Spaced panel wall construction

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the mounting of spaced parallel wall panels. More specifically, the invention relates to wall studs and battens for such wall panels.

Walls composed of spaced parallel panels secured to one another have been widely used in making new offices 30 or other rooms in a building or converting or modifying existing rooms to change their number or size, and to lower their ceilings or provide them in the first place. In one type of spaced-panel wall construction it has been customary to form each panel in sections, to use studs to 35 space the panels from one another, and to apply battens to the studs to tie the various sections of a panel together. With this type of construction, installation of the wall is facilitated, but some difficulty has been encountered in the studs and battens themselves, because they tend to 40 transmit sound from one side of the wall to the other. Moreover, the construction of the studs and battens has been complicated, and their cost and time for manufacturing high, because the battens must be readily attachable to and detachable from the studs. 45

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction using studs and battens for holding sections of spaced panels of a wall together. With the present improved construction, the aforementioned drawbacks are eliminated or significantly decreased. Good 50 sound attenuation is achieved, and cost of manufacture is greatly decreased.

Another object is to provide an improved wall stud that has good sound attenuation.

A further object is to provide a stud of simple light- 55 weight construction which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and yet is easily connectable to and disconnectable from a batten.

A still further object is to provide an improved batten for use with the aforementioned stud.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description following the brief description of the drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A stud for holding apart spaced panels of a wall is formed of a single piece of folded sheet metal and has a central web, flanges thereon, and grooves formed in the flanges so as to be directed inwardly thereof. Battens also formed of folded sheet metal are releasably engaged in the grooves in the stud for holding together the sections of the wall panels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a first species of assembly of stud and batten applied to spaced wall panels;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stud of the species of FIG. 11;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the batten of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a second species of assembly of stud and batten as applied to one panel of a wall;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stud of the second species;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the batten of the second species;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of a batten for the second species;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified form of stud for the second species;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a third species of assembly of stud and batten applied to panels of a wall;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stud of the third species; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the batten of the third species.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIG. 1, a wall is formed of spaced panels 30 and 31 each composed of sections 32. The panels 31 and 32 are held in spaced parallel relationship by means of a series of battens 33, one of which is shown by itself in FIG. 1. Adjacent sections 32 of each of the walls 30 and 31 are held together by means of the stud 33 and a batten 34. There are two battens 34 associated with each stud 33, one for clamping the sections 32 of panel 30, and the other for clamping the sections 32 of panel 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stud 33 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and has a central web 35 and two flanges 36 attached to the sides thereof. Each flange 36 is formed of a wide portion 37 and a narrow portion 38 folded back with respect to the wide portion so as partially to overlap the same in spaced generally parallel relation. The web 35 extends from the narrow portion 38 of each flange 36 in a direction away from the wide portion 37. Each flange 36 has a deep groove 39 which is located at an intermediate region of the wide portion 37 and is parallel to and generally aligned with the web 35. Each groove 39 is formed of a fold in the wide portion 37 of one flange 36, which fold is directed toward the opposite flange 36 and is slightly spaced from the juncture of the web 35 with the narrow portion 38 of the said one flange 36. Each groove 39 has flat sides and a curved bottom and increases in width from its mouth to its bottom.

The stud 33 has two series of spaced perforations or slots 40, the perforations of one series being located at the curved region joining the narrow portion 38 of one flange 36 with the wide portion 37 thereof, the perforations of the other series being located at the curved region joining the narrow portion 38 of the other flange 36 with the wide portion 37 thereof. The perforations 40

3,609,933 of each series are spaced from one another along the associated juncture of web 35 and narrow portion 38. The perforations 40 attenuate the sound transmitted between the outer sides of the walls 30 and 31 through the stud 33 and the battens 34. The wide portion 37 of one flange 36 is wider than the wide portion 37 of the other flange 36.

As shown in FIG. 3, the batten 34 is of T-shape in cross-section and has an enlarged portion 41 located at the end of the leg of the T remote from the head. The batten 34 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal folded so as to present two layers engaging one another in the head of the T and in the leg of the T except at the enlarged portion 41, where the layers have diverging flat regions 42 and converging curved regions 43. The flat regions 42 extend from regions of the layers in contact with one another in the leg of the T, and the curved regions 43 extend from the flat regions 42 and have spaced ends generally facing one another. These spaced ends are the side edges of the piece of sheet metal from which the batten 34 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the enlarged portion 41 of each batten 34 is inserted in one of the grooves 39 located in the flanges 36 of the stud 33. Before insertion, the enlarged portion 41 of the batten 34 is a little larger than the groove 39 of the stud 33. Because of this, and because the enlarged portion 41 of the batten 34 diverges at the regions 42 and the groove 39 in the stud 33 increases in width from its mouth to its bottom, both batten 34 and the stud 33 are sprung somewhat upon being connected to' or disconnected from one another. Such springing can easily occur, because both the groove 39 in the stud 33 and the enlarged portion 41 of the batten 34 are relatively deep. Because the groove 34 and the enlarged portion 41 are relatively deep and have flat sides, the batten 34 will stand up when inserted in the stud 33 even when no wall sections 32 are present.

