Patent Publication Number: US-9428921-B2

Title: Method for installing trim system with a hidden fastener

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/153,837 filed Jan. 13, 2014 the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to methods for securing trim to a building penetration with a system of brackets that are hidden from view and that obviate the need for cleanup of fastener holes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the conventional manner of applying trim, for example, around a window penetration in a house, the carpenter cuts the lengths of trim, mitres the corners, and then nails the lengths of trim in place. Next the nails are driven below the surface of the trim and filler is applied into the indentations. This material then sets in place. The carpenter then returns later, and levels the filler. After that he applies stain, a sealant, and any other finishing touches as required. This difficult process is made more difficult by the fact that walls, floors, ceilings and door and window frames are seldom flat, straight and square. 
     The invention is aimed at providing a method for attaching trim around a building penetration which is far simpler for the carpenter than the above, and in which nothing (such as nail heads) mars the presentation-surface of the trim. It is an aim of the invention that the trim may be pre-finished, in-factory if desired, and applied to the wall in its finished form. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a method for installing a window frame and other building trim in a manner that does not require driving attachment hardware through the front face of the trim. 
     For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method of of installing trim using a hidden bracket system that does not require the use of any exposed fasters to secure the trim to the building. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a method of installing window frame and other building trim which can be attached to the wall, generally before siding or the like is secured to the wall, in a manner that does not require driving attachment hardware through the front face of the trim. There may; however, be circumstances where the trim is applied after the siding has been pre-fit to its designated coverage area. 
     In one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a trim and bracket combination for attachment around a building penetration wherein the bracket may include at least two tabs extending outwardly from one of the side walls of the bracket to facilitate offsetting the bracket from the edge of the penetration and to orient it parallel with the edge of the penetration. 
     It is evident from the background that the disclosure applies to a variety of building penetrations. Thus, a frame may be assembled from the multiple cut trim segments or a partially or totally prefabricated frame may be secured to the wall surrounding a wall penetration without attaching or driving any hardware into or on the frame itself. 
     For use with certain siding types including vinyl siding, a siding undercut may be provided along one side of the trim board whereby the side edges of siding elements can be slid laterally into the siding undercut. 
     This disclosure is directed to a method of installing trim having a front face, a back face and opposite side faces, comprising the steps of aligning the bracket with the edge of the building feature or penetration with the aid of attached frangible tabs with striations; affixing the aligned bracket to a wall and then manually engaging the bracket locking wedges in the two longitudinally extending slots on the rear surface of the trim. 
     From another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a building penetration comprising, top, bottom and opposed side frame elements connected together to define a rectangular frame. 
     Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a trim system intersecting at a 45 degree angle with hidden brackets detailing the placement of the siding proximate the trim; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a trim system intersecting at a 90 degree angle with hidden brackets detailing the placement of the siding proximate the trim; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a straight bracket detailing the measurement tabs; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a corner bracket detailing the measurement tabs; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a trim piece for use with a hidden bracket system; 
         FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a trim piece for use with a hidden bracket system; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hidden bracket system showing the engagement of the bracket and trim piece; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a trim piece for use with a hidden bracket system; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded assembly view of an alternative embodiment of a hidden bracket trim system; 
         FIG. 8A  is an exploded assembly view of an alternative embodiment of a hidden bracket trim system; 
         FIG. 9  is a view of the methodology for installing the hidden brackets and the trim pieces; and 
         FIG. 10  is an alternative embodiment view of the methodology for installing the hidden brackets and the trim pieces. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which reveal a building  12  penetration  14 , in this instance a window  16 , surrounded by multiple sections of decorative trim  10  that frame the window and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  FIG. 1  depicts a window trim configuration with the corner cuts at 45 degrees to the adjacent trim piece while  FIG. 2  depicts a window trim configuration with the adjacent trim pieces at 90 degrees to one another. In addition to the trim  10  framing a window  16 , it is well known in the art that trim  10  may be used to surround a door (not shown) to also provide a pleasing appearance, and as with a window, to restrict access of exterior air to the interior of the building as well as to prevent access to the building interior by wind driven rain, sleet and snow. The trim  10  serves not only an aesthetic role but also a functional role by serving as a barrier between the interior and the exterior of the building and by covering small gaps between structural elements to prevent the infiltration of wind and moisture. 
       FIG. 3  details a preferred embodiment of the bracket  18  used to secure the trim  10  to the building  12  proximate the penetration  14 . Typically a plurality of brackets  18  will be utilized to secure multiple trim pieces  10  to the building proximate the penetration  14 . The bracket  18  includes a center channel  20  having at least an opposed first and second side wall  22 ,  24 . The bracket may also include more than two side walls, for example a bracket may include three or more sidewalls to increase the locking strength between the bracket and the installed trim. The opposed side walls  22 ,  24  include at least one locking wedge  27  located on the exterior surface  23 ,  25  of each opposed side wall  22 ,  24 . The brackets  18  also utilize at least one, and preferably two, tabs  28 ,  29  extending outwardly from a side wall  24 . The tabs  28 ,  29  extend outwardly from the side wall  24  of the bracket  18  that is facing the building penetration and are flush with the bottom surface of the bracket. 
     The bracket  18  must be offset from the building penetration, or more precisely the edge of the door/window unit being installed, by a predetermined distance depending upon the width of the trim that is being utilized to frame the building penetration. Trim pieces typically utilized in the construction industry are either nominally 4 inch or 6 inches in width. The wider 6 inch trim piece  10  will require a more substantial offset distance from the building penetration  14  and conversely the narrower 4 inch trim piece  10  will require a lesser offset distance from the penetration. 
     If a 4 inch trim piece is installed then the installer will sever the tabs  28 ,  29  at the fracture lines  31  leaving tabs of approximately 9/16 of an inch extending outwardly from the exterior surface  25 . The shortened tabs are now utilized to gauge the distance the bracket is offset from the edge of the window, or door unit, being installed by placing the fractured end of the tab against the window frame and then securing the bracket to the wall. If the larger nominal 6 inch trim is being installed then the installer does not sever the tab at the fracture line  31  but places the outer edge  33  of the tab against the window frame. This provides the preferred offset distance for 6 inch trim installations. Should a slightly greater or lesser offset on the brackets be desired, for example in order to cover an unsightly weld bead on the window frame, the tabs  28 ,  29  preferably include a plurality of striations, or markers  30 , that allow the installer to uniformly sever the tabs at a desired length in order to offset the bracket  18  away from the building penetration a uniform distance. All the installer need do is to count the striations back from the tip  33  and consistently cut both tabs  28 ,  29  at the desired striation. The revised tab length can then be used to offset the bracket the desired distance from the edge of the window unit. 
     If for some reason the installer elects to not utilize the tabs  28 ,  29  for offsetting purposes, the bracket  18  also includes integral end notches  37  that can be positioned over a chalk line that establishes the preferred location and alignment of the bracket. Once properly positioned against the building structure by either the employment of the tabs  28 ,  29  or the end notches  37  the bracket  18  is secured to the building with the use of fasteners, such as nails or screws. Depending upon the thickness and density of the bracket material the fasteners may pass through the bracket or through the holes  36  in the bracket. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a bracket for intersecting trim parts  40  that optionally may be employed at the corners of the building penetration  14  to produce a precise 45 degree mating surface between the trim pieces  10  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The intersecting trim part bracket  40  depicted in  FIG. 4  utilizes the same structural features as the bracket utilized in  FIG. 3  including a center channel  42  having opposed first and second side walls  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50 . The opposed side walls include at least one locking wedge  52  located along each of side walls  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50 . The intersecting trim part brackets  40  also utilize at least one tab  54 ,  56  extending outwardly from each interior side wall  44 ,  46 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , the tabs  54 ,  56  extend outwardly from the side walls  44 ,  46  of the bracket  40  that are facing the building penetration  14 . 
     As with the side bracket depicted in  FIG. 3 , when installing a 6 inch trim piece the tabs  54 ,  56  are utilized as provided from the manufacturer. The ends  61  of the tabs  54 ,  56  are placed against the edge of the window frame or door unit being installed and then the bracket is secured in position by passing fasteners through the holes  57  in the center channel  42 . If instead, nominal 4 inch trim is being applied adjacent the penetration then the installer will sever the tabs  54 ,  56  at the fracture lines  65 . Severing the tabs  54 ,  56  at the fracture lines  65  removes nominally one inch of tab length and brings the bracket one inch closer to the edge of the window or door unit being installed. If it is desired to position the intersecting trim part bracket  40  either marginally farther away from or closer to the edge of the window frame than is afforded by the use of the tab trimmed at the fracture line  65 , then as with the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3 , the installer may elect to trim the tabs  54 ,  56  at any of the striations or markers  60 . As long as the installer severs both tabs at the same striation then the trim will be equidistantly displaced from the window unit. Should the installer prefer to not utilize the disclosed tabs  54 ,  56  to distance the trim from the penetration she may alternatively employ the end notches  63  to overlay a chalk line set down adjacent the penetration for alignment of the brackets  40 . The bracket further provides an opening  67  in the center channel to further facilitate the alignment of the chalk lines. 
     Once the installer has determined the appropriate offset distance and verified the actual offset of the intersecting trim part bracket  40  using the integral tabs  54 ,  56  the bracket  40  is secured to the building with the use of fasteners, such as nails or screws. The fasteners, preferably countersunk screws (not shown), are passed through holes  57 , preferably conical in cross section, located in the center channel  42 . 
       FIG. 5  depicts a cross section of the trim piece  10  that is to be mounted to the bracket  18 . The trim  10  is preferably fabricated from an engineered plastic, such as cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in sections of a standardized length and two different widths (nominally 4 and 6 inches as previously discussed) but preferably in a variety of surface textures to accommodate a wide range of consumer tastes. The upper surface  68  may be textured, flat or ornamental as options for the consumer. The trim piece  10  includes at least two slots  70 ,  72  running longitudinally along the trim piece and separating the lower hidden surface into three separate faces  71 ,  73  and  74 . The slots  70 ,  72  are preferably chamfered at the outside corner of the slot thereby facilitating easier entry of the sidewalls into the slot and passage of the sidewalls to the top of the slots  70 T,  72 T for receiving the locking wedge  27  as best seen in  FIG. 7 . The preferred chamfer of the slots  70 ,  72  is in the range of from 20 to 40 degrees for each exterior corner of the sidewall. 
     The locking wedge  27  extends outwardly from the side wall. When the locking wedges  27  are inserted into the slots  70 ,  72  the locking wedges  27  are pushed inwardly and when fully inserted into the slots the wedge bites into the wall of the slot securing the trim piece  10  in position atop the bracket  18 . Once the flanges  27  snap into position in the slots  70 ,  72  they are secured into position and the trim piece  10  cannot readily be removed from the bracket  18 . 
     In a first embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the trim piece  10  includes an overhang  76  found on the side opposite the side facing the building penetration  14 . The overhang  76  preferably extends outwardly a distance ‘L’ from the upper surface  68  of the trim piece  10  in the range of from 0.75 to 1 inch thereby producing an undercut feature on the trim piece. The thickness ‘T’ of the overhang  76  may also vary but is preferably in the range of from 0.20 to 0.40 inches. The trim piece  10  shown in  FIG. 5  is utilized with siding  82 , as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the siding will terminate as close as possible to the wall  84  (see  FIG. 5 ) under the overhang to provide a neat and orderly appearance to the termination of the siding at the window trim. Any uneven end cuts to the siding (not shown) will be obscured by the overhang  76 .  FIG. 5A  depicts an alternative embodiment to the trim piece  10 . This embodiment does not include an overhang and is used for those applications employing, for example, James Hardie® Siding Products that end flush against the trim piece at the wall  84 . 
     On the same side of the trim piece as the overhang  76  in  FIG. 5  and on  FIG. 5A  without the overhang, but extending outwardly from the lower or hidden face  74 , is an optional weather strip  80 . The optional weather strip  80  extends approximately the same distance outwardly from the lower surface  74  as the overhang  76 . The weather strip is flexible and serves as a barrier to the entry of moisture into the building around the window  16 . As previously noted, the siding preferably terminates as close as possible to wall  84  thereby giving the weather strip  80  the maximum possible coverage of the vertical edge of the siding  82 . The weather strip  80  is preferably secured to the hidden face  74  of the trim with adhesive but alternative means of securing may also be employed that are well known in the art. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 6 , the side  88  of the trim piece  10  located proximate the building penetration  14  also employs a cutout  90  to retain a compressible seal  92 . Once the window (window casing)  16  and the bracket  18  are installed the trim  10  is snapped into position onto the bracket  18 . The compressible seal  92  fills the narrow void between the window casing and the side  88  of the trim piece  10  and further prevents the infiltration of air and water to the interior of the structure. The compressible seal  92  may be of any number of cross sectional configurations with exemplary configurations shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , and may be secured to the trim piece in an equally diverse number of ways. For example,  FIG. 7  reveals a T-shaped cross section  94  for holding the compressible seal in position. In addition, the compressible seal  96  shown in  FIG. 7  is square in cross section with a rectangular retaining element  98  while the compressible seal  92  depicted in  FIG. 6  is circular in cross section. 
       FIG. 7  further reveals an end view of a trim piece  10  snapped into position atop a bracket  18 .  FIG. 7  details how surfaces  71  and  74  extend below surface  73  by the approximate thickness of the bracket  18  center channel  20 . The elevated surface  73  accommodates the bracket center channel  20  into a relieved area thereby allowing the trim  10  lower face surfaces  71 ,  74  to be in contact with the surface of the structure. Contact between the lower faces  71 ,  74  and the surface of the building further reduces the prospect of water infiltration into the structure that originates at the far edge of the trim and migrates under the trim piece and through gaps or voids into the building penetration. 
       FIG. 8  depicts an alternative embodiment of the trim system  100  with a hidden bracket  102 . The bracket  102  includes a center channel  104  and two opposed side walls  106 ,  108 . The bracket  102  is preferably fabricated from a ductile galvanized metal capable of forming side walls  106 ,  108  without fracturing. The side walls  106 ,  108  preferably include outwardly extending punches of dislodged metal  110  that dig into the slots  112 ,  114  of the trim piece  116 . The center channel  104  includes a plurality of punched holes  118  extending the length of the bracket to secure the bracket  102  to the building with fasteners. 
     The center channel  104  may also optionally include a plurality of downwardly extending punched metal projections  105  that may be employed to dig into the wall of the structure prior to installation of the fasteners. The purpose of these projections  105  being to allow the installer to quickly press the bracket  102  by hand or with a tool such as a hammer and drive the metal projections  105  into the wall thereby temporarily securing it in position freeing the hands of the installer to gather a powered screwdriver or other tools to more securely fasten the bracket  102  to the wall. The closely spaced holes  118  in the bracket  102  center channel  104  also allow the installer to view a chalk line laid down proximate the building penetration and to verify the location of the chalk line by looking through the holes  118 . Once the bracket is lined-up with the chalk line the installer passes fasteners, typically screws or nails, through the holes  118  and into the building. 
     Once the bracket  102  is securely in position the base trim piece  116  is positioned atop the bracket and snapped into place by aligning the longitudinally extending slots  112 ,  114  in the trim piece  102  with the walls  106 ,  108  of the bracket. The longitudinally extending slots  112 ,  114  may optionally include a chamfer at the bottom of the outside wall of the slot to accommodate easy installation of the walls  106 ,  108  into the slots. Once the base trim piece  116  is pushed down onto the bracket  102  the punched dislodged metal  110  digs into the engineered plastic of the base trim piece  116  thereby limiting the prospect of backing the base trim piece off of the bracket  102 . Once installed the base trim piece  116  cannot longitudinally translate along the bracket as the punched metal  110  of the bracket  102  locks the base trim piece  116  into position. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  the base trim piece  116  also includes a slot  119  on the side of the trim  120  opposite the building penetration. The slot  119  is utilized to retain a vinyl or metal flashing flange  122  the function of which is placement beneath the siding (not shown) that abuts the trim. The flashing flange  122  serves to prevent intrusion of water beneath the ends of the siding as the siding abuts the trim piece  116 . 
       FIG. 8A  depicts another embodiment of the trim system  200  with a hidden fastener. The bracket  202  includes a center channel  204  and two opposed side walls  206 ,  208 . The bracket  202  is preferably fabricated from a ductile galvanized metal capable of forming side walls  206 ,  208  without fracturing. The side walls  206 ,  208  preferably include outwardly extending flanges  210  that dig into the sidewalls of the slots  212 ,  214  of the trim piece  216 . The slots  212 ,  214  may optionally include a chamfer at the bottom to facilitate easy insertion of the sidewalls  206 ,  208  into the slots. The center channel  204  includes a plurality of pre-punched holes  218  extending the length of the bracket to secure the bracket  202  to the building with fasteners. The closely spaced holes  218  also allow the installer to view a chalk line laid down proximate the building penetration and to verify the location of the chalk line by looking through the holes. Once the bracket holes are lined-up with the chalk line the installer passes fasteners, typically screws or nails, through the holes into the building. As with the embodiment detailed at  FIG. 8 , the embodiment depicted at  FIG. 8A , may also optionally include small downwardly extending metal punch elements  203  that can be driven into the wall of the structure, for example by hand pressure or with a hammer, to assist in momentarily positioning the bracket prior to the insertion of the fasteners. 
     Once the bracket  202  is securely in position the base trim piece  216  is positioned atop the bracket and snapped into place by aligning the longitudinally extending slots  212 ,  214  in the trim piece  202  with the walls  206 ,  208  of the bracket. Once the base trim piece  216  is pushed down onto the bracket  202  the outwardly extending flanges  210  press firmly against the engineered plastic of the walls of the slots  212 ,  214 . With this configuration, longitudinal translation of the trim piece  216  along the bracket  202  will typically not be possible and is dependent upon how deeply the outwardly extending flanges  210  penetrate the walls of the slots  212 ,  214 . 
     For purposes of installation/operation and referring to  FIG. 9 , the tabs  28 ,  29  of the brackets  18  of the first embodiment are positioned proximate the frame of the window  16  and the tabs facilitate the proper offset from the window frame positioned within the building penetration for the desired trim width (either 4 or 6 inch nominal). Once the window offset has been completed through the use of either the full length of the tab, a tab severed at the fracture line  31  or the use of the striations or markers  30  on the two tabs  28 ,  29  the bracket  18  is secured to the building using the preferred fasteners. Once the brackets  18  are in position, and preferably spaced approximately 18 inches apart the trim is located over the brackets and snapped into position. Because as previously discussed, it is unlikely that longitudinal translation of the trim will be possible because of the “bite” of the locking wedge  27 , the outwardly extending punches of dislodged metal  110  or the outwardly extending flanges  210  that are utilized by the various embodiments of the brackets  18 ,  104 ,  202 . Consequently, the installer must take care to position the trim onto the bracket with a measure of locational precision as the trim can only be longitudinally translated a very nominal distance before it is permanently locked into position because of the deep penetration of the locking members  27 ,  110 ,  210  into the sidewalls of the slots of the trim pieces. 
       FIG. 10  depicts the configuration of brackets necessary to create a trim installation such as that shown in  FIG. 1  with the trim intersecting at a 45 degree angle. The configuration shown in  FIG. 10  reveals the use of both the straight brackets  18  and the intersecting trim part brackets  40 . As previously described, once the bracket for interesting trim parts  40  and straight brackets  18  are located with the assistance of the tabs  28 ,  29 ,  54 ,  56  the brackets are secured to the building with fasteners. The trim pieces are then snapped into position onto the brackets to form the desired 45 degree angle at the corners of the trim. 
     Once the trim pieces  10  are installed the siding may be installed as previously discussed by terminating the edge of the siding under the overhang  76  and over the weather strip  80  should the embodiment utilizing the weather strip be utilized. The flexible seal  92 ,  96  is preferably inserted into the trim cutout  90  prior to securing the trim piece  10  to the bracket. Importantly, all of these various referenced embodiments can be installed without the need for visible means for securing the trim to the building exterior. The principal attribute of this system being that no follow up work is required to fill holes in the surface of the trim  10  as the holes can detract from the appeal of the trim and fillers may be expunged from the nail or screw holes due to exposure to extreme temperatures and moisture. 
     While the preferred form of the present invention has been shown and described above, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject invention is not limited by the figures and that the scope of the invention includes modifications, variations and equivalents which fall within the scope of the attached claims. Moreover, it should be understood that the individual components of the invention include equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of this invention. 
     It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.