Frame mounting bracket

Abstract

 A bracket (10) for mounting a frame (2) in an opening of a building structure comprises means for securing the bracket (10) to a frame (2) and means for securing the bracket to a portion (6) of a building structure. Each of the frame securing means (32) and the building securing means (18,20) is pivotally connected to a main body (12) of the bracket (10).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a frame mounting bracket and, in particular, to a bracket for mounting a frame, such as a frame for a door or window, on a building structure and a method of mounting such a frame.

[0002] Door or window frames are commonly mounted in an opening of a building structure by fixing the frame to surrounding masonry, such as brickwork, and then, after the frame is installed, the door or window is mounted in the frame. It is known to use various forms of fixing brackets for fixing the frame to the masonry. However, such known fixing brackets tend to be adapted for use with particular configurations of frames and in general are unsuitable for use with different forms of reveal such as a stepped reveal. In addition, during mounting the fixing bracket must be correctly aligned with the reveal and the frame to be fixed since, once the assembly is secured, correction of any mis-alignment is not possible.

[0003] The present invention has been made from a consideration of the disadvantages with known fixing brackets and in order to provide an improved frame mounting bracket and method of mounting a frame.

[0004] One preferred object of the present invention is to provide a frame mounting bracket and method which, in use, permits relative adjustment between the frame and the surrounding reveal. Another preferred object of the invention is to provide a frame mounting bracket and method which can be used on different configurations of reveal and/or with various frame configurations.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a bracket for mounting a frame in an opening of a building structure comprising means for securing said bracket to a frame and means for securing said bracket to a portion of a building structure wherein each of said frame securing means and said building securing means is pivotally connected to a main body of said bracket. Preferably said main body is elongate and preferably said frame securing means is pivotally connected thereto adjacent one end thereof and said building securing means is pivotally connected thereto adjacent an opposite end thereof.

[0006] Preferably, said building securing means comprises first and second members each respectively pivotally connected to said main body by first and second pivots.

[0007] Preferably, said first and second pivots are located on a first pivot axis of the body. Preferably said first and/or second members comprise an angled member having first and second legs extending at an angle to each other, preferably at right angles. Preferably, said first and/or second members comprise an L-shaped member, more preferably an L-shaped plate member. Preferably, one leg of each of said first and second members is pivotally connected to said body. Preferably, the other leg of each of said first and second members is adapted to be secured to a portion of a building structure. Preferably, one or both of the pivotal connections between said first and second members and said body is releasable to allow the orientation of said first and/or second members relative to said body to be altered.

[0008] Preferably, said frame securing means comprises a channel cross-section member. Preferably, the base of said channel member is adapted to be secured to a frame. Preferably, each of the side walls of said channel member extend along or adjacent a portion of said body. Preferably each said side wall is pivotally connected at respective pivot points to said body. Preferably, such respective pivot points are located on a second pivot axis of the body.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of mounting a frame in an opening of a building structure comprising the steps of securing one or more mounting brackets of the invention to the frame at an edge region of the frame adjacent to the building structure and securing the or each mounting bracket to the building structure.

[0010] The method preferably includes adjusting the or each mounting bracket to locate the building securing means thereof at a position on the building such that the or each bracket body spans a cavity between the frame and the building opening before securing such brackets to said structure. The method may include mounting a closure member in or on said frame before securing said bracket to said building structure.

[0011] The invention further provides an assembly comprising a frame and one or more mounting brackets of the invention secured thereto. The assembly may include a closure member mounted on the frame.

[0012] It will be appreciated that one or more mounting brackets of the invention may be used around the frame and the opening.

[0013] It will also be appreciated that the mounting bracket of the invention has the additional advantage of allowing a closure member to be mounted in or on a frame and the frame and closure member assembly to be mounted in an opening as one unit rather than requiring the frame to be mounted and secured first with subsequent mounting of the closure member in the frame. Thus, distortion of the frame during installation may be avoided and the frame remains an exact fit for the closure member. Furthermore, the adjustable bracket allows an exact fit between the frame and the building structure.

[0014] The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal cross-section showing the frame mounting bracket of the invention in use connected to a frame and building reveal;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the frame mounting bracket of Figure 1; and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the frame mounting bracket of Figure 1.

[0015] Referring to Figure 1, a frame 2 for a closure member 4, such as a door or window is mounted on a stepped reveal 6,8 of a building structure by means of a mounting bracket 10. The mounting bracket includes a main body portion 12 which is pivotally connected at first pivot points 14, 16 respectively to first and second wall mounting plates or fixing arms 18, 20. The pivot points 14, 16 are located on a first pivot axis 22 and allow body 12 to pivot relative to that axis. The mounting arms 18, 20 are substantially L-shaped, the short legs thereof being pivotally connected to the body 12 and the longer legs thereof being adapted to be fixedly secured to the reveal by means of screws 24 or the like. It will be appreciated that the mounting arms may have any suitable shape, for example the longer leg of the L-shaped arms shown may be substantially the same length as or shorter than the pivotally connected leg. It is preferred that the arms are L-shaped since this allows the bracket to be used on any configuration of reveal such as a plain reveal or a stepped reveal. For a plain reveal, the normal orientation of both arms is as shown for arm 18 in Figure 1, with the pivotal leg extending away from the reveal. For a stepped reveal, the orientation of the arm adjacent the step is preferably such that the pivotal leg extends towards the reveal, the fixing leg extending along the reveal as shown for arm 20 in Figure 1. This allows the mounting bracket of the invention to be universally used with any configuration of reveal. The first pivots 14, 16 are provided adjacent one end of the main body 12. Second pivot points 26, 28 are provided adjacent the other end of body 12 and lie on a second pivot axis 30. The main body 12 is pivotally connected by these second pivots to a frame connecting member 32. The frame connecting member 32 comprises a channel section member the base 34 of which is secured to frame 2 by means of a screw 36 or the like extending through the base and the frame. The sides 38 of the channel member 32 extend over the main body 12 to pivotally connect thereto.

[0016] In use, each of the fixing arms 18, 20 are orientated as desired on the main body 12 according to the type of reveal on which the bracket is to be mounted. The bracket is then secured to the frame by screw 36 and the bracket and frame assembly is secured to the reveal by screws 24. Packers 40, typically timber, and/or cover mouldings 42 or the like may then be located over the assembly to secure and/or conceal the assembly as desired.

[0017] It will be appreciated that although the bracket has been described in terms of mounting a frame on a vertical reveal, the bracket may also be used on a horizontal reveal such as the top or bottom of an opening in a building structure.

[0018] The bracket may be made from metal such as aluminium or any suitable material. The bracket is particularly suitable for use with metal or aluminium frames, although it will be clear that the bracket can be used with any type or configuration of frame.

[0019] Referring to Figure 2, the location of the fixing arms 18, 20 on the reveal can be selected as required. Four such positions are shown in Fig. 2. Since the main body 12 of the bracket pivots with respect to the fixing arm and the frame mounting member 32 the body can be adjusted to span cavities 44 of different sizes. The frame can thus be accurately located in the opening by securing the fixing arms at the required position along the reveal. Typically a mounting bracket of the invention may be dimensioned to allow cavities in the range 10-50 mm to be spanned.

[0020] It will be seen that the bracket and method of the invention have the advantages of allowing a frame to be accurately located and secured in an opening by permitting relative adjustment between the frame and the opening and of allowing cavities of various widths to be accommodated.

[0021] It will be appreciated that the present invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which is described by way of example only.

[0022] The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

[0023] All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

[0024] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[0025] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A bracket for mounting a frame in an opening of a building structure comprising means for securing said bracket to a frame and means for securing said bracket to a portion of a building structure characterised in that each of said frame securing means and said building securing means is pivotally connected to a main body of said bracket.

2. A bracket according to claim 1, wherein said main body is elongate and said frame securing means is pivotally connected thereto adjacent one end thereof and said building securing means is pivotally connected thereto adjacent an opposite end thereof.

3. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein said building securing means comprises first and second members each respectively pivotally connected to said main body by first and second pivots.

4. A bracket according to claim 3, wherein said first and second pivots are located on a first pivot axis of the body.

5. A bracket according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said first and/or second members comprise an angled member having first and second legs extending at an angle to each other.

6. A bracket according to claim 3 or any succeeding claim, wherein one leg of each of said first and second members is pivotally connected to said body.

7. A bracket according to claim 6, wherein the other leg of each of said first and second members is adapted to be secured to a portion of a building structure.

8. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein said frame securing means comprises a channel cross-section member, the base of said channel member is adapted to be secured to a frame and each of the side walls of said channel member extend along or adjacent a portion of said body.

9. A bracket according to claim 8, wherein each said side wall is pivotally connected at respective pivot points to said body.

10. A bracket according to claim 9, wherein such respective pivot points are located on a second pivot axis of the body.

11. A method of mounting a frame in an opening of a building structure comprising the steps of securing one or more mounting brackets according to any preceding claim to the frame at an edge region of the frame adjacent to the building structure and securing the or each mounting bracket to the building structure.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the method includes adjusting the or each mounting bracket to locate the building securing means thereof at a position on the building such that the or each bracket body spans a cavity between the frame and the building opening before securing such brackets to said structure.

Drawing