Patent Publication Number: US-8528287-B2

Title: Wainscot cap

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     The embodiments discussed herein relate to a wainscot and a wainscot cap. 
     Walls of both commercial and residential buildings are often times covered with ornamentation and protective barriers. In high pedestrian areas such as hallways and walkways of commercial buildings, the protective barriers may comprise a plurality of panels that are stacked upon each other and secured to the wall. When pedestrians and carts accidently kick or bump into the wall, the plurality of panels are damaged instead of the wall. The panels are easily replaced and maintained. 
     Wainscot paneling typically extends from the floor to a middle area of the wall. The upper edge of the plurality of panels is exposed. The exposed edge may be dangerous with sharp edges and aesthetically displeasing. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and device for covering the exposed edges of the plurality of panels. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The embodiments disclosed herein address the needs discussed above, discussed below and those that are known in the art. 
     A plurality of panels may be mounted to a wall. At least one edge of the plurality of panels may be exposed. By way of example and not limitation, a plurality of panels may be attached to a wall as a wainscot. The top edge of the upper most row of panels is exposed. The mounting brackets and the upper edge of the top most row of panels may be exposed and aesthetically unpleasing as well as provide a safety hazard to pedestrians. A wainscot cap may be attached to the upper edge of the top most row of panels with a tongue and groove connection. In particular, the top edge of the panels  14  may be secured to the wall with a mounting clip. The mounting clip and the wainscot cap may have a tongue and groove connection. Silicone may be filled within the grooves. When the tongues are inserted into the grooves, the silicone spreads over and attaches to the interior surface of the groove and the exterior surface of the tongue to provide for a removably attachable connection between the mounting clip and the wainscot cap. The grooves and tongues may be knurled to further enhance the connection. 
     More particularly, a wainscot cap mounting system is disclosed. The system may comprise a panel, a mounting clip and a cap. The panel may define a generally flat and parallel front and rear surfaces. The mounting clip may having a first base (i.e. panel base) securable to an edge portion of the rear surface of the panel and a second base (i.e. surface base) securable to a front side of a flat surface. The first and second bases may be respectively coplanar with first and second planes which are parallel to each other and gapped apart from each other. The first and second bases may each have an aperture for receiving first and second fasteners to respectively secure the first and second bases to panel and the flat surface. First and second axes of the respective apertures of the first and second bases may be perpendicular to the first and second planes and offset to each other so that during installation the first fastener may initially be secured to the rear surface of the panel and the second fastener may be subsequently fastened to the flat surface. The cap may be attached to the mounting clip to hide the mounting clip. 
     The mounting clip may further comprise a groove defining a groove central plane parallel to the first and second planes. The groove may receive a tongue of the cap for attaching the cap to the mounting clip. The mounting clip may also have a protuberance on the second base generally parallel to the first and second planes. The protuberance may receive a groove of the cap for attaching the cap to the mounting clip. 
     The cap may include an extension member connected to the tongue. The extension member may be disposed adjacent to a distal edge of the panel to hide the distal edge of the panel. The extension member may have a nub  88 . The cap may include an exterior member (i.e., surface  90 ) connected to the groove of the cap and the extension. 
     The exterior member may have a curved configuration. 
     The system may further comprise a plurality of the mounting clips and a plurality of the panels. The panels may be arranged end to end and mounted to the flat surface. The mounting clip may be attached to a distal edge portion of one or more of the plurality of panels. 
     In an aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, a method of installing panels on a flat surface is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of securing a first base of a mounting clip to a rear surface of an edge panel with a second base of the mounting clip protruding from a perimeter of the edge panel; engaging the edge panel to the flat surface; securing the second base to the flat surface after securing the first base to the rear surface of the edge panel: and securing a cap to the mounting clip to hide the mounting clip and protect the perimeter of the edge panel. 
     The step of securing the cap to the mounting clip may include the step of providing a tongue and groove connection between the mounting clip and the cap. 
     In the method, the cap may have a groove and the mounting clip has a tongue. The step of securing the cap to the mounting clip may include the step of inserting the tongue into the groove. 
     The method may further comprise the step of adhering the tongue in the groove with silicone. 
