Patent Application
20100050568
The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of building structures and, more particularly, an aesthetic cover assembly for concealing a portion of a building structure as well as a method of assembling the same.
Aesthetic cover assemblies are well known and commonly used for concealing features and elements of buildings and/or other structures to thereby enhance the appearance thereof. Such features and elements commonly include vertical supports (e.g., columns), horizontal supports (e.g., beams), mechanical components (e.g., ductwork and piping) and electrical components (e.g., conduit) or any combination of these and/or other features and/or elements. Additionally, such aesthetic cover assemblies are known to be used in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Conventional aesthetic cover assemblies normally include one or more cover segments that are interconnected with one another at a joint. The cover segments normally include one or more cover walls that extend along or around a portion of a building structure to at least partially conceal the same. One or more joint elements are normally secured along a cover wall of each segment to assist in interconnecting the same, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,823,533 and 6,192,646, for example. The joint elements assist in aligning adjacent segments with one another during assembly and/or installation. The joint elements may also be useful in preventing the passage of light between adjacent cover segments to improve the overall appearance of the cover assembly once installed.
Notwithstanding the usage and overall success of known cover assemblies, it is believed desirable to continue to develop and improve the design and construction of aesthetic cover assemblies and methods of assembling the same, such as, for example, to provide improved cosmetic appearance (i.e., fit and finish), ease of installation and reduced installation costs (i.e., field assembly) and/or decreased manufacturing costs.
An aesthetic cover assembly in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure is provided for use in association with a building structure. The aesthetic cover assembly includes a first segment and a second segment. The first segment includes a first wall and a first joint element. The first wall extends between longitudinally-spaced first and second ends and includes an interior surface at least partially defining an interior cavity of the first segment. The second segment includes a second wall and a second joint element. The second wall extends between longitudinally-spaced first and second ends and includes an interior surface at least partially defining an interior cavity of the second segment. The first and second joint elements have a common cross-sectional profile that includes opposing first and second profile sides and a midline disposed therebetween. Each of the first and second joint elements includes a first element surface extending lengthwise along the first profile side and a second element surface extending lengthwise along the second profile side. The first element surface includes a recess surface disposed on the second profile side of the midline. The first joint element is fixed to the interior surface of the first wall along the first end thereof with the first element surface of the first joint element disposed adjacent the interior surface of the first wall such that a lengthwise slot is at least partially defined between the interior surface of the first wall and the recess surface of the first joint element. The second joint element is fixed to the interior surface of the second wall along the first end thereof. The second element surface of the second joint element is disposed adjacent the interior surface of the second wall with a lengthwise portion of the second joint element projecting beyond the first end of the second wall. The first segment is disposed in approximate alignment with the second segment such that the first end of the first segment and the first end of the second segment are adjacent one another. The lengthwise portion of the second joint element that projects beyond the first end of the second wall is at least partially received within the lengthwise slot.
An aesthetic cover segment in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure is provided for use in concealing a portion of an associated building structure. The aesthetic cover segment includes a first section that includes a first wall, a first joint element and a second joint element. The first wall includes an interior surface that at least partially defines a segment cavity for housing a portion of the associated building structure. The first wall also includes opposing first and second ends that are spaced longitudinally from one another. The first and second joint elements have a common cross-sectional profile that includes opposing first and second profile sides and a midline disposed therebetween. Each of the first and second joint elements includes a first element surface extending lengthwise along the first profile side and a second element surface extending lengthwise along the second profile side with the midline extending lengthwise therebetween. The first element surface includes a recess surface portion disposed on the second profile side of the midline. The first joint element is fixed to the interior surface of the first wall along the first end thereof with the first element surface of the first joint element facing the interior surface of the first wall. A lengthwise slot is at least partially defined between the interior surface of the first wall and the recess surface portion of the first joint element. The second joint element is fixed to the interior surface of the first wall along the second end thereof with the second element surface of the second joint element facing the interior surface of the first wall The second joint element is positioned along the second end of the first wall such that a lengthwise portion of the second joint element projects longitudinally-outwardly beyond the second end of the first wall.
A method of assembling an aesthetic cover in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure is provided, such as may be used for concealing a portion of a building structure, for example. The method includes providing first and second joint elements having a common cross-sectional profile. The first and second joint elements include opposing first and second profile sides and a midline disposed therebetween. The first and second joint elements also include a first element surface extending lengthwise along the first profile side and a second element surface extending lengthwise along the second profile side. The first element surface includes a recess surface portion disposed on the second profile side of the midline. The method further includes providing a first wall that extends between longitudinally-spaced first and second ends and includes an interior surface. The method also includes fixing the first joint element to the interior surface of the first wall along the first end thereof such that with the first element surface of the first joint element is disposed adjacent the interior surface of the first wall and thereby forming a lengthwise slot at least partially defined between the interior surface of the first wall and the recess surface portion of the first joint element. The method further includes fixing the second joint element to the interior surface of the first wall along the second end thereof such that the second element surface of the second joint element is disposed adjacent the interior surface and positioning the second joint element along the second end such that a lengthwise portion of the second joint element projects beyond the second end of the first wall.
Turning now to the drawings, it is to be understood that the showings are for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the drawings are not to scale and that portions of certain elements may be exaggerated for the purpose of clarity and ease of illustration.
With reference to
In the exemplary arrangement shown in
As indicated above, an aesthetic cover assembly in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure can be of any desired length or height and, as such, can include any number of one or more segments of any suitable length or dimension. In the exemplary arrangement shown in
An aesthetic cover assembly in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure, such as cover assembly 100, for example, will preferably include one or more cover walls and a joint element secured along at least one end of each of the one or more cover walls. In some cases, the cover assembly could be formed from a single wall that is capable of fully concealing the associated building structure. In such case, only one or two joint elements may be used. In other cases, however, each of the one or more cover segments that together form the cover assembly can include two or more cover walls. In such case, each of the two or more cover walls will be capable of partially concealing the associated building structure. The two or more cover walls, when assembled together to form a cover segment, will extend along or around the associated building structure to conceal the same. Additionally, a single joint element could, in some cases, be secured on or along an end of a plurality of cover walls. In a preferred arrangement, however, a joint element will be secured along at least one end of each of the one or more cover walls. In such case, each individual cover wall and joint element assembly may be referred to as a cover section. A plurality of cover sections can then be assembled together to form or otherwise act as a cover segment. Or, in a case where only one cover segment is being used, the plurality of cover sections can be assembled together to form or otherwise act as the overall aesthetic cover assembly.
In the exemplary arrangement shown in
Additionally, each cover wall that is used to at least partially form a cover segment (e.g., cover segments 102, 104 and 106) includes an exterior surface 124 (numbered on cover segment 104 only), an opposing interior surface 126 (numbered on cover segment 106 only), opposing first and second longitudinally-spaced ends 128 and 130 (numbered on cover segment 102 only), and opposing longitudinally-extending edges 132 and 134 (numbered on cover segment 104 only). It will be appreciated that each cover wall will have opposing surfaces and that, regardless of the shape or configuration of the cover wall, one of these opposing surfaces will, in use, act as the outward or visible surface and the other of the opposing surfaces will act as the inward or hidden surface.
Where two or more laterally-adjacent cover sections are used, such as is shown in
It will be appreciated that the first and second joint elements that are secured along ends of adjacent cover walls (or, alternatively, opposing ends of a single cover wall) can take any suitable shape, form and/or configuration and that the arrangement shown and described herein is merely exemplary. However, the first and second joint elements will preferably share a common cross-sectional profile or overall cross-sectional shape. While it will be appreciated that the first and second joint elements can be formed in any suitable manner and by using any suitable processes or methods of manufacture, the first and second joint elements could, as one example, be extruded from a common die such that the cross-sectional profiles thereof would be substantially identical. In such case, the first and second joint elements could simply be formed from two different sections or pieces of a single length of extruded material.
One example of a joint formed between adjacent segments of an aesthetic cover assembly that includes first and second joint elements that are formed from a common cross-sectional profile is shown in
As can be observed from
With more specific reference to the common cross-sectional profile of the first and second joint element, second joint element 120A will be discussed in greater detail. However, it is to be specifically understood that the features, element and/or portions of the cross-sectional profile described in particular reference to the second joint element will be the same or at least substantially similar for any of the one or more other joint elements (e.g., joint elements 118A, 118B, 120B, 122A and 122B) that may be included in an aesthetic cover assembly in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure, such as cover assembly 100, for example.
The common cross-sectional profile of the joint elements includes a first profile surface 140 disposed along first profile side PS1 and a second profile surface 142 disposed along second profile side PS2. However, it will be appreciated that a portion of second profile surface 142 is disposed along the opposite side of midline ML (i.e., along first profile side PS1). This portion of second profile surface 142 is referred to as a recess surface or recess surface portion and is identified in
The common cross-sectional profile of the joint elements also includes lengthwise-extending end portions (not numbered) that are longitudinally-spaced from one another, such as with respect to longitudinal axis AX (
It will be appreciated that a joint element in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure can extend lengthwise along the entire longitudinally-spaced end of a cover wall or any lesser portion thereof, such as may desired. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the joint elements can be formed from any suitable material or combination of materials, such as metal, plastic or a reinforced fiber composite material, for example. In the preferred embodiment, the joint elements are from aluminum. However, any other suitable material could alternately be used. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the cover wall or walls can be formed from any suitable material or combination of materials, such as metal, plastic or a composite walls structure, for example.
