Construction sleeve and method of using the same

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a barrier against a material which is setting up, hardening or curing are embodied in a flexible, collapsible, water-resistant sleeve with at least one low-friction surface. In another embodiment, a sleeve material includes a group of such sleeves in a detachably interconnected configuration.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Inventions

[0002] The present inventions relate generally to a sleeve for use in construction, more particularly, to a collapsible sleeve including a low-friction surface and a method of using the same.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Forms for concrete structures such as building foundations are typically built with boards or panels. When not suspended, the boards or panels are held together and in place by wooden or metal stakes that are between 1 foot and 4 feet long. The wooden stakes are commonly 1 inch.times.2 inch Douglas Fir, while the metal stakes are commonly 3/4 inch diameter steel rods which include holes that allow nails to be driven through the rods into the boards or panels. In many instances, the stakes will be embedded in concrete in the region that extends from the ground to the first form board after concrete has been poured into the forms. Although the stakes must be removed at some point, stake removal cannot begin until the concrete has partially set up. Unfortunately, once the concrete has partially set up, it sticks to the stakes, which has heretofore made stake removal a difficult and expensive task. The removal of wooden stakes is made even more difficult by the fact that wooden stakes tend to have a larger surface area than metal stakes, have a rougher surface than metal stakes and, since they are rectangular in cross-section, cannot be rotated during removal as can metal stakes that are circular in cross-section.

[0005] Because of the difficulty associated with removing wooden stakes, especially when the concrete has set more than an optimal amount, the top portions of the stakes are often broken off at the concrete surface, which leaves the bottom portions of the stakes in the concrete. Leaving the bottom portions of the wooden stakes in the concrete is problematic for several reasons. The presence of stakes in the concrete is a building code violation and can compromise structural integrity. The presence of wooden stakes also provides a "food-filled path" for termites that allows them to make their way through the concrete into a building. As a result, builders are forced to chip the bottom portion of the wooden stakes out of the concrete and fill the resulting hole with mortar, which is a costly and time consuming procedure.

[0006] Turning to metal stakes, there are a number of tools that have been used to remove metal stakes from concrete. Such tools include plumbing wrenches, channel lock pliers, hammers, mallets and stake pullers (which are large Class I levers). Unfortunately, the use of these tools frequently results in damage to the stakes. Most often, the stakes are bent or their surfaces marred. Damaged metal stakes are problematic because it is very difficult and, in some instances impossible, to extract a damaged stake from concrete. A stuck metal stake must be cut off at the concrete surface (with a saw or torch), or hammered down through the concrete structure into the ground below.

[0007] There is also significant expense associated with the maintenance of metal stakes. Such maintenance includes the straightening of stakes, keeping the metal surfaces clean and free of cement build-up, and removing cement from the nail holes. These expenses extend to those situations where the metal stakes are rented, as opposed to purchased outright. Although stakes can be rented at a relatively low rate, tool rental companies impose significant-penalties when stakes are returned bent or are not returned at all because they have been cut in half or pounded below the surface of the concrete structure.

[0008] There are also timing issues associated with the use of stakes. Most notably, it is presently necessary to employ a work crew to pour concrete early in the day and keep the crew on hand while the concrete partially sets up so that, much later in the day, the crew can race to remove the stakes before the concrete fully hardens. As a result, the builder is forced to pay a crew to sit around and wait for the concrete to partially set up so that the crew will be there to remove the stakes before the concrete hardens.

[0009] All tolled, builders have been heretofore required to spend significant amounts of time and money on stake removal and maintenance. These costs, in addition to the costs associated with the injuries that sometimes occur during stake removal, have resulted in a number of attempted solutions to the stake removal problem.

[0010] For example, sections of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe and plumbing pipe have been used to separate stakes from the surrounding concrete. The inventor herein has determined that this proposed solution has a number of shortcomings. Most notably, the rigid nature of these pipes requires that they be cut exactly to length because if a pipe extends upwardly beyond the bottom of the first form board, it will deflect that board, thereby causing disfigurement of the concrete structure. Furthermore, the pipes are expensive, create large voids in the concrete structure, take up a large amount of storage space, and cannot be used with wooden stakes because a relatively large circular pipe is required to encase a rectangular stake, which results in a large void. Also, pipes cannot be removed from the concrete and must be cut off at the surface of the slab, stem wall or other structure, which is time consuming.

