Device and methods for installing elevator cab interior wall panels

Abstract

The present invention is directed to, inter alia, devices and methods for precision installation of elevator wall panels and intervening reveal strips in an elevator cab shell. Various embodiments comprise corner stays and intermediate stays with pre-installed clips thereon and with locating means installed thereon to facilitate accurate locating of adjacent stay(s) in order to greatly reduce the labor and time required to install the wall panels accurately. Further, various embodiments comprise pre-installed reveal strips on the stay(s) and that are interposed between each installed wall panel. Pre-installing the reveal strips further reduces the labor and time required at the installation site.

We claim: 
     
       1. A wall panel and stay system for mounting a wall panel on a wall within an elevator cab shell having a ceiling and a floor, the wall panel having a front side, a rear side, a height, a width and a thickness, the rear side of the wall panel comprising a plurality of pairs of pre-installed mounting clips thereon, the wall panel and stay system comprising:
 a wall panel having a front side, a rear side, a height, a width, and a thickness, the rear side of the wall panel comprising a plurality of pairs of pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanisms thereon; and 
 a stay comprising:
 a front side, a rear side, a top, a bottom, a right side, a left side and a center portion vertically integrated between the right side and the left side; 
 a plurality of through holes disposed on the right and left sides of the stay for securing the stay to the wall of the elevator cab with a fastener; 
 a plurality of pairs of pre-installed mounting clips, each pair of pre-installed mounting clips comprising a first mounting clip and a second mounting clip mounted on the front side of the stay, wherein the first mounting clip of each pair is pre-installed on the right side of the stay at a distance from the top of the stay and the second mounting clip of each pair is pre-installed on the left side of the stay at the same distance from the top of the stay as the first mounting clip; 
 at least one pre-installed locator operatively connected to the stay, the at least one pre-installed locator comprising a connected end whereby the locator is connected to the front side of the stay, a distal end and a length, whereby the locator precisely locates the position for the installation of an adjacent stay on the elevator cab shell; 
 a first lip disposed at the bottom of the right side of the stay; and 
 a second lip disposed at the bottom of the left side of the stay, wherein each of the first and second lips extends perpendicularly away from the front side of the stay in a direction opposite the rear side of the stay a distance that is adapted to be equal to or less than the thickness of the wall panel. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The stay of  claim 1 , wherein the wall panel comprises four pairs of pre-installed mounting clips or pre-punched mounting mechanisms and the stay comprises four pairs of pre-installed mounting clips. 
     
     
       3. The stay of claim  1  20, wherein the at least one locator is rotatably connected to the front side of the stay. 
     
     
       4. The stay of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one locator is rotatably connected to the right side of the stay. 
     
     
       5. The stay of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one locator is rotatably connected to the left side of the stay. 
     
     
       6. The stay of  claim 3 , wherein a first locator is rotatably connected to the right side of the stay and a second locator is rotatably connected to the left side of the stay. 
     
     
       7. The stay of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one locator is rotatable from a first stored position to a second deployed locating position. 
     
     
       8. The stay of  claim 1 , wherein the stay is manufactured from at least one metal. 
     
     
       9. The stay of  claim 8 , wherein the center of the stay comprises stainless steel. 
     
     
       10. The stay of claim  1  9, wherein the right and left sides of the stay comprise a metal that is not stainless steel. 
     
     
       11. The stay of  claim 1 , further comprising the front side of the right side, the front side of the left side and the front side of the center portion of the stay being parallel to each other. 
     
     
       12. The stay of  claim 1 , wherein the front side of the right side and the front side of the left side of the stay are disposed at a 90 degree angle to each other. 
     
     
       13. The stay of  claim 12 , wherein the center portion comprises a right center portion and a left center portion, the right center portion and the left center portion disposed at a 90 degree angle to each other. 
     
     
       14. The stay of claim  13  21, wherein a first pre-installed locator is connected to the right side of the stay. 
     
     
       15. The stay of  claim 14 , wherein the first pre-installed locator is rotatably connected to the right side of the stay and is rotatable from a first stored position to a second deployed locating position. 
     
     
       16. The stay of  claim 14 , wherein a second pre-installed locator is connected to the left side of the stay. 
     
     
       17. The stay of  claim 16 , wherein the second pre-installed locator is rotatably connected to the right side of the stay and is rotatable from a first stored position to a second deployed locating position. 
     
     
       18. A method for precisely locating and installing a wall panel between two vertically located and installed stays on a wall of an elevator cab shell having a ceiling and a floor, the wall panel having a front side, a rear side, a height, a width, a top side, a bottom side and a thickness, comprising:
 providing a plurality of pairs of mounting clips mechanisms at least one of mounted to, pre-installed on, or pre-punched in the rear side of each of the plurality of wall panels panel; 
 providing a plurality of vertically mounted stays, each stay comprising:
 a front side, a rear side, a top, a bottom, a right side, a left side and a center vertically disposed between the right side and the left side, a first lip disposed at the bottom of the right side of the stay;, and a second lip disposed at the bottom of the left side of the stay, wherein each of the first and second lips extends perpendicularly away from the front side of the stay in a direction opposite the rear side of the stay a distance that is adapted to be equal to or less than the thickness of the wall panel; and 
 a plurality of pairs of pre-installed mounting clips, each pair of pre-installed mounting clips comprising a first and a second mounting clip mounted on the front side of the stay, the first and second mounting clip of each pair of pre-installed mounting clips being the same distance from the top of the stay, wherein the first mounting clip is pre-installed on the right side of the stay and the second mounting clip is pre-installed on the left side of the stay, and 
 at least one pre-installed locator operatively connected to the stay, the at least one pre-installed locator comprising a connected end whereby the locator is connected to the stay, a distal end and a length; 
 
 locating and installing a first stay of the plurality of stays in a substantially vertical position on the elevator cab shell; 
 locating and installing a second stay of the plurality of stays adjacent to and at a distance from the first located and installed stay using the length of the pre-installed locator on the first stay to determine the location for the second stay; and 
 hanging a wall panel between the first and second located and installed stays by mating a first half of the pre-installed pairs of mounting clips mechanisms on the rear side of the wall panel with at least some of the pre-installed mounting clips on each of the first located and installed stays stay and mating a second half of the pre-installed pairs of mounting mechanisms on the rear side of the wall panel with at least some of the pre-installed mounting clips on the second located and installed stay, and supporting the wall panel on the first lip of one of the first and second located and installed stays and the second lip of the other of the located and installed stays. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , further comprising providing wall panels having a height that is approximately 1.5 inches less than the height of the walls elevator cab shell and locating the first stay on a wall of the elevator cab shell to achieve a clearance of about 0.5 inches from the bottom side of the wall panel to the elevator cab shell floor and about 1 inch from the top side of the wall panel to the elevator cab shell ceiling. 
     
     
       20. The stay of claim 1, further comprising at least one pre-installed locator operatively connected to the stay, the at least one pre-installed locator comprising a connected end whereby the locator is connected to the front side of the stay, a distal end and a length, whereby the locator precisely locates the position for the installation of an adjacent stay on the elevator cab shell. 
     
     
       21. The stay of claim 13, further comprising at least one pre-installed locator operatively connected to the stay, the at least one pre-installed locator comprising a connected end whereby the locator is connected to the front side of the stay, a distal end and a length, whereby the locator precisely locates the position for the installation of an adjacent stay on the elevator cab shell. 
     
     
       22. The wall panel and stay system of claim 1, wherein the wall panel is operably attached to the stay such that one pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanism of each of the plurality of pairs of pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanisms thereon is operably attached to a corresponding first mounting clip on the stay, thereby covering each of the first mounting clips of the stay but not the second mounting clips of the stay. 
     
     
       23. The wall panel and stay system of claim 1, wherein the wall panel is operably attached to the stay such that one pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanism of each of the plurality of pairs of pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanisms thereon is operably attached to a corresponding second mounting clip on the stay, thereby covering each of the second mounting clips of the stay but not the first mounting clips of the stay. 
     
     
       24. A system for mounting a wall panel on a wall within an elevator cab shell having a ceiling and a floor, the system comprising:
 a wall panel having a front side, a rear side, a height, a width, and a thickness, the rear side of the wall panel comprising a plurality of pairs of pre-installed or pre-punched mounting mechanisms thereon; and   a vertically mounted strip comprising:
 a front side, a rear side, a top, a bottom, a right side, a left side, with the front side of the strip including a right side portion, a left side portion, and a center portion vertically integrated between the right side portion and the left side portion; 
 a plurality of through holes disposed on the right and left side portions of the strip for securing the strip to the wall of the elevator cab with a fastener; 
 a plurality of pairs of pre-installed mounting clips, each pair of pre-installed mounting clips comprising a first mounting clip and a second mounting clip mounted on the front side of the strip, wherein the first mounting clip of each pair is pre-installed on the right side portion of the strip and the second mounting clip of each pair is pre-installed on the left side portion of the strip; and 
 a lip adjacent the bottom of the strip that extends perpendicularly away from the front side of the strip in a direction opposite the rear side of the strip a distance that is adapted to be equal to or less than the thickness of the wall panel. 
   
     
     
       25. A method for locating and installing a wall panel between two vertically located and installed strips on a wall of an elevator cab shell having a ceiling and a floor, the wall panel having a front side, a rear side, a height, a width, a top side, a bottom side and a thickness, comprising:
 providing a plurality of pairs of mounting mechanisms at least one of mounted to, preinstalled on, or pre-punched in the rear side of the wall panel;   providing an elevator cab wall mounted system comprising:
 a plurality of wall mountable strips, each having a front side, a rear side, a top, a bottom, a right side, a left side, a center portion vertically disposed between the right side and the left side, and a plurality of through holes disposed on the right and left sides for securing the strip to the wall of the elevator cab with a fastener; 
 a plurality of pairs of pre-installed mounting clips provided on each strip, each pair of pre-installed mounting clips comprising a first mounting clip pre-installed on the right side of the strip and a second mounting clip pre-installed on the left side of the strip; and 
 at least one lip adjacent the bottom of the strips that extends perpendicularly away from the front side of the strips in a direction opposite the rear side of the strips a distance that is adapted to be equal to or less than the thickness of the wall panel; 
   locating and installing a first strip of the plurality of strips in a substantially vertical position on the elevator cab shell;   locating and installing a second strip of the plurality of strips at a distance from the first located and installed strip; and   hanging a wall panel between the first and second located and installed strips by mating a first half of the pairs of mounting mechanisms on the rear side of the wall panel with at least some of the pre-installed mounting clips on the first located and installed strip and mating a second half of the pairs of mounting mechanisms on the rear side of the wall panel with at least some of the pre-installed mounting clips on the second located and installed strip, and supporting the wall panel on the at least one lip.