Zillman, Richard (44 Brodie Street, Holland Park, QLD 4121, AU)
| 1. | An accessory for building, the accessory including a support structure that is configured to engage and support one end portion of an elongate building element, used to support structural elements of a structural assembly, in a predetermined position with respect to the structural assembly; and a mounting means arranged on the support structure to permit the support structure to be mounted on the structural assembly. |
| 2. | An accessory as claimed in claim 1 , which includes a fastening means arranged on the support structure to permit the end portion of the building element to be fastened to the support structure, such that the building element spans a structural opening defined by the structural assembly. |
| 3. | An accessory as claimed in claim 2, in which the support structure includes a top wall, a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and an end wall, the end portion of the elongate building element being receivable within the walls. |
| 4. | An accessory as claimed in claim 3, in which the fastening means includes at least one clamp engaged with the bottom wall to clamp the building element against the top wall. |
| 5. | An accessory as claimed in claim 4, in which the, or each, clamp includes a threaded shaft that is threaded through the bottom wall, a handle on an outer end of the shaft and a bearing plate on an inner end of the shaft. |
| 6. | An accessory as claimed in claim 1 , in which the mounting means includes a mounting member that is connected to an outer side of the end wall, the mounting member having a connecting plate that is receivable between a pair of building blocks of the structural assembly. |
| 7. | An accessory as claimed in claim 6, in which a mounting plate extends substantially at right angles to the connecting plate and is detachably fastened to the end wall. |
| 8. | An accessory as claimed in claim 7, in which the mounting means includes an adjustment means to permit the mounting plate to be adjustable relative to the end wall of the receptacle to cater for relative positions of said building blocks. |
| 9. | An accessory as claimed in claim 8, in which the mounting means includes at least two sets of openings defined in the mounting plate, the openings of each set being horizontally aligned, in use, and at least one set of complementary openings in the end wall that can be aligned with either of the sets of the openings in the mounting plate, such that suitable fasteners can be received through the openings to fasten the mounting plate to the end wall. |
| 10. | An accessory as claimed in claim 9, in which the mounting plate is detachable from the end wall to be rotated through 180 degrees, thereby amplifying the level of adjustability. |
| 11. | An accessory as claimed in claim 6, in which the connecting plate and the support structure are unitary. |
| 12. | An accessory as claimed in claim 11, in which the connecting plate is in a predetermined position on the end wall, depending on the application of the accessory. |
| 13. | An accessory as claimed in claim 11 , in which the support structure and the connecting plate are a single moulding. |
| 14. | An accessory for building, the accessory including a support structure that is configured to engage and support one end portion of an elongate building element, used to support structural elements of a structural assembly, in a predetermined position with respect to the structural assembly; a mounting member fast with the support structure and configured to engage the structural assembly; and a fastener arranged on the support structure to fasten the elongate building element to the support structure, such that the support element spans a structural opening defined by the structural assembly. |
| 15. | A method of building, the method including the steps of: mounting a pair of accessories, each accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, on a structural assembly such that the accessories are substantially horizontally aligned on opposite sides of a structural opening defined by the structural assembly; positioning each end portion of an elongate building element within the walls of respective support structures; and forming a further structural assembly on the elongate building element. |
| 16. | A method as claimed in claim 15, which includes the step of removing the accessories from the structural assembly once the further structural assembly has formed. DATED THIS 4th DAY OF OCTOBER 2005 BY MY PATENT ATTORNEYS EAGAR & BUCK. |
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a building accessory. More particularly, this invention relates to a building accessory for providing a support for structural elements above a structural opening.
Background of the Invention In building and in particular commercial building, it is often necessary to support structural elements above a structural opening while a cementitious material sets. The structural elements are often concrete blocks, while the cementitious material is mortar or the like.
At present, a length of steel is often used to support the blocks. Each end of the length of steel is fixed between two blocks and spans the structural opening. A course of blocks can then be laid over the length of steel. Once the mortar has set, the steel is removed.
Applicant has found that it is costly to leave the length of steel in place. If the steel is not left in place, it is often inconvenient to source further lengths when required. It will be appreciated that different lengths would be required for differently sized openings. An attempt has been made to address this problem by providing a length of steel which is telescopically adjustable. However, such a device is costly due to the amount of steel required.
Building sites often have lumber that is generally available for various tasks. The lumber is both cheap and readily available. Applicant has determined that it would be convenient and cost effective to use the lumber instead of sourcing lengths of steel. Applicant has conceived the present invention to make use of the availability of lumber. It is however to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to use with
lumber and can be used with any length of material having sufficient strength to support structural elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an accessory for building, the accessory including a support structure that is configured to engage and support one end portion of an elongate building element, used to support structural elements of a structural assembly, in a predetermined position with respect to the structural assembly; and a mounting means arranged on the support structure to permit the support structure to be mounted on the structural assembly.
The accessory may include a fastening means arranged on the support structure to permit the end portion of the building element to be fastened to the support structure, such that the building element spans a structural opening defined by the structural assembly.
The support structure may include a top wall, a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and an end wall, the end portion of the elongate building element being receivable within the walls.
The fastening means may include at least one clamp engaged with the bottom wall to clamp the building element against the top wall. The, or each, clamp may include a threaded shaft that is threaded through the bottom wall, a handle on an outer end of the shaft and a bearing plate on an inner end of the shaft.
The mounting means may include a mounting member that is connected to an outer side of the end wall, the mounting member having a connecting plate that is receivable between a pair of building blocks of the structural assembly.
A mounting plate may extend substantially at right angles to the connecting plate and may be detachably fastened to the end wall. The mounting means may include an
adjustment means to permit the mounting plate to be adjustable relative to the end wall of the receptacle to cater for relative positions of said building blocks. The mounting means may include at least two sets of openings defined in the mounting plate, the openings of each set being horizontally aligned, in use, and at least one set of complementary openings in the end wall that can be aligned with either of the sets of the openings in the mounting plate, such that suitable fasteners can be received through the openings to fasten the mounting plate to the end wall.
The mounting plate may be detachable from the end wall to be rotated through 180 degrees, thereby amplifying the level of adjustability.
Instead, the connecting plate and the support structure may be unitary. The connecting plate may be in a predetermined position on the end wall, depending on the application of the accessory. The support structure and the connecting plate may be a single moulding.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an accessory for building, the accessory including a support structure that is configured to engage and support one end portion of an elongate building element, used to support structural elements of a structural assembly, in a predetermined position with respect to the structural assembly; a mounting member fast with the support structure and configured to engage the structural assembly; and a fastener arranged on the support structure to fasten the elongate building element to the support structure, such that the support element spans a structural opening defined by the structural assembly.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of building, the method including the steps of: mounting a pair of accessories, each accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, on a structural assembly such that the accessories are
substantially horizontally aligned on opposite sides of a structural opening defined by the structural assembly; positioning each end portion of an elongate building element within the walls of respective support structures; and forming a further structural assembly on the elongate building element.
The method may include the step of removing the accessories from the structural assembly once the further structural assembly has formed.
The invention is now described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is intended to disclose the best manner of performing the invention known to the Applicant. As such, the following description is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims or the above paragraphs in any way.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
In the drawings:
Figure 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of a building accessory, in accordance with the invention.
Figure 2 shows an end view of the accessory of Figure 1 in one application.
Figure 3 shows an end view of the building accessory of Figure 1 in another application.
Figure 4 shows a further end view of the building accessory of Figure 1.
Figure 5 shows a detailed view of an adjustment means of the accessory of Figure 1.
Figure 6 shows a top plan view of a support structure of a second embodiment of a building accessory, in accordance with the invention.
Figure 7 shows a side view of the support structure of Figure 6.
Figure 8 shows a front view of the support structure of Figure 6.
Figure 9 shows a bottom plan view of the support structure of Figure 6.
Figure 10 shows a top three-dimensional view of the support structure of Figure 6.
Figure 11 shows a bottom three-dimensional view of the support structure of Figure 6.
Figure 12 shows a front view of the second embodiment of the building accessory.
Figure 13 shows a side view of the building accessory of Figure 12.
Figure 14 shows a top three dimensional view of the building accessory of Figure 12.
Figure 15 shows a side view of two of the building accessories of Figure 12 in use.
Figure 16 shows a three-dimensional view of the building accessories of Figure 15.
Figure 17 shows a top plan view of a support structure of a third embodiment of a building accessory, in accordance with the invention.
Figure 18 shows a side view of the support structure of Figure 17.
Figure 19 shows a front view of the support structure of Figure 17.
Figure 20 shows a bottom plan view of the support structure of Figure 17.
Figure 21 shows a top three-dimensional view of the support structure of Figure 17.
Figure 22 shows a bottom three-dimensional view of the support structure of Figure 17.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a first embodiment of a building accessory, in accordance with the invention.
In this example, the accessory 10 is part of a temporary support assembly for providing temporary support for structural elements above a structural opening.
The accessory 10 includes a support structure 12. One end portion 14 of a building element in the form of a length of lumber 16 is received in the support structure 12.
The support structure 12 includes a top wall 18, a bottom wall 20, a side wall 21 and an end wall 22. Conveniently, the top wall 18, the bottom wall 20 and the side wall 21 can all be defined by a length of channel member. The end wall 22 can be defined by a plate welded to one end of the length of channel member. Alternatively, the support structure 12 is a steel casting.
The accessory 10 includes a fastening means in the form of a pair of clamp members 24 that are threadedly received through the bottom wall 20. Each clamp member 24 includes a threaded shaft 26. A pair of nuts 28 is fast with the bottom wall 20 in register with passages 30 so that the threaded shafts 26 can engage the bottom wall 20.
A handle 32 is fast with an outer end of each shaft 26. A bearing plate 34 is fast with an inner end of each shaft 26. Thus, when the handle 32 is rotated, the lumber 16 is either driven against the top wall 18 to be secured in position, or is released so that it can be removed from the support structure 12. It will readily be appreciated that the lumber 16 can be a range of thicknesses. Thus, a suitable length of the lumber 16 can readily be sourced, in some cases, on the building site.
The accessory 10 includes a mounting means 36 for mounting the receptacle 12 to a structural assembly indicated generally at 38. In this particular example, the structural assembly 38 includes a number of structural elements in the form of building blocks 40 that are cemented together. The mounting means 36 includes a mounting member 42 that is connected to the end wall 22. The mounting member 42 has a connecting plate 44 that is received between a pair of the building blocks 40, during construction. A mounting plate 46 extends substantially at right angles to the connecting plate 44 and is fastenable to the end wall 22.
The mounting means 36 includes an adjustment means 48 to permit the mounting plate 46 to be adjusted relative to the end wall 22. The adjustment means 48 includes two pairs of openings 50 in the end wall 22 and two pairs of complementary openings 52 in the mounting plate 46. In particular, the end wall 22 has an upper pair of horizontally aligned openings 50.1 and a lower pair of horizontally aligned openings 50.2. Similarly, the mounting plate 46 has an upper pair of horizontally aligned openings 52.1 and a lower pair of horizontally aligned openings 52.2. The openings 50, 52 are configured so that any pair 50 in the end wall 22 can be aligned with any pair 52 in the mounting plate 46.
The adjustment means 48 includes a pair of fasteners in the form of nut and bolt combinations 54 that are received through either of the two pairs of aligned openings 50, 52, depending on the position of the mounting member 42. It will thus be appreciated that the position of the support structure 12 can be adjusted to suit a relative position of the building blocks 40.
