Patent Publication Number: US-7222460-B2

Title: Cover for a concrete construction

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to concrete building materials, and more particularly to a cover which may be used to close off a recess formed in a concrete section, such as a wall panel or other concrete structure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Concrete is often used as a building material in the construction of commercial buildings and other structures. Typically, concrete will be formed into blocks or panels which may thereafter be assembled at a job site into a desired structure. The blocks and panels may be formed at a manufacturing plant for transportation to the job site, or they may be formed directly at the job site. For example, concrete panels which are used to construct concrete walls are generally formed by pouring concrete into forms which have been arranged on a horizontal surface, such as the floor of a building under construction. Once a concrete panel has sufficiently cured, the panel may be raised into position to form a wall section. 
     To facilitate raising the panels, anchors are typically embedded in the concrete before the concrete cures. The anchors are recessed into a surface of the panel so that the anchor does not protrude above the top surface of the panel after it has been raised into position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,843 to Courtois et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a plug which may be used to form the recess around an anchor during creation of the concrete panel. The anchor may be in the shape of a hook, a rod having an enlarged end, or an eye whereby the anchor may be coupled to a crane for raising and maneuvering the panel into position once the concrete has cured. 
     After the panel has been placed in position, it is generally desired to patch the recess and cover the anchor for aesthetics or to avoid the accumulation of water or other liquids in the recess, which may rust the anchor and cause surface staining of the concrete surrounding the anchor. 
     In the past, these recesses have been patched by filling the recess with concrete, or other material, and scraping off the excess patch material to create a level surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,486 to Holt et al. discloses a cover which may be used to patch a recess in a concrete panel. However, the cover of Holt et al. contains multiple pieces which may become separated at the job site, resulting in an unusable cover. The cover of Holt et al. has a plug which must be installed through an opening in the anchor prior to attaching the cover over the recess. Because it may be difficult to maneuver the plug into the hole in the anchor and then attach the cover to the plug, this type of cover and the prior method of patching a recess with concrete or other material are time consuming for workers at the job site. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,867 to Thompson discloses a cover having a cone shaped lower portion with a hole that engages the enlarged head of an anchor. While this type of cover may be snapped into place without excessive manipulation, it is designed to engage the anchor at a specific depth below the surface of the concrete panel. Therefore, the depth of the anchor beneath the surface needs to be carefully controlled or a range of various cover sizes must be provided. 
     There is thus a need for a cover which can be used to patch a recess formed in a concrete section around an anchor and which overcomes drawbacks of the prior art, such as those described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a cover which may be used with a concrete construction, such as a concrete block or concrete panel, to cover the recess in the concrete section which has been formed around an anchor embedded into the concrete. In an exemplary embodiment, the cover of the present invention has a disk-shaped body portion sized to cover completely a recess which has been formed into a concrete panel. Two anchor-engaging members extend from a lower portion of the body member and are spaced apart a distance so that the anchor of the concrete section may be received between the anchor-engaging members. Opposing portions of the anchor-engaging members have several fins disposed along the lengths of the members and shaped to engage the anchor of the concrete section therebetween. The fins are arranged on the anchor-engaging members such that adjacent fins are spaced apart in a parallel fashion. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the height of the fins on each anchor-engaging member, as measured from the sides of the anchor-engaging members, decreases with the distance that the fins are located from the distal end of the anchor-engaging members. The fins are formed from a material which permits them to deform and thereby frictionally hold the cover in place when the anchor-engaging members are urged into contact with the anchor so that the anchor is received between the anchor-engaging members. Advantageously, the cover of the present invention may be easily and securely fixed to the anchor of a concrete section completely to cover the recess surrounding the anchor. The cover thus prevents the accumulation of fluids and other unwanted debris within the recess. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the cover is provided with angled tabs at the distal ends of the anchor-engaging members. The tabs are configured to facilitate installation of the anchor-engaging members over the anchor of the concrete section. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a concrete construction includes a concrete section such as a block or panel, which has at least one anchor formed into a recess of the concrete section. The concrete construction further includes a cover coupled to the anchor and positioned over the recess to cover the recess. In another exemplary embodiment, a method of covering an anchor which has been formed into a recess of a concrete section includes providing a cover having first and second anchor-engaging members and a plurality of fins disposed on opposing sides of the anchor-engaging members, and positioning the cover over the recess of the concrete section to engage the anchor-engaging members with the anchor of the concrete section. 
