Submerged and/or flush to ground anchoring system for sporadic use

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an anchor assembly for placement in the ground. The assembly may include a shell with a lower end configured to be at least partially underground. An insert is provided that accepts a base, such as a baseball base or similar, and allows for built-up dirt and debris to be quickly and easily removed from the assembly so that bases and the like will be properly positioned.

1 . An anchor assembly for placement in the ground, the assembly comprising:
 a shell having a main body defining an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end, wherein the lower end is configured to be at least partially underground;   an insert configured to be received within an opening in the main body, the insert comprising a bottom surface and an aperture opposite the bottom surface defining a passageway and plural side walls;   a lid configured to be removably coupled to the upper end of the shell and having a through-hole extending therethrough;   wherein the through-hole is substantially aligned with the aperture and the passageway is configured for receiving a portion of an object; and   wherein the bottom surface of the insert is spaced from the lower end of the shell to define a void.   
     
     
         2 . The anchor assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a plug for selectively sealing the anchor assembly in a first position, and wherein when the plug is moved to a second position unsealing the anchor assembly, the insert is configured to catch an unwanted dirt and/or debris. 
     
     
         3 . The anchor assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the plug is configured to selectively seal the through-hole to prevent the dirt and/or debris from entering the through-hole. 
     
     
         4 . The anchor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shell further comprises a bottom flange extending at least partially about the periphery of the lower end of the shell. 
     
     
         5 . The anchor assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the bottom flange configured to retain the shell in the ground when dirt or debris of the ground is positioned around and above the bottom flange. 
     
     
         6 . The anchor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shell further comprises a shell shelf, the insert further comprises an insert shelf, and wherein when the insert is positioned within an inner volume of shell the insert shelf is configured to rest on the shell shelf. 
     
     
         7 . The anchor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lid comprises at least one lid fastener, the shell further comprises a lip proximal the upper end and comprising at least one lip fastener, and wherein the at least one lid fastener cooperates with at least one lip fastener to secure, in a removable way, the lid to the shell. 
     
     
         8 . The anchor assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a location device to enable a user to locate the anchor assembly when the anchor assembly is fully buried in the ground. 
     
     
         9 . An anchoring system for maintaining a position for an item above a surface, the anchoring system comprising:
 a shell having a main body configured to be at least partially buried under the surface, the shell having an opening for accessing an inner volume of the shell;   an insert configured to nest within the inner volume of the shell and comprising an aperture defining a passageway;   a lid removably coupled to an upper end of the shell, the lid comprising a through-hole substantially aligned with the aperture;   a plug capable of being selectively positioned in the through-hole when the anchoring system is in use, and positioned away from the through-hole to provide access to the passageway;   wherein the anchoring system is capable of retaining the object in a desired position when a portion of the item is received in the passageway.   
     
     
         10 . The anchoring assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the surface is a ground surface. 
     
     
         11 . The anchoring assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the insert is capable of selectively being removed from the inner volume 
     
     
         12 . The anchor assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising a base comprising a post and a pocket, wherein the passageway of the anchoring system is configured to receive at least a portion of the post. 
     
     
         13 . The anchoring assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the plug is positioned at least partially within the pocket when the anchor assembly is in use. 
     
     
         14 . A method of using an anchor assembly, the method comprising:
 locating, using a location device, an anchor assembly;   moving a plug from a first position covering a through-hole to a second position exposing the through-hole;   determining, by looking through the through-hole into a passageway of an insert, if the insert contains unwanted debris;   wherein if the insert contains unwanted debris, removing a lid coupled to a shell of the anchor assembly to remove the insert from the shell, replacing the insert in the shell and placing a portion of an object in the passageway;   wherein if the insert does not contain unwanted debris, placing the portion of the object in the passageway.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the location device is selected from the group comprising: a rope, an electronic device, a transceiver, an RFID antenna, and an NFC antenna.