Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face... – Having integral key
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-11
2001-04-17
Callo, Laura A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face...
Having integral key
C052S590100, C052S590200, C052S592100, C052S585100, C052S286000, C052S604000, C403S381000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216410
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to modular construction panels, and more particularly, to a modular panel with slide-lock tongue and groove sides and corners that interlock with the slide-lock tongue and groove sides of an adjacent panel to form a high-strength linear or curved wall, floor, ceiling, arch, dome, retaining wall, or the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The construction of buildings is typically accomplished by the traditional method of erecting a wood, metal, or concrete frame, adding an interior finish layer such as drywall, wood paneling, plaster, ceiling and floor tiles, or the like, and adding an exterior finish layer such as aluminum or wood siding, marble, limestone, brick, or the like. There are a number of disadvantages to such conventional building methods. A large amount of construction material is required, and a tremendous amount of man-hours are required for sizing, cutting, and/or assembling the materials, including such tasks as welding, applying mortar, and installing rivets, bolts, screws, nails, adhesives, and like connectors.
Furthermore, a large majority of concrete and steel buildings are built with frames and enclosures as separate systems, where most enclosures typically do not have the strength to withstand extreme loads caused by catastrophic events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, explosions, fires, floods, and the like. In the case of wood frame structures, the entire building is often vulnerable to catastrophe. Moreover, because of the weight of steel and concrete, buildings constructed with these materials using conventional constructions techniques must bear a heavy load from the portion of the structure above. Additional disadvantages to conventional construction techniques include the necessity of providing expansion joints to allow for the different rates of expansion and contraction where employing more than one type of material, cracking of floors and walls due to settling of the earth, and the inability to quickly and easily assemble and disassemble a building, transport the components, and reassemble the same components.
Attempts to reduce the time and effort required to erect a wall have produced a number of modular panels. One type of panel commonly used has a core made of foam or a like insulating material, a skin made of sheet metal or the like, and a specialized interlocking structure on two opposing sides. Several such panels are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,939 to Zadok et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,865 to Palmersten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,778 to Knipp et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,038 to Prestenback, U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,553 to Landheer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,979 to Tsai, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,728 to Christopher et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,796 to Meyerson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,338 to Esposito.
Such panels are provided with a skin in part because a skin is a structure that is well suited to form into specialized interlocking mechanisms. Because of the foam core and sheet metal skin construction, however, these panels generally do not have the strength to withstand extreme loads caused by catastrophic events. Such panels are most commonly used for applications where providing insulation and quick and easy assembly are primary factors, such as interior or exterior finish layers, non-load-bearing walls, walk-in refrigerator walls, and the like.
Other known panels provide a one-piece panel with tongue and groove connectors. Several such panels are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,832 to Van Zandt, U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,599 to Hines, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,844 to Diedrich.
Such panels provide modified tongue and groove connections for ease of assembly and disassembly, however, they do not interlock in such a way as to retain the tongue in the groove. These panels generally do not have the strength to withstand extreme loads caused by catastrophic events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, explosions, fires, floods, and the like. Such panels are most commonly used for applications such as interior or exterior finish layers fences, non-load-bearing walls, and fences.
Still other known modular panel-type members provide high-strength characteristics, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,644 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,405 to Byrd, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,028 to Bouchon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,151 to Abou-Rached, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,972 to Silen.
These panels do not provide a slide-lock mechanisms that retain a tongue in a groove; the time-consuming installation of studs, bolts, piles, or the like is required to lock the panels together. Many of these panels are bulky and made of concrete, and require heavy lifting equipment to install. Also, many of these panels achieve their high-strength characteristics because of their significant mass and weight. These panels, therefore, do not provide for quick and easy assembly, disassembly, and transport.
Accordingly, what is needed but not found or suggested in the prior art is a modular panel with slide-lock tongue and groove connections for constructing a high-strength building capable of withstanding extreme loads caused by catastrophic events, that is relatively light-weight relative to other known high-strength building materials, and that is also capable of quick and easy assembly and disassembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally described, the present invention provides a modular panel for interlocking with adjacent panels, comprising a wall member having at least four sides, the first side having at least one tongue extending therefrom, the second side having at least one slide-lock tongue extending therefrom with at least one head at the outer end of the tongue, the third side having at least one groove defined therein for receiving a tongue of a first side of an adjacent panel, the third side generally parallel and oppositely aligned with the first side, and the fourth side having at least one slide-lock groove defined therein with at least one cavity defined at the depth of the groove for receiving a tongue and a head of a second side of an adjacent panel, the fourth side generally parallel and oppositely aligned with the second side.
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a first corner section defined by the intersection of the tongue of the first side and the tongue and head of the second side, the first corner section having at least one cutaway surface on the tongue and head of the second side defined by longitudinally extending the profile of the tongue of the first side through the tongue and head of the second side. A second corner section is defined by the intersection of the tongue and head of the second side and the third side, the second corner section having at least one cutaway surface on the tongue and head of the second side defined by longitudinally extending the profile of the groove of the third side through the tongue and head of the second side. A third corner section is defined by the intersection of the third side and the fourth side, the third corner section having at least one cutaway surface on at least one inner wall of the groove of the third side defined by longitudinally extending the profile of the groove and cavity of the fourth side through the third side. A fourth corner section is defined by the intersection of the fourth side and the first side, the fourth corner section having at least one cutaway surface on the tongue of the first side defined by longitudinally extending the profile of the groove and cavity of the fourth side through the tongue of the first side.
The tongue of the first side may have a generally parabolic profile and the groove of the third side may have a complementary generally parabolic profile. The head of the tongue of the second side may have a generally parabolic profile and the cavity of the groove of the fourth side may have a complementary generally parabolic profile. The head of the tongue of the second side may have at least one catch surface, and the cavity of the groove of the fourth side may have at least one complementary catch surface, f
Bernstein Jason A.
Bernstein & Associates
Callo Laura A.
Greenwald John W.
LandOfFree
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