Concrete slab corner support

Abstract

A concrete slab corner support is a unitary corner support and reinforcement element for a concrete slab or the like. The corner support element is placed inside the corner of a form prior to pouring concrete therein to form a concrete slab. A corner support is placed in each corner of the form and affixed to the form with nails, or screws through break-away flanges extending outward from the upper end of the support. The corner support is an angle element forming two walls defined by a center angle bend and the outer edges thereof. A series of rod-like or finger-like anchors extend from the inner sides of the walls inwardly toward the middle of the form. These anchors help the corner support to remain attached to the pad or foundation when the process is complete. Once the concrete has set, the forms and bread-away flanges are removed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/644,589, filed Jan. 19, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to concrete corner protectors and supports. More particularly, the present invention relates to a concrete slab or column corner support having imbedded anchors.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many corners of concrete pads are damaged in the pouring process, prior to the concrete or other pourable setting material being hardened and put into use. Present corner supports and protectors are generally elongate angle elements, which are connected to cover the exposed corner with adhesive. These types of supports and protectors may easily deteriorate or be knocked away from the corner, leaving it exposed.

The breaking off of corners of poured and set concrete slabs, such as those used in housing, is a common problem. The corner of the slab may break years after building the structure, resulting in damage to brick or other materials resting on the corner. It would be desirable to provide a corner support for protecting and reinforcing the corners of poured concrete slabs. It would also be desirable that such a support be resistant to accidental damage and degradation, so as to provide reinforcement and support to the concrete slab over a period of years.

Thus a concrete slab corner support solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The concrete slab corner support of the present invention is a unitary corner support and reinforcement element for a concrete slab or the like. The corner support element is placed inside the corner of a form prior to pouring concrete therein to form a concrete slab. A corner support is placed in each corner of the form and affixed to the form with nails, or screws through break-away flanges extending outward from the upper end of the support. The corner support is an angle element forming two walls defined by a center angle bend and the outer edges thereof. A series of rod-like or finger-like anchors extend from the inner sides of the walls inwardly toward the middle of the form. These anchors help the corner support to remain attached to the pad or foundation when the process is complete.

Once the concrete has set, the forms are removed, the break-away flanges being removed with the forms, leaving the finished slab having, supported corners. The end result is a concrete foundation having a series of corner supports. The corner supports can be made from galvanized metal or any other material that is capable of withstanding the environment and the load and stresses encountered by the corner support.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a concrete slab corner support before pouring according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the concrete slab corner support of FIG. 1 after setting of poured concrete.

FIG. 3 is an environmental plan view of the concrete slab corner support of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the concrete slab corner support of the present invention as embedded in a slab corner after setting.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a stamping of corner plates to be formed into the concrete pad corner plate of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the concrete slab corner support of the present invention as embedded in a slab corner after setting.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is an anchored concrete pad corner support and protector for use in the pouring of a concrete or other setting material within a form to form a slab.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an environmental perspective view of the concrete slab corner support as attached to a corner of a concrete pad form and an exploded view thereof, respectively. The concrete slab corner support of the present invention is referred to by the reference numeral 10 and is shown in place in form F, as prepared for the pouring of concrete (not shown). Corner support 10 includes a corner support angle plate 12, preferably made of sheet metal and having two sidewalls 14, which define a lengthwise angle plate bend 16. Angle plate bend 16 is shown as being a right angle, however, any desired included angle may be formed. Angle plate 12 has a lower end portion 18 and an upper end portion 20, with angle plate break-away nail flanges 22 extending outward at right angles from respective angle plate sidewalls 14, at the upper end portion 20 thereof. Break-away nail flanges 22 are formed by stamping or machining a groove in the sheet metal between the nail flanges 22 and the angle plate upper end 18 in a conventional manner.

Angle plate 12 has outer vertical edges 28 oriented substantially parallel with angle plate bend 16. Anchors 30 are attached to the inner sides of angle plate sidewalls 14, preferably extending perpendicular therefrom and spaced vertically along vertical lines drawn approximately halfway between bend 16 and respective angle plate outer edges 28. The anchors 30 are offset along one sidewall 14 in relation to those along the other sidewall 14 so as to cross without interference (as shown in FIG. 3). Anchors 30 include anchor rods 32 having remote hook ends 34, and are attached to the inner sides of anchor plate 36 at anchor plate proximate ends 36. Anchor hook ends 34 extend at right angles from rods 32 to form a secure anchor within the concrete slab, once it is poured.

The rods 32 are shown in FIG. 1 as being vertically aligned. In some environments, and in use with particular materials, this alignment could create a weak point in the slab. Thus, alternatively, the rods 32 could be staggered, i.e., when viewed from the vertical, the rods 32 would be arrayed at a variety of angles with respect to one another and with respect to walls 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a plan view of the corner support 10 as embedded in concrete slab C. In FIG. 3, The form F has been removed and angle plate break-away nail flanges 22 have been separated from sidewalls 14. Anchors 30 extending perpendicularly to the inner sides of angle plate sidewalls 14 are shown embedded within concrete slab C. Corner support angle plate 12 protects and supports the corner of concrete slab C from damage.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a perspective view of another embodiment of the corner support of the present invention and a plan view of a stamping of corner support flats to be formed into the corner plate of FIG. 5, respectively. Corner support 50 is preferably made of corrosion resistant sheet metal and includes a corner support angle plate 52 having sidewalls 54, forming an included angle plate bend 56. Angle plate bend 56 is shown as a right angle, however any desired included angle may be formed as desired. Angle plate 52 has a lower end portion 58 and an upper end portion 60 and forms outer vertical edges 62. Anchors 64 are spaced along and extend from angle plate outer edges 62. Anchors 64 are formed of anchor flats 66 and define inner anchor bends 68 with sidewalls 54. Inner anchor bends 68 are preferably right angle bends, however, they may be formed in any desired included angle as desired. Anchor flats 66 have mushroom ends 70 to provide a good anchor in the concrete slab C (see FIG. 3). Anchor flats 66 are also shown defining anchor apertures 72 which also enhance anchoring in the concrete slab C.

As best seen in FIG. 5, corner supports 50 may be efficiently made and distributed as a stamping 80. Stamping 80 forms a plurality of corner supports 50 in flat form having break-away portions 82 and corner support unit break-away lines 84. The break-away lines are formed by stamping into the sheet metal to form grooved weak points in a well-known manner. The angle plate bends 56 and anchor bends 68 may be stamped in the stamping 80 as shown to provide ease in bending to the desired angle by the user. Break-away flanges 90 having nail receiving holes 92 may be bent along a stamp formed groove or serrations for break-away from corner supports 50 upon removal of the frame F from the set concrete, in a manner similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1 as described above. The break-away portions 82 are discarded.

Additionally, the user may wish to secure anchor apertures 72 to the slab's rebar, post tension cable or similar reinforcement elements prior to the pouring of the concrete. Similarly, the anchor rods 32 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 could be secured to the reinforcement elements within the slab prior to pouring.

The corner supports of the present invention are preferably made of corrosion resistant sheet and rod material of galvanized metal, however, other appropriate material may be employed in their construction.

The corner supports of the present invention may be of any desired length for applications such as foundations, pillars, and columns.

Further, in the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the corner support 50, shown in FIG. 4, includes a pair of flanged extensions 100, which are formed along edges 68 and project into the slab C in a substantially orthogonal direction to the walls 54. The flanged extensions 100 strengthen the edges and provide a further surface for the anchoring of the system 10 within the concrete.

Additionally, at least one mid-plate anchor 110 is formed in walls 54, through stamping and pressing or similar conventional processes. The mid-plate anchor 110 provides for additional securement to the concrete near the corner bend 56. A plurality of mid-plate anchors 110 could be provided, depending upon the needs and desires of the user. Additionally, a stamped recess 120 could be formed along corner 56, providing an additional securement surface for the concrete of the slab C.

A recess 130 could also be formed in each wall 54, projecting inwardly, providing a further anchoring surface for the concrete. Recess 130 could be used alone or in combination with the alternative mid-plate anchors 110 and stamped recesses 120. Further, a plurality of recesses 130 could be provided.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A concrete slab corner support for attachment to slab form corners, comprising:

an elongated, vertically disposed angle plate having a pair of sidewalls, each said sidewall having an inner side and an outer side, said pair of sidewalls defining an angle plate bend, said elongated, vertically disposed angle plate having a lower end portion, an upper end portion, and outer vertical edges;

a break-away fastener flange extending outward from at least one of said sidewalls and extending from said upper end portion thereof for attachment to the upper edge of the slab form; and,

a plurality of spaced anchors extending inward from the inner side of at least one of said pair of angle plate sidewalls, whereby said concrete slab corner support is placed on the inner side of a corner of said slab form for pouring a concrete slab, said plurality of spaced anchors extending into said concrete slab, whereby upon the pouring and setting of the concrete slab, the form is removed, and said at least one fastener flange is broken away and removed.

2. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of spaced anchors are each elongated rods.

3. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 2, wherein each said elongated rod extends inwardly from points approximately halfway between said angle bend and one of said sidewall edges.

4. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 2, wherein each said elongated rod has a distal end mounted to one of said pair of sidewalls, each said elongated rod further having an opposed proximal end terminating in a hook.

5. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of anchors are flat extensions extending inwardly from said outer vertical edges.

6. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 5, wherein each said flat extension has an anchoring opening formed centrally therethrough.

7. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 6, wherein each said flat extension includes a central portion and a proximal end, said proximal end having a greater width than the width of said central portion.

8. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pair of elongated flanges formed on said outer vertical edges of said pair of sidewalls, respectively, said elongated flanges extending inwardly and being positioned substantially orthogonally to said pair of sidewalls.

9. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 1, wherein said pair of sidewalls are contoured to form a plurality of inwardly facing securement surfaces for said concrete slab.

10. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of inwardly facing securement surfaces is formed along said angle plate bend.

11. The concrete slab corner support as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of inwardly facing securement surfaces is defined by a recess formed in at least one of said pair of sidewalls.