U.S. patent application number 15/888564 was filed with the patent office on 2019-01-24 for covering support system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Southern Wall Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Richard Barnes, Benny R. Sims.
Application Number | 20190024371 15/888564 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61027306 |
Filed Date | 2019-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190024371 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Sims; Benny R. ; et
al. |
January 24, 2019 |
COVERING SUPPORT SYSTEM
Abstract
A covering support system includes a covering support that has a
support member defining a support surface and that is connected to
a mounting member so that when the mounting member is rigidly
mounted relative to a wall stud, the support surface is
substantially flush with an exterior surface of the wall stud and
disposed from the exterior of a building surface by the overhang
distance.
Inventors: |
Sims; Benny R.; (Suwanee,
GA) ; Barnes; Richard; (Suwanee, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Southern Wall Systems, Inc. |
Suwanee |
GA |
US |
|
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180155925 A1 |
June 7, 2018 |
|
|
Family ID: |
61027306 |
Appl. No.: |
15/888564 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15228714 |
Aug 4, 2016 |
9885178 |
|
|
15888564 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2/56 20130101; E04F
13/0803 20130101; E04B 5/02 20130101; E04C 3/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04B 2/56 20060101
E04B002/56; E04B 5/02 20060101 E04B005/02; E04C 3/02 20060101
E04C003/02 |
Claims
1. (canceled).
2. A support device, comprising: a support surface having a first
vertical length; a first flange that extends substantially
perpendicularly from the support surface, the first flange being of
a width that spans a distance between a first stud surface and a
second stud surface of a stud, and being of second vertical length
measured perpendicularly relative to the width and parallel to the
first vertical length, the second vertical length being a distance
from a top edge of the flange to a bottom edge of the flange, and
wherein the second vertical length is less than the first vertical
length by a third vertical length; a second flange that extends
substantially perpendicularly from the first flange at an end of
the first flange that is opposite the support surface; wherein: a
first portion of the support surface will abut the first stud
surface and the second flange will abut the second stud surface
when the support device is mounted to the stud lengthwise by the
first vertical length, and a second portion of the support surface
equal to the third vertical length will overhang the stud when the
support device is so mounted to the stud, and wherein the second
portion of the support surface is substantially flush with first
stud surface.
3. The support device of claim 2, further comprising a bracing
component connected to the support member and that provides rigid
support to the support member to reduce flexion of the support
member.
4. The support device of claim 3, wherein the bracing component is
a third flange that extends substantially perpendicular from the
support surface along the third vertical length.
5. The support device of claim 2, wherein the first flange includes
a slot that is spaced apart from the second flange a distance that
is equal to a distance of a stud track in which received a stud to
which the support device can be mounted.
6. The support device of claim 5, wherein the width of the first
flange as measure perpendicularly to the second vertical length is
such that the support surface and the second flange are received
within the stud when the support device is mounted to the stud.
7. The support device of claim 6, wherein a width of the first
flange as measure perpendicularly to the second vertical length is
such that the support surface and the second flange are received
within the stud when the support device is mounted to the stud.
8. The support device of claim 7, wherein a width of the support
surface measured perpendicularly relative the first length is equal
to a width of the first stud surface.
9. The support device of claim 2, wherein a width of the support
surface measure perpendicularly relative the first length is equal
to a width of the first stud surface.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of, and
claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/228,714,
now U.S. Pat. No. 9,885,178, titled "COVERING SUPPORT SYSTEM,"
filed on Aug. 4, 2016. The disclosure of the foregoing application
is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A common practice in the construction industry is the
application of covering, e.g., cladding, panels, siding, sheathing,
on exterior walls of buildings. Typically, the covering is attached
to studs defining a frame of an outside wall. The studs may be load
bearing or non-load bearing. For multi-story buildings, especially
commercial buildings, the building studs may not extend over the
exterior surface of the floor/ceiling slab between each floor.
Therefore, the covering may overhang the exterior surface of the
slab but is not attached to the slab. Because the covering is
typically not reinforced and instead is designed with expectation
that it will receive much of its structural support from the frame
to which it is to be attached, the section of covering that
overhangs the exterior slab surface is much more susceptible to
damage than the sections of covering that are attached to the
studs. Pressure on the overhanging portion of the panel, such as
that caused by impacts to the panel during building construction,
or by strong winds, may cause the panel to bend or fracture.
[0003] One solution is to build an exterior frame in which non-load
bearing studs extend across the exterior surface of the slab. While
this provides ample support for the covering, the building of the
exterior frame adds additional square footage to the exterior
footprint of the building, and is also more expensive than building
a frame structure between each floor that spans from only the floor
surface to the ceiling surface.
SUMMARY
[0004] This specification describes technologies relating to a
covering support system that provides structural support for a
covering that overhangs an exterior surface of floor slab or
column. The covering support system can be used with a covering
support frame that can be separately constructed for each floor. In
the examples described below, the covering support system is
described in the context of panels or sheathing as the covering.
However, other coverings, such as siding, cladding, skins, etc.,
may also be supported by the covering support system.
[0005] In an aspect, the covering mounting system includes a
covering support comprising: a mounting member configured to be
rigidly mounted to one or more of a wall stud or stud track that
overhangs an exterior building surface by an overhang distance; a
support member defining a support surface and that is connected to
the mounting member so that when the mounting member is rigidly
mounted relative to the wall stud the support surface is
substantially flush with an exterior surface of the wall stud and
disposed from the exterior building surface by the overhang
distance; and a bracing component connected to the support member
and that provides rigid support to the support member to reduce
flexion of the support member and thereby maintain the disposition
of the support surface from the exterior building surface by the
overhang space.
[0006] In an aspect, the covering mounting system includes a
covering support comprising: means for rigidly mounting the
covering support to one or more of a wall stud or stud track that
overhangs an exterior building surface by an overhang distance;
means for defining a support surface and that is connected to means
for rigidly mounting so that when the means for rigidly mounting is
rigidly mounted relative to the wall stud the means for defining a
support surface is substantially flush with an exterior surface of
the wall stud and disposed from the exterior building surface by
the overhang distance; and means for bracing connected to the means
for defining a support surface and for providing rigid support to
means for defining a support surface to reduce flexion of the means
for defining a support surface and thereby maintain the disposition
of the means for defining a support surface from the exterior
building surface by the overhang space.
[0007] The systems and features described in this document can be
used to realize one or more of the following advantages. Cost
savings are achieved by obviating the need to build an exterior
frame structure that spans exterior slabs and columns. The cost
savings are due in part to the reduced complexity of the frame
structure that is built between floors, which reduces time and
material requirements. Additional cost savings are achieved by
maximizing the usable space of a building footprint, as the usable
space is not reduced by the space required for an exterior framing
structure.
[0008] The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter
described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and
advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the
description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a covering support
system.
[0010] FIGS. 2A-2D are cross-sectional and perspective views of one
example implementation of the panel support system.
[0011] FIGS. 3A-3C are cross-sectional and perspective views of
another example implementation of the panel support system.
[0012] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of another example
implementation of the panel support system.
[0013] FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional and perspective views of
another example implementation of the panel support system.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a top cross-section view of the panel support of
FIG. 5B being used to provide support for sheathing over a vertical
column.
[0015] Like reference numbers and designations in the various
drawings indicate like elements. Furthermore, in several drawings
element numbers are be omitted to avoid congestion in the
drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a covering support
system 10. In the examples described below, the covering support
system 10 is described in the context of a panel support system
that supports panels. However, other coverings, such as cladding,
skins, siding, etc. may also be supported by the covering support
system. Accordingly, applications of the system 10 are not limited
to panels.
[0017] The covering support system 10 includes a panel support 100
that, when rigidly mounted to one or both of a wall stud 200 or
stud track 300, provides a support surface 132 that provides
support for sheathing 410. The support surface 132 is preferably
flush with an exterior surface of the wall stud 200, as will be
described in more detail below. The support surface 132 is an outer
surface of a support member 130 and is disposed from an exterior
slab surface 402 of a slab 400 by an overhang distance d.sub.1. The
support member 130 may optionally be dimensioned so that it is
spaced apart from the surface by a distance d.sub.2. A bracing
component 134 is connected to the support member 130 and provides
rigid support to the support member 130 to reduce flexion of the
support member 130, which helps maintain the disposition of the
support surface from the exterior slab surface 402.
