Concrete structures are formed by providing a work-piece or form structure that defines the outer boundaries of the concrete structure to be formed. Concrete is then poured into the form and stays in the form for the prescribed setting period of time. The form can outline a vertical structure such as a wall or a horizontal structure such as a floor or slab. The form is sometimes removed after concrete setting or can be left in the case of structures where it is intended to be a part of the finished structure.
It is sometimes desirable after concrete setting and after the form or work-piece is removed to be able to securely connect certain other structures (e.g., a railing, a post, a threaded hanger, etc.) to the concrete structure. One well known method of achieving such a connection is to imbed an anchor having a connector in the concrete before it sets so that after setting the embedded connector can be used for easy secure connection and anchoring.
The anchor system of the present invention provides an innovative solution to the need for making secure connections to poured concrete structures.
The present invention includes an anchor system securable to a work-piece comprising an anchor portion and a support portion. The anchor portion may include a tubular member extending from an anchor head. The tubular member may include a wall and the wall may include a first interior surface. The tubular member may include a second interior surface having an enlarged diameter with respect to the first interior surface.
The support portion may include a base portion and a shaft portion extending from the base portion. The shaft portion may include a first exterior surface and a second exterior surface of a greater diameter than the first exterior surface. The base portion may further include a central portion and the support portion may include a through passage.
A distal end of the shaft portion is received in the interior surface of the wall. Furthermore, a fastener is disposed in the through passage and includes a drive end and a fastening end. The drive end extending from the distal end a predetermined distance. At least a portion of one of the first and second interior surfaces includes threads. In addition, the system includes a first pre-set configuration and a second set configuration and the anchor portion travels telescopically relative to the support potion along a central axis to transition from the first configuration to the second configuration.
A lower portion of the anchor head is able to contact the drive end to drive the fastener during the travel to extend the fastening end into the work-piece. Further, the telescopic travel includes sufficient interaction between the second interior and second exterior surfaces to prevent ingress of concrete to the second interior surface in the set configuration.
The anchor system of the present invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with
Anchor portion 100 includes a head portion 110 and a cylindrical or tubular portion 120 which is elongated and extends from head portion 110. In other words, head portion 110 is connected to an upper portion of tubular portion 120 and can have a flanged arrangement relative to tubular portion 120. In any case, head portion 110 is sized and shaped to receive an impact from a tool such as a hammer and is sized and shaped to transfer load on anchor portion 100 to the concrete. Its flanged arrangement is such that head portion 110 can extend radially past an outermost radial extremity of tubular portion 120. Tubular portion 120 includes a cylindrical or tubular wall 124 having an internal or interior cylindrical surface 128 that defines a generally elongated internal volumetric space.
The cylindrical interior surface 128 can include multiple interior stepped surfaces 130, 132 of different diameter. Therefore, the thickness of cylindrical wall 124 may be reduced as the diameter of the stepped surfaces increases. The stepped surfaces 130, 132 can be directly adjacent one another or non-threaded space may exist between steps. Female threads 134, 136 respectively may be formed on at least a portion of at least one of stepped interior surfaces 130, 132 and may be formed on two or more interior surfaces. The threads may extend up to the entire length of one or all of the stepped surfaces or may extend just a small radial length thereof. The cylindrical surface 130, 132 and threaded portions can increase in diameter the farther away they are from head portion 110 or decrease the closer they are to head portion 110.
Furthermore, the cylindrical stepped interior surfaces 130, 132 include at least an upper reduced diameter surface 130 that is reduced relative to a lower enlarged diameter surface 132.
As mentioned above Anchor system 10 also includes a support portion 200. Support portion 200 includes a shaft portion 240 connected to a base portion 220. Shaft portion 240 extends upward from base portion 220 as shown in
Base portion 220 can include a central portion 256 to which the shaft portion 240 is connected. Central portion 256 also includes a through passage. Through passage 260 extend entirely through a longitudinal centerline of support portion 200. Base portion 220 can be molded to the shaft portion 240 as one continuous piece or can be attached as two pieces.
Central portion 256 includes a lowermost surface 257. A skirt 262 may extend radially outward and downward from central portion 256. Skirt 262 can be made of a flexible material and can extend downward longitudinally past lowermost surface 257. Therefore, when lower surface 257 of base portion 220 is urged into contact with a work-piece 400 such as a wooden form (see
To assemble anchor system 10, distal end 252 is inserted into tubular portion 120 of anchor member 100. First exterior surface 244 of shaft portion 240 is received by first interior surface 130. Furthermore, second exterior surface 248 is received by second interior surface 132 of tubular member 120. Specifically, a diameter of first exterior surface 244 is slightly smaller than the thread tip diameter of first threads 134 of first interior surface 130 of tubular portion 120. In addition, second exterior surface 248 is slightly smaller than the thread tip diameter of second thread 136 of second interior surface 132. Three or more corresponding step portions on tubular portion 120 and correspondingly on shaft portion 240 may also be employed in a similar manner.
Each step 130, 132 of tubular portion 120 of anchor portion 100 therefore slides telescopically in contact with its corresponding stepped shaft portion 244, 248 so that a longitudinal center line of shaft portion 240 is aligned or collinear with a longitudinal centerline of tubular member 120.
The lowermost increased diameter exterior surface 248 of shaft portion 240 contacts a corresponding lowermost interior surface 132 of tubular portion 120 in a sufficiently snug manner to prevent concrete from entering the tubular portion before the concrete sets. Specifically, each different shaft diameter 244, 248 slides telescopically into a corresponding tubular space of tubular member 120.
There are two configurations of anchor system 10. In the first pre-set configuration, (shown in
Also in the first pre-set configuration, as discussed above the first interior surface 130 telescopically receives first exterior surface 244. In addition, second interior surface 132 may also receive a portion of second exterior surface 248 for increased alignment guidance. Furthermore, in a certain configuration just a portion of second exterior portion 248 of shaft portion 240 may be in telescopic contact with second interior surface 132 without initial telescopic contact between First exterior surface 244 and first interior surface 130. In other words in a certain configuration, second interior surface 132 may overlap second exterior surface 248 before distal end 252 enters first interior surface 130.
Anchor system 10 is reconfigurable from the pre-set condition of
Furthermore, during impact fastener 300 is driven through support portion 200 extending from central portion 256 and into the form or work-piece 400 to set the anchor system 10. Fastener 300 may either be smooth or profiled (e.g., ringed nail). Ring nails provide a strong grip to the work-piece and improves robustness prior to and during concrete placing. The telescopic repositioning during impact is such that second interior surface 132 relates to second exterior surface 248 sufficiently snuggly that concrete material cannot enter between second threads 136 and second exterior surface 248 of tubular portion 120 after concrete pouring and before concrete setting when set concrete surrounds anchor system 10. In other words skirt 262 is capable of absorbing energy due to an inadvertent or accidental blow by a worker while maintaining the intended set configuration of the anchor 10.
After setting, support portion 220 is removed to expose first and second threads 134, 136 on the interior of tubular portion 120 as shown in
The present system discusses a two step threaded member. However, three or more steps may be utilized. The disclosure above also applies to three or more steps where the upper and lower steps are described as above, but one or more steps are added between the above described upper and lower steps. Furthermore, for each threaded step there is a corresponding shaft step that is telescopically received in each threaded step. Moreover, horizontal cross sections of the present invention as shown are generally circular, but may be polygonal or of another shape.
The following application hereby incorporates by reference and derives priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/114,725, filed on Feb. 11, 2015, now pending.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62114725 | Feb 2015 | US |