Abstract:
The present invention provides an adjustable, universal screed guide/control joint clip for positioning screed guide/control joints utilized in the placement of concrete in concrete slabs. The adjustable universal screed guide clip allows for the exact adjustment of the height of the screed guide attached thereto for the placement of the concrete slabs, and the adjustable universal screed guide clip also allows for the installation of the screed guide in applications which heretofore were not possible. The adjustable, universal screed guide/control joint clip of the present invention is capable of accommodating both large and small profile screed guides.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an adjustable, universal screed guide/control joint clip used in the positioning of screed guide/control joints, which in turn are utilized in the placement of concrete in concrete slabs. The screed guides provide precise placement of the concrete in concrete slabs, and the universal screed guide clip is adjustable which allows for exact adjustment of the height of the screed guide, and also allows for the installation of the screed guide in applications heretofore denied. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The pouring and use of concrete is a fundamental construction task in the trade. It is referred to as the placement of concrete. It is often required in the installation of sidewalks. It is placed over steel decks to provide the flooring base for multi-story skyscrapers; it is placed for the flooring of large warehouse or industrial structures; and it is placed to form the basis for water retention basins and reservoirs. It further pro vides the basis for highway surfaces and airport runways. 
     There are two essential joints associated with concrete slabs. The first joint is commonly referred to as the expansion joint and passes completely through the concrete slab. The expansion joint is designed to allow for the expansion and contraction of the concrete slab in response to ambient temperature conditions. The second joint is commonly referred to as the control joint. The control joint is a linear impression formed in the concrete slab after its placement. It does not extend through the concrete slab. The purpose of the control joint is to control the direction of any cracking which may appear in the slab over time. Typical control joints would run transversely on the slab from one edge to the other. Control joints would normally be formed by dragging a trowel across the poured concrete while it is still wet to form the linear impression, and in some instances, diamond saws would be used to form the control joints after the concrete slab had hardened. 
     In the prior art, any handy material would be utilized to form the peripheral outline or frame of the concrete slab and any associated expansion joints. The concrete would be placed within the frame and leveled using a screed which would be dragged across the surface of the wet concrete while resting on at least two adjacent or abutting framing members in order to achieve a planar level slab. The framing members upon which the screed rested while leveling the surface of the concrete slab are referred to in the trade as screed guides. 
     European building codes require a ten year guarantee with respect to poured concrete slabs. No such guarantee is required or exists in US building codes. This dichotomy has led to greater technical advances in Europe with respect to the pouring of concrete slabs. In particular, a screed guide profile has been developed in which the screed guide itself also forms the control joint for the concrete slab. The use of these combination screed guide/control joints presents some great advantages in the area of placement of concrete slabs and in the life expectancy of the concrete slabs. However, the accurate placement of the screed guide/control joints has in some cases proved laborious and time consuming. 
     Initially, some screed guide/control joints were positioned by pouring small mounds of concrete in a desired linear direction before positioning of the screed guide/control joint. The screed guide/control joint would then be positioned on the small mounds of concrete to the desired height, and the mounds of concrete would be allowed to set. Once the mounds of concrete had set, securing the screed guide/control joint, the concrete slab would be poured to the height of the upper edge of the screed guide/control joint. This method became laborious and time consuming since normally 24 hours would have to elapse from the time that the mounds of concrete were poured until the time that the slab could be poured to allow for the mounds to set and position the screed guide/control joint. 
     The method of installing screed guide/control joints evolved to the use of rebar stakes, and clips. The section of rebar would be pounded into the ground to an estimated height, each rebar being positioned approximately two feet apart. Clips would then be installed on the top of the rebar, the upper portion of such clips presenting a dove tail channel into which a preformed plastic screed guide/control joints having a pyramidal cross section which would snap fit. The worker would hand adjust the depth of the rebar in order that the clips were at the same height so that the screed guide/control joint presented a level upper edge for placement of the concrete slab. This method presents problems when a vapor barrier is utilized, since the rebar stakes will pierce the plastic sheets or other types of vapor barriers and degrade their performance. It also presents a problem when concrete flooring is being placed on a steel deck as is done in the construction of multi-story buildings or skyscrapers. The rebar stake cannot be driven into or through the steel deck. 
     It presents an additional problem in those instances where concrete slabs are being placed onto compacted gravel sub grade or ground. Some installations call for void forms to be placed beneath the concrete slab at various locations to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the ground due to expansion and contracting soil conditions. These voided areas are formed utilizing cardboard housings which are positioned prior to the placement of the concrete slab, the slab being placed essentially over the cardboard encapsulating the cardboard housing between the concrete and the ground. The void area under the cardboard housing and in contact with the ground provides compensation for expansion and contraction of the ground. The cardboard housing over time will eventually deteriorate, but the void will remain. The use of the rebar stakes or any stake on such a slab would pierce the cardboard housing and obviate its desired purpose of forming a void between the poured concrete and the ground. 
     An additional problem associated with the current installation of screed guide/control joints is that the profile of the screed guide/control joint varies depending on the thickness of the concrete slab. Two sizes of screed guide/control joint profiles are currently used for screed guide/control joint placement in various thicknesses of concrete slabs. A large profile screed guide/control joint is utilized for placement of six inches or greater, and a small profile screed guide/control joint is used for placements of lesser thickness. Since the size of the screed guide/control joints vary, the installer must inventory a quantity of clips that will fit the two profiles. 
     This screed guide profile and its advantages would find greater acceptance both in Europe and the US if the aforesaid disadvantages could be overcome. The system of the present invention addresses and overcomes each of these disadvantages. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system to accelerate and facilitate the accurate placement of the screed guides and limit the use of different sizes of clips. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which allows for the facile and exact adjustment of the height of the screed guide/control joint clip and the screed guide/control joint. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which permits the use of the system on substrates which heretofore would not accept the system. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which incorporates a base member securable to a substrate or layer of the type which did not previously permit the usage of a screed guide/control joint. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide placement of different sizes and shaped rebar to be firmly inserted into the base support and the threaded cap  140 . 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an adjustable, universal screed guide/control joint clip for positioning screed guide/control joints utilized in the placement of concrete in concrete slabs. The adjustable universal screed guide clip allows for the exact adjustment of the height of the screed guide attached thereto for the placement of the concrete in concrete slabs, and the adjustable universal screed guide clip also allows for the installation of the screed guide in applications which heretofore were not possible. The adjustable, universal screed guide/control joint clip of the present invention is capable of accommodating both large and small profile screed guides. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent, particularly when taken in light of the following illustrations wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art screed guide/control joint utilized with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the screed guide/control joint of  FIG. 1  illustrating a prior art method of installation; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the screed guide/control joint of  FIG. 1 , and a second prior art method of installation; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the base plate  100  and base support member  110 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 4B  is a side view thereof; 
         FIG. 4C  is a bottom view thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment the base plate  100 ′ and base support member  110 ′; 
         FIG. 5A  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view thereof; 
         FIG. 5C  is a bottom view thereof; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the embodiment showing a threaded stud or rod  120 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the adjustable circular housing  130  and clip member  132 ; 
         FIG. 7A  is a bottom view thereof showing internal thread member  134 ; 
         FIG. 7B  is a sectional view thereof also showing thread member  134 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the junction clip member  150 ; 
         FIG. 8A  is a bottom view thereof; 
         FIG. 8B  is a side view thereof showing another embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the threaded barrel shaped member  140  having notches  142  in the top thereof; 
         FIG. 9A  is a bottom view showing interior ribs  144 , which are tapered and wider at the bottom; 
         FIG. 9B  is a front view showing details of the circular threads  146 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the height adjustment caps  170 ; 
         FIG. 10A  is a bottom perspective view of adjustment caps  170 ; 
         FIG. 10B  is a front view thereof; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the assembly from the base plate  100  up to the triangular shaped joint member  160 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a side perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 11  also showing the assembly from the base plate  100  up to the triangular shaped joint member  160 ; 
         FIG. 12A  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 12B  is a perspective view thereof showing a single height adjustment cap  170  in the assembly; 
         FIG. 12C  is a perspective view thereof showing two height adjustment caps  170  in the assembly; 
         FIG. 13  is a side perspective view of the assembly showing an alternate embodiment from the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having a threaded rod or rebar member  120 ; 
         FIG. 14  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 12C  showing the assembly of the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having two height adjustment caps  170 ; and 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 13  showing the assembly of the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having a threaded rod or rebar member  120  for height adjustment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a screed guide/control joint utilized in the prior art invention. The screed guide/control joint  10  is linear in shape generally coming in 12 to 16 foot lengths to be cut in the field to the desired length required. It is formed of extruded polymer and has a base portion  12  comprised of a bottom wall  14 , two opposing side walls  16  and  18 , angled upper walls  20  and  22  terminating in an upwardly extending tower portion  24 , triangular in cross section formed by two angled side walls  26  and  28  and terminating in an apex which forms the upper edge  30  of screed guide/control joint  10 . The interior  32  of the base and tower portions are formed during the extrusion process with cross member ribs  34  for support. Additionally, the angled side walls  26  and  28  of tower portion  24  may also be formed with longitudinal parallel ribs  36  to aid in the setting process when screed guide/control joint  10  is encapsulated in concrete. 
     In most instances, the bottom wall  14  of the base member is not planar, but rather, slightly flared downwardly at its side walls  16  and  18  to aid in its snap fitting with a screed guide/control joint clip as described hereafter. 
     It should also be noted that  FIG. 1  illustrates the general shape of the screed guide/control joint used with the present invention. However, there are minor variations, particularly with the longitudinal ribs on the exterior of the tower, and may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It should also be pointed out that screed guide/control joints generally are formed in two sizes, large profile and small profile. The small profile screed guide/control joints are used with concrete slabs up to six inches in depth, and the large profile screed guide/control joints are used for slabs in excess of six inches in depth. The large profile and small profile screed guide/control joints are similar in all aspects except their dimensions. A typical large profile screed guide/control joint would have a base portion with slightly over two inches and a tower portion height of approximately three to three and a half inches, whereas the small profile screed guide/control joint dimensions would be approximately half those of the large profile screed guide. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of screed guide/control joint  10  of  FIG. 1  illustrating its setting with respect to a prior art method of installation. In this method of installation, small mounds of concrete  50  are poured in a linear orientation approximately two feet apart so that the base portion  12  of the screed guide/control joint may be set on these concrete mounds and the mounds allowed to harden and secure the screed guide/control joint. Once set, the concrete slab would be placed, encapsulating the entire length of the screed guide/control joint to the height of its upper edge  30 . Depending upon the area of concrete to be placed, a plurality of screed guide/control joints would be set in this manner, the desired distance apart in accordance with code, in order to define the area of concrete to be placed. This method of setting the screed guide/control joint is very time consuming, laborious, and requires exacting measurements to ensure that upper edge  30  is at a consistent height along the length of the screed guide/control joint and on all similarly situated screed guide/control joints. 
     The desire is to obtain a concrete slab of some dimension which has a uniform planar upper surface. To that end, the initial concrete mounds  50  that are placed must be of the desired height and the screed guide/control joint must be set at the accurate height, as well as all parallel and abutting screed guide/control joints to insure that the upper edge  30  of all of the screed guide/control joints utilized to define the concrete slab are at the same height. This can best be described as a hit or miss method of obtaining a uniform planar concrete slab. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the screed guide/control joint of  FIG. 1  and an alternative method for installation developed in the prior art. In this configuration a plurality of lengths of rebar  60  are driven into the underlying substrate  62  to a desired height  64 . The rebar is installed in a linear orientation approximately two feet apart. A screed guide/control joint clip  66  is then frictionally positioned on the upper extended end  68  of the rebar  60 . The screed guide/control joint clip  66  comprises a tubular base  70  which slid ably engages the upper end  68  of the rebar  60 . Unitarily formed to the upper end of tubular base  70  is a dove tail channel  72 . Dove tail channel  72  is dimensioned to the width of the base portion  12  of screed guide/control joint  10 . 
