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Description  |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to modular cabana panels of the type having metal
skins that cover the top and bottom of an expanded polystyrene core. More
particularly, it relates to a snap lock design that facilitates the
construction of a roof with said panels.
BACKGROUND ART
Roofs made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) modular panels are popular in the
construction industry because they insulate well, are light in weight, and
are easy to install because of their modular form.
EPS is a soft, easily damaged material. Accordingly, the top and bottom
faces of the EPS core are usually covered by a thin skin of sheet metal;
the sheet metal is bonded to the core by a suitable adhesive means. The
metal sheets protect the core from abrasion and, advantageously,
contiguous edges thereof may be bent into complementally interlocking
forms to provide a means for interlocking abutting sections of the panels.
In many designs, the EPS core is also sculpted to provide supplemental
locking means. In those designs, a groove may be formed in the edge of one
panel and a corresponding tongue may be formed in the edge of an abutting
panel. Thus, in a typical roof made of interlocked modular panels of the
metal skin-covered EPS type, both the abutting foam cores and the
contiguous metal skins will be interlocked with one another.
All of the designs are intended to facilitate the interlocking of the
panels at the time the roof is laid down, and to provide as near a
seamless fit as possible to inhibit to the greatest extent possible the
intrusion of moisture into the space between the panels. However, most
contractors use a caulking compound to seal the seam between the panels,
regardless of how tightly fit together the contiguous interlocking panels
are believed to be.
Despite the many attempts heretofore made, there remains a need for an
interlocking panel construction that is easy to lock and which inhibits
moisture penetration. More particularly, there remains a need for an
interlocking panel design that is structurally simple so that it can be
mass produced at low cost yet which is durable and effective.
The prior art, considered as a whole, neither teaches nor suggests to those
of ordinary skill how the art of cabana panels could be further advanced.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The EPS core of a first edge of each panel is unsculpted but the second
edge thereof has a pair of grooves formed therein along its extent.
Each of the respective metal skins that cover the top and bottom surfaces
of each panel is bent ninety degrees at the unsculpted edge, in a
direction towards the center of said panel. The next part is bent at an
acute angle relative to the edge of the core in an opposite direction,
i.e., back toward its associated top or bottom surface, and away from the
unsculpted edge. That angled part terminates in a curved end; accordingly,
an angled "J"-shaped connecting means is thereby formed. Due to its sheet
metal construction, the connecting means is yieldable but resilient.
Each "J"-shaped connecting means is angled away from its counterpart, i.e.,
said means are disposed in diverging relation relative to one another.
Each of the respective metal skins that cover the opposite end of each
panel is also bent ninety degrees at the sculpted edge of the panel as
well, in a direction toward the center of the panel. Each skin then bends
rearwardly and toward the center of the panel at an acute angle into its
associated groove; each acutely bent section will hereinafter be referred
to as a beveled section. Each beveled section terminates in a rounded
section, hereinafter referred to as a cup, that is complemental to the
curved end of the "J"-shaped part of the mating skin. The beveled section
and cup are hereinafter collectively referred to as the ladle-shaped
connecting means because of their collective appearance.
The ladle-shaped connecting means are disposed in converging relation
relative to one another; like their counterparts, they are also yieldable
and resilient.
When the novel modular panels are assembled into a roof, the curved end of
each "J"-shaped connecting means first slidingly engages the beveled
section of the ladle-shaped connecting means, and said beveled section
guides each curved end into engagement with its associated cup. Since the
metal skins are yieldable and resilient, the ladle-shaped part of each
skin yields as the "J"-shaped part enters into engagement therewith, and
each ladle-shaped part substantially resumes its original disposition
after it has fully engaged its associated "J"-shaped part.
Since the diverging "J"-shaped connecting means mate with the converging
ladle-shaped connecting means when the panels are assembled to form a
roof, the connecting means oppose one another and provide a snap fit that
ensures against facile separation of the panels.
This snap fit arrangement also forms a very tight seal that inhibits
moisture penetration between the interlocked panels.
Thus, it is now apparent that the primary object of this invention is to
provide interlocked EPS panels having a structural simplicity that enables
their mass production at low cost but which provides a unique, biased
interlocking means that holds interlocked panels together against facile
separation.
Another important object is to provide panels that are strongly interlocked
so that they cannot be separated easily.
Still another important object is to provide interlocking EPS panels where
only one edge of each panel requires sculpting.
These and other important objects, features and advantages of the 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 cross sectional, side elevational view showing a pair of the
novel panels in their interlocked configuration;
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional, side elevational view showing the panels of
FIG. 1 in their spaced apart configuration;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of facing skins only, i.e., with the EPS
cores deleted to better depict said skins;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing how a pair of panels are
interlocked;
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a panel having a skin with the "J"-shaped
connecting means; and
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a panel having a skin with the ladle-shaped
connecting means.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIG. 1, it will there be seen that a pair of
edge-interlocked modular panels are denoted as a whole by the reference
numeral 10.
Each panel has an EPS foam core 12, although cores other than EPS are
within the scope of this invention. The core 12 of each panel is protected
by a metallic skin 14 that overlies its top and bottom surfaces as shown;
the skins are bonded to the top and bottom sides of the core by any
suitable adhesive.
It should be understood from the outset that each panel has an edge that
matches the edges shown in FIG. 1, i.e., panel 16 on the left side of FIG.
1 has an unillustrated opposite edge that has the same construction as the
illustrated edge of panel 18 on the right hand side of FIG. 1, and panel
18 has an unillustrated edge that is sculpted to have the appearance of
the illustrated edge of panel 16.
The gap shown in FIG. 1 between the panels 16 and 18 does not appear in
real life; the drawing includes a gap just to better depict the
construction of the novel parts.
An even clearer depiction of the novel parts is provided in FIG. 2. There
it will be seen that top and bottom skins 14 of panel 18 are bent ninety
degrees along the respective extents of their associated edge 20 of core
12, toward the center of the panel as illustrated. The skin 14 is then
bent as shown to form an acute angle as at 24, and each angled, straight
part 24 terminates in a curved end 26. Note that the angle between
straight part 24 and flat panel edge 20 is about forty five degrees.
The "J"-shaped part of each skin (made up of parts 24 and 26) is yieldable
and resilient, i.e., if said parts are displaced in either direction in
the plane of the paper as indicated by the double-headed directional
arrows 28, they will return to their illustrated position of repose
because they are self-biasing, i.e., resilient. Moreover, if held in a
position where they are unable to resume their respective positions of
repose, their self-biasing aspect will continually urge them to return to
said position of repose.
It is also noted that although the angle of each straight part 24 with
respect to the edge of the panel is called an acute angle, said angled
position is achieved by bending the skin 14 through an obtuse angle.
Note also that the "J"-shaped part associated with the skin 14 that covers
the top side of panel 18 extends away from edge 20 and upwardly toward the
top side of the panel; similarly, the "J"-shaped part associated with the
skin 14 that overlies the bottom side of panel 18 extends away from edge
20 and downwardly toward the bottom side of the panel. Thus, each
"J"-shaped part extends away from flat edge 20 and is disposed in
diverging relation relative to the opposing "J"-shaped part.
Note that edge 20 of panel 18 is flat, i.e., unsculpted; this is an
important feature of this invention. The simple bends required to produce
the "J"-shaped connecting means and the simplicity inherent in not
sculpting edge 20 results in a panel construction that is very inexpensive
to manufacture.
Reference is now made to the left half of FIG. 2. Edge 30 thereof is
sculpted; more particularly, a pair of parallel square channel grooves 32
are formed therein along its extent, each groove being disposed in
equidistantly spaced relation to its associated top or bottom surface and
in equidistantly spaced relation to the center of the panel.
Each groove 32 accommodates the inwardly extending, ladle-shaped connecting
means of skin 14, i.e., rounded or cup-shaped part 34 and beveled part 36
of each skin extends into its associated groove. These parts are yieldable
and resilient and will resume their depicted positions of repose if
displaced in the plane of the paper as indicated by the double-headed
directional arrows 38. Each skin 14 is first bent ninety degrees toward
the center of its associated panel to overlie edge 30 as at 40, is bent a
second time to form straight beveled part 36, and a third time to form the
rounded part 34. Thus, the inwardly extending part has the appearance of a
ladle.
Note the converging relation between the opposing ladle-shaped members and
the forty five degree angular relation between each straight beveled part
relative to panel edge 30.
FIG. 1 can now be better understood; note that when panel edges 20 and 30
are placed into abutting relation to one another, the cup-shaped part 34
of each ladle-shaped part receives the curved end 26 of its associated
"J"-shaped part. Advantageously, the respective angular bends formed in
the outwardly extending "J"-shaped parts and their complemental inwardly
extending parts are preselected so that both of said parts are driven out
of their respective positions of repose when they are interlocked with one
another. Thus, the resiliency of each part urges it to regain its position
of repose and this urging ensures a strong interconnection between the
abutting panel edges, thereby attaining an important object of this
invention.
Beveled parts 36 of the inwardly extending, ladle-shaped parts play the
important role of guiding curved ends 26 into rounded ends 34, as perhaps
best understood from the animation provided by FIGS. 3 and 4.
The forty five degree disposition of the beveled parts 36 and the forty
five degree disposition of the "J"-shaped connecting means enables facile
connection of contiguous panel edges. Moreover, since the yieldability of
the confronting connecting means is about the same due to their common
angular orientation, neither connecting means will need to bend more than
the other. This provides several mechanical advantages, including ensuring
that the elastic limit of each yieldable member will not be exceeded.
Moreover, the outwardly extending disposition of the "J"-shaped connecting
means and the inwardly or reversely extending disposition of the
ladle-shaped connecting means provides still further mechanical
advantages. The housing of both of said connecting means in their
associated grooves when they are releasably engaged to one another as
depicted in FIG. 1 is also advantageous.
FIG. 4 indicates that the panels are interlocked by tilting one of the
panels at an angle with respect to its mating panel, followed by rotation
of the tilted panel as denoted by directional arrow 50 until the
configuration of FIG. 1 is achieved.
FIGS. 5 and 6 provide isometric views of the mating skins.
The juxtaposition of diverging and converging yieldable and resilient
connecting means disposed at a common, complementary angle with respect to
one another and having a "J"-shaped and a ladle-shaped configuration,
respectively, and the benefits derived therefrom, were heretofore unknown,
anywhere in the world.
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 considered as a whole as required by law.
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,
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