Patent Publication Number: US-11021879-B2

Title: Wall panel and associated apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of a United Kingdom Application No. GB 1718487.0, filed Nov. 8, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to decorative wall panels, arrangements for fixing the wall panels to supporting structures, and associated apparatus for forming the wall panels. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is often desirable to give a pleasing, aesthetic appearance to a wall by attaching decorative panels to the wall or a supporting structure attached to a wall (both of which we shall refer to herein as a “wall”). This raises the question of how the panels are to be attached to the wall. Lightweight panels can be adhesively attached to the wall, but this makes removal difficult if repair or maintenance of the wall or structures within the wall becomes necessary. Screw-type fixings can be used, by drilling a hole through the panel, but this can be time-consuming if done accurately and may leave a result that is visually unappealing, even if efforts are made to conceal the heads of the screw-type fixings. 
     There are known forms of fixings which are not visible from the exterior face of the paneled wall and, thus, present an aesthetically-appealing finish, but these forms of fixings often require specialist tools to affix and remove the fixings. In addition, these forms of fixings often require precision in attaching the fixings to the wall, and skilled connection of the panel to the fixings. A conventional form of fixing includes a “Z” clip, which comprises a Z-shaped clip attached to a panel and a Z-shaped clip attached to a wall. The panel clip and the wall clip are shaped so that the panel clip can engage with the wall clip to support the panel in position. 
     For example, GB1532995 discloses a panel with a lip at the top and bottom of the panel, each lip being engageable with a corresponding push-fit-type connector attached to a wall. In use, one or both of the lips temporarily bend outwards as the panel is pushed against the corresponding connector. The resilience of the material of the panel provides an engagement force to hold the panel in place with respect to the connector. This disclosure provides certain desirable features, but also has certain drawbacks. For example, since a degree of bending of the panel is required to form an engagement with the wall connector, it is only feasible for each panel to have two lips. That would in practice limit the maximum vertical size of such a panel because there will be a maximum weight supportable by a connector and because a large panel made of a material suitable to engage a connector may warp along its vertical length if the vertical length is large. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wall panel is provided. The wall panel may comprise a front face, a return lip extending from at least one edge of the front face to define a flange lying approximately parallel to and behind the front face, and a mounting clip in the form of a tab (e.g., a small projecting flap or strip of material) formed in the flange for attaching the wall panel to a support structure is provided. The mounting clip may comprise a curved formation, thereby having a distance from the front face that varies along its length. The formation may be shaped to include a local minimum distance. The front face, return lip, and flange may be formed integrally. 
     Such a panel can be mounted neatly onto a suitably-prepared surface without fixing means. Nevertheless, the fixing can be both secure against accidental disturbance and straightforward to undo, for example, for repair and maintenance purposes. The panel can be hung from a simple channel or series of channels fixed to the wall at a height appropriate for the mounting clip, such that the panel is very straightforward to install. 
     The formation can also be shaped to include a local maximum distance. This may accentuate the profile of the mounting clip, thereby allowing a more secure fitting. 
     The mounting clip may be a tab or a tongue, defined by a U-shaped slot cut in the flange and made of a suitably strong yet sufficiently resilient material, such as aluminium alloy or steel. This may be straightforward to manufacture, and yet provide a mounting clip that can be securely attachable to the flange while having a clearance around the mounting clip allowing the mounting clip to flex. The U-shaped slot can be located in the flange between a pair of through-holes or slots to assist with manufacture as will be set out in more detail below. The mounting clip may have a fixed end and a free end. The free end may substantially correspond to the apex of the U-shaped slot, and the fixed end may substantially be at the opposite end of the mounting clip. At the free end, there may be an end portion which may rest substantially in parallel with the front face of the panel. At the fixed end, the mounting clip may also tend to be substantially in parallel with the front face of the panel. Between the fixed end and the free end, the curved formation may be arranged. Such a formation may ideally be shaped so that the local minimum and maximum distances are located along the tongue with the local minimum distance closer to the free end. This may improve the strength of a connection between the mounting clip and a wall fixing, such as a channel. 
