US3693312A

US3693312A - Concrete insert

Info

Publication number: US3693312A
Application number: US58286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herman C Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-07-27
Filing date: 1970-07-27
Publication date: 1972-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-26

Abstract

A pair of substantially identical formed metal members are interconnected to form a hollow rectangular body having pairs of outwardly extending ears associated with each opposed end of the rectangular body. The ears include holes for receiving fasteners for fixedly mounting the body on a concrete form. The end portions of the rectangular body include female coupling means of varying size adapted to alternatively receive and hold threaded or unthreaded pin means.

Description

United States Patent Miller [54] CONCRETE INSERT [72] Inventor: Herman C. Miller, Route 2, Box

2220, Gig Harbor, Wash. 98335 [22] Filed: July 27, 1970 [21] Appl. No.2 58,286

[52] US. Cl. ..52/699, 52/704, 52/708,

220/D1G. 25 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04b 1/41 [58] Field of Search ..52/698-701, 704,

52/707-709; l5 l/4l.7; 85/36; 220/34, 4 A, 4 E, DIG. 25; 229/23 BT [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,151 4/1957 Shore ..220/3.4 928,251 7/1909 Dorff ..220/4 A 3,523,299 8/1970 Tinnermann ..85/36 2,435,355 2/1948 Ingram, Sr. ..229/23 BT 2,999,611 9/1961 Paulson ..220/4 E 1,041,220 10/1912 Wyatt et al. ..220/4 1,909,136 5/1933 Thomas, Jr. ..220/DIG. 25 2,133,134 10/1938 Davis ..52/708 923,188 6/1909 Kneas ..52/708 [451 Sept. 26, 1972 1,201,540 10/1916 Banes ..52/708 3,073,107 1/1963 Haydon ..85/36 2,877,242 5/1959 Suarez Grau ..220/4 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 597,104 l/1948 Great Britain l5 l/4l.7 1,253,068 12/1960 France ..220/4 E 1,274,229 9/1961 France ..220/DIG. 25 986,784 11/1969 Canada ..52/161 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun Attorney Graybeal, Barnard, Uhlir & Hughes [57] ABSTRACT A pair of substantially identical formed metal members are interconnected to form a hollow rectangular body having pairs of outwardly extending ears associated with each opposed end of the rectangular body. The ears include holes for receiving fasteners for fixedly mounting the body on a concrete form. The end portions of the rectangular body include female coupling means of varying size adapted to alternative- 1y receive and hold threaded or unthreaded pin means.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CONCRETE INSERT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Even more specifically, this invention relates to a l concrete insert which remains anchored in the concrete floor after the form is removed such that one end having an opening adapted to receive and hold pins means is exposed.

2. Description of the Prior Art concrete A building technique currently widely employed in the construction of multi-story buildings includes the pouring of concrete floors between each story. The bottom surfaces of these poured concrete floors may themselves define the ceiling of the next lower story, or support-a so-called false ceiling hanging a distance therebelow. It is desirable in this type of construction to provide anchor means, commonly called concrete inserts, in the bottom surface of the poured concrete floors. These concrete inserts include a coupling means which is adapted to receive and hold downwardly depending light fixtures, ceiling supports, pins or other connecting means.

Concrete inserts must be mounted on the concrete floor form prior to pouring of the concrete, and often prior to final installation of electrical or plumbing fixtures. It is desirable, therefore, that the concrete inserts have alow profile and include a strong means for being fastened to the form to prevent their being overturned or displaced by other workers prior to pouring of the concrete, or during the pouring of the concrete itself.

The ceiling anchor points provided by concrete inserts are usedby pipe fitters, electricians and sheet metal workers, all of whom may use connecting means of varying size. It is desirable, therefore, that concrete inserts having various sized coupling means be provided, or, to reduce necessary inventory, that concrete inserts adapted to receive and hold more than one sized downwardly depending pin be provided.

Known concrete inserts, such as that disclosed in McNair, U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,497, are undesirably high and thus easily displaced on the concrete form, and are further composed of a substantial number of parts which make the manufacture thereof relatively expensive. The concrete insert of Phillips, U.S. Pat. No.

