Title:
CORNER CLOSURE ASSEMBLY
United States Patent 3742668
Abstract:
A closure assembly for concealing the ragged edges remaining when siding is applied to a structure is described. A plurality of resilient clips are spaced along the corner after the siding has been applied. The clips are configured to span the corner and to resiliently grasp a corner closure piece which the clips support. The decorative corner closure is configured and dimensioned so that it is firmly retained by the clips and resiliently and snugly held against the siding. The ragged edges of the siding are thus concealed and a decorative appearance realized. However, whenever desired the corner closure can be easily removed or replaced without disturbing the siding or the supporting clips.
US Patent References:
Interior paneling
Small - June 1938 - 2121213
Shower cabinet
Nilson - July 1947 - 2423722
Building construction
Braanstein - October 1928 - 1688134
Corrugated roofing or siding sheet
Hall - February 1927 - 1616968
Enameled metal wall corner construction
Hogenson - March 1937 - 2072884
Interior paneling
Small - June 1938 - 2121213
Shower cabinet
Nilson - July 1947 - 2423722
Building construction
Braanstein - October 1928 - 1688134
Corrugated roofing or siding sheet
Hall - February 1927 - 1616968
Enameled metal wall corner construction
Hogenson - March 1937 - 2072884
Application Number:
05/144966
Publication Date:
07/03/1973
Filing Date:
05/19/1971
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
The Bendix Corporation (Southfield, MI)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
52/468, 52/469, 52/512, 52/718.050
International Classes:
E04F19/02; E04F19/02
Field of Search:
52/717,718,288,511,512,469,466,462
US Patent References:
Primary Examiner:
Murtagh, John E.
Assistant Examiner:
Raduazo, Henry E.
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. An assembly for concealing the edges of siding along the corner of a structure including: a plurality of clips arranged along said corner and fixedly applied to said structure and said siding, and a closure member configured to span said corner and supported by said clips to be biased against said siding, the improvement wherein:
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said first and second angles are a maximum of 90°.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said retaining means includes one area of said first angles and the ends of said clips.
1. An assembly for concealing the edges of siding along the corner of a structure including: a plurality of clips arranged along said corner and fixedly applied to said structure and said siding, and a closure member configured to span said corner and supported by said clips to be biased against said siding, the improvement wherein:
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said first and second angles are a maximum of 90°.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said retaining means includes one area of said first angles and the ends of said clips.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When siding, such as aluminum or wood, is applied to a building it is necessary to provide a corner closure so that the ragged edges of the siding are not visible. The most commonly used prior art corner closure consists of a corner member which is fastened to the corner of the building. The corner member is configured so that it hides the ends of the siding, but the siding overlaps a portion of the corner member. As a consequence, whenever a change of the corner member is desirable, such as when it is damaged, the end of the siding must be unfastened so that the closure can be removed from behind the siding. This is very objectionable because it is expensive and time consuming, and also because it disturbs the siding, which ordinarily is undamaged and would not have to be disturbed if it were not necessary to do so to remove the corner member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a corner assembly including a clip member and a corner closure member. If desired the closure member can be decorative by using special configurations and colors. A plurality of the clips is arranged along the corner of the structure. The clips are applied to the corner of the structure after the siding has been applied to the structure so that they lie outside of the siding. Accordingly, the clips are readily removable and replaceable without disturbing the siding. The clips are configured to span the structure corner and to provide a resilient biasing of the ends of the clips toward the structure. The ends of the clips are configured to firmly retain a corner closure member which is applied to the clips and which is then biased toward the structure by the biasing force of the clips. Because of this arrangement, the corner closure can be removed or replaced whenever desired without disturbing the siding, the ends of which the closure member conceals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the inventive structure showing the corner closure broken away to reveal the support clips.
FIG. 2 is a view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but shows the clip and closure member configurations for an inside corner.
FIG. 4 is another preferred embodiment of a clip useful in the inventive assembly.
FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the clip of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two sides 11 and 12 of a structure meet to form a corner. This corner can be 90° as shown in FIG. 2 or, obviously, can be some other angle if the structure has more or less than four sides. Siding Strips 13 and 14 are applied to the structure in known manner to provide weather protection and aesthetically enhance the appearance of the structure. The siding, particularly if it is aluminum, cannot be mitred to form a neat appearing corner, and therefore ragged Ends 16 ordinarily would be visible. It is therefore desirable to add a Corner Closure Member 17 to conceal Ends 16 of Siding Strips 13 and 14 and also to enhance the aesthetic value to the structure.
Corner Closure 17 is applied to the building by first applying a series of Clips 18 to the corner of the structure. The number of clips utilized is dependent upon the height of the structure and is selected to provide a desired structural strength to Corner Closure 17.
In the embodiment of FIG. 2, Clips 18 are configured to have an Angular Portion 19, which is congruent with the angular configuration of the corner to be concealed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, Angular Portion 19 is flat so that Clips 18 lie flat against Siding Strips 13 and 14. Because of this configuration, the clips symmetricaly span the corner and lie in the plane of the siding. This causes Clips 18 to align themselves with the structure corner and Closure Member 17 is thus supported evenly and uniformly along the corner. The Clips 18 are held in place by nails, screws, or some other convenient fastening means as indicated by reference numeral 20.
The Clips 18 are applied after Siding Strips 13 and 14 are applied to the building. As a consequence, Clips 18 lie outside the siding and can be removed without disturbing the siding. It will be noted that the cross-sectional configuration on the siding can be wedge-shaped so that the top edge of a strip of siding fits under, or snugly against, the bottom edge of the siding strip which is located immediately above it. As a consequence, the clips can be applied to the siding at the thin part of the wedge without causing an undesirable deformation of the siding.
Both sides of Clips 18 are formed with two Curved Portions 22 and 23. Curved Portion 23 is formed in the opposite direction from Curved Portion 22 so that an S-shaped curve is formed. The S-shaped curve is dimensioned so that the maximum Cord 25 of the combined Curved Portions 22 and 23 is slightly less than the maximum thickness of the siding. This assures a snug biasing of Closure 17 against the siding strips.
The Ends 26 of Clips 18 are formed into eyes having a radius which is selected for convenient fabrication of both Clips 18 and Closure 17. The curved ends of Eyes 26 are utilized as retaining means for firmly retaining Closure 17 in a nonslideable manner and to insure that Closure 17 is firmly biased against the Siding Strips 13 and 14.
Eye 26 and Curved Portion 23 are connected by a substantially linear Leaf 24. Leaf 24 serves as an extension of Curve 23 to add length to Clip 18 so that any convenient dimension can be used. The combined resilient effect of Curves 22 and 23 is such that when the clips are in their neutral state Eye 26 is pulled toward Angular Portion 19. Accordingly, when the clips are applied to the siding, Eyes 26 are biased toward the siding. When a Closure 17 is put in place, Clips 18 are spread against the biasing force and the closure is firmly biased against the siding. The Clips 18 are formed of aluminum, steel, or some other resilient material to enhance the biasing force.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, End Closures 17 and 32 are shaped to span Clips 18 and the structure corner to thus conceal Ends 16 of Siding Strips 13 and 14 from view. Closure 17 is formed with a Radius 27 which cooperates with Eyes 26 of Clips 18 to support Closure 17 in a nonmoveable relationship with respect to the structure. The outside radius of Clips 18 will preferably equal the inside radius of Ends 27. Closure 17 is formed such that when in a neutral state the angle formed by the sides is less than the corner angle of the structure. As a consequence, application to Clips 18 requires a slight spreading against the resilience of the material from which Closure 17 is formed. This also adds to the biasing force which holds Closure 17 in place.
