Patent Application
20140165485
The present invention relates to the field of roof and wall coverings including simulated building elements. More particularly, it relates to the field of corner assemblies for siding and roofing coverings and to methods for covering a length of corner of a support surface using same.
Siding and roofing coverings, made of synthetic materials and designed for facing exterior building walls and roofs, are known in the art. For example, such coverings can have the appearance of natural materials, such as wooden clapboards, cedar shakes, masonry (stones, bricks, etc.) and the like. In typical embodiments, the coverings include a plurality of elongated panels which are individually affixed to support surfaces such as building walls or roofs. Normally, the elongated panels are secured to the support surfaces, in horizontal courses, beginning with the lowermost course, using nails or screws.
As will be easily understood, at corners of the support surfaces of the building or structure to which the panels are mounted, joints are formed between the elongated panels affixed thereon. In order to hide these joints, it is known to cover the corner sections with vertical elongated corner moldings (or corner trims). Known corner moldings however tend to pose aesthetic issues, as they are often unaesthetic and can lessen the natural appearance of the coverings. Moreover, in certain cases, the corner assemblies are cumbersome to assemble and/or to secure to the support surface or covering surface. Furthermore, known corner moldings are commonly designed to cover a predefined corner angle and are not adapted to cover a range of corner angles. In addition, different corner moldings are usually required depending on whether the corner is an inside corner or an outside corner.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved corner assembly for siding and roofing coverings which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.
According to a first general aspect, there is provided a corner assembly for siding and roofing coverings. The corner assembly comprises two complementary corner molding members, each one of the two corner molding members having a front wall including a covering section with simulated building elements on an outer face thereof. Each one of the two corner molding members further has at least one protruding finger and at least one recess. The at least one protruding finger and at least one recess are configured in an alternate configuration in order to interlock in a male-female configuration when the two complementary corner molding members are engaged with one another to define a corner.
In an embodiment, the two complementary corner molding members are selectively engageable in an inside corner configuration and an outside corner configuration.
In an embodiment, each one of the two complementary corner molding members further comprises outer sidewall sections extending inwardly from the front wall, at an end of each one of the at least one protruding finger and the at least one recess, each one of the two complementary corner molding members further comprising a lip extending outwardly from an inner edge of each one of the outer sidewall sections corresponding to the at least one recess.
In an embodiment, each one of the two complementary corner molding members further comprises a plurality of inner walls extending inwardly from the front wall, each one of the inner walls having at least one indentation defined therein engageable by a respective one of the lips of the other one of the corner molding members when the two complementary corner molding members are engaged in an outside corner configuration.
In an embodiment, the covering section with simulated building elements covers each one of the outer sidewall sections corresponding to the at least one protruding finger.
In an embodiment, at least one of the two complementary corner molding members further comprises a U-shaped wall extension extending from one of an upper edge and a lower edge thereof.
In an embodiment, each one of the two complementary corner molding members further comprises an inner sidewall extending inwardly from the front wall, at an end opposed to the at least one protruding finger and the at least one recess, the inner sidewall including a fastening flange extending outwardly from an inner edge thereof.
In an embodiment, the fastening flange comprises a plurality of fastening apertures.
In an embodiment, the two complementary corner molding members are identical, one of the two complementary corner molding members being flipped upside-down prior to the engagement of the two complementary corner molding members.
According to another general aspect, there is also provided a corner assembly for siding and roofing coverings. The corner assembly comprises a first corner molding member and a second corner molding member, each one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member having an external face including a covering section with simulated building elements. Each one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member further has at least one protruding finger and at least one recess defining a toothed edge region, the at least one protruding finger and the at least one recess being configured in an alternate configuration. The first corner molding member and the second corner molding member are engageable together in a finger joint configuration wherein each of the at least one protruding finger of the first corner molding member is engaged in a respective one of the at least one recess of the second corner molding member and each of the at least one protruding finger of the second corner molding member is engaged in a respective one of the at least one recess of the first corner molding member to define a corner.
In an embodiment, the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member are selectively engageable in an inside corner configuration and an outside corner configuration.
In an embodiment, each one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member further comprises a lip extending outwardly from an inner edge of each one of the at least one recess of the toothed edge region.
In an embodiment, each one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member further comprises a plurality of inner walls having at least one indentation defined therein engageable by a respective one of the lips of the other one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member when the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member are engaged in an outside corner configuration.
In an embodiment, at least one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member further comprises a U-shaped wall extension extending from one of an upper edge and a lower edge thereof.
In an embodiment, each one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member further comprises a fastening flange extending outwardly from an inner edge of an edge region opposed and spaced-apart from the toothed edge region.
In an embodiment, the fastening flange comprises a plurality of fastening apertures.
In an embodiment, the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member are identical, one of the first corner molding member and the second corner molding member being flipped upside-down prior to the engagement of the two complementary corner molding members.
According to yet another general aspect, there is also provided a method for covering a length of a corner defined at a junction of a first support surface and a second support surface, the method comprises the step of assembling a corner assembly by engaging a first corner molding member and a second corner molding member together. The corner molding members are engaged by interlocking at least one protruding finger and at least one recess of the first corner molding member with at least one corresponding protruding finger and at least one corresponding recess of the second corner molding member. The method comprises the further steps of configuring the corner assembly in one of an inside corner configuration and an outside corner configuration and securing the corner assembly to the first support surface and the second support surface to cover the junction thereof.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: assembling an additional corner assembly by engaging a third corner molding member and a fourth corner molding member together; configuring the additional corner assembly in one of the inside corner configuration and the outside corner configuration; positioning the additional corner assembly in a vertically-adjacent position with the previously secured corner assembly; and securing the additional corner assembly to the first support surface and the second support surface to cover the junction thereof. The corner molding members are engaged by interlocking at least one protruding finger and at least one recess of the third corner molding member with at least one corresponding protruding finger and at least one corresponding recess of the fourth corner molding member.
In an embodiment, the steps are repeated until the length is covered.
In an embodiment, the step of positioning the additional corner assembly in a vertically-adjacent position with the previously secured corner assembly comprises the additional step of inserting at least one U-shaped wall extension extending from at least one of the previously secured corner assembly and the additional corner assembly behind the other one of the at least one of the previously secured corner assembly and the additional corner assembly.
For the sake of simplicity, in the course of the present document, the expression “inward” refers to the direction towards the support surface in reference to an engaged position of the corner assembly irrespective of whether it is currently engaged on the support surface or not. Moreover, the term “inner edge” refers to an edge of a wall of the corner assembly proximate to the support surface when a corner molding member of the corner assembly is positioned to be secured thereto.
Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent upon reading the following non-restrictive description of embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are embodiments only, given solely for exemplification purposes.
Moreover, although the embodiments of the corner assembly for siding and roofing coverings and corresponding parts thereof consist of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperation thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations, may be used for the corner assembly for siding and roofing coverings, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the art. Moreover, it will be appreciated that positional descriptions such as “above”, “below”, “left”, “right” and the like should, unless otherwise indicated, be taken in the context of the figures and should not be considered limiting.
Referring generally to
It will be understood that, as previously mentioned, the corner assembly 20 is designed to be part of a covering system for building structure walls and roofs (not shown). The covering system typically includes a plurality of panels (not shown) mounted to a support surface (not shown), in addition to at least one corner assembly 20 as described herein. In an embodiment, the covering system may include a plurality of corner assemblies 20 mounted in a vertically stacked relation to each other, i.e. each corner assembly 20 being vertically-adjacent to another corner assembly 20, in order to cover an entire length of a corner of the building structure. The panels are mounted laterally to the sides of the at least one corner assembly 20.
As can be clearly seen in
The corner molding members 22 of each corner assembly 20 may be formed of any material known to be suited to use as a covering material for building structures. For example and without being limitative, in an embodiment, the corner molding members 22 may be made of a polymeric material. Moreover, one skilled in the art would understand that while each corner molding member 22 shown in the exemplary embodiment is monolithic, such a construction is only representative of an embodiment and that, in an alternative embodiment, each corner molding member 22 may be a unitary element fashioned from two or more separate constituent components.
Referring now to
The term “substantially perpendicularly” is used herein to reflect that, as will be described in more details below, in the illustrated embodiment, the inner sidewall 32 and outer sidewall sections 40 respectively extend perpendicularly and with a small obtuse angle relative from the inner face 26 of the front wall 23, but that, in alternative embodiment they could extend perpendicularly or form obtuse or acute angles relative from the inner face 26 of the front wall 23.
The corner molding member 22 further includes a fastening flange 30 extending outwardly from an inner edge of the inner sidewall 32. The fastening flange 30 is spaced apart from the front wall 23, the inner sidewall 32 extending therebetween, such that the fastening flange 30 is juxtaposed to the support surface when the corner molding member 22 is positioned to be secured to the support surface. As previously defined, the term “inner edge” refers to the edge of the sidewall 32 opposite from the front wall 23 and proximate to the support surface when the corner molding member 22 is positioned to be secured thereto.
In the embodiment shown, the inner sidewall 32 extends perpendicularly from the inner face 26 of the front wall 23, over the entire length of the corner molding member 22, i.e. from a lower edge to an upper edge thereof. However, one skilled in the art will understand that, in an alternative embodiment, the inner sidewall 32 could extend over a length shorter than the length of the corner molding member 22. Similarly, in an alternative embodiment, the length of the fastening flange 30 extending from the inner sidewall 32 could vary from the embodiment shown. In order to allow the securing of the corner molding member to a corresponding support surface (not shown), in the embodiment shown, the fastening flange 30 includes a plurality of spaced-apart fastening apertures 34. Nails or other appropriate fasteners can be inserted in the fastening apertures 34 for securing the corner molding member 22 to the support surface, as will be described in more details below.
Opposite to the inner sidewall 32, the corner molding member 22 comprises a plurality of protruding fingers 36 and recesses 38 provided in an alternate configuration, i.e. wherein a recess 38 is defined between two protruding fingers 36. As can be seen, the width of the front wall 23 is consequently smaller in a recess section than in a protruding finger section. Each one of the protruding fingers 36 and recesses 38 ends with a corresponding one of the outer sidewall sections 40 extending inwardly from the inner face 26 of the front wall 23. The edge region including the plurality of outer sidewall sections 40 of the plurality of protruding fingers 36 and recesses 38 defines a toothed edge region opposed to the edge region formed by the inner sidewall 32. In the embodiment shown, the outer sidewall sections 40 define a small obtuse angle with the front wall 23. As previously mentioned, in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the angle defined between the outer sidewall sections 40 and the front wall 23 can however differ from the embodiment shown.
In the illustrated embodiment, the outer face 24 of the front wall 23 and the outer sidewall sections 40 of the protruding finger 36 of each molding member 22 include a covering section 28 with simulated building elements in order to give a natural appearance to the assembled corner assembly 20 when assembled. In the embodiment shown, the simulated building elements are substantially rectangular stones mounted in an adjacent configuration. However, it will be understood that, in an alternative embodiment, the simulated building elements could be different from the illustrated rectangular stones. In an alternative embodiment, the covering section 28 may cover other sections of the external face 29 of the corner molding member 22.
