Patent Publication Number: US-9850699-B2

Title: Buck panel for forming a buck assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/211,072, filed on Aug. 28, 2015, the entire contents of which being hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Construction utilizing insulating concrete forms (ICFs) (also known as insulated concrete forms) is well known in the art. Insulating block systems or interlocking modular units are dry-stacked, horizontal and vertical reinforcing rods (rebar) are installed as the forms are being placed, and then the forms are filled with concrete. Window and door openings in the concrete walls are framed prior to pouring the concrete. Window or door bucks are frames that provide the rough structure and opening into which the window or door will be installed. Bucks are also used to form bulkheads. Bucks have typically been constructed of materials such as wood, plastic, and steel. However, in concrete walls formed using insulated block systems, such bucks can be difficult to install and use because the bucks lack continuity of material with the insulating concrete forms. Insulating concrete form bucks have been developed; however, there remains room for improvement in terms of ease of installation and use. 
     To this end, a need exists for a buck panel that can be interconnected with other buck panels to form a buck assembly that is uniform in construction and that is readily and reliably installed in an insulating concrete form wall to frame an opening for a door or window or a bulkhead. It is to such a buck panel that the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein are directed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Like reference numerals in the figures represent and refer to the same or similar element or function. Implementations of the disclosure may be better understood when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed pictorial illustrations and drawings. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated, to scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a buck panel constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of an exterior of the buck panel of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a buck panel constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a buck panel constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of the buck panel in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the buck panel of  FIG. 1  taken along line  4 - 4  shown in a mold. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a central support beam of the buck panel. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a lateral support beam of the buck panel. 
         FIG. 7  is front and rear perspective views of an exemplary mold assembly shown in combination with the components of the buck panel of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concept disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concept is not limited in its application to the details of construction, and/or the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description, or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting in any way. 
     In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventive concept, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concept. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive concept within the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure. 
     Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). 
     In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concept. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1A-6 , shown is a buck panel  10  constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. The buck panel  10  is adapted to be interconnected with other panels to form a buck to frame an opening in a wall for receiving a window or a door or to form a bulkhead. The buck panel  10  has a foam portion  12 , a central support beam  14 , a first lateral support beam  16 , and a second lateral support beam  18 . The foam portion  12  has an internal surface  20 , an exterior surface  22 , a first end  24 , a second end  26  opposite the first end  24 , a first side  28 , a second side  30  opposite the first side  28  and separated from the first side  28  by a center portion  32 . A plurality of rebar holding members  34  extend outwardly from the internal surface  20  along the center portion  32 . The second end  26  includes a recessed portion  36  that is matingly receivable of a protruding portion  38  of a first end of a like panel so that the buck panel  10  can be interconnected with the like panel in both a parallel and a right-angle end-to-end relationship. The central support beam  14  is positioned longitudinally and molded within the center portion  32  of the foam portion  12 . The central support beam includes a plurality of wings  40  protruding from the internal surface  20  of the foam portion  12 . The first lateral support beam  16  is positioned longitudinally and molded within the foam portion  12  near the first side  28  of the foam portion  12 . Similarly, the second lateral support beam  18  is positioned longitudinally and molded within the foam portion  12  near the second side  30  of the foam portion  12 . 
     The foam portion of the buck panel  10  may be formed of a fire retardant expanded polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene or other suitable polymers. In one embodiment, the foam portion  12  is formed of expanded polystyrene commonly referred to as “EPS.” 
     The internal surface  20  of the foam portion  12  is designed to face a cavity of an insulating concrete block form during construction of a wall with an opening such as for a door or window. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the internal surface  20  can include advertising indicia, instructions, and guides. The internal surface  20  is shaped during molding to form the plurality of rebar holding members  34 . Each of the rebar holding members  34  may include one or more seats for rebar positioning. More particularly, seats  37   a  and  37   b  are defined by restraining fingers  39   a ,  39   b , and  39   c . The seats  37   a  and  37   b  may be dimensioned to receive one or more pieces of rebar (not shown) in a stacked orientation. In one embodiment, the restraining fingers  39   a ,  39   b , and  39   c  are spaced from one another such that the compressibility and resiliency of the foam portion  12  allows the restraining fingers  39   a ,  39   b , and  39   c  to frictionally grip rebar positioned in the seats  37   a  and  37   b.    
     As shown in  FIG. 1B , the exterior surface  22  is substantially planar and uniform in configuration. The exterior surface  22  is intended to face the opening for the door or window and can include advertising indicia as well as instructions and guides. Areas that can accept screws or nails can be indicated by markings  41  on the exterior surface  22  to assist a builder in finishing the window or door within the buck formed by buck panels  10 . 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates another embodiment of a buck panel  10   a . The buck panel  10   a  is similar in construction to the buck panel  10  except as described below. The buck panel  10   a  has a width that is greater than the width of the buck panel  10 . To this end, the buck panel  10  has a restraining finger  39   d  having a width greater than the width of the restraining finger  39   b.    
