SUBMERGED AND/OR FLUSH TO GROUND ANCHORING SYSTEM FOR SPORADIC USE

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an anchor assembly for placement in the ground. The assembly may include a shell with a lower end configured to be at least partially underground. An insert is provided that accepts a base, such as a baseball base or similar, and allows for built-up dirt and debris to be quickly and easily removed from the assembly so that bases and the like will be properly positioned.

Claims

1. An anchor assembly for placement in the ground, the assembly comprising: a shell having a main body defining an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end, wherein the lower end is configured to be at least partially underground; an insert configured to be received within an opening in the main body, the insert comprising a bottom surface and an aperture opposite the bottom surface defining a passageway and plural side walls; a lid configured to be removably coupled to the upper end of the shell and having a through-hole extending therethrough; wherein the through-hole is substantially aligned with the aperture and the passageway is configured for receiving a portion of an object; and wherein the bottom surface of the insert is spaced from the lower end of the shell to define a void.

2. The anchor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plug for selectively sealing the anchor assembly in a first position, and wherein when the plug is moved to a second position unsealing the anchor assembly, the insert is configured to catch an unwanted dirt and/or debris.

3. The anchor assembly of claim 2, wherein the plug is configured to selectively seal the through-hole to prevent the dirt and/or debris from entering the through-hole.

4. The anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein the shell further comprises a bottom flange extending at least partially about the periphery of the lower end of the shell.

5. The anchor assembly of claim 4, wherein the bottom flange configured to retain the shell in the ground when dirt or debris of the ground is positioned around and above the bottom flange.

6. The anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein the shell further comprises a shell shelf, the insert further comprises an insert shelf, and wherein when the insert is positioned within an inner volume of shell the insert shelf is configured to rest on the shell shelf.

7. The anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein the lid comprises at least one lid fastener, the shell further comprises a lip proximal the upper end and comprising at least one lip fastener, and wherein the at least one lid fastener cooperates with at least one lip fastener to secure, in a removable way, the lid to the shell.

8. The anchor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a location device to enable a user to locate the anchor assembly when the anchor assembly is fully buried in the ground.

9. An anchoring system for maintaining a position for an item above a surface, the anchoring system comprising: a shell having a main body configured to be at least partially buried under the surface, the shell having an opening for accessing an inner volume of the shell; an insert configured to nest within the inner volume of the shell and comprising an aperture defining a passageway; a lid removably coupled to an upper end of the shell, the lid comprising a through-hole substantially aligned with the aperture; a plug capable of being selectively positioned in the through-hole when the anchoring system is in use, and positioned away from the through-hole to provide access to the passageway; wherein the anchoring system is capable of retaining the object in a desired position when a portion of the item is received in the passageway.

10. The anchoring assembly of claim 9, wherein the surface is a ground surface.

11. The anchoring assembly of claim 9, wherein the insert is capable of selectively being removed from the inner volume

12. The anchor assembly of claim 9, further comprising a base comprising a post and a pocket, wherein the passageway of the anchoring system is configured to receive at least a portion of the post.

13. The anchoring assembly of claim 10, wherein the plug is positioned at least partially within the pocket when the anchor assembly is in use.

14. A method of using an anchor assembly, the method comprising: locating, using a location device, an anchor assembly; moving a plug from a first position covering a through-hole to a second position exposing the through-hole; determining, by looking through the through-hole into a passageway of an insert, if the insert contains unwanted debris; wherein if the insert contains unwanted debris, removing a lid coupled to a shell of the anchor assembly to remove the insert from the shell, replacing the insert in the shell and placing a portion of an object in the passageway; wherein if the insert does not contain unwanted debris, placing the portion of the object in the passageway.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the location device is selected from the group comprising: a rope, an electronic device, a transceiver, an RFID antenna, and an NFC antenna.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates field orientations for various baseball leagues, an exemplary cemetery plot, and an exemplary layout for a backyard landscaping project.

