U.S. patent application number 09/971318 was filed with the patent office on 2003-04-03 for support system for a structure.
Invention is credited to Smith, Russell K..
Application Number | 20030061781 09/971318 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25518215 |
Filed Date | 2003-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030061781 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith, Russell K. |
April 3, 2003 |
Support system for a structure
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for supporting a
structure. The support system comprises an optional footing base
which is placed at the bottom of a hole, which footing base has an
upper surface with a textured material thereon, a post to be
positioned on top of the footing base when the footing base is
present, and a first cap attached to the bottom of the post. The
first cap has a textured surface for engaging the textured material
on the upper surface of the footing base when the footing base is
present. The system further includes a second cap to be attached to
an upper end of the post. The second cap is provided with a
connection device for connecting the second cap to a structural
member such as a wooden post. The system further has a pad for
supporting a structural member. The pad may be placed on a load
bearing surface such as the ground or on top of the post. To this
end, the pad is provided with at least one recess for receiving the
upper end of the post.
Inventors: |
Smith, Russell K.; (Salem,
CT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Barry L. Kelmachter
BACHMAN & LaPOINTE, P.C.
Suite 1201
900 Chapel Street
New Haven
CT
06510-2802
US
|
Family ID: |
25518215 |
Appl. No.: |
09/971318 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/834 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02D 27/35 20130101;
E02D 27/16 20130101; E04C 3/30 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/720.1 ;
52/736.1; 52/737.1; 52/736.3 |
International
Class: |
E04C 003/30 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for supporting a structure which comprises: a footing
base which is placed at the bottom of a hole; said footing base
having an upper textured surface; a post to be positioned on top of
said footing base; a first cap attached to a bottom of said post;
and said first cap having a textured surface for engaging the
textured surface of said footing base.
2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said post and said first
cap are each formed from a composite material.
3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a second cap
attached to a top of said post.
4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said second cap is formed
from a composite material.
5. A system according to claim 3, further comprising means for
connecting a structural member to said second cap.
6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said connecting means
comprises a bore in said second cap for receiving a bolt.
7. A system according to claim 5, wherein said connecting means
comprises a recess in said second cap for receiving a portion of a
structural member.
8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said post has a first
dimension along a first axis and said footing base has a second
dimension greater than said first dimension along a second axis
parallel to said first axis.
9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said post has a first
diameter and said footing base has a second diameter greater than
said first diameter.
10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said post has a central
columnar structure, an outer wall, and a plurality of radially
extending support arms extending between said central columnar
structure and said outer wall.
11. A system according to claim 3, further comprising means for
connecting said first and second caps to said post.
12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a pad for
supporting a portion of said structure.
13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said pad is formed from
a composite material.
14. A system according to claim 12, wherein said pad has at least
one recess for receiving an upper end of said post.
15. A system according to claim 12, wherein said pad has a bottom
surface which is direct contact with a load bearing surface.
16. A system for supporting a structure which comprises: a
plurality of structural support members; and each structural
support member comprising a post, a first cap attached to a lower
end of said post, and means attached to an upper end of said post
for supporting a structural member.
17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said support means
comprises a second cap attached to an upper end of said post and
wherein said second cap has means for connecting the second cap to
a structural member.
18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said post is solid in
construction.
19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said post has a central
columnar structure, an outer wall, and a plurality of radially
extending support arms extending between said central columnar
structure and said outer wall.
20. A system according to claim 16, further comprising: each said
structural support member including a footing base having an upper
textured surface; and said first cap having a textured surface for
engaging the textured surface of said footing base.
21. A system according to claim 16, wherein said supporting means
comprises a pad with at least one recess for receiving said upper
end of said post.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a system for supporting
structures such as decks, accessory, buildings, and related
structures.
[0002] In the past, it has been conventional in connection with the
building of wooden decks and other such structures to provide
footings and piers for support posts. These footings and piers are
generally placed in holes that extend below the frost line to
insure solid support throughout the year. In the Northern parts of
the United States, the frost line may be as much as 42 inches below
the surface or even deeper. Generally speaking, in the past, these
footings and piers have been constructed from concrete or pressure
treated wood.
[0003] To conserve concrete, cardboard tubes, such as SONATUBES,
have been inserted in the hole and back filled with earth. Such
tubes are available in various lengths and diameters. The hollow
center core is filled with concrete. Numerous bags of concrete are
required for each footing and pier with water and mixing also being
required to complete quality footings and piers. If the mix is not
correct, structural problems can arise. Such footings are subject
to degradation resulting in crumbling and premature failure.
[0004] Various types of alternative support structures have been
proposed in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
4,972,642 to Strobl, Jr. illustrates a monolithic plastic moldable
foot for supporting a wooden post in a hole in the ground. The foot
includes a dish shaped lower wall configured to be supported by the
earth at the bottom of the hole and rib structures on the bottom
wall for distributing loads throughout the entire extent of the
bottom wall. After the hole is back filled, the foot resists
lateral and up loads as well as down loads.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,725 to Matticks et al. illustrates a
building structure with interlocking components. The building is
held in place by a plurality of anchors with threads.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,134 illustrates a base for supporting a
post for a shelter type structure. The base is made of an
impervious material to avoid any rotting or deterioration which
might result from moisture in the ground. The base is formed to
receive laminated posts as part of the structure.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,589 to Richards illustrates a composite
load bearing structure with a main body portion having a top
surface and a bottom surface defining a dimension of thickness
therebetween, first and second side surfaces defining a dimension
of width therebetween, first and second end surfaces defining a
dimension of length therebetween, and a first longitudinal axis
oriented along the length of the main body portion. The main body
portion is made of a first composite material comprising a binding
constituent in a proportion of about 10% to about 20% by volume,
and an aggregate material in a proportion of about 80% to about 90%
by volume. The binding constituent comprises polyethylene or a
polyethylene blend having at least 10% polyethylene. The aggregate
material is in the form of irregular multi-faceted pieces of
crushed furnace slag, crushed gravel, crushed limestone, crushed
granite, crushed basalt, crushed trap rock, and mixtures thereof,
and the pieces of aggregate material are distributed and otherwise
arranged within the main body portion so that opposed surfaces of
the pieces of aggregate material have at least partial contact, one
with another, in a contiguous manner. An inner strengthening member
is disposed within the main body, and may comprise reinforcing
bars.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,874 to Hoffman et al. relates to a deck
construction which includes a plurality of supports for anchoring
deck construction elements to a building site. The supports include
a body having upper and lower portions. The upper portion includes
at least one slot for seating a horizontally oriented construction
member. The slot includes a center socket portion having four
extended corners for seating the bottom end of a vertically
oriented construction member. The slot and center socket are
defined by connecting wall portions which may be integral to the
body or may be of plastic or metal and suitably secured to the
body. In some cases, two mutually perpendicular slots are
provided.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,416 to Peter illustrates a cap for
protecting wood construction members supported by an elevated base.
The cap protects from rot and other deterioration the lowermost
portion of a wood construction member. The cap has four lateral
faces and a top face with a rectangular aperture formed by four
flexible web portions which press against the member. The
dimensions of the lateral faces are selected so that the lateral
face bottom edges have a desired above-ground clearance.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,709 to Hertz relates to a plastic
foundation system which includes plastic components having heating
elements selectively embedded within for fusing abutting portions
of adjacent components. The components include wall portions having
a flange for insertion into the keyway of a base portion. The base
portions can be segmented to provide adjustability to various
angles. Heating elements are provided to fuse the segments of the
adjustable base portion together. The base portion is also
segmented with apertures to permit drainage through the base
portion. In an alternate embodiment, connecting rods extend between
adjacent wall portions.
[0011] Despite these support systems, there remains a need for
support systems which are lightweight, easy to use, and
economical.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an improved system for supporting structures.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
system as above which is easily to assemble, environmentally sound,
and cost effective.
[0014] The foregoing objects are attained by the support system of
the present invention.
[0015] In accordance with the present invention, one embodiment of
a support system for a structure broadly comprises a footing base
which is placed at the bottom of a hole, the footing base has an
upper textured surface, a post to be positioned on top of the
footing base, and a first cap attached to the bottom of the post,
which first cap has a textured surface for engaging the textured
material on the upper surface of the footing base. The system
further includes a second cap to be attached to an upper end of the
post and a pad for supporting a structural feature such as the base
of stairs or platforms. The pad is provided with at least one
recess for mating with an upper end of the post. Alternatively, the
pad may be placed directly on a load bearing surface. The second
cap is preferably provided with suitable means for connecting the
post to a structure to be supported.
[0016] The system of the present invention typically includes a
plurality of spaced apart posts with the first and second caps
attached thereto. A structure to be supported by the system is
connected to each of the posts.
[0017] Other details of the support system of the present
invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant
thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and
the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict
like elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of a post and a footing base in
accordance with the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the post and footing base of
FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the footing base;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a side view of a post and a cap on the post;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an
upper cap to be used with the post;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a top view of a second embodiment of an upper cap
to be used with the post;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a side view of a pad used in the system of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 8 is a front view of the pad of FIG. 7;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the pad of FIG. 7;
[0027] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a post with adjustable band
cutting guides; and
[0028] FIG. 11 is an alternative embodiment of a post which can be
used in the support system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0029] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a portion
of a structure supporting system 10 in accordance with the present
invention. As shown therein, the system 10 includes a plurality of
spaced apart structural support members 11. The system 10 may have
as many structural support members 11 as needed to support the
structure (not shown). If the structure is a deck, structural
members 11 may be located at the corners of the deck and in
locations between the corners. The structural members 11 include a
post 12 and an optional footing base 14. The footing base 14 when
used is positioned at the bottom of a hole 16 dug in the earth
18.
[0030] Each footing base 14 has a dimension D along a first axis
greater than the dimension d of the post 12 along a second axis
parallel to the first axis. When the footing base 14 is a cylinder
which is circular in cross-section, D represents the diameter of
the circular portion. Similarly, when the post is a cylinder which
is circular in cross-section, d represents the diameter of the
circular portion. The footing base 14 is provided with a wider
dimension so as to distribute the load to be carried by the system
10 over a greater surface area.
[0031] The posts 12 may come in various lengths and diameters to
support loads of different sizes. Similarly, the footing bases 14
may come in a variety of sizes and diameters.
[0032] Each footing base 14 preferably has a generally planar lower
surface 20 and a textured upper surface 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and
3. The textured surface 22 may be integrally formed with the rest
of the footing base 14 or, alternatively, may be formed from a
layer of texturized material adhesively joined to a surface of the
footing base 14. Each footing base 14 is preferably formed from a
high strength non-metallic material, such as a high strength
plastic material, e.g. a high impact, UV protected polyethylene
material, or a high strength, non-metallic composite material,
which provides strength while being impervious to moisture which
causes rot.
[0033] The post 12 may have any desired cylindrical configuration
known in the art. Further, the post 12 may have a solid
cross-section or a hollow interior portion if desired. Further, if
desired, as shown in FIG. 11, the post 12 may have a central
columnar structure 60, an outer wall 64, and radially extending
support arms 62, extending between the columnar structure 60 and
the outer wall 64.
[0034] The post 12 is also preferably formed from a nonmetallic
material such as a high strength plastic material or a high
strength, non-metallic composite material.
[0035] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the post 12 is fitted with lower
and upper caps 24 and 26. The caps 24 and 26 are designed to cover
each end of the post 12. Each cap 24, 26 has an end surface 28 and
sidewalls 30 and 32 integrally formed with the end surface 28.
Further, each cap 24, 26 may have a solid interior portion 33.
[0036] The caps 24 and 26 are each designed to fit over an end
portion of the post 12. The caps 24 and 26 may be secured to the
post 12 in any suitable manner known in the art. For example, a
fastening means 34, such as a screw or threaded bolt, could be
passed through an opening 36 in each sidewall 30 and 32 and into
the post 12. Alternatively, the caps 24 and 26 could be adhesively
or frictionally secured to the post 12.
[0037] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the end surface 28 of the lower
cap 24 is textured so as to frictionally engage with or interlock
with the textured surface 22 of a respective footing base 14. The
texturing of the surface 28 may be done during the formation of the
lower cap 24 or alternatively, may be done by adhesively applying a
textured panel to the surface 28. It has been found by providing
such a frictional or interlocking engagement, it is not necessary
to secure the lower cap 24 to the footing base 14 using mechanical
connection means.
[0038] After the post 12 with the lower cap 24 fastened thereto has
been placed on top of the footing base 14, the hole 16 may be
backfilled to support the post 12 in an upright position.
[0039] The upper cap 26 is provided with means for connecting the
support system 10 to a structural member 38 such as a column for
supporting a portion of a building or a deck (not shown). As shown
in FIG. 5, the connecting means may comprise a recess 40 for
receiving an end portion of the structural member. The recess 40
may be sized to receive and trap typical wood posts such as
4".times.4" or 6".times.6" wood posts. Alternatively, as shown in
FIG. 6, the connecting means may comprise a bore 42 for receiving a
threaded bolt (not shown). The structural member (not shown) may be
fitted over the threaded bolt or alternatively, a bracket for
supporting the structural member may be secured to the threaded
bolt. The bore 42 may be threaded or unthreaded.
[0040] If desired, the upper cap 26 may be provided with a
plurality of drainage ports 54 to allow any water which gets into
the cap 26 to drain. The drainage ports 54 may circumferentially
surround the cap 26.
[0041] While it is preferred to use a footing base 14 to support
each post 12, there may be occasions where the base(s) 14 are not
needed and may be omitted.
[0042] To install the system 10, a user must first determine the
locations for the structural support members 11. In each location,
a hole 16 is excavated to a desired depth. The bottom of the hole
16 is cleaned, leveled, and compacted. A footing base 14, if
necessary, is then placed at the bottom of each hole 16. The
post(s) 12 may then be cut to a desired approximate length. After
cutting, a lower cap 24 is installed on each cut post 12. Each post
12 with the lower cap 24 in place is then placed in a respective
hole 16. Clean backfill material is placed around each post 12
while checking for accurate positioning of the respective post and
plumbness. After the backfilling has been completed, the upper end
of each post 12 may be cut to a desired finish elevation and an
upper cap 26 may be installed on the upper end of each post 12.
Thereafter, construction of a desired structure may be begin. To
this end, structural members, such as joists and framing members,
may be secured to the posts 12 to form a frame for a structure such
as a deck, a storage shed, a small building, and the like.
[0043] The posts 12 may be cut using any suitable means known in
the art. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, brackets 42 and 44 may
be placed on a post 12 to be cut. The brackets 42 and 44 are
separated by a distance which substantially corresponds to the
width of a saw blade. Preferably, the posts 12 are formed from a
material that can be cut by a hand saw or a power tool to a level
surface to facilitate good bearing and contact.
[0044] Many building structures have features such as steps and
entrances which require support. To this end, the system 10
includes a pad 46 for supporting such structures. As shown in FIGS.
7-9, the pad 46 may be rectangular in shape and may come in a
variety of sizes such as 2'.times.4', 2'.times.5', 4'.times.4', or
4'.times.5'. As with the other system components, the pad 46 may be
formed from a high strength non-metallic material such as a high
strength plastic material or a high strength non-metallic composite
material.
[0045] The upper surface 48 of the pad 46 preferably has a textured
surface to prevent slipping. If desired, the upper surface 48, as
well as the posts 12, can have a concrete finish appearance. In
some applications, where the pad 46 does not require support, the
lower surface 50 of the pad 46 is placed into direct contact with
the ground after the ground has been excavated to provide a solid,
level surface. If needed, a fill material may be used to provide
the solid, level surface. After the pad 46 has been installed,
construction of the feature to be supported by the pad 46 may be
started.
[0046] In other applications where frost action or bearing
conditions do not allow support solely by the surface of the
ground, the pad 46 may be supported by one or more posts 12. To
this end, the lower surface 50 of the pad 46 may be provided with
one or more recesses 52 for receiving an end of the post(s) 12.
When the post(s) 12 is/are fitted into the recess(es) 52, the upper
cap 26 may be omitted if desired. After the pad 46 has been
positioned on top of the post(s) 12, the feature to be placed on
the pad can be constructed.
[0047] The system 10 of the present invention has many advantages.
For example, the system 10 is made from lightweight components
which can be easily handled and installed with ordinary carpentry
tools. If desired, the various components of the system 10 can be
made from recycled products and/or materials which are UV protected
and impervious to rot or insects. The posts 12 used in the system
10 may easily cut to required lengths and to a desired finish top
elevation. The system components can be stored outdoors and be
unaffected by temperature and weather. Still further, excess
materials can be saved for other jobs.
[0048] The various components of the system 10 may be painted if
desired and may be worked on immediately after installation. Thus,
there is no need any more to wait for concrete to cure. Still
further, the various components of the system 10 may be easily
removed and relocated.
[0049] The most significant advantage of the system 10 of the
present invention is that there is no need to wait for concrete
delivery, no carrying of bags of concrete, no looking for water, no
concern about mixing concrete properly, no mixing, no placing
concrete in forms, no freezing, and no waiting for curing.
[0050] Yet another advantage is that the system can be installed by
professional carpenters and ordinary people such as homeowners.
[0051] While it is preferred to provide the lower cap 24 with a
textured end surface 28, the texturing on the end surface 28 may be
omitted if desired.
[0052] It is apparent that there has been provided in accordance
with the present invention a support system for a structure which
fully satisfies the objects, means, and advantages set forth
hereinbefore. While the present invention has been described in the
context of specific embodiments thereof, other alternatives,
modifications, and variations will become apparent to those skilled
in the art having read the foregoing description. Therefore, it is
intended to embrace those alternatives, modifications, and
variations as fall within the broad scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *