Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6792727
-
Patent Number
6,792,727
-
Date Filed
Thursday, September 12, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, September 21, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Friedman; Carl D.
- McDermott; Kevin
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 052 245
- 052 235
- 052 50605
- 052 513
- 052 2362
- 052 247
- 052 249
- 052 5861
- 052 5862
- 052 511
- 052 50606
-
International Classifications
- E04G1104
- E04H600
- E04B500
- E04B200
-
Abstract
The invention comprises a system for constructing a finished convex or concave curved wall of any desired radius beyond a specified minimum. The wall is constructed of pre-finished rectangular panels retained on a sub-wall structure in horizontal rows and vertical columns. The panels are retained on the sub-wall structure with vertical rails at their vertical edges and retainer clips spaced along their horizontal edges. The panels are slotted at their rear face to provide rigidity in the vertical direction and flexibility in the horizontal direction. The horizontal edges of the panels are kerfed to receive the retainer clips and flexible splice strips that conform to the curvature of the wall and align and space a panel with the panel immediately above it. Clips attaching vertical edges of the panels to the rails allow the associated areas of the panels to align tangentially with the curvature of the wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to wall construction and, in particular, to a system utilizing factory built panels and associated hardware for constructing curved walls.
PRIOR ART
Architects and/or building owners may specify curved interior walls to give rooms, partitions, corridors and the like a unique look, to create a focal point in the interior of the building, or otherwise depart from ordinary planar walls. Where the walls are to be finished with a hard finish other than plaster or drywall, it has often been the practice to construct a curved wall with custom millwork. This custom work, under most circumstances, is costly, because of the skilled labor and custom made panels or planks which, typically, are employed to create the curved surfaces. Consequently, architects and builders are restrained, due to the costs, from freely using their creativity in designing non-planar walls. Moreover, because each custom installation is just that, the final fit and finish of a custom built curved wall may be less than what is originally specified by the architect, thereby leading to further difficulties and controversies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system of pre-manufactured panels and integrated hardware that produces concave or convex walls with a consistent high-quality appearance. The system utilizes specially fabricated rectangular panels of a height and width suitable for the customer's application. The panels are uniquely cut with dado slots on their rear faces to obtain horizontal flexibility and vertical stiffness. The panels have two opposed edges, normally the horizontal edges, kerfed to accept a spline and wall attachment clip while the other edges, typically the vertical edges, are square cut. The outer decorative face of a panel can take a variety of forms such as wood veneer, high-pressure laminate, metal veneer, or other known finishes.
In accordance with the invention, the panels are interlocked to one another and retained against a sub-wall by special clips situated at the perimeter of each panel. Preferably, the spline used to join horizontal edges of adjacent panels is a flexible material such as extruded PVC so that it is readily manually bent on site into the radius of the wall. The vertical edges of adjacent panels are interconnected by joining them to vertical main rails with the use of panel clips secured to the rear faces of the panels. The main rails are attached to the sub-wall or framework and the panels, in turn, are fixed to the main rails by the panel clips. Advantageously, the slotted design of the panels as well as the character of the main rails, panel clips, retainer clips, and splines, enable the panel system to be used with any desired radius of curvature, both convex or concave above a certain minimum specified radius. Thus, the wall can have a changing radius and/or a serpentine configuration, as desired. As used herein, the term “cylindrical” is meant to describe a plane curved about one or more parallel axes.
The disclosed panel system affords the look of custom millwork with high quality fit and finish, but at substantially lower cost than custom millwork. Additionally, the system enables a wall to be installed with less time and less skill than required by custom millwork. The unique hardware assures consistent alignment between adjacent panels without exposed fasteners or clips to achieve a handsome, quality appearance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the curved wall panel assembly of the invention;
FIG. 2
is a fragmentary elevational view of the curved wall panel assembly of the invention;
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional fragmentary view of the curved wall panel assembly taken in the plane
3
—
3
shown both in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the curved wall assembly taken in the plane
4
—
4
shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
; and
FIG. 5
is a schematic representation of a curved wall constructed in accordance with the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, a curved wall panel system
10
in accordance with the invention includes a plurality of rectangular panels
11
. In the following description, the panels and related hardware are indicated to have certain orientations which will produce a wall that is curved in a vertical column. The same parts can be turned 90° to produce a wall, arch, or ceiling that is curved in a horizontal column or turned in some other angle to produce a wall that is curved in an inclined column. Opposite vertical edges
12
of the panels
11
are joined or coupled to adjacent panel edges with main rails
13
and panel clips
14
. Opposite horizontal panel edges
16
have kerfs or slots
17
to receive a spline or splice
18
and retainer clips
19
.
The panels
11
are ordinarily rectangular in shape, it being understood that this description includes the condition of being square. The panels
11
, for the most part, will have the same shape and size but this need not be the case. Typically, the size of the panels both vertically and horizontally can be selected to compliment the application. The long dimension of a panel
11
typically would run in the horizontal direction but, if desired, can be arranged to run in the vertical direction; that is to say, the long dimension of a panel can run in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylindrical plane of the wall, or can run circumferentially along the cylindrical surface of the wall. Preferably, the panel
11
is fabricated of ¾″ thick wood composite material forming a core
15
. An outer decorative panel face
21
can be laminated to this composite core
15
at the factory to satisfy a customer's specifications. The decorative panel face may comprise, for example, wood veneer, high pressure laminate, sheet metal or other known finish materials. The edges
12
,
16
can be stained, painted, laminated or the like with a color or finish to coordinate with the decorative outer face
21
. As shown, the vertical edges
12
are square cut. A rear face
22
of a panel
11
is machined with dado cuts in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylindrical section in which a panel is to be formed by bending or flexing action. The dado cuts or slots
22
are generally evenly spaced across the panel
11
and run the full distance between the kerfed edges
16
. As shown, the dado cuts
22
are in the shape of a dovetail such that the greatest width of a slot exists adjacent the finish face
21
. This configuration of the slots
22
achieves a high degree of flexibility in the horizontal direction while retaining stiffness in the perpendicular or vertical direction since the section modulus of the panel material between the slots is greater than that which would exist if the slots were rectangular in shape and had a width the same as the maximum width of the dado slot
22
. The dado cuts
22
are spaced a sufficient distance from the edges
12
to permit convenient, reliable attachment of the panel clips
14
.
The panel clips
14
are preferably roll-form galvanized
24
gauge steel strips that are somewhat shorter, e.g. 4″ shorter than the vertical height of a panel
11
and are attached to the panel such that they are centered in the vertical dimension. As indicated in
FIG. 3
, the cross-section of the panel clips takes a form similar to a narrow Z-shape. More particularly, the clip includes a base flange
30
, a short web
31
, a main flange
32
, and a minor flange
33
. The base flange
30
is provided with spaced holes to receive fastening screws
34
screwed into the panel core
15
to attach the base flange firmly on the panel
11
. In its free configuration, a panel clip
14
with its base flange
30
abutted to a rear face
24
of the panel core
15
, can have a bend line or corner
36
between the main and minor flanges
32
,
33
touching or nearly touching the core so that, as described later, it can firmly grip a part of a main rail
13
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the web
31
holds the main flange
32
away from the core
15
to permit a part of a main rail
13
to be received between it and the adjacent area of the core or panel
11
. The panel clips
14
are assembled on the rear faces
24
of the core
15
in parallel alignment with the adjacent edges
12
.
A main rail
13
is disposed between vertical edges
12
of adjacent panels
11
. The main rails
13
are rigid elements preferably made of extruded aluminum. A cross-section of a main rail
13
is illustrated in FIG.
3
. The main rail
13
includes a generally centralized rib
40
adapted to separate the vertical edges
12
of adjacent panels
11
and a pair of oppositely extending flanges
41
,
42
. A channel
43
, formed by a portion of the rib
40
, a web
44
and a flange
45
, exists between the rib and flange
42
. The channel or formation
43
receives hex head screws or like fasteners
46
and thereby ensures that there is no interference between such fasteners and the adjacent panel
11
. The channel
43
and, particularly the flange
45
and corresponding portion of the rib
40
allow the flanges
42
,
41
, respectively, to stand off a sub-wall structure or sub-framework indicated by the numeral
47
to which the main rail
13
is attached by the screws
46
. This standoff or spaced relation between the flanges
41
,
42
and sub-wall structure
47
allows the panel clips
14
to be received in the space between these flanges
41
,
42
and the sub-wall
47
. With reference to
FIG. 3
, it will be seen that the central rib
40
, having oppositely extending beads
48
or equivalent structure, is adapted to properly space and vertically align the panels
11
.
With reference to
FIG. 4
, a retainer clip
19
is shown in cross-section or profile. The retainer clip is conveniently made of extruded aluminum or other suitable material and is relatively short being, for example, about 2″ long. The profile of the retainer clip
19
is similar to a lower case “h”. A vertical part of the retainer clip section includes a web
50
having upper and lower horizontally extending flanges
51
,
52
. Near the mid-section of the web
50
, the clip
19
includes a wall
53
extending horizontally from the web
50
. Integral with a free edge of the wall
53
, is a depending flange
54
. An integral rectangular bar
55
exists at the intersection of a lower face of the wall
53
and the web
50
. Vertical edges
56
,
57
, of the flanges
51
,
52
and a vertical face
58
of the bar
55
, lie in a common vertical plane and are adapted to operate to standoff or hold the panels
11
a predetermined distance away from the sub-wall or sub-framework
47
, this distance being the same as the predetermined standoff distance developed by the flanges
41
,
42
of the main rails
13
. The depending flange
54
is spaced from the plane of the edges
56
,
57
, and surface
58
so that it fits in the kerf
17
on the upper horizontal edge
16
of a panel
11
and so that it captures a section
59
of the panel edge
16
formed when the kerf is cut into this edge, preferably with a snug or push fit. A channel-like area
61
formed between the flange
51
and wall
53
receives a hex head screw or like fastener to secure the retainer clip
19
and, therefore, the associated panels
11
to the sub-wall
47
. The retainer clips
19
are located at spaced intervals along the upper horizontal edges
16
of the panels at an appropriate spacing of, for example, 8″. The spline
18
, preferably, is extruded of flexible polyvinylchloride. Other bendable or pliable materials are contemplated, such as rubber or other elastomeric material, or malleable material such as soft extruded aluminum. The spline
18
is precut to a length that matches the horizontal dimension of the panels
11
. The spline
18
has the general shape of a “T”. An upper part
63
of the spline fits snugly in the kerf
17
of the lower horizontal edge
16
of the superjacent panel
11
while a lower part
64
of the spline has a reduced thickness to enable it to fit in a kerf
17
on the upper edge
16
of the subjacent panel
11
along with the retainer clip flange
54
. It will be understood that the width of the kerfs
17
on the upper and lower horizontal edges
16
is the same for the sake of simplicity in manufacture of the panels
11
. At the vertical mid-section of the spline cross-section, the spline
18
includes an integral bar-like formation
66
having upper and lower horizontal surfaces
67
,
68
. The lower horizontal surface
68
is adapted to bear against the upper horizontal edge
16
of the subjacent panel while the upper surface
67
is adapted to support the superjacent panel
11
by engagement with the lower horizontal surface of such panel. A decorative formation
69
can be integrated with the bar formation
66
of the splice to provide a finish for a vertical gap
71
between the upper and lower horizontal edges
16
of adjacent panels
11
. It will be understood that the splice
18
vertically and horizontally (in and out of the plane of the wall) aligns the panel edges
16
with which it is engaged.
From the foregoing description of the system
10
, its assembly is self-evident. Ordinarily, panels
11
are stacked one over the other for the full height of a wall. Suitable base trim blocking, not shown, can be utilized to support the bottom row of panels or, the bottom row of panels can simply rest on the floor. A main rail is attached to the sub-wall
47
; the main rail may be modified as needed, where a curved wall starts so that it can be concealed by suitable trim, if desired. With the first main rail
13
or its equivalent installed in a vertical orientation, the panel clip
14
of the first panel
11
is slid over the flange
42
of the main rail
13
. The upper edge of this panel is attached to the sub-wall
47
with retainer clips
19
by positioning their depending flanges
54
into the kerf
17
on the upper horizontal edge
16
of the panel. The retainer clips
19
can be positioned with regular spacing along this edge such as on 8″ centers. It will be understood that the retaining function of the clips
19
will cause the panel to assume a radius of curvature corresponding to that of the sub-wall
47
, either convex or concave by flexing or bending the panel. The spline
18
is likewise manually bent on site into the curvature of the panel and forced into the kerf
17
on the upper horizontal edge
16
, the thinner flange or lower part
64
being oriented downwardly. Thereafter, the next vertical panel
11
is installed by sliding its panel clip
14
over the flange
42
of the main rail and fitting its kerf
17
on its lower horizontal edge
16
over the upper part or flange
63
of the underlying spline
18
. Successive panels
11
are installed one over the other in the same manner as described above.
Next, another main rail
13
is installed by fitting its flange
41
into the space between the panel clips
14
and rear faces
24
of the first column of installed panels
11
. The main rail
13
is installed so that the channel
43
remains temporarily exposed to receive the mounting screws
46
. After this rail is secured by the screws
46
, another column of panels
11
is assembled on the sub-wall
47
and this process is repeated column by column until a wall is completed. The last column of panels
11
can be fitted with suitable trim as desired; similarly, top and bottom horizontal trim can be used at the floor and ceiling.
From the foregoing disclosure, it will be seen that a curved wall can be constructed with essentially any desired radius greater than a minimum of, for example, 7′. The wall installation requires relatively little labor and skill to afford a custom quality look. The connection between the panel clips
14
and main rails
13
is somewhat self-adjusting due to the ability of the panel clips
14
to flex slightly so as to allow the cantilevered bend line
36
to be displaced away from the rear face
24
of a panel and, thereby allow the vertical edge area of a panel to conform or be somewhat tangent to the curvature imposed on the panel
11
by the sub-wall
47
.
It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.
Claims
- 1. A curved wall assembly comprising a plurality of bendable rectangular panels retained on a cylindrical base structure in an array where the panels are in vertical columns and horizontal rows, upper and lower horizontal edges of the panels having kerfs, and a plurality of splice strips bendable by manual forces to conform locally to the curve of the wall, the splice strips being positioned in the kerfs of adjacent horizontal edges of the panels, and retainer elements interconnected with the kerfs to retain the panels in curved alignment with the base structure, the splice strips being supported in the kerfs without being fixed to the retainer elements.
- 2. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the panels have a finish face on one side and a rear face on the side opposite the finished face, the rear face includes spaced slots to facilitate bending of the panels to conform to the curvature of the base structure.
- 3. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the slots are evenly spaced across a main central part of the rear face of the panels and extend vertically from the lower edge to the upper edge of a panel.
- 4. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of the slots has a wider slot width adjacent the finish face compared to the slot width adjacent the rear face.
- 5. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the splice strip vertically spaces the adjacent panels from one another in a vertical column.
- 6. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the retainer elements comprise clips having portions positioned in the kerfs with the splice strips.
- 7. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 1, including a vertical rail at a zone where the vertical edges of a pair of adjacent panels confront one another.
- 8. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 7, including clips on the rear faces of said pair of adjacent panels inter-engaged with said vertical rail.
- 9. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein said vertical rails and said retainer elements are arranged to space said panels a predetermined distance from said base structure.
- 10. A curved wall comprising a base wall structure and a plurality of bendable rectangular panels attached to the base structure in horizontally extending rows and vertically extending columns, the panels having horizontal edges and kerfs formed in the horizontal edges, a plurality of retainer clips gripping the panels by inter-engagement with the horizontal kerfs, the retainer clips being secured to the base wall structure and, in turn, securing the panels to the base wall structure, and a bendable splice strip capable of conforming to the curvature of the panels disposed in upper and lower kerfs of a pair of adjacent panels, one panel being disposed above the other.
- 11. A curved wall as set forth in claim 10, wherein the splice strip extends along substantially the entire horizontal distance between the pair of adjacent panels and forms a finished joint.
- 12. A curved wall as set forth in claim 10, wherein said splice strips space adjacent panels in vertical columns with a vertical gap of predetermined size.
- 13. A curved wall as set forth in claim 12, wherein the panels are anchored to the base wall at the vertical edges with a vertical rail attached to the base wall structure.
- 14. A curved wall as set forth in claim 13, wherein the vertical edges of the panels are fitted with clips, the vertical rails having oppositely extending flanges, the clips having cantilevered portions disposed between said flanges and said base wall structure.
- 15. A curved wall as set forth in claim 14, wherein the clips are arranged to allow the regions of the panels adjacent their edges to approach a tangential orientation to the curve of said wall.
- 16. A curved wall as set forth in claim 15, wherein said rail flanges are arranged to space said panels a predetermined distance from said base wall structure.
- 17. A curved wall as set forth in claim 16, wherein said retaining clips are arranged to space said panels said predetermined distance from said base wall structure.
- 18. A curved wall assembly comprising a plurality of bendable rectangular panels retained on a cylindrical base structure in an array where the panels are in vertical columns and horizontal rows, upper and lower horizontal edges of the panels having kerfs, and a plurality of splice strips bendable by manual forces to conform locally to the curve of the wall, the splice strips being positioned in the kerfs of adjacent horizontal edges of the panels, and retainer elements interconnected with the kerfs to retain the panels in curved alignment with the base structure, the panels having a finish face on one side and a rear face on the side opposite the finished face, the rear face including spaced slots to facilitate bending of the panels to conform to the curvature of the base structure, the slots being evenly spaced across a main central part of the rear face of the panels and extending vertically from the lower edge to the upper edge of a panel, each of the slots having a wider slot width adjacent the finish face compared to the slot width adjacent the rear face.
- 19. A curved wall assembly comprising a plurality of bendable rectangular panels retained on a cylindrical base structure in an array where the panels are in vertical columns and horizontal rows, upper and lower horizontal edges of the panels having kerfs, and a plurality of splice strips bendable by manual forces to conform locally to the curve of the wall, the splice strips being positioned in the kerfs of adjacent horizontal edges of the panels, and retainer elements interconnected with the kerfs to retain the panels in curved alignment with the base structure, wherein the retainer elements comprising clips having portions positioned in the kerfs with the splice strips.
- 20. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 19, wherein the panels have a finish face on one side and a rear face on the side opposite the finished face, the rear face includes spaced slots to facilitate bending of the panels to conform to the curvature of the base structure.
- 21. A curved wall assembly comprising a plurality of bendable rectangular panels retained on a cylindrical base structure in an array where the panels are in vertical columns and horizontal rows, upper and lower horizontal edges of the panels having kerfs, and a plurality of splice strips bendable by manual forces to conform locally to the curve of the wall, the splice strips being positioned in the kerfs of adjacent horizontal edges of the panels, and retainer elements interconnected with the kerfs to retain the panels in curved alignment with the base structure, a vertical rail at a zone where the vertical edges of a pair of adjacent panels confront one another, clips on the rear faces of said pair of adjacent panels inter-engaged with said vertical rail.
- 22. A curved wall assembly as set forth in claim 21, wherein the panels have a finish face on one side and a rear face on the side opposite the finished face, the rear face includes spaced slots to facilitate bending of the panels to conform to the curvature of the base structure.
US Referenced Citations (32)