Form support for supporting a disposable mold form

Abstract

A form support for supporting a disposable mold form. The disposable mold form is adapted to be mounted on a bond beam for forming a cement coping. The form support includes a tie wire and an elongate tube. The tie wire has a head, an elongate midsection, and an end portion. The elongate midsection and the end portion are separated by a weakened portion. The tie wire is adapted to be positioned through the disposable form mold such that the head abuts the disposable mold form, the elongate midsection extends through the disposable mold form, and the end portion extends over the bond beam. The elongate tube is shaped to fit around the tie wire such that the elongate tube extends from the head to the vicinity of the weakened portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the construction of swimming pools and the like and, more particularly, to a form support for supporting a disposable mold form for molding a concrete coping along the upper edge of a swimming pool.

2. Description of Related Art

In constructing a concrete swimming pool, the commonly followed practice is to first build the upwardly extending concrete side walls and bottom wall therefor usually as an integer and by a technique known as the gunite process. After the concrete side walls have at least partially cured, a water impervious layer, such as tile 20, is installed over the concrete.

Once the tile 20 has been installed, concrete coping is formed on the upper portion of the concrete sidewall, known as the bond beam. The currently preferred method of forming the concrete coping involves the use of a disposable mold form is bonded to the tile 20 for forming the. This process is described in detail in Stegmeier, U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,422, which is hereby incorporated by reference in full.

To support the disposable mold form, it is common to include a tie wire that fits through the disposable mold form and is attached to an anchor, such as a nail driven into the concrete side wall. The tie wire typically includes a weakened portion such as a notch that enables the tie wire to be broken and removed from the coping once the coping has at least partially cured.

The problem with this approach is that the tie wire is sometimes not removed until the coping has entirely cured, at which point the coping often tends to bind to the tie wire and thereby prevent it from being removed from the coping. If a portion of the tie wire remains near the surface of the coping, the remnant will corrode and expand, which in turn spalls the surface of the coping.

This problem has been addressed in the past with only partial success. Deason, U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,877, for example, teaches a device that is adapted to overcome this problem. The Deason device includes a continuous strip of semirigid material and an elongate support member for maintaining the strip of material in position against the upper portion of the pool wall. The continuous strip of semirigid material includes a facing surface which is positioned below the horizontal pool edge against the upper portion of the pool wall; a front form surface extending upwardly from the facing surface to form a contoured surface for temporarily supporting concrete poured above the horizontal edge onto the bond surface of the pool, the concrete forming a pool deck and coping thereof contiguous to the pool wall when set; and, a back wall surface generally opposed to the front form surface and facing the central area of the pool. The elongate support member passes through the continuous strip of semirigid material and is secured to the bond surface of the pool to maintain the continuous strip in position against the pool wall.

While the Deason device is functional, it is expensive, requiring two molded plastic parts. It is critical that this type of product be both simple to use and also inexpensive to manufacture.

The prior art teaches a tie wire form support. However, the prior art does not teach a tie wire that is surrounded by an elongate tube that prevents the cement coping from binding to the tie wire. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

The present invention provides a form support for supporting a disposable mold form mounted on a bond beam for forming a cement coping. The form support includes a tie wire and an elongate tube. The tie wire has a head, an elongate midsection, and an end portion. The elongate midsection and the end portion are separated by a weakened portion. The tie wire is adapted to be positioned through the disposable form mold such that the head abuts the disposable mold form, the elongate midsection extends through the disposable mold form, and the end portion extends over the bond beam. The elongate tube is shaped to fit around the tie wire such that the elongate tube extends from the head to the vicinity of the weakened portion.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a form support having advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a form support that includes a tie wire that is adapted to support the disposable mold form so that the weight of the concrete coping, once it has been poured, does not push the disposable mold form out of shape, causing the concrete coping formed to be misshapen.

A further objective is to provide an elongate tube that prevents the hardening concrete coping from adhering to the elongate midsection of the tie wire.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disposable mold form adapted to be mounted on a bond beam of a swimming pool, and a form support used to support the disposable mold form, the form support including a tie wire and an elongate tube;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational sectional view thereof once the tie wire has been operably positioned through the elongate tube and the disposable mold form, and anchored to a nail;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational sectional view of the disposable mold form and the form support once a cement coping has been poured; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational sectional view illustrating how the tie wire is broken and removed, with the aid of the elongate tube, from the at least partially cured cement coping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a form support 10 for supporting a disposable mold form 22 mounted on a bond beam 14 for forming a cement coping 26 during the construction of a swimming pool. The form support 10 includes a tie wire 30 and an elongate tube 40, which are described in greater detail below

FIG. 1 illustrates how the disposable mold form 22 is mounted on the bond beam 14, which is formed by the upwardly extending side walls of the swimming pool. The bond beam 14, and the entirety of the upwardly extending side walls, may be formed in any conventional manner, and ordinarily are fabricated of concrete and integral with a bottom wall (not shown). The generally vertical or upwardly extending walls are enlarged somewhat at their upper ends to form the bond beam 14 which is rather standard practice. The bond beam 14 has an upper edge 16 and an inner face 18 or surface. The inner face 18 has a water-impervious finish 20 secured thereto. The water-impervious finish 20 may be ceramic tile attached to the inner face 18 in any usual manner as, for example, by means of adhesive or concrete bed mud, or it may be formed with another coating known in the art. As stated hereinbefore, as respects these features and characteristics of the pool, they may be completely conventional and per se form no part of the present invention.

The disposable mold form 22 is secured to the bond beam 14 adjacent the upper edge 16, along with a plurality of other mold forms (not shown). The disposable mold form 22 is preferably integral from end to end thereof, is elongated longitudinally, lightweight and may be formed of a material having myriad interstitial spaces therein as, for example, one of the synthetic plastics such as the plastic material sold under the trademark Styrofoam®. The disposable mold form 22 has a surface portion 24 configurated in the finished shape to be imposed thereby upon the cement coping 26 molded thereagainst, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The configurated surface portion 24 may have a reversely oriented, somewhat C-shaped disposition in cross section so that the coping 26 has slightly rounded top and bottom edges; however, those skilled in the art may devise various shapes, contours, and textures so that the coping 26 formed will be aesthetically pleasing.

The disposable mold form 22 further has an attachment portion 28, which faces in the same direction as that of the configurated surface portion 24, and is adapted to be attached to the tile 20 with a tape strip 29. The tape strip 29 may be a double-sided pressure-sensitive tape adhesively secured along its other side to the finish of the bond beam 14. The tape strip 29 may be substantially non-stretchable and, for example, might be a fiberglass tape or an adhesive transfer tape. The disposable mold form 22 may be fabricated in the configuration shown in any suitable manner as, for example, by being machined from elongated bar stock or, depending upon the particular material employed, might be extruded, foamed-in-place or otherwise molded.

In use of the disposable mold form 22 and in providing the concrete coping 26 along the upper edge 16 of a swimming pool, the inner face 18 of the of the bond beam 14 is first equipped with the tile 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The disposable mold form 22 is provided with a tape strip 29 along the attachment portion 28, and such strip may be attached at any time (such as during production of the disposable mold form 22, or later, at the construction site) by pressing one of the pressure-sensitive adhesive surfaces of the strip against the appropriate surface of the attachment portion 28. The tape strip 29 could be secured to the section during manufacture, especially where adhesive transfer tapes are employed or where the opposite face of the tape strip 29 has the adhesive thereon protected by a removable cover or coating of some type.

The disposable mold form 22 has the opposite pressure-sensitive adhesive face of the tape strip 29 pressed against the tile 20 with the configurated surface portion 24 of the section projecting above the upper edge 16 of the pool wall. As many of the disposable mold forms 22 are used as is necessary to provide a continuous form about the side walls of the pool, and the sections are abutted along their adjacent edges.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tie wire 30 has a head 32, an elongate midsection 34, and an end portion 36. The head 32 has a greater width or cross section than the remainder of the tie wire 30, and functions to supportingly abut the disposable mold form 22. The head 32 may be formed from a bent portion of the tie wire 30 itself, as shown, or it may be provided by another component that is attached to the tie wire 30.

FIG. 2 illustrates how the disposable mold form 22 is pierced with the tie wire 30, which is anchored for supporting the disposable mold form 22. The tie wire 30 is adapted to support the disposable mold form 22 so that the weight of the concrete coping 26, once it has been poured, does not push the disposable mold form 22 inwardly towards the center of the swimming pool, causing the concrete coping 26 formed to be misshapen.