       FIG. 2B  illustrates another embodiment of a buck panel  10   b . The buck panel  10   b  is similar in construction to the buck panel  10   b  except the buck panel  10   b  is formed without any restraining fingers. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , markings  43  may be provided along the first side  28  and the second side  30  of the foam portion  12  to indicate length. Such markings may serve as guidelines for assisting the installer to cut the buck panel  10  to a desired size. The markings  43  may be spaced at one inch intervals; however, it will be appreciated that other intervals may be used. In addition, some or all of the markings  43  may be identified with numerals, similar to a measuring tape. This allows an installer to cut the buck panels  10  without the need of marking the cut point on the panel, or may eliminate the need to measure the form during the installation or cutting process of installation. 
     The first side  28  and the second side  30  may further be marked (as indicated with dashed markings  45 ) to indicate the upper and lower boundaries of the first lateral support beam  16  and the second lateral support beam  18 , respectively. The first lateral support beam  16  and the second lateral support beam  18  provide attachment points along the length of the first side  28  and the second side  30  of the buck panel  10  in a manner to be described below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the central support beam  14  is positioned longitudinally within the center portion  32  of the foam portion  12 . In one embodiment, the central support beam  14  is molded in multiple sections. For example, the central support beam  14  can be molded in two 2-foot long sections  14   a  for insertion into a four foot long buck panel  10 .  FIG. 5  illustrates one of the central support beam sections  14   a . Each of the central support beam sections  14   a  may include a first edge  42 , a second edge  44 , and plates  46  connecting the first edge  42  and second edge  44 . The plates  46  extend in a perpendicular relationship relative to the first edge  42  and the second edge  44 . The central support beam sections  14   a  have a plurality of wings  40  extending from the first edge  42  and the second edge  44 . The wings  40  are configured to protrude a predetermined distance from the internal surface  20  of the foam portion  12  in a way that the wings  40  will be received in the concrete to provide anchor points when the concrete is poured. In one embodiment, the wings  40  are substantially I-shaped. As such, the wings  40  have a pair of opposing protrusions  47  for anchoring to the concrete. It will be appreciated, however, that the wings  40  may be configured in a variety of shapes. In one embodiment, the wings  40  extend from the internal surface  20  of the foam portion  12  in a laterally offset relationship relative to the seats  37   a  and  37   b.    
     The central support beam sections  14   a  can be made of any suitable material providing a physical strength and rigidity necessary for the buck panel  10  and for securing attachment devices such as nails and screws for final construction and support of the window or door. 
     In one embodiment, the wings  40  may each include a hole  48  ( FIG. 5 ). The holes  48  can be used during construction to tie the buck panel  10  to an adjacent block to prevent the buck panel  10  from floating or moving when the concrete is poured. For example, a wire can be threaded through the holes  48  in wing  40  and tied to a web of an adjacent block. Additionally, the holes  48  can be used to secure rebar positioned in rebar holding members  34  in place by stringing a wire through the holes  48  and securing the wire to the rebar. 
     In those cases when the central support beam  14  is formed in multiple sections (i.e.,  14   a  and  14   b  as shown in  FIG. 7 ), each central support beam section  14   a  may have first ends  50  insertable or otherwise connectable with corresponding second ends  52  of a like central support beam section  14   b . The use and molding of two shorter connectable central support beam sections can be more economical than molding a single longer central support beam. 
     At least two of the central support beam  14  plates  46  include one or more pin holes  54 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , when molding the buck panel  10 , pins  56  extend a predetermined distance from a mold insert side  58  and through the pin holes  54  to hold the central support beam  14  in place during the molding process. 
     First and second lateral support beams  16  and  18 , respectively, can be identical and can be made of any suitable material providing a physical strength and rigidity necessary for the buck panel  10  and for securing attachment devices such as nails and screws, for final construction and support of the window or door. As with the central support beam  14 , the first and second lateral support beams  16  and  18  can be molded in multiple sections. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the first lateral support beam  16  can be molded in two 2-foot long sections  16   a  for use in a 4-foot long buck panel  10 . In such cases, each lateral support beam section  16   a  includes first ends  66  that can be inserted into or otherwise connected to corresponding second ends  68  of a like lateral support beam section. The first lateral support beam  16  may have a first edge  60  and a second edge  62  connected by a plurality of plates  64 . 
     The markings  41  on the exterior surface  22  of the foam portion  12  for indicating attachment points, more particularly correspond to the position of the plates  46  of the central support beam  14  and the plates  64  of the first and second lateral support beams  16  and  18 . Likewise, the markings  45  on the first side  28  and the second side  30  indicate the upper and lower boundaries of the first edge  60  and the second edge  62  of the first and second lateral support beams  16  and  18 , respectively. 
     At least two of the lateral support beam plates  64  include a pin hole  54  to hold the first lateral support beam  16  in place during the molding process. As described above for the central support beam  14  and as shown in  FIG. 4 , pins  56  extend through the mold insert side  58  of the mold and through the pin holes  54  to hold the first lateral support beam  16  in place during the molding process. The pins  56  can be tapered to help in positioning within the pin holes  54 . An exemplary mold assembly for forming the buck panel  10  is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     In one embodiment, the foam portion  12  further comprises a first alignment lip  70  and a second alignment lip  72  proportioned and positioned to fit within a cavity of an insulating concrete block form (not shown) to align and support the buck panel  10  relative to an adjacent concrete form block during the construction process. 
     From the above description it is clear that the present inventive concept(s) is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventive concept disclosed herein. While exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept disclosed herein have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished without departing from the scope of the inventive concept disclosed herein and defined by the appended claims.