ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,668,968, issued on June 30.
"Construction tie for securing U-channels vertically in columns" was invented by Michael D. McSparrin (Stillwater, Okla.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A construction tie for securing vertical U-channels of a motorized retractable screen unit to surrounding building material, such as brick, stone, or stucco. The tie includes a U-shaped clip that closely conforms to the shape of the U-channel. One or more flanges extend laterally from the clip to overlie the adjacent bricks. A plurality of these ties may be spaced vertically along the length of the U-channel. Once the brick facade is complete, the ties are not ...