System for mounting panels on a building

Abstract

A mounting rail for attachment to a building has a base with a top edge and a bottom edge. A pivot member projects from the base and provides a pivot point structure. A gripping flange extends from the base toward the pivot point structure and provides a gripping surface between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure. A slot is thus formed in the mounting rail. The mounting rail also has an anchor portion between the gripping surface and the bottom edge. A mounting system for mounting panels on a building includes mounting rails and a plurality of panel brackets for engaging panels to be mounted on the building by engaging the mounting rail slot at one end and the anchor portion at the other end. A method for mounting panels on a building by the use of the system is disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mounting rail for attachment to a building, comprising:
 a base for engaging the building, the base having a top edge and a bottom edge;   a pivot member projecting from the base and providing a pivot point structure at a fulcrum distance from the base;   a gripping flange on the base extending from a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure toward the pivot point structure and providing a gripping surface at a gripping surface height from the base that is greater than the fulcrum distance and at a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure; and   an anchor portion between the gripping surface and the bottom edge.   
     
     
         2 . A mounting system for mounting panels on a building, comprising:
 a plurality of mounting rails for engaging the building, each mounting rail having a top edge and a bottom edge, a pivot member projecting from the base and providing a pivot point structure at a fulcrum distance from the base, and a gripping flange on the base extending from a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure toward the pivot point structure, and providing a gripping surface at a gripping surface height from the base that is greater than the fulcrum distance and at a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure, whereby the gripping flange and the pivot point structure define slot between them, the slot having an opening width, a depth dimension from the base and a top-bottom dimension, and each mounting rail further having an anchor portion between the bottom edge and the gripping flange; and   a plurality of panel brackets for engaging panels to be mounted on the building, each panel bracket having two ends and comprising a bracket tail extending from a first end and a bracket head at the second end, the bracket tail having a thickness which is less than the opening width of the slot but greater than the depth dimension of the slot;   whereby the bracket tail is insertable into the slot of one mounting rail, and when the panel bracket is aligned with the base, the bracket tail bears against the pivot point structure and the gripping flange and the bracket head can be secured to an anchor portion of a different mounting rail.   
     
     
         3 . A method for mounting panels on a building, comprising:
 securing a plurality of horizontally disposed mounting rails to the building each separated from the next closest mounting rail by a separation distance, each mounting rail having a top edge and a bottom edge and further having a pivot member projecting from the base and providing a pivot point structure at a fulcrum distance from the base, and a gripping flange on the base extending from a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure toward the pivot point structure and providing a gripping surface at a gripping surface height from the base that is greater than the fulcrum distance and at a position between the bottom edge and the pivot point structure, whereby the gripping flange and the pivot point structure define slot between them, the slot having an opening width, a depth dimension from the base and a top-bottom dimension, and each mounting rail further having an anchor portion between the bottom edge and the gripping flange; and   providing a plurality of panels each having a plurality of panel brackets thereon, each panel bracket having two ends and comprising a bracket tail extending from a first end of the panel base and a bracket head at the second end, the bracket tail having a thickness which is less than the opening width of the slot but greater than the depth dimension of the slot; and   inserting the bracket tails into the slot in a mounting rail on the building, and securing the bracket heads to another mounting rail on the building.