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US 4,333,286 AGranted
Walls and partitions and concealed fasteners for assembly thereof
OwnerRoger N. Weinarinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerRoger N. Weinarinventor
Estimating the term…
Walls and partitions are constructed by securing of wallboard panels to a substructure, such as common wood or metal framing members, by a series of concealed clips of described construction, affixed to the framing members by nail or screw type fasteners. When the wall or partition is erected the fasteners are hidden from view so that joint treatment of the wallboard panels may be reduced or eliminated, depending on the type of wall structure constructed. The side or edge gripping clips are impaled along each side of abutting panels. When erected, a first series of clip fasteners are impaled on a side of a first wallboard and fastened to a framing member and a second series of such fasteners are impaled on an abutting or nearly abutting side of a second, wallboard panel, offset from the first series of clips so as to fit behind and be held by the first panel in a "tongue and groove" type cooperation. The invented fasteners include strengthening wall portions that reinforce them and create a clearance or spacing between the substructure framing member and the backs of the panels, while also providing for screw or nail head clearance. Also disclosed are such clips and wall and partition structures with features that permit easier disassembly of the structures, or spacing apart of the wallboard ends to allow for filler or filler strip insertion, when such may be desirable.
A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series clips, and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the ajdacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein the clip fasteners of the second series of clips include reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations in web portions thereof.
A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat abutting panels, in contact at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips, with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, and with panel contacting surfaces of the clips of the first series contacting the major back surface of the second panel, said clips of both series being concealed by the contacting sides of the adjacent panels, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet hard steel and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with the ratio of surface area proportions of the clip substructure contacting surface and panel contacting surface being from 1:7 to 7:1, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions comprise substantially coplanar directly connected plate and tongue parts and space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) about 1 to 3 times the thickness of the hard steel sheet material of which the clips are made, at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion, and at about a right angle to the substructure contacting and panel contacting surfaces of the clips, which surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions only from the plate part thereof and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended.
A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to be substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein a slot or equivalent opening is present in the first series clips, extending from a side of the base portion thereof to an interior location of said base portion, through the panel contacting surface thereof and in a direction substantially parallel to that of the clip webs, so as to provide a path for movement of the wall or partition in a direction at right angles to that in which it is assembled, with respect to means for holding it to the substructure, to facilitate disassembly of the wall or partition, when such may be desired.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, with reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations therein, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the web contacting a side thereof.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard of similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface of the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof, and a slot or equivalent opening extending from a side of the base portion to an interior location of said base portion, through the panel contacting surface thereof and in a direction substantially parallel to that of the webs, so as to provide a path for movement of a wall or partition in a direction at right angles to that in which it is assemblable, with respect to means for holding such wall to the substructure, to facilitate disassembly of the wall or partition, when such may be desired.
A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein clip fasteners of at least one of the series of clips include a spacing member for spacing apart the adjacent wallboard panel sides during and after installation thereof so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the web thickness of the fasteners.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip hard steel and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion of directly connected plate and tongue parts which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, with the area ratio of substructure contacting surface to panel contacting surface being in the range of 1:7 to 7:1, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) which is/are in total, at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion, which wall(s) is/are at about a right angle to the substructure contacting and panel contacting surfaces of the base portion of the clip, which surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, with the depth of the intermediate strengthening wall(s) being about 1 to 3 times the thickness of the clip material, which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending only from the plate part at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof, and a spacing member for spacing apart wallboard panels during and after installation thereof with the aid of said clip so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the web thickness.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion of substantially coplanar and directly connected plate and tongue parts, which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions, farther apart than the width of the tongue, which is centered between them, so that clearances are provided between the webs and the tongue, which facilitate manufacture of the clip and installation thereof, which web portions extend only from the plate part, at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the web contacting a side thereof.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion comprises substantially coplanar and directly connected plate and tongue parts and spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending only from the plate part and at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof.
A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure to and spaced away from the substructure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, the sides of which panels are substantially straight and flat, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and spaced away from it, and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance, by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means a distance greater than the thickness of the material of the clips, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panels sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended.
A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuously spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface of the panel from said substructure a distance greater than the thickness of the sheet or strip material of the clip, when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a substantially flat side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a substantially flat side thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.