Curtain wall panel bracket leveling system

• US 9,677,265 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Piotrowski, Stanislaw, Moeller, Larry, Fournier, James C., Lind, Gary, Otte, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): MATTEI, BRIAN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US15/230,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20160340892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 521261, 521263, 521264, 521266, 52235, 52699, 52707
• 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:

a mounting plate having a first surface and an opposing second surface;

an anchor connected to the mounting plate and extending from the second surface of the mounting plate; and

a leveler including a leveler head and a leveler body extending from the leveler head, wherein the leveler;

(1) defines a passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a fastener can extend through the passage; and

(2) is threadably receivable by the anchor such that a top surface of the leveler head is generally coplanar with the first surface of the mounting plate.

2. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the anchor includes 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, the leveler threadably receivable by the leveler receiver.

3. The leveling system of claim 2, wherein the leveler receiver and the fastener receiver are coaxial.

4. The leveling system of claim 3, wherein the passage is defined through the leveler head and the leveler receiver such that the fastener is threadably receivable by the fastener receiver.

5. The leveling system of claim 3, wherein the passage is sized such that the fastener extends through the passage when threadably received by the fastener receiver.

6. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein the anchor includes an external flange.

7. The leveling system of claim 1, which includes a cover attachable to the mounting plate when the leveler is threadably received by the anchor to cover an opening to the passage of the leveler.

8. A leveling system comprising:

a mounting plate;

a first anchor connected to and extending from the mounting plate;

a second anchor connected to and extending from the mounting plate;

a first leveler that;

(1) defines a first passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a first fastener can extend through the first passage; and

(2) is threadably receivable by the first anchor such that an exterior top surface of the first leveler is generally coplanar with a first surface of the mounting plate; and

a second leveler that;

(1) defines a second passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a second fastener can extend through the second passage; and

(2) is threadably receivable by the second anchor such that an exterior top surface of the second leveler is generally coplanar with the first surface of the mounting plate.

9. The leveling system of claim 8, wherein the first anchor includes 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, and wherein the second anchor includes 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.

10. The leveling system of claim 9, wherein the first leveler receiver and the first fastener receiver are coaxial and wherein the second leveler receiver and the second fastener receiver are coaxial.

11. The leveling system of claim 10, wherein the first passage is defined through the first leveler such that the first fastener is threadably receivable by the first fastener receiver, and wherein the second passage is defined through the second leveler such that the second fastener is threadably receivable by the second fastener receiver.

12. The leveling system of claim 8, wherein the first passage is sized such that the first fastener extends through the first passage when threadably received by the first fastener receiver, and wherein the second passage is sized such that the second fastener extends through the second passage when threadably received by the second fastener receiver.

13. The leveling system of claim 8, wherein the first and second anchors each include an external flange.

14. The leveling system of claim 8, which includes a cover attachable to the mounting plate when the first and second levelers are threadably received by the first and second anchors to cover openings to the first and second passages of the first and second levelers.

15. A method for casting a leveling system in concrete, the leveling system including a mounting plate having a first surface and an opposing second surface, an anchor connected to the mounting plate and extending from the second surface of the mounting plate, and a leveler that (1)defines a passage therethrough that is sized such that at least part of a fastener can extend through the passage and (2) is threadably receivable by the anchor such that a top surface of a leveler head of the leveler is generally coplanar with the first surface of the mounting plate, the method comprising:

threading the leveler into the anchor such that the leveler head of the leveler is at least generally coplanar with the first surface of the mounting plate; and

attaching the mounting plate to formwork such that the first surface of the mounting plate faces the formwork.

16. The method of claim 15, which includes, after attaching the mounting plate to the formwork, pouring concrete and enabling the concrete to cure.

17. The method of claim 16, which includes removing the formwork after the concrete has cured to expose the first surface of the mounting plate and the leveler head.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the leveler is rotatable relative to the anchor following removal of the formwork.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes, before attaching the mounting plate to the formwork, attaching a cover to the leveling system to cover an opening to a passage of the leveler.

20. The method of claim 19, which includes, after removing the formwork, removing the cover from the leveling system.