CA2142383C

CA2142383C - Post form holder

Info

Publication number: CA2142383C
Application number: CA002142383A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard Dion
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-02-13
Filing date: 1995-02-13
Publication date: 2005-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2015-02-13
Also published as: CA2142383A1

Abstract

A post form holder for supporting a post form in upright condition. The post form is of the hollow, frangible, cylindrical cardboard type and is adapted to receive and contain uncured concrete. The holder consists of: (a) an elongated, rigid, ground-engageable, inner cylinder; (b) a short, rigid, outer cylinder member; (c) a rigid, annular flange, integrally spacedly interconnecting a lower end of the inner cylinder to an intermediate section of the outer cylinder in leakproof fashion, whereby an upwardly opening annular chamber is defined between the inner and outer cylinders above the flange. A lower portion of the cylindrical post form is freely engageable through and into the annular chamber. Set screws extend through the outer cylinder, for adjustably anchoring the post form lower portion within the annular chamber at a selected height above the flange; wherein the height of the thus formed post holder is adjustable.

Description

2~.4~~83 FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the building construction business, and in particular to the manufacture of concrete upright, ground-anchored posts.
BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTION
United States patent No 4,047,356 issued 13 September 1977 to Mario Louis DePirro, discloses a post form holder for supporting a cylindrical post form in upright position. The post form holder includes a cylindroid frame or collar, 14, carrying a radially inturned flange 20 at its loweredge. The cylindrical post form or " sonotube " is engageable into the collar 14, so that its bottom edge comes to abut against the annular seat flange 20.
One disadvantage ofthe DePirro patent is that there is no means envisioned to adjust the relative height of the sonotube when engaged into the collar 14.
U.S. patent No 4,673,157 issued 16 June 1987 to Gordon WELLS also-shows a post foot holder, through which extend metal bars 30 for making ferro-concrete. Due to the frusto-conical upper surface 20 of the holder, height adjustment of various diametrally-different sonotubes 28 along the slope of the frusto-conical surface 20 could be envisioned. However, for a given fixed diameter sonotube 28, there is no means disclosed for adjusting the relative height of the sonotube.
U. 5. patent No 714,683 issued in December 1902 discloses a method for building a cement fencepost. The fencepost consists of a main elongated tube 1 and a bottom supporting collar il into _242383 which engages the lower end portion of the main tube 1. The collar includes a lengthwise slit 13, for through passage by a screw 12 for adjustably anchoring the main tube 1 to the collar part 11 in telescopic fashion. However, by virtue of this slit 13, uncured cement poured into main tube 1 will leak -through the slit 13 and outwardly into the hole 9 that was dug for receiving the collar 11.
This is not by accident, since the slit '13 is specifically envisioned to be the leak means whereby the dug hole can become filled with uncured cement, for providing embedding action of the cement with the collar 11 and the soil bounding the dug hole.

The main object of the invention is therefore to provide a post form holder, having means for adjusting the relative height of the post form inside the post form holder.
A corollary object of the invention is to provide a post form holder for the erection of a concrete post, which will prevent air bubble formation within the post form holder during uncured concrete pouring, so as to maximize concrete filling inside the post form holder while improving sturdiness of the concrete post.
An important object of the invention is to provide a post form holder which will be adaptable to post forms or " sonotubes "
of slightly different diameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the objects of the invention, there is disclosed a post form holder for supporting a post form in upright condition, said post form being of the hollow, frangible, 2~423~~
cylindrical cardboard type and being adapted to receive and contain uncured concrete, said holder consisting of: (a) an elongated, rigid, ground-engageable, cylindrical outer member; (b) a short, rigid, cylindrical -inner member; (c) a rigid, annular flange member, integrally spacedly interconnecting a lower end of said inner cylinder to an intermediate section of said outer member in leakproof fashion, whereby an upwardly opening annular chamber is defined between said inner and outer members above said flange member, a lower portion of said cylindrical-post form being freely engageable through and into said annular chamber; and (d) means for adjustably anchoring said post form lower portion within said annular chamber at a selected height above said flange member;
wherein the height of the thus formed post holder is adjustable, while various diametrally different post forms are adapted to fit therein.-Preferably, said anchoring means consists of set screw members, extending through said outer member and into said annular chamber, said set screw members being screwable from a location radially outwardly of said outer member.
Said outer member could further include: (a) an extension wall member, extending radially outwardly of said annular flange member; and (b) a ground-engageable side wall member, extending transversely of said extension wall member; wherein said extension wall member and side wall member form a diametrally enlarged pocket relative to said outer member, said pocket adapted to receive and contain uncured concrete.

