Patent Publication Number: US-2010107534-A1

Title: Modular layout form for embedding objects in a settable material

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of forms used in the construction industry for embedding a pattern of objects (e.g., bricks) in a settable material, such as concrete. More specifically, the present invention discloses a modular layout form that can be readily combined with other similar modular forms to create an assembly of any desired size for embedding a pattern of objects in a settable material. 
     2. Statement of the Problem 
     Simulated brick construction has become increasingly common in construction of modern buildings and other concrete structures. With the scarcity of skilled workers today, the cost of fabricating a true brick or masonry wall has become a significant concern. To address these problems, many construction companies have turned to simulated brick building panels that are backed by concrete to form a wall or structure having a simulated brick exterior appearance. This type of construction has a major shortcoming in that the panels can be difficult to handle and position at the construction site, particularly when dealing with large building panels. Examples of the prior art in the field of such building panels include U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,719 (Salazar), U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,423 (Poutanen et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,228 (Taylor) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,875 (Van Gasse). 
     Another approach uses brackets or retainers for holding a pattern of bricks, tiles or similar objects that are fastened to the inside surface of a concrete wall form. When concrete is poured into the form, it flows around the exposed surfaces of the bricks, which become embedded in the concrete. After the concrete sets, the concrete wall form and brackets are disassembled and removed. This results in a structure in which the bricks are embedded in the outer surface of the wall. The prior art in this field includes the Applicant&#39;s U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,922,235, 6,186,469 and 5,667,190 (Scott et al.). These patents show a bracket for holding an individual brick tile. A number of brackets can be clipped together in any of a variety of arrangements and fastened to the inside surface of a concrete wall form to create an assembly for holding a corresponding number of bricks. However, this approach can require considerable labor to assemble a large form. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,387 (Scott et al.) shows an example of a construction form for use in a vertical position that uses any of a variety of retaining devices (e.g., clips, elastic members, or spring-loaded members) for holding construction objects in the receptacles of the form. 
     Another type of retainer shown in the prior art uses a liner or mat deployed in a horizontal position. These retainers are usually made from an elastomeric material and have a two-dimensional pattern of receptacles. Each receptacle is shaped to closely fit the outside perimeter of one of the bricks to be held in place. Examples of the prior art in this field include U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,180 (Scott et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,476 (Iragorri). This type of retainer is typically arranged in a horizontal position because it lacks a positive device for securely holding the bricks in position. Concrete is poured over the bricks and retainer in a horizontal form. After the concrete has set, the resulting panel can be removed and installed in any desired orientation in the construction project. These liners or mats have a number of shortcomings. Most importantly, they are not generally suitable for use on the vertical walls of concrete forms, which means they cannot be used to form a vertical wall or structure in place. Individual panels must be moved and assembled after forming, which limits their size and commonly results in visible seams or lines between the assembled panels. 
     3. Solution to the Problem 
     The present invention addresses the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a modular form having receptacles for holding a plurality of bricks or similar construction objects in a predetermined pattern that can be attached to the vertical wall of a concrete form. The receptacles in the forms are arranged in staggered courses similar to conventional patterns in bricklaying, which results in the lateral edges of each form having a pattern of incomplete receptacle (e.g., half-brick recesses). Object-retention members (e.g., clips, tabs or an elastomeric rim) extend into the receptacles for holding a brick in a receptacle. 
     Multiple forms can be combined to create a larger pattern of any desired size by abutting the lateral edges of adjacent forms with their incomplete receptacles aligned to create completed receptacles. Bricks are then inserted into the receptacles, including the completed receptacles, to hold the forms together and provide a completed pattern of bricks over the assembled forms. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention provides a modular layout form having a substantially planar rear for attachment to a support structure, and a substantially planar front having a two-dimensional array of receptacles for holding objects to be embedded in a settable material (e.g., concrete) in a predetermined pattern with staggered courses. The form has substantially straight lateral edges, which results in a pattern of incomplete receptacles along the lateral edges. Object-retention members (e.g., clips, tabs or elastomeric rims) extend into the receptacles for securing objects in the receptacles. Adjacent forms can be combined by abutting their lateral edges with their incomplete receptacles aligned and adjacent to one another to create completed receptacles. Objects are then inserted into the completed receptacles to engage the object-retention members and hold the adjacent forms together. 
