Trapezoidal rib mounting bracket

• US 8,833,714 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RMH Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Dustin Marshall Marston Haddock, Robert M.M. Haddock
• Inventors: Haddock, Robert M. M., Haddock, Dustin Marshall Marston
• Primary Examiner(s): STERLING, AMY JO
• Application Number:
  US13/403,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20120267490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 248/237, 248/500, 248/505, 248/507, 527/10, 523/95, 524/66, 524/63, 524/69
• US Class Current: 248/237
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/02 for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/615 for fixing to protruding parts of buildings, e.g. to corrugations or to standing seams
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/636 clamping by screw-threaded elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/00 Supporting structures for PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/22 specially adapted for buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A mounting bracket (220) for a trapezoidal rib (204) is disclosed. The mounting bracket (220) includes an upper wall (224) in the form of a flat surface for supporting various types of attachments. An attachment may be secured relative to the mounting bracket (220) using a mounting hole (226) on the bracket upper wall (224). The bracket upper wall (224) is disposed above the trapezoidal rib (204) by a pair of rib offsetting members (246a/b) that are disposed within a hollow interior (248) of the mounting bracket (220), and that are seated on the upper wall (206) of the trapezoidal rib (204). A threaded fastener (114), engaged with the mounting hole (226) on the bracket upper wall (224) to secure an attachment relative to the mounting bracket (220), terminates within the hollow interior (248) of the mounting bracket (220).

Claims

1. An assembly, comprising:

a building surface defined by a plurality of assembled panels, wherein each panel of said plurality of panels comprises a trapezoidal rib with a hollow interior, wherein said plurality of panels comprises a first panel with a first trapezoidal rib, and wherein said first trapezoidal rib comprises a first hollow interior;

a mounting bracket positioned on said first trapezoidal rib, wherein said mounting bracket is of a one-piece construction and comprises;

an upper wall comprising a mounting hole;

first and second side legs that each extend downwardly from said upper wall in non-parallel relation to one another, said first side leg being disposed adjacent to a first side of said first trapezoidal rib and said second side leg being disposed adjacent to a second side of said first trapezoidal rib;

at least one hollow space between said first and second side legs, wherein at least part of said at least one hollow space is disposed directly beneath said upper wall;

at least one rib offsetting member that is disposed within said at least one hollow space, that extends from at least one of said first and second side legs, that is spaced from said upper wall, and that engages an upper rib wall of said first trapezoidal rib to offset said upper wall of said mounting bracket from said upper rib wall of said first trapezoidal rib;

a first fastener that extends through said first side leg of said mounting bracket, through said first side of said first trapezoidal rib, and terminates within said first hollow interior of said first trapezoidal rib; and

a second fastener that extends through said second side leg of said mounting bracket, through said second side of said first trapezoidal rib, and terminates within said first hollow interior of said first trapezoidal rib.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting hole is a slot that is elongated in a length dimension of said mounting bracket.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket comprises first and second open ends, wherein said upper wall extends between said first and second open ends, and wherein an entirety of said upper wall is in the form of a single flat surface that incorporates said mounting hole.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein said single flat surface of said upper wall has a perimeter that defines an area of at least 2.5 in.².

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein said single flat surface is the only external surface of said mounting bracket that faces in a first direction.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper wall defines an uppermost extreme of said mounting bracket when positioned on said first trapezoidal rib, wherein an entirety of said upper wall is in the form of a single flat surface that incorporates said mounting hole, and wherein said single flat surface has a perimeter that defines an area of at least 2.5 in.².

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said first and second side legs are the mirror image of one another.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of said first side leg comprises a first gasket pocket, and wherein an inner surface of said second side leg comprises a second gasket pocket.

9. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

a first gasket positioned within said first gasket pocket; and

a second gasket positioned within said second gasket pocket.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein said first gasket is confined within said first gasket pocket when said mounting bracket is installed on said first trapezoidal rib, and wherein said second gasket is confined within said second gasket pocket when said mounting bracket is installed on said first trapezoidal rib.

11. The assembly of claim 8, wherein said inner surface of each of said first and second side legs comprises first and second projections that are spaced from one another and that extend along an entire length of said mounting bracket, wherein said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg define said first gasket pocket, and wherein said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg define said second gasket pocket.

12. The assembly of claim 8, wherein said first side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said first gasket pocket, and wherein said second side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said second gasket pocket.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said first side leg comprises first and second fastener holes that intersect with said first gasket pocket, and wherein said second side leg comprises third and fourth fastener holes that intersect with said second gasket pocket.

