Flexible wall-covering attaching means

Claim 2

An attaching structure for use in attaching flexible sheet wall covering to a wall surface comprising a bracket-mounting strip adapted to be attached to the wall surface with an exposed face and having transversely opposed longitudinally extending outer and inner edges, a plurality of separate brackets for producing desired contours in the covering and adapted to be attached to the strip at longitudinal intervals therealong, said brackets having transversely opposed inner and outer edges and legs with extremities for contacting with the strip, said brackets being of less extent transversely than the transverse extent of the strip, interfitting means between the extremities of the legs and the strip for attaching each bracket to the strip, said means comprising mounting lugs extending from the face of the strip and transversely of the strip and arranged in opposed pairs with the lugs of the pairs directed laterally toward each other to provide flange-receiving sockets which open toward each other, laterally extending attaching flanges on the inner extremities of the legs spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the longitudinal spacing of said mounting lugs and extending laterally outwardly in opposite directions, said flanges being spaced apart substantially the same as the opposed mounting lugs on the strip so that when the bracket is moved transversely inwardly of the strip they will slide into said sockets beneath said mounting lugs, stop lugs on the outer ends of said flanges for engaging said mounting lugs to limit transverse inward movement of said bracket, hooks on the brackets for engaging and holding the flexible sheet wall covering and which are directed outwardly toward the stop lugs so that inward pull exerted by the covering will move the stop lugs of the brackets into contact with the mounting lugs of the strip.

Claim 3

Structure according to claim 1 in which said mounting lugs on the strip are provided in transversely spaced pairs of laterally opposed lugs in the face of the strip at longitudinal intervals, said flanges of each bracket having laterally outwardly opening notches intermediate their inner and outer ends to permit slipping of the flanges over the respective outer pair of said mounting lugs into contact with said face and then transverse movement of the bracket to position the adjacent portions of the flanges beneath the mounting lugs of the transversely spaced pairs on said strip.

Claim 4

Structure according to claim 2 in which the mounting lugs of the strip frictionally engage the flanges to press them against the underlying face of the strip to retain them in position on the strip.

Claim 5

A wall covering comprising flexible sheet material and means for attacHing it to a wall surface, said means comprising upper and lower bracket mounting strips extending along the wall surface and attached thereto, each of said strips having upper and lower edges and an exposed face, a plurality of separate brackets for producing desired contours in the covering attached to each of the strips at longitudinal intervals therealong, said brackets having upper and lower edges and legs with inner extremities for contacting with the strip, said brackets being of less vertical extent than the strips, interfitting means between the inner extremities of the legs and the strip for attaching each bracket to the strip, said means comprising mounting lugs extending outwardly from the face of the strip and vertically of the strip and arranged in opposed pairs with the lugs of the pairs directed horizontally toward each other to provide flange-receiving sockets which open horizontally inwardly toward each other, laterally extending attaching flanges on the inner extremities of the lugs spaced horizontally apart a distance substantially equal to the longitudinal spacing of said lugs and extending horizontally in opposite directions, said flanges being spaced apart horizontally substantially the same as the opposed mounting lugs on the strip so that when the bracket is moved vertically inwardly of the strip they will slide into said sockets beneath said mounting lugs, stop lugs on one of the end of each of said flanges for engaging said mounting lugs to limit vertical movement of said bracket, hooks on the bracket engaging and holding the flexible sheet wall covering and which are directed vertically toward the stop lugs, said mounting lugs of the brackets frictionally engaging the flanges to press them in against the underlying face of the strip to retain them in position on the strip, the brackets on the upper strip having the stop lugs uppermost and the brackets on the lower strip being reversed with the stop lugs lowermost so that vertical pulls exerted by said covering will tend to move the brackets on the upper strip downwardly and the brackets on the lower strip upwardly.

Claim 6

A wall covering comprising flexible sheet material and means for attacHing it to a wall surface, said means comprising upper and lower bracket mounting strips extending along the wall surface and attached thereto, each of said strips having upper and lower edges and an exposed face, a plurality of separate brackets for producing desired contours in the covering attached to each of the strips at longitudinal intervals therealong, said brackets having upper and lower edges and legs with inner extremities for contacting with the strip, said brackets being of less vertical extent than the strips, interfitting means between the inner extremities of the legs and the strip for attaching each bracket to the strip, said means comprising mounting lugs extending outwardly from the face of the strip and vertically of the strip and arranged in opposed pairs with the lugs of the pairs directed horizontally toward each other to provide flange-receiving sockets which open horizontally inwardly toward each other, laterally extending attaching flanges on the inner extremities of the lugs spaced horizontally apart a distance substantially equal to the longitudinal spacing of said lugs and extending horizontally in opposite directions, said flanges being spaced apart horizontally substantially the same as the opposed mounting lugs on the strip so that when the bracket is moved vertically inwardly of the strip they will slide into said sockets beneath said mounting lugs, stop lugs on one of the end of each of said flanges for engaging said mounting lugs to limit vertical movement of said bracket, hooks on the bracket engaging and holding the flexible sheet wall covering and which are directed vertically toward the stop lugs, said mounting lugs of the brackets frictionally engaging the flanges to press them in against the underlying face of the strip to retain them in position on the strip, the brackets on the upper strip having the stop lugs uppermost and the brackets on the lower strip being reversed with the stop lugs lowermost so that vertical pulls exerted by said covering will tend to move the brackets on the upper strip downwardly and the brackets on the lower strip upwardly.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 in which said mounting lugs on each strip are provided in transversely spaced pairs of laterally opposed lugs on the face of the strip at longitudinal intervals, said flanges of each bracket having laterally outwardly opening notches intermediate their inner and outer ends to permit slipping of the flanges over the respective outer pair of said mounting lugs into contact with said face and then transverse movement of the bracket to position the adjacent portions of the flanges beneath the mounting lugs of the transversely spaced pairs on said strip.