     The installer would adjust the height of the sections of rebar  60  by hand to insure that the screed guide/control joint clips  66  were all at the same height. The screed guide/control joint would then be snap it into the dove tail channel  72  of the screed guide/control joint clip, thus securing the screed guide/control joint at a desired height above the substrate  62 . The installer would take measurements to insure that the upper edge  30  of all screed guide/control joints  10  utilized and placed in order to place the concrete slab were all at the same height. The concrete would then be placed encapsulating the rebar  60 , the screed guide/control joint clip  66  and the screed guide/control joint  10  to the height of its upper edge  30 . Sections of the concrete slab would be placed in succession between each screed guide/control joint so positioned. 
     This method, while an improvement over the use of small poured concrete mounds, still required checking by the installer to insure that the upper edges  30  of all of the screed guide/control joints  10  were at the same level, and required multiple adjustments of the height of the rebar, since the screed guide/control joint would not snap it and lock into the dove tail channel  72  of the screed guide/control joint clip  66  unless all screed guide/control joint clips  66  were at the same height. 
     Applicant&#39;s screed guide/control joint clip provides several advantages over the prior art. First, it can accommodate both large profile and small profile screed guide/control joints in one clip assembly. Secondly, its construction allows for a firm grip on both European rebar which measures approximate 12 mm in diameter, and US rebar, which is slightly larger at 12.57 mm. Thirdly, the interior member which is exteriorly threaded easily allows for the accurate height adjustment of the screed guide/control joint clip to insure that the upper edges of all screed guide/control joints are level when installed on the screed guide/control joint clip. Lastly, the incorporation of a base support member cooperable with the rebar, allows for the use of screed guide/control joints where vapor barriers and liners are initially installed over the substrate, allows for the use of Applicant&#39;s screed guide/control joint clip in conjunction with screed guide/control joints on steel substrate for multi-story skyscrapers, and allows for the use of screed guide/control joints on void forms. All of these areas were previously denied the use of screed guide/control joints because of the required installation methods previously discussed. 
     NEW DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4, 4A, 4B, and 4C , the assembly  10  includes a flat base plate  100  having holes  102  formed therein to secure it to diverse supports or substrates. They also show a tubular base support  110  having an interior circular opening  112  which is mounted on the flat base plate  100 . The flat base plate  100  and the tubular base support  110  together form the base assembly. A different embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 5, 5A, 5B, and 5C , wherein the base plate  100 ′ has a different configuration having holes  102 ′, and it has mounted thereon the tubular base support  110 ′ having internal ribs  112 ′. 
       FIG. 6  shows a threaded rod  120 , formed of #4 rebar, and has a lower end  122  and an upper end  124 . The lower end  122  of the threaded rod  120  is inserted into the interior of the tubular base support  110  to form the assembly, and the upper end  124  is inserted into the bottom of adjustable circular housing  130 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The assembly of the present invention also includes the adjustable “sure clip,” which is threaded for height adjustment. The “sure clip” shown in  FIGS. 7, 7A, and 7B  having an adjustable circular housing  130  and an integral clip member  132 , which is made up of 3 components: an adjustable circular housing  130  for receiving within the interior opening  132  of the housing  130  a threaded barrel shaped member  140  (see  FIGS. 9, 9A, and 9B ). 
     The threaded barrel shaped member  140  having exterior threads  146  that are rotatable within the opening  132  in order to adjust the height of housing  130 . The amount of height adjustment can be up to 1¼ inches or 30 mm. The third component includes a new clip member  132  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) integral with the upper end of the circular housing  130 , and the integral clip member  132  includes tracks  134  and  136  for receiving and holding a triangular shaped joint member  160 , which is included within the assembly. In addition, a junction clip member  150 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , is provided for holding in alignment the adjacent triangular shaped joint members  160 . 
