Shaped anchor

Abstract

An anchor for masonry. The anchor is relatively smooth walled and is forcibly driven into a hole formed in masonry or other suitable material for purposes of attaching fixtures. When driven into the hole, a shaped portion of the anchor is deformed in such a manner as to facilitate a 360 degree or greater bearing surface with the holes of wall. The walls of the hole impose forces onto the shank along this bearing surface which tend to deform shank into alignment with the hole by primarily elastic deformation so that the resulting frictional forces between the shank and the wall resist dislodgment from the hole.

1 - 21 . (Cancelled)  
     
     
         22 . A method for inserting an anchor into a masonry hole, comprising: 
 providing an anchor having a shank, the shank including a curved section that describes a bearing circumferentially extending up to 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis of the shank, and a straight section located adjacent to the bend and extending parallel to the shank longitudinal axis;    driving the anchor into the masonry hole, including deforming the straight section and curved section into a plurality of curved sections which together form a continuous, circumferentially extending bearing surface with the walls of the hole that is greater than 360 degrees.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the providing step further includes providing one, and only one curved section on the shank.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the providing step further includes providing a smooth walled shank.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the deforming step further includes deforming the shank such that the shank conforms to the walls of the hole.  
     
     
         26 . A method of inserting an anchor into a masonry hole having walls, comprising the steps of: 
 providing an anchor including a shank adapted for being forcible driven into the hole and held within by frictionally engagement with the hole walls, wherein the shank includes a first shank portion having an outer surface that is cylindrical in shape and defines a nominal shank radius with respect to a shank axis, and a second shank portion forming a bulge, the bulge providing a bearing surface that is disposed at a greater distance from the longitudinal axis than the nominal shank radius and extends through an angle of approximately 360 degrees about the axis;    forcibly driving the shank into the masonry hole such that the hole does not form a helical groove.    
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the contacting the second end of the bulge with the wall further comprises: engaging a surface of the bulge with the wall in substantially all planes that contain the shank axis.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the contacting the second end of the bulge with the wall further comprises: engaging the wall over a contiguous 360 degree area when viewed in a plane perpendicular to the shank axis.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the driving step further includes deforming the first shank portion and second shank portion so as to form a first plurality of bends in the shank when viewing the shank in a first plane, and a second plurality of bends when viewing the shank in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, wherein the first and second plurality of bends describe a contigious, circumferentially bearing surface with the walls of the hole that is substantially greater than 360 degrees.  
     
     
         30 . A method for inserting an anchor into a masonry hole having walls, comprising: 
 providing an anchor having a shank, the shank including a curved section that describes a bearing surface with the walls of the hole that extends approximately 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis of the shank; and    driving the anchor into the masonry hole without forming a helical groove in the walls of the hole.    
     
     
         31 . the method of  claim 30 , wherein the driving step further includes deforming the curved section into a plurality of curved sections which together form a continuous, circumferentially extending bearing surface with the walls of the hole that is substantially greater than 360 degrees.