GB2443413A

GB2443413A - Memorial anchoring device

Info

Publication number: GB2443413A
Application number: GB0621708A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Corner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-11-01
Filing date: 2006-11-01
Publication date: 2008-05-07
Also published as: GB0621708D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a memorial anchoring device (1 figure 1) that can be used to stabilise an upright memorial (5 figure 1). The anchoring device (1 figure 1) comprises a planar element positioned under the memorial base 4 and extends outwards beyond the base 4 to give a footprint with a larger surface area, thus increasing the stability of the memorial (5 figure 1) and reducing the chance that it will topple over. The anchoring device may comprise a number of plastic open frame sections 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d which conjoin to form a rectangular element. Steel or strengthened plastic bars (11 figure 3b) may extend across the sections 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d with each bar 11 being attached to multiple clips to secure the sections together to form the anchoring device (1 figure 1), alternatively the anchoring device may be a single section. A ground securing means 3 in the form of a screw with a helical thread (10 figure 5) preferably secures the device to the ground below it.

Description

Memorial anchoring device -The present invention relates to a memorial

anchoring device that can be used to secure headstones in an upright position and prevent them from toppling over.

Memorials are placed at the head of a gravesite to act as a marker as to the position of the grave within a cemetery.

There are a large number of different types of memorial and whilst some are flat and lie flush with the ground, the majority of memorials are in the form of upright headstones.

Headstones are normally made from hard stone such as marble or granite, as these are hardwearing and durable; however selecting such solid materials also makes the memorials very heavy.

Currently, when erecting vertically upstanding memorials, a base section is provided into which a headstone can sit.

The base section is provided with vertically extending apertures (typically three apertures) through which smooth pins are placed. The pins extend downwards into the ground which has been prepared with a concrete foundation (in some cases cemeteries are provided with a concrete strip running along the head of the graves acting as a pre-prepared foundation) and typically the pins also extend through the foundation securing the memorial to the ground. The pins can also extend upwards from the base to allow the headstone to be secured to it.

As vertically upstanding memorials typically have a small footprint in comparison to their height and width, it is relatively easy for them to fall over, or be pushed over Furthermore, as memorials are usually fixed into the ground with smooth pins, once the pins begin to loosen in the ground, the stability of the headstone quickly declines.

Due to these issues, the safety of memorial headstones in graveyards and cemeteries is becoming a significant concern.

Both children and adults have been killed by memorials falling onto them when they were visiting a cemetery, and serious injuries have been caused even from modern style lower height memorials falling over. Many cemeteries and local councils are now taking action to prevent further fatalities or injuries and are laying flat a large number of headstones that the deem to be potentially unsafe. Whilst this goes some way to preventing further accidents it results in cemeteries looking unsightly and cluttered and can result in further emotional distress to grieving relatives.

To try and prevent the need to lay headstones flat, certain temporary securing means have been suggested. In some cases ropes are secured to either side of the headstone to prevent it from toppling in any direction. However this is unsightly and can be a trip hazard. In other cases new concrete foundations are poured and the headstones placed directly into the concrete. Unfortunately this does not allow for any maintenance to the headstone and it is not uncommon for the headstone to fracture at the point in which it is embedded into the concrete.

It is clear that it would be beneficial to provide a memorial anchoring device that obviates or mitigates the

problems associated with the prior art.

According to the present invention there is provided an anchoring device f or providing stability to a vertically upstanding memorial, comprising one or more planar elements adapted to be placed under a memorial wherein, in use, the one or more planar elements extend out, substantially horizontally, beyond the base of the memorial.

Advantageously the planar elements act to provide the memorial base with a larger footprint. This stabilizes the memorial as significantly more force must be exerted on the top of the headstone if the memorial is to be pushed over, or a more significant disruption to the ground level must occur for the memorial to topple over.

Preferably the one or more planar elements are securable to the memorial.

