Patent Publication Number: US-2011062307-A1

Title: Pre-pour sleeve system

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for forming a void in a floor and, more particularly, to a sleeve assembly that is installed prior to the pouring of concrete floor material. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Due to the recent desire for buildings having open floor plans, the popularity of floor boxes and poke-thru devices has grown. Poke-thru devices provide access to data-ports, teleports and power sources and allow for reconfiguration of desks and other office equipment having access to the poke-thru devices. 
     Typically, the poke-thru devices are placed into holes that have been drilled into the walls or flooring, the latter of which is comprised of steel beams that are normally covered with a flooring support, such as corrugated steel decking or plywood, upon which concrete is poured. Drilling holes for poke-thrus, however, requires the expense of specialized laborers to drill the holes, can be disruptive to occupants of the building, and leaves behind dust and debris which must be removed. Furthermore, it is possible to inadvertently drill into structures buried within the concrete because the location of the holes cannot always be determined with precision. 
     Therefore, there is a need for an improved device and method of forming voids for poke-thrus and floor boxes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a pre-pour sleeve system includes a substantially cylindrical-shaped body and a key, which cooperate to form a sleeve that is placed upon a flooring support structure prior to pouring concrete. As the key is disengaged from the sleeve, the circumference of the body decreases and the body may be easily removed from the hardened concrete, forming a void for insertion of a poke-thru device or floor box. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the substantially cylindrical-shaped body is provided with positioning holes, which may be engaged with a plate or brackets to adjust the height on the bottom of the sleeve so that the bottom of the sleeve does not interfere with the flooring support structure underneath the flooring. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the pre-pour sleeve system further includes a cap, which cooperates with the body and the key to maintain the substantially cylindrical shape of the body. Furthermore, the cap prevents debris present above the pre-pour sleeve system from falling to lower levels of the building. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a pre-pour sleeve system, including a plate and a sleeve having a body and a key, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the body of the sleeve of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the body of the sleeve of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the key of the sleeve of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of a poke-thru device inserted into a void remaining in concrete or other flooring material after removal of the sleeve of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the pre-pour sleeve system of  FIG. 1  as preassembled; 
         FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the pre-pour sleeve system of  FIG. 1 , in which the sleeve is installed upon corrugated steel decking; 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of a further embodiment of a pre-pour sleeve system, including a sleeve having a body and a key, and further including a cap and at least one L-bracket, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged, partially broken away, top view of the body and the key of the pre-pour system of  FIG. 9 , in which the key is engaged with the body; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded front perspective view of the pre-pour system of  FIG. 9  with corrugated steel decking; 
         FIG. 12  is a front perspective view of the pre-pour system of  FIG. 9 , in which the pre-pour sleeve system is installed upon corrugated steel decking; and 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of the pre-pour system of  FIG. 9  in which the pre-pour system is installed upon plywood. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a pre-pour sleeve system  10  includes a sleeve  11  having a substantially cylindrical-shaped body  12  with at least one positioning hole  13  and a key  14 . The body  12  of the sleeve  11  includes an upper portion  16  and a lower portion  18  defining a height  20 . The body  12  also includes a first termination end  22  and a second termination end  24 , each of which extends the height  20  of the body  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the termination ends  22 ,  24  of the body  12  include mating sleeve features  26  and are spaced apart by a gap  28 . The gap  28  is adapted to receive the key  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , which includes a pair of mating key features  30  that mate with the mating sleeve features  26  of the body  12 . The key  14  also includes a key body  32  that fits into the gap  28 . When the pre-pour sleeve system  10  is in an engaged position, i.e., the key  14  is positioned between the termination ends  22 ,  24  of the sleeve  11  such that the key body  32  fits within the gap  28  of the body  12  and the mating key features  30  engage the mating sleeve features  26  of the body  12 , the sleeve  11  becomes a continuous substantially cylindrical sleeve, as best shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . When the key  14  is removed from the sleeve  11 , the system  10  is in a disengaged position and the body  12  can be flexed inward to reduce its circumference. 
