Patent Application
20100037539
The embodiments described herein relate to concealment apparatus for posts, and more particularly to apparatus for concealing a portion of a post.
Structures such as log homes, porches, and decks, commonly have timber posts that support portions of the structure above a ground surface. Typically, each post has a base portion that supports the post by engaging the ground surface. Some base portions tend to inhibit rain and other forms of moisture from seeping into the bottom of the post, which could otherwise cause the post to decay or split.
Two common types of base portions include standoffs and post jacks. Generally, standoffs are blocks of material that raise the post above the ground surface a fixed distance. Post jacks, on the other hand, are adjustable and may be used to accommodate movement of the post, for example to level a structure that has settled (which may be common with log homes due to shrinkage of the log walls).
The base portions of posts are often unsightly, and it is desirable that they be concealed from view. One known apparatus for concealing the base portions of a post is a custom-made cover that is sized and shaped to cover the base portion. However, custom-made covers tend to be expensive. Furthermore, the covers may need to be replaced and/or removed if access to the post jack or standoff is required (for example to adjust the post jack to accommodate settling of timber structures). Alternatively, cladding may be used to conceal the base portions of a post, with a plurality of cladding members fastened to the post using nails, screws or other fasteners. However, these fasteners are often visible when the cladding is installed, which is unsightly and may diminish the aesthetic value of the cladding. Furthermore, if the cladding needs to be removed or adjusted to accommodate settling, the fasteners may need to be removed in order to take off the cladding and then access the post jack. The removal and reinstallation of the fasteners can damage both the post and the cladding.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus for concealing portions of posts.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for concealing a portion of a post comprising a first pair of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define a first layer that surrounds a first sub-portion of the post, and a second pair of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define a second layer that surrounds a second sub-portion of the post. The second pair of concealment members is sized and shaped to interlock with the first pair of concealment members so as to secure the first layer to the second layer in a stacked vertical relationship.
The second pair of concealment members may be configured to slidably engage with the first pair of concealment members to interlock the first layer to the second layer. The second pair of concealment members may have a lower flange member, and each of the first pair of concealment members may have an upper channel configured to slidably receive the lower flange member of the second pair of concealment members so as to interlock the first layer and the second layer.
The second pair of concealment members may be oriented so as to inhibit disengagement of the first pair of concealment members from each other when the first layer is interlocked with the second layer. The second pair of concealment members may be rotated 90 degrees relative to the first pair of concealment members when interlocked thereto so as to inhibit disengagement of the first pair of concealment members from each other.
The apparatus may further comprise a third pair of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define a third layer that surrounds a third sub-portion of the post. The third pair of concealment members may be sized and shaped to interlock with the second pair of concealment members so as to secure the third layer to the second layer in a stacked vertical relationship.
Each concealment member may have a rectangular U-shape with a cross-member and a pair of spaced apart parallel arms extending from the cross-member. Each arm may have an end portion configured to engage the end portion of another concealment member.
At least one of the concealment members may include at least one vent hole configured to allow fluid communication between an interior compartment defined by at least one of the layers and ambient air.
The apparatus may further comprise a resilient pad positionable between the first layer and a supporting surface.
Each concealment member may have an outer surface sized and shaped so that an outer perimeter of each layer generally corresponds to an outer post surface of the post. The outer surface of each concealment member may be sized and shaped so that the outer perimeter of each layer is recessed from the outer post surface of the post.
Each concealment member may have a semi-circular C-shape.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a concealment member for use in concealing a portion of a post. The concealment member comprises a body sized and shaped so that a first set of concealment members may be coupled together to define a first layer that surrounds a first sub-portion of the post, and a second set of concealment members may be coupled together to define a second layer that surrounds a second sub-portion of the post. The body has a lower flange member and an upper channel. The upper channel of each of the first set of concealment members is sized and shaped to slidably receive the lower flange member of at least one of the second set of concealment members so as to interlock the first and second layers together in a stacked vertical relationship.
