US2176778A

US2176778A - Interlocking wall joint construction

Info

Publication number: US2176778A
Application number: US163583A
Authority: US
Inventors: Milton B Terrell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-09-13
Filing date: 1937-09-13
Publication date: 1939-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1956-10-17

Description

Oct. 17, 1939. M. B. TERRELL ,77

INTERLOGKING WALL JOINT CONSTRUCTION FiledvSept. 13, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l I A 3 --J g I 7 i W 6 i /a 5 J I L 1 "1 Hg, 1 Hfy? I? 4 A? E /0 i 3 2 L I l E /a 4 i 3 F 1 INVENTOR. Ali/fan B. Trrs/l BY 14/1 X M ATTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

M. B. TERRELL Filed Sept. 13, 1937 INTERLOCKING WALL JOINT CONSTRUCTION Oct. 17, 1939.

Mi/fon B. Trral] Patented Oct. 17, 1939 U Ni'TEDj-STATES PATENT. orrlcs G WALL JOINT .CONrS'IBUCTIOK Milton n. Terrell, Columbus, Ohio Application September 13, 1937, Serial No. 183,583

' 4 Claims. (or. 20-92) The invention to be hereinafter described re- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the invention, looklates to an interlocking wall Joint construction. ing toward a wall from the outside;

Lap-joints of many kinds and types, with one Fig. 2 is a like view, with joint partly sepapart overlapping or underlapping another are rated;

well known. Dovetailed joints of many kinds Fig. 3 is a vertical lateral cross section, looking 6 are widely known. Simpleinterfltting, complein the direction of the arrows 3-3; mentary or match joints are universally used. Fig. 4 is a like view on the same line, but look- They frequently appear in imitation brick or ing in the opposite direction, as indicated by the stone or similar surfaces-f As heretofore conarrows 4-4;

structed, these joints have not been self sus- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l, but of the op- 10 taining against pressures on one face or the other posite side or face of the invention; and, of a wall but,. instead, required strong backing Fig. 6 is a view showing a section of wall built or support, as well as securing means, or they with the invention. have been subject to leaks, or they have been In the drawings the entire wall body is shown complicated and difficult to assemble or to mainbuilt from the units of this invention. It will 1 tain in shape, or they have been of special conbe understood that the invention is equally apstruction. They have more generally been used plicable for wall surfacing, such as veneering or as veneers and similar surfacing work, requirthe like and applied to either surface of a wall.

ing a foundation, backing or support. The joint selected for illustration of the in- The mainobjects of the present invention are vention is made from plastic material similar to 90 to overcome the above and other drawbacks and that used in making composition roofing and is provide a wall joint of simple, efficient, econommolded under pressure to the form and size deical construction which may be easily made as sired. The joint is formed partly on one unit parts of a unit or units of standard dimensions, and partly on another. In other words, male as well as of units of other dimensions for a and female or complementary joint elements are 25 wall, partition or the like which may be easily formed on adjacent edges or ends of adjoining and quickly erected and as readily dismantled units. Accordingly, production and assembly are and yet, when erected, will be weather proof, greatly simplified by making each unit I with securely interlocked and thoroughly self sustainjoint members at op s e ds, those at One end ing at all joints. It provides a complete wall being male and those at the opposite end being 30 body including the surface. It may, of course, female, or those at one end being complementary be made as a surface or veneer and attached to to those at the other end. Therefore, every unit a wall body. so made will have a joint element at each end The units or elements carrying the joint memxactly complementary to a c pe joint hers may be of any tm m and, of element on the opposite end of every other such 35 course, f any material desired They may be unit. The units may be perfectly plain or may f stone, wood, concrete, metal, plastic compo be given any desired decorative surface such as Simon, etc" and they may Impressed stamped, imitation brick or stone, etc. for simplicity, that cut, molded or otherwise made; :elegtedl in the drawings and description is per- 40 ec y p a n. preterm; method of mafnumcture is by constituting the joint are four or more tongues pressing or molding under considerable pressure 2 two or more extending from the end of each from plastic material such as is used in the makof two cooperatin units. As far as the oint, mg of What is generally known as compositlon itself, is concerne to make the units full; oo-

5 BY Such method, the units may be operative with all other units of the invention, produced in large quantities and of any desired or interchangeable fou tongues are necessary, t c e Within considerable limitstwo on each end, providing fully complementary In order to more clearly disclose the construcjoint parts on opposite ends of all units. When tion, operation and use of the invention, referassembled, one tongue of each 'joint lies between once should be had to the accompanying drawthe two tongues of the respective other unit joint 50 ings forming part of the present application. part and occupies the intervening recess or Throughout the several figures of the drawings tongue socket, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. like reference characters designate the same With interchangeable units each having two parts in the several views.- tongues at each end with an intervening tongue s min drawings: recess or socket, the inner tongue or that re- 5 its unit to the outer edge. tongues and cooperating parts may be used for each joint but are not necessary. Each tongue of the male joint element of a unit is provided with an underlapping lip 3 extending the full length of the respective tongue and across the greater part of the width of the free end of the tongue. The width of this lip should be sumcient to provide adequate joint bearing area and complete weatherproof seal against leakage and wind, but may be varied within the .limits of those requirements. The short branch terminates inwardly of its tongue edge a distance equal '90 to the width of a lip, leaving a longitudinal overlap-lip 4 of each 'male element tongue, extending the full length of the tongue. This lip 4 is in a plane offset from but parallel to the lip 3, the offset being just equal to the lip thickness. Consequently, lip 4 may be considered asa shoulder, or the tongue may be considered as channeled longitudinally to receive the cooperating longitudinally extending underlapping up 5 of the female joint element which lip is of .the same dimensions as the channel. Cooperating with each longitudinal portion of the underlap lip 3 is a corresponding or complementary overlappin lip 4 of a tongue of the female member. larly cooperating with short branch I of each underlap lip 3 is a complementary overlap lip 8 of corresponding dimensions. There are two such underlap lips I at the outer or free ends of the tongues of the male members and two at the inner ends of thetongues, one extending between tongues and the other from the upper tongue to the edge of the unit. For convenience they may be referred to as outer lips. I and inner lips 9. Cooperating with underlap lips 9 are cor responding and complementary overlap lips II of the same dimensions and carried by the outer free ends of the female tongues.

The full length of the top edge of each unit is provided with an underlap lip II and the full length of the bottom edge with a corresponding overlap lip I! so that, when assembled in place, the bottom edge of one unit overlaps the top edge of the unit immediately below. The lip ll may be provided with nail holes i3, at intervals for nailing the units to suitable frame members. The lip l2 completely covers any such securing devices and, at the same time, makes a weather tight joint.

As stated above in connection with lip 4, the overlapping parts may be considered as shoul- 00 ders, or it may be considered that the respective unit ends are provided with recesses, or channels of corresponding dimensions.

It will be noticed that the male joint element comprises two parallel spaced, approximately Z- 68 shaped continuous underlap lips each having sections or portions 3, I and 9. Between the inner end of one Z and the outer end of the other extends the longitudinal overlap lip 4 of the male tongue. It will also be noticed that the female 70 joint element comprises two parallel, spaced approximately Z-shaped continuous overlap lips, shoulders, recesses or channels, each having the

portions

6, 8 or I0. They are also parallel to the underlap Z-lips. Between the inner end of one 74 z and the outer end of the other extends the More than four longitudinal underlap up I parallel with overlap lip 4. The several lips, preferably, are of about one-half the thickness of the-units. as shown-in Figs. 3 and 4. The underlap Z-lips of the male element are on one face of the block while the 5 cooperating, complementary, overlapZ-lips are on the opposite face. Notice, however, that the intervening overlap lip 4 of the male joint element is on the face opposite to that of its l-lips and that the intervening underlap lip I of the female 10 joint element is on the face opposite to that of its Z-lips.

Refer to Fig. 2. If either the overlap lip 4 or the underlap lip 5 should be omitted there would be no joint interlock between the units. 15,

The tongues could'be moved perpendicularly to the faces of the units and completely out ofalinement. In fact, without those parts in that relation there would be merely an interflt or matching.

, I I to By arranging the pair of Z-lips of the male 'loint element in substantial alinement with thou of the female joint element'but onparallel planes. such that, when assembled, theinne'r faces lie one on the other, the Joint may. be easily and'zs quickly slipped together or separated in erecting or tearing down a wall. And when slipped together, the surfaces at the Joint will be smooth and flush. The wall face will be perfectly smooth and even, inside and out. By reversing the positions of the cooperating intervening lips (and 5, relatively to that of the pairs of Z-lips, a perfect lock-joint results. En-

gagement between Z-lips of the male joint element and the Z-lips of the female joint element as prevents movement perpendicularly to the face of the units in one direction, while engagement between

lips

4 and 5 prevents it in the opposite direction. That same engagement of the various cooperating lips provides a simple, efllcient and 40 smooth workingguide in sliding the parts together or apart. The whole combination provides a sliding key-lock absolutely preventing'separation of the joint in any direction except in the giirrection of the length of the tongues of the 45 Refer to Figs. 1 and 2. when this Joint is assembled or closed, as in Fig. 1, the lips completely overlap. The Joint, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, extends only half way through the unit. At 5 half way, the joint is overlapped by the

underlying lips

3, 5, l and 9. This completely seals the joint against all wind or rain. In the same way, the top underlap completelyblocks ofl and seals the joint between the bottom edge of the 55 bottom overlap lip l2 and the inner top edge of the units immediately below. The same overlap completely covers all nail holes through jlip ii.

The joint is rigid and strongly resistant in all directions perpendicular to either face of the no unit. A wall from such assembled units requires only a skeleton frame to nail to.- It requires no surfacing, either inside or out. A complete building may be quickly put up by simply erecting the skeleton framework and then assembling these units and nailing in place. And once up it will. be found durable and lasting.

It is thought that the construction, operation and use of the invention will be clear from the preceding detailed description. 7

Many changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and disposition of the various parts'of the invention within the scope of the appended claims and it is meant to include all such within this application wherein only one preferred form of the invention has been shown by way of illustration and with no thought of in any degree limiting the claims by any such showing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A wall joint unit having formed on each end two spaced tongues, one tongue at each end of each unit being adapted to fit into the corresponding recess between two tongues on the end of another unit, both tongues on each end of each unit being provided with engaging lips along opposite .edges, the lips along corresponding tongue edges being directed oppositely to those along the remaining edges relatively to the faces of the unit and the lips of both tongues at one end of one unit, in assembled relation, interengaging the lips of both tongues at one end of a cooperating unit, one pair of interengaging lips being disposed intermediate of two other pairs, each lip of said intermediate pair being directed oppositely to the other and oppositely to both other interengaging lips of the tongues of the same respective unit end whereby, in assembled relation, said units resist forces applied toward either face and maintain interlocked relation until destruction of the joint,

2. A wall joint unit having formed on each end two spaced tongues, one tongue at each end of each unit being adapted to fit into the corresponding recess between two tongues on the end of another unit, both tongues on each end of each unit being provided with continuously extending joint sealing engaging lips along opposite edges, the lips along corresponding tongue edges being directed oppositely to those along the remaining edges, relatively to the faces of the unit, and the lips of both tongues at one end of one unit, in

assembled relation, interengaging the lips of both tongues at one end of a cooperating unit, one pair of interengaging lips being disposed intermediate of the two other pairs, each lip of said intermediate pair being directed oppositely to the other and oppositely to both other interengaging lips of the tongues of the same unit end, whereby, in assembled relation, said units resist forces applied toward either face and maintain interlocked relation until destruction of the joint, and maintain a weather proof joint.

3. A wall joint unit having formed on each end two spaced tongues, one tongue at each end of each unit being adapted to fit into the corresponding recess between two tongues on the end of another unit, both tongues at each end of each unit being provided with continuously extending joint sealing engaging lips along opposite edges and across the free ends, said units having similar continuous joint sealing engaging lips across the inner ends of said recesses, the lips along corresponding tongue edges being directed oppositely to those along the remaining edges relatively to the faces of the unit and the lips of both tongues at one end of one unit, in assembled relation, interengaging the lips of both tongues at one end of a cooperating unit, one pair of interengaging lips being disposed intermediate of the two other pairs, each lip of said intermediate pair being directed oppositely to the other and oppositely to both other interengaging lips of the tongues of the same unit end, whereby, in assembled relation, said units resist forces applied toward either face and maintain interlocked relation until destruction of the joint, and maintain a weather proof joint.

4. A wall joint unit having formed on each end two spaced tongues, one tongue at each end of each unit being adapted to fit into the corresponding recess between two tongues on the end of another unit, both tongues on each end of each unit being provided with engaging lips along opposite edges, said lips having approximately one half the thickness of the respective unit end and having their engaging faces in planes parallel with the faces of the unit and approximately midway therebetween, the lips along corresponding tongue edges being directed oppositely to those along the remaining edges relatively to the facesof the unit and the lips of both tongues at one end of one unit, in assembled relation, interengaging the lips of both tongues at one end of a corresponding unit and all tongues lying flush with the respective surface of the assembled joint, one pair of interengaging lips being disposed intermediate of two other pairs, each lip of said intermediate pair being directed oppositely to the other and oppositely to both interengaging lips of the tongues of the same unit end whereby, in assembled relation, said units resist forces applied toward either face and maintain interlocked relation until destruction of the joint, and present a smooth flush surface over the assembled joint.

MILTON B. 'I'ERREIL.