FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a wall panels and construction of buildings having wall panels affixed thereto, and more particularly to an improved trim system and method for use when applying wall panels to the exterior of buildings for cladding purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

[0002] Wall panels are becoming increasingly common as a cost-effective means for cladding wall surfaces of buildings.

[0003] Typically, elongate trim pieces, affixable to the underlying substrate of a building, are provided about a periphery of a wall panel and are used to hold and secure side edges of such wall panels to such substrate and thus to the building.

[0004] Prior art wall panel trim systems and methods often require significant time and skill to install, as the wall panels are typically large sheets requiring , when cut for a particular wall surface, pairs of mutually parallel and respectively exactly perpendicular side edges , which must be cut to fine tolerances in order to avoid undesirable gaps and misalignment when applied to a building .

[0005] Canadian Patent CA 2,747,587 filed July 29, 201 1 and issued September 24, 2013 to Easy Trim Reveals Inc. entitled "Wall Panel Trim Reveal System and Method" was a recent attempt to provide a trim system and method which possessed a feature allowing the hiding poor dimensioning, out of tolerance and/or non-rectangularlity of wall panel edges, and thereby reduce the time in otherwise having to cut or obtain fine tolerances when measuring and installing wall panels with trim members. [0006] In this regard, aforesaid CA '587 provided for trim edge members generally inter alia each consisting of : i) an elongate base member ; ii) a single lip member disposed at 90° to the base member and extending the length of the base along an edge thereof; and iii) an integral trim tab member disposed at 90° to the lip member and spaced apart from the base member but substantially co-planar therewith thereby forming a groove in which an edge of the wall panel could be inserted .

Small non-conformities along the edge of a generally rectangular wall panel ( and thus to a degree any misalignment with other trim edge members) can thereby be hidden within such groove and thus from anyone viewing the exterior of the wall-panel clad exterior of a building.

The aforesaid system and trim pieces of CA '587, while advantageous in hiding misalignments and mis-tolerances, had some clear drawbacks and disadvantages.

Firstly, as noted in CA '587, each trim edge member possessed at least one elongate "bump" extending along its length, ostensibly for the purpose of raising the underside surface of the wall panel so as to retain such wall panel in the region of the groove a spaced distance from the base member and provide an air gap between the base member and the interior surface of the wall panel to prevent moisture retention. Principally, however, the elongate bump , which was more in the form of a strengthening rib, served as a stiffening member to reduce or prevent undesirable bending of the thin base member. Disadvantageous^, however, as the insertion in the edge of the wall panel within the so-formed groove was effectively "blind", at times an edge of a wall panel would not insert fully, being "hung up" on the bump , and not extend fully to the base of the groove namely to the lip member . This had the effect of substantially negating the purpose of the overlap member in fully hiding mis-tolerances and non-parallel misalignment of the edges of the wall panels.

Secondly, due to the integral nature of the overlap member being adjoined and extruded as part of the lip member , if two parallel trim pieces were first affixed to the side of a building (as is often is convenient rather than affixing the panel to the substrate and subsequently securing two parallel trim members to the wall panel) such would require a wall panel to be slid into the grooves of each trim piece, rather than applied directly to the wall, as the overlap member prevented direct application of such wall panel to the wall of the building. Having to slide the wall panel into the grooves of two trim panels was, at best, incovenient, and often impossible to do. Thirdly, again due to the integral nature of the overlap member, often times it was of interest to a tradesperson to note the particular region of mis-tolerance when a trim panel is applied to a side edge of a wall panel (or a wall panel edge inserted into the groove of a trim edge member. However, with an overlap member formed as part of and rigidly affixed to the lip member, inspection of the misalignment/non-spec tolerance along the length of a trim edge member was impossible.

What is needed is an improved wall panel trim configuration and method for cladding the exterior of a building , which overcomes or reduces some of the above-described problems.

The above background information and identified publication is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention, and in particular allowing the reader to understand advantages of the invention over devices and methods known to the inventor, but not necessarily public, devices and methods.

No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed as admitting, that any of the foregoing constitutes legally citable prior art against the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome inter alia the aforesaid problems with prior art trim systems, the present invention provides for a two-part trim system, having an initially detached but rigidly locakable (attachable) trim tab, which allows the base member to first be installed prior to mounting of the trim tab to hide mis-tolerances.

By having a two-part, initially detached trim tab, advantageously any non-parallel or mis- toleranced edges of wall panels can be better aligned with corresponding side edges of the base members of the trim system, since the side edges of the panel are now able to be viewed and are not consistently "hidden" by a trim tab of a trim system as exists in current prior art trim systems.

Moreover, by having the trim tabs initially detached from the base members of the two- part trim system, wall panels can be secured to the building and surrounded by all four(4) base members of the two-part trim system in the manner which most effectively minimizes misalignments and mis-tolerances. Thereafter each trim tab can be lockingly applied to the corresponding base member of the trim system to hide misalignments and mis-tolerances. Such manner of construction and opportunity to minimize as much as possible any misalignments and mis-tolerances is impossible to achieve with one-piece prior art trim systems , where the trim tab is integral and not detachable from the base member. The prior art trim systems, having an integral one-part construction with overlapping trim tab allow only one trim system to be applied along one edge of a rectangular panel to be mounted on the wall, before having to mount the wall panel. The present system allows the wall panels to be all attached first to the building, or alternatively if desired all trim systems to be mounted to a building first and then the wall panel affixed to the trim system or building, such option being a real advantage if delivery to a construction site of wall panels or trim systems is delayed for any reason, by allowing construction to continue with the delivered items while waiting for delivery of non-delivered items. The present trim system thus offers real advantages both in quality of construction also speed of application of wall panels to buildings over current trim systems such as those currently being offered for sale in the building construction industry by EasyTrim Reveals, Inc., and others.

Thus in accordance with a broad aspect thereof the present invention provides for an improved wall panel trim system for hiding mis-dimensioning and/or non-rectangularity along edges of substantially- rectangular wall panels when same are affixed to a wall of a building for cladding purposes. Such wall panel trim system comprises :

(i) a trim tab; ii) an elongate base member, having: a) a substantially elongate and substantially flat attachment surface; and b) a pair of mutually parallel and spaced- apart edge members extending along a side edge of said attachment surface and upwardly therefrom, both disposed at approximately 90° to said attachment surface to thereby form an upwardly-extending channel between said two edge members, at least one of said edge members having along an interior side thereof and within said channel a locking means configured to matingly engage and releasibly lock within said channel a portion of said trim tab; iii) said trim tab having an "L"-shaped cross-section, one leg of said "L" shaped cross- section adapted for placement within said channel and allow locked engagement of said one leg within said channel and between said edge members, and another leg of said "L" shaped cross-section adapted, when said one leg is inserted in said channel, to overlie, in spaced-apart relation, a portion of said flat attachment surface proximate said edge members.

[0007] In another aspect, a wall panel trim member is provided, comprising: i) a trim tab; ii) an elongate, substantially rigid base member, having: a) a substantially elongate and substantially flat attachment surface; and b) a pair of mutually parallel and spaced- apart edge members extending along a side edge of said attachment surface and disposed at approximately 90° to said attachment surface to thereby form an upwardly- extending channel between said two edge members, at least one of said edge members having along an interior side thereof and within said channel a locking means configured to matingly engage and lock a portion of said trim tab within said channel; iii) said trim tab having an "L"-shaped cross-section, one leg of said "L" shaped cross- section adapted for placement within said channel and having means for coupling to said locking means and another leg of said "L" shaped cross- section adapted, when said one leg is inserted in said channel, to overlie, in spaced-apart relation, a portion of said flat attachment surface proximate said edge members.

[0008] In a further refinement of the above, the locking means is releasible, to allow , if desired, the trim tab to be released from locked engagement within said channel.

[0009] In yet a third aspect of the present invention a kit is provided, comprising the above components along with written instructions on the manner of installing and using the above components to secure wall panels to buildings so as to hide mis-dimensioning and/or non- rectangularity or non-parallel edges of such wall panels when same are affixed to a wall of a building for cladding purposes.

[0010] In ail of the above embodiments at least one of the edge members (and preferably both of the edge members), when said one leg of said trim tab is inserted in said channel, is resiliently flexible at a point of attachment to the base member to allow resilient flexing thereof when the one leg and releasable locking means of the trim tab is inserted in the channel. Such embodiment allows disengagement of the one-leg from the base member of described.

[0011] This above summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all features of the invention. For a complete description of the invention, reference is to further be had to the drawings and the detailed description of preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The above and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the non-limiting and exemplary appended figures, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a depiction of a prior art trim system, affixing, at a right hand side of a wall panel, such wall panel to a building;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a view taken along plane Ά'-Ά' of Fig. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the two-part trim system of the present invention having a base member and an initially detached but lockingly attachable trim member, shown in the initial detached two-part configuration;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a the same cross-sectional view of the two-part trim system of the present invention, shown with the trim tab member locking secured to the base member and applied along a side edge of a wall panel;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a further embodiment of the two-part trim system of the present invention for use at corners of buildings, for raised (protruding) corners; [0018] FIG. 6 is a similar further embodiment of the two-part trim system of the present invention for use at corners of buildings, for indented (recessed ) corners;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the two-part trim system of the present invention having a base member and an initially detached but lockingly attachable trim member, shown in the initial detached two-part configuration, with an alternative configuration for the locking of the trim tab to the base member; and

[0020] FIG. 8 is a is a cross-sectional view of a still further alternative embodiment of the two- part trim system of the present invention having a base member and an initially detached but lockingly attachable trim member, shown in the initial detached two-part configuration, with a still further alternative configuration for the locking of the trim tab to the base member;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Fig.'s 1 & 2 show a prior art trim system 10 and its manner of employ during application of wall panels to a side surface of a building for cladding purposes.

[0022] Fig. 1 shows such prior art trim system 10 being situated along a right-hand side of a wall panel 21, with such wall panel 21 being secured to a side of a building. Fig. 2 shows a cross-section al view of the prior art trim system 10 .

[0023] In the embodiment shown, screws 25 are shown affixing both the trim system 10 and the wall panel 21 to the building.

[0024] As may be seen from Fig.'s 1 & 2, such prior art trim system 10 consists of : i) an elongate base member 13; ii) a single lip member 15 disposed at 90° to the base member 13 and extending the length of base member 13 along an edge thereof; and iii) an integral trim tab 17 disposed at 90° to lip member 15 and spaced apart from the base member but substantially co-planar therewith, thereby forming a groove 18 in which an edge of the wall panel 21 could be inserted ; iv) a raised bump/ridge 19, extending the length of base member 13, to raise an underside surface of wall panel 21 from direct contact with remaining surface of base member 13 and building substrate to which the wall panel 21 is attached.

[0025] Small non-conformities along the edge of a generally rectangular wall panel 21 (such as non-rectangularity and underage/overage of lateral dimensions of such wall panel 21 ) and thus to a degree any misalignment f one trim system 10 with other remaining three trim system members 10 for installing a 4- sided wall panel ) could thereby be hidden from view within groovel8 and thus from anyone viewing the exterior of the wall-panel 21.

[0026] As may be seen from Figs. 1 & 2 and the above description, prior art trim systems 10 comprised an integral unitary structure. As noted above, such unitary configuration is disadvantageous for a number of reasons.

[0027] The present invention, as shown in Figs. 2-8, comprises a trim system having at least a two- part structure.

[0028] In particular , in a broad embodiment and with reference to Figs. 3 & 4 , such trim system 100 comprises a trim tab 110 as one component, and an elongate base member 102 as the other. Base member 102 comprises a substantially elongate and substantially flat attachment surface 103, which may optionally be provided with one or more raised ridges 105 thereon to act as stiffening members to reduce or prevent bending or warpage of base member 102.

[0029] Base member 102 is further provided with a pair of mutually parallel and spaced- apart edge membersl04 extending along a side edge 106 of attachment surface 103 and upwardly therefrom. Both of edge members 104 are preferably disposed at an approximate 90° angle to attachment surface 103 to thereby form an upwardly-extending channel 108 between perpendicular edge members 104. At least one of edge members 104 is provided, along an interior side thereof and within channel 108, with a locking means 116a configured to matingly engage and lock a portion 114 of trim tab 110 within channel 108.