     In operation, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the sleeve  11  is pre-assembled prior to installation by inserting the key  14  between the termination ends  22 ,  24  of the body  12  such that the mating sleeve features  26  of the body  12  receive the mating key features  30  of the key  14  and the key body  32  of the key  14  fits into the gap  28 . The pre-assembled sleeve  11  is substantially in the form of a continuous cylinder, as best shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
     The pre-assembled sleeve  11  is then passed through a plate  40  having at least one tab  42  and into a receiving hole  44  formed within a corrugated steel deck  46 , which is supported by one or more steel beams  48 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The position of the sleeve  11  relative to the plate  40  may be adjusted so that the sleeve  11  does not interfere with the support structure below the corrugated steel deck  46 , for example, the steel beams  48 , by selecting and lining up each desired positioning hole  13  of the body  12  with the at least one tab  42  on the plate  40 . The desired configuration of positioning hole  13  and tab  42  may be fixed by inserting any suitable attachment means  50 , such as, for example, a bolt, from an interior side  15  of sleeve  11  through the positioning hole  13  and tab  42 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 7 , once the pre-pour sleeve system  10  is in place, concrete or other suitable flooring material  52  may be poured around the pre-pour sleeve system  10 . After the concrete  52  sets and fully hardens, the key  14  is disengaged from the gap  28  in the body  12  by lifting the key upward or pushing it downward. The body  12  then becomes flexible and the circumference of the body  12  is effectively decreased, thereby allowing for easy removal of the body  12  from the hardened concrete flooring. The body  12  may be lifted upward and away from the concrete  52  and used again. A substantially straight-walled void  54  remains in the floor and a poke-thru device  56  or any other like device for providing an interface for voice, data, and fiber optic applications may be inserted into the void  54 . Accordingly, the poke-thru device  56  is in contact with the concrete flooring  52  and no gaps are present. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in another embodiment of the present invention, the key  114  is longer than the height  120  of the body  112  and protrudes upward therefrom to facilitate easier removal of the key. More specifically, the key  114  may be grasped, pulled upward, and disengaged from the body  112 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , according to another embodiment of the present invention, a pre-pour sleeve system  210  includes a sleeve  211  having a substantially cylindrical-shaped body  212  with at least one positioning hole  213  and a key  214 , and optionally a cap  260  and at least one L-bracket  240  having a short portion  242 , a long portion  243 , and at least one bracket hole  241 . The body  212  of sleeve  211  includes an upper portion  216  and a lower portion  218  defining a height  220 . The body  212  also includes a first termination end  222  and a second termination end  224 , each of which extends the height  220  of the body  212 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the termination ends  222 ,  224  of the body  212  include mating sleeve features  226  and are spaced apart by a gap  228 . The gap  228  is adapted to receive the key  214 , which includes a pair of mating key features  230  that mate with the mating sleeve features  226  of the body  212 . The key  214  also includes a key body  232  that fits into the gap  228  along an interior side  215  of the sleeve  211 . When the pre-pour sleeve system  210  is in an engaged position, i.e., the key  214  is positioned between the termination ends  222 ,  224  of the body  212  such that the key body  232  fits within the gap  228  of the body  212  and the mating key features  230  of the key  214  mate with the mating sleeve features  226  of the body  212 , the sleeve  211  becomes a substantially continuous cylinder, as best shown in  FIGS. 9 and 11 . When the key  214  is disengaged from the body  212 , the body  212  can be flexed inward and compressed to reduce its circumference. 
     In operation, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the sleeve  211  is pre-assembled prior to installation by inserting the key  214  between the termination ends  222 ,  224  of the body  212  such that the mating sleeve features  226  of the body  212  mate with the mating key features  230  of the key  214  and the key body  232  of the key  214  fits into the gap  228  of the body  212 . The pre-assembled sleeve  211  is substantially in the form of a continuous cylinder. Optionally, the cap  260  may be placed upon the upper portion  216  of the sleeve  211 . 
     The pre-assembled sleeve  211  is then aligned with the at least one L-bracket  240 . Either the short portion  242  or the long portion  243  of the L-bracket  240  may be placed in contact with the sleeve  211 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , when mounting the pre-pour sleeve system  210  to corrugated steel decking  246 , the short portion  242  of the L-bracket  240  is placed in contact with the sleeve  211  so that the long portion  243  extends outwardly therefrom. In this configuration, the lower portion  218  of the body  212  may be inserted into a receiving hole  244  of the corrugated steel decking  246  and the upper portion  216  of the body  212  remains exposed above the corrugated steel decking  246 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , when the pre-pour sleeve system  210  is to be mounted to plywood  245 , the long portion  243  of the L-bracket  240  is placed in contact with the sleeve  211  so that the lower portion  218  of the body  212  rests upon the plywood  245  and both the upper portion  216  and the lower portion  218  of the body  212  are exposed above the plywood  245 . 
     Once the desired configuration of the L-bracket  240  relative to the sleeve  211  is achieved, the L-bracket  240  may be fixed to the sleeve  211  by passing at least one thumb screw  250  or other attachment means from the interior side  215  of the body  212 , through the positioning hole  213  of the body  212 , and through a bracket hole  241  in the L-bracket  240  and securing the thumb screw  250  by twisting a screw-back  252  onto the thumb screw  250  on an exterior side  217  of the body  212 , as shown in  FIGS. 11-13 . 