     The features and objectives of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary cover of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cross-section depicting the exemplary cover of  FIG. 1  prior to installation on a concrete section; and 
         FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 2 , depicting the exemplary cover of  FIG. 1  engaging an anchor of a concrete construction. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1–3 , there is shown an exemplary cover  10  for a concrete construction. The cover  10  includes a generally disk-shaped body member  12  which is sized to completely cover a recess  40  which has been formed into a concrete construction  42  to surround an anchor  44  embedded into the concrete  42 . First and second anchor-engaging members  14 , 16  are located near the central portion of the body member  12  and extend away from the body member  12 . The anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  are spaced apart a distance to permit the anchor  44  of the concrete construction  42  to be received between opposing first sides  18 ,  20  of the first and second anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16 . 
     A plurality of fins  26  are arranged on the first sides  18 ,  20  of the first and second anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16 . The fins  26  are arranged on each anchor-engaging member  14 ,  16  in a generally parallel arrangement and extend from the first sides  18 ,  20  of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  toward the opposite anchor-engaging member. The height of the fins  26 , measured from the first sides  18 ,  20  of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  is sized such that the fins  26  positively engage the anchor  44  of the concrete section  42  as the cover  10  is placed over the recess  40  to engage the anchor  44 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, the fins  26  on each anchor-engaging member  14 ,  16  decrease in height from the distal ends of the anchor-engaging member  14 ,  16  toward the body member  12  of the cover  10 . 
     Advantageously, the fins  26  are formed from a material which permits the fins  26  to deform as the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  are urged into contact with the anchor  44 , to thereby engage frictionally the anchor  44 . To facilitate installation of the cover  10  such that the anchor  44  is received between the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16 , angled tabs  28 ,  30  may be provided on the ends of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16 . The anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  may also be provided with reinforcing gussets  32 ,  34  extending between second, oppositely facing sides  22 ,  24  of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  and the body member  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , installation of the exemplary cover  10  to engage an anchor  44  in a concrete section  42  and to cover the recess  40  formed around the anchor  44  will be described. As depicted in  FIG. 2 , the cover  10  may be positioned over the recess  40  such that the first and second anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  are aligned to engage the anchor  44  which has been embedded in the concrete section  42 . Advantageously, the cover  10  may simply be fitted over the anchor  44 , whereby the angled tabs  28 ,  30  at the ends of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  facilitate alignment and introduction of the anchor  44  between the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , as the cover  10  is forced over the anchor  44 , the fins  26  on the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  are deformed by the anchor  44  to frictionally engage the anchor  44  and thereby retain the cover  10  in position over the recess  40 . The anchor  44  may include an aperture  46  or hook section that is further engaged by the fins  26  of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  to help retain the cover  10  over the recess  40 . As described above, the cover  10  of the present invention may quickly and easily be installed over a recess  40  formed in a concrete section  42  to engage the anchor  44  embedded in the recess  40  without undue manipulation of the cover  10  and without the need for multiple parts of the cover  10  which may become separated prior to installation. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a method of forming a concrete wall section includes the steps of filling a mold with uncured concrete to create the wall section, forming at least one recess  40  in the concrete wall section, embedding an anchor  44  within the recess  40 , raising the concrete wall section to a desired position using the anchor  44 , and placing a cover  10  that has anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  and a plurality of fins  26  on the sides  18 ,  20  of the anchor-engaging members  14 ,  16  over the recess  40  to engage the anchor  44 . 
     While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the various embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of Applicant&#39;s general inventive concept.