Road structure – process – or apparatus – Apparatus – Automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-08
2003-07-08
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3635)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Apparatus
Automatic control
C404S101000, C404S109000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06588976
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to concrete placing devices and, more particularly, to a low profile concrete placing and screeding apparatus for placing concrete in floors of buildings or in other areas where overhead obstructions preclude or limit the use of a boom truck.
It is known to use a pumping truck and pipe or a boom truck to place concrete at a targeted site. The boom truck, which comprises an articulated boom and pipe apparatus, where the pipe sections are pivotable about one or more generally horizontal axes, may be used to reach areas which are at a greater distance from the pumping truck or which are at a different height, such as an upper floor of a building or the like. However, it is difficult to use conventional boom trucks between floors of buildings because there may not be enough clearance between the floor and the overhead structures to reach the entire floor with the boom. The boom of the boom truck may also not be sufficiently long to reach distant areas of the targeted floor, thus requiring additional pipes to carry and place the concrete at those areas. An additional concern with boom trucks is that these trucks are typically too heavy to be driven onto raised or elevated slabs in order to be able to reach upper floors or levels of buildings.
In areas where boom trucks cannot reach or where a pumping truck is available while a boom truck is not, a movable pipe or multiple sections of pipe may be connected to the concrete pump and extended therefrom in order to reach the targeted area. Although such systems are capable of reaching remote areas from the pumps, it is difficult to manage the large and heavy pipes in order to properly place the concrete. Although several devices have been proposed which provide a mounting base for a movable pipe assembly to pivotally extend therefrom, it is still difficult to manage such devices, since the base must be manually moved once the pipes have spread the concrete at each particular location.
Additionally, after the pumping truck or boom truck has placed the concrete at the targeted areas via pipes or a boom, a screeding device must be positioned at the targeted areas to compact and smooth the concrete before it cures. Typically, the concrete may be placed in a targeted region of a floor and then the screeding device may be positioned at this region to smooth and pack the concrete while the placing system is moved to the next targeted region. This may require further movement of the placing apparatus in order to make room for the screeding apparatus, prior to placing the concrete at the next, typically adjacent, targeted location.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a low-profile placing apparatus which is easy to manage and/or maneuver in areas where there is low overhead clearance. The apparatus must be capable of reaching areas of a construction site which are remote from the location of a pumping truck. Additionally, the apparatus must be of relatively low weight, in order to be operable on raised or elevated slabs so as to be able to place concrete on upper floors or levels of buildings. There is also a need for an improved, more efficient method and apparatus for screeding the poured and/or placed concrete in such remote, difficult to reach areas, especially where overhead clearance is low, or on raised, elevated slabs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to provide a concrete placing and screeding apparatus which is especially useful and operable in areas with low overhead clearance, or on raised, elevated slabs, or in other locations where the support of high weight apparatus is difficult. The apparatus is easily maneuverable to place the appropriate amount of concrete in each targeted area. Additionally, a screeding device may be implemented with the placing apparatus, in order to combine the placing and screeding operations.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a concrete placing apparatus for placing uncured concrete at a support surface comprises a conduit having a supply end and a discharge end, a movable wheeled base unit which supports the supply end of the conduit and a movable wheeled support unit which movably supports the discharge end of the conduit. The supply end of the conduit is adaptable to receive a supply of uncured concrete, while the discharge end is adapted to discharge the uncured concrete onto the support surface. At least one of the movable wheeled units includes a frame and two wheels which are adjustably mounted to the frame. The two wheels are adjustable between a laterally outward position and laterally inward position relative to frame. The concrete placing apparatus thus may be reduced in size via adjusting the wheels to their laterally inward position and retracting the extendable conduit to a retracted position, such that the concrete placing apparatus may be easily maneuverable and transportable between worksites.
In one form, the wheels of wheeled units are adjustable relative to the frame via pivotal movement of the wheels about a generally vertical pivot axis at opposite sides of the frames. The wheels are correspondingly adjustable about their respective vertical pivot axes to steer the wheeled units over the support surface. The wheels may be pivotally adjusted via a double ended hydraulic cylinder, where one end of the cylinder extends and retracts to pivot one of the wheels relative to the frame and the other end of the hydraulic cylinders correspondingly retracts and extends to pivot the other one of the wheels relative to the frame. Preferably, each of the wheels are independently drivable.
The conduit is preferably an extendable conduit and is extendable and retractable to adjust an overall length or reach of the placing apparatus. The extendable conduit has at least two sections which are extendable and retractable relative to one another. In one form, the extendable conduit has three sections. The extendable conduit is extendable and retractable by an extension and retraction device which preferably is operable to extend and retract the three sections generally correspondingly with respect to one another. The extension and retraction device may extend a middle section relative to an inner section via a rotatable drive member rotating along a track secured to the base unit, while a pulley system is operable to cause corresponding movement of the outer section relative to the middle section.
The concrete placing apparatus may further include a screeding device or plow assembly for at least partially smoothing and spreading out the uncured concrete over the support surface after the uncured concrete has been discharged by the placing apparatus. The discharge end of the conduit may further include a discharge tube, which may be flexible or curved to swing or move a discharge end of the flexible tube arcuately back and forth with respect to the wheeled support unit. The plow assembly may also be mounted to the support unit and may be laterally movable with the discharge end of the discharge tube. In one form, the plow assembly may include a plow which is movable back and forth to smooth or spread the uncured concrete in either direction. The plow assembly may also be vertically adjustable relative to the support unit and may be vertically adjustable in response to a laser leveling system.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for placing uncured concrete at a support surface comprises providing a concrete placing apparatus which includes a two-wheeled base unit and a two-wheeled support unit. The two-wheeled unit support opposite portions of an extendable conduit assembly. The lateral position of each of a pair of wheels for each of the two-wheeled units is adjustable between a laterally inward state and a laterally outward state. A supply of uncured concrete is connected to a supply end of the extendable conduit. The uncured concrete is discharged from a discharge end of the extendable conduit onto the support surface. The at least two-wheeled units are moved whi
Hallstrom Charles A.
Kieranen Carl B.
Pietila Mark A.
Quenzi Philip J.
Torvinen Jeffrey W.
Pezzuto Robert E.
Van Dyke Gardner, Linn & Burkhart, LLP
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