Safety anchor
OwnerKenneth Carrollinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention generally provides an anchor for providing an attachment point on a surface. In one embodiment, the anchor includes a center shaft having a first member and a second member pivotally coupled thereto. The center shaft has an attachment end and a piercing end. The piecing end is driven through the surface allowing the first and second members to pass therethrough. Once through the surface, the first and second members rotate away from the center shaft to an open position, thus preventing the anchor from disengaging the roof. A collar may be slidably disposed on the center shaft. The collar may be slid against the surface to lock the members in the open position.
Claims17
A safety anchor adapted for providing an attachment point to a wall of a building and attaching a safety tether thereto to support the weight of an adult human, comprising:
- (a) a center shaft comprising a tether attachment end and a wall piercing end,
- said wall piercing end having an upper portion having a first diameter and a lower portion inwardly tapering to a sharp piercing point adapted to facilitate the piercing of said wall piercing end through the exterior and interior surfaces of the wall when said anchor is driven into the wall,
- said tether attachment end including an aperture adapted for coupling to the tether to provide a fall restraint to an adult human coupled to the tether,
- said center shaft having a tensile strength adapted to support at least the full weight of an adult human;
- (b) first and second members pivotally coupled to said center shaft between a closed position against said center shaft and an open position extending away from said center shaft, said first diameter of said wall piercing end being equal to or greater than the distance between said first and second members when in said closed position;
- (c) a collar movable up and down along said center shaft and having
- an upper portion proximate to said attachment end and having a first diameter, and a
- lower portion proximate to said piercing end and having a second diameter larger than said first diameter of said upper portion of said collar and said first diameter of said piercing end;
- and
- (d) a locking mechanism coupled to said collar for locking said collar to said center shaft and adapted to securely hold said lower portion of said collar against the exterior surface of the wall while securely holding said first and second members against the interior surface of the wall when in said open position and further adapted to thereby sandwich the wall between said lower portion of said collar and said first and second members.
A safety anchor, in combination with a wall of a building, adapted to provide an attachment point to the wall for attaching a safety tether thereto to support the weight of an adult human, comprising:
- (a) a wall of a building having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
- and
- (b) a safety anchor comprising
- i. a center shaft comprising a tether attachment end and a wall piercing end, said wall piercing end having an upper portion having a first diameter and a lower portion inwardly tapering to a sharp piercing point to facilitate the piercing of said wall piercing end through said exterior and interior surfaces of said wall when said anchor is driven into said wall, said tether attachment end including an aperture adapted for coupling to the tether to provide a fall restraint to a human coupled to the tether, said center shaft having a tensile strength adapted to support at least the full weight of an adult human;
- ii. first and second members pivotally coupled to said center shaft between a closed position against said center shaft and an open position extending away from said center shaft, said first diameter of said wall piercing end being equal to or greater than the distance between said first and second members when in said closed position;
- iii. a collar movable up and down along said center shaft and having an upper portion proximate to said attachment end and having a first diameter, and a lower portion proximate to said piercing end and having a second diameter larger than said first diameter of said upper portion of said collar and said first diameter of said piercing end;
- and
- iv. a locking mechanism coupled to said collar for locking said collar to said center shaft to securely hold said lower portion of said collar against said exterior surface of said wall while securely holding said first and second members against said interior surface of said wall when in said open position to thereby sandwich said wall between said lower portion of said collar and said first and second members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.