Patent Application
20170073969
This invention relates generally to building structures, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for bearing a load.
The technologies associated with building construction are slow to change. Many of the technologies in use today, such as nails, screws, and wooden beams, have been in use for millennia. While advancements in materials sciences have changed the construction of motor vehicles and airplanes to make them more energy efficient, the same cannot be said for construction of static structures such as homes and office buildings. A constant quest for the industry has been to find means by which the efficiency of the structure can be improved. In particular, there is a constant search for means of keeping structures cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather without excessive energy consumption.
The efficiency of a structure is calculated using R-values, which measures the capacity of an insulating material to resist heat flow. A higher R-value indicates better insulating properties of the material. R-values of structural walls have traditionally been overestimated due to an inability to account for things like gaps between beams and insulation and a general underestimation of the framing factor of the walls. Is generally accepted that a one-for-one conversion from wooden to steel beams is not a good conservation practice. Traditional steel replacements have many of the same problems as wooden beams, which, when combined with a higher heat transfer coefficient, leads to a decrease in R-value for the structure. This is because the beams form the support structure of the wall, creating a thermal short by coming into contact with both the inner and outer portions of the wall. These are just some of the problems with previous attempts to replace wooden beams while increasing the R-value of the structure that are overcome by the present invention.
The present invention relates generally to building structures, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for bearing a load.
The present invention is a structural webbing that aims to reduce the propensity for imperfections in the installation of insulation, reduce the materials needed for construction, and increase the R-value of structural walls containing windows and doors. The present invention runs longitudinally with and parallel to the length of the wall, as opposed to transverse to the wall, eliminating a thermal short where the studs and beams would normally go. Therefore, the problems normally associated with non-wood replacement beams in building structures are inapplicable to the present invention. Moreover, higher strength materials, such as steel, allow different structural configurations than wood, allowing for stronger structures with less material.
Furthermore, the present invention aims to overcome the problems found with traditional steel beam replacements by using less material in a more unique way, mitigating many or all of the conservation concerns usually associated with framing beams. One non-limiting example is with respect to a door header. One standard size of door header might be two inches by six inches by 41 inches, doubled, for a total of 676.5 cubic inches of wood per door. In comparison, the present invention in the same application would use approximately 41 to 82 square inches of a higher strength material, such as steel, which could be from recycled materials, drastically reducing the environmental impact of the building materials. Moreover, a door header composed of a soft wood, such as pine, spruce, and fir, will generally have an R-value of 1.41/inch. A door header composed of a hard wood, such as mahogany, maple, or oak will generally haven an R-value of 0.71/inch. The present invention aims to increase the R-value of a door header up to 815% by replacing the wooden beam with a higher strength truss and insulating materials.
The present invention is a structural webbing. It consists essentially of at least one node and at least one member. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may be comprised of at least a first segment, including: at least a first node including at least one hole; at least a first lateral member coupled to the first node; at least a second segment, including: at least a second node including at least one hole; and at least a second lateral member, the second lateral member coupled to the second node; a third node coupled with the second lateral member, the third node including at least one hole; wherein the first segment and the second segment are coupled at the second node. In a further embodiment, the structural webbing may be comprised of at least a third segment, including: at least a third lateral member; and at least a fourth node coupled with the third lateral member, the fourth node including at least one hole; at least a fourth segment, the fourth segment including: at least a fourth lateral member; and at least a fifth node coupled with the fourth lateral member, the fifth node including at least one hole; wherein the second segment and the third segment are coupled at the third node, and the third segment and the fourth segment are coupled at the fourth node. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include at least a first king stud and a second king stud, wherein the first node is disposed on the first king stud and the fifth node is disposed on the second king stud. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include at least a first trimmer and a second trimmer, wherein the first node is disposed on the first trimmer and the fifth node is disposed on the second trimmer. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include a head piece; and a top plate, wherein the first node, the third node, and the fifth node are disposed on the head piece; and wherein the second node and the fourth node are disposed on the top plate. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include a bottom plate; and a top plate, wherein the first node, the third node, and the fifth node are disposed on the bottom plate; and wherein the second node and the fourth node are disposed on the top plate.
In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include at least a lead node and a terminal node; at least a lead lateral member and an terminal lateral member; and a plurality of nodes and members disposed between the lead nodes and members and the terminal nodes and members, wherein the plurality of nodes and members alternate such that each member is coupled at an end to a node. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include lateral members, wherein the lateral members are alternatingly disposed at approximately 45 degrees and 315 degrees to horizontal. In other embodiments, the lateral members may be disposed at approximately 30 and 330 degrees to horizontal. In other embodiments, the lateral members may be disposed at approximately 60 and 300 degrees to horizontal. In still other embodiments, the lateral members may be disposed anywhere from 90 to 0 degrees to horizontal and 0 to 270 degrees to horizontal. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include nodes including at least one fastening means. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include at least one insulating material disposed between each of the plurality of lateral members. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include alternating nodes and members that form a straight line on at least one plane. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may be disposed within a wall of a structure. In some embodiments, the structural webbing may run parallel to the length of the wall. In some embodiments, the structural webbing lead node and terminal node may be coupleable with a wall stud. In some embodiments, the structural webbing lead node, terminal node, and plurality of nodes may be coupleable with at least one of a top plate or a bottom plate. In some embodiments, the structural webbing lead node and terminal node may be coupleable with a king stud. In some embodiments, the structural webbing lead node and terminal node may be coupleable with a jack stud. In some embodiments, the structural webbing plurality of nodes may be coupleable with at least one of a top plate or a head piece. In some embodiments, the structural webbing lead node and terminal node may be coupleable with a head piece.
In some embodiments, the structural webbing may include at least a lead node at the front of the structure and a terminal node at the end of the structure; at least a lead lateral member and a terminal lateral member, wherein the lead lateral member may be coupled with the lead node and the terminal lateral member may be coupled with the terminal node; and a plurality of nodes and members disposed between the lead nodes and members and the terminal nodes and members, wherein the plurality of nodes and members may alternate such that each member may be coupled at an end to a node. In a further embodiment, the plurality of nodes and members form peaks and valleys such that alternating nodes may be coupleable with a top plate. In a further embodiment, the peaks may be flush along one substantially horizontal plane, the valleys may be flush along a separate substantially horizontal plane, and the structure as a whole may be flush along a substantially vertical plane.
In addition to the foregoing, various other methods, systems and/or program product embodiments are set forth and described in the teachings such as the text (e.g., claims, drawings and/or the detailed description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure.
The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, embodiments, features and advantages of the device and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will become apparent in the teachings set forth herein.
Certain embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:
This invention relates generally to building structures, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for bearing a load.
Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in
Importantly, a grouping of inventive aspects in any particular “embodiment” within this detailed description, and/or a grouping of limitations in the claims presented herein, is not intended to be a limiting disclosure of those particular aspects and/or limitations to that particular embodiment and/or claim. The inventive entity presenting this disclosure fully intends that any disclosed aspect of any embodiment in the detailed description and/or any claim limitation ever presented relative to the instant disclosure and/or any continuing application claiming priority from the instant application (e.g. continuation, continuation-in-part, and/or divisional applications) may be practiced with any other disclosed aspect of any embodiment in the detailed description and/or any claim limitation. Claimed combinations which draw from different embodiments and/or originally-presented claims are fully within the possession of the inventive entity at the time the instant disclosure is being filed. Any future claim comprising any combination of limitations, each such limitation being herein disclosed and therefore having support in the original claims or in the specification as originally filed (or that of any continuing application claiming priority from the instant application), is possessed by the inventive entity at present irrespective of whether such combination is described in the instant specification because all such combinations are viewed by the inventive entity as currently operable without undue experimentation given the disclosure herein and therefore that any such future claim would not represent new matter.
In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may end with terminal node 102. In some embodiments, terminal node 102 may be a flat portion of material coupled with the remainder of the structure. In some embodiments, said coupling may be weld, adhesive, solder, braze, or puncture coupling such as rivets, nails, screws, etc. In some embodiments, the entire structure may be comprised of a single bar of source material, such as a tube, roll, or bar of material. In such embodiments, terminal node 102 may be a flat portion of material stamped into shape from the same source material as the remainder of the structure. See
In preferred embodiments, lead node 101 and terminal node 102 form the beginning and end of structural webbing 100. This allows for the webbing to be anchored into place on a stud or beam as appropriate, which will be discussed further with
In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include a lead member 103. This member and other members may be referred to throughout the specification as “member” or “lateral member”, wherein “lateral” means that it extends away from nodes to at least some extent in at least one horizontal direction. In some embodiments, lead member 103 may be coupled with lead node 101, extending away from the node at an angle, giving the member both height and distance from the lead node. In a preferred embodiment, lead member 103 extends away from lead node 101 at a substantially 45 degree angle from horizontal as the user looks from left to right. However, different applications may call for a higher or lower angle, and therefore lead member 103 may extend away from lead node 101 at any angle between 90 and 270 degrees from horizontal as the user looks from left to right. As with the nodes 101 and 102, the coupling of lateral member 103 may be any number of methods of coupling, such as weld, adhesive, solder, braze, or puncture coupling such as rivets, nails, screws, etc. In some embodiments, the entire structure may be comprised of a single bar of source material, such as a tube, roll, or bar of material. In such embodiments, lead node 101 may be a flat portion of material stamped into shape from the same source material as lead member 103.