If desired Closure 17 can be configured so that its corner Angle 28 is approximately equal to the corner angle of the structure. However, if desired, Closure 17 can be made in other configurations, such as three-sided, as indicated by broken lines 29. Any desired configuration can be used, so long as the configuration of the edges includes Radius 27 to cooperate with Clips 18.
After a sufficient number of Clips 18 is applied to each corner of the structure, Corner Closure 17 is applied to the clips which hold it snugly against the structure. Closure 17 therefore conceals the objectionable ragged Ends 16 of siding. If desired, Closure 17 can be decoratively painted or otherwise fabricated to add an aesthetic appearance to the structure. Because of the unique features of Clips 18 and Corner Closure 17 simple removal and replacement of Closure 17 is possible without disturbing Clips 18 or Siding 14.
FIG. 3 shows a closure assembly when the structure corner is an inside corner. In this configuration, Clip 31 is very similar to Clip 18 of FIG. 2. However, the Angular Portion 33 of Clip 31 is bent oppositely in direction from Angular Portion 19 of Clip 18. An inside angle is thus formed by Clip 31. Clip 31 is also formed with an S-shaped Portion 34 and Eye-Shaped Ends 35 in a manner similar to Clip 18.
Corner Closure 32 is configured in the form of an inside corner having curved End Portions 36 which cooperate with Eyes 35 of Clips 31 to hold the closure member in place. Obviously, Closure 32 can be decoratively configured or painted similarly to Closure 17, if desired.
Clip 31 and Corner Closure 32 are fabricated to include the various biasing features described with respect to the FIG. 2 embodiment and, accordingly, Closure 32 is snugly and firmly held against the siding of the structure.
FIG. 4 is an end view of a second preferred embodiment of the inventive clip. Clip 40 includes an Angle 41 which is centrally located of the clip so that it symmetrically spans the corner to which it is applied in a manner similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. Symmetrically located about Angle 41 are two additional Angles 43 and 44 by which the body of Clip 40 is bent back toward Angle 41. Symmetrically located about Angles 43 are two additional Angles 44 which cause Clip 40 to diverge outwardly from Angle 41 and in essentially the same direction as Angle 41. Angles 43 and 44 are slightly less than 90° so that the Sides 47 of Clip 40 do not lie against the closure piece when it is in place. This causes the outside portion of the angular Portions 44 to ride against the sides of the closure piece while Ends 46 of Clip 40 firmly rest against the curved Edges 27 of the closure piece. This snugly holds Closure 17 against the clip and retains it in its desired position on the structure.
The angular extent of Angles 43 and 44 also causes Clip 40 to be spring-biased against Closure 17 to help retain it firmly in position. This is accomplished by configuring Clip 40 so that it is necessary to slightly deform either Clip 40 or Closure 17 when applying Closure 17. When Closure 17 is in place, the resiliency of the clip and closure causes a snug fit of the two members.
As best seen in FIG. 5, Corners 43 and 44 are provided with Indentations 42 and 45, respectively. These indentations serve several functions. Firstly, they add structural strength to Clip 40 to assist it in retaining its desired configuration. Secondly, they add to the biasing force of the clip because, when applying Closure 17, the clip must be pushed inwardly against the indentations. Accordingly, when released the indentations cause the angles to spread to their normal position, thereby adding to the biasing force.
When siding, such as aluminum or wood, is applied to a building it is necessary to provide a corner closure so that the ragged edges of the siding are not visible. The most commonly used prior art corner closure consists of a corner member which is fastened to the corner of the building. The corner member is configured so that it hides the ends of the siding, but the siding overlaps a portion of the corner member. As a consequence, whenever a change of the corner member is desirable, such as when it is damaged, the end of the siding must be unfastened so that the closure can be removed from behind the siding. This is very objectionable because it is expensive and time consuming, and also because it disturbs the siding, which ordinarily is undamaged and would not have to be disturbed if it were not necessary to do so to remove the corner member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a corner assembly including a clip member and a corner closure member. If desired the closure member can be decorative by using special configurations and colors. A plurality of the clips is arranged along the corner of the structure. The clips are applied to the corner of the structure after the siding has been applied to the structure so that they lie outside of the siding. Accordingly, the clips are readily removable and replaceable without disturbing the siding. The clips are configured to span the structure corner and to provide a resilient biasing of the ends of the clips toward the structure. The ends of the clips are configured to firmly retain a corner closure member which is applied to the clips and which is then biased toward the structure by the biasing force of the clips. Because of this arrangement, the corner closure can be removed or replaced whenever desired without disturbing the siding, the ends of which the closure member conceals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the inventive structure showing the corner closure broken away to reveal the support clips.
