SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING AND SECURING A BUILDING STRUCTURE

Abstract

A securement system for securely affixing two or more panels to each other to form a building structure. The securement system includes a fastener array having an arrangement of one or more couplers and a catch array having a corresponding arrangement of one or more catches. The fastener array is configured to nestle with the catch array. The one or more catches are configured to receive and seat the one or more couplers to secure the fastener array and the catch array to each other and fasten a pair of adjoining panels to each other.

Claims

1. A building structure, comprising: a plurality of panels; and a securement system configured to attach and hold adjoining panels of the plurality of panels, wherein the securement system includes: a fastener array having an arrangement of one or more couplers; and a catch array having a corresponding arrangement of one or more catches, wherein the fastener array is configured to nestle with the catch array, and wherein said one or more catches are configured to receive and seat the one or more couplers to secure the fastener array and the catch array to each other and fasten the adjoining panels to each other.

2. The building structure in claim 1, wherein the fastener array or the catch array includes a corner element.

3. The building structure in claim 2, wherein the corner element includes a landing configured to receive an extension of a corresponding corner element on an adjoining panel.

4. The building structure in claim 2, wherein the corner element includes a nested catch configured to receive a nested coupler of a corresponding corner element on an adjoining panel.

5. The building structure in claim 2, wherein one of the adjoining panels includes a corner element recess dimensioned to receive the corner element such that an inner surface of the corner element engages and is fully seated on a surface of the corner element recess.

6. The building structure in claim 1, wherein the fastener array or the catch array includes a lock.

7. The building structure in claim 1, wherein the plurality of panels include a base panel.

8. The building structure in claim 1, further comprising a skirt.

9. The building structure in claim 8, wherein the skirt is configured to be adhered to a planar surface of at least one of the plurality of panels.

10. The building structure in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of panels includes a recess along at least one side, the recess being configured to receive and hold the fastener array or the catch array.

11. A securement system for securely affixing two or more panels to each other to form a building structure, the securement system comprising: a fastener array having an arrangement of one or more couplers; and a catch array having a corresponding arrangement of one or more catches, wherein the fastener array is configured to nestle with the catch array, and wherein said one or more catches are configured to receive and seat the one or more couplers to secure the fastener array and the catch array to each other and fasten a pair of adjoining panels to each other.

12. The securement system in claim 11, wherein the fastener array or the catch array includes a corner element.

13. The securement system in claim 12, wherein the corner element includes a landing configured to receive an extension of a corresponding corner element on an adjoining panel.

14. The securement system in claim 12, wherein the corner element includes a nested catch configured to receive a nested coupler of a corresponding corner element on an adjoining panel.

15. The securement system in claim 12, wherein one of the adjoining panels includes a corner element recess dimensioned to receive the corner element such that an inner surface of the corner element engages and is fully seated on a surface of the corner element recess.

16. The securement system in claim 11, wherein the fastener array or the catch array include a lock.

17. The securement system in claim 11, wherein the plurality of panels include a base panel.

18. The securement system in claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of panels includes a recess along at least one side, the recess being configured to receive and hold the fastener array or the catch array.

19. A building structure comprising the securement system of claim 11.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a partially exploded view of a portion of a building system that can be included a building structure.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system.

[0021] FIG. 6 shows a view of a base panel with skirt that can be included in the building system.

[0022] FIG. 7 shows a view of a connection region of a plurality of panels in the portion of the building system.

[0023] FIG. 8 shows a view of another connection region of a plurality of panels in the portion of the building system.

[0024] FIG. 9 shows a perspective cut view of a connection region of a pair of connected panels cut in the center planes of the panels.

[0025] FIG. 10 shows another cut view of the connection another of the pair of connected panels cut in the center planes of the panels.

[0026] FIG. 11 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system.

[0027] FIG. 12 shows a partially exploded view of the base panel and catch array in the building system.

[0028] FIG. 13 shows another partially exploded view of the connection region of the pair of panels.

[0029] FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of a fastener array and a catch array.

[0030] FIG. 15 shows another partially exploded view of the connection region of the pair of panels.

[0031] FIG. 16 shows a view of a portion of a panel with a fastener array attached along an edge of the panel.

[0032] The present disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0033] The disclosure and its various features and advantageous details are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment can be employed with other embodiments as those skilled in the art would recognize, even if not explicitly stated. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

[0034] FIGS. 1-5 show various views of partially exploded parts of a building system for a building structure, according to the principles of the disclosure. More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a partially exploded view of a portion of a building system that can be included a building structure; FIG. 2 shows another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system; FIG. 3 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system; FIG. 4 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system; and FIG. 5 shows yet another view of the partially exploded portion of the building system. The building structure (not shown) can include a residential structure (for example, a house, an apartment building, a garage, a shed, etc.), a commercial or industrial structure (for example, a warehouse, a building, etc.), or an institutional structure (for example, school building, medical building, etc.).