In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include terminal member 104. This member and other members may be referred to throughout the specification as “member” or “lateral member”, wherein “lateral” means that it extends away from nodes to at least some extent in at least one horizontal direction. In some embodiments, terminal member 104 may be coupled with terminal node 102, extending away from the node at an angle, giving the member both height and distance from the terminal node. In a preferred embodiment, terminal member 104 extends away from terminal node 102 at a substantially 45 degree angle from horizontal as the user looks from right to left. However, different applications may call for a higher or lower angle, and therefore terminal member 104 may extend away from terminal node 102 at any angle between 90 and 270 degrees from horizontal as the user looks from right to left. As with the nodes 102 and 102, the coupling of lateral member 104 may be any number of methods of coupling, such as weld, adhesive, solder, braze, or puncture coupling such as rivets, nails, screws, etc. In some embodiments, the entire structure may be comprised of a single bar of source material, such as a tube, roll, or bar of material. In such embodiments, terminal node 102 may be a flat portion of material stamped into shape from the same source material as terminal member 104.
In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include at least one lower node 105. In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include a plurality of lower nodes 105. In preferred embodiments, lower nodes 105 will be substantially the same as lead and terminal nodes 101 and 102, in that they will either be coupled with or stamped out of the same material as the remainder of the structure. Lower nodes 105 will, in some embodiments, also have fastener holes 109, allowing for a puncture type fastener to be deployed through the whole to couple the nodes with other elements. However, lower nodes 105 do not necessarily need to be fastened to other elements in order to perform their functions. Lower nodes 105 are at least partially designed to bear some of the structural load above the webbing, and need not necessarily be fastened to other elements to do so, acting more as a brace. Nonetheless, fastener holes 109 may be included to allow fastening when desired. This will also be discussed further in
In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include at least one upper node 106. In some embodiments, structural webbing 100 may include a plurality of upper nodes 106. In preferred embodiments, upper nodes 106 will be substantially the same as lead and terminal nodes 101 and 102, in that they will either be coupled with or stamped out of the same material as the remainder of the structure. Upper nodes 106 will, in some embodiments, also have fastener holes 109, allowing for a puncture type fastener to be deployed through the whole to couple the nodes with other elements. However, upper nodes 106 do not necessarily need to be fastened to other elements in order to perform their functions. Upper nodes 106 are at least partially designed to bear some of the structural load above the webbing, and need not necessarily be fastened to other elements to do so, acting more as a brace. Nonetheless, fastener holes 109 may be included to allow fastening when desired. This will also be discussed further in
Some embodiments of structural webbing 100 may include at least one middle lateral member 107. Lateral members 107 may, in some embodiments, be disposed between upper and lower nodes 105 and 106, and coupled with the same in substantially the same way as lead and terminal nodes and members are coupled, i.e. welded or stamped. In a preferred embodiment, lateral members 107 will alternate being at positive and negative angles to the nodes, giving structural webbing 100 a “W” or zig-zag shape as seen in
Certain applications may require that structural webbing 100 be installed with lead and terminal nodes 101 and 102 facing upwards, as can be seen in
In preferred embodiments, the material will generally be a strong material that resists deformation, such as steel or titanium. Steel in particular is ideal, as it can be easily recycled, is relatively easy to come by otherwise, and can add tremendous strength properties for the amount of material used. Using a strong material such as steel or titanium further allows a user to reduce the overall materials used, including wood, because significantly less steel is required to obtain the same structural strength as wood. For example, if the present invention were used in place of headers in a standard home wall containing two windows and a door, each of 36 inches, the total wood reduction would be 2029.5 cubic inches. In its place, only approximately 123 to 246 square inches of the structural webbing disclosed herein would be required. Overall reduction of wooden building materials is one element of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Moreover, if the remainder of the space is filled with insulation, the total R-value of the wall increases substantially. For instance, if the remaining area were filled with fairly standard fiberglass batt, the R-value of the wall would increase 122% over a full soft wood header, and 342% over hard wood. If the remaining area were filled with a closed cell foam insulation, the R-value of the wall would increase 361% over soft wood and 815% over hard wood. Such significant increase in R-value leads to a considerable increase in thermal efficiency. It should be noted that while materials like steel and titanium are preferred, many of these advances could still be achieved by using wood in a structure consistent with this invention. While the wood would not be eliminated, using the disclosed structure rather than a full wooden header would still constitute a reduction of at least 67% to 83%. Due to the nature of the structure, the R-value increase would not change if wood was used in the disclosed configuration rather than steel, as the entirety of the invention is encircled by either air or insulation. Furthermore, the disclosed invention eliminates thermal shorts created by beams that span the entire space between an inside and outside wall.
While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.).
While preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
