Abstract:
A method and apparatus for retaining separable parts for a concrete forming panel includes the provision of a retaining member on the forming panel located separately from any one of a plurality of coupling sites. Separate and discrete parts may be held on the retaining member until the parts are ready for use. The retaining member may include a reinforcing bar having at least one and preferably a plurality of openings therein for frictionally holding the part therein. The opening may be provided with a gripper to enhance the frictional engagement and improve the parts holding ability of the retaining member. The retaining member may include a magnetic coupler which is especially useful with aluminum forms for holding steel parts in position. Further, the retaining member may include a self-sticking material with cooperating components on the part and the form whereby the parts may be readily attached and removed from predetermined areas on the forming panel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention concerns a forming panel including a parts receiver for holding separate, discrete parts which may be used in connection with the forming panel. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Forming panels used in erecting concrete walls for structures are often provided in standard sizes and shapes, and thus must be connected in order to establish a pair of opposed forming walls into which concrete may be poured for hardening into the final structural shape. Thus, adjacent forming panels are coupled together by pins, wedges and other fasteners, and opposing walls are connected by tie bars and the like. The purpose of such forms is that they may be removed and reused after the concrete is hardened. However, keeping track of the large number of pins, wedges, nuts and other connectors has been a problem. One other problem associated with such small parts is that they are often not readily available to the workman who must assemble the forms. Thus, parts may be lost or displaced, located in a remote area on the jobsite, or otherwise separated from the forming panel. Certain parts are relatively specialized and thus somewhat expensive to replace, and are repeatedly used with the same forming panel. Moreover, several workman must often wait while the parts are obtained by another workman, resulting in the loss of productive time of not merely one but several workers. Thus, the expensive of replacement parts and the time lost in locating and retrieving such small parts is an economic loss as well as an aggravation to the construction crew. 
     While the forming panels include a plurality of coupling sites which are normally adapted to receive some or all of the parts for use in, for example, attaching the forming panel to a complementally configured forming member, it is unsatisfactory to carry the separate parts in these locations during transit and storage. Typically, these “in use” positions are exposed, and placing the parts in these coupling sites subjects the parts, and more importantly the forms themselves which are often of a softer material, to substantial use and wear as the parts are impacted. Moreover, holding the parts in such “in use” positions interferes with handling and positioning the forms for coupling as well as storage. In addition, such “in use” positions in the coupling sites subjects the parts themselves to impact and loosening at the site, whereby parts may be readily separated and lost. 
     One attempt to ameliorate this problem has been to attach small parts by wires to the forming panel. This helps to keep certain parts constant associated with a single form. However, the wire connecting the parts to the form may become entangled with other equipment resulting in a potential safety hazard. In addition, when two or more such small parts are used at a single location, the positioning of the wires may be cumbersome. Also, not all parts will be coupled to a form, or certain special applications may require different small parts to couple the forms together. 
     There has thus developed a need for improved methods of coupling small parts to concrete forming panels, and in particular aluminum forming panels of a lightweight type of construction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These problems have largely been solved by the method and apparatus for retaining separable coupling parts for a concrete forming panel in accordance with the present invention. That is to say, the method and apparatus hereof solves the problem of holding separate and discrete parts on a forming panel at a location spaced from their eventual position for use. By having a parts receiver as a part of the form itself, the parts are releasably held but remain available for use. Moreover, by having the parts receiver spaced from the coupling sites, the parts may be held by the parts receiver during handling and alignment of adjacent forms, so that the parts do not interfere with such alignment but may be quickly transferred to the coupling sites when desired. 
     Broadly speaking, the forming panel of the present invention includes a face sheet for receiving concrete thereagainst, a frame for supporting the face sheet, and a parts receiver for temporarily holding one or a plurality of separate and discrete parts. By “separate”, it is meant that the parts are not held by a wire or other permanent attachment to the forming panel, but rather are completely separable therefrom so that parts may be readily transferred between different forming panels as desired for specific applications. The parts receiver may be provided with openings therein whereby the parts may be frictionally engaged by the parts receiver. In addition, one or more of the openings may be provided with a gripper of an elasotmeric material which increases the frictional engagement between the parts receiver and the part. Because the parts may be configured differently, different shapes of openings may be provided for holding parts of different shapes. For example, some openings may be substantially rectangular or elongated, suitable for holding complementally shaped parts such as wedges, while other openings may be substantially circular for holding, for example, round-shank pins therein. The parts receiver may be provided with a magnetic coupler which is especially beneficial for holding parts of iron or steel when the forming panel frame and face are primarily constructed of aluminum. Thus, the provision of a magnetic coupler helps to hold selected parts, without causing any substantial interference between one form and another. Further, the parts receiver may be provided with a self-sticking material such as grip and loop fabric material, one of the grip and loop fabric being provided on the part while the other of the grip and loop fabric material is provided on the forming panel. Parts may thereby be quickly attached and removed for use. The parts receiver may also be configured and positioned in such a way as to provide stiffening and reinforcement to the frame and or face sheet of the forming panel. 