     The free end of the mounting clip may be displaced vertically from the proximate flange portion, i.e. the nearest portion of the flange beyond the mounting clip, or, in other words, the portion of the flange beyond the U-shaped slot facing the free end of the mounting clip. However, such vertical displacement between the free end of the mounting clip and the proximate flange portion may vary based on at least one of the width of the U-shaped slot, the method by which the mounting clip is shaped, the material selected for the panel itself, or other factors. The vertical displacement between the free end of the mounting clip and the proximate flange portion may be selectively varied. 
     The vertical displacement between the free end of the mounting clip and the proximate flange portion may be small. Advantageously, the vertical displacement between the free end of the mounting clip and the proximate flange portion may be less that the thickness of material forming the channel into which the mounting clip may be attached. Such an arrangement may ensure that, when the mounting clip is fully inserted into the corresponding channel, some of the proximate flange portion may be above the lowest part of the material forming the channel, thus providing a degree of resistance to horizontal displacement of the panel. 
     The tongue may have three or more curves. The presence of a plurality of curves may allow an increase in resilience, so as to provide a good connection between the mounting clip and a wall fixing. 
     The flange may lie spaced from the rear of the front face, so as to ease manufacture of both the flange and the mounting clip. 
     In some embodiments, a plurality of mounting clips may be formed in the flange. Further, there may be a plurality of flanges, each on different edges of the front face. In some aspects, the flanges may include at least one mounting clip, or a plurality of mounting clips. 
     The weight of the panel can be supported by a ledge, thereby allowing the mounting clips to retain the panel in place. Accordingly, the precise positioning of the mounting clips and the channel (or series of channels) may not be crucial, and thus, they may be formed or fitted quickly and easily. The low-down ledge may be fitted to a wall accurately, such that the final position of a number of adjacent panels can be accurate, consistent, and neat. 
     According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to a kit comprising at least one panel as described above, and a ledge for fitting the at least one panel to a wall. The kit may further comprise a plurality of panels. The ledge may be longer than the width of an individual panel, thereby allowing the ledge to support a plurality of panels at the same height. 
     According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a device for shaping mounting clips is provided. The device may comprise a die block having a front face defining a desired shape for a first side of the clip, a punch defining a desired shape for a second and opposite side of the clip, and a drawing mechanism for drawing the punch toward the die block. The drawing mechanism may comprise a rotatable drive member extending from a rear face of the die block, through the die block to the punch and engaging with a screw-threaded element associated with the punch. 
     The device may also include a rotatable slave member, driven from the rotatable drive member, and which likewise extends through the die block to the punch and engages with a second screw-threaded element associated with the punch. This may allow a balanced draw to be exerted on the punch, while being driven from only a single torque input. The slave member can be driven by a belt drive extending from the drive member to the slave member. For ease of construction, the screw-threaded elements can be captive within the punch, or an integral part thereof. The drive member and the slave member may extend through the die block to the punch on either side of the desired shapes for the clip, thereby allowing a balanced draw and locating the die block and punch relative to the wall panel by engaging with pre-formed through-holes or slots in the wall panel. 
     The drive and slave member may be capable of being disengaged from the second screw-threaded element to allow the punch to be released after use. 
     The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a method of paneling a wall using a device, as described above, to form at least one mounting clip on the flange of a wall panel and create a wall panel, as described above. The method may comprise attaching a channel adapted to receive the tab to the wall, and positioning and moving the wall panel relative to the wall so that the tab enters and engages with the channel, thereby fixing the panel to the wall. The method may further comprise providing a ledge on the wall below the channel, and moving the wall panel as the tab enters and engages with the channel so that a lower edge of the wall panel rests on the ledge. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which; 
         FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  shows a rear perspective view of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  shows a rear view of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  shows a detail of the corner VI of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows a top view of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  shows a sectional view of a mounting clip of a panel according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  shows the mounting clip of  FIG. 7  after fitting the panel to a wall; 
         FIG. 9  shows a sectional view from the side of a panel fitted to a wall; 
         FIG. 9 a    shows an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of a device for forming the mounting clip of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  shows a side view of the device of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  shows a sectional view of the device of  FIG. 9 ; and 
         FIG. 13  shows an exploded view of the device of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a wall panel  10  comprising a front face  12  and return lips at the top  14  and on the right-hand side  16 . The wall panel  10  may also have a return lip at the left-hand side which is not shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a rear view of the wall panel  10 . The panel  10  may comprise a return lip  14  at the top and return lips  16 ,  18  at each side. Each side lip  16 ,  18  may comprise three mounting clips  20  formed within it. Each of the mounting clips  20  may have an upper locating hole  22  and a lower locating hole  24 . Towards the lower part of the wall panel  10  there may be a batten  26 , which may provide additional stiffness to the panel  10  and may space the lower part of the panel  10  from the wall in use. 
       FIG. 3  shows a side view of the wall panel  10  with the return lip  18  visible. Batten  26  is shown in profile, although in practice it may not be visible behind the return lip  18 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a rear view of the wall panel  10 , as described with respect to  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a detailed view of the corner VI labelled in  FIG. 1  of the wall panel  10 . Portions of the front face  12  and return lips at the top  14  and side  16  are shown. The piece of material forming the front face  12  may be formed with one portion bent around to form a flap-like portion at about a right angle to the front face  12  to form the top lip  14 , with one portion  16 A bent around at about a right angle to the front face  12 , and with a further portion  16 B bent around so that it lies approximately parallel to the front face  12 . Portions  16 A and  16 B together may form side lip  16 . Hole  19  may be provided close to the corner to cater for a pop-rivet or other earth connector, for use in rooms containing RF-generating equipment such as an MRI apparatus. This may allow the panel to be to electrically connected to ground or to a nearby Faraday cage structure, thereby preventing the panel from acting as a capacitor driven by RF energy in the room. 
       FIG. 6  shows a plan view of the same wall panel  10 , with the return lips at the top  14  and side  16 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a detailed view of a mounting clip  30 , in relation to certain parts of the panel, in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure. The mounting clip  30  may be in the form of a flat tab or tongue, and may be formed from a portion of a return lip which may form a flange as set out above. The plane of the flange may be substantially parallel to the front face  12 . Thus, the mounting clip  30  may be spaced apart from the front face  12  of the panel. The mounting clip  30  may have a fixed end  31  and a free end  33 . In the region of the free end  33 , an end portion  35  may be provided, which lies substantially parallel to the front face  12  of the panel. Between the fixed end  31  of the mounting clip and the free end  33 , a series of curves  32 A,  32 B,  32 C may be provided, setting portions of the mounting clip  30  at differing distances from the front face  12  of the panel. The curves may be formed so that the mounting clip  30  may have a local minimum distance D MIN  from the front face  12  of the panel and a local maximum distance D MAX  from the front face  12  of the panel. The local minimum distance D MIN  may be closer to the free end  33  than the local maximum D MAX  may be to the free end  33 . A further portion  34  of the return lip may also be shown to show the discontinuity of the mounting clip  30  from the rest of the return lip. The vertical displacement between the free end  33  of the mounting clip  30  and the proximate flange portion  37  of the return lip  34  may be small. 
       FIG. 8  shows the mounting clip  30  in a position in use with respect to a channel C attached to a wall W. Curves  32 A,  32 B,  32 C may provide for engagement with the channel C at least at the local minimum distance D MIN . The curves may also provide a spring-like force to urge the mounting clip  30  towards the front face  12  of the panel so as to hold the panel against the wall W. The vertical displacement between the free end  33  of the mounting clip  30  and the proximate flange portion  37  of the return lip  34  may be small. Thus, a portion of the return lip  34  may overlap the material forming the channel C vertically. 