[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded partial cross-sectional perspective view of the anchor assembly of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the anchor assembly of FIG. 2.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective assembled view of the anchor assembly of FIG. 2.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the lid of the anchor assembly of FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a detail exploded view of the lid of the anchor assembly of FIG. 2.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the anchor assembly of FIG. 2 in use with a base on a field.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] As discussed in the background section above, in the example of baseball and softball, existing anchor systems for bases and plates, such as home plate, first base, second base, third base, and the pitcher's mound, require significant time and effort to position. This is partially due to their burial between games under the dirt and clay of the playing field. Existing anchors, which may be simple square tubing, collect significant amounts of compacted dirt in the tubing which requires removal at great effort to the officials setting up the field (e.g., coaches, field owners and operators, game officials, and the like). In addition to the significant effort to remove compacted dirt in existing anchors, the tubing itself can cause injury to officials' hands. In the example of cemeteries and landscaping, similar frustrations exist when placing seasonal or temporary products in locations that require a product to be placed in the ground for a specific use, or temporary period of time.

[0018] The present disclosure is direct to address these setbacks, while providing additional functionality not possible with existing submerged (in ground) anchors or products using a stake to puncture the surface of the ground. Although discussed as being submerged, the anchor system of the present disclosure may be flush with the ground, and even may extend slightly above the ground. That is, the ancho system may be substantially submerged or have a majority system recessed within the ground. In some examples of the present disclosure, the anchor assembly, which may also be referred to as an anchor assembly, includes four primary components. Some of these components may be combined as will be discussed. However, in one example such as the assembly of FIG. 2, an anchor assembly may include a shell 110, insert 130, lid 150, and plug 154. The insert 130 may be sized to cooperate with a hole 120 of the shell 110 to fit or nest therein. The insert 130 may include an aperture 140 which defines a passageway having walls, the passageway provided for receiving a post 52 of a base 50, or any product adapted/re-sized to the dimensions of the aperture such as for example a floral arrangement, staked product like a tiki torch or lighting unit, a fencing post, and the like. It is noted that substantially any item intended for positioning in the ground may be fitted to cooperate with the anchor assembly 100 of the present disclosure. In some examples the base 50 may be a baseball, softball, or cricket base. In other examples the base 50 may instead be a mound for a pitcher, a home plate, a staked product outfitted with a styrofoam attachment, flowers, flags, or any type of insert compatible with the dimensions of the aperture. Other types of inserts may be used with the assembly without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] The lid 150 may be sized and shaped to cooperate with portions of the insert 130 and/or the shell 110 to be selectively retained and removed from the shell main body 110. In some examples fasteners may be provided to the shell 110 and lid 150 to enable attachment and removal of the lid 150 from the shell 110, as will be discussed below. A plug 154 may be provided to allow the through-hole 160 to be sealed. In other examples, the lid 150 may be integral with the insert 130 or securely attached thereto using adhesive, screws, nails, hook and loop fasteners, thermal welding, and the like.

[0020] As will be discussed in further detail below, the anchor assembly 100 of the present disclosure may enable the assembly 100 to be quickly located, and is designed to allow officials setting up a playing field, such as a baseball field, softball field, cricket field, and the like, to quickly and easily locate and clear the anchor assembly 100 of any dirt and debris and allow for quick setup of a playing field for various leagues. The same process can be used for any application of a fully submerged or flush with ground level anchor assembly.

[0021] With reference to FIG. 2, the anchor assembly in one example may consist primarily of a shell 110, insert 130, lid 150, and plug 154. In the example of baseball or softball, the shell 110 may be buried under the surface of a playing field and therefore be fully submerged underground by a predetermined depth. The shell 110 may include a main body 112, an upper lip 114, a bottom flange 116, and a shelf 122. A bottom flange 116 may extend laterally from the sides of the main body 112. The bottom flange 116 may extend circumferentially around the bottom of the main body and provide a securing surface to prevent unintentional removal of the anchor assembly 100. That is, when the anchor assembly 100 is buried in the dirt 60 (see FIG. 7), the flange 116 may secure the assembly 100 in the ground such that if the insert 130 were to accidentally get wedged into the main body 110, such as by compacted dirt, sand, mud, and the like, then tugging on the insert 130 to aid in removal would be unlikely to remove the entire assembly 100 as the flange 116 would operate to keep the anchor assembly 100 in place. The anchor assembly could be submerged with the top exposed at ground level in order to accommodate the other usages and examples outlined in the background section.