     The method of the present invention includes providing a concrete forming panel and at least one part adapted for use therewith, the part being discrete and separate from the forming panel. The forming panel so provided includes a plurality of coupling sites adapted for coupling said panel to a complementally configured forming member which may be positioned adjacent thereto, the forming panel including a parts receiver positioned on said forming panel remote from said coupling sites. The parts are then releasably attached to parts receiver and may thereafter be subsequently moved into the coupling sites during coupling of the forming panel to the adjacent forming member. As a result, no separate box or container need be maintained for the parts during transport and storage, but the parts carried by the parts receivers of different forming panels may be readily interchanged or moved as needed. 
     These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and description which follow. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a forming panel having a face sheet, a frame, and a plurality of parts receivers for receiving discrete parts; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged rear perspective view of the forming panel hereof showing a parts receiver having a plurality of circular openings extending between two parts receivers having a plurality of elongated openings and two parts positioned for receipt by one of the parts receivers; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2 showing a pin received in a gripper placed in an opening of a parts receiver; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2 showing a wedge received in a gripper placed in an opening of a parts receiver; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 1 showing a parts receiver having a plurality of holes and spanning between two other parts receivers in reinforcing relationship thereto; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 1 showing a parts retainer having a grip and loop fabric material for temporarily and releasably holding a part thereto; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 1 showing a parts retainer having a magnet section for temporarily and releasably holding a part thereto; and 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the forming panel hereof showing a parts receiver having a wing to which a flexible strip is attached for gripping a part. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawing, a forming panel  10  for receiving flowable concrete thereagainst and providing a form for hardening the concrete to a desired shape is generally shown in FIG.  1  and includes a face sheet  12  and a frame  14 . The face sheet and frame are provided preferably primarily of aluminum, to include alloys thereof such as ASTM 6061-T6. The face sheet  12  is relatively thin, for example about 0.090 to 0.125 for lightweight applications but may be made thicker for heavier duty applications, and may be substantially flat or textured to provide a brickface or other texture to the concrete hardening thereagainst. The face sheet  12  includes a perimeter  15 , a front side  16  and a back side  18 , and is welded to the frame  14 . The frame  14  has at least one rail of a thickness typically varying between 0.125″ and ⅜″ for lightweight applications, with thicker aluminum stock provided for larger sizes and heavier duty applications if desired. The frame  14  may be round, oval, polygonal or any other shape as desired, but it is most common to provide a frame  14  having a generally rectangular shape with a pair of parallel, spaced-apart end rails  20  and  22  and a pair of parallel, spaced-apart side rails  24  and  26  which are welded together to provide the support and shape desired for the face sheet  12  as shown in FIG.  1 . Stiffeners  28  may be provided as a part of the frame  14  and located on the back side of the face sheet  12 . In addition, the present invention includes at least one parts receiver  30 . Some of the rails, such as side rails  24  and  26 , have coupling sites  32 . As shown in FIG. 1, the coupling sites  32  typically include a hole  34  and a relieved area  36 . The holes  34  may receive a part  37 , such as a pin  38  therein, which can be held by a wedge  40  to couple the forming panel to an adjacent forming structure, such as another panel, corner member, or the like. The relieved areas may have tie-bars placed therealong to connect the forming panels  10  to opposite forming structures. 
     The parts receiver  30  of the present invention may be provided in different configurations. One example of such a parts receiver  30  is a cross-member  42  extending between the side rails  24  and  26  that includes a plurality of elongated openings  44  in a first bar  46  extending generally perpendicular to the face sheet  12  and further supported and reinforced by a second bar  48  In addition, a plurality of circular openings  50  are provided in the first bar  46  of the cross-member  32 . Either or both of the openings  44  and  50  may be provided with grippers  52  inserted therein which are formed of an elastomeric material such as natural or synthetic rubber and which enhance the frictional engagement between the parts receiver and the part held therein. It maybe appreciated that among the parts which may be readily held by the elongated openings  44  are the wedges  40  and that, for example, either the pins  38  or the wedges  40  may be held in the circular openings  50 . Furthermore, it may be appreciated that the cross-member  42  serves not only as a parts receiver but also acts as a stiffener for the frame  12 . 
