Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to means for supporting
vertical posts, for example, posts for supporting fencing or
the like, and which may also be used as means for anchoring
structures, such as the bases of sheds and greenhouses, to the
ground. Both such means will hereinafter be referred to as
post support means, for the sake of convenience.
It has hitherto been the practice to erect and support
posts by digging a hole of suitable depth and either burying
one end of the post in the hole with earth or supporting the
post by fil]ing the hole round the post with concrete.
This invention provides a post support means by which
posts can be supported without the need for digging a hole and
with which posts can be more easily erected at a desired spot
wi.thout location problems.
The present invention provides post support means
comprising an elongate ground engaging portion of cruciEorm
cross-section which is adapted to be driven vertically into the
ground, the arms of the cruciform ground engaging portion being
arranged diagonally of a rectangular plate portion attached
transversely to the ground engaging portion at one end thereof
with no part of the cruciform section extending above the plate
portion and no part of the cruciform section extending beyond
the periphery of the plate portion, the plate portion being such
that when the ground engaging portion is driven into the ground
to its full length with one side of the plate portion parallel
to the line of the fence, the arms of the ground engaging means
will be positioned obliquely to the line of the fence and the
plate portion on contacting the surface of the ground will tend
to compact the soil and provide increased resistance to further
penetration of the ground engaging portion, and a vertical post
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engaging portion comprising at least one flat plate member
rigidly mounted on the plate portion with its plane parallel to
one edge thereof and extending in a direction away from the
ground engaging portion and so oriented that the axis of a post
supported and engaged by the post engaging portion is in sub-
stantial alignment with the axis of the ground engaging portion.
In accordance with the present invention, there is
provided support means suitable for supporting the fence posts
of a close boarded Eence comprising an elongate ground engaging
portion of cruciform cross-section which is adapted to be
driven vertically into the ground, the arms of the cruciform
ground engaging portion being arranged diagonally of a rectang-
ular plate portion attached transversely to the ground engaging
portion at one end thereof with no part of the cruciform section
extending above the plate portion and no part of the cruciform
section extending beyond the periphery oE the plate portion, the
plate portion being such that when the ground engaging portion
is driven into the ground to its full length the plate portion
on contacting the surface of the ground will tend to compact
the soil and provide increased resistance to further penetration
of the ground engaging portion, and a vertical post engaging
portion comprising at least one flat plate member rigidly
mounted on the plate portion with its plane parallel to one
edge thereof and extending in a direction away from the ground
engaging portion and so oriented that the axis of a post sup-
ported and engaged by the post engaging portion is in substantial
alignment with the axis of the ground engaging portion with the
arms of the ground engaging portion extending obliquely
relative to the intended line of the fence.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
there is provided support means for supporting a fence post
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having a rectangular base one side of the base of the post being
parallel to the intended line of the fence, said support means
comprising an elongated ground engaging portion of cruciform
cross-section which is adapted to be driven vertically into the
ground, the arms of the cruciform ground engaging portion being
arranged diagonally of a rectangular plate portion attached
transversely -to the ground engaging portion at one end thereof
with no part of the cruciform section extending above the plate
portion and no part of the cruciform section extending beyond
the pexiphery of the plate portion, the plate portion being
such that when the ground engaging portion is driven into the
ground to its full length the plate portion on contactlng the
surface of the ground will tend to compact the soil and provide
increased resistance to further penetration of the ground
engaging portionl and a vertical post engaging portion com-
prising four walls forming a box rigidly mounted on said plate
portion and substantially coextensive with said plate portion
extending in a direction away from the ground engaging portion
and so oriented that the a~is oE a post supported and engaged
by the post engaging portion is in substantial alignment with
the axis of the ground engaging portion with the arms of the
ground engaging portion extending obliquely relative to the
intended line of the fence.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
there is provided support means for supporting a fence post
having a rectangular base, one side of the base of the post
being parallel to the intended line of the fencel said support
means comprising an elongated ground engaging portion of cruci-
form cross-section which is adapted to be driven vertically into
the ground, said cruciform ground engaging por-tion including
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arms arranged obliquely to the sides a rectangu].ar plate por-
tion attached transversely to the ground engaging portion at one
end thereof with no part of the cruciform section extending
above the plate portion and no part of the cruciform section
extending beyond the periphery of the plate portion, said arms
of the ground engaging means being tapered from the region
adjacent the rectangular plate to the end remote therefrom,
the plate portion being such that when the ground engaging por-
tion is driven into the ground to its full length the plate
portion on contacting the surface of the ground will tend to
compact the soil and provide increased resistance to further
penetration oE the ground engaging portion, and a vertical post
engaging portion comprising four walls forming a box rigidly
mounted on said plate portion and substantially coextensive
with said plate portion extending in a direction away from the
ground engaging portion and so oriented that the axis of a post
supported and engaged by the post engaging portion is in sub-
stantial alignment with the axis of the ground engaginq portion
with the arms oE the ground engaging portion extending obliquely
relative to the-intended line of the fence.
.~''
The cruciform cross-section of the ground engaging portion provides
maximum resistance to lateral movement for a relatively simple shape. The
cross sectional dimensions of the ground-engaging portion maybe the same all
the way along but preferably the ground-engaging portion tapers from the end
having the post-engaging means to the free end as this, of course, makes the
post support easier to drive into the ground.
Preferably, the post-engaging portion is a hollow box-section of
internal dimensions such that the end of a post to be erected can be received
within the box section. The walls of the box section may be drilled to re-
ceive bolts or screws to anchor the post or the post may be free standing inthe box section.
