METAL SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR BRICK WALLS

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/684,345, filed on Aug. 17, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed to constructing a wall system by making a metal structure to hang building blocks, e.g., bricks, onto protrusions of the metal structure.

BACKGROUND

In various applications, a wall may be built to enclose a space, e.g., storage, or to create a decorative structure in a residential, commercial, and/or retail application. Brick walls have various advantages, e.g., being visually pleasing, low maintenance, long-lasting, etc., but are typically labor-intensive to build. Further, building a brick wall normally causes debris and dust at the time of construction.

In various construction applications, a wall may be built to enclose a space, to separate a space from another, to create a decorative look, etc. Building brick walls typically involves using mortar or other fastening mechanisms that have various shortcomings, e.g., being labor intensive, creating debris and dust, etc. Further, brick walls cannot be easily disassembled because mortar or other materials used to build brick walls adhere to the bricks and are difficult to remove.

As an alternative, walls can be built by hanging building blocks such as bricks onto a backing structure without the need to use mortar or the like. It is advantageous because it reduces labor needed to build the wall and the amount of debris or dust caused by the work is substantially less than building a conventional brick wall. Further, such a wall can be disassembled because of the lack of using an adhesive such as mortar. Such walls are constructed by welding metal support sections (louvers) onto metal sheets and then hanging the building blocks on the metal support structures.

SUMMARY

Building walls by forming metal backing structures with support sections for building blocks has the advantages of eliminating the need for mortar and reducing the amount of labor required to build a wall. The process of welding support sections (louvers) onto metal sheets however, is in itself labor intensive and therefore expensive. Each support section must be carefully aligned with other support sections on a metal sheet, and individually welded.

According to this disclosure, a method for preparing metal backing structures includes identifying sections in metal sheets to be used as support structures, cutting the metal sheets around a portion of each identified support structure leaving a portion uncut, and bending the support structure at an angle to the metal sheet along the uncut portion.

Disclosed herein is a method including cutting a first short side, a second short side, and a first long side of a fascia element support section of a metal sheet, thereby leaving a second long side of the fascia element support section uncut. The second long side is opposite of and parallel to the first long side. The method further includes bending the fascia element support section of the metal sheet relative to a rest of the metal sheet. The bending occurs along the second long side. An angle between the fascia element support section and the metal sheet is less than 90 degrees. Upon bending, the fascia element support section is substantially flat.

In the method, cutting can include application of a laser beam.

In the method, the bending can include application of a metal press.

In the method, the fascia element support section can be substantially rectangular.

The method can further include bending a frame portion of the metal sheet along at least one side of the metal sheet at an angle of substantially 90 degrees.

The method can further include cutting a first side, a second side and a first long side of each of two or more additional fascia element support sections of the metal sheet, thereby leaving respective second long sides of the two or more additional fascia element support sections uncut; wherein each of the respective second long sides of the two or more additional metal fascia element support sections is opposite of and parallel to the first long side of the respective fascia element support section, and bending each of the two or more additional fascia element support sections of the metal sheet relative to the rest of the metal sheet, wherein (i) the bending occurs along the second long side of each of the respective fascia element support sections, (ii) an angle between the respective fascia element support section and the metal sheet is less than 90 degrees, and (iii) upon bending, the respective fascia element support section is substantially flat.

In the method, the fascia element support section and at least one of the two or more additional fascia element support sections can be arranged in parallel on the metal sheet.

In the method, the fascia element support section and at least one of the two or more additional fascia element support sections can be substantially a same size.

In the method, the fascia element support section and each of the two or more additional fascia element support sections can be substantially a same size. The fascia element support section and each of the two or more additional fascia element support sections may be arranged in parallel in a stack. A distance between adjacent fascia element support sections of the fascia element support section and each of the two or more additional fascia element support sections may be substantially a same distance.

In the method, the distance can be determined based on a height of a fascia element to be supported by the fascia element support section.

In the method, a groove on a fascia element can be attachable to the fascia element support section.

Further disclosed herein is a panel including two or more fascia element support sections, each of the two or more fascia element support sections having an uncut side and two or more cut sides, wherein the two or more fascia element support sections are bent along the uncut side relative to a surface of the panel, and at least some of the two or more fascia element support sections are arranged as a stack.

In the panel, the two or more fascia element support sections can be substantially rectangular shaped.

In the panel, a fascia element having a groove can be attachable to the two or more fascia element support sections of the panel.

In the panel, an angle between each of the two or more fascia element support sections and a rest of the panel can be less than 90 degrees.

The panel can be made from a metal sheet.

In the panel, adjacent fascia element support sections of the two or more fascia element support sections can be arranged parallel to each other.

In the panel, a distance between adjacent fascia element support sections can be based on a height of fascia elements to be mounted on the fascia element support sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a metal structure with multiple fascia element support sections processed to hold fascia elements, such as bricks.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example fascia element having a form, e.g., grooves, that is attachable to the example metal structure of FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 2A-2B show a metal sheet being processed to make multiple fascia element support sections.

FIG. 3 is an example schematic depicting multiple fascia element support sections.

FIG. 4 shows the example metal sheet of FIGS. 2A-2B after being processed to make attachment sections on edges of the metal sheet.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a processed panel mounted to two posts.

FIG. 6 shows multiple panels processed to make attachment sections on panel edges.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example enclosed space with processed metal sheets on the sides of the enclosed space before assembling of fascia elements.

FIG. 8 presents an example of outdoor barbecue cabinetry featuring processed fascia element support sections covered by fascia elements hanging onto the elongated hooks of the processed metal sheets.

FIG. 9 shows a process for building a wall including processed metal sheets and fascia elements.

FIG. 10 shows an example panel with fascia element hanging onto the panel.

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-1B show a wall 100 including a backing structure 120, e.g., a metal structure, and fascia elements 110 such as bricks hanging onto protrusions, e.g., hooks, louvers, on the backing structure 120. Building blocks such as fascia elements 110, e.g., bricks, are formed to have a groove 115 or any other shape that allows them to hang onto a protruding element such as a hook. Thus, hanging the fascia elements 110 to the backing structure 120 is possible without a need to use mortar or the like, thereby allowing a lower cost and efficient way of constructing a wall 100 with brick fascia elements 110 and disassembling the wall 100 if needed.

A wall 100, in the present context, is used in residential and commercial applications in interior and/or exterior spaces of a building for partitioning, enclosing, decorative purposes, etc. Additionally, a wall 100 may provide additional characteristics such as acoustic insulation, thermal insulation, and fire rating to provide fires safety in a structure.

A wall 100 includes fascia elements 110, e.g., bricks, and a backing structure 120 that holds fascia elements 110. The fascia elements 110 are assembled into a backing structure 120 based on an interlocking mechanism providing a secure and stable connection between fascia elements 110 and the backing structure 120.

A fascia element 110 is a building block such as a brick featuring standardized dimensions to provide compatibility with other blocks and construction components. These dimensions may vary depending on the intended use and regional building standards. Fascia elements 110 may be manufactured in dimensions such as, for example, 2 inches by 6 inches by 18.5 inches (or 5 centimeters by 15.2 centimeters by 45 centimeters). A brick wall 100 may provide a uniform appearance.

With reference to FIG. 1B, a fascia element 110 includes an interlocking mechanism, which may include grooves 115, or other geometric features that facilitate secure assembling and disassembling of the fascia element 110 to and from the backing structure 120. This interlocking mechanism enhances the stability of the constructed wall 100 and reduces a need for additional bonding agents such as mortar or mechanical attachments such as screws, brick ties, or brick veneer ties. With reference to FIG. 1B, each fascia element 110 may include one or more longitudinal grooves 115 having various cross-cut shapes such as substantially trapezoidal. The grooves 115 may have different shapes that are configured to hold the brick in place based on a weight of the brick pushing the brick down onto a corresponding interlocking mechanism of the backing structure 120, e.g., a hook or louver protruding outward and upward thus functioning as a hook. With continued reference to the example shown in FIG. 1B, a groove 115 may have a depth of, e.g., 0.75 inches (1.9 centimeters).

The fascia element 110 may have a hollow or a solid core. Hollow-core blocks reduce weight and improve insulation properties, while solid-core blocks offer enhanced load-bearing capacity. The outer surface of the fascia element 110 may have various colors and may be textured or smooth for aesthetic purposes. Surface textures can include ridges, indentations, or other patterns. The fascia elements 110 may incorporate materials or design features that improve thermal and acoustic insulation, fire rating, etc., contributing to energy efficiency, soundproofing, and/or fire safety in buildings. The fascia elements 110 may be manufactured through processes such as molding, casting, extrusion, or 3D printing, ensuring precision and consistency in dimensions and properties.