     Another type of parts receiver  30  useful in the present invention is a brace  54  as shown in FIGS. 1-5. The brace  54  as shown has a first wall  56  extending generally perpendicular to the face sheet  12  which includes openings  50  therein, and a second wall  60  oriented generally parallel to the face sheet  12 . The openings  50  are shown as circular, but may be elongated or of other shapes to receive desired parts in complemental interfitting relationship. As shown in FIGS. 1-5, some or all of the openings  50  may be provided with grippers  52 , which frictionally engage the parts. The brace  54  may be positioned between and welded to cross-members  42  as shown in FIG. 2 to provide both structural reinforcement to the frame  14 , stiffness to the face sheet  12 , and a retaining member for the parts. It can also be positioned between adjacent stiffeners  28  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. In these configurations, the second wall  60  serves to both reinforce the first wall  56  and to protect the parts received therein against unintended impact which may cause them to loosen and fall. In another configuration as shown in FIG. 1, the brace  54  can be placed with the second wall  60  against the back side of the face sheet  12  for ease of access to parts placed therein. 
     FIG. 6 shows a parts receiver  30  used in connection with the forming panel  10  which includes a strip  62  of one of hook and loop type material and another strip  64  of the other of the hook and loop type material attached to a part  37  such as a wedge  40 . Such strips  62  may be attached to either the first bar  46  or the second bar  48  preferably by adhesive, or alternatively by a mechanical fastener. One example of a hook and loop type material useful for the strips is sold by McMaster-Carr of Chicago, Ill. as mushroom grip and loop fabric, the mushroom grip material being of woven polypropylene with a polyester base as part number 94975K62, and the loop fabric provided as a knit nylon base with nylon napped loops as part number 94975K72. It may be appreciated that other types of hook and loop material may also be used for the strips, and that the hook or mushroom material may be applied to either the part or the parts receiver and the loop material would then be used with the other of the part and parts receiver. 
     FIG. 7 shows a parts receiver  30  used in connection with the forming panel  10  which includes a strip  66  of magnetic material. The strip  66  may be of magnetized metal such as iron, nickel or cobalt or alloys thereof, or ceramic magnets, or alternatively flexible magnetic material, and adhesive  58 , welding or the like may be used to attach the strip  66  of magnetic material to the parts receiver  30 . The parts  37  are typically of steel which permits easy magnetic releasable coupling of the part, such as wedge  40 , to the strip  66  on the parts receiver  30 . In addition, the grippers  52  may be of a magnetic material to further enhance retention of the parts  37  placed into an opening. Furthermore, the entire parts receiver  30  may be provided entirely of a magnetic material if desired. 
     FIG. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of the forming panel  10  with a parts receiver  30  wherein a flange  68  is provided on the first bar  56  which holds, by friction, a mechanical fastener, adhesive bonding or the like, a flexible gripper  70  to hold the parts  37 . The flexible gripper  70  is shown as a strip  72  of steel bonded to the flange  68 , but it may be appreciated that natural or synthetic rubber, aluminum or the like may be bonded to the parts receiver  30  and used for the strip  72 . The part  37 , such as wedge  40 , may be tucked into the opening  74  behind the strip  72  which is opposed to the first bar  36 , and thus held between the strip  72  and the first bar  36 . 
     The forming panel  10  with the parts receiver  30  is especially convenient in use. The parts  37  may be temporarily stored in a complementally configured location on the parts receiver  30 , and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, differently shaped parts may be stored on the parts receiver  30  in different locations. For example, when a pin  38  or wedge  40  is to be stored, either may be placed in a circular opening  50 . Alternatively, wedges  40  may be releasably held by the elongated openings  48  and the pins  38  may be held by the circular openings  50 . More than one shape of opening may be provided, such that, for example, a cross-member  42  may include both elongated openings  48  and circular openings  50 . The forming panel  10  may include only one type of parts receiver, or several as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The parts receivers  30  are all positioned relatively remotely from the coupling sites so as not to interfere with storage and assembly of the forming panels  10  into a composite forming wall of several forming panels and associated forming structures. However, they are located on the forming panel so as to be readily accessible for use, such that when two such forming panels  10  are to be coupled together, it is easy to retrieve a pin  38 , place it into the holes in the adjacent forming panels, and insert the wedge  40  into the slot in the pin to couple the forms together. After use, the parts  37  may be returned to the parts receiver until needed for the next job. The provision of the grippers is useful for improving the frictional engagement between the parts receiver  30  and the parts  37 , thus inhibiting loosening of the parts  37  placed therein but still permitting them to be readily separated from use. Because the parts  37  are completely separate, a variety of differently configured parts may be held by a single forming panel  10 , and may be moved to different forming panels  10  as the need arises. 
     It is to be appreciated that the shapes of the openings and parts shown and described are illustrative only, and that a variety of different parts may be used with the forming panel. 
     Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
     The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.