Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – With adjunctive means for assembly or disassembly – Removable prop or brace combined with structure component
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-31
2001-04-10
Johnson, Blair M. (Department: 3634)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
With adjunctive means for assembly or disassembly
Removable prop or brace combined with structure component
C248S354300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212830
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention involves an adjustable strut adapted to support floor joists and other floor structures of a premanufactured building structure. More particularly, the invention is an adjustable strut for placement in a sloped attitude extending laterally and upwardly from an I-beam horizontal support and a floor joist or other floor structure that is supported directly on the I-beam, so as to stabilize the portion of the floor structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the production of inexpensive, premanufactured (hereinafter “manufactured”) building structures, such as “mobile homes,” it is desirable to utilize a pair of horizontally oriented, parallel I-beams as the base support for the structure, with the floor joist and other floor components being supported by the I-beams. With this arrangement, the floor joists extend laterally across the I-beams, with opposed ends of the floor joists extending beyond the I-beam in a cantilever arrangement, in that they overhang the I-beams.
One of the problems of this type of construction is that heavy loads are sometimes placed on the cantilevered portions of the floor structures, and the structures tend to slightly sag or give during normal wear and tear. For example, the floor structure at the entrance of a manufactured home which bears the repeated application of the weight of the people entering and exiting the home might need additional support to stabilize this area of the structure. In some instances, the placement of a heavy appliance or other spot loads are likely to need additional support in the floor structure.
While the joists utilized to form the manufactured home can be increased in size or number to accommodate the heavier and more frequent application of loads, it is considered wasteful to form the entire floor structure with an additional load-bearing capacity in order to accommodate the application of these loads at only a few locations about the entire structure.
Accordingly, diagonal struts have been utilized to support the cantilevered portions of a manufactured home. Typically, one end of a strut would be fastened to the cantilevered end portion of a floor joist, the strut would extend at a downwardly sloped angle to the lower flange of an I-beam, and engage the I-beam at the intersection of its lower flange and its central web. The strut would rely upon frictional engagement with the I-beam to remain in place.
More recently, an adjustable length strut has been developed which includes as its main body portion a cylindrical pipe section, with an adjustable nut and a threaded rod attached to the lower end for bearing against the I-beam and a thrust bracket connected to the upper end of the pipe for connection by means of screws or spikes to the floor joist. While this type of cylindrical pipe structure is adjustable and, therefore, an improvement over some of the prior art struts used for this purpose, the production of such a floor joist is expensive because it requires several parts, and the connection between the strut and the I-beam appears to be less than secure. Also, it is impossible to view the inside of the cylindrical pipe in order to determine the amount of the threaded rod that projects into the pipe or to determine the secure connection between the thrust bracket and the pipe, so that the installer or the maintenance person cannot be sure of proper mounting and maintenance of the product.
It is to these shortcomings that this invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises an adjustable strut for supporting the floor joists of a manufactured building structure. The strut includes a unitary elongated strut plate having opposed first and second end portions, with the first end portion formed in a rectilinear C-shaped in cross-section support tube defining a longitudinal axis, and the second end portion formed in a substantially flat mounting plate typically oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the support tube, for fastening to the floor joist. A rectilinear shaft having external helical threads formed along at least a portion of its length has a first end portion for biasing against the I-beam that supports the floor joist and a second end portion that is telescopically received in the support tube of the strut assembly. A threaded adjustment nut rotatably engages the external helical threads of the rectilinear shaft and is movable along the length of the shaft in response to rotation about the shaft, and the nut is of larger breadth than the breadth of the support tube of the strut plate, for bearing against the end of the support tube. The nut includes a helical thread or other projection allowing for a rotation and an axial movement with respect to the shaft. The distal end of the shaft is formed in a non-circular engagement surface for engaging an I-beam of the manufactured building structure at the intersection of the lower flange of the I-beam and the central web of the I-beam.
With this arrangement, the strut is oriented with its engagement surface engaging the I-beam at the intersection of the lower flange and the web of the I-beam, and the mounting plate is placed in abutment with the cantilevered end of a joist of the floor of the manufactured building structure. Connectors, such as screws or spikes, are driven through the mounting plate into the joist. The adjustment nut is then rotated about the rectilinear shaft to progressively force the distal end portion of the shaft out of the support tube for bearing against the I-beam, thereby applying a lifting force to the joist of the manufactured building structure. The engagement surface which is non-circular preferably is designed as a chisel end of the rectilinear shaft and the chisel end engages the crotch of the intersection between the lower flange and the central web of the I-beam, assuring that the rectilinear shaft does not rotate in response to rotating the adjustable nut.
With this arrangement, the C-shaped support tube allows the installer to visually locate the internal end of the rectilinear shaft which is located inside the support tube, so as to determine the amount of shaft available for movement out of the tube.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved adjustable length strut for supporting the cantilevered end of a floor joist of a building structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable length strut that is formed of a minimum number of parts and which provides the necessary strength for supporting an object and which provides a means for observing the amount of expansion length that remains available to the installer or maintenance person.
Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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“Adjustable Outrigger Installation Instructions”, Manufactured Housing Foundations Systems. No Date.
Johnson Blair M.
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley
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