Preferably the one or more planar elements are provided with securing apertures through which base securing means can be placed to secure the planar element to the base of the memorial.

Optionally the apertures are formed by placing one or more planar elements alongside each other wherein the abutting edges of the planar elements are shaped such that a securing aperture is formed Preferably the planar elements extend out, substantially horizontally, for approximately 10 inches (25.4cm) beyond the base of the memorial when in use.

Usually the grave itself is approximately 12 inches (30.5cm) away from the memorial. It is therefore a.dvantageous that the anchoring device does not extend over the grave itself.

Preferably the anchoring device is in the form of an open frame.

An open frame structure allows soil, plants, roots etc. to pass through the majority of the anchoring device.

Preferably the anchoring device is a high density plastic.

Advantageously, plastic is strong but not brittle and will not decompose if placed in the ground.

Preferably the anchoring device is provided with ground securing means.

Most preferably the anchoring device is provided with multiple ground-securing means.

The ground-securing means are suitable for securing the device to the ground below it.

Preferably the ground-securing means is in the form of a screw.

Most: preferably the screw is provided with a helical groove at least partially along its length.

Most preferably the helical groove is shaped so as to compact the soil when it is screwed into the ground.

Optionally the base-securing means and the ground-securing means are a single element.

When the base-securing means and ground-securing means are provided as a single element, the lower section is provided as a screw which extends through both the base and anchoring means into the ground, and the upper section extends upwards into the headstone.

In order to provide a better understanding of the present invention, embodiments will be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following figures in which; Figure 1 is a drawing showing a perspective view of an anchoring device in situ according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a drawing showing a section view of an anchoring device according to the present invention; and Figures 3a and 3b are drawings showing an exploded view of an anchoring device according to the present invention; and Figure 4 is a drawing showing overlapping anchoring devices according to the present invention; and Figure 5 is a central base pin according to the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of an anchoring device 1 according to the present invention is generally depicted in figure 3a and 3b, and shown in situ in figures 1 and 2. In the preferred embodiment the anchoring device 1 comprises a number of plastic sections la, ib, ic and id which conjoin to form a single rectangular element. Dividing the base into sections la, lb, ic and id allows for easy manufacturing and cost effective packaging of the product. The sections la, lb, lc and id each have an open frame structure which allows them to be easily covered with soil and allows for plants, grass etc to quickly grow over the in situ anchoring device 1.

When conjoined, the edges of the sections la, lb, lc and id are shaped such that the abutting edges form apertures or spaces 2 which are adapted to receive a screw pin 3. Steel or strengthened plastic bars 11 extend across sections la, lb, ic and id with each bar being attached to a multiple clips thus securing the sections la, lb, ].c and ld together to form the anchoring device 1. The clips are in the form of resiliently deformable short channels which partially surround the bars. When no force is being exerted on the channel the open portion of the channel is slightly narrower than the bars such that the bars are held onto the sections la, lb, ic and id. Furthermore, the preferred embodiment comprises integral base pins 8b which extend out perpendicular from the anchoring device 1. The integral base pins help to align the plastic sections la, lb. ic and id at the correct point below the memorial 5.

It is clear that in an alternative embodiment the anchoring device could be provided as a single section with preformed apertures or spaces through which the screw pins can be placed. A further embodiment could see the anchoring devices as a closed frame in the form of a sheet of plastic rather than an open frame. Yet further, it is not necessary to provide integral base pins, instead apertures can be provided through which separate pins can extend.

In use, the anchoring device 1 is laid out underneath the concrete base 4 of a memorial 5. The anchoring device 1 is positioned such that it extends out beyond the base 4. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 1, the memorial 5 typically has a broad front face 6 on which an epitaph can be inscribed, but does not have significant depth, thus giving the memorial 5 a relatively small footprint. This means that the memorial 5 is most likely to fall forward onto the front face 6 or the opposing back of the memorial 5. It is therefore preferable that, in use, the anchoring device 1 extends out perpendicularly from the front face 6 of the memorial 5 and the opposing back face.

