FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates landscaping and construction. More particularly, it relates to fabrication of outdoor walls and fences.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the priority benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application Number 61/776,540, filed March 11, 2013, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Lightweight exterior walls are often needed for many applications. For example, organizers for outdoor events such as concerts, fairs, and flea markets often desire to have walled enclosures, or walls that may be used as a queuing line for persons wanting to enter the event. Instead of investing in traditional construction, lightweight walls may be used. However, even the installation of lightweight walls is not a simple task.

According to some prior art methods for constructing lightweight walls, light weight material, such as foam blocks may be assembled into a wall. In order to improve the stability of this type of wall, concrete may need to be poured into the blocks. As such, the wall is permanent, and requires substantial amounts of heavy concrete in order to provide structural integrity. Alternatively, some lightweight walls achieve their structural integrity through the use of reinforced columns. In these applications wall panels are attached to columns that have been filled with concrete. While the wall panels may have a decreases weight, the columns still require a substantial amount of concrete. The large amount of concrete needed increases the time it takes to build the wall, and increases the overall cost of the wall. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a lightweight wall or fence that is easy to install, and minimizes the use of concrete.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 A is an overhead view of a modular wall system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. IB is a side view of the modular wall system shown in FIG. 1 A according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 2A-2F are overhead views of columns that may be used in a modular wall system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. FIGs. 3A-3B are cross-sectional views of a column and a wall segment that may be used in a modular wall system according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 4A-4C are cross-sectional views of a column that have column caps covering the channel in each column that may be used in a modular wall system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 A is a perspective view of a post that may be used in a modular wall system according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 5B-5D are cross sectional views of posts that may be used in a modular wall system according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is an overhead view of a column insert locked to a post according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a column insert that may be used in a modular wall system according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 7A-7F depict implementations that use a locking lever to secure a wall panel to a column according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 7G depicts a side view of a wall panel with cavities to receive locking levers according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7H depicts an end view of the wall panel of FIG. 7G.

FIG. 8A is a top view of an implementation in which a column and wall panel are integrated according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 8B is a side view of the integrated column and wall panel of FIG. 8 A

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the examples described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific examples in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as "top," "bottom," "front," "back," "leading," "trailing," etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the figure(s) being described. Because components of examples of aspects of the present disclosure can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Aspects of the present disclosure describe a modular exterior wall system that may use foam- composite panels that slide into grooves in foam based columns. The foam may be sandwiched between cloth or mesh layers using an adhesive to form wall segments. Columns may also be made of foam covered with cloth. The tops of the columns may be covered with cap pieces that have the same foam/cloth construction. Each column has a central channel that allows the column to slide onto a post, which may be made of metal or plastic. The post may be secured to a concrete footing. Notches may be cut into the sides of the metal poles to form tabs that can be bent slightly outward in order to secure the posts to the columns. According to an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a column insert may be utilized. The column insert may be a plastic insert that is insertable into the channel of the column. The column insert may have tabs on its outer surface that lock into the column and prevents the plastic insert from being removed once the column has been inserted over it. Additionally, the column insert may have locking slots formed on one or more of its faces. The locking slots are configured to lock with the tabs formed on the post. As such, the post locks with the column insert instead of locking into the sidewalls of the channel in the column.

