Baseball base and installation apparatus

• US 4,162,789 A
• Filed: 11/16/1977
• Issued: 07/31/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William D. Hollaway
• Original Assignee: William D. Hollaway
• Inventors: Hollaway, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, T.
• Application Number:
  US05/852,090
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 273/25, 273/1 C, 273/31, 272/3, 33/1 G, 33/137 R, 52/157, 52/127, 52/749, 52/158, 52/159, 10/71, 119/122, 173/18
• US Class Current: 473/499
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/024 with screws or pins in the earth
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0013 Baseball bases

Abstract

A baseball base and installation apparatus whereby the base has attached to the bottom surface thereof a post having a non-circular cross-section. The installation apparatus includes a brace member, an anchor member having a top socket portion and a bottom screw auger portion, the top socket portion having a hollow interior complementary to the configuration of the non-circular post, and the screw auger portion being a flat strip of metal formed into a helical configuration. The brace member has a non-circular lug portion of a configuration complementary to the interior of the top socket portion and a handle portion for rotating the lug portion. The lug portion is telescopically inserted into the socket portion, the handle is rotated to install the anchor member into the ground. After the anchor member has been installed into the ground the brace member is removed and the post of the base is telescopically inserted into the socket portion.

Claims

1. A kit for laying out a baseball field and for removably installing the bases therefor including:

(a) three bases, each of said bases having a bottom surface;

(b) post means adapted to be mounted on the base and extend vertically downwardly from the bottom surface;

(c) anchor means adapted to be removably installed in the ground, said anchor means including a top socket member having a hollow interior complementary to the configuration of the post means and a screw auger firmly secured to the bottom of the socket member and extending vertically downwardly from said socket member;

(d) brace means having a lug with a configuration complementary to the interior of the socket member and a handle for rotating the lug, said lug being adapted to be telescopically inserted into the interior of the socket member to removably install the anchor means in the ground by rotatably advancing the screw auger into the ground upon rotation of the brace means handle until the top of the socket member is flush with the top of the ground;

(e) the post means being adapted to be telescopically inserted into the socket member to secure the base in a fixed predetermined position on a baseball field after removal of the brace means lug; and

(f) flexible measuring means for determining the position of the bases on a baseball field.

2. Apparatus for removably installing and securing a base on the ground for a ball field, including:

(a) a base having a bottom surface;

(b) strap means mounted on the base and extending beneath the base adjacent the bottom surface;

(c) post means including a flat metal plate formed with slots and a noncircular post fixed on the plate and extending vertically downwardly therefrom, the strap means extending through the plate slots to removably mount the post means on the base adjacent the bottom surface thereof;

(d) anchor means adapted to be removably installed in the ground, said anchor means including a top socket member having a noncircular hollow interior complementary to the configuration of the noncircular post, and a screw auger firmly secured to the bottom of the socket member and extending vertically downwardly therefrom, said screw auger being a flat strip of metal formed into a helical configuration;

(e) brace means including a vertical noncircular lug having a configuration complementary to the interior of the socket member and a handle for rotating the lug, said lug being adapted to be telescopically inserted into the interior of the socket member to install and remove the anchor means into and from the ground by rotating the screw auger upon rotation of the brace means handle with the top of the socket member being flush with the top of the ground when in the installed position; and

(f) the post being telescopically inserted into the socket member to removably secure the base in a fixed nonrotatable position on the anchor means after removal of the brace means lug from within the socket member after installing the anchor means in the ground.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 in which the interior of the socket member, the brace means lug and the post means all have a rectangular cross-sectional configuration.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 in which the brace means includes a generally flat lever bar with the lug being fixed to one end thereof and extending downwardly from the bar, and with the handle being rotatably mounted on the other end of the bar and extending upwardly therefrom.