Abstract:
A concrete receptacle assembly includes a frame that supports a series of cells that are used to receive waste concrete and mold the waste concrete into synthetic riprap blocks. The cells are defined by a series of angled partitions that are mounted within the frame, with the angled partitions defining the shape of the synthetic riprap blocks produced. In operation, the waste concrete is distributed into the cells, where it is allowed to cure for a predetermined period of time. Once cured, the concrete receptacle assembly is upended such that the synthetic riprap blocks will be dislodged from the cell. Once the synthetic riprap blocks have been extracted, the concrete receptacle assembly is prepped for the next cycle of production.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/454,938, filed on Mar. 14, 2003. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to the field of concrete reclamation, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a concrete receptacle assembly that facilitates the disposal of concrete waste and recycling said concrete waste for use as riprap.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The concrete industry wastes significant amounts of concrete each year. Concrete batch plants tend to waste on average one yard of concrete per day for each truck used to transport the concrete. While there are multiple reasons concerning why waste concrete is produced, one substantial reason is that contractors and persons in the construction industry order too much concrete for a particular job. As a result, the disposal of the unused, waste concrete is a major concern for the construction industry as well as for environmentalists.  
           [0004]    Historically, several methods have been used for controlling the excess concrete produced at any particular work site. The most commonly used means for controlling waste concrete is a traditional washing out of the concrete mixer into a slurry. The benefit of such a system is that slurries commonly preexist at many work sites. Furthermore, the use of a slurry is easy for laborers due to the low maintenance requirements and the simple technological requirements. However, this system produces a cementitious slurry at the work site that is also expensive for disposal, not considering the extraordinary length of time that it takes to dispose of the slurry. In addition, this system requires an extensive yard space for the location of the slurry. A related means for disposing of waste concrete is a chemical wash out of the waste concrete from a mixer. However, such a method requires a significant initial capital investment as well as high ongoing costs.  
           [0005]    Another method for the disposal of waste concrete is referred to as “stoning out”, wherein the hardened concrete is pulverized and distributed at a desired location. While this requires little capital costs, it does require ground storage and the pulverized concrete may not be suitable for use after multiple mixes.  
           [0006]    One final method for reusing concrete is to employ a reclaimer, which will maintain the concrete in a somewhat fluid form for later use. While this allows for use of all materials, it has high capital costs and high maintenance costs. Moreover, it requires constant supervision and a consistently high production plant to work efficiently.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention provides a concrete receptacle assembly that is used to receive waste concrete and mold the waste concrete into synthetic riprap. Specifically, the concrete receptacle assembly includes a frame surrounding a series of cells used to receive waste concrete from construction worksites and related areas. The concrete receptacle assembly is then arranged in such a way so that it may be turned over without interference from nearby obstructions. Once the cells of the concrete receptacle assembly are filled, the excess concrete is then leveled off of the top using a screed and the top layer is patted to provide a smooth surface.  
           [0008]    The concrete is then allowed to cure in the cells of the concrete receptacle assembly for a predetermined amount of time corresponding to the size of the cells and the depth of the concrete. Once cured, the concrete receptacle assembly is upended such that the concrete riprap blocks will be dispelled when the concrete receptacle assembly makes contact with the ground. Once the synthetic riprap blocks have been extracted, the concrete receptacle assembly is prepped for the next cycle of production. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    A concrete receptacle assembly embodying the features of the present invention is depicted in the accompanying drawings which form a portion of this disclosure, wherein:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention taken along lines  4 -- 4  of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention taken along lines  5 -- 5  of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a first side elevational view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention taken along lines  6 -- 6  of FIG. 2;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a second side elevational view of the concrete receptacle assembly of the present invention taken along lines  7 -- 7  of FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upended embodiment of the concrete receptacle assembly, with a vehicle for upending the concrete receptacle assembly proximate the concrete receptacle assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of one cell from the concrete receptacle assembly, said view illustrating the various angles of the tapered edges of said cell;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 a  is a sectional view of the concrete receptacle assembly taken along the lines  10   a -- 10   a  of FIG. 2;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 b  is a sectional view of the concrete receptacle assembly taken along the lines of  10   b -- 10   b  of FIG. 2; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the concrete receptacle assembly having a railing. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    Referring to the figures for a better understanding of present invention, it will be appreciated that the present invention comprises a concrete receptacle assembly  10  that is transportable to a location having waste concrete (not illustrated), such as a construction work site, a cement plant, or other concrete facility, to receive excess waste concrete which is otherwise not useful and must be disposed of by the user. In particular, the concrete receptacle assembly  10 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, forms the waste concrete into synthetic, formed riprap blocks  14  (as illustrated in FIG. 1 b ) that may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the synthetic riprap blocks  14  may be used for pier and abutment protection at new and existing bridges, for inlet and outlet protection at new and existing culverts, for river and creek stream training, for spillways, for general erosion control, and numerous other related applications.  
