Two-part adjustable connector assembly

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to connectors and particularly to adjustable connectors adapted to rigidly secure together two juxtaposed structural members while permitting selective adjustment of one member in relation to the other.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the adjustable connector assembly of the invention used in association with a door frame mounted in a wall opening.

#FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the adjustable connector assembly, shown apart from the wall structure, and illustrating the relationship of the first and second connector members after assembly in a wall structure. The first connector member is shown in cross-section.

#FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the adjustable connector assembly illustrated in FIG. 2 shown mounted in a frame member and supporting stud, the latter shown in cross-section.

#The construction industry has become so specialized that many aspects of the construction of a building are now prefabricated or pre-assembled in a factory and shipped to the site of construction for installation in a supporting framework which itself might have been pre-assembled or pre-fabricated in a factory. Thus, it is not uncommon for entire wall sections, including thermal insulation, exterior sheathing, and electrical cables or conduits or harnesses to be pre-assembled and hauled by truck to the erection site, where hoisting equipment is used to place the wall sections in position on concrete slabs or foundations, to be joined to other similarly fabricated wall sections. Such pre-fabrication extends to the millwork required on a project, such as the windows and doors, both exterior and interior. These are frequently assembled in the factory as complete units that need merely to be hauled to the job site and fastened in a wall opening designed to receive it.

#It appears however, that the technology of devices to quickly and efficiently fasten these pre-assembled components together in the field has not progressed as rapidly as the technology for assembly of the components in the factory. It is to alleviate this dearth of fastening devices for pre-fabricated structural units that I have designed the connectors and connector assemblies forming the subject matter of my invention.

#When wall units or sections are assembled, either in the factory or in the field, rough-framed openings are formed in the wall sections to receive windows and doors. It frequently happens that the structural members that frame the rough openings are not plumb, i.e., not perfectly vertical in space, thus requiring that the door or window to be "hung" in the opening be adjusted so that its vertical side members are plumb and its horizontal top or header member is truly horizontal in space despite the deficiency of this quality in the support members to which they are attached. It should be understood that the connectors and connector assemblies described and illustrated herein, with minor modifications, may be utilized in other applications besides the windows and doors with which they are illustrated and described for purposes of convenience, and this will become obvious to those skilled in the art from the description that follows.