Patent Publication Number: US-2018030677-A1

Title: Concrete grooving tool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/368,324, filed 29 Jul. 2016, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to concrete applications and, more particularly, to a tool for cutting grooves in hardening concrete. 
     Standard concrete groovers are designed for wet concrete only. And so when the concrete dries faster than anticipated the worker is forced to use a hammer to knock the groover down into the concrete in order to create the groove you see in sidewalks. Consequently, the standard groover becomes damaged and eventually destroyed since standard groovers are not designed to be hit with a hammer. Yet most are destroyed in this fashion, because of the time-crunched nature of construction, generally, and concrete pouring specifically. 
     In a typical scenario it&#39;s a hot summer day, you&#39;ve just poured five yards of concrete and the load is stacked. The concrete is getting hard fast! Usually in this situation you′d grab a hammer to knock the groover down into the concrete to form your joints. But with no designated place to strike the tool, the handle is the usual target. After a few minutes the tool is already starting to show signs of damage. Under these harsh conditions the traditional tool cannot withstand the abuse. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a tool for cutting grooves in hardening concrete. Specifically, an impact pin coupled to the groover, allowing a user to freely hammer-strike the high impact groover without fear of damage to the tool. Thereby, a concrete worker can use the “Impact Groover” to create grooves in fast drying concrete by using a hammer to strike the tool for added force without damaging the groover apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a device for forming joints in hardening concrete includes a planar base having a bottom portion and an opposing top portion, wherein the base extends between a front and a rear end; a groover blade depends from the bottom portion; and an impact pin perpendicularly extends from the top portion adjacent to the front end, wherein the impact pin is center over a portion of the groover blade. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, the device for forming joints in hardening concrete includes a planar base having a bottom portion and an opposing top portion, wherein the base extends between a front and a rear end; a groover blade depends from the bottom portion; an impact pin perpendicularly extends from the top portion adjacent to the front end, wherein the impact pin is center over a portion of the groover blade; a pedestal perpendicularly extending from the top portion, wherein the pedestal provides a receiving cavity for seating the impact pin; an upper portion providing the receiving cavity; and a lower portion tapering outwardly as it extends from the upper portion to the planar base; a web flange extending from the groover blade, around the front end, and terminating at the lower portion; and a handle provided along the top portion, wherein the impact pin extends a greater vertical distance above the top portion than the handle. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in use; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in use; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, demonstrating a resulting groove. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an impact groover for forming joints or grooves in hardening concrete. The impact groover provides a planar base having a groover blade extending along a bottom portion thereof. On a top portion of the planar base is a pedestal disposed over a front portion of the groover blade. The pedestal defines a receiving cavity for seating an impact pin, so that a user can hammer-strike the impact pin to urge the groover blade into hardening concrete. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the present invention may include an impact groover  10 . The impact groover  10  may include a groover base  12  having a groover blade  14  depending from a bottom portion thereof. Along a top portion of the groover base  12 , a handle  20  may be provided. Adjacent a front end of the groover base  12  a pedestal  34  may be provided, wherein the pedestal  34  is adapted to secure an impact pin  24  adapted to be operatively struck be a hammer during use, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the use of directional terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, upward, downward, top, bottom and the like are used in relation to the illustrative embodiments as they are depicted in the figures, the upward direction (or upper) being toward the top of the corresponding figures and a downward direction being toward the bottom of the corresponding figure. 
     The groover base  12  may be made of any material sufficiently strong and durable to be repeatedly used as disclosed herein, such as zinc, bronze, steel and the like. The groover base  12  extends from a front end  36  to a rear end  38  providing overall dimensions much like a conventional concrete groover. The groover blade  14  depends from a bottom surface  42  of the groover base  12 , also extending at least from the front end  36  to the rear end  38  thereof, dimensioned and adapted much like a conventional concrete groover blade, and typically centrally located. 
     An impact pedestal  34  may be provided disposed adjacent the front end  36  with the impact pedestal  34  extending transversely from a top portion  44  of the groover base  12 . The impact pedestal  34  may have a generally rectangular upper portion  50 , while having an outwardly tapering lower portion  52 , wherein the tapered lower portion  52  facilitates spreading axial loads transferred through the lower portion  52  to the groover base  12 . The upper portion  50  may define a receiving cavity  18  dimensioned to receive the impact pin  24  so that the impact pin  24  is seated therein. In this seated position, the impact pin  24  and the pedestal have a coaxial relationship, and so an axial force through the impact pin will transfer to the pedestal  34 , which in turn transfers such a force through to the groover blade  14 . Both the pedestal  34  and the impact pin  24  may be made from high impact resistant material, such as High Carbon Heat Treated Steel or Iron. 
     In certain embodiments, the pedestal  34  may be connected to one of two handle posts  16 , wherein the handle posts  16  disposed adjacent to or just inward of the front end  36  and second ends  38  of the top portion  44 . The handle  20  is dimensioned to extend between and connect to the two handle posts  16 . In certain embodiments, each end of the handle  20  may provide a handle notch  22  adapted to receive an upper portions of a respective handle post  16 . The handle  20  and handle posts  16  may provide aligning fastener holes to receive fasteners  26  for securing the handle  20  to the handle posts  16 . The fasteners may be button head screws and/or flathead screws. In certain embodiments, the construction of the impact groover  10  may include a button head screw at the rear of the handle post  16 . The handle  20  may be made of plastic, rubber, wood, or the like, as long as the material is sufficient to facilitate manually operating the impact groover  10  via the handle  20 . 
     The pedestal  34  may be adjacent the front end  36  to the point of being flush. The groover blade  14  may bend around the front end  36  to ‘T’ into the pedestal  34  defining a web flange  60  as illustrated in the  FIGS. 1-4 . The web flange  60  may be dimensioned and adapted to resist shear forces. 
     A method of using the present invention may include the following. The impact groover  10  disclosed above may be provided. Under normal conditions, the impact groover  10  would function as a standard groover. However, during concrete saving mode or when the concrete  30  is getting hard too fast, making creation of an impression or joint  32  via a convention groover too difficult, the impact pin  24  could fit down in the receiver cavity  18  and be struck with a hammer  28  to be in a seated position. The user can then freely hit the impact pin  24  with the hammer  28  facilitating a convenient and expedited job. At that point, the user can use a hammer to strike the impact pin  24 , thus creating the grooves. In addition, the present invention will help to reduce and/or eliminate the amount of concrete that has to be removed and replaced. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.