Background Art Structural members, such as studs and joists are commonly covered with plywood, sheetrock, or other materials furnished in panels that are typically supplied in 4'x8'sheets of a variety of thicknesses.

Such sheets are nailed or screwed to the structural members and are used as a substitute for plaster.

Sheetrock, also known as drywall, is considerable more economical and easy to install than is plaster.

When installing such panels on a studded wall, for example, additional framing members must be installed at corners and other intersections of the structural members to serve as"nailers"to which the panels may be fastened. This results in the additional expense of the additional structural members and usually requires that, for example, two studs separated by short pieces of board be fastened together, with one of the studs being the nailer. The latter requires substantial additional time on the part of the carpenter installing the structural members. A similar nailer must be provided when attaching panels to ceiling joists.

Various devices to aid a carpenter are described in the following patents.

US Patent No. 2,848,758, issued August 26,1958, to Chisholm, and titled WALL BOARD SECURING CLEAT, describes a cleat to which wall board may be secured at a corner intersection. The cleat has a flange that is attached to an end stud by means of a nail and by driving points into the stud. A portion of the cleat perpendicular to the flange extends behind the stud. An extension of this portion provides a surface to which a sheet of wall board can be attached. The wall board is attached to this surface by means of driving a nail through the wall board into a slot formed in the cleat.

Of course, a number of the cleats would have to be aligned and used to secure a sheet of wall board and they do not provide continuous support of the sheet of wall board along substantially its entire length.

US Patent No. 2,867,013, issued January 6,1959, to Haag et al., and titled PREFORMED BASE MEMBER, describes a base member that is used to avoid having a trim piece extend into a room and that can be installed by other than a skilled artisan. The base member includes an upwardly open U-shaped channel at the top thereof that receives the lower edges of lath and plaster, although the channel could receive the lower edge of a sheet of sheetrock also.

US Patent No. 3,881,293, issued May 6,1975, to Conville, and titled CORNER CONSTRUCTION AND BACK UP BRACKET THEREFOR, describes a bracket for attaching two orthogonally disposed sheets of sheetrock to a structural member. As is the case with the device described in the'758 patent above, a number of such brackets would have to be aligned and used to attach the sheets of sheetrock. Additionally, since the two flanged members are spaced apart the thickness of the sheetrock, several different brackets would have to be inventoried to permit the attachment of sheetrock of different thicknesses.

US Patent No. 4,443,983, issued April 24,1984, to Karlstrom, and titled MEANS FOR FASTENING A FRAME TO A WALL STUD, describes a reinforcing member that is used in fastening a wood frame to a standard steel stud. The reinforcing member is essentially a cap that is placed over the steel stud in the area where the wood frame is to be attached to the steel stud.

US Patent No. 4,480,419, issued November 6,1984, to Crites, and titled METHOD FOR ATTACHING FURRING ADJACENT TO COLUMNS, describes a method of attaching furring strips to a structural column, the method including attaching various clips to the column by means of bands encircling the column.

US Patent No. 4,513,551, issued April 30,1985, to Gauffin et al., and titled STRUCTURAL SUPPORT, describes a structural support, which may be a stud, formed of sheet metal and having an expanded metal area into which fasteners may be inserted. The theory of the support is that, if a fastener hits metal, it will be guided into an opening in the expanded metal area, the widths of the openings formed therein being somewhat less that the diameters of the fasteners.

None of the above devices provides an economical and convenient nailer and method of use for attaching panels to to structural members.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a nailing strip and method of use for attaching a panel to a structural member that are economical.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that is quickly and easily installed.

An additional object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that can be economically manufactured using conventional techniques.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that provides continuous support of a panel along substantially its entire length.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that can be used with either wood or metal framing.

Yet an additional object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that does not limit or require a certain thickness of panel.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a nailing strip that can be attached to a framing member in virtually any location along its length without having to find a"slot".

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a nailing strip that can be quickly and easily cut to any length using any number of common, inexpensive hand tools.

Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.

Disclosure of Invention The present invention achieves the above objects, among others, by providing, in a preferred embodiment, a nailing strip to assist in attaching a panel to a structural member, comprising: a first flange extending in a first direction from a central portion of said nailing strip; a second flange extending in a second direction from said central portion so as to define a first volume bounded partially by said first flange and said second flange in which said first volume no elements of said nailing strip extend; and a third flange extending in a third direction from said central portion so as to define a second volume bounded partially by said first flange and said third flange in which said second volume no elements of said nailing strip extend.

Brief Description of Drawinqs Understanding of the present invention and the various aspects thereof will be facilitated by reference to the accompanying drawing figures, submitted for purposes of illustration only and not intended to define the scope of the invention, on which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a nailing strip according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of a nailing strip according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is an isometric view of a nailing strip according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a top plan view, in cross-section, of the embodiment of Figure 1 attached to a structural member.

Figure 5 is a top plan view, in cross-section, of the embodiment of Figure 3 attached to a structural member.

Figure 6 is a top plan view, in cross-section, of the embodiment of Figure 1, attached to a structural member, and with panels installed.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view, in cross- section, of an additional embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view, in cross- section, of yet another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of yet a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of yet an additional embodiment of the invention.

Figure 11 is a top plan view of a variation of the embodiments of the invention shown on Figures 3 and 8.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Reference should now be made to the drawing figures, on which similar or identical elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof, and on which parenthetical references to figure numbers direct the reader to the view (s) on which the element (s) being described is (are) best seen, although the element (s) may be seen also on other views.

It will be understood that, whenever herein the words"nailing strip"or"nailer"are used, such may also refer to a strip to which a panel may be attached by means other than nails, such as screws, for example.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is illustrated a nailing strip, constructed according to one embodiment of the present invention, and generally indicated by the reference numeral 10.

Nailing strip 10 includes a first flange 20 having defined therethrough a plurality of spaced apart holes, as at 22, for the insertion therein of fasteners (not shown on Figure 1) to secure the nailing strip to a structural member (not shown on Figure 1). A second flange 30 extends in one direction generally orthogonally from one end of first flange 20 and a third flange 32 extends in the opposite direction generally orthogonally from the same end of the first flange, the first, second and third flanges being preferably of one- piece construction. Lower surface 40 of second flange 30 and lower surface 42 of third flange 42 are parallel and lie in a common plane.

Figure 2 illustrates a nailing strip, constructed according to another embodiment of the present invention, and generally indicated by the reference numeral 10'. The elements of nailing strip 10'having the same form and function of similar elements of nailing strip 10 (Figure 1) are given primed reference numerals. It will be seen from inspection of Figure 2 that second and third flanges 30'and 32', respectively, extend generally orthogonally outwardly from first flange 20'at a point below the top of the first flange such that a portion of the first flange forms a wall 50 between the generally flat second and third flanges. To replace the structural support furnished by the solid second and third flanges 30 and 32 (Figure 1), a plurality of reinforcing ribs, as at 60, extends between wall 50 and second flange 30'.

Similarly, a plurality of reinforcing ribs, as at 70, arrangement of nailing strip 10'is somewhat more complicated than that of nailing strip 10 (Figure 1), but uses less material.

Figure 3 illustrates a nailing strip, constructed according to a further embodiment of the present invention, and generally indicated by the reference numeral 10". The elements of nailing strip 10"having the same form and function as similar elements of nailing strip 10 (Figure 1) are given double primed reference numerals and the elements of nailing strip 10" having the same form and function as similar elements of nailing strip 10' (Figure 2) are given primed reference numerals.

Nailing strip 10"has the same form as nailing strip 10', except that, here, second flange 30"is in the form of a short triangular flange having its apex 76 lying generally in the same plane of lower surface 42" of third flange 32".

Figure 4 illustrates nailing strip 10 attached to a structural member 80 by means of a nail or screw 82 inserted through a hole 22 (Figure 1) and into the structural member. It can be seen from inspection of Figure 4 that first flange 20 extends along and in contact with an end 90 of structural member 80 and lower surface 40 of second flange extends along and in contact with a portion of side 92 of the structural member, while lower surface 42 of third flange 32 extends outwardly from the end of the structural member.

Figure 5 illustrates nailing strip 10"attached to a first structural member 100 by means of a nail or screw 102 inserted through hole 22" (Figure 3) and into an end 104 of the first structural member. Second flange 30"of nailing strip 10"is constructed to take advantage of the fact that the edges of structural lumber are radiused, as at 110. Thus, when first structural member 100 is butted against a second structural member 120, a crevice 122 is defined between the edges thereof. Triangular second flange 30"is in locating nailing strip 10"on end 104 of first structural member 100. It can be seen from inspection of Figure 5 that first flange 20"extends along and in contact with end 104 of first structural member 100 and wall 50'extends along and in contact with a side of second structural member 120, while lower surface 42 of third flange 32 extends outwardly from the end of the first structural member.

Figure 6 illustrates nailing strip 10 attached to structural member 80, as on Figure 4. Additionally, a first panel 130 has been placed against surface 42 of third flange 32 and attached to the flange by means of a nail or screw 132 inserted through the panel and into the flange. Similarly, a second panel 140 has been attached to end 90 of structural member 80 by means of nail or screw 150 inserted through the second panel, through first flange 20, and into structural member 80.

Figure 7 illustrates an additional embodiment of the invention, a nailing strip generally indicated by the reference numeral 200. Nailing strip has first and third flanges 210 and 212, respectively, having dimensions similar to the corresponding elements on nailing strips 10 and 10' (Figures 1 and 2, respectively), but with a somewhat elongated second flange 214. Nailing strip 200 is shown as being attached to a horizontal top plate 220 disposed on top of a vertical stud 222, with ceiling sheetrock 224 attached to the nailing strip. A plurality of notches, as at 230, is formed along second flange 214 for the insertion therethrough of one of a plurality of fastening members, such as nail 232, to anchor nailing strip 200 to the top of top plate 220 to assist in supporting the weight of ceiling sheetrock 224.

