U.S. patent number 3,852,927 [Application Number 05/351,959] was granted by the patent office on 1974-12-10 for apparatus for mounting wallboard.
Invention is credited to Herbert L. Birum, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,852,927 |
Birum, Jr. |
December 10, 1974 |
APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING WALLBOARD
Abstract
Wallboard is mounted upon the interior studding of buildings or
other structures by mounting a strip of a first fastening member
upon the studding. A strip of a second fastening member is mounted
in a corresponding position along the mounting face of the
wallboard. One of the first and second fastening members has a
multiplicity of hooked elements of the filament type projecting
outwardly from the exposed face of the member, while the remaining
member is provided with a multiplicity of looped elements of the
filament type extending outwardly from its exposed face. The
wallboard is pressed against the studding so that the outwardly
extending elements of the fastening means engage one another. As
few as one conventional fastening member need be provided near the
top and bottom marginal edges of the wallboard due to the holding
power of the first and second fastening means. Ceiling and floor
runners are mounted in a similar fashion, using hook-type and
loop-type fastening means. An alternative type of mounting assembly
employs clips which are mounted only to the panelboard to embrace
the supporting studs. In the alternative embodiment, first and
second types of fastening members are adhesively fastened only to
the panels. The first type of clip is secured adjacent to one edge
of the panels and is slid into position, together with the panel,
to embrace on stud. The opposite edge of the panel is pushed
against another stud adjacent that edge to snappingly engage that
stud. The studs intermediate the opposite edges of the panel may be
joined to the panel by the snappingly engaging fasteners or through
the use of the hook and loop-type fasteners joined respectively to
panel and stud. Slidable studs may be employed to be embraced by
one set of clips. Resilient or sponge-like pads may be positioned
between the panels and the studs to prevent rattling. Also,
magnetic strips may be employed to fasten the panels to the
studs.
Inventors: |
Birum, Jr.; Herbert L.
(Titusville, NJ) |
Family
ID: |
26839292 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/351,959 |
Filed: |
April 17, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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141627 |
May 10, 1971 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/241;
52/489.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B
2/789 (20130101); E04B 2002/7464 (20130101); E04B
2002/7468 (20130101); E04B 2002/7474 (20130101); E04B
2002/747 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04B
2/76 (20060101); E04B 2/78 (20060101); E04B
2/74 (20060101); E04b 002/82 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/241,481,483,460,463,511,281,282,479 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Faw, Jr.; Price C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Chase; D. A. N.
Parent Case Text
This is a division of application Ser. No. 141,627, filed May 10,
1971, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. An interior movable partition system for a building structure
comprising at least one panel;
a plurality of spaced parallel vertically aligned studs of
substantially C-shaped cross section defined by a central portion
and a pair of outwardly extending arms;
clip means being secured to the mounting face of said panel along
first and second marginal edges thereof;
each of said clip means having a resilient panel mounting portion
integrally joined to a stud embracing portion for snap-fittingly
engaging the free end of an arm of an associated one of said studs
for urging the panel toward said studs.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said stud embracing portion of
selected ones of said clips has a V-shaped configuration.
3. An interior movable partition system for a building structure
comprising at least one panel:
a plurality of spaced parallel vertically aligned metallic studs of
substantially C-shaped cross-section;
upper and lower channels each respectively embracing the upper and
lower ends of said studs whereby said studs are slidably received
by said channels;
at least one first clip member being secured to the mounting face
of said panel along one marginal edge thereof;
at least one second clip member being secured to the mounting face
of said panel along the opposite marginal edge thereof;
said first clip member having a substantially Z-shaped
configuration comprising first and second arms extending in
opposite directions from an integrally joined central portion, one
of said arms being joined to said panel mounting face and the
opposite arms embracing one arm of one of the studs;
said second clip member having a substantially Z-shaped
configuration comprising first and second arms extending in
opposite directions from an integrally joined central portion, one
of said arms being joined to said panel mounting face and the
opposite arm positioned a spaced distance away from another one of
said studs;
said panel having a first opening adjacent its upper edge and a
second opening adjacent its lower edge;
said first and second opening positioned adjacent said one of said
movable studs to facilitate the insertion of a slender instrument
such as a screw-driver head to enable the upper and lower ends of
the said other one of said movable studs to be moved into embracing
engagement with the opposite arm of said second clip member.
4. The partition system of claim 3 wherein said panel is further
provided with third and fourth openings respectively along its
upper and lower ends and arranged a spaced distance from said first
and second openings respectively;
said third and fourth openings being positioned in close proximity
to the central portion of said second clip member to facilitate the
insert of a slender instrument such as screw-driver head to enable
the upper and lower ends of the said one of said movable stud to be
moved out of embracing engagement with the opposite arm of said
second clip member.
5. An interior partition system comprising:
a plurality of vertically aligned metallic studs of substantially
C-shaped cross-section;
upper and lower channels each respectively embracing the upper and
lower edges of said studs whereby said studs are slidably received
by said channels;
one of said studs being positioned immediately adjacent one of the
studs which is rigidly secured to said channels;
a rectangular shaped panel board having a width substantially equal
to the spacing between studs;
a first clip member being secured to the mounting face of said
panel and adjacent one vertical edge;
a second clip member being secured to the mounting face of said
panel adjacent the opposite vertical edge;
said first clip member having a substantially Z-shaped
configuration comprising first and second arms extending in
opposite directions from an integrally joined central portion, one
of said arms being secured to said panel and the remaining arm
being adapted to embrace one of said studs;
said second clip member having a substantially Z-shaped
configuration comprising first and second arms extending in
opposite directions from an integrally joined central portion, one
of said arms being secured to said panel and the remaining arm
being positioned a spaced distance away from another one of said
studs;
said panel having a first opening adjacent its upper edge and a
second opening adjacent its lower edge;
said first and second openings positioned adjacent the side of said
movable stud remote from said second clip member to facilitate the
insertion of a slender instrument such as a screw-driver head to
enable the upper and lower ends of the said one of said movable
studs to be moved into embracing engagement with the opposite arm
of said second clip member.
6. The partition system of claim 3 wherein said panel is further
provided with third and fourth openings respectively along its
upper and lower ends and arranged a spaced distance from said first
and second openings respectively;
said third and fourth openings being positioned in close proximity
to the central portion of said second clip member to facilitate the
insertion of a slender instrument such as a screw-driver head to
enable the upper and lower ends of the said one of said movable
studs to be moved out of embracing engagement with the opposite arm
of said second clip member.
Description
The present invention relates to interior panelling systems and
more particularly to a novel method and apparatus for mounting
wallboard, panels and the like, in a simple and rapid fashion
through the use of cooperating fastening means which are separately
mounted to the building superstructure and the mounting faces of
the wallboard or to the wallboard alone.
A major objective of all wallboard or panel mounting methods and
apparatus is to provide an arrangement in which wallboard may be
mounted rapidly and with a minimum of mounting components and in
which the wallboard may be removed and replaced in a simple and
rapid fashion.
The present invention is characterized by providing a method and
apparatus for mounting wallboard which achieves the above
objectives through the use of components which are few in number,
and are both easy to use and to apply.
The present invention, in one preferred embodiment, utilizes first
and second cooperating fastening means of a design adapted to
become enmeshed with one another when pressed into engagement. One
of said fastening means is comprised of a base member having a
multiplicity of loop-type filaments extending from one surface
thereof, while the remaining fastening means is comprised of a
multiplicity of hook-type filaments dispersed over a base member
and extending from one surface thereof. A strip of one of said
fastening means is joined to the mounting surface of wallboard,
preferably adjacent its vertically aligned marginal edges. The
cooperating fastening member is joined to the superstructure or
studding of the building with the fastening members being so
aligned to their mounting surfaces as to become locked to one
another when pressed into engagement. Thus, the mounting of a
wallboard sheet may consist of the simple act of aligning the
wallboard relative to the studding or superstructure and pressing
the wallboard against the studding to cause them to become engaged.
The simplicity of the mounting operation and holding strength of
the fastening members reduces the number of conventional fastening
devices required to a very minimal amount. In one preferred
embodiment, as few as a single screw at the top and bottom marginal
edges of the panel may be utilized, thereby greatly facilitating
mounting and demounting operations of such panels.
Ceiling and floor runners may be mounted in a similar fashion
through the use of the cooperating fastening members to enable the
simple and yet rapid and reliable assembly of an entire wallboard
system.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, clips of
a first and a second type are respectively mounted along opposite
parallel edges of a panel. The first type of clip has a
substantially U-shape configuration comprised of first and second
arms integrally joined to a yoke portion. One of the arms is
adhesively secured to the mounting face of a panel along one
marginal edge thereof and is designed to engage and embrace a
mounting arm of a substantially C-shaped stud. The second clip is
of L-shaped configuration comprising a first flat arm which is
adhesively secured to the mounting face of a panel along the
opposite marginal edge. The remaining arm has a substantially
V-shaped configuration and is adapted to snappingly engage the
mounting arm of another C-shaped stud. The panels with the
appropriate clips are very simply and readily mounted to the stud
by aligning the panel relative to the studs, sliding the panel in a
first direction so as to cause the U-shaped clips to engage and
embrace one of said studs and pressing the opposite end of the
panel toward the studs so as to cause the remaining clips to
snappingly engage another one of the studs. This assembly is
equally as simple and straightforward.
Still another preferred embodiment of the present invention is
comprised of clips having outwardly directed mating flanges
extending toward the vertical edges of the panel member. The clip
member along one surface of the panel member is joined to a stud by
sliding the panel member along the mounting surfaces of the studs
until the clip engages one arm of an associated stud. The panel is
then pressed firmly against the mounting surfaces of the studs
which further comprises a movable stud positioned a spaced distance
away from the remaining clips. The panel is provided near its upper
and lower edges with openings of sufficient dimension to insert a
tool such as, for example, a screw driver. The forward end of the
tool is inserted through the opening until it engages the central
portion of the movable stud. The head of the tool is then moved
toward the face of the panel causing the movable stud to be moved
into position whereby it is embraced by the remaining clip (or
clips). The upper and lower ends of the movable stud are moved into
the locking position by openings provided at the upper and lower
edges of the panel. Additional openings are provided at a spaced
distance from the aforementioned openings in order to move the
movable stud out of embracing engagement with its associated clip
(or clips) in cases where it is desired to remove and/or replace
any particular panel section. In applications wherein it is desired
to secure four foot panels to studding in which the vertical studs
are arranged in 2 foot spacings, center-to-center, the stud
positioned intermediate the vertical edges of the panel may be made
movable. As an alternative arrangement Velcro fastening members of
the type described hereinabove may be employed. As still another
alternative arrangement a magnetic strip may be secured to the
mounting face of the panel so as to be magnetically attracted to
the intermediate stud. If desired, the panel may be provided with
only magnetic strips for mounting thereof. To facilitate securement
a single fastening member such as, for example, a screw may be
placed at both the upper and lower edges of the panels. The
aforementioned holes provided for positioning the movable studs or
provided for receiving the aforementioned fastening members may be
covered by ceiling and floor runners of the type described
hereinabove.
In still another preferred embodiment those studs which are
positioned adjacent the vertical edges of panels may be provided
with adjacently positioned studs which are preferably secured
thereto by fastening means and U-shaped clips are thereby provided
on the mounting face of the panel for joining the panel members to
the pair of joined studs. The gripping power of the clips described
hereinabove may be further enhanced and the panels and clips may be
restrained from movement, rattling and the like by providing
resilient pads along the vertical marginal edges of the panel
mounting faces.
Most of the aforementioned clip members may be modified so as to
form a clip assembly comprised of first and second clip sections
which are designed to facilitate stacking, handling, storing and
shipping. Such clip members are comprised of a first clip section
having a mounting portion which is adhesively secured to the panel
member mounting surface. An integrally formed, slightly raised clip
portion, slightly spaced from the mounting surface of the panel
member is adapted to receive the second clip section having a
mounting portion which is slid beneath the raised portion of the
first clip section so as to be embraced between the clip and the
mounting face of the panel. The second clip section is retained in
position by peening the raised surface portion preferably with a
sharply pointed instrument. The second clip section is further
provided with a substantially L-shaped clip embracing portion for
embracing at least one arm of a stud. The advantage of the above
arrangement resides in the fact that the first clip sections may be
mounted upon panel members at the factory or other place of
fabrication and the panel members may be neatly and compactly
stacked. The second clip section may be shipped separately and
assembled at the job site.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a
novel method and apparatus for mounting wallboard through the use
of hook-type and loop-type fastening members.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboards through the use of
mounting clips joined exclusively to the panelboard, which clips
respectively embrace and snappingly engage associated studs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboard through the use of
hook-type and loop-type fastening members whereby wallboard and
ceiling and floor runners may all be mounted in a simple and yet
reliable manner through the use of this technique.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboards through the use of
mounting clips adhesively joined to the mounting surface of the
wallboard wherein at least one of the clips is slid into embracing
and locking position with an associated stud member and wherein at
least one movable stud member is provided to lockingly embrace the
remaining clip member.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboards through the use of
mounting clips adhesively secured to the mounting face of the
wallboard and further providing resilient pads interposed between
the wallboard mounting face and the studding to enhance securement
of the clips to the studding and to eliminate any movement or
rattling of the clip members and wallboard.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboards through the use of
flexible, magnetized strips adhesively joined to the panels for
magnetically securing the wallboard to the studding.
Still another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a
novel method and apparatus for mounting wallboard comprising clip
members for embracing building studs and including resilient pads
for enhancing the bracing support of the panel and to prevent the
panels from vibrating and/or rattling.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
method and apparatus for mounting wallboards to studding wherein
the aforementioned fastening arrangements may be combined or
otherwise utilized in various combinations to effect easy, rapid
and yet reliable mounting for wallboard.
These as well as other objects of the present invention will become
apparent when reading the accompanying description and drawings in
which:
FIG. 1a is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a
house, building or other facility;
FIG. 1b is a perspective view showing a wallboard and batten strip
which may be employed with the arrangement of FIG. 1a;
FIGS. 1c and 1d are sectional views showing the fastening members
of FIG. 1b in greater detail;
FIG. 2a is a perspective view showing a portion of a wallboard and
ceiling runner incorporating the principles of the present
invention.
FIG. 2b is a perspective view showing a portion of a wallboard and
floor runner incorporating the principles of the present
invention;
FIGS. 3a and 3b show a building structure and panel boards,
respectively, depicting a modified embodiment as compared with
FIGS. 1a and 1b, respectively;
FIG. 4 shows an end elevational view of a fully assembled structure
of the type shown in FIGS. 1a-2b;
FIGS. 5a and 5b show alternative arrangements for fastening members
which may be utilized upon the building superstructure;
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of first and second types of
clips employed in another preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
FIGS. 8a-8f, 8i and 8j are top plan views of panel assemblies
utilizing the clips of FIGS. 6 and 7 and which are useful in
explaining the assembly steps and advantages of the preferred
embodiment employing the clips of FIGS. 6 and 7;
FIGS. 8g and 8h show guide members for aligning the clips of FIGS.
6 and 7 on a panel;
FIG. 9 is an elevational view showing the mounting clips and
mounting surface of a panel board employed in another preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 9a and 9b are top plan views showing the manner of assembly
of the panel board of FIG. 9 to studding;
FIG. 9c shows an alternative embodiment of a clip assembly which
may be substituted for the clips employed in the embodiment of
FIGS. 9-9b;
FIGS. 10, 10a, 11, 11a and 11b show still other embodiments of clip
members which may be employed to secure panel boards to studs;
FIG. 12 is a top plan view showing still another preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 13a is a top view of the clip assembly of FIG. 13.
FIG. 1a shows a portion of the present invention which is comprised
of a building superstructure 10 having vertically aligned studs 11
and 12 typically spaced 16 inches on center and which are formed
from sheets of a suitable metallic material. The studs of the type
shown in FIG. 1a have a substantially C-shaped cross-sectional
configuration. For example, vertical stud 11 is shown as having an
open-ended vertical side 11a. Considering stud 12, for example,
this stud is comprised of a central portion 12a having two
depending arms 12b and 12c, each turned inwardly toward one another
at their marginal edges 12d and 12e respectively. Cut-out portions
12h may be provided at spaced distances along central portion 12a
to allow for threading of wiring or other conduits
therethrough.
The partition system 10 is further comprised of a channel shaped
cornice cap 13 and a channel shaped floor track 14, each of which
are secured by suitable fastening means 15 and 16, respectively, to
the upper and lower ends of studs 11 and 12 to form a strong,
rigid, unitary framework. Obviously, the framework may be of any
suitable height and/or length, depending upon the particular
installation. For example, in rooms of standard size, normal
heights encountered are 8 feet, but the framework may be made of
any other suitable height. The lengths of the framework obviously
depend upon the particular room or region being enclosed.