     Further, in another embodiment, if additional height adjustment of the assembly is needed, then one or more height adjustment caps  170  may be added to the assembly, as shown in  FIG. 10 . The caps  170  are mounted on base support member  110 , and are screwed into the bottom of the threaded barrel shaped member  140  in order to adjust the height of the assembly. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of threaded cap rebar engaging member  120  for height adjustment. Threaded cap rebar engaging member  120  is tubular which may have an exterior threaded surface  126 . The lower end of threaded cap member  120  is inserted into base support member  110  having internal tapered ribs  112 , being non radial in orientation with respect to tubular threaded cap rebar engaging member  120 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . In addition, the upper end of the threaded rod  120  is inserted with the lower end of the threaded barrel shaped member  140  in the circular housing  130  to complete the assembly. This allows for threaded cap rebar engaging member  120  to be utilized with respect to both European and United States rebar dimensions, thus allowing for cap rebar engaging member to be engaged by snap fitting over an end of either type of rebar member  120 . The external threaded member  120  allows for the height adjustment of the circular housing  130 . Radial ribs may also be used but sized accordingly for the size of rebar utilized. 
     This allows threaded barrel shaped member  140  to be accurately rotated on threaded cap rebar engaging member  120  to achieve the desired height. The screed guide/control joint clip system described thus far eliminates the need for concrete mounds to be poured and measurements to be taken with respect to the placement of screed guides on such concrete mounds. It also eliminates the eyeball measurements and adjustment of the depth of rebar in the substrate in order to achieve equality in screed guide levels. The addition of the base member to the present system also allows for the use of the system in those instances where a liner or vapor barrier is required over the substrate or where the substrate is steel, and also where conditions require that void forms be provided in the concrete slab for the underlying expansion and contraction of the substrate. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the junction clip member  150 .  FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the threaded barrel shaped member  140  having notches  142  in the top thereof.  FIG. 9A  is a bottom view showing interior ribs  144 .  FIG. 10  shows the height adjustment caps  170  for adjusting the height of the assembly  10 . 
       FIGS. 11, 12B, and 12C  are a view of the assembly  10  showing the base plate  100  up to the triangular shaped joint member  160 . In this embodiment, two adjustment caps  170  are used to adjust the height of the assembly, and they are snap fitted into the barrel shaped member  140 . The assembly  10  further includes the circular housing  130 , the clip  132 , and the triangular shaped joint member  160 .  FIG. 12  also shows this arrangement with joint clip  150  being used to align and hold in place the adjacent triangular shaped joint members  160 .  FIG. 12B  shows the assembly  10  with only a single adjustment cap  170 . 
       FIG. 13  is a side perspective view of the assembly  10  showing an alternate embodiment from the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having a threaded rod or rebar member  120  for adjusting the height of the assembly. The lower end of adjustment rod  120  is placed into base support member  110 , and the upper end is connected to barrel shaped member  140 .  FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 13  showing the assembly  10  of the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having the threaded rod or rebar member  120 . 
       FIG. 14  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 12C  showing the assembly  10  having the base plate  100 ′ up to the triangular shaped joint member  160  having two height adjustment caps  170 , using two height adjustment caps  170 . 
     ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     An advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system to accelerate and facilitate the accurate placement of the screed guides and limit the use of different sizes of clips. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which allows for the facile and exact adjustment of the height of the screed guide/control joint clip and the screed guide/control joint. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which permits the use of the system on substrates which heretofore would not accept the system. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel screed guide/control joint clip system which incorporates a base member securable to a substrate of the type which did not previously permit the usage of a screed guide/control joint. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is to provide placement of different sizes and shaped rebar to be firmly inserted into the base support and the threaded cap  140 . 
     A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.