US3521417A

US3521417A - Building structure

Info

Publication number: US3521417A
Application number: US715724A
Authority: US
Inventors: Veikko Filadet Onjukka
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-03-25
Filing date: 1968-03-25
Publication date: 1970-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1987-07-21

Description

July 21,1970 -v. F. ONJUKKA 3,521,417 w BUILDING s'rRucTuRi:

Filed March 25. 1968 j 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/GJ INVENTOR VEIKKQ F. ONJU'KKA BY: $60166 A- PATENT AGENT u y 1970 I v. FIONJUKKA 3,521,417

' BUILDINQ s'rnuc'runm Filed March 25, 1968 Q5 ShaeL-kiheut 1:

INVENTOR VEIKKO F. ONJUKKA PATENT AGENT July 21, 1970 v, QNJUKKA 3,521,417-

BUILDING STRUCTURE I Filed March 25, 1968 s Sheets-She et a l0 7 FIG. 6

aim

FIG. 7

IO INVENTOR VEIKKO F. ONJUKKA gw'enye/ffodm PATENT AGENT 3,521,417 BUILDING STRUCTURE Veikko Filadet Onjukka, R.R. 2, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada Filed Mar. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 715,724

Int. Cl. E04b 1/56 US. Cl. 52282 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to the construction of wooden rooms, buildings or other structures, and in particular to such structures that are built within a confined space such as sauna rooms and the like, where the Wooden stock is of horizontally arranged log-type construction.

In this type of construction it has been conventional to provide corners of a complex system of interlocking notches to provide a typical overlapping log-cabin construction. This design is wasteful of material and of space, especially where the building or structure is erected within a basement for example. In addition it is complicated to form in the manufacturing process and difiicult to seal against moisture penetration.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a structure formed of horizontally arranged planks or logs having improved corner construction of simple design which is economical in material and provides an effective seal.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to pro vide a structure having the foregoing advantages which may be erected in a confined space and in some cases in contact with an adjacent wall or walls as in a domestic basement.

It is a further objective to provide hardware and fittings for use in such construction.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described b way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which like reference devices refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a wall structure according to the invention suitable for a domestic sauna room, shown with the ceiling portion removed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1 sectional along the line 22;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan cross-section view of a corner section of a structure of FIG, 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a corner of the structure of FIG. 1, near the bottom of the structure;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a corner of the structure of FIG. 1, near the top of the structure;

FIG. 6 is a sectional side elevational view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing an alternative embodiment;

United States Patent 0 3,521,417. Patented July 21, 1970 ice FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and,

FIG. 8 is a lower perspective illustration showing a further embodiment of the seating means incorporated in the invention.

The structure according to the invention is shown in this embodiment to incorporate interlocking tongued and grooved planks 10 of a unique moisture resistant design which is the subject of my co-pending application Ser. No. 583,303 entitled Tongue and Groove Plank, flled Sept. 30, 1966 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,784. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally applicable to other types of plank which are adapted to be erected in a horizontal log-cabin type of construction and in fact many such other types of plank are available for the purpose if desired. Planks 10 are joined at the corners 11 by forming a smooth 45 degree end surface 12 on each plank 10 in order that they may butt together and each such end surface 12 is provided with a continuous semi-cylindrical channel 13, which registers with one another to form a continuous cylindrical opening for reception of sealing compound.

Planks 10 are further provided with continuous grooves 14 on their outer surfaces arranged to register in alignment with one another for reception of the corner locking channel member 15. Channel member 15 comprises two adjacent exterior surfaces 15a and is provided with tongues 16 forming, in section, an incomplete square, for fitting within grooves 14 of planks 10. At the foot of channel member 15 a retaining plate 17 is welded to hold planks 10 therein and to resist the distortion of channel member 15 which might take place upon swelling of planks 10.

At the upper end of channel member 15 the construction of FIG. 5 is provided to permit insertion of the last plank 10 from the exterior, and to provide means for forcibly compressing planks 10 together to provide a good moisture tight seal. One side 15a of member 15 is cut away as at 18 to a depth equal to the width of one plank 10 at least, and threaded holes 19 are formed in sides 15a as shown. Channel top member 20 is provided for attachment to channel member 15 and comprises a short side 21a and a long side 22 provided with holes 23 for reception of bolts 24 registering with holes 19 in channel member 15. Top member 20 is also provided with a top plate 25 having a threaded hole 26 therein for reception of bolt 27. A pressure plate 28 of L-shaped construction is provided for location beneath top plate 25 and may pref erably be indented as at 29 for registration of bolt 27 thereon.

Where the structure is to be used as a sauna room, as in this embodiment, the floor may be completed by a layer of plastic 30 (see FIG. 2) which is preferably preformed and shaped and provided with an edge portion 31 adapted to be nippedbetween planks 10 in the lowest course. Sand 32 or other fill may be used as a support beneath plastic 30 and a drain 33 connected for escape of condensed steam.

One or more benches 34 mav be provided and are preferably supported as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by means of four wooden dowels 35 loosely fitting in cylindrical recesses 36 formed in planks 10. Bench crossmembers 37 are provided with holes 38 for reception of the exposed ends of dowels 35 and end caps 39 may then be screwed in position to hold the. same secure.

In operation the structure is erected by simply placing each plank with its two grooves 14 receiving tongues 16 within channel members 15, and lowering or driving it down into engagement with the plank beneath at which point it is locked in position due to butting engagement of end surfaces 12. The last plank may be inserted from the exterior through the spaces provided by cut away portions 18, and top member 20 is then bolted in position. Bolt 27 is then tightened to drive pressure plate 28 down and compress planks 10. Channel 13 may be filled with a liquid, sett able compound at any time.

