Abstract:
A pre-fabricated outdoor column assembly with an outer wall having the appearance of masonry. The pre-fabricated column assembly includes a tubular member with an insert disposed inside the tubular member. The insert has an opening for receiving a mounting post and is disposed in spaced apart relation to the ends of the tubular member such that a first space between the insert and the tubular member and a second space between the insert and the tubular member are formed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/592,083 filed on Jul. 28, 2004, entitled “Pre-fabricated Outdoor Column,” which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to outdoor columns for use as free-standing landscape pillars, fencing columns, mailbox support columns and commercial sign support columns.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Outdoor columns are typically constructed with masonry building materials such as concrete, cement mortar, reinforcing steel bar, clay, marble, brick, stone or stackable pre-cast concrete block of various shapes to achieve a column. Many of these materials are susceptible to cracking, scaling, effluorescence and hydro-freeze expansion. Also, these materials typically require a large foundation to support the weight of the building materials (typically 300-400 lbs.). These materials require extensive labor, packaging and heavy equipment to transport from suppliers to the installation site. Accordingly, there is a need for an outdoor column that provides a durable, decorative, versatile, relatively inexpensive, and easy to install design for use in exterior landscape, fencing and sign support applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention meets the above-described need by providing a multi-purpose, outdoor engineered column system that is prefabricated for rapid installation in the field. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the core of the present invention;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the core of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a column of the present invention shown in a mailbox application;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a column of the present invention shown in a commercial sign application;  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a column of the present invention with a light kit installed;  
         [0011]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a column of the present invention having a simulated brick surface; and,  
         [0012]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a mounting post attached to a concrete pad. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a core  10  is typically rectangular with four side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  joined at the corners to form a hollow structure with an inside cavity  19 . The four walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be joined at ninety degree keyed corners and bonded together by commercially available adhesives or the like as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art. The walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  may be molded from suitable plastic materials such as polystyrene, polyethylene, or polyurethane resins. The molding processes include, but are not limited to, injection molding and rotocasting (rotational molding). Molding provides for speed of manufacture, however, other methods of forming the walls may also be suitable. The outside surfaces  21  of the walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  are provided with surfaces textures that resemble traditional brick, paneled stucco, natural stone or the like. The outside surfaces  21  are provided with an exterior hard shell coating to provide the appropriate colors for the particular design and to provide a coating to provide protection for use in outdoor environments. By way of example only, the exterior coatings for the walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  are a combination of commercially available polyurea base coating, acrylic bonding primer and an exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS) textured finish coating. The EIFS coating is a textured 100% acrylic polymer finish coat used in both residential and commercial construction. As an alternative, the walls and surface texture for some of the columns such as stone-type may be formed integrally in a rotocasting process where the textures and coloring would be inherent in the polyethylene or polyurethane resin compound.  
         [0014]     In the example shown, the top  20  and bottom  22  are square-shaped and open. The inside cavity  19  is provided with an insert  24 . The insert  24  may be rectangular shaped with outside dimensions matching the inside dimension of the cavity  19  such that the insert  24  may be disposed snugly inside the cavity  19 . The insert  24  may be attached inside the cavity  19  by adhesives or the like as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art. The insert  24  has an opening  26  disposed along a central longitudinal axis. The opening  26  is sized to receive a standard 4″×4″ post. The opening  26  is also provided with at least one conduit raceway  28  defined along the edge of the opening  26  such that conduit(not shown) can be run along the outside of the post inside the insert  24 . The electrical conduit/wire passageways or raceways  28  are designed to allow for electrical conduit or underground rated wire to be installed within the column  39  ( FIG. 3 ) for supplying electrical power to an optional light fixture kit  40  ( FIG. 3 ), electrical outlet kit, or illuminated house number kit.  
         [0015]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the insert  24  is spaced apart from the bottom  22  of the side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  such that a space  30  is formed below the insert  24 . The space  30  provides for a degree of flexibility with. regard to the position of the conduit for applications such as lights or the like.  
         [0016]     The core  10  is also provided with a space  33  extending to the top  20 . The space  33  provides an area for a mailbox  31  ( FIG. 3 ) to be inserted into the core  10  of the finished column  39  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0017]     Turning to  FIG. 2 , wall  18  may be provided with an opening  36  in the shape of a mailbox. The opening  36  receives the mailbox  31  and newspaper box (not shown) which is disposed above the post when the column is installed. The conduit raceways  28  may be disposed on different sides of the opening  26  such that the conduit is not obstructed by the mailbox  31 .  
         [0018]     The structure described above for the core  10  provides the end user with the ability to rapidly install the finished product over a commonly available 4″×4″ wood, PVC, steel or aluminum post installed in the ground. The post may be initially installed into an 8″-10″ hole that is augured in the ground. The post is inserted into the hole to the appropriate depth depending on the local building codes with regard to the frost line. The post is secured by backfilling with commonly available pre-mixed concrete. The prefabricated column  39  is then mounted over the installed post and bonded to the post using commercially available exterior rated adhesives or the like. Using a 4″×4″ wood, PVC, aluminum or steel post provides a safe “break away” feature in the event that an moving vehicle comes into contact with the prefabricated column.  
         [0019]     The columns are designed to accept various accessory devices that are field mounted to enhance the usefulness of the column such as a mailbox kit, a light fixture kit, a light fixture mounting base kit, a plant holder bracket and illuminated house number display.  
         [0020]     In  FIG. 3 , a column  39  having a mailbox  31  and a lighting kit  40  is shown. The lighting kit  40  is mounted on a top cover  44  that engages with the top of the side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  to cover opening  20 .  
         [0021]     Turning to  FIG. 4 , a pillar  50  for supporting one side of a commercial sign (not shown) has an opening  53  on the side where the sign is inserted. Opening  53  extends through the core and insert of pillar  50  such that a bracket (not shown) can be inserted into the opening and attached to the post at one end and attached to the surface of the outdoor signage at the opposite end. Accordingly, the bracket and the post are load bearing and not the pillar  50 . Except for the opening  53 , the core and insert are similar to the core and insert shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0022]     The pillar  50  is slid over a 4″×4″ aluminum or steel post set in concrete to the appropriate frost level to support the load of the sign. The bracket is bolted to the post once it is inserted into the opening  53  on the side of the pillar  50 . The opposite end is bolted to the finished surface of the outdoor signage.  
         [0023]     In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , alternate versions of the designs for the columns are shown. In  FIG. 5 , column  60  is a paneled stucco version having a top cover  44  with a light kit  40  installed therein. In  FIG. 6 a  brick column  70  is shown with a plain top cover  80 .  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , in addition to the post hole mounting, the column of the present invention may be field mounted to existing concrete footers, foundations, pads, sidewalks, patios, driveways, walkways, or asphalt parking lots by using optional pad mounting brackets  90  that are attached to the bottom of a mounting post  93 . The brackets  90  are attached to a concrete pad  99  by commercially available masonry fasteners or the like as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art. Other shapes of brackets and mounting hole patterns including a single bracket may also be suitable.  
         [0025]     While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.