Abstract:
The present invention relates to the construction arts, in particular a modular implementation for a structural support member or header for bearing the load of large spans of a floor, wall section above a window, door or entry way. The header is modular and can be easily implemented into a variety of architectural structures. A façade can be formed which easily allows complex arches to be created such as round, horseshoe, lancet, ogee, trefoil and so on. The support member can also include an insulation which, when used with a steel beam, serves to increase the insulation value.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/122,822; filed 17 May 2007, now abandoned which claims priority form provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/938,512; filed 17 May 2007, included by reference herein and for which benefit of the priority date is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to static structures used in the construction arts. In particular a header partition support for use with joists, trusses, windows and doors which is; modularized, insulated and allows ease of construction and attachment surfaces. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In construction, it is important to bear high structural loads in order to support a building or other similar structure. Typically this has been done by providing a structure framed with 2×4 inch or 2×6 inch etc. cross-sectional studs provided with a regular spacing to support the weight. When a window or door is desired in the structure, that spacing is disrupted and the stresses can become concentrated to the point where the integrity of the larger structure is compromised. In an attempt to address this issue, a lateral support member, commonly called a header, is placed above the opening to bear the weight otherwise carried by the studs, and transfer the load to the outer perimeter of the opening allowing the opening to bear the load. 
         [0004]    Further when a mid-span support is required for a floor intersection, a beam or header structure can be used to support the trusses or joists. Many times this is support structure is realized by resting the joists or trusses on the beam creating a separate level of structure, which can be unsightly as seen from the floor below. 
         [0005]    Prior art for constructing window and door headers can be as simple as two lateral beams, typically 233 8 to 2×12 inches in cross-section, nailed together with a piece of plywood sandwiched in between, to set the proper spacing, and placed laterally above the opening to transfer the load to a pair of king studs located vertically at the perimeter of the opening. This solution typically does not have good insulation value and the beam and plywood members can twist and warp and deflect due to load. 
         [0006]    In additional alternative a glued laminated timber, or glulam can be used to replace the solid beam. This provides a nailing surface for hanging sheetrock, or other facing, and some structural support but has been plagued by structural fatigue due to delamination over time, and the structural limits of wood&#39;s load bearing capacity. 
         [0007]    Recently, steel “I” beams have been used, which are superior to wood for load bearing capability, but one problem being no sufficient structure for nailing or otherwise attaching other items to the beam. Due to the incompatibility of steel beams for attaching, the structure to be supported is rested on top of the beam, which creates architectural challenges as mentioned above. Another issue being the very poor insulation quality of steel without other means for mitigation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The current invention, comprises an enclosed structure to provide a pre-formed modularized insulated beam for forming lintel or header structures. This apparatus and methodology, when combined with a structural metal beam such as an “I” beam, complements and even strengthens the load bearing capacity of the beam. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that an “I” beam can comprise an S beam (standard beam) and a W beam (wide flanged beam). The apparatus can further provide a suitable attachment surface during subsequent construction operations such as nailing, screwing, gluing and the like. In addition to provide adequate insulation value for the metal beam, which is normally a poor thermal insulator, which is extremely important in colder climates. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of a structural header; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts a side plan view of a structural header; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  an exploded view of a structural header; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 4A through 4F  depict partial side plan views detailing structural considerations for alternate embodiments of a structural header; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  depicts a perspective view of a structural framing for a window using a header of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  depicts a top perspective view of a header in construction with joists and nailers; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  depicts a perspective view of a header in construction with trusses forming a floor above an opening for large panel doors and the like; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8A  depicts a perspective view of a curved arch structure with load bearing capabilities which incorporates the header; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8B  depicts a perspective view of a polygon arch structure with load bearing capabilities which incorporates the header; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8C  depicts a perspective view of an ogee arch structure with load bearing capabilities which incorporates the header; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9A  depicts a side plan view of an alternate embodiment of a structural header; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9B  depicts an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of a structural header. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9C  depicts a side plan view of a structural header with a joist hanger and joist attached to the face. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    The structural header as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A,  2 B, and  3 ; consisting primarily of a beam  10 , one embodiment of which  FIG. 2A  is an example, comprising a pre-manufactured box beam  10   a  comprising a pair of horizontal members  16  connected with a pair of vertical members  18  with an insulation space  14  generally comprised of structural foam. 
         [0024]    In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 2B  an element known in the trade as an “I” beam is added to the system. The beam  12 , which is typically made of a metal such as steel, and is comprised of a web portion  11  which is a vertical member for load bearing, being nominally 8 to 12 inched in height, and two flange portions  13  located on the top and bottom of the web portion  11 , being nominally 4 inches in width, for lateral stability. While the beam  12  is typically quite strong compared with wooden framing for construction purposes, it does not provide good nailing or attaching surfaces typically required in conjunction with wooden framing. Additionally it is a poor insulator. To help utilize the “I” beam  12  for general construction purposes, a box is created around the beam  12  in such a way as to strengthen it from twisting and torquing, by adding a structural horizontal member  16  which is typically glued or otherwise affixed to the flange portions  13  of the beam. The horizontal member  16  is preferred to extend beyond the flange portions  13  sufficient to provide a fastening surface for the vertical members  18 . The vertical members  18  can be affixed to the horizontal framing members through fasteners  22  which can be any combination of screws, nails, glue, tape, staples, or the like. With a preferred embodiment being screws, such as drywall screws generally of 1½ to 2 inches in length. In addition the framing members can be wood, oriented strand board (osb), plywood, hardboard, or other suitable material of suitable thickness with ¾ inch being most common. 
         [0025]    To further enhance the properties of the structural header  10 , an insulation space  14  is provided for supplying insulation. This insulation space  14  can be filled with any combination of; rock wool, fiberglass, Styrofoam, or polyurethane foam, or their equivalents. With the preferred method being an open cell, low density, non-ozone depleting polyurethane foam which is not subject to deterioration from moisture. The foam can be added through injection points  15  provided along the vertical member  18  in the region of the insulation space  14  and further expands to fill the insulation space  14  with the advantage of further securing, by adhering to or gluing, the beam  12  and the frame  17 . To keep a polyurethane foam from expanding out the lateral opening of the insulation space, a form or board can be temporarily affixed to the ends of the structural header  10  until the foam sets up. 
         [0026]    Lateral support for fastening to a structure is added by including a nailer  20 , shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  to connect the end of the structural header and tie into the studs. The nailer  20  is typically a plate or joist nailer which may be folded back until needed in construction. 
         [0027]    Several functional alternate embodiments for construction of the structural header are shown in  FIGS. 4A through 4F . These Figures show approximately the top half of a partial side plan view of a structural header similar to that shown in  FIG. 2  as the structure will typically comprise a top to bottom symmetry. While those skilled in the art may be able to devise alternate structures for enclosing the beam  12 , it is claimed that these are within the scope of this invention. 
         [0028]    As the insulation space  14  is filled with expanding foam insulation, forces are created inside the insulation space  14  which can be represented by a vertical vector component A and a horizontal vector component B.  FIG. 4A  shows a construction where the horizontal member  16  forms a butt joint with the vertical member  18 . In this case the horizontal vector component B has only the fastener  22 , which is fastened into the horizontal member  16  to act against the horizontal vector component B. This may result in the fastener  22  pulling out resulting in separation between the vertical member  18  and the beam resulting in insulation foam expanding out of the insulation space  14  and further structural weakening of the structural header  10 . Therefore, while possible to implement, this mode is not preferred to one with a mode which secures the joint against expansion. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 4B through 4F  show several alternate modes which overcome disadvantages seen in embodiment of  4 A. These embodiments derive from the property of the flange portion  13  of the beam  12  to deflect the forces, particularly the vertical vector component A, created by the expansion of foam insulation. In particular the vertical vector component A.  FIG. 4B  shows an embodiment in which the vertical member  18  is butt jointed to the horizontal member  16  requiring the fastener  22  to be sheared before separation could occur through action by the horizontal vector component B.  FIGS. 4C through 4E  show alternate modes for providing enclosures for the structural header to include: dados, rabbets, lock joints, spline joints, tongue and groove, mortise and tenon and the like.  FIG. 4F  shows a preferred mode of providing a horizontal double nailer  16   a  being generally 1½ inch thick having a rabbet for providing double nailing and attachment surfaces. 
         [0030]    Examples of the structural header  10  for use in the construction arts are shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8 . The structural header  10  can be used in framing above windows, doors, garage door openings and the like. It is used to deflect the load in a bearing wall, generally through a top plate  32  which comes from a roof, other floors of the structure, and the like; and to transfer the load to the foundation through the sill plate  30 . These loads would typically be borne by studs  34  in a continuous wall. This load transfer is typically done by deflecting the load along the structural header  10  to a structural support such as a king stud  36  which directly bears the load. 
         [0031]    In some instances, a simple header of “two by” construction may be sufficient to deflect the load. But increasingly with architectural demands, the structural header, or lentil, of prior art is inadequate to support the span. Large spans, such as garage door openings, plate windows or large door frames, decks, arched entries, extra floors, all having large expansive openings require additional reinforcement. One example of the utility of the current invention can be seen by considering the structure exemplified in  FIG. 6 . In the prior art (not shown), a structure similar to that shown in  FIG. 6  would have been accomplished by running a steel beam under the joists  42  as a steel beam cannot be nailed into to secure wooden structures. A steel beam under the joists causes unsightly seams and depressions as seen from the floor below. Further carpenters expend considerable work to try and blend in a beam for architectural reasons. The structural header  10  of the current invention provides both the structural support of a beam  12  with the ability to attach joists  42  at the floor level with a standard joist hanger  40 , while providing insulation space  14 . In another example shown in  FIG. 7 , a structural header  10  is used to tie into and support that load from truss members  44  above a large opening where the load is deflected to king studs  36  for the area below the opening. The king stud  36  for the purposes of this disclosure may be made of wood, metal, or other suitable load bearing material. The ability to provide structural support having an architecturally pleasing structure, with surfaces for nailing, insulation and other advantages is provided. 
         [0032]    In  FIGS. 8A ,  8 B and  8 C, a modular arch unit  46  is created having a horizontal double member  16   a  with a beam  12  wherein vertical members  18   a,    18   b,    18   c  respectively in the form of a façade replaces the vertical member  18  such that an architecturally pleasing arch is created. The vertical members  18   a,    18   b,  and  18   c  extend beyond the second horizontal member shown as  52  in dashed lines in the drawings. The modular architectural façade requiring little skill on the part of construction workers to add it to an existing framing structure, as those with skill in the art can appreciate. Types of architectural arches that can be created; include curved, polygon, round, horseshoe, lancet, ogee, trefoil, basket handle, Tudor and the like. Curved  8 A, polygon  8 B, and ogee  8 C have been chosen for illustration purposes. An ogee is characterized by a compound curve having one or more points of inflection. Another common description being an “S” curve particularly pointed arch having a reversed curve on either side of the apex. A Tudor arch being defined generally as a 4 centered pointed arch. A lancet arch can be defined as a relatively narrow arch with an acutely pointed apex. Trefoil can be defines as stylized interpretation of a clover leaf. It can be seen by those skilled in the art that many pleasing designs including these and others can be easily achieved while forming a structural header module. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  represent an embodiment to the structural header  10  comprising a cleat  19 , thus forming an alternate vertical member  18   a.  The cleat  19  can be any, cleat, shelf, projection, ledge, sill, step, ridge or other solid structural rigid overhang or member designed to reinforce a vertical member  18  (not shown) providing strength or hold in position. The cleat  19  can also be integrally formed along the entire elongated edge as part of the vertical member  18  as shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B . The cleat  19  can be advantageous in cases where a joist hanger is nailed to the side of the alternate vertical member  18   a,  as shown in  FIG. 9C . The cleat  19  utilizes the flanges  13  of the beam  12  to further support the alternate vertical member  18   a.    
       CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
       [0034]    Although the present invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. The invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention. 
         [0035]    Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequent appended claims.