Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
ADJUSTABLE GATE BRACKET SYSTEM AND METHOD
The present invention relates to hardware for use in the construction of gates
and, more specifically, to gate hardware adapted to brace the vertical and
horizontal support members of a wooden gate and rotatably connect these
members to a fixed structural member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENT10N
Gates are often used to allow selective access through a wall or fence.
Conventionally, gates are constructed as follows. Two vertical support members
and two horizontal support members are fastened together in a rectangular
shape to form what will be referred to herein as a gate box. Fence boards or
the
like are fastened to the support members, and one of the vertical support
members is rotatably attached by two or mare hinge assemblies to a structural
member such as a wall or post.
Using conventional gate building techniques, fasteners such as nails or screws
are driven through one support member into another support member to farm the
corners of the gate box. Over time, the force of gravity and wood shrinkage
wiif
cause these fasteners to loosen, allowing the gate box to sag out of its
desired
rectangular shape.
Accordingly, metal L-brackets, wooden brace members, triangular pieces of
plywood, and the like are often fastened to the adjacent ends of the support
members to strengthen the inside corners of the gate box. In other situations,
a
wire is placed in tension between the upper proximal and lower distal corners
of
the gate box to support the lower distal corner of the gate box and thereby
reduce sagging of the gate. Such bracing techniques are somewhat effective but
also commonly employ fasteners that are susceptible to failure and can be
relatively time consuming to implement.
1
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
Another problem with conventional gate building techniques is that fasteners
such as nails or screws are similarly used to attach the hinge assemblies to
the
vertical support member adjacent to the structural member. The loads are
transferred to the gate through the screws placed in tension. As the wood
shrinks and the gate is opened and closed, the fasteners under tension tend to
loosen and may eventually fail.
As the hinge fasteners loosen, the entire gate assembly may sag relative to
the
hinge assemblies and thus the structural member, even if the gate box
maintains
its rectangular shape. The use of braces at the corners of the gate box will
worsen sagging at the hinges because the materials and hardware used for
bracing increase the weight of the gate; this increased weight increases the
forces of gravity on the fasteners used to attach the hinge assemblies to the
proximal vertical support member.
The Applicant is aware of a product sold in Canada as early as approximately
1993 under the tradename "Artistic Steel Gate Frames". The Artistic Steel Gate
Frame product comprises distal and proximal brace members, with hinges being
attached to the proximal brace member. A gate assembly constructed using tr~c:
Artistic product would use upper and lower horizontal wooden support members,
but would not use vertical support members. Instead, the distal and proximal
brace members would form the structure of the vertical sides of the gate.
Accordingly, the brace members of the Artistic product were sold in a
plurality of
sizes, with each size corresponding to a given distance between the upper and
lower horizontal support members.
One problem with the Artistic product is that this system requires the
manufacturer to produce and keep in inventory, and the retailer to stock,
multiple
sizes of brace members. Furthermore, it has been noted that for packaging,
transporting and merchandising that the above product is not well suited.
2
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
In addition, the end user is limited to one of these multiple sizes of brace
members; one could not create a gate assembly having a custom distance
between the upper and lower horizontal support members.
From the foregoing, it should be clear that one object of the present
invention is
to create bracket systems and methods that are strong, that are easy and
inexpensive to use, and which allow significantly flexibility in the final
design of
the gate assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a bracket system for forming gate assemblies. Foc.~r
separate brace members are provided, and two of the brace members are rigidly
attached to hinge assemblies. The brace members are adapted to be attached
to different size support members to form the corners of a gate box
functioning
as the structural portion of the gate assembly. The hinge assemblies are
adapted to be rigidly attached to a fence post to allow the gate assembly to
pivot
relative to the fence post. Gate assemblies of arbitrary height and width and
using varying size of support members can be formed using the bracket system
of the present invention. Furthermore, the design of the brace members makes
packaging, transporting and merchandising well suited to the industry
requirements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bracket system
for
operatively connecting upper and lower horizontal support members and distal
and proximal vertical support members to form a gate assembly adapted to be
connected to a structural member, the bracket system comprising a first distal
brace member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably
positioned section defining a first support surface and a second support
surface.
