| CLAIMS I claim: 1. A rebar holding clip, comprising; a. a mounting bracket; b. two parallel alignment arms mounted on said mounting bracket, said alignment arms being spaced apart and forming an elongated empty space between them, said alignment arms and said elongated empty space configured to partially receive a section of a rebar aligned parallel to said alignment arms; and, c. at least one magnet located between said mounting bracket, said magnet being at least partially exposed in said receiving space thereby creating a magnetic force on a piece a rebar disposed in between said alignment arms and over said receiving space. 2. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 1 , wherein said mounting bracket is a tubular main body with a side surface. 3. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 2, including two magnets mounted on said side surface and partially exposed to said receiving surface.. 4. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 3, wherein said magnets are partially positioned under said alignment arms. 5. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 2, wherein said magnets are partially positioned under said alignment arms. 6. The rebar holding clip was recited in Claim 2, wherein said main body of steel tubing material. 7. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 2, wherein said main body is made of plastic. 8. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 2, wherein said alignment arms comprise a a wing shaped structure attached to said side of said main body. 9. The rebar holding clip as recited in Claim 1, wherein said alignment arms are straight and parallel to each other and to said mounting bracket. 10. The rebar holding clip, as recited in Claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket includes an upper inverted U-shaped gutter and a two parallel alignment arms, said alignment arms sufficiently spaced space apart to receive a piece of rebar. 1 1. The rebar holding clip, as recited in Claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket includes a main bracket connected to said biased insert members configured to engage a bore on a footing cleat or a pipe. |
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention pertains to connectors used to temporarily hold a single piece of rebar in a fixed position in a temporary form later filled with wet concrete and allowed to cure.
BACKGROUND ART
Concrete footings are constructed by assembling a wood form at a desired location on the ground and then pouring wet concrete into the form and allowing the concrete to cure. After the concrete as cured, the form is dissembled and a self- standing footing is created.
When constructing concrete footings on residential houses or small offices, pieces of horizontal and vertical rebar are placed in fixed locations in the footing space created by the form. The rebar must positioned at fixed locations in the foot space according to the building plans. Wet concrete is poured into the footing space, all or portions of the rebar are covered. Because the rebar may move inside the footing space when wet concrete is poured into the footing space, the rebar is usually securely tied together or tied to the forms.
U.S Patent No. 7, 959,125 discloses a relatively simple, inexpensive concrete footing cleat incorporated by reference, designed to hold two, parallel side boards in a fixed, spaced apart position to construct a concrete form and support pieces of horizontal and vertical angle rebar, placed inside the form. The cleat includes a footing member typically made magnetically attractive material, such as steel, with a centrally aligned stub that extends vertically and perpendicularly from the top surface of the footing member. The stub is a hollow tube square or rectangular in cross- section. Attached to the opposite ends of the footing member are two optional, downward extending end brackets. Holes are formed each bracket designed to receive a nail to temporarily attach the foot member to the outside surfaces of the two side boards.
The properly spacing, aligning and tying pieces of rebar together or to the footing form with tie wire when constructing a footing or a vertical wall is very time consuming and expensive . Unfortunately, some contractors will attempt to cut costs and only partially tie the rebar together.
What is needed is a clip that can be easily and quickly attached to a footing cleat identical or similar to the cleat shown in U.S. Patent No. 7,959,125 that will temporarily hold a single piece of rebar in the footing space when wet concrete is poured into the footing or a single piece of rebar aligned vertically in a wall.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A rebar holding clip that selectively attaches to a stub or to a flange surface on a footing cleat or similar structure and used to temporarily hold a single piece of rebar.
In one embodiment, the clip includes a short, tubular main body with at least alignment arm mounted on one side of the main body. The main body is configured to be inserted into or extended around a stab and rotationally locked thereon to it does not axially rotate.
On one embodiment, there are two straight, rigid parallel alignment arms longitudinally aligned with and attached to on one side of the main body. The ends of each alignment arm are elevated above the side surface of the main body and evenly spaced apart forming a continuous receiving space between them that is longitudinally aligned with the main body. A narrow cavity is formed between the ends of the alignment arms and the side surface of the main body.
In one embodiment, two flat magnets are inserted into the two narrow cavities formed under the upper and lower ends of the two aligmnent arms. The magnets extend across the outside surface of the side of main body and under the upper and lower ends of the two alignment arms. The two alignment arms are relatively narrow so the middle section of each magnet is partially exposed to the receiving spaced formed by the two alignment arms. When a rebar is longitudinally aligned over the receiving space and in between the two alignment arms , the two magnets are in close proximity with the adjacent surface of the steel rebar magnetically attaching the rebar to the main body. The two arms are sufficiently narrow and sufficiently spaced apart so the steel rebar may nest between the two alignment arms when attracted to the magnet and prevented from rotating or twisting.
Each magnet has a sufficient magnetic field to hold up to a 40 lb piece of rebar in place between the two alignment arms. The main body may also be made out of material magnetic attracted to the magnet which holds the magnets in place on the main body.
In another embodiment, the tubular main body is replaced with a U-shaped, biased slide finger that slides over one of the footing cleat's flanges.
In still another embodiment, the tubular main body is replaced with an insert member that engages the bore on the footing cleat's stub.
Optional handles may be attached to the clip that allows the clip to be easily grasp and pulled from the footing cleat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of footing cleat disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,959, 125 that uses a footing cleat over the top edges two side boards used with a removable vertical post attached to the footing cleat's stub and showing J-shaped footing rebar disposed inside the form.
