Patents Represented by Attorney Laird F. Miller
  • Patent number: 4843784
    Abstract: A wallboard and stud unit formed of an elongate strip of foldable steel affixed to the wallboard back face, adapted to be folded outwardly away from the wallboard to function as a wall stud, in a hollow wall having a plurality of such units in back-to-back relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Menchetti, Richard P. Weir, Robert M. Chapman
  • Patent number: 4843790
    Abstract: A casing trim, and the combination therewith of a flat vinyl strip, and the method of concealing building wooden casings and the like, wherein the casing trim is nailed to the edge portion of a casing, with one flange of the casing trim extending over an edge of the casing, and the perpendicularly directed face portion has a channel which receives and retains an edge of the flat vinyl strip. In an added embodiment, the flat vinyl strip is replaced by a wide cap having a rearwardly extending flange, for engagement in a forwardly extending channel of a receiver, all of which are disposed around the edge of adjacent vinyl siding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Salvatore R. Taravella
  • Patent number: 4843771
    Abstract: A wall in which at least one wall trim member has a face portion, spaced outwardly from the plane of the wallboard, and has an angled sidewall which, by its angled nature, tends to blend with both the wall trim face portion and the wallboard surface, which angled side wall is removed in short sections of this first wall trim member whereat a second wall trim member, with a face coplanar with the first wall trim member face portion, is abutted against the first wall trim member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventors: Robert M. Chapman, Robert J. Menchetti
  • Patent number: 4843783
    Abstract: A casing trim, and the combination therewith of a flat vinyl strip, and the method of concealing building wooden casings and the like, wherein the casing trim is nailed to the edge portion of a casing, with one flange of the casing trim extending over an edge of the casing, and the perpendicularly directed face portion has a channel which receives and retains an edge of the flat vinyl strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Salvatore R. Taravella
  • Patent number: 4837988
    Abstract: A secondary vertical stud or furniture channel for mounting against one side of a plurality of vertically spaced upwardly opening horizontal channels in a hollow partition wall framework, with slots in the secondary stud for engaging the upwardly extending flanges of the horizontal channels. The secondary studs are able to be freely located at any position along the length of the wall, for supporting wall furniture where desired, for locating a perpendicularly extending second partition wall wherever desired, or for receiving fasteners or adding stability to the wall framework wherever desired, by very simple installation procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Menchetti, Richard P. Weir
  • Patent number: 4811539
    Abstract: A wall framing system including U-shaped metal studs in which there are two web portions with a plurality of aligned holes in the two webs, short sections of channel are disposed through said aligned holes for supporting wallboard thereon, and means are provided near the ends of the short channel for maintaining the ends of the channels in a fixed position relative to the wallboard supported thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Robert J. Menchetti
  • Patent number: 4802321
    Abstract: A ceiling panel, in a drop ceiling, formed from a relatively large ceiling board and at least one reinforcing metal channel affixed to the board top side, in which the channel has at least one opening shaped to form a tongue. The tongue extends into an opening on a metal plate which is mechanically affixed to the top of the board, such as by a plurality of tangs which penetrate the back of the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Robert J. Menchetti
  • Patent number: 4800695
    Abstract: An electrical raceway floor track and a partition embodying such floor track wherein the floor track is an elongate aluminum extrusion with a relatively wide upwardly opening lower channel connected to a relatively narrower upwardly opening upper channel by a solid rigid vertical wall. Wallboards and studs are supported by the upper channel, utilities are disposed between the channels and base trim strips are attached to the lower channel to hide the track and utilities. Electrical boxes and cable shelves are easily mounted between the channels with clips engaging ridges in the channels. Shallow grooves guide during screw insertion and provide lines of weakness for removal of short narrow sections where needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Robert J. Menchetti
  • Patent number: 4796396
    Abstract: A wallboard and stud unit formed of an elongate strip of foldable steel affixed to the wallboard back face, adapted to be folded outwardly away from the wallboard to function as a wall stud, in a hollow wall having a plurality of such units in back-to-back relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1989
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Robert J. Menchetti
  • Patent number: 4782638
    Abstract: Post-formed vinyl siding affixed to a substructure by nails extending through a channel shaped hurricane clip disposed over the top nailing portion of the siding. A top narrow strip of the clip front leg projects outwardly a short distance to form a guide so an applicator won't drive the nail in tightly and prevent movement of the siding during expansion and contraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1988
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: John K. Hovind
  • Patent number: 4741929
    Abstract: A roll-coating apparatus and method of using it, the apparatus having a pair of narrow rubber tires mounted to be driven by the roll-coater doctor roll, disposed to transfer a narrow band of coating material along the two opposite edge areas of a board which is subsequently coated throughout the full width of the board by the roll-coater main applicator roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Donald A. Kossuth
  • Patent number: 4719730