FIG. 2 is a view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but shows the clip and closure member configurations for an inside corner.
FIG. 4 is another preferred embodiment of a clip useful in the inventive assembly.
FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the clip of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two sides 11 and 12 of a structure meet to form a corner. This corner can be 90° as shown in FIG. 2 or, obviously, can be some other angle if the structure has more or less than four sides. Siding Strips 13 and 14 are applied to the structure in known manner to provide weather protection and aesthetically enhance the appearance of the structure. The siding, particularly if it is aluminum, cannot be mitred to form a neat appearing corner, and therefore ragged Ends 16 ordinarily would be visible. It is therefore desirable to add a Corner Closure Member 17 to conceal Ends 16 of Siding Strips 13 and 14 and also to enhance the aesthetic value to the structure.
Corner Closure 17 is applied to the building by first applying a series of Clips 18 to the corner of the structure. The number of clips utilized is dependent upon the height of the structure and is selected to provide a desired structural strength to Corner Closure 17.
In the embodiment of FIG. 2, Clips 18 are configured to have an Angular Portion 19, which is congruent with the angular configuration of the corner to be concealed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, Angular Portion 19 is flat so that Clips 18 lie flat against Siding Strips 13 and 14. Because of this configuration, the clips symmetricaly span the corner and lie in the plane of the siding. This causes Clips 18 to align themselves with the structure corner and Closure Member 17 is thus supported evenly and uniformly along the corner. The Clips 18 are held in place by nails, screws, or some other convenient fastening means as indicated by reference numeral 20.
The Clips 18 are applied after Siding Strips 13 and 14 are applied to the building. As a consequence, Clips 18 lie outside the siding and can be removed without disturbing the siding. It will be noted that the cross-sectional configuration on the siding can be wedge-shaped so that the top edge of a strip of siding fits under, or snugly against, the bottom edge of the siding strip which is located immediately above it. As a consequence, the clips can be applied to the siding at the thin part of the wedge without causing an undesirable deformation of the siding.
Both sides of Clips 18 are formed with two Curved Portions 22 and 23. Curved Portion 23 is formed in the opposite direction from Curved Portion 22 so that an S-shaped curve is formed. The S-shaped curve is dimensioned so that the maximum Cord 25 of the combined Curved Portions 22 and 23 is slightly less than the maximum thickness of the siding. This assures a snug biasing of Closure 17 against the siding strips.
The Ends 26 of Clips 18 are formed into eyes having a radius which is selected for convenient fabrication of both Clips 18 and Closure 17. The curved ends of Eyes 26 are utilized as retaining means for firmly retaining Closure 17 in a nonslideable manner and to insure that Closure 17 is firmly biased against the Siding Strips 13 and 14.
Eye 26 and Curved Portion 23 are connected by a substantially linear Leaf 24. Leaf 24 serves as an extension of Curve 23 to add length to Clip 18 so that any convenient dimension can be used. The combined resilient effect of Curves 22 and 23 is such that when the clips are in their neutral state Eye 26 is pulled toward Angular Portion 19. Accordingly, when the clips are applied to the siding, Eyes 26 are biased toward the siding. When a Closure 17 is put in place, Clips 18 are spread against the biasing force and the closure is firmly biased against the siding. The Clips 18 are formed of aluminum, steel, or some other resilient material to enhance the biasing force.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, End Closures 17 and 32 are shaped to span Clips 18 and the structure corner to thus conceal Ends 16 of Siding Strips 13 and 14 from view. Closure 17 is formed with a Radius 27 which cooperates with Eyes 26 of Clips 18 to support Closure 17 in a nonmoveable relationship with respect to the structure. The outside radius of Clips 18 will preferably equal the inside radius of Ends 27. Closure 17 is formed such that when in a neutral state the angle formed by the sides is less than the corner angle of the structure. As a consequence, application to Clips 18 requires a slight spreading against the resilience of the material from which Closure 17 is formed. This also adds to the biasing force which holds Closure 17 in place.
If desired Closure 17 can be configured so that its corner Angle 28 is approximately equal to the corner angle of the structure. However, if desired, Closure 17 can be made in other configurations, such as three-sided, as indicated by broken lines 29. Any desired configuration can be used, so long as the configuration of the edges includes Radius 27 to cooperate with Clips 18.
After a sufficient number of Clips 18 is applied to each corner of the structure, Corner Closure 17 is applied to the clips which hold it snugly against the structure. Closure 17 therefore conceals the objectionable ragged Ends 16 of siding. If desired, Closure 17 can be decoratively painted or otherwise fabricated to add an aesthetic appearance to the structure. Because of the unique features of Clips 18 and Corner Closure 17 simple removal and replacement of Closure 17 is possible without disturbing Clips 18 or Siding 14.
FIG. 3 shows a closure assembly when the structure corner is an inside corner. In this configuration, Clip 31 is very similar to Clip 18 of FIG. 2. However, the Angular Portion 33 of Clip 31 is bent oppositely in direction from Angular Portion 19 of Clip 18. An inside angle is thus formed by Clip 31. Clip 31 is also formed with an S-shaped Portion 34 and Eye-Shaped Ends 35 in a manner similar to Clip 18.
Corner Closure 32 is configured in the form of an inside corner having curved End Portions 36 which cooperate with Eyes 35 of Clips 31 to hold the closure member in place. Obviously, Closure 32 can be decoratively configured or painted similarly to Closure 17, if desired.
Clip 31 and Corner Closure 32 are fabricated to include the various biasing features described with respect to the FIG. 2 embodiment and, accordingly, Closure 32 is snugly and firmly held against the siding of the structure.
FIG. 4 is an end view of a second preferred embodiment of the inventive clip. Clip 40 includes an Angle 41 which is centrally located of the clip so that it symmetrically spans the corner to which it is applied in a manner similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. Symmetrically located about Angle 41 are two additional Angles 43 and 44 by which the body of Clip 40 is bent back toward Angle 41. Symmetrically located about Angles 43 are two additional Angles 44 which cause Clip 40 to diverge outwardly from Angle 41 and in essentially the same direction as Angle 41. Angles 43 and 44 are slightly less than 90° so that the Sides 47 of Clip 40 do not lie against the closure piece when it is in place. This causes the outside portion of the angular Portions 44 to ride against the sides of the closure piece while Ends 46 of Clip 40 firmly rest against the curved Edges 27 of the closure piece. This snugly holds Closure 17 against the clip and retains it in its desired position on the structure.
The angular extent of Angles 43 and 44 also causes Clip 40 to be spring-biased against Closure 17 to help retain it firmly in position. This is accomplished by configuring Clip 40 so that it is necessary to slightly deform either Clip 40 or Closure 17 when applying Closure 17. When Closure 17 is in place, the resiliency of the clip and closure causes a snug fit of the two members.
As best seen in FIG. 5, Corners 43 and 44 are provided with Indentations 42 and 45, respectively. These indentations serve several functions. Firstly, they add structural strength to Clip 40 to assist it in retaining its desired configuration. Secondly, they add to the biasing force of the clip because, when applying Closure 17, the clip must be pushed inwardly against the indentations. Accordingly, when released the indentations cause the angles to spread to their normal position, thereby adding to the biasing force.