         [0023]    The concrete receptacle assembly  10  of the present invention includes an outer frame  16  or wall made of a steel plate or multiple steel plates that are welded together. While steel plates are used in one embodiment of the invention, it should be noted that other embodiments of the invention may include an outer frame  16  made of sheet metal, cast metal, plastics, or a related material having the strength and durability required to hold the waste concrete and eject the riprap blocks  14  efficiently.  
         [0024]    In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the outer frame  16  has a rectangular shape with two horizontal walls  18  that are connected to two vertical walls  20 . A variety of inner partitions  22 ,  24  (such as plates or walls) are further connected together and to the inner surface of the surrounding outer frame  16 . Looking to FIG. 1, one or more vertical partitions  22  are connected between the horizontal walls  18  and one or more horizontal partitions  24  are connected between the verticals walls  20  to form synthetic riprap cells  26 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2, 10 a  and  10   b , there are three pairs of vertical partitions  22 , with each vertical partition  22  of each pair sloping towards each other. Likewise, there are three pairs of horizontal partitions  24 , with each horizontal partition  22  of the pair sloping toward each other. Finally, a set of base plates  25  are connected between the vertical partitions  22  of each pair and the horizontal partitions  24  of each pair to provide a bottom surface for the cell  26 . Thus, each cell  26  will have an open side to receive waste concrete and a closed base  25  to contain the waste concrete. As a result, the frame  16  of the concrete receptacle assembly  10  supports the various cells  26  that will receive and hold the waste concrete.  
         [0025]    It should be noted that while the frame  16  of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 is rectangular, any number of geometrical shapes could be incorporated into the present design to achieve the shape of the cells  26  (and thus the synthetic riprap blocks  14 ) as desired by the user. Additionally, the cells  26  generally have a trapezoidal or rectangular cross-section, with tapered sides that ease the extraction of the synthetic riprap blocks  14  from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 , as discussed herein. Synthetic riprap blocks  14  are designed to have specific weight and size dimensions according to specifications as desired by the users of conventional riprap and as set by various governing authorities, such as the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Thus, the concrete receptacle assemblies  10  will vary in size, and will be used daily for stockpiling the synthetic riprap  14  in size and shape as desired by the user. Furthermore, it should be noted that the shape of the cells  26  may be adjusted to create synthetic riprap blocks  14  of different shapes, such as cylindrical blocks or triangular blocks.  
         [0026]    Moreover, the concrete receptacle assemblies  10  may have any number of rows and columns of cells  26 . For example, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes three cells  26  in each row by three cells  26  in each column. However, any number of other designs, with a variety of cell components, may be provided. For example, the concrete receptacle assembly  10  may include three cells  26  in a row by twelve cells  26  in a column, six cells  26  in a row by six cells  26  in a column, or five cells  26  in a row by two cells  26  in a column. The number of cells  26  is determined according to the desired size of the synthetic riprap blocks  14  and the available room for operation of the concrete receptacle assembly  10  at the construction work site or batch plant. That is, the larger the desired riprap blocks  14 , the fewer cells  26  in each concrete receptacle assembly  10 . Furthermore, it is foreseen that individual concrete receptacle assemblies  10  may be connected to each other to create the desired number of cells  26  to receive waste concrete. As shown in FIG. 8, three concrete receptacle assemblies  10  are welded together, with a clasp  35  (discussed further herein) being connected to adjacent sides of concrete receptacle assemblies  10  to reinforce the connection.  
         [0027]    Looking to FIG. 11, the horizontal side walls  18  may be extended above the top surface of the concrete receptacle assembly  10  to form a railing  30 . The railing  30  will prevent any undesired run over of waste concrete from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 , and will keep the concrete in the desired cells  26 .  
         [0028]    As stated above, the present invention is used to create synthetic riprap  14  from the waste concrete and cement that is commonly found at concrete batch plants, cement plants, pipe plants, and other concrete facilities. The process of recycling waste concrete as synthetic riprap blocks  14  involves the step of initially placing the concrete receptacle assembly  10  (or multiple assemblies) on a substantially hard surface. If multiple concrete receptacle assemblies  10  are used, they are lined up side by side.  
         [0029]    Once arranged, a lubricating substance (not illustrated) is then dispersed onto each cell  26  of the concrete receptacle assembly  10  to prepare the cell  26  to receive the waste concrete. The lubricating substance can be any type known in the art, such as form oil or hydraulic oil, although it is desired that the lubricant be environmentally safe. The waste concrete is then poured into one or more cells  26  of each concrete receptacle assembly  10 . Each independent cell  26  is substantially filled before proceeding to fill adjacent cells  26 , such that the amount of waste concrete and cement determines the number of cells  26  that are filled. The railing  30  directs the waste concrete to flow into the next cell  26  or adjacent concrete receptacle assembly  10  once the current cell  26  or current concrete receptacle assembly  10  has been filled, thereby helping to prevent the undesired spilling of waste concrete from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 .  
         [0030]    The concrete receptacle assemblies  10  are then stored or set for a period of time, with the waste concrete stored therewith in the cells  26 . During this time, the waste concrete will cure into the synthetic riprap blocks  14  desired by the user. While the time required for curing will vary according to the size and shape of the cells  26 , it has been found that a curing time of eight to twelve hours will be sufficient to allow the waste cement to harden into synthetic riprap blocks  14 .  
         [0031]    Once the synthetic riprap blocks  14  have cured, the concrete receptacle assembly  10  is ready to be flipped or inverted to dislodge the synthetic riprap blocks  14  from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 . In one embodiment of the invention, a chain, or a hook connected to a chain (not illustrated) may be attached to a front-end loader  38 , tractor, bulldozer or other piece of machinery, which can then be connected to a bracket  34 , clasp  35 , handle, or other attachment means connected to the concrete receptacle assembly  10 . In one embodiment, the hook is attached to the bucket of the front-end loader  38  using a chain, and the user is able to engage the clasp  35  with the hook. Upward movement of the bucket will then lift the concrete receptacle assembly  10  by the clasp  35  to pick-up or roll concrete receptacle assembly  10  to an inverted position (see FIG. 8). In addition, the chain may be connected directly to the concrete receptacle assembly  10  to cause this movement, and the bucket of the front-end loader  38  may directly engage the concrete receptacle assembly  10  to upend the concrete receptacle assembly  10 .  
         [0032]    Once the concrete receptacle assemblies  10  are rolled, the synthetic riprap  14  will fall out from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 , either when the top side of the concrete receptacle assembly  10  strikes the ground surface or prior to that force. The synthetic riprap blocks  14  are then pushed into a pile and the concrete receptacle assembly  10  is oiled once again and made ready for the next cycle of production. The lubricating substance dispersed in the cells  26  will aid in unloading of the synthetic riprap  14 . The user will then be able to push the synthetic riprap  14  into a pile for transport to the desired location.  
         [0033]    The present invention was tested at a concrete plant where three concrete receptacle assemblies  10  were utilized. The concrete receptacle assemblies  10  were filled with the waste concrete. Two concrete receptacle assemblies  10  were filled without screeding the top excess layer of waste concrete, and the other was filled just to the top of the cell  26 . The next morning the concrete receptacle assemblies  10  were rolled and, while the synthetic riprap blocks  14  were green in appearance, the concrete synthetic riprap blocks  14  were nonetheless extracted. The concrete receptacle assembly  10  having the least amount of excess waste concrete in the cell  26  appeared to produce riprap blocks  14  with the desired structure that were dislodged with minor effort. The other two concrete receptacle assemblies  10  were filled to the point where concrete spilled across the edges, thereby combining each cell  26 . After rolling the concrete receptacle assemblies  10 , it was determined that the bond between cells  26  in the embodiment that was overfilled limited the smooth extraction of the riprap blocks  14  from the concrete receptacle assemblies  10 . This led to the inclusion of a small hole  32  or aperture through the base plate  25  of each cell  26 . This hole  32  makes extraction of the synthetic riprap blocks  14  easier, especially when the synthetic riprap blocks  14  are uncured and greenish in color.  
         [0034]    It should be noted that testing found that certain synthetic riprap blocks  14  required more effort to dislodge the blocks  14  from the concrete receptacle assembly  10 . In particular, it was found that the friction from the two flat sides on each side of the synthetic riprap block  14  prevented the riprap blocks  14  from being extracted easily, and required a substantial amount of bouncing and shaking of the concrete receptacle assemblies  10  to dislodge the riprap blocks  14 . Consequently, this test led to a design wherein all of the sides of a cell  26  (that is, the horizontal partitions  24  and the vertical partitions  22 ) are tapered. By tapering the partitions  22 ,  24 , the riprap blocks  14  were more easily dislocated.  
         [0035]    The concrete receptacle assembly  10  addresses a number of problems in both the concrete industry and in the construction industry. For example, quarries that conventionally supply riprap are located in geographical areas corresponding to the presence of required rocks and minerals. In many instances, the quarries where riprap is extracted are distant from the locations where the riprap is needed. Consequently, significant costs are required for hauling the riprap erosion control to the distant sites. The present invention is able to produce synthetic riprap blocks  14  locally rather than at a distant location.  
         [0036]    The concrete receptacle assembly  10  is simple to use, but has a complex system of elements that provides the ease of extraction of the riprap blocks  14 . Specifically, each cell  26  of a concrete receptacle assembly  10  includes four tapered sides per unit; a small aperture  32  in the bottom of each cell  26  to prevent a suction of the riprap  14  to the cell  26 ; an extension is in place for allowing concrete to spill from one form to the next when lined up; and form oil is used to protect the concrete receptacle assembly  10  and to provide ease of extraction of the riprap block  14 .  
         [0037]    Referring to FIG. 10, a sectional side view of one cell  26  is illustrated, with the various potential angles of the vertical partitions  22  being shown. The vertical partitions  22  may be between 0 degrees to 60 degrees from the horizontal plane  22   a , depending on the desired shape of the riprap block  14  for the desired use of the riprap block  14 . For example, for cells  26  having vertical partitions  22  close to 0 degrees from the vertical plane  22   a , the shape of the synthetic riprap  14  will be substantially rectangular. This will provide a steep angle of repose for each of the sides of the synthetic riprap  14 , which allows for steeper piles when stockpiling the riprap  14  and less room to be taken up by storage of the riprap blocks  14  and for steeper placement of the riprap blocks  14  when used for erosion control. Like the vertical partitions  22 , the horizontal partitions  24  may be tapered as desired by the user.  
         [0038]    It should be noted that the completed synthetic riprap blocks  14  do not have to be hand-placed on the ground surface by a worker. Rather, the riprap blocks  14  have a sturdy production from the waste cement such that they can be dumped onto the ground surface and handled like conventional riprap used in the construction industry.  
         [0039]    Through the use of waste concrete, the present invention provides a continuous, local supply of synthetic riprap  14  that can be produced as long as a concrete plant is in operation. Furthermore, the waste concrete is recycled and reused to create synthetic riprap to take the place or supplement the use of conventional riprap, the most commonly used product for erosion control. This will provide a lower cost to cities, counties, federal and departments of transportation or other organizations. Less waste concrete will provide a service to the community to prevent filling of public landfills and pollution to the environment. That is, currently the waste material will build up into large mounds of poorly graded sediment. However, the use of the present invention will reduce the wastewater that is associated with the concrete waste product, further aiding in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  
         [0040]    Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful CONCRETE RECEPTACLE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.