The perforations 40 in the stud 33 attenuate the sound transmitted thereto. The spacing between the web 35 and the base of the fold in which each groove 39 is formed prevents the direct transmission of sound between the fold and the web 35. Yet the web 35 is close enough to the fold as to provide a firm backing thereto when a batten 34 is being inserted in the groove 39.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second species of assembly comprises a stud 46 and battens 47, only one of which is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the stud 46 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal, is of I-shape in cross section, and comprises a web 48 and two flanges 49, each formed of a wide portion 50 and a narrow portion 51 folded back thereagainst and integrally joined with the web 48. Each flange 44 has a deep groove 52 which is located at a region of the wide portion 50 not overlapped by the narrow portion 51, is parallel to and spaced from the web 48, and is formed as a fold in the wide portion 50 of one flange directed toward the other flange. The groove 52 has a portion 53 of uniform width beyond a curved portion 54 adjoining the mouth of the groove. The width of the uniform portion 53 is less than that of the mouth of the groove 52. The arcuate portion 54 of the groove 52 is wider at its widest region than the mouth of the groove.

As shown in FIG. 6, the batten 47 is formed of two pieces of sheet metal 55 and 56. The piece 55 is folded so as to have a single layer in the head of the T and two layers in the leg of the T slightly spaced from one another in the region of the leg between the head and an enlarged curved portion 57 and spaced from one another a little more at a portion 58 located between the enlarged portion 57 and the end of the T where the layers are integrally joined with one another. The piece 56 has a single layer extending across the top of the single layer of the piece 55 in the head of the T and edges folded beneath the edges of the piece 55.

When as shown in FIG. 4, the batten 47 is connected with the stud 46 to clamp adjacent panel section 32 together, the enlarged curved portion 57 of the batten 47 lies in the enlarged curved portion 54 of the groove 52 of the stud 46, and the portion 58 of the batten 47 lies in the portion 53 of uniform width of the groove 52 of the stud 46. Since the groove 52 is deep, it can easily spring to admit and release the batten 47. Because the groove 52 is deep and the batten 47 nonrotatively engages the groove 52 from top to bottom, the batten 47 is held upright and kept from tilting in the stud 46 even when no panel sections 32 are present.

As shown in FIG. 7, a modified form of batten 59 is provided for use with the species of assembly of FIG. 4, and is formed of a single piece of sheet metal folded so as to present in the head of the T two layers in contact with one another, and in the leg of the T, two layers that are slightly spaced from one another in the portions between the head of the T and in an enlarged curved portion 68 at which the two layers curve away from one another and back toward one another. Beyond the curved portion 60, is a region 61 at which the layers in the leg of the T of the batten 59 are spaced a greater amount than the layers are between the enlarged curved portion 60 and the head of the T. The edges of the piece from which the batten 59 is formed are located at the region 61 at the end of the leg of the T and face away from the head of the T.

As shown in FIG. 8, a modified form of stud 62 is provided for use with the species of assembly of FIG. 4. The stud 62 differs from the stud 46 of FIG. 5 in that a narrow portion 63 of each of the flanges 49 of the stud 62 is spaced from an associated wide portion 64 thereof, with respect to which it is folded back in generally parallel relation, and in that two series of soundattenuating perforations or openings 64α spaced along the stud 62 are provided at the junctures of the narrow flange portions 63 with the wide flange portions 64. Like the stud 46, the stud 62 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and has in each flange 49 a deep groove 52 which is located in the wide flange portion 64 at a region not overlapped by the narrow flange portion 63 in parallel spaced relation to the web 48 and has a portion 53 of uniform width beyond a curved portion 54 adjoining the mouth of the groove.

As shown in FIG. 9, the third species of assembly comprises a stud 65 and two battens 66. As shown in FIG. 10, the stud 58 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal, is of I-shape in cross-section, and comprises a web 67 and two flanges 68 each formed of a wide portion 69 and a narrow portion 70 folded thereagainst and integrally joined with the web 67. The wide portion 69 of each flange 68 has a deep groove 71 which has the exterior of one side against the web 67 and increases in width progressively from the mouth of the groove to a curved bottom 72.

As shown in FIG. 11, each batten 66 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal folded so as to present two layers engaging one another in the head of the T and a single layer in the leg of the T, the piece of sheet metal when considered from one edge to the other edge, extending from the leg of the T along the bottom of the head of the T to one end thereof, thence back along the top of the head to the other end thereof, thence in the original direction along the bottom of the head of the T to the leg to the end remote from the head of the T, and thence in a curved closed loop to form an enlarged curved portion 74 to one side of the end of the leg of T remote from the head.

When as shown in FIG. 9, the stud 65 and battens 66 are assembled, the enlarged curved portion 74 of each batten 66 engages the curved bottom 72 of the deep groove 71 of the stud 65. The leg of the batten 66 is held against the side of the groove 71 that lies against the web 67 of the stud 65, because portion 74 of the batten 66 fits the bottom 72 of the groove 71 and the mouth of

3,609,933 the groove 71 is narrow enough to engage the side of the leg of the batten 66. Thus the batten 66 is kept from tilting in the stud 65 when no panel sections 32 are present. Because the groove 71 is deep, it can easily spring open to enable the mouth of the groove 71 to pass the enlarged portion 74 for insertion or withdrawal of the batten 66.

It will be understood that the illustrated embodiments of the invention have been used for illustrative purposes only and that the various modifications and variations of the present invention may be effected without a departure in the spirit and scope of the novel concept thereof.