where the first support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the
second support surface, the first support surface is adapted to be connected
to
3
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
the distal vertical support member, and the second support surface is adapted
to
be connected to the distal vertical support member; and a second distal brace
member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section defining a third support surface and a fourth support surface, where
the
third support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the fourth
support
surface, the third support surface is adapted to be connected to the distal
vertical
support member; and a first brace assembly comprising a first proximal brace
member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section defining a fifth support surface extends substantially perpendicularly
to
the sixth support surface, the fifth support surface is adapted to be
connected to
the upper horizontal support member, the sixth support surface is adapted to
be
connected to the proximal vertical support member, and the first hinge
assembly
is adapted to be connected to the structural member; and a second brace
assembly comprising a second proximal brace member comprising a fixedly
positioned section and an adjustably positioned section defining a seventh
support surface and an eighth support surface and a second hinge assembly
rigidly connected to the second proximal brace member, where the seventh
support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the eighth support
surface, the seventh support surface is adapted to be connected to the lower
horizontal member, the eighth support surface is adapted to be connected to
the
proximal vertical support member, and the second hinge assembly is adapted to
be connected to the structural member; whereby the first distal brace member,
the second distal brace member, the first proximal brace member, and the
second proximal brace member are movable relative to each other; and spatial
relationships among the first distal brace member, the second distal brace
member, the first proximal brace member, and the second proximal brace
member are fixed only when the gate assembly is formed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of forming
a
gate assembly to be connected to a structural member, the method comprising
the steps of providing a first distal brace member comprising a fixedly
positioned
4
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
section and an adjustably positioned section defining a first support surface
and
a second support surface, where the first support surface extends
substantially
perpendicularly to the second support surface; providing a second distal brace
member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section defining a third support surface and a fourth support surface, where
the
third support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the fourth
support
surface; providing a first brace assembly comprising a first proximal brace
member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section defining a fifth support surface and a sixth support surface, where
the fifth
support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the sixth support
surface; providing a first hinge assembly adapted to be connected to the
structural member; rigidly connecting the first hinge assembly to the
adjustably
positioned section of the first proximal brace member, providing a second
brace
assembly comprising a second proximal brace member comprising a fixedly
positioned section and an adjustably positioned section defining a seventh
support surface and an eighth support surface, where the seventh support
surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the eighth support surface;
providing a second hinge assembly adapted to be connected to the structural
member; rigidly connecting the second hinge assembly to the adjustably
positioned section of the second proximal brace member; slidably positioning
the
adjustably positioned section relative to the fixedly positioned section of
the first
and second distal brace members and of the first and second proximal brace
members; and rigidly connecting horizontal and vertical support members to
said
first and second distal brace members and to said first and second brace
assemblies.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a bracket
system for
reinforcing a gate assembly, the bracket system comprising a first distal
brace
member having a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section
comprising a first horizontal support portion defining a first support
surface, a first
vertical support portion defining a second support surface, and a first brace
5
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
portion arranged between the first horizontal support portion and the first
vertical
support portion, where the first support surface extends substantially
perpendicularly to the second support surface, the first support surface lies
in an
upper horizontal support plane, and the second support surface lies in a
distal
vertical support plane; and a second distal brace member having a fixedly
positioned section and an adjustably positioned section comprising a second
horizontal support portion defining a third support surface, a second vertical
support portion defining a fourth support surface, and a second brace portion
arranged between the second horizontal support portion and the second vertical
support portion, where the third support surface extends substantially
perpendicularly to the fourth support surface, the third support surface lies
in a
lower horizontal support plane, and the fourth support surface lies in the
distal
vertical support plane; and a first brace assembly comprising a first proximal
brace member having a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned
section comprising a third horizontal support portion defining a fifth support
surface, a third vertical support portion defining a sixth support surface,
and a
third brace portion arranged between the third horizontal support portion and
the
third vertical support portion, and a first hinge assembly rigidly connected
to the
third horizontal support portion of the first proximal brace member, where the
fifth
support surface extends substantially perpendicularly to the sixth support
surface, the fifth support surface lies in the upper horizontal support plane,
the
sixth support surface lies in a proximal vertical support plane, and the first
hinge
assembly is adapted to be connected to the structural member; and a second
brace assembly comprising a second proximal brace member having a fixedly
positioned section and an adjustably positioned section comprising a fourth
horizontal support portion defining a seventh support surface, a fourth
vertical
support portion defining an eighth support surface, and a fourth brace portion
arranged between the fourth vertical support portion, and a second hinge
assembly rigidly connected to the fourth horizontal support portion of the
second
proximal brace member, where the seventh support surface extends substantially
perpendicularly to the eighth support surface, the seventh support surface
lies in
6
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
the lower horizontal support plane, the eighth support surface lies in the
vertical
support plane, and the second hinge assembly is adapted to be connected to the
structural member; whereby the first distal brace member, the second distal
brace member, the first proximal brace member, and the second proximal brace
member are movable relative to each other; and spatial relationships among the
first distal brace member, the second distal brace member, the first proximal
brace member, and the second proximal brace member are fixed only when the
gate assembly is formed.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bracket
system for
operatively connecting upper and lower support members and distal and
proximal support members to form a gate assembly adapted to be connected to
a structural member, the bracket system comprising a first distal brace member
comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned section
defining a first support surface and a second support surface; and a second
distal brace member comprising a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably
positioned section defining a third support surface and a fourth support
surface;
and a first brace assembly comprising a first proximal brace member comprising
a fixedly positioned section and an adjustably positioned section defining a
fifth
support surface and a sixth support surface and a first hinge assembly rigidly
connected to the first proximal brace member, where the first hinge assembly
is
adapted to be connected to the structural member; and a second brace assembly
comprising a second proximal brace member comprising a fixedly positioned
section and an adjustably positioned section defining a seventh support
surface
and an eighth support surface and a second hinge assembly rigidly connected to
the second proximal brace member, where the second hinge assembly is
adapted to be connected to the structural member; whereby the first distal
brace
member, the second distal brace member, the first proximal brace member, and
the second proximal brace member are movable relative to each other; and
spatial relationships among the first distal brace member, the second distal
brace
7
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
member, the first proximal brace member, and the second proximal brace
member are fixed only when the gate assembly is formed.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention are more fully
described with reference to the following drawings annexed hereto, Other
objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent
from
the description hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a gate frame system of the present invention
comprising distal brace members and proximal brace assemblies;
Fig. 2 is an exploded, front elevation view of a gate assembly incorporating
the
gate frame system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a partial cut-away, front elevation view of the gate assembly of
Fig. 2
attached to a fence post;
Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of the distal brace member depicted in Fig.
1;
Fig. 5 is a front elevation view of the proximal brace member depicted in Fig.
1;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fixedly positioned section of the braces
of the
present invention;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the adjustably positioned section of the
proximal
brace assemblies depicted in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the adjustably positioned section of the
distal
brace members depicted in Fig. 1.
8
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring initially to Fig. 1, depicted therein is a gate bracket system 20
constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the principles of the present
invention. Referring for a moment to Figs. 2 and 3, the gate bracket system 20
is
adapted to form a gate box 22 to be used as part of a gate assembly 24; the
gate
assembly 24 is in turn to be connected to a structural member such as a fence
post 26 of a larger structure such as a fence 28.
The exemplary gate assembly 24 comprises in addition to the bracket system 20
distal and proximal vertical support members 30 and 32, upper and lower
horizontal support members 34 and 36, and a plurality of fence members 40.
The exemplary support members 30-36 are conventional wooden two-by-fours;
but other materials and sizes may be used as the support members 30-36. The
present invention will accommodate any type of lumber or timber as opposed to
needing dressed and planed lumber milled to precise dimensions thereby
providing for great flexibility in its use. The exemplary fence members 40 are
also conventionally made out of wood, but other materials and various sizes of
any type of material may be used to form the fence members 40.
The support members 30-36 and fence members 40 do not form a part of the
present invention. A description of the construction and operation of these
members 30-40 is not necessary to describe how to make and use the present
invention and is included herein simply to illustrate the environment in which
the
present invention operates.
The fence post 26 is conventionally a wooden four-by-four, but other materials
and sizes may be used to form the structural member to which the gate assembly
24 is rotatably attached. For example, rather than a fence post 26, the
structural
member may be a wall of a structure. The fence post 26 and fence 28 also are
9
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
or may be conventional and are not part of the present invention. As with the
support and fence members 30-40 introduced above, a description of the
construction and operation of the post 26 and fence 28 is not necessary to
describe how to make and use the present invention. The fence post 26 and
fence 28 are described herein simply to illustrate the environment in which
the
present invention operates.
The gate bracket system 20 of the present invention comprises first and second
distal brace members 50 and 52 and first and second brace assemblies 54 and
56. The first brace assembly 54 in turn comprises a first proximal brace
member
60 and a first hinge assembly 62, which the second brace assembly comprises a
second proximal brace member 64 and a second hinge assembly 66.
Referring to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the exemplary brace members 50, 52, 50 and 64
each comprise a horizontal portion 70, a vertical portion 72, and a brace
portion
74. The brace members in turn are comprised of two main sections. The first
section of the brace members will be defined generally as the fixedly
positioned
section 71. The second section of the brace members is defined generally as
the
adjustably positioned section of the distal (see Fig. 8) 140 member and as the
adjustably positioned section of the proximal (see Fig. 7) 130 member or
resulting assembly, the only difference residing in the presence of the hinge
assembly on the proximal brace member for forming the brace assembly.
Adaptedly positioned along the length of horizontal portion 70 of section 71
and
reciprocally along the length of the adjustably positioned sections 140 and
130,
elongated openings 75, 131, 141 are provided. As illustrated, further opening
132, 142 are provided for matingly securing said sections 140 and 130 with
section 71 thereby forming a distal brace member 50, 52 and a brace assembly
54, 56.
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
Once fixedly positioned section 71 and the adjustably positioned sections 140
and 130 are respectively put together, the resulting members 50, 52 and
assemblies 54, 56 will be adapted to be slidably adjusted along a horizontal
axis
for use with different size support members. A stopping member 77 is provided
in order to ensure that sections 140 and 130 do not over reach the length of
horizontal portion 70 and possibly create some instability.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, an outer end 72a of the vertical portions 72 is
rigidly
connected to an attachment region 70a of the horizontal portions 70. The
exemplary brace portion 74 is preferably rigidly connected at an angle between
bracing regions 70b and 72b of the horizontal and vertical portions 70 and 72,
respectively.
The choice of materials and shapes of the materials are not essential to any
particular implementation of the present invention. The primary requirements
of
the brace members 50, 52, 60 and 64 are that these members each define a
horizontal support surface 80 and a vertical support surface 82 such that
these
surfaces rigidly extend from each other at a right angle. In the exemplary
system
20, the horizontal support surfaces 80 are adaptedly positioned on the
horizontal
portions 70 and the vertical support surfaces 82 are formed on the vertical
portions 72.
A plurality of fastener holes 90 are formed in the brace members 50, 52, 50
and
64; the fastener holes 90 are adapted to allow fasteners 92 to attach, in a
conventional manner, the brace members 50, 52, 50, and 64 to the support
members 30-36. The fasteners 92 are preferably self-tapping screws but can be
nails, bolts, or the tike. The fasteners 92 are not part of the gate bracket
system
20 of the present invention per se but, as will be described in further detail
below,
are used to adjustably combine the bracket system 20 with the support members
30-36 to form the gate assembly 24.
11
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
The exact number and location of the fastener holes 90 is not critical to any
given
implementation of the present inventian. In a broadest form of the bracket
system 20, the fastener holes 90 can be formed anywhere along the horizontal
portions 70 and vertical portions 72. The only requirement for the number and
spacing of these holes is that the fasteners 92 extend through these holes 90
and into the support members to rigidly secure the brace members to the
support
members. It will be understood that the positioning of these holes along the
horizontal portions 70 will be such to allow for slidable and adaptable
positioning
in light of the size of the support members used.
Given the foregoing general understanding of the present invention, the distal
bracket members 50 and 52 and the proximal bracket assemblies 54 and 56 of
the present invention will now be described in further detail.
The attachment and bracing regions 70a and 70b of the horizontal portions 70
of
the exemplary bracket members 50, 52, 60 and 64 are formed located generally
as follows.
The horizontal portions 70 have an outer end 70c and an inner end 70d. Once
the adjustably positioned sections 140 and 130 are slidably put in place
relative
to fixedly positioned section 71 in light of the size of the support members
30-36
used the length of the spacing regions 70e is thereby determined such that the
vertical support members 30 and 32 fit snugly between the vertical portions 72
and the other ends 70d. In the case of the proximal bracket assemblies 54 and
56, the length of the spacing regions 70e allows the vertical support members
30
and 32 to fit snugly between the vertical portions 72 of the third and fourth
bracket members 60 and 64 and the first and second hinge assemblies 62 and
66, respectively. When, as is typical, two-by-four dimensional lumber is used
to
form the vertical support members, the length of the spacing regions 70e will
be
approximately 3 1/2"', or slightly greater to allow for variations in the true
dimensions of the lumber.
12
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
The exemplary horizontal and vertical portions 70 and 72 as well as adjustably
positioned sections 140 and 130 are made of flat pieces of rigid metal, but
other
relatively rigid materials and shapes that function in a similar manner may be
used. For ease of manufacturing, the exemplary horizontal and vertical
portions
70 and 72 are identical in length. As for sections 140 and 130 they will by
default
be longer than horizontal portions 70.
The brace portion 74 is typically round or flat metal stock, but other shapes
and
materials may be used. For example, the brace portion 74 may be a triangular
web of flat material that extends between the horizontal and vertical portions
70
and 72. In this case, the entire brace member may be cast of metal or
injection
molded from plastic.