The body may be configured so that it may be oriented to inhibit disengagement of adjacent concealment members from each other when interlocked thereto.
The first set of concealment members may comprise a first pair of concealment members and the second set of concealment members may comprise a second pair of concealment members.
Each concealment member may have a rectangular U-shape with a cross-member and a pair of spaced parallel arms extending from the cross-member. Each arm may have an end portion configured to engage the end portion of another concealment member.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for concealing a base portion of a post. The apparatus comprises a first set of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define a first layer that surrounds a first sub-portion of the post, and a second set of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define a second layer that surrounds a second sub-portion of the post. The second set of concealment members is sized and shaped to interlock with the first set of concealment members so as to secure the first layer to the second layer in a stacked vertical relationship.
Each of the second set of concealment members may have a lower flange member, and each of the first set of concealment members may have an upper channel configured to slidably receive the lower flange member of the second set of concealment members so as to interlock the first layer and the second layer.
The second set of concealment members may be sized and shaped so as to be oriented to inhibit disengagement of the first set of concealment members from each other when interlocked thereto.
The apparatus may further comprise at least one additional set of concealment members sized and shaped to be coupled together to define at least one additional layer that surrounds at least one additional sub-portion of the post. The at least one additional set of concealment members is sized and shaped to interlock with the second set of concealment members so as to secure the at least one additional layer to the second layer in a stacked vertical relationship.
Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of the following description of some exemplary embodiments.
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Referring to
The post 12 is generally an elongate piece of material that extends upwardly from a supporting surface 13, such as the ground, a concrete pier, timber floor or another type of foundation. For example, the post 12 may be a five and a half inch square piece of timber that supports a beam of a structure such as a porch, a deck or a log home. Alternatively, the post 12 may be free standing. The post 12 may be made of metal, plastic or another suitable material, but is preferably made of timber. As shown, the post 12 is generally aligned with a longitudinal vertical axis A perpendicular to the supporting surface 13.
The post 12 has a lower base portion that supports the post 12 above the supporting surface 13 (e.g. a post jack 60 as shown in
According to some embodiments, the apparatus 10 includes a plurality of concealment members 14 that are connected together so as to form layers 16 that surround the base portion of the post 12. Each layer 16 conceals a sub-portion of the portion of the post 12, and by stacking a plurality of layers 16 together in a vertical relationship, the portion of the post 12 can be concealed as desired. A different number of layers 16 may be used to conceal portions of different heights. For example, as shown in
Referring now to
Stacking a plurality of layers 16 together in a vertical relationship allows the portion of the post 12 to be concealed. For example, as illustrated in
As shown, the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b are coupled together generally in alignment with a first directional axis B. In some embodiments, as illustrated, the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d may be coupled together generally in alignment with a second directional axis C that is perpendicular to the first directional axis B so as to form the second layer 16b. In such embodiments, the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d tend to cooperate with the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b so as to inhibit disengagement of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b from each other, as will be described in greater detail below.
Alternatively, in some embodiments both the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b and the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d may be coupled together in alignment with the first directional axis B or the second directional axis C.
As shown, in some embodiments each concealment member 14 has a substantially rectangular U-shape such that a pair of concealment members 14 are coupled together to form layers 16 that have a rectangular or square shaped outer profile. As shown, each concealment member 14 may include a body 20 generally having two end portions 22. Each end portion 22 is configured to engage with an end portion 22 of another concealment member 14 so that at least two concealment members 14 may be coupled together to form a layer 16.
The concealment members 14 may be made of metal, plastic, wood or another suitable material.
As shown in
In some embodiments, each concealment member 14 may have an alignment tab 28 that extends outward from one of the end portions 22 (generally aligned with one of the arms 26), and a slot 30 in the other of the end portions 22 shaped to receive a tab 28. The tab 28 and slot 30 are generally shaped to engage with the slot 30 and tab 28, respectively, of another concealment member 14 so that at least two concealment members 14 may be coupled together to form a layer 16. The tabs 28 and slots 30 tend to facilitate aligning the concealment members 14 during coupling together thereof.
