CONNECTIONS BETWEEN METAL FRAMING MEMBERS
The present invention relates to metal framed wall components with self-locking connections having overlapping connections be metal framing components by using: lip notches, lip-flange notches, web flange notches, notched tabs extensions, hooked tongue connecting receiver slot holes of adjacent metal component, hook tongue with receiver slot holes & wall plate, flange notches, hook tongue with bent tongue at receiver slot hole, hole projections having notches for flange or lip notches, lip flange notches at projection notches, longitudinal ends of flanges or lips and hook fingers overlap hole edge along with an adjacent flamed component having a hook tongue extending into receiver slot hole, web flange receiver slot hole overlapping adjacent metal component with the web flange receiver slot holes connecting the support member hole bottom, side or top edges and by interchanging the metal framing components at the longitudinal ends all two adjacent metal wall components to interlock together. In addition some of the same metal components are installed with the flanges extending upward from the bottom edge or downward into the bottom edge. The metal framed members can be the full width of support or between only the side edges of the hole opening or installed in various widths to connect together. The wall components spanning between support members connected by holes from support members, hooked receivers, hooked tongues, hook finger ends from the wall components.
This application is a a continuous-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/449,250 filed Mar. 3, 2017 and this application claims priority to the following: continuous-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 16/195,847 filed Nov. 19, 2018 and; continuation-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/724,137 filed Nov. 3, 2017 that included provisional application US 62/485,114 filed Apr. 13, 2017 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/490,917 filed Apr. 27, 2017 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/533,092 filed Jul. 16, 2017 (now expired) and; continuous-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/430,781 filed Feb. 13, 2017 that included provisional application US 62/264,033 filed Jul. 15, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/274,134 filed Dec. 31, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/294,756 filed Feb. 12, 2016 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/298,782 filed Feb. 23, 2016 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/308,520 filed Mar. 15, 2016 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/345,153 filed Jun. 3, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/385,932 filed Sep. 9, 2016 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/339,434 filed Sep. 15, 2016 (now expired) and; continuation-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/295,172 dated Oct. 17, 2016 that included provisional application US 62/242,705 filed Oct. 16, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/244,135 filed Oct. 20, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/264,033 filed Dec. 7, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/274,134 filed Dec. 15, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/345,153 filed Mar. 6, 2016 (now expired) and; continuous-in-part of pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/090,460 filed Nov. 19, 2015 that included provisional application US 62/143,097 filed Apr. 4, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/208,766 filed Aug. 23, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/242,705 filed Nov. 16, 2015 (now expired) and; continuous-in-part of pending application U.S. Ser. No. 14/946,378 filed Mar. 3, 2015 and provisional application US 62/083,276 filed Nov. 23, 2014 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/139,913 filed Mar. 30, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/170,269 filed Jun. 15, 2015 (now expired) and; continuous-in-part pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/449,250 filed Mar. 3, 2017 that included provisional application US 61/629,044 filed Nov. 24, 2011 (now expired) and provisional application US 61/001,566 filed May 21, 2014 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/170,269 filed Jun. 3, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/175,195 filed Jun. 12, 2015 (now expired) and provisional application US 62/378,615 filed Aug. 23, 2016 (now expired) and the disclosures of the above cited US Patent Applications and US Provisional Applications of the Applicant, including all drawings and all the specifications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into this US Patent Application.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable
PARTIES OR JOINT RESEARCHNot applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to forming connections between metal framing members using self-locking connections between intersecting metal framing members having notches in support members and crossing members that connect together by using the notches and double notches to secure hook fingers, hook tongues and hook receivers with ledges and tabs to secure the crossing members together forming the self-locking connections.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONLight gauge metal framing have been used in the construction of buildings for many years, however interior and exterior metal framing has always been difficult to assemble as well as construct horizontal and diagonal bracing between support framing members because of the configuration of the support members like a C channel and poor energy efficient shear wall construction. The lip and flange of the C channel protrudes from the web making it difficult to make connections. When bracing members are installed between support members for additional strength, insulation became even more difficult to install as well as form a better insulated wall.
When assembling metal framed walls the vertical support members are not rigid until the bracing members or fasteners are added to help stabilize the support members from moving. In the past there have been attempts to stiffen support members by providing lateral bracing, drywall backing or bracing members between vertical support members.
The bracing members within the wall forming structure are generally required to connect support members together, however horizontal bracing members can be very long and next to impossible to connect horizontal bracing members to individual spacer blocks located between support members. In addition the bracing members are not used to form shear walls or diagonal framing with the walls or have the flexibility to form trusses having diagonally framing members.
