Abstract:
A wall system suitable for use in applications such as a fence or a wall of a building which comprises posts and panels which are interconnected or interengaged so that the wall may comprise a series of inline panels or corners formed by two panels and a single post, the interconnection or interengagement of the panels being effected without use of mechanical fasteners, glue, welding, or similar modes of attachment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/884,302 entitled Panel System and the specification thereof is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a wall system comprising one or more posts and one or more panels which may be easily interconnected by unskilled labor providing a very cost effective wall system that can be quickly and inexpensively installed. 
         [0003]    Wall systems are used for a variety of purposes, such as a fence in outdoor applications, or interior or exterior walls of a building for commercial, office or residential use. Wall systems typically include posts forming vertical structural members for corners where walls intersect typically at a right angle or intermediate the ends as structural members between adjoining panels that are coplanar. Both walls and fences may have various lengths and thus may be assembled from a plurality of intermediate posts and interconnected panels. Such wall systems may utilize pre-fabricated panels fabricated from a variety of materials or the panels may be assembled on site. A number of means for connecting the panels to a post have been utilized including fasteners such as rivets, screws, and nails, or in the case of metal, posts and panels, by welding, brazing or similar metal joining methods. 
         [0004]    Fences are typically constructed from wooden materials, utilizing wooden fence posts and panels of wooden construction. The fabrication of the panel may be on site by using upper and lower stringers between a pair of spaced apart posts and then assembling wooden boards between the stringers to form the panel. Or the panel may be prefabricated as a single unit having upper and lower rails and vertical end portions fastened at their upper and lower ends to the rails with the center portion of the panel comprising a variety of materials such as wood slats, arranged in vertical or horizontal position, and forming a solid surface or spaced apart slats or boards. The panel may also be constructed of a variety of materials other than wood. 
         [0005]    Despite the use of wall systems in various applications for many years, the present wall system has advantages over such prior art systems as will become clear from the following description. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    This invention comprises a wall system including one or more posts and panels, each panel having vertical end portions with a given thickness, each post comprising a first elongated substantially flat member, a second elongated substantially flat member attached at one proximal longitudinal edge to a first lateral location adjacent one longitudinal edge of the first member, a third elongated substantially flat member attached at one proximal longitudinal edge to the first member at a laterally spaced location from the first location, the distal edges of the second and third elongated members spaced a predetermined distance that is less than the thickness of the panel end portions, and at least one of said second or third elongated flat members being resilient, whereby the end portion of the panel may be inserted between the distal edges of the second and third elongated members and is clampingly retained therebetween. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates an elevation view of one embodiment of a wall system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2A  is an elevation view of one embodiment of a building having walls constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2B  is a front elevation view of the building shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of one embodiment of a post constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a second embodiment of a post; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the embodiment of the post showing the panel and post in fixed relationship; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a third embodiment of a post; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a post; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the post shown in  FIG. 6  with the vertical end portions of a wall panel retained by the post; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a post; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a post; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a sectional view of a pair of posts showing a hinged panel and portions of two adjacent panels; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a post; 
           [0021]      FIGS. 13A ,  13 B,  13 C and  13 D show details of one embodiment of cross members and anchoring structure of a post; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view of an eighth embodiment of a post; 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  illustrates the biasing member shown in  FIG. 14 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is a sectional view of a ninth embodiment of a post showing the use of the biasing member in  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 17  is a sectional view of a tenth embodiment of a post; 
           [0026]      FIG. 18  illustrates the biasing member of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 17 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 19  is a sectional view of an eleventh embodiment of a post; 
           [0028]      FIG. 20  is a sectional view of a twelfth embodiment of a post; 
           [0029]      FIG. 21  illustrates the biasing member of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 20 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 22  is a sectional view of a thirteenth embodiment of a post; 
           [0031]      FIG. 23  is a right side elevation view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 22 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 24  is a vertical sectional view of the thirteenth embodiment shown in  FIG. 22 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 25  is a sectional view of a fourteenth embodiment of a post; 
           [0034]      FIG. 26  is a sectional view of a fifteenth embodiment of a post; and 
           [0035]      FIGS. 27A-27D  are sectional views of the fifteenth embodiment in various combinations. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0036]    The wall system of the present invention is useful in many applications, two of which are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In  FIG. 1 , the wall system comprises a portion of a fence  10  and as shown comprises three identical posts  20  and two identical wall panels indicated at  30 . The posts  20  are vertically oriented and are spaced apart so as to received the panels  30 . The panels  30  are of a general rectangular configuration having two vertical end portions that engage the posts  20 . The wall panels may be fabricated from a wide variety of materials including metal, plastic, fiberglass, composite materials, or other suitable materials which may be formed in a single monolithic panel, or comprised of numerous individual longitudinally extending horizontal or vertical slats formed from material such as wood. Preferably, the panels are pre-fabricated and available in various heights and lengths as well as different thicknesses depending upon the application and other structural requirements of the panel. 
