U.S. patent application number 14/804385 was filed with the patent office on 2017-01-26 for concrete stamping machine and roller attachment.
The applicant listed for this patent is Randy McKee. Invention is credited to Randy McKee.
Application Number | 20170022673 14/804385 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57836930 |
Filed Date | 2017-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170022673 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McKee; Randy |
January 26, 2017 |
CONCRETE STAMPING MACHINE AND ROLLER ATTACHMENT
Abstract
A concrete stamping system is provided, comprising: a base
plate; a handle mounted to the base plate; a vibrator secured to a
top of the base plate; and a roller attachment secured to a bottom
of the base plate. The roller attachment comprises: a frame; and a
plurality of parallel rollers mounted on axles extending across the
frame and secured within the frame. When the vibrator is activated,
vibrations generated by the vibrator are transmitted through the
base plate, through the rollers, and into a stamping mat between
the rollers and fresh concrete. The system is rollable across the
stamping map by an operator.
Inventors: |
McKee; Randy; (Newberg,
OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
McKee; Randy |
Newberg |
OR |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57836930 |
Appl. No.: |
14/804385 |
Filed: |
July 21, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01C 19/41 20130101;
E01C 19/35 20130101; E01C 19/38 20130101; E01C 19/43 20130101; E01C
9/001 20130101; E01C 11/00 20130101; E01C 19/44 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E01C 19/43 20060101
E01C019/43; E01C 11/00 20060101 E01C011/00; E01C 19/41 20060101
E01C019/41; E01C 9/00 20060101 E01C009/00 |
Claims
1. A concrete stamping system, comprising: a base plate a handle
mounted to the base plate; a vibrator secured to a top of the base
plate; and a roller attachment secured to a bottom of the base
plate, comprising: a frame; and a plurality of parallel rollers
mounted on axles extending across the frame and secured within the
frame, whereby, when the vibrator is activated, vibrations
generated by the vibrator are transmitted through the base plate,
through the rollers, and into a stamping mat between the rollers
and fresh concrete, and whereby the system is rollable across the
stamping map by an operator.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the roller attachment is
removably secured to the bottom of the base plate.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vibrator is powered by a
battery.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vibrator is powered by AC
current.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a switch electrically
coupled to the vibrator and configured to activate and deactivate
the vibrator.
6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a controller
electrically coupled to the vibrator and configured to vary the
intensity of vibrations generated by the vibrator.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pressurized sprayer
mounted to the handle or base plate and adapted to spray a release
agent onto the concrete.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sprayer secured
fillable with a liquid for applying to the concrete.
9. A roller attachment securable to a concrete stamping vibrator
machine, comprising: a frame removably mountable to the vibrator
machine; a plurality of parallel axles extending across the frame
and secured to opposing sides of the frame; and a plurality of
elongated rollers mounted on the axles, whereby, when the vibrator
machine is activated, vibrations generated by the vibrator machine
are transmitted through the base plate, through the rollers, and
into a stamping mat between the rollers and fresh concrete, and
whereby the vibrator machine is rollable across the stamping mat by
an operator.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention is related generally to concrete work
and, in particular, to stamping patterns into concrete.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Concrete stamping, in which patterns are stamped into fresh
concrete, is a popular method for enhancing the appearance of a
concrete walk, patio, driveway, etc. One conventional method
requires significant labor. Stamp mats 20, such as those
illustrated in FIG. 1, are placed on top of recently poured,
partially cured concrete. Preferably, a release agent is first
applied to patterned surface of a stamp mat to allow the mat to be
removed without lifting any concrete with it. A colored release
agent may also be broadcast on the surface of the concrete to
impart a color to the stamped concrete. After the stamp mat is in
place, a worker uses a hand tamper to press the patterned surface
of the stamp mat into the surface of the concrete. The stamp mat is
then lifted and repositioned adjacent to the just-stamped area of
the concrete. To speed up the process, several workers may work
together, positioning and re-positioning several stamp mats onto
the concrete surface, applying the hand tamper, and enhancing or
touching up pattern and joint lines (see FIG. 2). It will be
appreciated that such a method is both labor intensive and time
consuming, particularly if a large area is involved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention provides a concrete stamping system,
comprising: a base plate; a handle mounted to the base plate; a
vibrator secured to a top of the base plate; and a roller
attachment secured to a bottom of the base plate. The roller
attachment comprises: a frame; and a plurality of parallel rollers
mounted on axles extending across the frame and secured within the
frame. When the vibrator is activated, vibrations generated by the
vibrator are transmitted through the base plate, through the
rollers, and into a stamping mat between the rollers and fresh
concrete. The system is rollable across the stamping map by an
operator.
[0004] The present invention further provides a roller attachment
securable to a concrete stamping vibrator machine. The roller
attachment comprises: a frame removably mountable to the vibrator
machine; a plurality of parallel axles extending across the frame
and secured to opposing sides of the frame; and a plurality of
elongated rollers mounted on the axles. When the vibrator machine
is activated, vibrations generated by the vibrator machine are
transmitted through the base plate, through the rollers, and into a
stamping mat between the rollers and fresh concrete. The vibrator
machine is rollable across the stamping mat by an operator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates the patterned surfaces of several stamp
mats;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates several workers using a prior art method
to stamp concrete;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tamping
machine of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of a roller
attachment that may be used with the tamping machine of FIG. 3;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a top view of the roller attachment of FIG. 4;
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates the tamping machine of FIG. 3 in use with
two stamp mats on a sample piece of concrete;
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates the sample piece of concrete after being
stamped with one of the stamp mats removed; and
[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a sprayer attached
to the tamping machine of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] The described features, structures, or characteristics of
the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more
embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific
details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of
embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will
recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one
or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components
and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials,
or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid
obscuring aspects of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tamping
machine 100 of the present invention. The machine 100 includes a
handle 102 secured to a base plate 104 with mounting brackets 106
or the like. The machine 100 further includes a vibrating motor 108
mounted to the top of the base plate 104. For portability, the
vibrating motor 108 is preferably powered by a battery 10 secured,
for example, on a bracket or tray 110 on the handle 102. However,
the vibrating motor 108 may instead be powered by an external DC
source, such as a vehicle battery, or an AC source through a long
power cord. When a battery 10 is used to power the tamping machine
100, an gauge may be mounted to the handle to indicate the state of
the battery. For convenience, a solar recharging module may be
secured to the tamping machine 100 to charge the battery 10 between
uses. An on/off switch 112 may be secured to the top of the handle
102 in a convenient location for the operator and electrically
coupled between the vibrating motor 108 and the battery 10. The
switch 112 may also include a controller 112A to vary the current
to the vibrating motor 108, thus allowing the operator to vary the
speed or intensity of the vibrations generated by the vibrating
motor 108. Alternatively, the motor controller 112A may be mounted
separately from the switch 112 and the switch 112 may be a
momentary push-switch, making it easy for the operator to turn the
motor 108 on, to apply vibrations to a stamp mat, and off, when
rolling the machine 100 to another location, without having to
reset the intensity of the vibrations each time. Brackets may
optionally be secured to the top of the base plate 102 to hold
weights in place if the concrete becomes too firm as it dries.
[0015] The tamping machine 100 also includes a roller attachment
200 mountable to the bottom of the base plate 104. As illustrated
in FIGS. 4 and 5, the roller attachment 200 includes a frame 202
and a number of parallel, elongated rollers 204, each mounted on an
axle 206. Each axle 206 is secured to the inside of the frame 202,
such as with nuts 208, welding, or any other appropriate means. The
roller attachment 200 may be removably secured to the base plate
104 using mounting bolts 210, or any other appropriate means,
through holes 114 in the base plate 104 or may be permanently
secured to the base plate 104, such as by welding.
[0016] In use, one or more stamp mats 20 are positioned onto a
section of concrete. The tamping machine 100 is turned on and
rolled over the stamp mats 20, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Because
the rollers 204 and axles 206 are positioned within the frame 202
perpendicular to the handle 102, the operator may easily push the
machine 100 on the rollers 204 along each stamp mat 20 and from one
stamp mat 20 to another without having to lift the tamping machine
100. The weight of the tamping machine, and the vibrations, are
distributed evenly along the rollers 204, allowing for a more even
and consistent tamping on the stamp mats 20. The operator may also
roll the tamping machine 100 along, and even over, the edges of the
stamp mats 20 without disturbing the still-wet concrete.
Consequently, the operator is able to move more quickly than using
either a hand tamper or a conventional machine. After the operator
has rolled the tamping machine 100 over all of the stamp mats 20,
the stamp mats 20 may be removed, revealing the stamped section of
concrete (FIG. 7) and repositioned to another section.
[0017] In a further embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 8, a sprayer
116, pressurized by a hand pump or an electric pump powered by the
battery 10, for example, may be mounted on the base plate 104 or on
the handle 102. The sprayer tank may be filled with a release
agent, or other appropriate liquid to be applied to the surface of
the concrete as the tamping machine is rolled near the edges of a
stamp mat 20. A control for the sprayer 116 may be mounted at a
convenient location on the handle or, as illustrated, a
hand-operated wand may be mounted on the handle. It will be
appreciated that the sprayer 116 may be positioned at any other
convenient location on the tamping machine 100.
[0018] The tamping machine 100 may also be used to tamp pavers into
a sand bed and to tamp them again to re-level them after they have
settled over time.
[0019] The description of the present invention has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended
to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed.
Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described
in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the
practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in
the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated.
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