U.S. patent number 3,755,988 [Application Number 05/196,839] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-04 for panel assembly.
Invention is credited to Gerrit Van Der Sluys.
United States Patent |
3,755,988 |
Van Der Sluys |
September 4, 1973 |
PANEL ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A panel assembly having carriers and oblong resiliently
deformable panels extending from said carriers. Holding means are
provided offering a three-point support for each panel, each of
said holding means comprising two support members, one of said
support members being a snap-locking member. Each panel comprises a
profiled portion co-operating with said snap-locking member by
snap-action, said panels projecting with a free portion beyond the
holding means.
Inventors: |
Van Der Sluys; Gerrit
(Rotterdam, NL) |
Family
ID: |
22726981 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/196,839 |
Filed: |
November 8, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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882452 |
Dec 5, 1969 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/473;
52/664 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B
9/366 (20130101); E04B 9/345 (20130101); E04F
10/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04B
9/36 (20060101); E04B 9/00 (20060101); E04B
9/34 (20060101); E04F 10/00 (20060101); E04F
10/08 (20060101); E06b 007/08 (); E04f
010/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/473,482,484,494,497,664,668,667,669,222,506,507,474,478,522,74,78 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Faw, Jr.; Price C.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 882,452,
filed Dec. 5, 1969, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A panel assembly for surfaces such as walls or ceilings,
comprising:
a. a plurality of panels each panel comprising a substantially
planar portion being elongated with a longitudinally extending
profiled portion;
b. a plurality of carriers secureable to a surface to hold said
panels with their substantially planar portion substantially normal
to said surface, each carrier having panel holding means to provide
three support contacts for each panel;
c. said panel holding means comprising two outwardly extending
support members defining a space therebetween having a central axis
which extends outwardly between said support members and beyond the
length of said support members, said space to receive an edge of a
profiled panel, a first one of said support members comprising a
snap-locking member projecting toward said axis, thereby comprising
one of said three contacts, at least a portion of the second of
said support members facing towards asid axis to contact a panel,
thereby comprising a second of said three contacts, and one of said
two support members additionally having another portion facing
toward said axis to contact a panel, thereby comprising the third
of said three contacts, said snap-locking member engaging the
profiled portion of a panel and retaining the panel against
movement outward from the panel holding means along the
substantially common direction of the planar portion of said panel
and the axis of said space, said snap-locking member and profiled
portion adapted for disengaging upon the application to said panel
of a force substantially greater than the weight of said panel and
in said common direction.
2. The panel assembly of claim 1 wherein said two outwardly
extending support members are of unequal length, and the contact of
the shorter of the two support members contacts a panel between the
other two of said three contacts.
3. The panel assembly of claim 1, in which the profiled portion of
the panel as viewed in cross section is of continuous V-shape and
is spaced from and parallel to one longitudinal edge of the
panel.
4. The assembly of claim 1, in which said outwardly extending
support members are of unequal length.
5. The assembly of claim 1, in which the end of said first support
member projects toward and contacts said panel.
6. The panel assembly of claim 1, including a supporting beam for
said carriers with each said carrier being a separate part for
carrying at least one panel, said carriers being moveable in
relation to said beam.
7. The panel assembly of claim 1, wherein said panel assembly is
assembled on a ceiling, holding panels in a horizontal position,
and holding the planar portion of said panel substantially normal
to said ceiling wherein the snap-locking member engages the
profiled portion of the panel and retains the panel against
downward movement caused by the force of its own weight, said
snap-locking member and profiled portion adapted to disengage upon
the application of a greater downward force to the panel.
Description
This invention relates to panel assemblies comprising a pluralty of
carriers provided with panel holding means offering at least three
points of support for each panel and oblong resiliently deformable
panels extending at an angle relative to the plane through said
carriers and projecting with a free portion beyond said holding
means.
The panel assembly according to this invention presents a number of
advantages. Among other things it offers the possibility of an
economical and simple manufacture and in addition very simple
assembling and disassembling. In particular when used as a wall
cladding or as a false or suspended ceiling the latter feature is
exceedingly important because in many cases this panel assembly is
used where a high degree of accessibility to the spaces behind the
assembly is required. For these spaces often all kinds of piping
and wiring systems are accommodated as well as heating or cooling
apparatus. The invention can also be used for wall cladding,
awnings, canopies, etc.
The invention is characterized in that said holding means are
formed by at least two support members integral with the carrier,
at least one of which being embodied as a snap-looking member and
each panel comprising one or more profiled portions to co-operate
with the snap-locking members by snap action.
In using this invention it is possible to place the panels between
the support members simply by pushing them just a little until the
panel is fixed by snap-action.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention three support
members are provided which are situated alternately at one and at
the other side of the panel in question and are spaced apart viewed
in the direction of insertion of the panel.
Such an embodiment makes it possible to keep the panel shape
simple.
A particularly advantageous embodiment according to the invention,
by which an aesthetic unit is obtained and the panels present a
considerable stiffness is characterized in that at least one
longitudinal marginal portion of each panel has a V-shaped
continuous cross-sectional profile which constitutes the profiled
portion co-operating with the snap-locking member, said
snap-locking member and the other support members being embodied as
projections and said snap-locking member being constituted by the
innermost support member, the carrier being formed from thin
material, and the support members for each panel forming part of
two projecting parts of the carrier, said projecting parts being
situated in one plane and constituting the extension of one of the
legs of a substantially U-shaped body. This embodiment constitutes
a combination of a number of characteristics according to the
invention.
Within the scope of the invention various variants may exist
including variations of panel shapes. For instance a panel may be
composed of a sheet-like central portion, the marginal profiled
portions consisting of separate parts which in some manner may be
coupled with the central portion.
A great number of materials are suitable for the panels as well as
for the carriers, but it is preferred to use for both purposes
pre-lacquered aluminum. As is commonly known, the advantage thereof
is the economical and simple method of manufacture by rollforming.
With such a selection of material and method of manufacture one
obtains the considerable advantage that the various emboidments of
the carrier according to the invention -- in other words the
carrier constructed as one continuous unit for accommodating a
large number of panels, or the carrier as a unit for one or a few
panels, or the carrier as a separate part which co-operates with a
continuous supporting beam and is movable, especially adjustable,
with respect to said supporting beam may be manufactured in one
production step. In all of these cases a continuous carrier is
manufactured and the difference resides in cutting off the desired
lengths according to requirements.
The invention will be further explained with reference to the
accompanying drawings showing a plurality of embodiments of the
invention.
FIG. 1 shows in perspective a partial top view of an embodiment of
a ceiling according to the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a portion of a carrier and two panels
in mounted condition.
FIG. 3 shows a left hand side view of the assembly according to
FIG. 2.
FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 6a, 7 and 8 each show an embodiment of the invention
by means of a schematic side view of a portion of a carrier with a
panel.
The panel assembly according to the invention is designated in
general with reference numeral 1 and comprises a plurality of
spaced apart carriers which are provided with pairs of projecting
parts 6 and 7. These projecting parts comprise a number of support
members 8,9,10,12,13,16,17,18,21,22,24, of which at least one
support member 8,17,18,22 and 24 has a snap-locking arrangement.
The snap-locking arrangement comprises a straight side and an
opposite side having a recess. Each panel 3 comprises at least one
profiled portion or indentation 4,11,15,19,20,23 and 25 which upon
insertion of the panel in question into the space 5 formed between
the projecting parts 6 and 7 slides along the straight side of the
snap-locking arrangement and subsequently at least a portion snaps
into the recess behind the snap-locking member. Thus close to said
profiled portion the panel is temporarily resiliently deformed and
after the snapping action it resumes its original shape. The
support members 9,10,12,13,16,18, and 21 not serving as
snap-locking members serve in addition to hold the panel.
Preferably this is done tension-free, in other words such that the
support members barely touch or barely do not touch the panel, but
it is also completely within the scope of the invention to arrange
the support members including the snap-locking members such that
the various support members exert a slight pressure on the panel.
In both cases the result is that the panel is held rattle free. As
is clearly apparent from the drawings the assembling and
disassembling of the panel is particularly simple. When being
mounted the panel need only to be inserted into the accommodation
space 5 between the two projecting parts 6 and 7 and to be pushed
until the profiled portion in question snaps into place behind the
snap-locking member. The disassembling of the panels is done by
pulling the panels down in vertical direction so that the profiled
portion in question is pulled out of the recess and across the
snap-locking member.
The embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 5 distinguish themselves mainly by a
different cross-sectional profile of the panels and a difference in
the shape of the accommodation spaces 5 relating thereto. In
particular the embodiment of the panel according to FIG. 2 presents
considerable advantages since the V-shaped profile extending along
the entire length of the panel renders said panel very rigid, and
has a pleasing appearance while, moreover, it facilitates the
snapping in and snapping out. It is preferred to provide both rim
portions of the panel with said profile in opposite sense. In these
two embodiments the other support members in addition to the
snap-locking member are embodied as projections. In the embodiments
according to FIG. 4, however, these support members 12 and 13 are
formed as flat sides of the projecting parts 6 and 7 and on the
other hand the profile 3 comprises profiled portions 14 in addition
to the snap-in profiled portion 11. The profiled portions 14
support the panel against the support members 12 and 13. Also in
this embodiment the profiled portions 14 as well as the profiled
portions 11 are oppositely symmetrical. In the embodiment according
to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 the inner support members constitute the
snap-locking members. In the embodiment according to FIG. 6,
however, the snap-locking member 17 has a central support member
bounded on either side at some distance by the support members 16
and 18. In FIG. 6a the panel 3 has a third profiled portion 20 to
indicate the possibility of having two support members act as
snap-locking members.
In FIGS. 7 and 8 the outer support members 22 and 24 are embodied
as snap-locking members. The support member 21 and the support
member 22 may in fact be regarded as one support member in which a
recess for the snapping-in of the profiled portion 23 of the panel
3 is provided. The embodiment according to FIG. 8 differs from the
preceding embodiments in that the profiled portion 25 snaps only
partially behind the snap-locking member. As is apparent from the
Fig. this is a consequence of the fact that the snap-locking member
24 engages with the recess of the profiled portion 25. Also such a
co-operation between snap-locking member and profiled portion is
entirely within the scope of the present invention.
The profiled portions of the panels according to the invention may
be replaced by local deformations so that the considerable
advantages of the simple assembling and disassembling and the
aesthetical appearance are maintained. The drawback that the
selection of the location of the carrier is dependent on the
location of the profiled portions or indentations, or that the
latter can only be provided after the location of the carrier is
known can be overcome by forming such a local indentation simply
and inexpensively on the spot.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a carrier in the longitudinal
direction. Said carrier is asymmetrical in cross-section. Without
departing from the scope of the invention said carrier may,
however, be of a differently shaped section, such as for example a
symmetrical U- or V-shape, or an L- or T-shape.
As shown in FIG. 1 the carriers may also be embodied as separate
parts 26 made to carry only one or a small number of panels. These
carrier parts 26 are arranged on a supporting beam 27 and are
movable preferably slidable with respect to said beam so that
consequently the distance between the panels or groups of panels
carried by said carrier parts 26 is adjustable.
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