Abstract:
A method of protecting an existing surface includes providing a surface to be protected; providing at least one shield section including a plurality of protective shield assemblies, each of the protective shield assemblies including a corrugated panel and a protective shield base carried by the corrugated panel; and attaching the corrugated panel to the surface with the protective shield assembly facing away from the surface.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation application of parent U.S. application Ser. No. 12/283,929, filed Sep. 17, 2008 now abandoned and entitled “PROTECTIVE SHIELD ASSEMBLY”, which parent application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to protective shields for the exteriors of buildings. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a protective shield assembly which can be assembled on a soffit or fascia of a building to protect the exterior of the building from storm damage or the like. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many buildings have a soffit or protective cladding at the underside of a flight of stairs, a projecting cornice or the underside of a ceiling at the corner of the ceiling and wall. In houses, the soffit (or eave) forms a ceiling from the top of an exterior wall to the outer edge of the overhanging roof and bridges the gap between the exterior wall and the roofline. A soffit that extends from the horizontal to the vertical is known as a fascia or façade. 
     Placement of exterior protective material on soffits, fascias and facades of buildings and houses may be necessary in geographical areas which are vulnerable to storm conditions to prevent the damaging effects of winds which could otherwise penetrate or damage the soffit, fascia or façade. For example, buildings and houses in coastal and other geographical areas which receive high-velocity winds, as well as the exteriors of high-rise buildings, may require the use of exterior protective cladding. Therefore, a protective shield assembly which can be assembled on a soffit or fascia of a building or house to effectively protect the exterior of the building or house from storm damage or the like is needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to a method of protecting an existing surface. An illustrative embodiment of the method includes providing a surface to be protected; providing at least one shield section including a plurality of protective shield assemblies, each of the protective shield assemblies including a corrugated panel and a protective shield base carried by the corrugated panel; and attaching the corrugated panel to the surface with the protective shield assembly facing away from the surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will now be made, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged sectional view, taken along section line  2  in  FIG. 1 , of an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view, taken along viewing lines  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 , of an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly&#39; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged sectional view, taken along section line  4  in  FIG. 3 , of a corner portion on an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view, taken along section line  5  in  FIG. 3 , of an opposite corner portion on an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 5A  is a transverse sectional view of a portion of an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly, more particularly illustrating attachment of the corrugated panel to the protective shield base using an insulating adhesive; 
         FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view of a panel ridge of the corrugated panel, more particularly illustrating a galvanized coating on the corrugated panel; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of a half protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view, taken along viewing lines  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6 , of an illustrative embodiment of the half protective shield assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of a ceiling section having multiple protective shield assemblies and a pair of half protective shield assemblies; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view, taken along section lines  9 - 9  in  FIG. 8 , more particularly illustrating adjacent alternating tab attachment of a pair of protective shield assemblies to each other in the ceiling section; 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view, taken along section lines  10 - 10  in  FIG. 8 , more particularly illustrating end-to-end overlapping attachment of a pair of protective shield assemblies to each other in the ceiling section; 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom view of the ceiling section, with a ceiling section frame (illustrated in phantom) supporting the protective shield assemblies in the ceiling section. 
         FIG. 12  is an end view of a stud element of the ceiling section frame; 
         FIG. 12A  is a perspective view, partially in section, of a stud element of the ceiling section frame, with a channel beam attached to the stud for attachment of the stud to a ceiling; 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of a stud, with multiple protective shield assemblies attached to the stud; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view (partially in section) of a stud, more particularly attachment of a pair of adjacently alternating tab protective shield assemblies to the stud via a hat channel beam; 
         FIG. 15  is an enlarged sectional view, taken along section line  15  in  FIG. 13 , more particularly illustrating an exemplary manner of attaching the stud of the ceiling section frame to a framing track; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a ceiling section and an adjacent fascia section each having multiple protective shield assemblies; 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of the ceiling section and the fascia section illustrated in  FIG. 16 , with the ceiling section attached to a ceiling (in section) and the fascia section attached to a fascia (in section) of a building; 
         FIG. 18  is a bottom view of a ceiling (partially in section), with multiple ceiling sections each having multiple protective shield assemblies attached to the ceiling; 
         FIG. 19  is a top view, partially in section, of adjacent protective shield assemblies, more particularly illustrating side-to-side engagement of the protective shield assemblies with each other; 
         FIG. 20  is a side view, partially in section, of adjacent protective shield assemblies, more particularly illustrating side-to-side engagement of the protective shield assemblies with each other; 
         FIG. 21  is a top view, partially in section, of adjacent protective shield assemblies, more particularly illustrating end-to-end engagement of the protective shield assemblies with each other; and 
         FIG. 22  is a side view, partially in section, of adjacent protective shield assemblies, more particularly illustrating end-to-end engagement of the protective shield assemblies with each other. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-7  of the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the protective shield assembly, hereinafter assembly, is generally indicated by reference numeral  1  in  FIGS. 1-5A . Some applications of the protective shield assembly  1 , which will be hereinafter described, may additionally utilize one or more half protective shield assemblies  1   a , an illustrative embodiment of which is illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The assembly  1  includes a protective shield base  2  which may be aluminum, for example and without limitation. The protective shield base  2  has a base panel  3  which may be generally planar, elongated and rectangular. First and second base panel end walls  4  and  4   a , respectively, extend from the base panel  3  along respective ends thereof. First and second base panel side walls  5  and  5   a , respectively, extend from the base panel  3  along respective edges thereof. As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , each base panel end wall  4 ,  4   a  (and each base panel side wall  5 ,  5   a ) may be disposed in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to the plane of the base panel  3 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2  in some embodiments a filler material  6 , which may be as caulk, for example and without limitation, may be provided between the edges of each base panel end wall  4 ,  4   a  and adjacent base panel side wall  5 ,  5   a.    
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a first base panel end flange  8  extends outwardly from the first base panel end wall  4  ( FIG. 4 ) and a second base panel end flange  8   a  extends outwardly from the second base panel end wall  4   a  ( FIG. 5 ). Each base panel end flange  8 ,  8   a  may be disposed in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to the plane of the corresponding base panel end wall  4 ,  4   a  from which it extends. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a first set of multiple side shield attachment flanges  9  extends outwardly from the first base panel side wall  5  in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other. A first set of flange gaps  12  separates the adjacent side shield attachment flanges  9  from each other. A second set of multiple side shield attachment flanges  9   a  extends outwardly from the second base panel side wall  5   a  in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other. A second set of flange gaps  12   a  separates the adjacent side shield attachment flanges  9   a  from each other. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the side shield attachment flanges  9  of the first flange set may be offset or staggered with respect to the respective side shield attachment flanges  9   a  of the second flange set. Likewise, the flange gaps  12  of the first gap set may be offset or staggered with respect to the respective flange gaps  12   a  of the second gap set. A shield fastener opening  10  may extend through each side shield attachment flange  9  of the first flange set and each side shield attachment flange  9   a  of the second flange set for purposes which will be hereinafter described. 
     A corrugated panel  16  is provided on the base panel  3  of the protective shield base  2  between the first and second base panel end walls  4  and  4   a , respectively, and between the first and second base panel side walls  5  and  5   a , respectively. The corrugated panel  16  may be steel, for example and without limitation, and has multiple panel ridges  17  and intervening panel troughs  18 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the panel ridges  17  and panel troughs  18  of the corrugated panel  16  may extend transversely across the longitudinal axis of the base panel  3 , in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to the first base panel side wall  5  and the second base panel side wall  5   a  and in generally parallel relationship with respect to the first base panel end wall  4  and the second base panel end wall  4   a  of the protective shield base  2 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5A , in some embodiments an electrically-insulating adhesive  7  attached the corrugated panel  16  to the base panel  3 . However, it is to be understood that the corrugated panel  16  may be attached to the base panel  3  using welding, fasteners (not illustrated) and/or other suitable attachment technique which is known by those skilled in the art. As further illustrated in  FIG. 5B , in some embodiments a galvanized coating  3   a  may be provided on the respective surfaces of the corrugated panel  16 . The galvanized coating  3   a  may be a zinc coating which may be applied to the surfaces of the corrugated panel  16  using a hot dip coating process or any other suitable coating process or technique which is known by those skilled in the art. The half protective shield assembly  1   a  which is illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7  may be similar in design to that of the protective shield assembly  1  which was heretofore described with respect to  FIGS. 1-6 , except the length of the half protective shield assembly  1   a  may be approximately half or slightly less than half the length of the protective shield assembly  1 . 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 8-15  and  18 - 22  of the drawings, an exemplary shield section  20  which utilizes multiple meshing protective shield assemblies  1  and a pair of half protective shield assemblies  1   a  is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . As illustrated in  FIG. 18  and will be hereinafter described, multiple shield sections  20  can be attached to a surface  48  such as an exterior soffit, ceiling or fascia, for example and without limitation, of a building or structure (not illustrated) in adjacent meshing relationship with respect to each other to shield and protect the surface  48  from high winds and flying debris during storm conditions. The exemplary shield section  20  which is illustrated in  FIG. 8  has five meshing protective shield assemblies  1  and two meshing half protective shield assemblies  1   a ; however, it is to be understood that each shield section  20  may have a greater or lesser number of meshing protective shield assemblies  1  and half protective shield assemblies  1   a . A half shield access gap  34  may be defined between the adjacent half protective shield assemblies  1   a  to facilitate access to ceiling fixtures (not illustrated) and the like through the shield section  20  when the shield section  20  is attached to a ceiling or other surface (not illustrated), as will be hereinafter described. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , adjacent protective shield assemblies  1  which are disposed alongside each other in the shield section  20  may engage each other in a meshing manner by insertion of the side shield attachment flanges  9  of one protective shield assembly  1  into the respective registering flange gaps  12   a  which extend between the side shield attachment flanges  9   a  of the adjacent protective shield assembly  1 . In like manner, the side shield attachment flanges  9   a  of one protective shield assembly  1  are inserted in the respective registering flange gaps  12  of the other protective shield assembly  1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 20 , the side shield attachment flanges  9 ,  9   a  may alternate with each other to define a seam between the adjacent protective shield assemblies  1 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 21 and 22 , adjacent protective shield assemblies  1  which are disposed in end-to-end relationship with respect to each other in the shield section  20  may engage each other by insertion of the base panel end flange  8   a  of one protective shield assembly  1  over the non-registering base panel end flange  8  of the adjacent protective shield assembly  1 . Along one longitudinal edge of each shield section  20 , the side shield attachment flanges  9  and the flange gaps  12  of a pair of end-to-end protective shield assemblies  1  remain exposed, whereas along the opposite longitudinal edge of each shield section  20 , the side shield attachment flanges  9   a  and flange gaps  12   a  of another pair of end-to-end protective shield assemblies  1  remain exposed to facilitate side-to-side meshing engagement of adjacent shield sections  20  in the same manner as the individual protective shield assemblies  1  are meshed with each other as was heretofore described. Likewise, along one transverse edge of each shield section  20 , the base panel end flanges  8  of three side-to-side protective shield assemblies  1  remain exposed whereas along the opposite transverse edge of the shield section  20  the base panel end flanges  8   a  of three other side-to-side protective shield assemblies  1  remain exposed to facilitate end-to-end engagement of the adjacent shield sections  20 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , an exemplary shield section frame  21  which is suitable for supporting the meshing protective shield assemblies  1  in the shield section  20  is illustrated in phantom. The shield section frame  21  may include multiple frame studs  22  which extend along the transverse axis of the shield section  20  in generally parallel, spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other. As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , in some embodiments each frame stud  22  may include a stud core  23  having a generally square or rectangular cross-sectional shape. A pair of C-channel beams  24  may be attached to opposite sides of the stud core  23  using stud fasteners  25  and/or any other suitable attachment technique. Each frame stud  22  may have any alternative construction which is consistent with the use requirements of the frame studs  22  in the shield section frame  21 . 
     Multiple generally elongated, parallel, spaced-apart hat channel beams  26  may extend along the longitudinal axis of the shield section  20  in intersecting relationship with respect to each frame stud  22 . Each hat channel beam  26  may be attached to each frame stud  22  according to any suitable technique which is known by those skilled in the art. As illustrated in the sectional view of  FIG. 10  (which is taken along section lines  10 - 10  in  FIG. 8 ) and the sectional view of  FIG. 14  (which is taken along section lines  14 - 14  in  FIG. 11 ), in some embodiments this may be accomplished by extending the stud fasteners  25  through fastener openings (not illustrated) provided in the hat channel beam  26  and threading the channel beam fasteners  25  into respective fastener openings (not illustrated) provided in the frame stud  22 . 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the hat channel beams  26  attach the meshing protective shield assemblies  1  to the frame studs  22 . The protective shield assemblies  1  may be attached to each hat channel beam  26  according to any suitable technique which is known by those skilled in the art. In some embodiments, a shield fastener  27  may be extended through each shield fastener opening  10  ( FIG. 1 ) which extends through each side shield attachment flange  9 ,  9   a  of each protective shield assembly  1 . The shield fastener  27  is threaded through a registering shield fastener opening (not illustrated) provided in the hat channel beam  26 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 14 , in some applications, a seal or insert  30  and a filler  31 , such as caulk, for example and without limitation, may be inserted in the gap between the base panel side wall  5  of one protective shield assembly  1  and the base panel side wall  5   a  of the adjacent protective shield assembly  1  for sealing purposes. As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a seal or insert  30  and a filler  31  may also be inserted in the gap between the base panel end walls  4 ,  4   a  of adjacent end-to-end protective shield assemblies  1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , a backing  42  and a sealant (not illustrated) such as caulk may be provided between the outer edge of each protective shield assembly  1  which extends along at a longitudinal edge of the shield section  20  and the outermost hat channel beam  26 . 
