US 5,502,939 · Granted 1996-04-02
The Foam Panel Patent That Makes Building Walls Snap Together
Imagine building blocks for walls: metal-skinned foam panels that lock together without tools. The genius is a flat bend in the metal that lets panels click together straight-on or at an angle, like a rock-and-lock motion, while staying flexible enough to adjust.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers modular panels with foam cores wrapped in metal skins that interlock via specially shaped bends in the metal. What's protected here is the specific design of the interlocking mechanism—particularly the flat formed in one metal skin that introduces play and flexibility, combined with transverse bends that create contact lines to reduce friction. This allows panels to be connected by straight insertion or angular rocking motion without requiring fasteners.
Why it matters
This patent protects a faster, easier way to assemble modular wall systems. By eliminating the need for tools, screws, or adhesives, interlocking panels reduce installation time and labor costs on construction sites. The rock-and-lock feature also means panels can be adjusted or repositioned on site, making the system adaptable to real-world building conditions where walls aren't always perfectly square.
Real-world use
When contractors or homeowners snap together prefab wall panels, insulation boards, or interior partitions at a job site, they're using the interlocking geometry locked down by this patent.
Original USPTO abstract
Modular panels having foam cores covered by metal skins are interlocked to one another by complementally formed bends in the metal skins. A flat is formed in one of the metal skins to introduce flexibility and play into the interlocking mechanism, and both interlocking skins have a transversely extending bend formed in them that makes a line of contact with the mating interlocking skin to reduce the friction between them and to allow lateral movement of the interlocked panels. The play and flexibility introduced by the flat enable adjacent panels to be interlocked to one another by a straight-in movement and by an angular movement known as a rock and lock.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,502,939
- Filing date
- 1994-07-28
- Grant date
- 1996-04-02
- Assignee
- Elite Panel Products
- Inventor(s)
- ZADOK; PETER, ANATI; MORDECHAI
- CPC class
- E04B1/6129
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing a modular building component, use our free patent scanner to check whether your interlocking concept clears the space or needs a fresh angle.
Free patentability scan