[0011] Another proposed solution is to wrap stakes in filter fabric and then hold the filter fabric in place with tie wire. The inventor herein has determined that this approach is unnecessarily cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive. More over, it does not work well with wooden stakes and it is often virtually impossible to separate the filter fabric from the concrete.

[0012] Still another proposed solution is to coat the stakes with grease, diesel fuel, or foam release agents that have been designed to keep forms (as opposed to stakes) from sticking to concrete. The inventor herein has determined that these substances are not particularly effective at preventing stakes from sticking to concrete and, in addition, are labor intensive and messy.

[0013] Another proposed solution is to wrap the stakes in pipe insulation. The inventor herein has determined that this approach is less than optimal because pipe insulation is bulky, which makes it difficult to transport and causes it to leave large voids. Pipe insulation is also expensive

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

[0014] The inventor herein has determined that a need exists for a better solution to the aforementioned problems associated with the stakes that are used with forms. More specifically, one object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that will facilitate the removal of stakes in a manner that is more convenient and cost effective than conventional methods.

[0015] In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a sleeve in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention includes flexible, collapsible and water-resistant walls and low-friction surfaces. The sleeve forms a barrier between a stake or other object and a material, such as concrete, while the material is setting up, hardening or curing. The low-friction inner surface allows a stake or other object to be easily removed from the sleeve once the concrete or other material has set up around the outer surface of the sleeve. The low-friction outer surface allows the sleeve to be easily removed from the concrete after the stake has been removed. In an alternative embodiment, the outer surface can be formed with a friction enhancing surface, particularly if it is desirable for the sleeve to remain in the concrete after the concrete has hardened.

[0016] In use, the sleeve may be positioned around a stake or other object that will be located within a region into which the concrete or other material will be introduced. Once the concrete has partially set up, the stake or other object can be easily removed because it has not come into contact with the concrete. Instead, the stake or other object has only come into contact with the inner surface of the sleeve, which is preferably a low friction surface.

[0017] The present sleeve provides a number of other important benefits. For example, the present sleeve is preferably both flexible and collapsible. These features make the sleeve easier to transport, store and slip over a stake or other object than pipes and fabric that must be held in place with tie wire. These features also allow the sheets to be dispensed from a compact holder, roll or the like. The mess and additional labor associated with the use of grease, diesel fuel, and form release agents are also eliminated. In addition to the low friction inner surface, the present sleeve is preferably moisture resistant, which prevents the sleeve from soaking up moisture and also allows the sleeve to hold up well in wet conditions associated with the presence of rain or groundwater.

[0018] The present sleeve is also more cost effective than conventional stake covering methods. More specifically, the sleeve may be formed from a flat piece of relatively inexpensive sheet material which is folded length-wise and glued together to form a sleeve with openings at opposite ends. Suitable sheet material includes the polyboard material commonly used in milk cartons. In addition to the savings associated with the sleeve itself, the labor costs associated with stake removal will also be reduced. For example, use of the present invention will eliminate the need for a crew to sit around and wait for the concrete or other material to partially set up so that they can remove the stakes before the material fully hardens. This is because the present sleeve will facilitate stake removal even after the material is fully hardened. Thus, a skilled artisan can move from job to job, set up forms and pour concrete, without the need for separate crews that wait around at each job for stake removal. Use of such polyboard material also makes it relatively easy to cut or tear the sleeves to the appropriate length, as compared to the pipes used in conventional methods.

[0019] The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present inventions will become apparent as the inventions become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventions will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1A is a front view of an exemplary unassembled sleeve in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention.

[0022] FIG. 1B is a side view of the unassembled sleeve illustrated in FIG. 1A.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary assembled sleeve in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention in an expanded position.

[0024] FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are front, top and side views, respectively, of the sleeve illustrated in FIG. 2 in a collapsed position.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary roll of sleeve material in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention.

[0026] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the sleeve illustrated in FIG. 2 with a stake extending therethrough.

[0027] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the sleeve illustrated in FIG. 2 with a tube-shaped member extending therethrough.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a form assembly held together with stakes around which are positioned the sleeve illustrated in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The following is a detailed description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the inventions.

[0030] FIGS. 1A and 1B show an exemplary sleeve 100 according to a present invention in its unassembled form. The sleeve 100 is preferably a substantially flat sheet of material formed from wood, paper, cardboard, plastic, fiberglass, rubber, metal or natural fibers. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of substantially parallel, evenly spaced grooves 102 span along the length of the sleeve 100 and are used for folding the sleeve lengthwise during its assembly. The grooves 102 are preferably, but not necessarily, rolled onto one side of the sleeve 100.