     These and other advantages, features, and objects of the present invention will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention can be more readily understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a modular layout form  10 . 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the form  10  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the form  10  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the form  10  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4   a  is a detail bottom view of a portion of the form  10  in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the form in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5   a  is a detail top view of a portion of the form  10  in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 6  is a left side elevational view of the form  10  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6   a  is a detail left side elevational view of a portion of the form  10  in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 7  is a right side elevational view of the form  10  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7   a  is a detail right side elevational view of a portion of the form  10  in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 8  is a detail perspective view showing a brick  50  being inserted into one of the receptacles  11  of a form  10 . 
         FIG. 9  is a front view showing an assembly of forms  10   a - 10   f.    
         FIG. 10  is a detail cross-sectional view showing a brick  50  being inserted into a completed receptacle between two adjacent forms  10   a  and  10   b.    
         FIG. 11  is a detail cross-sectional view showing a half brick  52  being inserted into one of the half-brick receptacles  15  at the edge of a form  10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a detail cross-sectional view of an assembled form  10  with a concrete wall  55  and embedded bricks  50 . 
         FIG. 13  is another detail cross-sectional view of the assembled form  10 , concrete wall  55  and embedded bricks  50  in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 13   a  is a detail cross-sectional view of the bead between two adjacent bricks  50  in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view showing the form  10  assembly being removed from a finished wall. 
         FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the form  10  with an elastomeric rim  13  around each receptacle  11  for holding bricks. 
         FIG. 16  is a detail perspective view of a brick  50  being inserted into one of the receptacles  11  of the form  10  shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is a detail cross-sectional view of a brick  50  being inserted into one of the receptacles  11  of the form  10  shown in  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 18  is a detail cross-sectional view of an assembled form and wall using the embodiment of the form  10  in  FIGS. 15-17 . 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing the form assembly in  FIG. 18  being removed from a finished wall. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view is shown of a modular layout form  10  embodying the present invention. Corresponding front and rear elevational views of the form  10  are provided in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , respectively.  FIG. 4  is a bottom view and  FIG. 5  is a top view of this form. Left and right side elevational views of the form are illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively. 
     As shown in these drawings, the form  10  has a substantially planar rear for attachment to a support structure, such as a concrete wall form. The form  10  also has a substantially planar front with a two-dimensional array of receptacles  11  for holding a plurality of objects (e.g., bricks or tiles) in a predetermined pattern. For example, the form  10  can be molded out of a suitable plastic to provide a degree of flexibility and resilience. The rear surface of the form  10  can be a thin layer of plastic that allows the form  10  to be stapled  65  to a concrete wall form  60 , as depicted in  FIGS. 8 and 17 . A number of windows  14  can be created in this rear surface to reduce weight and cost, as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  implements a conventional running bond for bricks, in which each course of receptacles  11  is staggered with respect to adjacent courses by about one half brick. It should be understood that other patterns of staggered courses could also be employed in the present invention. The lateral edges of the form  10  are substantially straight and parallel to one another. This results in a pattern of incomplete receptacles  15  along the lateral edges as part of the larger pattern of receptacles  11  on the front of the form  10 . In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, alternating courses have an incomplete, half-brick receptacle  15  along the lateral edges of the form  10 . It should be expressly understood that other bonds or other patterns of construction objects could be readily substituted to create lateral edges with virtually any suitable recurring pattern of incomplete receptacles  15 . 
     Each of the receptacles  11  in the front of the form  10  is generally intended to hold a single construction object, such as a brick or tile. The embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings is designed to hold rectangular bricks, which result in substantially horizontal edges on the recesses and protrusions, but other object shapes (e.g., hexagonal, octagonal or round) could be substituted. The perimeter of each receptacle  11  is defined by perimeter walls  18  that also serve to form the grout line or grouted area between objects in the finished wall. With the exception of the incomplete receptacles  15  at the lateral edges of the form  10 , each receptacle  11  is typically completely surrounded by these perimeter walls  18 . In contrast, the incomplete receptacles  15  lack a perimeter wall along the lateral edge of the form  10 . 
     Each receptacle  11  (and particularly the incomplete receptacle  15 ) is equipped with a number of object-retention members  12  extending into the receptacle  11  for holding a construction object in the receptacle  11 . For example, these object-retention members can be resilient plastic clips or tabs  12  extending into the receptacle  11  from its perimeter walls  18  as disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,190 (Scott et al.), which is incorporated herein by reference. These object-retention members  12  are compressed when a brick is inserted into a receptacle, and then hold the brick in the receptacle by a friction fit. 
     Returning to  FIGS. 1-5  and the detail top and bottom views provided in  FIGS. 4   a  and  5   a,  it should be noted that the horizontal top and bottom edges of the form  10  are equipped with sets of tabs  24  and slots  22  for engaging complementary slots and tabs on adjacent forms above and below. These tabs  24  are also illustrated more clearly in the detail left and right side elevational views provided in  FIGS. 6(   a ) and  7 ( a ), respectively. The tabs  24  and slots  22  allow a plurality of forms to be vertically stacked. The particular embodiment shown in these figures uses two tabs  24  and one slot  22  on the bottom edge of the form  10 . In contrast, there are one tab  24  and two slots  22  on the top edge of the form  10 . Other combinations or arrangements of complementary tabs and slots could be employed. Preferably, the slots  22  and tabs  24  are in the plane of the form  10  and adjacent to the rear of the form  10 . 
     The following is a discussion of the ways in which these forms can be combined. Forms can be stacked vertically simply by sliding the lower horizontal edge of one form against the upper horizontal edge of a second form, so that tabs  24  on the first form engage slots  22  on the second form, and tabs  24  on the second form engage corresponding slots  22 . Any desired number of forms can be stacked vertically in this manner to achieve a required height, as shown for example in  FIG. 9 . 
     Forms can also be combined horizontally (or laterally) as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . In  FIG. 10 , adjacent forms  10   a  and  10   b  are placed in lateral abutment. The incomplete receptacles  15  on the lateral edges of the adjacent forms  10   a  and  10   b  align to create completed receptacles in the resulting pattern. In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, each adjacent pair of incomplete half-brick receptacles  15  combines to form a completed full-brick receptacle in the overall, combined pattern of receptacles defined by the forms. A construction object  50  (e.g., a brick or tile) is then inserted into each completed receptacle to engage the object-retention members (e.g., clips  12 ). Thus, the construction object  50  secures the adjacent forms to one another.  FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view showing insertion of a brick  50  into one of the completed receptacles. 
     Construction objects  50  are also inserted into the remaining receptacles  11  of the forms to complete the pattern of construction objects, as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . Typically, full bricks  50  are inserted into each of the full-size receptacles  11  in the pattern as depicted in  FIG. 8 . It should be noted that incomplete receptacles  15  may still exist in the pattern, such as along the exposed lateral edges of the combined forms or at corners. Partial bricks  52  (e.g., half bricks) may be inserted into these incomplete receptacles  15 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 11 . 
       FIG. 9 through 14  illustrate the steps in using the present invention to create a wall or similar structure after a set of forms has been assembled and secured to a supporting structure  60 . As previously discussed, bricks  50 ,  52  are first placed in all of the receptacles  11 ,  15  of the forms are depicted in  FIG. 9-11 . Concrete  55  is then poured into the form assembly, so that the bricks  50  become embedded in the concrete. The concrete  55  is allowed to set.  FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of an assembled form with a concrete wall  55  and embedded bricks  50 .  FIG. 13  is another cross-sectional view of the assembled form and concrete wall  55 .  FIG. 13   a  is a detail cross-sectional view of the bead or grout line between two adjacent bricks  50  in  FIG. 13 . Finally, the form assembly is removed from a finished wall as shown in  FIG. 14 . 
       FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a modular layout form  10  using an elastomeric rim  13  around the periphery of each receptacle  11  as the objection-retention member for holding bricks. This elastomeric rim  13  can be made of an elastic polymer that is bonded to the peripheral walls  18  and extends into each receptacle  11 , including the incomplete receptacles  15 . The elastomeric rim  13  is compressed when a brick is inserted into a receptacle, and holds the brick in the receptacle by a friction fit.  FIG. 16  is a detail perspective view of a brick  50  being inserted into one of the receptacles  11  of the form  10 . A corresponding detail cross-sectional view is provided in  FIG. 17 .  FIG. 18  is a detail cross-sectional view of an assembled form and wall. Finally,  FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing the form assembly being removed from a finished wall. 
     The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodiments could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims.