Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Bridger strip hiding juncture of panels – Cap
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-27
2001-10-30
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Bridger strip hiding juncture of panels
Cap
C052S465000, C052S460000, C052S461000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308485
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a panel comprising a plurality of panel members applied to a backing, spacers applied to the backing between adjacent panel members in order to position the latter spaced from each other by a gap, as well as cover members which are applied to the panel members over the gap between two adjacent panel members and which have a width which is greater than the width of a spacer. The invention also relates to a method for mounting the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The walls and the ceilings of buildings and rooms are often provided with panelling, made of, for example, wood or plastic laminate, in order to obtain surfaces with an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In order to reduce costs it is desirable that the panel can be mounted easily and quickly. High quality uniform wood, in particular, and other types of panel materials are expensive. There is thus also a need to limit the use of material as far as possible by making the panel as thin as possible.
Furthermore, it is usually desirable for the gaps or spaces which occur between adjacent panel members to be covered and a way of achieving this is to install so-called cover panelling of the type mentioned by way of introduction. A drawback of this type of panel is that it is difficult to centre the cover members exactly over the space between adjacent panel members and in cases where the appearance of the finished panelling is of great importance, careful measuring in of the position of the cover members is required prior to mounting. This type of operation is time-consuming and increases the total cost of the panel.
Moreover, particularly when installing wooden panels where the component boards and strips are very thin, it is difficult to find a suitable way of fastening them. In connection with nailing, there is a risk that boards will split, while screwing in pre-drilled holes is time-consuming and results in clearly visible screw heads. This generally applies to other types of panels as well.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the invention are to obviate the problems and drawbacks of the prior art cover panels and to provide a panel which can be quickly and easily mounted by virtue of permitting exact and immediate centring of the cover member over the spacer. At least these objects are achieved by means of a panel according to claim
1
and by means of a method according to claim
9
.
A secondary object of the invention, in addition to providing even easier and quicker mounting, is to facilitate the use of very thin panel and cover members, with a preferred thickness of between 3 and 5 mm, by facilitating the use of double-sided adhesive tape as a fastening means in connection with mounting according to claim
10
without prior careful measuring in of the component parts of the panel in relation to each other.
The invention is thus generally applicable to panel members and cover members made of all types of materials. The panelling may, for example, be composed of conventional vertical, horizontal, or diagonal wood panelling with panel boards of varying width arranged in parallel and intermediate cover strips. The panel can also be made of other optional materials, e.g. plastic, laminate, sheet metal or combined materials such as, e.g., plastic and wood. Plate-shaped panel members of optional type which are framed by and separated by cover members can also be used. It is also possible to combine different panel members, e.g. plate-shaped and elongate ones, of which the latter may be orientated in parallel, transversely or obliquely in relation to the plate-shaped ones. This creates extensive possibilities for varying the design of the panel. Furthermore, the cover members are easy to replace and their colour and shape can be changed as needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,800 and GB 9170 A.D. 1911 disclose different types of prior art panels. However, in both these patent specifications, the panel members are not applied to the backing but to the respective spacer. This is a major drawback if very thin panel members are to be used since they will be arranged spaced from the backing and hence will not have the stability provided by the support of a posteriorly situated backing.
Furthermore, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,800 the cover members are not wider than the spacers and the spacers are not intended to be arranged between the panel members in order to position them spaced from each other but between the respective panel member and the backing in order to position the panel member at a certain distance from the backing. The cover members exhibit no groove or ridge, only fastening means
31
, probably consisting of pins or nails, which are intended to be pressed into the spacers to fasten the panel members. Accordingly, the cover members do not exhibit a means for facilitating centring of the same over a spacer. While it is known from that specification to apply the spacers by means of double-sided adhesive tape to the backing, neither the panel members nor the cover members are applied by means of double-sided adhesive tape, nor would this be possible without previous careful measuring in of each of the component parts of the panel prior to mounting.
Nor are the cover members wider than the spacers in GB 9170 A.D. 1911, but rather a flanged portion of the latter projects below adjacent panel members and thereby positions them at a certain distance from the backing. While it would be possible to fasten all the component parts of the panel by means of double-sided adhesive tape, this would require very careful measuring in of the spacers in relation to each other prior to applying the panel and cover members.
The point of departure for composing the main claims
1
and
9
according to the present invention was that the closest prior art is the type of panel which is used as an exterior covering on buildings, which is known as “cover boarding” and which includes panel boards separated by distance boards of equal thickness which are covered by cover boards which are also of equal thickness but which are somewhat wider than the distance boards.
Unlike this type of panel and the panels disclosed in the above-mentioned patent specifications, the panel constructed according to the features in claim
1
of the present application has several advantages. The panel can be quickly and easily installed, e.g. with the aid of double-sided adhesive tape, without prior measuring in of the component parts of the panel in relation to each other. This method is defined in claim
9
and no prior art panel can be installed according to this method. Another important advantage in comparison with the above-mentioned patent specifications is that the panel members are mounted on the backing which gives the panelling the required stability even if the panel members are very thin.
The invention enables in a simple way quick and exact centring of the cover member over the gap by virtue of the spacers being either thinner or thicker than the panel members and if the spacer is thinner, the cover member exhibits a ridge on its rear face, while if the spacer is thicker, the spacer exhibits a groove on its rear face. In this connection, the side edges of the groove or the ridge will engage with or coact with the side edges of the spacers or the side edges of adjacent panel members. In this connection, the cover member shall be wider than a spacer and a groove of the cover member should be as wide as or slightly wider than the spacer while a ridge of the cover member shall be as wide as or slightly narrower that the spacer.
A panel designed in this way can be fastened by means of an optional fastening means, such as e.g. nails, screws or glue, but it has the further advantage that it facilitates the use of double-sided adhesive tape as a fastening means when mounting the panel, since one characteristic of double-sided adhesive tape is that it “catches” immediately leaving no possibility for adjusting the position as is the case in connection with, for example, nailing and gluing. It would, for example, be possible to desi
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Friedman Carl D.
Nguyen Chi
Stora Kopparbergs Bergslags AB
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