Abstract
A thermal mounting bracket securable to an exterior wall of a building, the thermal mounting bracket comprising: first, second and third walls pairwise substantially perpendicular to each other and forming a corner; the first, second and third walls each defining mounting apertures each for receiving a fastener therethrough to mount the thermal mounting bracket to the exterior wall; the first second and third walls being covered with a thermally insulating material outside of the corner.
Claims
1. A thermal mounting bracket securable to an exterior wall of a building, the thermal mounting bracket comprising: first, second and third walls pairwise substantially perpendicular to each other and forming a corner; the first, second and third walls each defining mounting apertures each for receiving a fastener therethrough to mount the thermal mounting bracket to the exterior wall; the first second and third walls being covered with a thermally insulating material outside of the corner.
2. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second and third walls defines a thermal barrier opening larger than the mounting apertures extending therethrough.
3. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second and third walls defines a thermal break notch extending between at least two of the first, second and third walls at a junction therebetween.
4. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, further comprising thermally insulating washers insertable in the mounting apertures to form a thermal barrier between the thermal mounting bracket and the fasteners.
5. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 3, wherein the thermally insulating washers each define a shaft portion insertable in the mounting aperture, an inside flange extending radially inwardly in the shaft portion for abutting a head of the fastener thereagainst and an outside flange extending radially outwardly from the shaft portion for abutting against the first, second and thirds walls adjacent the mounting apertures.
6. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating material includes a foam.
7. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, further comprising spacers made of a material more rigid than the thermally insulating material and insertable in the insulating material adjacent one of the mounting apertures.
8. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 7, wherein each spacer includes a ring larger in diameter than the mounting apertures.
9. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 7, wherein at least some of the mounting apertures are provided in groups, each group including mounting apertures that are closer to each other within the group compared to a distance with the mounting apertures outside of the group, each spacer includes rings larger in diameter than the mounting apertures and mechanically coupled to each other so that the spacer is positionable with each of the rings around one of the mounting apertures within the group.
10. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein the first, second and third walls have uneven dimensions to that once a selected one of the first, second and third walls is secured to the mounting surface, the other two of the first, second and third walls protrude from the exterior wall along a distance that varies according to which one of the first, second and third walls is the selected one of the first, second and third walls.
11. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, further comprising a double sided tape mounted to at least one of the first, second and third walls.
12. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 11, wherein the double sided tape secures the thermally insulating material to the at least one of the first, second and third walls.
13. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 11, wherein the double sided tape includes a flap protruding from the at least one of the first, second and third walls.
14. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second and third walls defines two free edges, each of the two free edges being provided with alignment notches extending thereinto.
15. The thermal mounting bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein at least three of the mounting apertures are arranged in an equilateral triangular configuration.
16. A thermal mounting bracket securable to an exterior wall of a building, the thermal mounting bracket comprising: first, second and third walls pairwise perpendicular to each other forming a corner, at least one of the first, second and third walls defining mounting apertures for receiving a fastener usable to mount the bracket to the exterior wall; the at least one of the first second and third walls being covered with a thermally insulating materials.
17. A system for mounting insulation panels to an exterior wall of a building, the system comprising: a plurality of thermal mounting brackets secured to the exterior wall; and a plurality of elongated girts each mountable to a selected subset of the thermal mounting brackets, wherein the thermal mounting bracket includes first, second and third walls pairwise substantially perpendicular to each other and forming a corner; the first, second and third walls each defining mounting apertures each for receiving a fastener therethrough to mount the thermal mounting bracket to the exterior wall; the first second and third walls being covered with a thermally insulating material outside of the corner; further wherein the girts are spaced apart from the exterior wall when the system is operatively mounted to the exterior wall.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1, in a front, top perspective view, illustrates an embodiment of a thermally isolating mounting bracket, according to the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 2, in a front, bottom perspective view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 3, in a rear, top perspective view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 4, in a first end elevational view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 5, in an end elevational view opposite the one in FIG. 4, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0032] FIG. 6, in a top plan view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0033] FIG. 7, in bottom plan view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0034] FIG. 8, in a first side elevational view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0035] FIG. 9, in a side elevational view opposite the one in FIG. 8, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket in FIG. 1;