The elongate midsection 34 and the end portion 36 are preferably formed by a metal wire, although other suitable materials and elongate shapes may be used, and such alternatives should be considered within the scope of the term “tie wire.” The elongate midsection 34 and the end portion 36 are separated by a weakened portion 38, formed by a cutting, notching, perforating, or otherwise weakening of the tie wire 30 at the appropriate location. The tie wire 30 is adapted to be positioned through the disposable form mold, as described above, such that the head 32 abuts the disposable mold form 22, the elongate midsection 34 extends through and at least partially out of the disposable mold form 22, and the end portion 36 extends over the bond beam 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the form support 10 further includes an elongate tube 40 shaped to fit around the tie wire 30 such that the elongate tube 40 extends from the head 32 to the vicinity of the weakened portion 38. The elongate tube 40 is preferably made of plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene, although it could be made of any material that resists binding with concrete once it has cured.

Finally, the form support 10 includes a means for anchoring 42 the end portion 36 of the tie wire 30. In one embodiment, the means for anchoring 42 is a nail 42. The nail 42 is driven into the bond beam 14 and the end portion 36 is wrapped around the nail 42 or otherwise fastened to it. In alternative embodiments, the means for anchoring 42 may be any suitable anchor, including screws, stakes, weights, or any other anchoring, fastening, or bonding mechanisms known in the art.

As shown in FIG. 3, when all of the disposable mold forms 22 are in place, a moldable mass of amorphous concrete is then spread against the configurated surface portion 24 of each section, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that such configurated sections impose the desired finished shape upon the coping 26. When the concrete mass defining the coping 26 has cured, at least to the point that it is self-sustaining, the disposable mold form 22 is ready to be stripped from its adhesive attachment to the bond beam 14.

As shown in FIG. 4, the form support 10 must first be removed to enable the stripping of the disposable mold form 22. The head 32 of the tie wire 30 is grasped and twisted within the elongate tube 40, thereby breaking the weakened portion 38. The elongate tube 40 keeps the elongate midsection 34 of the tie wire 30 from contacting and bonding with the concrete coping 26. Once broken, the head 32 and the elongate midsection 34 of the tie wire 30, and the elongate tube 40, may be removed from the concrete coping 26 and the disposable mold form 22, leaving the disposable mold form 22 free to be stripped from the bond beam 14 and discarded.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a complete disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

Claims

1. A form support for supporting a disposable mold form mounted on a bond beam for forming a cement coping, the form support comprising:

a tie wire having a head, an elongate midsection, and an end portion, the elongate midsection and the end portion being separated by a weakened portion,

the tie wire being adapted to be positioned through the disposable form mold such that the head abuts the disposable mold form, the elongate midsection extends through and at least partially out of the disposable mold form, and the end portion extends over the bond beam; and

an elongate tube shaped to fit around the tie wire such that the elongate tube extends from the head to the vicinity of the weakened portion.

2. The form support of claim 1 further comprising a means for anchoring the end portion of the tie wire.

3. The form support of claim 2 wherein the means for anchoring is a nail.

4. The form support of claim 1 wherein the weakened portion is formed by a cut through at least a portion of the tie wire.

5. The form support of claim 1 wherein the elongate tube is made of plastic.

6. A mold form system adapted to be mounted on a bond beam for forming a cement coping, the mold form system comprising:

a disposable mold form adapted to be mounted on the bond beam;

a tie wire having a head, an elongate midsection, and an end portion, the elongate midsection and the end portion being separated by a weakened portion, the tie wire being adapted to be positioned through the disposable form mold such that the head abuts the disposable mold form, the elongate midsection extends through and at least partially out of the disposable mold form, and the end portion extends over the bond beam;

an elongate tube shaped to fit around the tie wire such that the elongate tube extends from the head to the vicinity of the weakened portion; and

a means for anchoring the end portion of the tie wire.

7. The mold form system of claim 6 further comprising a means for anchoring the end portion of the tie wire.

8. The mold form system of claim 7 wherein the means for anchoring is a nail.

9. The mold form system of claim 6 wherein the weakened portion is formed by a cut through at least a portion of the tie wire.

10. The mold form system of claim 6 wherein the elongate tube is made of plastic.