Trapezoidal rib mounting bracket with flexible legs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859292-B2
Application number	US-201916539960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A mounting bracket (320) for trapezoidal rib profiles is disclosed. This mounting bracket (320) includes an upper section (330) and a lower section (350). A first leg (352a) in a second leg (352b) extend from a lower portion of the upper section (330) in diverging relation to one another. Each of these legs (352a, 352b) is deflectable through a certain range of motion to accommodate installation of the mounting bracket (320) on a variety of different trapezoidal rib profiles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting bracket, comprising:
an upper wall having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first side extending from the first end to the second end, and a second side extending from the first end to the second end and opposite the first side;
an elongated slot disposed in the upper wall;
a first member extending from the first side, the first member comprising a first sidewall and a first leg;
a second member extending from the second side, the second member comprising a second sidewall and a second leg; and
a first pair of projections extending toward each other from the first member and the second member, the first pair of projections spaced from the upper wall by a first distance and separated from each other by a first space,
wherein the first member is connected to the second member only via the upper wall, and further wherein at least a portion of the first sidewall is parallel to at least a portion of the second sidewall.

2. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first leg extends away from the second member and the second leg extends away from the first member.

3. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of rib offsetting members extending toward each other from the first member and the second member, the pair of rib offsetting members spaced from the upper wall by a second distance greater than the first distance, the pair of rib-offsetting members separated from each other by a second space.

4. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first pair of projections extend toward each other from the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

5. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first leg comprises a first pair of holes and the second leg comprises a second pair of holes.

6. The mounting bracket of claim 5 , further comprising a first gasket disposed on an inner surface of the first leg, the first gasket surrounding each of the first pair of holes, and a second gasket disposed on an inner surface of the second leg, the second gasket surrounding each of the second pair of holes.

7. The mounting bracket of claim 6 , wherein the first leg comprises a first projection extending along a first length of the first gasket, and a second projection extending along a second length of the second gasket, the first length positioned in between the second length and the upper wall.

8. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first sidewall comprises a first planar portion separated from a second planar portion by a non-planar portion.

9. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first member is substantially symmetrical to the second member.

10. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein from a first position the first leg is flexibly deflectable at least 2° away from the second leg and is flexibly deflectable at least 2° toward the second leg, and wherein from a second position the second leg is flexibly deflectable at least 2° away from the first leg and is flexibly deflectable at least 2° toward the first leg, wherein the at least the portion of the first sidewall is parallel to the at least the portion of the second sidewall when the first leg is in the first position and the second leg is in the second position.

11. The mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein from a first position the first leg is flexibly deflectable up to about 5° away from the second leg and is flexibly deflectable up to about 5° toward the second leg, and wherein from a second position the second leg is flexibly deflectable up to about 5° away from the first leg and is flexibly deflectable up to about 5° toward the first leg, wherein the at least the portion of the first sidewall is parallel to the at least the portion of the second sidewall when the first leg is in the first position and the second leg is in the second position.

12. A trapezoidal rib mounting bracket, comprising:
an upper wall;
an elongated slot extending through the upper wall;
a pair of sidewalls extending from opposite sides of the upper wall, each of the pair of sidewalls comprising a planar outer surface oriented substantially perpendicularly to the upper wall and connected to each other only via the upper wall; and
a first leg extending from a first sidewall of the pair of sidewalls, and a second leg extending from a second sidewall of the pair of sidewalls, the first leg and the second leg extending away from the upper wall in diverging relation to each other,
wherein each of the first leg and the second leg is flexibly deflectable at least 2° relative to the upper wall.

13. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 12 , wherein each of the first leg and the second leg is flexibly deflectable at least 5° relative to the upper wall.

14. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 12 , wherein each of the pair of sidewalls comprises a rib offsetting member extending toward the other of the pair of sidewalls, each rib offsetting member positioned opposite the other rib offsetting member and separated from the other rib offsetting member by a first distance.

15. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 14 , wherein the first leg extends from the rib offsetting member of the first sidewall and the second leg extends from the rib offsetting member of the second sidewall.

16. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 12 , further comprising a receptacle positioned between the pair of sidewalls and between the upper wall and a pair of projections extending toward each other from the pair of sidewalls, the pair of projections separated by a first distance.

17. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 12 , wherein the pair of sidewalls comprise a first portion separated by a first distance and a second portion separated by a second distance, the second distance greater than the first distance.

18. The trapezoidal rib mounting bracket of claim 12 , further comprising a first hole extending through the first leg and a second hole extending through the second leg.

19. A mounting bracket securable to a trapezoidal rib, the mounting bracket comprising:
an upper wall;
a mounting aperture extending through the upper wall;
a first leg extending away from the upper wall, the first leg connected to the upper wall via a first sidewall and from a first position is flexibly deflectable at least 2° relative to the upper wall;
a second leg extending away from the upper wall, the second leg connected to the upper wall via a second sidewall and from a second position is flexibly deflectable at least 2° relative to the upper wall;
a first plurality of projections on the first sidewall extending toward the second sidewall; and
a second plurality of projections on the second sidewall extending toward the first sidewall,
wherein the first leg is connected to the second leg only via the upper wall, and further wherein at least a portion of the first sidewall is parallel to at least a portion of the second sidewall when the first leg is in the first position and the second leg is in the second position.

20. The mounting bracket of claim 19 , wherein each of the first leg and the second leg is flexibly deflectable at least 5° relative to the upper wall.

21. The mounting bracket of claim 19 , wherein the first leg comprises a first pair of mounting apertures, and the second leg comprises a second pair of mounting apertures.

22. The mounting bracket of claim 21 , further comprising a gasket secured to an inner surface of the first leg, the gasket extending arou

Assignees

• Rmh Tech Llc

Inventors

• Haddock Dustin M M
• Haddock Robert M M
• Holley Nikolaus J

Classifications

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• Y02B10/20

  Solar thermal · CPC title

• Y02B10/10

  Photovoltaic [PV] · CPC title

• Y02E10/47

  Mountings or tracking · CPC title

• F24S25/615

  for fixing to protruding parts of buildings, e.g. to corrugations or to standing seams · CPC title