Base adapted to secure elongate objects in or on a ground surface

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a base, which is adapted to secure elongate objects, such as parts included in a playground frame, in or on a ground surface. The base comprises a tubular unit, which is adapted to receive a part which is to be secured.

The invention also relates to a method of securing elongate objects, such as parts of a playground frame, in or on a ground surface. The method comprises the steps of securing a tubular unit in or on the ground surface, inserting a part of a frame, which is to be secured, into the unit in such manner that the unit receives the lower portion of the part.

Technical Background

When mounting a frame, such as a playground frame in a playground, it is always necessary to start by investigating the ground of the site. Since the ground can vary between everything from loose sand to a ground containing a lot of stone and portions of rock, specially adjusted bases are required to secure the frame correctly.

A frame is secured with a number of spaced apart bases, in which each a post or other part forming a basic structure of the frame is arranged. Thereafter, the posts are connected with different parts to a complete playground frame.

A playground frame includes many different parts, and it is, among other things, necessary to have different lengths of the posts forming the basic structure of the frame. Today, these posts have to be specially adjusted to fit a wide range of models of playground frames.

One drawback of this is that the manufacturer has to produce and store several kinds of bases and a large number of lengths of the included parts/posts.

Further, since a frame is secured with a number of spaced apart bases, it is desirable that each part of a frame that is to be secured in a base, can be aligned when it has been positioned in its base, such that the connection of the different parts included in the playground frame is facilitated.

Summary of the Invention

One object of the invention is thus to provide a base which simplifies and facilitates the above-described work and which is constructed in such a way that the above-mentioned problems are reduced.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a base, which is of the kind stated by way of introduction and where the base also comprises at least one support arranged in the tubular unit, which support has a direction of extension substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the unit, and which support is adapted to support the underside of the part, and which support is movable in the direction of extension of the unit and arranged to be fixed in a desired position in the direction of extension of the unit, and wherein the base also has at least one fastening element arranged to fixedly position the part in the unit and at least one sealing element to be arranged between the unit and the part.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of simplifying and facilitating the above-described work, which results in a reduction of the above-described problems.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a method of securing elongate objects, which is of the kind stated by way of introduction, wherein a support is arranged in the unit so as to have a direction of extension substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the unit, and that the support is movable in the unit in the direction of extension of the unit. The method further comprises the steps of moving the support, in the direction of extension of the unit, to a desired position in the unit, fixing the support in the desired position in the direction of extension of the unit, inserting at least one sealing element between the unit and the part and fixing the part in the unit by means of at least one fastening element.

Since the base is an elongate tube and the support is movably arranged in the base in the direction of extension of the base, it is possible to adjust the length of the parts by means of the support by inserting the parts, which are to be secured in the base, into abutment with the support.

Since the base is tubular, it can easily be pressed into a loose ground while being kept stable.

Since the part is fixed in the unit using two different elements, at least one fastening element and at least one sealing element, the part can be aligned when it is fixed, such that its extension upwards is appropriate for achieving a stable playground frame and for connecting different parts of the playground frame arranged in different base units. The alignment is facilitated if the fastening element and the sealing element are placed at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction of the unit.

According to an embodiment of the invention the sealing element is wedge-shaped. Thus a secure and stable fixing of the part in the unit is achieved.

According to another embodiment, at least three separate fastening elements are used to fix a part in the unit, which fastening elements are placed at a distance from each other around the circumference of the unit. By introducing the fastening elements different distances into the unit in a direction towards the centre of the unit for fastening the part in the unit, the part can be aligned according to a desired extension.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the base is provided with a securing device, for example, in the form of an anchor. One advantage of this is that the base can be secured also to a hard ground as the anchor is bolted to the ground surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a hollow tube inserted into a base according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the device according to Fig. 1.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Figs 1 and 2 show a base according to the present invention. The base 1 is here a unit 2 in the form of an elongate tube. The tube unit 2 has a length of about 0.5-1.5 m and is advantageously of circular cross-section with an inner diameter of about 15-50 cm.

The tube unit 2 is adapted to receive a part 3 of a playground frame, such as a post, to secure the same in or on the ground surface. The inner diameter of the tube unit 2 is greater than the outer diameter of the post 3. The size of the tube unit 2 can be adjusted to the size of the post 3 which is to be secured. Both hollow and solid posts 3 can be secured by the base according to the invention.

The tube unit 2 can, for example, be made of metal, concrete, carbon fibre reinforced plastic, strong rigid plastic or some other material suitable for the purpose. Preferably, the tube unit is made of steel.

Inside the tube unit 2 is a support 4 arranged, which is adapted to support the underside of the post 3 when it is inserted into the tube unit 2. The support can be any type of element suitable for the purpose. The support 4 can, for example, be a bar, a rod, a plate or the like. The support 4 is arranged in the tube unit 2 so as to have a direction of extension substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the tube unit 2. The support is movably arranged inside the tube unit 2, in the direction of extension of the tube unit 2.