In some cases, for example where the post-support means is required
to support a post which has previously been embedded in a concrete block,
the person erecting the post may hot want to remove the concrete block. In
such a case there may be used a post-support means according to the invention
which has two spaced-apart grourld-engaging portions connected together by a
post-engaging portion such that the two ground-engaging portions may be driven
into the ground so as to span the concrete block and the post may be bolted
or otherwise affixed to the post-engaging portion in substantially the same
~n location as the post originally embedded in the concrete block.
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~ha po.s~ ~upport mea~ o~ the invention may be made
:~rom any de~lred mat~ri~l" whlch is o:e su~-~icient ~tren~,th
but it i~ preferably mads in mlld steel plata generally o~ the
ord~r OI on~eight inch thick~ess. In the arran,~emf~nt descri~ed
above however in whlch the pOkt supportin~ po:rtio~ bridge~ two
ound enga~ing portio~l~ it may be nec~3sary to use plate as
thick aa o~e-quarter ~ch for the post-suppnrting portlon.
q`he dime~ion~ o~ tha pos~ ~upport mean~ o~ the iIl~rentio
~rlll o~ cour~ vary depending on the len~th OI the poet to be
supported and the amount of movement o~ the pos~ ~rhich is to
be e~pected. Xt has been ~ound, ~or e~ample~ that ~or supporti~g
a ~our-inch ~cluare post ~or suppor-tin~ ~enc~ng s~x ~eet long ~nd
at a ~eparation. o~ 6 ~eetj the ~round-en~a~ portion ~ould
desirably have a len~th of ~pproximately 2 feet and the sides
of a box~sactio~ po~t-~n~a~ing portion should de~irably hava a
height o~ about 6 ~nche~. .
The i~ent~on w~l~ now be described ~ greater detail by
a~ o~ example with reference to the drawings in which:~
~ig. 1 is a perspeo~ve ~lew of one ~vrm of post
~upport meæn~.t
Fi~ 2 ~s ~n undernea~h ~iew o~ the post support ~ea~
o:E ~iAg- 1 "
Figo 3 is a side ~levation o~ a second ~orm o~
post 0upport means and
~g. 4 ~ a ~ide ~levation o~ a third form o~ po8t
~upport means
Referrlng to ~ig~sO 1 a~d 2, the ~irst form of post support
mea~ compri~e~ a ~round-en~,gaging portion 1 ~nd a po3t-enga~i~g
portion 2
Th~ ~ro~nd e~gagi~ portion 1 ~s oi' cro~ haped ~ro6~
~ection a~d taper~ ~'rom the top ~nd 3 at which th~ post-~nga~ing
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portion is located to the free end ~.
The post-engaging portion 2 is a box-section and is of
such size that its diagonal dimension is substantially the same as
the length of the arms of the cross at the top 3 of the ground-
engaging portion 1. The box-section is closed at one end by a
flat plate 5 which is welded onto the sides of the box-section and
also onto the ground-engaging portion 1 at the top end 3 thereof.
The positioning of the arms of the ground engaging means
1 diagonally to the cross-section of the box-section as described
above, provides a post holder which is adapted to hold a rect-
angular post or a post having a rectangular base, in relation to
which the intended line of the fence is parallel to one of the
sides, in such a position that the arms of the ground engaging
means are oblique to the intended line of the fence. It has been
found in use that a post holder in which the arms are positioned
obliquely to the line of the fence provides an improved resistance
to movement in a direction perpendicular to the line of the fence,
over that provided by a post holder in which the arms are posi-
tioned parallel and perpendicular to the line of the fence.
To allow drainage of any water entering the box-
section drain holes (not shown) may be drilled in the plate 5 or
the post box-section may be formed by tack welding at intervals
thereby leaving gaps between the plates ~orming the box-section
through which water can drain.
The post to be supported is received in the box-
section and fixed by bolts passing through aligned holes (not
shown)on opposed sides of the box-section.
Referring to Fig. 3, in the second form of post sup-
port means, the ground-engaging portion 1 is the same as shown in
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Fig. 1 but the post support means 2 merely comprises a vertical
plate 6 welded to one side of the flat plate 5 which as in Fig. 1
is welded to the tops of the ground-engaging portion 1.
The plate 6 is drilled at 7 so that the post to be
supported may be affixed thereto by bolts or screws. The post
to be supported may be fixed on either side of the plate 6 so
that it either stands over the ground-engaging portion 1 or to
one side of it.
This form of support means may also be used for anchor-
ing the base of a structure, such as a shed or greenhouse, sincethe plate 6 can be bolted to a side of a rectangular base for
such a structure either before or after the ground-engaging
portion 1 is driven into the ground. A similar form of support
means which has two vertical plates arranged at right angles to
one another may be used to support posts or as anchoring means at
the corners of a structure having a rectangular base.
This method of anchoring the base of outbuildings has
the definite advantage that there is no need for elaborate ground
levelling before the base is laid. The ground may be roughly
levelled and the base itself levelled by driving the necessary
ground-engaging portion further into the ground.
Referring to Fig. 4, the third form of post support
means is intended to straddle a concrete block or the like to
enable a post to be erected in the same position as a post which
had been embedded in concrete.
This form of post support comprises two ground-engaging
portions 1 each of similar form to that described with reference
to Fig. 1 and each topped with a flat plate 5. The two ground-
engaging portions are connected together by a post-engaging
portion 8 in the form of a flat plate having holes 9 so that the
post may be affixed to the plate 8 by bolts or screws. Alter-
natively, a post-receiving box-section may be fixed to the plate 8.
~1 1
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