Concrete Rake

A concrete rake head is an apparatus used to place freshly poured concrete and move the concrete to areas needed. The user can spread, level, and bring the cement paste to the top surface using the apparatus for a smoother finish. The apparatus includes a rake head and a rake handle. The rake head helps pull, push, and tamp down wet concrete while enabling concrete paste to flow through the rake head for easy maneuvering of the concrete. The rake handle helps control the movement of the rake head while maneuvering the concrete. The rake head includes a first panel, a center panel, a second panel, first orifices, second orifices, and third orifices. The first panel, the center panel, and the second panel support the concrete on the rake head. The first orifices, the second orifices, and the third orifices enable the flow of cement paste through the rake head.

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Description

The current application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of the U.S. design application Ser. No. 29/768,129 filed on Jan. 27, 2021.

The current application also claims a priority to a U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/142,332 filed on Jan. 27, 2021.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to construction materials and equipment. More specifically, the present invention is a tool that facilitates the placing, leveling, and tamping of concrete.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Concrete is a building material composed of cementing material and mineral aggregates that harden over time. During concrete work, a concrete placer is used for placing, leveling, and tamping fresh concrete. Most of the concrete placers currently available often have a flat foot connected to a pole that serves as a handle. This common design of concrete placer helps push, pull, and tamp down the aggregates and bring concrete paste to the top surface to provide smooth finishing and to increase the strength and longevity of the concrete structure by preventing the aggregate from being exposed due to natural elements (weather, foot traffic, vehicles, etc.). For example, when tamping wet concrete down, the surplus wet concrete is pushed sideways, which makes the smoothing of the fresh concrete more tedious.

Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide a uniquely designed concrete rake for placing and leveling concrete in a more efficient manner. The present invention facilitates the placing of freshly poured concrete and helps move the wet concrete to desired areas. Unlike other concrete placers in the industry, the present invention provides means of enabling the concrete paste to move through the present invention. Thus, while tamping the aggregates of the concrete, the present invention allows the concrete paste to move up and float on top of the present invention to facilitate the smooth finishing of the concrete. Additional features and benefits are further discussed in the sections below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a concrete rake that is preferably used in flat concrete work. The concrete rake can be used to place wet concrete that is freshly poured and move the wet concrete to areas needed. To do so, the present invention includes a rake head with multiple orifices that enable the movement of wet concrete through the rake head. While tamping the wet concrete using the present invention, the aggregate is being pushed down as the orifices allow the cement paste of the wet concrete to flow upwards onto the rake head. This enables the concrete installer to easily push, pull, and tamp the wet concrete down. With the present invention, the wet concrete starts to self-level by filling in dips/holes and by bringing the concrete to the proper height and/or pitch. This process leaves a nice finish and assists the next procedure, hand and bull float, to smooth out the concrete, consolidate the aggregates down, and bring up the cement surface paste, which is the goal when installing concrete.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front top right perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a magnified view taken about circle 2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear bottom left perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front top right perspective view of the rake head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear bottom left perspective view of the rake head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the rake head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a right elevational view of the rake head of the present invention.

 DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a concrete rake head 1 that is used to place wet concrete that is freshly poured and move the wet concrete to areas needed. By utilizing the present invention, the user can spread and level the wet concrete while being poured. Further, the user can spread, level, and bring the cement paste to the top surface using the present invention for a smoother finish. To do so, the present invention preferably comprises a rake head 1 and a rake handle 13. As can be seen in FIG. 1 through 3, the rake head 1 is designed to help pull, push, and tamp down wet concrete while enabling concrete paste to flow through the rake head 1 for a smoother finish of the wet concrete. The rake handle 13 helps the user control the movement of the rake head 1 in a comfortable manner while moving the wet concrete.

