US1979206A - Building unit - Google Patents

Description

N. A. BRAND BUILDING UNIT I Oct. 30,1934.

Filed Oct. 17, 1931 Patented Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING UNIT Application October 17, 1931, Serial No. 569,446

3 .Claims.

My invention relates to a building unit adapted to be secured in place to form a floor, inside wall or ceiling of a building. It is an object of my invention to provide an improved building unit that I is relatively cheap, strong and easy to handle. A further object of my invention is to provide a building construction which is simple and economical to install. A further object of my invention is to provide a building construction having 19 aninner surface that will require no further finishing or decoration after it is installed in place. It is a further object of my invention to provide a building unit which is assembled at the factory so as to eliminate the necessity of any intricate or costly assembly operations at the building site.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates from reading the following specification taken'in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section of a portion of a building construction illustrating one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section of an inner corner construction embodying my invention.

In Figure 1 the reference numeral 10 indicates a building board. Preferably I use an extra thick hard pressed board but I may use 9. ply wood board formed of about five plies of wood veneer.

0 A sheet 11 of over-matured linoleum is secured to the board 10 over a major portion of its area by means of a layer of cement 12. The cemented end 13 of the linoleum 11 is spaced slightly from the end 14 of the building board 10. The free end 15 of the linoleum sheet 11 overlaps the adjacent end 16 of the building board to the same extent that the end 13 is spaced from the end 14 of the building board. The opposite ends 14 and 16 of the building board are bevelled in opposite directions to the same degree. Accordingly when a plurality of my building units are installed, the ends 14 and 16 abut to form a tight joint and the ends 13 and 15 of the adjacent linoleum sheets 11 form a butt joint spaced slightly from the joint between the building boards.

The layer of cement 12 is spaced far enough away from the end 16 of the building board 10 so that the free end 15 of the linoleum sheet 11 may be raised sufiiciently to allow nails or other fastening means 17 to be driven through the boards 10 and the wooden building members 18 to secure the building units in place. The member 18 may be a stud, stringer, joist or rafter, depending upon what part of the structure the building units are to form. The nails 17 are driven into the board 10 so that the nail heads 19 do not project above the surface of the board 10. After the nails 17 are driven in place the free end 15 of the linoleum sheet 11 is secured in place. The end 15 conceals the nail heads and forms a smooth finish for the structure. I prefer to secure the free end 15 of the linoleum sheet 11 by means of a suitable cement but any suitable fastening means may be employed. The joint between the boards 10 is protected by the free end 15 of the linoleum so that it will not be exposed to deteriorating influences at any time.

Figure 2 shows an inner corner construction having a building board 20 with its ends extending at an angle to each other and a sheet of linoleum 21 secured to the inner surface of the board 20. Although I have illustrated an inside corner it is obvious that I may form other angular or rounded constructions in the same manner. This building unit may be secured in place by the securing means described in connection with Figure 1. This corner construction in addition to its exceptional strength has the advantage of a seamless structure so that it is impossible for the corners to open.

In the structure of Figure 2 the linoleum may be partially cured and then bent to the desired shape. After the linoleum is bent to the desired shape it may be subjected to an additional stoving period to complete the hardness of the linoleum. The linoleum sheet 21 may be cemented in place on the board 20 before the final stoving period which completes the hardening of the linoleum. In corner constructions and in all other constructions involving special shapes, this process insures an accurate fit between the linoleum and the building board.

It will be apparent that the sheet of linoleum will differ in some respects according to the place the unit will occupy in the building. For instance, the linoleum to be used for a wall or ceiling structure need not be as heavy as that to be used for a floor structure. The choice of patterns for walls and ceilings would also differ gen-' erally from those for fioor structures. However, in all cases the linoleum has characteristics not generally found in linoleum, namely hardness and rigidity. These characteristics are imparted to the linoleum by reason of the extra long stoving period to which it is subjected. This extra stoving increases the hardness and strength' of the linoleum. This additional strength causes the linoleum to serve as a real reinforcement for the building board in the matter of structural strength. The additional strength is of particular advantage during the handling and shipping of the building units.

Over-matured linoleum is advantageous because the hard, rigid sheet can be made alkali resistant by the addition of suitable chemicals. It is impossible to do this with ordinary linoleum because it would make the linoleum too rigid to be rolled. In the present case rolling is not necessary because the units are packed in stacks. Ordinary linoleum is generally treated on its surface with lacquer, varnish or similar material to increase its alkali resistance. This adds considerably to the expense of the finished linoleum and when the surface treatment wears away it must be renewed if the linoleum is to retain its original alkali resistance. With my over-matured linoleum the sheet of linoleum is resistant to alkali throughout its thickness and no surface treatment is necessary.

My building unit is of particular advantage when used in the construction of floors. Heretofore it has been necessary in floor construction to form a sub-floor of wood and a second floor of suitable building board. After the two fioors are laid it is necessary to apply a covering of linoleum or similar material. My unit may be applied directly to the stringers and requires no sub-floor and no additional covering. It replaces three expensive installations with one installation which is simpler and cheaper than any one of the three installations heretofore necessary.

While I have described a few preferred embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction except as recited in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a building unit adapted to form a seamless corner construction comprising a hard pressed fibrous board molded in angular shape to fit the corner to which it is to be applied, and a rigid sheet of linoleum conforming to the contour of said board and attached thereto.

2. As an article of manufacture, a building unit for angular constructions comprising a shaped hard pressed fibrous board and a seamless sheet of rigid linoleum secured to the board and substantially covering the exposed area of the board.

3. A decorative building unit adapted to be secured directly to spaced supporting means and serve as a fioor or wall member, comprising a rigid, board-like foundation member and a sheet of linoleum secured thereto and serving as a decorative facing therefor.

' NORMAN A. BRAND.

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