 |
Description  |
|
|
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates, generally, to structural panels of the type used in
making roofs and walls. More particularly, it relates to a panel
construction resistant to water penetration.
BACKGROUND ART
Structural panels having sheetmetal-covered cores of styrofoam, or other
suitable insulating material, are in widespread use. A multitude of
different designs have been created and patented; typical prior art
designs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,963 to Meyerson, U.S. Pat. No.
4,065,902 to Lindal, U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,162 to Gregoiere, U.S. Pat. No.
3,479,784 to Massagli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,614 to Raith, et al., U.S. Pat.
No. 3,331,173 to Elsner, U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,229 to Palmer, U.S. Pat. No.
4,373,312 to Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,076 to O,Brien, U.S. Pat. No.
3,742,672 to Schaeufele, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,539 to Harmon, et al.
Foreign patents of interest include British patent 1,066,701, British
patent 2 168 732A, and French patent no. 2 444 762.
These earlier designs have a common drawback: they leak when used as
roofing panels. The complex joint constructions shown in the
above-mentioned patents and in many other non-patented designs were
intended to provide tight seals against water penetration, but as every
owner of a structure having a roof made of metal-faced panels knows, water
leaks through the joints of even the most expensive panels.
Leakage occurs, of course, at the seams between contiguous panels. The art
teaches that proper application of a good caulking compound at each seam
will adequately protect against moisture intrusion; the art also teaches
that the panels should not be walked upon after the caulking procedure has
been completed because the panels flex at the seams when walked upon and
the caulking compound cracks in response to such flexing, especially if
the compound is brittle from prolonged solar exposure. Cracked compound,
obviously, is pervious to water.
When the teachings and suggestions of the prior art are viewed as a whole
in compliance with the requirements of law, those of ordinary skill in
this art are impelled to develop better caulking compounds and are
repelled from walking on roofs having seams sealed with brittle caulking
compound.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The teachings and suggestions of the prior art relating to the need for
improved caulking compounds and the need to avoid walking on the panels
after the caulking has been applied are eschewed by the present inventor.
Although the seams of the improved panel construction of this invention can
still be caulked, the performance of the compound is no longer critical,
even when the panels are walked upon.
The flexing problem is overcome by a unique design that overlaps abutting
edges of the sheetmetal that covers the core of the panels; the
overlapping inhibits relative movement between the panels. More
particularly, a reverse bend is formed in one edge of the sheetmetal to
double its thickness, and a corresponding recess is formed in the
sheetmetal of a mating panel. The resulting overlap holds the contiguous
panels in a horizontal plane even when the panels are walked upon by one
or more heavy individuals. Thus, even if the panels have been caulked and
the caulking has become brittle, the movement of the panels is too nominal
to effect cracking of the compound. The overlapping design also produces a
substantially seamless joint, i.e., a zero seam.
The novel design also includes a roll-formed gutter built into the
sheetmetal. Thus, if water penetrates the seams, it will be channeled by
the built-in gutter to a conventional gutter positioned adjacent the
panels. The novel gutter design also serves as a ramp that facilitates
interlocking of contiguous panels.
It should now be clear that the primary object of this invention is to
revolutionize the art of structural metal-faced panels by providing the
first metal-faced panel, anywhere in the world, that is impervious to
water penetration even if the seams thereof are not caulked.
A more specific object is to provide an interlocking panel construction
that holds contiguous panels in coplanar relation to one another even when
concentrated loads are applied thereagainst.
Another specific object is to provide an interlocking panel construction
having a built-in gutter that directs water to a conventional gutter
before it can seep through a roof formed of interlocked panels.
These and other important objects, features and advantages of this major
invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,
combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified
in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention
will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,
reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing an embodiment that includes the
novel built-in gutter but which does not include the novel design for
inhibiting relative movement between the interlocking panels;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of contiguous panel edges including both
the novel built-in gutter and the means for inhibiting relative movement
between said contiguous panels;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, but
with the core of the panels removed to better depict the sheetmetal part
thereof;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but showing how the
panels are interlocked;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the
contiguous panels disposed in interlocked relation to one another; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sheetmetal facing having the novel
built-in gutter roll-formed therein.
Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several
views of the drawings.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIG. 1, it will there be seen that an exemplary embodiment
of the invention is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10.
The edge of panel 12 at the right hand side of FIG. 1 has a conventional
construction and need not be described in detail. Briefly, it includes a
core 14 of styrofoam or other suitable material, and a beveled channel 16
is formed in an edge of said core in centered relation with respect to the
sheetmetal-covered top and bottom faces of the panel. Sheetmetal 18 is
bonded to the opposite faces of core 14, and a first unbent section of
said sheetmetal extends a predetermined distance beyond core edge 20 as at
22, a second section is bent ninety degrees a first time as at 24, towards
the center of the panel, and a third section is bent ninety degrees a
second time, towards the edge 20 of the core of the panel, as at 26.
The edge of panel 12 at the left hand side of FIG. 1 includes the highly
novel built-in gutter that obviates the need for sealing panel seams with
a sealing compound and thus will be described in detail.
It should be understood from the outset that the edge configuration already
described in brief and the edge configuration to now be described in
detail are of course formed in opposite edges of the same panel, and that
said edges interlock when plural panels are laid in edge-to-edge relation
to one another. In the claims that follow, the edge summarily described is
referred to as the first edge and the edge that is the subject of the
following plenary description is referred to as the second edge.
The second edge of panel 12 includes a beveled protuberance 28 that is
configured and dimensioned to mate with the beveled channel 16 formed in
the first edge when the novel panels 12 are laid in edge-to-edge relation
to one another, as perhaps best understood in connection with FIG. 5;
note, however, that FIG. 5 depicts a second embodiment of the invention,
to be described hereinafter.
It is important to observe that flat leading edge 30 of protuberance 28 and
trailing beveled edges 32, 34 thereof are not covered by sheetmetal; this
is in sharp and distinct contrast to earlier designs where said beveled
edges are at least in part covered by sheetmetal, thereby teaching away
from the present invention.
Beveled edges 32, 34 terminate at their respective trailing ends at points
36, 38, respectively. A three-walled square channel is formed in each
opposite face of core 14 inwardly of said points; specifically, each
channel includes a flat bottom wall 40, an inward sidewall 42, and a
truncate outer sidewall 44 that terminates in its associated point 36 or
38.
Each sheet of sheetmetal 18 overlies its associated top and bottom face of
core 14 as aforesaid, bends ninety degrees a first time at said second
edge to thereby overlie both inward side walls 42, bends ninety degrees a
second time to overlie both bottom walls 40, bends about forty five
degrees a first time, at the lowermost end of outer side walls 44 and in a
reverse direction, to thereby form gutter 50, and bends forty five degrees
a second time towards the center of the panel, i.e., towards the opposing
face of the panel, to form strengthening lip 52. All of the bends are made
by roll forming sheetmetal in accordance with conventional techniques.
Gutter 50 and lip 52 were heretofore unknown; in earlier designs, the
sheetmetal 18, after bending ninety five degrees a first and second time
as described above, bends ninety degrees a third time to overlie outer
side wall 44 and bends about forty five degrees towards the second edge,
i.e., in overlying relation to at least part of beveled edges 32, 34;
thus, in said earlier designs, there is no reverse bending and hence no
gutter. In the novel design, there is no covering of outer side wall 44
and no covering of beveled edges 32, 34.
The efficacy of gutter 50 is perhaps best understood in connection with
FIG. 6; note that said gutter provides a barrier to water 54 and
constrains it to flow in a longitudinal direction into a conventional
gutter, not shown, that is installed adjacent the novel roof panels. In
the earlier designs, as perhaps best understood in connection with FIG. 5,
water accumulates in the square channel having bottom wall 40 and bounded
by side walls 42 and 44 and eventually overflows side wall 44 as indicated
by the arrow denoted 60 in FIG. 5. Thus, said water enters into the crack
between the abutting pieces of core material, i.e., the small space
between protuberance 28 and channel 16; that water then leaks into the
space defined by the interlocking sheetmetal joints and since said joints
are not water tight, the water then makes its way into the space beneath
the roof panels by following the path denoted by the arrow 62 at the
bottom of FIG. 5.
Of course, the water flow depicted by arrows 60 and 62 in FIG. 5 cannot
occur in the novel panels due to the provision of gutter or barrier means
50. The absence of water flow as depicted by arrow 60 means that there can
be no water flow as depicted by arrow 62 as well. The provision of gutter
50 is a pioneering breakthrough in the art because it eliminates the need
to caulk the seams; penetrating water is simply channeled by gutter 50 to
the conventional gutter and no leakage can occur. Caulking may still be
used if desired, but its use is no longer critical.
The embodiment of FIG. 1 does not address the problem of flexing and the
concomitant breaking of a caulked seal if the roof is walked upon or
otherwise subjected to concentrated loads. This problem is solved in the
embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2-5.
Whereas sheetmetal 18 was roll formed into a first ninety degree bend in
the embodiment of FIG. 1 to overlie inner side wall 42, said sheetmetal
extends beyond said inner side wall in the embodiment of FIG. 2 and has a
return bend formed therein as at 70; the sheetmetal returns to inner side
wall 42, as at 72, and then forms a first ninety degree bend to overlie
said side wall 42. The remaining part of said sheetmetal follows the path
of travel already described in connection with FIG. 1.
The return bend part of said sheetmetal, i.e., the part of said sheetmetal
that extends beyond the second edge of the panel, is denoted 74 and will
hereinafter sometimes be referred to as a lip. In a commercial embodiment
of the novel structural panels, the extent of lip 74 will be about one
fourth inch (about two-thirds centimeter); it serves to strengthen and
reinforce the sheetmetal edge and is an important part of the anti-flexing
means of this invention.
Referring now to the right hand side of FIG. 2, it will there be seen that
lip 74 is received within a complementally formed recess 80 formed in
extensions 22 and 24 of sheetmetal 18; the mating between said lip and
recess is depicted in FIG. 5. The depth of recess 80, indicated by the
reference numeral 82 in FIG. 2, is substantially equal to the thickness of
lip 74 so that the exterior surface of lip 74 is coplanar with sheetmetal
18 when the panels are interlocked with one another as shown in FIG. 5. It
has been found that the above-mentioned quarter inch overlap between the
panel interlocking means, as is achieved when lip 74 is received within
recess 80, prevents the panels from flexing even when they are walked
upon. More precisely, movement represented by the double-headed
directional arrows collectively denoted 84 in FIG. 5 is not possible when
lip 74 is fully received within recess 80. Thus, even brittle caulking
compound will not fail when the novel panels are walked upon because there
can be no substantial relative movement between the interlocked panels.
The technique employed in interlocking contiguous panels is depicted in
animated sequence in FIGS. 3-5. The panels are first brought into
proximity with one another as depicted in FIG. 3 and one of the panels is
tilted about fifteen degrees from the horizontal as shown in FIG. 4 as it
is brought into engagement with the already-installed horizontal panel on
the left side of said Figs. The tilted panel is then rotated as indicated
by the directional arrow 90 in FIG. 4 until the position of FIG. 5 is
attained. Note that gutter 50 has sufficient yieldability to flex as
required as the parts are assembled and sufficient resiliency to regain
its initial position after the assembly has been completed.
This invention is clearly new and useful. Moreover, it was not obvious to
those of ordinary skill in this art at the time it was made, in view of
the prior art when considered as a whole in accordance with the
requirements of law.
This invention pioneers the art of interlocking structural panels that
require no caulking compound to seal the seams thereof. Accordingly, the
claims that follow are to be broadly interpreted to protect from piracy
the heart or essence of this breakthrough invention.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made
apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and
since certain changes may be made in the above construction without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters
contained in the foregoing construction or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover
all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein
described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a
matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.
Now that the invention has been described,
* * * * *
|
|
 |
|
 |
Description |
|
