US 7,028,443 B2 · Wire mesh chair

Abstract

A chair for supporting wire mesh while pouring concrete slabs. The chair has a generally tapered, hollow body with a receiving area for fixedly retaining the wire mesh. The receiving area includes walls extending upwardly between notches, with the walls defining passageways for guiding the mesh into the notches. Detents project inwardly from the tops of the walls to fixedly retain the mesh within the passageways. The body has inner and outer surfaces that are substantially complementary to one another to allow a plurality of chairs to be stacked together. One or more foot members are preferably attached to the lower base portion to provide for secure support of the chair on a variety of surfaces.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims21

Dependent claims

A chair for supporting wire mesh, the wire mesh comprised of wire strands joined in intersecting relationships creating a multiplicity of junctions, the chair comprising:

a body including an upper receiving area and a lower base,
the receiving area including walls projecting upwardly from the base and adapted to secure the wire strands engaged thereby,
the base adapted to rest on a planar support surface,
the body having an inner surface and an outer surface, the surfaces being substantially complementary to each other to allow a plurality of chairs to be stacked within one another for storage and shipment,
the receiving area further including notches to receive and support the strands, the walls defining passageways above the notches, and
the receiving area further including detents projecting inwardly from the walls, the detents adapted to fixedly retain the strands within the passageways;
and
wherein the detents are offset from central portions of the walls to thereby cooperate with the passageways to retain the strands.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,275 words

Summary1,169 words

#The present invention relates generally to chairs and spacers that are used in construction activities for the support of steel reinforcement members, and in particular to stackable chairs that are reliably able to retain welded wire mesh within concrete slabs.

#Chairs or spacers are commonly used in the construction industry for the support and positioning of steel reinforcement members, such as wire mesh, post-tension cables and/or reinforcement bars (“rebar”), a proper distance above a surface. The bars or cables are usually arranged in rows or grids within an area into which concrete is to be poured. They are held loosely in place while concrete is placed around them. In normal

#Proper spacing and arrangement of steel reinforcement members in concrete slabs and/or tilt-up panels according to known engineering and architectural specifications impacts the structural strength and integrity of the concrete structure. Such steel reinforcement requires sufficient cover to avoid exposing the steel to the effects of moisture-penetrating corrosion. Once the steel is exposed to the effects of chemical-laden moisture, corrosion starts taking effect.

Brief description of the drawings8 figures

#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 one embodiment of the chair of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair of FIG. 1 in which a wire mesh structure has been placed in the receiving area;

Detailed description2,894 words

#Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view is shown of one embodiment of the wire mesh chair 8 of the present invention having a hollow body 10 including a base 12, a receiving area 14, an inner surface 16, and an outer surface 18. There is an upper opening 20 defined by the receiving area 14 and a lower opening 22 defined by the base 12. Receiving area 14 has a plurality of walls 24 with inwardly facing detents 26. Walls 24 project upwardly between generally rounded notches 28. Between the notches 28 are passageways 30 defined by the walls 24. The lower base 12 has a plurality of separate support legs 32 extending downwardly from the receiving area 14. A foot member 34 extends horizontally outwardly from legs 32. Adjacent support legs 32 define holes or apertures 36, which allow poured concrete to fluidly pass through the wire mesh chair 8. At the base of the support legs are projections, one long projection 42 and three short projections 43.

#The chair of FIG. 1 is preferably generally square in cross-section having rounded corners and is constructed of a single piece of resilient polymeric material. However, alternative embodiments of the chair may have a polygonal, elliptical, oval, or hybrid cross-section. Regardless of the cross-sectional configuration of the chair 8, the inner surface 16 is complementary to the outer surface 18, and the body 10 has multiple straight sides and is generally tapered, with the lower opening 22 being larger than the upper opening 20, thereby allowing multiple chairs to be stacked within one another. The tapered shape of the chair also requires that the upper portion of the body 10, including the receiving area 14, is generally relatively narrow as compared to the lower portion, which includes the wider base 12.