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, in various embodiments the building system can include any one or more walls, floors, ceilings, or other structures comprising one or more panels 10 secured by a quick clip (QC) securement system 100. For instance, a building structure can include a building system comprising one or more panels 10 (10-1 to 10-n, where n is a positive integer greater than 0) and the QC securement system 100. The building system comprising the panel(s) 10 and QC securement system 100 can be assembled in situ or preassembled at a remote location and delivered to the building site. Each panel 10 can be secured to an adjoining panel 10 by the QC securement system 100 to form a wall, floor, ceiling, or other part of a building structure.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows a view of a base panel 20 and a skirt 30 that can be included in the building system. In various embodiments the floor can be constructed from one or more base panels 20, which can be set atop of the skirt 30. The skirt 30 can include a BFRP fabric that eliminates the need for a concrete underlaying. The skirt 30 can be constructed of a flexible BFRP fabric that can be rolled up into a roll for easy storage and transport.

[0037] The skirt 30 can be fastened to a planar surface of the base panel 20, for example, by an adhesive such as epoxy, and the base panel 20 with skirt 30 can be installed on the ground or below ground level to provide a positive connection to the earth, depending on the application. In certain applications the base panel 20 with the skirt 30 can be installed below the freeze level for the specific geographic location of the installation, such as, for example, at least two feet underground.

[0038] In various embodiments, multiple overlapping skirts 30 can be fastened to the base panel 20. The overlapping skirts 30 can be fastened to each other to cover an area of any width and length dimensions. The skirt(s) 30 can include holes to catch soil, gravel, or other materials when buried. For added strength, each skirt 30 can be oriented in the same plane but perpendicular in direction to the adjoining skirt 30. For instance, where the skirts 30 are made of a flexible BFRP material, the first skirt 30 can be placed flat atop of the base panel 20, and each adjoining skirt 30 can be rolled out perpendicular to the preceding skirt 30, with a layer of adhesive (for example, epoxy) between adjoining skirts 30 and between the base panel 20 and the first skirt 30.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the securement system 100 includes a fastener array 110 and a catch array 120, each of which can include a plurality of couplers 130 and/or a plurality catches 150. The fastener array 110 and the catch array 120 can each be constructed as a single component that attaches securely to an edge of a panel 10 (or base panel 20). The fastener array 110 can include a channel 112 (shown in FIG. 11) and the catch array 120 can include a channel 122 (shown in FIG. 12). Each of the channels 112, 122 can be dimensioned to mate with, and to secure to, an edge of a panel 10 (or 20), which can be recessed to include a recess (for example, recess 10R, shown in FIG. 12) such that an outer surface of the fastener array 110 or catch array 120 is coplanar and flush a surface of the panel. The channels 112, 122 can have a depth that is substantially equal to depth (or width) of the recess such that when the fastener array 110 or the catch array 120 is attached to a panel, all three inner walls of the channel engage a surface of the panel edge to provide snug and secure fit. The channels 112, 122 can be secured to the panel 10 (or 20) by a fastener such as, for example, an epoxy or high strength adhesive such as, for example, a bio-resin, a plant-based resin, or other resins or adhesives.

[0040] In certain embodiments the channels 112 and/or the 122 and/or corresponding panel edges can be configured with an attachment mechanism to form a snug and secure joint, including, for example, a dovetail, a tongue and groove, or other fastening configurations.

[0041] The fastener array 110 and the catch array 120 can be constructed such that a surface of the fastener array 110 and a surface of the catch array 120 can be nestled against each other such that each coupler 130 is fully seated in a corresponding catch 150. A layer of epoxy or suitable high strength adhesive can be included between the adjoining surfaces of the fastener array 110 and the catch array 120 to secure the components to each other. A layer of epoxy or suitable high strength adhesive can be included with a surface of the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 and a surface of the panel 10 or base panel 120 to secure the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 to the panel 10 or base panel 120. The catch 150 has dimensions matched to dimension of the coupler 130 that is to be received by, and nested in, the catch 150. The catch 150 can be configured as an inversion of the coupler 130. The catches 150 in a catch array 120 (or fastener array 110) can be configured as, for example, receiver couplers, each of which is configured to receive and fully seat a corresponding coupler 130 so as to securely fasten to each other and, thereby, fixedly secure the fastener array 110 to the catcher array 120. A layer of epoxy or suitable high strength adhesive can be included between each catch 150 and the corresponding coupler 130.

[0042] In various embodiments the fastener array 110 can include couplers 130, catches 150, or one or more combinations of couplers 130 and catches 150 arranged in one or more patterns, including, for example, alternating between coupler 130 and catch 150 along a length of the fastener array 110.

[0043] Similarly, the catch array 120 can include catches 150, couplers 130, or one or more combinations of catches 150 and couplers 130 arranged in one or more patterns, including alternating between catch 150 and coupler 130 along a length of the catch array 120. Importantly, whatever arrangement of catch-coupler the fastener array 110 is configured with, the corresponding catch array 120 should include an arrangement of oppositely configured couplers 130 and catches 150, configured to match and mate with the catches 150 and couplers 130 on the fastener array 110.

