Patent Application
20150204078
The present disclosure relates to a system for installing corner trim on a building or structure with a system of brackets that are hidden from view and that obviate the need for cleanup of fastener holes.
In the conventional manner of applying corner trim to a building structure the installer has already completed the installation of paneling to the wall and brought the edges of the from the two sides of the corner as close to the corner as time and costs permit. The installer then cuts a first length of trim to be applied in a vertical orientation to the corner to obscure the first side of the corner. The installer then cuts a second piece of trim to length for abutting the first panel which approaches the corner from the opposite side of the building. The principle two principal reasons for securing corner trim to a building is to obscure the gap between the oppositely approaching siding panels and to prevent the intrusion of moisture to surfaces that can be degraded by exposure to moisture. An open gap between the abutting siding lengths may lead to water intrusion underneath the siding that could result in wood rot, mold growth and ultimately structural damage to the building. Moreover, should high speed wind apply back pressure to a siding length at the gap, the resulting pressure on the siding could tear the siding loose from the structure. Additionally, corner trim provides a much more attractive appearance than closely butted siding members and serves to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the structure.
In a typical application described above the installer secures the oppositely approaching boards to the building surface with screws or nails. It is the process of passing nails or screws through the boards into the building structure that depressions are created in the surface where the nails or screws have passed that either are preferably retouched with a water-proof filling compound to create a smooth surface. The filled surface is then painted to create an unblemished appearance. It will be appreciated that these additional steps are time consuming and add additional cost to the installation.
Unfortunately, and particularly in regions of the country where there are temperature extremes and/or high humidity, the hardened water proof filling compound over time is often expunged either partially or fully from the fill hole because of expansion and contraction of the siding panels due to temperature changes or the absorption of moisture that causes the siding boards to swell when damp and contract when ambient moisture recedes. This expungement of the putty creates an unsightly appearance that then requires additional costly maintenance to remedy.
Even when the highest skill level is used to secure the siding boards to the structure small gaps or uneven end cuts can result. This less than desirable outcome can efficiently and cost effectively be remedied with the application of the disclosed corner trim system.
An object of the present invention is to provide trim that can be attached to a building corner in a manner that does not require driving attachment hardware through the front face of the trim.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a trim system utilizing a hidden bracket system that does not require the use of any exposed fasters to secure the trim to the building.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims, and appended drawings. The contents of this summary section are provided only as a simplified introduction to the disclosure, and are not intended to be used to limit the scope of the appended claims.
This disclosure relates to a concealed fastening building finishing element system that enables concealed fastening of corner trim to an underlying structure. The trim serves both an aesthetic purpose in adding a decorative feature to building envelopes and also adds an additional weatherproofing purpose in allowing for more complete weatherproofing of building envelope corners and openings.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a concealed corner trim system including trim members, each trim member having a structure-facing surface and an exterior-facing surface.
The invention advantageously allows the use of standard fastening guns and standard commercially available fasteners. This advantageously results in minimum cost of implementation and minimum additional skills required for installers.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. The contents of this summary section are provided only as a simplified introduction to the disclosure, and are not intended to be used to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Referring first to
In operation, as best seen in
An alternative embodiment of the bracket system 100 can be seen in
The bracket system 100 further comprises at least one trim piece 104 that is attachable to the bracket 102. The trim 104 includes a first and second face surface 122, 124, a first and second hidden surface 126, 128 facing the building, and a first and second side face 130, 132 that will face the installed siding panels. The first side face 130 is overhung by the first face surface 122 and the second side face 132 is overhung by the second face surface 124. The overhangs 134, 136 are preferably no thicker than 0.25 inches, as shown at T1, and extend a distance no approximately 1.0 inch, as shown at D1, from the cutout face surfaces 130, 132. The bracket may optionally include weather strips 133, 135 that extend outwardly from the outboard ends 108, 110 of the panel elements 105, 106. The weather strips 133, 135 preferably extend about 1.0 inches or a distance consistent with the overhang length D1. The weather strips 133, 135 are flexible yet resilient and are positioned beneath the siding panels 13 to serve as a barrier to the entry of moisture beneath the panels or the trim 34.
The trim piece 104 further comprises at least one longitudinally extending slot 138 disposed within the first hidden surface 126 for receiving the first flange 112 and at least one locking tooth 114 that may extend either inwardly or outwardly. The trim piece 104 further includes an undercut 140 on the second side face 132 for receiving the second flange 116 of the bracket 102. The trim piece 104 also includes at least one longitudinally extending slot 142 disposed within the second side face 132 for receiving the minor flange 120 of the bracket 102.
In operation the alternative embodiment of the bracket 102 is secured to the corner of a building in the desired location by passing preferred attachment device hardware, such as nails or screws, through the holes 113 in the panel members 105, 106. Once the bracket 102 is secured in position against the corner of the structure, the slots 138, 142 of the trim piece 104 are aligned with the flanges 112, 120 of the bracket 102. Once the flanges and brackets are aligned the installer simply presses against the face 122, 124 of the trim 104 until the tops 144, 146 of the flanges 112, 120 interfere with the bottom of the slots 138, 142. Once the flanges 112, 120 have effectively bottomed-out in the slots 138, 142 the trim piece 104 is secured in position and because the locking teeth will bite into the walls of the slots 138, 140 there will be limited opportunity to reposition the trim 104.
While the preferred form of the present invention has been shown and described above, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject invention is not limited by the figures and that the scope of the invention includes modifications, variations and equivalents which fall within the scope of the attached claims. Moreover, it should be understood that the individual components of the invention include equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of this invention.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.