Metal framing has developed computer systems to form pre-punched screw holes to designate how and where to install fasteners between metal framing. Different types of notches or shapes of bracing members have help speed up framing assembly. There have been no innovation developed allow metal framing to be connected without using fasteners and nothing has been developed where the spacer brace connects support members together using notches and ledges that form a self-lock connectors that fit together to form a fast an easy connection means to form metal framed wall panels without using fasteners at the support members. The unique wall construction allows wall panels to be fabricated quickly and easily without using fasteners thereby saving money in labor and material.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ARTThe horizontal and diagonal connections between metal support members do not form continuous bracing that interlocks between each other but rather are individual components. Individual mounting brackets are used to support trusses or horizontally brace support members. Many different shapes of horizontal bracing members are used to connect metal framing members together and include various grooves, tabs, bridging backing, notches to connect the metal framing members together. Some types of connections between support members use bent hooks, bent flanges, clamping tabs, anchoring hand rail system, adjustable braces or extended tabs to connect trusses. Existing bracing members do not connect support members together at corners, provide drywall backing and connect wall panels together. Different types of brackets, shapes, leg supporting connections and blocking are used to install support members together. Slotted holes at the top base plate have been used to compensate for vertical movement between vertical and horizontal support member. Spacer braces do use various types of clips with fasteners to interlock between support members to prevent vertical and horizontal movement. There is no prior art for U or W shaped clips with spacer braces to secure support members together. Some support members have been shown to have a rim around the hole for extra strength or to reduce thermal conductivity through the support member, but not used a part of a self-locking connector. Punch out tabs has been used as spacers or as tabs where the tabs have been used to support another object.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention disclosed how two adjacent spacer braces that span between support members intersect and connect at the hole of a support member. The spacer braces overlap each other at the longitudinal ends and their configurations are layered and connected upon each other while also being connected to the support member. The adjacent spacer braces can have the same configuration or different configurations. Sometimes the configurations like the U shaped spacer brace or the reverse lip spacer brace can appear similar, however when intersecting each other at the hole in the support members the size of the components such as the web, flanges and lips will vary in width in order for the spacer braces to fit together. In previous patent applications still pending use hole notches, double lips and double notches to connect the spacer braces to the holes at the support members. The notches in the spacer braces are shown to be only lip notches or lip flange notches. The longitudinal ends have the same end configurations or are different so as to overlap one another at the end configurations of the spacer brace. For example a notched tab end fits over or under an adjoining spacer brace having only lip notches; or a notched tab end connects to an adjoining spacer brace have a finger end with a tab: or a spacer brace having a finger end connected to an adjoining spacer brace having lip notches; or a spacer brace having lip notches and a receiver slot hole connected to an adjoining spacer brace having a hook tongue tor connection to the receiver slot hole; or the spacer braces can be reversed with the lips having lip notches engaging the notched tab extension; or the notched tab extension is inserted between the smaller sized hole attached to the larger sized hole; or the hook tongue can be oriented upwards for a supporting plate can secure two intersecting spacer braces; or flange notches secured at the hole bottom edge can be connected to the hooked tongue extending into the receiver slot hole; or protruding hole side edges having notches can secure a spacer brace with or without lips to the support member when the adjacent spacer brace has a hook tongue extending into the receiver slot hole; or hook fingers being extended into hole notches where the longitudinal ends of the flanges or longitudinal ends of the lips secure the hook finger of the spacer brace with the adjoining spacer brace being connected by a hook tongue extending into the receiver slot hole; or two adjoining spacer braces having a continuous web flange inserted into the hole bottom edge allowing one spacer brace to fit over an adjoining spacer brace either by altering the dimension of the upper and lower configurations or by having the hole bottom edge extend further into and through the upper spacer brace; or by adding web extensions at both ends where one end has a receiver hole and the opposing end has a hook tongue with an obstruction end to restrict vertical movement. The same configurations of overlapping a hook finger into a receiver slot hole can also be incorporated into full width spacer braces having the width equal the width of the support member. When the hole side edges have different orientations or angular sides the spacer brace configuration can be different as each flange can have a web-flange notch in each flange where the web-flange notch extends into the hole side edges and when the hole side edges have hole notches the spacer brace will also not have any horizontal and vertical movement. The layering of two adjoining spacer braces by overlapping the end configurations and installing hole notches at the sides or at the protrusions will eliminate the horizontal and vertical movement between spacer braces and the support members.
The description of the drawings and the description via the claims sound different, but the FIG's appear the same. At the end of the figure description is a figure table of contents noting the embodiments to a number. After that figure table of contents is a claim glossary of terms relating to the figure numbers. Since the spacer brace can be used in so many different configurations and orientations, but are installed the same, the interlocking connections need to be claimed in a different manner.
Some of the FIG's shown In the provisional application US 62/083,276 have been incorporated into this application shown in FIG's 5-15. Many different longitudinal overlapping end configurations from U shaped spacer braces 302 or reverse lip spacer braces 301 are shown where a first metal framing member end configuration is secured in a hole 36 of adjacent support members and a second metal framing member having the same or different end configuration overlaps the first metal framing member and secured to the first metal framing member and/or to the hole 36 of the support member.
FIG's 7, 8 & 15 shows an exploded view of a reverse lip spacer brace 301 shown in
FIG's 11 and 12 both show a U shape spacer brace 302 having a web 302a being support at the hole bottom edge 36be of a support member with flanges 302b extending upward where the web 302a. The right longitudinal end of the U shape spacer brace 302 shows a flange-web notch 126fw at the intersection of the web 302a and flange 302b forming a continuous notch between the web 302a and flange 302b.
FIG's 18-21 are similar to each other as two reverse lip spacer braces 301 each having a web 301a with the longitudinal side edges distal to the flanges 301b where the longitudinal edges of the flanges 301b have lip 301c extending outward away from the web 301a with the lips 301c have lip notches 126p extending inward toward the web 301a from the longitudinal edges of the lips 301c. The first reverse lip spacer brace 301 shown at the right side of the hole 36 with the right longitudinal end extending into the hole 36 engaging the hole side edges 36se at the lip notches 126p and where the web 301a and the flanges 301b have continuous flange-web notches 126fw. The flange-web notch 126fw engages the hole bottom edge 36be so the back edge of the flange-web notch 126fw at the flanges 301b is secured to the hole bottom edge 36be. When the second reverse lip spacer brace 301 has the right longitudinal end fit into the hole 36 the flange-web notch 126fw from the first reverse lip spacer brace 301 fits lower into the hole bottom edge 36be allowing the second reverse lip spacer brace 301 at the right longitudinal end to overlap the first reverse lip spacer brace 301 as shown in
FIG's 24-26 is shown in U.S. Ser. No. 15/090,460 were the reverse lip spacer brace 301 or the U shaped spacer brace 302 are braced on both sides of the web 42a of the support member. In
FIG's 27-29 correspond to FIG's 24-26, however the spacer braces are shown overlapping the ends of the adjacent spacer braces not the entire length of the adjacent spacer brace.
The present invention of the unique spacer braces are so versatile that the spacer brace allows for a much easier and quicker installation of metal framing walls, installing horizontal and diagonal lateral bracing or installing hold-down spacer bracing at floors, installing horizontal and diagonal braces between support members either between holes or at the flanges.
It is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact details of operation or structures shown and describing in the specification and drawings, since obvious modifications and equivalents will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The flexibility of the described invention is very versatile and can be used in many different types of building applications.
Claims
1. A metal framing element having a low oriented configuration longitudinal end and a higher oriented longitudinal end when connecting two adjacent metal framing supports together at the aperture opening at the support member by:
- a metal framing element having different longitudinal end profiles wherein one longitudinal end having a profile that lays below the higher profile allowing the higher profile to overlap a lower profile without altering the profile of said metal framing element and maintain the aperture bottom edge and side edge profile of said metal framing element and having;
- a longitudinal web having a front end and a back end with flanges extending the side edges of said web and downward to said aperture bottom edges with the said side edges of said flanges having lips extending into said aperture side edge for a continuous lip notch extends into a flange notch engaging said aperture side edges into said aperture bottom edges with the flange notches support at the aperture bottom edge for;
- a second metal framing element having an identical profile as said first metal framing element with the same profile to overlap said first metal framing element as said first framing element is below said aperture bottom edges with the said lips resting on the lips of said first metal framing element.
2. The metal framing element according to claim 1 wherein said continuous lip notch and flange notch engage additional metal framing support members between said longitudinal ends.
3. The metal framing element according to claim 1 wherein said aperture side edges have notches that align to said lip notches having the back edge of said lip notches overlap into said aperture side edge notches.
4. The metal framing element according to claim 3 wherein the second end of said metal framing element with said lips and said notches engage the aperture side edge notches and the first end of said metal framing element has said web with said extension and having notches and notched tabs with said notches extend into said aperture with said notched tabs extending around said aperture side edges into said aperture side edge notches with said second end extending into said aperture side edges before said first side with said lip notches overlaps said first end with said lip notches engage the aperture side edge notches.
5. The metal framing element according to claim 4 wherein the said longitudinal web having a web according to claim 1 wherein the web of said first metal framing element is supported at said aperture bottom edge with the flanges and lips extend away from said aperture bottom edge with an extension having notches that engage the aperture side edges and said flanges and said lips engage the opposing longitudinal end of said second metal framing element overlaps the extension with said notches and said web of said flanges and said lip with notches engage said aperture side edges.
6. The metal framing element according to claim 4 where the said lips of said first metal framing element is supported first at said aperture bottom edge with the said flanges and said web extend away from the aperture bottom edge with an extension having notches that engage the aperture side edges and said flanges and said lips engage the opposing longitudinal end of said second metal framing element overlaps the extension with side notches and said web of said flanges and said lip with notches engage said aperture side edges T/aim 4 in reverse upside down
7. The metal framing element according to claim 4 wherein said extension having notches extends at both said longitudinal ends with the end edge of one said notch extends over said aperture to the opposing side of said aperture for said second metal framing element having said extension with said notches overlap said first metal framing element having been previously secured in said aperture.
8. The metal framing element according to claim 5 wherein the web of said first metal framing element is supported at said aperture with the web having a web receiver indented from said aperture for the opposing end of the said second metal framing element having an extension of a hook tongue with said tongue being inserted into said web receiver with the tongue end having a larger configuration than said web receiver to restrict vertical and horizontal movement of said tongue into said web receiver.
9. A metal framing element having a low oriented configuration longitudinal end and a higher oriented longitudinal end when connecting two adjacent metal framing supports together at the aperture opening at the support member by:
- a metal framing element having different longitudinal end profiles wherein one longitudinal end having a profile that lays below the higher profile allowing the higher profile to overlap a lower profile by altering a smaller profile to overlap and fit into a larger profile said adjoining metal framing element and maintain the lip notches into said aperture and having the longitudinal webs abut the said higher profile and said lower profile of said metal framing elements and having;
- a larger profile metal framing element having a longitudinal web with the side edges of said web attached to longitudinal flanges with a notch being continuous through the web extending into said flanges at said web side edges indented from the longitudinal ends of said flanges and said web for;
- a smaller profile metal framing element having a longitudinal web with the side edges of said web attached to longitudinal flanges with a notch being continuous through the web extending into said flanges at said web side edges indented from the longitudinal ends of said flanges and said web for:
- said larger profile metal framing element having said continuous web notch with said flange notches extend into the bottom edge of said aperture with said aperture extending through said larger profile metal framing element and continue with said bottom edge of said aperture in said smaller profile metal framing element interlocking said smaller and larger metal framing elements to said aperture of said metal framing support member.
10. The metal framing element according to claim 9 wherein the bottom edge of said aperture extends through said larger profile of said metal framing element in said smaller profile of said metal framing element for said bottom edge is long enough to said bottom edge to be wider than said smaller profile of said metal framing element.
11. A metal framing element having a low oriented configuration longitudinal end and a higher oriented longitudinal end when connecting two adjacent metal framing supports together at the aperture opening at the support member by:
- a metal framing element having different longitudinal end profiles wherein one longitudinal end having a profile that lays below the higher profile allowing the higher profile to overlap a lower profile by altering a smaller profile to overlap and fit into a larger profile said adjoining metal framing element and maintain the lip notches into said aperture and having the longitudinal webs abut the said higher profile and said lower profile of said metal framing elements and having;
- a larger profile metal framing element having a longitudinal web with the side edges of said web attached to longitudinal flanges with a continuous lip extending from the distal end of said flanges having notches indented from the side edges of said lip having notches indented from the side edges of said lip with the said notches at the said lip being indented from the longitudinal ends of said lips;
- a smaller profile metal framing element having a longitudinal web with the side edges of said web attached to longitudinal flanges with continuous lips extending from the distal end of said flanges having notches indented from the side edges of said lip with the said notches at the said lip being indented from the longitudinal ends of said lips; and where
- said web of said larger profile being installed over said aperture bottom edge with metal framing element having said web with said flanges and said lips having notches overlap said larger profile with the said lips with said notches resting on the said lips of said larger profile metal framing element engaging the aperture side edges.
12. The metal framing element according to claim 10 wherein the said lips with notches do not extend into said flanges when the width of said web of said smaller profile metal framing element has a narrow width and said flanges have a wider width and said lips have a wider width for said smaller profile metal framing element to extend over s13. said flanges and said lips of said larger profile metal framing element.
