Patent Application
20090183459
The present invention relates generally to the field of woodworking. More specifically, the present invention is a system of lightweight real wood beams used as ornamentation on or in a structure.
Currently, if an individual wishes to install real wood beams on a ceiling or other surface of a building, the individual must ensure that the building structure is capable of supporting the weight of the real wood beams. If the building is being newly built, there must be proper support structures included in the frame of the building. Additionally, if the building is pre-existing and the real wood beams are being added into the building, the individual must make sure that the proper support structures exist or that they are added to the building. This can be an expensive and time consuming process.
Various techniques have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,415 (Hull), U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,624 (Cornell), U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,171 (Frederiksen), U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,234 (Rosner), U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,606 (Hanson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,213 (Butterfield), U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,311 (Meyers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,377 (Beckmann), U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,159 (Pennypacker), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,800 (Meyers) to overcome the problems with installing real wood beams in buildings. However, these disclosures suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages. First, the above patents use composite material such as Styrofoam, particle board, plastic, etc. instead of real wood to reduce the weight of the beams. This distracts from the aesthetic appeal of the beams and their overall quality. Second, because these beams are made of composite material, they are easily damaged. Third, the materials used to make these composite beams do not provide enough strength to support any other fixtures that an individual may want to hang from the beams.
As such, it is desirable to provide a light weight wood beam that can be hung from any surface without attaching it to the frame of the building. The present invention provides a hollow beam that is made of real wood, yet is light enough to be coupled to any building surface.
The present invention is a wood beam system that is light weight and easily attaches to any type of building surface. The wood beam system is created by coupling two or more wood beam pieces together and fastening the pieces to anchor plates that are attached to a surface of a building. One feature of the invention is that the wood beam pieces are constructed of real wood with a hollow center. Because the wood beam pieces are hollow, they are lightweight and easy to install, yet maintain the aesthetic appeal of real wood beams.
The wood beam system is comprised of a first beam piece, a second beam piece, and an anchor plate. The anchor plate is coupled to the surface of a building, and the first beam piece and the second beam piece are positioned over the anchor plate. The first beam piece and the second beam piece are coupled together and to the anchor plate such that the first beam piece and the second beam piece engage the building surface to which they are coupled.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a real wood beam system that will easily attach to any building surface.
A further object of this invention is to provide a real wood beam system that is light weight.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a real wood beam system that can support other fixtures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a real wood beam system that has a hollow center where electrical wiring can be run.
The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its structure and its operation together with the additional object and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the wood beam system when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art or arts. If any other meaning is intended, the specification will specifically state that a special meaning is being applied to a word or phrase. Likewise, the use of the words “function” or “means” in the Description of Preferred Embodiments is not intended to indicate a desire to invoke the special provision of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 are sought to be invoked to define the invention(s), the claims will specifically state the phrases “means for” or “step for” and a function, without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material, or act in support of the function.
Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 are invoked to define the inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later developed equivalent structures, materials, or acts for performing the claimed function.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first beam piece 200 further comprises a bottom plate 220 and two vertical plates 230, as shown in
As seen in
Further, the first beam piece 200 has a first end 240 and a second end 245. As seen in
The male dado 250 of the first beam piece 200 is coupled to the female dado 355 of the second beam piece 300 as shown in
When installing the beam system 100 to the surface of a building 500 (usually a ceiling), first the length of the surface 500 must be determined so that the proper number of beam pieces 200 and 300 can be prepared. In the preferred embodiment, the first beam piece 200 and the second beam piece 300 are 48 inches (4 feet) long when coupled together. In order for the first beam piece 200 and second beam piece 300 to be the desired length when coupled together, the male dado 250 on the first beam piece 200 and the female dado 355 on the second beam piece 300 must be cut to the same length dimensions such that they perfectly overlap. In other words, the male dado 250 on the first beam piece 200 protrudes the same length that the female dado 255 on the second beam piece 300 is inset. Because each beam piece 200 and 300 has both a male dado 250 and 350 and female dado 255 and 355, any amount of beam pieces can be coupled together to fit the dimensions of a specific building surface 500. The beam pieces at the end of the length of the surface each have one end that is cut flat such that the flat end abuts the end of the surface. In other words, there is only one end with a female or male dado.
The anchor plate 400, as shown in
The anchor plates 400 are placed along the building surface 500 where there will be an intersection point of a first beam piece 200 and second beam piece 300. Preferably, the anchor plates 400 are fastened into the ceiling with fasteners such as screws or drywall anchors. Once the anchor plates 400 are in place, the first end 240 of the first beam piece 200 is positioned over the anchor plate 400 such that the male dado 250 is over the anchor plate 400 and the bottom edges 235 of the vertical plates 230 engage the ceiling surface 500. The second end 345 of the second beam piece 300 is also positioned over the anchor plate 400 such that the female dado 355 is fitted to the male dado 250 of the first beam piece 200 and the bottom edges 335 of the vertical plates 330 engage the ceiling surface 500. Thus, the shiplap joint 210 is created. The first and second beam pieces 200 and 300 are then fastened together with nails. This process is continued across the length of the ceiling.
During the installation process, wiring can be run through the beam pieces 200 and 300 for fixtures, speakers, alarm systems, etc. Because the beam pieces 200 and 300 are hollow, it is easy to hide wiring for additional fixtures along the ceiling surface 500. Moreover, fixtures, such as ceiling fans, lighting, etc., can be safely hung from the installed beam pieces 200 and 300 because the anchor plates 400 provide adequate support for additional fixtures.
Once all of the beam pieces are in place, pre-cut straps 600, as seen in
The preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the Description of Preferred Embodiments. While these descriptions directly describe the one embodiment, it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and/or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein. Any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well. Unless specifically noted, it is the intention of the inventor that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meanings to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art(s). The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention known to the applicant at the time of filing the application has been presented and is intended for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
