Marker Apparatus

A whisker marker to be driven into a ground surface by an installation apparatus, comprising:

• a whisker marker for visually marking a location on a surface, the whisker marker comprising:
• a bunch of flexible strands which form an indicator flag;
• the flexible strand bunch having a bunching device permanently attached to the flexible strand bunch at a connection point located in the longitudinal center of the flexible strand bunch;
• and
• a pair of apertures located opposite each other in the bunching device to receive a whisker fastener and be positioned about a frustro-conical top portion of the whisker fastener;
• and
• a whisker fastener for receiving the whisker marker, the whisker fastener comprising:
• a threaded fastener, the threaded fastener having a pointed bottom portion, a threaded middle portion, and a frustro-conical top portion;

A method of marking a location on a surface, the method comprising the acts of:

• providing an installation apparatus for installing a marker, the installation apparatus comprising:
• a housing;
• an elongate driver shaft for operative connection to a power driver for rotation thereby and defining a longitudinal axis;
• the drive shaft and the housing coupled together for movement together parallel to the axis of the drive shaft;
• the driver shaft having the forward end a driver bit;
• a slide body coupled to the housing for displacement relative to the housing and drive shaft parallel to the axis of the driver shaft between an extended position and a retracted position;
• the slide body having a guide channel for a marker strip extending through the slide body transverse to the driver and intersecting with the driver;
• and
• the guide channel having an entrance for inserting the marker strip and an exit for a used marker strip to exit;
• providing a whisker marker to be driven into a ground surface by the installation apparatus, comprising:
• a whisker marker for visually marking a location on a surface, the whisker marker comprising:
• a bunch of flexible strands which form an indicator flag;
• the flexible strand bunch having a bunching device permanently attached to the flexible strand bunch at a connection point located in the longitudinal center of the flexible strand bunch;
• and
• a pair of apertures located opposite each other in the bunching device to receive a whisker fastener and be positioned about a frustro-conical top portion of the whisker fastener;
• and
• a marker strip comprising threaded fasteners such as screws which are joined together in a strip;
• and
• providing a whisker fastener for receiving the whisker marker, the whisker fastener, comprising:
• a threaded fastener, the threaded fastener having a pointed bottom portion, a threaded middle portion, and a frustro-conical top portion;
• the threaded fastener being attached to the marker strip such that the threaded fastener is released from the marker strip when the threaded fastener is rotated;
• inserting the marker strip into the entrance of the guide channel so that a threaded fastener on the marker strip is directly below the bit of the installation apparatus;
• positioning the slide body of the installation apparatus about the location to be marked;
• applying downward pressure to the installation apparatus;
• and
• actuating the installation apparatus such that the bit engages the threaded fastener and rotates the fastener to install the fastener and the attached whisker marker into the ground until a desired depth has been reached.