US3081599A

US3081599A - Tile positioner, spacer and guide

Info

Publication number: US3081599A
Application number: US831772A
Authority: US
Inventors: Theodore W Roberg
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-08-05
Filing date: 1959-08-05
Publication date: 1963-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1980-03-19

Description

March 19, 1963 T. w. ROBERG 3,

TILE POSITIONER, SPACER AND GUIDE Filed Aug. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

Theodore W. Roberg' gNVEmozz.

March 19, 1963 T. w. ROBERG 3,

TILE POSITIONER, SPACER AND GUIDE Filed Aug- 5. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Theodore W. Roberg INVENTOR.

i rates This invention relates to sub-soil tile assemblies and more particularly to a positioner, spacer and guide to facilitate placement of tile and also to form a complete tile line after the tile is installed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a spacer for common drain tile, the spacer material facilitating the application of tile by flexibly connecting the adjacent ends of adjacent tile so that they may be inserted in a ground opening, passing around bends in an opening and automatically becoming set in place with a proper junction between tiles.

Briefly, the spacer in accordance with this invention is constructed of'a flexible root-repellant substance, for instance, bituminous product material commonly used in the building trade or plastic. There are a number of possible forms of the spacer, one of which is to have the spacer in the form of an open or closed ring with a pair of spaced flaps or panels joined to a segment of the ring and forming oppositely opening pockets to receive the adjacent ends of adjacent tiles. The pockets accept these ends of the tiles, and the spacer forms a hinge joint or connection between adjacent tiles so that the tile line may be bent as it is being applied in an opening in the ground. This has the great advantage of reducing digging, and after installation, the tile line is superior to tile laid in the ordinary way because the junctions of the tiles are positively connected.

There are numerous applications for tile lines constructed and laid with a spacer in accordance with the invention. Any place where ordinary tile lines are desirable or necessary, a line constructed and applied with the spacers of the invention may be resorted to with greater success than by using ordinary techniques and ordinary construction methods.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference Ibeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a spacer in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the spacer in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a tile line being placed by using spacers such as shown in FIG- URE 1.

FEGURE 5 is an elevational view of a modified form of the spacer.

In the accompanying drawings reference is first made to FEGURE 4. A sub-soil tunnel is shown with a branch opening 12 at the surface of the soil and joining the sub-soil tunnel. Tile line 14 is being inserted in tunnel it) by way of opening or inlet passage 12. The tile line is made of a plurality of drain tile sections 16 joined together at the adjacent ends by spacers 18. Although the spacers 18 are termed spacers for brevity they are actually positioners and guides for the tile.

Spacer 13 includes a closed spacer ring 25 less deformable because of its shape in an axial direction than in a radial direction, made of plastic or bituminous material containing an appreciable percentage of bituminous substance such as commonly used in the building trade.

. the adjacent ends of adjacent tiles, said panels extending 3,b8l,599 Patented Mar. 19, 1953 ICQ For instance, asphalt may 'be a predominant part of spacer 18.

Ring 2t) has a pair of connector panels or

flaps

22 and 24 joined to the inner and outer surfaces thereof. They are spaced apart by means of a segment of the ring 20, a

and each panel is in the shape of a section of a cylinder. The inner panel 22 is shorter and narrower than panel 24, which is the outer panel since they extend circumferentially by the same amount less than The two pane-ls cooperate to form oppositely opening pockets 2'6 and 28 Within which to accept portions of adjacent tiles 14. The segment 30 of ring Ztl with respect to which the panels are pivotally deformed to accommodate pivotal separation of the tiles, is fixed to the

panels

22 and 24, as by being made integral or cementing or stapling or otherwise joining. The ring 30 thus constitutes a stop or an abutment against which the adjacent end surfaces of adjacent tiles 14 bear.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of the spacer. Spacer 18a is identical to spacer 18 with the exception that ring Zita is open at a portion thereof diametrically opposite to that portion to which panels 24:: and 26a are secured. This will leave an opening at the bottom of the tile line and is particularly adaptable for drain tile used for conducting subsurface water to a remote location, for instance when laid on a gravel bed. Further, the open ring construction in spacer 18a is, perhaps, slightly easier to apply and is adjustabe so that it may be used with different diameter tiles, for instance three or four inch tiles.

In use, the spacer 18 or 13a or other spacers within the purview of the invention are connected to adjacent ends of adjacent tiles as shown in FIGURE 4. The tiles are pushed into the opening 12 one at a time'with a single spacer 18 or 18a at the junctures of the tiles.

When connecting the tiles to the spacers, the adjacent ends of the tiles are simply slipped into the open ended and open

sided pockets

26 and 28 and the inherent flexibility of the material from which the spacer 18 or spacer 18a is constructed forms a hinge connection between adjacent tiles.