A modular wall system 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure is shown in FIGs. 1A-1B. FIG. 1A is an overhead view of the modular wall system 100, and FIG. IB is a front view of the modular wall system 100. The system comprises at least a post 120, a column 110, and a wall segment 130. The posts 120 are insertable through a channel 111 in the columns 110. In the modular wall system 100 there may be more than one type of column 110. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the columns 110 in FIGs. 1A-1B are two separate types of columns 110 _A and 110 _B . The columns 110 _A and H0 _B are substantially similar to each other except for the number and orientation of the groves 112 that are formed on the column 110. Multiple grove and orientation patterns allow for various wall shapes to be formed, such as but not limited to corners, and T-shaped intersections. The grooves 112 are wide enough to allow a wall segment 130 to slide into the groove 112. Wall segments 130 may be secured to the column 110, e.g., with a dowel pin that fits through aligned holes in the wall segment and column. Additionally, each post 120 may be inserted into a concrete footing 122 in order to improve the stability of the modular wall system 100. As shown in FIG. IB, tabs 121 may extend out from the post 120 in order to secure the column 110 to the post 120. The tabs 121 may allow the column to slide down over the post 120. However, when attempting to pull the column 110 up and off of the post 120, the tabs 121 will dig into the sidewalls of the channel 111 and lock the column 110 in place. In FIG. IB dashed lines are used to indicate that the channel 111 is not visible from the front view. Additionally, portions of the wall segment 130 are dashed in order to indicate that these portions are not visible from the front view either. The height of the modular wall system 100 may be chosen depending on the desired use of the wall. By way of example, if the wall is being used to form a queuing line for persons trying to enter an event, then a wall that is shorter than a normal adult (e.g., around 4 feet tall) may be used. Alternatively, if the modular wall system 100 is being used to erect walls that are intended to prevent persons outside the wall from seeing what is going on inside of the wall, then the wall may be higher than a normal adult (e.g., around 7 feet tall or higher). Aspects of the present disclosure also include a modular wall system 100 in which the wall segments 130 one or more different lengths. The combination of different lengths of wall segments 130 allows for additional customization. In order to provide a modular wall system 100 that is easy to assemble, the columns 110 are preferably made from a lightweight material. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the column 110 may be made from a foam material, such as polystyrene, or a lightweight plastic. In order to provide additional protection to outdoor elements, such as moisture, the columns 110 may be wrapped in a layer of cloth or meshing. The cloth or meshing layers may be glued to the exterior of the columns 110. In addition to the columns 110 being lightweight, the wall segments 130 should preferably be lightweight as well. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the wall segments 130 may be made from a foam material such as polystyrene, or a lightweight plastic. Similar to the columns 110, the wall segments 130 may also be covered with a cloth or mesh material. Some specific examples of cloth or mesh material that may be used include fiberglass mesh or chicken wire. The cloth may be secured to the wall panels or columns using a cementous acrylic material that the mesh can embed into. An example of a commercially available cementous acrylic material that fiberglass mesh can embed into is Primus® Acrylic-Modified Adhesive and Base Coat from Dryvit Systems Inc of Warwick, Rhode Island. It is noted that the columns and wall sections may be made of materials other than foam, such as plastic materials.

FIGs. 2A-2F are overhead views of columns 110 according to several different aspects of the present disclosure. When building a wall using a modular system 100, it may be desirable to have columns that have a different number of groves and orientations in order to build a customized wall. A column 110 with a single grove 112 is shown in FIG. 2A. By way of example, a single grooved column may be useful at the end of the wall. Next, FIG. 2B shows a double grooved column 110 with groves 112 that are on opposite sides of the column 110. 5 By way of example, a column such as the one shown in FIG. 2B may be desirable where a wall needs to be formed that is longer than the individual wall segments 130. An alternative double grooved column is shown in FIG. 2C. In FIG. 2C the column 110 has groves 112 formed on surfaces of the column that are orthogonal to each other. By way of example, this type of column may be useful when a corner is needed. The column 110 shown in FIG. 2D o has three groves 112 oriented in a T-shape. By way of example, this type of column may be useful when two walls intersect each other. Additionally, in FIG. 2E a column 110 with four grooves 112 is shown. By way of example, a column 110 with four groves may be useful when two walls need to pass through each other.

While FIGs. 2A-2E each depict columns that are rectangular in nature, it should be noted that 5 aspects of the present disclosure are not so limited. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, a non-rectangular column such as a triangular column may be used. An example of a triangular column with a groove on each face is shown in FIG. 2F. The triangular shape allows for the production of angles between the wall segments that are not 90° or 180° angles. While an equilateral triangle is shown, it should be noted that other polygon shapes may be o used in order to form desired angles. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, a hexagon column may be used to form wall segments that form a 60° angle. Furthermore, the columns may have non-polygon shaped cross-sections, e.g., circular or elliptical cross- sections.

The grooves 112 may extend the entire length of the column 110, or they may extend only 5 partially down the column 110. FIGs. 3 A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a column 110 and wall segment, as seen along line A-A in FIG. 1A. In FIG. 3 A a column 110 with a grove 112 along the complete length of the column is shown. As such, when a wall segment 130 is inserted into the groove, it rests on the surface below the column 110. In situations where the surface may be wet, muddy, or otherwise unsuitable to rest the wall segment 130 on, a groove that extends only a portion of the length of the column may be used. Such a column is shown in FIG. 3B. Since the groove 112 is stopped near the bottom of the column, the wall segment 130 can rest on a ledge 114 formed at the bottom of the groove 112 and above the ground.

The channel 111 formed in each column 110 should be a shape and size that allows for the post 120 to slide through. By way of example, if the posts 120 are rectangular in shape, then the channel 111 should also be rectangular in shape, and should be slightly larger. While rectangular channels 111 and posts 120 are shown, it should be noted that the posts 120 and channels 111 may be any shape, such as but not limited to, circular, triangular, or any other geometric shape. The cross-sectional size of the post and channel depends partly on the size of the column. By way of example, a square channel may be from about 2" X 2" up to 6" X 6" depending on size of the column. Generally, a larger channel and post may be used for a larger size column.

The posts need not go all the way up to the top of the column when the column is installed. The post may extend up the column to somewhere between about half the height of the column up to slightly less than all the way up to the top of the column. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the post may go up about three-quarters of the column height.

According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the channel 111 may extend completely through the column 110. When the channel 111 is extended completely through the column 110 it may be desirable to utilize a column cap 113 to cover the opening at the top of the column 110. The cap 113 may be made from the same material as the column 110. As such, the cap 113 may provide a more finished look to the modular wall by hiding the post 120 from sight. FIGs. 4A-4C are cross-sectional views of columns 110 with column caps 113 according to various aspects of the present disclosure as would be viewed along the line A-A in FIG. 1A. The column cap 113 shown in FIG. 4A has a portion that fills the upper portion of the channel 111 and further covers the top surface of the column. Covering the top surface of the column 110 may provide the additional benefit of hiding the grooves 112. Since the tops of the grooves are covered, the column cap 113 in FIG. 4A may also prevent the wall segments 130 from being removed. Alternatively, a simple plug may be used for the column cap 113 as shown in FIG. 4B. According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the column cap 113 may be only cover the top surface of the column 110 and not fill a portion of the channel 111. By way of example, the cap 113 may be attached to the top surface of the column 110 with glue or other adhesives.

5 In order to improve the stability of the modular wall system 100 a post 120 may be inserted into each of the columns 110. Each post 120 may be an elongated shaft that is either solid or hollow. The shape of the posts 120 should be chosen to match the shape of the channel 111 in the columns 110. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, if the channel 111 is rectangular, the post 120 should be a rectangular post that is slightly smaller in size than the o rectangular channel 111. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the posts may be a metal, such as steel or aluminum, wood, or plastic.

Modular wall systems 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure are configured to be temporary or permanent structures. As used herein, a temporary structure has the ability to be assembled and disassembled without damaging the components used to make the structure. 5 According to aspects of the present disclosure, a temporary structure may be made through the use of a column 110 that fits snugly around the post 120. When the wall needs to be removed, the column 110 may be pulled off the post 120. When used as a temporary structure, the components of the modular wall system 100 may be completely reusable since there is no damage to the column 110 during disassembly. o According to an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the modular wall system 100 may be utilized to form a permanent structure. For a permanent structure, the columns 110 should be configured such that they are locked onto the posts 120. As such, tabs 121 may be formed on the posts 120 in order to form a locking mechanism that prevents the removal of the column 110 once it has been placed over the post 120. As shown in FIG. 5B the tabs 121 may 5 extend outwards from the post 120 at a downward angle. Since the angle is downwards, the column 110 will slide over the tabs 121 when it is being placed over the post 120. Thereafter, when attempting to remove the column 110, the tabs 121 will dig into the side walls of the channel 112 and prevent the column 110 from being removed. The tabs 121 may be formed by punching a notch 126, such as but not limited to a V-notch, into the post 120 as shown in FIG. 5A. Alternatively, a dog-eared notch may be formed in order to create a dog-eared shaped tab 121. There may be one or more notches 126 formed on each post 120. Additionally, there may be notches 126 formed on one or more sides of the post 120. In order to form a tab 121, one or more of the notches may be pried outwards.

Alternatively, the tabs 121 may be formed by attaching portions of material to the post 120 in various manners. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the tabs may be attached by welding, gluing, bolting, nailing, or screwing the tabs 121 to the post.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, the columns 120 are anchored to the ground in order to increase the stability of the modular wall. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the posts 120 may simply be driven into the soil or other surface on the ground. The depth required to drive in the posts 120 is dependent on the type of soil that the wall is being built on. For example, a wall built on a beach may require the posts to be driven deeper into the ground compared to a wall built on a grassy field.

According to additional aspects of the present disclosure, the post 120 may be anchored by a footing 122 as is shown in FIG. 5B. In order to provide adequate support for the modular wall system 100 the post 120 may be anchored into the concrete approximately 18 inches. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the footing 122 may be made from concrete or any other material suitable for forming footings. The footing 122 may be formed by first digging a hole in the ground 123, then filling the hole with concrete. The post 120 may be set in the uncured concrete. Once the concrete is cured, the post may be sufficiently anchored into the ground 123. Additionally, the footing 122 may be wide enough to allow the wall segments 130 that have been inserted into the grooves of the column 120 to rest on the concrete instead of the ground. Since the concrete is only used to supply structural support, much less is needed than in the prior art. The prior art requires substantially more concrete because the concrete was also the mechanism that locked the post 120 to the column 110, whereas in the present invention the post 120 may be secured to the column 110 through the use of the tabs 121. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5C, the footing 122 may be formed above ground 123 by filling a bucket 124 with concrete and allowing the concrete to cure with the post 120 placed in the bucket 124. While, the use of a bucket above ground may not provide as much stability as a buried footing 122, it allows for improved portability and adjustability of the modular 5 wall system 100. Additionally, forming the footing above the ground may allow the wall segments 130 to rest on the footing 122 and be elevated off of the ground 123.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure describe an alternative footing 122 that allows for a post 120 to be easily removed. In FIG. 5D a footing 122 similar to the one in FIG. 5B is shown. However, instead of placing the post 120 into the concrete before it is cured, a sleeve o 125 is inserted into the uncured concrete. Once the concrete is cured and the sleeve 125 is securely anchored into the footing 122, the post 120 may be inserted into the sleeve 125. During disassembly of the modular wall, the posts 120 may be easily removed from the sleeve 125 since it is not secured directly to the concrete in the footing.

According to an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the modular wall system 100 may5 be semi-permanent. As used herein, a semi-permanent modular wall system 100 is used to build a wall where the columns 110 are configured to be locked into place on the posts 120, but also allows for the wall to be disassembled without damaging the columns 110. In order to allow for disassembly without damaging the columns 110 a column insert 140 may be used. A top view of a column insert 140 locked into the post 120 is shown in FIG. 6A. The o post 120 has tabs 121 extended outwards as described above. The tabs 121 pass through the column insert 140 by passing through locking slots 142. The locking slots 142 are visible in the perspective view of the column insert 140 shown in FIG. 6B. The tabs 121 on the post 120 slide through the locking slots 142 of the column insert 140 in order to lock the column insert 140 to the post 120. Therefore, instead of digging into the sidewalls of the channel 112 when 5 the column 110 is removed from the post 120, the post's tabs 121 catch against the column insert 140.

The outer surface of the column insert 140 may have tabs 141 that are similar to those used on the post's tabs 121. In such an implementation, when the column insert 140 is inserted into the channel 111 of the column, the tabs 141 lock the column 110 to the column insert 140. Thereafter, the column insert 140 and the column 110 may be placed over the post 120.

Alternatively, the column insert 140 may be first placed over the post 120, and thereafter the column 110 may be slid over the column insert 140.

In order to minimize the weight of the columns 110, the column inserts 140 may preferably be made of a durable, lightweight material. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the column insert 140 may be a plastic material, such as polypropylene or other hardened plastic.

Once the column insert 140 is inserted into the channel of the column 110, it is locked into column with the tabs on the outside of the insert. Thereafter, the column insert locks onto the tabs that are connected to the post. The tabs that are connected to the post do not need to dig into the sidewalls of the channel in the column, though they might. If removable installation of the columns 110 is desired, the tabs on the post or column insert may be left unbent. The column may then be secured to the post with a dowel pin that fits through aligned holes in the column and post.

According to an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a base 143 may be included as part of the column insert 140. The base 143 may be permanently attached to the column insert 140, or the base 143 may be removable. The base 143 may also include a channel (not show) that allows the post 120 to slide through. The base 143 may also be useful for keeping the wall segments 130 off of the ground. This may be useful, e.g., to keep the column above standing water or concrete.

The wall panel may include a locking lever 702 as shown in FIGs. 7A-7H. The locking lever 702 is received in a cavity 701 in a column 703, which may be configured as shown in FIG. 7A. The locking lever 702 may be flush mounted into a wall panel 130 as shown in FIG. 7B. The locking lever 702 pivots downward when the wall panel 130 is slid downward to the point that the cavity 701 in the column 703 aligns sufficiently with the locking lever 702 in the wall panel 130. The locking lever 702 pivots downward so that the free end of the lever fits into the cavity 701 and prevents the wall panel from being removed by engaging the top of the cavity in the column 703 as shown in FIG. 7C. The locking lever 702 may be pivotally secured to a cavity in the wall panel by a pin 705 as shown in FIGs. 7D-7F. A spring 707 mounted to the lever 702 or wall panel 130 may urge the lever outward so that it falls when aligned with the cavity in the column. Each wall panel may have locking levers at each end as shown in FIGs. 7G-7H.

It is noted that in some implementations the wall panel and column may be integrated into a single component 800 as shown in FIG. 8A. Each such component may include a channel 801 that is configured to receive a post or column insert as shown in FIG. 8B. The channel 801 may be a dead-ended channel as shown in FIG. 8A.

It will be clear to one skilled in the art that the above examples may be altered in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

While the above is a complete description of aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the above description but should, instead, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their full scope of equivalents. Any feature described herein, whether preferred or not, may be combined with any other feature described herein, whether preferred or not. In the claims that follow, the indefinite article "A", or "An" refers to a quantity of one or more of the item following the article, except where expressly stated otherwise. The appended claims are not to be interpreted as including means-plus- function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase "means for."