U.S. patent application number 11/410458 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-15 for sheet metal mounting member for wallboard panel.
Invention is credited to Matt F. Surowiecki.
Application Number | 20070261348 11/410458 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38683793 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070261348 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Surowiecki; Matt F. |
November 15, 2007 |
Sheet metal mounting member for wallboard panel
Abstract
A mounting member (10) for mounting a wallboard panel (14) to
framing (12) comprises an elongated sheet member having parallel
first and second opposite edge portions (16, 18) a central portion
(24) and first and second angled portions (20, 22). The first
angled portion (20) connects the first edge portion (16) to the
central portion (24). The second angled portion (22) connects the
second edge portion (18) to the central portion (24). The first
angled portion (20) extends at an acute angle from the first edge
portion (16) and at an acute angle to the second edge portion (18).
The second angled portion (22) extends at an acute angle to the
central portion (24) and at an acute angle to the second edge
portion (18). The first edge portion (16) is adapted to be
connected to the framing members (12) and the second edge portion
is adapted to be contacted by wallboard panel (14) and receive
fasteners (36) extending through the wallboard panel (14) and into
the second edge portion (18). A row of slots (38, 40) or a row of
openings (42, 44, 46) extend longitudinally of one or more of the
angled portions (20, 22) and the central portion (24).
Inventors: |
Surowiecki; Matt F.;
(Seattle, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARNARD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW, INC.
P.O. BOX 58888
SEATTLE
WA
98138-1888
US
|
Family ID: |
38683793 |
Appl. No.: |
11/410458 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/506.06 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 13/081
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/506.06 |
International
Class: |
E04B 9/00 20060101
E04B009/00 |
Claims
1. A mounting member for a wallboard panel, comprising: an
elongated sheet metal member having parallel first and second
opposite edge portions, a central portion, and first and second
angled portions; said first angled portion connecting the first
edge portion to the central portion and extending at an acute angle
from the first edge portion and an acute angle from the central
portion; said second angled portion connecting to the second edge
portion to the central portion and extending at an acute angle with
the second edge portion; and wherein said first edge portion is
adapted to be connected to framing members and the second edge
portion is adapted to be contacted by a wallboard panel and receive
fasteners extending through the wallboard panel into said second
edge portion.
2. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a plurality of
openings formed in the central portion of the member.
3. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a plurality of
openings formed in least one of the angled portions.
4. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a plurality of
openings in the central member and in at least one of the angled
portions.
5. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a plurality of
openings in each of the angled members.
6. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a plurality of
openings in each of the angled portions and in the central
portion.
7. The mounting member of claim 2, wherein at least some of the
openings are circular in shape.
8. The mounting member of claim 2, wherein the openings are a row
of circular openings.
9. The mounting member of claim 2, wherein the openings are a row
of longitudinal slots.
10. The mounting member of claim 3, wherein at least some of the
openings are circular in shape.
11. The mounting member of claim 3, wherein the openings are a row
of circular openings.
12. The mounting member of claim 4, wherein the openings are a row
of longitudinal slots.
13. The mounting member of claim 10, wherein the openings are
substantially circular openings.
14. The mountings member of claim 10, wherein the openings are
longitudinal slots.
15. The mounting member of claim 14, wherein the slots in the
central portion are longitudinally offset from the slots in the
angled portions.
16. The mounting member of claim 1, comprising a row of elongated
slots in each of the angled portions.
17. The mounting member of claim 1, wherein the second edge portion
includes a stiffening lip.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to building walls formed of framing
and wallboard covering. More particularly, it relates to an
improved mounting member for resiliently connecting the wallboard
to the framing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,805, granted Dec. 5, 1995, to Duane W.
Becker, discloses connecting a wall panel 20 to framing 18 in a
spaced relationship. Elongated sheet metal spacers 70 are attached
to the framing 18 and the wallboard panels are attached to the
spacers 70. This use of the spacers 70 allows the wall covering 20
to be connected to the studding 18 while at the same time
permitting limited movement of the wall covering 20 relative to the
framing 18. There is a need for improving the spacer so that the
wallboard covering can and will move relative to the framing 18 in
response to smaller forces that are required when the system of
prior art spacers 70 is used. It is a primary object of the present
invention to fill this need.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention includes providing a spacer or
mounting member for a wallboard panel in the form of an elongated
sheet metal member having parallel first and second opposite edge
portions, a central portion, and first and second angled portions
connecting the edge portions to the central portion. The first
angled portion makes an acute angle with both the first edge
portion and the central portion. The second angled portion makes an
acute angle with both the second edge portion and the central
portion. The first edge portion is adapted to be connected to
framing members. The second edge portion is adapted to be contacted
by a wall panel and receive fasteners that extend through the wall
panel into the second edge portion.
[0004] Preferably, a plurality of openings are formed in at least
one of the central portion and the first and second angled
portions. In one embodiment, a row of openings is provided in each
of the angled portions and in the central portion. In another
embodiment, a row of openings is provided in each of the angled
portions but not in the central portion.
[0005] The openings may be circular openings or they may be
longitudinal slots. In one embodiment, longitudinal slots are
provided in both angled portions and in the central portion and the
slots in the central portion are longitudinally offset from the
slots in the angled portions.
[0006] The construction of the mounting member to include two edge
portions, two angled portions and a central portion results in four
hinge lines spaced apart across the width of the mounting member.
The four hinge lines make the mounting member more resilient than
the prior art mounting members which only have two hinge lines. The
provisions of openings in one or more all of the two angled
portions and the central portion provides additional resiliency in
the wallboard panel mounting members.
[0007] These and other advantages, objects and features of the
invention will become apparent from the following description of
the illustrated embodiments, and the drawings and the claims, all
of which are incorporated herein and are part of the disclosure of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to
designate like parts throughout, and:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary pictorial view of a building wall
comprising framing members, spacers incorporating the present
invention, and wallboard wall covering connected to the
spacers;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially
along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a second
embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 of a third embodiment of the
invention; and
[0013] FIG. 5 is a view like FIGS. 3 and 4 of a fourth embodiment
of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,805, U.S. Pat. No.
4,805,364, granted Feb. 21, 1989, to Robert A. Smolik, and U.S.
Pat. No. 5,203,132, granted Apr. 20, 1993, also to Robert A.
Smolik, each show a building wall constructed from horizontal and
vertical framing members and wallboard paneling. The framing
members are constructed from either wood or sheet metal. U.S. Pat.
No. 5,471,805 discloses connecting horizontal spacers 70 to the
vertical framing members (studs) and connecting the wallboard
paneling to the spacers 70. An edge portion of the spacer 70 is
connected to the framing members and the wallboard paneling is
connected to portions of the spacers 70 that are offset from the
edge portions used for mounting the spacers on the framing. The
present invention provides several improved constructions of the
spacer.
[0015] FIG. 1 of the drawing shows a pair of horizontally
extending, vertically spaced apart mounting members 10 that form a
first embodiment of the present invention. The mounting members 10
are shown connected to horizontally spaced apart, vertically
extending, studs 12. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the studs 12 are shown in
the form of wooden studs 12. However, the mounting members 10 can
also be used with sheet metal studs.
[0016] As is well known, the studs 12 are spaced apart a
predetermined distance. A common spacing of the studs is sixteen
inches on center or twenty-four inches on center. However, it is
common to space some of the studs closer together than the standard
spacing of sixteen inches or twenty-four inches. The wallboard wall
covering comes in standard sheet sizes of four feet by eight feet,
four feet by ten feet and four feet by twelve feet. Each wallboard
panel 14 is a full sheet or a partial sheet.
[0017] The mounting members 10 of the invention each have a first
edge portion 16, a second edge portion 18, first and second angled
portions 20, 22 and a central portion 24. This provides four bends
or fold lines 26, 28, 30, 32 in the central part of member 10. This
is best shown by FIG. 2 of the drawing. These fold lines 26, 28,
30, 32 help stiffen the member 10 in the longitudinal direction.
However, and this is important, they also make the mounting member
10 more flexible in the direction normal to the wall formed by the
framing 12 and the paneling 14. The multiple hinge joints 26, 28,
30, 32 provide an accordion action when the mounting member 10 is
subjected to forces imposed on the paneling 14 or on both the
framing 12 and the paneling 14.
[0018] A lip 19 may be provided at the outer edge of edge portion
18 to stiffen edge portion 18.
[0019] In similar fashion to the prior art spacers 70 shown by U.S.
Pat. No. 5,471,805, for example, the mounting edge portion 16 is
connected to the framing 12 by screws 34 that are preferably
installed by use of a power screw driver. The paneling 14 is
connected to the opposite edge portion 18 of the connector member
10, also by use of screw fasteners 36, shown in the form of
flathead countersunk screws 36.
[0020] As best shown by FIG. 2, mounting edge portions 16 and panel
receiving edge portion 18 are offset from each other and from the
central portion 24. Edge portions 16, 18 are substantially parallel
to each other. It is not necessary that the central portion 24 be
parallel to the two edge portions 16, 18, but it can be.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the connector member 10'
which is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots 38 in the
angled portions 20, 22. FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment 10'' which
is like the embodiment shown by FIG. 3 except that longitudinal
slots 40 are also placed in the central portion 24. In this
embodiment, slots 40 are shown to be longitudinally offset from
slots 38. This staggers the regions of the angled portions 20, 22
and the central portion 20 which is between slots.
[0022] The fourth embodiment 10''' includes a first row of circular
openings 42 in angled portion 22, a second row of circular openings
44 in central portion 24 and a third row of openings 46 in angled
portion 20. In all three embodiments 10', 10'', 10''' the fold
lines 26, 28, 30, 32 are continuous. As a result, the mounting
member 10 retains longitudinal stiffness. However, the openings 38,
40, 42, 44, 46 help with the multiple fold lines 26, 28, 30, 32 to
make the mounting member 10 resilient in the direction normal to
the wall 12, 14.
[0023] By way of typical example, the mounting strip may have a
total width of about three and one half inches (31/2''). The first
edge portion 16 may have a width of about three quarters of an inch
(3/4''). The edge portion 18 may have a width of about one and one
half inches (11/2''). The central portion 24 and the angled
portions 20, 22 may each have a width of about one half inches
(1/2''). The offset of edge portion 18 from edge portion 16 may be
about eleven sixteenth of an inch ( 11/16''). In the embodiments
that include slots, the slots may be about three inches (3'') long
and the material between the slots may measure about one half
inches (1/2'') wide. The slot width may be about one fourth (1/4'')
of an inch wide. In the embodiment that includes circular openings,
the diameter of the openings may be about one fourth (1/4'') of an
inch in diameter.
[0024] In the last three embodiments, the strips of material
between the slots 40 or openings 44 form hinges that flex in
response to forces imposed on the wallboard in a direction normal
to the wall.
[0025] The illustrated embodiments are only examples of the present
invention and, therefore, are non-limitive. It is to be understood
that many changes in the particular structure, materials and
features of the invention may be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is my intention
that my patent rights not be limited by the particular embodiments
that are illustrated and described herein, but rather are to be
determined by the following claims, interpreted according to
accepted doctrines of patent claim interpretation, including use of
the doctrine of equivalents.
* * * * *