The backing structure 120 can be made from metal such as steel, aluminum, etc. Alternatively, a backing structure 120 can be formed of composite materials, metal, or any other material that maintains shape after being bent.

The backing structure 120 may include panels 140 secured to posts 130, e.g., metal beams (FIG. 5). For example, a metal beam may be a square tube or square hollow section (SHS). SHSs are structural steel tubes with a square cross-section and are widely used in construction for building frames, supports, and other structural components. Metal tubes come in various sizes, such as 2×2 cm, 4×4 cm, etc. Alternatively, a post 130 may be made of aluminum, wood, rigid plastic, etc.

The panel 140 includes an interlocking mechanism, such as a louver or hook, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2B, to provide secure and stable connections between the fascia element 110 and the panel 140. This interlocking mechanism simplifies installation and enhances structural integrity. Herein a method is disclosed for manufacturing the panel 140 with an interlocking mechanism.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 2A-2B, making a panel 140 includes one or more fascia element support sections 150 for fascia elements 110. In one example, a panel 140 includes one or more fascia element support sections 150 which can be made by (i) cutting a first and a second short side 160, and a first long side 170 of a four-sided section of a metal sheet, and (ii) bending, e.g., by using a tool 195, e.g., a press, the fascia element support section 150 of the metal sheet 190 relative to a rest of the metal sheet. A second long side 180, which is opposite of and parallel to the first long side 170 of the fascia element support section 150, is left uncut. The bending occurs along the second long side 180, an angle 200 between the fascia element support section 150 and the metal sheet 190 is less than 90 degrees, and upon bending, the fascia element support section 150 is substantially flat. In the present disclosure, “substantially flat” means a surface having a maximum deviation from a perfect plane of 1 millimeter (mm). The fascia element support sections 150 provide the interlocking mechanism for securing the fascia elements 110 to the panel 140. The fascia element support section 150 may have a substantially rectangular, trapezoidal, substantially trapezoidal, or any other shape suitable to hold the fascia element 110 by interlocking to the brick groove 115. In the present disclosure, “substantially rectangular” means the angles of corners of shape may deviate by no more than 10 degrees from 90 degrees.

As another example, the fascia element support sections 150 may be for example of a triangular or semicircular shape, and multiple fascia element support sections 150 may be arranged in a row. In this case, the fascia element support sections 150 could be formed by cutting around a periphery of the fascia element support sections 150, leaving one long side uncut. The fascia element support sections 150 could then be bent along the uncut long side 180 as described above, resulting in a row of fascia element support sections 150 upon which the fascia elements 110 could be hung.

Cutting of the metal sheet 190 includes application of a laser beam, a metal press, or any other type of cutting tool. In one example, the metal sheet 190 may be placed on a workbench and a laser cutting tool may be programmed based on stored parameters, e.g., a schematic diagram as shown in FIG. 3, to activate a laser beam and cut the first and second short sides and the first long side 170 based on the stored parameters. The stored parameters may include a location of the fascia element support section 150 relative to a reference point on the metal sheet 190, e.g., Cartesian coordinates of a center of a geometric center of the fascia element support section 150, and dimensions of the fascia element support section 150, e.g., length L and height H of a support section 150.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the fascia element support sections 150 on a panel 140, e.g., the fascia element support sections 150 made by processing a metal sheet 190 as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B and 3, multiple fascia element support sections 150 may be cut, and bending can occur along the second long side 180 of each of the fascia element support sections 150. At least some of the fascia element support sections 150 may be substantially the same size. Two fascia element support sections 150 being of the same size, in this context, means that at least the height H of the two fascia element support sections 150 is the same. This may be advantageous based on using the fascia elements 110 having same shape and size of grooves 115, as discussed with respect to FIG. 1B. The fascia element support sections 150 may be arranged in parallel on the metal sheet. This allows installation of fascia elements 110 in rows on top of one another as shown in FIG. 1A.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2A-2B and 3, the fascia element support sections 150 may be arranged in parallel. Further, a distance D between adjacent fascia element support sections 150 of the fascia element support sections 150 may be substantially a same distance D. The distance D may be determined based on the dimensions (specifically the height of the fascia elements 110 when the fascia elements 110 are installed in rows) of the fascia element 110 and position of the grooves 115 of the fascia elements. In one example, a distance D between adjacent fascia element support sections 150 of the fascia element support sections 150 may be determined such that a distance between a first adjacent fascia element 110 and a second fascia element 110 positioned immediately above the first fascia element 110 is a predetermined gap distance, e.g., 3 millimeters (mm).

