U.S. patent application number 09/736819 was filed with the patent office on 2001-05-10 for longitudinal stabilizer for a premanufactured building.
Invention is credited to MacKarvich, Charles J..
Application Number | 20010000842 09/736819 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27537676 |
Filed Date | 2001-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010000842 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MacKarvich, Charles J. |
May 10, 2001 |
Longitudinal stabilizer for a premanufactured building
Abstract
A longitudinal stabilizing system for a premanufactured building
having support joists extending along the length of the underside
of the building and being supported above the ground by upright
piers. The system comprises at least one foundation plate, a joist
connector, a plate connector, and a rectilinear strut. The
foundation plate is placed between the pier and the ground. The
joist connector attaches to the joist of the building. Plate clamps
may be used in conjunction with the joist connector to grasp the
joist. The plate connector attaches to the foundation plate. The
strut is attached to the joist connector at one end and the plate
connector at the other end such that the strut slopes downward from
the joist towards the ground. In high winds, the weight of the
building and the weight of the pier resting on the foundation plate
retard lateral movement of the foundation plate and the end of the
strut attached to the plate connector, while the end of the strut
attached to the joist connector resists movement of the joist along
its length.
Inventors: |
MacKarvich, Charles J.;
(Atlanta, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMAS, KAYDEN, HORSTEMEYER & RISLEY, LLP
Suite 1750
100 Galleria Parkway N.W.
Atlanta
GA
30339-5948
US
|
Family ID: |
27537676 |
Appl. No.: |
09/736819 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09736819 |
Dec 13, 2000 |
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09519698 |
Mar 7, 2000 |
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09519698 |
Mar 7, 2000 |
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09123806 |
Jul 27, 1998 |
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6058663 |
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09123806 |
Jul 27, 1998 |
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08739717 |
Oct 29, 1996 |
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5850718 |
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08739717 |
Oct 29, 1996 |
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08644069 |
May 9, 1996 |
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5784844 |
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08739717 |
Oct 29, 1996 |
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08629834 |
Apr 10, 1996 |
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5697191 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/292 ; 52/155;
52/167.3; 52/295 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02D 27/34 20130101;
E04B 1/34352 20130101; Y10S 52/11 20130101; E04B 1/34347 20130101;
E02D 27/48 20130101; E02D 27/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/292 ; 52/155;
52/295; 52/167.3 |
International
Class: |
E02D 027/00; E02D
027/32; E02D 005/74; E04B 001/98; E04H 009/02 |
Claims
1. A stabilization system for a premanufactured building structure
that includes at least one joist supported horizontally above the
ground, comprising: a foundation plate for positioning beneath the
building structure, a strut sloped upwardly form said foundation
plate for connection to the joist of the building structure and
having a an upper end for positioning adjacent the joist and a
lower end positioned adjacent said foundation plate, a joist
connector adapted to rigidly connect said upper end of said strut
to the joist of the building structure and a plate connector
rigidly connecting said lower end of said strut to said foundation
plate, so that the weight of the building can be supported on said
foundation plate, the improvement therein comprising: said
foundation plate being formed of sheet material and including a
substantially flat body portion with edges, and cleat walls
extending from said edges normal to said body portion, said body
portion positioned on the ground surface, and at least one of said
cleat walls oriented transverse to said strut and penetrating the
ground; so that movement of the joist of the building in a
direction transverse to the at least one cleat wall transmits
stress along the length of the strut to the foundation plate and
through the at least one cleat wall into the ground and the ground
resists the movement of the joist.
2. The stabilization system of claim 1, and further including a
pier resting on said body portion of said foundation plate for
supporting the joist of the building, and said plate connector
connected to said body portion of said foundation plate.
3. The stabilization system of claim 1, wherein said cleat walls
are oriented at right angles to each other.
4. The stabilization system of claim 1, wherein the premanufactured
building includes two parallel joists, and said foundation plate is
adapted to be positioned beneath one of the joists and said strut
is adapted to extend from said foundation plate at an upwardly
sloped angle toward one of the joists.
