Patent Publication Number: US-10774561-B2

Title: Stake installation tool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/803,394, filed Feb. 8, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an installation tool, particularly useful for installing snow stakes. 
     Many commonly insert stakes partially into the ground to visually mark off areas. For example, one may use stakes to mark off areas to avoid when clearing snow. Such snow stakes may be partially inserted into the ground to mark off curbs along a street, the edge of driveways or sidewalks, sprinkler systems, or other areas. Often such stakes are flexible and can be broken if bent too far, thus making installation of the stakes more time consuming and difficult than desired. Holes can be dug to assist in installation, but this is also much more time consuming than is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment contemplates a stake installation tool comprising: a rod having a lower end and an opposed upper end; a sleeve fixed to the rod around an outer surface of the upper end; and a support tube having channel extending therethrough, with the sleeve mounted within the channel adjacent to an upper end of the support tube and fixed thereto, and with the rod extending through the channel and extending downward from a lower end of the support tube, creating a gap between the channel and the rod configured to receive a stake in the gap while the stake also extends downward from the lower end of the support tube on the rod. 
     An embodiment contemplates a stake installation tool comprising: a rod having a tapered lower end and an opposed upper end; a sleeve fixed to the rod around an outer surface of the upper end; a hollow cylindrical support tube having channel extending therethrough, with the sleeve mounted within the channel adjacent to an upper end of the support tube and fixed thereto, and with the rod extending through the channel and extending downward from a lower end of the support tube, creating a gap between the channel and the rod configured to receive a stake in the gap while the stake also extends downward from the lower end of the support tube on the rod; and a handle mounted on the upper end of the support tube. 
     An advantage of an embodiment is that stakes can be relatively easily and quickly installed partially in the ground without breaking the stakes during insertion. Such quick and easy installation makes marking areas for snow removal or other uses more convenient, thus assisting those in the snow removal or other businesses where marking of areas with stakes is desired. Additionally, less expensive hollow snow stakes may be employed, thus saving money, particularly for commercial snow removal operations where many stakes are distributed at multiple properties. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a snow stake installation tool. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a snow stake. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a portion of the installation tool of  FIG. 1 , with hidden lines shown to illustrate the assembly of the components. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a sleeve. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a rod. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a support tube. 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view looking up at a bottom of a handle. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a portion of the rod inserted into the sleeve. 
         FIG. 9  is side view of a portion of the support tube, with the rod and sleeve inserted therein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a non-limiting example of a snow stake  20  that may be employed with a snow stake installation tool  22 . The snow stake  20  is hollow, having a bore  24  that is sized to conveniently mate with the installation tool  22 . 
       FIGS. 1 and 2-9  illustrate various portions of the installation tool  22 , which includes a cylindrical hollow sleeve  26  having a passage  28  extending therethrough, and a cylindrical rod  30  having an outer diameter that is essentially the same diameter as the passage  28 . The rod  30  may have a lower end  31  that tapers narrower toward a rounded or pointed end shape in order to ease its insertion into the ground. The installation tool  22  also includes a cylindrical hollow support tube  32  having a channel  34  extending therethrough, and a cylindrical hollow handle  36  having a duct  38  extending therethrough and an aperture  40  through a side of the handle  36 . 
     The installation tool  22  may be assembled by telescopically sliding an upper end  42  of the rod  30  into the passage  28  of the sleeve  26 , as best seen in  FIG. 8 . The rod  30  may be secured to the sleeve  26 , for example, by employing a press fit between the two components or by welding, as desired. 
     After securing the rod  30  to the sleeve  26 , the lower end  31  of the rod  30  is telescopically slid into the channel  34  of the support tube  32 , and then the sleeve  26  and rod  30  are slid into the channel  34 , as best seen in  FIG. 9 . The support tube  32  may be secured to the sleeve  26 , for example, by employing a press fit between the two components or by welding, as desired. 
     After securing the support tube  32  to the sleeve  26 , and hence the rod  30 , an upper end  44  of the support tube  32  may be slid into the aperture  40  in the handle  36 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 . The handle  36  may be secured to the support tube  32  with, for example, a weld  48  around the circumference of the aperture  40 . The completed assembly of the installation tool  22  is best seen in  FIG. 1 . The various components of the installation tool  22  may be made of, for example steel, although other materials may be employed instead if so desired. 
     One will note that the diameter of the rod  30  is smaller than the diameter of the channel  34  in the support tube  32 , creating a cylindrical shaped gap  46 , best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 9 . The diameter of the rod  30  may be sized to be just smaller than the bore  24  in the snow stake  20 , with the diameter of the channel  34  in the support tube  32  sized to be just larger than the outer diameter of the snow stake  20 . As a result, a snow stake  20  may be easily and quickly telescopically slide onto the lower end  31  of the rod  30  and up into the channel  34  of the support tube  32  until it reaches the sleeve  26 , thereby providing support to the snow stake  20  while being installed into the ground. 
     The following are non-limiting examples of possible dimensions for the various components of the installation tool  22 . If one wishes to install thirty-six inch stakes  20 , for example, then the rod  30  may be about thirty-eight inches long and have a diameter of 19/64 inch; the support tube  32  may be about thirty-four inches long, having an outside diameter of 9/16 inch and a diameter of 27/64 inch for the channel  34 ; the sleeve  26  may be about one inch long, having an outside diameter of 7/16 inch and a diameter of 19/64 inch for the passage  28 ; and the handle  36  may be about four inches long, having an outside diameter of ⅞ inch, a diameter of 27/64 inch for the duct  38 , and an aperture diameter of 19/32 inch. The rod  30 , then, extends about four inches past the lower end  50  of the support tube  32 . This allows for the snow stake  20  to readily telescopically slide all of the way onto the rod  30  while still extending out of the gap  46  past the lower end  50  of the support tube  32 . 
     As another example of possible dimensions for the installation tool  22  sized for installing twenty-six inch snow stakes  20 , the dimensions may be generally the same but with the length of the rod  30  shortened to twenty-eight inches and the length of the support tube  32  shortened to twenty-three inches. Of course, other sizes of snow stakes and other sizes of the installation tool may be employed as well, if so desired. 
     The installation of the snow stake  20  employing the installation tool  22  may be as follows. One telescopically slides the snow stake  20  onto the lower end  31  of the rod  30  and slides the snow stake  20  into the gap  46  until the snow stake  20  abuts the sleeve  26 . One then locates the lower end  31  of the rod  30  above the ground where one wishes to mount the snow stake  20 , and then pushes downward on the handle  36  to cause the lower end  31  of the rod  30  to push into the ground the desired distance. While pushing down on the handle  36  to drive the rod  30  into the ground, one may use the lower end  50  of the support tube  32  as a guide to determine how deep the snow stake  20  has been driven into the ground. Upon reaching the desired depth, one pulls straight upward on the handle  36  to remove the installation tool  22  from the ground while leaving behind the snow stake  20 . 
     While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.