Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ADJUSTABLE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY FOR PANELS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an adjustable anchor assembly for panels.
The invention has been developed primarily for mounting frameless glass
cantilevered
toughened panels and will be described hereinafter with reference to this
application.
However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this
particular field of use.
Background of the Invention
The anchor assemblies available for mounting frameless glass panels have
various
disadvantages, such as undesirable appearance where the mounting bolt may be
exposed
or difficult adjustment where the user must insert a tool between the
structure and the glass
panel to effect adjustment.
The present invention seeks to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least
some of the
deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to
herein, such reference
does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common
general
knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.
Summary of the Invention
According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an anchor assembly
for mounting
a member at an offset distance to a structure, the assembly comprising
adjustment means
for adjusting the offset distance, the adjustment means being accessible from
adjacent an
outer surface of the member distal to the structure.
Preferably, the member comprises a mounting aperture and the adjustment means
is
engageable through the mounting aperture.
Preferably, the adjustment means is engageable by a tool inserted through the
mounting
aperture.
Preferably, the assembly comprises:
a base body adapted for mounting to the structure; and
a mount body adjustably attached to the base body, wherein the member can be
mounted to the mount body,
Preferably, the mount body comprises a mount formation insertable through a
mounting
aperture of the member which supports the member during installation.
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Preferably, the mount body comprises a front portion engaging a rear face of
the member
facing the structure in use and the base body comprises a rear portion
engaging the
structure in use.
Preferably, the adjustable attachment of the mount body to the base body is
via a threaded
engagement therebetween.
Preferably, the adjustment means comprises a mount drive opening formed in the
mount
body.
Preferably, the threaded engagement is covered by a tube of the mount body or
the base
body.
Preferably, the base body comprises a central base formation having an
external thread and
the mount body comprises a mount tube having an internal thread.
Preferably, the base body comprises a base tube at least partly extending over
the mount
tube.
Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises an anchor means for mounting
the base
body to the structure.
Preferably, the anchor means is a bolt or a screw.
Preferably, the anchor means is detachably attachable to the base body.
Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises a lock means engaging the
mount body
for locking the member to the anchor assembly.
Preferably, the lock means at least partly extends through a mounting aperture
of the
member.
Preferably, the mount body comprises an internal thread engageable by the lock
means.
Preferably, the lock means comprises a front cap having an engagement
formation thereon.
Preferably, the adjustment means comprises a mount drive opening engageable
via an
opening in the mount body.
Preferably, the base formation is tubular and comprises an internal thread
attachable to an
anchor means.
Preferably, the base formation comprises a tool engageable drive opening
formed therein.
Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises friction means between the
base body
and the mount body.
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Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises a recess in the base body
disposed
adjacent the structure in use.
Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises a base drive opening in the
base body
engageable by a tool.
Preferably, the anchor assembly further comprises a mount drive opening in the
mount body
engageable by a tool.
Preferably, the base body comprises a rear portion having a central opening
and wherein the
tubular base formation extends from the rear portion
Preferably, a peripheral base tube extends from the rear portion, the base
tube being
generally parallel to the base formation.
Preferably, an annular space is defined between the base formation and the
base tube for
receiving a section of the mount tube.
Preferably, the mount body comprises a planar mount front portion having a
central aperture,
wherein a central tubular mount formation extends forwardly from the front
portion.
Preferably, the mount formation comprises an internally threaded central
opening.
Preferably, the central aperture comprises a tool engageable drive opening
formed therein.
Preferably, the mount tube extends rearwardly from the mount front portion.
Preferably, the mount tube comprises an external annular seal seat which
receives a ring
seal thereon.
The present invention in another aspect provides an anchor assembly for
mounting a
member having a mounting aperture to a structure, the assembly comprising:
a base body adapted for mounting to the structure; and
a mount body adjustably attached to the base body, wherein the member can be
mounted to the mount body,
wherein the mount body and/or the base body comprise an adjustment means
engageable by a tool inserted through the mounting aperture for adjusting the
distance between the member and the structure in use
The present invention in another aspect provides a panel comprising spaced
mounting
apertures and a respective anchor assembly according to any one of the above
extending
through the mounting apertures for mounting the panel to a structure.
The present invention in another aspect provides an anchor assembly for
mounting a
member at an offset distance to a structure, the assembly comprising an anchor
means for
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mounting the assembly to the structure and adjustment means for adjusting the
offset
distance over an offset distance range, wherein the assembly covers the anchor
means
throughout the extent of the offset distance range.
Preferably, the adjustment means is accessible from adjacent an outer surface
of the
member distal to the structure.
Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present
invention,
preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way
of examples
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 shows a side view of two anchor assemblies in accordance with a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention mounting a panel to a structure where (a)
shows the
fully extended configuration of the anchor assemblies and (b) shows the fully
retracted
configuration of the anchor assemblies;
Fig. 2 is an exploded side view of the anchor assembly of Figure 1;
Fig. 3 shows a base body for the anchor assembly of Figure 1, where (a) is a
front
perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side cross-section view and
(d) is a rear view;
Fig. 4 shows a mount body for the anchor assembly of Figure 1, where (a) is a
front
perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side cross-section view and
(d) is a rear view;
Fig. 5 shows the mount body of Figure 4 attached to the base body of Figure 3,
where (a) is
a front perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side cross-section
view and (d) is a rear
view;
Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of Figure 1 where (a) shows the installed
anchor assembly
and (b) shows the front cap removed and a tool inserted through the panel
mounting
aperture for adjusting the anchor assembly.
Description of Embodiments
It should be noted in the following description that like or the same
reference numerals in
different embodiments denote the same or similar features.
Referring initially to Figure 1 and 2, there is shown therein an anchor
assembly 10 according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for mounting a panel 200 to
a structure
300.
The structure 300 can be any structure as desired such as a slab floor, wall,
ledge, balcony,
timber or metal beam, and the panel 200 is mounted to an end face 302 of the
structure 300.
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The panel 200 is typically a frameless cantilevered toughened glass panel
having spaced
mounting apertures 202 extending between a front surface 204 and a rear
surface 206
thereof. A respective anchor assembly 10 extends through the mounting
apertures 202 for
mounting the panel 200 to the structure 300.
5 The anchor assembly 10 comprises a base bolt 12, a base body 14, a mount
body 16, a ring
seal 18, a washer bush 20, mount bolt 22, a front washer 24 and a front cap
26.
The base bolt 12 is a 10 mm or 12 mm diameter steel externally threaded bolt
which is 100
mm long. As described below, the base bolt 12 is used as an anchor means for
mounting
the base body 12 to the structure 300.
The base body 14 as further shown in Figure 3 comprises a generally
cylindrical base body
30 having a rear end 31 and a front end 37. The rear end 31 comprises a planar
annular
base rear portion 32 which defines a central opening 33 and a peripheral edge
34. A central
tubular base formation 36 extends from the central opening 33 of the rear
portion 32, and a
peripheral base tube 40 extends from the peripheral edge 34 of the rear
portion 32. The
base formation 36 and base tube 40 are generally parallel to each other, with
the base tube
40 extending further from the rear portion 32 than the base formation 36. An
annular space
49 is defined between the base formation 36 and the base tube 40, the space 49
extending
from the front end 37. The base tube 40 comprises an internal wall 53 and a
distal end 55.
The base formation 36 comprises an external thread 41 accessible via the
annular space 49,
an internal thread 45 accessible via the central opening 33, and a front
portion 42 facing the
front end 37 having a tool engageable screw drive opening 44 formed therein.
The screw
drive opening 44 in the embodiment is a hex key (Allen key) engageable base
drive opening
44 accessible from the front end 37. The rear portion 32 comprises an annular
recess 46
formed therein adjacent its junction with the base formation 36.
The mount body 16 as further shown in Figure 4 also comprises a generally
cylindrical
mount body 60 having a rear end 61 and a front end 67. The front end 67
comprises a
planar mount front portion 62 having a central aperture 63. A central tubular
mount formation
66 extends forwardly from the front portion 62, the mount formation 66 having
a central
opening 65. The mount formation 66 comprises an internal thread 69. The
central aperture
63 comprises a tool engageable screw drive opening 64 formed therein, being a
hex key
engageable mount drive opening 64 accessible through the central opening 65.
The mount
drive opening 64 is smaller in dimensions than the base drive opening 44.
A peripheral mount tube 70 extends rearwardly from the mount front portion 62.
The mount
front portion 62 extends further laterally than the mount tube 70 thus forming
a peripheral
flange 71. The mount tube 70 comprises a central opening 79, an internal
thread 77 and an
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external annular seal seat 76 formed at an external wall 73 thereof, the seat
76 being
spaced from the rear end 61. The external wall 73 further comprises a mark
indicator 81
therein formed between the seal seat 76 and the flange 71. The use of the
indicator 81 is
described below.
As shown in Figure 5, the mount tube 70 is dimensioned to be received within
the annular
space 49 of the base body 14, with the internal thread 77 of the mount tube 70
engaging the
external thread 41 of the base formation 36. In this position, the external
wall 73 of the
mount tube 70 is adjacent the internal wall 53 of the base tube 40. The ring
seal 18, typically
made from rubber and disposed within the seal seat 76, engages the internal
wall 53 to form
a friction fit between the mount tube 70 and the base tube 40. The peripheral
flange 71 is
aligned with the base tube 40.
