Patent Application
20230349159
The present disclosure relates to an ice retention system for building facades.
Snow and ice accumulate on building ledges. As environmental conditions change, the snow and ice can slide off of building ledges and facades and fall to the ground, creating hazards for pedestrians and property adjacent the buildings. As such, there is a need to retain snow and ice on building facades and allow it to melt away in a controlled fashion.
In various embodiments, an ice retention assembly may comprise a body, a seal and a fastener. The body may have a base portion and a top portion. The top portion may be removable from the base portion. The base portion may defining a channel that is configured to receive a fastener. The base portion may have a generally planar bottom surface. The base portion may also comprise a sealing recess that is shaped to receive a seal. The seal may be installable in the sealing recess of the base portion. A fastener may be installable through at least a portion of the base portion. The fastener may be configured to compress the base portion and the seal against a surface.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. A more complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may best be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the inventions, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical, chemical, and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected, or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact.
In various embodiments, the ice retention assembly disclosed herein may be configured to retain snow and ice on a building façade allowing for sufficient environmental conditions to safely melt the snow and ice away from the building. In this regard the ice retention assemblies disclosed herein may prevent large pieces of snow and ice from falling off of building facades creating dangerous conditions for people and property near a building.
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In various embodiments, fastener 130 may be installable through at least a portion of base portion 110. Moreover, fastener 130 is configured to compress base portion 110 and seal 140 against a surface of a building. In this regard, any penetration of the surface by fastener 130 is watertight, preventing water damage to any internal structure of a building. Fastener 140 may be threaded. In this regard, fastener 140 may be threaded into base portion 110.
In various embodiments, channel 112 may be defined through base portion 110 and the top portion 120. In this regard, channel 112 may be concentrically aligned and defined in both base portion 110 and top portion 120. In various embodiments, ice retention assembly 100 may comprise a two-part washer that is configured to seal channel 112.
In various embodiments, top portion 120 may have a profile that is t-shaped in cross-section.
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In various embodiments, the ice retention assemblies and spools disclosed herein are installable on a building facade to increase a surface area of the facade and create an engagement point to retain snow and ice. The ice retention assembly may be installed in an array.
After reading the present disclosure, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that the various features described herein may be combined in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B, and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.
Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “various embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.
Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/335,664, filed Apr. 27, 2022 and entitled Ice Retention Assembly, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference for any purpose.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63335664 | Apr 2022 | US |