In conventional installations, it is typical to secure sheets of
plasterboard, commonly referred to as dry-wall or other types of
panel boards, to the building studs through the use of conventional
fastening means. In the case where the dry-wall is to be painted or
wallpapered, the regions in which the fastening members are driven
are finished, such as, for example, with a suitable filler or tape,
and the walls are then painted or papered. It is also possible to
employ coated wallboard which may be comprised of a plasterboard
base having a vinyl, wood or painted finish which greatly
simplifies installations through the combinations of the wall
finish and plasterboard into one composite panel.
After any of the above type panel boards are secured to the studs,
suitable vertical batten strips and floor and ceiling strips are
then nailed to the building studs to provide a finished wall
surface having a desirable aesthetic appearance.
The present invention is characterized by providing a panel board
assembly method and apparatus for mounting panel board and ceiling
and floor runners without the need for any or in the worst case a
minimum amount of conventiinal fastening means.
Considering the structure 10 shown in FIG. 1a, the walls 11b and
12b of studs 11 and 12 have mounted thereto elongated strips 17 and
18, respectively. Each of the strips 17 and 18 are comprised of a
base sheet having secured thereto a multiplicity of hooked elements
of the filament type which, as shown in FIG. 1c is comprised of a
base sheet 17a which may preferably be formed of a plastic material
having a plurality of undulating threads, a portion of which are
imbedded in the base material 17a and which have been cut such as
at 17c to form the hook-like elements 17b.
The base strip is secured to studs 11 and 12 in the manner shown in
FIG. 1a through the use of a suitable epoxy or other adhesive. The
strips 17 and 17' preferably extend the entire length of the studs
11 and 12.
FIG. 1b shows a wallboard member 19 which may, for example, be a 4
.times. 8 sheet of dry-wall material. The face which is to be
mounted against the studding of FIG. 1a is provided with a pair of
elongated strips 20 and 20' which are secured along the vertical
marginal edges of wallboard 19 by a suitable epoxy or other
adhesive. The strips 20 and 20' are of the type shown best in FIG.
1d in which the strips are comprised of a base material 20a having
undulating threads 20b, a portion of which are imbedded in the base
material 20a whereby the remaining portion 20b forms a multiplicity
of loops over the entire surface of the strip.
For the purpose of mounting the wallboard, the surface upon which
the strips 20 and 20' have been mounted is aligned with the studs
11 and 12 as shown in FIG. 1a wherein the dotted rectangle 19'
represents the positioning of a wallboard member. The member is
then pressed against the studding so that the loop-type strips 20
and 20' are firmly pressed into the hook-type strips 17' and 17,
respectively, to hold the panel board firmly in position.
Conventionally, wallboard comes in 4 .times. 8 sheets. In order to
appropriately mount the wallboard studs 11 and 12 (although not
shown in FIG. 1a) should be preferably 48" apart, center line to
center line. Thus, one additional stud would normally be positioned
between the studs 11 and 12, but this stud would not be provided
with a strip of hook-type material. As an obvious alternative, the
hook-type material may be affixed to the surface of the wallboard
19 and the loop-type material strips may be affixed to the studs 11
and 12.
Once the wallboard panel is affixed to the studding, in the manner
described hereinabove so that the first wallboard member occupies
the position shown by dotted rectangle 19', a single fastening
member such as, for example, a screw 21 may be utilized to secure
the top end of wallboard 19 to cornice cap 13 and a similar single
screw member 21' may be utilized to secure the bottom end. It
should be understood that these fastening members are affixed
thereto only after the adhering of the hook and loop-type strips to
one another. The characteristics of the hook and loop-type strips
are such that they are highly resistive to any shearing strength or
forces. Also, when pressed firmly into one another, the strips will
not come apart except in the presence of rather substantial pulling
forces which forces, while they may be of lesser magnitude than
shearing forces which the strips will resist, are nevertheless of a
substantial magnitude.
Similar wallboard members are fastened to the studs in a similar
fashion and are positioned as shown by the dotted lines 19" and
19'", respectively. It should be noted in FIG. 1a that a slight
spacing between adjacent panel boards is provided. For example, a
slight gap 22 is provided between panel boards 19" and 19' and a
similar gap 22' is provided between wallboards 19' and 19'".
Once the wallboards have been so positioned, a vertical batten
strip 23, a portion of which is shown in FIG. 1b, is inserted in
the gaps 22 and 22'. This batten structure 23 is described in
detail in copending application Ser. No. 34,269, filed May 4, 1970
by the present inventor. The vertical batten strip 23 is comprised
of a central portion 23a which is slightly curved in the direction
transverse to its length and which is provided with a pair of
spaced parallel projections 23b and 23c whose exterior surfaces 23d
and 23e, respectively, are provided with sawtooth contours. The
entire structure is preferably plastic and may advantageously be
formed through the use of an extruding process.
Once the panels have been joined in the manner shown and described
in connection with FIGS. 1a and 1b, the batten strips 23 are cut to
length and positioned so that the forward free ends of projections
23b and 23c are inserted into the appropriate gaps such as, for
example, gaps 22 and 22'. The vertical batten strips are
press-fitted into position either by hand or by lightly tapping the
central portion 23a with a hammer or other suitable tool. The
collar region between projections 23b and 23c permit the
projections to bend or yield to a great extent so as to accommodate
gaps between the panels which may deviate in width to a significant
extent and yet still be sufficiently resilient to be firmly wedged
within a gap.
FIG. 2a shows a ceiling 24 runner which may be employed in the
present invention and which comprises a central portion 24a having
a pair of inwardly bent arms 24b and 24c whose inwardly bent free
ends 24d and 24e, respectively, are substantially co-planar. One of
the strips of the type shown as 17 or 20 is affixed to either one
or both of the flanges 24d and 24e, while a complementary strip
such as, for example, the strip 17' is affixed across the upper
marginal edge of panel board 19. The ceiling runner may be of any
desired length and is pressed against the panel boards, preferably
after insertion of the vertical batten strips 23.
FIG. 2b shows a floor runner assembly 25 which is comprised of a
central portion 25a having first and second depending arms 25b and
25c. Arms 25b are further provided with an inwardly bent flange 25d
upon whose surface one of the strips of the type shown as 17 or 20
is mounted. A complementary strip, for example, a strip 17 is
mounted a spaced distance above the lower marginal edge of panel
board 19. The floor runner 25 may be of any desired length and is
pressed up against the panel boards, preferably after insertion of
the vertical batten strips 23 so as to complete the assembly. The
ceiling and floor runners 24 and 25, respectively, are preferably
formed of an extremely light-weight plastic so that the hook and
loop-type complementary fastening strips are more than satisfactory
to hold the runners in position for indefinite periods of time.
FIG. 4 shows a fully assembled elevational view, including all of
the components shown in FIGS. 1a-2b, with the exception that the
complementary strips 17 and 20 are comprised of short sections of
strips as opposed to being elongated strips. It has been found that
this arrangement provides equal mounting strength as the elongated
strips as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b.
FIG. 3a shows a slightly modified arrangement for the strips 17 and
17' on vertical studs 11 and 12, respectively, wherein strips 17
and 17' have widths of approximately 1 inch. FIG. 3b shows a pair
of panel boards 19 and 19' in which the strips 20 and 20' provided
on each of these panel boards occupy like positions relative to the
strips 17 and 17' and which strips are approximately one-half inch
in width. In mounting, each of the strips 20 and 20' cover slightly
less than one-half of the strips 17 and 17' mounted upon studs 11
and 12 with a small gap being provided therebetween for the purpose
of inserting the flexible type vertical batten strips 23, as shown
best in FIG. 1b.
FIG. 5a shows another modified embodiment wherein a single batten
11 is provided with a plurality of strips 17 of three-eighths to
one-half inch width arranged in spaced parallel fashion along the
batten. Similar strips of similar width are mounted upon each of
the panel boards for securement thereto.
FIG. 5b shows another slightly modified embodiment wherein a single
stud 11 is shown as being provided with a plurality of strips 17
arranged in staggered fashion with half of the strips lying to
one-half of an imaginary center line (see phantom line 31) while
the remaining intervening strips are arranged to the right of
imaginary center line 31. By appropriately positioning
complementary strips upon each of the panel boards, the panel
boards may be simply and readily mounted upon the studs wherein the
spaced strips on both studs and panel boards have been found to
provide adequate supporting and fastening strength.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described in connection with FIGS. 6-8e. FIG. 6 is a perspective
view showing a first type of clip 30 being employed in the above
mentioned alternative embodiment, which clip is a unitary member
which may be formed of either metal or plastic and which is
comprised of a panel mounting arm 31 bent at 32 so as to form a
shorter clip-shaped arm 33 having an inwardly bent portion 34 and
an outwardly bent portion 35, which clip-shaped portion is joined
to arm 31 by a yoke portion 36.
A second type of clip 40, shown in FIG. 7, is a unitary clip member
which may likewise be formed of metal or plastic and which is
provided with a panel mounting arm 41 and a second arm 42 having a
first portion 43 bent substantially at right angles to arm 41 and
having a V-shaped free end comprised of portions 44 and 45
extending outwardly from portion 43.
FIGS. 8a and 8b show the manner in which the clips are mounted to
the panels wherein the assembly 50 shown therein is comprised of a
panel 51 which may, for example, be a 4 feet .times. 8 feet panel.
The surface 52 of the panel which is mounted against the building
studs is provided with three clips 30, 30' and 30" of the type
shown in FIG. 6. The arms 31 (see FIG. 6) of the clips 30-30" are
mounted along one vertical edge of panel 51 with the arms 31
thereof (see FIG. 6) being joined to surface 52 of the panel by a
suitable adhesive. As can best be seen in FIG. 8b, the left-hand
end of each of the clips 30-30" (and relative to the alignment
shown in FIG. 6) extend a predetermined distance beyond the
left-hand edge of panel 51.
The panel is further provided with clips 40, 40' and 40" which are
arranged at spaced intervals adjacent the right-hand vertical edge
of panel 51 whereby the arms 41 thereof (see FIG. 7) are joined to
the rear surface 52 of the panel by a suitable adhesive. As can be
seen from FIG. 8b, the clips 40-40" are spaced slightly inwardly
from the right-hand edge of the panel and are arranged at spaced
intervals along a substantially vertical imaginary line. Clips
30-30" are also vertically aligned at spaced intervals. Although
the panel assemblies of FIGS. 8a and 8b show the use of three clips
of the type shown in FIG. 6 and three clips of the type shown in
FIG. 7, it should be understood that a greater or lesser number of
such clips may be employed, depending only upon the needs of the
user.
The clips are mounted in the manner shown best in FIGS. 8a, 8c and
8d. As shown in these three Figures, a plurality of vertically
aligned studs 51, 51a and 51b are arranged at spaced intervals
within a building structure so as to define an area or region which
is to be partitioned to form any suitable room or other working
area. Typically, the studs are spaced 2 feet on center. As shown
best in FIG. 8a, each of the panel assemblies are mounted by
positioning the face 52 of the panel toward the studs. The clips
30, 30' and 30" are aligned relative to stud 51 in the manner shown
best in FIG. 8a. The panel is then pushed in the direction shown by
arrow 52 causing the arms 33 of each of the clips 30-30" to firmly
embrace upper arm 53 of stud 51. The panel 51 is aligned so as to
form a small angle with imaginary line 54.
Once the panel 51 has been moved from the position of FIG. 8a to
the position of FIG. 8c, the right-hand edge of panel 51 is pressed
inwardly in a direction shown by arrow 56, causing arm 42 of each
of the clips 40-40" to snappingly engage an associated clip 30'" of
the next adjacent panel assembly further comprising panel 51'. The
assembly for that panel is thus completed, with the final
arrangement of the panels 51 and 51' being shown best in FIG.
8d.
FIG. 8e shows the manner in which an entire wall has been assembled
utilizing the clip structures of FIGS. 6 and 7. In the example
shown in FIG. 8e, dotted lines 61 and 62 represent intersecting
walls which are spanned by the panel assemblies. The manner in
which the individual panel boards are mounted is to slide the clips
30 of panel 51 so as to embrace stud 53a. The opposite marginal
portion of panel 51 is joined to stud 53 by conventional fastening
means 63 such as, for example, screws. Panel 51' is the next panel
to be assembled wherein its clips 30 are slid into the joining
position with stud 53b and subsequent thereto whereby its clips 40
are "snapped" into position so as to engage and lock with
associated clips 30 of panel 51. The remaining panels 51" and 51'"
are secured in a similar fashion. Preferably, all of the clips 30
and 40 mounted to each panel 51 are aligned at associated heights
along their respective panels so as to engage one another in the
fashion shown in FIG. 8e.
Whereas the arrangement of FIG. 8e shows an assembly wherein the
right-hand most panel 51 is the first to be mounted to the studs
with each panel to the left thereof being the next to be mounted,
with each succeeding panel to the left thereof being the next to be
mounted, it should be understood that the clips 30 and 40 may be
reversed as to their location along the mounting face of each panel
so that clips 30 may be mounted in the position of clips 40 as
shown in FIG. 8b and conversely so that clips 40 may be mounted in
the position occupied by clips 30 of FIG. 8b. Thus, the mounting
arrangement may be simply and readily reversed. Considering FIG.
8e, for example, the panel 51'" (with the clips 30 and 40 reversed)
may be the first to be mounted to the studs with the panels
positioned to the right thereof to be mounted in sequential order
from left to right. It should be noted that the left-hand most
panel 51'" of FIG. 8e requires no clips along its left-hand
mounting face. This is true in the case where an intersecting wall
61 prohibits the panel from being slid into position in the manner
set forth hereinabove. Thus, the left-hand marginal edge of panel
51'" may be secured to stud 53d by conventional fastening means
such as self-tapping screws designated by the numeral 63. It can be
seen that each of the panels may be removed as easily as they have
been assembled to the studs. For example, either of the panels 51'
or 51" may be removed by placing an instrument such as, for
example, a screwdriver in the narrow gap G between panels 51 and
51', for example, so as to pry the right-hand edge of panel 51 away
from the studs. Panel 51" may be loosened in a similar fashion so
as to permit panel 51' to be slid toward the left as shown by arrow
A in order to remove that particular panel. Panels 51 and 51'" may
be removed simply by removing the fastening members 63 and either
sliding or accordingly pulling the panel away. Thus, in the example
of panel 51, this panel may be slid toward the left as shown by
arrow A after removal of the fastening screws 63 and lifting away
of the right-hand end of panel 51'. In the case of panel 51'", this
panel may be removed without the handling of any other panel simply
by removing the fastening screws 63 and prying the panel away from
the studding by placing a pointed instrument in the gap G' between
panels 51" and 51'".
Although not shown in FIG. 8e, it would be obvious to provide
additional panels with associated clips 30 and 40 to seal the
opposite sides of studs 53-53e. This arrangement would be required
where the wall formed by studs 53-53e forms a common wall between
two offices or work areas. In the case where the studs are
positioned immediately adjacent an outside wall, obviously no such
panel arrangement would be required.
As was described hereinabove, it is typical to employ 4 feet
.times. 8 feet panels and to mount same upon the studs which are
arranged at 2 feet intervals (center line to center line). In such
case, a stud will lie adjacent the intermediate portion of each
panel. As shown in FIG. 8f, panels 51 and 51' are mounted upon
studs 53-53d, wherein studs 53-53b support panel 51 and studs
53b-53d support panel 51'. In order to provide further support for
each of the panels 51 and 51' either of the following two
techniques may be employed:
Considering first panel 51', its mounting face 52' may be provided
with a plurality of clips 40 arranged in substantially the same
vertical fashion as the clips 40-40" of FIG. 8b except that these
clips are joined by a suitable adhesive along a vertical center
line of the panel (note, for example, center line CL of FIG. 8b).
The mounting assembly is the same as has been described hereinabove
where clips 30 of panel 51' are slid into gripping engagement with
stud 53d. After the clips are in firm engagement with stud 53d, the
right-hand edge of the panel (relative to FIG. 8f) is pressed
toward the studs whereby clips 40 snappingly engage the clips 30 of
panel 51 and whereby the clips 40'" mounted along the imaginary
center line of panel 51' snappingly engage one arm 55c of stud 53c.
This arrangement takes advantage of the "intermediate" stud 55c by
providing additional support for panel 51'.
Panel 51 uses a different arrangement in connection with its
central portion being mounted to stud 53a. As shown best in FIG.
8f, one or more vertically aligned strips of hook-type filament
members 17 are adhesively joined to the rear surface 52 of panel 51
while one or more vertically aligned strips of loop-type fastening
members 20 are adhesively joined to the engaging surface of arm 55a
of stud 53a. Panel 51 is, however, mounted in a similar fashion to
those panels described hereinabove wherein clips 30 are joined to
the arm 55b of stud 53b by sliding the panel from the left toward
the right. After the clips 30 are moved into the firmly engaged
position, the right-hand edge of the panel 51 is then pressed
against stud 53 and stud 53a so as to cause clips 40 to snappingly
engage with the clips 30 of the next adjacent panel 51" and further
so as to cause the fastening members 17 and 20 (described
hereinabove in detail in connection with FIGS. 1a-3b) to become
enmeshed. This assembly of panels 51 and 51' may be handled by the
same method steps described hereinabove.
As an alternative arrangement, the clip 40 may be replaced by clip
30 along the right-hand mounting surface (relative to FIG. 8i).
Thus, the panel may be mounted by sliding it in the direction shown
by arrow A. By providing stud 53a between studs 53 and 53b, the
need for mounting two clips, i.e., clips 30' and 30" to a single
stud, is avoided. As another obvious alternative, clips 30 may be
replaced by clip 40 and the entire panel may be snapped into place.
Note FIG. 8j wherein clips 30 and 30' are mounted respectively at
the right-hand end of panel 19 and the left-hand end of panel 19'.
Stud 53' is provided with a deep indentation 53a' to accommodate
the stud embracing portion of clip 30. Alternatively, the
back-to-back stud arrangement of FIGS. 11 and 11a may be
substituted for the stud 53' of FIG. 8j as will be more fully
described hereinbelow.
FIGS. 9-9c show still another embodiment of the present invention
in which a panel board 19 is provided with a plurality of clips 80
adhesively secured to the mounting face of the panel board by any
suitable glue or other adhesive material. Each of the clips is
provided with a mounting portion 81 which engages the mounting
surface of the panel board and which is adhesively secured thereto.
The clip is further provided with second, third and fourth portions
82, 83 and 84, respectively, which are each bent at an angle
relative to their integrally joined adjacent portion, section 82
being bent substantially at right angles relative to section 81,
section 83 being bent substantially at right angles relative to
section 82, and section 84 being bent substantially at a 45.degree.
angle relative to section 83.
Clips 80' are substantially identical to the clips 80 and a
detailed description of these clips will therefore be omitted for
purposes of brevity. As an obvious alternative to the arrangement
shown in FIG. 9, the spaced arrangement of clips 80 and 80' may
each be replaced by a single elongated clip.
Panel board 19 is further provided with a plurality of spaced
openings arranged at predetermined intervals substantially along
the upper and lower marginal edges thereof and whose purposes will
be better understood from a detailed description of the manner of
assembly set forth hereinbelow.
FIGS. 9a and 9b show the manner in which the panel of the type
shown in FIG. 9 is assembled to a building stud assembly. The stud
assembly of FIGS. 9a and 9b is substantially identical to that
shown in FIG. 1a which was described as being comprised of a
plurality of vertically aligned spaced parallel studs 11 and 12
(see FIG. 1a) maintained in their spaced positioning by ceiling and
floor channels 13 and 14, respectively, which are riveted or
otherwise secured to the studs. Although only two such studs are
shown in FIG. 1a, it should be understood that the studs are
preferably arranged 2 feet on center with the number of studs being
determined by the length of the particular wall to be constructed.
FIG. 9a shows a plurality of studs 11, 12, 11' and 12',
respectively, wherein studs 11, 12 and 12' are each rigidly secured
to ceiling and floor channels of the type shown in FIG. 1a. The
ceiling and floor channels have been omitted from FIGS. 9a and 9b
for purposes of simplicity. Stud 11' is a movable stud provided for
a purpose to be more fully described. At this juncture it is
sufficient to understand that movable stud 11' is simply positioned
between studs 12 and 12' and has its upper and lower marginal
portions slidably embraced by the ceiling and floor channels of the
type shown and designated by numerals 13 and 14 in FIG. 1a. To
mount the panel of FIG. 9, panel 19, with the clip members 80 and
80' already secured thereto, is positioned against the mounting
surfaces of all of the studs and is slid in a direction shown by
arrow 85 until the clip portion 83 embraces the short arm 11c of
stud 11. Clip portion 84, being aligned diagonally to clip portion
83, facilitates the slidable engagement of the clip with arm 11c.
Panel 19 is moved in the direction shown by arrow 85 until clip 80
firmly embraces the short arm 11c of stud 11. At this time the
vertical edges of the panel are substantially aligned with the
center lines of studs 11 and 12' as represented by dotted lines 86
and 87, respectively. In this position it should be noted that
opening 88 near the upper edge of panel 19 (see FIGS. 9 and 9a) and
the opening 89 provided near the lower edge of panel 19 is
substantially in alignment with the small gap between stationary
stud 12' and movable stud 11'. It should further be noted that clip
80' is positioned a spaced distance from the short arm 11c' of
movable stud 11'. In order to bring clip 80' into firm, embracing
engagement with movable stud 11' the head portion of an instrument
such as, for example, a screw driver is inserted into upper opening
88 in the manner shown by FIG. 9a. The head 91 of screw driver 90
is then positioned in the gap between studs 11' and 12'. The handle
92 of screw driver 90 is then turned or rotated in the direction
shown by arrow 93 so as to move from the position shown in FIG. 9a
toward the position shown in FIG. 9b. The opening 88 serves as a
bearing surface about which the screw driver pivots whereby the
head 91 is urged against the surface of movable stud 11' so as to
move the stud as well as its short arm 11c into embracing
engagement with clip 80'. Although not shown in the Figures it
should be understood that the stud 11' will now be slightly
diagonally aligned. In order to complete the mounting operation the
screw driver 90 is removed from upper opening 88 and is inserted
into lower opening 89 whereby substantially the same turning or
rotating operation is repeated so as to bring the lower edge of the
movable stud 11' into embracing engagement with the lowermost clip
80' or with the lower end of clip 80' in the case where a single
elongated clip member is employed. This completes the assembly
operation of the panel. If desired, a self tapping screw S may be
employed to engage panel 19 and stud 11' to prevent movement of the
stud 11'. An additional screw (not shown) may be mounted at both
the upper and lower edges of the panel, if desired.
It should be understood that the above description describes a
manner in which a single panel is assembled to the building studs.
Obviously, additional panels over a long wall would be mounted in a
similar fashion. With the clips mounted to the panel board in the
arrangement shown in FIGS. 9-9b the assembly sequence is such that
the panel to the left of panel 19 shown in FIG. 9a should be
installed first, panel 19 should then be installed next and the
panel immediately to the right of panel 19 should be the next panel
to be installed, i.e., the panels with the clips arranged as shown
in FIG. 9a would be from left to right. It should be obvious that
the installation sequence may be reversed by reversing the building
studs 11, 12 and 12' so that their openings face in the direction
opposite that shown in FIG. 9a and by placing movable stud 11'
immediately adjacent and to the right of stud 11 so that
substantially the mirror image of the arrangement shown in FIG. 9a
is obtained. It should further be obvious that panels may be
installed on the opposite mounting faces of studs 11, 12, 11' and
12' in a manner similar to that described hereinabove. In cases
where the building studs are positioned immediately adjacent the
exterior wall of a structure, it should be understood that panels
are to be mounted to the interior mounting faces only of the studs.
In applications where the studding is positioned remote from the
exterior wall of a structure it is then desirable to provide and
mount panels on both sides of a stud run. In such applications it
is preferable to mount both panels substantially simultaneously.
This may be done by mounting panel 19 in the manner described
hereinabove so as to cause its clip 80 to embrace short arm 11c of
stud 11. A second panel may be placed upon the opposite side of the
stud run so that its clip embraces the short arm 11d of stud 11.
The movable stud 11' need only be moved from one side of the wall
being assembled by inserting a tool such as the screw driver 90
shown and completing the assembly in the manner described
hereinabove. If desired, however, the head of the screw driver may
be inserted through a similar opening provided in the panel 19'
shown in dotted fashion to absolutely assure that its clip 80' is
firmly embraced by the short arm 11 d' of the movable stud 11'.
The panel assembly of FIG. 9 is also adapted to be readily removed
at any time after assembly through the provision of openings 94 and
95 which are spaced from openings 88 and 89, respectively, and
which are positioned near the upper and lower edges, respectively,
of the panel. As can best be seen from a consideration of FIG. 9b
the openings 94 and 95 are aligned substantially with the small gap
formed between the clip portion 82' of clip 80' and the short arm
11c' of movable stud 11'. In order to release the clip from the
movable stud, the head 91 of the screw driver is inserted into
opening 94 and twisted in the reverse direction to that described
hereinabove to cause the movable stud 11' to move from the position
shown in FIG. 9b to the position shown in FIG. 9a. To complete the
disassembly operation, the screw driver is then inserted into the
lower opening 95 and the operation substantially as described
hereinabove is repeated. It should be obvious that the screw driver
may first be inserted into the lower opening 95, if desired. This
is also true of the assembly operation wherein the screw driver may
be first inserted into the lower opening 89, if desired. In order
to complete the disassembly operation, panel 19 is then moved or
slid in a direction shown by arrow 97 so as to release clip 80 from
the short arm 11c of stud 11 (note FIG. 9a). This completely
releases the clip members of the panel from the studs enabling the
panel to be removed.
As was described hereinabove, the studs are typically arranged at 2
feet intervals from the center line of one stud to the center line
of the next stud. Panels are typically 4 feet in width and, as
shown in FIG. 9a, extend between three stationary studs 11, 12 and
12'. In order to take advantage of the presence of stud 12 and
utilize this stud to provide further support for panel 19, an
additional clip member 80" may be adhesively mounted to the
mounting surface of panel 19 so as to move into embracing
engagement with the short arm 12c of stud 12 simultaneously with
the movement of clip 80 into embracing engagement with short arm
11c of stud 11. The final assembly step of the insertion of the
screw driver remains the same throughout.
In cases where it is desired to remove panel 19 only and wherein
panel 19 is positioned between a panel to its immediate left and a
panel to its immediate right, it becomes awkward to attempt to move
the right-hand end of panel 19 outwardly in the direction shown by
arrow 98 due to the presence of clips 80 and 80". It is also not
possible to slide panel 19 in a direction shown by arrow 97 due to
the fact that a panel is positioned immediately to the right of
panel 19. In this instance, and in the instance where it is desired
to use clip 80" to provide additional supporting strength for panel
19, stud 12 is made movable (i.e., is not mechanically secured to
the ceiling and floor channels of the stud run but is slidably
embraced by the channels) and panel 19 is further provided with a
pair of upper openings and a pair of lower openings similar to the
upper and lower openings 88-94 and 89-95 described hereinabove. As
shown in FIG. 9a the upper edge of the panel is provided with an
opening 98 into which a screw driver is inserted to slide the upper
end of slidable stud 12 into embracing engagement with clip 80". It
should be obvious that the sliding stud 12 should be moved
sufficiently to the left so as not to embrace clip 80' when panel
19 is in the position as shown in FIG. 9a (i.e., when the clip 80
of panel 19 snugly embraces the short arm 11c of stud 11). However,
the position of stud 12 should be such as to have its left-hand
edge positioned slightly to the right of opening 98. The screw
driver may then be inserted in the fashion set forth hereinabove to
move the upper end of stud 12 into embracing engagement with clip
80". This operation is repeated whereby the screw driver is
inserted into the lower opening (not shown for purposes of
simplicity) to move the movable stud 12 into vertical alignmentt as
well as being moved into firm and snug engagement with clip 80".
Disassembly of panel 19 may now be performed without removing any
panels to its immediate left or its immediate right in the
following manner:
Movable stud 11' is disengaged from clip 80' in the manner
described hereinabove through the insertion of the screw driver
into upper opening 94 and subsequently into lower opening 95. The
next operation consists of inserting the screw driver into upper
opening 100 which is substantially aligned with the small gap
between the clip portion 82" of clip 80" and the short arm 12c of
movable stud 12. The screw driver is rotated in the direction shown
by arrow 93 (when the screw driver is inserted into opening 100) to
move the upper end of slidable stud 12 out of embracing engagement
with the upper portion of clip 80". The operation is then repeated
by inserting the screw driver into the lower opening which is
aligned similar to the upper opening 100 (and which has been
omitted for purposes of simplicity) so as to totally and completely
release slidable stud 12 from embracing engagement with the clip
80". Upon completion of this operation, only clip 80 remains in
embracing engagement with the short arm 11c of stud 11. The
right-hand end of panel 19 may be lifted away from the stud run by
moving the panel in the direction shown by arrow 98. To facilitate
this operation the head of a screw driver or other instrument may
be placed in the gap between the right-hand edge of panel 19 and
the left-hand edge of the adjacent panel 19". As soon as the
right-hand edge of panel 19 has been lifted away from studs 11' and
12' and clears the exterior surface of panel 19", the panel may be
moved in the direction shown by arrow 97 so as to remove clip 80
from embracing engagement with the short arm 11c of stud 11. This
arrangement thus facilitates both assembly and removal of a single
panel from the stud run while at the same time utilizing stud 12 to
provide further supporting strength for the panel.
After the entire wall has been assembled in the manner described
hereinabove the openings provided along the upper and lower edges
of panel 19 are covered by ceiling and floor runners of the type
shown and described hereinabove in connection with FIGS. 2a and 2b.
Obviously, any other ceiling and floor runner assembly may be
employed so long as the height of each ceiling and floor assembly
is sufficient so as to cover the openings provided along the upper
and lower edges of each mounted panel so that the openings will not
detract from the aesthetic appearance of the finished panel
assembly. It can therefore be seen that the assembly of FIGS. 9-9b
provides a greatly simplified panel mounting assembly of high
structural strength which lends itself readily to rapid assembly or
disassembly from the stud run.
The clips 80, 80' and 80" may be made adhesively mounted to the
mounting face of panel board 19 either in the factory or at the job
site. At job sites where a relatively small number of panels are
required, it may be preferable to mount the clips at the job site.
However, in job installations requiring a very large number of
panel assemblies, it is preferred that the clips be mounted at the
factory and shipped to the job site in completed form. Due to the
nature of the clips and the manner in which they protrude from the
mounting face of each panel board, the panels do not lend
themselves readily to being neatly and compactly stacked so as to
facilitate stacking, packaging, handling and shipping. In order to
provide a clip assembly which lends itself to being compactly
stacked after assembly, the arrangement of FIG. 9c may be employed.
As shown therein, the clip assembly 110 comprises first and second
clip members 111 and 112. Clip member 111 is comprised of a
mounting portion 111a and an embracing portion 111b. Mounting
portion 111a is adhesively secured to the mounting face of panel
19. Clip member 111 when securely mounted, has its embracing
portion 111b spaced a small distance away from the mounting face of
panel member 19. This completes the assembly or fabrication of the
panel at the factory. Clip portions 112 are shipped separately and
are mounted at the job site in the following fashion:
Clip member 112 is provided with an embracing portion 112a and
integral portions 112b, 112c and 112d. Portion 112b is aligned at
right angles to portions 112a and 112c while portion 112d is
diagonally aligned relative to portion 112c. The clip assembly 110,
when fully assembled in the manner shown in FIG. 9c, substantially
resembles the clip 80, for example, shown in FIGS. 9-9b. The
embracing portion 112a of clip member 112 is slid beneath the
embracing portion 112b of clip member 111 and the mounting face 19
of the panel board. After being firmly slid beneath embracing
portion 111b, the head of a sharp instrument is placed against the
exterior surface of embracing portion 111b and its opposite end is
struck preferably by a hammer so as to peen or otherwise form an
indentation in embracing portion 111b (as well as portion 112b)
causing clip member 112 to be rigidly secured to the panel
assembly. It should be understood that a plurality of clip
assemblies 110 are provided upon the panel with the alignments as
shown for the clip assemblies 80 and 80' (as well as clip 80", if
desired). As an alternative arrangement the plate portions 112a and
111b may be provided with cooperating recesses, grooves or
indentations formed at the factory. The plate 112a is then slid
beneath plate portion 111b until the recesses or grooves are
aligned to lock the plates together.
FIGS. 10, 10a and 10b show alternative clip embodiments which are
substantially similar to the clip structures shown in FIGS. 6-8g.
Considering the embodiment of FIG. 10, panel 19 is provided with a
clip member 120 substantially similar to the clip 30 shown in FIG.
6 and having a panel mounting portion 120a, a bent portion of small
radius 120b, and a bent portion of greater radius 120c. The major
distinction between the clip 120 of FIG. 10 and the clip 30 of FIG.
6 is that the portions 34 and 35 of clip 30 are integrally joined
along a sharply bent portion 37 and the portion 120b of clip 120 is
provided with a gradually bent portion whereas the similar portion
36 of clip 30 is substantially straight.
Panel 19' has its right-hand end provided with an adhesively
mounted clip 122 comprised of a mounting portion 122a joined at a
sharp bend 122b by a substantially S-shaped portion 122c. It should
be understood that the right-hand end of panel 19 although not
shown in the Figure for purposes of simplicity would receive a clip
of the type shown as clip 122 while the left-hand portion of panel
19', also not shown for purposes of simplicity, would receive a
clip of the type shown as clip 120. The assembly steps consist of
initially mounting panel 19 by sliding the panel in the direction
shown by arrow 123 so as to cause clip 120 to embrace stud 11. The
right-hand end of panel 19 is snapped against a clip of the type
shown as clip 120 embracing the associated stud (not shown for
purposes of simplicity). which is arranged approximately
substantially 4 feet from stud 11. Panel 19 is then mounted in a
similar fashion whereby its left-hand clip (not shown in FIG. 10)
is slid in the direction shown by arrow 123 so as to cause its
left-hand clip (which would be of the type shown by clip 120) with
an associated stud. The right-hand end of panel 19' is then snapped
into position by pressing the exposed right-hand surface of panel
19 in the direction shown by arrow 124 to cause the S-shaped
portion 122c of clip 122 to snappingly engage the curved portion
120b of clip 120.
FIG. 10a shows a somewhat similar arrangement wherein a clip 30',
substantially similar to clip 30 of FIG. 6, is adhesively mounted
to panel 19 adjacent its right-hand edge and having a portion
thereof protruding beyond the right-hand edge of the panel.
Adjacent panel 19' is provided with a clip assembly 126 having a
mounting portion 126a, a portion 126b arranged at right angles to
portion 126a, a curved portion 126c of a small radius of curvature
and a portion 126d whose free end has an S-curved portion 126e. It
should be understood that the right-hand end of panel 19' would be
provided with a clip of the type shown by clip 30' and likewise the
left-hand end of panel 19 would be provided with a clip of the type
shown by clip 126. The sequences of assembly is such that panel 19
is slid in the direction shown by arrow 127 to cause clip 30' to be
moved into embracing engagement with the short arm 11c of stud 11.
Its left-hand end is then pressed inwardly toward the stud run to
cause the clip of the type shown by clip 126 to snappingly engage
the associated clip of the type shown by clip 30' of the panel
positioned immediately to the left of panel 19. Panel 19' is
mounted in a similar fashion whereby its clip of the type shown by
clip 30' is first brought into embracing engagement with an
associated stud and its left-hand end is pressed inwardly in the
direction shown by arrow 128 to cause clip 126 to embracingly
engage the central portion of clip 30' in the manner shown in FIG.
10a. In this particular arrangement portion 126d of clip 126 will
be caused to be urged toward portion 126b of the resilient clip in
order to clear the central portion of clip 30'. Once portion 126d
has cleared clip 30' the S-shaped portion 126e will snappingly be
urged against the central portion of clip 30' to be rigidly held
into the position as shown in FIG. 10a.
FIG. 10b shows an arrangement substantially similar to that shown
in FIG. 10a wherein clip 30' is substantially identical to clip 30'
of FIG. 10a. However, clip 126 of FIG. 10a is substituted by a clip
130 of FIG. 10b which is comprised of a mounting portion 130a, a
portion 130b arranged at right angles to mounting portion 130a, and
an elongated and S-shaped free end portion 130c integrally joined
to portion 130b. The mounting sequence of the assembly of FIG. 10b
is such that panel 19 is first moved in the direction shown by
arrow 131 to cause clip 30' to embracingly engage the short arm 11c
of stud 11. The left-hand end of panel 19 is then pressed against
the stud run to cause the clip provided near its left-hand end to
embracingly engage a clip similar to clip 30' provided on the panel
positioned immediately to the left of panel 19. Panel 19' is
mounted in a similar fashion whereby the clip provided along its
right-hand edge and similar to clip 30' is caused to be brought
into embracing engagement with an associated stud. The left-hand
end of panel 19 is then urged in the direction shown by arrow 132
whereby the end portion 130d of clip 130 bears against the central
portion of clip 30' causing the clip to be deformed to assume the
shape shown by dotted lines 130'. As soon as the end portion 130d
clears the central portion of clip 30' the clip snappingly returns
to its normal position so as to occupy the position shown in solid
line fashion in FIG. 10b and thereby cause the left-hand portion of
panel 199' to be firmly embraced against stud 11.
FIGS. 11 and 11a show still further alternative embodiments wherein
a stud 11 which may be ridigly engaged by the ceiling and floor
channels (as shown and described in connection with FIG. 1a) is
joined with a movable stud 12 which is inserted into the stud run
by diagonally aligning the stud 12 between two stationary mounted
studs until its upper and lower edges clear the ceiling and floor
channels, after which the stud is then moved to a vertically
aligned position in engagement with stud 11 in the manner shown in
FIG. 11. If desired, a fastening member such as a sheet metal screw
131 may be threaded into the studs 11 and 12 so as to secure
movable stud 12 to stationary stud 11. Obviously, if desired, a
plurality of sheet metal screws may be arranged at spaced intervals
along the length of the studs 11 and 12.
Each vertical marginal edge of each of the panels 19 and 19' shown
in FIG. 11 has secured to its mounting face a mounting clip 134
which is comprised of a mounting portion 134a integrally joined to
a substantially S-shaped portion 134b. In the embodiment of FIG.
11, the nature of the assembly is such that the panels may be
assembled in either sequence, i.e., either panel 19 or panel 19'
may be mounted first. Panel 19 may have the clip provided along its
left-hand mounting face either slid into or snappingly engaged with
an associated stud. The right-hand end of panel 19 is then pressed
inwardly as shown by arrow 135 until the free end of clip 134
clears the short arm 12c of stud 12 at which time the clip moves
into snapping engagement with short arm 12c. Panel 19' may be
mounted in a similar fashion. The panels may be readily
disassembled by inserting the head end of a screw driver in the gap
G between panels 19 and 19' and prying the panel away from its
associated stud.
FIG. 11a shows a somewhat similar arrangement to that shown in FIG.
11 wherein studs 11 and 12 (either of which may be movable with the
remaining one being rigidly secured to the ceiling and floor
channels ) are secured by one or more sheet metal screws 131. The
clip assemblies employed in FIG. 11a, however, are somewhat
different from those shown in FIG. 11. Clip assemblies 136 are each
comprised of a mounting portion 136a, a portion 136b arranged
substantially at right angles to mounting portion 136a, and a
substantially S-shaped free end portion 136c which has a projecting
portion 136d of substantially small radius of curvature. The
mounting assembly is substantially similar to that described in
connection with FIG. 11 wherein the clips are deformed as shown by
the dotted line configuration 136' until portion 136d clears the
short arm of its associated stud (for example, as short arm 11c of
stud 11) at which time the clip returns to its normal contour so as
to have the projecting portions 136d embrace the short arm portions
11c and 12c of studs 11 and 12, respectively.
After assembly, it may be found that the curved propecting portions
136d while in the position embracing the short arm of its
associated stud may leave a slight gap between the mounting face of
each panel and the engaging mounting face of the stud a slight
amount of rattling of the panel may occur. In order to prevent
this, an elongated resilient strip 138 is mounted along each
marginal mounting face of each panel in the manner shown. The
strips 138 are preferably highly resilient so as to be compressible
to a substantial degree and thereby take up any gap or slight
spacing which may remain after mounting of the panel. It can thus
be seen that the mounting face and short arm of each stud is
embraced between the resilient pad 138 and the projecting portion
136d so as to be quite firmly embraced therebetween and thereby
provide an extremely tight fit for the panels to prevent the
possibility of any rattling of the panel members. It should be
understood that a similar resilient pad may be employed in all of
the previous clip embodiments described hereinabove. For example,
in connection with FIG. 11, the resilient pad 138 may be positioned
between the mounting face of stud 11 and the exposed face of the
mounting portion 134a of clip 134. The resilient pad may either be
adhesively secured to the mounting face of the stud or
alternatively may be adhesively secured to the exposed face of
mounting portion 134a. In the embodiment of FIG. 10b a resilient
pad 138 may be adhesively secured to the mounting face of panel 19'
in the position as shown. Clips which are slidably moved into
places such as, for example, clip 30' may be bent so as to provide
a much tighter embracing fit with its associated stud so as to
avoid the need for a resilient pad. Alternatively, if desired, a
pad may be placed between the exposed face of the mounting portion
of clip 30' and the mounting face of stud 11 and may be adhesively
secured to either of these two faces. Resilient pads may be mounted
in a manner similar to that described hereinabove in connection
with the remaining clip assemblies of FIGS. 6-8h, 10 and 10a. The
clip assemblies employed in the embodiment of FIGS. 9-9c may be
made to snugly and tightly embrace their associated studs so as to
avoid the need for such resilient pads. However, if desired, pads
may be employed in appropriate positions similar to that described
hereinabove in connection with FIGS. 11, 11a and 10b.
