INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACE ANCHORING SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for attaching interior or exterior surfaces, such as drywall or siding, is disclosed. An integrally insulated concrete wall is described that includes two concrete wythes, insulation sandwiched between the wythes, and connectors that extend through the insulation. At the end of the connector, an anchor is provided. In order to attach a surface such as drywall or siding to the concrete, nails or screws are driven through the surface and into the anchors, thus eliminating the need to construct a frame.

Description

The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/965,453, filed Aug. 20, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to integrally insulated concrete walls or wall components. This invention is an improvement of existing methods of anchoring drywall, siding, or other surfaces to concrete walls or wall components.

Integrally insulated concrete walls (also known as sandwich walls) are well known in the art and offer a number of advantages to the residential and commercial building construction. These walls are typically cast at a manufacturing plant or on-site. The walls can be cast horizontally or vertically.

Integrally insulated concrete walls contain two outer layers or wythes of concrete sandwiching rigid insulation board. Connectors are used to tie the outer layer concrete with the inner layer concrete through the insulation. The connectors can be metallic or non-metallic. Typically, the rigid insulation board is a type of extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, or polyisocyanurate or other rigid board insulation. Many types of connectors, both metallic and non-metallic, are available in the market.

Installation of drywall on concrete walls can be difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Previous methods of installing drywall onto concrete walls require building a frame or stud wall next to the interior surface of the interior layer of concrete (wooden or metal) and then attaching the drywall to the stud wall or frame. In the alternative, drywall can be attached directly to the concrete using special concrete screws drilled directly into the concrete using a concrete drill.

In the present invention, drywall is anchored to concrete walls without the need for a stud wall, frame, special concrete screws, or a concrete drill. Instead, anchors are provided within the concrete. The drywall can be screwed or nailed into the anchors without the need for special concrete screws.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved system for anchoring drywall.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a system for anchoring drywall that does not require construction of a stud wall or frame for drywall attachment.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a system for anchoring siding or other surfaces directly to a concrete wall.

A further objective of present invention is to provide an anchoring system which does not have to be pre-attached to forming materials in order to remain at the surface of the cast concrete.

These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention of anchoring drywall, siding, or other surfaces, the wall panels are fabricated with two outer layers of concrete that sandwich an insulation layer. Connectors are used to tie the outer layer concrete with the inner layer concrete through the insulation. Anchors are attached to the end of the connectors. These anchors are permanently cast into the concrete. Once the wall has cured, drywall, siding, or other surfaces can be installed directly on the concrete wall. The surface is attached to the concrete wall by nails or screws that are driven into the anchor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drywall anchoring system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector and anchor of the drywall anchoring system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an insulated wall panel showing the anchoring system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrated generally in FIG. 1 is the drywall anchoring system 10 of the present invention. Two concrete layers 12, 14 surround a layer of insulation 16. Connectors 18 extend through the insulation 16. One portion of the connector 18 is consolidated in the first concrete layer 12, and the second, generally opposite portion of the connector 18 is consolidated in the second concrete layer 14. In one embodiment, the insulation 16 is extruded polystyrene board insulation with fiber composite connectors 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, at the end of the connector 18, an anchor 20 is provided. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one concrete wythe 12 is partially removed in order to show the connector 18 and anchor 20. In one embodiment, the anchor 20 is circular, plastic, and has some backdraft so it will permanently stay in the concrete. It is to be understood that the anchor 20 can be made from any material and in any shape. For example, the anchor 20 may be made from composite material, plastic, metal, or wood. The anchor 20 could also be a continuous strip. The anchor 20 is placed on the connector 18 before or after the concrete wythes are formed. The anchor 20 is placed on the connector 18 so that the face of the anchor is substantially flush with the surface of the concrete wythes 12, 14 when the wythes 12, 14 have cured. The anchor 20 is permanently cast into the concrete.

In order to attach drywall 22 to the concrete wythe 12, a connecting means 24 such as a nail or screw is driven through the drywall 22 and into the anchor 20. In one embodiment, construction adhesive is placed on the concrete wall, and then connecting means 24 are driven into anchors 20. In this embodiment, between five and six screws 24 are typically required in a 32 square foot wall. This is substantially fewer screws or nails than that required when securing drywall to a frame or stud wall. In an alternative embodiment, no construction adhesive is used and more screws 24 are used to secure the drywall 22 to the anchors 20.

In prior art methods of building a wall and hanging drywall, the frame or stud wall provided space for electrical conduits and boxes, such that these conduits and boxes were within the frame or stud wall. In this invention, electrical conduits and boxes may be installed before the concrete is poured. As a result, the conduits or boxes are embedded in the concrete, and there is no need to create space for these boxes or conduits within a stud wall or frame.

This anchoring system may also be used to anchor siding or other surfaces to the concrete panels 12, 14. Siding is nailed or screwed directly into the anchors 20. In this way, the invention described herein is both an interior and an exterior anchoring system.

The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of anchoring drywall, siding or other surfaces to an integrally insulated sandwich wall, comprising the steps of:

a) providing an integrally insulated sandwich wall comprised of first and second spaced apart layers of concrete, a layer of insulating material sandwiched between the first and second layers of concrete, and a plurality of connectors extending through the layer of insulating material;

b) providing an anchor at the end of the connectors, wherein the anchor is permanently cast into the concrete; and

c) attaching drywall, siding or other surfaces to at least one of the layers of concrete with a connecting means, wherein the connecting means is driven through the panel into the anchor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein the anchor is provided only at the interior end of the connector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein the anchor is provided only at the exterior end of the connector.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein an anchor is provided at both the ends of the connector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises a strip at the end of a row of connectors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the anchors are comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of composite material, wood, plastic and metal.

7. A wall section, comprising:

a) an integrally insulated sandwich wall comprised of first and second spaced apart layers of concrete, a layer of insulating material sandwiched between the first and second layers of concrete, and a plurality of connectors extending through the layer of insulating material;

b) an anchor at the end of the connectors, wherein the anchor is permanently cast into the concrete; and

c) drywall, siding or other surfaces attached to at least one of the layers of concrete with a connecting means, wherein the connecting means is driven through the panel into the anchor.

8. The wall of claim 7, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein the anchor is provided only at the interior end of the connector.

9. The wall of claim 7, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein the anchor is provided only at the exterior end of the connector.

10. The wall of claim 7, wherein the connector has an interior end embedded in an interior layer of concrete and an exterior end embedded in an exterior layer of concrete and wherein an anchor is provided at both the ends of the connector.

11. The wall of claim 7, wherein the anchor comprises a strip at the end of a row of connectors.

12. The wall of claim 7, wherein the anchors are comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of composite material, wood, plastic and metal.