post to the fence post securing device;
- c) impaling a fastener into the fence post through the at least one fastener aperture so that the fastener is embedded within the fence post resulting in attachment of the fence post to the fence post securing device;
- d) inserting at least that portion of the fence post with the attached fence post securing device into the prepared hole;
- e) pouring concrete into the prepared hole;
- f) allowing the concrete to set; and
- g) allowing time to pass so that when the pressure-treated lumber of the fence post shrinks, a fastener embedded within the pressure-treated lumber deters loosening or wobbling of the fence post and fence post securing device within the set concrete.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fence post securing device comprises an installation detection member comprising a strip of material connected to the fence post securing device that projects upward from fence post securing device, further comprising the step of positioning the fence post having the attached fence post securing device into the prepared hole in such a way that the installation detection member will be visible above ground, even after the step of allowing the concrete to set, even though a bottom portion of the fence post and the fence post securing device will not be visible.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of cutting the installation detection member to a user-desired length.
4. An apparatus comprising:
- a) a fence post securing device comprising i) a sleeve member, ii) said sleeve member comprising (1) at least one sidewall, (2) an exterior surface, (3) an interior surface, (4) at least one concrete reinforcing bar extending outwardly from said exterior surface of said sleeve member, (5) at least one fastener aperture that permits passage of a fastener through said at least one sidewall of said sleeve member and into a post adjacent said interior surface of said sleeve member; iii) an installation detection member comprising a strip of material extending in a direction upward from said at least one sidewall so that when said post-attachable member is installed below ground, the presence of said post-attachable member may be verified by said strip of material visible above ground.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said installation detection member comprises a frangible strip of material comprising an arrangement of spaced-apart grooves to assist a user in manually removing unneeded portions of said installation detection member.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said sleeve member comprises four sidewalls and said four sidewalls are structurally configured to form a square-shaped sleeve member.
7. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said sleeve member comprises four sidewalls and said four sidewalls are structurally configured to form a rectangular-shaped sleeve member.
8. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said sleeve member is dimensioned to fit onto a circular-shaped post.
9. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said post-attachable member is dimensioned to fit onto a circular-shaped pole.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2015
Publication Date: Jan 21, 2016
Applicant: VMR Product Group (San Antonio, TX)
Inventor: Eloy Rodriguez (San Antonio, TX)
Application Number: 14/869,949