5. The stabilization system of claim 1, wherein said foundation
plate is adapted to be positioned beneath the joist of the building
and said strut slopes upwardly from said foundation plate to the
joist
6. A stabilization system for a premanufactured building, the
building including an elongated support joist extending along a
lower portion of the building and supported horizontally above the
ground, said stabilization system comprising: a foundation plate
including a top wall for placement on the ground beneath the
building and including a cleat wall extending normal to said top
wall for penetrating the ground; a strut sloped along its length
upwardly from said foundation plate for extending to the joist of
the building and having a lower end connected to said foundation
plate and having an upper end adapted to be connected to the joist
of the building; said foundation plate being positioned with said
cleat wall oriented transverse to said strut; so that if the joist
of the building tends to move transverse to the cleat wall, the
joist applies stress to the strut and the stress applied to the
strut is applied by the strut through the foundation plate through
the cleat wall of the foundation plate to the ground and the ground
resists the movement of the joist.
7. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said foundation
plate is positioned beneath a joist of the building; and further
including a pier mounted on said foundation plate adapted to
support the joist of the building; and said foundation plate and
said pier are adapted to receive the weight of the building
transmitted from the joist and to apply the weight of the building
to the ground beneath the foundation plate and the weight of the
building and the cleat wall resist lateral movement of the
foundation plate, and the foundation plate and its cleat wall are
adapted to resist lateral movement of the lower end of the strut
without the strut applying lateral force to the pier.
8. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said strut is not
connected to said pier.
9. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said strut is
rigid.
10. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said foundation
plate is formed of sheet material; said body portion of said
foundation plate is rectangular and defines rectilinear perimeter
edges, and said cleat wall is formed of said sheet material at a
perimeter edge of said foundation plate.
11. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said foundation
plate is formed of sheet material; said planer top includes a
perimeter; and said cleat wall comprises a portion of said sheet
material extending from said perimeter normal to said planer
top.
12. The stabilization system of claim 6, and further including a
joist connector connected to said upper end of said strut for
rigidly connecting said strut to the joist of the building, a plate
connector rigidly connecting said lower end of said strut to said
foundation plate.
13. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said body portion
of said foundation plate is flat and a pier is mounted on said body
portion.
14. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said foundation
plate is positioned beneath the joist of the building and said
strut slopes upwardly from said foundation plate to the joist, and
further including a joist connector for rigid connection of said
upper end of said strut to the joist of the building and a platform
connector rigidly connecting said lower end of said strut to said
foundation plate.
15. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said foundation
plate is formed of sheet material.
16. The stabilization system of claim 6, wherein said at least one
cleat wall comprises cleat walls oriented at right angles to each
other.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE
1. This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/519,698, filed Mar. 7, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/123,806 filed Jul. 27, 1998, now
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,663, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 08/739,717 filed Oct. 29, 1996, now
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,718, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 08/644,069 filed May 9, 1996, now U.S.
Pat. No. 5,784,844, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 08/629,834 filed Apr. 10, 1996, now Pat. No.
5,697,191.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
2. This invention relates to a longitudinal stabilizing system for
a premanufactured building having support joists extending along
the length of the underside of the building and being supported by
upright piers. More specifically, this invention relates to a
longitudinal wind resistance system where one portion of the system
is attached to a support joist of the building, the other portion
is placed under the pier supporting the joist, and the two portions
are connected by a strut in order to inhibit movement of the
building along its length in relation to the piers during exposure
to longitudinal winds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
3. Premanufactured buildings, such as mobile homes, trailers,
prefabricated houses, and the like are manufactured at a central
manufacturing site, and upon completion the buildings are moved to
a location where they are to be permanently located and occupied.
Because these buildings are designed to be easily moved from the
manufacturing site to the permanent location, they are not
originally built on a permanent foundation at the manufacturing
site, but on a pair of parallel I-beam joists, and then the
manufactured building is transported to and mounted upon piers,
such as concrete blocks, pilings or stabilizing jacks, at a site
where the building will be used. It is important that the building
also be anchored in position on the piers, so as to avoid the
building being shifted off of its piers by strong winds or earth
tremors. A building inadvertently shifted off of its piers can
cause serious damage to the building and also can cause human
injury.
4. Various types of stabilizing devices have been used to stabilize
the manufactured buildings, to keep the buildings from moving in
response to wind forces and earth movement, such as guy wires,
straps or other ties which connect the building to anchors or
ground fixtures. A traditional approach to providing lateral wind
protection for manufactured buildings consists of an anchor having
a shaft with one or more helical plates at the bottom of the shaft
which can be rotated to move into the earth, and cold-rolled steel
strapping installed as diagonal ties between the upper exposed
portion of the anchor and the lower main frame of the manufactured
building. A system of this type is taught in U.S. Pat. No.
3,747,288. In addition, vertical or "over-the-top" ties may be
installed in case of single-wide structures.
