Cable bracket apparatus

The cable bracket mechanism is extendable between a cleat or clamp mounted to a building and a part of a bay or bow window that is remote from the building. The mechanism includes an elongated bracket having a a flange at one end extending about right angles to the main body and a reversely curved hook portion at the other end that is joined to the main body and is extended into a second bracket opening, a cable having one end connected to a building and at its opposite end to a stud extended through an aperture in the flange, the second bracket being mounted to the window, and a fastener threadable on the stud to bear against the flange for adjusting the tension in the cable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates apparatus for adjusting the tension in a cable that is being used in supporting other structure, for example bay and bow windows of a building.

At the present, there are devices that are mountable to a building for mounting one end portions of cables while the opposite end portions of the cables are attached to a load, for example bay and bow windows, to aid in supporting such a load in a desired condition.

In order to provide novel devices that are relatively inexpensive and usable to adjust the tension in a cable or a rope that is at least partially supporting a load, this invention has been made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cable bracket mechanism includes an elongated bracket having a flange at one end that generally extends at right angles to the main body of the bracket for having one end portion of a cable stud connected thereto and a hook portion at the opposite end of the main body for being connected through suitable mechanism to a load being supported. The other end of the cable is attached to a building by suitable means, for example by a cable clamp or cleat. The bracket and stud permit adjusting the tension in the cable.

An object of this invention is to provide new and novel means for adjusting the tension in a cable or rope that is utilized in supporting a load from a supporting structure. A further object of this invention is to provide new and novel cable bracket apparatus that is usable for at least partially supporting structure such as a bay or bow window and permitting easily making an adjustment to obtain a desired elevation and/or leveling of such windows. A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel bracket that is usable in conjunction with a cable for supporting structure such as a bay or bow window and facilitating the adjustment of tension in the cable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and in particular toFIG. 1, there is diagrammatically shown a cable clamp or cleat11mounted by nails or screws12to an exterior wall13or to an overhanging part (not shown) of a building, for example a house, above a bow or a bay window14which is generally shown in outline other than for the dotted line showing of a mullion14A, a seat board14B, and a top board14C of the window. The mullions14A are remote from the house exterior wall. Rods and/or cables18are extended downwardly through the mullions while suitable fasteners17, for example washers and nuts are mounted to the lower ends of the rods in supporting relationship to the seat boards.

For connecting the upper end of the rods to the clamps or cleats11, there is provided the cable bracket mechanism, generally designated20, of the first embodiment of this invention. The cable bracket mechanism includes an elongated flexible cable22which may be made of twisted metal strands and has one end portion secured to the exterior wall by a cable clamp or cleat11while the opposite end of the cable is extended into an axial bore (not shown) in the non-threaded end portion of an axially elongated metal stud, generally designated23. The cable is suitably joined to the stud, for example by a swaging operation.

The end portion of the stud opposite the cable is threaded at diametrically opposed threaded parts24while diametrically opposed flats25extend between the diametric threaded parts. The threaded end portion of the stud is extended through an oblong cable stud aperture27that extends longitudinally through the flange28at one end of a longitudinally elongated bracket B of the first embodiment of the invention, the aperture being sufficiently spaced from the main body29whereby a nut35may be threaded thereon. Advantageously, the aperture27is of a size and shape to permit the stud threaded portion being moved through the aperture along the axial length thereof while preventing the stud being rotated relative to the flange.

The bracket B has the main body29that for the majority of its length is rectangular, has transversely spaced longitudinal edges29E and is of a longitudinal length many times greater than its transverse width which in turn is many times greater than its thickness. The flange is at one longitudinal end of the bracket and is joined to one longitudinal end portion of the bracket main body29to extend at generally right angles thereto. The longitudinally opposite end portion of the main body becomes progressively more narrow along bracket end part29A in a direction away from the flange. The main body has a generally planar surface29C extending transversely between the main body longitudinal edges29E from at least the narrow end part29A to the flange and an opposite planar surface29B that extends longitudinally from the narrow end part to the main body end portion to which the flange is joined. The narrow end part of the main body is integrally joined to the hook portion30which is reversely curved relative to the narrow end part. The hook portion opens in a direction generally toward an extension of the flange on the opposite side of the main body from which the flange extends to provide an eye bolt (bracket) opening32C and has it terminal edge30A being the opposite end of the bracket. Thus, the hook portion is curved such that after extending longitudinally away from the main body, is curved to extend further away from the plane of the planar surfaces of the main body in a direction opposite the direction that the flange extends away from the main body planar surfaces and extends at least somewhat longitudinally toward the flange. Accordingly, at least part of one of the narrow end part29A and the hook portion are in overlapping relationship to the free terminal transverse edge30A of the hook portion which is spaced from the main body surface29B. The terminal edge30A in a longitudinal direction is more closely adjacent to the main body and the flange28than the part30B of the hook portion that in a longitudinal direction is the most remote from the main body and flange.

The hook portion is extendable through the opening31A in the leg30B of the eye bracket31. The eye bracket leg31B is joined to eye bracket leg31C which extends at an obtuse angle to leg31B, for example about 160 to 105 degrees. The leg31C is mounted to the window board14C by having the rod extended though a rod aperture (not shown) in leg31C and is removably retained in a mounted relationship thereto by fasteners such as a nut33threaded on the top end of the rod18to retain a washer32in abutting relationship to the member14C of the window.

In using the apparatus of this invention, the eye bracket is attached to the window top board with the rod18extended through the rod aperture and the washer32and nut33mounted on the rod, the bracket hook portion is extended through the eye bracket aperture31A, the threaded end portion of the stud is extended through the flange aperture and a nut35is threaded on the threaded end portion of the stud to be intermediate the flange and the bracket hook portion with there being a lock washer37between the flange and nut35and the free end portion of the cable attached to the wall13by the clamp and cleat11to retain the cable in a taut condition. Thereafter, the nut35is further threaded on the stud to increase the tension in the cable, or unthreaded an appropriate amount to decrease the tension in the cable, depending what is required to support the window in the desired condition. With more than one cable bracket mechanism being utilized, appropriate adjustments are made in each of the cable bracket mechanism used until the window is supported in a level condition at the elevation as desired.

Advantageously, the bracket B is formed integrally as a single unitary unit. In place of the eye brackets being mounted to the rods18, the eye brackets may be mounted to the window remote from the wall13by screws (not shown) extended through apertures in the eye bracket leg31C. Additionally, instead of the narrow end part extending at an angle relative to the main body such as shown inFIG. 3, it may be at least in part a planar continuation of the rectangular portion of the main body, or as another alternative, the hook portion may be joined to the rectangular, planar main body portion and progressively curve to initially extend longitudinally away from the flange in a direction opposite that from which the flange extends away from the main body and thence in a direction toward an extension of the flange away from the main body on the opposite side of the main body from which the flange extends while at the same time being of a much narrower dimension than the transverse dimension of the main body rectangular portion. Also, in place of the threaded portion of the stud having flats and the bracket flange aperture being of a shape such as shown inFIG. 4, the second embodiment of the stud40and bracket E of the cable bracket mechanism may be the same as that ofFIGS. 1-4other than that the threaded portion40A of the stud40is circular whereby the thread extends continuously helically around the stud, and the aperture41of the bracket flange42is circular and of a slightly larger diameter than the maximum diameter of the threaded portion.

Referring toFIGS. 6-8, the bracket F of the third embodiment of the invention has a main body50that for the majority of its length is rectangular, has transversely spaced longitudinal edges50A,50B and is of a longitudinal length greater than its transverse width which in turn is many times greater than its thickness. A flange51is joined to one longitudinal end portion of the bracket main body50to extend at generally right angles thereto or slightly less than 90 degrees, for example 83 to 85 degrees. The longitudinally opposite end portion of the main body is integrally joined to one end portion of the bracket hook end portion52. The main body and hook portion have coextensive generally planar surfaces50C extending transversely between the main body longitudinal edges50A,50B and the hook portion longitudinal edges52F,52H from closely adjacent to the flange to the longitudinally opposite end52E of the bracket.

The hook portion at its juncture to the main body is substantially the same transverse width as the main body and thence is of a narrow width to extend longitudinally away from the flange along portion52A and thence is reversely curved along portion52B to extend longitudinally back toward the main body. The terminal edge part52C of the reversely curved portion that is the most remote from its juncture to the longitudinal portion52A in a longitudinal direction is more closely adjacent to the main body and the flange51than the part52E of the hook portion that in a longitudinal direction is the most remote from the main body and flange. The part52E is the end of the bracket F that is longitudinally most remote from the flange.

The hook portion provides a slot (eye bolt opening)53that opens transversely outwardly in a transverse direction opposite the extension of main body edge50B and transverse edge52F, is longitudinally elongated in a direction away from the flange51and extends longitudinally more remote from the flange than part52C and its transversely outwardly opening which is transversely remote from the longitudinal portion52A. Thus, the slot is somewhat J-shaped.

The flange51, which is at one longitudinal end of the bracket, is provided with a stud aperture55extending longitudinally therethrough. The aperture55may be circular similar to that shown inFIG. 5, or non-circular, for example similar to that shown inFIG. 4, depending upon the cross sectional shape of the stud to be extended therethrough.

Advantageously, the bracket F is formed integrally as a single unitary unit. The hook portion52A is extendable through the eye bolt opening58in the leg57B of the eye bracket57. The eye bracket leg57B is joined to eye bracket leg57A which extends at an obtuse angle to leg57B, for example about 160 to 105 degrees. The leg57A is mounted to the window board14C in a similar manner to that described relative to the structure shown inFIGS. 2 and 3.