Screed bar attachment

An attachment for a screed bar which is used to level concrete in concrete forms wherein the screed bar is operated by two individuals who place the bar on the concrete forms and then move it back and forth along the forms to level the concrete after it has been freshly poured into the forms, the attachment comprising an inverted U-shaped member attached adjacent each end of the screed bar, each member having a pair of parallel plates extending outwardly and upwardly therefrom at an angle of about 70.degree. with respect to the vertical, a handle pivotally connected between each pair of parallel plates and extending outwardly and pivotally from each member, whereby the individuals can grasp the handles and move the screed bar over the forms and the concrete therein without having to stoop over.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a concrete screed board, and more 
particularly to a screed board attachment including a device for attaching 
a pair of pivotal handles to the screed board. 
2. The Prior Art 
As is known to those having ordinary skill in the art, a screed board is 
used in cement finishing work for leveling freshly poured concrete. If the 
area of the concrete to be smoothed is relatively narrow, a screed board, 
which is usually a relatively long, straight wooden board, may be operated 
by two individuals who place the board on concrete forms and then move it 
back and forth along the forms to level concrete after it has been freshly 
poured. 
After concrete has been poured, care must be taken to level the concrete so 
that there are no high spots or low areas. When utilizing a screed board 
to accomplish this result, a screed board is selected which is generally 
10 to 16 feet in length; the screed board is handled by men stooping over 
with their arms extended downwardly to grasp and move the screed board. As 
can be appreciated, this is a very tiring position, and many cement 
workers experience back problems as they grow older. It has been 
recognized that the use of handles in combination with a screed board may 
simplify the concrete levelling operation and thereby lessen the physical 
stresses on the operators of the screed board. However, none of the 
handles and similar proposals heretofore provided facilitated the 
operation of the screed board in the manner of the present invention. 
A preliminary search was conducted on the present invention and the 
following listed patents were uncovered in the search. 
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Patent No. Inventor Issue Date 
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2,897,735 Alessio August 4, 1959 
3,046,856 Baxter July 31, 1956 
4,256,416 Bishop March, 1981 
4,702,641 Naser, et al. 
October 27, 1987 
4,828,427 Nisenbaum May 9, 1989 
5,016,319 Stigen May 21, 1991 
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Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,416 shows a pair of short handles fixed relative 
to one another, one handle extending straight upwardly from its attachment 
to the screed bar while the other handle extends upwardly at an angle. 
Operation of the Bishop device requires applying a downward pressure on 
the upwardly extending handle while pulling the screed with the laterally 
outwardly extending handles. Furthermore, because of the shortness of the 
handles, the operators will still have to stoop over to operate the screed 
bar. 
Naser, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,641 shows a single handle connected to 
the center of the screed bar by angled brackets. 
Baxter U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,856 shows a concrete finishing device having a 
pivoted handle (see FIG. 4). However, the pivoting is accomplished in a 
different manner and could not be used on a screed bar with two men 
operating the screed bar as disclosed in the present application. 
Alessio U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,735 describes a device attached to a screed and 
connected to a belt worn by the user with chains. The screed is moved side 
to side by the user swaying as he walks slowly backward. However, as can 
be appreciated from reviewing the Alessio disclosure, the construction of 
this handle assembly permits its use only on small jobs; i.e., with very 
short length screed boards inasmuch it is designed for use by only a 
single operator. Furthermore, it should be readily apparent from the 
description in the Alessio disclosure that the operation of this device 
would be extremely awkward. 
Nisenbaum U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,427 shows an elongated handle with means of 
attachment to the screed board 14. Again, this patent does not disclose 
the present invention. 
