# US 10,767,320 B2 · Cover assembly for structural members > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,767,320 B2 - Document ID: US10767320B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/298,308 - Filed: 2016-10-20 - Published: 2018-04-26 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-20 - Assignees: Watson Bowman Acme Corporation - Applicants: Watson Bowman Acme Corporation - Inventors: Paul Bradford; Jeffrey Kuchta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10767320B2 ## CPC - E01C 11/126: {Joints with only metal and prefabricated packing or filling} - E01C 11/106: {Joints with only prefabricated packing; Packings therefor} - E01D 19/062: {Joints having intermediate beams} - E04B 1/681: {for free moving parts} - E01C: CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR (forming roads or like surfaces by compacting or grading snow or ice E01H) - E01D: CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES, {ELEVATED ROADWAYS} OR VIADUCTS; ASSEMBLY OF BRIDGES (bridges extending between terminal buildings and aircraft for embarking or disembarking passengers B64F1/305; {tracks for special kinds of railways E01B25/00; culverts E01F5/005}) - E04B: GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS (border constructions of opening in walls, floors or ceilings E06B1/00; {electromagnetic shielding H05K9/0001}) ## Abstract An expansion joint system for bridging an expansion joint gap between two spaced-apart, underlying building or roadway structures. The expansion joint system includes a cover plate, at least one swing arm, sliding bearings engaged with the swing arms, and fasteners for engaging the swing arms to the cover plate. The swing arms include a receiving well configured for receiving a mechanical fastener to fasten the swing arms to the cover plate. The expansion joint system permits movement in response to a seismic or thermal event that causes expansion or contraction of the gap between structural members while maintaining coverage of the gap, and following a seismic or thermal event, the maintains a substantially-centered position of the cover plate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An expansion joint cover assembly for a gap between spaced-apart structural members comprising: base members configured to be affixed to each of said structural members and having channels configured to accept bearings; a cover plate having a width sufficient to bridge said gap between said structural members; swing arms pivotably engaged with said cover plate; and bearings pivotably engaged at opposite ends of said swing arms and slidably engaged with said channels of said base members, wherein said bearings comprise a substantially planar tab portion and an elongated cylindrical portion, wherein the long axis of said cylindrical portions of said bearings are colinear with said channels and said cylindrical portions are inserted into said channels. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said swing arms have opposite facing first and second surfaces and a fastener receiver extending upwardly from said first surface of said swing arms. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 2, wherein said fastener receiver comprises an opening communicating through said first and second opposite facing surfaces of swing arms, wherein an inner portion of said opening comprises an inverted conical inner surface in the direction of said first surfaces of said swing arms and transitioning into a fastener alignment shoulder. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 3, wherein said fastener receiver further comprises an internally threaded locking member extending downwardly from said fastener alignment shoulder and sitting in a fastener housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 4, wherein said fastener comprises an elongated externally threaded bolt and wherein said locking member comprises an internally threaded locking member sitting in a fastener housing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 5, wherein said fastener comprises an elongated externally threaded bolt terminating in a non-metallic bullet-shaped tip. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 6, wherein said opposite ends of said swing arms comprise openings communicating through said opposite facing first and second surfaces of said swing arms and wherein said bearings are pivotably engaged with said opposite ends of said swing arms with fasteners that are engaged with said openings. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 6, further comprising an elongated spacer arm movably engaged with two spaced-apart swing arms and positioned substantially along the longitudinal axis of said cover assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 8, wherein said elongated spacer arm comprises opposite facing first and second surfaces, a longitudinal axis, opposite first and second ends, arm portions that flare outwardly from said longitudinal axis in the direction of said opposite first and second ends, and openings at each of said opposite first and second ends that communicate through said opposite facing first and second surfaces. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 9, wherein said opposite first and second openings of said elongated spacer arm are engaged with said fastener receiver of each of said spaced apart swing arms. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said cover plate comprises an elongated resilient cover having a load bearing surface opposite a support surface and at least one rigid plate member engaged with said elongated resilient cover, wherein said rigid plate member bridges said gap between said structural members. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 11, wherein said cover plate comprises an elongated resilient cover having a load bearing surface opposite a support surface and a plurality of spaced apart rigid plate members engaged with said elongated resilient cover, wherein one of said plurality of spaced apart rigid plate members bridges said gap between said structural members, wherein the remainder of said plurality of spaced apart rigid plate members extend along opposite lateral sides of said gap bridging rigid plate member for allowing elastic deformation of said elongated resilient cover; and wherein the elongated resilient cover is capable of applying a biasing force in a substantially vertical direction to urge said rigid plate members which extend along opposite lateral sides of said gap bridging rigid plate member cover toward the horizontal structural members while the elongated resilient is resiliently deformed by traffic traversing said load bearing surface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 12, wherein said plurality of rigid plate members are encapsulated with said resilient cover. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 13, wherein said elongated resilient cover further comprises peripheral edges including tapered face surfaces for providing incline planes to bear traffic traversing said elongated resilient cover. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 14, wherein said load bearing surface of said elongated resilient cover includes spaced apart upstanding ribs arranged to extend transversely to the direction of traffic traversing said cover. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 15, wherein said elongated resilient cover comprises an elastomeric material selected from the group consisting of butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, polyisoprene rubber, polychloroprene rubber, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber and combinations thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said swing arms and slide bearings comprise a polymer material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 8) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 8, wherein each of said swing arms, slide bearings, and elongated spacer arms comprise a polymer material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The expansion joint cover assembly of claim 1, wherein fasteners engage said cover plate to said elongated swing arms substantially along the median portion of said cover plate.