Although a predominantly bituminous substance is mentioned as a preference for the construction of the 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 invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a tile line adapted to be inserted for subsoil use from the surface of the ground, the combination of a plurality of rigid tiles and interconnecting spacers each spacer being constructed of flexibly resilient material and constituting a hinge joint between tiles so that the tiles may be pushed around curves, said spacer having an arcuate resiliently bendable outer panel fitting over and frictionally engaging the outer surface of a portion of adjacent spaced tiles and when inserted in the ground the panel being located upwardly with reference to the lower surface of the tile to form a shield, said spacer including 1 a second resiliently bendable inner panel parallel to and in close proximity to said outer panel and cooperating with said outer panel to form a pair of oppositely opening flexibly resilient pockets Within which to accommodate 3 circumferentially about said adjacent tiles by less than 180.

2. In a tile line adapted to be inserted for subsoil use from the suriace of the ground, the combination of a plurality of rigid tiles and interconnecting spacers each spacer being constructed of flexibly resilient material and constituting a hinge joint between tiles so that the tiles may be pushed around curves, said spacer having an arcuate resiliently bendable outer panel fitting over the outer surface of a portion of adjacent tiles and when inserted in the ground the panel being located upwardly with reference to the lower surface of the tile to form a shield, said spacer including a second arcuate resiliently bendable panel parallel to and in close proximity to said outer panel and cooperating with said outer panel to form a pair of oppositely opening flexibly resilient pockets within which to accommodate the adjacent ends of adjacent tiles, said second panel fitting against the inner surface of a portion of said adjacent tiles, a ring having a portion thereof located between said panels and constituting an abutment for the adjacent edges of adjacent tiles, said panels extending circumferentially of said tiles by less than 180.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said ring is endless.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said ring is open whereby said ring is adjustable to diiferent effective diameters.

5. A positioner and spacer for the confronting ends of adjacent drain tiles in a line of tiles, also adapted to function as a hinge joint between said adjacent tiles comprising, a spacer ring adapted to be fitted between said confronting ends and a flexibly resilient arcuate flap adapted to be superimposed upon and frictionally engage the outer surface of a segmental portion of adjacent tiles, said flap being disposed on and secured to a segmental portion of the outer surface of said ring, a second flexibly resilient arcuate flap secured to the inner surface of said segmental portion of said ring, to thereby form a pair of oppositely opening pockets adapted to receive segmental portions of said confronting ends of adjacent tiles for frictional engagement thereof and to accommodate pivotal separation of the adjacent tiles in one plane, said first recited ilap being separably secured to said ring and extending less than one-half the distance around said ring, said second flap also being separably secured to said ring and extending less than one-half the distance around said ring.

6. The combination of a pair of rigid tubular tiles and an interconnecting spacer, comprising, spacing means disposed between adjacent confronting ends of said tiles for spacing thereof in axial alignment with each other, pivotally deformable, arcuate connecting means secured to said spacing means on opposite radial Sides of said confronting ends of the tiles and extending circumferentially thereabout by a limited amount to restrict pivotal separation of the tiles to one plane and prevent axial separation therebctween, said arcuate, pivotally deformable connecting means comprises a radially outer shield and a radially inner panel, said shield and panel extending axially between said tiles and circumferentially thereabout by less than in order to accommodate pivotal separation in said one plane.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said shield is made of a root repelling material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 129,405 Hale July 16, 1872 1,098,426 Cochrane June 2, 1914 1,518,014 Steen Dec. 2, 1924 2,422,582 Milliken June 17, 1947 2,470,359 McLean May 17, 1949 2,830,548 McElvany Apr. 15, 1958 2,876,717 Tetyak Mar. 10, 1959 1 i l l y s-e N-Mm

Claims

6. THE COMBINATION OF A PAIR OF RIGID TUBULAR TILES AND AN INTERCONNECTING SPACER, COMPRISING, SPACING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN ADJACENT CONFRONTING ENDS OF SAID TILES FOR SPACING THEREOF IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER, PIVOTALLY DEFORMABLE, ARCUATE CONNECTING MEANS SECURED TO SAID SPACING MEANS ON OPPOSITE RADIAL SIDES OF SAID CONFRONTING ENDS OF THE TILES AND EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREABOUT BY A LIMITED AMOUNT TO RESTRICT PIVOTAL SEPARATION OF THE TILES TO ONE PLANE AND PREVENT AXIAL SEPARATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID ARCUATE, PIVOTALLY DEFORMABLE CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISES A RADIALLY OUTER SHIELD AND A RADIALLY INNER PANEL, SAID SHIELD AND PANEL EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN SAID TILES AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREABOUT BY LESS THAN 180* IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE PIVOTAL SEPARATION IN SAID ONE PLANE.