Modular rim board for floor and rafter systems

Abstract

An engineered perimeter rim board with machined or otherwise-formed modular recessed receptacles receives and secures I-joists and other manufactured joists at pre-designated spaces along the length of the rim board. The rim board provides pre-measured joist securement locations and structural enhancements by “locking” the joists into position. Receptacles machined / cut into the rim board may be of various shapes, such as a rectangular recess with a flat planar back wall, a profiled recess with curved top and bottom compartments, and / or an angled recess wherein two sidewalls converge to create a recess without a back wall for receiving joists at positions other than perpendicular to the rim board. The preferred 90-degree receptacle profile provides an I-joist web receiving slot for additional lateral support to help prevent joists from buckling, twisting or rolling over.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 10 / 376,556, filed Feb. 27, 2003, issuing on Jun. 7, 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,715, which claims priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 360,763, filed Feb. 27, 2003, entitled “Pre-Machined Rim Board for Use with Manufactured I-Joists,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of Invention [0003] This invention relates to a pre-machined, engineered, perimeter rim board that incorporates joist recessed receptacles that may be manufactured to be universally compatible with all existing and preferably all future I-joists and other manufactured joist products. This invention may be one component in a series of products that comprise installation and structural enhancements for wood frame building construction projects. [0004] 2. Related Art [0005] Numerous companies manufacture I-joists, dimensional lumber and other wood products which are...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The present invention provides apparatus comprising a rim board, for use in a floor or rafter perimeter, which has at least one, and preferably a plurality of, receptacles for joist / rafter members along the length of the rim board. Preferably, each receptacle is in the form of a recess formed / cut into the body of the rim board in a size and shape adapted for receiving an end of the joist / rafter. Thus, the preferred apparatus is a pre-machined, engineered rim board system with modular recessed receptacles at pre-designated spacing, and methods of using the same. The recesses may be generally rectangular, I-shaped to fit an I-joist, profiled to assist in insertion of the joist / rafter into the recess, and / or other shapes that optimally fit various joists / rafters. An object of the invention is to provide an easy-to-use, cost effective, modular rim board with pre-measured recessed locking receptacles that improves the quality, performance and efficiency of I-joist and other floor and roof framing systems. The rim boards may be provided in different sizes universally conforming to I-joists, dimensional lumber and other manufactured joist products. The invented rim board design improves the overall performance and installation of I-joist and other floor and roof framing systems.

[0011] It is an objective of the present invention to improve the quality, structural stability and speed of installation of joist systems. Other objectives are to enhance the nailing capabilities and to maintain performance and integrity of I-joist products in particular. The invented rim board, when properly installed and secured to joist ends, provides improved lateral loading capacity to floor systems relative to normal end-nailing without additional blocking. The dimensions and shapes of the recessed receptacles help prevent undesirable twisting, buckling or rolling of the joist. The receptacles reduce the shearing forces imparted upon nails used to secure the connection. This factor becomes a critical enhancement for I-joist framing systems with significant lateral loads due to seismic or high wind conditions.

[0012] Other functional purposes of the preferred rim board are to; a) allow for increased surface bearing area for the ends of joists on the plate below due to the penetration of the joists into the receptacles, and b) provide for superior nailing patterns for securing joists to the plate due to improved penetration of the I-joist into the receptacle which permits toe nails to be moved away from the edge and toward the center of the plate. Preferred embodiments of the rim board include a receptacle that is profiled and that has a web support slot, which provides vertical stability to the thin web of I-joists under compressive loads.

[0013] A further objective of this invention is to make the installation of joist systems more user-friendly. The uniform pre-designated locations of the modular recessed receptacles eliminate the need to measure and mark the placement of each joist at the job site. This saves time, expense and reduces possibilities of installation errors.

Problems solved by technology

This saves time, expense and reduces possibilities of installation errors.

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