From the foregoing, it should be clear that the exemplary brace members 50,
52.
60 and 64 are identical, which is preferred for manufacturing purposes.
However, these brace members 50, 52, 60 and 64 need not be identical to
practice the present invention in its broadest form.
The first and second hinge assemblies 54 and 5fi are or may be conventional
and will be described herein only to the extent necessary for a complete
understanding of the present invention.
As is conventional, the hinge assemblies 54 and 56 each comprise a gate plate
120 and a post plate 122. These plates define hinge projections 124 that
receive
a hinge pin (not shown). The hinge pin allows the gate and post plates 120 and
122 to rotate relative to each other about a hinge axes C and D defined by the
hinge assemblies 54 and 56.
The outer ends 70d of the adjustably portioned sections 130 of the first and
second brace members 60 and 64 are rigidly connected to the gate plates 120.
13
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
An array of fastener holes 90 is formed in the post plate 122 to allow this
plate to
be rigidly attached to the fence post 26. Preferably four fastener holes 90
are
formed in the post plate 122. The drawing depicts fastener holes 90 in the
gate
plate 120; these holes 90 in the plate 120 need not be used, but will be
present if
off-the-shelf hinge assemblies 62 and 66 are used.
The process of combining the bracket system 20 with the support members 3C-
36 to form the gate box 22 will now be described with reference to Fig. 2.
Initially, as is conventional, the support members 30-36 are cut to the
desired
lengths. The length of vertical support members 30 and 32 generally correspond
to the height of the gate assembly 24, while the length of the horizontal
support
members 34 and 36 closely correspond to the width of the gate assembly 24.
Moreover, the present invention provides for the possibility of using
different size
support members, not only in its length, i.e. two by six instead of two by
four
inches for instance, whereby the adjustably positioned sections 130 and 140 a~-
e
slidably positioned to securely accept different sizes. In practice, the
support
members 30-36 must be at least twice as long as the lengths of the sections
130
and 140 and vertical portions 72 to prevent overlapping of the adjacent brace
members.
The first and second distal brace members 5U and 52 and first and second brace
assemblies 54 and 56 are arranged such that: (a) horizontal and vertical
support
surfaces 80a and 82a of the first distal brace member 50 define first and
second
support surfaces of the bracket system 20; (b) horizontal and vertical support
surfaces 80b and 82b of the second distal brace member 50 define third and
fourth support surfaces of the bracket system 20; (c) horizontal and vertical
support surtaces 80c and 82c of the first proximal brace member 60 define
fifth
and sixth support surfaces of the bracket system 20; and (d) horizontal and
14
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
vertical support surfaces 80d and 82d of the second proximal brace member 64
define seventh and eighth support surfaces c>f the bracket system 20.
Once the adjustably positioned sections 130 and 140 are slidably positioned to
receive the size of the support members in use the fasteners 92 are inserted
through the fastener holes 90 of the brace members 50, 52, 60 and 64 and into
the support members 30-36 to form the gate box 22. In particular, fasteners 92
are driven through the holes 90 and into the support members 30-36 such that
(a) the upper horizontal support member 34 is drawn tight against the first
and
fifth support surfaces defined by the first distal brace member 50 and first
proximal brace member 60; (b) the lower horizontal support member 36 is drawn
tight against the third and seventh support surfaces defined by the second
distal
brace member 52 and second proximal brace member 64; (c) the distal vertical
support member 30 is drawn tight against the second and fourth support
surfaces
defined by the first and second distal brace members 50 and 52; and (d) the
proximal vertical support member 32 is drawn tight against the sixth and
eighth
support surfaces defined by the first and second proximal brace members 60 and
64.
The exact order of the attachments described in the preceding paragraph is not
critical to the present invention in its broadest: form.
The present invention results in a gate box 22 without any exposed parts of
the
members 50 and 52 or of the assemblies 54 and 56 showing on the exterior of
the said box 22 except for the hinge projections 124. This not only results in
increased appeal of the finished product but also in better and extended
performance.
With the gate box 22 formed as described above, the hinge axes C and D will be
substantially aligned. The gate box 22 so foamed may thus then be attached to
the fence post 26 by fasteners 92 extending through the fastener holes 90 in
the
CA 02445165 2003-10-16
post plate 122 and into the post 26. When the post plates 122 are rigidly
connected to the post 26, the gate box 22 pivots relative to the fence post 26
about the hinge axes C and D.
Given the foregoing, it should be clear that the present invention may be
embodied in forms other than those depicted and described herein. The scope
of the present invention should thus be determined by the claims appended
hereto and not the preceding detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
16
