Abstract:
A bullnose cladding system is provided which gives an outward appearance of a generally arcuate or semi-circular surface extending from an otherwise planar surface. The bullnose cladding system is constructed using a pair of parallel mounting rails which hold one or more outwardly bowed flexible plastic panels. The longitudinal edges of the plastic panels are folded under to create a hem which releasably secures the panel within the longitudinal rails. Various corner members and expansion joints may be utilized to provide a finished look to the bullnose cladding system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/215,569, filed on Jun. 30, 2000 pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e). 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an ornamental fascia for use on a building structure and more particularly to a bullnose cladding system for adorning various exposed surfaces of a structure. 
     It is now customary for chain stores and franchise realtors to use a standardized appearances on various structure attendant to their business in order to convey a common recognizable theme to the products and/or services offered thereby. A standardized appearance is also useful in order to convey the nature of the business or to convey a theme. 
     Often the building architecture or attendant structure of a particular store or franchise will vary from one building to another. Because of these architectural differences, it is sometimes necessary to use building adornments in order to convey a theme or a standardized appearance. Ideally such adornments should be inexpensive, easy to install and should require low maintenance. Given the wide variance in building architecture, these objectives may be difficult and expensive to achieve. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to fulfill the need for a simple and relatively inexpensive building adornment, the present invention provides a construction, apparatus and method for providing a bullnose cladding for attachment to a building structure or attendant fixture. The bullnose cladding system includes a pair of elongated rail members attached to the surface of the structure onto which the bullnose cladding is to be secured. A panel or plurality of panels are inserted within channels formed in the rails for releasably securing the cladding to the structure. The individual panels are formed with a living hinge which allows the panel to be folded to form a hem on the back side of the panel which is inserted within the channel to create a self-locking joint. By utilizing a hem, additional fastening elements such as pins or clips are not needed. The bullnose cladding system further includes various expansion joint assemblies which may be interdisposed between adjacent panels to accommodate thermal expansion as a result of change in the ambient temperatures. Similarly, the bullnose cladding system further includes various corner assemblies which are used to provide a mitered or rounded effect at corners of the bullnose cladding system while at the same time allowing for expansion of the adjacent panels. As such, the invention is well adapted for storage, shipment and assembly in a modular or kit form. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved covering or cladding for buildings, structures, poles, columns and attendant fixtures. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost system for covering or highlighting such items which can be easily assembly. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which has a minimum number of parts that are easy to install and replace where necessary. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which has mostly flat and/or non-preformed components in order to minimize packaging and freight expenses. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which accommodates thermal expansion of the individual components, while at the same time maintaining a uniform, pleasing appearance. 
     These and other objects and purposes of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of invention which viewed in accordance with the attached drawings and appended claims. Thus, for a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a canopy incorporating the bullnose cladding system of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-section of a longitudinal rail and a portion of the panel for the bullnose cladding system illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a further detail of the interconnection of the rail and the panel illustrated in FIG. 2; 
     FIGS. 4 a - 4   d  illustrate the insertion of the panel into the rail; 
     FIGS. 5 a - 5   d  illustrate the fabrication of the bullnose fascia in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  illustrate various corner pieces to be used in conjunction with the bullnose fascia; 
     FIGS. 7 a  and  7   b  illustrate various expansion joints to be used in conjunction with the bullnose fascia; 
     FIG. 8 is a detail cross-sectional view of an alternate preferred embodiment of the cladding panel in accordance with the present invention; and 
     FIG. 9 is a detail illustration showing the forming of the cladding panel depicted in FIG.  8 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the bullnose cladding system of the present invention is illustrated generally at  20 . The cladding  20  is secured to a vertical face  22  of a building  24 . For illustration purposes, building  24  is generally represented as a canopy having a plurality of corners defining vertical faces. While the present invention is generally illustrated as providing cladding to a vertical face of a building structure, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that the cladding system of the present invention could be utilized in other applications such as being generally vertically oriented to provide a cylindrical appearance. The present invention represent further improvements to various cladding systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,223, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,136, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,533, U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,528, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,683 and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/316,733, which are commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention and the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 1, bullnose cladding system  20  includes a plurality of end-to-end panel sections  26  interconnected in an apparent continuous fashion. Bullnose cladding system  20  has a semi-circular or half-round configuration which gives the appearance of extending from vertical surface  22 . A light source (not shown) may be located on vertical surface  22  beneath bullnose cladding system  20  for providing an illuminated fascia. 
     With particular reference to FIGS. 5 a - 5   d , bullnose cladding system  20  includes an upper longitudinal rail  28  and a lower longitudinal rail  30  secured to vertical surface  22  in a parallel spaced-apart relationship. The edges of panel  26  are received within longitudinal rails  28 ,  30  for releasably securing panel  26  to support surface  22 . The distance between longitudinal support rails  28 ,  30  are such that panel  26  bows outwardly in a semi-circular configuration. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that lower longitudinal rail  30  is identical in design to upper longitudinal rail  28  and positioned on vertical surface  22  in a symmetrical manner about the longitudinal axis A. As such, further description of longitudinal rails  28 ,  30  and the features contained therein will be in reference to longitudinal rail  28  in the singular. 
     With reference now to FIGS. 2-4, longitudinal rail  28  has a generally F-shaped cross-section including vertical flange  32 , upper horizontal flange  34  and lower horizontal flange  36  extending outwardly from vertical flange  32 . Rail  28  may also include a second vertical flange  38  extending downwardly from a bottom surface of lower horizontal flange  36  for providing additional stiffness to longitudinal rail  28 . Lip portion  40  is formed at the end of lower horizontal flange  36 . Similarly, bead  42  is formed at the terminal end of upper horizontal flange  34 . Upper horizontal flange  34  and lower horizontal flange  36  define a channel  44  therebetween which is adapted to receive and releasably secure panel  26  to longitudinal rail  28 . Longitudinal rails  28 ,  30  are preferable fabricated from a suitable aluminum alloy which is extruded to form the desired configuration. 
     Longitudinal rail  28  may be secured to vertical surface  22  by any suitable fastening means. For example, a threaded fastener  45  may be inserted through vertical flange  32 . Other mechanical fasteners, as well as adhesive fasteners may be utilized for this purpose. In certain application, upper horizontal flange  34  may extend rearwardly (away from channel  44 ) beyond vertical flange  32  to provide a trim surface which conceals variations in the supporting surface. 
     With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4 a - 4   d , a panel  26  is configured such that an edge portion  46  may be folded underneath the central portion of panel  26  to form a hem. In this regard, a groove or living hinge  48  is formed on the interior surface of panel  26  which allows hem  46  to be folded back onto panel  26 . When hem  46  is folded back upon panel  26 , inner corners  52 ,  54  engage one another to provide a biasing or restoring force which urges hem  46  away from panel  26 . Once hem  46  is formed, the folded edge  56  of panel  26  may be inserted into channel  44  such that hem  46  is captured between panel  26  and flange  36 . The upper surface of panel  26  engages upper horizontal flange  34  so that panel  26  is securely retained to longitudinal rail  28 . As best illustrated in FIG. 3, lip  40  supports a portion of panel  26  proximate to folded edge  56  for forming the semi-circular configuration of bullnose cladding system  20 . Specifically, lip  40  is disposed at a slight acute angles which complements the slope of panel  26  at longitudinal rail  28 . 
     The configuration of hem  46  and living hinge  48  is dependent upon the thickness of material used for panel  26  as well as the geometry of channel  44  and the radius of curvature for the bullnose cladding. In one presently preferred embodiment, panel  26  is formed of an extruded thermoplastic material such as Surlyn SG201U available from DuPont and having a thickness of approximately 0.078 inches. With this material, it has been found that a hem length of approximately 0.5625 inch and a living hinge width of approximately 0.25 inch and thickness of approximately 0.020 inch provides an effective living hinge to fold hem  46  beneath panel  26 . 
     With reference to FIG. 8, an alternate embodiment for hem and living hinge in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. Specifically, panel  26 ′ is formed with a contoured groove or living hinge  48 ′ such that inner corners  52 ′,  54 ′ ramp upwardly away from the inner surface of pane  26 ′. An intermediate ridge  53 ′ is formed in living hinge  48 ′. When panel  26 ′ is folded to form hem  46 ′, intermediate ridge  53 ′ and inner corners  52 ′,  54 ′ engage one another to provide the biasing or restoring force. The design of living hinge  48 ′ adds robustness by minimizing the thinned cross-section therethrough. Referring to FIG. 9, living hinge  48 ′ may be formed as a subsequent coining process in which a power coining roll CR having a contoured face F is run along the inner face of panel  26 ′. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that other processes such as extrusion, routing, milling, cutting or other machining operations may be employed to form a living hinge. 
     With reference now to FIGS. 5 a  and  5   b , it can be seen that the longitudinal edges  58 ,  60  of panel  26  are formed with a series of fingers  62  extending outwardly therefrom. In this manner, a series of hems may be formed along the longitudinal edges of panel  26  for facilitating the insertion of folded edge  56  into longitudinal rail  28 . For example, a long roll R of panel material  26  may be utilized without requiring the entire length of hem  56  to be folded beneath panel  26 . Instead, fingers  62  are locally folded beneath panel  26  to form hem  56  which are then individually inserted into longitudinal rail  28 . Alternately, panel  26  may be provided with a continuous longitudinal edge (not shown) such that a continuous hem may be formed along the entire length of panel  26  which is continuously inserted into longitudinal rail  28 . 
     With reference now to FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b , the bullnose cladding system  20  may further include a suitable corner member which cooperates with adjacent panels  26  to form a mitered corner. While a mitered corner has been shown, one skilled in the art would recognize that a rounded corner could also be provided by a corner member. With particular reference to FIG. 6 a , corner piece  70  is provided with a pair of semi-circular surfaces  72 ,  74  which intersect at a right angle to form a mitered joint  76 . The upper and lower edges of corner piece  70  are received within channel  44  of longitudinal rails  28 ,  30 . A flange  78  extends from the transverse edge of arcuate surfaces  72 ,  74  and slide beneath adjacent panels  26  to provide a slip plane between panel  26  and corner piece  70 . Furthermore, flanges  78  support the back surface of panel  26  for maintaining the semi-circular configuration thereof. With reference to FIG. 6 b , corner piece  70 ′ is illustrated in which semi-circular panels  72 ′,  74 ′ intersect at miter joint  76 ′. Panels  72 ′,  74 ′ extend over the outer surface of panel  26  and provide a slip plane therebetween. As presently preferred, corner pieces  70 ,  70 ′ are vacuum formed components. While the mitered corners  70 ,  70 ′ illustrated in FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  are outside corners, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that interior corners could be formed in a like fashion. 
     With reference now to FIGS. 7 a  and  7   b , the bullnose cladding system  20  may further include suitable expansion joints for panel  26  is illustrated which may accommodate thermal expansion of panels  26  in bullnose cladding system  10 . For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7 a , backing plate  80  has a pair of longitudinal edges which are received in longitudinal rails  28 ,  30  such that the backing plate supports the edges of adjacent panels  26  from beneath. A slip plane is provided between backing plate  80  and panels  26  to allow for expansion and contraction thereof. With reference now to FIG. 7 b , an arcuate cover plate  80 ′ is provided having longitudinal edges which are received within longitudinal rails  28 ,  30 . Outwardly extending flanges  82 ′ are disposed over panel  26  and provide a slip plane therebetween to accommodate expansion and contraction of panels  26 . As presently preferred, expansion joint  80 ,  80 ′ are a vacuum formed component. 
     As previously indicated, the bullnose cladding system of the present invention provides a panel which may be releasably secured to a pair of longitudinal rails without the additional use of pins or clips to secure the panel to the rails. Similarly, panel  26  may be removed from longitudinal rails by positioning a tool beneath hem  46  so that the hem  46  may be urged toward panel  26  in a relatively parallel manner. Once in this position, folded edge  56  of panel  26  may be extracted from channel  44 , thereby freeing panel  26  from longitudinal rails  28 ,  30 . In view of the need to compress hem  46  against panel  26 , it is contemplated that a screwdriver or other tool will be required for disassembling panel  26  from rail  28 ,  30 . In this regard, the present invention provides a tamper-resistant bullnose fascia design which may frustrate vandalism attempts to the system. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with its presently preferred embodiment, the invention is capable of certain modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.