Patent ID: 8573884

Claim:
An article of manufacture comprising: a first poured cast-in-place hardened concrete slab formed in a place that is on the ground, said first concrete slab having a substantially horizontal upper surface, a lower surface resting in said place that is on said ground, and a substantially upright edge formed between said upper and lower surfaces of said first poured concrete slab, the first concrete slab further having slot surfaces that define multiple laterally aligned substantially horizontal and transverse precut slots formed along said upright edge of said first poured concrete slab, multiple rigid dowel plates having first and second unitary portions, each of said first portions of said dowel plates being received within substantially each of said precut slots of said first poured concrete slab, said first portions also being supported by contact with at least portions of said slot surfaces defining said precut slots in said first concrete slab, said second dowel plate unitary portions projecting laterally from said upright edge, a second poured cast-in-place hardened concrete slab having been poured and hardened after said first cast-in-place concrete slab has been poured and hardened, after said precut slots have been precut along said upright edge of said first concrete slab and after said first portions of said dowel plates have been received within said precut slots, and each of said second portions of said dowel plates having been substantially enclosed within said second concrete slab, said second concrete slab having a horizontal upper surface adjacent to and being formed at substantially the same level as said upper surface of said first concrete slab, said second concrete slab having a lower surface resting in said place on said ground aligned with said first concrete slab, said second concrete slab having an upright edge portion of said second concrete slab having been formed against said upright edge of said first concrete slab, wherein said concrete slabs form a joint along said upright edge portion of said first concrete slab and along said upright edge of said second concrete slab, wherein said concrete slabs are subject to shrinkage during hardening and said multiple rigid dowel plates are subject to separating from at least one of said concrete slabs during shrinkage, wherein by reason of said shrinkage and said separating of said rigid dowel plates said concrete slabs are moveable horizontally and laterally along said upright edge portions of said first and second slabs at said joint while substantially overcoming internal stresses as might result if said horizontal and lateral movements had been prevented, for thereby avoiding stress relief cracks in said first and second concrete slabs, and whereby inclusion of sheaths in the article of manufacture that were mounted to forms is substantially eliminated.