     In the method, the mounting clip may have a groove and the cap may have a tongue and the securing the cap to the mounting clip may include the step of inserting the tongue into the groove. 
     The method may further comprise the step of adhering the tongue in the groove with silicone. 
     The step of securing the second base to the flat surface may include the step of tilting the panel about an opposed edge of the edge panel. The step of securing the second base to the flat surface may include the step of shimming the second base to align the exposed surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wall with a wainscot and a wainscot cap: 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the wainscot and wainscot cap shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged side view of a mounting clip shown in  FIG. 2  to attach a panel to a wall; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of a cap removably attachable to the mounting clip shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a second embodiment of the wainscot cap; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the wainscot and wainscot cap shown in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged side view of the second embodiment of the wainscot cap. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a cap  10  that covers an edge  12  of a panel  14  is shown. The cap  10  hides mounting clips that are utilized to secure the panels  14  to the wall  16 . The plurality of panels  14  may be mounted to a wall up to a certain height  18  (e.g., 36 in. 48 in. etc.). The cap  10  may be disposed on the upper most row of panels  14  to hide the mounting members used to attach the upper most row of panels  14  to the wall  16 . The cap  10  provides an aesthetic covering. Moreover, the plurality of panels  14  may have a vertical column of panels  14  that do not abut an adjacent wall  16   a  as is shown on the left side of  FIG. 1 . The right most vertical column of panels  14  may have an exposed free edge  12   a . The cap  10   a  may be used to hide the mounting members used to secure the right most vertical column of panels  14  to the wall  16 . The cap  10   a  provides an aesthetic covering for the edge  12   a  of the right most vertical column of panels  14 . The panels  14  may be secured to the wall  16  with a mounting clip  22 . The mounting clip  22  is secured to the panel  14 , then subsequently secured to the wall  16 . The cap  10 ,  10   a  may be secured to the mounting clip  22  by way of a tongue and groove connection. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the panel  14  may define a free edge portion  20 . A clip  22  is initially attached to a backside  23  of the panel  14  at the free edge portion  20 . After the opposite edge portion  24  of the panel  14  is secured to the wall  16 , the panel  14  is adjusted so that the clip  22  contacts the wall  16 . The clip  22  is now secured to the wall  16 . The cap  10  may be subsequently secured to the clip  22  by way of a tongue and groove connection. Although the various aspects and embodiments are described in relation to a plurality of panels  14  being secured to a vertical wall  16 , it is also contemplated that various aspects and embodiments may be applied to a horizontal ceiling, any flat surface, or curved surface. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates two adjacent walls  16 ,  16   a  which are typically at 90′ to each other. One or more of the walls  16 ,  16   a  may be covered with a plurality of panels  14  that are stacked end to end upon each other. The panels  14  may extend from the floor  26  to a ceiling but may also be stacked midway to the height  18 . The plurality of panels  14  are shown as being secured to the vertical wall  16 . However, the panels  14  may also be arranged on the floor  26 , ceiling, exterior wall/surface, etc. The plurality of panels  14  may be secured to the wall  16  through various means known in the art or developed in the future. By way of example and not limitation, the plurality of panels  14  may be secured to the wall  16  as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/118,937, filed on May 31, 2011; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/149,125, filed on May 31, 2011; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/149,143, filed on May 31, 2011, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The mounting clips  22  and caps  10 ,  10   a  would be used on the exposed free edge of the panels  14 . 
     The panels  14  are installed on the wall  16  by first installing a first row  28  of panels  14 . The edge  12   b  of panel  14   a  is covered by the wall  16   a . The wall  16   a  hides the mounting members. The edge  12   c  of panel  14   b  is exposed. As will be explained further below in relation to the edge  12  of the upper most row of panels  14 , the edge portion  20   a  of the right most vertical column may be secured to the wall  16  by way of clip  22 . The clips  22  may be hidden with the cap  10   a . The second and third rows  30 ,  32  may be stacked upon each other as shown in  FIG. 1 . The plurality of panels  14  may comprise a first row  28  or one or more additional rows  30 ,  32  as desired. For a wainscot, the plurality of panels  14  may extend from the floor to the bottom edge of the window seal in the room or the height of the electrical system in the room. In any event, the plurality of panels  14  typically extends from the floor to a middle area of the wall  16 . The upper edge  12  of the upper most row  32  of panels  14  is exposed and may be covered by the cap  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2  the free edge portion  20  of the upper most row  32  of panels  14  is shown. The free edge portion  20  may be secured to the wall  16  by way of clip  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the mounting clip  22  may have a panel base  34  and a surface base  36 . The panel base  34  may be attached to the backside  23  of the panel  14  by way of a screw  38  or other methods known in the art. The panel base  34  may define a mounting surface  40  which matches and mates with the back surface  23  of the panel  14 . The clip  22  may be a plurality of short clips attached to the backside of the panel  14  or be a single elongate clip  22  that extends across the entire width of one panel  14  or all of the panels  14  within the row. The clip  22  may be sufficiently long so that the panel base  34  may have at least one area through which the screw  38  may be threaded, and preferably at least two or more areas where the screws  38  may be screwed into the panel base  34 . The panel base  34  may have a starting indentation  42  to indicate the location of the screw hole  44  to be drilled through the panel base  34  at the installation site. Alternatively, the hole  44  may be predrilled at the fabricator&#39;s site for attachment of the clip  22  to the panel  14  at the fabricator&#39;s site or at the job site. The backside  23  of the panel  14  may also have matching holes  46 . To mount the mounting clip  22  to the backside  23  of the panel  14 , the mounting clip  22  is aligned to the panel  14  so that the holes  44  in the panel base  34  of the mounting clip  22  match up with the holes  46  in the backside  23  of the panel  14 . Preferably, the mounting clip  22  has a tang  48 . An upper end  50  of the tang  48  may be designed to match up with the edge  12  of the panel  14  as shown in  FIG. 2 . At the job site, the installer may line up the upper end  50  of the tang  48  to the edge  12  of the panel  14 . The mounting clip  22  may be temporarily secured to the panel  14  such as with a c-clamp. A drill may be used to drill matching holes  44 ,  46  through the panel base  34  and the panel  14 . In this manner, the holes  44  may be perfectly aligned to the holes  46  of the panel  14 . The screws  38  may be threaded into the hole  44  and the hole  46  to secure the mounting clip  22  through the panel  14 . 
     After mounting the mounting clip  22  to the panel  14 , the mounting clip  22  may be secured to the wall  16  by securing the surface base  36  to the wall  16 . The surface base  36  extends past the periphery of the panel  14  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The surface base  36  of the mounting clip  22  defines a mounting surface  52  which matches the shape (e.g., flat, curve, etc.) of the wall  16 . In  FIG. 1 , the profile or shape is flat. Accordingly, the mounting surface  52  is flat. The surface base is attached to the wall  16 . The mounting surfaces  40 ,  52  may each define a plane  73 ,  75  which are parallel to each other and gapped apart from each other. In this way, the panel  14  may have a gap  54  (see  FIG. 2 ) from the wall  16 . The gap  54  provides space for a shim  56 , the mounting clip  22  and the screws  38 ,  58 . 
     In attaching the mounting clip  22  to the wall  16 , the mounting surface  52  of the surface base  36  is brought up against the exterior surface of the wall  16 . Shims  56  may be inserted between the surface base  36  and wall  16  to adjust the angle of the exterior surface  16  of the panel  14 . After adjusting the angle of the panel  14 , a hole  62  is drilled to fabricate matching holes  61 ,  62 ,  64  through the surface base  36 , shim  56  (if necessary) and the wall  16 . After drilling the holes  61 ,  62 ,  64  through the surfaces base  36 , shim  56  and wall  16 , screw  58  is used to attach the surface base  36  to the wall  16 . One or more screws  58  may be used to attach the surface base  36  to the wall  16  along a length of the surface base  36 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the clip  22  may extend horizontally across the entire row of panels  14 . Alternatively, the clips  22  may extend across the entire width of each of the panels  14  or a plurality of shorter clips  22  may be attached to the panels  14  as described above. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-4 , the cap  10  may be secured to the mounting clip  22  to hide the mounting clip  22  and the edge  12  of the panel  14 . To this end, the mounting clip  22  and the cap  10  may be connected to each other through a tongue and groove connection. More particularly, the mounting clip  22  may have a tongue  66  which extends parallel to the mounting surface  52 . Preferably, the tongue  66  is offset from the plane  75  defined by the mounting surface  52  to provide a gap  68  there between. The tongue  66  may also have knurl  70  on an interior surface of the tongue  66 . The panel base  34  and the surface base  36  may be connected to each other by way of intermediate member  72 . The intermediate member  72  along with the tang  48  define a groove  74  defining a plane  76  parallel to tongue  66 . The tongue  66  may define plane  77 . The inner surface of the groove  74  may have knurls  70 . The cap  10  (see  FIG. 4 ) may have groove  78  and tongue  80  which mate with tongue  66  and groove  74  of the clip  22 . The groove  78  and tongue  80  each define planes  82 ,  84 . The groove  78  and the tongue  80  are parallel to each other and connect to the tongue  66  and the groove  74  of the clip  22  longitudinally. The cap  10  can be longitudinally slid onto the mounting clip  22 . The tongue  80  can be received into the tongue  74 . Subsequently, the tongue  66  of the mounting clip  22  is received into grooves  78  of the cap  10 . To mount the cap  10  to the mounting clip  22 , the groove  74  may optionally be filled with silicone or other adhesive. Additionally, the groove  78  may also be filled with silicone or other adhesive. The exterior surface of the tongue  80  and the interior surface of the groove  78  may have knurl  70 . Additionally, a backside  86  of the cap  10  may also have knurls  70 . The tongue  80  may initially be inserted into groove  74 . As the tongue  80  is received deeper into the groove  74 , the silicone spreads into the knurls  70  formed on the tongue  80  and the groove  74 . As the tongue  80  is further inserted into the groove  74 , the tongue  66  of the mounting clip enters the groove  78  of the cap  10 . The user continues to push the tongue and groove connection further together, which spreads the silicone in the groove  78  over the knurl  70  formed in the groove  78  and the tongue  66 . Optionally, the silicone may be spread on the backside  86  of cap  10 . The insertion of the tongue into the groove may be limited when a nub  88  formed on the cap  10  contacts edge  12  of the panel  14 . The silicone is allowed to dry and functions as a removably attachable adhesive to prevent inadvertent removal of the cap  10  from the panel  14 . The cap  10  may have an aesthetic exterior surface  90 . The surface  90  is shown as being curved. However, the surface  90  may have other configurations such as stair step, ornate, square, cornered, etc. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the cap  10   a  may be attached to the vertical edge  12   a  of the right most column of panels  14  in the same manner that the cap  10  is attached to the edge  12  of the upper most row of panels  14 . The corner  92  may have a mating mitered caps  10 ,  10   a  that abut and provide a clean edge. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5-7 , a second embodiment of the cap  94  is shown. The cap  94  may be attached to the upper most row of panels  14  or to the free edge of the right most column of panels  14 . The panel  14  on the top side or the right side of the plurality of panels  14  may be secured to the wall  16  as discussed above with mounting clips  22 . The cap  94  may be secured to the mounting clip  22  in the same manner as discussed above as well. The cap  94 ,  94   a  may additionally have a front plate  96  which extends down from the exterior surface  90  and forms groove  98  that receives the free edge portion  20  of the panel  14 . A width  100  of the groove  98  defined by the front plate  96  and the tongue  80  may be equal to a thickness of the tang  48  of the clip  22  and the panel  14 . The front plate  96  captures the panel  14  to provide additional retainment of the panel to the wall  16 . Also, the front plate  96  also hides the edge  12  as well as covers the edge  12 . 
     The embodiments disclosed herein were described as having a tongue and groove connection. By way of example and not limitation, the cap  10 ,  10   a  has groove  78  which receives tongue  66  of the mounting clip  22 . However, it is also contemplated that the groove  78  may be formed as a tongue and the tongue  66  may be formed as a groove which receives the tongue. Likewise, the mounting clip  22  has groove  74  which receives tongue  80  of the cap  10 ,  10   a . It is also contemplated that the groove  74  may be formed as a tongue and the tongue  80  may be formed as a groove which receives the tongue. 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of mounting the panels  14  to the wall  16 . Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.