Rotation of the mount body 16 relative to the base body 14 thus adjusts the
distance
between the base rear portion 32 and the mount front portion 62 via the
engaging threads 77
and 41. Rotation of the mount body 16 in use can be performed by hand or via a
hex key
engaging the mount drive opening 64 inserted through the central opening 65 of
the mount
formation 66.
Referring back to Figure 2, the washer bush 20 comprises a tubular portion 90
having a
central aperture 91, and a planar annular disc portion 92 extending from an
end of the
tubular portion 90 and perpendicularly thereto. The disc portion 92 is
dimensioned to cover
the mount front portion 62 with the tubular portion 90 extending around the
mount formation
66. The washer bush 20 is made from plastics material.
The mount bolt 22 is a 10 mm or 12 mm diameter stainless steel threaded bolt
which is 25
mm long.
The front washer 24 comprises an annular disc body 95 having a central
aperture 96. The
front cap 26 comprises a disc body 100 haying a front face 102 and a rear face
104. An
attachment tube 106 extends rearwardly from the rear face 104, the attachment
tube 106
comprising an internal thread 108. The front face 102 comprises an engagement
formation
110 which in the embodiment are spanner head ('snake eye') apertures.
The base bolt 12 is dimensioned to threadably engage the internal thread 45 of
the base
formation 36. The mount bolt 22 is dimensioned to threadably engage the
internal thread 69
of the mount formation 66. The attachment tube 106 can be inserted through the
aperture
96 of the front washer 24, and the attachment tube 106 is dimensioned to
threadably engage
the mount bolt 22.
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Mounting and use of the anchor assembly 10 will now be described with
reference to Figures
1 and 2. The base bolt 12 is initially anchored into the structure 300 by
drilling an elongated
hole into the slab 300 and then a chemical anchoring agent such as epoxy is
injected into
the hole. The base bolt 12 is then inserted into the hole with a 10 to 15 mm
section of the
base bolt 12 extending outwardly from the front face 302 of the structure 300.
After the
epoxy sets, the base bolt 12 is held securely in the structure 300.
The base body 14 is threadably attached over the extending section of the base
bolt 12 via
the internal thread 45 of the base formation 36. The annular recess 46 in the
rear portion 32
receives any excess anchoring agent that may seep out around the base bolt 12
to ensure
the rear portion 32 is mounted flush to the structure front face 302.
If the structure 300 is timber, a lag screw is used instead of the base bolt
12. In such an
application, a pilot hole is drilled into the timber structure and the lag
screw is threadably
attached to the base body 14 via the internal thread 45 of the base formation
36. A hex key
bit mounted to a power drill then engages the base drive opening 44 to screw
the lag screw
into the timber structure until the rear portion 32 is mounted flush to the
structure front face
302.
The mount body 16 is then attached to the base body 14 as above, by the mount
tube 70
being received within the annular space 49 of the base body 14, with the
internal thread 77
of the mount tube 70 engaging the external thread 41 of the base formation 36.
Rotation of the mount body 16 relative to the base body 14 adjusts the
distance between the
base rear portion 32 and the mount front portion 62. The mount body 16 can be
configured
relative to the base body 14 between a fully retracted position as shown in
Figure 5 and
Figure 1(b), and a fully extended position as shown in Figure 1(a). In the
fully retracted
position, the distal end 55 of the base tube 40 is adjacent the peripheral
flange 71. In the
fully extended position, the mark indicator 81 on the external wall 73 of the
mount tube 70 is
exposed from the distal end 55. The distance between the base rear portion 32
and the
mount front portion 62 is about 40 mm in the fully retracted and about 50 mm
in the fully
extended position.
The mount body 16 is attached to the base body 14 with the washer bush 20
already
mounted thereto. The tubular portion 90 of the washer bush 20 and the mount
formation 66
are then inserted into a mounting aperture 202 of the panel 200, which
supports the panel
200 thereon during installation.
A lock sub-assembly 29 is then formed with the mount bolt 22 inserted into the
attachment
tube 106 of the front cap 26 and the front washer 24 placed onto the rear
surface 104 of the
front cap 26 with the attachment tube 106 inserted through the central
aperture 96. The
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mount bolt 22 is then inserted into the internal thread 69 of the mount
formation 66, and
tightened thereon via the engagement formation 110 of the front cap 26, to
lock the panel
200 to the anchor assembly 10.
The panel 200 comprises a number of spaced mounting apertures 202 and a
plurality of
anchor assemblies 10 are used to mount the panel 200 to the structure 300. The
mount
front portions 62 of the anchor assemblies 10 are initially aligned using a
string line or laser
alignment tool prior to mounting the panel 200 to the anchor assemblies 10.
Rotation of the
mount bodies 16 relative to their base body 14 allows for this alignment. The
ring seal 18
provides a friction fit between the mount tube 70 and the base tube 40 to
allow finer
adjustment and less chance of knocking the anchor assemblies 10 out of
adjustment when
setting their depth prior to installing the glass panel 200.
