Floor dowel sleeve for concrete slab seams

• US 10,323,406 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CCS Contractor Equipment & Supply LLC
• Original Assignee: Midwest Concrete & Masonry Supply, Inc.
• Inventors: Hansort, Marinus
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, Gisele D
• Application Number:
  US15/869,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20180202145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/4114 Elements with sockets E04B1/4107 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/483 Shear dowels to be embedded in concrete
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2005/324 with peripheral anchors or supports
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2103/02 of ceramics, concrete or other stone-like material
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 5/023 Separate connecting devices for prefabricated floor-slabs
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 5/32 Floor structures wholly cast in situ with or without form units or reinforcements

Abstract

A floor dowel sleeve is provided that includes a rectangular-shaped body portion having a cavity that is configured to receive a dowel plate that spans across a seam between concrete slabs. A pair of break-away interior walls extend within the cavity from the opening to the end wall of the sleeve. The interior walls extend between two opposing (horizontal) walls of the exterior side walls and are continuously spaced from the other two opposing (vertical) walls of the exterior side walls. The body portion is configured to receive the dowel plate in the cavity between the break-away interior walls, where the break-away interior walls are configured to at least partially break-away from the exterior side walls upon lateral horizontal movement of the dowel plate within the cavity.

Claims

1. A floor dowel sleeve for receiving a dowel plate that spans between and vertically supports concrete slabs at a seam between the concrete slabs, said floor dowel sleeve comprising:

a rectangular-shaped body portion having exterior side walls and an end wall that surround a cavity configured to receive a dowel plate at an opening opposite the end wall, wherein the exterior side walls include two longitudinal planar surfaces and transverse side edges that extend between the two longitudinal planar surfaces;

a pair of break-away interior walls that each have a transverse planar surface that extends continuously within the cavity from the opening to the end wall and extends vertically between the two longitudinal planar surfaces of the exterior side walls, wherein the break-away interior walls are continuously spaced from the transverse side edges of the exterior side walls to provide an elongated void extending along each of the transverse side edges from the end wall to the opening; and

wherein the body portion is configured to receive the dowel plate in the cavity between the break-away interior walls, and wherein the break-away interior walls are configured to at least partially break-away from at least one of the two longitudinal planar surfaces upon lateral horizontal movement of the dowel plate within the cavity.

2. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein the body portion is configured to space the dowel plate away from the end wall within the cavity.

3. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of crush members that protrude within the cavity from the end wall a distance generally less than a third of the distance between the opening and the end wall, wherein the plurality of crush member are configured to collapse toward the end wall upon longitudinal horizontal movement of the dowel plate.

4. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of break-away interior walls includes a weakened portion at or near at least one of upper or lower connection points with the two longitudinal planar surfaces, and wherein the weakened portion is configured to break to allow the corresponding break-away interior wall to break away from the corresponding longitudinal planar surface.

5. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein the body portion and the pair of break-away interior walls are integrally formed as a single piece comprising polymer.

6. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein the two longitudinal planar surfaces are substantially parallel with each other and substantially perpendicular with the transverse side edges of the body portion.

7. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein the two longitudinal planar surfaces are disposed at a spacing from each other that provides a height of the cavity that is configured to contact upper and lower surfaces of the dowel plate received in the cavity.

8. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped sleeve comprises a collar portion that extends around the opening of the cavity and is integrally coupled with the exterior side walls, and wherein the collar portion is oriented substantially perpendicular to the exterior side walls.

9. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 8, wherein the rectangular-shaped body portion comprises at least one stiffening flange that extends longitudinally along an exterior surface of one of the exterior side walls from the collar portion toward the end wall.

