Support Beam for Screened Enclosure and Connectors Therefore

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/139,114, filed Apr. 25, 2023, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,331,505, which claims priority to U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/756,106, filed Oct. 26, 2020, now U.S. Design Patent No. D984,679, both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

This invention relates generally to beams and beam inserts for screened enclosures and methods for forming screened enclosures using the same.

Screened enclosures are commonly built to enclose patios, lanais, porches, swimming pools, decks, and other similar spaces. Such enclosures are generally constructed by installing vertical posts with horizontal beams spanning therebetween. Screen material, often in square or rectangular panels, will then fill the open spaces between the vertical posts and horizontal beams. In most cases, the screen panels forming the sides of the enclosure are secured to both the vertical posts and the horizontal beams.

Prior art posts and beams typically include two components that fit together to form a square or rectangular beam, i.e., self-mating beam (SMB) systems. SMB systems may be secured together with or without the need for additional hardware or connectors. However, in the absence of additional connectors, such systems may have weaker structural integrity compared to other methods of joining, such as bolted or welded connections. Over time, self-mating beams may be prone to sagging or shifting, especially in areas with high winds or heavy rain, which could compromise the stability and durability of the enclosure. Moreover, SMB systems that include connectors may require precise alignment and installation, which can be challenging for homeowners or contractors who are not experienced with this type of connection. Improper installation can result in misaligned or uneven sections, leading to gaps, leaks, or compromised structural integrity.

In large, screened enclosures, such as those featured in multi-story homes, the spacing between posts and beams may be expanded to form what is known as “picture windows.” In such openings, the distances spanned by the posts and beams may be quite large and may extend beyond the range afforded by conventional posts and beams. Thus, even oversized beams, which may be 2″×6″ to 2″×12″ in size, may not be sufficient.

Accordingly, there is a need for systems that are easier to install, may have improved longevity and structural integrity, and may offer a greater range of design options.

The present disclosure provides solutions to the aforementioned issues by providing one-piece extruded beams for screened enclosures that are lighter weight, easier to install, and afford greater installed longevity than prior art beams. The present disclosure further provides internal supports that may afford additional design options, providing secure connection between adjacent beams installed across large openings.

Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to a beam system for a screened enclosure. The system includes an elongated rectangular beam, i.e., support beam, having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional profile and a hollow interior channel. The support beam extends along a longitudinal axis and is defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, each wall being planar and joined to adjacent walls at substantially right angles.

The support beam includes at least three spline grooves. The spline grooves generally include an outward facing opening and a recessed portion, wherein the opening is configured to receive an edge of a screen panel and an elastomeric spline component to secure the screen panel to the rectangular beam.

According to certain aspects, a first spline groove extends longitudinally along an exterior side of the first side wall adjacent an edge thereof, and second and third spline grooves extend longitudinally along an exterior side of the bottom wall, wherein the second and third spline grooves are position adjacent opposing edges of the bottom wall. The first spline groove may be positioned on the first side wall adjacent an edge that connects to the top wall. According to this aspect, each of the top wall and second side wall of the support beam are absent spline grooves.

According to other aspects, a first spline groove extends longitudinally along an exterior side of the bottom wall adjacent an edge that connects to the first side wall, and second and third spline grooves extend longitudinally along an exterior side of the second side wall and are positioned adjacent opposing edges of the second side wall. According to this aspect, each of the first side wall and the top wall of the support beam are absent spline grooves.

According to other aspects, the support beam includes four spline grooves. A first spline groove extends longitudinally along an exterior side of the top wall adjacent an edge that connects to the first side wall, second and third spline grooves extend longitudinally along an exterior side of the second side wall and are positioned adjacent opposing edges of the second side wall, and a fourth spline groove extends longitudinally along an exterior side of the bottom wall adjacent an edge that connects to the first side wall. According to this aspect, the first side wall of the support beam is absent spline grooves.

According to certain aspects, the beam system may further comprise an insert sized to fit within the interior channel of the support beam. The insert generally comprises a central pillar that extends laterally within the interior channel of the support beam, i.e., between the first and second sides thereof, and longitudinally such that it may provide connection between two adjacent beams. The insert comprises an angular cap attached to each of the opposing lateral ends of the central pillar and extending longitudinally along a length of the central pillar.

According to certain aspects, the angular caps may each comprise a first flat portion attached to the central pillar perpendicular thereto, two angled portions each attached to an opposite end of the first flat portion and extending outward away from the central pillar but inward toward a middle of the central pillar, and two second flat portions each attached to an end of the second angled portions and extending parallel with and inward toward a middle of the central pillar. The first flat portion of each angular cap generally fits against an inner surface of the first or second side wall of the support beam, and the second flat portions of each angular cap individually fit against an inner surface of the top and bottom walls of the support beam.

According to certain other aspects, the angular caps may each comprise a closed structure shaped as a pentagonal body having five sides and five vertices, wherein the pentagonal body is dimensioned and shaped to fit within the interior channel of the support beam such that at least one side of the pentagonal body is in contact with an inner surface of either the first or second side wall of the support beam. The pentagonal body is connected to the lateral end of the central pillar via one of the five vertices.

According to certain other aspects, the angular caps may each comprise a closed structure shaped as a septagonal body having seven sides and seven vertices and a hollow interior, wherein the septagonal body is dimensioned and shaped to fit within the interior channel of the support beam such that three sides of the septagonal body are in contact with three corresponding inner surfaces of the support beam, i.e., the top and bottom walls and either of the first or second side wall, and wherein remaining sides of the septagonal body are spaced apart from the inner surface of the top and bottom walls and the first and second side walls thereby defining at least two clearance gaps.

The septagonal body may be connected to the lateral end of the central pillar via one of the seven vertices. Alternatively, the central pillar may pass through a center of the septagonal body and attach to an interior surface of one of the seven sides that opposes the inner surface of the first or second sidewall.

The angular caps of the inserts may each include a plurality of apertures extending along a longitudinal length thereof that are configured to provide connection with openings in the support beam, such as via fastening elements, wherein the openings in the support beam are positioned on the top and/or bottom walls.

The present disclosure further relates to kits comprising the beam system for a screen enclosure, i.e., a plurality of the support beams and optionally any combination of (i) any of the inserts described hereinabove, (ii) sufficient amounts of precut screen panels and/or rolls of screen material, and (iii) elastomeric spline component.

The present disclosure further relates to kits configured for construction of a specific screened enclosure design, wherein the kits may include materials sized and configured for construction of the specific screened enclosure design, along with instructions for assembly. The kit may further include sufficient amounts of precut screen panels or rolls of screen material, and elastomeric spline component.

In the following description, the present invention is set forth in the context of various alternative embodiments and implementations involving elongated rectangular beams, i.e., support beams, for a screened enclosure, such as an enclosure useful to surround and enclose patios, lanais, porches, swimming pools, decks, and other similar spaces. The present invention further sets forth inserts for the support beams, such as inserts useful to provide connection between and among various of the disclosed support beams. The present invention further sets forth kits comprising various combinations of the support beams and inserts disclosure herein, and methods of forming a screened enclosure using the support beams and inserts.

Various aspects of the support beam and methods for forming a screened enclosure using the beams may be illustrated with reference to one or more exemplary implementations or embodiments. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other variations of the devices, systems, or methods disclosed herein. “Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not. In addition, the word “comprising” as used herein means “including, but not limited to.”

Various aspects of the support beam and enclosures formed therefrom may be illustrated by describing components that are coupled, attached, and/or joined together. As used herein, the terms “coupled,” “attached,” and/or “joined” are interchangeably used to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being “directly coupled”, “directly attached,” and/or “directly joined” to another component, there are no intervening elements shown in said examples.

Relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top” and “left” or “right” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element illustrated in the drawings. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of aspects of the support beam and enclosures formed therefrom in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. By way of example, if aspects of the support beam shown in the drawings are turned over, elements described as being on the “bottom” side of the other elements would then be oriented on the “top” side of the other elements as shown in the relevant drawing. The term “bottom” can therefore encompass both an orientation of “bottom” and “top” depending on the particular orientation of the drawing.

As used herein, the term “substantially” may be taken to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. Thus, the term substantially may mean an amount of generally at least about 80%, about 90%, about 95%, about 98%, or even about 99%.

It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a” fastening element is a reference to one or more fastening elements and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Words such as “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods.

Likewise, as used herein, a term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances.

As used herein, the term “aspect” may be understood to mean a particular part or feature of the disclosed invention, wherein the present disclosure relates to any combination of the disclosed aspects.

The word “comprising” and forms of the word “comprising,” as used in this description and in the claims, does not limit the present disclosure to exclude any variants or additions. Additionally, although the present disclosure has been described in terms of “comprising,” the support beams, inserts, kits, and methods detailed herein may also be described as consisting essentially of or consisting of. For example, while certain aspects of the present disclosure have been described in terms of a support beam comprising three splines, a support beam “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” three splines is also within the present scope. In this context, “consisting essentially of” means that any additional components will not materially affect use of the support beam in forming a screened enclosure or the design of the support beam.

Moreover, other than in the examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing, for example, quantities of ingredients used in the specification are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about,” wherein the term “about” indicates approximations which may vary by ±10%, ±5%, or ±1%. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties to be obtained by the present disclosure (e.g., temperature, time, amount, and concentration, including ranges). At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the present disclosure are approximations and reported as precisely as possible, any numerical value inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard variation found in their respective testing measurements. The numerical parameters provided in the examples section of this disclosure are reported with as much precision as possible. Precision refers to the degree to which repeated measurements or outputs under unchanged conditions yield the same or consistent results. In the context of the present disclosure, “precision” characterizes the repeatability or reproducibility of a given process, measurement, or system function, independent of its accuracy relative to a standard or target value. Higher precision indicates lower variability or deviation among measurements or outcomes under identical conditions.

When ranges are given, any endpoints of those ranges and/or numbers within those ranges can be combined within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to the drawings,illustrates a typical screened enclosureaccording to the present disclosure. The screened enclosure is generally formed using elongated rectangular beams, referred to hereinafter as support beams, and/or support beams connected via internally positioned I-beams or connecting beams, referred to hereinafter as inserts.illustrate details of various embodiment support beams and inserts, andillustrate enclosures formed using the disclosed support beams and inserts.

A screened enclosuremay be formed using the support beams in either the horizontalor verticalorientation, as shown in. The screened enclosuremay be attached to a building, such as shown in, or may be freestanding. Screen panelsare attachable to longitudinal edges of each of the support beams (,), such as along all longitudinal edges of beams defining an opening via edges of the screen panel.

With reference to, the support beams (,) include an interior channelthat runs a full length of the beam. This reduces the weight and cost of the beam, and improves the ease of manufacturing, such as by extrusion technology. Typically, the support beams (,) are formed of aluminum or steel.

The support beams (,) are generally rectangular, having four sides with flat exterior surfaces. The support beam may have any length known in the art and useful to the purposes of forming the screened enclosures or providing material that may be cut to preferred sizes that are useful for forming the screened enclosures, such as 4 feet, 10 feet, etc., wherein B in any of the figures represents a break in the drawing. According to preferred aspects, the support beams (,) may have a longitudinal length ‘a’ typically greater than 2 feet, such as 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 feet, or more in length. The support beams (,) may have a width ‘b’ of from 4 inches to greater than 10 inches. According to preferred aspects, the support beams (,) may have a width ‘b’ of about 6, 8, 10, or 12 inches. Moreover, the support beams (,) have a height ‘z’ of 1 inch to greater than 4 inches. According to preferred aspects, the support beams (,) have a height ‘z’ of about 2, 3, or 4 inches.

In exemplary configurations, any of the support beams disclosed herein may have a height of 2 inches, such as 3 inches, or 4 inches, and a width of 4 inches, or 5 inches, or 6 inches, or 7 inches, or 8 inches, or 9 inches, or 10 inches, or 11 inches, or 12 inches, in any combination. For example, the support beams may have a height and width in inches of 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, 2×10, 2×12, 3×6, 3×9, etc.

The support beams may comprise three or more spline grooves formed into the exterior surfaces thereof.

According to one embodiment, the support beam comprises three spline grooves. A first exterior side(left or right side wall) of the support beam (,) includes a spline groove that extends longitudinally along a length ‘a’ of the support beam. A second exterior side (top or bottom wall,or, respectively) that is adjacent to the first exterior sideincludes two spline grooves that extend longitudinally along a length ‘a’ of the support beam. The spline grooves are formed as recessed portions of each of the left or right side walland the top or bottom wall.

More specifically, and with reference to, a first side wallof the support beam (,) comprises a first spline groovethat extends longitudinally along a length a thereof, and a bottom walladjacent to the first side wall comprises second and third spline grooves (,) that extend longitudinally along a length thereof. As shown, the first side walland a second side wallare left and right side walls of the support beam (,) each having a length less than the bottom wallor top wall. Each of the top wall and right side wall of the support beam are absent spline grooves.

With continued reference to, a first spline grooveof the support beam is positioned adjacent an edge of a first side wallsuch that an opening of the groove faces inward toward the center of the first side wall. Further, the spline grooves (,) on the bottom wallof the support beam are positioned adjacent opposite edges thereof such that openings of each groove face inward toward a center of the bottom wall. A fourth cornerof the support beams (,) may be absent a spline groove. When in use to form a screen enclosure, this fourth cornerpresents a smooth surface.

With specific reference to, an enlarged view of a spline groove is shown, such as the spline grooveon the bottom wall(sectionof). The spline grooves generally include an outward facing opening and a recessed portion. A section of the recessed portionincludes a cap or overhangthat may aid in securing an edge of a screen panel and an elastomeric spline component within the recessed openingand thus to the support beam (,). When the support beams are installed as the vertical and horizontal beams of an enclosure, the screen panels may be sized to fit within an opening defined by the support beams and may be secured along edges thereof within the splines on the beams. That is, an edge region of the screen may be positioned over the spline groove and an elastomeric spline component may be positioned on top of the screen and pushed into the recessof the spline groove, wherein the overhangsecures the elastomeric spline component within the recess and secures the screen along an edge of the support beam.

Shown inis another embodiment support beam (′,′). As shown, the support beam (′,′) may include four spline grooves, wherein each spline is adjacent an edge of the support beam. The support beam (′,′) may have any length known in the art and useful to the purposes of forming the screened enclosures or providing material that may be cut to preferred sizes that are useful for forming the screened enclosures, such as 4 feet, 10 feet, etc., wherein B represent a break in the drawing.

As shown, the top wall′ and bottom wall′ of the support beam comprise a first′ and second′ spline groove, respectively, that extends longitudinally along a length of the support beam (′,′). A second side wall (i.e., right side wall)′ of the support beam comprises a third and fourth spline groove (′,′) that extends longitudinally along a length thereof. Of note, the first and second spline grooves (′ and′, respectively) are positioned in the top and bottom walls (′ and′, respectively), proximate to an edge of each that is adjacent the left side wall′.

Shown inis yet another embodiment support beam (″,″). As shown, the support beam (′,′) may include three spline grooves, wherein each spline is adjacent an edge of the support beam. The support beam (″,″) may have any length known in the art and useful to the purposes of forming the screened enclosures or providing material that may be cut to preferred sizes that are useful for forming the screened enclosures, such as 4 feet, 10 feet, etc., wherein B represent a break in the drawing.

As shown, a first spline groove″ of the support beam is positioned on a bottom wall″ adjacent an edge of a first side wall″ such that an opening of the groove faces inward toward the center of the bottom wall″. Further, second and third spline grooves (″,″) on the second side wall″ of the support beam are positioned adjacent opposite edges thereof such that openings of each groove face inward toward a center of the second side wall″. A cornerof the support beams (″,″) may be absent a spline groove. When in use to form a screen enclosure, this corner″ presents a smooth surface.

As shown in, the support beams disclosed herein may have a range of aspect ratios, i.e., width÷height. For example, the support beam shown inhas an aspect ratio of 2, e.g., width ‘x’ of 6 and height ‘y’ of 3 or width ‘x’ of 4 and height ‘y’ of 2. The support beam shown inhas an aspect ratio of 4, e.g., width ‘x’ of 8 and height ‘y’ of 2; the support beam shown inhas an aspect ratio of 5, e.g., width ‘x’ of 10 and height ‘y’ of 2; and the support beam shown inhas an aspect ratio of 6, e.g., width ‘x’ of 12 and height ‘y’ of 2. The support beams disclosed herein may have any aspects ratio useful for the purposes of forming a screen enclosure having not only structural integrity but also aesthetic appeal. For example, aspects ratios of 1.5 to 10 are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The support beams disclosed herein may be used in either the verticalor horizonalorientation and may be positioned such that the spline grooves on respective sides provide attachment of screen panels on one face of an opening. The support beams having three spline grooves, e.g., as shown inoffer the additional advantage that when connected to form an enclosure, they may present a smooth surface along an opposite face of the opening (i.e., the exterior sides of the rectangular beams absent the spline grooves that are presented on the opposite opening).

The support beams (,,′,′,″, and″) may be used to provide vertical and horizonal beams for both the sides of an enclosure and a roof of the enclosure.