Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
15A6
M~P~KER POST S~STEM
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Introduc~ion
This invention relates ~o boundary marlser
systems and the like and more particularly to a method
and apparat.ls foe convenien~ly marking tlle boundarie~ cf
a playing fleld such as a golf course using inexpensive
and easily maintained app~ratu~.
BackqroJnd of the Invention
It is common to define both exterior
boundaries and lateral hazards of a golf course with
painted stakes which are driven into tn~- ground;
exterior boundary stakes are typically white, lateral
hazard markers are typically red and water hazards are
typically yellow.
~ lthough the stakes are usually made of wood
and are therefore inexpensive to fabricate, they creatc
a ma.~n~enance problem due to ~he fact tl.at they are
rela'i~--ly imm3bi.1~ 2~d often interfere ;ith the
go]ferl. ~bility to take a proper stand for a stroke.
More spe~ifically, a ball wllich comes to rest
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LMC-O~ n -- ~ 15A6
sufficiently clos~ t~ a marker stake so as to interfere
with the swing or tne line of flight presen~s the golfer
with the need to either move the ball, which is an
infraction o the rules of golf, or remove the ;~ake.
If the stake is relatively loose in the ground, it may
be summarily removed and dispatched by the gGlfer where
upon it must be found and replaced b,~ the maintenance
crew.
Moreover, stakes which are simply driven into
the ground present obstacles to golf couese maintenance
personnel in that they interfere with the use of mowing
equipment. Again, the area immediately around the stake
must either be left uncut or laboriously trimmed by
hand. Alternatively, the mower operator can stop the
mower, remove the stake, mow the area and replace the ;!1
stake, a time consuming process.
Summary of ~h~ Invention
Erlefly summ~rized, the invention ~s a sv~s~em
for marking boundaries and for providing removab2e above
gr~uhd sta'~e-lilce structures in such a fashio. as ~:c
faciiitate installati~ " maintenance -~ e~ten
replacement. In general the combinatJon o the
in~ention comprises a receptacle for in-groun~
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LMC-~10 ~-3 15A6
installatiolland comprising a generally cylindrical body
of rigid material such as steel or plastic having at
least one open end ~nd a ~late which is fastened to the
body slibstantially fl-lsh with ~he open end. By this
arrangement the rece~t~cle may be pushed into a premade
hole in ~he earth with the plate at ground level. The
~latt is forn!ed with an aperture which is coextensive
with the open end of the body and hence the plate
prorinently marks the location of the receptacle. The
combin~ ion further comprises a stake or post which i8
of such diameter as to easily fit within the receptacle
throu~h the opening in the plate and of such length as
to extend and show substantiall~ above the plate~ By
this arrangement the stake may be easily and readily
removeA and a mower run over the flush plate and the
stake quickly and inexpensively put back in place.
Moreover the stake may be replaced if it is removed and
inadvertently lost.
In the preferred embodiment both the plate and
~he ~take are marked with identical indicia such as
colo~ so a~; ~o associate the receptacle and stake with
one another and also to provide a back-up marking system
for the golfer in the e~ent the stake is removed and
lost before he appears on the scene; i.e., the golfer
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can identify a lateral boundary marking simply by observing
the red surface on the flush plate.
The invention, when assembled as a kit or product
combination may further include a hole maker comprising a
post-like device having a sharpened end and a foot plate and
spacer which is spaced from the sharpened end by the
effective length of the marker receptacle.
The method of the invention for marking
boundaries comprises the steps of forming a substantially
cylindrical hole in the earth of length L with a hole maker
device; withdrawing the hole maker device from the earth to
expose the formed cylindrical hole; rigidly securing a plate
having a specific indicia to the upper end of a cylindrical
receptacle of length L; placing the rigid cylindrical
receptacle in said hole so that the plate lies substantially
at ground level with its indicia exposed to view; providing
a stake having a specific indicia corresponding to the
indicia of said plate and having a length X sub'stantially
greater than the length L; and placing the stake within the
implanted receptacle so that a substantial length of the
stake shows above the plate and the indicia of the exposed
stake visually matches the indicia of the plate.
Again the receptacle plate and the stake are
preferably color matched not only for association but for
back-up marking purposes as described above.
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In the drawings,
FIGURE 1 iS a view of a boundary marked with the
use of a device incorporating the invention;
FIGURE 2 iS a side view of an installed device
incorporating the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the receptacle
part of the system; and
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LMC-OlO ~~~ 15A6
FIGURE 4 is a side view of a hole-maker.
D~tailed nescri~tion of the ~pe~ific Eml~odiment
Fi~ure 1 sho~7s a Serie of marker stakes 12,
12a and 12b inser~ed in~o recep.a~les exhibi~lrg plates
1~, lGa and 1~b, respec'i~ely, which are f]ush w-~tn the
ground. The stakes 12, 12a and 12b are arranged
essenti~lly in a line and, for purposes of illustration,
represent the out-of-bounds boundary of a gol~ course.
Both the stakes 12, 12a and 12b and the plates 10, lOa
and lQb of the associated rece~tacles are, accordingly,
white in color.