       FIGS. 9 and 9   a  show the wall panel  10  attached in place to a wall W.  FIG. 9 a    illustrates an enlarged view of the lower part  38  of the wall panel  10 . Channels C may be affixed to the wall W in order to receive the mounting clips  20  and prevent the wall panel  10  from moving away from the wall W. At the lower edge of the wall panel  10 , a ledge  40  may be affixed to the wall using a suitable technique such as an adhesive, or wall fixings such as screws secured in wall plugs appropriate to the type of wall W. The lower edge  14  of the wall panel may then rests on the ledge  40  to provide support for the wall panel  10 , thereby supporting the weight of the panel  10 . 
     Accordingly, a precise positioning of the mounting clips  20  and the channels C may not be crucial as they do not dictate the vertical alignment of the wall panel  10  or support its weight. As a result, the channels C can be fitted to the wall quickly and easily. It may be relatively straightforward to fit a ledge  40  to a wall at a low and accessible position with a high degree of accuracy, and the same ledge may extend beneath a number of adjacent panels, thus holding all panels at an accurate and consistent height to provide a neat appearance. Once the ledge and channels are in place and the tabs have been formed in the flanges of the wall panels (as described below), paneling the wall may be a quick and simple task. For example paneling the wall may comprise positioning each panel in turn and moving it downwards so that the tabs engage with the channels and the lower edge of the panel rests on the ledge. This arrangement may allow panels to slide horizontally so that they abut one another to provide a continuously paneled surface. 
       FIGS. 10 to 13  show different views of a device  100  for forming the mounting clip in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure.  FIGS. 10 to 12  show the device  100  as arranged for use, and  FIG. 13  shows the device  100  in exploded form to clearly show how the elements fit together. The device  100  may have a first die element  102  with a raised portion  104  which may be shaped to form a curved profile. The first die element  102  may have locating holes  106  at either end. A second die element  108  may have locating holes  110  at either end which may correspond to the locating holes  106  of the first die element  102 . The second die element  108  may form an open-box-like structure—there being an opening on its under-side as shown in the figures. Extending into the space within the second die element  108  from an upper part  112  may be a raised portion  114  which may be shaped to form a curved profile. The profiles of the raised portion  104  of the first die element  102  and the raised profile  114  of the second die element  108  may correspond with each other and form corresponding first and second faces for defining a desired shape for a clip. The device  100  may have a pair of pulleys  116  linked by a belt  120 . The pulleys  116  have drive holes  118  formed within them which correspond to the locating holes  106  and  110  of the first  102  and second  108  die elements, respectively. The device  100  may further comprise a cover  122  with walls  124  which may enclose the second die element  108  in use. The cover  122  may have locating holes  126  on at least one side, which may correspond to locating holes  128  on at least one side of the second die element  108 . When assembled for use, the device  100  may have rods  130 ,  132  arranged through the locating holes  106 ,  110  and drive holes  118  of the first  102  and second  108  die elements and the pulleys  116 , respectively. The rods  130 ,  132  may each be provided with a screw thread on the outside surface. The screwthread of rod  130  may be engageable with a corresponding screwthread on the inside surface of locating hole  134  of the cover  122  and with locating hole  106  of the first die element  102 . Thus, a drawing mechanism may be provided in which the first die element  102  and the second die element  108  can be drawn together by rotation of rod  130 . Rod  132  may engage with a corresponding screwthread in the corresponding locating hole  106  of the first die element  102 . Thus, when rod  130  is rotated a drive force may be transmitted between pulleys  116  by belt  120  so that rod  132  is rotated as a slave member. This action may allow for a balanced draw to be exerted on the punch driven from only a single torque input. Washers  136 ,  138  may be positioned on rods  130 ,  132  between the second die element  108  and the spacers  116 . Grubs  140  may be affixed to an under-side of the locating holes  106  of the first die element  102 . 
     Thus, assembled for use, the cover  122 , spacers  116  and second die element  108  may be held together with respect to one another by the rods  130 ,  132  and suitable locators