_242383 Various alternate construction of outer members are envisioned, including: said extension wall member could be discoid, with said side wall member being cylindroid; or said extension wall member could be square, with said side wall member being formed of four quadrangular panels integrally interconnected edgewisely in successive pairs; or said extension wall member could be polygonal, with said side wall member being formed of a number of quadrangular panels corresponding to the number of sides of said polygonal extension wall member, said panels being integrally interconnected edgewisely in successive pairs. -BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRANINGS
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a concrete post, and associated lower fragmentary end portion of a post form holder, together with a base support collar assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention;
figure 2-is an isometric view of the base collar assembly of figure 1, showing the lower fragmentary end portion of the cylindrical post form holder in the process of being inserted into the base support collar;
2o figure 3 is a partly cut-away, isometric view of second embodiment of base support collar assembly;
figure 4 is an elevational view of the second embodiment of base support collar assembly;
figure 5 is top plan view of a third embodiment of base support collar assembly; and figure 6 is a partly cut away elevational view of the third embodiment of base support collar assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~PINGS
The conventional post footing mold or post form holder, 10, consists of an elongated cylindrical member which is open at both ends thereof, and which is usually made from cardboard or the like material of inexpensive make and being easily weatherable or manually tearable. The post footing form holder 10 is destined to be supported in upright position, and to receive and contain uncured concrete C. The uncured concrete C is poured through the top mouth of the post footing form holder, and falls through the cylinder body by gravity down through and beyond the bottom mouth 12 thereof over and against the ground G.
According to the invention, thereis provided a double-wall, rigid collar member 14. Collar member 14 includes a radially inward collar body 16, a radially outward collar body 18, and an integral end flange 20 spacedly joining one end of the collar bodies 16 and 1S. An annular chamber 22 is thus formed between the two collar bodies 16 and 18--and above flange 20, with an annular end mouth 24 (opposite annular flange wall 20) enabling access to said annular-cavity 22. Collar member 14 is adapted to be positioned with mouth 24 being directed upwardly, and is sized to receive freely within its annular chamber 22 a lower end portion of the post footing form holder 10, whereby the bottom end 12 of form holder 10 abuts freely against the annular flange wall 20.
A number of set screws 26, e.g. four equidistant set screws, are screwingly mounted transversely through threaded radial 2142~~3 bores 16a made transversely of collar body 16, for.friction-fit engagement with a registering section of the cylinder10.
A hollow ground housing 28 is -preferably further provided, said housing 28 consisting of a peripheral upright wall member 30 supporting a top horizontal annular wall member 32. The bottom edge 34 of-peripheral upright wall member 3o forms an open mouth engaging freelyover ground. G, while the central bore formed by the top horizontal annular wall member 32 merges integrally with the annular flange 20. A-plurality of elongated, radial iron bars 34 are -preferably made to extend transversely through correspondingly sized through bores 30a in side wall 30, completely across the housing 28 and projecting radially outwardly therefrom at both ends. Iron bars 34 enable production of ferro-concrete.
Bores 30a should be small enough to substantially prevent uncured concrete-from seeping radially outwardly therethrough.
Top wall 32 may have a variety of peripheral shapes: it may be discoid (figure 2); square 32' (figure 3); octagonal 32 "
(figure 5); or other suitable polygonal shapes. The upright side wall members 30 would have a corresponding shape: either an annular upright band 30 of circular cross-section (fig 2); a series of quadrangular, edgewisely integral, upright panels 30' (fig 6); or a few rectangular, edgewisely integral, upright panels 30 " (fig 4).
If desired, the outer cylinder 16' or 16 " -could be reinforced by a few, e.g. four, equidistant triangular stays 36, integrally joining the outer cylinder to the top horizontal wall 32' or 32''.
The bottom edge of the horizontal panels 30' or 30" could also carry a transversely outturned flange 38' or 38 " , for improving stability of the post foot holder over ground. Bores 30a', 30a "
would remain in position.
In operation, the base housing 28 is laid over ground G
in upright position. Set screws 26 are unscrewed, to clear annular channel 22. The lower end of cylindrical sonotube 10 is inserted in upright position through and into upright annular channel 26, whereby the bottom mouth 12 of sonotube 10 sits flatly against horizontal annular flange 20. Sonotube 10 may then be slightly raised manually to the desired height, and maintained at the selected raised height; set screws 26 would then be screwed to fixedly secure the lower portion of sonotube 10 to double wall cylinder 16, 18, spacedly above horizontal flange 20. Metal bars 34 are inserted through the bores 30a of upright wall 30.
Uncured cement C is then poured through the top mouth of sonotube l0, to fill all housing 30, 32, and then progressively upwardly through inner cylindrical wall 18 and through the intermediate and upper portions of sonotube 10. The uncured (liquid) cement inside housing 30, 32, and inside tube 18 and sonotube 10, is left to harden. After cement C inside base 30, 32, 18 and inside sonotube l0 has cured, the free intermediate and upper cardboard material of sonotube 10 (i.e., above metallic cylinder 16) may be torned off from the thus formed upright concrete post, or left in place whereby the cardboard will be rapidly removed under weathering action.
If required, additional uncured concrete C may be poured _2I4~383 over ground G and adjacent and around the base housing 30, 32, which surrounds the base of the upright cured concrete post. The outer end portions of the metal bars 34 that project from the base housing side wall 30, thus become also embedded into the concrete, so that ferro-concrete be achieved both into housing 30, 32, and outwardly thereof - as suggested in figure 1.
It is understood that the inner diameter of annular wall 30 may vary. Preferably, this inner diameter will be much larger than that of sonotube 10, to improve anchoring thereof to the ground; however, although being less efficient, a lesser diameter of wall 30, not excluding a diameter of a value approximately that of sonotube 10, would still be considered to be within the scope of the present invention. The upper horizontal wall 32 of housing 28 would then be limited to a value substantially equal to annular horizontal flange 20 (i.e., there Would be no wall 32, only a horizontal annular flange 20).
Annular chamber 22 provides optimum containment capability for supporting the sonotube 1o in upright condition, while enabling a measure of height adjustment thereof. Also, because the radial width of annular chamber 22 is larger than the thickness of the sonotube 10, the annular chamber 22 will be adaptable to sonotubes 10 of different diameters.

2~~2383 The embodiment of post foot holder illustrated in figures 1-2 is preferred, because this shape prevents undesirable formation of air bubbles during uncurred concrete pouring, so as to promote maximum concrete filling. A stronger, more resistant post is thus achieved.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed, are defined as follows:

1. A post form holder for supporting a post form in upright condition, said post form being of the frangible, cylindrical type and being adapted to receive and contain uncured concrete, said holder consisting of:
(a) an elongated, rigid, ground-engageable, cylindrical outer member;
(b) a short, rigid, cylindrical inner member, being diametrally smaller than said outer member;
(c) a rigid, annular flange member, integrally spacedly interconnecting in leakproof fashion a lower end of said inner cylinder to an intermediate section of said outer member, whereby an upwardly opening annular chamber is defined between said inner and outer members above said flange member, a lower portion of said cylindrical post form being freely engageable thicknesswisely through and into said annular chamber for seating against said flange member; and (d) means for adjustably anchoring said post form lower portion within said annular chamber at a selected height above said flange member;
wherein the height of the thus formed post holder is adjustable, and the radial width of said annular chamber enables said post form holder to adapt to post forms of various diameters.

2. A post form holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said anchoring means consists of set screw members, extending through said outer member and into said annular chamber, said set screw members being adjustably screwable from a location radially outwardly of said outer member.

3. A post form holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said outer member further includes:
(a) an extension wall member, extending radially outwardly of said annular flange member; and (b) a ground-engageable side wall member, extending transversely of said extension wall member;
wherein said extension wall member and side wall member form a single diametrally enlarged pocket relative to said outer member, said pocket adapted to receive and contain uncured concrete.

4. A post form holder as defined in claim 3, wherein said extension wall member is discoid, and said side wall member is cylindroid , said side wall member being transverse to said extension wall member.

5. A post form holder as defined in claim 3, wherein said extension wall member is square, and said side wall member is formed of four quadrangular panels integrally interconnected edgewisely in successive pairs.

6. A post form holder as defined in claim 3, wherein said extension wall member is polygonal, and said side wall member is formed of a number of quadrangular panels corresponding to the number of sides of said polygonal extension wall member, said panels being integrally interconnected edgewisely in successive pairs.

7. A post form holder as defined in claim 3, further including a number of iron bars, extending transversely through various sections of said side wall member, for producing ferro-concrete within said side wall member.