14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one rib offsetting member comprises first and second rib offsetting members, wherein said first rib offsetting member extends from said first side leg toward, but not to, said second side leg, and wherein said second rib offsetting member extends from said second side leg toward, but not to, said first side leg.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein said least one hollow space comprises a first open space extending between said upper wall and said first and second rib offsetting members, a second open space defined by a space between said first and second rib offsetting members, and a third open space below said first and second rib offsetting members.

16. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an attachment; and

an attachment fastener that extends at least into said mounting hole on said upper wall of said mounting bracket, wherein said attachment is secured relative to said mounting bracket by said attachment fastener.

17. The assembly of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of each of said first and second side legs comprises first and second projections that are spaced from one another and that extend along at least a portion of a length of said mounting bracket, wherein said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg engage said first side of said first trapezoidal rib and with said at least one rib offsetting member being located between said upper wall and said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg in a vertical dimension, and wherein said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg engage said second side of said first trapezoidal rib and with said at least one rib offsetting member being located between said upper wall and said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg in said vertical dimension.

18. The assembly of claim 17, further comprising:

a first gasket pocket defined between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg; and

a second gasket pocket defined between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein said first side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said first gasket pocket, and wherein said second side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said second gasket pocket.

20. The assembly of claim 18, further comprising:

a first gasket positioned within said first gasket pocket; and

a second gasket positioned within said second gasket pocket.

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein said first side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said first gasket pocket, and wherein said second side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that intersects with said second gasket pocket.

22. The assembly of claim 20, wherein said first gasket protrudes beyond said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg prior to installing said mounting bracket on said first trapezoidal rib, and wherein said second gasket protrudes beyond said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg prior to installing said mounting bracket on said first trapezoidal rib.

23. A trapezoidal rib mounting bracket for trapezoidal rib panels, wherein said mounting bracket comprises a one-piece body, and wherein said one-piece body comprises:

an upper wall comprising a mounting hole;

first and second side legs that each extend downwardly from said upper wall in non-parallel relation to one another when said mounting bracket is positioned on a trapezoidal rib, said first side leg being disposable adjacent to a first side of a trapezoidal rib and said second side leg being disposable adjacent to a second side of the trapezoidal rib when said mounting bracket is positioned on the trapezoidal rib, wherein an inner surface of each of said first and second side legs comprises first and second projections that are spaced from one another and that extend along at least a portion of a length of said mounting bracket;

at least one hollow space located between said first and second side legs;

a first rib offsetting member that extends from said inner surface of said first side leg toward, but not to, said second side leg; and

a second rib offsetting member that extends from an inner surface of said second side leg toward, but not to, said first side leg, wherein said first and second rib offsetting members are disposed within said at least one hollow space, are spaced from said upper wall, and engage an upper rib wall of a trapezoidal rib when said mounting bracket is positioned on the trapezoidal rib to offset said upper wall of said bracket from the upper rib wall of the trapezoidal rib, wherein said least one hollow space comprises a first open space extending above said first and second rib offsetting members and to said upper wall, a second open space defined by a space between said first and second rib offsetting members, and a third open space below said first and second rib offsetting members, wherein said first open space has a vertical extent of at least ½

inch, wherein said first rib offsetting member is located between said upper wall and said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg in a vertical dimension, wherein said second rib offsetting member is located between said upper wall and said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg in said vertical dimension, wherein said first side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that extends through said first side leg between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg, and wherein said second side leg comprises at least one fastener hole that extends through said second side leg between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg.

24. The mounting bracket of claim 23, wherein said first and second projections on said inner surface of each of said first and second side legs extend along an entire length of said mounting bracket.

25. The mounting bracket of claim 23, further comprising:

a first gasket pocket defined between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg; and

a second gasket pocket defined between said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg.

26. The mounting bracket of claim 25, further comprising:

a first gasket positioned within said first gasket pocket; and

a second gasket positioned within said second gasket pocket.

27. The mounting bracket of claim 26, wherein said first gasket protrudes beyond said first and second projections on said inner surface of said first side leg prior to installing said mounting bracket on a trapezoidal rib, and wherein said second gasket protrudes beyond said first and second projections on said inner surface of said second side leg prior to installing said mounting bracket on a trapezoidal rib.

28. The mounting bracket of claim 23, wherein said mounting hole is a slot that is elongated in a length dimension of said mounting bracket.