As shown in Figure 6(b), if further adjustment is required once the panel 200
is mounted to
the tubular portion 90 and the mount formation 66, the lock sub-assembly 29 is
removed and
rotation of the mount body 16 can be performed by a hex key 400 engaging the
mount drive
opening 64 inserted through the mount aperture 202 and central opening 65 of
the mount
formation 66.
The present embodiment thus provides an anchor assembly 10 for mounting a
member 200
at an offset distance to a structure 300, the assembly 10 comprising
adjustment means (64,
77, 41) for adjusting the offset distance as desired, the adjustment means
being accessible
from adjacent an outer surface 204 of the member 200 distal to the structure.
The preferred embodiment thus provides an anchor assembly with a number of
advantages
including:
= a recess 46 in the base body for any excess chemical anchoring agent that
may
seep out around the base bolt used in a concrete structure to ensure the base
body sits flush against the structure.
= the base body includes a drive opening 44 engageable by a hex key to
tighten the
base body against the structure. This is very handy when a lag screw needs to
screwed into a pilot hole of a timber beam structure.
= the mount body is adjustable to allow a clearance of 40-50 mm from the
structure
to the rear surface 206 of the glass panel and this can be adjustably done
without
seeing any exposed thread.
= the adjustable threaded attachment between the mount body and the base
body is
covered by the mount tube 40 and the base tube 70 which provides a neat
attractive appearance.
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= a mark indicator 81 on the mount body to indicate you have reached the
maximum
50 mm clearance
= an 0-Ring seal 18 on the mount body creates friction between it and the
base
body to allow finer adjustment and less chance of knocking the anchors out of
adjustment when setting their depth prior to installing the glass panels. The
seal
18 also substantially seals the junction between the bodies 14 and 16 against
moisture and other foreign particles.
= the formation 66 in the face of the mount body in conjunction with the
washer bush
20 is designed to support the weight of the glass panel while screwing the cap
lock
sub-assembly 29 in place.
= the mount body includes a drive opening 64 where an Allen Key can be used
to
adjust the mount body in and out prior to installation of the glass panels and
also
for alignment and level adjustment of the glass panels from the outside after
they
have been installed. The installer thus does not have to access the space
between
the structure and the panel to provide this adjustment, in contrast to the
prior art.
This Allen Key opening is smaller than that on the base body so that there is
no
interference.
= the front cap 26 can be provided with a choice of shapes and finishes
depending
on preference of the installed finish, including a bevelled cap with snake eye
holes
for tightening, a square edge cap with C spanner hole in the side for
tightening, or
a square edge cap with M10 or M12 countersunk machine screw to be tightened
with an Allen Key.
Whilst preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it
will be
apparent to skilled persons that modifications can be made to the embodiments
described.
For example, the drive openings can be shaped in other shapes as desired,
including
Phillips head or slot shaped screwdriver openings. The adjustment between the
base body
and the mount body can be modified, and can for example comprise a lockable
cam
arrangement or a telescopic arrangement therebetween.
The mount body in the embodiment is adjustable to allow a clearance of 40 to
50 mm from
the structure to the panel, but can be modified to provide any desired
clearance range such
as between 30 to 60 mm.
The assembly has been described herein as being for mounting a panel, but can
also be
used for mounting other members to a structure such as a post, beam or
railing. The
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structure referred to herein can also be movable structure items such as
movable frames,
furniture or any other base structure as desired.
Interpretation
Embodiments:
5 Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that
a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with
the embodiment
is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,
appearances of the
phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout
this
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but
may.
10 Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may
be combined in any
suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from
this disclosure,
in one or more embodiments.
Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example
embodiments of
the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped
together in a single
embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the
disclosure and
aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects.
This method of
disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that
the claimed
invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim.
Rather, as the
following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a
single foregoing
disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description of
Specific
Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description
of Specific
Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of
this
invention.
Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not
other features
included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different
embodiments are
meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments,
as would be
understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of
the claimed
embodiments can be used in any combination.
Different Instances of Objects
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives
"first", "second",
"third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different
instances of like
objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects
so described
must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in
any other manner.
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Specific Details
In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth.
However, it is
understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these
specific
details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques
have not been
Terminology
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the
drawings, specific
terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the
invention is not intended
to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood
that each specific
Comprising and Including
context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication,
the word
"comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an
inclusive sense,
i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the
presence or
addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.
open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow
the term, but
not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.
Scope of Invention
Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred
embodiments of
be made thereto, and it is intended to claim all such changes and
modifications as fall within
the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are
merely
representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or
deleted from
the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks.
Steps
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples,
it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in
many other
forms.
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Industrial Applicability
It is apparent from the above, that the arrangements described are applicable
to the building
industries.
