Reinforcing bar guide assembly

Abstract

A reinforcing bar guide assembly includes a guide structure, a first securing structure, and a second securing structure. The guide structure is designed to be placed over an opening in a building component, such as a cinder block or masonry brick, into which a reinforcing bar is to be inserted. The guide structure includes a guide orifice designed and positioned to receive and hold a reinforcing bar in an essentially vertical orientation. The first securing structure and the second securing structure are designed to be placed onto outer edges of a building component to support and hold the guide structure in a desired position over an opening in a building component.

Claims

1. A reinforcing bar guide assembly comprising: a guide structure configured to be placed over an opening in a building component into which a reinforcing bar is to be inserted; said guide structure comprising a guide orifice configured and disposed to receive and hold a reinforcing bar in an essentially vertical orientation; a first securing structure and a second securing structure being connected to and disposed on opposite sides of said guide structure; and said first securing structure and said second securing structure being configured to be placed onto outer edges of a building component to support and hold said guide structure in a desired position over an opening in a building component.

2. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 1, wherein said guide orifice has a shape and diameter substantially similar to a shape and diameter of a reinforcing bar to be inserted through said guide orifice.

3. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 2, wherein said guide orifice is cylindrical.

4. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 1, wherein said guide structure comprises centering structures disposed within said guide orifice and configured to engage with a reinforcing bar to center a reinforcing bar in said guide orifice.

5. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 4, wherein said centering structures comprise a plurality of wire bristles disposed to project inwardly from inner side surfaces of said guide orifice; said wire bristles are flexible to permit insertion of reinforcing bars of different diameters; and said wire bristles are sufficiently stiff such that upon deflection of said wire bristles by a reinforcing bar said wire bristles exert a gripping force upon the reinforcing bar.

6. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 5, wherein said wire bristles have a length less than a radius of said guide orifice such that distal ends of said wire bristles are disposed a distance from one another and define an open space between said distal ends.

7. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 1, wherein said first securing structure and said second securing structure are adjustably connected to said guide structure to permit adjustment of the distance between said first securing structure and said second securing structure to permit placement on building components of different widths.

8. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 7, wherein said guide structure comprises a planar guide body; and each of said first securing structure and said second securing structure comprises a planar side body disposed transverse to said planar guide body.

9. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 8, wherein: said planar guide body comprises a top surface configured to be disposed to face away from a building component and a bottom surface configured to be disposed to face toward a building component; and said guide orifice is disposed in a central portion of said planar guide body.

10. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 9, wherein said planar guide body comprises a guide projection disposed to extend from at least one of said top surface and said bottom surface to increase the length of said guide orifice to permit additional and more stable engagement with a reinforcing bar.

11. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 9, wherein: said guide structure comprises lateral walls and end walls disposed to extend away from and transverse to said bottom surface; and said lateral walls and said end walls define a storage recess below said bottom surface.

12. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 11, wherein: each of said first securing structure and said second securing structure comprises at least one connecting arrangement attached to its planar side body; and said at least one connecting arrangement comprises a rod slidably connected to said planar guide body to permit movement of said rod into and out of said storage recess to permit adjustment of the distance between said first securing structure and said second securing structure.

13. The reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 12, wherein: said at least one connecting arrangement comprises a stop portion disposed at an end of said rod and a spring disposed about said rod and between said stop portion and an inner surface of a corresponding one of said lateral walls; each of said lateral walls comprises at least one lateral orifice configured and disposed to permit the passage of said rod through its corresponding lateral wall; said spring is configured to be compressed between said stop portion and its corresponding lateral wall upon extension of said rod out of said storage recess; and said spring upon compression thereof is configured to exert a return spring force on said stop portion to both cause its corresponding planar side body to clamp onto a building component and automatically retract said rod back into said storage recess upon release of its corresponding planar side body from engagement with a building component.

14. A method of using the reinforcing bar guide assembly of claim 1 to place reinforcing bars in building components, said method comprising the steps of: placing said guide structure over an opening in a building component into which a reinforcing bar is to be inserted; placing said first securing structure and said second securing structure onto outer edges of the building component and thereby supporting and holding said guide structure in a desired position over the opening in the building component; inserting a reinforcing bar through said guide orifice in an essentially vertical orientation; pouring concrete into said opening and about the reinforcing bar; and removing said reinforcing bar guide assembly upon said concrete sufficiently holding the reinforcing bar in a desired position in said concrete by releasing said first securing structure and said second securing structure and then sliding said guide structure up and off of said reinforcing bar.

15. A reinforcing bar guide assembly comprising: a guide structure configured to be placed over an opening in a building component into which a reinforcing bar is to be inserted; said guide structure comprising a guide orifice configured and disposed to receive and hold a reinforcing bar in an essentially vertical orientation; wherein said guide orifice has a shape and diameter substantially similar to a shape and diameter of a reinforcing bar to be inserted through said guide orifice; said guide structure comprises a planar guide body; said planar guide body comprises a top surface configured to be disposed to face away from a building component and a bottom surface configured to be disposed to face toward a building component; said guide orifice is disposed in a central portion of said planar guide body; said guide structure comprises centering structures disposed within said guide orifice and configured to engage with a reinforcing bar to center a reinforcing bar in said guide orifice; said centering structures comprise a plurality of wire bristles disposed to project inwardly from inner side surfaces of said guide orifice; said wire bristles are flexible to permit insertion of reinforcing bars of different diameters; said wire bristles are sufficiently stiff such that upon deflection of said wire bristles by a reinforcing bar said wire bristles exert a gripping force upon the reinforcing bar; said wire bristles have a length less than a radius of said guide orifice such that distal ends of said wire bristles are disposed a distance from one another and define an open space between said distal ends; said planar guide body comprises a guide projection disposed to extend from at least one of said top surface and said bottom surface to increase the length of said guide orifice to permit additional and more stable engagement with a reinforcing bar; said guide orifice is cylindrical; said guide structure comprises lateral walls and end walls disposed to extend away from and transverse to said bottom surface; said lateral walls and said end walls define a storage recess below said bottom surface; each of said lateral walls comprises at least one lateral orifice configured and disposed to permit the passage of said rod through its corresponding lateral wall; and a first securing structure and a second securing structure being connected to and disposed on opposite sides of said guide structure; said first securing structure and said second securing structure being configured to be placed onto outer edges of a building component to support and hold said guide structure in a desired position over an opening in a building component; wherein said first securing structure and said second securing structure are adjustably connected to said guide structure to permit adjustment of the distance between said first securing structure and said second securing structure to permit placement on building components of different widths; each of said first securing structure and said second securing structure comprises a planar side body disposed transverse to said planar guide body; each of said first securing structure and said second securing structure comprises comprises at least one connecting arrangement attached to its planar side body; said at least one connecting arrangement comprises a rod slidably connected to said planar guide body to permit movement of said rod into and out of said storage recess to permit adjustment of the distance between said first securing structure and said second securing structure; said at least one connecting arrangement comprises a stop portion disposed at an end of said rod and a spring disposed about said rod and between said stop portion and an inner surface of a corresponding one of said lateral walls; said spring is configured to be compressed between said stop portion and its corresponding lateral wall upon extension of said rod out of said storage recess; said spring upon compression thereof is configured to exert a return spring force on said stop portion to both cause its corresponding planar side body to clamp onto a building component and automatically retract said rod back into said storage recess upon release of its corresponding planar side body from engagement with a building component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0011] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a reinforcing bar guide assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, a new reinforcing bar guide assembly embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

[0018] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 generally comprises a guide structure 12, a first securing structure 14, and a second securing structure 16. The guide structure 12 is designed to be placed over an opening 72 in a building component 70, such as a cinder block or masonry brick, into which a reinforcing bar 74 is to be inserted, as best seen in FIG. 5. The parts of the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 may be made of plastic, hard plastic, or lightweight metal, or a combination thereof, to minimize the weight of the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 but promote strength and durability.

[0019] With reference to FIG. 1, the guide structure 12 includes a guide orifice 18 designed and positioned to receive and hold a reinforcing bar 74 in an essentially vertical orientation. The guide orifice 18 has a shape and diameter substantially similar to a shape and diameter of a reinforcing bar 74 to be inserted through the guide orifice 18. The guide structure 12 includes a planar guide body 20, which may be square or rectangular. The planar guide body 20 includes a top surface 22 designed to be positioned to face away from a building component 70 and a bottom surface 24 designed to be positioned to face toward a building component 70. The guide orifice 18 is positioned in a central portion of the planar guide body 20, though in other possible embodiments the guide orifice 18 could be placed in other locations in order to place the reinforcing bar 74 in other positions.

