Walls and partitions and concealed fasteners for assembly thereof

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series clips, and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the ajdacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein the clip fasteners of the second series of clips include reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations in web portions thereof.

2. A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat abutting panels, in contact at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips, with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, and with panel contacting surfaces of the clips of the first series contacting the major back surface of the second panel, said clips of both series being concealed by the contacting sides of the adjacent panels, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet hard steel and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with the ratio of surface area proportions of the clip substructure contacting surface and panel contacting surface being from 1:7 to 7:1, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions comprise substantially coplanar directly connected plate and tongue parts and space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) about 1 to 3 times the thickness of the hard steel sheet material of which the clips are made, at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion, and at about a right angle to the substructure contacting and panel contacting surfaces of the clips, which surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions only from the plate part thereof and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended.

3. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein the clips of the second series comprise peripherally located panel contacting surfaces and interiorly located framing contacting surfaces, the webs of the clips, of which there are two for each clip, are spaced apart from the tongue thereof, which is centrally located, and the tongue includes a longitudinal slot for adjustable fastening of the clips to a framing member.

4. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein the clips of the second series include a depressed interior part of the tongue part, which depressed part includes a plurality of indentations on a surface thereof facing a panel back surface so as to provide a plurality of possible starting locations for penetrating said part of the tongue for passage therethrough of a fastener for fastening the clip to a framing member when such fastening is desired.

5. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein the second series clips comprise an interiorly located panel contacting surface and an exteriorly located, with respect to such interior panel contacting surface, framing contacting surface, with the panel contacting surface having a substantial proportion thereof in the plate part of the base portion of the clip, and being surrounded by a substantially panel contacting surface of the base portion, whereby improved stability is obtained in the holding of the clips to the wallboard and in the holding of the wallboard to the framing member.

6. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein the second series clip fasteners comprise reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations in the web portions where they are joined to the plate and pointed tab portions, respectively, which indentations extend to such plate and tab portions.

7. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein all of the first series clip fasteners include a slot opening in the tongue portion thereof, transverse to the direction in which said tongue extends and passing from a side of said tongue to an interior part thereof, so as to provide a path for movement of the wall or partition in a direction at right angles to that in which it is assembled, with respect to means for holding it to the framing member, to facilitate disassembly of the wall or partition when such may be desired.

8. A wall or partition according to claim 7 wherein a panel or substructure contacting surface of the clip fastener is in the form of a strip substantially paralleling the periphery of the clip, interrupted near the slot opening in the tongue portion thereof, interiorly located with respect to said periphery and supported by a rigidifying and spacing wall.

9. A wall or partition according to claim 2 wherein the clips include third webs, located between the other two webs and extending in the same direction but with the plane thereof at a spacing distance from the plane of the other webs so as to space the installed wallboards apart approximately such spacing distance.

10. A wall or partition according to claim 9 wherein the panels include undercut type openings at the front side edges, with those of adjacent panel edges forming undercut type grooves, with the distance across said grooves at the front thereof being less than the distance across them at the back, and wherein said grooves are filled with a complementarily shaped resilient strip material, which conceals the panel to panel joint and any clip and fastener parts which might otherwise be visible.

11. A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to be substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein a slot or equivalent opening is present in the first series clips, extending from a side of the base portion thereof to an interior location of said base portion, through the panel contacting surface thereof and in a direction substantially parallel to that of the clip webs, so as to provide a path for movement of the wall or partition in a direction at right angles to that in which it is assembled, with respect to means for holding it to the substructure, to facilitate disassembly of the wall or partition, when such may be desired.

12. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, with reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations therein, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the web contacting a side thereof.

13. A clip according to claim 12 wherein the reinforcing and lateral movement inhibiting indentations in the web portions thereof are located where such web portions are joined to the plate and to the pointed tab portions and extend from the webs to such plate and tab portions.

14. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard of similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface of the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof, and a slot or equivalent opening extending from a side of the base portion to an interior location of said base portion, through the panel contacting surface thereof and in a direction substantially parallel to that of the webs, so as to provide a path for movement of a wall or partition in a direction at right angles to that in which it is assemblable, with respect to means for holding such wall to the substructure, to facilitate disassembly of the wall or partition, when such may be desired.

15. A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panel sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended, and wherein clip fasteners of at least one of the series of clips include a spacing member for spacing apart the adjacent wallboard panel sides during and after installation thereof so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the web thickness of the fasteners.

16. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip hard steel and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion of directly connected plate and tongue parts which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, with the area ratio of substructure contacting surface to panel contacting surface being in the range of 1:7 to 7:1, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) which is/are in total, at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion, which wall(s) is/are at about a right angle to the substructure contacting and panel contacting surfaces of the base portion of the clip, which surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, with the depth of the intermediate strengthening wall(s) being about 1 to 3 times the thickness of the clip material, which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending only from the plate part at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof.

17. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof, and a spacing member for spacing apart wallboard panels during and after installation thereof with the aid of said clip so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the web thickness.

18. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion of substantially coplanar and directly connected plate and tongue parts, which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions, farther apart than the width of the tongue, which is centered between them, so that clearances are provided between the webs and the tongue, which facilitate manufacture of the clip and installation thereof, which web portions extend only from the plate part, at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions in the direction of the plate part and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the web contacting a side thereof.

19. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuous spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion comprises substantially coplanar and directly connected plate and tongue parts and spaces a major back panel surface from said substructure when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending only from the plate part and at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a side thereof.

20. A clip according to claim 19 in which there are two webs only and the pointed tabs extend in the direction of the plate part.

21. A clip according to claim 20 in which the tongue is centrally located with respect to the base and the tongue includes a longitudinal slot for adjustable fastening of the clip to a framing member.

22. A wall or partition comprising a substructure and a surface structure, said substructure including framing or supporting means for holding the surface structure to and spaced away from the substructure, and said surface structure comprising first and second aligned substantially flat panels, adjacent at sides thereof, each of which has concealed major back, sides, top and bottom surfaces and a visible major front surface, the sides of which panels are substantially straight and flat, which panels are substantially invisibly secured to the substructure and spaced away from it, and thereby are secured together or spaced apart a spacing distance, by a first series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said first panel and to the substructure, and a second series of spaced apart concealed fastener clips appended to said second panel, so located as to avoid contact with any of said first series of clips and with a part of each of the panel contacting surfaces of each of the second series of clips contacting the major back surface of the first panel and spacing such surface from the framing or supporting means, with each of the clips of both said series being made from sheet or strip material and having spacing base portions, each of which is substantially coplanar and directly continuous, extending substantially parallel to said respective panels at concealed major back surfaces of said panels, with said spacing base portions each having, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, which spacing base portions space the major back panel surface from the framing or supporting means a distance greater than the thickness of the material of the clips, and which clip surfaces are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), a plurality of web portions extending from each of said base portions and between the adjacent first and second panels sides, and pointed tabs extending from said web portions, impaling a side of the panel to which the clip is appended.

23. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein a panel or substructure contacting surface of a clip fastener of the second series of clips is peripherally or substantially peripherally located on the clip base and the other such contacting surface of such clip is interiorly located on such base.

24. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein a surface of the base portion of a clip fastener of the second series of clips is roughened, knurled, indented, grooved or equivalently structured so as to provide a plurality of possible starting locations for penetrating said part of the base for passage therethrough of a fastener.

25. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein a clip fastener of the second series of clips includes a base portion having an interiorly located panel contacting surface and an exteriorly located, with respect to such panel contacting surface, framing contacting surface.

26. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein a panel or substructure contacting surface of the clip fastener of the second series of clips is in the form of a strip paralleling or substantially paralleling the periphery of the clip, interiorly located with respect to said periphery and supported by rigidifying and spacing wall(s).

27. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein the panels include complementary longitudinal openings at the front side edges thereof and such openings of the assembled wall are filled with a strip material.

28. A wall or partition according to claim 22 wherein the panel contacting surfaces of the clips of the first series contact the major back surface of the second panel.

29. A wall or partition according to claim 28 wherein the structure contacting surface and panel contacting surface of the clip fasteners are of area proportions in the range of 1:14 to 14:1 and are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) at least as long, in total, as 10% of the periphery of the base portion and at least 3/4 as deep as the thickness of the sheet or strip material of which the fastener clip is made.

30. A wall or partition according to claim 29 wherein the ratio of surface area proportions of the clip substructure contacting surface and panel contacting surface is from 1:7 to 7:1, the intermediate strengthening wall(s), in total, is/are at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion and the depth of such wall(s) is 3/4 to 5 times the thickness of the sheet material of which the fastener clip is made.

31. A fastener clip, useful for installing wallboard or similar panels onto a substructure to form a wall or partition, wherein means for holding such panels to the substructure are substantially concealed, which is made from sheet or strip material and which comprises a substantially coplanar and directly continuously spacing base portion which includes, spaced apart, a substructure contacting surface on one side of the material thereof and a panel contacting surface on the other side, spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s), which spacing base portion spaces a major back panel surface of the panel from said substructure a distance greater than the thickness of the sheet or strip material of the clip, when such clip is installed, a plurality of web portions extending at about a right angle from said base portion, and pointed tabs, extending from said web portions and suitable for impaling a substantially flat side of a panel to which the clip is appended, with the panel contacting surface of the base contacting a major back surface of the panel and with the webs contacting a substantially flat side thereof.

32. A clip according to claim 31 wherein the substructure contacting surface and panel contacting surface of the base portion are of an area ratio in the range of 1:14 to 14:1 and are spaced apart by intermediate strengthening wall(s) at least as long, in total, as 10% of the periphery of the base portion and at least 3/4 as deep as the thickness of the sheet or strip material of the clip.

33. A clip according to claim 32 wherein the ratio of the surface areas of the substructure contacting and panel contacting surfaces is in the range of 1:7 to 7:1, the intermediate strengthening wall(s), in total, is/are at least as long as 25% of the periphery of the base portion and the depth of such wall(s) is 3/4 to 5 times the thickness of the sheet material of the clip.

34. A clip according to claim 31 wherein a panel or substructure contacting surface thereof is peripherally or substantially peripherally located on the base portion and the other such contacting surface is interiorly located on such base portion.

35. A clip according to claim 31 wherein a surface of the base portion is roughened, knurled, indented, grooved or equivalently structured so as to provide a plurality of possible starting locations for penetrating such parts of the base portion for passage therethrough of a fastener.

36. A clip according to claim 31 wherein the base portion includes an interiorly located panel contacting surface and an exteriorly located, with respect to such panel contacting surface, framing contacting surface.

37. A clip according to claim 31 wherein a panel or substructure contacting surface is in the form of a strip paralleling or substantially paralleling the periphery of the clip, interiorly located with respect to said periphery and supported by rigidifying and spacing wall(s).

38. A clip according to claim 31 which is made of heat treated and thereby hardened steel, which is heat treated after shaping to form from strip or steel which is heat hardenable.

39. A clip according to claim 38 which is of spring steel.