Wall Structure

Abstract

A wall is constructed from many wall units ( 31, 32, 33 ) that are fastened together, with each wall unit having moderate width and height dimensions. Each wall unit includes a pair of parallel and aligned face plates ( 40, 42 ) and a middle plate ( 44 ) sandwiched between the face plates. The middle plate is offset a distance (Df, Du) from alignment with the face plates, to leave a first unit ( 31 ) with a pair of tongues ( 60 A, 62 A) that project forwardly (F) and upwardly (U), and to leave a pair of grooves ( 64 A, 66 A) at the rear and bottom of the first unit. A frontward projecting tongue ( 60 B) of a second unit ( 32 ) projects into a groove ( 64 A) in the first unit, and an upwardly projecting tongue ( 62 A) of the first unit projects upward into a groove ( 66 C) at the bottom of a third unit ( 33 ).

1 . A wall structure comprising:
 a plurality of wall units ( 31 ,  32 ,  33 ) that each has a pair of face plate regions ( 40 ,  42 ,  94 ,  96 ) with primarily rectangular faces, the face plate regions extending parallel to each other and being spaced apart to leave a slot ( 64 ,  66 ) between the pair of said face plate regions, each wall unit having a middle plate region ( 44 ,  96 ) of approximately the same size as said face plate regions and that is sandwiched between and fixed to said pair of face plate regions, said middle plate region having a front edge ( 60 A) that projects forwardly beyond front edges ( 52 ) of said face plate regions to leave a rear slot ( 64 A) between rear portions of said outer plate regions;   each pair of face plates of a first wall unit ( 31 ) having primarily parallel rear plate edges ( 51 ), and each middle plate region of a second wall unit ( 32 ) forms a tongue ( 60 B) that projects forwardly into the rear slot ( 64 A) of said first unit ( 31 ) and that is fastened to the outer plate regions of said first unit.   
     
     
         2 . The wall structure described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said middle plate region ( 44 ) of said first wall unit ( 31 ) has a top edge ( 62 A) that projects upward above upper edges ( 54 ) of said first wall unit face plate region to leave said first wall unit with an upwardly projecting tongue ( 62 A) at its top;   said wall structure includes a third unit ( 33 ) that lies above said first unit;   a middle plate region ( 44 ) of said third unit is recessed upward from bottom edges ( 53 ) of the outer plate regions of said third unit to form a third unit bottom groove ( 66 C) extending upward into a bottom of said third unit to receive said upward projecting tongue ( 62 A).   
     
     
         3 . The wall structure described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said wall units are arranged in rows ( 14 ,  16 ) and columns ( 20 ,  22 ), with each row extending primarily horizontally and each column extending primarily vertically;   the middle plate region ( 44 ) of each wall unit has approximately the same width and height as the width and height of face plate regions of the unit;   each of a plurality of said wall units that lies in a first column has a groove ( 64 ) in its rear (R) and a groove ( 66 ) in its bottom (D) and has a tongue ( 60 ,  66 ) that projects at a front and top of the wall unit, with each tongue of a wall unit ( 31 ) of said first column projecting rearward or upward into a groove of another unit.   
     
     
         4 . The wall structure described in  claim 1  wherein:
 the face plate regions and middle plate region of each wall unit comprises a single integrally molded structure. 
 
     
     
         5 . A wall structure, comprising:
 a plurality of wall units that each has top, bottom, front and rear ends, and that each includes a pair of rectangular face plates ( 40 ,  42 ,  94 ,  96 ) and a rectangular middle plate ( 44 ,  100 ) that lies closely sandwiched between said pair of face plates and that is fixed to the face plates, the middle plate of each wall unit having approximately the same length and width as the corresponding face plates, but said middle plate is offset from said face plates to leave a pair of grooves ( 64 B,  66 B), a first of said wall units ( 31 ) having said grooves ( 64 A,  66 A) at rear and bottom ends of the wall unit that leave tongues ( 60 A,  62 A) projecting from front and top ends of the first wall unit, said grooves each having about the same thickness T as said tongues ( 60 B,  62 A) so the tongues of selected units can be inserted into the grooves ( 64 A,  66 C) of other unit(s) and fastened in place.   
     
     
         6 . The wall structure described in  claim 5 , wherein:
 said plurality of wall units includes a second unit ( 32 ), wherein said middle plate is offset both upwardly and rearwardly to form a forwardly projecting tongue ( 60 B) that projects into the groove ( 64 A) that lies at the rear end of said first wall unit.   
     
     
         7 . The wall structure described in  claim 6 , wherein:
 said wall structure includes a joining beam   said plurality of wall units includes a third unit ( 33 ), wherein said middle plate is offset both upwardly to leave a groove ( 66 A) that receives a tongue ( 72 ) of said joining beam and to leave an upward tongue ( 62 A) at the top of said first wall unit.   
     
     
         8 . The wall structure described in  claim 5 , including:
 a joining beam ( 70 ) that has an upwardly projecting tongue beam ( 72 ) that projects into grooves at the bottom of each of a plurality of said wall units including a groove ( 66 A,  668 ) that lies at the bottom of said first and second unit,   
     
     
         9 . The wall structure described in  claim 5 , wherein:
 said face plates are each of square shape and said wall units are all of the same size.   
     
     
         10 . The wall structure described in  claim 5  wherein:
 said face plates and said middle plate are integrally molded. 
 
     
     
         11 . The wall structure described in  claim 5  wherein:
 said face plates and said middle plate, each comprises a separate plate of material, with said face plates and middle plate fastened together. 
 
     
     
         12 . A method for constructing a wall structure out of multiple units, comprising:
 forming a plurality of wall units that each has a pair of rectangular face plates ( 40 ,  42 ,  94 ,  96 ) and a middle plate ( 44 ,  100 ) that is sandwiched between the face plates, with the pair of face plates of each unit being aligned with each other, and with the middle plate not being aligned with the face plates of that unit but with each middle plate forming two tongues ( 62 A,  60 A) that project beyond edges of the face plates in two directions and leave two grooves ( 66 A,  64 A) that lie opposite said tongues and between said face plates;   assembling each wall unit including inserting one of the tongues ( 60 B) of a second unit ( 32 ) forwardly (F) into a groove ( 64 A) of a first unit ( 31 ) and inserting one of the tongues ( 62 A) of said first unit into a groove ( 66 C) of a third unit ( 33 ).