Patents
US 10557247 B2: Reinforcement unit and methods for creating a footing for supporting a structure
- Granted
- 2020-02-11
- Filed
- 2017-08-24 application 15685354
- Type
- Utility · 8 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A reinforcement unit and methods are provided for creating footings for supporting structures, such as a fence post, using a reinforcement unit that has a tower that is generally perpendicular to a base, the tower defining a cavity for receiving a portion of the structure and an anchoring material. The reinforcement unit can include a top portion of a tower that is frangible. The base of the reinforcement unit can further include a pocket (or similar recess) substantially similar in width or diameter to the top portion of the tower such that a second identical reinforcement unit can be inverted and stacked on top of the second reinforcement unit. The methods can include placing the reinforcement unit on a layer of backfill material behind the wall face so that the unit is located adjacent the wall face and the base of the reinforcement unit extends away from the wall face, covering the base with at least one other layer of the backfill material, fracturing the top portion from the tower, such that the top portion drops into the cavity of the tower, depositing a bottom portion of the structure in the cavity of the tower, and filling the cavity of the tower with an anchoring material.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg200211.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Raven, Inc. 12 patents | US company or organization | Glen Raven, NC | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Charles Earhart | Mebane, NC | 4 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Matthew Landon Clark | Whitsett, NC | 3 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| E02D | Foundations; excavations; embankments ; underground or underwater structures | E02D27/42 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| E04H | Buildings or like structures for particular purposes; swimming or splash baths or pools; masts; fencing; tents or canopies, in general | E04H12/22 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-13 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | GLEN RAVEN, INC. signed 2023-07-03 | STRATA GEOSYSTEMS, LLC BURLINGTON, NC | 64247/616 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2017-09-27 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | CLARK, MATTHEW LANDON signed 2017-08-29 EARHART, ROBERT CHARLES signed 2017-08-29 | GLEN RAVEN, INC. GLEN RAVEN, NC | 43715/510 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.