Patent Publication Number: US-2023141394-A1

Title: Method of Attaching Molding, Trip, or Panels to Structures

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 16/513,248, filed Jul. 16, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,421,429 and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/698,732, filed Jul. 16, 2018, which applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to panel mounting, and more particularly to an improved system for mounting panels, molding, or trim to structures. 
     2. Background and Related Art 
     Applying stucco or other building materials to a building surface requires multiple steps and requires significant equipment and manpower at the jobsite. Obtaining a consistent look on a building in areas where two different contractors work is also often a challenge due to varying skill levels or styles different people. These drawbacks of convention building finishes result in higher costs and longer build times. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows for consistent prefabricated building panels to be applied to the building surface quickly and without requiring use of extensive equipment at the jobsite. Such a system would allow for the efficient covering of various types of building surfaces and provide a consistent look around windows, door frames, trim areas, vents, vertical columns, and of course large sides of buildings. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present device is a panel mounting system for mounting building materials to a building surface. Such building materials may take the form of vinyl siding, rock, sand, brick, cement, plaster, stucco, wood, bark, plastic, or the like. 
     A rigid cleat, preferable made with sheet metal or other rigid material, is fixed with the building surface, such as with mechanical fasteners such as screws, nails or the like. The rigid cleat has at least one extending lip. 
     A plurality of building panels each preferably has a front surface, a rear surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge, and a right edge. Each building panel preferably has a cleat depression formed in the rear surface parallel to the bottom edge thereof. The cleat depression has at least one cleat lip resilient deforming and then extending over the cleat depression when becoming fully engaged with the rigid cleat. The building panel is held by the rigid cleat against the building surface. The front surface is adapted for receiving at least partially thereon a coating of the building materials. 
     The bottom edge of each building panel preferably has an interlocking fit with the top edge of another of the building panels. Similarly, the left edge of each building panel has an interlocking fit with the right edge of another of the building panels. As such, all of the building panels hold each other together against the building surface. The interlocking fit may be a tongue-in-groove type interlocking fit, for example. 
     Some of the building panels may include a hooked flange projecting away from the front surface proximate the bottom edge thereof. A flange-receiving groove projects away from the front surface of such building panels proximate the top edge thereof. The flange-receiving groove of adjacent building panels cooperate with the hooked flange of another of the building panels to mutually secure the building panels together. 
     Some embodiments include a gable rail fixed with the building surface that projecting outwardly from the building surface. Corresponding building panels further includes a gable rail-receiving slot formed within the rear surface thereof that is adapted to receive the gable rail to hold the building panel to the building surface. Such a gable rail may include a J-shaped portion at a distal end thereof, such that when inserted into the gable rail-receiving slot of the building panel, the J-shaped portion flexes to catch or bind the gable rail-receiving slot of the building panel to inhibit removal thereof from the building surface. 
     Some of the building panels take the form of a trim panel that has an ornate front surface. The rear surface of such trim panels include one of the gable rail-receiving slots formed therein for mounting with the gable rail fixed with the building surface. 
     A keystone cover may be included that has a decorative front surface and a rear side shaped to engage the ornate front surface of the trim panel for fixing thereto with one of the mechanical fasteners, adhesive, or the like. The keystone cover is preferably also coated with the building materials and is made of expanded polystyrene. 
     The present invention is a system that allows for a consistent prefabricated panel to be applied to the building surface quickly and without requiring use of extensive equipment at a job site. Such a system would allow for the efficient covering of various types of building surfaces and provide a consistent look around windows, door frames, trim areas, vents, vertical columns, and the sides of buildings. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows a side cross-sectional view of the invention, showing various building panels of embodiments of the invention fixed with a building surface; 
         FIG.  2    shows a top plan view of building panels of embodiments of the invention that cooperate to cover four sides of a vertical column; 
         FIG.  3    shows a front elevational view of the invention, illustrating an address plaque panel of embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG.  4    shows a front elevational view an embodiment of the invention, illustrating vent trim panels of embodiments of the invention trimming a vent feature of the building surface; 
         FIG.  5    shows a front elevational view an embodiment of the invention, illustrating a keystone cover option of embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of a rigid cleat in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the following disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims. 
     Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. When the word “each” is used to refer to an element that was previously introduced as being at least one in number, the word “each” does not necessarily imply a plurality of the elements, but can also mean a singular element. 
       FIGS.  1  and  3 - 5    illustrate a panel mounting system  10  for mounting building materials  20  to a building surface  15 . Such building materials  20  may take the form of vinyl siding, rock, sand, brick, cement, plaster, stucco, wood, bark, plastic, closed-cell foam, or the like. 
     A rigid cleat  30 , preferable made with sheet metal or other rigid material, is fixed with the building surface  15 , such as with mechanical fasteners  120  such as screws, nails or the like. The rigid cleat  30  has at least one extending lip  38  and has a length L 1  ( FIG.  6   ) of preferably between two feet to ten feet. 
     A plurality of building panels  40  each preferably has a front surface  42 , a rear surface  48 , a top edge  41 , a bottom edge  49 , a left edge  44 , and a right edge  46 . Each building panel  40  preferably has a cleat depression  50  formed in the rear surface  48  parallel to the bottom edge  49  thereof. The cleat depression  50  has at least one cleat lip  55  resilient deforming and then extending over the cleat depression  50  when becoming fully engaged with the rigid cleat  30 . The building panel  40  is held by the rigid cleat  30  against the building surface  15 , and is preferably a expanded polystyrene type foam material. The front surface  42  is adapted for receiving at least partially thereon the building materials  20 , such as a coating of vinyl, rock, sand, brick, cement, plaster, stucco, wood, bark, plastic, or the like. Each building panel  40  is preferably made with expanded polystyrene, or a like light-weight material. 
     The bottom edge  49  of each building panel preferably has an interlocking fit  60  with the top edge  41  of another of the building panels  40 . Similarly, the left edge  44  of each building panel  40  has an interlocking fit  60  with the right edge  46  of another of the building panels  40 . As such, all of the building panels  40  hold each other together against the building surface  15  ( FIG.  3   ). The interlocking fit  60  may be a tongue-in-groove type interlocking fit  60 , for example, or other arrangement as is or becomes known in the art. 
     Some of the building panels  40  may include a hooked flange  70  ( FIG.  1   ) projecting away from the front surface  42  proximate the bottom edge  49  thereof. A flange-receiving groove  75  projects away from the front surface  42  of such building panels  40  proximate the top edge  41  thereof. The flange-receiving groove  75  of adjacent building panels  40  cooperate with the hooked flange  70  of another of the building panels  40  to mutually secure the building panels  40  together. Preferably the flange-receiving groove  75  includes a forward surface  76  substantially parallel with the front surface  42  of each building panel  40  that can be decorated individually in a trim color, or the like, as desired. Building panels  40  with such a hooked flange  70  and/or flange-receiving groove  75  may or may not include the cleat depression  50 , such panels  40  being held to the building surface  15  by each other and not necessarily one of the rigid cleats  30 . 
     Some embodiments include a gable rail  80  fixed with the building surface  15  that projecting outwardly from the building surface  15 . Corresponding building panels  40  further includes a gable rail-receiving slot  85  formed within the rear surface  48  thereof that is adapted to receive the gable rail  80  to hold the building panel  40  to the building surface  15 . Such a gable rail  80  may include a J-shaped portion  90  at a distal end  88  thereof, such that when inserted into the gable rail-receiving slot  85  of the building panel, the J-shaped portion  90  flexes to catch or bind the gable rail-receiving slot  85  of the building panel  40  to inhibit removal thereof from the building surface  15 . 
     Some of the building panels  40  take the form of a trim panel  100  that has an ornate front surface  108 . The rear surface  48  of such trim panels  100  include one of the gable rail-receiving slots  85  formed therein for mounting with the gable rail  80  fixed with the building surface  15 . 
     A keystone cover  110  ( FIGS.  1  and  5   ) may be included that has a decorative front surface  118  and a rear side  108  shaped to engage the ornate front surface  108  of the trim panel  100  for fixing thereto with one of the mechanical fasteners  120 , adhesive, or the like. The keystone cover  110  is preferably also coated with the building materials  20  and is made of expanded polystyrene. 
     In cases where the building surface  15  is a vertical column  16  ( FIG.  2   ), the left edge  44  of each building panel  40  has the interlocking fit  60  with the right edge  46  of another of the building panels  40  at an angle of 90-degrees, such that four of the building panels  40  are used to cover four sides  17  of the vertical column  16 . 
     An address plaque panel  130  ( FIG.  3   ) may be included that has a rear side adapted for fitting against the front surface  42  of one of the building panels  40 . Such an address plaque panel  130  may be fixed with one of the building panels  40  with the mechanical fasteners  120 , adhesive, or the like. 
     A plurality of vent trim panels  140  ( FIG.  4   ) may be included that engage each other at an angle A greater than zero degrees, such that a vent structure  18  of the building surface  15  can be trimmed with the plurality of vent trim panels  140 . While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 
     Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention. 
     The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
     All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention. 
     Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.” While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. 
     While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.