[0031] As discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6, the sleeve 100 can be used to provide a barrier between a variety of different objects, such as form stakes and objects that are used to create a permanent void, and materials which are setting up, hardening or curing. The materials include, but are not limited to, concrete, mortar, plastics, adhesives, plaster, frozen gases or liquids, soil, gravel, glass and metal.

[0032] As illustrated for example in FIG. 2, the sleeve 100 includes an inner surface 104 and an outer surface 106 when in its assembled form. One or both of the surfaces 104 and 106 are preferably a low-friction, reduced friction or slippery surface. The surfaces are also preferably moisture resistant. In the preferred embodiment, the sleeve 100 is formed from two-sided polyboard material, which is a cardboard and plastic laminate wherein both surfaces of the cardboard are coated with a thermoplastic polymer material that is relatively smooth. Such polyboard material, which is commonly used in the production of milk cartons, is known in the paper trade as "S.B.S. with double-sided poly" and "S.B.S. board with poly extruded on both sides." This material can be purchased from Fort James Corporation, located in San Ramon, Calif. The preferred thickness of the polyboard material ranges from 14 point to 20 point (i.e. 0.0014 to 0.0020 meters).

[0033] During assembly, folds are made along the grooves 102 creating four side portions (or wall members) and a tab portion 108. An outer surface 110 of the tab portion is then glued to a portion 112 of the inner surface 104 as shown. It should be understood, however, that the sleeve 100 of the present invention is not limited to being four-sided. Rather, a lesser or greater number of grooves can be employed to create sleeves with, for example, two, three, five or six side portions.

[0034] A sleeve 100 with a sufficiently large number of appropriately spaced grooves could also be assembled in a variety of different ways. For example, by only folding along certain grooves, the sleeve 100 could be assembled such that the ends of the sleeve 100 open to a square shape. By only folding along different grooves, the sleeve 100 could be assembled as a three-sided sleeve with triangular openings at either end. It should also be understood that in order to best fit and service the object to be sleeved, a sleeve 100 according to the present invention can have other cross-sectional shapes including, but not limited to, rectangular, oval and circular. In addition, the flexibility of the sleeve material allows the sleeve 100 to be easily collapsed for transportation and storage, and expanded for use.

[0035] The sleeve 100 is sized (i.e. length, width and depth selected) and configured (i.e. number of side portions selected) depending upon the needs of a particular application. For example, the sleeve may be sized such that it is slightly larger than a stake or other object with which it will be used. This will allow a stake to be moved sideways to loosen its hold in the ground. Turning to conduits, the extra space allows for movement should compression or shear motion occur in the surrounding material. The length of the sleeve may, if desired, be selected to be short enough to handle situations where the depth of material that is setting up, hardening or curing is relatively low. A number of relatively short sleeves can be stacked (or otherwise positioned) end to end to handle situations involving greater material depth.

[0036] The exemplary preferred sleeve 100 shown in FIGS. 3A-3C also includes indicia in the form of hash marks 114 which indicate distances along the length of the sleeve 100 such as 0", 6", 12", 18", etc. The indicia are useful to a worker who may need to cut the sleeve 100 to a length shorter than its original length. Alternatively, hash marks may be provided at predetermined intervals without the numeric indicia.

[0037] Another exemplary sleeve, which is generally indicated by reference numeral 200, is illustrated in FIG. 4. The sleeve 200, which is otherwise identical to the sleeve 100 described above, is relatively long and includes a plurality of perforations 202. The perforations 202 separate the sleeve 200 into a plurality of readily detachable individual sleeves 204. In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeves 204 are attached end-to-end by the perforations 202 and may be separated from each other as desired by tearing across the sleeve material at the perforations 202.

[0038] As illustrated for example in FIG. 4, the flexibility of the sleeve material allows the sleeves 204, while collapsed, to be stored and/or dispensed in a compact fashion by coiling them around a roll 206. Other storage and dispenser mechanisms, such a box or container which would not require the sleeves 204 to be coiled or bent, are also suitable. Here, the sleeves 200 could be folded at each line of perforations 202 (or every other line of perforations) in zig-zag fashion. It should also be understood that the sleeves 100 and 204 can be detachably interconnected in other manners such as, for example, by attaching them to one another other side-to-side with tape or another easily removable fastening device.

