Patent Application
20240240450
The instant invention is related to bracket assemblies which are adapted for securely mounting building structure members such as construction posts upon a concrete foundation such as a concrete support pier.
Commonly known and commonly configured building structure anchor brackets structure such as post anchor brackets undesirably position an attached construction post or column at a fixed rotational orientation following an embedded installation of the bracket within a concrete foundation such as a concrete pier. Such brackets commonly lack any mechanical means which facilitate rotary adjustment of the post following the post's attachment to the bracket.
Such commonly known anchor brackets also commonly expose the lower end of a wooden lower structural member to moisture retention and water rot. Such known anchor brackets also commonly insecurely anchor and mount the bracket within the concrete matrix of an underlying concrete foundation.
The instant inventive anchor bracket solves or ameliorates the above-described deficiencies of commonly known anchor brackets by providing between the bracket's upper and lower structures vertically stacker pair of plates which are rotatable with respect to each other. The inventive bracket further provides a flow-through riser element for the prevention of water rot and provides “A” plate configured arms for secure concrete anchoring.
The instant inventive anchor bracket comprises a first plate component. In a preferred embodiment, the first plate component is substantially square or rectangular and is composed of 5-guage to 10-guage steel.
A further structural component of the instant inventive bracket comprises a second plate which is suitably configured similarly with the first plate, the second plate directly vertically overlying and abutting the first plate.
Further structural components of the instant inventive anchor bracket comprise rotating means which operatively interconnect the first and second plates. In the preferred embodiment, the rotating means are adapted to facilitate rotations and counter-rotations of the second plate about a vertical rotation axis. Such axis preferably intersects the first plate at a substantially central location. The rotating means suitably comprise lug and travel slot combinations or a centrally located axle pin and eye combination. Other commonly known and configured means for mechanically facilitating rotations of abutting plates with respect to each other and about a normal rotation axis are considered to fall within the scope of the invention. For example, arcuate travel slot and stop tab combinations are considered to fall within the scope of the invention. Arcuate travel track and sliding element combinations are also considered to fall within the scope of the invention.
Further components of the instant inventive anchor bracket comprise releasable locking means which are connected operatively to the first plate. In the preferred embodiment, the releasable locking means are adapted for alternatively resisting and permitting rotations and counter rotations of the second plate with respect to the first plate. Where the rotating means comprise a lug and arcuate travel slot combination, the inventive bracket's releasable locking means may comprise the presentation of helical screw threads upon such lug. Such releasable locking means may further comprise a helically threaded nut. Upon a rotating means guided rotation of the first plate to a selected rotary position, such nut may threadedly engage the lug's thread. Upon screw turning, such nut may clamp the second plate downwardly against the first plate, advantageously holding the second plate at the selected rotary position.
Further structural components of the instant inventive anchor bracket comprise at least a first building structure member anchoring arm, and first and second renditions of such arm are preferably provided. In the preferred embodiment, such arms are configured as attachment flanges or mounting flanges which align with the horizontal faces of a post to be anchored by the bracket or align with side walls of a floor joist. Where, for example, a post anchored by the bracket comprises a wooden 6″×6″ beam, the flange configured structure anchoring arms may parallel each other and may be displaced upon the second plate 6 inches away from each other. Alternatively, such anchoring arms may be oriented at 90-degree angles with respect to each other for engagement with a pair of adjacent sides of a building's corner post.
Further structural components of the instant inventive anchor bracket comprise at least a first, and preferably a plurality of concrete foundation anchoring arms. In a preferred embodiment, upper ends of such anchoring arms are fixedly welded to the undersurface of the first plate. The concrete foundation anchoring arms necessarily extend downwardly from the first plate to embed within the concrete matrix of an underlying concrete slab, concrete pier, or concrete wall.
Objects of the instant invention include the provision of a post anchor bracket which incorporates structures as described above, and arranges those structures in manners described above for the achievement of beneficial functions described above.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the instant invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the detailed description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
Referring further to
A further structural component of the instant inventive bracket comprises a second plate 16 which abuts and vertically overlies the first plate 2. Such second plate 16 suitably includes or presents a triple of apertures 18, 20, and 22. In the depicted preferred embodiment, apertures 18 and 20 are configured as elongated and curved slots having a radiuses of curvature about swivel pin 4 and about rotation axis 6. The radial widths of such slots 18 and 20 are preferably slightly greater than the diameters of pins 8 and 12 to facilitate the pins' extensions through and travels along such slots.
Referring in particular to
Upon a downward placement of the second plate 16 upon the upper surface of the first plate 2, pins 8 and 12 may extend upwardly through the travel slots 18 and 20, and the swivel pin 4 may simultaneously extend upwardly through eye 22. Thereafter, the second plate 16 may slidably rotate and counter rotate about vertical axis 6, such rotations being angularly limited by the clockwise and counterclockwise ends of slots 18 and 20.