    Abstract: A demountable partition wall with laminated panels hung from a wall framework by clips applied to the back of the panel. The panels are sound absorbing tack boards, consisting essentially of a gypsum wallboard base board, a mineral fiber board core board and a porous decorative sheet of material adhered to the core board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventor: Daniel A. Winkowski
  • Patent number: 4700515
    Abstract: Formed sheet metal clips, affixed relative to a wall panel being mounted, support the panel on a central downwardly extending hump in the clip, which provides a pivot point permitting slight rotation of the vertically extending panel, for easy placement in exactly the desired vertical extent prior to affixing the panel in place, as by screws or adhesive. The clips may be affixed to the panel bottom or to a floor track and may additionally provide means for affixing a wall base trim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1987
    Assignee: National Gypsum Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Menchetti, Robert M. Chapman
  • Patent number: 4654244
    Abstract: The present invention concerns loose-lay floor structures comprising at least two layers of reinforcing material and processes to design and produce them. Loose-lay floors may be designed which will be suitable for use over stable subfloors, or which will accommodate the movement of very unstable subfloors. Flooring constructed according to this invention will have the ability to resist buckling, curling and doming, and will resist moving under a rolling load. A process is also provided for modifying structures comprising a single reinforcing layer in situ so as to convert structures with unacceptable buckling characteristics into structures with acceptable buckling characteristics. As an alternative, the reinforcing layer may be premodified such that, when used to provide a surface covering, the covering will have acceptable buckling characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald C. Eckert, J. Richard George, George L. Lilley, Darryl L. Sensenig, James A. Tshudy
  • Patent number: 4646955
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for segmenting groove molded building boards. In a preferred embodiment, a sheet of groove molded board is conveyed onto a first apparatus which separates the side edge trim scrap from the board. The board then passes onto a segmenting apparatus comprising a first horizontal conveyor, an inclined conveyor, a second generally horizontal conveyor, and adjustably mounted roller assemblies. The first apparatus removes the side-edge trim scrap from the board and the second segmenting apparatus breaks the groove molded board transversely along the groove molded lines. In addition, the second apparatus separates the leading and trailing edge scrap so as to provide individual board panels which require no additional trimming. As an alternative, two segmenting conveyors can be used in tandem so as to remove all of the scrap, thereby obviating the need for the first trim-scrap removing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John R. Garrick, Karl B. Himmelberger
  • Patent number: 4637896
    Abstract: The present invention concerns novel cholesteric liquid crystalline monomers and combinations thereof with materials that will support formation of a mixture which demonstrates cholesteric liquid crystalline properties. These materials may be formed as coatings, heated or cooled to a desired temperature to cause the cholesteric coating to exhibit a desired optical response, and photopolymerized to essentially fix the optical characteristics of the resulting polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1987
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Shannon
  • Patent number: 4624213
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a curtain coating apparatus by which a foamable or foaming material is conveyed from a mixing apparatus through a distributor comprising a plurality of conveying tubes to a curtain coating slot. The apparatus comprises homogenization means for agitating the mixture such that the merging streams of foamable or foaming material are intermixed so as to provide a substantially uniform material which emerges from the curtain coating slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1986
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Harry F. Long, Donald J. Misselhorn, Michael Tomchany
  • Patent number: 4619860
    Abstract: The present invention relates to laminated acoustical tile products which are derived from compositions that are suitable to provide rigid, water-resistant phosphate ceramic materials. The tile products comprise a decorative facing comprising a substantially open-celled character and a backing layer of higher density, the backing layer and edges of the tile comprising substantially closed-celled facing characteristics. The backing layer provides structural strength and dimensional stability to the tile product whereas the decorative, open-celled facing provides access by sound waves to the interior regions of the board. The resulting composite material provides good acoustical performance, yet is capable of withstanding conventional handling stresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: David S. Brown, John S. Forry, Nancy E. Mentzer, Donald J. Misselhorn
  • Patent number: 4614619
    Abstract: The present invention concerns novel cholesteric liquid crystalline monomers which are useful to form polymeric materials having unique optical properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1986
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Shannon
  • Patent number: 4605584
    Abstract: The present invention relates to structures exhibiting unique appearances resulting from the presence of crinkled chip materials. A reflective and/or nacreous platelet or flake material is intermixed with a plasticizer and a general purpose resin, and the mixture is formed into a reflective sheet. The reflective sheet is pulverized to provide a chip material which is then used alone or in combination with other chips to form a mottle comprising a vinyl chloride resin and a plasticizer. Upon consolidating the mottle into a decorative surface, the nacreous and/or reflective chips are found to surprisingly exhibit an enhanced crinkled appearance, thereby exhibiting unique aesthetic properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard E. Herr, Jr., William J. Kauffman, Cheryl W. Landers