Looking now to Figures 2 and 3 tne specific
construction of the receptacle and stake structure will
be described in greater detail.
As shown in Figure 2 the receptacle 14
comprises an essentially cylindrical body which may be
fabricate~ from a rigid and durable material such as
plastic or steel, is on the order of 6 to 10 inches in
axial length and on the order of 1 1/2 inches in outside
diameter. These dimensions are OL course merely
illustrative and it should also be noted that the term
"cylindricaln, as used herein, does not necessarily
denote a regular and circular cross sectional
configuration so much as it denotes a sleeve-like body;
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LMC-Oln --~ 15A6
in short, cross sectiona] shape is unimport.ant and can
be oblong, square or what.have you. The receptacle 14
has open ends and has fastened thereto, flush with the
upper open end, a 4-inch diameter plate 10 which is also
constructed o~ a rigic1 and durable material such as
plastic or steel. The plate is provided with tangs 1~
which may generate a friction fit with the receptacle
body 14 although, in the case of plastic, it may be
advisable to utilize an adhesive to secure the plate 10
to the receptacle body 14 and, in the case of steel, it
may be desirable to weld. The plate, as illustrated in
Figure 1, can be round, but shape is not important; it
has a central aperture which is coextensive with the
open upper end of the receptacle b~dy 14 for purposes of
admitting the stake 12.
Stake 12 is a relati~ely lightweight plastic
or somewhat less li.ghtweight steel post of approxil~ately
20 to 24 inches in length and is of a diameter which
will permit it to be easily an~ non-frictionally
inserted into the receptacle 14 when the receptacle is
in.s~alled in the ground with the plate 10 ilu~h with the
surface of the ground as shown in Figure 2. Of course,
it can also be wood..
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Recept~cle l4 i~ preferably provided with ~
ser1e~ of bzrb~like t3ngs 18 and 20 ~/hi.ch are angled in
the upwardly diLection to inhibit the remosral o~ the
recep~acle 14 from the in-ground ins~.all.ation shown in
~'igure 2~
To inst.all the receptacle 14 in the ground it
i~a pref~rable to provide a hole maker of the type shown
in F~gu--e 4. The hole make{ i~ a relatively simple but
sturdy device and comprises a 4 foot length of steèl
pipe 22 having braised or welded into the end thereof a
solid steel piercinq point 24 to facilitate the entry of
the hole maker into the ground. A step plate 26 is
welded to th~ exterior surface of the pipe 22
approximately 6 to 8 inches form the piercing point 24
so as to correspond in length to the length of ~.ne
receptacle 14. If necessary to form holes in hard
ground, a loose fitting pile dri.ver qlee-Je 28 OL ste21
r:,ay he loose]y di3posed about th~ pipe 22 so tha,t it may
be oper~ted in the manner of a ram against t.he reaction
surface provided b~ step plate 26 to drive the pie.cing
point 24 lnto the ground. The hole which is made
corresponds in both diameter and length to the
receptacle 14 so that th~ receptacle may be easily but
snuggly pushed into the hole.
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~ rhe overall instal]ation procedure is as
follows. First a h~le of 6 to 8 inches in length and
apprG~imately 1 1/2 inches in ~i~ameter ls formed by
drivin~, the piercing point 14 of the pipe 22 irito the
ground until the step plate 26 is flush with the ground.
The hole maker comprislng pipe 22, pile driver ram 28
and step plate 2~ is then removed fr Jn the hole. Next
the receptacle 14 is pushed into the hole until the
flush ~late 10 is at ground level, ~ stake 12 is ther,
droppeQ into the hole~
Yor maximum benefit from the system of the
invention indicia such as surface color are provided for
both the flush plate 1~ and the st;ke 12 and the indicia
of the plate 10 and stake 12 are ma.ched. ~here color
is the indicia, and this is preferred, both the exposed,
viewable surface of the plate 10 and the exterior
--urface of the stake 12 are, for example, red. This
indicates a lateral hazard boundary and, even if the
stake 12 were to be removed and discarded, the alert
golfer will be able to perceive the location and
character of the boundary simply by observing the color
of the plate 10. The same color match makes it a
~elatively simple matter for the inst~ller o ~he syste,
or ~h- ,arson~el wno replace s~akes during the season or
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LMC-OlO --9 15~6
in the sprln~, to match stakes 12 wi~h plates 10 at the
various marked boundaries.
It is feasible, although le5s desirable, to
mark the plates 10 and s~akes l with other indicia such
as "0~", "L~ and so forth. In addition to marking
plating boundaries on a golf course tne receptacle and
sLake arrang~lment of the present invention may be used
to mark other boundari~s or simply ~o establish a fence
line. In this regard it is possible to place adapters
on top of the stakes l2 and srring lightweight chain
link ~encing ~o e~tabllsh a low level and primarily
decorative fence line.
It is self-evident that the stakes 12 may be
conitructed of varions materidls including no~ only
piastic and steel but wood and other inexpensive and
durable materials. They may be hollow or solid and, as
with the receptacle 14, cross sectional shape is of
little or no consequence so long as it is essentially
compatible with the cross sectional configuration of the
receptacle 14.
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