[0044] In various embodiments the fastener array 110 and the catch array 120 can be configured in any one or more of a variety of shapes, sizes, and catch-coupler combinations.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a view of a connection region of four panels 10 equipped with the securement system 100, including fastener arrays 110 and catch arrays 120. As seen, a fastener array 110 or a catch array 120 is secured to an edge portion of a panel 10 with a respective catch array 120 or respective fastener array 110 secured to an edge of an opposing panel 10 such that all four panels 10 are securely fastened to each other by the securement system comprising the fastener arrays 110 and catch arrays 120.

[0046] In various embodiments, including the embodiment depicted in, for example, FIGS. 5 and 7, the fastener arrays 110 and/or the catch arrays 120 can be configured with one or more corner elements 140, as well as without any corner elements 140. The fastener arrays 110 and/or the catch arrays 120 can be configured as one or more lengthwise components. The fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 can include a lip 145 (shown in FIG. 12).

[0047] In various embodiments, the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 can be configured to engage and secure to a recess 10R (shown in FIG. 12) such that, for example, a planar surface of the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 is substantially flush with and parallel to the planar surface of the panel 10 or base panel 20. The panel 10 and/or base panel 20 can be provided with a recess 10R along at least one of its sides. The panel 10 and/or base panel 20 can be provided with a corner element (CE) recess 144 (shown in FIGS. 11, 13), which can be dimensioned to receive the corner element 140 as seen in FIG. 13 such that an inner surface of the corner element 140 engages, and is fully seated on, a surface of the CE recess 144.

[0048] FIG. 8 shows a view of a connection region between a pair of panels 10-3, 10-4 and a panel 10-5 (or base panel 20, shown in FIG. 6) of the building system.

[0049] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 8, the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 can include a plurality of locks 150 that are configured for attachment to cement or other curable building material, allowing the cement or material to envelope the locks 150 and cure to the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120. In certain embodiments, one or more panels 10 or base panels 20 can include corresponding mating elements (not shown) that can receive and hold the locks 150. The corresponding mating elements can be attached to recess 10R or formed integrally with the panel edge or recess 10R.

[0050] FIGS. 9 and 10 show cut views of a connection region of the pair of panels 10-1 and 10-3 with a fastener array 110 and a catch array 120 nestled against each other to fasten and secure the panels 10-1 and 10-3 to each other. As seen, the corner element 140 of the fastener array 140 is nested in the corner element 140 of the catch array 120, and each coupler 130 is seated in a corresponding catch 150. A layer of epoxy can be included between each coupler 130 and the catch 150 in which it is seated.

[0051] FIGS. 11 and 12 show exploded partial views of the pair of panels 10-3 and 10-4 and the base panel 20. As discussed above, the fastener array 110 can include a channel 112 and the catch array 120 can include a channel 122, each configured to mate with and secure to a recess 10R on a panel 10, 20.

[0052] FIGS. 13 and 15 show exploded views of connection regions between a pair of panels; and FIGS. 14 and 16 show different views of a connection region comprising an end a fastener array 110 and an end of a catch array 120 equipped with a corner element, including an exploded view in FIG. 14 with a coupler 140 comprising a nested coupler 135 and a connected view in FIG. 16 with a corner element 140 comprising a nested catch 155. A layer of epoxy or suitable high strength adhesive can be included between the nested coupler 135 and the nested catch 155.

[0053] Referring to FIGS. 5, 11, and 13-15, the fastener array 110 and/or catch array 120 can be configured to have a corner element 140. The corner element can include a nested coupler 135, a nested catch 155, or a combination of one or more nested couplers 135 and nested catches 155. The corner element 140 of the fastener array 110 can include a landing 140L and a nested coupler 135 (shown in FIG. 14). The opposing corner element 140 of the catch array 120 can include an extension 140E and a nested catch 155. The extension 140E is configured to be seated (either fully or partially) in the landing 140L, while the nested coupler 135 is configured to be received and seated (either fully or partially) in the nested catch 155, so as to provide a snug and secure fit.

[0054] In the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 1-16, the couplers 130 and catches 150 have a cross-shape (.sub.+). In other embodiments, the couplers 130 and catches 150 can have other shapes, such as, for example, circles, squares, stars, semi-circles, triangles, or any other shape suitable for engaging and securing to corresponding, opposite coupler having the same shape.

[0055] The terms a, an, and the, as used in this disclosure, means one or more, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0056] The terms including, comprising and variations thereof, as used in this disclosure, mean including, but not limited to, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0057] Although process steps, method steps, algorithms, or the like, may be described in a sequential or a parallel order, such processes, methods and algorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described in a sequential order does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order; some steps may be performed simultaneously. Similarly, if a sequence or order of steps is described in a parallel (or simultaneous) order, such steps can be performed in a sequential order. The steps of the processes, methods or algorithms described herein may be performed in any order practical.

[0058] When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article. The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features.

[0059] The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes can be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention encompassed by the present disclosure, which is defined by the set of recitations in the following claims and by structures and functions or steps which are equivalent to these recitations.