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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/463,073 filed Aug. 8, 2006, and entitled HOLD DOWN CLIP, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/804,889, filed on Jun. 15, 2006, and entitled HOLD DOWN CLIP.  
     
    
     FIELD  
       [0002]     This disclosure relates to the field of structural connectors and to wall structures. More particularly, this disclosure relates to hold down devices which incorporate tensioning members and to wall systems having the hold down devices and tensioning members.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Hold down clips are used to anchor structural members to the foundation and/or to one another. Such anchoring and interconnection can add stability and improve the structural capacity of the building structure. However, current hold down clips are cumbersome to handle and install, and often require more than one person to effect assembly to an adjacent hold down clip. Accordingly, there is a need for improved hold down clips for assembling metal studs for building walls.  
         [0004]     Embodiments of the disclosure provide a stud wall assembly structure that includes an elongate tensionable member; a metal stud including an aperture therethrough for passage of the tensionable member; and a hold down structure attached to the metal stud.  
         [0005]     The hold down structure includes a base portion, a leg portion orthogonal to the base portion, a reinforcing flange attached to the leg portion and base portion, a connecting bolt disposed in a slotted aperture in the base portion. The hold down structure contains a plurality of bolt holes for attaching the leg portion to the metal stud; and a mount on the leg portion configured for adjustably connecting the tensionable member to the hold-down structure.  
         [0006]     Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a tensionable hold down clip system for erecting metal studs for building walls. The system includes a tensionable member and a hold down clip. The clip includes a base portion, a leg portion orthogonal to the base portion, and a mount on the leg portion configured for adjustably connecting the tensionable member to the hold-down clip.  
         [0007]     Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for building walls using the clips and the tensionable members.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     Further advantages of the disclosure are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hold down clip according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of a hold down clip attached to a metal stud and base according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a metal stud for use with the hold down clip according to the disclosure.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a bolt and fixedly attached washer and nut for a hold down clip according to the disclosure.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of a hold down clip attached to a metal stud and base according to the disclosure.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of use of a hold down clip according to the disclosure used to attach adjacent metal studs and supports to one another.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of a slot in a base portion of a hold down clip according to the disclosure.  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of a slot in a metal support for a stud wall.  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is an illustration of use of a hold down clip according to the disclosure to attach a metal stud and base to a foundation.  
         [0018]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show a wall system according to an alternate embodiment of the disclosure.  
         [0019]      FIGS. 12 and 13  show a hold down clip according to an alternate embodiment that is utilized in the wall system of  FIGS. 10 and 11 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 14  is a close-up view of a portion of the wall system of  FIGS. 10 and 11 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 15  shows an alternate embodiment of linking a tensioning member to the clip.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     FIGS.  1 - 9   
       [0022]     With reference to  FIGS. 1-9 , one aspect of the disclosure relates to an improved hold down clip  10  ( FIG. 1 ). The clip  10  is generally an L-shaped structure that includes a leg portion  12 , a substantially perpendicular base portion  14 , and one or more reinforcing flanges  16  which are attached to the leg portion  12  and the base portion  14 . The clip  10  is preferably made of welded steel construction.  
         [0023]     For the purpose of example, the leg portion  12  may have a thickness of about 3/16 inch, a width of about 3 inches, and a length of about 11 inches. The base portion  14  may have a thickness of about ¾ inch, a width of about 2½ inches, and a length of about 3½ inches. The one or more flanges  16  may each have a thickness of about ¼ inch and configured to be secured to edges  18  of the base portion  14  and edges  20  of the leg portion  12 . The one or more reinforcing flanges  16  may have a length L that ranges from about 3 to about 6 inches.  
         [0024]     Unlike conventional hold down clips, the clip  10  advantageously uses bolts  22  ( FIG. 2 ) for attaching the clip  10  to a metal stud  24  and an associated support  26  oriented generally orthogonal to the stud  24 . The bolts  22  are passed through apertures  28  ( FIG. 1 ) in the leg portion  12  of the clip  10 . The apertures  28  are aligned with corresponding apertures  30  ( FIG. 3 ) defined through the metal stud  24 . The bolts  22  are secured by use of nuts  32  threaded onto free end of the bolts  22 . Conventional circular washers  34  are typically used with the nuts  32 . The apertures  30  may be formed as by drilling through the metal studs  24  using the apertures  28  in the clip  10  as a guide. The apertures may be formed at the time of installation of the clip  10  to the stud  24  to enable custom fitting of the clip  10  to the stud  24 .  
         [0025]     Conventional hold down clips utilize a large number of small machine screws to secure a hold down clip to a metal stud. Installing the large number of machine screws is time consuming and may not provide the stability that the bolts  22  provide. The use of a substantially fewer number of larger bolts  22  speeds up attachment time and offers improved strength. For example, a hold down clip having a leg portion  12  length of about 14 inches may have 24 machine screws and a leg portion  12  length of about 21.5 inches may have 48 machine screws. By contrast, only from about 4 to about 8 of the bolts  22 , or about one fourth to about one sixth as many bolts  22  are used for the leg portion  12  of the clip  10  according to the disclosure as compared to the number of machine screws that would be used for a conventional hold down clip.  
         [0026]     With additional reference to  FIG. 2 , another aspect of the disclosure relates to the use of an angular, and preferably square or rectangular, washer  36  integrated with a nut  38  (preferably secured together as by welding). The nut  38  is fixedly attached to a hold down bolt  40 , as by welds  42  as shown in more detail in  FIG. 4 . The washer  36  cooperates with the one or more flanges  16  to enable a nut  44  on a distal end  46  of the bolt  40  ( FIG. 5 ) to be tightened by a single user. For example, the washer  36  may be captured between spaced apart flanges  16  to prevent rotation of the fixedly attached bolt  40  while the nut  44  is being adjusted along the bolt  40 . The foregoing washer  36  and nut  38  are particularly useful in assembling adjacent metal studs  24 A and  24 B to one another to provide a multi-story building structure as illustrated in  FIG. 6  as described in more detail below.  
         [0027]     Another advantage of the clip  10  according to the disclosure relates to the provision of an elongate slot  48  in the base portion  14  thereof as illustrated more clearly in  FIG. 7 . The elongate slot  48  is aligned with an elongate slot  50  in the support  26  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The elongate slot  48  typically has a length dimension of about 3½ inches and a width dimension of about 1½ inches. However, it is desirable that the slot  48  in the base portion  12  be configured to be just slightly smaller, e.g., about ¼ inch, in each dimension than the slot  50  in the support  26 . The slots  48  and  50  enable adjacent ones of the hold down clips  10  to interconnect with one another as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , even if the studs  24 A and  24 B are corresponding supports  26 A and  26 B are mis-aligned, the slot  48  and the corresponding slot  50  in the support  26  enable interconnection of the two assemblies.  
         [0028]     The clip  10  may also be used with an anchor bolt  52  for attaching the clip  10  and support  26  to a floor, concrete slab, or other foundation  54  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . Accordingly, the slot  48  and the slot  50  enable alignment of the studs  24  with the anchor bolt  52 .  
       FIGS.  10 - 15   
       [0029]     With reference to  FIGS. 10-14 , another aspect of the disclosure relates to a hold down clip  10 ′ ( FIGS. 12-13 ) that incorporates a tensioning member  60 , and to a wall system  62  constructed utilizing a plurality of the clips  10 ′.  
         [0030]     The clip  10 ′ is substantially identical to the clip  10 , except that it includes a mount  64  on the leg portion  12  thereof configured for adjustably connecting the tensioning member  60  to the clip  10 ′. The mount  64  is preferably provided as by a slot  66  that extends from a back-side  68  of the leg portion  12  to a front-side  70  of the leg portion  12 , and a surrounding and at least partially convex surface  72 . The combination of the slot  66  and the convexity of the surface  72  enables at least some degree of adjustability of the tensioning member  60 , as described in more detail below.  
         [0031]     The wall system  62  includes a plurality of metal studs  24 ′ and tracks or supports or plates  26 ′. As shown in  FIG. 10  the studs  27  and  29  on the left and right sides of the wall structure are double studs and may be referred to as main studs  27  and  29 . The plate  26  on the top of the wall structure may be referred to has the top plate  33  and the plate  26  on the bottom may be referred to as the bottom plate  31 . The supports  26 ′ correspond to the supports  26 . With particular reference to  FIG. 14 , the studs  24 ′ correspond to the studs  24 , except the studs  24 ′ include apertures  74  defined therethrough for passage of the tensioning members  60 . Additionally, a reinforcing member  76 , such as a length of metal strip having a U-shaped cross section (which is also referred to a channel or a channel brace), is secured to laterally span between adjacent ones of the studs  24 . The reinforcing members  76  are secured as by braces  78 , such as L-shaped sheets of metal, attached to the studs  24 ′ and the reinforcing members  76  as by sheet metal screws.  
         [0032]     With additional reference to  FIG. 14 , it will be seen that a single one of the reinforcing members  76  is provided between the studs  24 ′ at locations through which one of the tensioning members  60  does not extend, with the member  76  generally centered on the studs  24 ′. However, proximate locations where one of the tensioning members  60  extends, such as adjacent one of the apertures  74  through which the member  60  extends, a pair of the reinforcing members  76  are provided, and spaced apart to provide a gap  80  for passage of the member  60 . Additionally, the braces  78  adjacent such locations are replaced by braces  78 ′ which include a cutout  82  for providing clearance for passage of the member  60 .  
         [0033]     The tensioning members  60  are provided by elongate tensionable structures such as elongate cables  84  joined together by turnbuckles  86  connected to the cables  84  in the assembled wall structure to impart additional cross-bracing of the structure. The turnbuckles  86  may be manipulated to impart a desired tension to the cables  84 . The ends of the cables  84  proximate the clips  10 ′ include a button or stop  88  securely fastened to the cable  84  and dimensioned so as to contact the convex surface  72  and not pass through the slot  66 . In this regard, the stop  88  also engages the surface  72  so as to maintain the cable  84  in a relatively linear orientation so as to avoid kinking of the cable  84 . That is, the convex surface  72  provides a plurality of different angles so that when the stop  88  bears against the surface  72  when the cable  84  or other tensionable structure is tensioned, the stop  88  will move to a location that substantially maintains the cable  84  in a linear orientation to avoid kinking.  
         [0034]     With reference to  FIG. 15 , alternative structure may be provided to link the cable  84  to the clip and provide the stop  88 , such as by providing an eye-bolt  90  to which the cable  84  is attached, with the threaded bolt end extending through the slot  66  and a nut  92  threaded thereon to contact the surface  72  in the manner of the stop  88  to allow the bolt  90  to move so that the cable  84  attached to the eye bolt  90  may be maintained in a relatively linear orientation to avoid kinking of the cable.  
         [0035]     As seen in  FIG. 10 , the wall system  62  may be constructed by disposing the track or support  26  along a floor, concrete slab, or other foundation (including an underlying wall structure) and securing it thereto using the clips  10 ′, in the manner previously described for the clips  10 . The studs  24 ′ are then erected to extend upwardly from the support  26 , as by securing the studs  24 ′ to the support  26  using metal fasteners, with the studs  24 ′ being doubled adjacent the ends. Another support  26  is installed at the top of the studs  24 ′ in a similar manner, and the reinforcing members  76  installed using the braces  78  and  78 ′. The tensioning members  60  are then installed and tensioned as by use of the turnbuckles  86 . As will be appreciated, the structure advantageously enables location of all components of the tensioning members  60  within a plane parallel to the plane of the wall system  62  and proximate the midpoint of the wall system. That is, generally proximate the center of the width axis of the metal studs. As will be appreciated, this advantageously maintains the tensioning forces relatively proximate the center of the wall.  
         [0036]     It is contemplated, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the preceding description and the accompanying drawings that modifications and/or changes may be made in the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are illustrative of exemplary embodiments only, not limiting thereto, and that the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure be determined by reference to the appended claims.

Summary:
A tensionable hold down clip system for erecting metal studs for building walls, the system including a tensionable member; and a hold down clip having a base portion, a leg portion orthogonal to the base portion, and a mount on the leg portion configured for adjustably connecting the tensionable member to the hold-down clip. A wall using the system may include two main studs and a plurality of common studs extending between a sole plate and a top plate, and hold down clips are disposed on both ends of both main studs. Two tensionable members extend diagonally through the studs and cross each other, and the tensionable members are fastened to mounts on the hold down clips on the upper and lower ends of the main studs.