Patent Application
20140000210
In the construction industry, panels are sometimes used to cover a section of a building. Such panels may be held in place by anchors, which may prevent the panels from lifting under certain weather conditions.
The present invention provides a panel anchor and a method for anchoring a panel.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an anchor for anchoring a panel over a building section is provided. The anchor comprises a backing having a cross-section, a top, and a bottom, the bottom of the backing being releasably fastenable to a strut of the building section; a retention plate having shoulders at a first end, the retention plate being releasably fastenable to the top of the backing; and a bracket having at least one leg, the at least one leg shaped to mate with the cross-section such that the bracket is slidably receivable by and connectable to the backing, one end of the bracket being abutable against the shoulders of the retention plate, and the panel being releasably fastenable to the bracket.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for anchoring a panel over a building section is provided. The method comprises providing an anchor having a backing, a retention plate, and a bracket, the backing having a cross-section, a top, and a bottom, and the bracket having a top and at least one leg, the at least one leg is shaped to mate with the cross-section for slidable connection to the backing; securing the bottom of the backing to at least one strut of the building section; securing the retention plate to the top of the backing, the retention plate having shoulders at a first end; slidably connecting the bracket to the backing; abutting one end of the bracket against the shoulders; securing the panel to the top of the bracket.
Drawings are included for the purpose of illustrating certain aspects of the invention. Such drawings and the description thereof are intended to facilitate understanding and should not be considered limiting of the invention. Drawings are included, in which:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments contemplated by the inventor. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
Referring to
As described in further detail below, bracket 24 provides a connection between a panel and the backing, the latter being securable to a structural support of a building section. In one embodiment, bracket 24 is made of aluminum. Bracket 24 may be manufactured in various ways, including by extrusion. In another embodiment, the bracket is approximately 4 inches in width W and has an inner angle A of 55°. In yet another embodiment, the bracket includes legs collectively designated 32, the shape of which is configured to mate with backing 20, such that the bracket interlocks with the backing when it is slidably received by the backing, and the bracket is slidably removable from the backing. In one embodiment, the legs 32 are shaped such that each leg 32 engages one of the notches 28 when the bracket is slidably received by the backing.
Retention plate 22 is fastenable to the backing and may interact with the bracket, as described in detail hereinafter. In one embodiment, retention plate 22 is made of aluminum. In a further embodiment, the retention plate is 3 mm thick. Referring more specifically to
As those skilled in the art can appreciate, the bracket, backing, and retention plate may be of other suitable dimensions and may be made of other materials.
When the anchor is assembled, retention plate 22 is attached to backing 20 and bracket 24 is in sliding connection with the backing and the retention plate. The retention plate may be attached to the backing in a number of ways, as known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, fasteners 38 are used to connect retention plate 22, via apertures 36, to backing 20. Fasteners 38 may be screws, screws with washer and rubber seals, self-drilling fasteners, self-tapping fasteners, or the like. Bracket 24 is slidably interlocked with the backing and may cover or surround a substantial portion of the backing and the retention plate. When bracket 24 is interlocked with the backing, the shoulder end of the retention plate may extend beyond one end of the bracket and the shoulder end may be wider than the inner opening of the bracket so that the bracket may abut against shoulders 23. The retention plate has sides 25, which may or may not engage the inner surface of bracket 24. In one embodiment, retention plate 22 is sized to lightly contact the inner surface of bracket 24, when bracket 24 is in sliding connection with backing 20. The retention plate may function to prevent the bracket from deforming under stress and to offload tensile stresses from the bracket and/or the backing. When the anchor is assembled, the bracket is slidably interlocked with the backing such that the bracket can only be removed from the backing, without deforming either part, by sliding the bracket out of the end of the backing opposite shoulders 23.
The anchor may be used to anchor a panel 40 in the following manner. In one embodiment, panel 40 has a wave-like cross-section, which has alternating peaks 40′ and troughs 41. Panel 40 may be made of galvanized steel, aluminum, zinc, stainless steel, or other suitable materials. In a further embodiment, the panel is 1.3 mm in thickness; however, panels of other thicknesses may be anchored using the method described herein. The building frame or section to be covered by panel 40 has at least one intermediate structural support or strut 42 or similar structure for receiving backing 20. As illustrated in
Once anchor 10 is assembled, panel 40 is placed on top of the anchor. In one embodiment, peak 40′ is placed over the anchor. The bracket may be shaped to mate with the underside of the peak, such that when the panel is placed on top of the anchor, part of the peak's underside is adjacent to or in contact with a significant portion of the outer surface of the bracket. The panel 40 is fastened to the bracket by fastener 36. Fastener 36 may be a screw, screw with washer and rubber seal, self-tapping fastener, self-drilling fastener, or the like. Panel 40 may be fastened to bracket 24 using fastener 36 at the peak 40′. The bracket may or may not be pre-punched with an aperture for receiving fastener 36. In one embodiment, panel 40 may be secured to the anchor with more than one fastener 36.
As illustrated in
Referring to
As a person skilled in the art can appreciate, panel 40 and the edges of panel 40 may be secured to any building frame or section in the above-described manner, whether the building frame or section is slanted, vertical, or horizontal.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular, such as by use of the article “a” or “an” is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are know or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. For US patent properties, it is noted that no claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or “step for”.