The support 4 is arranged inside the tube unit 2, for example, by providing the inner walls of the tube unit 2 with holes or an attachment rail (not shown) and by providing the ends of the support 4 with corresponding pins (not shown). The support is moved between the different holes or along the attachment rail to a desired position in the tube unit 2. With a long post 3 the support 4 is positioned high up in the tube unit 2, and with a short post 3 the support 4 is positioned low down in the tube unit 2. The length of the post 3 can thus be adjusted by means of the tube unit 2.

The support 4 can also be fastened in the tube unit 2, for example, by means of rubber bushings (not shown) or the like, which are provided at the ends of the support 4 or around the support 4 if it is a plate. The support 4 can then be pushed up and down in the tube unit 2 by the support 4 sliding on the inner wall of the tube unit 2.

When the support 4 has been moved into a desired position, it can be fixed and thus be permanently arranged in the tube unit 2 so as to be stable, for example by welding. The support can be attached by rivets. The support can also be fastened by screws which are screwed through the tube unit 2 into the support 4.

The inner diameter of the tube unit 2 is greater than the outer diameter of the post 3 so that a space forms of about 0.5-5 cm between the post 3 and the tube unit 2. This is to make it possible to align the post 3 and make it straight after it has been inserted into the tube unit 2.

When the post 3 is positioned in the tube unit 2 and the support 4 is fixed in the desired position in the tube unit 2, at least one sealing element 5 is arranged between the tube unit 2 and the post 3 such that the post is centred and fixed. To facilitate this work, e.g. two wedge-shaped sealing elements 5 are used, which together form a ring and cover the entire inner diameter of the tube unit 2.

In another embodiment of the invention, only one sealing element 5 can be used which is formed as a ring with a through slot. More than two sealing elements 5 can also be used if suitable.

At the outside of the tube unit 2, at least one fastening element 6, preferably three fastening elements 6, are arranged. The fastening elements 6 are adapted to fixedly position the post 3 in the tube unit 2. The fastening elements 6 are preferably screws which extend through the tube unit 2 and in towards the post 3. The number of fastening elements can be varied and adapted to the current need.

When the sealing element 5 is arranged between the tube unit 2 and the post 3, the post is fixed by arranging the fastening elements 6 towards the post 3. In connection with the fixing of the post, the post is aligned according to a desired extension. To facilitate the alignment of the post, the sealing element 5 is placed at a distance from the fastening elements 6 in the extension direction of the tube unit 2. To not change the centring of the post, it may be appropriate to arrange the fastening elements 6 above the support 4 and the sealing element 5 above the fastening elements, see fig. 1.

The tube unit 2 further comprises a securing device in the form of an anchor. The anchor advantageously comprises three legs 8 projecting from the tube unit 2. The number of legs 8 can be varied depending on need. In each leg 8 there is a hole 9. The base is secured to the ground surface, for example by expansion bolts, screws or similar fastening elements, which are inserted into the holes 9 and attached to the ground surface.

The ground surface can be the ground of a playground or the like. The ground surface can also be a concrete slab or a foundation system. It is, for instance, possible to screw together a base with fixed attachment points in which the legs 8 are fastened by screws. This automatically results in all posts 3 being fixed in the right position.

When a post is to be secured in the ground surface by means of the base, the base 1 is placed in the ground (below ground level 7) so that at least 10 cm of the lower portion of the tube 2 is positioned below ground level 7. Owing to this, the anchor can be covered with a required shock absorbing material (not shown), such as a rubber mat, a sand layer or the like.

If the base 1 is to be secured on the ground surface (above ground level 7), the tube unit 2 is placed on the ground when securing the post 3 so that the entire lower portion of the tube 2, including the legs 8, is placed above ground level 7. When the base is secured on the ground surface, a rubber mat, a sand layer or the like can advantageously cover the legs 8 so that a child cannot hurt itself on the fastening elements, expansion bolts or the like, which are inserted in the holes 9.

A method of securing a post 2 or similar elongate objects which are included in a playground frame, a scaffolding or the like in or on a ground surface as described above comprises the following steps:

• securing the tubular unit 2 in or on the ground surface,
• inserting the post 3 into the unit 2 in such manner that the unit 2 receives the lower portion of the post 3,
• moving the support 4, in the direction of extension of the unit, to a desired position in the unit,
• fixing the support 4 in the desired position in the direction of extension of the unit,
• inserting at least one wedge-shaped sealing element 5 between the unit 2 and the post 3,
• fixing the post 3 in the unit 2 by means of at least one fastening element 6.

The base 1 can be modified in a number of different ways within the scope of the invention such as defined by the appended claims.

The inner diameter of the tube unit 2 is advantageously greater than the outer diameter of the post 3, but in an alternative embodiment it may be the opposite, and in that case the post 3 is passed over the tube unit 2.