US2862257A

US2862257A - Hollow core panel

Info

Publication number: US2862257A
Application number: US618476A
Authority: US
Inventors: John A Comer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-10-26
Filing date: 1956-10-26
Publication date: 1958-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1975-12-02

Description

Dec. 2, 1958 J. A. COMER 2,862,257

HOLLOW CORE PANEL Filed Oct. 26, 1956 34Vf I k INVENTOR.

13D/ I 402i JOHN A.COMEP C2- 7-T'fL BY 32/ W 44 V A-YTOQMEYS atented Dec. 2, 1958 HOLLOW CORE PANEL John A. Comet, San Lorenzo, Calif. Application October 26,' 1956, Serial No. 618,476

2 Clallms. (Cl. 20-35) The present invention relates to panels, doors, slding partitions, and the like, and more particularly has reference to a panel construction so designed as to effect the connection of a pair of face panel members in laterally spaced relation, through the means of novelly designed combined spacer and connecting strips extending along selected edges of the panel.

The invention has particular reference to Woodl panels. Conventionally, Wood panels of the hollow core type comprise face panel members spaced apart by and of variously designed spacer means, such as wooden spacer strips.

A door or panel of the Character described is subject, in many instances, to warpage, and further, the conventional construction is, it has been found, somewhat expensive. The spacer means is often of the honeycomb type, involving the assembly in crossing relation of a plurality of thin wooden spacer strips, and involving, further, the use of adhesives or equivalent means for securing the face panel members to opposite faces of said spacer means.

Still further, a conventional panel of the character described in many instances has an unattractive edge, due to the fact that the spacer means is eXpo-sed at the edge of the panel and may not be of an attractive grain.

In view of the above, the main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved panel of the type including laterally spaced panel members of plywood or the like. In accordance with the invention, a pair of plywood panel members are spaced apart along selected edges of the same by metal border strips, which discharge the function not only of spacing the panel members, but also of connecting the same together. The border strips themselves serve to impart an attractive appearance to the panel, particularly at the edges, and at the same time, hold the panel members against warpage, so that lthe door or partition will be maintained in a perfectly flat condition throughout its useful life.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a panel of the character described above that will be so designed as to facilitate assembly of the border strips with the panel members, thus to permit manufacture of the door in less time 'and with the expenditure of less labor than has heretofore been required, thus permitting the overall cost of the door to be lowered.

Another object is to form a panel of the Character stated that will have border strips particularly designed to facilitate their assembly with the face panels by the use of relatively unskilled labor, thus to'further lower the cost of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention.

Still another object of importance is to provide a panel of the Character stated that will include border strips which not only will serve to space and connect the panels, but in addition will serve as guides slding upon trackways mounted upon a floor or ceiling, so that said border strips are particularly adapted for incorporation in slding doors or partitions.

A further object of importance is to provide a panel construction of the Character stated that will include side and bottom strips for spacing 'and connecting :the panel members, which strips Will be designed to be formed at low cost, in a cross-sectional shape that particularly adapt's the same to be extruded, pressed, or otherwise shaped by mass prodution methods.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a panel formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transve'rse sectional view therethrough substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale, the dotted lines showing a floor-mounted trackway on which the panel may slide;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enla'rged scale, sub stantially on line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, the scale being reduced below that of Figures 2 and 3, showing the supporting of the panel upon the floor-mounted trackway.

Referring to the drawings in detail, designated generally at 10 is a panel formed according to the present invention. As hereinbefore noted, the panel may be a door, a partition, or any other type of panel, so that it will betunderstood that the term "panel as used herein will be allinclusive so far as the Various uses of the invention are concerned.

In any event, the panel 10 is illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 as being slidably supported upon a floor-mounted trackway generally designated 12. It will be understood that the construction of the panel is such that the panel could be of the hinged door type, rather than a slding door, without departure from the spirit of the invention. However, the construction particularly lends itself to use of the panel as a slding door, without necessity of attaching special guides or track members to the bottom edge of the panel.

The panel includes

face panel members

16, 18, which in a preferred embodiment are formed of plywood material, as for example one-quarter inch plywood. At the upper end of the panel, a spacer bar 14, which may be of Wood material, is interposed between and is cemented or otherwise fixedly secured to the inner surfaces of the panel members. If desired, spacer blocks may be disposed elsewhere over the area of the panel, inwardly from the several edges of the panel, but spacer blocks, wooden spacer strips, or the like need not be provided at the edges of the panels, due to the provision of the border strip illustrated to particular advantage in Figures 2 and 3. In the illustrated example of the invention, extending the full length of'the opposite side edges of the panel are side border strips 20. The cross sectional shape of each of these is shown to particular advantage in Figure 3. As Will be noted from this figure of the drawing, each strip 20 includes a flat web the width of which is substantially equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the

face panel members

16, 18. Integrally formed upon the opposite side edges of the web are inwar'dly directed flanges 22, lying in planes normal to the plane of the web and overlying the outer surfaces of the

respective panel members

16, 18.