     To install the sleeve  211 , the lower portion  218  of the body  212  is then either inserted into a receiving hole  244  formed within a corrugated steel deck  246 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , or rested upon and fixed to the plywood  245 , as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , once the pre-pour sleeve system  210  is in place, concrete or other suitable flooring material  252  may be poured around the pre-pour sleeve system  210 . After the concrete  252  sets and fully hardens, the cap  260  is removed and the at least one thumb screw  250  is removed. The key  214  is then disengaged from the body  212  by pulling the key  214  upward or pushing the key  214  down through the body  212 . The body  212  then becomes flexible and the circumference of the body  212  is effectively decreased, thereby allowing for easy removal of the body  212  from the hardened concrete flooring  252 . The body  212  and key  214  may be reclaimed and used again. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a substantially straight-walled void  54  remains in the floor and a poke-thru device  56  or any other like device for providing an interface for voice, data, and fiber optic applications is inserted into the void  54 . Accordingly, the poke-thru device  56  is in contact with the concrete flooring  52  and no gaps are present. 
     The body  12 ,  112 ,  212  can be fabricated from metal, such as aluminum, plastic, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). In the preferred embodiment, the body is fabricated from poly vinyl chloride (PVC). It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, however, that any material that does not adhere to concrete and has at least slight springing characteristics may be employed. Likewise, the key  14 ,  114 ,  214  can be fabricated from metal, plastic or any material having rigid properties that may easily be disengaged from the body  12 ,  112 ,  212 . 
     The present invention provides many advantages over existing methods and devices for forming voids suitable to receive poke-thru devices and similar devices. For example, drilling to form voids in concrete requires specialized laborers, who must often be brought onto a job site solely for the purpose of drilling to form voids. This labor-intensive work is expensive and time consuming. The present invention eliminates the need for specialized laborers, thereby decreasing expenses, saving time, and increasing efficiency of new construction. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is its ability to be removed from hardened concrete flooring and be reclaimed and reused. More specifically, the sleeve  11 ,  111 ,  211  features a removable key  14 ,  114 ,  214  which, when removed, effectively decreases the circumference of the body  12 ,  112 ,  212  so that the body, which is flexible once the key is disengaged, may be flexed inward and lifted from the hardened concrete  52  or other flooring material. Furthermore, from an environmental perspective, it is advantageous to reclaim and reuse the sleeve  11 ,  111 ,  211  to decrease the amount of waste produced in the formation of voids for poke-thru devices. Also, the present invention eliminates waste and debris generated by removed concrete. 
     Another advantage of the present invention over existing devices is that the present invention features substantially straight walls to form a void having substantially straight walls. Although tapered walls could potentially be used to form a void also having tapered walls, a void having tapered walls would not be suitable for receiving a poke-thru device that-has straight walls. 
     Another advantage of the present invention over existing devices is the ability to select and adjust the height of the sleeve relative to the flooring support structure. This ability to select height allows for the device to remain above the level of the flooring without interfering with or damaging the support structure, for example, the steel beams, beneath. Furthermore, the portions of the body that extend above the flooring prevent concrete from flowing on top of or through the pre-pour sleeve system. Similarly, if the cap  260  is employed, the cap  260  will prevent concrete from flowing into the sleeve  11 ,  111 ,  211 , and will prevent any debris from falling through the flooring. The cap also helps maintain the rigid substantially cylindrical shape of the sleeve when the key and body are engaged. Since the key is easily accessible from above the floor, no special tools or devices are required to disengage the key in an upward direction or a downward direction and remove the sleeve from above the flooring. 
     Another major advantage of the present invention is the ability for architects and builders to plan in advance the location of the voids. Unlike drilling methods, in which the location of the holes cannot be precisely pre-planned, the present invention forms predictable voids into-which a poke-thru device may be securely placed. Furthermore, as will be appreciated of those skilled in the art, concrete flooring often includes steel rods and cables running through the concrete substrate. Thus, another advantage of the present invention is the predictability of the location of the voids and, accordingly, the prevention of inadvertently drilling or cutting through those steel rods and cables. 
     The present invention also includes safety advantages. For example, the present invention does not leave behind a cardboard body or other fire-hazardous material in the floor. Similarly, there is some inherent danger associated with drilling, the need for which is eliminated by the present invention. 
     While the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications to this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, while the present invention has been described as fabricated from metal and plastics, any materials that have the desirable characteristics may be employed. Moreover, the sleeve of the present invention has been described as a substantially cylindrical shape, however, the sleeve could be any suitable shape. Similarly, the termination ends of the present invention have been described as extending the height of the body, however, the termination ends could extend beyond the height of the body or could extend over a partial height of the body. In addition, the L-brackets and plate have been described as structures for securing the sleeve to a flooring support structure and adjusting the height of the sleeve relative to the flooring support structure. It will be appreciated, however, that any securing means could be employed. Furthermore, although the present invention has been discussed primarily with respect to placement in a floor structure, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention could be used in a wall or a fire-safety wall. More specifically, the present invention may be used to form a void into which cables and wiring could be passed through, while maintaining the fire safety rating of the wall or floor.