Patent ID: 7540119

Claim:
A point-supported cladding system for finishing the exterior of a building, comprising: a plurality of like rigid box-like glazed cladding units; each cladding unit comprising: a rigid spacer frame bounding said cladding unit; a pair of parallel light-transmissive glass lites having a thickness of not more than about 9 mm mounted at their periphery on said rigid spacer frame by means of a resilient seal; horizontally protruding pins adjacent each corner of said cladding unit and arranged as upper and lower pairs of pins, the pins of each of said upper and lower pairs being arranged on the right and left sides of the cladding unit, respectively, the upper pair of pins being separated by a first vertical distance and the lower pair of pins being separated by a second vertical distance; and said cladding unit being dimensioned and configured to have sufficient rigidity to maintain its structural integrity when supported only by said pins; and a plurality of brackets for mounting on structural members of said building adjacent to corners of each cladding unit; each said bracket comprising a protruding plate with an outer vertical edge, and lateral portions for attachment to said structural members; each said plate having a series of angled slots formed therein arranged in a single line one above the other . . . is equal to the second vertical distance; and wherein the upper pair of slots are adapted to receive the lower pin from each adjacent upper panel, and wherein the lower pair of slots are adapted to receive the upper pin from each adjacent lower panel; each said slot having a laterally extending portion terminating in an opening in said outer vertical edge, and a vertical portion with a blind lower end, said vertical portion merging at an upper end with an inner end of said lateral portion; whereby installation of said cladding units is achieved by engaging said pins with corresponding said openings, displacing said cladding units laterally into said slots until said pins reach the vertical portions thereof, whereupon said pins drop into said vertical portions to retain said cladding units in a contiguous array on said building and thereby provide an exterior wall of said building, said pins and brackets bearing the load of said cladding units and locking said cladding units against movement in a direction normal to said wall while permitting limited freedom of movement of said cladding units relative to each other and said building in a plane parallel to said wall, and whereby said arrangement of pins and slots permits said cladding units to be mounted in a contiguous fashion on said wall by said brackets.