Abstract:
A rebar spacer having a clip for securely holding a rebar centered in the clip such that the rebar cannot be dislodged from the clip once the clip engages the rebar. The clip is held at a desired height by a base, which will not easily tip over do to a wide stance of the base of the rebar spacer. The rebar spacer will quickly and easily accept the rebar in the clip. The rebar spacers can have a large or small footprint at the surface of the concrete. The rebar spacer can be made of lightweight, durable plastic. The rebar spacer can be molded as one inexpensive piece. The rebar spacer can have a variety of heights and accept a variety of rebar sizes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to support devices for securely holding concrete reinforcing rods and wire in a fixed position.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     In the past support devices for holding reinforcing rods at a particular height in concrete have had several drawbacks. One of the drawbacks has been the inability of the support devices to hold the reinforcing bar at a precise position without it coming out of the support device as forces are placed on the reinforcing bar. It is desired to have a reinforcing bar support device, which can securely hold the reinforcing bar in the support device without it coming out or wiggling around in the support device. The support device should also be stable such that it will not tip over and should have a small footprint at the base.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The rebar spacer has a rebar holding clip for securely engaging and supporting a rebar and a base portion for supporting the rebar holding clip at a desired height in the concrete form.  
         [0006]     The rebar holding clip has a “U” shaped rebar holding portion where the base of the rebar holding portion fits the size and shape of the rebar to securely hold it in place. The clip has arms which will admit the rebar to the clip by bending back out of the way as the rebar is forced downward into the base portion. The arms will then snap back into their normal position to hold the rebar securely in place then the rebar is nested in the “U” shaped base portion of the clip. In this manner the rebar is secured in the clip and cannot be removed by forces placed on the rebar.  
         [0007]     The base portion holds the clip at a desired height such that the rebar is placed in the concrete at a known fixed position to maximize its effectiveness in reinforcing the concrete. The base portion may have many different configurations including having a flat base with a large surface area to support the rebar spacer or legs with feet for contacting the ground or walls in which the rebar supports rest. The legs offer a lower footprint at the surface of the concrete for a stronger concrete wall at the surface.  
         [0008]     The base portion may have a flat base or legs which should be spread over a large enough area to prevent the rebar spacer from tipping over when holding the rebar, thereby providing a reliable positioning of the rebars.  
         [0009]     The height of the base will vary depending on the desired placement of the rebar in the concrete. The higher the base portion the more material and supporting structure there will be and the larger the base will have to be.  
         [0010]     The clips may be made for different size rebars and the supporting structure of the base will also be different for the different size loads it is expected to support.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     It is an object of the invention to provide a rebar spacer for holding rebars and wire securely so that they will not come out of the rebar spacer.  
         [0012]     It is an object of the invention to provide a rebar spacer for holding rebars and wire at a fixed distance from the base of a concrete form.  
         [0013]     It is an object of the invention to provide a rebar spacer with a wide stance so that it will not tip over when holding the rebar.  
         [0014]     It is an object of the invention to provide a rebar spacer for quickly and easily securing rebars and wire in the rebar spacer.  
         [0015]     It is an object of the invention to provide a rebar spacer with a small footprint.  
         [0016]     It is an object of the invention to vary the size of the clips for different size rebars.  
         [0017]     It is an object of the invention to vary the height of the clips for different heights of the rebars in a concrete mold.  
         [0018]     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the rebar holding clip portion of the rebar spacer.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a first style base portion of a first height.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a first style base portion of a first height.  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a first style base portion of a second height.  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a first style base portion of a second height.  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a second style base portion.  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a third style base portion of a first height.  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a third style base portion of a first height.  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a third style base portion of a second height.  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  is a front view of the rebar holding clip portion mounted on a third style base portion of a second height. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]     The rebar holding clip  10  is shown in detail in  FIG. 1 . It has a rebar engaging portion  11  which is “U” shaped and has a “U” shaped clip base portion  12 . The rebar holding clip  10  also has two arm supporting columns  13  one on either side of the “U” shaped clip base portion  12 . Each arm supporting columns  13  has a cross member portion  14  for connecting the arm supporting columns  13  to an arm portion  15  angling inward from the arm supporting columns  13  toward the open end of the “U” shaped clip base portion  12  near the center of rebar holding clip  10 .  
         [0030]     The arm end  16  of arm portion  15  can traverse angle  19  such that the arm end  16  is opposite plane  17  on the rebar engaging portion  11 . As can be understood from  FIG. 1  when rebar  20  is pushed downward between the arm portions  15 , the arm portions  15  are spread apart over angle  19  until rebar  20  is admitted into “U” shaped clip base portion  12 . Then arms  15  rebound such that arm ends  16  oppose the top of the rebar  20  locking it inside of the rebar engaging portion  11  of the rebar holding clip  10 .  
         [0031]     The arms  15  are designed to have their ends  16  engage the rebar  20  at angles such that the rebar  20  is held snugly in the recess of the clip base portion  12  with the ends of the arms  16  blocking the escape of the rebars  20  by engaging the rebar&#39;s circumference.  
         [0032]     The plane  17  is angled as shown by angle  18  such that the arm end  16  of arm portions  15  is parallel to the plane  17  when the arm end is opposite the plane  17 .  
         [0033]     The rebar holding clip  10  is supported at a fixed height within a concrete form by resting on a base portion. The base portions may be of different styles. In a first embodiment the rebar holding clip  10  is attached to a base portion  30  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The base portion  30  has a base  32 , right support wall  34 , a left support wall  36 , and a central support wall  35  for supporting the rebar holding clip  10  a fixed distance above the base  32 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  the right support wall  34  and left support wall  36  and angled inward from the edge of the base  32  to the ends of the rebar holding clip  10 . The central support wall  35  extends vertically from the base  32  to the bottom of the center part of the rebar holding clip  10 .  
         [0034]     In a second embodiment as shown in  FIG. 4  the rebar holding clip  10  is attached to a base portion  40  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The base portion  40  has a base  42 , right support wall  44 , a left support wall  46 , a central support wall  45  and a cross support wall  47  extending between the left wall  46  and the central wall  45  and between the central wall  45  and the right wall  44 , for supporting the rebar holding clip  10  a fixed distance above the base  42 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  the right support wall  44  and left support wall  46  and angled inward from the edge of the base  42  to the ends of the rebar holding clip  10 . The central support wall  45  and the cross support wall  47  extend vertically from the base  42  to the bottom of the center part of the rebar holding clip  10 .  
         [0035]     In the second embodiment as shown in  FIG. 4  the rebar holding clip  10  is held at a higher position than in the first embodiment as shown in  FIG. 2 . The second embodiment therefore may have the cross support wall  47  to hold the rebar  20  without the rebar holding clip  10  bending or twisting on the base portion  40 .  
         [0036]     In a third embodiment as shown in  FIG. 6  the rebar holding clip  10  is held in place by base portion  60 . Base portion  60  has right angled leg  64 , left angled leg  66  and a vertical central wall  65 . A support beam  67  runs from the left angled leg  66  to the vertical central wall  65  and from the vertical central wall  65  to the right angled leg  64 . The feet  68  on the vertical central wall  65 , the feet  69  on the right and left angled legs  64 ,  66  determine the bottom of the base portion  60  without having the large footprint such as the bases  32  and  42  of the embodiments as shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 ,  4  and  5 . Having a smaller footprint is advantages for lessening the amount of surface area of the concrete with the base extending therefrom. In some applications the base of the base portion will weaken the surface of the concrete.  
         [0037]     In a fourth embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  the rebar holding clip  10  is supported by a base portion  70  having feet  71  which may be cone shaped to limit the footprint at the bottom of the base portion  70 . The feet  71  support a base  72  having a left wall  73  and a right wall  74  with a cross wall  77  therebetween resting on the base  72  and connecting the left wall  73  and a right wall  74  to the rebar holding clip  10  which is also resting on the base  72 . The base  72  may have a cut out section  75  to reduce the amount of material used in the base portion  70  and to increase the amount of contiguous concrete for greater strength of the concrete.  
         [0038]     The base portion  70  may have four feet  71  one in each corner, or five feet with a central foot  71  directly beneath the center of the base portion under the rebar holding clip  10  to prevent it from sagging in the middle and therefore not supporting the rebar  20  at the proper position.  
         [0039]     In a fifth embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  the rebar holding clip  10  is supported by the base as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  but at a higher position. Here the base portion  90  has feet  91 , which may be cone shaped to limit the footprint at the bottom of the base portion  90 . The feet  91  support a base  92  having a left wall  93  and a right wall  94 . The cross wall  97  rests on the base  92  and connects to the rebar holding clip  10  which is supported some distance above base  92 . There may be an opening  98  between the walls  97  and the between the base  92  and the rebar holding clip  10  to reduce the amount of material used in the base portion  90  and to increase the amount of contiguous concrete for greater strength of the concrete. Alternatively the volume shown by opening  98  may be filled by the extension of walls  97  beneath the holding clip portion  10 . The base  92  may have a cut out section  95  to reduce the amount of material used in the base portion  90  and to increase the amount of contiguous concrete for greater strength of the concrete.  
         [0040]     In general the rebar holding clip  10  is supported stably at a fixed distance above the base of a concrete form for holding the rebar at a know position such that when the concrete is pored into the mold the rebar will be fixed in place and will not be dislodged from the rebar holding clip. The base portions can be any of a variety of styles of which the above embodiments are a sample.  
         [0041]     The rebar spacers may be made from plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides which can be molded in one piece, are strong, light weigh, resilient and low cost.  
         [0042]     The bases  32  and  42  in  FIGS. 2 and 4  may have legs such as  71  and  91  shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9  or other style legs to provide a smaller footprint of the base at the surface of the concrete.  
         [0043]     The bases  32 ,  42 ,  72 ,  92  and the feet  71 ,  91  or the legs  64  and feet  68  of the rebar spacer should be placed wide enough apart to provide stability such that the rebar spacer will not tip over when a rebar is installed therein.  
         [0044]     Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.