Curtain wall panel bracket leveling system

• US 9,410,315 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• 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): MATTEI, BRIAN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/637,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20150176288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 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 leveling system comprising:

an anchor including a leveler receiver and a fastener receiver connected to and extending from the leveler receiver, the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver having different inner diameters;

a leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver, wherein the leveler defines a passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a fastener can pass through the passage; and

a locking device engageable to the leveler when the leveler is partially threaded into the leveler receiver to prevent the leveler from substantially rotating relative to the anchor.

2. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the leveler receiver is greater than the inner diameter of the fastener receiver.

3. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver are coaxial.

4. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver are integrally formed.

5. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the leveler is threadably receivable by the leveler receiver such that, when the leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver and a bracket is positioned atop the leveler, rotation of the leveler in a first direction causes the bracket to move further from the anchor and rotation of the leveler in a second opposite direction causes the bracket to move closer to the anchor.

6. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the leveler includes a leveler head and a leveler body connected to and extending from the leveler head.

7. The leveling system of claim 6, wherein when the leveler is partially threaded into the leveler receiver and the locking device engages the leveler to prevent the leveler from substantially rotating relative to the anchor, an underside of the leveler head is vertically spaced apart from the leveler receiver.

8. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the fastener receiver includes an external annular flange.

9. A leveling system comprising:

an anchor connector;

a plurality of anchors connected to the anchor connector, each anchor including a leveler receiver and a fastener receiver connected to and extending from the leveler receiver, the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver having different inner diameters;

a plurality of levelers, each leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of one of the plurality of anchors, wherein each leveler defines a passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a fastener can pass through said passage; and

a plurality of locking devices, each locking device engageable to one of the plurality of levelers when said leveler is partially threaded into the leveler receiver of one of the plurality of anchors to prevent said leveler from substantially rotating relative to said one of the plurality of anchors.

10. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein, for each of at least one anchor, the inner diameter of the leveler receiver of said anchor is greater than the inner diameter of the fastener receiver of said anchor.

11. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein, for each of at least one anchor, the leveler receiver of said anchor and the fastener receiver of said anchor are coaxial.

12. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein, for each of at least one anchor, the leveler receiver of said anchor and the fastener receiver of said anchor are integrally formed.

13. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein, for each leveler, said leveler is threadably receivable by the leveler receiver of said one of the plurality of anchors such that, when said leveler is threadably received by the leveler receiver of said one of the plurality of anchors and a bracket is positioned atop said leveler, rotation of said leveler in a first direction causes the bracket to move further from said one of the plurality of anchors and rotation of said leveler in a second opposite direction causes the bracket to move closer to said one of the plurality of anchors.

14. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein, for each of at least one leveler, said leveler includes a leveler head and a leveler body connected to and extending from the leveler head.

15. The leveling system of claim 14, wherein, for each of the at least one leveler, when said leveler is partially threaded into the leveler receiver of said one of the plurality of anchors and one of the plurality of locking devices engages said leveler to prevent said leveler from substantially rotating relative to said anchor, an underside of the leveler head of said leveler facing said anchor is vertically spaced apart from the leveler receiver.

16. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein the fastener receiver of at least one anchor includes an external annular flange.

17. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein at least one anchor is removably connected to the anchor connector.

18. The leveling system of claim 9, which includes a cover removably attachable to the plurality of levelers.

19. A leveling system comprising:

an anchor connector;

a first anchor connected to the anchor connector, the first anchor including a first leveler receiver and a first fastener receiver connected to and extending from the first leveler receiver, the first leveler receiver and the first fastener receiver having different inner diameters;

a second anchor connected to the anchor connector, the second anchor including a second leveler receiver and a second fastener receiver connected to and extending from the second leveler receiver, the second leveler receiver and the second fastener receiver having different inner diameters;

a first leveler threadably receivable by the first leveler receiver, the first leveler defining a first passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a first fastener can pass through said first passage;

a first locking device engageable to the first leveler when the first leveler is partially threaded into the first leveler receiver to prevent the first leveler from substantially rotating relative to the first anchor;

a second leveler threadably receivable by the second leveler receiver, the second leveler defining a second passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a second fastener can pass through said second passage; and

a second locking device engageable to the second leveler when the second leveler is partially threaded into the second leveler receiver to prevent the second leveler from substantially rotating relative to the second anchor.

20. The leveling system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first and second anchors is removably connected to the anchor connector.

21. The leveling system of claim 19, which includes a cover that is removably attachable to at least one of the first leveler and the second leveler.

22. The leveling system of claim 21, wherein the first leveler includes a first leveler head, the second leveler includes a second leveler head, and the cover is removably attachable to the first and second leveler heads.

23. The leveling system of claim 19, which includes a third anchor connected to the anchor connector, the third anchor including a third leveler receiver and a third fastener receiver connected to and extending from the third leveler receiver, the third leveler receiver and the third fastener receiver having different inner diameters;

a third leveler threadably receivable by the third leveler receiver, the third leveler defining a third passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a third fastener can pass through said third passage; and

a third locking device engageable to the third leveler when the third leveler is partially threaded into the third leveler receiver to prevent the third leveler from substantially rotating relative to the third anchor.

24. The leveling system of claim 23, wherein the first, second, and third anchors are arranged in a triangular configuration.