US3564788A - Wall paneling - Google Patents

Abstract

AN ASSEMBLY OF UNIQUELY INTERFITTING WALL PANELS MUTUALLY ADAPTED FOR COVERING THE SURFACE OF PERPENDICULARLY RELATED WALLS SO AS TO OBSCURE ANY IMPERFECTIONS IN THE JOINT THEREBETWEEN WHILE SUITABLY COMPENSATING FOR SAME, THERE BEING MEANS FOR SECURING SAID PANELS TO THE UNDERLYING WALL AND STUDDING AND WITH A MALE AND FEMALE COOPERATIVE LOCKING MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT PANELS.

Description

J. W. MOORE WALL PANELING Feb. 23, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 12, 1969 w nn FIG. I

INVENTOR JOHN W. MOORE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,564,788 WALL PANELING John W. Moore, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Swan Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed May 12, 1969, Ser. No. 823,818 Int. Cl. E04b 2/06, 2/72 US. Cl. 52-270 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to wall construction and, more particularly, to panels adapted for interfitting relationship upon mutually perpendicular surfaces for obscuring the underlying joint therebetween. Heretofore with the utilization of wall panels for finishing perpendicularly related wall surfaces considerable effort and expense was necessarily undertaken to assure that the joint therebetween was true and accurate since any imperfection therein would occasion a corresponding misalignment in the relationship of the panels with consequent marring of the appearance. In wall constructions utilizing drywall it has been requisite to carefully cut the meeting edge portions of the sheets or boards to assure proper joint formation. Such cutting has proved consistently to be time consuming and tedious, as well as presenting enhanced costs in materials as Well as labor. Mitering of mating edges has also been a necessary step in bringing about a true joint. Problems in creating snug joints have been encountered quite consistently in the matter of the surround for bathtubs which are presented within a wall recess. The problems of water seepage through ill-formed joints has provided a further source of aggravation from inaccuracies developed in the joint.

SUMMARY 'OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide paneling adapted for disposition upon the adjacent surfaces of planarwise perpendicularly related walls to fully obscure any imperfections in the developed joint, thereby decoratively masking same from view.

It is another object of the present invention to provide wall paneling comprised of interfitting components, the use of which eliminates the necessity of forming true and accurate, closely abutting joints between perpendicular wall surfaces, thus bringing about substantial economies in installation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide wall paneling of the type stated which may be most economically manufactured and which may be speedily installed in operative position by a workman without requiring complex tools and instruments.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide wall paneling of the type stated which is conducive to rapid construction with relatively reduced costs in labor and material since basic inaccuracies in underlying joints are fully compensated therefor, as well as for any out of plumb studding or walls.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide wall paneling of the type stated which may be used for a range of wall dimensions and which are especially suited for bathtub surrounds.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of Wall paneling constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention, illustrating the same in fully operative relationship as constituting a bathtub surround.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the side panel at the left side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the side panel at the right hand side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the center panel.

FIG. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 88 (as well as line 77) of FIG. 4 and illustrating another means of securing wall paneling constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention to support surfaces.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ,EMBODIMENT Referring now by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A indicates generally a wall recess, such as developed for receiving a bathtub 1, which recess upwardly of said bathtub is constituted of side walls 2, 2' and an intermediate wall 3. Said walls 2, 2 and 3 may be preferably of conventional construction and comprising drywall, such as wallboards 4, secured, as by nailing, upon studding, designated 5. It is to be recognized that the aforesaid wall construction is set forth for purposes of illustration as the present invention may be utilized with equal facility with other wall structures. As may best be seen in FIG. 2 the wallboards 4 of side walls 2, 2' form joints with the wallboard of wall 3, as at 6, 6. It is not necessary that the joint-forming edges of the related wallboards form a snug joint so that any inadvertent spacing therebetween resulting from lack of plumb or the like is without moment. Thus, there is obviated any need for careful cutting of the wallboards 4 or any need to effect mitering for joint formation. Mounted upon the outwardly presented face of wall-board 4 of intermediate wall 3 is a center panel 7 formed preferably of molded plastic material, such as a resin-bonded glass fiber reinforced construction and being secured upon said wallboard by mastic or other equally effective adhesive. Along its upper transverse margin, center panel 7 is provided with a vertical flange 8 which is inwardly offset from the main plane of said panel 7 for disposition against studding upwardly of the adjacent wallboard 4 for securement thereto as by nails or the like. Immediately beneath flange 8, center panel 7 is contoured to provide a projection 9 having an upper substantially horizontal surface 10, a front vertical surface 11, and a lower, substantially horizontal surface 12, which latter is of less extent than upper surface 11 so as to accommodate wallboard 4 whereby the upper margin thereof will abut against the underface of upper surface 11 (FIG. 6) and with the inward face of said wallboard 4 being substantially planar aligned with flange 8. In its lower central portion panel 7 is provided with an inwardly extending soap dish-forming recess 13 which will project through an opening 14 cut in the related wallboard 4. Throughout its lower transverse marginal portion center panel 7 is provided with a bead 15 for development of a waterproof joint with the adjacent surface of bathtub 1.

Provided for disposition upon side walls 2, 2 are side panels 16, 16', respectively, which are of like contour but of opposite arrangement so as to constitute mutual mirror images. Each side panel 16, 16' is also preferably formed from molded plastic material, such as a resin-bonded glass fiber reinforced construction, being relatively thin, yet sturdy and each is affixed to the related section of wallboard 4 by mastic or the like. A marginal flange 17, 18 is provided along the outer vertical marginal portion and along the upper transverse marginal portion, respectively, of said panels 16, 16' for flatwise disposition against the adjacent studding 5 presented beyond the proximate wallboard 4; said flanges 17, 18 being secured to said studding 5, as by nails or the like. Immediately inwardly of said flanges 17, 18 each panel 16, 16 is contoured to present a vertical and a horizontal projection 19, 20, respectively, which are coextensive with the side and transverse portion of said panels 16, 16' to appear as a substantially continuous decorative border. Said projections 19, 20 are of like dimension, being of such extent along their outer surfaces, as at 21, 22, respectively, to present the adjacent flanges 17, 18, respectively, spacedly inwardly of the main plane of said side panels 16, 16 for planar aligned relationship with the adjacent wallboard 4. The inner portions 23, 24 of projections 19, 20, respectively, are of less extent than the outer portions 21, 22. Said projections 19, 20 of side panels 16, 16 are of substantially like dimension as projection 9 of center panel 7 so that when panels 16, 16' and 7 are in operative relationship the said projections will constitute a seemingly continuous decorative band.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 7, it will be seen that each of said side panels 16, 16' in its inner or center panel-adjacent portion is contoured to provide an inwardly and rearwardly extending arcuate portion, as at 25, 25', respectively. Said projections 20 are continuous along said arcuate portions 25, 25' so that each of said projections 20 comprehends a corresponding arcuate portion, as indicated at 26. Adjacent the inner end edge of arcuate portions 25, 25, the related projections 20 are cut away, as at 27, to present a rearwardly opening, generally C-shaped recess forming thus a recess for receiving the adjacent, confronting portion of projection 9 of center panel 7 (FIG. 2). By this arrangement a positive male-female type interengagement is brought about between side panels 16, 16 and center panel 7 to thereby integrate same into what might be considered a unitary surround. By this feature it will be seen that the joint developed between walls 2 and 3, and 2 and 3 are completely masked so that any imperfections therein are totally obscured, including, for example, out of plumb walls. Furthermore, by this unique relationship between the aforesaid panels said side panels 16, 16' may be disposed relatively lengthwise of center panel 7 for accommodating bathtubs of varying length as the arcuate portions 25, 25 provide requisite latitude for such lengthwise relative adjustment. The interflt of side panels 16, 16' with center panel 7 cause a completed appearance to be accorded the treated wall recess and without the necessity of having effected a mitering or truing of the underlying Wall joints.

As suggested in FIG. 3 side panel 16 may be suitably apertured, as at 28, to allow for the projection therethrough of the customary hardware, such as the faucet indicated at 29.

From the foregoing it is also apparent that wall panels 16, 16' and 7 may be quickly and easily mounted upon the wall surfaces without requiring special tools so that the same are amenable for installation by the average home owner. It is, of course, apparent that caulking may be provided to the corner seams and along the joint between the bathtub 1 and the lower bead-forming edges of said panels 16, 16' and 7 to assure of appropriate waterproofing.

In view of the foregoing it is to be seen that panels constructed in accordance with the present invention may 4 be utilized with wall joints between perpendicularly related surfaces so that the present invention should not be considered as restricted to use only in wall recesses for bathtub surround purposes.

Referring now to FIG. 9, 36 identifies a wall panel which corresponds to panels 16, 16' and 7 above described but differs therefrom in that it is devoid of marginal flanges, as at 8 in panel 7 and 17, 18 on side panels 16, 16'. Additionally, the projections 9, 19 and 20 on said panels 7, 16, 16' are replaced by continuous projection 37 which is of arcuate cross section to present a bulging, as it were, outwardly from the main plane of the related panel 36 thereby creating a continuous recess 38 opening toward the adjacent wallboard 4 or other like structural component. The upper edge of projection 37 terminates spacedly from the proximate wallboard thereby creating a passage 39 therebetween. Fixed, as by suitable adhesive, to the inward or wallboard-directed face of said projection 37, throughout its extent, is a section of compressible foam material of any conventional composition and having its maximum dimension normally greater than the distance between the proximate wallboard 4 and the inner face of projection 37 so that upon application of panels 36 against wallboards 4 the said foam section 38 will be compressed. Adhesive materials are utilized to secure the outer face of said sections 38 to wallboard 4 for establishing effective adhesion of said panels 36 to wallboards 4. In order to finish the appearance of said panels 36 an elongated key 40, as of suitable plastic material, is provided which incorporates a wedge-shaped lower portion 41 having a maximum extent greater than the width of passage 39 so as to allow for movement therethrough and there being a locking recess 42 immediately thereabove for receiving the end edge 39 of projection 37. The upper portion of said key 40 is suitably contoured for decorative finishing purposes.

Wall panel 36 with its continuous projection 37 is adapted to be disposed over any continuous flat surface without requiring interleafing, or interfitting, with the base surface, such as drywall, or necessitating any cutting of such surface in any manner as would expectedly be required during remodeling of old tile walls.

It is to be understood that the horizontal projections 37 on side panels such as 16, 16' terminate spacedly from the inner ends thereof whereat there are provided cut away portions for snugly accepting the projection 37 on the center panel, such as 7.

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

1. Wall paneling construction comprising at least a first panel and a second panel; said second panel being presented in general planar, normal relationship to said first panel; said first panel having a mounting flange adjacent its upper marginal portion and an outwardly projecting portion in immediate adjacency to said mounting flange; said second panel having an outer vertical edge, an inner vertical edge and an upper horizontal edge; a mounting flange provided adjacent the marginal portions of said outer vertical edge and said upper horizontal edge; said second panel having an outwardly projecting portion of substantially like extent as the outwardly projecting portion of said first panel and located in immediate adjacency to said upper marginal mounting flange; the outwardly projecting portion of said second panel being cut away at its end proximate said first panel to define a recess; said recess having dimensions slightly greater than that of the outwardly projecting portion of said first panel for receiving same to effect cooperative interengagement therebetween; said second panel further having an arcuate portion adjacent the said inner vertical edge thereof; said inner vertical edge of said second panel being in overlying relationship with respect to said first panel along a line spaced from the adjacent side edge of said first panel.

2. Wall paneling construction comprising at least a first panel and a second panel, said second panel being presented in general planar, normal relationship to said first panel, said second panel having an outer vertical edge and an inner vertical edge, said inner vertical edge of said second panel being in overlying relationship with respect to said first panel along the lines spaced from the adjacent side edge of said first panel; said second panel having an arcuate portion presented in adjacency to said first panel continuous with said inner vertical edge; said first and second panels having an outwardly projecting portion of substantially like extent located adjacent the upper edge portion of said panel and being continuous therealong.

3. A wall paneling construction as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said first and second panels having a mounting flange adjacent their upper margins merging into said outwardly projecting portion.

4. A wall paneling construction as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said outwardly projecting portions being of generally outwardly arcuate contour for creating a continuous recessed opening; flexible compressible members disposed within said continuous re- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,917,388 7/1933 Nelson 52287 3,158,237 11/1964 Schooler 5235 3,185,270 5/1965 South 52656X 3,312,585 4/1967 Hamme 52-35X 3,359,574 12/1967 Stoneburner -n 5235X FOREIGN PATENTS 565,580 10/1957 Belgium 52270 PRICE C. PAW, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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