Simple-Frame, Easy-To-Install Equipment Screen System

Abstract

A mechanical equipment screen system that's used to hang a wall, façade, signs or other items. Made up of multiple triangular, metal frames that are easily adjusted to roof pitch and other circumstances onsite by twisting a custom rod mechanism to retract or telescope out the upright element of the frames. These frames consist of a base, angle, and upright element that are bolted together. This assembly is anchored to a structure via a prefabricated plate attached to the legs which can be oriented in a variety of ways to accommodate various installation applications. Round posts on the base can penetrate a roof membrane and allows a very simple and standard roofing detail that complies with the roof's warranty. Other embodiments are described and shown.

Claims

1. An equipment screen framing system that holds up an equipment screen, comprising: a frame, consisting of a base component, an upright component, and an angled component; an adjustable base plate secured to the said base component whereby it can be anchored to a structure. a twistable, threaded component fastened to the said angled component, forming a mechanism that adjusts the angle of the said upright component; connector plates used to secure the said base, upright, and angled components together; a means of supporting a screen on the said upright element; a. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein said connector plates affix said frame components in relation to each other. b. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the said threaded component is adjustable even after full assembly of said frame. c. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the said base component is U-shaped. d. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the legs of the said base element are round. e. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the said upright can cantilever above the said connector plates for height adjustability. f. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the said frame is made of metal. g. The equipment screen assembly of claim 1 wherein the said metal is weather resistant.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] The included drawings and description serve to illustrate how to assemble and operate the present invention. The below drawings and description included with the descriptions above embody and explain the principles of said invention.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective behind-view of the equipment screen system with multiple Simple-Frames.

[0023] FIG. 2 represents a side-view of the upright member used in assembly of the Simple-Frames.

[0024] FIG. 3 represents a side-view of the angle member used in assembly of the Simple-Frames.

[0025] FIG. 4 represents a side-view of the base component used in assembly of the Simple-Frames.

[0026] FIG. 5 represents a side-view of a detachable base plate optionally used to attach to the base component in assembly of the Simple-Frames.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1, The Simple-Frame system 1 is shown holding up the screen wall 2 from behind. The Simple-Frame system 1 consists of multiple Simple-Frame units 3. Each Simple-Frame 3 consists of three major members: A base 4 that is responsible for both supporting the other two members and connecting to the attachment surface 5 (such as a structure or the ground), an upright 6 that the screen wall 2 attaches to, and an angle 7 that's used to support the upright 6 against wind force and adjusts the upright 6 to a desired position. All these members will be described in more detail in further diagrams.

[0028] All components of the Simple-Frame 3 are made of metal, and preferably coated with a weather-resistant finish. This can be a paint enamel or the components can be treated with a hot-dipped galvanized sacrificial coating, or some other means that will protect the raw material from the outside elements. Additionally, all dimensions including length, width, height and thickness of any of these materials can be altered depending on the needs of the project, whether to strengthen the product or make it fit a less common application.

[0029] The screen wall 2 can either be attached directly to the upright 6, or supported by a horizontal support 8, such as hat channel, that is attached to the upright 6. This is achieved through a self-drilling screw, a through bolt, or any other method deemed necessary.

[0030] FIG. 2 represents the upright 6, which consists of a metal square or round tube 9 that has a tab 10 with a hole 11 welded near the top, and another tab 12 with a hole 13 welded near the opposite end of the tube. Each end of the tube is left open. This allows the tube 9 to be extended past each tab 10 and 12 for additional length that can be cut down onsite, allowing adjustability for various conditions that require such an adjustment onsite. The nature of these conditions might be unknown at the time of shipment or are difficult to account for with 100% certainty during fabrication. These conditions might include obstacles on the attachment surface 5 below the screen 2 that requires variable lengths of the bottom of the screen 2. Or a Simple-Frame 3 might attach to an elevated area of the surface 5 comparative to the other Simple-Frames 3, requiring the height to be brought down at the top of the tube 9 to match the other Simple-Frames 3.

[0031] FIG. 3 represents the angle 7, which consists of a metal tube 14, a custom threaded rod 15, and a clevis 16. The tube 14 has one end flattened 17 with a hole 18 in the flattened area 17. A female-threaded component 19, such as a nut welded to a plate, is attached to the tube 14, via a weld or other method, on the opposite end of the tube 14 from the flattened area 17. The threaded component 19 has either a left-hand thread or a right-hand thread pattern.

[0032] The rod 15 has two separate threaded areas, 20 and 21, with one of these areas having a left-hand threaded pattern and the opposing area having right-hand thread pattern. One of these areas 20 or 21 has a nut and lock-washer 22 installed on it.

[0033] The clevis 16 has threads 23 that are either left-hand or right-hand thread patterns, and a hole 24 that will receive a bolt that attaches it to the base 4.

[0034] The clevis 16 is screwed onto the rod 15 on the side 20 or 21 that has the matching thread pattern of the threads 23 on the clevis 16. The rod 15 is screwed into the threaded component 19 on the side 20 or 21 that matches the thread patterns on the threaded component 19.

[0035] FIG. 4 represents the base 4, which consists of a round metal tube 25 that is bent at each end 26, with base plates 27 attached to the ends of each leg 28. Two metal tabs, back 29 and front 30, are welded to the tube 25, the back tab 29 on the straight part near the rear of the tube 25, and the front tab 30 welded at or near the outside of the bend on the opposite side of the tube from the back tab 29. Each tab 29 and 30 has a pre-punched hole 31, and the base plate 27 has multiple holes 32 pre-punched in them. The base plates 27 are either pre-welded directly to the legs 28 to the base 4 or a detachable design 33 that can be installed onsite, as explained in FIG. 5

[0036] FIG. 5 represents a detachable base plate 33 that can be attached to the legs 28 onsite. The base plate 27 is connected to a post 34 that fits inside the legs 28 on the base 4. The post 34 is secured to the leg 28 via flat head bolts, screws, or some other method deemed necessary by a consulting structural engineer that penetrates through the leg 28 and post 34. This would complete the base 4 component post fabrication.

[0037] The three components 4, 6, and 7, of the Simple-Frame 3 is assembled by bolting together the following: [0038] The clevis 16 on the angle 7 to the back tab 28 on the base 4 through the holes 24 and 30. [0039] The tube 14 on the angle 7 to the tab 10 on the upright 6 through holes 11 and 18. [0040] The opposite tab 12 on the tube 9 on the upright 6 to the front tab 30 on the base 4 through holes 13 and 30.

[0041] This would form the triangular Simple-Frame 3 as seen in FIG. 1. The Simple-Frame 3 is anchored to the attachment surface 5 by fastening or bolting down the base 4 through the holes 31 on the base plate 27 to the attachment surface 5.

[0042] Once assembled together and anchored to the attachment surface 5, the rod 15 on the angle 7 can be twisted to extend or retract the top of the upright 6. This allows the installer to achieve a desired angle of the upright 6 which the screen 2 can be attached to, whether this is to compensate for any slope of the attachment surface 5 or simply to achieve a certain look to the screen. After the desired position of the upright 6 is achieved, the nut and lock-washer 22 can be tightened against the tube 14 or clevis 16 on the angle 7 to lock the uprights' 6 position. The screen 2 can then be attached to the upright as already mentioned.

[0043] The flexibility of being able to use steel components with a weatherproof finish, such as a hot dipped zinc coating, allows the frames to be sufficiently durable to last many years without additional attention or maintenance. Furthermore, since the base 4 consists of a round metal tube 23, and the legs attached to the base plate 25 can penetrate a roof system straight down, the ability to roof in the base 4 is very easy and simple. All roofing manufacturers have a standard method to roof in such a penetration with a round pipe boot or other method. This eliminates the roofing problems presented when trying to roof in other screen frames that lay flat across the roof, penetrate the roof at an odd angle, or have legs or posts that are oddly shaped, such as any rectangular or square shapes. These screen frames make roofing them in costly, difficult, and time consuming. In addition, the awkwardness of these roofing details can compromise the efficacy of the roof, and often need additional care and maintenance to keep the building watertight. Whereas, on the other hand, the Simple-Frame's 3 posts that are round and penetrate the roof straight down ensure a waterproofing detail that is as viable or more viable than the current roofing system installed. And because these frames do not have to be attached to the roof equipment, adequate working space between the screen and the unit can be achieved, and the replacement of said units does not have to compromise the screen in any way.

[0044] The inclusion of separated base plates 27 that attach to the base 4 onsite offers flexibility in how the Simple-Frames 3 are attached to the structure 5 by allowing the base plates 27 to change orientation to match structural members such as roof beams. This eliminates problems that can arise when adequate information was not attainable before fabrication or there was misinformation given to the manufacturer. This might include situations where the roof framing orientation could not be 100% verified because it was not visibly accessible for all the attachment points of the Simple-Frames 3. In this case, the base plate 25 can simply rotate to match the orientation of the roof beams onsite.

[0045] In addition, by twisting the rod 15 or cutting the top or bottom of the tube 9 of the upright 6, one can adjust for any roof pitch or slope onsite. Because the installer has the flexibility of being able to adjust for roof pitch onsite while the Simple-Frames 3 are fully assembled, it's possible for the Simple-Frames to ship fully or partially assembled to reduce the amount of labor required onsite. This becomes very beneficial in times of workforce shortages because it's takes less labor to install, whilst also reducing the cost for the end consumer because the cost of installation is reduced. This also means a much simpler assembly and installation that allows any trade to be able to install without special training or skill, whilst also reducing the risk of incorrect installation due to complex designs inherent in other screen systems.