As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the mounting member 42 can be detached from the end wall 22 and rotated through 180 degrees if necessary. It will be appreciated that this enhances the adjustability of the mounting member 42.
Dimensions of the mounting member 42 and the spacing of the openings 50, 52 can be selected to suit local building requirements. Furthermore, there may be a series of
pairs of openings in one or both the mounting plate 46 and the end wall 22, further to enhance the adjustability of the mounting member 42.
As can be seen in Figure 5, each bolt 56 of the nut and bolt combinations 54 is spring-mounted on the mounting plate 46. Thus, a user can displace the bolts 56 away from the mounting plate 46, out of the openings 50, while the user adjusts the position of the mounting plate 46 as shown by the vertical arrow 58. The bolts 56 can, under action of a spring 60, move back through the openings 50 when the mounting member 42 is in the correct position. Movement of the bolts 56 is indicated by the horizontal arrow 64. Nuts 62 can then be screwed onto the bolts 56 to secure the mounting member 42 in position.
In use, two of the accessories 10 are fastened in the manner described above to the structural assembly 38 to be positioned opposite each other. The end portions 14 of the length of lumber 16 are then positioned in respective support structures 12 and fastened in position as described above. Structural elements are then laid on the length 16, which supports the structural elements while the mortar sets. Once the structural elements are securely in position, the accessories 10 and the lumber 16 are removed for re-use.
In Figures 6 to 11 , reference numeral 70 indicates a support structure of a second embodiment of an accessory, in accordance with the invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 72 in Figures 12 to 16. With reference to Figures 1 to 6, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified.
Instead of the discrete mounting means 36, the support structure 70 includes a connecting plate 74 as an integral component that extends from the end wall 22. In this embodiment, the connecting plate 74 is aligned with the top wall 18. Otherwise, the connecting plate 74 serves the same purpose as the connecting plate 44.
Furthermore, the support structure 70 includes a pair of opposed sidewalls 21 , one of which defines an opening 79 to permit access to the length of lumber 16 so that it
can be removed from the support structure 70. A region 78 is defined between the sidewails 21 in which the end portion 14 of the length of lumber 16 is received.
A pair of gussets 80 is interposed between the bottom wall 20 and the end wall 22 for reinforcement purposes.
In this embodiment, the support structure 70 is in the form of a moulding. Preferably, the support structure 70 is a moulding of a plastics material. The plastics material can be reinforced. Suitable plastics materials could be HDPE and polypropylene. Instead, the support structure 70 is a steel casting.
As can be seen in Figures 12 to 14, the building accessory 72 includes a single clamp member 82.
In Figures 15 and 16, a pair of the building accessories 72 is shown, in use. As is clear, the manner of use is the same as that of a pair of the accessories 10. As can be seen, the opening 79 of one of the building accessories 72 is visible in the sidewall 21 , while the other is not. The reason for this is to allow for a single die to be used to cast both accessories 72. In other words, the accessories 72 are identical and are not mirror images of each other.
In Figures 17 to 22, reference numeral 90 generally indicates a support structure of a third embodiment of a building accessory, in accordance with the invention. With reference to Figures 1 to 16, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified.
The support structure 90 is substantially the same as the support structure 70. However, in this embodiment, a connecting plate 92 extends from a predetermined position intermediate the top and bottom walls 18, 20. In particular, the connecting plate extends from a position approximately two thirds operatively down a length of the end wall 22. Otherwise, the connecting plate 92 serves the same purpose as the connecting plate 44.
It will be appreciated that the support structures 70, 90 are interchangeable depending on the particular application. It will also be appreciated that further support structures having connecting plates in predetermined positions can be supplied for different applications.
Applicant believes that the invention provides a means whereby readily available lengths of material, such as lumber, can be used to support structural elements that define a structural opening during construction. This is enhanced by the fact that the accessory 10 caters for different thicknesses of support element. Thus, the need for customised lengths of steel or expensive devices such as telescopic support members is obviated.
In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.
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