AU2012100259A4 - A Panel - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract The present invention relates to a panel erectable to form part of a house or building. The panel includes a first sheet and a core layer having a first surface attached to the first sheet. The core layer has a second surface adapted to be s connected to a second sheet subsequent to erection of the panel. The invention also relates to a modular house or building including a plurality of the panel.

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: ANTHONY PAUL MICHAEL Actual Inventor: ANTHONY PAUL MICHAEL Address for Service: Chrysiliou IP Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 114-115/Biztek 20 Dale Street Brookvale, Sydney NSW 2100 Invention Title: A Panel The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: \\sbsc \data\docs\patcnts\applioations\22083.docop 2 A PANEL Technical Field This invention broadly relates to a panel and particularly to a panel suitable for use to build a house or building in, but not restricted to, areas which are exposed to s moderate weather, such as mild wind areas commonly rated as NI to N4 in AS 4055. Background of the Invention Houses or buildings in moderate to mild wind areas in rural, non-urban and urban areas arc commonly built of various structural components which are economical i and easy to install. These structural components typically include weatherboards, panels and lightweight building materials fixed internally and externally to a frame conunonly made of steel or timber. This frame may be fabricated on or off site and then erected on site. This construction method has at least the following disadvantages: 15 (i) the fabrication and erection of the frame requires a high level of skill; (ii) installing the insulation, internal and external linings after erection of the frame is labour intensive; and (iii) it is time consuming and hence may take days of labour to build an average size house. 20 It is an object of the present invention to provide a structural panel and a method of installing such a panel which may overcome or ameliorate the above disadvantage, or which will at least provide a useful alternative.

3 Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a panel erectable to form part of a house or building, the panel including: a first sheet; and s a core layer having a first surface attached to the first sheet; wherein the core layer has a second surface adapted to be connected to a second sheet subsequent to erection of the panel. Preferably the first sheet has one or more extending side portions. It is also preferred that the first sheet has extending top and/or bottom portions. 1o The or each panel of the present invention may be joined to another panel to build a modular house or building without requiring any framing or bracing, or other special or unique building elements or fixing means. In one embodiment, studs may be included but noggins, for example, are not. The or each panel is easy and quick to install without compromising the rigidity and integrity of the building. 15 In a preferred embodiment, one or more studs are provided to abut extending side portions of the first sheet. Preferably, the or each stud is an elongate member which is juxtaposed alongside the core layer. The or each extending side portion of the first sheet may be connected to the stud thereby adding further stability to the structure. The connection may be effected by way of fixing means such as screws 20 or nails or other suitable means. The or each self-contained panel may be adapted to be supported by and connected to a flooring plate or board. The flooring plate in this embodiment is adapted to be affixed onto one or more concrete slabs or other flooring system. The or each panel may also be adapted to support a top plate which in turn supports a roof truss. 25 Where the panel includes extending top and/or bottom portions, these may assist in connection to the flooring plate or board or to the top plate.

4 In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet has an exterior grade finish. More preferably, the first sheet includes a high density fibreboard. It is preferred that the high density fibreboard is Weathertex t m . Conveniently, before the second sheet is installed, one or more cavities in the form 5 of apertures or passageways are created in core layer of the erected panel by using a tool to facilitate installation of electricity cables or gas or plumbing pipes. The tool may be a knife or other situable means adapted to chase into the core layer to create the cavities. In this embodiment, the second sheet is adapted to function as an internal lining. 10 The second sheet is preferred to be a plasterboard or the like. After erection of the panel, the plasterboard may be affixed to the studs so as to form a wall. The core layer may be any suitable material but, preferably, includes an insulation material. The insulation material may include one or more of the following: polystyrene, styrofoamM, or corrugated cardboard. 15 The first and/or second sheets may be bonded to the core layer by an adhesive such as glue, although other suitable attaching means may be used. The panel may include at least one cut-out for installation of a window or door. The window or door may be a product readily available in the market place. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a modular 2o house or building including a plurality of the panels described above being joined to one another by joining means. In this embodiment, attachment of the second sheet to the core layer or studs is effected after all of the panels are erected.

5 Preferably, the joining means are provided to join one panel to an adjacent panel which may be aligned on the same plane with, or disposed at an angle to, the core panel. Typically, the angle is 90 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, the core layer includes one or more removable 5 extension bars. Preferably, the core layer has a pair of extension bars running along its opposite lateral sides, respectively. When the panel is disposed at an angle to the adjacent panel, a portion of the first sheet of either one of the or both panels may be removed so as to facilitate joining of the two panels. In this case, the extension bar is also preferred to be removed from the core layer of either one of the or both io panels so as to allow placement of a stud for stabilising the first and second panels. According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing a wall which forms part of a house or building, the method including the steps of: providing a bottom plate adapted to support the panel which includes a first 15 sheet attached to one surface of a core layer; erecting the panel by affixing an extending portion of the first sheet to the bottom plate; placing one or more studs adjacent the core laycr; affixing the first sheet to one side of the or each stud; 20 providing a second sheet to an opposite side of the or each stud; and attaching the second sheet to another surface of the core layer and/or the or each stud. Preferably, the method includes a step of providing a supporting means adapted to engage and an extending top portion of the first sheet and the or each stud, The 25 supporting means is preferred to be in form of a top plate.

6 In a preferred embodiment, the method includes a further step of mounting one or more roof trusses onto the supporting means for supporting a roof. Also, the method is preferred to include a step of installing waterproofing material in or onto the roof. 6 Brief Description of the Drawings The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a panel in accordance with one embodiment of the invention including a first sheet and a core layer; 10 Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the core layer of the panel of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view from above of the panel of Figure 1 with the first sheet connected to the core layer. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the panel structure of Figure 1 being 1s aligned with and joined to another core panel; and Figure 5 is a perspective view from above of the panel structure of Figure 1 being disposed at right angle and joined to another core panel. Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring to Figures 1 to 3, a panel 10 includes first sheet 12 and a core layer 14. 20 The first sheet 12 provides an external surface 16 (see Figure 3). The core layer 14 has an external surface 18 and an internal surface 20. The first sheet 12 is bonded to the core layer 14 via an adhesive, The first sheet 12 is made of a specific type of high density or other external grade panel as 7 Weathertex TM which forms an external lining to a building incorporating a plurality of panels 10. The core layer 14 is a block of insulation material made of, for example, polystyrene or Styrofoam m , being adhered to the first sheet 12. s As shown in Figures 1 to 3, it can be observed that the first sheet 12 of the panel 10 is longer and wider than the layer of insulation material 14. Extending lower portion 42 is designed to engage and be affixed to a flooring plate such as that shown as 22 in Figure 4 which is in turn laid over concrete slabs or a structural steel frame, for example. Extending upper portion 26 is configured to engage a top 10 plate (not shown) which in turn supports a roof truss (not shown). An embodiment of the procedure of installing the panel structure of the present invention will now be described. The first step is to place a bottom plate 22 (see Figure 4) at a predetermined location on a construction site. The bottom plate 22 which is provided to support the panel 10 is fixed to the ground or to an underlying 1e structure such as a concrete slab or steel frame. The first sheet 12 is then erected with its extending lower portion 24 affixed to the bottom plate. Since the core layer 14 is pre-adhered onto the first sheet 12, once the panel 10 is erected, the bottom surface of the core layer 14 sits well on the bottom plate 22. Once the panel 10 is erected, one or more cavities in the form of apertures or 20 passageways are created in core layer 14 of the erected panel 10 by using a tool to facilitate installation of electricity cables or gas or plumbing pipes. A second sheet 28 is then provided and adhered to the internal surface 20 of the core layer 14 to forn a complete wall. The second sheet 28 may be installed immediately after erection of the panel 10 or after all of the other panels in the building have been 25 erected and connected to one another. Either before or after installation of the second sheet 28, a top plate is mounted onto an upper extending portion of