Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/154,171, filed on Apr. 29, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to a doorway lintel lift system. More particularly, the present disclosure pertains to a lintel lift that can be utilized for fixing old lintels or installing new garage or doorway lintels by providing a reversible cambered angle lintel for supporting old lintels or to install new bricks. The lift may be attached atop a doorway, garage door, or other similar entranceway that supports masonry units. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to the repair of deflected lintels and installation of new lintels that resist deflection. Lintels are used in the construction industry to support masonry units and are generally used over a door or window openings. They are typically made from angle iron, and can vary significantly in length. 
     A post and lintel technique is commonly used to support loads over door, garage, and window openings. This technique is a simple, yet effective construction technique and is thus used by many architects and builders to support a load above an opening. In the post and lintel technique, two vertical members (or the posts) support a horizontal member (or the lintel) at opposing ends of the horizontal member. 
     While the conventional post and lintel construction technique is widespread and used considerably, it does suffer from certain drawbacks. Over time, the lintel deflects, or sags, and rotates, resulting in damage to the supporting members and an unsafe positioning of the masonry load, which must be repaired. These repairs are time consuming, labor intensive, and costly. One or more exemplary embodiments may include a lintel system having a cambered angle lintel that can be reversed in order to restore old lintels or to install a new construction. 
     Heretofore, various types of apparatuses related to lintel installation are known in the prior art. These prior art devices typically provide a lintel support brace that can be utilized for repairing damaged or sagging lintels or part of an original lintel installation. These devices, however, do not provide a chambered angle lintel that can be reversed, about the y-axis, in order to restore old lintels or to install a new construction. One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a lintel lift that can be utilized for fixing old lintels or installing new garage or doorway lintels. The device according to an exemplary embodiment may include a pair of support columns and a lintel that spans between the pair of support columns. 
     The pair of vertical support columns may either anchor the apparatus to the floor with foot plates or may be fastened to the existing frame. The horizontal lintel may rest atop a pair of adjustment members that may be hingedly attached to either a base member that spans between the pair of vertical support columns or a flange of the lintel. Lift bolts may be disposed at either end of the adjustment mechanisms, and coupled and locked with the aforementioned adjustment mechanisms. The lift bolts may pass through apertures in the adjustment mechanisms and continue through a lift nut, situated beneath the adjustment mechanism, and terminate in the vertical support column. Rotating the nut raises or lowers the lifting bolt, thereby causing the adjustment mechanisms to raise or lower. 
     Although the characteristic features of the exemplary embodiments will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the exemplary embodiments may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the lintel lift system and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the horizontal lintel and adjustment mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustrated cross sectional view of the lintel system according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a CAD cross sectional view of the lifting bolt and lintel lift system according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a CAD cross sectional view of the lifting bolt in the lintel lift system according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a close-up view of the vinyl covers attached to the lintel lift system according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear exploded view of the lintel lift system vinyl covers according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the following exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of well-known parts are omitted for clarity. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is a perspective view of the lintel lift apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment. The lintel lift apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment may include a lintel lift that can be utilized for repairing old lintels or installing new garage or doorway lintels. The lintel lift apparatus  100  according to the exemplary embodiment may include a pair of support columns  110  and a cambered angle iron lintel  120  that spans between the pair of support columns  110 . The pair of vertical support columns  110  may either anchor the apparatus to the floor with foot plates or may be fastened to the existing frame. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is a perspective view of the horizontal lintel and adjustment mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment. The rolled angle iron lintel  120  may have a substantially shaped “L” shaped cross section comprising a vertical flange  221  and a horizontal flange  223  arranged at approximately a 90 degree angle. The angle iron lintel  120  may be rolled or arched convexly giving it a camber, such that the end portions of the vertical flange  221  are lower than the center portion of the vertical flange  221 . Similarly, the end portions of the horizontal flange  223  are lower than the center portion of the horizontal flange  223 . With further reference to  FIG. 2 , the exemplary embodiment may also include a cover, which may include a horizontal cover  224 , and a vertical cover  225 . 
     In practice, the angle iron lintel  120  is affixed to an existing lintel  222 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the existing lintel  222  is shown with a center cutout portion so as to not obscure the horizontal flange  223 , however the existing lintel  222  is typically one continuous horizontal structure. To repair the existing lintel  222 , the angle iron lintel  120  is disposed such that a center portion of the horizontal flange  223  comes into contact with, or is disposed as close as possible to, a center portion of the existing lintel  222 . When configured in this manner, there may be a gap between the end portions of the horizontal flange  223  and the respective end portions of the existing lintel  222 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Disposed at either end of the horizontal flange  223 , lift bolts  330  may be coupled and locked with the aforementioned horizontal flange  223 . The lift bolts  330  are raised so as to engage the end portions of the horizontal flange  223 . The lift bolts  330  raise the end portions of the horizontal flange  223  so that the end portions of the horizontal flange  223  come into contact with the end portions of the existing lintel  222 , thereby raising and supporting the end portions of the existing lintel  222 . During this process, the horizontal flange  223  may become substantially horizontal such that the end portions of the horizontal flange  223  may not be lower than the center portion of the horizontal flange  223 . Likewise, the end portions of the vertical flange  221  may also be raised so that the end portions of the vertical flange  221  may not be lower than the center portion of the vertical flange  221 .  FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the lifting bolt  330  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is an illustrated cross sectional view of the lintel lift apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Each lift bolt  330  may pass through an aperture  331  in the horizontal flange  223  and continue through a lift nut  332 , situated beneath the horizontal flange. Now referring to  FIG. 4 , there is a CAD cross sectional view of the lifting bolt  330  and lintel lift apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment. The lifting nut  330  may terminate in the vertical support column  110 . Rotating the nut  332  raises or lowers the lifting bolt  330 , thereby causing the horizontal flange  223  to raise or lower. 
     In operation, the lintel lift apparatus may be used post-construction to retrofit an existing lintel and mason bricks or may be used in the initial construction and installation of mason bricks. During a retrofit, the rolled angle iron lintel  120  may face outwardly and the masonry may be disposed between the vertical flange  221  and the exterior of the existing wall. The pair of vertical support columns  110  may be fastened to the existing doorway frame. The horizontal flange  223  may rest atop the pair of vertical support columns  110 . Lift bolts  330  may be disposed at either end of the horizontal flange  223 , and may be coupled and locked with the aforementioned horizontal flange  223 . Each lift bolt  330  may pass through apertures  331  in the horizontal flange and continue through a lift nut  332 , situated beneath the horizontal flange  223 , and terminate in the vertical support column  110 . Rotating the nut  332  raises the lifting bolt  330 , thereby causing the horizontal flange  223  to raise and engage the sagging existing lintel  222  and mason bricks located above the existing lintel  222 . Once the lintel system is in place, the sagging existing lintel  222  and bricks located above it are stabilized against future settlement. 
     During the initial construction and installation, the rolled angle iron lintel  120  may be installed with the lintel facing inwardly. The vertical support columns  110  may be erected and the lift bolts  330  may be installed. Next, cables may be installed that link the lift bolts  330 , disposed atop the vertical support column  110 , with turnbuckles, which may be temporarily attached to eyebolts disposed at the bottom of each vertical support column  110 . The cables can be tightened and the lintel camber angle may be flattened for the addition of bricks. Thereafter, the cables and bolts can be removed and covers can be applied to the columns. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , there is a close-up view of the covers  600  attached to the lintel lift system and a rear exploded view of the lintel lift system covers, respectfully, according to an exemplary embodiment. The covers may be made of vinyl, or an alternative material may be used. The cover may include three pieces  601 ,  602 , and  603  that are adapted to attach via a snap fit to the vertical support columns, the angle iron lintel  120 , and the corner where the vertical support column and horizontal flange of the lintel join, respectively. The covers are designed to cover parts of the lintel lift system that remain exposed after using the lintel system in a retrofit or new construction. Each of the cover pieces includes an edge portion that is sized to press fit on to the angle iron lintel  120  or the vertical support column  110 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the cover pieces may also include notches that allow the cover pieces to fit together. For example, lintel cover piece  602  may include a notch on the horizontal portion of the cover piece that is configured to receive an upper portion of the vertical support column cover piece  601 . Similarly, the corner cover piece  603  may also include a notch that is configured to engage a portion of the vertical support column cover piece  601 . Corner cover piece  603  may also include a notch that is configured to engage the vertical portion of cover piece  602 . 
     Although the inventive concepts of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts.

Technology Category: 2