The flanges 22 extend the full length of the strip as shown to best advantage in Figure l, and where said flanges meet corresponding flanges of the bottom strip, they are mitered in a manner to be presently'described.

Offset inwardly from the flanges 22 are spacer flanges 24. These are substantially greater in width than the width of the flanges 22, as best shown in Figure 3, and on the inner longitudinal edges of the spacer flanges 24 outwardly directed longitudinal lips 26 are integrally formed,

A bottom strip is provided, which is formed in the' manner shown in Figure 2, and is somewhat different in cross sectional configuration from the side strips. The bottom strip includes a spacer web 27 which` is offset inwardly from the bottom edge of the

panels

16, 18, the opposite longitudinal edges of web 27 being extended into grooves formed in the confrontng inner surfaces of the panel members, to provide lips 28 lockably engaged with the panel members.

Extending downwardly from the web 27 are spacer flanges 30, bearing against the inner surfacesiof the'

panel members

16, 18. The lower longitudinal? edges of the spacer flanges 30 are integrally formedv with outwardly directed cover flanges 32 overlying thebottom edge surfaces of the respective' panel members. tudinal edges of the cover flanges 32 are integral'with' retaining flanges 34 that correspond to the retaini'ng flanges 22 of the side strips and overlie the outer face's of the

panels

16, 18.

By reason of this construction, it will be seen that the lower strip spaces the panel members 16, l'ap'art, while connecting the same, in the same manner as the sidestrips.

I-Iowever, the bottom strip is formed with a downwardly opening groove, due to the inward offsetting of the web 27, for the purpose of receiving guide blocks formedf as part of the track means 12.

It will be noted that 'at the juncture of the side strips floor surface, transverse mounting plates 40 each of which is formed with upwardly projecting, spaced guide blocks 42 extending into the downwardly opening groove or passage of the bottom strip. Medially between theopposite ends of the plate 4G an opening is formed, receivin'g an anchoring screw 44, and of course additional anclioring screws could be provided to securely and fixredly anchor the plate 40 to the floor surface.

The trackway might take other forms, that shown being merely one example of a trackway that could be used to advantage for slidably supporting the panel formed according to the present invention. The plates liwould be spaced apart a distance less than the overall width of the door, such that at all times, the door would be sup'- ported on at least two of the blocks 421. A pair of blocks is shown on each plate 40, in the illustrated example, in view of the fact that ordinarily sliding doors are mounted in pairs, With the doors slidingv in closely spaced Vertical planes upon side-by-side tracks.

It will be seen that the invention produces certain' advantages, not only in respect to improving the appearance of the door through the provision of attractive, metal edges or borders, but also by reason of the fact that the door can be manufactured with the use of relatively unskilled labor, and without the necessity of especially designed honeycomb spacers or equivalent spacer' means. Further, the necessity of adhesive connection of the panels to spacer means of the character described isreduced The outer longimeasurably, since the side and bottom strips accurately space the panel members 'apart over the full lengthsv of the sides and bottom of the panel members. Further, the metal strips illustrated can be manufactured at low cost, and in many instances could be made by an extrusion process or alternatively, by any of various other metal Working processes. The metallic strips, in addition, not only serve to space the panel members apart, but also constitute means for connecting the panel members, thus discharging a dual function. In the case of the bottom strip, a triple function is discharged, since the'bottom strip serves as a guide permitting the slidable mounting of the panel upon a trackway.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or use thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since' such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principlesof operation and the means presently devisedV to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appendediclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A panel comprising transversely spaced panel members disposed in parallel planes; a pair of side strips extending along the side edges of the panel members; and a bottomV strip extending along the bottom edge of the panel members, the side and bottom strips being formed with webs, spacer flanges extending from said webs in engagement with the confronting inner surfaces of the panel members, and retaining flanges spaced outwardly from the spacer flanges and cooperating with the spacer flanges in clampably engaging the respective panel members therebetween, the spacer flanges of the bottom strip extending from the web of the bottom strip in a direction outwardly of the panel members, defining a downwardly opening groove along the bottom of the panel, the spacer flanges of the side strips projecting inwardly of the panel members from their associated webs defining an inwardly opening groove in each of the side strips opening into communication with the space between the panel members.

2. A panel including laterally spaced panel members; and combined spacing and connecting strips extending along selected edges of said members, said strips each including a web extending across the space between the panel members, spacer flanges extending from said web in planes perpendicular to the plane of the web and bearing against the confronting inner surfaces of the respective panel members, retaining flanges overlying the outer surfaces of the panel members, and cover flange portions connecting the respective spacer' flanges with the retaining flanges and overlying the edgesurfaces of the panel members, said strips further including 'looking lips extending longitudinally of the spacer flanges and embedded in the confronting inner surfaces of the respective panel members, said looking lips being formed upon the edges of the spacer flanges lemote from said web, the looking lips of both spacer flanges being disposed in a common pl'ane perpendicular to the planes of the spacer flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS