ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 15 -- United States Patent no. 12,601,177, issued on April 14, was assigned to SHAW & SONS INC. (Costa Mesa, Calif.).

"Decorative concrete with uniform surface and method of forming the same" was invented by Ronald D. Shaw (Costa Mesa, Calif.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A decorative concrete with a very uniform finish surface and a method of fabricating the same is disclosed. A concrete mixture is poured over a subgrade which defines an exposed surface. The exposed surface is finished with any of several techniques, and the surface is then worked with an abrasive material, and additional techniques are used to color and seal the concrete."

The patent was filed on Se...