         [0037]    The posts  20  for the fence  10  are embedded in the soil either directly or through an anchoring structure  40  which may comprise a concrete footing  42  poured into an opening in the ground and retaining a post  20  which has its lower end embedded in the concrete  42  as will be explained in greater detail in reference to  FIG. 14 . Depending upon the type of fence and the environmental conditions it may be desirable to strengthen the wall panels through the use of cross wires, bars, or straps such as shown at  45 . It will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that cross bracing may be unnecessary and it will also be appreciated that there are a variety of anchoring structures that may be used for the post of the fence  10 . 
         [0038]    In  FIGS. 2A and 2B  there is shown another application of the wall system of the present invention embodied in a simple building  50  having four walls  52  one of which is illustrated in  FIG. 2A  and one of which is illustrated in  FIG. 2B . The building may have a pitched roof although the roof construction may be flat, or various other architectural configurations. The floor of the building is raised off the ground. As shown in  FIG. 2A , the wall  52  may include three panels,  54 , each of which has a generally rectangular configuration. The building floor is shown at  56  and is of conventional construction. The wall  52  includes four posts, two of which at  58  are intermediate and frame the center panel  54 . The corners of the building  50  have posts  60 . The corner posts  60  are embedded in the anchoring structure such as that shown at  40  in  FIG. 1 . The floor  56  of the building  50  may be additionally supported by short pillars  62  attached to the floor  56  and embedded in an anchoring structure such as at  40 . 
         [0039]    The front elevation view shown in  FIG. 2B  illustrates that the wall  53  may also comprise three panels one of which is similar to panel  54 , one of which is a door  64 , and one of which comprises a sliding panel  66 . The door  64  may be constructed of glass. Panel  66  is mounted on tracks and may be moved so as to cover the door  64  exposing an additional panel such as  54  not shown in  FIG. 2B  since it is behind sliding panel  66 . The wall  53  includes at the corners the two posts  60  as shown in  FIG. 2A . Door panel  64  may be constructed so as to open on hinges as will be described in conjunction with  FIG. 11 , or may be slidable. The door  64  is framed by posts which will also be described in  FIG. 11 . The panel  54  has a post  58  spaced apart from the post  60 . The panel  66  has post members  58  that attach to a top rail and a bottom rail. 
         [0040]    It will therefore be appreciated that the wall system of the present invention may be used in various applications including but not limited to fences and building sidewalls. The wall system may comprise one or more panels each of which are attached to a post that clamps and retains the vertical end portions of the panel. It will also be appreciated from these illustrations that the wall system may comprise a flat wall or two walls that form a corner. As will be described below, the walls may be oriented with respect to a post so as to radiate in four directions as may be desirable in certain applications and is described in greater detail in reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
         [0041]    The post of the wall system of the present invention may be rendered in various embodiments and these will now be described and those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the different configurations may be suitable for various wall configurations and thus will meet a large variety of applications for wall systems.  FIG. 3  illustrates a first embodiment of a post  80  of the present invention, shown in section, and comprising two elongated substantially flat structural members that in this embodiment define plates, a first plate  82 , and a second plate  84  that are attached or joined along their longitudinal proximal edges at an angle of substantially 90° at a first lateral location. The post  80  has a third elongated substantially flat member  86  attached at its proximal longitudinal edge  88  to structural plate  82  along a vertical line that is laterally spaced from the intersection of plates  82 ,  84  and forms an acute angle with plate  82 . In this embodiment, the third elongated flat member  86  is resilient and defines a biasing member. The word “bias” is used to denote the force that arises when a resilient member at rest is forcibly displaced; a “biasing member” is one that is made of resilient material, in whole or in part, that when deflected will apply a restoring force against the source of deflection. When a biasing member is spaced from a fixed member or another biasing member and an object is placed between such member that displaces or alters the position of the biasing member at rest, the biasing member or members will clamp the object with a force that resists removal of the object. The word plate means a substantially flat elongated member that, relative to a biasing member has more resistance to elastic deformation thus providing structural strength to the post; the resistance may be due to the thickness of the member(s), type of material or other factors that affect the modules of elasticity. The distal edge  90  of biasing member  86  is spaced from the elongated substantially flat structural plate  84  at a pre-determined dimension, distance or space shown at  92 . At least a portion of biasing member  86  is resilient and biases the distal edge  90  toward the structural plate  84  for the purpose to be described. 