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, to make backing structures 120 with structural integrity to hold the fascia elements 110, the panels 140 may be mounted to posts 130. A post 130 may be formed of metal, rigid plastic, composite, etc. In one example, to prepare the panels 140 for attachment to the posts 130, the metal sheet 190 can be bent on the sides per example schematic of FIG. 3 to create attachment sections 210, e.g., U-shaped, that go around a post 130. In another example, an L-shaped attachment section 210 of the panel 140 may be attached to two sides of a post 130 with a square cross-sectional shape. In yet another example, a semi-round attachment section 210 of a panel 140 may be mounted to a round post 130 (not shown). The attachment sections 210 on two more sides may be made by bending the metal using a bending tool 195 such as a metal brake, a press, a CNC machine, etc. A metal brake is a tool used to bend sheet metal into various shapes and angles.

FIG. 6 shows multiple panels 140 processed to make attachment sections 210 on the edges of the panels 140 for attachment to a post 130. As shown in the example schematic, the fascia element support sections 150 may be stacked on top of one another. Alternatively, the fascia element support sections 150 may be placed in various configurations, e.g., in parallel with the short-sides offset from one another.

FIG. 7 shows multiple panels 140 attached to the posts 130 to create an enclosed space. The posts 130 at corners of the enclosed space may be made from metal, wood, or any other hard material suitable to provide structural integrity to the walls 100 of the enclosed space. The panels 140 are typically secured to the posts 130 using a mechanical attachment technique such as screws, Pem Nuts, welding, nuts and bolts, etc. (not shown).

FIG. 8 shows an example outdoor structure 220 surrounding a barbecue appliance and having storage space beneath the barbecue appliance 230. In this example, the backing structure 120 of the example structure 220 includes an opening for the storage space 240. Thus, the fascia elements 110 are mounted to the wall 100 surrounding the opening of the storage space 240.

FIG. 9 shows a process 900 for making a wall 100 as disclosed herein. The process 900 may be performed in various ways such as (i) programming a machining tool, e.g., a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, to perform the steps disclosed herein based on programming stored in a computer, e.g., G-Code (Geometrical code) program stored in a CNC machine, (ii) a human operator using hand tools to perform the steps by manually using a cuter, press, bending tools, etc., or (iii) a combination of performing a portion of the process using preprogrammed machining tools and performing another portion of the manufacturing process by a human operator.

The process 900 starts with a step 910 in which a fascia support section 150 is cut on, e.g., a meta sheet 190. Cutting may be performed by a laser beam, a cutting tool, a saw, etc. The support section 150 may have a substantially rectangular shape, thus two short sides 160 and a long side 170 are cut.

Next, in a step 920, the already cut fascia element support section 150 is bent, e.g., using a press along the uncut long side 180, thereby creating an angle 200 between a short side 170 and the metal sheet 190 less than 90 degrees. A suitable angle 200 may be determined using empirical methods to optimize both ease of installation and stability of mounted fascia elements 110. In one example, the angle 200 may be between 45 to 75 degrees.

Next, in a step 930, the panel 140 is mounted, e.g., vertically to a post 130 to secure a backing structure 120, or a secondary structure, e.g., as shown in FIG. 10. Upon completion of the step 930, the panel 140 may be substantially vertical relative to a ground surface.

Next, in a step 940, one or more fascia elements 110 are installed on the panel 140 by interlocking the fascia element 110 to the support section 150. In one example, the fascia element 110 may be hung onto a fascia element support section 150 by interlocking the groove 115 of the fascia element 110 onto the support section 150. Following the step 940, the process 900 ends.

FIG. 10 shows an example panel 140 mounted to a second structure, e.g., a second wall, etc. (not shown). For example, the panel 140 may be mechanically attached, e.g., using screws, to a second wall made out of wood, brick, drywall, rigid plastic, etc. The fascia elements 110 are then mounted to the panel 140. This illustrates an example of using the techniques disclosed herein for the purpose of creating a decorative wall, e.g., in a retail space.