Integral Stud And Bracket Standard

Abstract

A stud and wall assembly constructed therewith for supporting shelf brackets and the like, the stud having as an integral part thereof, both a slotted flange for engaging shelf brackets, and as an extension of the flange, flat surfaces for engaging partition members which make up the wall. The slotted portion of the flange may be recessed within the stud or projected therefrom, so as to conceal or expose, respectively, the slotted portion. Additional bracket-supporting hooks can be extruded as part of the flange. The over-all cross-sectional configuration of most of the embodiments of the stud is an H-shaped configuration.

Parent Case Text

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 79,580, filed Oct. 9, 1970, now Patent No. 3,712,015.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional drywall constructions provide for the wall attachment of shelves and other heavy articles generally by the location of bracket standards in conjunction with the joint of two wallboards and the stud mounting these wallboards. This is necessitated by the inability of the wallboards to support a significant load directly, and also by the convenience and occassional necessity of mounting the wallboards so as to be removable or demountable without the brackets having been attached directly thereto. On the other hand, the strength and general permanence of the supporting web portion of the studs have permitted the standards to be structurally attached to and/or dependent thereupon, but only as separate articles independently manufactured.

Thus, the bracket standard has heretofore generally been a separate member which is mounted in place with the stud only by the use of a large number of components. For example, one construction requires, apart from the wallboard panels and shelf brackets, two studs, two separate bracket standards, two fillers, and S-shaped web, support channels for the studs, four metal edges for the wallboard panels, and four screws mounting the panels in place; in all 17 components. In the construction utilizing these parts, all but the screws and metal edges must be mounted between the two studs which are to support the four panels. Such a construction puts a premium on miniaturization as the studs so joined must preferably have a minimum longitudinal extension. Such miniaturization and a large collection of parts complicate the assembly, making it tedious, time consuming, and expensive at best.

Yet another conventional bracket standard requires it to be attached after the wall has otherwise been assembled. Such independent erection of the standard is time consuming and may depend, for successful erection, upon accurate placement of the standard with respect to the now-covered studs. For example, it may be necessary to screw-attach the standard to the stud underneath the wallboard. Where considerable effort is made, as in many cases, to hide the joints on the finished wall assembly with a filler, the later accurate location of the studs may become a guessing game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates to an improved stud and the assembly of this stud in a demountable drywall construction wherein the bracket standard for mounting shelves and the like and the stud cooperate in the engagement of the partition members to form the wall. Preferably, this is accomplished by making the standard an integral part of the stud, and specifically the part connecting the central web to the ends of the stud which engage the partition members. Thus, there is provided a stud having a central supporting web portion and a flange or a pair of oppositely directed adjcent flanges extending at an angle therefrom, the improvement featuring a portion of the flange one of the flanges, having vertically spaced therealong means for removably accommodating shelf brackets. The integral stud and standard combination is provided in a variety of different stud configurations, most of which generally have an H-shaped cross-sectional configuration. This variety essentially eliminates the need for adaptor components for other types of studs. Means are also provided at at least one integral extension of the flange to engage the partition members comprising the wall, the engaging means being especially shaped and dimensioned to support the partition members without the use of additional components such as screws.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a bracket supporting stud and a demountable wall assembly utilizing this stud to mount brackets wherein a reduced number of component parts is necessary for the assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a stud and assembly wherein the bracket standard is an integral part of the stud, regardless of the particular type of stud involved.

It is a related object of the invention to provide such a stud and wall construction formed thereby which are inexpensive to manufacture and simple to install.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a stud and the wall construction assembled therefrom which will permit the standard portion of the stud to be concealed or exposed, as desired.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a stud and wall construction wherein the completion of the assembly of the wall components automatically provides for the incorporation of brackets.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent on reference to the following drawings and detailed discussion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, partially broken away perspective view of a demountable wall constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, sectioned elevational view illustrating the assembly of the wall at the floor runner;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line III--III of FIG. 2, the runners and the shelf brackets having been eliminated for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary and elevational view of the stud and wall shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating another alternate embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the demountable wall assembly 20 of the invention features conventional ceiling and floor runners 22 and 28, the former having two generally parallel track portions 24 adapted to removably engage partition members 26 therewithin. By "partition member," it is meant any drywall wallboard or the like, of any convenient type and size, laminated or unlaminated, a preferable form being paper and/or vinyl covered cast gypsum board the edges of which may or may not be reinforced. By the word "engage" and its other forms, it is meant an interrelationship between two parts either one of which, or both, are especially shaped or formed for that particular relationship. This meaning is to be contrasted with the meaning for the word "interengage" and its other forms, which word is intended in which both parts are so especially formed.