#The base 12 includes projections 42 and 43. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the projections 42, 43 are located adjacent legs 32 at generally diagonally opposite positions of foot member 12. In these locations, projections 42, 43 help to strengthen the foot member 34, and thereby provide added strength with minimal increase in materials. However, it will be recognized that the projections may alternatively be formed in other locations on the foot member 34. Projection 42 is longer than projections 43, such that it extends from the base of its support leg 32 to the periphery of its foot member 34. Having one long projection 42 also provides directionality to the chairs, which are preferably square in cross-section. In this way, the chairs can be stacked with the long projection 42 of one chair directly over the long projection 42 of another chair, such that a user can recognize a specific corner of the chair.

Facts

Application

10/614,715Filed 7 Jul 2003

Published

US 2005/0005564 A113 Jan 2005

Granted

18 Apr 2006

Term ended

31 Jul 2023

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 24 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification4 codes

E04C 5/168
Auxiliary parts for reinforcements, e.g. connectors, spacers, stirrups: spacers connecting parts for reinforcements and spacing the reinforcements…
E04C 5/166
Connectors or means for connecting parts for reinforcements: the reinforcements running in different directions
E04C 5/20
Auxiliary parts for reinforcements, e.g. connectors, spacers, stirrups: of material other than metal or with only additional metal parts, e.g.…
E04C
Structural elements

Timeline

7 Jul 2003Application filedUS 10/614,715
7 Jul 2003Assigned to Aztec Concrete Accessories, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
25 Feb 2004Assigned to Aztec Concrete Accessories, Inc.re-record to correct the conveying party name previously recorded at reel and frame 014282/0516.
13 Jan 2005PublishedUS 2005/0005564 A1
18 Apr 2006GrantedUS 7,028,443 B2
13 Jul 2006Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationmerger
15 Dec 2006Assigned to Dayton Superior Delaware Corporation (D/B/A Dayton Superior Corporation)merger
27 Feb 2007Assigned to General Electric Capital Corporationsecurity agreement
25 Feb 2008Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationcorrective assignment to correct the typographical error (7028433 should read "7028443" previously recorded on reel 020518 frame 0453. assignor(s) hereby confirms the change of name.
4 Mar 2008Assigned to General Electric Capital Corporation, AS Administrative Agentsecurity interest pursuant to the revolving credit agreement
4 Mar 2008Assigned to General Electric Capital Corporation, AS Administrative Agent and Collateral Agentsecurity interest pursuant to the term loan credit agreement
6 Mar 2008Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest at reel/frame no. 18934/0578
1 Jun 2009Assigned to General Electric Capital Corporationdebtor-in-possession security agreement
26 Oct 2009Assigned to Silver Point Finance, LLCpatent security agreement
26 Oct 2009Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest recorded at reel 020593 frame 0629
26 Oct 2009Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest recorded at reel 020593, frame 0617 and reel 022354, frame 0313
26 Oct 2009Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of debtor-in-possession security interest recorded at reel 022757, frame 0465
30 Oct 2009Assigned to Bank of America, N.A.security agreement
29 Jun 2012Assigned to Guggenheim Corporate Funding, LLC, AS Collateral Agentnotice of substitution of collateral agent in patents
21 Nov 2016Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest
13 Feb 2017Assigned to Deutsche Bank AG New York Branchsecurity interest
12 Sep 2018Assigned to The Bank of New York Mellonassignment of security interest
13 Mar 2019Assigned to Pathlight Capital Fund I LPsecurity interest
19 Mar 2019Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest recorded at reel/frame - : 23449-0223
6 Dec 2019Assigned to Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
6 Dec 2019Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest (reel/frame 047525/0143)
29 Dec 2020Assigned to Pnc Bank, National Associationsecurity interest
29 Dec 2020Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest
30 Jun 2023Assigned to Piney Lake Opportunities Eci Master Fund LPsecurity interest
5 Jul 2023Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest
5 Jul 2023Assigned to Dayton Superior Corporationrelease of security interest
5 Jul 2023Assigned to Bank of America, N.A., AS Agentassignment for security - patents
31 Jul 2023Term endedEstimated, includes 24 days of adjustment

Wire mesh chair

Life of this patent

Wire mesh chair

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims21

Description4,275 words

Drawings

Classification4 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,275 words