Wall framing system and components thereof

In a wall structure having horizontal and vertical panel gripping mullions and having a mullion crossing at which said horizontal and vertical mullions cross, said mullions comprising interior and exterior pieces attached together internally, the improvements comprising:

• water diverters mounted internally in each of the horizontal mullions, said diverters each extending from a point in the mullion interiorly of and above the lower edge of an upper panel gripped by the horizontal mullion to a point in the mullion exteriorly of and below the upper edge of a lower panel gripped by the horizontal mullion;
• means in said horizontal mullions adjacent the exterior-most portions of said water diverters for permitting egress of water from the interior of said mullions;
• and a water diverter bridge piece extending horizontally through a portion of said vertical mullions at the crossing from the water diverter in one horizontal mullion of said crossing to the water diverter in the other horizontal mullion of said crossing;
• in which the interior and exterior pieces of said vertical mullion are attached together by attachment means including flanges on said interior piece, and in which said water diverter bridge piece is notched to fit around said flanges.

A wall structure assembly including:

• an elongate frame member having longitudinal outwardly extending first lock means providing a first longitudinal lock recess;
• an elongate face member having longitudinal outwardly extending second lock means alignable with said first lock means, said second lock means having a second longitudinal lock recess;
• a connector clip having opposite end portions telescopical in said lock recesses, said connector clip and said lock means having cooperable lock means for preventing withdrawal of said end portions from said recesses;
• wherein each of said members has at least one longitudinal gasket lock means extending outwardly parallel to and spaced from the lock means thereof, said gasket lock means of one of said frame members extending outwardly from said one of said frame member a shorter distance than its lock means, said first lock means providing a longitudinal stop surface for a panel whose peripheral edge portion is receivable between said members;
• resilient gasket means mounted on said gasket lock means for engaging opposite sides of a panel whose peripheral portions are receivable between said member, said gasket means being compressed between said members and said panel to seal therebetween;
• and an elongate water diverter means extending downwardly from one of said members and below the bottom end of a panel whose peripheral bottom portion is receivable between said members above said lock means for diverting water to the exterior of the wall structure outwardly of an immediately lower panel.

A wall structure assembly including:

• a pair of elongate elements, each of said elements comprising a body having at least one planar longitudinal surface, a pair of parallel longitudinal lock flanges extending perpendicularly outwardly from said surface, said lock flanges having facing longitudinal lock grooves adjacent their outer edges, said lock grooves being defined at outer edges thereof, by lock shoulders which extend perpendicularly relative to said lock flanges and facing said surface, a pair of parallel longitudinal gasket lock flanges extending longitudinally from said surface and spaced outwardly on opposite sides of said lock flanges, each of said gasket lock flanges having means engageable with a gasket for securing a gasket to said element, said pairs of lock flanges of said pairs of elongate elements being connectible by connector means whose opposite end portions are telescopical between the flanges of said pairs of lock flanges, and having lock means receivable in said lock grooves and engageable with said perpendicular shoulders for locking said pair of members to each other;
• and a water diverter having a top vertical portion disposed adjacent said surface of one of said elements, a horizontal portion which extends outwardly of the parallel longitudinal lock flanges of said one of said elements, and a bottom vertical portion which extends downwardly from the outer edge of said horizontal portion.

An intermediate horizontal mullion for use in a wall framing system comprising:

• a generally U-shaped channel member having panel engaging means on the exterior of one leg of the "U";
• the legs of said channel member being substantially equal in length to the overall thickness of said mullion;
• and said channel member further having joint forming flange means extending from the base of "U" into the interior thereof;
• the extension of said flange means being less than the height of the legs of the "U";
• a cover for the U-shaped channel and snap-lock connecting means on said cover and on the interior of the legs of the "U" for uniting the channel and cover by snap-locking action;
• in which said snap lock connecting means comprise:
• a pair of upturned flanges on said cover at the margins thereof;
• a pair of upstanding camming flanges spaced inwardly of said marginal flanges, said camming flanges being taller than said marginal flanges;
• said camming flanges terminating in converging camming surfaces and further being provided with detent locking lips at the outboard edges of said camming surfaces;
• a pair of inwardly facing projections formed on the sidewalls of said U-shaped channel;
• said projections having grooves therein positioned to mate with said marginal flanges, camming surfaces slidably engagable with the camming surfaces of said camming flanges, and detent locking surfaces engagable with the detent locking lips of said camming flanges.

An intermediate horizontal mullion for use in a wall framing system comprising:

• a generally U-shaped channel member having panel engaging means on the exterior of one leg of the "U";
• the legs of said channel member being substantially equal in length to the overall thickness of said mullion;
• and said channel member further having joint forming flange means extending from the base of the "U" into the interior thereof;
• the extension of said flange means being less than the height of the legs of the "U";
• in which said joint forming flange means comprise a pair of spaced upstanding parallel flanges each having an inverted "L" shape with the bases of the "L's" facing each other.