Patent Application
20210164247
The present disclosure generally relates to a lintel lift system. More particularly, the present disclosure pertains to a lintel lift that can be utilized for fixing old lintels or installing new lintels by providing a reversible cambered angle lintel for supporting old lintels or to install new bricks. The lift may be attached atop a doorway, garage door, window, or other similar structural opening.
The present disclosure relates to the repair of deflected lintels and installation of new lintels that resist deflection. Lintels are used in the construction industry to support, lift, stabilize, or repair masonry units and are generally used over door, garage, or window openings. Lintels may also be used when removing a wall or portion of a wall to provide reinforcement to the area above the opening. They are typically made from angle iron, and can vary significantly in length.
A post and lintel technique is commonly used to support loads over door, garage, and window openings. This technique is a simple, yet effective construction technique and is thus used by many architects and builders to support a load above an opening. In the post and lintel technique, two vertical members (or the posts) support a horizontal member (or the lintel) at opposing ends of the horizontal member.
While the conventional post and lintel construction technique is widespread and used considerably, it does suffer from certain drawbacks. Over time, the lintel deflects, or sags, and rotates, resulting in damage to the supporting members and an unsafe positioning of the masonry load, which must be repaired. These repairs are time consuming, labor intensive, and costly. One or more exemplary embodiments may include a lintel system having a cambered angle lintel that can be reversed in order to restore old lintels or to install a new construction.
Heretofore, various types of apparatuses related to lintel installation are known in the prior art. These prior art devices typically provide a lintel support brace that can be utilized for repairing damaged or sagging lintels or part of an original lintel installation. These devices, however, do not provide a chambered angle lintel that can be reversed, about the y-axis, in order to restore old lintels or to install a new construction. One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a lintel lift that can be utilized for fixing old lintels or installing new garage or doorway lintels. The device according to an exemplary embodiment may include a pair of support columns and a lintel that spans between the pair of support columns.
The pair of vertical support columns may either anchor the apparatus to the floor with foot plates or may be fastened to the existing frame. The horizontal lintel may include a horizontal flange and a vertical flange. The vertical flange is disposed at roughly a ninety (90) degree angle with respect to the horizontal flange. The horizontal lintel may span between the pair of vertical support columns. Lift bolts may be coupled to either end of the horizontal flange. The lift bolts may pass through apertures in the two ends of the horizontal flange and continue through a lift nut, situated beneath the horizontal flange, and terminate in the vertical support column. Rotating the nut raises or lowers the lifting bolt, thereby causing the horizontal flange to raise or lower.
In another aspect of the lintel lift apparatus, a horizontal member may be affixed to a sagging or cracking lintel to stabilize and support the door, window, or garage opening. In this aspect, a flat piece of rigid material (e.g. steel, plastic, carbon fiber, wood, or other suitable material) is affixed to the existing structure. The flat piece of rigid material may be affixed by epoxy, glue, screws, bolts, clamps, or other suitable method.
Although the characteristic features of the exemplary embodiments will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the exemplary embodiments may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference will now be made in detail to the following exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of well-known parts are omitted for clarity.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In practice, the angle iron lintel 120 is affixed to an existing lintel 222. As shown in
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In operation, the lintel lift apparatus may be used post-construction to retrofit an existing lintel with mason bricks or may be used in the initial construction and installation of mason bricks. During a retrofit, the rolled angle iron lintel 120 may face outwardly and the masonry may be disposed between the vertical flange 221 and the exterior of the existing wall. The pair of vertical support columns 110 may be affixed to the existing doorway frame or anchored on the floor. The horizontal flange 223 may rest atop the pair of vertical support columns 110. Lift bolts 330 may be disposed at either end of the horizontal flange 223, and may be coupled and locked with the aforementioned horizontal flange 223. Each lift bolt 330 may pass through apertures 331 in the horizontal flange 223 and continue through a lift nut 332, situated beneath the horizontal flange 223, and terminate in the vertical support column 110. Rotating the lift bolt 330 within the lift nut 332 raises the lifting bolt 330, thereby causing the horizontal flange 223 to raise and engage the sagging existing lintel 222 and mason bricks located above the existing lintel 222. Once the lintel system is in place, the sagging existing lintel 222 and bricks located above it are stabilized against future settlement.
During the initial construction and installation, the rolled angle iron lintel 120 may be installed with the lintel facing inwardly. The vertical support columns 110 may be erected and the lift bolts 330 may be installed. Next, cables may be installed that link the lift bolts 330, disposed atop the vertical support columns 110, with turnbuckles, which may be temporarily attached to eyebolts disposed at the bottom of each vertical support column 110. The cables can be tightened and the lintel camber angle may be flattened for the addition of bricks. Thereafter, the cables and bolts can be removed and covers can be applied to the columns.
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Although the inventive concepts of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/353,532, filed Mar. 14, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,920,435, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/996,654, filed Jun. 4, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,253,513, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/675,322, filed Aug. 11, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,012,001, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/142,888, filed Apr. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,841,140, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/154,171, filed on Apr. 29, 2015, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62154171 | Apr 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16353532 | Mar 2019 | US |
| Child | 17175953 | US | |
| Parent | 15675322 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Child | 15996654 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15996654 | Jun 2018 | US |
| Child | 16353532 | US | |
| Parent | 15142888 | Apr 2016 | US |
| Child | 15675322 | US |
