U.S. patent application number 11/592077 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-04 for load supporting device.
Invention is credited to Jose Gonzalez, Michael Rodgers.
Application Number | 20080209846 11/592077 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39732117 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080209846 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rodgers; Michael ; et
al. |
September 4, 2008 |
Load supporting device
Abstract
A device for replacing a portion of a soleplate where a
structural load is concentrated, comprising a base, a
stud-supporting means located on top of the base, and at least one
soleplate-holding means extending from a side of the base; the at
least one soleplate member for holding an adjacently-abutted
soleplate section. The stud-supporting means supports a trimmer
section or any member, which applies load, on top of the base.
Inventors: |
Rodgers; Michael; (Stockton,
CA) ; Gonzalez; Jose; (Galt, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
EDWIN TARVER
16830 Ventura Blvd., SUITE 360
Encino
CA
91436
US
|
Family ID: |
39732117 |
Appl. No.: |
11/592077 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/712 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2001/268 20130101;
E04B 1/2604 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/712 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/38 20060101
E04B001/38 |
Claims
1. A load taking device for replacing a portion of a soleplate
where load is concentrated so that, the load, which is supposed to
be applied on that portion of the soleplate, is taken and borne by
the device, the device comprising: (a) a cuboidal base comprising a
plurality of vertical bores; (b) a stud-supporting means located on
top of the base, the stud-supporting means for supporting a trimmer
section over the base; and (c) at least one soleplate-holding means
extending from a side of the base, the at least one soleplate
member for holding an adjacently-abutted soleplate section.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the stud-supporting means
comprises a pair of stud flanges extending from two opposite top
edges of the base such that the stud flanges, while facing each
other, are perpendicular to the top surface of the base; each stud
flange comprising a plurality of nail holes.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the trimmer section is fastened
on top of the base in between the pair of stud flanges by
fasteners, such as nails, screws, and so on, driven through the
plurality of bores and the plurality of nail holes.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the length and height of each
stud flange equals 4.5 inches and 1 inch respectively.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one
soleplate-holding means comprises a pair of side flanges and a
horizontal plate, the pair of side flanges extending from two
vertical edges, which define a side face of the base, such that the
side flanges, while facing each other, are perpendicular to that
side face, each side flange comprising a plurality of nail holes;
the horizontal plate extending from the bottom edge of the side
face such that the former is perpendicular to the latter, the
horizontal plate including a hole.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the soleplate section is fastened
in between the pair of side flanges and over the horizontal plate
by fasteners, such as nails, screws, and so on, driven through the
plurality of nail holes and hole of the horizontal plate.
7. The device of claim 5, wherein the height of each side flange
equals 1.5 inches.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the base are
equal to that of the soleplate except for length.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the length, height, and width of
the base are 4.5, 1.5, and 3.5 inches respectively.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is made of galvanized
steel.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein the side flanges are bendable
sideways for the change of direction of the soleplate section, the
side flanges still to accept nails through the nail holes in that
condition.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] None
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
[0003] Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
[0004] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain
material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0005] The present invention relates in general to frames, trusses,
and their related components, and more particularly to connecting
and load bearing devices or components employed in trusses and
frames.
[0006] Trusses and frames are extensively employed in the
architecture and structural engineering fields. Trusses and frames
typically comprise several interlinked and interdependent members
such as beams, struts, chords, cross-members, and so on. The
utility of a trusses or frames, particularly in the context of roof
construction, is to provide strength, bear and distribute the load
of a roof or ceiling, to its interlinked members.
[0007] Several trusses, frames, and their accompanying components
have been developed in art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,185 to
Lindsay discloses a joint for connecting the members of a load
bearing truss. The load bearing truss, made of composite materials,
comprise at least three longitudinal load bearing members. The
bracing for the truss is a combination of perpendicular and
diagonal cross-members or all diagonal cross-members. The
cross-members and the longitudinal members are connected by the
joint, which resembles a sandwich. The joint encapsulates a joint
area as well as spacers.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,681 to Smith discloses a web section for
a space frame comprising a node member attached to each end of a
web member. Four web sections interconnected by the chords of the
space frame comprise a nodal section. The space frame utilizes two
levels of chords interconnected by the web sections. The nodal
section includes a protective cover to conceal and protect
fasteners so as to prevent corrosion and also to improve the
esthetics of the space frame.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,083 to Johnson discloses a space frame
comprising a first set of beams and joints in a first plane, and a
second set of beams and joints in a second plane; the joint being
the subject of interest as it is compared against the present
invention. The joints in the two planes are interconnected by
diagonal tubular struts. Each strut has two shafts at opposite ends
which are received, respectively, in apertures in a joint in the
first plane and a joint in the second plane. Each shaft, while
extending along the longitudinal axis of the associated tubular
strut, comprises a fastening member coupled to it so as to retain
the shaft in the aperture.
[0010] However, all the references cited above are used in
conjunction with trusses and space frames unlike the present
invention, which is used in conjunction with soleplates. Secondly,
the above references are primarily used as connecting devices for
connecting the members of a truss or a space frame, whereas, the
present invention is mainly used for taking off the load on a
soleplate so as to prevent its wear and tear, breakage, and so
on.
[0011] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a load bearing device, which replaces a portion of a
soleplate where load is concentrated due to trimmers, trusses, or
other load-applying members so that, the load, which is supposed to
be applied on that portion of the soleplate, is taken and borne by
the device. The other objects of the present invention will become
better understood with reference to the appended Summary,
Description, and Claims.
SUMMARY
[0012] The present invention is a load supporting device designed
to replace a portion of a soleplate where a load is concentrated.
The device comprises a cuboidal base with a plurality of vertical
bores, a stud-supporting means, and a soleplate-holding means. The
stud-supporting means comprises a pair of stud flanges extending
from the top of the base. A trimmer section, or other load applying
member, is fastened over the base in between the pair of stud
flanges by means of fasteners.
[0013] The soleplate-holding means comprises a pair of side flanges
and a horizontal plate. The soleplate-holding means extends from a
side of the base. A soleplate section is received in between the
pair of side flanges and the horizontal plate and fastened thereat
by suitable fasteners.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0014] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the load bearing device in
accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a front view of the load bearing device in
accordance with the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a side view of the load bearing device in
accordance with the present invention.
[0017] FIGS. 4 through 7 are different perspective views of the
load bearing device is in accordance with the present
invention.
[0018] FIGS. 8 and 9 are different perspective views of the load
bearing device with trimmer and soleplate sections in accordance
with the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 10 and 11 are different perspective views of another
embodiment of the load bearing device in accordance with the
present invention.
[0020] FIGS. 12 and 13 are different perspective views of the other
embodiment of the load bearing device with trimmer and soleplate
sections in accordance with the present invention.
FIGURES--REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0021] 10 . . . Load Taking Device [0022] 12 . . . Base [0023] 14 .
. . Top Face [0024] 16 . . . Bottom Face [0025] 18 . . . Front Face
[0026] 20 . . . Rear Face [0027] 22 . . . Side Face [0028] 24 . . .
Front Top Edge [0029] 26 . . . Front Bottom Edge [0030] 28 . . .
Rear Top Edge [0031] 30 . . . Rear Bottom Edge [0032] 32 . . . Side
Top Edge [0033] 34 . . . Side Bottom Edge [0034] 36 . . . Vertical
Edge [0035] 38 . . . Bore [0036] 40 . . . Stud Flange [0037] 42 . .
. Nail Hole [0038] 44 . . . Trimmer Section [0039] 46 . . .
Fastener [0040] 48 . . . Side Flange [0041] 50 . . . Horizontal
Plate [0042] 52 . . . Hole of the Horizontal Plate [0043] 54 . . .
Soleplate Section
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0044] Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a load
bearing device is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in
FIGS. 1 through 13. The device 10 is designed to replace a portion
of a soleplate where a load is concentrated so that, the load,
which is supposed to be borne by that portion of the soleplate, is
taken and borne by the device. The device 10 can also be used where
the length of a soleplate is very short due to wall direction
changes or notches for pipes, etc, therefore compromising its
resistance to split and crush under load. The device 10, preferably
made of galvanized steel, can be fabricated in different sizes in
order to comply with different soleplates.
[0045] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, the device 10 comprises a
base 12, a stud-supporting means, and a soleplate-holding means.
The base 12 is a cuboidal structure defined by six faces namely,
top and bottom faces 14 & 16, front and rear faces 18 & 20,
and a pair of side faces 22. The six faces are connected by twelve
edges namely, front top and bottom edges 24 & 26, rear top and
bottom edges 28 & 30, a pair of side top edges 32, a pair of
side bottom edges 34, and two pairs of vertical edges 36 connecting
the top and bottom faces 14 & 16. The base further comprises a
plurality of bores 38 extending in between the top and bottom faces
14 & 16.
[0046] Referring to FIGS. 4 through 9, the stud-supporting means
comprises a pair of stud flanges 40 extending from the front and
the rear top 24 & 28 edges such that each stud flange 40 is
perpendicular to the top face 14. Further, each stud flange 40
includes a plurality of nail holes 42. A trimmer section 44 is to
be received over the top face 14 and in between the pair of stud
flanges 40. Once the trimmer section 44 is received, it is fastened
through the plurality of nail holes 42 and bores 38 by fasteners 46
such as nails, screws, rivets, and so on as seen in FIGS. 8 and
9.
[0047] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, the soleplate-holding means
comprises a pair of elongate side flanges 48 extending from a pair
of vertical edges 36 which define a side face 22 of the base 12.
The side flanges 48, while facing each other, are perpendicular to
the side face 22. Each of the side flanges 48 includes a plurality
of nail holes 42. The soleplate-holding means further comprises a
horizontal plate 50 extending from the side bottom edge 34 of the
side face 22 such that the former is perpendicular to the latter.
The side edges of the horizontal plate 50 abut a portion of the
bottom edges of the side flanges 48. The horizontal plate 50
includes a hole 52.
[0048] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a soleplate 54 section to be is
received in between the pair of side flanges 48 and the horizontal
plate 50. Once received, the soleplate section 54 is fastened
through the plurality of holes 42 & 52 of the side flanges and
the horizontal plate by fasteners 46. However the device 10 can
also comprise one more soleplate-holding means extending from the
other side face 22 of the base 12 as seen in FIGS. 10 through
13.
[0049] All features disclosed in this specification, including any
accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by
alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar
purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly
stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a
generic series of equivalent or similar features.
[0050] Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means
for" performing a specified function, or "step for" performing a
specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step"
clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 112, paragraph 6. In
particular, the use of "step of" in the claims herein is not
intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 112,
paragraph 6.
[0051] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions
may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present
invention has been described by way of illustration and not
limitation.
* * * * *