Patent Publication Number: US-10767380-B2

Title: Core form device

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 14/599,685, filed on Jan. 19, 2015, which hereby claims the benefit of and priority thereto under 35 U.S.C. §§ 119, 120, 363, 365, and 37 C.F.R. § 1.55 and § 1.78, and which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a core form device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     When renovation is conducted on existing structures, the electrical and plumbing conduits which go through the concrete slab or floor are often removed. This may result in core holes being left in the concrete slab or floor. 
     Conventional techniques to fill core holes include creating a concrete form by securing plates to the bottom of the core holes and then pouring concrete into the constructed form. The problem with such a technique is that the plates must be secured to the bottom of the concrete floor or slab which is located on the floor below. This may require an extensive effort and expense to move and cover furniture and the like if the space below is occupied. 
     Thus, there is a need to efficiently and effectively fill core holes in a simple and efficient manner. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention features a core form device including a circular plate and a plurality of bendable arms extending from the circular plate which when bent about the circular plate form a core form. 
     In one embodiment, the core form may be configured to be inserted into a core hole in a concrete slab. The concrete slab may include a concrete floor. The one or more of the arms may include an opening for receiving a fastener used to secure the core form device to a concrete slab. The circular plate and the bendable arms may be made of a metal material, an alloy material, or plastic. The plurality of arms may include six arms, five arms, four arms, three arms, or two arms. The diameter of the circular plate may be less than the diameter of the core hole. 
     This invention also features a method for filling a core hole in a concrete slab. The method includes providing a circular plate including a plurality of bendable arms extending from the circular plate, bending the arms about the circular plate to form a core form for filling the core hole in a concrete slab, inserting the core form into the core hole in the concrete slab, and pouring concrete into the core form to repair the core hole. 
     In one embodiment, the concrete slab may include a concrete floor. The circular plate may include providing the circular plate with a diameter less than the diameter of the core hole. 
     This invention also features a method for manufacturing a core form device. The method includes providing a circular plate including a plurality of bendable arms which extend from the circular plate and bending the arms about the circular plate to form a core form for filling core holes in a concrete slab. 
     In one embodiment, the method may include providing an opening in one or more of the arms for receiving a fastener. The circular plate may include providing the circular plate with a diameter less than the diameter of the core hole. 
     The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional view of a typical concrete slab or floor with core holes being repaired using conventional techniques; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic top-view of one embodiment of the core form device of this invention; 
         FIGS. 3A-3B  are three-dimensional views showing an example of the arms being bent about the circular plate of the core form device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic side-view showing the core form device shown in  FIGS. 2-3  used to repair a core hole; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic top-view of another embodiment of the core form device of this invention including two arms extending from the circular plate; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic top-view of another embodiment of the core form device of this invention including three arms extending from the circular plate; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic top-view of yet another embodiment of the core form device of this invention including five arms extending from the circular plate; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic top-view of another embodiment of the core form device of this invention including six arms extending from the circular plate. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer. 
     As discussed in the Background section, when renovation is conducted on existing structures, the electrical and plumbing conduits which go through the concrete floor are often removed. The result is core holes may be left in the concrete slab or floor. For example,  FIG. 1  shows an example of concrete slab or floor  10  wherein core holes  12  and  14  are created during a renovation process. 
     Conventional techniques to fill core holes  12  and  14  may include creating concrete forms by securing plates  16 ,  18  to bottom of core holes  12  and  14 , respectively, on bottom surface  20  of floor or slab  10 . Concrete is then poured into the constructed forms, as indicated by arrows  22  to repair the core holes. 
     The problem with such a technique is that plates  16  and  18  must be attached to bottom surface  20  of floor or slab  10  which is located on the floor below. This requires an extensive effort if the space occupied below floor or slab  10  is occupied. 
     There is shown in  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of core form device  30  of this invention. Device  30  includes circular plate  32  and a plurality of bendable arms  34  extending from plate  32  as shown. In this example, core form device includes four arms  34  extending from plate  32  for use with a typical core hole having a diameter in the range of about 2 inches to about 20+ inches. Preferably, arms  34  each include orifice or opening  36  for receiving a concrete fastener. In another design, one or more of arms  34  may not necessarily include opening  36 . In this design, a hole may be drilled in one or more of arms  34  as needed. 
     Circular plate  32  may be manufactured in various diameters to accommodate core holes of various sizes. In one example, diameter d- 46  of circular plate  32  is in the range of about 2 inches to about 12 inches. In one preferred design, diameter d- 40  of circular plate is about 3¼ inches, e.g., about ¼ inch less than the size of a typical core hole for easy installation. In another example, diameter d- 40  of circular plate  32  may be only about ⅛ inch less than the diameter of the core hole for easy installation. 
     Arms  34  of core form device  30 ,  FIGS. 2 and 3A , where like parts have been given like numbers, are bent as shown in  FIG. 3B  to form core form  40  which fits inside a core hole, e.g., core hole  12 ,  FIG. 4 , having a diameter of about 3½ inches. In one example, when the walls of the core hole are straight, arms  34 ,  FIG. 3B , are bent about 90° as shown. In other examples, arms  34  may be bent at a slight angle to accommodate core holes with slanted walls. Core form  40  is then inserted into core hole in a concrete slab or floor, e.g., core hole  12 ,  FIG. 4 , as shown. Fasteners  42 , e.g., concrete fasteners, may then be driven through openings  36  in one or more of arms  34  through arms  34  or holes may be drilled into arms  34  which do not have an opening therein. Core form  44  is then filled with concrete  46 , indicated by arrow  48  to efficiently fill core hole  12 . 
     For smaller core holes, e.g., core holes having a diameter of about 2 inches, core form device  30 ,  FIGS. 2-4 , may only include two arms  34 , e.g., as shown in  FIG. 5  or three arms extending from circular plate  32 , e.g., as shown in  FIG. 6 . For larger core holes, e.g., core holes having a diameter greater than about 10 inches, core form device  30 ,  FIG. 7 , may include five bendable arms  34  extending from circular plate  32  or six bendable arms  34  extending from circular plate  32  as shown in  FIG. 8 . In other examples, core form device may include more than six arms depending on the size of the core hole, e.g., seven, eight, or more bendable arms  34  extending from circular plate  32 , as known by those skilled in the art. 
     In one example, core form device  30  may be made of 16-20 gauge sheet metal, strong plastic material, or similar type material. In other examples, core form device  30  may be made of an alloy material. 
     In one example, the length of arms  34  is in the range of 2 inches to about 12 inches, e.g., about 4 inches to about 5 inches which is the standard thickness of a typical concrete floor or slab. Preferably, holes  36  in one or more of arms  34  are between ⅛ th  of an inch and 3/16 th  of an inch in diameter to allow for the use of standard concrete anchors to be utilized. 
     The result is core form device  30  effectively and efficiently fills core holes, e.g., core hole  12 ,  FIG. 4 , without the need to utilize plates  16  or  18 ,  FIG. 1 , on bottom surface  20  of concrete floor  10 . Therefore no entry is required to the floor space below floor  12 . Thus, core form device  30 ,  FIG. 1 , can save significant expense during a renovation project. 
     Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments. 
     In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended. 
     Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.