The general arrangement of the aforementioned components enables the user to more efficiently move and pack wet concrete to achieve a smooth finish. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rake head 1 is designed to facilitate the pulling, pushing, and tamping of wet concrete. To do so, the rake head 1 comprises a first panel 2, a center panel 3, a second panel 4, a plurality of first orifices 10, a plurality of second orifices 11, and a plurality of third orifices 12. The first panel 2, the center panel 3, and the second panel 4 are overall flat strips of metal material that are strong enough to support the load applied to the rake head 1. The first panel 2, the center panel 3, and the second panel 4 are also arranged to form a non-flat structure that enables the pulling, pushing, and tamping of the wet concrete. The plurality of first orifices 10, the plurality of second orifices 11, and the plurality of third orifices 12 are orifices large enough to enable the flow of cement paste through the rake head 1. The plurality of first orifices 10, the plurality of second orifices 11, and the plurality of third orifices 12 are preferably circular orifices but other shapes may be utilized as well. Due to the overall flat structures of the individual panels, the first panel 2, the center panel 3, and the second panel 4 each comprise a proximal face 5 and a distal face 6 corresponding to opposing flat surfaces of the panels.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, to form the non-flat structure of the rake head 1, the first panel 2 is laterally connected along the center panel 3. Similarly, the second panel 4 is laterally connected along the center panel 3, opposite to the first panel 2. This arrangement of the panels positions the first panel 2 and the second panel 4 opposite to each other across the center panel 3, forming an overall elongated and rectangular structure. Further, the plurality of first orifices 10 traverses through the first panel 2 to enable the flow of cement paste through the first panel 2. The plurality of first orifices 10 is also distributed across the first panel 2 so that the cement paste can flow through most of the first panel 2. Likewise, the plurality of second orifices 11 traverses through the center panel 3 to enable the flow of cement paste through the center panel 3. The plurality of second orifices 11 is also distributed across the center panel 3 so that the cement paste can flow through most of the center panel 3. Similarly, the plurality of third orifices 12 also traverses through the second panel 4 to enable the flow of cement paste through the second panel 4. The plurality of third orifices 12 is also distributed across the second panel 4 so that the cement paste can flow through most of the second panel 4. Therefore, the cement paste can flow through the rake head 1 while pulling, pushing, or tamping the wet concrete. Furthermore, to connect the rake head 1 to the rake handle 13, the rake head 1 is terminally mounted onto the rake handle 13. Finally, the proximal face 5 of the first panel 2, the proximal face 5 of the center panel 3, and the proximal face 5 of second panel 4 are oriented towards the rake handle 13. On the other hand, the distal face 6 of the first panel 2, the distal face 6 of the center panel 3, and the distal face 6 of second panel 4 are oriented away from the rake handle 13. This arrangement results in an overall L-shaped structure between the rake handle 13 and the rake head 1.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, to facilitate the pulling and the pushing of the wet concrete, the first panel 2 and the second panel 4 are angled in relationship to the center panel 3 to form the non-flat structure of the rake head 1. Accordingly, the proximal face 5 of the first panel 2 is oriented at a first obtuse angle 16 with the proximal face 5 of the center panel 3. Similarly, the proximal face 5 of the second panel 4 is oriented at a second obtuse angle 17 with the proximal face 5 of the center panel 3. This angled arrangement of the first panel 2 and the second panel 4 with the center panel 3 create a non-flat structure that is resembles a U-shape. This design also enables the user to easily pull wet concrete by using the first panel 2 and the second panel 4 as hooks to collect and move the wet concrete around. Similarly, the angled first panel 2 and second panel 4 enable the user to push wet concrete and at the same time level the wet concrete. In some embodiments, the first obtuse angle 16 and the second obtuse angle 17 can each be different angles to provide a steeper angle and a flatter angle. Alternatively, the first obtuse angle 16 and the second obtuse angle 17 can be equal angles to provide a symmetric rake head 1.

As previously discussed, the rake head 1 is preferably an elongated and overall rectangular structure. Accordingly, the first panel 2, the center panel 3, and the second panel 4 each further comprise a panel body 7. As can be seen in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the panel body 7 is preferably a flat strip of material, preferably metal material, that is long enough to retain enough concrete material for quick and efficient work. The proximal face 5 and the distal face 6 are positioned opposite to each other about the panel body 7 due to the overall flat structure of the panel body 7. In addition, a panel length 8 of the panel body 7 is greater than a panel width 9 of the panel body 7. Due to the first panel 2 and the second panel 4 being laterally connected along the center body, the rake head 1 has an overall rectangular structure. Consequently, the panel length 8 of the first panel 2, the panel length 8 of the center panel 3, and the panel length 8 of the second panel 4 are equal to each other. Furthermore, in some embodiments, a panel width 9 of the central panel 3 may be less than a panel width 9 of the first panel 2 and a panel width 9 of the second panel 4. This forms a basket-like structure that facilitates the collection of the wet concrete. In addition, the panel width 9 of the first panel 2 and the panel width 9 of the second panel 4 may be equal to each other to form a symmetrical structure. In other embodiments, the panel body 7 may have non-rectangular shapes that together form a non-rectangular shape for the rake head 1. Alternatively, the panel bodies of the different panels may have different sizes to create an asymmetrical shape for the rake head 1 for specific needs of the user.

Due to the stress that is experienced by the rake handle 13 adjacent to the rake head 1 when the user is moving wet concrete, the present invention provides additional structural support to that area. To do so, the present invention further comprises a first strut 18 and a second strut 19 to provide lateral support to the rake head 1 and to the rake handle 13. As can be seen in FIG. 1 through 3, the first strut 18 and the second strut 19 are preferably elongated rods that are strong enough to support the load on the rake head 1. Due to the elongated structure of the first strut 18 and the second strut 19, the first strut 18 and the second strut 19 each comprises a proximal strut end 20 and a distal strut end 21 corresponding to the terminal ends of each strut. The first strut 18 and the second strut 19 are positioned opposite to each other about the rake handle 13 to provide full lateral support. The first strut 18 and the second strut 19 are also angled with the rake handle 13 to create a triangular support structure for the present invention. Further, the distal strut end 21 of the first strut 18 and the distal strut end 21 of the second strut 19 are both connected onto the rake head 1, offset from the rake handle 13, to connect the corresponding strut to the rake head 1. Similarly, the proximal strut end 20 of the first strut 18 and the proximal strut end 20 of the second strut 19 are both laterally connected to the rake handle 13, offset from the rake head 1, to secure the corresponding strut to the rake handle 13. Therefore, the area where the rake handle 13 is connected to the rake head 1 is strengthened and there is less risk of the rake handle 13 breaking apart from the rake head 1.

To help the user have better control on the rake head 1 using the rake handle 13, the rake handle 13 is connected to the rake head 1 in such a way that the user can fully use all the panels of the rake head 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1 through 3, the rake handle 13 is preferably an elongated cylindrical structure that is long enough to prevent the user from crouching excessively, which can harm the user in the long term. Due to the elongated structure of the rake handle 13, the rake handle 13 comprises a fixed end 14 and a free end 15. The fixed end 14 is connected onto the proximal face 5 of the first panel 2, while free end 15 is positioned offset the rake head 1. This way, the fixed end 14 does not block portions of the center panel 3 or the second panel 4, leaving enough surface area to grab as much wet concrete as possible. Further, the rake handle 13 is positioned normal to the central panel to create an overall L-shaped structure, which facilitates the handling of the wet concrete. In other embodiments, the fixed end 14 may be connected to other panels, or the rake handle 13 may be oriented at an angle with the center panel 3.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A concrete rake comprising:

a rake head;
a rake handle;
the rake head comprising a first panel, a center panel, a second panel, a plurality of first orifices, a plurality of second orifices, and a plurality of third orifices;
the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each comprising a proximal face and a distal face;
the first panel being laterally connected along the center panel;
the second panel being laterally connected along the center panel, opposite to the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices traversing through the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices being distributed across the first panel;
the plurality of second orifices traversing through the center panel;
the plurality of second orifices being distributed across the center panel;
the plurality of third orifices traversing through the second panel;
the plurality of third orifices being distributed across the second panel;
the rake head being terminally mounted onto the rake handle;
the proximal face of the first panel, the proximal face of the center panel, and the proximal face of second panel being oriented towards the rake handle; and
the distal face of the first panel, the distal face of the center panel, and the distal face of second panel being oriented away from the rake handle.

2. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximal face of the first panel is oriented at a first obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel.

3. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximal face of the second panel is oriented at a second obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel.

4. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each further comprising a panel body;
the proximal face and the distal face being positioned opposite to each other about the panel body; and
a panel length of the panel body being greater than a panel width of the panel body.

5. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 4, wherein the panel length of the first panel, the panel length of the center panel, and the panel length of the second panel are equal to each other.

6. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1, wherein a panel width of the central panel is less than a panel width of the first panel and a panel width of the second panel.

7. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 6, wherein the panel width of the first panel and the panel width of the second panel are equal to each other.

8. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

a first strut;
a second strut;
the first strut and the second strut each comprising a proximal strut end and a distal strut end;
the first strut and the second strut being positioned opposite to each other about the rake handle;
the distal strut end of the first strut and the distal strut end of the second strut being connected onto the rake head, offset from the rake handle; and
the proximal strut end of the first strut and the proximal strut end of the second strut being laterally connected to the rake handle, offset from the rake head.

9. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

the rake handle comprising a fixed end and a free end;
the fixed end being connected onto the proximal face of the first panel; and
the rake handle being positioned geometrical normal to the central panel.

10. A concrete rake comprising:

a rake head;
a rake handle;
the rake head comprising a first panel, a center panel, a second panel, a plurality of first orifices, a plurality of second orifices, and a plurality of third orifices;
the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each comprising a proximal face and a distal face;
the first panel being laterally connected along the center panel;
the second panel being laterally connected along the center panel, opposite to the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices traversing through the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices being distributed across the first panel;
the plurality of second orifices traversing through the center panel;
the plurality of second orifices being distributed across the center panel;
the plurality of third orifices traversing through the second panel;
the plurality of third orifices being distributed across the second panel;
the rake head being terminally mounted onto the rake handle;
the proximal face of the first panel, the proximal face of the center panel, and the proximal face of second panel being oriented towards the rake handle;
the distal face of the first panel, the distal face of the center panel, and the distal face of second panel being oriented away from the rake handle;
the proximal face of the first panel being oriented at a first obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel; and
the proximal face of the second panel being oriented at a second obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel.

11. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 10 comprising:

the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each further comprising a panel body;
the proximal face and the distal face being positioned opposite to each other about the panel body; and
a panel length of the panel body being greater than a panel width of the panel body.

12. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 11, wherein the panel length of the first panel, the panel length of the center panel, and the panel length of the second panel are equal to each other.

13. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 10, wherein a panel width of the central panel is less than a panel width of the first panel and a panel width of the second panel.

14. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 13, wherein the panel width of the first panel and the panel width of the second panel are equal to each other.

15. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 10 comprising:

a first strut;
a second strut;
the first strut and the second strut each comprising a proximal strut end and a distal strut end;
the first strut and the second strut being positioned opposite to each other about the rake handle;
the distal strut end of the first strut and the distal strut end of the second strut being connected onto the rake head, offset from the rake handle; and
the proximal strut end of the first strut and the proximal strut end of the second strut being laterally connected to the rake handle, offset from the rake head.

16. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 10 comprising:

the rake handle comprising a fixed end and a free end;
the fixed end being connected onto the proximal face of the first panel; and
the rake handle being positioned geometrical normal to the central panel.

17. A concrete rake comprising:

a rake head;
a rake handle;
the rake head comprising a first panel, a center panel, a second panel, a plurality of first orifices, a plurality of second orifices, and a plurality of third orifices;
the rake handle comprising a fixed end and a free end;
the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each comprising a proximal face and a distal face;
the first panel being laterally connected along the center panel;
the second panel being laterally connected along the center panel, opposite to the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices traversing through the first panel;
the plurality of first orifices being distributed across the first panel;
the plurality of second orifices traversing through the center panel;
the plurality of second orifices being distributed across the center panel;
the plurality of third orifices traversing through the second panel;
the plurality of third orifices being distributed across the second panel;
the proximal face of the first panel, the proximal face of the center panel, and the proximal face of second panel being oriented towards the rake handle;
the distal face of the first panel, the distal face of the center panel, and the distal face of second panel being oriented away from the rake handle;
the proximal face of the first panel being oriented at a first obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel;
the proximal face of the second panel being oriented at a second obtuse angle with the proximal face of the center panel;
the rake head being terminally mounted onto the rake handle;
the fixed end being connected onto the proximal face of the first panel; and
the rake handle being positioned geometrical normal to the central panel.

18. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 17 comprising:

the first panel, the center panel, and the second panel each further comprising a panel body;
the proximal face and the distal face being positioned opposite to each other about the panel body;
a panel length of the panel body being greater than a panel width of the panel body; and
the panel length of the first panel, the panel length of the center panel, and the panel length of the second panel being equal to each other.

19. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 17 comprising:

a panel width of the central panel being less than a panel width of the first panel and a panel width of the second panel; and
the panel width of the first panel and the panel width of the second panel being equal to each other.

20. The concrete rake as claimed in claim 17 comprising:

a first strut;
a second strut;
the first strut and the second strut each comprising a proximal strut end and a distal strut end;
the first strut and the second strut being positioned opposite to each other about the rake handle;
the distal strut end of the first strut and the distal strut end of the second strut being connected onto the rake head, offset from the rake handle; and
the proximal strut end of the first strut and the proximal strut end of the second strut being laterally connected to the rake handle, offset from the rake head.
Patent History
Publication number: 20220235561
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 24, 2022
Publication Date: Jul 28, 2022
Inventor: Frank C. Messina (Freehold, NJ)
Application Number: 17/583,008
Classifications
International Classification: E04F 21/24 (20060101);