Referring to
A plurality of inner walls 44 extends between the inner sidewall 32 and the outer sidewall sections 40. The length of the inner walls 44 vary in accordance if they extend in a section corresponding to one of the protruding fingers 36 or one of the recesses 38. Along their length, the inner walls 44 have indentations 46 defined therein. The indentations 46 extend inwardly from a free edge of the inner walls 44. In the embodiment shown, the inner walls 44 extending in a section corresponding to one of the protruding fingers 36 have two indentations 46 defined therein while the inner walls 44 extending in a section corresponding to one of the recesses 38 have one indentation 46 defined therein. The indentations 46 proximal to the inner sidewall 32 are aligned together. Similarly, in the embodiment shown, the indentations 46 proximal to the outer sidewalls 40 are also aligned together. One skilled in the art will understand that, in alternative embodiments, the amount, the shape, and the configuration of the indentations 46 can vary from the embodiment shown. For instance and without being limitative, in an embodiment, each inner wall 44 can include one or more indentations 46.
In
In an embodiment, the two corner molding members 22 can be made using the same mold, thereby resulting in the two corner molding members 22 being identical. In use, one of the two corner molding members 22 is inverted, i.e. flipped upside down, to be complementary and engageable with the other one of the two corner molding members 22.
Referring to
One skilled in the art would understand that, in an alternative embodiment, only one of the corner molding members 22 includes a U-shaped wall extension 48,50 protruding from the upper or lower edge thereof.
In the embodiment shown, the corner molding members 22 are configured in a substantially straight configuration while being engaged together. It will be understood that, in alternative embodiments, an angle can be defined between the two corner molding members 22 when they are being engaged together.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
It will be understood that, even if in
As previously mentioned, the plurality of panels of the covering system (not shown) can also include an outer face with simulated building elements. For instance, the building elements can include a plurality of vertically-adjacent, horizontally extending rows of shingles or other building elements such as wood planks, stones, slates, tiles, bricks, shingles such as cedar shingles, and the like. Similarly, the corner molding members 22 have an external face 29 with a covering section 28 including a plurality of simulated building elements, which, in a non-limitative embodiment, can correspond to the simulated building elements of the panels mounted adjacent thereto. In
One skilled in the art would understand that in the embodiment shown in
A corner assembly 20 of a covering system, according to an embodiment having been described above, a method of covering a length of a corner formed by a first support surface and a second support surface using the above described corner assembly 20 will now be described.
For covering a corner formed at the junction of two support surfaces, two complementary corner molding members 22 are engaged together and configured to define a corner, either an inside corner or an outside corner, depending on the corner to be covered. The angle defined between the corner molding members 22 of the corner assembly 20 is adjusted in accordance with the angle of the corner to be covered. Subsequently, the assembled corner assembly 20 is superposed to the two meeting support surfaces and each one of the corner molding members 22 is secured to a respective one of the support surface by inserting nails or other fasteners into the fastening apertures 34.
As previously described, the corner molding members 22 are engaged to one another by interlocking at least one protruding finger 36 and at least one recess 38 of the first corner molding member with at least one corresponding protruding finger 36 and at least one corresponding recess 38 of the second corner molding member.
In order to cover a greater length of the corner, another corner assembly may be assembled, positioned in a vertically-adjacent position to the first and previously secured corner assembly, and secured to the support surfaces. The additional corner assembly is assembled by engaging a third corner molding member and a fourth corner molding member to one another using the above described steps. In an embodiment, the additional corner assembly is positioned in the vertically-adjacent position by inserting the respective upper and lower U-shaped wall extension 48, 50 behind the front wall 23 of the vertically-adjacent corner assembly 20.
The above steps may be repeated several times. Therefore, additional corner assemblies may also be assembled, positioned in a vertically-adjacent position to the previously mounted corner assemblies, and secured to the support surfaces until the corner is covered along its entire length.
Subsequently, covering panels are mounted to the support surfaces according to methods known in the art. Sections of the covering panels cover the fastening flanges 30 of the corner assemblies 20. The covering panels may have to be cut along their length in order to have a side edge positioned adjacent to the end of the front wall 23 adjacent to the inner sidewall 32.
Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary only. A person skilled in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person skilled in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/739,322 which was filed on Dec. 19, 2012. The entirety of the aforementioned application is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61739322 | Dec 2012 | US |
