Wall panel comprising resilient members for retaining masonry units

Abstract

A wall panel for retaining masonry units is provided. The panel has a front face provided with a plurality of tabs for supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry units and a plurality of resilient clips for resiliently biasing the upper lateral face of the units against the tabs. In an embodiment, the clips include a frontward curved hook with a downwardly pointing edge to bit on the upper face of the masonry unit and an inverted U-shaped cut-out including the curved hook and providing resiliency. In another embodiment, the clips include at least one downward resilient wing having a longitudinal axis parallel to the plane of the panel. The masonry unit is maintained in place on the panel against the tabs partly by a resilient force applied by the wing and partly by friction of the wing against the upper lateral face of the masonry unit.

1 . A wall panel for retaining masonry units, wherein each one of the masonry units has upper and lower lateral faces and a height hb, said masonry wall panel being a metallic sheet panel comprising on a front face thereof at least one tab associated with at least one resilient clip for mounting and maintaining a masonry unit, the at least one tab and clip are cut-outs integral with the metallic sheet panel, said at least one tab being capable of supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry unit, said at least one clip comprising a frontward curved hook with a downwardly pointing edge to bit on the upper lateral face of the masonry unit and an inverted U-shaped cut-out including the curved hook and providing resiliency to said hook, said resilient clip being for resiliently biasing the upper lateral face of said masonry unit against the at least one tab, the at least one tab and at least one clip thereby maintaining said masonry unit in place on the panel. 
     
     
         2 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , wherein the curved hook and the inverted U-shaped cut-out are formed from a single continuous cut thereby defining a finger-shaped hook having a semicircular end. 
     
     
         3 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , wherein the curved hook is formed from a U-shaped cut extending within the inverted U-shaped cut-out. 
     
     
         4 . The wall panel of  claim 3 , wherein the inverted U-shaped cut-out is formed from an inverted U-shaped cut having enlarged portions at bottom ends thereof to provide further resiliency to the resilient clip. 
     
     
         5 . The wall panel of  claim 3 , wherein the inverted U-shaped cut-out is formed from an inverted U-shaped cut having a trapezoidal form. 
     
     
         6 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one tab has an upwardly slanted shelf portion extending at an angle [theta] to the front face of the panel that is slightly below 90[deg.], thereby forming an acute angle with the front face of the panel. 
     
     
         7 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of tabs forming at least one lower row of tabs and a plurality of resilient clips forming at least one upper row of clips, said lower and upper rows thereby defining at least one horizontally extending channel capable of receiving a row of masonry units. 
     
     
         8 . The wall panel of  claim 7 , comprising a plurality of horizontally extending channels which are positioned contiguously to each other from a top edge of the wall panel to a bottom edge thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The wall panel of  claim 7 , wherein the tabs and clips are regularly spaced apart in their respective row and the clips are offset relative to the tabs. 
     
     
         10 . The wall panel of  claim 7 , wherein the rows of tabs and rows of clips forming the channel are spaced apart so that a distance between an upper side of the tab and the pointing edge of the hook is slightly smaller than the height hb of the masonry unit. 
     
     
         11 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of tabs and clips are positioned according to a predetermined pattern of cells of varying sizes adapted to receive masonry units of different sizes. 
     
     
         12 . The wall panel of  claim 11 , wherein a pattern of the masonry units to be placed onto the panel is imprinted on the front face thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of spaced-apart recesses of a given size and shape provided on a first edge of said panel and a plurality of projections extending from a second edge of said panel parallel to said first edge, said projections having a shape and size fitting said given size and shape of the recesses whereby, in use, the projections of a first one of said wall panel fit into the recesses of a second one of said wall panel when the first and second wall panels are juxtaposed on a wall of a building surface. 
     
     
         14 . The wall panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of spaced-apart embossed portions projecting backward from a back face of said panel, wherein said embossed portions comprise a back provided with a hole for inserting fixation means therein. 
     
     
         15 . The wall panel of  claim 14 , wherein said embossed portions are positioned by rows, each embossed portion within a row being offset relative to each embossed portion within a next row. 
     
     
         16 . A kit comprising at least one wall panel as defined in  claim 11  and masonry units of different sizes to be positioned onto the panel according to the predetermined pattern. 
     
     
         17 . A method for making a masonry wall covering a building surface, this method comprising the steps of:
 a) mounting a plurality of panels as defined in  claim 1  to a building surface, side by side; and if required row by row;   b) providing a plurality of masonry units; and   c) fitting the masonry units onto the panels such that each tab supports the lower lateral face of a respective one of the masonry units and each clip resiliently biases the upper lateral face of the masonry unit against a corresponding tab, the tab and clip thereby maintaining the masonry unit in place on the panel.   
     
     
         18 . A wall panel for retaining masonry units, wherein each one of the masonry units has upper and lower lateral faces, and wherein said masonry wall panel has a front face extending in a vertical plane, said front face comprising at least one tab associated with at least one resilient clip for mounting and maintaining a masonry unit, said at least one tab being capable of supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry unit, said at least one clip comprising at least one downward resilient wing having a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the vertical plane of the front face, said masonry unit being maintained in place on the panel against the at least one tab, partly by a resilient force applied by the wing and partly by friction of the wing against the upper lateral face of said one masonry unit. 
     
     
         19 . The wall panel of  claim 18 , wherein said wall panel is a metallic sheet panel and said clip comprises one resilient wing formed from a L-shaped cut-out, an end portion of said L-shaped cut-out being left uncut thereby forming a connecting section between the wall panel and the clip once the clip is bent perpendicularly relative to the panel and wherein said L-shaped cut-out comprises several inflexion points along its longitudinal axis providing resiliency to said wing. 
     
     
         20 . The wall panel of  claim 18 , wherein said wall panel is a metallic sheet panel and said clip comprises two of said resilient wings formed from a substantially rectangular oblong-shaped cut-out, a middle portion of said rectangular-shaped cut-out being left uncut thereby forming a connecting section between the wall panel and the clip once the clip is bent perpendicularly relative to the panel and wherein each of the two wings is further bent at at least one point of inflexion along its longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         21 . The wall panel of  claim 20 , wherein each of the two wings is further provided with a tab projecting downward at an end thereof to bit the upper lateral face of the masonry unit once in place on the wall panel. 
     
     
         22 . The wall panel of  claim 18 , comprising a plurality of resilient clips forming at least one upper row of clips and a plurality of resilient clips forming at least one lower row of clips with said connecting section of the clips of the lower row acting as said tab capable of supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry unit, said lower and upper rows thereby defining at least one horizontally extending channel capable of receiving a row of masonry units. 
     
     
         23 . The wall panel of  claim 18 , wherein said wall panel is made of molded rigid plastic comprising a plurality of said resilient clips and a plurality of said tabs, said clips comprising two of said downward wings flanking a medial section molded to the front face. 
     
     
         24 . The wall panel of  claim 23 , having a meshed body and comprising on its front face longitudinal ribs having upper and lower portions, and web members interconnecting the ribs, and wherein said clips are located on the lower portion of the ribs and said tabs are shaped as a shelf-like flange protruding from the upper portion of the ribs. 
     
     
         25 . The wall panel of  claim 23 , wherein the tabs have a pleated top surface and the wings have a pleated bottom surface to increase the friction of the tabs and wings against the lower and upper lateral faces of the masonry unit respectively. 
     
     
         26 . The wall panel of  claim 18 , wherein said wall panel is made of molded foam plastic comprising a plurality of said resilient clips and a plurality of said tabs, and has a continuous solid body, said clips comprising two of said downward wings flanking a medial section molded to the front face. 
     
     
         27 . The wall panel of  claim 26 , comprising a plurality of resilient clips forming at least one upper row of clips and a plurality of resilient clips forming at least one lower row of clips with said medial section of the clips of the lower row acting as said tab capable of supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry unit, said lower and upper rows thereby defining at least one horizontally extending channel capable of receiving a row of masonry units.