Patents by Inventor Steven E. Pryor

Steven E. Pryor has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12276100
    Abstract: A connector referred to herein as a knife plate, and the structural connections formed using the knife plate. The knife plate may have a first portion configured to affix to a first structural member, such as a vertical column. The knife plate may have a second portion configured to fit within a slot formed in a second structural member, such as a horizontal beam. The second structural member may be pinned to the knife plate using one or more dowels fit through the second structural member and the knife plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Patent number: 11987972
    Abstract: A moment frame is disclosed for a sloped roof construction. The moment frame includes a lateral bracing system having a high initial stiffness and including yield links capable of effectively dissipating energy generated within the lateral bracing system under lateral loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Publication number: 20240116207
    Abstract: A sealant spreader device fills voids around a drilled hole with sealant in glued-in-rod (GIR) structures. A liquid sealant may be applied to the base of a drilled hole. A sealant spreader device is then inserted to the base of the drilled hole, through the sealant. The sealant spreader device is then withdrawn while rotating. The sealant spreader device includes winged sections having contours which force the sealant radially outward toward walls of the hole, into any voids around the circumference of the drilled hole, and leaves a thin layer of sealant around the circumference of the drilled hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Emory L. Montague, Guy T. Anderson, Quentin Hibben, Corey Clark, Marlou Rodriguez, Randy Daudet, Robert Leichti, Paul McEntee, Michael Wesson, Donald Weems, Von Yang
  • Patent number: 11795721
    Abstract: A structural fuse is disclosed including a fuse base and a fuse plate extending from the fuse base. The fuse plate may include a reduced diameter yield section configured to yield at loads on the structural fuse above a threshold. The reduced diameter yield section includes a pair of slots on either side of the yield section, which slots receive a pair of spacers. The spacers are integrally formed as part of the fuse plate, and remain attached to the fuse plate during fabrication of the structural fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi, Samuel T. Hensen
  • Publication number: 20220314485
    Abstract: A glued-in-rod wooden structure includes a prepared hole for sealing voids which may be open to the prepared hole. In one example, the prepared hole is filled with an expanding foam which at least partially fills and seals the voids open to the prepared hole. Thereafter, the prepared hole may be enlarged by drilling to its final diameter for receiving the rod. Any voids in the enlarged hole remain sealed by the expanding foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Emory L. Montague, Guy T. Anderson, Quentin Hibben, Corey Clark, Marlou Rodriguez, Randy Daudet, Robert Leichti, Paul McEntee
  • Patent number: 11447970
    Abstract: A pinned base connector affixing a structural member to a foundation at one or more levels of a construction. The pinned base connector includes a baseplate affixed to the foundation. A column support plate is affixed to the baseplate via a pivot block. The pivot block is affixed to the baseplate to allow rotation of the pivot block relative to the baseplate about a first axis. The column support plate is affixed to the pivot block to allow rotation of the column support plate relative to the pivot block about a second axis orthogonal to the first. A column or other structural member may then be affixed to a surface of the column support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Publication number: 20220259844
    Abstract: A moment frame is disclosed for a sloped roof construction. The moment frame includes a lateral bracing system having a high initial stiffness and including yield links capable of effectively dissipating energy generated within the lateral bracing system under lateral loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Patent number: 11401709
    Abstract: A sheet metal connector is provided for connecting a brick wall to a second structural member, the connector is received in the mortar joint of the brick wall and is connected to second structural member. The connector is provided with zones of controlled bending and controlled stiffness to allow for controlled bending of the connector in the field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Inventors: Timothy M. Stauffer, Gary Lee Mochizuki, Steven E. Pryor, Benedict Ang, Jin-Jie Lin, Paul Howard Oellerich
  • Patent number: 11346102
    Abstract: A lateral bracing system having high initial stiffness and including yield links capable of effectively dissipating stresses generated within the lateral bracing system under lateral loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Guy T. Anderson
  • Patent number: 11299880
    Abstract: A lateral bracing system is disclosed for affixing a column to a beam in a construction. The lateral bracing system includes a pair of buckling restraint plates, one each affixed to a top and bottom flange of a beam. The lateral bracing system further includes at least one yield plate for each buckling restraint plate. Each yield plate includes a first end affixed to the column, and a second end affixed to the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Badri Hiriyur
  • Publication number: 20220042272
    Abstract: A pinned base connector affixing a structural member to a foundation at one or more levels of a construction. The pinned base connector includes a baseplate affixed to the foundation. A column support plate is affixed to the baseplate via a pivot block. The pivot block is affixed to the baseplate to allow rotation of the pivot block relative to the baseplate about a first axis. The column support plate is affixed to the pivot block to allow rotation of the column support plate relative to the pivot block about a second axis orthogonal to the first. A column or other structural member may then be affixed to a surface of the column support plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Publication number: 20220010547
    Abstract: A connector referred to herein as a knife plate, and the structural connections formed using the knife plate. The knife plate may have a first portion configured to affix to a first structural member, such as a vertical column. The knife plate may have a second portion configured to fit within a slot formed in a second structural member, such as a horizontal beam. The second structural member may be pinned to the knife plate using one or more dowels fit through the second structural member and the knife plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Patent number: 11203870
    Abstract: A one-piece structural fuse assembly is disclosed that is formed from a single piece of structural steel such as a beam. In embodiments, a first flange of the beam may form the fuse base, and a portion of the web of the beam may form the fuse plate. Additionally, a buckling restraint plate of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a second flange of the beam, and the spacers of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a portion of the web unused by the fuse plate. In examples, all of the components cut from the single piece of the beam are used in a single structural fuse assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi
  • Publication number: 20210348414
    Abstract: A structural fuse is disclosed including a fuse base and a fuse plate extending from the fuse base. The fuse plate may include a reduced diameter yield section configured to yield at loads on the structural fuse above a threshold. The reduced diameter yield section includes a pair of slots on either side of the yield section, which slots receive a pair of spacers. The spacers are integrally formed as part of the fuse plate, and remain attached to the fuse plate during fabrication of the structural fuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi, Samuel T. Hensen
  • Patent number: 11162260
    Abstract: A construction formed of column and a beam, where the beam has top and bottom flanges coupled to the column by a lateral bracing system, and a web between the top and bottom flanges. The lateral bracing system may include a column-mounted plate including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the vertical portion affixed to the column. The beam may be coped at top and bottom edges of the web to prevent binding of the beam flange with the column-mounted plate upon rotation of the beam relative to the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Pryor
  • Patent number: 11072938
    Abstract: A structural fuse is disclosed including a fuse base and a fuse plate extending from the fuse base. The fuse plate may include a reduced diameter yield section configured to yield at loads on the structural fuse above a threshold. The reduced diameter yield section includes a pair of slots on either side of the yield section, which slots receive a pair of spacers. The spacers are integrally formed as part of the fuse plate, and remain attached to the fuse plate during fabrication of the structural fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi, Samuel T. Hensen
  • Publication number: 20210222429
    Abstract: A lateral bracing system having high initial stiffness and including yield links capable of effectively dissipating stresses generated within the lateral bracing system under lateral loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Guy T. Anderson
  • Publication number: 20210079681
    Abstract: A structural fuse is disclosed including a fuse base and a fuse plate extending from the fuse base. The fuse plate may include a reduced diameter yield section configured to yield at loads on the structural fuse above a threshold. The reduced diameter yield section includes a pair of slots on either side of the yield section, which slots receive a pair of spacers. The spacers are integrally formed as part of the fuse plate, and remain attached to the fuse plate during fabrication of the structural fuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi, Samuel T. Hensen
  • Publication number: 20200291653
    Abstract: A one-piece structural fuse assembly is disclosed that is formed from a single piece of structural steel such as a beam. In embodiments, a first flange of the beam may form the fuse base, and a portion of the web of the beam may form the fuse plate. Additionally, a buckling restraint plate of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a second flange of the beam, and the spacers of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a portion of the web unused by the fuse plate. In examples, all of the components cut from the single piece of the beam are used in a single structural fuse assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi
  • Patent number: 10669718
    Abstract: A one-piece structural fuse assembly is disclosed that is formed from a single piece of structural steel such as a beam. In embodiments, a first flange of the beam may form the fuse base, and a portion of the web of the beam may form the fuse plate. Additionally, a buckling restraint plate of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a second flange of the beam, and the spacers of the structural fuse assembly may be formed from a portion of the web unused by the fuse plate. In examples, all of the components cut from the single piece of the beam are used in a single structural fuse assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. Pryor, Timothy S. Ellis, Brandon Y. Chi