The outwardly facing surface 27 of the board which is to be exposed when the wall is assembled may or may not have special decorative effects thereon.

The floor runner 28 conventionally engages the bottom edges 29 of the wallboard 26 by means of screws 30 which pass through both the runner and the partition members and also through external metal clips 32. A base 34 can be used to cover the screw-attached bases. The structural support of the partition members 26 is provided by studs 35 and 40. The former are conventional metallic channels which support the interior surfaces of the partition members 26 either removably or by adhering thereto by means of adhesive. Conventional brackets such as shelf brackets 36 are associated with the wall assembly 20 at the joints thereof for supporting loads. It will be readily appreciated that brackets performing other functions, such as the mounting of cabinets, can also be used and mounted in a manner more fully described hereinafter.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention the brackets 36 are directly inserted into and directly structurally supported and accommodated by the studs 40 without the need for a separate standard. This is accomplished by combining into a single piece the standard and the structure which engages the partition members. Preferably, this is accomplished in a manner which will now be discussed. Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the particular embodiment shown therein comprises a stud 40 having a central vertically extending supporting web portion 42, having legs or flanges 44 and 46 integrally extending from opposite edge portions 48 of the web portion at an angle thereto. Specifically, each of the flanges 44 and 46 extends beyond both sides of the web portion generally perpendicular thereto and parallel to each other so as to give to the stud 40 a generally H-shaped cross-sectional configuration. A portion 60 of the flanges located at a point between the ends or edges 62 of the flanges is provided with vertically spaced slots 64 which are especially positioned and shaped to accomodate the brackets 36. The slots 64 are necessarily offset from the web portion. To engage the members 26, the ends 62 are especially positioned and shaped to accomodate the brackets 36. The slots 64 are necessarily offset from the web portion 42 a slight amount to permit the end of the bracket to be inserted thereinto. The amount of offset is not critical; for example, the inside edge of the slot can be flush with the web portion. To engage the members 26, the ends 62 are especially provided with a flat inner surface 66 which abuts the outwardly facing surface 27 of the partition members. The engagement of the members 26 by the stud 40 is completed by a second set of flanges 68 and 70 which project from both sides of web portion 42 at the edges 48 thereof generally parallel to flanges 44 and 46 but spaced interiorly therefrom an amount which will just accomodate the thickness of a partition member. Each of the flanges 68 and 70 has a flat reinforcing surface 72 which abuts against the interior surface of the member 26, thus forming with flanges 44 and 46 a track-like member the two parts of which accomodate the partition member 26. The spacing of the flanges 44, and 68 and 70 defines a leg in the edge 48 the length of which must not be a greater than the thickness of the partition members 26. The member 26 is thus engaged so that the slotted portion 60 projects outwardly from the plane of surface 72. The abutting surfaces 66 and 72 are thus covered, while, as shown in FIG. 1, the slotted portion 60 of the flanges 44 and 46 are exposed. A shoulder 74 projects from the surface 72 into the partition member accommodating space to terminate the insertion of the member 26 short of the space reserved for the end of the bracket 36.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, to permit unused slotted portions 60 to be covered, the opposite, exposed surface of the ends 62 of the flanges 44 and 46 include projecting ridges 78. A wallboard tape 80 of conventional material such as vinyl and which is dimensioned to fit between said ridges is thus removably held in place by a backing over those slots 64 which are not intended to support brackets.

Thus, the above-described embodiment preferably has a plane of symmetry which extends longitudinally through the approximate center 86 of the web portion 42, so that the opposite edge portions 48 and all the flanges extending therefrom are mirror images of each other. Specifically, flange 46 is the mirror image of flange 44, having the identical function of interengagement with, and support of brackets, and engagement with opposite partition members. This mirror image construction simplifies installation as no one end or one side of the stud is unique or requires a specified location.

The stud 40 shaped in the above fashion is preferably metallic, and therefore can be manufactured by a variety of techniques, of which extrusion is one example.

The assembly of the components to form the wall assembly 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 requires simply the mounting of an end stud 40 with respect to the floor or ceiling runner, and the placement of the first partition members 26 in an oppositely positioned pair which are engaged within the first stud and the ceiling runner 22. After the first members 26 are fixed to the floor runner, the next stud is engaged with the edge of the first sections 26, and the process repeated. As shown in FIG. 2, it is not necessary that the stud 40 be fixed such as by screws to the floor runner 28. Instead, the stud need only be mounted thereabove, preferably resting upon the base 34.