In some embodiments, the tabs 28 and slots 30 may also tend to secure the two or more concealment members 14 together so as to inhibit their disengagement from each other. For example, each tab 28 may have a locking portion that engages with the sidewalls of the slot 30, which may include a friction fit between the tab 28 and the slot 30.
In other embodiments, the concealment members 14 may be engaged together without tabs 28 or slots 30. For example, the end portions 22 of the concealment members 14 may merely abut each other.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Generally, the upper flange 38 and lower flange 42 extend in opposite directions. For example, as shown in
During interlocking of adjacent layers 16, the lower flange 42 of an upper layer 16 may be slidably received in the upper channel 40 of a lower layer 16. For example, as shown in
When engaged together, the upper flange 38 and upper channel 40 of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b cooperate with the lower flange 42 and lower channel 44 of the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d so as to interlock the first layer 16a and second layer 16b together in a vertical relationship. Thus, the layers 16a, 16b are inhibited from being vertically separated (e.g. movement along the vertical axis A is resisted).
Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d may be oriented or rotated relative to the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b such that the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d inhibit disengagement of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b from each other. For example, as shown in
Separation of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b (e.g. along the first axis B) may be resisted by an upper abutting end 38a of the upper flange 38 in each of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b abutting a lower channel end 44a in the lower channel 44 of both of the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d. Similarly, a lower abutting end 42a of the lower flange 42 (in each of the second pair of concealment members 14c, 14d) may engage with an upper channel end 40a in the upper channel 40 (in each of the first pair of concealment members 14a, 14b).
As shown in detail in
Similarly, the channels 40, 44 may be generally symmetric and have a channel thickness t3. The flange thickness t1 and channel thickness t3 are sized so that the flange 38, 42 may be received in the channels 40, 44.
As shown in
Similarly, the lower abutting end 42a is offset from the inner surface 52 by an offset distance w2 so that the inner surfaces 52 of adjacent members 14 may be generally aligned (as shown for example in
As generally shown in
In some embodiments, the concealment members 14 are substantially similar to each other so that each concealment member 14 is interchangeable and can engage with the other concealment members 14 in the apparatus 10.
As shown in
Additional layers 16 can be added so as to obtain a desired concealment height. By rotating adjacent members 14 as additional layers 16 are added, the lower members 14 may be secured together so that only the topmost layer 16 of members 14 may be removed. In this manner, the lower members 14 tend to be securely held in place.
One benefit of this configuration is that layers 16 can be added or removed by sliding members 14 in and out from the sides of the apparatus 10. Since the concealment members 14 slide in and out from the sides, it is relatively easy to adjust the height of the apparatus 10. This may be particularly beneficial in log home applications, for example the post jack 60 may require a number of adjustments at different periods of time due to settling of the structure.
In particular, as shown in
In some embodiments, the post jack 60 can be adjusted to raise or lower the post 12 by rotating the nut 66 on the threaded portion 64 so as to raise or lower the load plate 68 and move the bottom end 12a of the post 12 relative to the supporting surface 13 (and thus adjusting the height H).
According to embodiments described herein, the adjustment of the post jack 60 may be achieved by removing the concealment apparatus 10 (by selectively disengaging the layers 16 starting with the topmost layer and working down). Once the adjustment of the post jack 60 is complete, the apparatus 10 may be reinstalled around the portion of the post 12. One or more layers 16 of members 14 may be added or removed to accommodate the new height H of the post jack 60.
In some embodiments, as best shown in
In some embodiments, the pad 70 may be made of a compressible material, such as memory foam or another suitable material. This allows the pad 70 to expand and contract so as to fill gaps between the layers 16 and the supporting surface 13. In some embodiments, the pad 70 may be made from a weather resistant material.
