Joint For Enclosure, And Mounting Therefor

Abstract

A sheet metal enclosure for heating and ventilating equipment includes a plurality of panels, and means for joining them to one another, and for mounting these panels to a floor, ceiling or wall. The panel joining means comprises structural mullions located at the panel joints and these mullions also help to support the enclosure from a floor, ceiling or wall. Cover battens give the joint a finished appearance, and are releasably fastened to the mullions by spring clips. Thus, panels may be cut to any desired length and neatly installed on the job site. The enclosure mounting means includes wall and floor, or ceiling support brackets to which the structural mullions are attached. The mullions are bolted to the floor support bracket by means of mounting plates incorporating vertical and oblique bolt slots respectively which slots are used in combination to anchor the structure at the desired height above the floor or below the ceiling.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to sheel metal enclosures for air conditioning equipment and deals more particularly with an enclosure system which provides dimensional installation flexibility and which may be prefabricated in a factory to be quickly and easily assembled on the job, and yet provide an architecturally pleasing appearance.

Problems arise during the installation of prefabricated metal enclosures in buildings due to normal building tolerances between, the floor, ceiling and the wall mounting surfaces. Difficulties invariably arise at the job site when panel sections must be cut to fit. The neat installation envisioned by the architect may not be achieved due to the lack of attention to these tolerances on the part of the enclosure designer.

The general aim of the present invention is to provide an enclosure which incorporates an adjustable mounting system which would absorb building tolerances in the area of installation.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a unique panel joint system of cover battens and structural mullions which form a convenient panel joint capable of assembly in the field, while giving a custom architectural appearance after assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention an enclosure is provided wherein structural mullions are adjustably fastened, at spaced locations to floor, ceiling or wall mounted support brackets. Sheet metal panels are then supported by and fastened to the mullions by a unique system of cover battens and spring clips.

The panel joining system, by means of which the panels are secured to the mullions with cover battens in accordance with the present invention comprises battens having finished outer surfaces, and structural mullions fastened to the battens by spring clips, which clips are adapted to releasably engage channels defined by the mullions.

An adjustable mounting system is also provided by means of which one end of each mullion is attached to the floor or ceiling mounted support bracket and the other end to a wall mounted support bracket. The floor or ceiling system utilizes an angle plate and an anchor plate through which the mullion and bracket are joined by a bolt and nut. A vertical slot in the angle plate allows the structure to be anchored at the desired height above the floor. An oblique slot in the anchor plate facilitates and helps hold the height adjustment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall and floor mounted enclosure embodying this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment for an enclosure which is wall mounted only.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 of FIG. 5 showing two adjacent enclosure panels joined by a cover batten, mullion and spring clip.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the wall mounted support bracket of FIG. 1 showing the attachment of the structural mullion.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the wall and floor mounted enclosure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the floor mounted support bracket of FIG. 1 showing the adjustably mounted mullion.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on line 7--7 of FIG. 6 showing the mounting system of slotted plates.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing an alternative configuration of the panel joint system of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing an additional alternate configuration of the panel joint system.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a wall and ceiling mounted enclosure.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a free-standing floor mounted enclosure utilizing the adjustable mounting system shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning first to FIG. 1, a wall and floor mounted enclosure is indicated generally at 10. This enclosure includes an extruded wall support bracket 20 which is fastened to the wall W and a floor support bracket 40 secured to the floor F. Structural mullions 30 are bolted to these support brackets at spaced locations along the length of the structure. The enclosure panels 50, 51 are set in place and secured to the mullions by means of cover battens 33. The battens in turn are held to the mullions by a number of spring clips 34. The juncture of two adjacent enclosure panels such as 50 and 52 and also 51 and 53 determines the location of the mullions. In this way a panel may be cut to any desired length and securely fastened at its ends to mullions.

An alternate type of enclosure is indicated generally at 12 in FIG. 2. This enclosure 12 utilizes two wall support brackets 20 as shown and requires no floor mounted brackets as shown at 40 in FIG. 1. Mullions 30a are then battened to these supports 20 and the enclosure is formed in much the same manner as the structure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed cross section of the wall and floor mounted enclosure of FIG. 1. Considering FIG. 4 in greater detail, the wall support bracket 20 is seen to be of extruded metal, and is fastened to the wall W by a number of screws 22 which pass through a row of regularly spaced holes provided at intervals along the length of the bracket and adapted for this purpose.

The support bracket includes a integral slotted channel 20a along its top edge in which may be trapped a number of mullion mounting bolts 24. The shanks of the trapped bolts project upwardly through the slot thus allowing the bolts 24 to be positioned along the length of the bracket for securing one end of the mullion 30 to the bracket 20. The bracket 20 also includes a groove 20b from which air conditioning equipment (not shown) can be conveniently mounted.

A detailed cross section of the enclosure panel joint assembly is shown in FIG. 3. Two adjacent panels 50 and 52 are set in place atop the mounting flanges 31 and 32 of the mullion 30. A cover batten 33 is then supported into the mullion channel 30a by means of spring clips 34 thereby anchoring the panels in position by forcing them against the mullion flange.

The battens are more particularly joined to the mullions by these spring clips 34, which spring clips are forced into and releasably retained within the mullion channel 30a. A number of these clips are fastened to each batten by bolt means in the form of threaded screws and nuts, 36 and 37 respectively. The heads of these bolts are retained within a channel 33a which is integral with the rear wall of the batten and which extends the length of the batten. The shanks of the bolts protrude through a slot in the rear wall of the channel thus permitting the bolts to be moved within the channel for positioning anywhere along the length of the batten. In this way a suitable number of clips may be spaced as needed along the length of the batten to insure a strong joint between it and the mullion.

The above described enclosure joint construction is well suited for joining panels of various geometric configurations. The enclosures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate two presently preferred embodiments, but other enclosure shapes might also be devised to take advantage of the joint shown in FIG. 3. In addition, the joint structure of FIG. 3 may assume alternate configurations. Two such configurations are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Both of these configurations can utilize a mullion having a rectangular channel and in the case of FIG. 8 the spring clip 34 has been eliminated and the bolt 36a allowed to pass through the base of the mullion channel and to be releasably retained by a wing nut 37a. The configuration of FIG. 9 avoids the use of a bolt by directly entrapping the head portion of the spring wire clip, the leg portions of which pass through holes in the mullion channel to secure the clip therein.

Referring more particularly to the FIG. 5 enclosure shape, the mullion 30 is formed from several straight sections, or portions which portions may be welded or otherwise connected at the corners A and B to provide the generally L-shaped frame of FIG. 5. The batten 33 is then bent to shape as required, and provided with the spring clips 34 at selected locations to permit the final assembly on site.

In the FIG. 5 enclosure the top mullion portion supports at least one top panel 50, and said top panel may include a depending flange 50a for supporting a louvered insert panel (not shown). The enclosure of FIG. 5 also includes at least a front panel 51 which is bent at the corner A to provide a horizontally oriented top segment 51a and a vertically oriented front segment 51b. The top segment has a depending flange similar to that shown at 50a to support the louvered insert panel.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the means by which the enclosure is adjustably mounted on the floor support bracket 40. The extruded floor support bracket 40 is fastened to the floor F by convenient means as for example by the wood screws 41 which pass through regularly spaced holes in the lower leg of the support. Thus mounted the upper leg of the support is generally vertical with respect to the floor and forms a base and kick-space under the enclosure.

A slotted rearwardly opening channel 40a is integrally formed along the top edge of the vertical support bracket leg. This channel 40a is adapted to receive and retain the heads of a number of mullion mounting bolts 46. The slot in the rear wall of the channel permits the shanks of the bolts to protrude rearward and permits the bolts to be moved within the channel to any desired location along the length of the support bracket 40.

The lower end or return leg of the mullion 30 is oriented horizontally and at right angles to the floor mounted support bracket 40. This return leg is fastened to the floor support bracket by means of an angle plate 44, and an anchor plate 42. The angle plate is permanently joined, by one of its legs, to the end of the mullion either by spot welding or other suitable means. The other, or depending leg of the angle plate extends downwardly and has a vertically elongated slot 44a. The slot 44, best shown in FIG. 7, is adapted to permit the shank of the mounting bolt 46 to pass through the angle plate and to be vertically adjustable therein. The bolt is then secured by a nut 47.

The anchor plate 42, when installed, is trapped between the angle plate 44 and the rear wall of the slotted channel 40a. The lower edge of the anchor plate is set in a groove 40b which is integrally formed in the lower leg of the floor support bracket 40 and which extends along the length of the bracket. The entrapped upper portion of the anchor plate includes an obliquely oriented slot 42a adapted to allow the shank of the mounting bolt 46 to pass through the anchor plate before passing through the vertical slot in the angle plate 44.

The vertical slot 44a in the angle plate 44 allows the height of the enclosure to the floor support bracket to be adjusted to accommodate any building tolerances between the floor and wall. The oblique slot in the anchor plate facilitates and holds this height adjustment without having to overtorque the nut 47, or use lock washers or the like.

The adjustable floor mounting system first described may also be utilized in the ceiling mounted enclosure illustrated in FIG. 10. As shown, the components of the ceiling mounted application are identical as is the adjustment procedure.

Still another application of the adjustable mounting system is shown in FIG. 11 which illustrates a free-standing floor mounted enclosure. In this case two sets of components are utilized to adjust the height of the structure above the floor. This also allows the enclosure to compensate for a sloping floor by maintaining a level appearance.

Claims

I claim:

1. A sheet metal enclosure comprising in combination floor and wall mounted support brackets, a plurality of mullions attached to the support brackets at spaced locations, top and front enclosure panels supported by the mullions, a plurality of battens said battens utilized to cover the joints between adjacent enclosure panels, a plurality of spring clips carried by said battens and resiliently held by said mullions for holding said battens to said mullions, a plurality of anchor plates each of said plates having an oblique slot adapted for receiving a bolt, and bolt means carried by said support bracket and extending through said oblique slots in said anchor plates, and means for connecting said anchor plates to said mullions.

2. In an enclosure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said floor support bracket comprises an elongated L-shaped member having a floor engaging leg and an upstanding leg which includes a channel for carrying the heads of said bolt means, said mullions being oriented parallel to the floor and at right angles to and slightly above said floor mounted support bracket, and said means for connecting said anchor plates to said mullions comprising angle plates formed in a generally L-shape, said angle brackets having one leg mounted to the mullions and the other leg mounted to the anchor plate by said bolt means, said other leg having an elongated slot to permit anchoring the mullion at a desired height above the floor.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein each of said battens has a finished front surface, and a rearwardly opening longitudinally extending channel, said spring clips each including a head portion retained in said rearwardly opening channel of said batten, and each of said spring clips further including leg portions received in the channel portion of an associated mullion.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said rearwardly opening longitudinally extending channel in each of said battens is more particularly defined by two parallel side walls, which channel side walls include parallel flanges projecting toward one another for securely holding the head portions of said spring clips.

5. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein each of the said mullions also defines a longitudinally extending channel, which mullion channel receives said batten channel, said mullion channel defining a plurality of openings for receiving the leg portions of said spring clips to resiliently hold said mullions to said battens and thereby secure said panels therebetween.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein said mullion further defines two co-planar mounting flanges for receiving adjacent enclosure panels, and said panels being held between said co-planar mullion flanges and the rear surface of an associated batten.

7. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein each of said mullions defines a longitudinally extending channel and two co-planar mounting flanges, each of said battens having a finished front surface and a rearwardly opening longitudinally extending channel in its rear surface, said rear surface including outer surfaces which cooperate with the co-planar flanges of said mullions to hold adjacent panels therebetween.

8. The combination recited in claim 7 wherein each of said spring clips more particularly includes a head portion carried by the said rearwardly open channel of an associated batten, and each of said spring clips further including obliquely outwardly projecting leg portions extending from said head portion thereof and received in the longitudinally extending channel defined in said mullion.

9. The combination recited in claim 8 above wherein said obliquely outwardly projecting leg portions of said spring clips extend through openings provided for this purpose in said mullion channel.

10. An enclosure for air conditioning and heating equipment or the like comprising an elongated support bracket for attachment to a wall said wall mounted bracket having a longitudinally extending slotted channel adapted to slidably retain the heads of mounting bolts, an elongated support bracket for attachment to a floor, said floor mounted bracket having a slotted channel adapted to slidably retain the heads of mounting bolts, a plurality of mullions each of said mullions defining a channel portion and mounting flange portions, said mullions including a top portion attached at one end to the wall support bracket by said mounting bolt and projecting outwardly from said bracket, a bottom portion attached to the floor support bracket by said mounting bolt and oriented parallel to said top portion and a front mullion portion connecting the free ends of said top and bottom mullion portions to define an L-shaped frame, top and front enclosure panels, a plurality of battens, a plurality of spring clips carried by each batten and having leg portions adapted to be releasably retained in the channel defined by the mullions, mounting bolts carried by said floor mounted bracket, a plurality of angle plates associated with each anchor plate one of each pair of said anchor and angle plates having a vertical slot adapted to receive a mounting bolt and the other of said plates having an inclined slot to receive the same mounting bolt, said bolt and plates anchoring said bottom mullion portion to said floor bracket so that said mullion defined L-shaped frame can be adjustably located with respect to the floor and also serve to define a kick space between said bottom mullion portion and the floor.

11. In an enclosure as set forth in claim 10 wherein said floor mounted bracket is of L-shaped cross section having one leg portion adapted for attachment to the floor and an upstanding leg portion which has a front face defining said kick space as aforesaid and a rear face which defines a longitudinally extending channel for receiving said mounting bolts.

12. In an enclosure as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of said anchor plates comprises a rectangular flat plate which has its lower edge set in a groove defined for this purpose in the floor engaging leg of said L-shaped floor mounted bracket, each of said angle plates comprising an L-shaped plate with one leg connected to said mullion flanges and a depending leg abutting one of said anchor plates, and each mounting bolt serving to clamp said plates to the rear face of said floor mounted bracket.