Snap action panel wall construction

Claim 2

A panel wall construction comprising: a plurality of spaced girts defining a framework, a plurality of construction panels comprising sheet metal sections, said sections defining walls and having opposite interengaging panel edges, one of said edges shaped to define a u-shaped socket and provided with a flange extending away from the socket, the other edge provided with a U-shaped tongue, said panels being secured to the girts by fasteners passing through said flange, each of said panels interengaging adjacent panels to form a continuous wall; and a plurality of clips held against the flange by said fasteners, each of said clips having a flexible tab bent upwardly from said flange and extending toward said socket such that an unfastened panel may be moved into place by inserting the U-shaped tongue into the U-shaped socket whereby the tab is depressed until the tongue has moved past it toward the socket and then the tab snaps to its undepressed original position for securing the tongue should it be pulled away from the socket.

Claim 3

A panel wall construction comprising: a plurality of spaced girts defining a framework, a plurality of construction panels comprising sheet metal sections, said sections defining walls and having opposite interengaging panel edges, one of said edges shaped to define a U-shaped socket and provided with a flange extending away from the socket, the edge of the flange being bent to form a narrow web extending upwardly from said flange, the other edge provided with a U-shaped tongue, said panels being secured to the girts by fasteners passing through said flange, each of said panels interengaging adjacent panels to form a continuous wall; and a plurality of clips held against the flange by said fasteners, each of said clips having a folded edge for clamping over the web of the flange on the panels and a flexible tab along the other edge of the clip bent upwardly from said flange and toward said socket such that an unfastened panel may be moved into place by inserting the U-shaped tongue into the U-shaped socket whereby the tab is depressed until the tongue has moved past it toward the socket and then the tab snaps to its undepressed original position for securing the tongue should it be pulled away from the socket.

Claim 4

A panel wall construction comprising: a plurality of spaced girts defining a framework, a plurality of construction panels comprising sheet metal sections, said sections defining walls and having opposite interengaging panel edges, one of said edges shaped to define a U-shaped socket and provided with a flange extending away from the socket, the edge of the flange being bent to form a narrow web extending upwardly from said flange, the other edge provided with a U-shaped tongue, said panels being secured to the girts by fasteners passing through said flange, each of said panels interengaging adjacent panels to form a continuous wall; and a plurality of clips held against the flange by said fasteners, each of said clips having a folded edge for clamping over the web of the flange on the panels and a flexible tab along the other edge of the clip bent upwardly from said flange and toward said socket such that an unfastened panel may be moved into place by inserting the U-shaped tongue into the U-shaped socket whereby the tab is depressed until the tongue has moved past it toward the socket and then the tab snaps to its undepressed original position for securing the tongue should it be pulled away from the socket.