STAIR TREAD AND IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING A STAIRWAY

Abstract

A stair tread and method of building a stairway is provided. Each stair tread includes a metal pan having one or more walls forming a cavity. Concrete filler is disposed in the cavity to provide an upper walking surface. Reinforcement bars and foam blocks can be positioned within the cavity. Concrete treads including the pan can then be transported to a job site for attachment between a pair of stringers.

Claims

1. A stair tread comprising: a metal pan including a bottom wall, first and second sidewalls, a front wall, and a rear wall, said walls forming a cavity; one or more foam inserts positioned within the metal pan's cavity; a concrete filler positioned within said metal pan which encapsulates said one or more foam inserts, said concrete filler having a top surface which is substantially planar to form an upper walking surface.

2. The stair tread of claim 1 wherein said metal pan is made of sheet metal.

3. The stair tread of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of stair treads includes one or more reinforcing members disposed within said cavity.

4. The stair tread of claim 1 further comprising a pair of pan brackets, wherein each pan bracket is affixed adjacent to a metal pan sidewall and each of said pan brackets includes a flange that projects vertically downward.

5. The stair tread of claim 4 wherein each pan bracket flange includes a flexible tab which projects from said flange.

6. A stairway assembly comprising: a plurality of stair treads, each of said plurality of stair treads having a metal pan including a bottom wall, first and second sidewalls, a front wall, and a rear wall with said walls forming a cavity, each of said stair treads further having one or more foam inserts and a concreter filler positioned within said metal pan's cavity, and wherein said concrete filler encapsulates said one or more foam inserts and has a top surface which is substantially planar to form an upper walking surface; and first and a second inclined stringers positioned parallel to one another; each of said plurality of stair treads is affixed to said first and second stringers to form a stair with said plurality of stair treads forming a stairway.

7. The stairway assembly of claim 6 wherein said first and second stringers engage and affix to each of said stair tread's metal pan's first and second sidewalls.

8. The stairway assembly of claim 6 wherein each of said plurality of stair treads includes one or more reinforcing members disposed within said cavity, said reinforcing members being encapsulated by said concrete filler.

9. The stairway assembly of claim 6 further comprising: a first pan bracket having a first flange, said first pan bracket affixed to said first sidewall; a second pan bracket having a second flange, said second pan bracket affixed to said second sidewall; and a first stringer bracket having a first slot and a second stringer bracket having a second slot, said first stringer bracket being affixed adjacent to said first stringer with said first slot receiving said first flange, said second stringer bracket being affixed adjacent to said second stringer with said second slot receiving said second flange.

10. The stairway assembly of claim 9 wherein said first pan bracket includes a first flexible tab which projects from said first flange, said second pan bracket includes a second flexible tab which projects from said second flange, said first stringer bracket includes an opening configured to receive said first flexible tab, and said second stringer bracket includes an opening configured to receive said second flexible tab.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the stair treads disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of preferred embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention. Additionally, from figure to figure, the same reference numerals have been used to designate the same components of an illustrated embodiment. The following is a brief description of each of the drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a stair tread without concrete and that optionally includes metal reinforcements and foam inserts;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stair tread from FIG. 1 assembled and prior to a pouring of concrete;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stair tread from FIG. 2 as concrete is being poured;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stair tread from FIG. 3 filled with concrete;

[0027] FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the stair tread from FIG. 4;

[0028] FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the stair tread from FIG. 4;

[0029] FIG. 5C is a side cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the stair tread from FIG. 4;

[0030] FIG. 5D is a side cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the stair tread from FIG. 4;

[0031] FIG. 5E is a side cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the stair tread from FIG. 4;

[0032] FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating the use of a conveyor belt to assist in the manufacturing of a plurality of stair treads similar to the stair tread illustrated in FIG. 4 except the plurality of stair treads do not include metal reinforcements or foam inserts;

[0033] FIG. 6B is a perspective view similar to FIG. 6A except a plurality of conveyor belts are arranged end to end;

[0034] FIG. 6C is a perspective view illustrating the plurality of stair treads stacked upon a pallet for shipment to an installation site;