[0039] Turning to FIG. 5A, a stake 300 is shown after having been inserted into a sleeve 100. The exemplary flexible, collapsible, water-resistant sleeve 100 (or 204), with its low-friction inner surface, may be used with both wood and metal stakes 300. The exemplary sleeve 100 (or 204) may also be used in conjunction with a void forming member 302 that is used to form a void in the material which is setting up, hardening or curing. Such voids may be ultimately used for drains, or for passageways in the structure being built. Also, although both the stake 300 and the void forming member 302 are shown as being tube-shaped or cylindrical, it should be understood that the sleeve 100 (or 204) can accommodate objects that are shaped otherwise.

[0040] The sleeve 100 is also useful for other structural, architectural and artistic purposes. For example, it can also be used to surround tension cables, gas and liquid plumbing pipes, electrical wires and conduits, dowels, air passage ways, Lucite.TM. tubing and pressurized hoses, pipes or conduits.

[0041] In accordance with an invention herein, a method of providing a barrier between a material which is setting up, hardening or curing and a stake or other object may be practiced with the sleeves described above. Generally, the object to be separated from the material is first slid into a sleeve, or the sleeve onto the object. Then the object is driven into the ground, soil or other foundational material such that the sleeve remains exposed and is positioned within the volumetric area into which a material such as concrete will be introduced.

[0042] Turning to FIG. 6, a form assembly 600 is shown held together with stakes 300 around which are positioned sleeves 100. The form assembly 600 includes a plurality of boards 602 which are attached to the stakes 300 with nails 604 or the like after the stakes 300 are driven into the soil 606. Next, a material such as concrete 608 is introduced as shown. This may, or may not, change the shape of the sleeves 100. When the surrounding material has reached its desired state of hardness, or elasticity, the encased objects (here, the stakes 300) can be left in place or extracted from the sleeves 100 at any time, even after the surrounding material has fully hardened or cured. This extraction is readily accomplished because the sleeves 100 reduce friction and suction. If desired, once the stakes 300 are removed, the sleeves 100 can be extracted from the concrete 608. The resulting void can be used for reinserting the original sleeved object, a cane-bolt mechanism or another substance (such as something harder, or of a different color, than the surrounding material.)

[0043] Although the present invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. By way of example, but not limitation, the sleeve can be made without the grooves. It is intended that the scope of the present invention extends to all such modifications and/or additions.

Claims

I claim:

1. An apparatus for use as a barrier between a material which is setting up, hardening or curing and an object, the apparatus comprising: at least two wall members defining respective longitudinal ends and inner surfaces connected to one another such that the inner surfaces define a region therebetween having at least one open longitudinal end and of sufficient size to receive the object therein; and at least one of the inner surfaces being a relatively low friction surface which the object tends to slip over rather than adhere to.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two wall members are connected to one another such that the apparatus can be expanded and collapsed.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two wall members comprise at least four members.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two wall members are separated by a fold line.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two wall members include a water-resistant surface.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the wall members includes visible indicia indicating distances along a length of the sleeve.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the indicia comprises hash marks.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall members are formed at least in part with paper.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall members are formed at least in part with cardboard.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall members are formed at least in part with plastic.

11. An apparatus for use as a barrier between a material which is setting up, hardening or curing and an object, the apparatus comprising: at least two sleeves, each sleeve defining a region having at least one open longitudinal end and of sufficient size to receive the object therein; and an apparatus releasably connecting the at least two sleeves to one another.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sleeves define longitudinal ends and are connected end-to-end.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sleeves are formed from a sleeve material and the apparatus comprises small portions of sleeve material separated by perforations.

14. A method of providing a barrier between a material which is setting up, hardening or curing and an object, the method comprising the steps of: providing a sleeve defining a region having at least one open longitudinal end and of sufficient size to receive the object therein; positioning the sleeve and the object within an area into which the material will be introduced, with the object being at least partially fitted inside the sleeve; introducing the material into the area; and removing the object from the sleeve.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of: removing the sleeve from the material.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the object comprises a stake.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the stake comprises a wooden stake.

18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the stake comprises a metal stake.

19. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the object is a void forming member.

20. An apparatus for use as a barrier between a material which is setting up, hardening or curing and an object, the apparatus comprising: a tubular member defining open longitudinal ends and an inner surface enclosing a region of sufficient size to receive the object therein; and the inner surface being a relatively low friction surface which the object tends to slip over rather than adhere to.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the tubular member comprises polyboard material.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the tubular member has a circular cross-section.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the tubular member has a non-circular cross-section.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the tubular member includes at least one fold line.