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  shows a second embodiment of a post  100  adapted to hold two panels in coplanar relationship comprised of two joined subassemblies  102  and  104  which may be used to vertically support two in-line panels. Post subassembly  102  comprises at least two elongated substantially flat structural plates  106 ,  108  attached along their proximal longitudinal edges at an angle of substantially 90° as in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . Post subassembly  102  additionally includes at least one elongated V-shaped member  110  that includes a biasing member  112  that comprises one leg of the V-shaped member  110  attached to a second leg  114  that is fixedly attached to the substantially flat structural plate  108 . Holding member  112  has a distal end  116  and is similar to holding member  86  as shown in  FIG. 3  except that the proximal vertical edge of the holding member  112  is attached to the second leg  114  of V-shaped member  110  which in turn is attached to structural member  108 . In this second embodiment, the proximal edge  118  of holding member  112  is also laterally spaced from structural member  106  a pre-determined lateral distance greater than the distal edge  116  of biasing member  112  with respect to structural plate  106 . It will be readily understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that subassembly  104  of the second embodiment  100  is identical to subassembly  102  but allochirally oriented with respect to subassembly  102 . It will also be understood that the subassembly  102  may be used alone at the end of a wall, like post  80 . Thus, it will be unnecessary to describe the elements that comprise subassembly  104 . Moreover, the two longitudinally extending flat plates  106 ,  108  may be integral, such as a common “angle iron” or L-shaped extrusion. 
         [0043]    In  FIG. 5 , the second embodiment of  FIG. 4  is shown in combination with two wall panels having vertical end portions  120 . With attention drawn to subassembly  102 , it will be seen that the end portion  120  is held between the elongated substantially flat structural plate  106  and biasing member  112 . The biasing member  112  is, all or a portion, resilient and biases the distal edge  116  toward structural plate  106 . Since a portion of biasing member  112  is resilient, distal edge  116  is positionally altered when the panel end portion is forced between the distal edge  116  and flat plate  106  because the distance  92  is less than the thickness of the wall panel end portion  120  whereby the end portion is clamped and retained between the holding member  112  and the flat structural plate  106 . It will therefore be appreciated that the biasing force of the clamping structure portion of member  112  will securely retain the end portion of the panel and thus the panel itself in engagement with the post  100  without requiring any fasteners, glue, welding, or other similar methods for retaining two elements in fixed relationship. There is no requirement for any specialized tools to engage the wall panel with a post obviating the need for expensive assembly tools such as drills, welding equipment, glue dispensers, or the like. 
         [0044]    A third embodiment of a post  130  comprises two subassemblies,  102 ,  104  that are identical to one another and also to the subassemblies,  102 ,  104  in the second embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 . However, in  FIG. 6 , the subassembly  104  has been reoriented so that structural plate  106  of subassembly  104  is attached to structural plate  108  of subassembly  102  as compared to the orientation of the subassemblies  102 ,  104  in  FIG. 4 . By reorienting subassembly  104  the post  130  is suitable for a corner as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 7  shows a fourth embodiment of a post  140  comprising post subassemblies  142  and  144 . Subassembly  142  is identical in all respects to post member  80  shown in  FIG. 3 . Thus, subassembly  142  includes a first elongated substantially flat structural plate  82  and a second structural plate  84  intersecting along their longitudinal edges at an angle of substantially 90°. An elongated substantially flat member  86  is attached at a proximal longitudinal edge  88  to structural plate  82  along a vertical line laterally spaced from the intersection of plates  82  and  84  and having a distal edge  90  spaced from the structural plate  84  so as to define a predetermined space  92 . Member  86  is formed of resilient material and defines a biasing member. The embodiment  140  has an additional subassembly  144 , identical to subassembly  142 , but oriented such that when wall panels are inserted and clamped into the biasing member and clamping structure of post members  142 ,  144  the panels will be oriented in a 90° or orthogonal position. Comparing the fourth embodiment in  FIG. 7  to the third embodiment in  FIG. 6  it will be appreciated that the difference is that post  140  in  FIG. 7  has subassemblies  142  and  144  that are identical to post  80  in  FIG. 3  whereas the fourth embodiment  130  in  FIG. 6  has subassemblies members  102 ,  104  identical to those shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0046]    In  FIG. 9 , there is a fifth embodiment, post  150 , comprising a four-way juncture for four wall panels the end portions of which are shown at  120 . With reference to  FIG. 4 , it will be seen that post  150  comprises four subassemblies, identical to subassemblies  102  and  104  shown in  FIG. 6  and an additional two subassemblies  152 ,  154  which are identical in all respects, other than orientation, to subassemblies  102 ,  104 . 
