1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to concrete form systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a curb and gutter concrete form system.
2. Description of Related Art
Curbs and gutters formed of concrete are well known in the art. Early conventional methods for forming curbs and gutters include hand-placed, wood or metal forms to be assembled, taken apart and reassembled throughout a given project. The primary advantage of the hand-placed forms is that they are relatively low cost. However, the conventional hand-placed forms process is labor and time intensive, requiring the cement material to harden before the molds may be removed. The edges formed by such a process then typically require finishing with an edging tool, followed by hand or machine finishing with trowels to a smooth surface or any number of textured surfaces, the most common being a broom finish. Another drawback with conventional hand-placed forms systems is that the forms themselves are generally not meant to be reused.
Because of the labor intensity of conventional hand-placed forms systems, many types of curb forming machines have been developed, from large slip-form machines used in freeway construction, to the smaller curb forming and extruding machines used in general construction. Examples of such conventional slip forming machines used to form curbs and gutters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,890,123 to Piccoli, 6,863,470 to Eggleton et al., 6,817,849 to Taylor, 6,540,435 to Lizarraga, 6,508,606 to James, III et al. and 4,013,375 to Heaton.
In conventional slip forming machines, the construction material must be manually placed into a hopper on the device where it is either manually or mechanically transported by pressure into the extrusion cavity. Such devices require a power source and an engine or pump onboard the formation machine itself, rendering it heavy and otherwise inconvenient. For some slip forming devices, the weight and the adhesion of the concrete material to the surface along with the pressure pushing the material into the extrusion cavity, propels the device in a forward direction. However, such devices do not automatically propel up or down inclined surfaces because of the excessive weight of the apparatus. Thus, such devices generally require an attached motor to supply a driving force when required, making them very cumbersome even in the lightest models. Furthermore, cleaning such concrete forming systems is a major problem in the industry because hardened concrete left on the machinery is extremely hard to remove. Finally, slip forming machines are substantially more expensive than hand-placed concrete forms.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a curb and gutter concrete form system that avoids the cost and maintenance problems of conventional slip form machines, yet retains the low cost advantages of hand-placed forms and yet overcomes at least some of the labor intensive and reusability problems associated with conventional hand-placed forms.
An embodiment of a curb and gutter concrete form system is disclosed. The system may include a gutter face panel, a curb face panel and a curb back panel each of the panels comprising a bendable generally planar elongated member having mounting holes placed at selected intervals. The system may further include a plurality of lateral brackets configured for attachment to and uniformly holding the gutter face panel, the curb face panel and the curb back panel at pre-selected distances relative to each other.
An embodiment of a radius bracket for use in a curb and gutter concrete form system is disclosed. The radius bracket may include a gutter face member, substantially vertically oriented and configured to support a gutter face panel. The radius bracket may further include a gutter surface member extending substantially horizontally from the gutter face member. The radius bracket may further include a curb face member extending substantially vertically up from the gutter surface member, the curb face member configured for supporting a curb face panel. The radius bracket may further include a curb back member extending substantially horizontally from the curb face member, the curb back member configured for supporting a curb back panel.
An embodiment of a divider bracket for use in a curb and gutter concrete form system is disclosed. The divider bracket may include a gutter panel grip configured for resting on top of a gutter face panel. The divider bracket may further include a a gutter member extending substantially horizontally from the gutter panel grip. The divider bracket may further include a curb face member extending substantially vertically up from the gutter member. The divider bracket may further include a curb top member extending substantially horizontally from the curb face member. The divider bracket may further include a curb back panel grip disposed at an end of the curb top member and configured for resting on a top edge of a curb back panel.
An embodiment of a curb and gutter concrete form system for forming a curved or straight curb and gutter structures is disclosed. The system may include a gutter face panel, a curb face panel and a curb back panel. The system may further include at least one radius bracket and/or divider bracket for supporting the gutter face panel, the curb face panel and the curb back panel uniformly from each other in a position to receive concrete to form the curved curb and gutter.
To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. It will be appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the invention. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
Reference will now be made to figures of embodiments of the present invention wherein like structures will be provided with like reference designations. It is understood that the drawings are diagrammatic and schematic representations of exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are neither limiting of the present invention nor are they necessarily drawn or shown to scale.
The embodiments of curb and gutter concrete form systems illustrated and explained herein are particularly suitable for use with concrete. It will be understood that other suitable materials that may be poured into a concrete form system may also be used consistent with the principle of the present invention. Thus, the use of the term concrete is not meant to be limiting of the scope of the present invention.
A curb 202 is generally raised relative to a gutter 204 and the street. A curb 202 may abut landscaping or a sidewalk (not shown in
Referring now to
Both gutter face panel 102 and curb back panel 106 may be supported by stakes 108 driven into the ground 120. Stakes 108 are passed through stake brackets 110 which may be connected to an outside surface 103 of gutter face panel 102 and an outside surface 107 of curb back panel 106. Stake brackets 110 are generally configured to receive a stake 108 through an annular opening along an edge. An opposite end of stake bracket 110 may be configured with bolt holes for receiving mounting bolts to secure the stake brackets 110 to an inside 102 or curb back panel 106. Stake brackets 110 may be formed of plastic, aluminum, steel or any other suitable material.
Stake brackets 110 are also generally configured to receive a stake adjustment 112 for securing the stake bracket 110 to a stake 108. Stake adjustment 112 may be for example, and not by way of limitation, an eye bolt and knob configured for holding a stake 108 in a fixed position within the stake bracket 110 as shown in
Gutter face panel 102 may also be configured with stake bracket pockets 114 for receiving stake brackets 110. Stake brackets 110 and stake bracket pockets 114 may be attached to the gutter face panels 102 or curb back panels 106 via mounting holes 118 formed in the gutter face panels 102 and curb back panels 106. The curb face panel 104 may also have mounting holes 118.
The relative positions of a gutter face panel 102, a curb face panel 104 and a curb back panel 106 may be maintained by lateral brackets 116 in system 100. Lateral bracket 116 may be configured to separate a gutter face panel 102 from a curb face panel 104, which is in turn separated from curb back panel 106 at any preselected or desired distances along any radius or curve for the desired curb 202 and gutter 204. A lateral bracket 116 may take any suitable form for the intended purpose of separating the inside 102, intermediate 104 and curb back panels 106. Referring again to
The gutter face panels 102, curb face panels 104 and curb back panels 106 may be formed of any suitable bendable material capable of supporting wet concrete in a desired shape. For example, the gutter face panel 102, curb face panel 104 and curb back panel 106 may be formed of a suitable thickness of aluminum, plastic or other elongated planar material. Stake brackets 110 may be formed of plastic, steel, aluminum or any suitably hard material consistent with the present invention.
Referring generally to
According to another embodiment, system 100 may further include stake brackets 110 configured for attachment to the mounting holes 118 on the gutter face panel 102 and the curb back panel 106, each stake bracket 110 configured with an annular opening 306 (
As best shown in
According to another embodiment, the curb face panel bracket 216 may be configured for attachment to the curb face panel 104 using an attachment mechanism 226. Attachment mechanism may be any suitable attachment mechanism 226, for example and not by way of limitation, a flat head pin 302 (
Referring now to
As shown in
According to another embodiment of radius bracket 500, the gutter face member 502 may further include a plurality of adjustment holes 520 extending through the gutter face member 502. Gutter face member 502 may further include a gutter panel engagement bracket 524 including a gutter panel slot 516 for receiving a top edge of the gutter face panel 102 and mounting holes 528 for selective mounting to the plurality of adjustment holes 520. The selective mounting feature of the present invention facilitates various gutter configurations including spill, catch and horizontal as desired.
According to another embodiment of radius bracket 500, the curb face member 506 may further include a curb face bracket 522 extending substantially perpendicular from the curb face member 506 and including one or more curb face mounting holes 526 for mounting to the curb face panel 104. According to yet another embodiment the radius bracket 500 further include an attachment mechanism 226 for engaging the curb face mounting hole 526 and a mounting hole 118 in a curb face panel 104. According to an embodiment, the curb back member 508 may further include a curb panel slot 518 formed in the curb back member 508 for receiving a top edge of the curb back panel 106. The curb back member 508 may further include a curb panel hook 514 rotationally engaging 512 the curb back member 508 and configured to support a bottom edge of the curb back panel 106.
According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the gutter member 704 may further include a curb face panel tab 712 extending substantially vertically from the gutter member 704 and substantially parallel to the curb face member 706, the curb face panel tab 712 configured for receiving a bottom corner of a gutter face panel 402. According to another embodiment, the gutter member 704 may further include a gutter panel tab 714 extending substantially vertically from the gutter member 704 near the gutter panel grip 702.
According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the curb face panel tab 712 may further include a finger hole 716 for use in removing the divider bracket 700 after the concrete has set. The curb face panel tab 712 may include a leveling surface 718 for configuring a slope of a gutter 204, according to another embodiment. In still another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the gutter panel tab 714 may further include a finger hole 716 for use in removing the divider bracket 700 after the concrete has set. The gutter panel tab 714 may further include a leveling surface 718 for configuring a slope of a gutter 204.
According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the curb face member 706 further includes a curb face panel support edge 726 configured to rest against a side of a curb face panel 404. According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the curb face panel support edge 726 may be set at a preselected angle, α, relative to vertical. The preselected angle, α, may be in a range from 0° to about 20°. In a presently preferred embodiment, α is approximately 10°. According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the curb top member 708 further includes a rotationally engaged 724 hook 720 near the curb face member 706 configured to rest upon and hold a top edge of the curb face panel 404. According to another embodiment of the divider bracket 700, the curb top member 708 further includes a curb top tab 722 extending substantially vertically from the curb top member 708 with a finger hole 716. The finger holes in tabs 712, 714 and 722 all serve the purpose of a gripping point on the divider bracket 700 for use during removal after the concrete has set.
The leveling surfaces 718 on the curb face panel tab 712 and the gutter panel tab 714 may be used to balance a level 900 as shown in
While the foregoing advantages of the present invention are manifested in the illustrated embodiments of the invention, a variety of changes can be made to the configuration, design and construction of the invention to achieve those advantages. Hence, reference herein to specific details of the structure and function of the present invention is by way of example only and not by way of limitation.
This nonprovisional patent application claims benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the filing of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/857,436 filed on Nov. 6, 2006, titled “CURB AND GUTTER CONCRETE FORM SYSTEM”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60857436 | Nov 2006 | US |