2,096,062, presents a solution to the problem of displacement on the concrete form which necessitates a two-step installation process. The design of the concrete insert of Dippel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,218,378, is

' again relatively complicated and thus would be rather expensive to manufacture. Further, all of the inserts disclosed in the above patents provide. only a single female coupling and thus are adapted to receive and hold pin means of only one size.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a concrete insert formed from a pair of substantially identical metal pieces which are interconnected to form a low profile rectangular body having ears extending outwardly from adjacent the end portions of the body. The identical metal members may be held together by a system of slots and cooperating tabs. The opposite ends of the rectangular body each include a female coupling which may be either of the threaded or push-nut type, and which is complete in itself and requires no adapter plug or nut. The size of the coupling on each end of the body may vary. The outwardly extending ears include hole portions such that the bottom ears are adapted to receive fastening means for mounting the concrete insert securely on a form prior to pouring a concrete floor. The ears adjacent the top end of the mounted concrete insert act as anchors in the hardened concrete to prevent the insert from being pulled therefrom.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a concrete insert which is easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to provide a concrete insert of relatively short vertical dimension.

Still another object is to provide a concrete insert which is adapted to receive and hold threaded or unthreaded pin means.

One more object is to provide a concrete insert which is adapted to receive and hold pin means of varying diameter.

Still another object is to provide a concrete insert which maybe securely mounted to a form prior to pouring a concrete floor.

An additional object is to provide a concrete insert for use on wood, metal or plastic forms.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical concrete insert made according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the concrete insert of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a screw thread coupling means.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a push-nut coupling means.

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevational view of a concrete insert made according to the present invention mounted on a wooden form and surrounded by concrete.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevational view of a concrete insert made according to the present invention disposed in the bottom portion of a concrete floor,.and including a threaded pin and downwardly depending connecting means held therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring initially to FIG. 1, a concrete insert 10 made according to the teachings of the present invention is disclosed. Concrete insert 10 includes a generally rectangular body portion 12 having side portions 14 and oppositely disposed end portions 16 and 18 (FIG. 2). Ears 20 and 22 extend outwardly from body-portion 12

adjacent end portions

16 and 18.

Referring also to FIG. 2, it will be seen that

end portions

16 and 18 include

openings

24 and 26 respectively, disposed centrally therein. As will be described more completely hereafter,

openings

24 and 26 are adapted to alternatively receive and hold pin means depending downwardly from a concrete ceiling in which the insert is mounted.

Insert may be formed from a pair of metal members 28 and 30 which are stamped to a substantially identical shape and include a substantially flat end por

tion

16 or 18, a pair of substantially parallelside portions 14 extending normally from the end portion, and a pair of opposed cars 20 or.2 2 extending outwardly from the side portions at points distal from the end portion. As is best shown in FIG. 2, metal members 28 and 30 are shaped such that they cooperate to form concrete insert 10.

Metal member 28 includes a pair of tabs 32 extending out from, and generally parallel to, side portions 14, and a pair of slots 34 in end portion 16. Metal member 30 includes similarly placed tabs 36 and slots 38. In the embodiment disclosed in the drawings, metal members 28 and 30'are connected together to form concrete insert 10 by disposing tabs 32 through slots 38 and tabs 36 through slots 34 and then deforming the tabs as shown in. FIG. 1. It will be readily understood that members 28 and 30 may be joined together by any other suitable means such as electric spot welding.

Outwardly extending

ears

20 and 22 include

holes

40 and 42 respectively, which are adapted to receive fastening means for holding concrete insert 10 firmly on a concrete form as will be described more completely hereafter. As illustrated, each ear includes a pair of spaced holes, but it will be understood that asingle centrally disposed hole or any other suitable arrangement may be substituted for this configuration. Y

Referring now to F IG. 3, opening 24 which is adapted to receive and hold a pin means is shown to be tapped to form a single thread 44. In this configuration,

. the concrete insert is adapted to hold threaded pin means. Referring now to FIG. 4, opening 24 is shaped to form a stamped pressure type opening or a so-called push-nut .46. As is well known in the art, push nuts are adapted to receive and hold either threaded or unthreaded pins with equal-facility, the pin being easily insertable through the nut, but very difficult to retract therefrom. I

From the above, it will be readily understood that the

openings

24 and 26 in the end portions of concrete insert 10. may readily be made in a variety of configurations andsizes for use with different sized threaded or unthreaded pins. For instance, in one embodiment which would be commonly used by electricians and sheet metal workers, opening 24 may be Vi inch in diameter, while opening 26 is inch in diameter. Both of these openings may be of the screw thread or pushnut type for use with threaded or unthreaded pin members. In another embodiment which would be commonly used by plumbers or pipe fitters, opening 24 may be )6 inch in diameter, while the diameter of opening 26 is :2 inch. Both of these openings may likewise be of either the screw thread or push-nut type. For holding even greater loads, it is contemplated that inserts having end openings with diameters of even larger 'sizemay be provided. These openings may also be of either the screw thread or push nut type. It is further contemplated that concrete

inserts having end'openings

24 and 26 adapted to hold pin members "of the same size, one opening being of the screw thread typ'ewhile the other is of the push-nut type might alsobe produced to allow the insert to be used with equal facility with threaded or unthreaded pin means. It will be readily understood that concrete inserts having different combinations of end openings of various sizes and shapes may be produced, including a concrete insert having an opening of either the screw thread or push-nut type on only one end.

' Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the installation and use of concrete insert 10 will be discussed. In FIG. 5, insert 10 is shown mounted on a wooden concrete form 48 by means of nails 50 extending through holes 40 in ears 20. The vertical length of side members 14 may be as little as $6 inch, and thus it will be readily understood that the nailingof insert 10 to a concrete form as shown in FIG. 5,provides a very stable mount which will not be easily displaced or overturned after it is fastened in position on the form. It metal or plastic forms are used in place of wood forms, other suitable fastening means such as conventional pop rivets may be substituted for nails 50; Once concrete insert 10 is mounted on the concrete forms such that either

end portion

16 or 18 is held firmly against the top surface of the form, the opening on the opposite upward facing end portion is closed to prevent concrete from entering and filling the hollow chamber within the concrete insert. As shown in FIG. 1, this may be simply accomplished by placing .a piece of tape 52 on the end portion such that it covers the opening therein. It is also contemplated that suitably shaped rubber, plastic or wooden plugs may be provided to perform a like function.

Referring again to FIG. 5, when concrete floor 54 is properly poured, the concrete surrounds the concrete insert 10 such that ear portions 22 act to anchor the insert therein after the concrete hardens. If necessary, extra ties to concrete reinforcing rods disposed in the concrete may be made through holes 42 in ears 22. Referring now to FIG. 6, concrete insert 10 is shown after the concrete 54 has set and the form 48 has been removed. As will be seen, after form 48 is removed, end 18 and adjacent. ears 20 are the only portions of concrete insert 10 visible on the bottom surface of the concrete floor. The cars 20 may be bent downwardly, nails 50 removed, and the ears then bent back into position generally parallel the bottom surface of the concrete, or the nail points or the ears and nailsmay be cut off depending upon the finishedsurface desired. As will be readily understood from the above description, a pin meanssuch as threaded bolt56 may be disposed in opening 26 and held therein to support downwardly depending connecting means such as rod 58. Opening 26 may be shaped to provide an anchoring point for a variety of sizes of threaded or unthreaded pin 'means adapted to'support lighting fixtures, plumbing and heat pipes, ceilings or any other articles which it may be desired to support from an anchor point on the bottom surface of the concrete floor. I I In one embodiment of the present invention, metal members 28 and 30 are formed of sheet'metal stamped to shape and then tempered to'spring'steel requirements. If necessary the metal members may be treated to prevent rust before installation. It is understood that other metals or fabrication techniques may be substituted for the above and still be considered to be within the broad concept of this invention.

The invention may embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit, or central characteristics thereofThe present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:' l. A concrete insert comprising: a first U-shaped member including a base portion and two upwardly extending side portions; said base portion extending outwardly beyond the edges of said side portions and including slots therein; said side portions including ears extending laterally outward from the upper ends thereof and planar, parallel tabs extending upwardly from the upper ends thereof; a second substantially identical U-shaped member mateable with said first U-shaped member such that the tabs on the side portions of each of said members fit into the slots in the base portions of said other U-shaped member; and

the base portion of at least one of said U-shaped members including an opening therein, said opening including a fastening element.

2. The concrete insert of claim 1 wherein the fastening element in said opening comprises an internal thread.

3. The concrete insert of claim 1 wherein the base portions of each of said first and second U-shaped members include openings having associated fastening elements.

4. The concrete insert of claim 3 wherein the openings in the base portions of said first and second U- shaped members differ in size.

5. The concrete insert of claim 3 including removable plug means closing at least one of said openings in the base portions of said U-shaped members.

Claims

1. A concrete insert comprising: a first U-shaped member including a base portion and two upwardly extending side portions; said base portion extending outwardly beyond the edges of said side portions and including slots therein; said side portions including ears extending laterally outward from the upper ends thereof and planar, parallel tabs extending upwardly from the upper ends thereof; a second substantially identical U-shaped member mateable with said first U-shaped member such that the tabs on the side portions of each of said members fit into the slots in the base portions of said other U-shaped member; and the base portion of at least one of said U-shaped members including an opening therein, said opening including a fastening element.

4. The concrete insert of claim 3 wherein the openings in the base portions of said first and second U-shaped members differ in size.