[0022] One or more fasteners 118, such as magnets or a magneto-compatible material such as ferromagnetic material and the like, may be provided around a circumference of the lip 114. The fasteners 118 may cooperate with corresponding fasteners 158 provided on or within the lid 150. The fasteners 158 may be the magnets or magneto-compatible material. For example, fasteners 118 may in some examples be north poles of a magnet while fasteners 158 may be south poles of a magnet (or vice-versa), while in other examples fasteners 118 may be magneto-compatible material and fasteners 158 may be magnets which are attracted to the fasteners 118 (or vice-versa). This enables the lid 150 to be easily coupled to and removed to enable access to the insert 130 for removal or placement of the insert 130 within the main body 112 of the shell 110.

[0023] The insert 130 includes an aperture 140 defining a passage within the insert side walls 131. The aperture 140 may be sized to receive the post 52 of a base 50, or attachment with equal dimensions as discussed above, therein. As seen in FIG. 3, the insert 130 may further include an insert shelf 142. The insert shelf 142 may be positioned to cooperate with the main body shelf 122 of the shell 110. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the shelf 142 may “sit” or rest on the shelf 122 when the insert 130 is positioned fully within the main body 112 of the shell 110. As will be described in more detail below, the shelves 122, 142 are provided to position the insert 130 within the shell 110 while providing structural support for any downward pressure exerted from the top of the unit from, for example, an item positioned in the insert 130. In some examples, there may be a volume or void remaining between the bottom 135 of the insert 130 and the bottom 115 of the shell 110. Dirt and debris may be collected within the insert 130 for subsequent easy removal, while allowing the anchor assembly 100 to continue to be used as dirt and debris builds up over time. In the event dirt builds up within the volume between the bottom 135 of the insert 130 and the bottom of the shell 110, which may clog up the passages 117, an end user may be able to easily remove the insert 130 from the shell 110, reach into the shell 110 and remove the dirt with or without the use of tools and without risking injury to their hands. That is, the dimensions of the shell 110 may in some examples be selected to allow for an average hand size to reach into the inner volume and scoop out built-up dirt and debris.

[0024] The lid 150, which as described above may be selectively couplable to the lip 114 of the shell 110, further includes a through-hole 160 similarly sized and shaped the aperture 140. The through-hole 160 may be substantially aligned with the aperture 140 to enable the post 52 to pass through the through-hole 160 when the lid 150 is secured to the lip 114 of the shell 110 (as illustrated in FIG. 7 when in use). In some examples, an underside of the lid 150 may include engagement portions 153 (see also FIG. 6) configured to interact with corresponding engagement features (e.g., indentations, recesses, apertures, holes, and the like) of the insert side walls 131. Magnets 158 may be positioned on the lid 150 corresponding with the magnets 118 of the lip 114 of the shell 110. The fasteners 158, 118, which may be magnet pairs or magnets and magnetic-compatible material, may enable easy alignment of the lid 150 with the main body 112 of the shell 110 thereby securing the insert 130 within the shell 110.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the insert 130 is designed to catch any and all dirt 60 that may fall into the unit when the plug 154 is removed from the through hole 160 and insert cavity 132 is designed to catch any excess dirt 60 that may fall into the unit when the lid 150 is removed. Any dirt 60 which makes its way into the interior volume of the insert 130 can build up over time until the build-up affects the usage or ability to seal the assembly 100. At which time the insert 130 can be removed from the main body 110 and dumped out onto the surface of the ground away from the assembly 100. In the event dirt builds up in the void 137 between the bottom surface 135 of insert 130 and bottom surface 115 of the shell 110 (see FIG. 7), the insert 130 would need to be removed from the shell 110 and any dirt 60 will need to be removed in entirely by manually, such as by hand or with the use of a tool. Similarly, the shell 110 may include passages 117 to prevent water buildup within the shell 110. Some posts 52 may be longer than others or may sit directly on the bottom 135 of the insert 130, in which case the insert 130 would need to have any and all debris removed prior to use.

[0026] As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6, a location device 170 or other active or passive electronic device may be provided in the anchor assembly 100. In particular, the plug 154 may be optionally provided with a pocket 155 defined by a pocket body 157. The pocket 155 may be sized and shaped to receive the location device 170 securely and retain it therein. The pocket body 157 may be further sized and shaped to cooperate with the through-hole 160, and in some examples may fit snugly within the through-hole 160. Other locations of the electronic device 170 may be utilized, such as one or more of the voids, engagement features, and the like, which may be provided in the insert side walls 131. The plug 154 may be secured to the lid 150 by a fastener 162, such as a screw, a pin, a nail, and the like, and may be rotatable about a pivot 156. In some examples, the fastener 162 may not be provided and the plug 154 may be snap-fit, interference fit, and the like to the lit 150 about a pivot 156. In still other examples, the plug 154 may be formed of a pliable material such a silicone, plastic, rubber, and the like, and may simply be folded back when not in place over the lid 150 (see FIG. 7). In some examples, a standard American baseball and softball bases, the base 50 may have an arched void or pocket 54 on an underside of the base 50 to accommodate the plug 154 when flipped or rotated out of the way of the aperture 140. In other examples, a portion of dirt may be scooped away to allow for the plug 154 to be rotated or flipped out of the way and laid flat with the surface 62 of the landscape. In the application of the assembly 100 and specifically lid 150 being flush to the surface of the landscape, the plug 154 can be swiveled out of the way or removed entirely.

[0027] In some examples the location device 170 may be a device which actively or passively allows the end user to quickly and accurately locate the anchor assembly 100 when it is not in use. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates the assembly 100 in an unused condition with the insert 130 provided in the shell 110 and the plug 154 sealing the through-hole 160 and aperture 140. Further illustrated in FIG. 4 is an identification indicia 151 to allow the end user to label the unit with information specific to that particular anchor assembly 100. This indicia 151 area is left blank and is a substantially flat surface provided on the top surface 152 of the lid 150 so that the end user can create a label or sticker to add upon installation of the anchor assembly in its desired location. In the example of baseball/softball usage, the indicia 151 may for example include information such as “third base, college/pro” to inform the official who has located the anchor assembly 100 that it is in the location where a third base should be placed in a professional or college game. Similarly, other indicia 151 may denote “home plate, all leagues,” “pitchers' mound, little league,” and various other indictors based on which base, plate, or mound is to be anchored and for which level of play it is applicable to. See FIG. 1 for exemplary locations and relative distances for various leagues for use as a baseball field. For other applications, the indicia 151 could allow the end user to write the date in which the anchor assembly 110 or location device 170 was installed or maintained, or denote a particular cemetery plot the anchor is provided for.

[0028] The location device 170 may be a passive device such as a radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) antenna, or may be an active device such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, GPS, and the like. In some examples, location device 170 may include a speaker for emitting a sound to help locate the anchor assembly 100 which has been selected. In still further examples, the location device 170 may include transceivers for communication with a smartphone or other portable electronic device in use by the end user in attempting to locate the anchor assembly 100. This may further enable the portable electronic device (not shown) to provide an augmented-reality (AR) interface to enable quick, easy, and accurate visual aid for locating the anchor assembly 100 of interest, and/or expanded usages within gameplay. For instance, the portable device may have an application which allows an official to select a sport (e.g., softball, baseball, cricket, and the like), select a league (e.g., pro, college, little league, and the like), and the application will populate which anchor assemblies 100 should be used and visually and/or audibly assist the official with locating the correct assemblies 100. The same process could be used to allow an end user to find a specific grave plot within a cemetery or anchor point within a private or public space. In the instance that the location device 170 is an active device requiring power, a small battery may be provided to power the location device 170 and be housed within the insert side walls 131. Alternatively, the location device 170 may include a wired or wireless power source connected to infrastructure of the playing field (not shown). In still other examples, the anchor assembly 100 may include a small solar cell attached to, for example, the lid 150 or plug 154, which allows for recharging of the battery. Of course, if a battery is provided with the location device 170, which is removable, then an official may simply periodically remove the location device 170 from one or more assemblies 100 and recharge the location device 170. The batteries may therefore be designed to power the location devices 170 for multiple games, multiple days, weeks, and/or months before needing recharging. Similarly, since the end user is already accessing the assemblies 100 regularly, it may be a typical part of maintenance to periodically replace the location device 170 with freshly charged devices 170. In this instance, location devices 170 may be reprogrammable, remotely or otherwise, to allow for assignment to new anchor assemblies 100.

[0029] Use of the anchor assembly 100 of the present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to the Figures, with specific focus on the application in regard to baseball and softball. However, as discussed above other uses are contemplated and within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] Prior to playing a game, one or more anchor assemblies 100 may be buried under the surface 62 of the dirt 60 of a playing field (e.g., a baseball field such as in FIG. 1). This may be done at the beginning of a season, and the assemblies 100 may remain in the ground during an entire season and even between seasons. When not in use, the anchor assembly 100 may look substantially as illustrated in FIG. 4. That is, the lid 150 may be secured to the lip 114 of the shell 110, and the plug 154 may be provided snugly in the aperture 140 of the lid 150. This may be operable to ensure dirt 60 from the playing field does not work its way into the interior volume of the assembly 100 (e.g., the passageway formed by aperture 140, or the interior volume of the shell 110). The assembly 100 of FIG. 4 may be placed entirely under the surface 62 of the dirt 60, or for other applications, to be flush with the surface of the landscape.

[0031] When a field is being prepared for use, an official in charge of setting up the field for gameplay may endeavor to locate the appropriate anchor assemblies 100 in order to place the game bases, pitching mound, and plate in the correct locations. This may involve manually measuring distances to the expected anchor assemblies 100 in order to locate them, walking around the field in search of ropes (not shown) attached to the lid 150 and/or plug 154 of respective anchor assemblies 100, or using a portable electronic device (e.g., a smart phone, portable computer, laptop, RFID antenna, NFC antenna, an application provided on the device, and the like) to electronically locate the location devices 170 (if provided) of the anchor assemblies 100.

[0032] Once the desired anchor assembly 100 is located, the official may remove any dirt and debris resting on top of the anchor assembly 100 to expose the lid 150 and plug 154. The official may reference the identification indicia 151, if provided, on the top of the lid 150 to ensure that the correct anchor assembly 100 has been located for the specific sport and league desired. Once confirmed, the official may rotate or flip back the plug 154 to expose the passageway formed by the aperture 140 of the insert 130. The passageway may be visible via the through-hole 160 of the lid 150. Upon inspection, the official may confirm whether there is dirt or debris in the passageway which requires removal prior to placement of the base 50 in the anchor assembly 100. If there is dirt which requires removal from the insert 130, the official may remove the lid 150 from the assembly 100, remove the insert 130 and dump the dirt 60 out of the interior of the insert 130, and replace the insert 130 within the shell 110. While the insert 130 is removed from the shell 110, the official may further inspect the interior volume of the shell 110 to determine if there is dirt and debris which needs to be removed from the shell 110 prior to replacement of the insert 130. As discussed above, the shell 110 may be sized and shaped to allow an official to manually remove the dirt 60 from the interior volume of the shell 110 without the use of tools, and without risking cutting or other injuries to their hands. When the official confirms there is no dirt 60 remaining in the shell 110 or the insert 130, the official may replace the insert 130 within the shell 110 and secure the lid 150 to the shell 110 (e.g., to the lip 114 of the shell 110).

[0033] To place the base on the anchor assembly 100, the official peels back or rotates the plug 154 away from the through-hole 160, to expose the aperture 140 and passageway formed thereby. In some examples, the official may optionally remove the location device 170 from the plug 154 to recharge it or perform other maintenance. The plug 154 may also optionally be removable from the lid 150 to be replaced with a new plug 154 in the case of damage to the plug 154. Once the through-hole 160 and aperture 140 are exposed, the official may then insert he post 52 of the base 50 into the anchor assembly 100, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0034] When gameplay is over, officials may go around the field and remove bases 50, mounds (not shown), and plates (not shown) from their respective anchor assemblies 100. The official then rotates or flips the plug 154 back into place over the through-hole 160 and presses it snugly into place, thereby sealing the interior of the anchor assembly 100 from dirt, debris, and in some examples water. The official may then replace the dirt over top the anchor assembly 100 and the field operators may prepare the field for the next game by grading the dirt and/or sprinkling the playing field.

[0035] All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the disclosure. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. The exemplary drawings are for purposes of illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relative sizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.

[0036] The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined in the claims. Although various embodiments of the claimed invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only of particular embodiments and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the basic elements of the invention as defined in the following claims.