The base 4 is then laid on top of the anchoring device 1.

Typically the base 4 is provided with three base apertures 7 through which base pins 8 can be placed. In the preferred embodiment, the central base pin 8a, as generally depicted in Figure 5, has an elongate shaft divided into two sections, an upper section 9 which is smooth, and a lower section 10 which has which has a helical groove running along it. In use, the upper section 9 extends upwards into the memorial 5 and the lower section 10 is screwed into the ground. The helical groove is angled such that when the central base pin Ba is screwed into the ground the soil is compacted into the groove securing the central base pin Ba into the ground.

In an alternative embodiment the pins are provided with smooth shafts and are hammered into the ground. Whilst the does not provide such a stable securing to the ground as the grooved pins of the preferred embodiment it is still sufficient to give a headstone improved stability.

The anchoring device 1 is further secured into the ground with additional screw pins 3 at a number of points which extend beyond the base 4 of the memorial 5. The preferred embodiment has one screw pin 3 inserted through the anchoring device 1 in front of the memorial 5 and a further screw pin 3 inserted through the anchoring device 1 behind of the memorial 5. In the preferred embodiment, each screw pin 3 is provided with a helical groove along its shaft in the same manner as the lower section 10 of the central base pin 8a.

In many cemeteries and graveyards space is becoming an issue and often graves are aligned to back onto each other to maximize the available space. This means that the back face of a memorial can be positioned relatively close to the back face of another memorial. The preferred embodiment of the present invention easily allows for closely positioned memorials 5 as the space 2 through which a screw pin 3 is fixed beyond the base 4 of the memorial 5 is provided as a channel on one side, as can be seen in Figure 4.

Neighboring anchoring devices can simply be laid over each other and a single screw pin 3 used to secure the overlaid anchoring devices 1 at a single point. Providing one of the spaces 2 as a channel ensures that perfect alignment of neighboring anchoring devices 1 is not necessary.

It will be clear to a man skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended. In particular, although the description above describes specific screw pins and base pins there are a wide range of pins that could be used with similar effect. Also, although the preferred material is plastic other materials could be utilised. It would also be clear to the skilled man that the helical grooved screws described in the present invention may have additional uses, for example as tent pegs as they securely fasten to the ground, and the helical groove is shaped so as to compact the soil into which it is being screwed.

Claims

Claims 1. An anchoring device for providing stability to a vertically

upstanding memorial, comprising one or more planar elements adapted to be placed under a memorial wherein, in use, the one or more planar elements extend out, substantially horizontally, beyond the base of the memorial.
2. An anchoring device as in Claim 1 wherein the one or more planar elements are securable to the memorial.
3. An anchoring device as in Claims 1 or 2 wherein the one or more planar elements are provided with securing apertures through which base-securing means can extend to secure the planar element to the base of the memorial.
4. An anchoring device as in Claim 3 wherein the edges of the one or more planar elements are shaped such that a securing aperture is formed by the abutting edges of the planar elements.
5. An anchoring device as in any of the previous Claims wherein in use the planar elements extend out, substantially horizontally, for approximately 12 inches (30.5cm) beyond the base of the memorial.
6. An anchoring device as in any of the previous Claims wherein the anchoring device is in the form of an open frame.

II
7. An anchoring device as in any of the previous Claims wherein the anchoring device is plastic.
8. An anchoring device as in any of the previous Claims wherein the anchoring device is provided with ground securing means.
9. An anchoring device as in Claim 8 wherein the ground-securing means is in the form of a screw with a helical groove running at least partially along the length of the shaft of the screw.
10. An anchoring device as in Claim 9 wherein the helical groove is shaped so as to compact the soil when the screw is screwed into the ground.
11. Optionally the base-securing means and the ground-securing means are a single element.