[0036] FIG. 10, in a perspective view, illustrates a thermally insulating washer usable with the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1;
[0037] FIG. 11, in an alternative perspective view, illustrates the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10;
[0038] FIG. 12, in a side elevation view, illustrates the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10;
[0039] FIG. 13, in a front plan view, illustrates the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10;
[0040] FIG. 14, in a rear plan view, illustrates the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10;
[0041] FIG. 15, in a side cutaway view, illustrates a step in the installation the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10 and the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1 to an exterior wall of a building;
[0042] FIG. 16, in a side cutaway view, illustrates another step in the installation the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10 and the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1 to the exterior wall of the building;
[0043] FIG. 17, in a side cutaway view, illustrates yet another step in the installation the thermally insulating washer of FIG. 10 and the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1 to the exterior wall of the building;
[0044] FIG. 18, in a side elevation view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1 mounted to the exterior wall of the building in a first orientation and supporting a girt in the form of an elongated L-shaped angle iron;
[0045] FIG. 19, in a side elevation view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting bracket of FIG. 1 mounted to the exterior wall of the building in a second orientation and supporting a girt in the form of an elongated L-shaped angle iron;
[0046] FIG. 20, in a perspective view, illustrates another embodiment of a thermally isolating mounting bracket, according to the present invention;
[0047] FIG. 21, in an alternative perspective view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting brackets shown in FIG. 20;
[0048] FIG. 22, in a perspective view, illustrates a plurality of an embodiment of the thermally isolating mounting bracket, here shown mounted along a support surface of an exterior wall, and supporting horizontally extending L-shaped channel which, in turn, are securing isolation panels against the support structure;
[0049] FIG. 23, in a perspective view, illustrates yet another embodiment of a thermally isolating mounting bracket, according to the present invention;
[0050] FIG. 24, in an alternative perspective view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting brackets shown in FIG. 23;
[0051] FIG. 25, in a perspective view, illustrates yet another embodiment of a thermally isolating mounting bracket, according to the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 26, in an alternative perspective view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting brackets shown in FIG. 25;
[0053] FIG. 27, in a perspective view, illustrates use of the mounting bracket of FIG. 23 to check that a suitable angle iron has been selected for attachment thereto;
[0054] FIG. 28, in a perspective view, illustrates use of a level to verify the horizontal alignment of the mounting brackets mounted to an exterior wall;
[0055] FIG. 29, in a bottom plan view, illustrates the thermally isolating mounting brackets shown in FIG. 23;
[0056] FIG. 30, in a perspective view, illustrates a spacer usable with the various mounting brackets referred to hereinabove;
[0057] FIG. 31, in a side cross-sectional view, illustrates use of the spacer with one of the various mounting brackets referred to hereinabove;
[0058] FIG. 32, in a perspective view, illustrates the mounting bracket of FIG. 23 provided with a double-sided adhesive tape;
[0059] FIG. 33, in a front elevation view, illustrates a step in using the tape of FIG. 32;
[0060] FIG. 34, in a front elevation view, illustrates another step in using the tape of FIG. 32;
[0061] FIG. 35, in a front elevation view, illustrates yet another step in using the tape of FIG. 32;
[0062] FIG. 36, in a front elevation view, illustrates yet another step in using the tape of FIG. 32; and
[0063] FIG. 37, in a front elevation view, illustrates yet another step in using the tape of FIG. 32.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0064] Referring collectively to FIGS. 1 to 9, there is shown a thermal mounting bracket 100 securable to an exterior wall 102 of a building and usable for mounting girts 104 thereto, as illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. For example, the girts 104 take the form of elongated L-shaped iron angles, but other types of girts are usable in alternative embodiments of the invention. The girts 104 can be used for one or both the following two purposes. First, the girts 104 may be used to secure insulation panels (as described further below). The girts 104 may also be used to mount cladding thereto spaced apart from the exterior wall 102, with or without insulation therebetween, but typically with. The girts 104 are shown mounted horizontal in FIGS. 18 and 19, but they can also be mounted vertically in alternative embodiments. Also, the thermal mounting bracket 100 can be mounted in any suitable orientation, for example with the horizontal wall that protrudes from the exterior wall 102 at the top, as seen in the drawings, or at the bottom.
[0065] Returning to FIGS. 1 to 9, the thermal mounting bracket 100 includes first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 pairwise substantially perpendicular to each other and forming a corner. In other words, the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 would fit over the corner of a large enough cube. The first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 are typically plate-shaped and each span a rectangular area from which some material may be removed. The thermal mounting bracket 100 typically includes metal first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110, which may for example be formed using a punch press process or by welding to each other metal plates. In some embodiments, the metal is stainless steel.
[0066] The first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 each define mounting apertures 112 each for receiving a fastener 114 (seen for example in FIG. 14) therethrough to mount the thermal mounting bracket 100 to the exterior wall 102. For example, the fastener 114 is a screw, but other fasteners usable in the construction industry, such as nails, among others, are usable.
[0067] As better seen in FIGS. 15 to 17 for the first wall 106, the first second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 are covered with a thermally insulating material 116 on the outside of the corner formed thereby, for example in the form of a relatively thin layer of this material covering substantially uniformly the first second and third walls 106, 108 and 110. The term thermally insulating material is to be understood as being a material used in the construction industry that conducts heat to a much smaller extent than a metal. An example of such a thermally insulating material is a foam. The thermally insulating material is typically relatively weak, so that is may cover the mounting apertures 112 during the manufacturing process and be pierced by the fastener 114 when the latter is inserted through a corresponding mounting aperture 112.
[0068] In some embodiments, one or more of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 defines a thermal barrier opening 120 extending therethrough. The thermal barrier opening 120 is larger than the mounting apertures 112 and significantly reduces the cross-sectional area available for transferring heat along the first, second or third walls 106, 108 and 110. Also at least one of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 may define a thermal barrier recess 122 extending thereinto from an edge thereof, again to reduce quantity of material available to transfer heat. In some embodiments, the first, second or third walls 106, 108 and 110 each take the form of rectangular plates from which material may have been removed to form thermal barrier opening 120 and thermal barrier recess 122. The resulting shape thus formed is that of a C across which a member extend, to enclose the thermal barrier opening 120.
[0069] In some embodiments, thermally insulating washers 124, seen in FIGS. 10 to 17 collectively, are insertable in the mounting apertures 112 and configured to receive the fastener therethrough to form a thermal barrier between the thermal mounting bracket 100 and the fasteners 114. The thermally insulating washer 124 is for example made of a polymer, that may a bulk polymer, or of a substantially rigid foam, among other possibilities. The thermally insulating washers 124 are hollow and each define a shaft portion 126 insertable in the mounting aperture 112, an inside flange 128 extending radially inwardly in the shaft portion 126 for abutting a head 115 of the fastener 114 thereagainst and an outside flange 130 extending radially outwardly from the shaft portion 126 for abutting against the first, second and thirds walls 106, 108 and 110 adjacent the mounting apertures 112. The mounting apertures 112 are typically sized to receive relatively snugly thereinto the shaft portion 126. The inside flange 128 is in some embodiments only defined once the fastener is inserted through the thermally insulating washer 124 and formed by compression of the material making up the thermally insulating washer 124 by the head 115 of the fastener.
[0070] A seen in the sequence of FIGS. 15 to 17, one of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 or 110, for example the first wall 106, is first positioned adjacent the exterior wall 102 with the thermally insulating material 116 closest to the exterior wall 102. A thermally insulating washer 124 and a fastener 114 are then aligned with one of the mounting apertures 112 and the thermally insulating washer 124 is inserted in the mounting aperture 112 and the fastener 114 is inserted through the thermally insulating washer 124. The fastener 114 is then inserted in the exterior wall 102, for example, in the case of a screw, by screwing the former in the latter until the head 115 of the fastener 114 maintains the thermal mounting bracket 100 against the wall, with the head 115 abutting against the inside flange 128 and the outside flange 130 abutting against the first wall 106 opposed to the thermally insulating material 116. Thus, there is no continuous metal to metal contact between the exterior wall 102 and the thermal mounting bracket 100, as all thermal links between the exterior wall 102 and the mounting bracket 102 are broken by the thermally insulating material 116 and the thermally insulating washer 124.
[0071] Then, as seen in FIG. 22, additional insulation, for example foam panels 136, can be pressed against the exterior wall 102, and the girts 104 can be mounted to the thermal mounting brackets 100 to secure the foam panels 136 against the exterior wall 102. Subsequently, cladding can be applied on the girts 104 in a conventional manner (not shown in the drawings).
[0072] In some embodiments, the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 have uneven dimensions so that once a selected one of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 is secured to the exterior wall 102, the other two of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 protrude from the exterior wall 102 along a distance that varies according to which one of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 is the selected one of the first, second and third walls 106, 108 and 110 that was secured to the exterior wall 102. In other words, the second and third walls 108 and 110 protrude away from the first wall 106 perpendicularly thereto over a first distance. the first and third walls 106 and 110 protrude away from the second wall 108 perpendicularly thereto over a second distance. The first and second walls 106 and 108 protrude away from the third wall 110 perpendicularly thereto over a third distance. The first, second and third distances may all be different, to that they correspond to different foam panel 136 thicknesses, as the latter are typically provided with thicknesses that are standardized.
[0073] As seen by comparing the thermal mounting bracket 100 of FIGS. 1 to 9 with the thermal mounting brackets 200 (illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21), 300 (illustrated in FIGS. 23 and 24) and 400 (illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26), the various first walls, 106, 206, 306 and 406, second walls, 108, 208, 308 and 408 and third walls, 110, 210, 310 and 410 can have various dimensions and configurations. Other similar mounting brackets are also within the scope of the invention.
