Anchoring device and method for settling the device in the ground

Claim 2

An anchoring device to be settled in a shaft in the ground for use in supporting a standing object on the ground, comprising: a hollow vertical tubular rod open at its opposite ends along a central passageway therethrough; a plurality of cutting arms, each comprising a support arm and a rigid fluke blade mounted thereon, the lowermost end of each support arm being pivotally connected with a first lower part of the tubular rod so that said support arm is turnable about the connected end in a vertical plane including an axis of said tubular rod; spring means having an end stationarily secured respective said tubular rod and operable to urge said cutting arms to outwardly turn about said connected ends of said support arms from a folded state in which said cutting arms are brought together about said tubular rod with the outer ends of said fluke blades above the connected ends of said support arms; means for stationarily securing one end of said urging means on an external part of said tubular rod; holding means for releasably restraining said cutting arms in the folded state, said holding means having a line means to release the restraint of said cutting arms above the ground surface; and means for limiting the turn of said cutting arms to a selected acute angle from said folded state.

Claim 3

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one elongated tubular rod to be associated with the top of said vertical tubular rod by means of a coupling means so that the anchoring device is extended in the vertical length thereof.

Claim 4

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said elongated tubular rod includes a plurality of additional tubular rods to be coupled together corresponding to the depth of said shaft in the ground.

Claim 5

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said coupling means are constituted by male screw threads formed in the uppermost part of said vertical tubular rod and female screw threads formed in the lowermost part of said elongated tubular rod so as to be engageable with said male screw threads of said vertical rod.

Claim 6

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a number of nozzle openings provided in the lowermost part of said vertical tubular rod, said nozzle openings being connected with the central passageway of said tubular rod.

Claim 7

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cutting arms are arranged equiangularly around said vertical tubular rod.

Claim 8

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selected acute angle is a maximum of seventy-five degrees from said folded state.

Claim 9

An anchoring device to be settled in a shaft in the ground for use in supporting a standing object on the ground, comprising: a hollow vertical tubular rod open at its opposite ends along a central passageway therethrough; a plurality of cutting arms, each comprising a support arm and a fluke blade mounted thereon, the lowermost end of each support arm being connected with a first lower part of the tubular rod so that said support arm is turnable about the connected end in a vertical plane including an axis of said tubular rod; means for continuously urging said cutting arms to outwardly turn about said connected ends of said support arms from a folded state in which cutting arms are brought together about said tubular rod with the outer ends of said fluke blades above the connected ends of said support arms, said urging means comprising a coil spring having upper and lower ends mounted on said vertical tubular rod, the upper end of said coil spring being stationary with respect to said vertical tubular rod, and an annular member slidably mounted on said vertical tubular rod and having upper and lower flanges at the opposite ends thereof, said upper flange being connected with the lower end of said coil spring; means for stationarily securing one end of said urging means on an external part of said tubular rod; holding means for releasably restraining said cutting arms in the folded state, said holding means having a line means to release the restraint of said cutting arms above the ground surface; and means for limiting the turn of said cutting arms to a selected acute angle from said folded state.

Claim 10

An anchoring device to be settled in a shaft in the ground for use in supporting a standing object on the ground, comprising: a hollow vertical tubular rod open at its opposite ends along a central passageway therethrough; a plurality of cutting arms, each comprising a support arm and a fluke blade mounted thereon, the lowermost end of each support arm being connected with a first lower part of the tubular rod so that said support arm is turnable about the connected end in a vertical plane including an axis of said tubular rod; means for continuously urging said cutting arms to outwardly turn about said connected ends of said support arms from a folded state in which cutting arms are brought together about said tubular rod with the outer ends of said fluke blades above the connected ends of said support arms, said urging means comprising a coil spring having upper and lower ends mounted on said vertical tubular rod, the upper end of said coil spring being stationary with respect to said vertical tubular rod, and an annular member slidably mounted on said vertical tubular rod and having upper and lower flanges at the opposite ends thereof, said upper flange being connected with the lower end of said coil spring; means for stationarily securing one end of said urging means on an external part of said tubular rod; holding means for releasably restraining said cutting arms in the folded state, said holding means having a line means to release the restraint of said cutting arms above the ground surface; and means for limiting the turn of said cutting arms to a selected acute angle from said folded state.

Claim 11

An anchoring device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said limiting means comprises a plurality of cross arms, one end of each cross arm being pivotably connected to an intermediate part of each said support arm and the other end of each cross arm being pivotably connected to said lower flange of said annular member.

Claim 12

An anchoring device to be settled in a shaft in the ground for use in supporting a standing object on the ground, comprising: a hollow vertical tubular rod open at its opposite ends along a central passageway therethrough; a plurality of cutting arms, each comprising a support arm and a fluke blade mounted thereon, the lowermost end of each support arm being connected with a first lower part of the tubular rod so that said support arm is turnable about the connected end in a vertical plane including an axis of said tubular rod; means for continuously urging said cutting arms to outwardly turn about said connected ends of said support arms from a folded state in which said cutting arms are brought together about said tubular rod with the outer ends of said fluke blades above the connected ends of said support arms; means for stationarily securing one end of said urging means on an external part of said tubular rod; holding means for releasably restraining said cutting arms in the folded state, said holding means having a line means to release the restraint of said cutting arms above the ground surface; means for limiting the turn of said cutting arms to a selected acute angle from said folded state; at least one elongated tubular rod associated with the top of said vertical tubular rod by coupling means whereby said anchoring device is extended in the vertical length thereof; and a second line which is flexible but less elastic than said first named line means, said second line means running along said vertical tubular rod and said elongated tubular rod, one end of which is connected with a lower part of said anchoring device displaceable depending upon the turn of said cutting arms, and the other end of which is connected with a weight via a roller member rotatably mounted on said elongated tubular rod at a position appearing above the ground whereby the turn of said cutting arms causes displacement of said weight through vertical running motion of said line means.

Claim 13

An anchoring device to be settled in a shaft in the ground for use in supporting a standing object on the ground, comprising: a hollow vertical tubular rod open at its opposite ends along a central passageway therethrough; a plurality of cutting arms, each comprising a support arm and a fluke blade mounted thereon, the lowermost end of each support arm being connected with a first lower part of the tubular rod so that said support arm is turnable about the connected end in a vertical plane including an axis of said tubular rod; means for continuously urging said cutting arms to outwardly turn about said connected ends of said support arms from a folded state in which said cutting arms are brought together about said tubular rod with the outer ends of said fluke blades above the connected ends of said support arms; means for stationarily securing one end of said urging means on an external part of said tubular rod; holding means for releasably restraining said cutting arms in the folded state, said holding means having a line means to release the restraint of said cutting arms above the ground surface; means for limiting the turn of said cutting arms to a selected acute angle from said folded state; at least one elongated tubular rod associated with the top of said vertical tubular rod by coupling means whereby said anchoring device is extended in the vertical length thereof; and a second line which is flexible but less elastic than said first named line means, said second line means running along said vertical tubular rod and said elongated tubular rod, one end of which is connected with a lower part of said anchoring device displaceable depending upon the turn of said cutting arms, and the other end of which is connected with a weight via a roller member rotatably mounted on said elongated tubular rod at a position appearing above the ground whereby the turn of said cutting arms causes displacement of said weight through vertical running motion of said line means.