Patent Publication Number: US-6986495-B2

Title: Walkway bracket for use with helical anchor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/406,587 filed Aug. 28, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to a screw anchor apparatus and in particular to a bracket for use with a helical anchor in supporting walkways. 
   Helical or screw anchors are well known. Helical anchors are utilized in the geotechnical industry to anchor building foundations in unstable soil and to stabilize and/or repair the integrity of existing foundations and the like. Walkways, such as environmental walkways, are utilized in environmentally sensitive areas, construction sites, excavation sites and other locations where it is advantageous for providing a walking surface that is above the level of the ground. These walkways are often supported by helical anchors due to poor site soil quality and to minimize the environmental impact of the walkway on the soil and vegetation in the area. The helical anchors are typically attached to the walkways by support brackets and the like. Often, the helical anchors and brackets must be disadvantageously designed and constructed on the construction site and are not easily adjustable for specific site conditions. 
   It is desirable, therefore, to provide an integrated support for a walkway supported by a screw anchor that is customizable at the construction site and reduces the amount of time required to install the walkway. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A bracket apparatus for connecting and supporting a beam of a walkway and a battered helical anchor includes a beam restrainer portion having a generally horizontally extending bottom plate for supporting a beam and at least one generally vertically extending side plate for attachment to the beam. A generally vertically extending shaft includes an upper end attached to the bottom plate and a lower end. The shaft includes a connecting plate attached thereto and extending radially therefrom. A connector assembly includes an upper end for connecting to the connecting plate and a lower end for connecting to an upper end of the battered helical anchor. 
   The connector assembly of the present invention forms a robust connection between the restrainer portion and the battered helical anchor and, therefore, is operable to transmit forces from the restrainer portion to the battered helical anchor. Because this robust connection, the walkway bracket apparatus is advantageously able to resist walkway movement in all directions. The present invention advantageously provides an apparatus that integrates a walkway support and a screw anchor assembly for supporting walkways in conjunction with the use of a helical anchor. The present invention also provides an apparatus that is easily adjustable for specific site conditions. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a bracket and anchor apparatus in accordance with the present invention before assembly; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the bracket and anchor apparatus shown in  FIG. 1  after assembly; and 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a battered helical anchor for use with the bracket and anchor apparatus shown in FIGS.  1  and  2 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A bracket and anchor apparatus  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  for use in supporting walkways (not shown). The apparatus  10  includes a bracket  11 , a connector assembly  12  and a battered helical anchor  13 . The bracket  11  has a beam restrainer portion  14  formed in a generally U-shape for retaining a generally horizontally extending beam (typically wooden and not shown) which supports a floor of a walkway (not shown). The restrainer  14  has a horizontally extending bottom plate  14   a  upon which the beam rests and a pair of spaced apart vertically extending beam restraining side plates  14   b  restraining sideways movement of the beam. A plurality of apertures  14   c  are formed in the side plates  14   b  for receiving fasteners (not shown) for securing the beam to the restrainer  14 . The apertures  14   c  may be formed so as to receive fasteners that pass through each of the side plates  14   b  and the beam. Alternatively, the apertures  14   c  may be formed so as to receive fasteners, such as screws or the like, that are embed in the beam while passing through only one of the side plates  14   b . The dimensions of the restrainer  14  including the spacing between the side plates  14   b  can be selected to coordinate with the size of the beam to be supported. Although the restrainer  14  is shown formed as an integral part, one or both of the side plates  14   b  could be movably attached to the bottom plate  14   a  to accommodate different width beams, or a single side plate  14   b  could be located centrally on the bottom plate  14   a  to receive a beam on either side thereof. For example, the restrainer  14  could be formed as a pair of generally L-shaped members each including one of the side plates  14   b  and a bottom plate (similar to the bottom plate  14   a ) with the bottom plates overlapped to form a generally U-shaped member. One or both of the bottom plates would include an elongated bolt hole for receiving a bolt thereby adjustably positioning and securing together the L-shaped members. 
   The bottom plate  14   a  is attached to an upper end  15   a  of a vertically extending shaft  15  either fixedly, such as by a welded connection, or removably, such as with suitable fasteners or the like. The shaft  15  is hollow and has an open lower end  15   b  sized to slip over an upper end of a typical helical anchor, such as the anchor  13  shown in  FIG. 3  or similar anchor, when used in a conventional manner. A connecting plate  16  extends radially from a central portion of the shaft  15  and has an aperture  17  formed therein. Preferably, the connecting plate  16  is welded to the central portion of the shaft  15 . The connecting plate  16  extends in a plane that is between horizontal and vertical, such as an approximately 45° angle relative to a horizontal plane of the bottom plate  14   a  which plane is parallel to a longitudinal axis  18  of the restrainer  14 . Also, the connecting plate  16  extends radially from the shalt  15  along an axis  19  that is at an approximately 45° horizontal angle relative to the longitudinal axis  18 . Although 45° angles are used in this example, the two angles can be different and any suitable angles and directions can be used. The orientation of the connecting plate  16  advantageously permits the battered anchor  13  to resist walkway movement in all directions. 
   The connector assembly  12  has a U-shaped bracket  20  with a central portion  20   a  connecting a pair of legs  20   b . The legs  20   b  receive an upper end  13   a  of the battered anchor  13  therebetween. Both the legs  20   b  and the upper end  13   a  have an aperture  13   b  formed therein for receiving a fastener  21  to attach the connecting bracket  12  to the anchor  13 . A threaded rod  22  has a lower end  22   a  that extends through an aperture formed in the central portion  20   a  and engages the upper end  13   a . A first nut  23  and a second nut  24  threadably engage the rod  22  on opposite sides of the central portion  20   a  and, when the bracket and anchor apparatus  10  is assembled, are rotated into contact with the central portion  20   a  to fix the rod  22  in place. With the rod  22  fixed in placed, the bracket and anchor apparatus  10  is in a state suitable to be connected to the beam restrainer portion  14 . 
   During assembly, an upper end  22   b  of the rod  22  is inserted into the aperture  17 , best seen in  FIG. 2 , and a third nut  25  on the rod  22  is rotated into contact with a lower surface of the connecting plate  16  to transfer a compression load from the bracket  11  through the connector assembly  12  to the upper end  13   a  of the anchor  13 . A fourth nut  26  (shown in FIG.  1  and unattached) is threaded onto the upper end  22   b  and rotated into contact with an upper surface of the connecting plate  16  to transfer a tension load from the bracket  11  through the connector assembly  12  to the upper end  13   a  of the anchor  13 . The nuts  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and  26  allow the apparatus  10  to be adjusted on the construction site, advantageously providing greater flexibility when the apparatus  10  is installed. The nuts  25  and  26  cooperate with the threaded rod  22  to accommodate differences in the spacing between each of the connecting plates  16  and the upper end  13   a  of the associated screw anchor  13  at the installation locations along a walkway. When assembled, the connector assembly  12  forms a robust connection between the restrainer portion  14  and the battered helical anchor  13  and, therefore, is operable to transmit forces from the restrainer portion  14  to the battered helical anchor  13 , allowing the apparatus  10  to resist walkway movement in all directions. 
   In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.