[0020] The guide structure 12 includes centering structures positioned within the guide orifice 18 and designed to engage with a reinforcing bar 74 to center a reinforcing bar 74 in the guide orifice 18. The centering structures comprise a plurality of wire bristles 26 positioned to project inwardly from inner side surfaces of the guide orifice 18. The wire bristles 26 are flexible to permit insertion of reinforcing bars 74 of different diameters. The wire bristles 26 are sufficiently stiff such that upon deflection of the wire bristles 26 by a reinforcing bar 74 the wire bristles 26 exert a gripping force upon the reinforcing bar 74. The wire bristles 26 have a length less than a radius of the guide orifice 18 such that distal ends of the wire bristles 26 are positioned a distance from one another and define an open space between the distal ends. The wire bristles 26 provide a more flexible design rather than only using a solid-walled passage since reinforcing bars 74 could be of different diameters.

[0021] The planar guide body 20 includes a guide projection 28 positioned to extend from at least one of the top surface 22 and the bottom surface 24 to increase the length of the guide orifice 18 to permit additional and more stable engagement with a reinforcing bar 74. The guide projection 28 is located on the top surface 22, as shown in FIG. 1, but alternatively could be located on the bottom surface 24, or there could be two guide projections 28, one on each of the top surface 22 and the bottom surface 24. The guide orifice 18 is cylindrical in the embodiment shown since most reinforcing bars 74 are cylindrical, though other shapes of the guide orifice 18 are within the scope of the disclosure.

[0022] As best seen in FIG. 3, the guide structure 12 includes lateral walls 30 and end walls 32 positioned to extend away from and transverse to the bottom surface 24. The lateral walls 30 and the end walls 32 define a storage recess 34 below the bottom surface 24. A first securing structure 14 and a second securing structure 16 is connected to and positioned on opposite sides of the guide structure 12. The first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 are designed to be placed onto outer edges 76 of the building component 70 to support and hold the guide structure 12 in a desired position over the opening 72 in the building component 70. The first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 are adjustably connected to the guide structure 12 to permit adjustment of the distance between the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 to permit placement on building components 70 of different widths.

[0023] Each of the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 includes a planar side body 36 positioned transverse to the planar guide body 20. Each of the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 includes at least one connecting arrangement 38 attached to its planar side body 36, though the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has two connecting arrangements 38 for each of the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the connecting arrangements 38 comprises a rod 40 that is slidably connected to the planar guide body 20 to permit movement of the rod 40 into and out of the storage recess 34 to permit adjustment of the distance between the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16. In other words, the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 function like an adjustable clamp to clamp onto blocks or bricks of different sizes, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0024] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the connecting arrangement 38 also a stop portion 42 positioned at an end of the rod 40 and a spring 44 positioned about the rod 40 and between the stop portion 42 and an inner surface of a corresponding one of the lateral walls 30. Each of the lateral walls 30 of the planar guide body 20 includes at least one lateral orifice designed and positioned to permit the passage of the rod 40 through its corresponding lateral wall 30. The spring 44 is designed to be compressed between the stop portion 42 and its corresponding lateral wall upon extension of the rod 40 out of the storage recess 34. The spring 44, upon compression thereof, is designed to exert a return spring force on the stop portion 42 to cause its corresponding planar side body 36 to clamp onto a building component 70. This spring force also can automatically retract the rod 40 back into the storage recess 34 upon release of its corresponding planar side body 36 from engagement with a building component 70. In other words, when the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 is removed from a block or brick, the spring 44 will snap back its corresponding rod 40 to place the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 back into a compact position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which results in easier transport and storage for the user.

[0025] In order for the user to use the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 to place reinforcing bars 74 in building components 70, the user first places the guide structure 12 over an opening 72 in a building component 70 into which a reinforcing bar 74 is to be inserted. The user then places the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 onto the outer edges 76 of the building component 70, which thereby supports and holds the guide structure 12 in a desired position over the opening 72 in the building component 70. The user then can insert a reinforcing bar 74 through the guide orifice 18 in an essentially vertical orientation. As shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing bar 74 can be centered in the opening 72 the building component 70. The user can then pour concrete into the opening 72 and about the reinforcing bar 74. Alternatively, the user could pour the concrete first before placing the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 and then insert the reinforcing bar 74 before the concrete starts to harden, though this may be more difficult. Once the concrete is determined by the user to be sufficiently holding the reinforcing bar 74 in a desired position in the concrete, the user can remove the reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 by releasing the first securing structure 14 and the second securing structure 16 and then sliding the guide structure 12 up and off of the reinforcing bar 74. The user could use more than one reinforcing bar guide assembly 10 on different pieces of rebar.

[0026] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0027] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.