13. The metal framing element according to claim 10 wherein the said lips with notches do not extend into said flanges when the width of said web being wider than said web of said larger profile and the width of said flanges of said smaller profile metal framing element having said shorter width flange and the said width of said lips being shorter than the said larger profile metal framing element for said smaller profile metal framing element overlaps said larger profile metal framing element with said lips having notches engage said aperture at said side edge.
14. The metal framing element according to claim 13 wherein the said lips with notches from said smaller profile extend into notches at said aperture side edges with said larger profile metal framing element fitting below said smaller profile metal framing element.
15. The metal framing element according to claim 14 wherein the said lips with notches from said larger profile metal framing element and said smaller profile metal framing element have their respective said notches of said lips engage into the same aperture having notches at said side edges forming a double height notch at said aperture side edges connecting two adjacent said smaller profile metal framing elements and said larger profile metal framing elements together as said double height notch.
16. The metal framing element according to claim 11 wherein said lips with notches extending into said flanges forming a continuous lip flange-lip notch with said larger profile metal framing element has the said web installed over said aperture bottom edge with said flange-lip notch engaging said aperture side edges for said smaller profile metal framing element engaging into said larger profile metal framing element for said smaller profile metal framing element to rest upon said larger metal framing element.
17. A structural framing system, comprising:
- a longitudinal spacing-bracing member comprising a web lying in a plane, said web having a first side and a second side opposite said first side, a first longitudinal wall connected to said first side of said web and a second longitudinal wall connected to said second side of said web, a first end and a second end;
- said web, said first longitudinal wall and said second longitudinal wall forming a channel, a first lip connected to an edge of said first longitudinal wall distal with respect to said web, a second lip connected to an edge of said second longitudinal wall distal with respect to said web, said first lip and said second lip extending in substantially opposite directions, said first lip and said second lip each comprising a pair of notches at said first end with an opposing pair of said notches at said second end of said spacing-bracing member, said notches extending toward engaging the longitudinal axis of said web;
- a first structural member and a second structural member substantially identical to said first structural member, each said structural member having a web and flanges, each said structural member having an aperture having a bottom edge, side edges and a top edge extending through said respective webs, said apertures being defined by a perimeter, whereby said notches at said first end and at said second end are configured to engage a respective one of said perimeters forming a connection among said longitudinal spacing-bracing member, said first structural member and said second structural member with said notches indented from said first end and said second end engaging said apertures in said first structural member and said second structural member.
18. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said first longitudinal wall and said second longitudinal wall extend away from each other and each wall extends from said web of said longitudinal spacing-bracing member greater than 90 degrees.
19. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said notches from said first lip extend into said first longitudinal wall and said notches from said second lip extend into said second longitudinal wall to said web.
20. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said longitudinal spacing bracing member has said first side of said web on said bottom edge of said aperture of said first structural member with said second end extending on said bottom edge of said aperture in said second structural member with said pair of notches of said lips engaging the side edges of said aperture in said first structural framing member and said second structural member.
21. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said longitudinal spacing-bracing member has said first end of said longitudinal spacing-bracing member has said first side of said web rest on said bottom edge of said aperture with said web of said second end rests upon a bracing member already being occupied at said bottom edge of said aperture of said second structural member with said pair of notches of said lips engaging the side edges of said apertures in said first structural framing member and said second structural member.
22. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said longitudinal spacing bracing member has said first end with said lips resting on said bottom edge of said aperture of said first structural member with said notches engaging said side edges of said aperture for the second end of said longitudinal spacing bracing member with said lips resting said bottom edge of said aperture of said second structural member.
23. The structural framing system according to claim 22 wherein said longitudinal spacing bracing member has said first end with said lips resting on said bottom edge of said aperture of said first structural member with said notches engaging said side edges of said aperture for the second end of said longitudinal spacing bracing member with said lips resting upon a bracing member already being occupied at said bottom edge of said aperture of said second structural member with said pair of notches of said lips engaging the side edges of said apertures of said second structural member.
24. The structural framing system according to claim 22 wherein said longitudinal spacing bracing member has said first end with said notches from extending into said first and second longitudinal walls with said notch edges from said first and second longitudinal walls resting on said bottom edge of said aperture of said first structural member with said notches for the second end with said notches from said first and second longitudinal walls rest on said bottom edge of said aperture of said second structural member.
25. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein said notches at said lips have a flared edge on at least one side of said notches.
26. The structural framing system according to claim 17 wherein the ridges extending thru having ridge extending from said first side and said second side of said web.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 22, 2018
Publication Date: Oct 3, 2019
Inventor: Dennis LeBlang (Desert Hot Springs, CA)
Application Number: 16/198,831