         [0047]    In  FIG. 10 , a sixth embodiment of a post is shown at  160  comprising the four subassemblies  102 ,  104 ,  152  and  154  shown in  FIG. 9  oriented such that the structural member  108  of subassembly  154  and  106  of subassembly  104  are joined back-to-back and structural members  108  of subassemblies  104  and  154  are joined back-to-back while structural member  106  of subassembly  154  is joined to structural member  108  of subassembly  102  back-to-back. Thus the four-way post in  FIG. 10  orients the four panels in a cross configuration as in  FIG. 9  but the subassemblies  102  and  154  panel end portions are spaced from one another a lateral distance equal to the width of structural plate  108 . 
         [0048]    In  FIGS. 11A and 11B , it will be seen that a fence may be provided with a gate, or a building may be provided with a door, by using the posts as shown in any of the previous embodiments, first through fourth. Specifically, the door or gate  179  includes a panel  171  with a door handle assembly indicated generally at  172 . As seen in  FIG. 11A , one end  173  of panel  170  is retained in a subassembly  102  and the adjacent fixed wall panel  174  has an end  175  retained by a second subassembly  102  which are of course identical in construction but oriented so as to receive a panel from the left rather than the right. A hinge  176  is positioned between structural plates  108  of the two post members  102 . At the opposite end of panel  171 , as seen in  FIG. 11B  the end portion  177  is retained in a post member  102  that is oriented in the same direction as post member  102  that engages panel  174  by retaining end portion  175 . The fixed wall section  178  adjacent to the end  177  of panel  171  has an end portion  179  received and retained by a second post member  102  oriented 180° to post member  102  that retains end portion  177  of door or gate panel  171 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 12  shows a seventh embodiment of a post  250  suitable for a corner. This embodiment shows two subassemblies, each identical to member  80  shown in  FIG. 3 . Each of the posts  80  includes substantially flat elongated structural plates  82  and  84  as well as a biasing member  86 . The vertical end portion  120  is clampingly engaged between the structural plate  84  and the biasing member  86 . In order to fix the two plate members  82  in a right angle configuration, there is provided a reinforcement tube  252  that attaches on one face to plate  82  of one of the subassemblies  80  and on another face to the plate  82  of the second subassembly  80 . 
         [0050]      FIGS. 13A-13D  show the details of the termination of the cross members (beams, straps or wires) at the bottom and top of a post  260 . Post  260  includes two subassemblies  262  and  264  having their structural plates  266  and  268  attached back-to-back so as to form a T-cross section post as shown in  FIG. 5 . Mounting structure  40  includes an L-shaped post base  41  that may be embedded in concrete  42  (see  FIG. 1 ). The L-shaped member, may comprise a round bar bent at a 90° angle at its lower end and at its top end is secured by welding or the like to an angle iron  270  having a leg  272  horizontally disposed and a vertically disposed leg  274  having a slot  276  as seen best in  FIG. 13C  which together with fasteners permit the post to be vertically adjusted relative to the anchoring structure. A pair of diagonally oriented cross beams  280  are attached to post members  262  and  264  and at their upper end to two identical post members  290 ,  292  as seen in  FIG. 13D . This particular anchoring structure is highly suitable for use of the wall system as a fence and the cross beams are structurally desirable where wind or other forces must be resisted by the wall system. 
         [0051]      FIG. 14  shows an eighth embodiment of a post  300  for the wall system of this invention. The cross section of  FIG. 14  shows a first elongated substantially flat member in the form of a structural plate  302  disposed in a vertical position when in use. A second elongated substantially flat member  304  is attached at its longitudinal proximal edge  306  to structural plate  302 . A third elongated substantially flat member  308  is attached at its proximal longitudinal edge to said structural plate  302  so that the distal longitudinal edges  312 ,  314  of biasing members  304 ,  308  define a predetermined space or distance  316 . In post  300 , the second and third flat members  304 ,  308  are formed from resilient material and define biasing members.  FIG. 14  also shows that the post  300  may be used as a post in an in-line wall by including a biasing member  320  attached to the structural plate  302  at  322  and having a distal end  324 . Similarly, opposite the biasing member  308  there may be a biasing member  326  attached to structural plate  302  at  328  and having a distal end  330  which, together with distal end  324  of biasing member  320 , defines a space  332  identical to space  316 . 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIG. 15 , the biasing members  304 ,  320  (and similarly the biasing members  308  and  326 ) may be formed from a single resilient sheet of material which has a central region  340  that complements the shape of the vertical end portions  342  and  344  of structural plate  302 . Structural member  302  is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending notches on opposite sides of structural plate  302  spaced laterally inwardly from the edge of the end portions  342  and  344  of structural plate  302 . The biasing member comprising the sections  304 ,  320  and  340 , at the point at which the biasing members  304  and  320  connect to the central portion  340 , define ridges at  350  that are spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of the end portions of structural plate  302 . To assemble the post  300 , the biasing member  304 ,  320  and  340  is forcibly pushed over the longitudinal end  342  of structural plate  302  until the ridges  350  snap into the vertical notches in the opposite faces of structural plate  302 . It will therefore be appreciated that when assembled, the space  316  defined by the distal ends  312 ,  314  of biasing members  304  and the space  332  defined by the distal ends  324 ,  330  of biasing members  320 ,  326  is less than the thickness of the end portion of a panel that may be inserted between the biasing members to thereby firmly clamp the end portion of the panel to the post  300 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 16  shows a ninth embodiment of the invention, a post  350 , in which the biasing member  304 ,  320 ,  340 , as shown in  FIG. 15  and described above is used in conjunction with two structural subassemblies  360 ,  362  the former comprised of first and second flat members  364 ,  366  attached at one longitudinal edge to form the L-shaped subassembly  360  comprised of first and second flat members  368 ,  370  attached at one longitudinal edge to form the L-shaped subassembly  362 . The L-shaped subassemblies are attached back-to-back. The exposed surfaces of flat members  366 ,  370  have a longitudinally extending notch as in the embodiment of  FIG. 14 . The clip is then inserted over the free ends of legs  366 ,  370  until the ridges  350  snap into the notches in the respective flat members or legs  366 ,  370 . Accordingly, the ninth embodiment post  350  comprises elongated substantially flat structural members  366  and  370  of L-shaped subassemblies  360 ,  362 , a substantially flat biasing member  304  attached at a proximal edge through the interconnection of ridges  350  with the notches in members  366 ,  370 , and an additional elongated substantially flat structural member  368  attached at its proximal longitudinal edge to member  370  so as to define a predetermined space  316  for receiving and clamping the vertical end portion of a wall panel. 
         [0054]    It will therefore be seen that in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 14  the end portion of the panel is clamped between the distal edges  312 ,  314  of biasing members  304  and  308  whereas in the ninth embodiment of  FIG. 16  the end portion of the panel is inserted in the space  316  so that the distal end  312  of biasing member  304  will clamp the end portion of the panel against member  368  of L-shaped subassembly  362  that comprises post  350 . In one case the panel is clamped between two biasing members, and in the other, between one biasing member and one structural member as in the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3-10 ,  12  and  14 - 16 . Of course, the clamping force can be adjusted to be equal if desired. The clamping force can be altered by a change in material, material thickness, or the pre-selected dimension between the biasing member distal edge and the adjacent biasing or structural member. 
         [0055]      FIGS. 17 ,  18  and  19  are similar views to  FIGS. 14 ,  15  and  16  showing a tenth embodiment  375  again comprising the same components, i.e., biasing member  304 ,  340  and  324 , formed as a single piece from a single sheet of resilient material and a structural member  302 . However, post  375  has a different ridge and notch engagement structure but to effect the same result. The post  375  in  FIG. 17  may also be configured, similar to  FIG. 16 , as an eleventh embodiment, post  385  ( FIG. 19 ), so as comprising two L-shaped subassemblies  390 ,  392 . 
         [0056]    In  FIG. 20  a twelfth embodiment  400  of the invention is shown in cross section. The post  400  includes an elongated substantially flat structural plate  402 , that in use, is vertically disposed. Two biasing members  404 ,  406  are configured, as seen best in  FIG. 21  as a shallow V-shaped resilient member comprising two resilient flat members  412 ,  414  that intersect at an obtuse angle. The biasing member  404  comprises resilient flat members  408 ,  410  and is identical to the biasing member  406 . The center section of the biasing members  404  and  406 , are secured to the end portions  416 ,  418  of plate  402  in a permanent manner such that the distal ends of the wings  408 ,  412  are spaced a predetermined distance, equivalent to the distance between the distal ends of the biasing members  410 ,  414  on the opposite side of the structural plate  402 . In the preferred embodiment, the obtuse angle between the wings  412 ,  414  and  408 ,  410  is 160°. Depending upon the material of the structural plate  402 , and the material of the biasing members  404  and  406 , if made of metal, they may be attached by welding, spot welding, brazing, or other metal joining technique. Alternatively, the entire post may be extruded as a single integral piece, cut off in selected lengths. If the V-shaped resilient member and structural plate are formed of non-metallic material, they may be attached by various methods including glue or may be pultruded as a one-piece integral component. Alternatively, regardless of the material the resilient members and structural plate may be jointed with fasteners. 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIGS. 22-25 , a thirteenth embodiment of the invention, post  440 , is shown in  FIG. 22  comprising a generally U-shaped member including a pair of substantially flat biasing members  442  and  444  that are attached at their longitudinal edges to base member  446  or may be formed from a single sheet of resilient material bent to the configuration shown. The base member  446  is shown in a front elevation view in  FIG. 23  and in a series of sectional views in  FIG. 24  illustrating the joining of the components of the post  440 . The post  440  base member  446  has an interlocking structure comprising a cleat  450  that is stamped out of the base member leaving an opening  452 . In a preferred embodiment of the post  440 , fabricated from metal, the distance between the adjoining openings  452 ,  456  and cleats  450 ,  454  may be on the order of six inches. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that a post  440  may be combined with an identical post  480 , as shown in  FIG. 25  as subassemblies to comprise the post  500 . The subassemblies may be connected back-to-back to form a structural member by inverting one of the subassemblies to the position shown at  448  in  FIG. 24  permitting the base member  446  of subassembly  440  to interconnect or interlock with the base member  446  of subassembly  480 . Alternatively, the two base members  446  could be attached back-to-back with fasteners, glue, welding or the like. After assembly, the post  500  comprising interlocked pairs of subassemblies  440  and  480  has the same sectional configuration as the post  400  as shown in  FIG. 20 . The two layers of base member  446  from subassemblies  440  and  480 , by doubling the thickness of the base members, provides a substantially flat structural plate as shown at  482 . 
         [0058]    Post  440  may be varied so that the interlocking structure is formed in one or more than one of the three resilient members as shown on post  550  in  FIG. 26 . With interlocking structure on two of the resilient members, the subassembly of  FIG. 26  may be combined and arranged in various configurations such as those shown in  FIGS. 27A-27D . The post  550  as shown in  FIG. 26  has three resilient members  552 ,  554 , and  556 .  556  comprises the base member comparable to the base member in  FIG. 22 ; however, base member  556  is attached to resilient member  554  at a right angle whereas resilient member  552  is attached at an acute angle. Base  556  and biasing member  554  each have interlocking structure as described in reference to  FIGS. 23 and 24 . The post  550  may be used alone as an end post for a wall. As seen in  FIG. 27A , two posts identical to post  550  may be interlocked at bases  556  so as to form a post suitable for an inline connection of panels in a wall system. In  FIG. 27B , two posts  550  are oriented so as to form a corner post. In  FIG. 27C , three posts  550  are arranged so as to provide both a right angle or corner post as well as an inline post. And finally, as shown in  FIG. 27D , there are four posts  550  arranged so as to form a four-way corner similar to that shown in  FIG. 9 . Thus, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of posts can be configured from the single post  550  as may be desirable for various applications of a wall system. An advantage of the post shown in  FIGS. 22-27  is that the U-shaped elongated structures are formed from a single thickness of material and thus may be suitable for fabrication by bending a flat sheet of metal without requiring any welding or similar means for attaching two of the resilient members to a third. 
         [0059]    It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, assembly, materials, or the many embodiments shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art. As noted above, various types of material may be used. Furthermore, the wall system, including the post members and panel, are scalable such that panels of various thickness may be used in accordance with the invention for applications where the wall system is intended to provide a building wall that is sufficiently thick and of a type of material that provides insulation, noise suppression, and the like. As also indicated above, a panel may be formed from glass so as to provide for a window when the wall system is used for building construction. It will also be understood that a wide variety of anchoring structures may be used for vertically supporting the wall system depending upon the application of the wall system, that is, when used as a fence or a building wall. Accordingly, the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.