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a footing cleat with the vertical removed from the stub and showing three rebar holding clips disclosed herein that can be used with the footing cleat to hold an individual piece of rebar.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the rebar holding clip that uses a stub capturing main body showing a piece of rebar being disposed in between the two straight alignment rods circular in cross-section.
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the rebar holding clip shown in Figs 3 and 4 with the piece of rebar attached to the clip.
Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a second rebar holding clip.
Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the second rebar holding clip shown in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a top sectional view taken along line 7-7 in Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the rebar holding clip with a finger member that engages a flange surface on the footing cleat.
Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the rebar holding clip shown in Fig, 8.
Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the rebar holding clip with a biased insert member that slides into the stub bore
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A rebar holding clip that temporarily holds a single piece of rebar that selectively attaches to a stub or to a flange surface on a footing cleat.
As shown in Fig. 2, four embodiments of a rebar holding clip 100, 200, 300 and 400 are disclosed each designed to be selectively attached to a footing cleat 12 or a similar structure. When the vertical post on the footing cleat 12 is removed, the first embodiment of the rebar clip 100 may selectively attaches to the footing cleat's vertical stub 14.
In the first embodiment, the rebar clip 100 a tubular main body 102 designed to slide over or inside the stub 14. Mounted the outer surface 104 of one side of the main body 102 are two parallel alignment arms 110, 120. Also attached to the outer surface of the main body 102 and inside the two alignment arms 110, 120 is an elongated receiving space 130. Attached to the main body 102 and exposed in the receiving space 130 is at least one flat magnet 140. In the embodiment shown, two flat magnets 140 and 145 are used.
The two arms 110, 120 are configured and spaced apart so a piece of rebar 95 may be positioned over and in between the two alignment arms 1 10, 120 and in sufficient close proximity to the two magnets 140, 145.
Figs. 5-6 show a second embodiment of the rebar holding clip 200 in which the two alignment arms 1 10, 120 used on clip 100 are replaced by a wing shaped structure 210 attached to the outside surface of one long side 204 of the main body 202. The wing shaped structure 210 includes a pair or upper arms 220, 225 and a pair of lower arms 230, 235, attached to a flat central plate 215 attached to the side 204 of the main body 202. The upper and lower arms 220, 225, 230 and 235 diverge outward from the central plate 215 and then extend upward and downward, respectively, over the side 204 of the main body 202. The ends of the upper and lower arms 220, 225, 230, and 235 are substantially parallel to the side 204 thereby forming a narrow cavity 240, 245 that extends across the side 204 and under each pair of arms. Inserted into each narrow cavity 240, 245 is a flat magnet 250, 260. The two pairs of alignment arms are relatively narrow so the middle section of each magnet 240, 245 is partially exposed to the receiving space 270 formed by the two pairs of alignment arms 220, 225, 230, and 235. When a rebar 95 is longitudinally aligned over the receiving space and in between the two pairs of alignment arms 220, 225, 230, and 235, the two magnets 240, 245 are in close proximity with the adjacent surface of the steel rebar 95 to magnetically attach the rebar 95 to the main body 204 . Like the two arms used in the first embodiment of the clip 100, the pair of arms 220, 225, 230, and 235are sufficiently narrow and sufficiently spaced apart so the steel rebar may 95 nest between the two pairs of alignment arms when attracted to the magnets 250, 260 and prevented from rotating or twisting.
Figs. 8 and 9 shows another embodiment of the clip indicated generally by reference number 300 includes a main bracket 302 with an upper inverted U-shaped gutter 304 that extends over one of the horizontal top edge on the vertical flange 16 on a a footing cleat 12 or similar structure. Attached to the main bracket 302 is an inverted L-shaped alignment member 310 that includes two parallel alignment arms 315, 317. The alignment arms 315, 317 are parallel and space apart to receive a piece of rebar 95. Disposed inside the main bracket 302 is at least one flat magnet 330. The upper ends of the two alignment arms 315, 317 are attached to an optional bail 340.
Figs 2 and 10 shows a third embodiment of the clip indicated by the reference number 400 that includes an two insert members 420, 430 that engages the bore on a footing stub 14 or pipe 99. The clip 400 includes a main bracket 402 and two parallel downward extending insert members 420, 430, and one or two upward extending arms 440, 450. The insert members 420, 430 are made of stiff wire and designed to resist bending. When inserted into the bore on a stub 14 on a footing cleat 16 or pipe 99, the lower legs of the two insert members 420, 430 presses tightly against the inside surface of the stub or pipe to hold the clip 400 in place. The main bracket 402 is positioned on one side of the stub and pipe and the two arms 440, 450 are parallel and evenly spaced apart. The upper leg of each insert member 420, 430 attaches to the main bracket 402.
Located inside or attached to the front surface of the main bracket 402 are one or two flat magnets 460, 470. The two arms 420, 430 are vertically aligned and sufficiently narrow and sufficiently spaced apart so the steel rebar may 95 nest between them when attracted to the magnets 460,470 and prevented from rotating oi ¬ twisting.
It should be understood that the size of the alignment arms in each
embodiment, that the length and width of the receiving space created between the arms is adjustable during manufacturing and depends on the size of the rebar 95 the clip is designed to be used with. Generally, the Figs show number 4 rebar that is ½ inch in diameter. The receiving space 130 is approximately 9/16 inches wide. The invention is not limited to these sizes and widths.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
This invention has application in the construction industry, and more particularly in the concrete rebar assembly industry.
In compliance with the statute, the invention described herein has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. It should be understood however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown, is comprised only of the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect. The invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims, appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.