The bracket's pin and travel slot combinations 8, 18 and 12, 20 constitute and operatively function as rotating means components of the invention, and the swivel pin 4 and eye 22 combination constitutes an additional or alternative rotating means component. While both of such rotating means are preferably incorporated within the anchor bracket, either of such combinations may suitably function alone as the invention's rotating means.
The instant inventive anchor bracket 1 preferably further comprises releasable locking means which are connected operatively to the first plate 2, such means being adapted for alternatively resisting and permitting rotations and counter rotations of the second plate 16 about the vertical rotation axis 6. As depicted in the
Loosening of nuts 54 and 58 alternatively releases the second plate 16 for rotary readjustment and reorientation, and retightening of the nuts may fix the second plate 16 at a newly selected rotary orientation.
During tightening, rotating, and loosening, operations applied to the nuts 54 and 58, the bracket's swivel pin 4 and eye 22 combination rotating means advantageously holds the second plate 16 at a substantially central location upon the upper surface of the first plate 2.
At least a first building structure member anchoring arm 42 is preferably fixedly attached to and extends upwardly from the second plate 16, and a second rendition of such arm 48 is preferably provided. In the preferred embodiment, such arms are configured as flanges. Lower ends of such flange configured arms 42 and 48 are preferably fixedly welded to the second plate 16, and stabilizing gusset plates 44 and 58 are preferably provided to lend vertical rigidity to the arms. The flange configured building structure anchoring arms 42 and 48 preferably include fastener apertures 46 and 52 for receipt of, referring further simultaneously to
Referring to
Each of the “A” plate configured concrete foundation anchoring arms 62 and 74 may be advantageously fabricated through application of a plasma cutter to sheet steel. Fabrication of such arms may include formation of the plates' reinforcement flanges 70, 72, 78, and 82 by working the lateral edges of “A” configured sheet steel blanks within a press break machine.
As shown in
In use of the instant inventive anchor bracket 1, and referring simultaneously to
Prior to hardening of such concrete foundation 90, the operator may grasp the lower weldment portion of the bracket represented by drawing
Thereafter, the second plate 16 may be placed downwardly over the first plate 2 so that the helically threaded pins or lugs 8 and 12 extend upwardly through curved travel slots 18 and 20, and so that, referring further simultaneously to
Following setting and hardening of the matrix of the concrete foundation 90, a wooden post 94 may be downwardly extended between flanges 42 and 48, causing the lower end of the post 94 to bear against and be supported by the upper surface of the riser 3. The wooden post 94 is intended as being representative of other building structure members which may be supported by the inventive bracket, such as floor joists. Following placement of the post 94, the screw fasteners 96 may be extended horizontally through fastener receiving eyes 46 and 56 of flanges 42 and 48, such fastener extensions securely mounting and attaching the lower end of the post 94 between flanges 42 and 48.
The post 94 may then be rotated or counter-rotated to a correct and precisely aligned orientation with respect to the pier 90 and with respect to a roof line, wall or floor joist of the building. Thereafter, the nuts 54 and 58 may be tightened to finally secure and fix the post 94 at the selected rotary orientation.
Referring to drawing
The inventive bracket's riser 3 preferably further comprises a cap 34 having peripheral walls 36 which are positioned and fitted to allow the cap 34 to nestingly receive and cover walls 24, 26, and 28. The ends of the sidewalls 36 at the corners of the cap 3 are preferably spaced apart to form water passage ports 38, and the upper end or ceiling of the cap 34 preferably presents additional water passage ports 40. Water passage ports 30 and 32 formed at the lower ends of walls 24, 26, 28 are considered to constitute a first plurality of water passage ports component of the riser 3. The ports or gaps 38 formed by the side walls 36 of the cap 34 are considered to constitute a second plurality of water passage ports component of the riser 3. The circular ports 40 formed within the ceiling or upper end 34 of the cap 3 are considered to constitute a third plurality of water passage ports.
Water present at the lower end of the post 94 may advantageously flow downwardly through cap ports 40, and into the riser's interior space. Such water may then flow along the upper surface of the second plate 16, passing beneath walls 24, 26, and 28 through water passage ports 32. The water may then drain and flow outwardly through ports 30 and 38 which are formed at the corners of the riser 3. The “X” configured support walls 26 and 28 of the riser 3 securely support the post 94 while ports 30, 32, and 36 prevent accumulations of water at the post's lower end, advantageously protecting the base of the post from water rot.
Referring simultaneously to all figures, all structures identified in
In the alternative configuration of
While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled in the art may make modifications to the structure, arrangement, portions and components of the invention without departing from those principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the appended claims.
