Corrugated panel mounting bracket

• US 9,530,916 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RMH Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Dustin M.M. Haddock, Robert M.M. Haddock
• Inventors: Haddock, Robert M. M., Haddock, Dustin M. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Joshua J
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKBASLI, ALP A
• Application Number:
  US14/005,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20140311553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 526/98, 527/15, 524/78, 522/02, 522/08, 525/060.6, 52/913, 525/43, 525/46, 525/47, 525/48
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0817 extending completely through the covering elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0828 engaging the outer surface of the covering elements, e.g. at the corners
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0837 extending completely through the covering elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0853 adjustable perpendicular to the wall
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0857 Supporting consoles, e.g. adjustable only in a direction parallel to the wall E04F13/0853 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/12 of metal or with an outer layer of metal or enameled metal E04F13/0864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/61 for fixing to the ground or to building structures
• 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 20/23 specially adapted for roof structures
• 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 (210) for a corrugated panel (202) is disclosed. The mounting bracket (210) includes an upper wall (216) in the form of an at least substantially flat surface for supporting various types of attachments. This upper wall (216) is disposed above and spaced from a panel valley engagement section (232) for engaging a panel valley (208) of the corrugated panel (202). A panel crown engagement section (224) is positioned on each side of the panel valley engagement section (232) for engaging different panel crowns (204) of a corrugated panel (202). An attachment may be secured relative to the mounting bracket (210) utilizing a mounting hole (218) on the bracket upper wall (216).

Claims

1. A mounting bracket for corrugated panels, comprising:

an upper wall comprising a mounting hole that extends completely through said upper wall;

a valley section, which in turn comprises said upper wall;

first and second legs that extend from opposite sides of said valley section, wherein said upper wall and said first and second legs collectively define a hollow interior;

a third leg that extends from said first leg within said hollow interior;

a fourth leg that extends from said second leg within said hollow interior;

a first panel valley engagement section, wherein an intersection of said third and fourth legs within said hollow interior defines said first panel valley engagement section, wherein an included angle between said third and fourth legs is less than 90°

, wherein an underside of said upper wall and said panel valley engagement section are separated by a distance of at least about 1″

in said vertical dimension, with a first open space extending from said underside of said upper wall to said panel valley engagement section; and

at least one panel crown engagement section, wherein said first panel valley engagement section is positioned to engage a panel valley of a corrugated panel, said valley section of said mounting bracket is aligned with and spaced above the panel valley of the corrugated panel, and each said panel crown engagement section is positioned to engage a panel crown of a corrugated panel, all when said mounting bracket is positioned on the corrugated panel.

2. A mounting bracket for corrugated panels, comprising:

an upper wall comprising a mounting hole that extends completely through said upper wall;

a valley section, which in turn comprises said upper wall;

first and second panel crown engagement sections;

a first leg that extends from said first panel crown engagement section to a first side of said valley section;

a second leg that extends from said second panel crown engagement section to a second side of said valley section that is opposite of said first side;

a first panel valley engagement section;

a third leg that extends from said first panel valley engagement section to said first leg; and

a fourth leg that extends from said first panel valley engagement section to said second leg;

wherein when said first and second panel crown engagement sections are positioned on a first reference plane to dispose said mounting bracket in an upright position;

a) said first and second panel crown engagement sections are spaced from one another in a lateral dimension that coincides with said first reference plane;

b) said valley section is positioned above said first reference plane and is spaced upwardly relative to each of said first and second crown engagement sections;

c) said valley section is located between said first panel crown engagement section and said second panel crown engagement section in said lateral dimension and furthermore is spaced from each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections in said lateral dimension;

d) said first panel valley engagement section is located between said first panel crown engagement section and said second panel crown engagement section in said lateral dimension and furthermore is spaced from each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections in said lateral dimension;

e) said first panel valley engagement section is positioned below said first reference plane;

f) said third leg extends from said first panel valley engagement section and proceeds through said first reference plane to intersect said first leg at a location that is spaced above said first reference plane and that is also spaced further from said first reference plane than an entirety of said first panel crown engagement section;

g) said fourth leg extends from said first panel valley engagement section and proceeds through said first reference plane to intersect said second leg at a location that is spaced above said first reference plane and that is also spaced further from said first reference plane than an entirety of said second panel crown engagement section;

h) said first and second legs converge toward each other in progressing upwardly from said first and second panel crown engagement sections, respectively, to said valley section; and

i) said third and fourth legs converge toward each other in progressing downwardly from said first and second legs, respectively, to said first panel valley engagement section;

j) said first panel valley engagement section is positioned to engage a panel valley of a corrugated panel and each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections is positioned to engage a different panel crown of a corrugated panel, all when said mounting bracket is disposed on a corrugated panel in said upright position.

3. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said mounting bracket is of one-piece construction.

4. The mounting bracket of claim 2, further comprising:

an open space disposed directly below said mounting hole when said mounting bracket is in said upright position.

5. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said mounting bracket comprises first and second ends, wherein said upper wall extends between said first and second ends, and wherein an entirety of said upper wall is in the form of an at least substantially flat surface that incorporates said mounting hole.

6. The mounting bracket of claim 5, wherein a perimeter of said at least substantially flat surface of said upper wall defines an area of at least 2.5 in.².

7. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said upper wall defines an uppermost extreme of said mounting bracket when in said upright position, wherein an entirety of said upper wall is in the form of an at least substantially flat surface that incorporates said mounting hole, and wherein a perimeter of said at least substantially flat surface defines an area of at least 2.5 in.².

8. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said mounting hole is aligned with said first panel valley engagement section in a vertical dimension when said mounting bracket is in said upright position.

9. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said valley section, said first leg, said second leg, said third leg, and said fourth leg collectively define a closed perimeter for a single continuous space.

10. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein an underside of said upper wall and said first panel valley engagement section are separated by a distance of at least about 1″

, with a first open space extending from said underside of said upper wall to said first panel valley engagement section.

11. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said first panel valley engagement section comprises a convex panel interface surface.

12. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein an included angle between an underside of said upper wall and each of said first and second legs is greater than 90°

.

13. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said first and third legs are the mirror image of said second and fourth legs.

14. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises first and second projections that are spaced from one another and that extend along an entire length of said mounting bracket.

15. The mounting bracket of claim 14, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises at least one bracket fastener hole that is disposed between its corresponding said first and second projections.

16. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises a gasket pocket.

17. The mounting bracket of claim 16, further comprising:

a separate gasket positioned within said each said gasket pocket.

18. The mounting bracket of claim 16, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises first and second projections that are spaced from one another and that extend along an entire length of said mounting bracket, and wherein said first and second projections on each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections defines its corresponding said gasket pocket.

19. The mounting bracket of claim 16, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises at least one bracket fastener hole that intersects with its corresponding said gasket pocket.

20. The mounting bracket of claim 16, wherein each of said first and second panel crown engagement sections comprises first and second bracket fastener holes that each intersect with its corresponding said gasket pocket.

21. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein said mounting hole through said upper wall is threaded.

22. An attachment assembly comprising the mounting bracket of claim 2, and further comprising:

a corrugated panel, wherein said mounting bracket is positioned on said corrugated panel with said first panel valley engagement section of said mounting bracket being engaged with a first panel valley of said corrugated panel and with said first and second panel crown engagement sections of said mounting bracket being engaged with first and second panel crowns, respectively, of said corrugated panel;

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.

23. The attachment assembly of claim 22, further comprising:

at least one bracket fastener that secures said mounting bracket relative to said corrugated panel.

24. A photovoltaic system comprising the mounting bracket of claim 2, and further comprising:

a mounting plate positioned on said upper wall of said mounting bracket;

a clamping member comprising first and second clamping legs, said first clamping leg being engageable with a photovoltaic module and said second clamping leg being engageable with an adjacent photovoltaic module; and

a clamp fastener that extends through said clamping member, then through said mounting plate, and then at least into said mounting hole of said mounting bracket.

25. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein an intersection of said third and fourth legs defines said first panel valley engagement section.

26. The mounting bracket of claim 2, wherein an included angle between said third and fourth legs is less than 90°

.