10. A floor dowel sleeve for receiving a dowel plate that spans between and vertically supports concrete slabs at a seam between the concrete slabs, said floor dowel sleeve comprising:

a rectangular-shaped body portion having four exterior side walls and an end wall that surround a cavity configured to receive a dowel plate, wherein the four exterior side walls include two longitudinal planar surfaces and transverse side edges that extend between the two longitudinal planar surfaces;

a collar portion integrally coupled with the four exterior side walls of the body portion and extending around an opening of the cavity;

a pair of break-away interior walls that extend within the cavity from the opening to the end wall and extend between the two longitudinal planar surfaces of the exterior side walls, wherein the pair of break-away interior walls are continuously spaced from the transverse side edges of the exterior side walls;

a plurality of crush members disposed within the cavity and extending from the end wall a distance generally less than a third of the distance between the opening and the end wall; and

wherein the cavity is configured to receive the dowel plate between the pair of break-away interior walls and in abutting contact with a distal portion of the plurality of crush members, wherein the pair of break-away interior walls are configured to break-away from at least one of the two longitudinal planar surfaces upon lateral horizontal movement of the dowel plate, and wherein at least one of the plurality of crush member are configured to collapse toward the end wall upon longitudinal horizontal movement of the dowel plate toward the end wall.

11. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein at least one of the pair of break-away interior walls includes a weakened portion at or near at least one of the two longitudinal planar surfaces, and wherein the weakened portion is configured to break to allow the corresponding break-away interior wall to break away from the corresponding longitudinal planar surface.

12. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein the body portion and the pair of break-away interior walls are integrally formed as a single piece.

13. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein the collar portion extends substantially perpendicular to the four exterior side walls at the opening of the cavity for preventing the opening of the cavity from collapsing.

14. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein the body portion, the collar portion, the pair of break-away interior walls, and the plurality of crush members are integrally formed as a single piece.

15. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein the two longitudinal planar surfaces are separated from each other at a generally consistent spacing that is configured to contact upper and lower surfaces of the dowel place received in the cavity.

16. The floor dowel sleeve of claim 10, wherein the rectangular-shaped body portion comprises at least one stiffening flange that extends longitudinally along an exterior surface of one of the four exterior side walls from the collar portion toward the end wall.

17. A floor dowel sleeve assembly that spans between and vertically supports concrete slabs at a seam between the concrete slabs, said floor dowel sleeve assembly comprising:

a rectangular-shaped dowel plate having a first portion configure to be cast into a first concrete slab;

a rectangular-shaped sleeve having exterior side walls and an end wall that together surround a cavity that has an end opening at an opposing side of the cavity from the end wall, wherein the exterior side walls include two longitudinal planar surfaces and transverse side edges that extend between the two longitudinal planar surfaces, and wherein the sleeve is configured to be cast into a second concrete slab adjacent to and forming a seam with the first concrete slab;

a pair of break-away interior walls that extend longitudinally within the cavity from the end wall to the end opening of the cavity, wherein the break-away interior walls integrally extend between the two longitudinal planar surfaces of the rectangular-shaped sleeve, and wherein the pair of break-away interior walls are disposed at a spaced distance from the transverse side edges of the rectangular-shaped sleeve;

a plurality of crush members integrally protrude from the end wall within the cavity toward the end opening; and

wherein a second portion of the dowel plate is movably inserted in the cavity between the pair of break-away interior walls and in abutting contact with the two longitudinal planar surfaces and a distal portion of the plurality of crush members, wherein at least one of the pair of break-away interior walls are configured to break-away from the two longitudinal planar surfaces upon lateral horizontal movement of the dowel plate, and wherein the plurality of crush member are configured to compress toward the end wall upon longitudinal horizontal movement of the dowel plate into the cavity.

18. The floor dowel sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the pair of break-away interior walls include a weakened portion at or near at least one of the two longitudinal planar surfaces.

19. The floor dowel sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the pair of break-away interior walls and the plurality of crush members are integrally formed with the rectangular-shaped sleeve as a single piece.

20. The floor dowel sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the rectangular-shaped sleeve comprises a collar portion that extends around the end opening of the cavity and is integrally coupled with the exterior side walls.

21. The floor dowel sleeve assembly of claim 20, wherein the rectangular-shaped sleeve comprises at least one stiffening flange that extends longitudinally along an outer surface of one of the exterior side walls from the collar portion toward the end wall.