5. The vertical support for manufactured buildings usually is
provided by piers, such as concrete masonry piers, prefabricated
steel piers, or precast concrete jack stands located under the
parallel joists of the main frame of the manufactured building,
with the vertical supports being spaced longitudinally along the
parallel joists at approximately 8' from one another.
6. While much attention has been placed on protecting the building
from movement due to lateral wind forces, little effort has been
placed on protecting the building from movement due to longitudinal
wind forces. However, these longitudinal wind forces must be
accounted for in order to prevent the building from shifting off
the piers during periods of high wind exposure.
7. Therefore, there is a need to provide a system which protects a
manufactured building from horizontal movement along its length
relative to the support piers due to longitudinal wind forces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
8. Briefly described, the present invention comprises a
longitudinal stabilizing system for a premanufactured building
having support joists extending along the length of the underside
of the building and being supported above the ground by upright
piers. The system is utilized to retard movement of the building
along its length in relation to the piers during exposure to
longitudinal winds. The system includes at least one foundation
plate, a joist connector, a plate connector, and a strut. More
specifically, the foundation plate supports a pier above the
ground, the joist connector attaches to the support joist beneath
the building, the plate connector attaches to the foundation plate,
and the strut is connected to both the joist connector and the
plate connector such that it is sloped downward from the joist
towards the foundation plate.
9. The foundation plate includes a plurality of cleats that engage
with the ground. An advantage of the invention is that the plates
may be constructed having cleats on all four sides such that the
system can be used in conjunction with a lateral wind resistance
system.
10. The system may be used as described or in a double
configuration by adding a second joist connector, plate connector,
and strut on the opposite side of the pier. Use of a single system
protects the building against wind loads. Use of a double system
provides added resistance to withstand seismic activities.
11. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a system for
a premanufactured building having support joists extending along
the length of the underside of the building and being supported by
upright piers to retard vertical and horizontal shifting of the
building during exposure to longitudinal winds.
12. Further objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent upon reading the following
specifications, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
13. FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the longitudinal
stabilizing system.
14. FIG. 2 is an end view of the longitudinal stabilizing
system.
15. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the foundation plate.
16. FIG. 4 is a top view of the foundation plate before its
perimeter portions are folded to the positions illustrated in FIGS.
3, 5, and 6.
17. FIG. 5 is a side view of the foundation plate.
18. FIG. 6 is an end view of the foundation plate.
19. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the joist
connector.
20. FIG. 8 is a top view of the joist connector.
21. FIG. 9 is a side view of the joist connector.
22. FIG. 10 is an end view of the joist connector.
23. FIG. 11 is a top view of the clamp plate.
24. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the plate
connector.
25. FIG. 13 is a top view of the plate connector.
26. FIG. 14 is a side view of the plate connector.
27. FIG. 15 is an end view of the plate connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
28. Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like
numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIGS.
1-2 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the longitudinal
stabilizing system 10 installed on a premanufactured building 100
having a support joist 102 on the underside of the building which
extends the length of the building and is supported by an upright
pier 104 above the ground 106. The longitudinal stabilizing system
consists of at least one foundation pad 16, a joist connector 12, a
plate connector 14, and a strut 18. The system may also be
configured to utilize a second joist connector 12a, a second plate
connector 14a, and a second strut 18a installed on the opposite
side of the pier. As shown in FIG. 2, the system may be used in
conjunction with a lateral stabilizing system 108.
29. Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, the foundation pad 16 has a planar
top 20 with side edges 22 and end edges 24. A plurality of cleats
26 extends at an angle from the side and end edges in a common
direction. The preferred embodiment would consist of four cleats,
one on each side, but the invention may also have more or less than
four cleats. The foundation pad may also contain a plurality of
openings 28 on the planar surface. These openings allow for rigid
connection of a plate connector 14 to the foundation pad by
conventional fastening means (not shown). It would be apparent to
one skilled in the art to provide another mechanism for rigid
connection of the plate connector or to form the plate connector as
part of the foundation pad.
30. The joist connector 12 is adapted to connect to the joist 102
as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring now to FIGS. 7-11, the joist
connector includes a substantially U-shaped joist bracket 30 and a
clevis 46. The bracket has a joist bracket base 32 with opposed
joist bracket side edges 34 and opposed joist bracket ends 36. A
pair of joist bracket legs 38 extend from the joist bracket side
edges in a common direction parallel to each other and
substantially perpendicular to the joist bracket base. A pair of
joist bracket openings 40, each having opposed joist bracket
opening edges 42, are formed in the joist bracket. Each opening is
located at the approximate center of a joist bracket leg extending
through the joist bracket leg and the joist bracket base. The joist
bracket base also has two pairs of joist bracket fastener holes 44.
One of each pair of joist bracket fastener holes is located in
between one of the joist bracket opening edges and the nearest one
of the joist bracket ends. It would be obvious to one skilled in
the art to construct the joist connector in other various forms
without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.
31. The joist clevis 46 has a pair of joist clevis legs 48 that
extend from the joist bracket base 32 in a common direction
parallel to each other and in an opposite direction parallel to the
joist bracket legs 38. The joist clevis legs are sized and shaped
to correspond with the joist bracket openings 40. Each joist clevis
leg has a joist clevis fastener hole 50.
32. FIGS. 2 and 7 show a pair of clamp plates 52 that may be used
in conjunction with the joist connector 12 to engage the joist 102
in order to inhibit movement of the joist with respect to the joist
connector. Each clamp plate has a body portion 54, a first member
edge 56, a second member edge 58, and opposed member ends 60. A
plurality of teeth 62 are attached to the first member edge. A tab
64 is attached to the second member edge at the approximate center
of the second member edge. The tab has opposed tab edges 66 and
extends parallel to the body portion. The tab is sized and shaped
to be insertable into one of the joist bracket openings 40. The
body portion contains a pair of clamp plate fastener holes 68. One
clamp plate fastener hole is located between one of the tab edges
and the nearest one of the member ends such that the clamp plate
fastener holes align with joist bracket fastener holes 44 when the
tab is engaged with the joist bracket openings. It would be obvious
to one skilled in the art to construct the plate clamp in other
various configurations including different shapes, sizes, and
engagement methods for engaging the bracket and grasping the joist.
It would also be obvious to attach the plate clamp to the joist
connector by other common attachment methods.
33. Referring now to FIGS. 12-15, the plate connector 14 includes a
plate bracket 70 and a plate clevis 76. The plate bracket has a
plate bracket base 72 with opposed plate bracket side edges 71 and
opposed plate bracket ends 74. A pair of plate bracket sides 73
extend from the plate bracket side edges in a common direction
parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the plate
bracket base.
34. The plate clevis 76 includes a pair of plate clevis legs 78
extending from the plate bracket base 72 in a common direction
parallel to each other and in a common direction perpendicular to
the plate bracket sides 73. Each of the plate clevis legs includes
a plate clevis fastener hole 80. The plate clevis legs may be wider
than the plate clevis base and, in which case, would have a slot 79
sized, shaped, and located such that the slot will receive a plate
bracket side therein.
35. The plate bracket 70 also contains a pair of plate bracket
fastener holes 82. Each plate bracket fastener hole is located in
the plate bracket base 72 between one of the plate clevis legs 78
and the nearest one of the plate bracket ends 74. The plate bracket
fastener holes are located such that they align with the openings
28 of the foundation pad 16 for attachment thereto by conventional
means.
36. It would be obvious to one skilled in the art to construct the
plate connector 14 in other various configurations to achieve the
same results. It would also be obvious to construct the plate
connector such that it is attached to the foundation pad 16 by way
of other common attachment methods, such as welding, or to form the
plate connector as part of the foundation pad.
37. The strut 18 is shown best in FIGS. 7 and 12. The strut is
rectilinear with a strut first end 84 and a strut second end 86.
The strut first end is sized and shaped to fit within the joist
clevis 46. Strut joist fastener holes 88 are located in the strut
first end to align with the joist clevis fastener holes 50 for
connection thereto by conventional means. The strut second end is
sized and shaped to fit within the plate clevis 76. Strut plate
fastener holes 90 are located in the strut second end to align with
the plate clevis fastener holes 80 for connection thereto by
conventional means. The strut is installed in the longitudinal
stabilizer system 10 such that the strut slopes downwardly from the
joist 102 toward the foundation plate 16. In strong winds, the
weight of the building 100 and the weight of the pier 104 resting
on the foundation plate retard lateral movement of the foundation
plate and the second end of the strut, while the first end of the
strut resists movement of the joist along its length. It would be
obvious to one skilled in the art to construct the strut in various
forms to achieve the desired results.
38. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while
the foregoing description sets forth in detail preferred
embodiments of the present invention, modifications, additions, and
changes might be made thereto without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *