AU716393B3 - Adjustable bracket assembly - Google Patents

Description

ADJUSTABLE BRACKET ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a bracket assembly for mounting a frame into an opening of a wall and more particularly but not exclusively to a bracket assembly for mounting a door jamb to a reveal of a wall opening.

Traditionally frames for doors and windows have been fixed by means of nails or screws. Fixing means of this kind are unsightly and the task of setting the jambs plumb using this kind of fixing requires skill and craftsmanship and is time consuming.

It is not uncommon to find that a door frame which must be attached to a reveal of a wall opening, formed, for example, by wall studs or other supporting structural members or by bricks and mortar, and which must be plumb, is to be installed into a reveal which is not plumb.

The invention provides an adjustable bracket assembly for mounting a frame into an opening of a wall whereby the assembly enables the position of the frame relative to the reveal to be selectively adjusted and fixed, said assembly having first affixture means adapted to be mounted to the reveal, second affixture means adapted to be mounted to a frame jamb or frame header and intermediate means interconnecting said first and second affixture means to enable adjustment of the frame to a condition of plumb wherein the intermediate means enables each of a pair of opposed longitudinal edges of the jamb or header to be substantially independently adjustably moved towards and/or away from the reveal thereby enhancing the ability of the adjustable bracket assembly to effect plumb.

Preferably the intermediate means is in the form of a pair of elements, each element having a bulbous head and a shank, the head being rotatably and slidingly journaled in one of said first and second affixture means and said shank having threads on at least a leading portion thereof to threadably engage the other of said first and second affixture means, said second affixture means being restrained against axial displacement in relation to said first affixture means by said element, whereby rotation of each element in one direction effects relative movement of said first affixture means away from said second affixture means while rotation of each element in the opposite direction effects relative movement of the first affixture means toward the second affixture means.

Preferably said assembly has lateral movement means enabling the frame to be moveable transversely across and/or longitudinally along the reveal and adjustment means to enable the frame to be moved towards and away from the reveal to facilitate plumb alignment of the frame in the wall opening and locking means to fix the relative position of the frame and the reveal.

Preferably the provision of said independent movement of the edges enables the edges to be adjustably pivoted about an axis of the bracket so that in use in mounting a frame jamb to an upright reveal, said axis is San upright, a vertical or a substantially vertical axis.

Intermediate means may be provided with locking means in the form of, for example, a nut threadably engaging the threaded shank.

Preferably the bulbous head may be provided with means on its outer periphery adapted for engagement by a tool to effect rotation of the shank.

First affixture means may be provided with a longitudinally extending groove having a restricted mouth to retain the bulbous head within the groove while accommodating longitudinal sliding movement therealong.

The shank protrudes through the restricted mouth to project towards the second affixture means. That is to say, the groove ensconces and slidably receives the bulbous head of the element with the shank protruding through the restricted mouth. The diameter of the shank may be so dimensioned in relation to the width of the restricted mouth as to be moveable not only longitudinally along the groove but also transversely across the groove.

Preferably first affixture means is provided with at least one fastener clearance hole to enable affixture of the second affixture means to the respective reveal by means of screws or other fasteners.

Preferably second affixture means is provided with at least one fastener clearance aperture to enable affixture of second affixture means to the respective frame by means of screws or other fasteners.

Alternatively or additionally the affixture means to be affixed to the reveal may be provided with an outwardly and rearwardly projecting tongue for in the form of, for example, transverse corrugations to enhance affixture in the cured mortar. This embodiment has particular application where the reveal is constructed of bricks and mortar and more particularly where the frame is to be emplaced in a newly constructed wall opening.

By way of example, two embodiments of the above described invention are described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating an adjustable bracket assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention 1c' used in association with a door frame mounted into an upright reveal of a wall opening.

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 1 FIG. 2 is a view of taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the adjustable bracket assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of important components of the adjustable bracket assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of important components of the adjustable bracket assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a door frame and wall opening illustrating a preferred disposition of the adjustable bracket assemblies thereabout.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of important components of Q another embodiment of an adjustable bracket assembly according to the invention.

M M 0 As best seen in FIG. 6, generally door frames consist of a header 1 arranged to engage the top of the reveal 5 of an opening of a wall 2 and a pair of door jambs 3,4 arranged to engage opposite upright sides of the reveal 5, one jamb comprising a strike jamb 3 and the other a hinge jamb 4 to which the door is hingeably connected. The header 1 and the jambs 3, 4 are generally timber elements with the junction between the ends of header and the respective upper end of each jamb mitred and connected by a tongue and groove joint.

In the construction of walls, generally rough openings are formed in the wall to receive windows and doors. The upright reveals 5 to which the respective jambs 3, 4 are to be mounted are often not plumb, not perfectly vertical, thus requiring that the door or window frame to be mounted into the opening to be adjusted so that its jambs are plumb and its horizontal header is truly horizontal.

15 As illustrated in FIG 1 to FIG 5, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides an adjustable bracket assembly 6 for mounting a frame 7 into an opening of a wall 2 whereby the assembly enables the position of the frame 7 relative to the reveal 5 to be selectively adjusted and fixed, said assembly having first affixture means 11 adapted to be mounted to the upright reveal 10, second affixture means 12 adapted to be mounted to the frame 7 and intermediate means 13 interconnecting said first and second affixture means 11, 12 to enable adjustment of the frame 7 to a condition of plumb.

Lu he intermediate means 13 is provided with adjustment means to enable the first and second affixture means 11, 12 to be moved towards and away from one another to facilitate plumb alignment of the frame 7 in the wall opening and locking means to fix their relative displacement.

The intermediate means 13 comprises a pair of elements 14, each having a bulbous head 15 and a shank 16, the head 15 being rotatably and slidingly journaled in said first affixture means 11 and said shank 16 having threads on at least a leading portion thereof to threadably engage a respective threaded aperture 17 of said second affixture means 12, said second affixture means 12 being restrained against axial displacement in relation to said first affixture means 11 by said elements, whereby rotation of each element 14 in one direction effects relative movement of said first affixture means 11 away from said second affixture means 12 while rotation of each element 14 in the opposite direction effects relative movement of the first affixture means 11 toward the second affixture means 12. Each element 14 is independently rotatable thereby enabling the second affixture means 12 and thus the frame 7 jamb to be adjustably moved towards and/or away from the reveal 10 thereby the edges may pivot about an upright, a vertical or a substantially vertical axis of the assembly.

The intermediate means 13 further comprises locking means in the form of, for example, a respective nut 18 threadably engaging the threaded shank 16 of each respective element 14.

The bulbous head 15 is provided with means in the form of a hexagonal bolt head 15 on its outer periphery adapted for engagement by a tool such as, for example, a conventional spanner to effect rotation of the shank 16.

The first affixture means in the form of a first member 11 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 20 having a restricted mouth 21 to retain the bulbous head 15 within the groove 20 while accommodating longitudinal sliding movement therealong. The shank 16 protrudes through the restricted mouth 21 to project towards the second affixture means 12 and is so dimensioned in relation to the width of the restricted mouth 21 as to be moveable not only longitudinally along the groove but also transversely across the groove The first affixture means 11 is provided with two fastener clearance holes 22 to enable affixture of the first affixture means 11 to the respective upright reveal 10 by means of screws or other fasteners 23. The fastener clearance holes 22 may be slotted to provide additional adjustment of the disposition of the assembly 6 with respect to the reveal The second affixture means 12 in the form of a reptilinear plate 12 is provided with two fastener clearance openings 24 to enable affixture of the plate 12 to the jamb 3 by means of screws or other fasteners The illustrated adjustable bracket assembly 6 enables the position of the frame 7 relative to the reveal 5 to be selectively adjusted and fixed, the intermediate means 13 enabling adjustment of the jambs 3, 4 to a condition of plumb, the assembly 6 having lateral movement means in the 2 -Zform of a pair of elements 14 each element 14 having the bulbous head ensconced within the longitudinally extending groove 20 having a restricted mouth 21 sufficiently sized to permit the shank 16 and hence the frame 7 to be moveable transversely across and/or longitudinally along the upright reveal 10 and adjustment means in the form of a pair of externally threaded shanks 16 threadably engaging and extending through a respective pair of threaded apertures 17 in the plate 12 to enable the jamb 3 and in particular the edges of the jamb 3 to be moved towards and away from the upright reveal 10 to facilitate plumb alignment of the frame 7 in the wall opening and locking means in the form of locking nuts 18 to fix the relative position of the frame and the reveal.

In typical application as illustrated in FIG. 6 three bracket assemblies 6 are used for each jamb 3, 4. One assembly is disposed towards the upper end of the upright reveal 10, the second assembly is disposed towards its lower end and the third assembly affixed intermediate thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment, each first affixture means 11 extends substantially across the width of the upright reveal 10 and is affixed to the upright reveal 10 by means of two screws 23 so that the groove 20 of each first affixture means 11 is substantially horizontal and parallel to one another.

20 The plates 12 are affixed to the upright jambs 3,4 by screws 25 at positions that when the frame 7 is hung in the opening each plate 12 is substantially in register with its respective first affixture means 11. The i-p jambs 3,4 are provided with clearance bores 27 behind each plate 12 in register with the threaded aperture 17 in each plate 12 to enable the leading end of the respective shank 16 to be accommodated in loose fit therein.

The plates 12 and the first affixture means 11 of each assembly 6 are respectively affixed to the upright jambs 3,4 and the upright reveals Each element 14 is thread into its respective threaded aperture 17 with the locking nut 18 threadably engaging the shank 16 intermediate the bulbous head 15 and the plate 12. The frame 7 is then lifted to place each bulbous head 15 of each of leading elements 14 of the six assemblies 6 in register with the respective groove 20 of each of the six first affixture means 11 and the frame 7 is moved so that the heads slide into the grooves 20. Each bulbous head 15 of each of the respective trailing elements 14 of each assembly 6 is brought into register with the respective grooves 20 and the frame 7 is moved so that the trailing heads slide into the grooves 20 and thus the frame 7 is loosely hung into the 15 reveal 5 by the bracket assemblies 6.

Each assembly 6 is then individually adjusted by rotating each bulbous head 15 to move the jambs 3,4 towards and away from the reveal 10 and is slidably moved within the groove 20 both axially.along the groove and laterally up and down across the groove 20 to plumb each upright jamb 3,4. The locking nut 18 is then turned to press the locking nut 18 and the head 15 against the opposite sides of the restricted mouth 21 of the groove 20 to lock the element 14 held against movement.

t ch assembly 6 is adjusted in turn and if necessary can be readjusted.

When the frame 7 is plumb, the gap between the jamb 3,4 and the reveal and the header 1 and the reveal 5 is generally finished with an architrave thereby the assemblies 6 are concealed and the frame 7 is devoid of unsightly fasteners.

In one aspect the invention provides a bracket assembly adapted to be disposed between a reveal of an opening of a wall and a frame of a door or window so as to be concealed therebetween and to be adjustable to enable plumb mounting of the frame.

In the illustrated embodiments a pair of washer plates 44, 45 are provided. One washer plate 44 is disposed between the head 15 and an inner face of the restricted mouth 21 and the other washer plate 45 is disposed between an outer face of the restricted mouth 21 and the nut 18, thereby enabling the provision of a groove having a transversely wider restricted mouth than otherwise be appropriate with elements of standard size. The provision of said washer plates 44, 45 may also facilitate proper alignment of the element and the groove during installation.

FIG. 7 illustrates an adjustable bracket assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is substantially identical to the previous embodiment except that the first affixture means 11 is provided with an outwardly and rearwardly projecting tongue 33 for encasement in mortar and that the fastener clearance holes 22 are optionally provided. This embodiment has particular application for R eveals constructed of bricks and mortar and more particularly but not is formed of thin steel plate of substantially L cross-section having the short leg 34 spot welded, clinched or otherwise affixed to the rear portion of the first affixture means 11. The longer leg 35 for encasement in mortar is provided with retaining means in the form of transverse corrugations 36 to enhance affixture of the tongue in the cured mortar.

The tongue 33 may be provided with other retaining means such as for example protrusions and/or perforations in addition or instead of transverse corrugations.

The first and second affixture means together with the washer plates are formed of steel sheet or plates having a corrosion resistant coating of metal, for example, AI/Zn alloy or of other material.

With a bracket assembly according to the invention it is possible to quickly and efficiently fix a frame to a wall opening and also to adjust said frame in relation to the doors or the window fittings, either immediately after the 15 fixing operation or later when further adjustment is necessary. An additional feature of preferred embodiments of the invention is the provision of intermediate means to enable turning of the respective first and second affixture means relative to one another about an axis of the bracket assembly to thereby facilitate plumb installation of twisted and/or warped jambs. The present invention also provides for the installation of jambs that that avoids the need to use fasteners that pierce the open face of the jamb thereby maintaining the integrity of the open face.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the preceding summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of" including", that is the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. An adjustable bracket assembly for mounting a frame into an opening of a wall whereby the assembly enables the position of the frame relative to the reveal to be selectively adjusted and fixed, said assembly having first affixture means adapted to be mounted to the reveal, second affixture means adapted to be mounted to a frame jamb or frame header and intermediate means interconnecting said first and second affixture means to enable adjustment of the frame to a condition of plumb wherein the intermediate means enables each of a pair of opposed longitudinal edges of the jamb or header to be substantially independently adjustably moved towards and/or away from the reveal thereby enhancing the ability of the adjustable bracket assembly to effect plumb.

2. A bracket according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate means is in the form of a pair of elements, each element having a bulbous head and a shank, the head being rotatably and slidingly journaled in one of said first and second affixture means and said shank having threads on at least a leading portion thereof to threadably engage the other of said first and second affixture means, said second affixture means being restrained against axial displacement in relation to said first affixture means by said element, whereby rotation of each element in one direction effects relative movement of said first affixture means away from said second affixture means while rotation of each element in the opposite direction effects elative movement of the first affixture means toward the second affixture

3. A bracket according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said assembly has lateral movement means enabling the frame to be moveable transversely across and/or longitudinally along the reveal and adjustment means to enable the frame to be moved towards and away from the reveal to facilitate plumb alignment of the frame in the wall opening and locking means to fix the relative position of the frame and the reveal. Dated this 20th day of July 1999. ANTONINO BATTIATO