As discussed above, the joint elements (e.g., joint elements 118A, 118B, 120A, 120B, 122A and 122B) that form a joint (e.g., joints 108 and 110) between adjacent segments (e.g., segments 102, 104 and 106) are oriented along the cover walls (e.g., 112A, 112B, 114A, 114B, 116A and 116B) of the respective cover segments in a mirrored or book-matched arrangement. As such, a portion 156 of the common cross-sectional profile between recess surface portion 144 and first profile surface 140 forms a lengthwise extending wall on one joint element (e.g., joint element 120A) that is disposed outwardly from the same portion (i.e., portion 156) of the other joint element (e.g., 118B), which is disposed inwardly therefrom. This arrangement allows the two joint elements to interengage one another to thereby at least approximately align the corresponding cover segments with one another. In this arrangement, the inwardly disposed portion acts to form a gap between recess surface portion 144 and interior surface 126 of the associated cover wall (e.g., cover wall 112A), such as is represented by dimension GAP in
The joint elements that form a joint between adjacent cover segments, as discussed above, are preferably disposed along an end (e.g., one of longitudinally-spaced ends 128 and 130) of the cover wall of the respective cover segment so that the two corresponding joint elements can interengage one another as discussed above. While it will be appreciated that any suitable arrangement can alternately be use, in one preferred arrangement, the joint elements are at least approximately aligned along an end of the corresponding cover wall in relation to an associated edge thereof. For example, joint element 118B can be disposed lengthwise along end 130 of cover wall 112A such that a portion, area or feature of the joint element, such as an end 160 of end wall 152, for example, is at least approximately aligned with edge 136 of the cover wall. As another example, joint element 120A can be disposed lengthwise along end 128 of cover wall 114A such that a portion, area or feature of the joint element, such the alignment feature formed by notch 154, for example, is at least approximately aligned with edge 138 of the cover wall. In such case, portion 156 of joint element 120A will project longitudinally-outwardly beyond edge 138, such that the rib or lengthwise-extending projection formed thereby can be received in lengthwise-extending slot 158. In that the joint (e.g., joint 108 and/or 110) is not intended to provide axial (i.e., longitudinal) support to the adjacent cover segments (e.g., segments 102, 104 and 106), a gap or space 162 can remain between the two joint elements. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the joint elements can be secured on or along the interior surface of the cover wall in any suitable manner and by using any suitable method of securement, such as threaded fasteners, retaining clips or flowed-material joints (e.g., welds), for example. In one preferred arrangement, an adhesive substance or material 164 is used to affix the joint element on or along the cover wall.
Turning now to
As shown in and discussed above with regard to
In the alternative, method 200 can include providing a second joint element having a cross-sectional profile that is common with or otherwise substantially identical to the cross-sectional profile of the first joint element, as is indicated by box 216. Method 200 can also include orienting the second joint element such that a second side of the cross-sectional profile, such as second profile side PS2, for example, is disposed toward the same surface of the cover wall as the first joint element, as is indicated by box 218. Method 200 can further include aligning a feature of the second joint element with a feature of the cover wall and attaching, securing or otherwise affixing the second joint element to the cover wall in the approximately aligned condition, as is respectively indicated by boxes 220 and 222. Where a second cover wall is optionally included, as indicated by box 214, actions 214-222 can act to form a second cover segment (e.g., one of segments 102, 104 and 106) or a portion thereof (i.e., a cover section), as is indicated by reference number 224. In such case, method 200 can also, optionally, include positioning the two cover segments adjacent one another, as indicated by box 226, and interengaging the joint elements thereof to approximately align the two cover segments with one another, as indicated by box 228.
As used herein with reference to certain elements, components and/or structures (e.g., “first joint element” and “second joint element”), numerical ordinals merely denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language.
While the subject matter of the present disclosure has been described with reference to the foregoing embodiments and considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the structures and structural interrelationships between the component parts of the embodiments disclosed, it will be appreciated that other embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the embodiments illustrated and described without departing from the principles of the subject matter of the present disclosure. For example, the disclosed embodiments could be altered to utilize such joint elements on cover assemblies of a square or hexagonal shape, or any other uniform or non-uniform building structure. Additionally, such building structures can be vertical columns, horizontal supports and any other load bearing or non-load bearing features regardless of orientation. Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments could also be used on walls, ceilings or other approximately planar applications as well as on or along wall-wall corners and wall-ceiling corners. Thus, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not as a limitation. As such, it is intended that the subject matter of the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/093,170 filed on Aug. 29, 2008, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61093170 | Aug 2008 | US |