FIG. 11b shows an arrangement somewhat similar to that shown in
FIG. 9c wherein clip assemblies 160 and 170 are each formed of two
separate clip portions 161-162 and 171-172, respectively.
Considering clip assembly 160, clip portion 161 is provided with a
mounting portion 161a and an embracing portion 161b. Clip member
162 is provided with an embraced portion 162a and a stud embracing
portion 162b whereby the final assembly is substantially similar to
clip assembly 40 of FIG. 7. The arrangement of clip assembly 160 is
designed for a purpose substantially similar to that described in
connection with FIG. 9c wherein it is desired to mount the clips at
the factory and yet provide an arrangement in which the panel
assemblies, after the clips are mounted, lend themselves to being
simply and compactly stacked for packaging and shipping purposes.
The mounting portion 161a is adhesively secured to the mounting
face of panel 19 while the remaining clip members 162 may be
packaged and shipped separately. At the job site the embraced
portion 162a of clip 162 is slid beneath the embracing portion 161b
of clip 161 and a sharp instrument such as, for example, the head
of a screw driver or the head of a nail punch is placed against the
exposed surface of embracing portion 161b. Its opposite end is
sturck by a heavy instrument such as, for example, a hammer so as
to form a depression or punch mark 173. A plurality of punch marks
are formed in the embracing portion 161b at spaced intervals
therealong so as to cause the clip portion 162 to be firmly
embraced between the mounting face of panel 19 and its associated
clip member 161.
The clip assembly 170 which, when fully assembled, substantially
resembles clip 30 of FIG. 6, is comprised of first and second clip
members 171 and 172 whereby clip member 171 may be adhesively
mounted to panel 19 at the factory. Its slightly raised embracing
portion 171b does not substantially interfere with the compact
stacking of a large number of panels. The separate clip arms 172
may be separately packaged and shipped. At the job site the
embraced portions 172a are slid beneath the embracing portions 171b
and the surface of embracing portion 171b is provided with a
plurality of punch marks in the manner to that described
hereinabove in conjunction with the assembly of clip assembly 160.
The mounting of the panel boards is substantially identical to that
described in conjunction with FIGS. 8a-8f, the only distinction of
the clip assemblies of FIG. 11b from that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7
being the two-piece design to facilitate packaging and handling and
to reduce the amount of activity required at the job site wherein
at least the adhesively mounted portions of the clip assemblies may
be completed at the factory and before shipment to the job
site.
FIG. 12 shows still another embodiment of the present invention in
which a panel 19 is provided with three elongated plastic strips
140, 140' and 140" which are adhesively secured to the mounting
face of panel 19 in spaced parallel fashion so as to be
substantially in alignment with the mounting faces of studs 11, 12
and 11', respectively. The plastic strips 140, 140' and 140" are
each formed of a suitable magnetic material in granulated form
which are dispersed throughout the plastic binder which is in the
form of a strip of material preferably of a thickness in the range
from one sixty-fourth inch to one-eighth inch. The panel is mounted
by pressing the panel against the studs with the magnetic strips
engaging the mounting faces of studs 11, 12 and 11', respectively.
The studs 11, 12 and 11' are formed of a metallic material which is
magnetically attracted by the permanently magnetized strips of tape
so as to cause the tape strips of the panel to be magnetically
attracted to their associated studs. Once the panel is in position
the supporting strength may be enhanced by inserting a single sheet
metal screw 141 at both the upper and lower edges of the panel
intermediate the vertical sides of the panel so as to threadedly
engage stud 12 near its lower and upper end. This operation may be
performed after mounting of the panel whereby the magnetized tape
strips are of sufficient magnetic strength to maintain the panel in
position. Thus the panels need not be held or supported during the
time in which the sheet metal screws are inserted. If desired, the
sheet metal screws may be eliminated so long as the magnetic strips
employed are of suitable thickness so as to provide a magnetic
force of sufficient attractive strength to hold the panel
permanently in position. A panel may be released simply by
inserting the head of a screw driver in the gap G between adjacent
panels in prying the desired panel away from the studs to which it
is magnetically attracted.
In applications wherein it is desired to use clip assemblies of the
type described in FIGS. 6-11a, along the marginal edges of a panel
and to provide further supporting strength by mounting the panel to
a stud positioned intermediate its edges, either the magnetic strip
shown in FIG. 12 or the velcro strip shown in FIGS. 1a-3b may be
employed. For example, considering the embodiment of FIG. 9a, clip
80" may be substituted either by a magnetic strip adhesively
secured to the mounting face of panel 19 and aligned so as to make
physical engagement with the mounting face of stud 12 so as to
provide the additional supporting strength. Alternatively, the
mating Velcro strips may be adhesively secured to the mounting
faces of panel 19 and stud 12 and may be brought into engagement by
pressing the panel in the direction shown by arrow 150 to cause the
cooperating Velcro strips, of the type shown in FIGS. 1c and 1d,
into locking engagement with one another. This arrangement
eliminates the need for providing a sliding stud in the central
portion while at the same time providing additional supporting
strength for each panel in the region intermediate the vertical
edges of the panel.
In the embodiments of FIGS. 6-12, it is not necessary to employ
conventional batten strips in the gaps between the vertical edges
of adjacent panels, for example, in the gap G between panels 19 and
19' of FIG. 11. However, if desired, batten strips of the type
shown in FIG. 1b may be employed so as to cover the region between
adjacent panels if desired. The force-fitted batten strips 23 shown
in FIG. 1b may preferably be formed of a resilient plastic material
so as to be readily force-fitted into the gap between adjacent
panels and likewise so as to be readily removed therefrom. The
exposed face of the force-fitted batten strip may be made of a
glossy or matte finish and be of any desired color so as to be
color-coordinated with the panels. The ceiling and floor runners,
which may be of the type described in FIGS. 2a and 2b, or of any
other suitable type, may likewise be made of a material which is
color-coordinated with the panels and which provide an
aesthetically appealing appearance when fully assembled.
While not described herein for purposes of simplicity, it should be
understood that ceiling and floor runners of the type described
hereinabove in connection with FIGS. 2a and 2b may be employed to
finish the top and bottom horizontal marginal edges of a partition
assembly. Obviously, any other floor or ceiling runner arrangement
may be employed. The left-hand and right-hand most panels or,
alternatively, those panels which require conventional fastening
means such as, for example, the fastening means 63 of FIG. 8e may
be covered by a batten strip of the type designated by the numeral
23 in FIG. 1b, wherein the left-hand arm portion 23e and loop-type
elements strips or in which novel mounting clips are secured to the
vertical studs and the mounting surfaces of the panel board to
greatly expedite assembly of a partition system.
It should further be noted that the various elements shown in the
Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Also, the relative
proportions between and among the various elements of the
assemblies have been modified for simplicity of the drawings and
hence the relative proportions as shown should not be considered as
limiting the concept or scope of the invention.
FIGS. 13 and 13a show another embodiment of the invention in which
clip assembly 180 is comprised of a mounting portion 181 adhesively
secured to panel 19. Integrally joined to clip portion 180 is an
upright portion 182 having a pair of parallel arms 183a and 183b
extending from the free end thereof. The arms 183a and 183b each
have an elongated slot 184 (only one such slot being shown in the
Figures). Each slot receives the associated end of a pin 185 upon
which a rubber (or resilient) roller 186 is mounted. The pin 185 is
urged away from upright portion 182 by springs 187a and 187b wedged
between pin 185 and upright portion 182. The panel 19 may be
"snapped" into position by pressing the panel against the studs,
causing the roller 186 to be urged toward upright portion 182 until
the roller clears short arm 11e of stud 11, at which time roller
186 is snappingly urged behind arm 11c. The panel may be removed by
prying the head of a screw driver between panels 19 and 19'.
Although this invention has been described with respect to its
preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many variations
and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art
and, therefore, it is preferred that the invention be limited not
by the specific disclosure herein but only by the appended
claims.
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