[0018] The panel support 100 includes a mounting member that
attaches to one or both of the wall stud 200 or stud track 300. The
mounting member may take several forms, and the example shown in
FIG. 1 is a flange 110. The flange 110 and other forms of the
mounting member are described in more detail below.
[0019] The wall stud 200 is one of multiple wall studs that are
received in the stud track 300. As shown in FIG. 1, the stud track
300 may be a conventional stud track that is of a width that
completely receives the wall stud and overhangs the slab 400 by the
overhand distance d.sub.1. However, when the flange 110 is used for
the mounting member of the panel support 100, at least the top stud
track 300 may be of a width that is less than the wall stud track
300. In this implementation, one vertical end of the stud track
300, formed by a flange 302, may be received in a slot 202 in the
wall stud 200.
[0020] Various implementation of the support system 100 will be
described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2A-5B. In
particular, a first implementation is described with reference to
FIGS. 2A-2D, which depict cross-sectional and perspective views of
the first example implementation of the panel support system
100.
[0021] In the implementation of FIGS. 2A-2D, the panel support 100
has a support member 130 that includes an exterior surface 132 upon
which sheathing 410 may be mounted. Any conventional mounting
fixture or adherent may be used to mount the sheathing 410 to the
exterior surface 132.
[0022] The support member 130 is further braced by a flange 134
that forms a bracing component. In some implementation, the
thickness of the support member 130 and the span over which the
member 130 is to be provide support may obviate the need for a
separate support. In these implementations, a separate bracing
component is not required for the support member 130.
[0023] Another flange, flange 110, is used as a mounting member.
The flange 110 includes a second flange 112 that extends
substantially perpendicularly from the flange 110. The support
surface 132 and the surface of the flange 112 are approximately
spaced apart by a distance W.sub.s, which is approximately equal to
the interior width of the stud 200 of FIG. 2B.
[0024] The stud 200 of FIG. 2B includes a first stud member 212
defining a first stud surface 213. The first stud member 212 may
also have a flange fold 208 that forms a surface substantially
parallel to body surface of the stud 200. Likewise, the stud 200
includes a second stud member 214 defining a second surface 215
opposite the first stud surface 213, and also includes a similar
fold 210, thus forming a slot into which the panel support 100 may
be received. When the stud 200 receives the panel support 100, as
shown, for example, in the cross-section view of FIG. 2A (note the
upper stud 200 in FIG. 2A is a mirrored configuration of the stud
200 of FIG. 2B), the flange 112 and the flange forming the support
surface 132 are received in slots formed by the stud members 212
and 214 and folds 208 and 210. After insertion, the flange 110 may
be rigidly attached to the stud 200 by fasteners, adherents, welds,
or other rigid attachment means.
[0025] The stud track 300 includes a base 301, a first vertical
flange 302 extending upward from a first side of the base 301 and
running substantially a length of the first stud track 300, and a
second vertical flange 304 extending upward from a second side of
the base 301 that is opposite the first side of the base 301 and
also running substantially the length of the first stud track 200.
The width W.sub.st of the first stud track is less than a width
W.sub.s of a stud that is designed to be received within the first
stud track 300. Accordingly, the first stud includes a slot 202
that receives one of the flanges of the stud track 300, e.g.,
flange 302. The difference between the width of the stud track 300
and the width of the stud 200 is approximately the overhang
distance d.sub.1. When the slot 202 in the side surface of the stud
200 receives the flange 302, the second stud member 214 abuts the
second vertical flange 304 of the first stud track 300.
[0026] Likewise, the flange 110 in the panel support 100 also
includes a slot 114 that is operatively aligned with the slot 202
and the flange 302 so that it, too, receives the flange 302 of the
stud track 300 when the panel support 100 is inserted into the stud
200 and the stud, in turn, is received in the stud track 300.
[0027] When so assembled as shown in FIG. 2A, the support surface
132 of the panel support 100 is substantially flush with the
exterior surface (e.g., surface 213) of the stud 200. Accordingly,
when each stud 200 in a sheathing support wall is affixed with a
respective panel support 100, the panel supports 100 provide
support surfaces 132 that overhang the exterior surface 402 of the
slab 400. This allows for a structurally sound mounting frame upon
which panels, such as sheathing 410, may be attached to the
exterior of a building.
[0028] In another implementation, respective mating flanges are
provided on the stud 200 and the panel support 100 for additional
structural support. One example implementation is shown in FIGS.
3A-3C. As show in 3B, a mating flange 204 is formed in the stud 200
by a cut and fold of a portion of the frame of the stud 200. The
slot 202 may optionally extend above the mating flange 204. A
reciprocal mating flange 116 is likewise formed in the plane
support 100.
[0029] When the panel support 100, stud 200 and stud track 300 are
assembled in a manner similar to the assembly described with
reference to FIG. 2A, and as shown in FIG. 3A, the mating flanges
116 and 204 overlap and can be connected by fasteners, welds, etc.
Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the mating flanges 116 and
204 may also be proximate to the flange 302 of the stud track 300
such that they can be attached to the flange 302 of the stud track
for additional structural support.
[0030] Although a mating flange is shown on both the stud 200 and
the panel support 100, in some implementations only the panel
support includes the mating flange.
[0031] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of another example
implementation of the panel support system. The mating flanges 221
and 119 are formed by perpendicular metal structures having
respective bases 220 and 118 and that are respectively attached to
the stud 200 and the panel support 100. The flange 221 is aligned
with the slot 202 in the stud 200, and the flange 119 is aligned
with the slot 114 in the panel support 100. The resulting assembled
configuration is similar to that of FIG. 3A, where the mating
flanges 119 and 221 may be adjacent the flange 302 of the stud
track 300 so that they may be attached to the flange 302 of the
stud track for additional structural support.
[0032] The panel support 100 of FIGS. 2A-4B has a mounting surface
132 with a width that is approximately equal to a width of the
exterior stud surface, e.g., surface 213 of the stud 200.
Accordingly, a panel support 100 is typically provide for each
stud. The studs, in turn, are typically spaced apart according to
building code requirements.
[0033] However, in another implementation, the panel support may
have a continuous support surface that spans a multiple of studs
that are spaced apart in the first stud track. This implementation
is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, which are cross-sectional and
perspective views of another example implementation of the panel
support system. In the implementation of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the panel
support 500 has a support surface 532 and a correspond flange 540
extends from the support surface 532 and serves as a mounting
member. The flange 540 runs a length of the panel support 500. The
support member 530 may include a fold 544 and a set of braces made
from angled flanges that each have a base 542 and a perpendicular
flange 543. As shown in FIG. 5A, the flange 540 may be positioned
under a stud track and stud. A conventional stud 240 and stud track
350 may be used. Alternatively, the stud 200 and stud track 300 of
FIGS. 2A and 2B may be used. The flange 540 may be affixed to the
stud track 350 (or stud track 300, if used instead of the stud
track 350) by fasteners, welds, and the like.
[0034] The panel support 500 may also be used to provide support
for other exterior building surfaces, such as a column surface.
FIG. 6 is a top cross-section view of the panel support 500 of FIG.
5B being used to provide support for sheathing over a vertical
column surface 442 of a vertical column 440. The portion of the
slab 400 shown is the floor surface of the slab 400. Studs 200 are
positioned adjacent the vertical column 400. The exterior surface
of the vertical column 442 is substantially flush with the exterior
surface of the slab, as indicated by the stud track flange 302. A
respective panel support 500 is attached to each stud 200 in a
vertical manner by connecting the flange 540 of the panel support
500 to the stud 200 along the length of the stud 200. The flange
540 may be affixed to the stud 200 by fasteners, welds, and the
like.
[0035] While this specification contains many specific
implementation details, these should not be construed as
limitations on the scope of any features or of what may be claimed,
but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular
embodiments. Certain features that are described in this
specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be
implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely,
various features that are described in the context of a single
embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments
separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although
features may be described above as acting in certain combinations
and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a
claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the
combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a
subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
[0036] Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been
described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following
claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be
performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.
In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do
not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential
order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations,
multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
* * * * *