Abstract:
A stake for including a vertical shaft having a cork screw or a helical coil formed in the bottom end, a top end capable of supporting a decorative element, and having an S-shaped handle formed in the center for enabling the screwing of the cork screw into the ground for vertical stabilization of the stake. The bottom helical coil ends with a sharp tip for easing the installation into the ground.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/231,357 filed on Jul. 3, 2015 and U.S. application Ser. No. 14/999,498 filed on Feb. 25, 2016 which is a Continuation in Part of U.S. Pat. No. 9,316,016 which issued from Ser. No. 14/121,469 on Apr. 19, 2016 which claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 13/998,981 filed on Dec. 30, 2013 all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of stakes which can be screwed into the lawn or ground for vertical stabilization and provide for support of decorative elements such as light fixtures, flower pots, bird feeders, and the like. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Decorative elements such as flower pots, light fixtures, bird feeders are used in lawns and gardens work-wide. It is often desired to display these elements in and elevated setting such as hanging flower pots from the ceiling of a porch. However, users frequently want to display such decorative elements in the yard or garden away from the porch, house or out buildings. Sometimes, flower pots are placed on a porch floor, patio or even in the grass. However, due to the presence of small animals and snakes, it is highly preferable to hang such elements above the ground or floor, safely away from such creatures. 
         [0004]    Hooks and brackets provide a means to hang decorative elements from structures such as a house, a porch, wooden posts or out buildings. But because of the inconvenience and undesirable appearance of hanging elements on one&#39;s house or porch, it is desirable to provide support for these in the lawn or garden area. 
         [0005]    The portable and reusable lawn stake of the present invention includes a shaft which can be installed in the ground with no tools but rather by twisting and rotating the handle screwing the helical coil base into the ground. A receiver at the upper end provides support to hold decorative elements vertically above the ground. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a lawn stake comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of a vertical rod having a helical coil extending downward therefrom a selected distance for penetration into the ground. The free end at the bottom end of the helical coil is sharp for penetration into soil. An S-shaped handle extends vertically upward from the top portion of the vertical rod, including at least two looped sections spaced apart from and in vertical alignment with one another. An upward extending receiver is fixed above the S-shaped rotary handle providing for attachment of a decorative element. 
         [0007]    It is an object of this invention to provide a reusable lawn stake which includes a helical coil at one end which can be screwed into the ground. 
         [0008]    It is an object of this invention to provide a reusable lawn stake which includes an integral crank handle for the purpose of screwing the stake into the ground. 
         [0009]    It is an object of this invention to provide an integral crank handle for the purpose of screwing the stake into the ground wherein the shaft of the stake includes a helical coil to be installed into the ground to provide substantially vertical support of decorative elements with respect to the ground. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a lawn stake wherein the integral handle serves to brace the stake when the stake is fully installed into the soil with the handle in contact with the soil. 
         [0011]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a lawn stake including a tubular receiver with a thumb screw for removably inserting and fastening the downward extending shaft portion of a selected decorative element such as a light fixture or flower pot for vertical support above the ground. 
         [0012]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a lawn stake including a vertical shaft with a helical coil at the bottom end, a handle for rotating or screwing the coil into the ground and a shepherd&#39;s hook at the top end with and upward curling end for holding a selected decorative element such as a light fixture or flower pot for vertical support above the ground. 
         [0013]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the views wherein: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a lawn stake with an outdoor light fixture with a helical coil, an S-shaped rotary handle, and a light fixture with a base including batteries. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a lawn stake with an outdoor light fixture with a helical coil, an S-shaped rotary handle, and a light fixture including a power cord for delivering electrical power to the light fixture. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a lawn stake with an outdoor light fixture with a helical coil, an S-shaped rotary handle, and a light fixture with a base including rechargeable batteries and a solar cell in the top for charging the batteries wherein the S-shaped rotary handle is reinforced by attachment of the downward extending receiver tube to a center point of the S-shaped handle. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a lawn stake with a downward extending helical coil, an S-shaped rotary handle and a vertical receiver tube with a clamping screw. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a lawn stake comprising a shaft including a helical coil at the bottom end, an S-shaped rotary handle at the upper center, and resembling a shepherd&#39;s hook at the top wherein the end of the shepherd&#39;s hook curls upward to form a support hook. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the lawn stake of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a downward perspective view of a lawn stake including a downward extending helical coil at the bottom, an upward extending shaft with a tubular receiver and thumb screw clamp and four L-shaped rotary handles wherein the free end of the first leg of each L-shaped handle extends radially outwards from just above the helical coil and the second leg of each L-shaped handle extends vertically upwards. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the lawn stake of  FIG. 7  not including the tubular receiver or thumb screw. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a front view of lawn stake with a downward extending helical coil at the bottom, an S-shaped rotary handle above the helical coil, and an upward extending vertical shaft with lug at the top end for attaching a decorative element. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a front view of a light fixture with a downward extending lug  50  sized and shaped to be removably inserted and locked into a tubular receiver on a lawn stake such as the one in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a lawn stake  10  comprising a vertical shaft  11  with a helical coil  18  at the bottom end, an S-shaped rotary handle  16  extending vertically upward from the upper end of the helical coil  18 , and a receiver extending upward from the top end of the S-shaped rotary handle for holding a decorative fixture such as a light  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 and 9 . 
         [0026]    The receiver  27 , in  FIG. 9  is a lug fixedly attached above the S-shaped handle  16 . A lighting fixture or other decorative fixture is fixedly attached to the lug  27  by welding or with fasteners such as screws and nuts inserted into apertures provided in the lug and the bottom of the decorative fixture to be added to the lawn stake. One preferred embodiment includes a tubular receiver  17  with a thumbscrew  24  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . A fixture  15  which would be suitable for attachment to such a lawn stake is shown in  FIG. 10  and includes a body  52  with a downward extending lug  50  which is sized and shaped to be inserted into the distal sleeve adapter  28  and to fit snugly into the tubular receiver  17 . The thumbscrew  24  is then tightened to lock the fixture in place. 
         [0027]    The tubular receiver  17  with mounting sleeve adapter  28  and the lug  50  are preferably square but can be circular as shown in  FIG. 7  or any other shape which provides for easy and secure holding of the decorative fixture within the lawn stake. 
         [0028]    The lawn stake  10  in  FIG. 1  has a battery operated light fixture attached at the upper end whereas the lawn stake  10  in  FIG. 2  has a light fixture with power cord attached at it&#39;s upper end. The battery operated light fixture of  FIG. 3  includes a solar charger  22  to charge the batteries. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a lawn stake  10  with a simple S-shaped rotary handle with no reinforcement. However, one preferred embodiment, the lawn stake  31  in  FIGS. 3 and 4  has a reinforced S-shaped handle  16 . At the upper end of the stake is a receiver tube  17  which is connected to the top end of the S-handle  16  and again at the middle of the S-handle. This double attachment of the receiver tube  17  to the S-handle reinforces the handle against bending or twisting and gives stronger support of the decorative element which is mounted in the receiver tube. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the receiver tube includes a thumb screw  24  for clamping the downward extending shaft of the decorative element firmly in the tube. 
         [0030]    The lawn stake  35  in  FIGS. 5 and 6  includes vertical shaft  11  with helical coil  18  extending downward therefrom at the bottom end and an S-shaped rotary handle  16  extending vertically upward from above the helical coil  18 . The lawn stake in  FIG. 5  includes a receiver  27  extending upward from the top end of the S-shaped rotary handle  16  for attaching the shepherds hook  34  above the S-shaped rotary handle  16 . As can be seen in the figures, the lawn stake can include extended straight sections  11  and  58  to provide for higher vertical support as in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Other lawn stakes are shorter to support a fixture just above the ground such as the light fixtures of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show a lawn stake wherein the S-shaped rotary handle  16  is replaced with an X-shaped structure  41 . The X-shaped portion of the rotary handle is perpendicular to the shaft  42  of the lawn stake and includes at least two upward extending shafts  38  forming handles attached at the ends of two of the legs of the X-shaped handle  41 . The lawn stakes of  FIGS. 7 and 8  include four upward extending shafts  38  forming handles. The upward extending shafts  42  supports and cooperatively engages a sleeve adapter  29  disposed on the distal end of an article to be supported thereby to provide better control of the lawn stake during installation into the soil. Further, when installed properly, the X-shape portion is in full contact with the soil and provides for stable support of the lawn stake and the attached decorative element. 
         [0032]    The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modification will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, this invention is not intended to be limited by the specific exemplification presented herein above. Rather, what is intended to be covered is within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.