[0030] As regards trim tab 110, trim tab is preferably of an "L"-shaped cross-section, one leg 114 of said "L" shaped cross- section adapted for placement within said channel 108 to allow locked engagement of leg 114 within channel 108 and between edge members 104, and another leg 112 thereof adapted, when leg 114 is inserted in channel 108 as shown in Fig. 4 , to overlie, in spaced-apart relation, a portion of flat attachment surface 103 proximate edge members 104.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in Fig.s 3 & 4, the locking means comprises a series of hook elements 116a which lockingly engage corresponding hook elements 116b on leg 114 of trim member 1 10 when leg 114 of trim tab 110 is inserted in channel 108.

[0032] Advantageously, where the point of attachment of side edge members 104 to attachment surface 103 possesses some degree of flexibility, side edge member 104 may resiliently flex open to allow passage of leg 114 of trim tab 110 into channel 108, and upon entry of leg 114 into channel 108 , return to an upright position as shown in Fig. 4 to thereby lockingly retain leg 114 within channel 108 and thereby couple trim tab 110 to base member 102.

[0033] Fig's 7 & 8 together show two alternative configurations for lockingly coupling trim tab 110 to base member 102.

[0034] In the embodiment shown in Fig.7, locking means 116a on base member 102 comprises a local indentation, and locking means 116b on leg 114 of trim tab 110 comprises a mating protuberance .

[0035] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 8, locking means comprises a protuberance 116a, and locking means 116b may comprise a mating indentation which receives the protuberance 116a.

[0036] Numerous other way and means for lockingly coupling (either permanently, or releasibly coupling ) leg 114 of trim tab 110 to base member 102 will now occur to persons of skill in the art. The scope ofthe invention is not to be limited merely to the manner and ways of lockingly coupling trim tab 110 to base member 102 as shown in Figs. 3-8 herein.

[0037] After the locking engagement of leg 114 of trim tab 110 to base member 102, such serves to sandwich, an edge of wall panel 21 between leg 112 and attachment surface 103 as shown in Fig. 4. Advantageously, leg 112 of trim tab 110 overlies the edge of wall panel 21 to thereby hide from external view (ie from above in the illustration shown in Fig. 4) any mis-tolerances 150 along the edge of wall panel 21 .

[0038] Fig. 5 shows the two-part trim system 200 of the present invention for use at corners of buildings, for raised (protruding) corners, which is essentially two of the trim system members 100 fixedly coupled together at right angles. In such embodiment a pair of base members 202, each having perpendicular edge members 204, are provided, which together cooperate to form a channel 208 therebetween. Like in the earlier embodiment shown in Fig.3 &4, at least one side edge member 204 is provided with locking means 216a, which lockingly engage matingly engageable locking means 116b on trim tab members 110, in the manner earlier described. Leg member 212 of trim tab 110 overlies a portion of attachment surface 203 of base member 202 for the purposes and advantages described herein.

[0039] Fig. 6 shows another two-part trim system 300 of the present invention for use at corners of buildings, for recessed corners, which is essentially two of the trim system members 100 fixedly coupled together at right angles in the manner shown. In such embodiment a pair of base members 302, each having perpendicular edge members 304, are provided, which together cooperate to form a channel 308 therebetween. Like in the earlier embodiment shown in Fig. 3 &4, at least one side edge member 304 is provided with locking means 316a which lockingly engage matingly engageable locking means 116b on trim tab members 110 in the manner earlier described. Leg member 212 of trim tab 110 (not shown in Fig. 6) overlies a portion of attachment surface 203 of base member 202 for the purposes and advantages described herein.

[0040] Again , for each of the embodiments 200, 300 shown respectively in Fig.s 5 & 6, raised ridges/stiffening ribs 250 may further be provided along attachment surface 203, for the purpose of preventing warping or bending of base member 102, either before or after being attached to a wall panel 21 during cladding of a wall of a building .

[0041] Due to its strength, low cost, light weight , and corrosion resistance, the components of the trim system 100, 200, and 300 of the present invention are typically comprised of an extruded aluminum material or aluminum alloy. In light of the disclosure herein, other suitable materials could be used as would now occur to a person of skill in the art. [0042] The above describes preferred embodiments of the invention. Other variations will now be apparent to those of skill in the art. In view of the foregoing the scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments. Instead, the claims should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole, and are not to be limited to the preferred or exemplified embodiments of the invention.