[0035] FIG. 7 is a pictorial flow chart illustrating the transportation of prefabricated treads from a manufacturing site to an installation site;

[0036] FIG. 8A is an exploded view illustrating the alignment of a side of the stair tread from FIG. 4 with a stringer;

[0037] FIG. 8B is a perspective view illustrating the stair tread in phantom lines affixed to the stringer utilizing a preferred bracket assembly;

[0038] FIG. 8C is similar to FIG. 8B except the stair tread is illustrated in solid lines;

[0039] FIG. 9 is a side cutaway view through FIG. 8C showing the stair tread attached to the stringer forming a portion of a stairway;

[0040] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of stair treads forming the stairway; and

[0041] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the manufacturing steps to prepare the stair tread illustrated in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

[0042] The systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein addresses the aforementioned disadvantages by providing an improved stair tread and an improved method for building a stairway. While several particular embodiments are illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, while a number of variations of the present disclosure have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0043] With reference to FIGS. 1-11, the present disclosure provides an improved stair tread 5 and method of constructing a stairway assembly 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 6-7 and 11, in certain embodiments the stair tread 5 is manufactured at a manufacturing site 53 which is located some distance away from the installation site 59, also referred to as the job site. Of course, the stair tread 5 need not be manufactured some distance away and instead can be manufactured at the job site. In certain embodiments, the stair tread 5 is prepared at the job site but outside of the stairway 1. In such an embodiment, the stair tread 5 is still considered to be made offsite. The term offsite is meant to be interpreted to mean a location that is not within the stairway or stairwell itself. Thus, in certain embodiments, the stair tread 5 is engineered or otherwise formed at a location outside of the stairway or offsite, and then transported to the stairway 1 for installation.

[0044] The stair tread 5 includes a pan 7. The pan 7 is sized and shaped to form the stair tread 5. In certain embodiments, the pan 7 can have a generally rectangular, square, circular, half-circular, or other desired shape. The pan 7 includes one or more walls or webs to form the desired shape of the stair tread 5. In certain embodiments, the pan 7 includes a bottom wall 9, a front wall 11, a rear wall 17, and opposing first and second sidewalls 13 and 15. Each of the respective walls, including the bottom wall 9, may be constructed to have various shapes. For example, the bottom wall 9 may be corrugated or include laterally extending or longitudinally extending ridges to provide flexibility or stiffness. However, in certain embodiments, the tread 5 includes a bottom wall 9 that is a simple construction having a planar rectangular shape which extends substantially horizontally. In certain embodiments, the remaining front wall 11, rear wall 17 and opposing first and second sidewalls 13 and 15 will extend at least partially vertically so as to form at least one cavity 19. Since the rear wall 17 is not anticipated to be easily seen, in certain embodiments the rear wall 17 extends substantially vertically. In certain embodiments, the first and second sidewalls 13, 15 also extend substantially vertically for facilitating their attachment to stairway stringers 43. Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 5B-5E, in certain embodiments, the front wall 11 includes a stepped or slanted shape so as to provide improved aesthetics. Moreover, the slanted or stepped construction is considered advantageous for receipt of a person's toes so as to extend the useful walking surface of an underlying stair tread 5. The pan 7 may be made of various materials including metal. In certain embodiments, the pan 7 is made from steel, steel alloys, or aluminum.

[0045] With reference particularly to FIGS. 3-6, the stair tread 5 also includes concrete 29. While the concrete 29 is still wet, meaning pre-hardened, the concrete 29 is poured into at least one cavity 19 so as to substantially fill the cavity 19. The cavity 19 may be entirely filled so as to form a walking surface 31. In certain embodiments, the cavity 19 is filled to a height which is level with the height of the pan's front wall 11, rear wall 17, and sidewalls 13, 15. In certain embodiments, the concrete 29 is poured to just below the level of the front wall 11, rear wall 17, and sidewalls 13, 15 so as to allow the placement of decorative stone or tile upon the concrete 29 so as to provide a top walking surface 31 at the same level or a level slightly above the top of the pan 7. In certain embodiments, the pan 7 includes one or more webs disposed between opposite walls 11, 17, 13, 15 of the pan 7 and forming a plurality of cavities 19 in the pan 7.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the stair tread 5 includes one or more reinforcing members 37. The one or more reinforcing members 37 can be arranged to extend laterally, longitudinally, or any other direction relative to the pan 7 so as to provide added stiffness to the stair tread 5. Preferably, the one or more reinforcing members 37 are traditional metal bars such as traditional rebar. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, in certain embodiments, the stair tread 5 includes one or more integral foam blocks 39. Preferably, the foam blocks 39 are positioned at the bottom of the pan 7 and the metal bars 37 are positioned atop the foam blocks 39 prior to the concrete being formed. Advantageously, the foam blocks 39 lighten the stair tread 5 making them easier to transport and install. In addition, the foam blocks 39 introduce some resilience to the stair tread 5 so as to make the tread less prone to cracking.

[0047] Once the concrete 29 has hardened, the stair tread 5 is transported from its manufacturing site 53 to a job site 59 for producing a stairway assembly 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, the stair tread 5 can be affixed to a stringer 43 utilizing various fasteners as can be determined by those skilled in the art. However, in certain embodiments, the fastener is a bracket assembly that does not require any tools to affix the stair tread 5 to the stringers 43. The bracket assembly includes a pan bracket 21 and a stringer bracket 45. As illustrated in the figures, the pan bracket 21 is affixed to each of the pan's sidewalls 13, 15. The bracket 21 includes a flange 23 which projects vertically downward from the bottom of each side of the pan 7. In addition, each flange 23 can include one or more flexible tabs 25 which project slightly horizontally from the flange's vertically extending member. Each flexible tab 25 is capable of biasing into an opening 26 formed in the flange 23. In certain embodiments, the pan brackets 21 are made of metal, for example, steel. In certain embodiments, the pan bracket 21 is made from 20 gauge steel of the same type as utilized to manufacture the pan 7. As illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the pan bracket 21 may include a horizontal component 27 and a vertical component 28. The horizontal component 27 can be welded to the pan's bottom wall 9 and the bracket's vertical component 28 can project upwardly through the pan 7 into the concrete 29 to provide additional strength and stiffness.

[0048] Meanwhile, the bracket assembly further includes one or more stringer brackets 45 configured to be affixed to the stringers 43. In certain embodiments, the stringer brackets 45 are made of 20 gauge steel. In embodiments where the stringers 43 are made of metal, the stringer brackets 45 can be made from metal to allow the stringer brackets 45 to be welded to the interior sides of the stringer 43 (see FIGS. 8-10). In certain embodiments, the stringer brackets 45 include a vertically extending slot 47 with an opening at the top of the bracket 45 for receipt of the pan bracket's flange 23 so as to allow the flange 23 to project downwardly into the stringer bracket's slot 47. Openings 49 disposed in the stringer bracket 45 can be configured to receive the pan bracket's tabs 25 for locking the stringer bracket 45 to the pan bracket 21, which in turn locks the stair tread 5 to the stringer 43. Advantageously, a plurality of treads 5 can be dropped and locked in place between two stringers 43 to form a stairway assembly 1 without the requirement of any tools.

[0049] With reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 11, the method of manufacturing a stairway 1 includes manufacturing the stair treads 5 through mass production facilities at a manufacturing site. To this end, in certain embodiments, traditional 20 gauge sheet metal is stamped, formed or otherwise bent to produce the pan 7. The foam blocks 39 and the metal bars 37 are placed in the pan's cavity 19, and wet concrete 29 is poured into the cavity 19 and allowed to harden. As illustrated in FIG. 6, in certain embodiments, the concrete is poured and allowed to harden through a conveyor belt system 55. The pan brackets 21 are affixed to the pan 7, preferably through a welding process, and the completed stair treads 5 are stacked, such as on pallets, for transportation to the job site 59 for constructing the stairway assembly 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, each stair tread 5 can be affixed to the parallel stringers 43 in a matter of minutes so as to rapidly produce the stairway assembly 1.

[0050] While several particular embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, while a number of variations of the present disclosure have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of this disclosure, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed invention. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the disclosure and the claims that follow.