US 6,260,314 B1Granted

Extension piece for a utility pole

AssigneeFaroex Ltd.

InventorsKenneth S. Church, Terry Pohjoisrinne, Mark Wallace, Aaron Lutz

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Abstract

A pole is mounted in a tubular filament wound support mounted in the ground and supporting the pole standing upwardly therefrom so as to provide an extension for the pole to increase its height or to replace a rotten lower end or to provide an environmentally friendly mounting which avoids toxic preservatives reaching the ground. The tubular body has a hollow interior with one end substantially closed by a dome shaped insert formed during the filament winding process and an opposed open end for receiving a bottom end portion of the pole as a loose fit. A first engagement arrangement on the tubular body is arranged adjacent the open mouth and includes three clamping screws mounted in a reinforcing ring formed by an annular rib of wound filament. A second engagement arrangement on the tubular body spaced downwardly from the first engagement but above the bottom end is formed by an annular rib on the inside surface defining a frusto-conical upper surface extending inwardly to a sharp apex which co-operates with a generally pointed lower end defined by three surfaces cut from the pole and converging toward a lowermost point, each surface being separated from the next by a respective one of a plurality of lines, each line engaging the circular innermost apex so as to hold the pole substantially wedged against movement.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A combination comprising:

a wooden utility pole having a tapered bottom end portion converging substantially to a pointed bottom apex;
a pole support member for mounting in the ground and receiving and supporting the wooden utility pole standing upwardly therefrom, the support member comprising.
a tubular body having a hollow interior with a lower end substantially closed and an opposed open upper end and arranged for mounting in the ground with the substantially closed end facing downwardly and the open end facing upwardly receiving a bottom end portion of the wooden utility pole as a loose fit therein inserted through the open end into the hollow interior;
a first engagement arrangement on the tubular body adjacent the open mouth engaging and locating the pole at a first position thereon;
wherein the first engagement arrangement comprises a mounting ring attached to the tubular body adjacent the open end of the tubular body and a plurality of clamping screws carried on the mounting ring and extending therefrom inwardly to an inner end thereof in clamping engagement with an outside surface of the pole, the clamping screws being carried in threaded openings provided in the mounting ring such that rotation of each clamping screw about its axis moves the inner end of the clamping screw toward the pole;
a second engagement arrangement on the tubular body spaced downwardly from the first engagement arrangement engaging and locating the pole at a second position thereon such that the pole is supported in the tubular body and is held against movement relative thereto;
the second engagement arrangement comprising an annular restriction member projecting inwardly from a wall of the tubular body into the interior and defining a circular innermost portion surrounding and engaging the tapered bottom end portion of the pole at a position above the bottom apex;
the tubular body including the mounting ring and the annular restriction member being formed integrally from a set resin material reinforced by a plurality of wrapped filaments.

5 more elements

A combination comprising:

a wooden utility pole;
a support member supporting the pole standing upwardly therefrom and arranged for mounting in the ground, the support member comprising:
a tubular body having a hollow interior with one end substantially closed and an opposed open end and arranged for mounting in the ground with the substantially closed end facing downwardly and the open end facing upwardly receiving a bottom end portion of the pole as a loose fit therein inserted through the open end into the hollow interior;
a first engagement arrangement on the tubular body adjacent the open mouth that engages and locates the pole at a first position thereon;
a second engagement arrangement on the tubular body spaced downwardly from the first engagement arrangement that engages and locates the pole at a second position thereon such that the pole is supported in the tubular body and is held against movement relative thereto;
the pole having a generally pointed lower end portion defined by a plurality of planar surfaces arranged angularly spaced around an axis of the pole and converging toward a lowermost point, each planar surface being separated from the next planar surface by a respective one of a plurality of lines angularly spaced around the axis of the pole;
wherein the second engagement arrangement comprises an annular restriction member projecting inwardly from a wall of the tubular body into the interior and defining a circular innermost portion lying in a horizontal plane surrounding and engaging the lower end portion of the pole, each line of the lower end portion engaging the circular innermost portion of the annular restriction member so as to hold the lower end portion of the pole substantially wedged against sideways movement.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.