Pergola corner bracket assembly

1 . A pergola corner bracket assembly comprising:

a bracket having a first flange and a second flange registered orthogonal thereto, and a third flange and a fourth flange registered orthogonal thereto; wherein said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange are arranged in a X-shaped configuration;

a column having

a plurality of sides defining a hollow interior, and

a plurality of interior walls extended inwardly from said sides, respectively;

wherein said bracket includes an interior portion and an exposed portion; wherein said interior portion resides within said hollow interior of said column and is fastened to said interior walls; wherein said exposed portion extends out of said column; and

a beam attached to one of said first flange and second flange at said exposed portion; wherein said beam is supported by one of said sides of said column that is parallel to one of said first flange and said second flange to which said beam is attached.

2 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said X-shaped configuration comprises: two axes of asymmetry including

a horizontal axis being aligned along and parallel to said first flange and said third flange; and

a vertical axis being aligned along and parallel to said second flange and said fourth flange;

wherein said vertical axis passes through a centrally offset point of said horizontal axis.

3 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said X-shaped configuration comprises: a first V-shaped portion and a second V-shaped portion being unequal thereto, wherein said first V-shaped portion and said second V-shaped portion each have an associated apex disposed at said shared corner.

4 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of fasteners affixed to said bracket, wherein said bracket further has a plurality of holes configured to receive therethrough selected ones of said fasteners, wherein said fasteners are not visible from an external line of sight of said pergola corner bracket assembly.

5 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said bracket further has two pairs of opposing angles that are substantially equal.

6 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein a center of said X-shaped configuration is located at said shared corner of said first flange and said second flange, said longitudinal axis being aligned parallel to associated medial longitudinal edges of said third flange and said fourth flange, respectively.

7 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first flange has a first latitudinal width and a first longitudinal length substantially equal to a second latitudinal width and a second longitudinal length of said second flange.

8 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said third flange has a third latitudinal width and a third longitudinal length substantially equal to a fourth latitudinal width and a fourth longitudinal length of said fourth flange.

9 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first flange is coextensively shaped as said second flange.

10 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said third flange is coextensively shaped as said fourth flange.

11 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange has a substantially equal longitudinal length.

12 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange has a single and unitary layer provided with a planar anterior side and a planar posterior side, respectively.

13 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said column includes four sides arranged to have a generally square cross-sectional shape, wherein each of said first flange and said third flange is oriented substantially parallel to a first one and a second one of said four sides as well as oriented substantially perpendicular to a third one and a fourth one of said four sides.

14 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said bracket is configured such that said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange bear most of a structural load of said pergola corner bracket assembly.

15 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said bracket is configured to self-align said beam on said column.

16 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said beam has a hollow interior cavity; wherein said bracket further includes a plurality of apertures located at said third flange and said fourth flange, respectively; wherein said apertures are in open communication with said hollow interior cavity and configured to use said beam as a wire chase and further configured to internally plumb said column for water drainage through said hollow interior of said column; wherein said beam sits on said one side of said column, and is configured leave open a portion of said hollow interior of said column.

17 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein a load of said beam sits on top of said column; wherein said bracket is configured to distribute said load directly and solely to said column and said fasteners; wherein said bracket is further configured to enable larger pergola spatial dimensions without requiring additional ones of said column.

18 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said pergola corner bracket assembly further comprises: a corner end cap affixed to said third flange and said fourth flange while remaining spaced from said first flange and said second flange.

19 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein a first rectilinear hypotenuse distance between a first outer longitudinal edge of said first flange and a second outer longitudinal edge of said second flange is greater than a second rectilinear hypotenuse distance between a third outer longitudinal edge of said third flange and a fourth outer longitudinal edge of said fourth flange.

20 . A pergola bracket assembly comprising:

a bracket having

a first flange and a second flange registered orthogonal thereto, and

a third flange and a fourth flange registered orthogonal thereto;

a column having an interior wall attached to said bracket; and

a beam attached to an exposed portion of said bracket;

wherein said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange are arranged in a X-shaped configuration.

21 . A pergola corner bracket assembly comprising:

a column having a generally square cross-sectional shape defined by four sides, wherein an interior surface of said sides includes a plurality of inwardly projecting interior walls;

a bracket comprising a first flange, a second flange, a third flange, and a fourth flange arranged in an X-shaped configuration; wherein said bracket includes an interior portion and an exposed portion; wherein said interior portion resides within said column; wherein each of said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange is fastened to one of said plurality of inwardly projecting interior walls;

wherein said exposed portion extends out of said column; and

a beam attached at said exposed portion to one of said first flange and said second flange of said bracket parallel to said beam; wherein said third flange and said fourth flange have substantially equal latitudinal widths being substantially equal to a latitudinal width of said beam; and

wherein an outer side of said beam aligns with an outer side of said column.

22 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein only said interior portion of said bracket attaches to said interior walls of said column, and no portion of said bracket attaches to an exposed of said column.

23 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first flange, said second flange, said third flange, and said fourth flange are arranged to provide two axes of asymmetry.

24 . The pergola corner bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein said beam is a first beam having a first exposed portion attached to one of said first flange and said second flange;

wherein said sides of said column includes a first side and a second side;

wherein said pergola corner bracket assembly further comprises: a second beam having a second exposed portion attached to another of said first flange and second flange;

wherein said second beam is supported by said second side of said column that is parallel to said first flange to which said first beam is attached and orthogonal to said first side of said column supporting said first beam.

25 . The pergola bracket assembly of claim 21 , wherein said column includes a plurality of sides, said beam being supported by one of said sides of said column that is parallel to one of said first flange and said second flange to which said beam is attached, and said beam being fastened to one of said third flange and fourth flange that is orthogonal to said one of said first flange and said second flange to which said beam is attached.

26 . The pergola bracket assembly of claim 21 , wherein one of said third flange and said fourth flange being orthogonal to said one of said first flange and said second flange to which said beam is attached and having a latitudinal width that does not exceed a latitudinal width of said beam.

27 . The pergola bracket assembly of claim 21 , wherein said beam includes four longitudinally coextensive sides.