Mounting clip

A mounting clip is described and which includes a clip body which has an aperture formed therein; and an engaging component is provided and which is received in the aperture and which moveably mounts the clip body to a first structural member and which facilitates the movement of the clip body along individual first and second paths of travel which are substantially normal one relative to another.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a mounting clip which finds usefulness in the construction of buildings, and more specifically to a mounting clip which facilitates the movement of a construction component along individual paths of travel which are substantially normal one relative to the other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,006, a stud mounting clip is described and which is useful in the construction of buildings, and particularly light commercial buildings. The teachings of this patent are incorporated by reference herein. As described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,006, it is not uncommon for buildings to settle on their foundations once constructed. This settling of the building can cause damage to the surrounding foundation and to interior structures such as floors and the like as exterior walls go out of plumb. Yet further, in the construction of certain light commercial buildings it is not uncommon for the exterior walls and frames of the building to be manufactured from materials having different coefficients of expansion from that of the exterior sheathing of the structure. With the exposure of the building to extremes of temperature, gaps are often produced in the exterior sheathing panels, thereby allowing cold air and moisture to enter the structure.

Various slide clips of assorted designs have been suggested through the years, an example of two related slide clip arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,720,571 and 5,467,566, the teachings of which are also incorporated by reference herein.

While these prior art patents, noted above, and the teachings associated therewith have operated with some degree of success, shortcomings have remained in the use of these prior art clip arrangements. Among the chief difficulties associated with these assemblies is that most of the prior art assemblies have been designed for use in supporting construction members, and the like, and which move generally in a vertical direction relative to a supporting stud. Moreover, and as outlined more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,571, many of the prior art clips do not provide the necessary off-set required to accommodate the flange thickness of studs and as a result the clips are not installed flush to the surface of any supporting surface that it is being installed on. As a result, welds or mechanical fasteners are required to bridge the resulting gap and consequently their holding values are not as predictable as those made when surface-to-surface contact is maintained in the installation of same.

Therefore, a mounting clip which is useful in the construction of various buildings and which overcomes the shortcomings attendant with the prior art devices and practices is the subject matter of the present application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a mounting clip which includes a clip body which has an aperture formed therein; and an engaging component received in the aperture and which moveably mounts the clip body to a first structural member and which facilitates the movement of the clip body along individual first and second paths of travel which are substantially normal one relative to another.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a mounting clip for joining at least two structural members together and which includes a clip body having a first and a second leg, and wherein one of the first or second legs is affixed to a first structural member, and wherein the other of the first or second legs has an aperture formed therein; an engaging component matingly received in the aperture and affixed to a second structural member, and wherein the engaging component when disposed in a first position renders the clip body moveable along a first path of travel relative to the second structural member, and wherein the clip body when mounted in a second position renders the clip body moveable along a second path of travel relative to the second structural member and which is substantially normal relative to the first path of travel; a securing component mounted on the engaging component and moveably capturing the other of the first or second legs which has the aperture formed therein, and which is located therebetween the securing component and the first structural member; and a fastener received through the engaging and securing components and which secures the mounting clip to the first structural member.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The mounting clip of the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral10as seen inFIG. 3and following. As best seen by reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, a prior art stud mounting clip11as more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,006 is shown. The teachings of this U.S. patent are incorporated by reference herein. As seen inFIGS. 1 and 2, the prior art stud mounting clip11includes a bracket component12which has a first and a second leg13and14, respectively. An elongated aperture15is formed in the first leg13and the bracket component12facilitates the vertical movement of a horizontally oriented stud or construction member16as seen inFIG. 2. The bracket component12is slideably affixed to a vertically oriented stud which is generally indicated by the numeral17.

The prior art stud mounting clip11includes a clip body20having an engaging portion21which is matingly received within the elongated aperture15and further has a securing portion22which is fastened thereto. Apertures23are formed in the securing and engaging portions21and22and thereby receive a fastener24therethrough and which engages the underlying vertically oriented stud17. As best appreciated by a study ofFIG. 2, the stud mounting clip11permits substantially vertical movement of the horizontally oriented stud or construction member16.

Referring now toFIGS. 3-5, the mounting clip10of the present invention is operable to join a pair of structural members generally indicated by the numeral50together (FIG. 5). In this regard, the structural members50include a first vertically oriented structure member51and a second substantially horizontally oriented structural member52. The first and second structural members51and52each have respective exterior facing surfaces53and54, respectively. As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting clip10has a clip body which is generally indicated by the numeral60. The clip body has a first leg61, and a second leg62which are disposed in substantially normal relation one relative to the other, although it should be recognized that various other angular relationships of the first and second legs are possible. As seen in the drawings, a substantially square aperture63is formed in the first leg61. The substantially square aperture is defined by a number of sides64. Each of the sides64are substantially equal in length. As will be appreciated, while the substantially square aperture63is formed in the first leg61, the same square aperture may be formed in the second leg or alternatively in both the first and second legs.

Referring now toFIGS. 3 and 4, an engaging component70is provided. The engaging component is received in the aperture63and is operable to moveably mount the clip body60to the first structural member51(FIG. 5), and which facilitates the movement of the clip body along individual first and second paths of travel which are substantially normal one relative to the other, and which will be described in greater detail below. The engaging component70has a main body71with opposite first and second ends72and73, respectively. A major length dimension74is defined between the first and second ends. As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4, the main body is substantially rectangular shaped and the major length dimension74is less than the length dimension of one of the sides64of the square aperture63. Still further, the main body71has a minor width dimension75, which is less than the length dimension of one of the sides64of the substantially square aperture63. In the arrangement as shown, the minor width dimension of the rectangular shaped engaging component70is less than about 80% of the length dimension of one of the sides64of the substantially square aperture63. In addition to the foregoing, the main body71has a thickness dimension generally indicated by the numeral76. Further, a plurality of apertures77are formed therein and which are operable to receive fasteners which will be described below, and which secure the engaging component70to the first structural member51. As will be recognized by a study of the drawings, the clip body60has a thickness dimension, and the thickness dimension76of the engaging component70is at least equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the clip body60. As will be recognized by a study ofFIGS. 3-5, the engaging component slideably engages the opposite sides64of the square aperture63to substantially constrain the movement of the clip body60along the respective first and second paths of travel which will be described below. As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4, the engaging component70can be located in alternative first and80and second81positions or orientations relative to the first structural member51in order to define first82and second83paths of travel which are disposed in substantially normal relation one relative to the other. In this regard, and because of the nature of the substantially square aperture63, and the minor length dimension75of the main body71, the individual paths of travel have a length dimension which is equal to the difference of the length dimension of one of the sides64of the substantially square aperture63, and the minor width dimension75of the rectangular shaped main body71.

A securing component which is generally indicated by the numeral90, and which has a main body91is mounted onto, or made integral with, the main body71of the engaging component70. The securing component is operable to moveably capture the first leg61of the clip body60, and which has the aperture63formed therein, between the securing component90, and the first structural member61. The main body91of the securing component90has a first end92and an opposite second end93. The main body defines a major length dimension94between the first and second ends. This major length dimension is greater than the length dimension of the respective sides64of the substantially square aperture63. Still further, the main body91has a width dimension95which may be equal to, greater than, or less than the length dimension of the respective sides64which defines the substantially square aperture63. As will be recognized by a study of the drawings, the major length dimension of the securing component is greater than the major length dimension74of the engaging component70. As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of apertures96are formed in the securing component90and are substantially coaxially aligned relative to the plurality of apertures77formed in the main body71of the engaging component. The coaxially aligned apertures are operable to receive fasteners97therethrough and which engage the underlying first structural member51thereby securing the mounting clip10in a given position on the first structural member.

As will be recognized by a study of the drawings, by orienting the engaging component in either the first80or second81position, the mounting clip is rendered useful for movably affixing the first51and second52structural members for both vertical and horizontal movement.

Operation

The operation of the described embodiment of the present invention is believed to be readily apparent and is briefly summarized at this point.

A mounting clip10for joining at least two structural members51and52together is shown inFIG. 5. The mounting clip includes a clip body60having a first61and second62leg, and wherein one of the first or second legs has an aperture63formed therein. An engaging component70is provided and which is matingly received in the aperture63and affixed to the first structural member51. The engaging component when disposed in a first position80(FIG. 3) renders the clip body moveable along a first path of travel82relative to the first structural member, and wherein the engaging component when mounted in the second position81(FIG. 4) renders the clip body60movable along a second path of travel83relative to the first structural member51and which is substantially normal relative to the first path of travel, and wherein the second leg62of the clip body is affixed to a second structural member52. A securing component90is provided and mounted on the engaging component70and moveably captures the first leg61of the clip body and which has the aperture63formed therein therebetween the securing component and the first structural member. Further, a fastener97is received through the engaging and securing components and which secures the mounting clip to the first structural member. As illustrated in the drawings, the securing component90has a length94and a width dimension95. The length dimension of the securing component is greater than the major length dimension74of the engaging component70. Still further, the thickness dimension76of the main body71is equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the clip body60. Consequently, once the clip body is secured by the fasteners97, the clip body is rendered moveable along the respective first and second paths of travel as described above.

Therefore it will be seen that the mounting clip10of the present invention provides many advantages over the prior art devices which have been utilized heretofore. In the arrangement as shown, a mere change of position of the engaging component70relative to the underlying supporting structural component renders the mounting clip moveable along two paths of travel which are substantially perpendicular, one relative to the other, thereby increasing the usefulness of such devices in the fabrication of various buildings.