U.S. patent application number 11/242145 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for wall transition molding.
Invention is credited to Jose Francisco Gomez Insa, Agustin Santos Rubio Prieto.
Application Number | 20070094998 11/242145 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37906541 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070094998 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gomez Insa; Jose Francisco ;
et al. |
May 3, 2007 |
Wall transition molding
Abstract
A wall molding has two grooves formed on opposite sides for
receiving wall panels or interchangeable molding attachments. The
body of the molding has a rear surface with grooves that engage a
track attached to the wall. The molding also has a front surface
with a decorative pattern formed thereon. Wall panels may be
inserted into the grooves, thereby providing a smooth transition
from wall panel surface to the other. In addition, an attachment
may be inserted into one of the grooves and a wall panel in the
other to provide an elegant transition between two wall surfaces
that have different thicknesses.
Inventors: |
Gomez Insa; Jose Francisco;
(Xeresa (Valencia), ES) ; Prieto; Agustin Santos
Rubio; (Valencia, ES) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCKENNA LONG & ALDRIDGE LLP;Song K. Jung
1900 K Street, N.W.
Washington
DC
20006
US
|
Family ID: |
37906541 |
Appl. No.: |
11/242145 |
Filed: |
October 4, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/718.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 2019/0454 20130101;
E04F 19/0436 20130101; E04F 19/062 20130101; E04F 19/0477 20130101;
E04F 19/0481 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/718.01 |
International
Class: |
E04C 2/38 20060101
E04C002/38 |
Claims
1. A molding for transitioning between building surfaces,
comprising: a body having a first side and a second side, the first
and second sides being opposite one another; a first groove formed
into the first side and extending into the body; a second groove
formed into the second side and extending into the body; and said
first groove receiving a wall panel therein.
2. The molding of claim 1, wherein the sidewalls of the first and
second grooves are substantially parallel.
3. The molding of claim 1, further comprising: an attachment having
a tongue; said second groove receiving said tongue.
4. The molding of claim 1, further comprising: a decorative surface
having a decorative pattern thereon; a rear surface being adjacent
and between the first and second sides; said rear surface having at
least one narrow groove formed therein; and a support member
attached to a building surface, wherein said narrow groove receives
said support member.
5. A wall covering system, comprising: a molding body fixedly
attached to a wall, said molding body having at least a front
decorative surface opposite a rear surface, a first side opposite a
second side, and said first and second sides being adjacent to and
between the front and rear surfaces; at least one support groove in
the rear surface to receive said track; a first groove formed in
the first side extending into the interior of the molding body; a
second groove formed in the second side extending into the interior
of the molding body; and a wall panel inserted into one of the
first groove or the second groove, wherein said wall panel is
separated from the wall.
6. The wall covering system of claim 5, comprising: an attachment
having a tongue; and the tongue of said attachment inserted into
the other of the first groove or the second groove.
7. The wall covering system of claim 5, wherein the tongue of the
attachment is held in the other of the first groove or the second
groove by friction alone.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to wall molding for covering a
gap between two wall surfaces or for joining together wall surfaces
with floor or ceiling surfaces.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0004] The variety of wall coverings and surface choices has
increased dramatically as new and alternative materials are
becoming more common. For example, wall panels made of composite
materials such as fiber board and particle board paneling is
becoming a popular alternative to drywall or wallpaper for
residential and commercial construction. These panels are
lightweight, modular, and easy to assemble and install. In
addition, technologies used to produce laminate surfaces may be
applied to these wall panels to produce wall panels that are
laminated or wrapped with a wide variety of decor papers.
[0005] In particular, when wall paneling is installed, it is often
necessary to leave an air gap between the wall panel and the wall
itself. To accomplish this, small strips of wood or other material
are placed between the panel and the wall to maintain the
space.
[0006] With such a wide variety of wall panels available, it is
also necessary to have moldings that are as easy to use, install
and assemble as the wall panels themselves. In particular, related
art moldings, such as crown moldings, chair rails, and baseboards
often require nailing through the wall surface. In addition,
because the wall paneling is spaced away from the wall, it becomes
complicated to install a related art molding on top of the wall
panel. What is needed in the art is a molding that covers the gap
between walls and other surfaces without requiring nailing or
otherwise damaging the wall panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to wall
transition molding that substantially obviates one or more of the
problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related
art.
[0008] An advantage of the present invention is to provide a wall
molding that can transition between a variety of wall surfaces of
varying thicknesses.
[0009] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
wall molding system including attachments that may be interchanged
to suit construction or decorative requirements.
[0010] A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a
wall molding that also serves to maintain the space, or air gap,
between the wall and the paneling.
[0011] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention
will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed
out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the
appended drawings.
[0012] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described, a molding for transitioning between building surfaces
includes a body having a first side and a second side, the first
and second sides being opposite one another; a first groove formed
into the first side and extending into the body; a second groove
formed into the second side and extending into the body; and said
first groove receiving a wall panel therein, wherein the grooves
may extend into the molding to the same or to different depths.
[0013] In another aspect of the present invention, a wall covering
system, includes a track attached fixedly to a wall; a molding body
having at least a front decorative surface opposite a rear surface,
a first side opposite a second side, and said first and second
sides being adjacent to and between the front and rear surfaces; at
least one support groove in the rear surface to receive said track;
a first groove formed in the first side extending into the interior
of the molding body; a second groove formed in the second side
extending into the interior of the molding body; and a wall panel
inserted into one of the first groove or the second groove.
[0014] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
[0016] In the drawings:
[0017] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a molding according to
a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a molding according to a
first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate alternative embodiments of the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2A-2C are cross-sectional views of moldings according
to further embodiments of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 3A-3B are cross-sectional views of molding attachments
according to further embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to an embodiment of the
present invention, example of which is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
[0023] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a first exemplary embodiment of
the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1A, in this embodiment,
molding 100 includes a front surface 102 that is wrapped or
laminated with a decor paper intended to match or otherwise
complement the design of the wall surface. In various aspects of
this and the below embodiments, the front surface 102 can be shaped
to have a variety of relieved surfaces or textures.
[0024] The body of molding 100 includes a first or upper groove 103
and a second or lower groove 104 formed into opposite first and
second sides, respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, both of
the grooves 103 and 104 are wide enough to accommodate the
thickness of the wall panels 110 and 111, respectively. In
alternative embodiments, the grooves may have different widths than
each other, depending on the application or the environment in
which the molding is to be used. In addition, both of the grooves
103 and 104 extend deeply into the interior of the molding to
accommodate variations in the depths to which the wall panel 110
above and the wall panel 111 below may extend into the molding
100.
[0025] Furthermore, the grooves 103 and 104 of the molding 100 also
serve to maintain a space or air gap 112 between the panels 110 and
111 and the wall 113, respectively. Because the molding 100
maintains the space 112 between the panels 110, 111 and the wall
113 via the grooves 103, 104, respectively, there is no need to use
a wood strip or shim to separate the panels from the wall.
[0026] When used in a setting such as that illustrated in FIG. 1A,
the molding functions as a chair rail. As is clearly illustrated,
the molding not only provides a wall transition, it also serves to
maintain the space between the panel and the wall without requiring
additional materials. Other applications are contemplated as
well.
[0027] For example, in a further embodiment, the molding 100
includes grooves 106 formed into the rear surface designed to
engage a support member, in this case a track 105, attached to the
wall. In alternative embodiments, the track 105 may snap, click,
slide or otherwise grip the groove 106 to hold the molding in
place, and it may require only one groove 106, or more than two
grooves 106. Because the track 105 holds the wall molding 100 in
place, the use of nails or other fasteners to attach the molding to
the wall that would penetrate through the molding and the wall
panels is avoided. Further embodiments include attaching the
molding to the wall with screws or glue, as illustrated in FIGS. 1C
and 1D. The present invention contemplates using any of a variety
of fastening or attaching means to hold the molding to the wall,
and is not limited to those embodiments illustrated.
[0028] A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG.
2A. In this embodiment, rather than the wall panel 111 being placed
in the groove 104, an interchangeable molding attachment 200 is
fitted snugly into the groove 104 to finish off the decorative
surface on the front of the molding. A wall panel 110 is inserted
into the upper groove 103 as in the first exemplary embodiment. In
this setting, the molding 100 with the attachment 200 inserted into
groove 104 serves as a chair rail between walls above and below
that molding 100 that have different depths.
[0029] Specifically, this arrangement, with the attachment 200
includes a tongue 201 that fits snugly into the groove 104 and is
held in place by friction or, in the alternative, glue or other
adhesive. The attachment 200 inserted into groove 104, may be used
as a chair rail in settings where the wall surface above the
molding extends further out from the wall as with a wall panel, for
example, while the wall surface below the molding is a painted or
wallpapered surface, thereby transitioning smoothly and elegantly
between wall surfaces of varying thickness or distance from the
underlying wall. In various aspects of this embodiment, the
attachment 200 may be wrapped or laminated with a decor paper that
matches or complements the wall panel.
[0030] In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, the
molding 100 may function as a ceiling molding to transition from
the wall to the ceiling. In this embodiment, the tongue 201 of
attachment 200 fits into the upper groove 103. A wall panel 110 is
inserted into the upper groove 103 as discussed in the first
exemplary embodiment. Used in this manner, the molding 100 with the
attachment 200 may function as a ceiling molding. In addition, this
arrangement may also be used for a chair rail in setting where the
wall surface below the molding extends further out than the wall
surface above the molding, thus transitioning smoothly and
elegantly between wall surfaces of varying thickness.
[0031] In a further embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2C, the molding
is used without the attachment as a baseboard, positioned at the
bottom of the wall near the floor. It is also understood, though
not illustrated, that an attachment with an appropriate shape may
also be included in the lower groove 104 when the molding 100 is
used as a baseboard.
[0032] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate alternate shapes for the
attachment. In FIG. 3A, when the tongue 201 of the attachment 202
is inserted into groove 103 of the molding 100, the attachment 202
has a portion 204 which extends generally diagonally beyond the
front surface 102 of the molding 100, thereby providing a crown
molding shape to transition from a wall surface inserted into the
groove 104 to the ceiling 205.
[0033] FIG. 3B illustrates an attachment 206, which is intended to
continue the angle on the front or decorative surface 102 of the
molding 100. It is understood that any attachment shape that has a
tongue that can be inserted into the grooves 103 or 104 of the
molding 100 is contemplated by this invention.
[0034] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variation can be made in the present invention
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications
and variations of this invention provided they come within the
scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *