Swiveling rebar fastener

• US 20050217198A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jiffy Clip, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jiffy Clip, Inc.
• Inventors: Newton, Terry Daniel, Carraher, John Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,241,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/719
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/163 the reinforcements running in one single direction
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/167 Connection by means of clips or other resilient elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32975 Rotatable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32983 Rod in socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7176 Resilient clip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7194 Crossed rods

Abstract

A fastener for joining two pieces of rebar together in a rebar grid used to reinforce subsequently poured concrete is described. The fasteners include two clamp pieces that in certain embodiments completely wrap around a piece of rebar and are tightly secured thereto. Further, each clamp piece can swivel or rotate up to 360 degrees relative to the other clamp piece such that two rebar pieces intersecting at any angle can be coupled together.

Claims

1. A rebar fastener comprising:

a first clamp piece, the first clamp piece including (i) a first clamp adapted to be secured around a first piece of concrete rebar and (ii) a unitarily formed opening;

a second clamp piece, the second clamp piece including (i) a second clamp adapted to secured around a second piece of concrete rebar and (ii) a unitarily formed male appendage extending therefrom, the male appendage having a longitudinal axis;

wherein the male appendage is connected to the opening permitting pivotally movement of the first clamp piece relative to the second clamp piece about the longitudinal axis.

2. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the connection between the opening and the male appendage substantially prevents movement of the first and second clamp pieces relative to each other in a direction coincident with the longitudinal axis.

3. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a slot in which the male appendage is snappily received.

4. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the effective diameter of the first clamp when closed is significantly greater than the effective diameter of the second clamp when closed.

5. The fastener of claim 1, wherein at least the first clamp is adapted to entirely circumferentially encompass the first piece of rebar.

6. The fastener of claim 5, wherein the first clamp comprises (a) a right section having an first arcuate inside surface and (b) a left section having a second arcuate inside surface, the right section including (1) a living hinge at a proximal end connecting the right section with the remainder of the first clamp piece and (2) a plurality of rows of indentations located proximate a distal end on an outside surface thereof, the left section including one or more inwardly extending teeth proximate a distal end thereof, the teeth adapted to be received in one or more of the indentations to fixedly secure the first clamp around the first piece of rebar.

7. A combination comprising the fastener of claim 1, the first piece of reinforced bar and the second piece of reinforced bar, wherein the first clamp is secured to the first piece of rebar and the second clamp is secured to the second piece of reinforced bar.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the first and second piece of rebar cross at the fastener at an acute angle.

9. A rebar fastener comprising:

a first clamp adapted to connect to a first piece of rebar;

a second clamp adapted to connect to a second piece of rebar; and

a pivotal interconnection coupling the first clamp to the second clamp wherein the first clamp can rotate 360 degrees relative to the second clamp.

10. The rebar fastener of claim 9, wherein the normal diameter of the first clamp when fully closed is similar to the diameter of one of a group of #10, #13, #16, #19, #22, #25, #29, #32, #36, and #43 soft metric-sized rebar and the second clamp when fully closed is similar to one diameter of a soft metric-sized rebar of the group other than the diameter similar to the first clamp when closed.

11. The rebar fastener of claim 9, wherein the first clamp is adapted to fully circumferentially encircle the first piece of rebar.

12. A combination comprising the rebar fastener of claim 9, the first piece of reinforced bar and the second piece of reinforced bar, wherein the first clamp is secured to the first piece of rebar and the second clamp is secured to the second piece of reinforced bar.

13. The rebar fastener of claim 9, wherein the first clamp includes an integrally molded male appendage and the second clamp includes an integrally molded opening, the opening being adapted to rotatably receive the male appendage therein.

14. The rebar fastener of claim 13, wherein the male appendage includes a columnar portion directly connected to the first clamp at a proximal end, a disk portion having a diameter great than the widthwise dimension of the columnar portion extending from a distal end of the columnar portion, and a cylindrically button portion extending from a distal side of the disk portion, the diameter of the button portion being less than the diameter of the disk portion.

15. The rebar fastener of claim 13, wherein the opening comprises a slot and includes a ramping portion, the ramping portion being located on one end of the slot and terminating in an arcuate wall, the ramping portion being adapted to snappily secure the male appendage in the opening once the first and second clamps are joined.

16. The rebar fastener of claim 13, wherein the first clamp cannot be separated from the second clamp without damaging one or both of the first and second clamps once the first and second clamps have been joined together.

17. The rebar fastener of claim 9, wherein the first and second clamps are comprised of a polymeric material.

18. The combination of claim 12 wherein the first and second pieces of rebar are substantially parallel relative to each other.

19. A method for manufacturing a reinforced concrete structure comprising:

forming a plurality of pieces of rebar into a rebar grid by coupling the various pieces of the plurality of rebar pieces together at intersections thereof of any angle using a rebar fastener comprising a first clamp and a second clamp wherein the first and second clamps are rotatably coupled to each other to permit at least 180 degrees of rotation of the first clamp relative to the second clamp;

building a mold about the rebar grid; and

pouring concrete into the mold.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said coupling of the various pieces of the plurality of rebar pieces together further comprises placing the first clamp over a piece of rebar, closing hinged arcuate arm of the clamp around the piece of rebar and snappily securing the arcuate arm in place in contact with a second opposing arcuate arm.