each first sheet 12 for supporting a roof. Roof trusses (not shown) are then supporting 8 by the top plate for supporting a roof. Waterproof material is then installed in or onto the roof so as to render the roof waterproof. Referring to Figure 1 to 3, each panel 10 has extending side portions 41 and 43 running along its lateral edges. As shown in Figure 4, panels 106 and 108 are s aligned and joined along seam 30, A stud 302 is placed behind extending sidc portion 41 of panel 106 while stud 304 is placed behind side portion 43 of panel 108. The studs 302 and 304 are adjacent to the core layer 14. The studs 302 and 304 are elongate members made of either steel or timber. The first sheet 12 is affixed to one side of each stud 302, 304 and the second sheet 28 to an opposite 10 side, using fixing means such as screws or nails. As such, the first and second sheets 12 & 28 are firmly bound to one another via the studs 302 and 304. It is contemplated that the sheets 12 and 28 may be affixed to the floor plate first before they are attached to the studs 302 and 304 respectively. These steps however may be carried out in a reverse order. 15 It should be appreciated that a plurality of core panels of the present invention may be aligned on the same plane to form a core wall. Referring to Figure 4, panel 106 is aligned with and joined to panel 108 via joining means (not shown) provided along seam 30. The panels 108 and 106 have cut-outs 110 and 112 of different dimensions for installation of a window andn a door, respectively. The cut-outs 20 may be created on site, as desired. Referring Figure 5, the panel 10 is disposed at right angle and connected to panel 102. It can be seen in Figures I and 2 that the core layer 14 of each panel has two removable extension bars 280 & 300 which run along the opposite lateral sides of the core layer 14. Before the two core panels 10 and 102 in Figure 5 are placed at 25 right angle to one another, one of the extension bars 280 or 300 (the one on the sidc to be joined) will have to be removed. This should be a relatively easy exercise as the extension bars 280 & 300 are only lightly glued onto the core layer 14. The 9 removal of an extension bar from both joining panels 10 and 102 provides a cavity for placement of the studs 280 which facilitate securing of the first and second sheets 12 & 28 to one another. Once all of the core panels required for the house or building are installed by 5 repeating the same procedure as described above, a top plate (not shown) is provided to engage and rest on the extending upper portion 26. The top plate is configured to support a roof truss. In the most preferred embodiment, the second sheet 28 is installed and adhered to the internal surface 20 of the core layer 14 after the installation of the roof truss, roofing material, and plumbing and electrical in components. It should be appreciated that houses or buildings built of the core panels of the present invention do not require all traditional framing or bracing. The arrangement and configuration of the sheets 12 & 28 together with the studs 302 & 304 and 280 mean that each of the core panel 10, 102, 106 & 108 can be erected and installed in 1s a short period of time without requiring a high level of skill. This results in significant savings on the labour costs and installation time. Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention have been described in some detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the panel may offer at least the following advantages: 20 (1) easy and quick to install without compromising the rigidity and integrity of the house or building; (2) only minimal tools, namely circular saw, nail gun and spirit level are required for installation; (3) no or less traditional framing, bracing, or hold down bolts are required; 25 (4) minimal or no trade skills are required; 10 (5) no special (not readily or locally available) components, fixings or panels are required; (6) the second sheets (ie. plasterboards) which form the internal lining gives a high quality architectural finish which is asthetically pleasing; 5 (7) the 'delayed' installation of the second sheets facilitates easy and convenient installation of plumbing and electrical facilities; (8) significantly reduction of transportation costs (only sheets in flat packs are required to be transported to the construction site; ancillary components such as fixing means, studs, top and bottom plates, window or door frames etc. can 10 be sourced locally); and (9) design or design changes can easily be done remotely or locally or at the construction site, ic. full design and inflexible remote prefabrication is not required. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is 15 susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims (36)

1. A panel erectable to form part of a house or building, the panel including: a first sheet; and a core layer having a first surface attached to the first sheet; 5 wherein the core layer has a second surface adapted to be connected to a second sheet subsequent to erection of the panel.

2. The panel of claim 1, wherein the first sheet has one or more extending side portions.

3. The panel of either claim 1 or 2, wherein the first sheet has extending top 10 and/or bottom portions.

4. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, which is joined to another panel to build a modular house or building without requiring any framing or bracing, or other special or unique building elements or fixing means.

5. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more studs are 1s provided to abut extending side portions of the first sheet.

6. The panel of claim 5, wherein the or each stud is an elongate member which is juxtaposed alongside the core layer.

7. The panel of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the or each extending side portion of the first sheet is connected to the stud. 20

8. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each panel is self-contained and adapted to be supported by and connected to a flooring plate or board.

9. The panel of claim 8, wherein the flooring plate is adapted to be affixed onto one or more concrete slabs or other flooring system. 12

10. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each panel is adapted to support a top plate which in turn supports a roof truss.

11. The panel of claim 10, which includes extending top and/or bottom portions adapted to assist in connection to the flooring plate or board or to the top s plate.

12. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first sheet has an exterior grade finish,

13. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first sheet includes a high density fibreboard. 10

14. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein before the second sheet is installed, one or more cavities in the form of apertures or passageways are created in core layer of the erected panel.

15. The panel of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second sheet is adapted to function as an internal lining. 15

16. The panel of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second sheet is a plasterboard or the like.

17. The panel of claim 16, wherein, after erection of the panel, the plasterboard is affixed to the studs so as to form a wall.

18. The panel of claim 17, wherein the core layer includes one or more of the 20 following insulation materials: polystyrene, styrofoam' m , or corrugated cardboard.

19. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second sheets is/are bonded to the core layer by an adhesive. 13

20. The panel of any one of the preceding claims, which includes at least one cut-out for installation of a window or door.

21. A modular house or building including a plurality of panels of claim 1 being joined to one another by joining means. r,

22. The modular house or building of claim 21, wherein attachment of the second sheet to the core layer or studs is effected after all of the panels are erected.

23. The modular house or building of claim 22, wherein one or more joining means is provided to join one panel to an adjacent panel which is aligned on 10 the same plane with, or disposed at an angle to, the core panel.

24. The modular house or building of claim 23, wherein the angle is 90 degrees.

25. The modular house or building of any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the core layer includes one or more removable extension bars.

26. The modular house or building of any of the claims 21 to 24, wherein the 1s core layer has a pair of extension bars running along its opposite lateral sides, respectively.

27. The modular house or building of claims 23 to 26, wherein when the panel is disposed at an angle to the adjacent panel, a portion of the first sheet of either one of the or both panels may be removed so as to facilitate joining of 20 the two panels.

28. The modular house or building of claim 27, wherein the extension bar is removable from the core layer of either one of the or both panels so as to allow placement of a stud for stabilising the first and second panels.

29. A method of installing a wall which forms part of a house or building, the 25 method including the steps of: 14 providing a bottom plate adapted to support the panel which includes a first sheet attached to one surface of a core layer; erecting the panel by affixing an extending portion of the first sheet to the bottom plate; 5 placing one or more studs adjacent the core layer; affixing the first sheet to one side of the or each stud; providing a second sheet to an opposite side of the or each stud; and attaching the second sheet to another surface of the core layer and/or the or each stud. 10

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method includes a step of providing a supporting means adapted to engage and an extending top portion of the first sheet and the or each stud.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the supporting means is in form of a top plate. 15

32. The method of either claim 31 or 32, which includes a further step of mounting one or more roof trusses onto the supporting means for supporting a roof,

33. The method of any one of claims 29 to 32, which includes a step of installing waterproofing material in or onto the roof. z2

34. A panel substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

35. A modular house or building as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

36. A method of installing a wall as herein described with reference to any one 25 of the accompanying drawings.