Patent Publication Number: US-6216408-B1

Title: Coping assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved coping assembly for covering the top of a wall such as a parapet. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Coping assemblies are used to protect the top of a wall from water and weather and to provide an attractive appearance. A coping assembly should be easy to install with a minimum of time and effort, should be strong and durable, should be able to fit walls of various thicknesses and should be inexpensive to fabricate. Despite a long standing need, known coping assemblies have not satisfied all of the these requirements. 
     U.S. Pat. No. Re 28,870 discloses a coping structure with a cap or channel member that is not continuously supported along its length and therefor lacks strength unless an expensive, strong material is used for the cap. In addition, all of the components of the coping structure are sized for one wall thickness. None of the components of a structure of this type can be used with a range of wall thicknesses. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,158 discloses a coping mounting plate that attempts to address the problem of adaptability to a range of wall thicknesses. It includes two clamps that have interlocking keys and keyways so that the width of the clamps when assembled is adjustable to fit different wall thicknesses. The use of keys permits width adjustments only in discrete steps and continuously variable width adjustment is not possible. The clamps with keys and keyways are complex and expensive extruded parts. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,406 discloses a coping structure that has a fixed width that is not suited for a range of wall thicknesses. Moreover, in order to provide sufficient strength, the structure includes a rigid anchor bar that is a complex, expensive extruded part. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved coping assembly for covering the top of a wall. Other objects are to provide a coping assembly that is continuously variable in width to accommodate a range of wall thicknesses; to provide a coping assembly that avoids the use of complex and expensive extruded parts; to provide a coping assembly that provides ample strength with the use of simple formed sheet metal supporting cleats; and to provide a coping assembly that overcomes problems encountered with coping assemblies used in the past. 
     In brief, in accordance with the invention there is provided a coping assembly for covering the top of a wall having front, rear and top surfaces with fastener receiving areas on the front and top surfaces. The coping assembly includes an elongated sheet metal outside cleat having a uniform cross section throughout its length. The outside cleat includes a vertical outside panel with a lower edge, the vertical outside panel overlying the fastener receiving area of the front surface of the wall. The outside cleat also includes a horizontal top panel overlying the fastener receiving area of the top surface of the wall. A spring portion is inclined upwardly at the rear boundary of the horizontal top panel. The vertical outside panel extends upwardly beyond the plane of the horizontal top panel, and a strut portion extends upwardly and forwardly from the forward boundary of the horizontal top panel to the top of the vertical outside panel to define a triangle shaped brace. An elongated sheet metal inside cleat has a uniform cross section throughout its length and has a vertical inside panel with a lower edge. An elongated cap has a uniform generally U-shaped cross section throughout its length, the cap having a top section and depending outside and inside wall sections both having lower extremities, the outside and inside wall sections respectively overlying the vertical outside panel and the vertical inside panel. The lower extremities of the outside and inside wall sections including structure interlocking with the lower edges of the vertical outside and inside panels. The spring portion supports a central region of the top section and the brace supports a forward region of the top section. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The present invention together with the above and other objects and advantages may best be understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a wall covered by a coping assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view like FIG. 1 showing a splice joint of the coping assembly; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of the cap of the coping assembly; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of the outside cleat of the coping assembly; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary isometric view of the inside cleat of the coping assembly; and 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the splice plate of the coping assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Having reference now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a cross section of a coping assembly generally designated as  10  and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The coping assembly  10  is installed to cover the top of a wall  12  having a front (or outside) surface  14 , a top surface  16  and a rear (or inside) surface  18 . For attachment of the coping assembly  10  to the wall  12 , the wall should be able to accept fasteners at a front fastener receiving area  20  and a top fastener receiving area  22 . Preferably an elongated solid wood nailer  24  is secured at the top of the wall  12 . 
     The coping assembly  10  includes an elongated cap  26  held in place on the wall  12  by an elongated outside cleat  28  and by an elongated inside cleat  30 . The outside cleat  28  is located at the front  14  and the top  16  of the wall  12 . The inside cleat  30  is located at the rear  18  and top  16  of the wall  12 . 
     Cap  26  seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 is an elongated metal body having a uniform cross section throughout its length. Preferably the cap  26  is made by forming a length of sheet metal having a uniform thickness, such as 22 gauge or 24 gauge galvanized steel material or aluminum sheet having a thickness in the range of from 0.050 inch to 0.125 inch. Only the cap  26  is visible when the coping assembly  10  is in place on the wall  12  and the outer surface of the cap  26  may be provided with an attractive and durable coating. The cap  26  in cross section has an inverted U-shape with a top section  32  spanning the width of the wall  12  and depending outside and inside wall sections  34  and  36 . To assure runoff of water from the cap  26 , the top section  32  is slightly inclined from horizontal by an angle of a few degrees. 
