Lightweight concrete composite wall panels

Abstract

Unitary lightweight concrete composite wall panels include a frame filled with lightweight composite concrete. The wall panels may be used in the construction of either interior or exterior walls, and a wall panel may be configured as a load bearing or non load bearing. The size of a wall panel ranges from an individual wall panel forming a portion of a wall to a wall panel spanning an entire wall length, thereby furnishing a single complete wall. A wall panel may further be configured to support either a window or door.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10 / 374,886, filed Feb. 26, 2003, which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,570 B2, issued Dec. 7, 2004. [0002] This present application claims all available benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 604,947, filed Aug. 27, 2004. By this reference, the full disclosure of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 604,947 is incorporated herein as though now set forth in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] 1. Field of the Invention [0004] The present invention relates to lightweight concrete and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to unitary lightweight concrete composite wall panels. [0005] 2. Description of the Related Art [0006] The primary building materials utilized today are wood and concrete. Wood unfortunately has become extremely expensive due to reduced supplies caused by res...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] The frame may be configured to receive therein a window frame or a door frame. The frame accordingly includes a header, a first side, and a second side. The frame may further include a footer. The header, the first side, and the second side each are U-shaped to maximize the surface area engaged by the lightweight concrete composite.

[0013] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide unitary lightweight concrete composite wall panels suitable for constructing structures.

Problems solved by technology

Wood unfortunately has become extremely expensive due to reduced supplies caused by restrictions resulting from today's environmentally conscious society.

Further, wood often does not provide the structural safety available from other building materials, such as concrete.

Concrete is unfortunately expensive, which restricts its use to projects requiring the structural safety advantages associated with concrete.

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