     In typical application of the protective shield assembly  1 , multiple shield sections  20  are pre-assembled and then attached in meshing relationship with respect to each other to a surface  48  ( FIG. 18 ) such as an exterior soffit, ceiling or fascia of a building or house, for example and without limitation, to protect the surface  48  from damage due to storm conditions such as high winds and flying debris. Accordingly, each frame stud  22  in the shield section frame  21  of each shield section  20  may be attached to the surface  48  using any suitable technique which is known by those skilled in the art. As illustrated in  FIG. 12A , in some applications, multiple channel beams  28  (one of which is illustrated) may be attached to each frame stud  22  using channel beam fasteners  29  and/or other suitable technique known by those skilled in the art. Each channel beam  28  may be attached to the surface  48  or to a structural element (not illustrated) of the surface  48  typically using suitable fasteners (not illustrated). Accordingly, the corrugated panel  16  of each protective shield assembly  1  in each shield section  20  typically faces the surface  48 , whereas the base panel  3  on the protective shield base  2  of each protective shield assembly  1  typically faces away from the surface  48 , as illustrated in  FIG. 18 . Adjacent shield sections  20  are engaged with each other in side-by-side and meshing relationship with respect to each other by inserting the side shield attachment flanges  9  on the protective shield assemblies  1  along one longitudinal edge of each shield section  20  in the flange gaps  12   a  between the side shield attachment flanges  9   a  on the protective shield assemblies  1  along the opposite longitudinal edge of the adjacent shield section  20 . Adjacent shield sections  20  are engaged with each other in end-to-end relationship with respect to each other by inserting the base panel end flanges  8   a  on the protective shield assemblies  1  along one transverse edge of each shield section  20  over the base panel end flanges  8  on the protective shield assemblies  1  along the opposite transverse edge of the adjacent shield section  20 . At least one of the shield sections  20  may include a pair of adjacent half protective shield assemblies  1   a  having a half shield access gap  34  through which fixtures (not illustrated) and the like on the surface  48  can be accessed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the panel ridges  17  and the panel troughs  18  of the corrugated panel  16  of each protective shield assembly  1  and half protective shield assembly  1   a  impart torsional resistance to each protective shield assembly  1  and resists wind loads which would otherwise be applied against the surface  48  as well as debris which may otherwise strike and damage the surface  48 . The shield sections  20  may be disassembled and removed from the surface  48  by reversing the steps which were outlined above. 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 16 and 17  of the drawings, in some applications one or multiple ceiling sections  46 , each having multiple meshing protective shield assemblies  1 , can be used to cover and shield a first surface  48  ( FIG. 17 ) such as a soffit or ceiling, for example and without limitation. One or multiple fascia sections  54 , each also having multiple meshing protective shield assemblies  1 , can be used to cover and shield a second surface  55  ( FIG. 17 ) such as an exterior fascia on a building, for example and without limitation, which may be disposed generally adjacent to and at an angle with respect to the first surface  48 . In each of the ceiling section  46  and the fascia section  54 , the side shield attachment flanges  9 ,  9   a  of each protective shield assembly  1  may be attached to a pair of C-channel beams  47  such as by assembly fasteners  58 , as illustrated in  FIG. 17 . As further illustrated in  FIG. 17 , each C-channel beam  47  on the ceiling section  46  may be attached to the first surface  48  using multiple channel beam fasteners  59  or other suitable technique known by those skilled in the art. Each C-channel beam  47  on the fascia section  54  may be attached to the second surface  55  also using multiple channel beam fasteners  59  or any other suitable technique which is known by those skilled in the art. As illustrated in  FIG. 16 , a filler  50  such as caulk, for example and without limitation, may be applied to the gaps between adjacent protective shield assemblies  1  in the ceiling section  46  and the fascia section  54 . Accordingly, the ceiling section or sections  46  and the fascia section or sections  54  cover and protect the first surface  48  and the second surface  55 , respectively, from wind loads and flying debris during storm conditions, for example. 
     While the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.