Abstract:
A post footing for holding a post segment above a ground surface comprises an outer sleeve adapted to be forcibly driven into the ground. A socket member is pressure fitted within the outer sleeve with the leading end of the sleeve extending beyond the socket member to prevent the latter from being damaged in the event that an obstacle be encountered while the footing is being driven into the ground. The socket member defines a socket adapted to receive and hold an above-ground post segment once the footing has been installed in the ground.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to post structures and, more particularly, to post footings. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   It is known to provide a post with a weakened section that allows the post to bend upon impact according to a predetermined pattern. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,253 issued on Jan. 19, 1999 to Lapointe discloses a collapsible post comprising an elongated post section adapted to be connected in an end-to-end relationship with an anchoring member or post shoe driven into the ground. The shoe is provided at an upper end thereof with a socket for receiving and retaining the lower end of a connecting member. Likewise, the upper end of the connecting member is received and held in a socket defined in the lower end of the elongated post section, thereby physically connecting the shoe to the post section. 
   One problem associated with this type of post construction is that when hammered driven into the ground, the shoe can be deformed, for instance, as a result of a collision with an obstacle. In certain instances, the deformation may be such as to interfere with the subsequent insertion of the connecting member into the shoe, thereby preventing the post section from being mounted onto the shoe. In such cases, the shoe has to be removed from the ground and replaced by a new one. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a new post anchoring footing. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a new post footing. 
   It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a new post footing having a connecting part which is protected against deformations resulting from the collision of the footing with an obstacle while being driven into a ground surface. 
   Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a post comprising a footing adapted to be driven into the ground, said footing including an outer sleeve and a socket member, said outer sleeve having trailing and leading ends, said leading end being adapted to be forcibly driven into the ground in response to a driving force applied to said trailing end, said socket member being fixed within said outer sleeve with said leading end of said outer sleeve extending beyond said socket member to prevent the latter from being damaged in the event that an obstacle be encountered while said footing is being driven into the ground, an elongated post segment, and a connector inserted into said elongated post segment and said socket member for joining said post segment and said footing together in an end-to-end relationship. 
   In accordance with a further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided a footing for holding a post segment above a ground surface, comprising an outer sleeve having trailing and leading ends, said leading end being adapted to be forcibly driven into the ground in response to a driving force applied to said trailing end, and a socket member fixed within said outer sleeve with said leading end of said outer sleeve extending beyond said socket member to prevent the latter from being damaged in the event that an obstacle be encountered while said footing is being driven into the ground, wherein said socket member defines a socket adapted to receive a structural piece once said footing has been installed in the ground. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a vertical elevational view of a post structure having a footing in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view illustrating some details of the footing; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the footing with a stabilizer installed thereon; and 
       FIG. 4  is perspective view of the upper end of the footing with the stabilizer installed thereon. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Now referring to  FIG. 1 , a post  10  suited for supporting signs  12  and  14  and embodying the elements of the present invention will be described. It is understood that even though the post  10  is herein described as being a signaling post, it could be used without signs  12  and  14  and in any suitable context without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
   The post  10  is anchored into a volume of suitable material herein referred to as ground  16 . The ground  16  can, for instance, include a layer of asphalt, a layer of compressed crushed rocks or other layers of similar dense material. As will be described hereinbelow, a stabilizer  18  can even be used for allowing the post  10  to be anchored into soft ground surfaces. 
   The post  10  essentially includes an elongated tubular post segment  20  for supporting the signs  12  and  14  at a desired elevation above the ground  16 , a footing  22  for anchoring the tubular post segment  20  in the ground  16 , and a connector  24  for coupling the post segment  20  and the footing  22  in an abutting end-to-end relationship, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the footing  22  includes a protective sleeve  26  and a socket member  28  fixed within the protective sleeve  26  for subsequently receiving therein one end of the connector  24 . The protective sleeve  26  has a square cross-section and is made of non-galvanized steel, whereas the socket member  28  has an elliptical cross-section and is made of galvanized steel. One reason of using a non-galvanized protective sleeve  26  is that while in contact with the surrounding ground material, the sleeve  26  will gradually becomes rusty, which will have the effect of stiffening the sleeve  26  in the ground  16 . It is noted that an acrylic primer can be applied on the protective sleeve  26 . 
   The socket member  28  is preferably pressure fitted within the sleeve  26  with the major axis of the ellipse defined by the socket member  28  passing through a pair of diagonally opposed corners of the sleeve  26 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The elliptical cross-section of the socket member  28  provides for easy angular alignment of the connecting portions of the post segment  20 , the connector  24  and the socket member  28 . 
   The sleeve  26  and the socket member  28  have respective trailing and leading ends  30 ,  32 ,  34  and  36 . As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the leading end  32  of the protective sleeve  26  extends beyond the leading end  36  of the socket member  28 . This affords protection to the socket member  28  in that in the event that an obstacle is encountered while driving the footing  22  in the ground  16 , the shock will be absorbed by the protective sleeve  26 , thereby preventing the socket member  28  from being deformed. This constitutes a major advantage in that it ensures the integrity of the socket member  28  while being driven into the ground  16  and thus prevent the same from being deformed, which could interfere with the subsequent insertion of the connector  24  into the socket member  28  and, thus, potentially prevent the on-site assembly of the post  10 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the leading end  32  of the protective sleeve  26  is preferably flatten so as to form a transversal cutting blade in order to facilitate the penetration of the footing  22  in the ground  16 . The pressing of the leading end  32  of the sleeve  26  can be performed after the socket member  28  has been pressure fitted into the sleeve  26 . 
   The socket member  28  is preferably inserted down into the sleeve  26  to a depth where the trailing ends  30  and  34  of the sleeve  26  and the socket member  28  are flush, i.e. at a same level. 
   In the placement of the above-described footing  22 , one uses a post driver, such as a pneumatic hammer. To place the footing  22 , a penetration point is first set and then successive power hammer blows are applied to the trailing end  30  of the sleeve  26  to cause the same with the socket member  28  to be vertically driven down into the ground  16  to a desired depth of insertion. It is noted that in the event that the post  10  has to be installed in a concrete surface, it might be necessary to first drill a pilot hole. However, in most instances, it is not necessary to drill a pilot hole to drive the footing  22  into the ground. 
   As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the socket member  28  is provided with an internal abutment rod  38  extending transversally therethrough. Once the footing  22  has been driven into the ground  16 , the connector  24  is inserted into the socket member  28  and lowered onto the abutment rod  38 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the abutment rod  38  is received in a recess  40  defined at the leading end of the connector  24 . 
   The connector  24  is of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,253 issued on Jan. 19, 1999, and includes an elongated elliptical body  42  defining a pair of jaws  44 , each of which defines an axially extending channel  46  for receiving a corresponding nail  48 . To secure the connector  24  to the socket member  28 , the nails  48  are forced longitudinally into the channels  46  and over the abutment rod  38 . As the nails  48  pass over the rod  38 , they are diverted laterally outwardly, thereby causing the connector  24  to flare radially outwardly. This radial expansion of the connector  24  causes the same to frictionally engage the surrounding inner surface of the socket member  28 , thereby securing the connector  24  to the socket member  28 . 
   Thereafter, the tubular post segment  20  is fitted over the connector  24  in abutment with the socket member  28  and bolted in place. 
   The footing  22  being solidly anchored into the ground  16 , the post  10  will have a tendency to bend about its most frangible section. Since the footing  22  and the post segment  20  are both made of a stronger material that the connector  24 , and since the footing  22  and the post segment  20  both have a greater diameter than the connector  24 , a lateral impact on the post  10  will cause the latter to bend or shear about the connector  24 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the stabilizer  18  includes a pair of steel strips  50 . Each strip  50  has a first arm segment  52  and a second arm segment  54  extending at right angles from one end of the first segment  52 . A slot (not shown) is defined in each arm segment  52 / 54  for allowing the strips  50  to be inserted one into the other about the protective sleeve  26 . Once assembled about the sleeve  26 , the stabilizer  18  forms first and second pairs of diverging stabilizing arms on opposed sides of the sleeve  26 . The slots are positioned so that when the strips  50  are assembled together, the so formed stabilizer tightly grasps the sleeve  26 . 
   In use, the footing  22  is partly driven into the ground  16  and then the strips are assembled about the sleeve  26 . Thereafter, the footing  22  is fully driven into the ground  16  so that the stabilizer  18  be buried in the surrounding ground material. It is noted that a number of stabilizers can be installed along the sleeve  26 . Spacers (not shown) can be provided between the stabilizers to maintain the axial spacing between adjacent stabilizers. 
   In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, an above-ground post segment could be directly inserted into a socket member fixed within a protective sleeve without the use of a intermediate piece, such as connector  24 . In this case, a wedge could be used to secure the socket member within the protective sleeve.