Patent Issued for Long Span Masonry Lintel Support System (USPTO 10,443,239)

2019 OCT 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Hohmann, Jr., Ronald P. (Hauppauge, NY); Osmanski, Richard (Port Jefferson Station, NY); Mason, Christopher (Islip, NY), filed on December 2, 2016, was published online on October 28, 2019.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 10,443,239 is Columbia Insurance Company (Omaha, Nebraska, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Relatively large openings such as walkways and archways provide an aesthetically pleasing feature of construction in buildings and other structure. Moreover such architectural features permit passage of large objects through a structure. It can be challenging to construct a lintel over an opening when the construction is masonry. It is necessary to support the masonry as it is being built over the opening. This can be done by providing support underneath, but this does not provide a clean look in the finished structure because they are exposed. Concealed lintel support systems are known for use in constructing masonry lintels, but have limitations as the span of the opening in the structure increases.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one aspect, a lintel system for supporting masonry blocks above an opening in a structure generally comprises a lintel configured to span a width of the opening. The lintel comprises a single spanning member having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a side face extending between the top and bottom edge of the spanning member. Supports are disposed at longitudinal ends of the single spanning member. Support plates each have an opening within a perimeter of the support plate and a slot therein for receiving the spanning member therein for mounting the support plate on the spanning member. A support rod is receivable through the opening in the support plate and configured to be received through the masonry blocks for connecting the masonry blocks to the spanning member. A stiffener is attached to the spanning member for reinforcing the spanning member. The stiffener extends in opposed relation to the side face along at least a portion of the side face.

“In another aspect, a lintel system for supporting masonry blocks above an opening in a structure generally comprises a lintel configured to span a width of the opening. The lintel comprises a spanning member having a length greater than the width of the opening, and having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a planar side face extending between the top and bottom edge. The spanning member has a height and a thickness. Support plates each have an opening within a perimeter of the support plate and a slot therein for receiving the spanning member therein for mounting the support plate on the spanning member. A support rod is receivable through the opening in the support plate and configured to be received through the masonry blocks for connecting the masonry blocks to the spanning member. A stiffener is attached to the spanning member for reinforcing the spanning member. The stiffener has a height extending parallel to the height of the spanning member and a thickness extending parallel to the thickness of the spanning member. The height of the stiffener is greater than the thickness of the stiffener. The stiffener extends in opposed relation to the planar side face along at least a portion of the planar side face.

“Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“What is claimed is:

“1. A lintel system for supporting masonry blocks above an opening in a structure, the system comprising: a lintel configured to span a width of the opening, the lintel comprising a single spanning member having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a side face extending between the top and bottom edge of the spanning member, and supports disposed at longitudinal ends of the single spanning member; support plates each having an opening within a perimeter of the support plate, and a slot therein for receiving the spanning member therein for mounting the support plate on the spanning member; a support rod receivable through the opening in each support plate and configured to be received through the masonry blocks for connecting the masonry blocks to the spanning member; and a stiffener attached to the spanning member for reinforcing the spanning member, the stiffener extending in opposed relation to the side face along at least a portion of the side face.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener is welded to the spanning member.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener is bolted to the side face of the spanning member.

“4. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener comprises a first portion positioned opposite the side face of the single spanning member and a second portion positioned opposite the top edge of the single spanning member and extending transverse to the first portion.

“5. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener extends along only a portion of a length of the single spanning member.

“6. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge toward the bottom edge of the spanning member.

“7. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge to adjacent the bottom edge of the spanning member.

“8. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener comprises a first stiffener, the system further comprising a second stiffener attached to the spanning member, the second stiffener extending in opposed relation to the side face along at least a portion of the side face.

“9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second stiffener comprises a first portion positioned opposite the side face and a second portion positioned opposite the bottom edge and extending transverse to the first portion of the second stiffener.

“10. The system of claim 1, wherein the side face of the spanning member comprises a first side face, the spanning member comprises a second side face opposite the first side face, and the stiffener comprises a first stiffener, the system further comprising a second stiffener attached to the spanning member, the second stiffener extending in opposed relation to the second side face along at least a portion of the second side face.

“11. The system of claim 1, wherein the spanning member is arch shaped.

“12. The system of claim 1, wherein the spanning member comprises a straight spanning member.

“13. A lintel system for supporting masonry blocks above an opening in a structure, the system comprising: a lintel configured to span a width of the opening, the lintel comprising a spanning member having a length greater than the width of the opening, and having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a planar side face extending between the top and bottom edge, the spanning member having a height and a thickness; support plates each having an opening within a perimeter of the support plate, and a slot therein for receiving the spanning member therein for mounting the support plate on the spanning member; a support rod receivable through the opening in the each support plate and configured to be received through the masonry blocks for connecting the masonry blocks to the spanning member; and a stiffener attached to the spanning member for reinforcing the spanning member, the stiffener having a height extending parallel to the height of the spanning member and a thickness extending parallel to the thickness of the spanning member, the height of the stiffener being greater than the thickness of the stiffener, the stiffener extending in opposed relation to the planar side face along at least a portion of the planar side face.

“14. The system of claim 13, wherein the height of the plate section defines a major surface, the major surface being in opposed relation to the planar side face of the spanning member.

“15. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener is welded to the spanning member.

“16. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener is bolted to the side face of the spanning member.

“17. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener comprises a first plate section positioned opposite the planar side face of the spanning member of the lintel, and a second plate section positioned opposite the top edge of the spanning member and extending transverse to the first plate section.

“18. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener extends along only a portion of a length of the spanning member of the lintel.

“19. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge of the spanning member toward the bottom edge of the spanning member of the lintel.

“20. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge of the spanning member of the lintel to adjacent the bottom edge of the spanning member.

“21. The system of claim 13, wherein the planar side face comprises a first planar side face, the spanning member of the lintel comprises a second planar side face opposite the first planar side face, and the stiffener comprises a first stiffener, the system further comprising a second stiffener attached to the spanning member, the second stiffener having a height extending parallel to the height of the spanning member and a thickness extending parallel to the thickness of the spanning member, the height of the second stiffener being greater than the thickness, the second stiffener extending in opposed relation to the second planar side face of the spanning member along at least a portion of the second planar side face.

“22. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener comprises a first stiffener, the system further comprising a second stiffener attached to the spanning member, the second stiffener extending in opposed relation to the planar side face of the spanning member of the lintel along at least a portion of the planar side face.

“23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second stiffener comprises a first portion positioned opposite the planar side face of the spanning member of the lintel and a second portion positioned opposite the bottom edge of the spanning member.

“24. The system of claim 13, wherein the spanning member is arch shaped.

“25. The system of claim 13, wherein the spanning member is straight.

“26. The system of claim 1, wherein the stiffener extends lengthwise of the spanning member through a midpoint of the length of the spanning member.

“27. The system of claim 13, wherein the stiffener extends lengthwise of the spanning member through a midpoint of the length of the spanning member.

“28. The system of claim 6, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge to approximately a midpoint of a height of the spanning member.

“29. The system of claim 19, wherein the stiffener extends from adjacent the top edge to approximately a midpoint of a height of the spanning member.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Hohmann, Jr., Ronald P.; Osmanski, Richard; Mason, Christopher. Long Span Masonry Lintel Support System. U.S. Patent Number 10,443,239, filed December 2, 2016, and published online on October 28, 2019. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,443,239.PN.&OS=PN/10,443,239RS=PN/10,443,239

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