초록 ▼

A cover tile for releasable cooperation with one side of a wall panel frame. The cover tile has elongate rails fixed to the rear side thereof so that the rail ends terminate adjacent corners of the tile. A pair of connector clips are engaged on the rail for disposition at the corners of the tile. Ea

A cover tile for releasable cooperation with one side of a wall panel frame. The cover tile has elongate rails fixed to the rear side thereof so that the rail ends terminate adjacent corners of the tile. A pair of connector clips are engaged on the rail for disposition at the corners of the tile. Each connector clip includes a main channel-like body transversely slidably engaged on the rail, and this body has a transversely protruding spring or hook projection for cooperation with an opening in the panel frame. The main body of the clip, in one of the legs of the channel-shaped body, has a transversely deformed positioning tab adapted for cooperation with a positioning notch formed in the rail. The one leg also has a locking tab deformed transversely for cooperation with an edge formed on the respective rail to fixedly positionally secure the clip on the rail in the transverse direction thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A wall panel tile for connection to one side of a panel frame for an upright wall panel, comprising: a main upright tile body having opposite-facing front and rear sides that have height and width dimensions which are large relative to a thickness dimension defined transverse

What is claimed is: 1. A wall panel tile for connection to one side of a panel frame for an upright wall panel, comprising: a main upright tile body having opposite-facing front and rear sides that have height and width dimensions which are large relative to a thickness dimension defined transverse to said main tile body, said front and rear sides defining an outer free edge extending about an inner tile section; an elongate rigid connector member which extends lengthwise in a lengthwise direction between opposite ends, said connector member being fixed to said main tile body rearwardly adjacent said rear side thereof and extending lengthwise along said free edge of said main tile body, which said free edge is disposed outwardly adjacent to said connector member, the outwardly direction extending away from the center of the main tile body and towards the outer free edge thereof; said connector member having a channel-shaped connector part which extends lengthwise and has an outwardly projecting connector leg terminating at a shoulder which outwardly faces the adjacent free edge of said main body in an outward direction to define an outward facing shoulder surface; said connector part, in the vicinity of each said opposite end thereof, having a positioning notch which is formed in said shoulder and opens transversely away from said tile body; a pair of one-piece connector brackets mounted on said connector member adjacent said opposite ends thereof for permitting releasable engagement with the panel frame; each said connector bracket including an open U-shaped body having a bracket interior sized to outwardly slidably engage said U-shaped body in said outward direction over the connector part of the connector member, said U-shaped body having one side thereof defined by a plate-like leg part which is cantilevered from the connector part so as to extend outwardly toward said adjacent free edge of said main body; said leg part having a transversely deformed locking tab which is an integral and monolithic part of said leg part and which has a tab surface that faces in an inward direction opposite said outward direction so that said locking tab is disposed in an overlapping position outwardly adjacent to said shoulder to prevent reverse inward sliding disengagement of said U-shaped body from the connector part, said locking tab being spaced in the lengthwise direction away from said positioning notch when the connector bracket is mounted on the connector member; said leg part also having a transversely deformed positioning tab which is spaced in the lengthwise direction away from said locking tab and is cantilevered so as to extend inwardly generally away from said adjacent free edge for engagement within said positioning notch when the bracket is mounted on the connector member, said locking tab being engaged with said shoulder outside of said positioning notch while said positioning tab is engaged transversely within said positioning notch; and said leg part also having a frame-engaging projection cantilevered transversely outwardly from said leg part in a direction away from said U-shaped body, said projection being configured for engagement within an opening formed in said panel frame for attaching said cover tile to said panel frame. 2. The cover tile according to claim 1, wherein said leg part has a pair of said locking tabs formed therein in sidewardly spaced relationship so as to be spaced apart lengthwise relative to said connector member, and said positioning tab is positioned sidewardly between said pair of locking tabs so as to be separated from said locking tabs. 3. A cover tile according to claim 2, wherein said U-shaped body has a second plate-like leg part cantilevered in generally parallel relationship to said one leg part, said second leg part projecting toward said adjacent free edge through a smaller distance than said one leg part. 4. A cover tile according to claim 2, wherein said bracket is formed as an integral, monolithic, one-piece structure shaped from a single piece of thin metal plate. 5. A cover tile according to claim 2, wherein said frame-engaging projection is defined by a single strip of thin metal plate bent into an open channel-like shape which is resiliently deformable to permit engagement within an opening in said panel frame. 6. A cover tile according to claim 2, wherein said frame-engaging projection is cantilevered downwardly and defines a hook shape for engagement within an opening in the panel frame. 7. A cover tile according to claim 2, wherein said channel-shaped connector part includes a base leg which rearwardly overlies a rear surface of said main body, a bight joined to said base leg and projecting transversely rearwardly thereof, and said connector leg joined to said bight and cantilevered outwardly toward the adjacent free edge of said main body in substantially parallel relationship to said base leg, said connector leg terminating at an outer edge which is spaced from the adjacent free edge of the main body and which defines said shoulder, said positioning notch being formed in said outer edge. 8. A cover tile according to claim 7, wherein said U-shaped body has a second plate-like leg part cantilevered in generally parallel relationship to said one leg part, said second leg part projecting toward said adjacent free edge thereof through a smaller distance than said one leg part; and wherein said second leg part of said bracket is positioned between said connector part and the rear surface of said main tile body, and said one leg part overlies said outer leg of said connector part and is cantilevered beyond said shoulder and terminates at an outer edge positioned more closely adjacent the adjacent free edge of the main tile body, and said projection being located between said shoulder and the outer edge of said one leg part. 9. A cover tile according to claim 1, wherein the locking tab is defined on one side thereof by a slit which is formed in a side edge of said leg part and which opens inwardly from said side edge of said leg part. 10. A cover tile according to claim 9, wherein said leg part has an enlarged U-shaped clearance opening formed therethrough in surrounding relationship to said positioning tab. 11. A cover tile according to claim 10, wherein said leg part has a pair of said locking tabs formed therein in sidewardly spaced relationship so as to be spaced apart lengthwise relative to said connector member, and said positioning tab is positioned sidewardly between said pair of locking tabs so as to be separated from said locking tabs. 12. A cover tile for attachment to one side of an upright wall panel frame having attachment openings associated with the one side thereof, said cover tile comprising: a generally rectangular, thin main body having front and back surfaces which face sidewardly in opposite front and rear directions and define a pair of parallel outer free edges from which said front and back surfaces extend inwardly; a pair of elongate and substantially parallel reinforcing rails disposed rearwardly adjacent and overlying the back surface of said rectangular main body adjacent a respective one of said pair of parallel outer free edges defined on said main body; each said rail including in cross section a base wall which substantially rearwardly overlies the back surface in opposing relation therewith, and an inner edge channel part having a first leg contiguous with the base wall, the first leg of the inner edge channel part protruding rearwardly relative to the base wall and having a channel part back leg on said first leg which is spaced rearwardly from and projects generally parallel with said base wall, said channel part back leg being cantilevered toward the adjacent free edge of said main body but terminating at an outer edge which is spaced inwardly from the adjacent free edge of said main body and is spaced rearwardly from said base wall, said channel part back leg having a positioning notch opening rearwardly and outwardly from the outer edge thereof wherein the outer edge faces outwardly toward said outer free edge of said main body; a bracket fixedly mounted on said rail adjacent each end thereof for permitting releasable attachment to a panel frame, said bracket comprising a monolithic one-piece member formed entirely from a thin metal plate; said bracket having an open U-shaped body defined by generally parallel front and back bracket leg parts which are cantilevered in generally parallel relationship from a bight part and are sidewardly spaced apart from each other to define an open-sided bracket interior, the sideward spacing between said front and back bracket leg parts enabling the U-shaped body to be transversely slidably engaged in an outward direction over said edge channel part of said rail, which said edge channel part is received in said bracket interior so that the front and back bracket leg parts protrude outwardly toward the adjacent free edge of said main body and respectively overlap said base wall and said channel part back leg of said edge channel part; said back bracket leg part of said bracket having a positioning tab cantilevered generally toward the bight part and transversely angled into said bracket interior for protrusion into the positioning notch formed in the channel part back leg of said edge channel part to prevent the bracket from moving along the rail in the lengthwise extent thereof; said back bracket leg part having a locking tab deformed transversely therefrom at a location spaced lengthwise from the bight part and said positioning tab so that the locking tab is spaced from said positioning notch and protrudes in front of and faces inwardly toward the outer edge of the channel part back leg to prevent the bracket from being transversely slidably disengaged from the rail in an inward direction; and said back bracket leg part of said bracket also having a frame-engaging projection transversely cantilevered rearwardly for insertion into an opening in the panel frame, said projection being configured for engagement with an edge wall defining the opening. 13. A cover tile according to claim 12, wherein the back bracket leg part of the bracket has a pair of said locking tabs deformed forwardly therefrom into the bracket interior and adjacent opposite side edges of the back bracket leg part for cooperation with the outer edge of the channel part back leg at two sidewardly spaced locations, said positioning tab being positioned sidewardly between said locking tabs, and said positioning notch being located between said two locations. 14. A cover tile according to claim 12, wherein said positioning notch is defined by an inner notch edge spaced inwardly of said outer edge of said channel part back leg, and side notch edges extending outwardly between said inner notch edge and said outer edge of said channel part back leg, said positioning tab having a width proximate said positioning notch such that said notch side edges are disposed proximate opposite sides of said positioning tab to restrain movement of said bracket lengthwise along said rail. 15. A cover tile according to claim 14, wherein said locking tab is disposed at said outer edge of said channel part back leg outwardly of said inner notch edge. 16. A cover tile according to claim 12, wherein said back bracket leg part of said bracket projects outwardly beyond said outer edge and has a stop flange cantilevered forwardly and terminating in close proximity to said base wall.