[0074] Referring to FIGS. 23 to 26, some or all of the first, second and third walls 406, 306, 408, 308, 410 and 310 may define alignment notches 344 or 444 extending thereinto along their free edges 346 or 446 (that is along their edges that are opposed to the edges that are adjacent one of the other first, second and third walls 406, 306, 408, 308, 410 and 310. The alignment notches 344 and 444 on one of the free edges 346 or 446 are distanced from the other one of the free edges 346 or 446 and from the other ones of the first, second and third walls 406, 306, 408, 308, 410 and 310 by a distance that typically correspond a location at which an edge of the girts 104 should be located for proper installation. These alignment notches 344 and 444 can therefore be used to validate that the girt 104 that will be installed is indeed of the right dimensions for a particular installation and that it is properly positioned at the right distance from the exterior wall 302, without requiring a measuring tape, as illustrated in FIG. 27, in which the dot-dashed lines 345 indicate alignment with one of the alignment notches 344, which is too small to be visible in FIG. 27. The alignment notches 344 and 444 can also be used as a marker to align a laser beam when a laser level 355 is used to confirm proper alignment of many thermal mounting brackets 300 or 400 with each other.
[0075] In some embodiments, the thermal mounting bracket 300 or 400 may define a thermal break notch 348 or 448 extending between at least two of the first, second and third walls 406, 306, 408, 308, 410 and 310 at a junction therebetween to further reduce thermal transfer.
[0076] Referring to FIGS. 30 and 31, in some embodiments, spacers 350 made of a material more rigid than the thermally insulating material 116 are provided. The spacers are this and insertable in the thermally insulating material 116 adjacent one of the mounting apertures 112 through compression or deformation of the thermally insulating material. When the thermal mounting bracket 300 is installed, the spacer 350 is therefore embedded in the thermally insulating material 116 and prevents the latter from being compressed too much, which preserves thermal insulation properties when the thermally insulating material is a foam. Use of the spacer 350 may allow the thermally insulating material 116 to be made of a relatively low density foam, which typically increases thermal insulation when compared to denser foams, while preserving good mechanical contact and force transfer between the exterior wall 102 and the thermal mounting bracket 306.
[0077] For example, each spacer 350 includes a ring 352 larger in diameter than the mounting apertures 112 and positionable adjacent thereto and in register therewith. The spacer 350 may be made of a relatively rigid polymer and includes a relatively small quantity of this material, as such materials are typically relatively strong in compression. In some embodiments, many such rings 352 are linked to each other to form a spacer 350. For example, the mounting apertures 112 may form groups of mounting apertures 112 each including mounting apertures 112 that are closer to each other within the group compared to a distance with the mounting apertures 112 outside of the group. The rings 352 are mechanically coupled to each other so that the spacer 350 is positionable with each of the rings 352 in register with one of the mounting apertures 112 within the group. The groups may include for example three mounting apertures 112 forming an equilateral triangle.
[0078] As seen in FIG. 32, the thermal mounting bracket 300 may further be provided with a double sided tape 356 mounted to at least one of the first, second and third walls 306, 308 and 310. The double sided tape 356 may be mounted outside or inside of the thermally insulating material 116. In case of the latter, the double sided tape 356 may be used to secure the thermally insulating material 116 to the bulk of the mounting bracket 300, in addition to having the functionalities described below.
[0079] Typically, the double sided tape 356 include at least one, and typically two, flaps 358 protruding from the first, second or third wall 306, 308 or 310 to which it is secured. The flaps 358 may be covered in a relatively weak adhesive, for example similar to the adhesive used in painter's tape, and the adhesive may be covered by removable non-adhesive liner. The flaps 358 may be used for many purposes.
[0080] For example, as seen in FIG. 33, a flap 358 may be used to position the thermal mounting bracket 300 prior to definitive fastening to the exterior wall 102 by exerting a slight pressure on a small area of the flap 358. As seen in FIG. 34, since the flap 358 is flexible, the exact position of the thermal mounting bracket 300 can then be adjusted. If needed, the position of the flap 358 can also be changed. Once the proper location is achieved, a stronger pressure can be exerted on the entire area of both flaps 358 to secure the thermal mounting bracket 300 in place for permanent fixation with the fasteners 114.
[0081] The flaps 358 can also be used to properly position the girts 104 on the thermal mounting bracket 300 prior to securing them more permanently, as seen in FIGS. 36 and 37, by first adhering the girt 104 to one side of the flap 358, and then completely folding the flap 358 back over the remainder of the tape 356 to adhere the other side of the flap to the remainder of the thermal mounting bracket 300.
[0082] Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be readily appreciated that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the claims should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. The present invention can thus be modified without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.