In particular, when compressed, the pad 70 tends to store strain energy that provides backpressure against the layers 16. This tends to cause the topmost layer 16 of members 14 to press against the bottom end 12a of the support post 12 (as shown in
The pad 70 can be particularly beneficial when adjusting the height of the post 12 because adding or removing one or more layers 16 of members 14 may leave a gap between the layers 16 of members 14 and the bottom end 12a of the support post 12. As such, the pad 70 may expand or contract to fill gaps created by adjusting the height of the post 12.
In some embodiments, pads 70 of different sizes may be used to accommodate different incremental adjustments (e.g. where the height H is only changed by an amount less than the thickness T of each concealment member 14 when adjusting the post jack 60).
Similarly, the pad 70 may be utilized when mounting the apparatus 10 on an uneven supporting surface 13. For example, the apparatus 10 may be mounted on a sloped supporting surface 15 as shown in
In another example, the apparatus 10 may be mounted on a rough supporting surface and the pad 70 may expand to fill gaps in the rough supporting surface.
In some embodiments, the pad 70 may be made from a slip-resistant material. For example, the pad 70 may be made from foam impregnated with acrylic or asphalt, or another suitable material and which provides an anti-slip surface. The anti-slip surface tends to maintain the lateral position of the layers 16 of members 14 with respect to the supporting surface 13. Generally, the pad 70 may be located adjacent to any one of the layers 16 of concealment members 14.
As shown in
Referring now to
To help prevent the accumulation of moisture, each concealment member 14 may have one or more vent holes 74. The vent holes 74 generally extend through the concealment member 14 so as to allow fluid communication between the interior compartment 72 and ambient air to allow accumulated moisture to vent from within the interior compartment 72.
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, each concealment member 14 may have a textured exterior surface. The textured surface may provide better gripping for assembling the concealment members 14 into the layers 16.
While the previous examples have generally related to concealing a base portion of a post, the apparatus described herein may be utilized in other configurations. For example, as shown in
The apparatus 110 includes a first pair of concealment members 114a, 114b (114b is hidden from view) that may be coupled together to form a first layer 116a. The apparatus 110 also includes a second pair of concealment members 114c, 114d that may be coupled together to form a second layer 116b.
In some embodiments, the layers 116a and 166b may support a post cap 117 above the top of the post 112. The post cap 117 may be decorative, or it may serve other purposes, for example to deflect rain away from the post 112. In some examples the apparatus 110 may not conceal a portion of the post. For example, the apparatus 110 may merely support the post cap 117.
Turning now to
In this embodiment, each concealment member 214 has a semi-circular C-shape, with an outer surface 250 which may be desirable to accommodate a post having a different shape (e.g. a round post). For example, a first concealment member 214a and second concealment member 214b may be coupled together to form a layer 216. Pluralities of layers 216 may be coupled together and interlocked to conceal a portion of a post generally similar to as described above.
In some embodiments, each of the concealment members 214 has a semi-circular body 220 with end portions 222 configured to engage end portions 222 of another concealment member 214. The end portions 222 tend to be aligned when engaged using tabs 228 and slots 230 similar to as described above. Furthermore, each concealment member 214 generally has an “S” shaped cross sectional profile similar to as described above.
In this embodiment, a second pair of concealment members in a second layer (not shown) may inhibit disengagement of the first pair of concealment members (e.g. 214a and 214b) in the first layer 216, even when oriented or rotated at angles other than 90-degrees. For example, the second pair of concealment members may be rotated anywhere between 0 degrees and 180 degrees while tending to inhibit disengagement of the first pair of members 214a, 214b from each other.
In some alternative embodiments, each layer in a concealment apparatus may be defined by a set of more than two concealment members. For example, a set of three or more V-shaped concealment members having different shapes or configurations may be coupled together to form layers with a hexagonal outer shape or profile. In such embodiments, the angle of rotation of adjacent layers (to inhibit disengagement of concealment members) is generally 60-degree multiples.
While the embodiments described herein may refer to various directional qualifiers such as height, length, sideways, upper, lower, horizontal or vertical, these directions are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, the various elements may be oriented in different directions.
What has been described is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the embodiments. Other arrangements and methods can be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments described herein.
