Anchor device for a wooden post

This is a Non-Provisional Patent Application filed by applicant Tommy Fox for the invention by Tommy Fox, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5973 Pinewood Road, Franklin, Tenn. 37064, of an “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post.”

This application is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/821,091, filed Mar. 17, 2020 and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Fence Post”, which is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/398,134, filed Apr. 29, 2019 and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post”, which is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,932, filed Aug. 20, 2018 and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post”, which is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/934,081, filed Mar. 23, 2018 and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post”, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,060,150 issued Aug. 28, 2018, which is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/489,839, filed Sep. 18, 2014, and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,938,745 issued Apr. 10, 2018, which is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/644,475, filed Oct. 4, 2012, and entitled “Anchor Device for a Wooden Post”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,864,096 issued Oct. 21, 2014.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

All patents and publications described or discussed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates generally to supports for posts, and more particularly to an anchoring device for supporting a post.

Various devices are known in the art that connect a support post to a surface support structure, such as floor, base, pillar, column, footer, slab, or other general support structure. Some of these prior art anchoring devices, or brackets, have attempted to facilitate the attachment between the support post and the support structure for the construction of a building, such as a dwelling, home, office, barn, and the like. Most of these prior art devices have failed to adequately allow for the installation of those brackets when the support structure comprises a hard material and the post held by those brackets is of a different material. This is especially true for posts that extend upward in a generally vertical direction.

What is needed is a new anchoring device or bracket used for supporting a post. This preferred device facilitates the connection between the post and a support surface where the post and the support surface are made of different materials while allowing for easy installation to the support surface and attachment to the post. This needed anchoring device is lacking in the art.

Included herein is an anchoring device for supporting a post. The anchoring device comprises a base, at least one stanchion extending from the base, and a plate attached to the stanchion opposite the base. A plurality of side supports is included with each side support attached to and extending from the base. The side supports are also attached to the plate and extend past the plate. First and second guides are included with each guide attached to the plate and each side support. Each guide extends away from the base.

The plate, the side supports, the first guide, and the second guide can define a cavity shaped to accept the post within the anchoring device. The base can include a plurality of base openings and the plate can include a plurality of plate openings wherein the plate openings are aligned with the base openings. Each side support can include at least one curved side where that curved side starts proximate the plate. Alternately, that curved side can start proximate either the first or second guide. Two curved sides on each side support are possible. Additionally, each side support can include a plurality of side support openings and each side support can be biased towards one of the other side supports at a location distal from the plate.

It is therefore a general object of the current disclosure to provide an anchoring device for a support post.

Another object of the current disclosure is to provide an anchoring device that facilitates attachment between a post and support surface where the post and the support surface are different materials.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an anchoring device that is both functional and aesthetically appealing.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading of the following disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring generally now to, an anchoring device is shown and generally designated by the numeral. The anchoring device, which can also be described as a support bracketis for supporting a post. Preferably, the anchoring device connects a postto a support surfacewhere that post can be any post known in the construction industry used to support other structures. For example, the postcan be used to support an upper structure, such as a roof or other element above the post. The support surfacecan be any structure known in the construction industry. For example, the support surfacecan be a concrete surface, a support pillar, a floor of a building, such as a dwelling, home, and the like. The anchoring device connects the postand the support surfaceand secures the postthrough the anchoring deviceto the support surface. Preferably, the anchoring deviceconnects a wooden postto a concrete support surface.

The anchoring deviceincludes a baseand at least one stanchionextending from the base. A plateis attached to the stanchionopposite the base. The stanchioncan be described as spacing the platefrom the base. A plurality of side supportsare included and extend from the basetowards the plate. Preferably, the side supportsextend past the plateand are attached to the plate. First guideand second guideare attached to the plateand extend away from the base. Preferably, the first and second guideandare also attached to each side support.

The plate, side supports, first guide, and second guidedefine a cavitythat is shaped to accept the post. This facilitates attachment of the postsinto the anchoring device. Additionally, the side supportscan be biased inward towards each other, which can facilitate the securing of the postin the anchoring device, and more particularly in the cavity. The stanchioncreates a gapbetween the baseand platethat facilitates movement of fluid such as water underneath the plate and lifts the postaway from this fluid thereby prolonging the life of the post. Additionally, this gapalso separates the postfrom the support surface. This separation stops the post, especially when the postis a wooden post, from absorbing or wicking moisture from the support surface. This restriction also helps to prolonging the life of the post.

In a preferred embodiment, the baseincludes a plurality of base openingswhile the plateincludes a plurality of plate openings. These openings facilitate the attachment of the anchoring deviceto the support surface. For example, the base openingsallow the insertion of fastenersfrom the support surfacethat can secure the baseto the support surface, and in turn the anchoring deviceto the support surface. For example, these fasteners can be nut and bolt type fasteners, threaded bars and nut, nails, or other fasteners as known in the art. The gapalong plate openingscan facilitate the attachment of these fastenersby allowing access to the fastenersboth from a side approach in the gapcreated between the baseand plateand from the top through the plate openings. This is further facilitated by the preferred alignment of the plate openingsand the base openings.

Each side supportcan include at least one curved sideand preferably two curved sides. The start up of the curvature of the curved sidecan begin proximate the plate. Alternately, the curvature of the curved sidecan begin proximate either the first guideor second guidedepending upon the location of the curved sideof the particular side support.

The side supportscan further include a plurality of side support openingsthat operate with fastenersto secure the poststo the side supportsand thus the anchoring deviceto the posts. Preferably, the side support openingson oppositely positioned side supportsare aligned. This further facilitates the use of fastenersto secure the anchoring deviceto the post. These fastenerscan be nut and bolt type fasteners, threaded bars and nut, nails, or other fasteners as known in the art to secure anchoring devices and posts.

The number of openings, including base openings, plate openings, and side support openingscan vary as desired. Preferably there are enough openings to properly secure the anchoring deviceto both the postand the support surfacewithout having too many of these openings to interfere with the actual structural integrity of the attaching device.

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Anchor Device for a Wooden Post it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.