Multi-function stackable chair for concrete reinforcing elements

• US 9,115,492 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bip Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bip Company, LLC
• Inventors: Parham, Kerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jeanette E
• Application Number:
  US14/363,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20140311081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/168 Spacers connecting parts for reinforcements and spacing the reinforcements from the form
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/20 of material other than metal or with only additional metal parts, e.g. concrete or plastics spacers with metal binding wires E04C5/168 takes precedence

Abstract

Multifunction device for positioning reinforcing materials within poured concrete comprising: an octagon-shaped base, with alternative alignment guides, for supporting the device on a supporting surface, an I-beam, or alternatively back-to-back E-beam, construction post with struts extending to the base, and a multifunction clip comprised of a saddle having a plurality of uprights extending therefrom and defining orthogonally-oriented sockets of differing dimensions adapted for clipping onto and positioning reinforcing materials a pre determined distance above the supporting surface. The multifunction clip further comprises means for allowing biasing of the uprights adapted for insertion and releasable retention of reinforcing materials in the sockets, the uprights of the multifunction clip further comprise attachment prongs, and the base of each multifunction device preferably comprises receptacles adapted for allowing alternative interconnected stacking of a plurality of the same identical devices for layered reinforcing of thicker concrete pours.

Claims

1. A multifunction device stackable on an identical such multifunction device and adapted for releasably gripping and positioning one of reinforcing mesh wire having a first cross-section dimension and a plurality of other reinforcing materials of a second cross-section dimension comprising:

a base adapted for resting on a supporting surface, there being integrated into said base a plurality of receptacles adapted for stackably interconnecting the multifunction device with an identical such multifunction device and alignment guides facilitating alignment of the device with one of the reinforcing materials and the other identical such multifunction device;

a post having first and second ends and extending from said base at the first end, at least a portion of said post adjacent the second end defining in cross-section back-to-back E-shaped-beams;

a multifunction clip attached at the second end of said post and defining a first socket of a first dimension adapted for clipping onto and positioning of a reinforcing material of a first cross-section dimension a pre-determined distance above the supporting surface, the multifunction clip further defining a pair of orthogonally oriented sockets of a second dimension and adapted for connecting at right angles and positioning reinforcing materials having a corresponding second cross-section dimension a pre-determined distance above the supporting surface, the multifunction clip further defining a plurality of prongs adapted for being received and releasably retained in the receptacles of the base of the identical such multifunction device; and

means for allowing biasing of said multifunction clip so that it is adapted for insertion and releasable retention of reinforcing materials.

2. The multifunction device of claim 1, wherein said post further comprises in cross-section back-to-back E-shaped beams forming an intersection with said base, wherein the thickness and width of said post are of a constant dimension for an upper portion of said post, and wherein the thickness and width of said post are of an increasing dimension from an intermediate point of said post extending to the intersection of said post with said base of the multifunction device.

3. The multifunction device of claim 2, wherein said base further comprises an octagonal shaped disk having four pairs of opposing parallel edges, wherein said back-to-back E-shaped beams intersect with said base forming linear intersections that are each parallel to two opposing edges of said base.

4. The multifunction device of claim 3, wherein the linear intersections are comprised of two outer parallel intersections, one inner parallel intersection and a perpendicular interconnecting intersection, wherein said alignment guides are interposed between each of the outer parallel intersections and their closest parallel edge portions of said octagonal base.

5. The multifunction device of claim 4, wherein said multifunction clip further comprises a saddle portion attached at the second end of said post, wherein said multifunction clip further comprises a plurality of uprights extending away from the saddle portion and the post, the uprights of said multifunction clip defining the first and second sockets, and wherein said means for allowing biasing of said clip further comprises a hole defined adjacent the saddle portion of said multifunction clip for allowing the uprights to be adapted for being forced outwardly from a pre-installation first position to a second position during installation where the uprights are spread sufficiently during receipt of a reinforcing element, the uprights being adapted for resuming the pre-installation first position around the reinforcing element as the reinforcing element becomes fully positioned within the socket formed by the uprights during installation.