Curtain wall panel bracket leveling system

• US 9,068,347 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Moeller, Larry, Piotrowski, Stanislaw, Fournier, James C., Lind, Gary, Otte, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Glessner, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATTEI, BRIAN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/095,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20140157699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 521/261, 521/263, 521/264, 521/266, 522/35, 526/99, 527/07
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/4121 with internal threads or non-adjustable captive nuts
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/4157 Longitudinally-externally threaded elements extending from the concrete or masonry, e.g. anchoring bolt with embedded head
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/88 Curtain walls fixing of glass panes E06B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/90 comprising panels directly attached to the structure E04B2/885 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/389 Brackets
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/23 adjustable not used, see E04F13/0801
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0225 allowing for adjustment parallel to the plane of the plates
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0233 allowing for adjustment perpendicular to the plane of the plates

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a curtain wall panel bracket leveling system that facilitates leveling a panel bracket mounted to a fixture (such as an embedment or an anchor array) cast in a concrete slab.

Claims

1. A curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor assembly comprising:

a curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor array including;

(a) a plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor including an anchor body including;

(i) a threaded leveler receiver having a first inner diameter, and

(ii) a threaded fastener receiver connected to and extending from the leveler receiver, wherein the fastener receiver has a second inner diameter different than the first inner diameter;

(b) for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, a leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor such that, when the leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver, the leveler is rotatable relative to the anchor body of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, wherein the leveler defines an opening therethrough and the opening is sized such that, when the leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver, a fastener can extend through the opening and be threadably received by the fastener receiver, wherein the leveler includes a leveler head and a coaxial leveler body connected to and extending from the leveler head; and

(c) an anchor connector connecting the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors; and

a protective cover removably attachable to the curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor array, wherein the protective cover includes, for each leveler, a leveler head engager configured to engage and removably attach to the leveler head of said leveler.

2. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein, for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, the first inner diameter is greater than the second inner diameter.

3. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein, for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, the leveler receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor and the fastener receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor are coaxial.

4. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein, for each leveler, the opening has a hexagonal profile.

5. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein, for each leveler, the leveler body of said leveler is being-threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of the corresponding curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor such that, when the leveler body is threadably received by the leveler receiver, the leveler head of said leveler is exterior to the leveler receiver and the leveler is rotatable relative to the anchor body of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor.

6. A curtain wall panel bracket leveling system comprising:

a curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor array including;

(a) a plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor including an anchor body including;

(i) a threaded leveler receiver, and

(ii) a threaded fastener receiver connected to and extending from the leveler receiver;

(b) for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, a leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor and rotatable relative to the anchor body, wherein the leveler defines an opening therethrough and the opening is sized such that, when the leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver, a fastener can extend through the opening and be threadably received by the fastener receiver; and

(c) an anchor connector connecting the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors;

a panel bracket mountable to the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, said panel bracket defining a plurality of mounting openings therethrough; and

a plurality of leveler rotation preventers, each leveler rotation preventer including one or more locking tabs, each locking tab configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting openings of the panel bracket and engage one of the levelers to prevent the leveler from rotating relative to the anchor body of the corresponding curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor.

7. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling system of claim 6, wherein, for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor are coaxial.

8. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling system of claim 7, wherein, for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, the panel bracket is mountable to said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor via a threaded fastener inserted through an opening through one of the leveler rotation preventers, inserted through the opening defined through one of the threaded levelers, and threadably received by the fastener receiver.

9. The curtain wall panel bracket leveling system of claim 6, wherein an upper surface of the panel bracket includes a plurality of first teeth and a lower surface of each of the plurality of leveler rotation preventers includes a plurality of corresponding second teeth configured to engage and interlock with the first teeth of the panel bracket.

10. A curtain wall panel bracket leveling system comprising:

(a) a curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor including an anchor body including;

(i) a threaded leveler receiver, and

(ii) a threaded fastener receiver connected to and extending from the leveler receiver;

(b) a leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of the curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor and rotatable relative to the anchor body, wherein the leveler defines an opening therethrough and the opening is sized such that, when the leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver, a fastener can extend through the opening and be threadably received by the fastener receiver; and

(c) a leveler rotation preventer including one or more locking tabs, each locking tab configured to engage the leveler to prevent the leveler from rotating relative to the anchor body.

11. The curtain wall panel bracket panel bracket leveling system of claim 10, which includes the fastener that can be threadably received by the fastener receiver.

12. A curtain wall panel bracket leveling system comprising:

a curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor array including;

(a) a plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor including an anchor body including;

(i) a leveler receiver, and

(ii) a fastener receiver coaxial with and extending from the leveler receiver;

(b) for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, a leveler threadably received by the leveler receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor and rotatable relative to the anchor body, the leveler defining an opening therethrough; and

(c) an anchor connector connecting the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors;

a panel bracket mountable to the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, said panel bracket defining a plurality of mounting openings therethrough; and

a plurality of leveler rotation preventers, each leveler rotation preventer defining an opening therethrough and including one or more locking tabs, each locking tab configured to engage one of the levelers to prevent the leveler from rotating relative to the corresponding curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor,

wherein the panel bracket is mountable to each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor via a threaded fastener inserted through the opening through one of the leveler rotation preventers, inserted through the opening defined through one of the threaded levelers, and threadably received by the fastener receiver.

13. A curtain wall panel bracket leveling system comprising:

a curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor array including;

(a) a plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor including an anchor body including;

(i) a leveler receiver, and

(ii) a fastener receiver extending from the leveler receiver;

(b) for each curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor, a leveler threadably received by the leveler receiver of said curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor and rotatable relative to the anchor body; and

(c) an anchor connector connecting the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors;

a panel bracket mountable to the plurality of curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchors, said panel bracket defining a plurality of mounting openings therethrough and having an upper surface including a plurality of first teeth; and

a plurality of leveler rotation preventers, each leveler rotation preventer including;

(a) a lower surface including a plurality of second teeth configured to engage and interlock with the first teeth of the panel bracket; and

(b) one or more locking tabs, each locking tab configured to engage one of the levelers to prevent the leveler from rotating relative to the corresponding curtain wall panel bracket leveling anchor.