     The outside cleat  28  (FIGS. 1 and 4) is formed of sheet metal such as 22 gauge or 24 gauge galvanized steel sheet and has a uniform cross section throughout its length. It includes a horizontal top panel  38  overlying and attached to the top fastener receiving area  22  of wall  12  by longitudinally spaced nails  40 . A vertical outside panel  42  of the outside cleat  28  overlies and is attached to the front fastener receiving area  20  by additional longitudinally spaced nails  40 . A spring portion  44  is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the rear boundary of the horizontal top panel to support the central region of the top section  32  of the cap  26 . 
     Support for the forward portion of the cap  26  is provided by a sturdy brace structure  46  incorporated into the outside cleat  28 . The vertical outside panel  42  extends upwardly beyond the top surface  16  of the wall  12 . A strut portion  48  extends upward and forward from the forward boundary of the horizontal top panel  38  and meets the vertical outside panel  42  at a fold or crease  50 . The brace structure  46  is firmly anchored to the wall  12  by the nails  40  along both margins of the brace structure and the fold  50  at the upward tip of the brace margins structure firmly supports the forward portion of the top section  32  of the cap  26 . 
     The inside cleat  30  (FIGS. 1 and 5) is formed of sheet metal such as 22 gauge or 24 gauge galvanized steel sheet and has a uniform cross section throughout its length. It includes a horizontal top panel  52  overlying and attached to the top fastener receiving area  22  of wall  12  by additional longitudinally spaced nails  40 . A vertical inside panel  54  of the inside cleat  30  overlies the rear surface  18  of the wall  12 . The vertical inside panel is not nailed to the wall  12  and may be spaced from the rear surface  18  of the wall. 
     The outside cleat  28  includes a forwardly inclined outside lower edge  56  at the bottom of the vertical outside panel  42 . The inside cleat  30  includes a rearwardly inclined inside lower edge  58  at the bottom of the vertical inside panel  54 . The outside wall section  34  of the cap  26  includes an outside lower extremity  60  that interlocks with the outside lower edge  56 . The extremity  60  is a channel that receives the lower edge  56 . The inside wall section  36  of the cap  26  includes an inside lower extremity  62  that interlocks with the inside lower edge  58 . Before installation as seen in FIG. 5 the inside lower extremity  62  is in a horizontal plane that permits the cap  26  to be installed over the outside and inside cleats  28  and  30 . When in place, the inside lower extremity is crimped upwardly to capture the inside lower edge  58  in the resulting channel shape seen in FIG.  1 . The crimps can be spaced apart along the length of the cap  26 . 
     Multiple cleats  28  and  30  and caps  26  can be used along the length of the wall  12 . FIG. 2 illustrates a splice joint  64  including a splice plate  66  spanning a gap between ends of aligned cleats  28  and  30  and aligned caps  26 . The splice plate  66  (FIGS. 2 and 6) is preferably a short length of formed galvanized steel sheet metal which may be similar to the material of the cleats  28  and  30 . It includes a top wall  68  and depending forward and rear walls  70  and  72 . When the coping assembly  10  is installed, a small expansion gap is left between the abutting ends of adjacent cleats  28  and between the abutting ends of adjacent cleats  30  and the splice plate is placed over this gap. Then the adjacent caps  26  are placed over the cleats and over the splice plate  66  with a similar small expansion gap between the abutting ends of the caps  26 . Strips  74  of resistent sealing material such as neoprene extend across the width of the top wall  68  to form a gutter under the gap between caps  26  so that water entering the gap flows transversely across the splice plate  66 . 
     The coping assembly  10  of the present invention is adaptable to a range of wall thicknesses. The width of the cap  26  and the splice plate  66  is specified for the wall thickness of a particular application but a cost saving is realized because the outside and inside cleats  28  and  30  are standard parts that can be used for many wall thicknesses. For relatively thick walls where additional support is needed across the width of the top section  32  of the cap  26 , an additional spring portion like the spring portion  44  can be added to the inside cleat  30 . The spring portion  44  at the rear of the outside cleat  28  provides support for the central portion of the cap  26 . The cap  26  is supported throughout its length. Additional cost saving is achieved because the entire cleat system including the outside and inside cleats  28  and  20  is fabricated from inexpensive sheet metal material. The brace structure  46  anchored at both sides by nails  40  provides ample strength without the need for stronger but more expensive materials such as metal extrusions. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to the details of the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, these details are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.