Various modifications can be made for economy. Thus floor 30 can be replaced by poured concrete and a cove base trim strip (not shown) of stainless steel or plastic. Alternatively the whole floor can be tiled. In addition, it is possible to dispense with bottom plate 17 and merely bolt the two lowermost planks 10 to the channel member 15. The sealing groove 13 can be replaced by single saw outs into which a piece of plastic strip (not shown) is forced to provide a seal.

According to a further embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 a somewhat less costly means may be provided for arranging a completely sealed self draining floor. In this embodiment, the lower most plank member '10 is raised upwardly and rests upon a raised portion of concrete 40 which is forced upwardly into the grooves running along the underside of the plank 10. The operation is very simply achieved by merely attaching an outer form or plank member 41 to the outer edge of plank 10, plank 10 being raised upwardly by means of chocks 42 which are spaced apart from one another and merely served to hold the lower most plank 10 off the basement floor itself. The concrete while still in a semi liquid or plastic state may then be forced against form member 41 and pressed upwardly into the grooves on the underside of plank 10, the inner surface being molded and shaped as shown so as to provide good drainage to the centre of the structure as at 33. In this way, it is possible to avoid the need for a sealed plastic floor 30 and a considerable saving in cost is achieved.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 8, the supporting arrangement for the bench or seat 34 may be somewhat modified. In this embodiment, an aluminium molding or die casting 43 of generally L-shaped section is formed and attached in place of the wooden cross member 37 of FIG. 2. Molding 43 is provided with one hole 38- adjacent the rear edge of the seat or bench 34 corresponding to the hole 38 in member 37, and is provided with one i or more notches indicated at 38A. In this way, the bench may be arranged to be swung upwardly about dowel and when swung downwardly will rest upon other dowels 35 arranged to register and fit within the notch or notches 38A.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given here by way of example only and the invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the specific features described but comprehends all such variations thereof as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Building structure for use in the construction of a prefabricated building or the like, said building having a plurality of corner sections arranged along parallel axes and being of a predetermined height, said structure comprising:

a plurality of tongued and grooved interlocking plank members adapted to be mounted edge to edge in a horizontal arrangement;

angled ends on said plank members adapted to be placed in an abutting relationship at said corner sections;

grooves formed across said plank members adjacent said angled ends thereof adapted to be aligned to 4 form a channel extending from the. top to the bottom of the stnucture parallel to the vertical axis of either side of said corner sections;

metallic corner forming channel means for each of said corner sections extending substantially the height of the structure having adjacent face portions for forming and securing the corners of the. structure;

flange means extending from said face portions for inter-engagement with said grooves for maintaining said angled ends of said plank members in end abutting relationship at the corner sections;

a lower securing member at the lower end of said channel means and orientated to contact the undersurface of the lowermost plank members to retain said plank members therein;

an upper securing member attached to the upper end of said channel means and adapted to overlie the abutting edges of the uppermost plank members; and

adjustable means for forcibly compressing said plank members movably connected to said upper securing member whereby the plank members are forcibly compressed together along an axis parallel to the axes of said corner sections to provide a good moisture tight seal between said plank members.

2. Building structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper securing member has a top plate with a threaded aperture therethrough; and wherein said adjustable means comprises:

threaded means adjustably passing through said threaded aperture in said top plate of said upper securing member with a free end extending therethrough; and

a pressure plate with spaced apart upper and lower surfaces located beneath said top plate of said upper securing member, said lower surface of said pressure plate contacting the upper edge of the abutting uppermost plank members and said free end of said threaded means adapted to engage said upper surface of said pressure plate whereby said threaded means can be adjusted to forcibly compress said abutting ends of said plank members.

3. Building structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said channel means at the upper end has one of said face portions cut away to a depth at least equal to the width of one of said plank members and wherein said upper securing member has adjacent face portions one being greater in length than the other and said face portion with the greater length adapted to be placed adjacent the cut away portion of said channel means and including attachment means for removably connecting said upper securing member to said channel means.

4. Building stnucture as claimed in claim 1, wherein said channel means at the upper end has one of said face portions cut away to a predetermined depth and wherein said upper securing member comprises: adjacent face portions one being greater in length than the other and said face portion with the greater length adapted to be placed adjacent the cut away portion of said channel means; a top plate attached to said face portions of said upper securing member with threaded aperture means therethrough adapted to overlie the abutting edges of the uppermost plank members and wherein said adjustable means comprises: threaded means adjustably passing through said threaded aperture means in said top plate of said upper securing member with free ends extending therethrough whereby said free ends are adjusted to contact the upper edge of the abutting uppermost plank members and forcibly compress said abutting ends of said plank members.

5. Building structure as claimed in claim 1 including vertical recess means formed in the abutting end surfaces of said plank members and registering with one another whereby to define a continuous closed passageway extend- 5 6 ing vertically through said corners of said structure for 1,936,571 12/1933 Burnann 52-233 X receiving grouting material therein. 3,440,7'84 4/1969 Onjukka 52233 3,449,875 6/1969 Snedeker 52-284 X References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,666,074 4/1928 Steinhil'ber 211--150X 7/1946 France 1 4429 1 35 f -1s 5335 Z 3 2 HENRY c. SUTHERLAND,Pr1mary Exammer 2,373,789 4/1945 Smith 52-282 s. D. BURKE 111, Assistant Examiner 3,157,255 11/1964 Sondheim 52 -2s2x 10 3,189,950 6/1965 Johnson 5z-2s1 X US. 01. X.R. 3,204,373 9/1965 Small 52-282 X 5236. 233

3,222,836 12/1965 Collin et a1 52-281