Wall construction system

Abstract: A removable wall construction comprising wall panels (50) being mounted to a vertical support means (12) by a plurality of fasteners (14). The vertical support means comprises studs having a front face (16), said front face having apertures (23) along its length. The fasteners comprise a piercing means for attaching the fasteners to the edges (52) of the wall panels and support attachment means for attaching the fasteners to the vertical support means, the support attachment means comprising transversely deformable projections adapted to be removably inserted into the apertures of the vertical support means.

Description: The present invention relates to a demountable wall construction system wherein wall panels are removably secured to a supporting structural framework by a series of fasteners attached to the edges of the wall panels. It also relates such fasteners and to a wall constructed from the system. It is common to construct demountable partitions in office buildings from drywall panels. These panels are usually mounted onto vertical studs via edge fastening clips. Traditionally, these clips have been provided with prongs for attachment to the edges of the wall panel. The clips were in turn attached to the vertical studs by screws or nails. These prior art clips were capable of mounting the wall panels to the supporting studs in a coplanar fashion such that the clips themselves remained hidden behind the edges of the wall panels. These wall panels clips, however, required the wall panels to be mounted to the supporting studs in a progressive fashion. Weinar, United States Patent No. 4 221 095 discloses a typical wall assembly system requiring the progressive attachment of wall panels to their supporting studs, in which the clips are secured to studs by means of screws. Subsequently, clips adapted to clip onto the edges of the wall supporting studs were introduced. See e.g. Ragland, United States Patent US-A-4 377 060 and Wendt, United States Patent US-A-4 567 706, which both disclose wall fastening systems involving metal clips or fasteners which are provided with gripping flanges. Although these panel clips permitted the wall panels to be mounted to the studs in a manner permitting the easy disassembly of the wall panels, the clips often tended to slip off the supporting studs. These clips also required the wall panels to move laterally during their assembly. This is a significant hindrance in the assembly of partition walls, particularly at corners where lateral movement of wall panels is not possible. In US-A-4 149 353 there is disclosed a wall system for constructing a removable wall from: demountable wall panels having front and rear surfaces and two side edges; vertical supports for supporting the wall panels in a vertical coplanar arrangement, and comprising a web portion and a front face extending the length thereof, the front face being provided with at least one aperture on either side of the axis of its front face, the web portion being configured so as to leave a space behind the front face in the vicinity of each aperture; and a plurality of fasteners for fastening the wall panels by their side edges to the vertical supports in a coplanar arrangement, each of the fasteners comprising a panel piercing means for piercing a side edge of a wall panel and a support attachment means for removably attaching the wall panel to a vertical support, the support attachment means including a projection having a longitudinal axis oriented perpendicular to the wall panel when the fastener is attached thereto, the projection being deformable in a direction perpendicular to its plane and comprising an integral extension oriented perpendicular to the wall panel and a resilient angular member integrally connected with the remote end of the perpendicular extension and depending at an acute angle thereto, the projection being dimensioned and configured to be removably inserted through one of the apertures into the space behind the aperture and to be deformed in the process of insertion, thereby resisting removal of the projection from the aperture. The wall system of this invention is characterized in that each fastener has at least two perpendicular extensions integrally connected with but offset from the piercing means and at least two resilient angular members of which at least one is directly and the other member may be indirectly connected, with the remote ends of the perpendicular extensions and depending on opposite sides thereof at acute angles to the perpendicular extensions, the resilient members being displaced in opposite directions towards the respective perpendicular extensions by the insertion or removal of the projection into or from an aperture of a vertical support. Correspondingly, US-A-4 149 353 discloses a fastener for removably coupling a wall panel having a front and rear surfaces and side edges to a vertical support having a web portion and an apertured front face, the fastener comprising: piercing means for attaching the fastener to the side edge of a wall panel; and a projection comprising an integral extension of the fastener and a resilient angular member integrally connected with the remote end of the perpendicular extension and depending at an acute angle therefrom, whereby the projection is laterally deformable and is dimensioned and configured to be removably inserted into an aperture and to be deformed in the process of insertion such that, after insertion, the front portion of the projection extending through the aperture exerts a longitudinal force resisting removal of the fastener from the vertical support. The fastener according to this invention is characterized in that the fastener includes a planar body portion configured to lie parallel to the rear face of the wall panel, and at least one deformable projection which extends from and has a longitudinal axis oriented perpendicular to the planar body portion and comprises integral extensions extending perpendicularly from the planar body portion but offset from the point of connection of the piercing means, and at least two resilient members of which at least one is directly and the other member may be indirectly connected, with the remote ends of the perpendicular extensions and depending on opposite sides thereof at divergent acute angles to the perpendicular extensions, each resilient member having at its distal end a continuation extending more generally parallel or convergently to the perpendicular extensions, whereby the resilient members can be displaced in opposite directions towards the respective perpendicular extensions by the insertion or removal of the projection into or from an aperture in a vertical support. The subject system preferably comprises a series of vertical support means, each support means being vertically mounted between the floor and the ceiling, said vertical support means being separated by a distance equal to the width of the wall panels used. A row of coplanar wall panels are mounted to the vertical support means, such that the joint between two adjacent wall panels is aligned directly in front of a vertical support means. A plurality of fasteners are fastened to the side edges of each wall panel and the wall panels are in turn fastened to the vertical support means by inserting the projections of the fasteners into the apertures of the vertical support means. The vertical support means may comprise a vertical member having a front face and a rear face separated by a centrally disposed web portion. The front face of the vertical support means is provided with a series of apertures located toward either side of the web portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the wall system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partially cut away perspective view of the assembled wall system of the present invention; Figure 3 is a top plan view of the fastener of the present invention; Figure 4 is a side view of the fastener shown in Figure 3. Figure 5a and 5b are perspective views of the currently preferred embodiment of the fastening means of the present invention; Figure 6 is a top plan view of the fastening means shown in Figures 5a and 5b; and Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the fastening means shown in Figures 5a and 5b. Referring firstly to figure 1, the wall construction of the present invention comprises vertical support means shown generally as 12, fastener shown generally as 14 and wall panel shown generally as 50. Vertical support means 12 comprises an I-shaped stud having front face 16, web portion 18 and rear face 20. A space exists between front face 16 and rear face 20. Apertures 22 are provided on front face 16 of vertical support means 12. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, apertures 22 are formed as a series of longitudinally spaced pairs of vertical slots, each aperture of a given pair located on either side of web portion 18. Apertures 22 may also be present on rear face 20 of vertical support means 12. Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, fasteners 14 comprise planar body portion 42 having spaced parallel outside leg portions 30 connected together at one end thereof by transverse body member 43, projections 34 and 35 extending above and perpendicular to planar portion 42, and depending member shown generally as 45. Depending member 45 comprises side edge portion 44 extending below and perpendicular to planar body portion 42, and prongs 28 which extend beneath leg portions 30. Leg portions 30 are provided at their distal ends with raised toes 32 which are set at angle B from the plane of leg portions 30. The piercing means comprise prongs 28 set at angle C from side edge portion 44. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, angle C is approximately between 90°-80°. Prongs 28 extend below leg portions 30 and, together with leg portions 30, form the portion of fastener 14 which attaches to the wall panel. Projections 34 and 35 are integral extensions of planar body portion 42 which project above planar body portion 42, between outside leg portions 30. Projections 34 and 35 comprise straight portions 36, 37 situated perpendicular to planar portion 42, and angular portions 38, 39. Angular portions 38, 39 are continuations of straight portions 36 and 37, respectively, and are each set at accute angle A from their respective straight portions. Angular portions 38 and 39 extend downward and parallel to straight portions 36 and 37 and terminate at transverse extensions 40 which are short perpendicular extensions of angular portions 38 and 39. Referring now to Figure 2 to assemble the present wall construction, fasteners 14 are first attached to wall panels 50 at edges 52 thereof as illustrated in Figure 2. Prongs 28 are driven into edge 52 of panel 50 such that rear surface 56 of wall panel 50 presses against leg portions 30. Side edge portion 44 of fasteners 14 touch edge 52 of wall panel 50 when prongs 28 are fully inserted. Fasteners 14 are fastened to wall panel 50 such that when rear face 56 of wall panel 50 is brought towards front face 16 of vertical support means 12, projections 34 and 35 of fastener 14 are aligned with apertures 22. Projections 34 and 35 are then forcibly inserted into apertures 22 such that side edge portion 44 of fasteners 14 faces the central axis of front face 16. The diameter of apertures 22 is less than the diameter between angular portions 38 and 39 of fastener 14. Upon insertion, angular portions 39 and 38 are displaced towards vertical portions 37 and 36 respectively. Projections 34 and 35 enter aperture 22 until the edges of aperture 22 meet transverse extensions 40 located at the ends of angular portions 38 and 39. The section of angular portions 38 and 39 which are behind aperture 22 then recoil away from their respective straight portions. The recoil of angular portions 38 and 39 result in their exerting a longitudinal force against the back of front face 16 near apertures 22 which in turn keep projections 34 and 35 within apertures 22. If lateral movement of wall board 50 Is required during the assembly of the wall construction, the space remaining between angular portions 38 and 39 and vertical portions 36 and 37 respectively provides a limited amount of lateral flexibility. To create a continuous partition wall, a series of wall boards 50 are attached to a series of vertical support means 12 such that the side edges 52 of adjacent wall boards abut one another directly infront of a vertical support stud. To disassemble the wall construction, a specific wall panel may be removed by pulling outward on edge 52 away from the vertical support means 12 with sufficient force to deform projections 34 and 35 by displacing angular portions 38 and 39 towards their respective vertical portions. This causes projections 34 and 35 to exit aperture 22 and, therefore, release wall panel 50 from vertical support means 12. This procedure is repeated with each fastener 14 located along side edges 52 of wall panel 50. In the preferred embodiment, a partition wall between two adjoining spaces may be constructed from a single series of vertical support means 12 by mounting wall panels 50 to front face 16 and to rear face 20 of vertical support means 12 via a plurality of fasteners 14. Alternative embodiments are possible for the present wall construction. Fasteners 14 may be modified such that only one projection is present. Alternative, if two projections are present, angular portions 38 and 39 of projections 34 and 35 respectively may be angled both in the same direction. In another embodiment, fastener 14 may comprise only one prong 28 and only one leg 30. In other alternative embodiments of the present wall construction system, vertical support means 12 may assume a shape other than an I-beam, provided that it comprises a front face and a web portion arranged so as to create a space directly behind the front face in order to receive projections 34 and 39 of fastener 14. For example, the support means could be a C-shaped member having front and rear surfaces, a Z-shaped member having front and rear surfaces or a T-shaped member having only a front face. Apertures 22 may be circular or oval in some embodiments, while in other embodiments of the present invention, apertures 22 may not be oriented in pairs. Referring to Figures 5a, 5b, 6 and 7, fastener 100 comprises a planar body portion made up of spaced parallel planar outside leg portions 112 connected together at one end thereof by planar transverse portion 114. Fastener 100 also comprises projection 116 extending above and perpendicular to leg portions 112, side edge portion 120 extending below and perpendicular to transverse portion 114, and prongs 122 which extend from side edge portion 120. Leg portions 112 are provided at their distal ends with raised toes 124 which are set at an angle from the plane of leg portions 112. Projection 116 extends from transverse portion 114 and projects upwardly between outside leg portions 112. Projection 116 comprises uprights 126 and 128 situated perpendicular to leg portions 112, wide resilient member 130 extending to one side of uprights 126, 128 and narrower resilient member 132 extending to the other side of uprights 126 and 128. Wide resilient member 130 connects together uprights 126 and 128. In the preferred embodiment, narrower resilient member 132 is located between uprights 126 and 128, and extends upwardly from a central portion of wide resilient member 130 and then downwardly to the other side of uprights 126 and 128. As best shown in Figure 7, resilient members 130 and 132 are bent at points 133 and 135 respectively, and include lower angled sections 134 and 136 which angle back towards upright portions 126 and 128. Lower angled sections 134 and 136 are provided at their free ends with up-turned stop lips 138 and 140. Projection 116 is transversely deformed when it is inserted into a stud aperture by the displacement of the resilient members. Upon insertion of projection 116, resilient members 130 and 132 are displaced towards each other due to the fact that the width of projection 116 is greater than the diameter of the aperture. Due to their configuration, resilient member 130 is not displaced to the same extent as resilient member 132. During insertion, resilient members 130 and 132 each press against the edge of the aperture with a transverse force approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of projection 116. Because of the configuration and location of the resilient members, the transverse force created by the wide resilient member 130 is balanced by the transverse force created by the narrow resilient member 132; therefore, torsion of the projection does not occur. The bends at points 133 and 135 permit the portion of resilient members 130 and 132 which are behind the stud aperture to partially recoil away from each other after insertion such that the diameter of the projection behind the aperture is wider than the width of the aperture itself. The recoil of resilient members 130 and 132 results in a longitudinal force being applied by projection 116 to the front face of the stud adjacent the aperture. This longitudinal force resists the removal of projection 116 from the aperture and also helps to hold projection 116 within the aperture. Stop lips 138 and 140 engage the front face of the stud adjacent the aperture so as to prevent resilient members 130 and 132 from being fully inserted into the aperture. With resilient member 130 and 132 being only partially inserted into the aperture, removal of projection 116 from the aperture can be achieved by applying a force to the fastener, said force being of sufficient magnitude to overcome the longitudinal force exerted by projection 116. In an alternate embodiment, projection 116 may take the form of three or more separate projections each having an upright portion and a resilient member, the resilient members being so arranged that upon insertion of the projection, the transverse forces created by the resilient members pressing against the edges of the aperture are balanced and no torsion of the projection occurs.

Claims: A wall system for constructing a removable wall from: demountable wall panels (50) having front (54) and rear (56) surfaces and two side edges (52); vertical supports (12) for supporting the wall panels in a vertical coplanar arrangement, and comprising a web portion (18) and a front face (16) extending the length thereof, the front face being provided with at least one aperture (22) on either side of the axis of its front face, the web portion being configured so as to leave a space behind the front face in the vicinity of each aperture; and a plurality of fasteners (14) for fastening the wall panels by their side edges (52) to the vertical supports in a coplanar arrangement, each of the fasteners comprising a panel piercing means (28) for piercing a side edge of a wall panel and a support attachment means for removably attaching the wall panel to a vertical support, the support attachment means including a projection (34) having a longitudinal axis oriented perpendicular to the wall panel when the fastener is attached thereto, the projection being deformable in a direction perpendicular to its plane and comprising an integral extension (36) oriented perpendicular to the wall panel and a resilient angular member (38) integrally connected with the remote end of the perpendicular extension and depending at an acute angle thereto, the projection being dimensioned and configured to be removably inserted through one of the apertures into the space behind the aperture and to be deformed in the process of insertion, such that, after insertion, the front portion of the projection extending through the aperture exerts a longitudinal force resisting removal of the projection from the aperture; characterized in that each fastener has at least two perpendicular extensions (36,37/126,128) integrally connected with but offset from the piercing means (28/122) and at least two resilient angular members (38, 39/130,132) of which at least one is directly and the other member may be indirectly connected, with the remote ends of the perpendicular extensions and depending on opposite sides thereof at acute angles to the perpendicular extensions, the resilient members being displaced in opposite directions towards the respective perpendicular extensions by the insertion or removal of the projection into or from an aperture (22) of a vertical support (12). The wall system as defined in claim 1, wherein the vertical support (12) I-shaped studs having a front face (16) and a rear face (20) separated by a web portion (18). The wall system as defined in claim 2, wherein the front (16) and rear (20) faces of the stud (12)are each provided with a series of longitudinally spaced pairs of apertures (22), a member of each pair being located on either side of the web portion (18). The wall system as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the apertures (22) are shaped as elongated slots. The wall system as defined in any preceding claim, wherein each fastener (14/100) is made from a single sheet of resilient material. The wall system as defined in claim 5, wherein the fastener (14/100) includes a planar body portion (42/114) and the piercing means comprises one or more prongs (28/122) extending in the same general direction as the planar body. The wall system as defined in claim 6, wherein the prongs (28/122) are connected to the planar body portion (42/114) by an integral side edge portion (44/120) and extend at an angle of 80-90° from the side edge portion. The wall system as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein each fastener (14/100) further comprises a pair of leg portions (30/112), said leg portions being extensions of the planar body (42/114), the perpendicular extensions (36, 37/126, 128) being positioned between the legs, said legs being adapted to press against the wall panel (50) when the fastener is secured to the wall panel. The wall system as defined in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein each fastener (14) includes two spaced perpendicular extensions (36,37) and respective resilient members (38,39) depending from the remote ends of the perpendicular extensions at opposite acute angles. The wall system as defined in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the fastener (100) includes at least two resilient members (130,132) symmetrically disposed on the fastener (100) such that, upon insertion of the projection, the transverse forces created by deformation of the resilient members are balanced and no torsion of the projection occurs. The wall system as defined in claim 10, wherein the fastener (100) includes a pair of perpendicular extensions (126,128), a first resilient member (120) is integrally connected with the remote ends of both perpendicular extensions and depends downwardly to one side thereof, and a second resilient member (132) extends upwardly from a central portion of the first resilient member and then downwardly to the other side of the perpendicular extensions. A wall construction made from the wall system defined in any preceding claim wherein two or more vertical supports (12) are mounted between an adjacent floor and ceiling, at least two fasteners (14/100) are attached to each of the side edges (52) of the wall panels (50), and the wall panels are attached to the supports in a coplanar fashion with their back surfaces (56) facing the supports, the projections (34,35/116) of the fasteners being contained within the apertures (22) of the vertical supports. A fastener for removably coupling a wall panel having a front and rear surfaces and side edges to a vertical support having a web portion and an apertured front face, the fastener (14) comprising: piercing means (28) for attaching the fastener to the side edge of a wall panel; and a projection (34) comprising an integral extension (36) of the fastener and a resilient angular member (38) integrally connected with the remote end of the perpendicular extension and depending at an acute angle therefrom, whereby the projection is laterally deformable and is dimensioned and configured to be removably inserted into an aperture and to be deformed in the process of insertion such that, after insertion, the front portion of the projection extending through the aperture exerts a longitudinal force resisting removal of the fastener from the vertical support; characterized in that the fastener includes a planar body portion (42) configured to lie parallel to the rear face of the wall panel, and at least one deformable projection (34) which extends from and has a longitudinal axis oriented perpendicular to the planar body portion and comprises integral extensions (36, 37/126, 128) extending perpendicularly from the planar body portion (42/114) but offset from the point of connection of the piercing means (28), and at least two resilient members (38, 39/130, 132) of which at least one is directly and the other member may be indirectly connected, with the remote ends of the perpendicular extensions and depending on opposite sides thereof at divergent acute angles to the perpendicular extensions, each resilient member having at its distal end a continuation extending more generally parallel or convergently to the perpendicular extensions, whereby the resilient members can be displaced in opposite directions towards the respective perpendicular extensions by the insertion or removal of the projection into or from an aperture in a vertical support. The fastener as defined in claim 13, when made from a single sheet of resilient material. The fastener as defined in claim 13 or 14, wherein each of the said continuations of the resilient members (38,39) terminates in a short lateral extension (40) which, upon insertion of the projection into the aperture (22) limits the insertion of the projection by engaging the front face (16) of the vertical support (12). The fastener as defined in claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein the planar body portion (42/114) includes a pair of outside leg portions (30/112), the integral extensions (36,37/126,128) being interposed between the leg portions. The fastener as defined in claim 15, further comprising prongs (28/122) connected to the planar body portion (42/114) by an integral side edge portion (44/120) and extending in the same general direction/as the planar body and at an angle of 80-90° from the side edge portion. The fastener as defined in any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the piercing means (28) comprises two prongs extending in the same general direction as the planar body portion (42). A fastener as defined in claim 13 or 14, which includes at least two resilient members (130,132) which are symmetrically located with respect to the planar body portion (114) such that transverse forces created by deformation of the resilient members are balanced and no torsion of the projection occurs upon insertion. A fastener as defined in claim 19, wherein the first resilient member (130) is integrally connected with the remote ends of both perpendicular extensions (126,128) and depends at an acute angle to one side thereof, and the second resilient member (132) extends upwardly from a central portion of the first resilient member and then depends downwardly at an acute angle to the other side of the extensions.

Inventors: HASHIMOTO DANIEL T, KORBEY GRAHAM T, HASHIMOTO, DANIEL T., KORBEY, GRAHAM T.
Applicants: BPB INDUSTRIES PLC, BPB INDUSTRIES PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
Application year: 1990
Main classification: E04B2
IPC codes: E04B2