Abstract:
A wall panel system is provided that includes a series of interlocking wall panels with a pressure-adherent backing. The wall panels are configured to be placed on a wall in interlocking fashion, with the interlocking attributes contributing to the overall appearance of the panel. In one aspect, surface features are provided on the wood panels that add surface texture to the panel by laser burning into the surface of the wood panel. The width of the surface features can be changed by adjusting the properties of the laser, such as beam focus. The wood panels are conveniently sized so that they can be easily manipulated for interlocking placement on the wall.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to wall coverings, and more particularly to wood panels for mounting on walls. 
         [0002]    Traditional wall paneling often consists of ¼-½ in. thickness wood panels that are nailed and/or glued to the wall. Both approaches are time consuming, and in the case of gluing somewhat painstaking. The gluing process requires additional preparation for applying the glue layer to the back of the wood panel, and applying an amount of glue that is sufficient to hold the wood panel firmly and flatly against the existing wall. Moreover, the typical wall panel, is cut to the height of the wall, making it cumbersome to manipulate and hold in place as the panel is being mounted to the wall. 
         [0003]    Flexible wall coverings, such as wall paper, are also painstaking and cumbersome to apply. Moreover, the typical flexible covering lacks the surface texturing that can be achieved with the traditional wall panel. There is a need for a textured wood wall covering that is versatile and easy to mount to a wall. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A wall panel system is provided that includes a series of interlocking wall panels with a pressure-adherent backing. The wall panels are configured to be placed on a wall in interlocking fashion, with the interlocking attributes contributing to the overall appearance of the panel. In one aspect, the wall panels are about 1/16 in thick and are flexible to facilitate mounting to the wall. The back side of the panels is provided with a self-adherent or pressure-adherent composition initially covered by a backing sheet. The sheet can be readily removed for placement of the individual panel. 
         [0005]    In a further aspect, surface features are provided on the wood panels that add surface texture to the panel. The features are formed by laser burning into the surface of the wood panel. The width of the surface features can be changed by adjusting the properties of the laser, such as beam focus. 
         [0006]    The wood panels are conveniently sized so that they can be easily manipulated for interlocking placement on the wall. Thus, in one embodiment the panels are provided at a width of 12-15 in. and a length of 18-24 in. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a wall panel according to one embodiment disclosed herein. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of an arrangement of wall panels, such as the panel shown in  FIG. 1 , illustrating the interlocking nature of the panels. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the wall panel shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification. It is understood that no limitation to the scope of the invention is thereby intended. It is further understood that the present invention includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles of the invention as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. 
         [0011]    A wood panel  10  according to one embodiment is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The panel is preferably formed of a wood material that is durable enough to withstand use on a building wall, yet light weight enough to be easily installed by a non-professional. Moreover, the wood must be capable of formation into very thin sheets, on the order of 1/16 in. or less in thickness. Suitable woods include woods used for veneer, such as birch, cherry, chestnut, mahogany, maple, oak, pine, teak and walnut. The panel is thin enough to exhibit limited flexibility that simplifies mounting the panel on a wall, as described herein. 
         [0012]    The front or exposed surface  11  of the panel  10  is decorative and incorporates a pattern formed in the surface, as described in more detail herein. The back surface of the panel includes a layer  60  of a self- or pressure-adhering material covered by a removable backing sheet  61 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The layer  60  is formed of an adhesive that readily bonds to the wood when the layer is applied during production of the panel. The adhesive is also capable of rapidly bonding to a variety of surfaces, such as conventional wall board or gypsum. The layer  60  and backing sheet  61  are very thin, such as less than 1/64 in. In certain embodiments the layer  60  may be an acrylic film, a rubber-based adhesive, or a styrene copolymer material (such as SBS or SIS), or other suitable adhesive that exhibits high tack strength and pressure adhering capabilities. 
         [0013]    In one aspect, the panel  10  is formed for interlocking with other like-configured panels to complete a wall installation. Thus, the panel  10  is not sized to fill the entire height of a wall, like traditional wall paneling, but rather provided in discretely sized panels that can be easily manipulated by the installer without the need for tools. In one embodiment the panels have an overall width of 12-15 in. and an overall length of 18-24 in. The panel  10  can thus be easily held by the installer and applied to the wall surface. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the perimeter of the panel incorporates interlocking features that permit interlocking layout of panels at all sides of the panel. In one embodiment, the opposite sides  12   a ,  12   b  each include a recess  13  bounded by angled edges  14  leading to a projection in the form of plateau edge  15 . In the illustrated embodiment, one recess  13  is flanked by two plateaus  15  and partial recesses are provided at the ends of the sides  12   a ,  12   b  that include only one angled edge. However it is understood that the inverse of this arrangement can be used. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the recess and plateaus are offset between side  12   a  and side  12   b . In other words, the recesses and plateaus on side  12   a  are offset in a first vertical direction from the recesses and plateaus on side  12   b.    
         [0014]    The ends  22   a ,  22   b  include a recess  26 , angled edges  25  and projections  24 , with the projections being complementary configured to be received within the recess  26 . Like the sides, the ends include one full recess, two partial recesses and two projections, although the inverse arrangement can be implemented. Also like the sides, the ends  22   a ,  22   b  are configured with the recess and projections offset from end to end. In other words, the recesses and plateaus on end  22   a  are offset in a second horizontal direction from the recesses and plateaus on end  22   b . This offset and complementary feature allows multiple panels to be interlocked when placed on a wall, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0015]    Redecorating a wall with the wall panels  10  disclosed herein can proceed in a manner similar to laying floor tile. In particular, an arrangement of vertical and horizontal lines may be drawn on the wall to be used as a reference to ensure square placement of each panel. The panel  10 A may be mounted first to the wall by removing the backing sheet  61  ( FIG. 3 ) to expose the pressure-adhesive layer  60 . The panel is positioned on the wall in the desired orientation, such as by aligning the plateau edges  15  with a vertical plumb line previously drawn on the wall. The recesses  26  in one end edge may also be aligned with a perpendicular horizontal line. The next panel  10 B may be added below the first panel  10 A by removing the backing sheet for panel  10 B and sliding the panel upward so that the projections  24  are seated within a corresponding recess  26 . It can be appreciated that each successive panel that is added below the first two panels  10 A,  10 B will also shift the panel assembly laterally. 
         [0016]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , a third panel  10 C may be added by sliding the panel sideways so that the recesses  13  and plateaus  15  interlock with the angled edges  14  contacting each other. It can be appreciated that the partial recess  26  on panel  10 C becomes bounded on its open side by the plateau  15  of the other panel  10 B, with the projection  24  at the left side of the panel  10 A disposed in that space. Much like tiling a floor, additional panels  10  are added in the same manner with periodic checks of the relationship of the sides and ends of the panels relative to various plumb lines drawn on the wall to ensure that the panels are being mounted squarely with the wall. When the array of installed panels reaches the ceiling, floor or side walls it is apparent that a panel will need to be cut to size. Since the panels  10  are formed of wood the cut can be easily and accurately made with a circular saw or other woodworking tools. 
         [0017]    In another attribute of the panel  10 , the interlocking features at sides  12   a ,  12   b  and ends  22   a ,  22   b  reflect the design defined in the surface  11  of the panel. Thus, when multiple panels are interlocked, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the interlocking edges carry the surface design uninterrupted throughout the panels. The end result is a seamless, continuous pattern across the entire wall. 
         [0018]    The interlocking features and the surface pattern are generated using a laser. A number of panels  10  are formed from a single sheet of wood by varying the beam width and intensity of the laser beam. (The wood sheet is provided with the pressure adhesive layer  60  and backing sheet  61  prior to operating the laser). The design on surface  11  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a pattern of narrow lines  30  that are generated with a narrow beam focus at a first energy level that is only sufficient to cut a shallow groove in the panel surface  11 . The laser can be computer controlled to create the pattern of narrow lines across the entire wood sheet, encompassing several eventual individual panels  10 . The surface pattern may include more pronounced surface features  40  that are formed by defocusing the laser beam to create a wider beam at the first intensity. The laser is moved throughout the entire wood sheet to form the pattern of features  40 , again encompassing several eventual individual sheets. The laser is maintained at the first intensity, or may be increased to a greater second intensity that is only sufficient to cut a shallow groove along the lines  40 . The greater beam intensity may be required because the beam is less focused than when forming the first thinner lines  30 . In addition, a greater intensity can make the lines  40  deeper into the surface  11  to create a more pronounced three-dimensional effect. With both lines  30  and  40  it is important that the laser beam be insufficient to burn completely through the wood sheet and preferably insufficient to burn more than a nominal depth that might otherwise compromise the integrity of the eventual panel. Alternatively, certain of the lines may be burnt to a depth that can act as a separation point to remove a portion of a panel. 
         [0019]    With respect to the wider lines  40  the use of a laser produces a very visible pattern by burning the wood as the lines are formed. This is in contrast to forming the lines using a router that simply cuts or removes wood material. In the case of router-cut grooves or lines, the wood surface must be further treated to accentuate the grooves, such as by staining. On the other hand, with the panels  10  disclosed herein, the process of forming the lines/grooves also “treats” the wood surface to accentuate the design features. No further processing or treatment is required. 
         [0020]    The sides  12   a ,  12   b  and ends  22   a ,  22   b  are then cut using a narrow focus beam at a higher third intensity that is sufficient to cut entirely through the wood sheet. This third pass of the laser beam separates the wood sheet into the individual panels  10 . 
         [0021]    It can be appreciated that the irregular perimeter of the panel  10  will necessarily result in partial panels at the edges of the original wood sheet. These partial panels will be bounded by one linear edge for partial panels cut within the interior of the wood sheet, or by two linear edges for partial panels at the corner of the wood sheet. These partial panels may be recycled, or may be provided for corner and end pieces in a wall covering. The laser may thus be controlled so that the various burns for lines  30 ,  40 ,  12   a ,  12   b ,  22   a ,  22   b  orient the linear edges with the recesses  13  and  26 . The partial panels may serve as the starting point for application of the panels onto a wall. 
         [0022]    While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes, modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. For instance, types of wood identified above, or the dimensions of the panels described herein may be modified depending upon application or desirability. In addition, while the pattern and features defined in the wood panels are disclosed as being formed by a laser, other methods for controllably burning the wood are contemplated.