Patent Application
20070277456
The subject invention relates to an arch assembly used in construction of an archway.
Typically, an arch is used in assembly of a wooden support, i.e. door frame at the construction site. The construction of the arches in doorways, or passageways, can be tedious, expensive and time-consuming work and requires a skilled professional, such as, for example, a carpenter.
The art is replete with various designs and methods of forming and assembling the arches used in construction of buildings. Numerous methods of making the arches are taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,273 to Widin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,917 to Massaro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,138 to Hampton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,666 to Hampton; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,834 Lilly.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,273 to Widin, for example, discloses a hollow preformed arch having side walls and a base wall. The base wall is formed concavely arcuate to conform to the shape of side walls. A strip or leg includes a plurality of slits spaced from one another to permit the strip to be curved to conform to the shape of the base wall. A plurality of rivets are required to extend through a multitude of openings defined in the legs of the strip to connect the side walls with the base wall. This design is not practicable and is not cost and/or labor effective because it requires multitude of additional component, i.e. the strip to interconnect the side walls and the base wall, which increases the labor cost.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,917 to Massaro et al. discloses a unitary structure for a full arch-shaped passageway, which is adapted for drywall construction. The unitary structure includes a front panel, a rear panel and an arcuate panel portion therebetween. The unitary structure of the arch-shaped passageway is not compact and flexible in assembly. Damage of at least one of the front panel, the rear panel and the arcuate panel portion requires replacement of the entire arch-shaped passageway.
Alluding to the above, numerous additional attempts had been made in the prior art designs to overcome problems associated with the fabrication of an archway at the construction sites from the combination of contoured plywood, drywall and the intermediate support strips, wherein prefabricated archways made from molded foamed plastics have been used. As such, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,138 to Hampton teaches a prefabricated archway formed of molded polyethylene wherein a relatively light weight arch is brought to the location of the project and nailed or otherwise affixed directly to the framing of the adjacent wall. The prefabricated plastic archway is dimensioned to be conformably received in abutting relationship to the adjacent edges of the wall surfaces. The width from one outer surface to the opposing outer surface of the prefabricated archway is equal to the distance between the finished surfaces of the opposing walls. In other words, the arches are dimensioned to form a butt-joint against the existing drywall or wallboard. The prefabricated archway is secured in place by a series of nails applied through the exposed surface of the foam into the studs and headers comprising the support members. Following affixation, conventional taping is applied to the seam between foam and adjacent drywall. In practice, the seam between adjacent drywall and the foam arch has been found to display cracking due in part to the use of dissimilar materials at the seam thereby requiring future repair and maintenance. Also, the subsequent movement of nailheads outwardly and away from the foam archway creates an unsightly appearance requiring further maintenance. The prefabricated archway taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,138 to Hampton is not practicable and is not cost and/or labor effective because it requires multitude of additional component, i.e. the series of nails to interconnect the components of the archway thereby increasing the labor cost.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,666 to Hampton tried to solve problems associated with the archway taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,138 to Hampton. During the formation of the archway taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,666 to Hampton, a mold is aligned with drywall paper which then becomes permanently bonded to the molded archway. The drywall paper strengthens the finished arch by adding a fibrous laminate to its exterior surface so as to reduce cracking. Furthermore, the use of the paper is intended to eliminate the “nail pops” occurring after installation. This modification to the construction of prefabricated archways is required because of the incompatibility of foamed plastic material with the wall-defining materials used in normal construction techniques. While the molded foam prefabricated archways accomplish the goal of eliminating the construction of coarse archway forms at the construction site, the problems arising from the use of a foamed material such as seam parting, cracking, nail popping and limited resistance to applied pressure remain.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,834 Lilly discloses a prefabricated arch form for use in constructing an archway wherein opposing side walls are spaced apart by a curved base wall to permit the side walls to reside between the adjacent wall support and drywall and to fasten drywall. The three elements are fabricated from sheet metal. The side walls are provided with flanges extending along the curved dimension thereof. Each cheek member has two generally orthogonally disposed edges joined at a rounded corner. Each of the edges terminate in a pair of free ends. The free ends are back cut as to provide a generally rounded free end to aid in installation. In the manufacture of the arch preform, first and second cheeks are initially identical planar members. After cutting to the desired shape, the curved edge is subjected to a roller which forms a one quarter (¼″) inch flange therealong. Since the flange is narrow and the bending is being conducted on a sheet metal part, no cuts or relief kerfs need be formed in the flanges. The throat is generally rectangular in shape after cutting. It is then subjected to a bending step to conform to the curvilinear shape of the flanges formed on the cheek members. Next, the throat is affixed to the flanges by a series of spot welds as shown in the end. The use of sheet metal in the construction of the three elements of the arch preform facilitates construction, provides durability to the unitary body and allows flexibility of the cheek members to aid in installation. The arch taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,834 is not practicable and is not cost and/or labor effective because it requires plurality of redundant operations and components to interconnect the throat with the side walls.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved arch assembly adaptable to be shipped in a compact package and to be assembled at the construction site thereby facilitating the construction of arch-shaped passageways.
An arch assembly of the present invention is designed for engaging a door frame formed by a pair of vertical beams interconnected by a pair of horizontal beams to define four corners of the door frame. The arch assembly includes a pair of side walls each presenting side edges and an arcuate edge extending between the side edges. A base wall extends between the side walls to define at least one channel therebetween and having a C-shaped configuration for engaging the door frame as the arch assembly is connected to the door frame. A coupling or mechanical connection is defined by the side walls and the base wall for connecting the base wall to the side walls.
Alluding to the above, the coupling includes at least one female connector, i.e. opening defined in each side wall extending along the arcuate edge and at least one male connector, i.e. tab extending from the base wall. Each tab extends through respective opening thereby mechanically interconnecting with one another for forming said arch assembly and preventing relative movement of each side wall with respect to one another. The side walls and the base wall are stamped from a sheet metal. The thickness of the base wall is shorter than the thickness of each of said side walls.
The unique design of the present apparatus provides for a new and improved unitary arch structure adaptable to be shipped in a compact package and to be assembled at the construction site thereby facilitating the construction of arch-shaped passageways.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method for constructing an arch-shaped passageway which can be accomplished quickly and easily.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a prefabricated cove arch having a body of unitary construction made of a durable, light material.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the
The assembly 10 may be formed by a pair of arches with each of them including three components such as a pair of side walls or panels, generally indicated at 24 and 26 and a base wall or panel, generally indicated at 28 having inner and outer surfaces 30 and 32. The base wall 28 is connected to and extends between the side walls 24 and 26. Each side wall 24 and 26 has a triangular configuration defined by a pair of side edges 34 and 36 interconnected one with the other to define an angle of 90 degrees therebetween to complement with the door frame corners 20 and 22.
Alluding to the above, an arcuate or curved edge 38 extends between the side edges 34 and 36. A plurality of first connectors, i.e. female connectors or keyways 40 are defined by slots or openings in each of the side walls 24 and 26. The female connectors 40 are spaced around the arcuate edges 38. Preferable the female connecters 40 may present rectangular or circular configuration.
Alternatively, as best shown in
As best shown in
As the assembly 10 is delivered in a compact unit, the male connectors 50 are inserted into the respective female connectors 40 and then folded to engage the side walls 24 and 26 to provide structural integrity of the assembly 10. The thickness of the base wall 28 is shorter than the thickness of each side wall 24 and 26. The assembly 10 is connected to the door frame 12 by a plurality of fasteners, such as, for example nails (not shown) and the like extending through holes 56 formed in the side walls 24 and 26.
The assembly 10 of the present invention has several advantages over the aforementioned prior art designs. The unique design of the assembly 10 provides for a new and improved unitary arch structure adaptable to be shipped in a compact package and to be assembled at the construction site thereby facilitating the construction of arch-shaped passageways. Another advantage of the assembly 10 provides a new and improved method for constructing an arch-shaped passageway which can be accomplished quickly and easily.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
This non-provisional application claims priority to provisional application Ser. Nos. 60/744,633 filed on Apr. 11, 2006 and 60/745,474 filed on Apr. 24, 2006 and incorporated herewith by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60744633 | Apr 2006 | US | |
| 60745474 | Apr 2006 | US |