Stigen U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,319 shows an elongated telescoping handle which 
is not pivotal. The Stigen patent appears to be somewhat similar to the 
Bishop patent discussed above. The Bishop patent shows very short handles, 
whereas the Stigen patent shows longer handles inclined in essentially the 
same direction. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention involves an attachment for a screed bar which is used 
to level concrete in concrete forms. The screed bar is operated by two 
individuals who place the bar on the concrete forms and then move it back 
and forth along the forms to level the concrete after it has been freshly 
poured into the forms. The attachment of the present invention comprises 
an inverted U-shaped member attached adjacent each end of the screed bar, 
each member having a pair of parallel plates extending outwardly and 
upwardly therefrom at an angle of about 70.degree. with respect to the 
vertical. A handle is pivotally connected between each pair of parallel 
plates and extending outwardly and pivotally from each member, whereby the 
individuals can grasp the handles and move the screed bar over the forms 
and the concrete therein without having to stoop over. 
The U-shaped attachment member of the present invention has an upper 
horizontal portion and a pair of left and fight vertical portions, each 
portion having a hole therethrough. The end of the lower parallel plate 
adjacent to the U-shaped member is also provided with a hole. Thus, a 
first a nail can be driven vertically and downwardly into the screed bar 
through the hole in the horizontal portion; a second nail can be driven 
horizontally into the screed bar through the hole in one of the vertical 
portions; and a third nail can be driven into the screed bar at an angle 
through the hole in the other of the vertical portions and through the 
hole in the lower parallel plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a screed bar 10 which is 
preferably made of wood extending eight to ten feet in length, depending 
upon the size of the concrete area to be levelled. The cross-sectional 
shape of the screed bar 10 can be that of a conventional "2 by 4", 
although any other similar cross-sectional shape will suffice. The screed 
bar 10 shows two attachments 12 of the present invention attached at 
spaced intervals, generally adjacent the ends of the screed bar. A more 
complete description of the attachment will appear hereinafter. The screed 
bar is shown as positioned over concrete forms 28 into which a body of 
concrete 30 has been freshly poured. A pair of wooden handles 24 and 26, 
preferably about five feet in length, extend outwardly and pivotally from 
the attachments 12. In order to manipulate the screed bar 10 over the 
concrete 30, two men (not shown) would be required. Each man would grip a 
handle 24 or 26 and the men would work in unison. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, each attachment 12 is formed from an inverted 
U-shaped member 14 having a pair of parallel plates 16 and 18 extending 
off at an angle of about 70.degree. with respect to the vertical. These 
two plates 16 and 18 are parallel to each other and are provided with 
aligned holes (not referenced) through which a bolt 20 extends. The bolt 
20 also passes through a hole (not referenced) in the handle 24 (or 26) 
which is in alignment with the holes referred to above in the plates 16 
and 18. Thus, the handle 24 (or 26) can rotate approximately 180.degree. 
between the two plates 16 and 18. 
The screed bar assembly 10, including the attachments 12 and wooden handles 
24 and 26, can be operated by two men (not shown) standing to the rear of 
the screed bar and who can operate the screed bar without having to stoop 
over, as would be the case with U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,416. Furthermore, the 
handles 24 and 26 can be swivelled through a total arc of approximately 
180.degree. . 
FIG. 2 also shows the details of one manner of attaching the device 12 to 
the screed bar 10 of FIG. 1. A plurality of double-headed nails 22 are 
adapted to be driven through suitable holes in the U-shaped member 14 and 
in the lower plate 18 in a manner to be described hereinafter. The 
U-shaped member has an upper horizontal top portion (not referenced) which 
is provided with a hole 32 through which the upper double-headed nail 22 
can be driven vertically and downwardly into the screed bar 10 (not shown 
in this Figure). The U-shaped member also has left and right vertical side 
portions (not referenced) which are provided with holes 34 and 36, 
respectively. The left-hand double-headed nail 22 shown in FIG. 2 can be 
driven through the hole 34 horizontally into the screed bar 10 (not shown 
in this Figure). With respect to the right-hand double-headed nail 22, the 
lower end of the right-hand side portion of the U-shaped member 14 is 
provided with the hole 36 as described above, whereas the lower and 
adjacent end of the plate 18 is provided with a hole 38. The right-hand 
double-headed nail 22 is thus driven through the holes 38 and 36 at an 
angle into the screed bar 10 (not shown in this Figure). 
Whereas, the present invention has been described in particular relation to 
the drawings attached hereto, other and further modifications, apart from 
those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope 
of this invention.