Figure 8 illustrates that the first, second, and third flanges of a nailing strip of the present invention need not be generally orthogonally disposed and two or more of these flanges may define other than 90-degree angles. Such an arrangement is necessary, or ceiling sheetrock on a cathedral ceiling or in other situations. As shown on Figure 8, a nailing strip, generally indicated by the reference numeral 300, has generally orthogonally disposed first and second flanges 302 and 304, respectively, attached to a horizontal top plate 306 disposed on a vertical stud 308. A third flange 320 makes an angle with first flange 302 that is equal to [90° + 12/12 roof pitch (45°)]-135°. Of course, any desired angle may be provided between any pair of flanges 302,304, and 320.

Nailing strip 300 has a length suitable to fit between the rafters, such as rafter 330, with which it is used. In typical construction, this length would be about 14-1/2 inches, although any required length may be provided.

Figure 9 illustrates a nailing strip, generally indicated by the reference numeral 400, attached to an end vertical stud 402 in a vertical wall 404, and having attached thereto sheetrock 406. Second and third flanges 410 and 412 of nailing strip 400 are of hollow truss design. This arrangement in nailing strip 400 uses less material than the previously illustrated embodiments and makes the extrusion process somewhat easier, due to the uniform thickness of all web elements of the nailing strip.

Figure 10 illustrates yet an additional embodiment of the present invention, here a nailing strip generally indicated by the reference numeral 500. Although nailing strip 500 can be used in any number of situations, it is shown here as being attached to the inside surface of one of vertical beam members 502 and having attached thereto ceiling sheetrock 504 that butts into the inside surface of the vertical beam member.

Vertical sheetrock 510 is attached to the inside surface of the one of vertical beam members 502 and horizontal sheetrock 512 is attached to the lower edges of the vertical beam members.

Figure 11 illustrates a variation of the embodiments of the invention shown on Figures 3 and 8, here a nailing strip generally indicated by the reference numeral 600. Nailing strip 600 includes first, second, and third flanges 610,612, and 614, respectively, and is shown being used in conjunction with a first wall being intersected at a 45-degree inner angle by a second wall. The first wall includes vertical structural members 620,622, and 624. First flange 610 of nailing strip is attached to the edge of structural member 620, with second flange 612 inserted in the crevice 630 created between structural members 620 and 622, and with a portion of third flange 614 lying against the face of structural member 622. The second wall includes a vertical structural member 640.

A first panel of sheetrock 650 is placed against first flange 610 and the edges of other vertical structural members (not shown) of the first wall. A second panel of sheetrock 652 is placed against the inner surface of third flange 614, the edge of structural member 640, and the edges of other structural members (not shown) of the second wall. The inner surfaces of first and third flanges 610 and 614 form a 45-degree angle to correspond to the inner angle formed by the first and second walls. Of course, other angles may be provided for, as well, using other nailing strips.

The use of nailing strips of the present invention is economical and convenient and the nailing strips can be placed and installed quickly and easily. The flanges of the nailing strips and the structural members to which they are attached provide support against twisting as panels are attached.

The nailing strips of the present invention may be constructed of any suitable material, such as a metallic or polymeric material, for example. Nailing strips 10' (Figure 2) or 10" (Figure 3) can be formed by molding, for example. The other nailing strips can be formed by extrusion, for example.

The nailing strips of the present invention can be furnished in lengths approximating that of the length of the structural members to which they are to be attached. For example, when used with standard studs, the nailing strips may be furnished in lengths of approximately 7'8-1/2"to fit between top and bottom plates in standard framing. Should a shorter length be desired, a nailing strip may be easily cut using a common, inexpensive hand tool such as a utility knife or metal shears. No power tool is required. While the dimensions of the nailing strips will depend on the materials of construction and the panels to be installed, when using nailing strip 10 (Figure 1) constructed of a polymeric material to install sheetrock on conventional studding, for example, first flange may be about 1.5" long by about 0.075" thick, second flange 30 may be about 0.375" long, third flange 32 may be about 1.5" long, and the height of the second and third flanges may be about 0.375". For the same application, reinforcing ribs 60 and 70 of nailing strip 10'may be spaced apart about 1.75".

Nailing strip 300 (Figure 8) may be furnished, or cut to, for example, lengths of about 14-1/2 inches to fit between rafters.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, it will be recognized that individual elements and/or features thereof are not necessarily limited to a particular embodiment but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in any selected embodiment even though such may not be specifically shown.

Terms such as"upper","lower","inner","outer", "inwardly","outwardly", and the like, when used herein, refer to the positions of the respective elements shown on the accompanying drawing figures and the present invention is not necessarily limited to such positions.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those elucidated in, or made apparent from, the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction and/or method without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only 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.