Because of the aforedescribed construction wherein the standard is an integral part of the stud, the parts necessary to mount the brackets have been considerably reduced, resulting in a substantial savings of manufacturing cost and time of assembly. The elimination of components heretofore used to adapt the standards to the studs also avoids the need for miniaturization. Instead, the stud 40 provides all of the supporting, attaching, and bracket-engaging functions heretofore provided by the stud, said components, and a bracket standard, respectively. Furthermore, the assembly of the complete wall thus automatically and readily provides the bracket standards for the support of brackets, should they be needed at a later date.

FIG. 5 illustrates a form of the stud which is closely allied to the one of the floating studs disclosed and claimed in my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 77,997, filed on Oct. 9, 1970, now Patent No. 3,732,657. Parts similar to those previously described bear the same reference numeral to which the distinguishing suffix "e" has been added. Thus stud 40e is characterized by a single partition-member interengaging flange 44e, the extension 160 of which is the only portion especially shaped and dimensioned to fit within the kerf 142 of the partition member 26e. Thus the stud 40e interengages only one such partition member, permitting selective assembly and disassembly of the wall 20e without disturbing other neighboring partition members. The extension 150e is shortened compared to the previous embodiments, so as to comprise solely the slotted portion 60e. Yet another difference in stud 40e is the provision of a surface 170 at the edge 48e of the web portion 42e which is especially shaped and adapted so as to rest against and abut in a supportive, non-interengaging fashion, the back surface of the opposite partition member. As shown, the surface 170 is preferably a flange of short length bent at the edge 48e so as to be properly spaced from the flange 44e, i.e., spaced a distance approximately equal to the distance from the midpoint of one side of the wall 20e to the back surface of the opposite side of the wall. A knock-out tab 172 may be used to reinforce the back surface of the member 26e, but it is not essential.

Because the stud 40e is interengaged with only one partition member, it is necessary that a second stud 180 be positioned adjacent to stud 40e generally back-to-back therewith to interengage the adjacent partition member forming that side of the wall 20e. The stud 180 is preferably identical with one of the embodiments shown and claimed in my aforesaid copending application. Accordingly, the specification of that application is incorporated herewith. The stud 180 can thus be characterized as having a kerf-engaging flange 182 projecting at an angle from the web portion 184, and generally perpendicular thereto. A knock-out tab 186 reinforces the back surface of the partition member 26e interengaged by the stud 180. A second flange 190 projecting from the edge portion of the web 184 opposite to the flange 182 and generally parallel to that flange provides the same limited function as does flange 170 for the stud 40e.

The extension 150e of the flange 44e of necessity must be spaced from, or at least not covered by, the flange 182 of the stud 180. Accordingly, the two studs 40e and 180 are preferably spaced apart by a shim or channel 200 to which one of the studs may be anchored. If it is desired that selective removal of a partition member not be possible, the shim 200 may be anchored to both the studs by a single bolt (not shown).

It will thus be recognized that, in accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a great variety of differently shaped studs can be provided wherein the bracket standard is an integral part thereof. The slotted portion supporting the brackets can be exposed or covered. Even studs each of which is adapted to interengage only a single partition member can be so constructed. Thus, the invention is suitable in a variety of construction assemblies so that the attendant savings in manufacturing cost and time of assembly can be extended to many different types of wall construction.

Although this application sets forth certain preferred embodiments, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto. Rather, it is intended that the invention cover all alternatives, alternate arrangements, and embodiments as may be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed as exclusive property is:

1. In a stud for assembly in a demountable wall construction with partition members, said stud having a single sole supporting web portion and a pair of oppositely directed adjacent flanges each extending at an angle from one edge of said web portion; the improvement comprising only one of said flanges having accommodating means spaced vertically therealong and offset from said web portion for removably accommodating brackets, and means associated with only the other of said flanges for engaging said stud with at least one of said members.

2. The improved stud as defined in claim 1, wherein said accommodating means include vertically spaced slots in said flange portion especially positioned and shaped to accommodate brackets inserted therein.

3. The improved stud as defined in claim 1, wherein the edge of the web portion opposite to said one edge includes a single flange extending therefrom at an angle to provide a supporting surface for a partition member opposite to the member engaged by said stud.