Device for securing elements to a wire grid

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6454487
  • Patent Number
    6,454,487
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, September 27, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 24, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A device for fastening elements to at least one first grating composed of wires, the device has at two essentially flat elements which are connectable to each other and clampable around the wires of the at least first grating, the elements having at least one side with side edges and ribs provided along the side edges of the at least one side of the elements and leaving corner regions of the side edges open, the ribs having sides, the sides of the ribs and the sides of the elements being placeable at least partially against the wires of the at least first grating, the at least one side of the at least one having a first raised area with a surface area that is smaller than a surface area of the at least one element, the first raised area being provided with a second raised area with a surface area that is smaller than the surface area of the first raised area, the second raised area having sides, the sides of the second raised area and the surface area of the first raised area being arranged to rest at least partially against the wires of a second grating.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The invention is based on a device for fastening elements to a grating comprised of wires. Usually, binding wires, sheet metal strips that can be suspended and crimped, or sheet metal elements that can be riveted are used to fasten elements, such as signs, information panels, handles, or the like, to a grating comprised of wires. These parts have the disadvantage that they must be cut to length for each use and are sometimes expensive to mount.




SUMMARY




It is therefore an object of present invention to provide a device for fastening elements to a grating comprised of wires which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.




In keeping with these objects, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in the device of this type in which two essentially flat elements are provided that are connectable to each other and used to clamp around the wires of the grating.




The device according to the invention for fastening elements to grating comprised of wires, has the advantage over the prior art that it is simple to mount. It is particularly advantageous to provide at least one of the elements with projections which encompass in a form-fitting manner with the grating since the device is thus adjusted in its position. In this connection, it is particularly advantageous to provide the device with projections so that the device can be fastened to different gratings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING




An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and will be explained in detail below. The sole FIGURE shows a device and two symbolically depicted different gratings in a perspective, exploded view.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The FIGURE shows a device


10


which is comprised of two essentially flat elements


12


which can be connected to each other and which have a square surface area. The one side of the elements


12


, which is labeled


14


in the FIGURE, is embodied as flat and has rounded edges. On the other side, which is referred to below has the mounting side


15


, projections in the form of ribs


18


are embodied along the side edges


16


and leave the corner regions of the side edges


16


open. A square raised area


20


is formed onto the center of the mounting side


15


and has a surface area


22


that is smaller than the mounting side


15


. A second raised area


24


is formed onto the first raised area


20


and has a surface area


26


that is smaller than the surface area


22


of the first raised area


20


. The edge length of the raised area


24


advantageously corresponds to the length of the ribs


18


. In the center of the elements


12


, recesses are provided through which fastening means, not shown, can be inserted and which have the form of an oblong hole


28


. Next to the one long side of an oblong hole


28


a recess in the form of a bore


30


is embodied in the second raised area


24


. Next to the other side of the oblong hole


28


, a split pin


32


is provided on the second raised area


24


. The bore


30


and the pin


32


are embodied so that when the elements


12


are assembled, a press fit is produced.




Two first wires


34


of a mesh of a first grating


36


are symbolically depicted in the right region of an element


12


in the FIGURE and two second wires


38


of a mesh of a second grating


40


are symbolically depicted in the left region of the element


12


. The wires


34


,


38


can be embodied as straight rods or in a wavy shape of the type that is known in woven wire gratings. The wires


34


are embodied as thicker than the wires


38


and are arranged in such a way that a larger mesh widths is produced than with the wires


38


. The opposing sides


42


of the ribs


18


are spaced so that they rest against the wires


38


of the grating


36


. The height of the ribs


18


is dimensioned so that the regions of the mounting side


15


adjoining them likewise rest against the wires


34


of the grating


16


when the elements


12


are assembled. The height of the sides


44


of the second raised area


24


is dimensioned so that when the elements


12


are mounted onto a grating, the wires


38


of the second grating


40


rest against the sides


44


of the second raised area


24


and against the surface area


22


of the first raised area


20


encompassing the sides


44


. Due to this advantageous embodiment of the ribs


18


and the raised areas


20


,


24


, both the grating


36


and the grating


40


can be encompassed by the device


10


in a form-fitting manner, as a result of which the device


10


can be affixed to different gratings


36


,


40


. Moreover, both the height of the ribs


18


and the heights of the raised areas


20


,


24


are dimensioned so that they do not at first touch when the elements


12


are mounted to a grating


36


,


40


; i.e. they are less than half the thickness of a grating


36


or


40


.




In order to mount the device


10


, a first element


12


is initially held against a grating


36


,


40


so that it encompasses a mesh of the grating


36


,


40


in a form-fitting manner. Then, another element


12


is guided against the grating


36


,


40


from the other side. Finally, the two elements


12


are pressed together. Through the embodiment of the opposing bores


30


and pins


32


, the two elements


12


can be pressed together by light finger pressure in order to clamp around the wires (


34


,


38


) of the grating (


36


,


40


). Finally, another element that is not shown, for example a sign, an information panel, or a door handle, can be fasten with a screw and a nut to the device


10


and consequently to the grating


36


or


40


. By means of the above-described dimensioning of the heights of the ribs


18


and the raised areas


20


,


24


, the elements


12


are pressed together so that they touch only by means of being screwed together with a screw and a nut. As a result, manufacture-induced tolerances of the gratings


36


,


40


can be eliminated.




The device


10


for fastening elements to a grating


36


,


40


comprised of wires


34


,


38


is a simple, inexpensive component made of plastic, which can easily be mounted to different gratings


36


,


40


.




Different modifications of the device


10


are conceivable. In lieu of the bore


30


and the pin


32


, for example, continuous bores can also be provided, through which screws are guided that hold the two elements


12


together by means of nuts. It is also possible for the two elements


12


to be embodied differently. For example, a first modified element can have ribs and raised areas and a second modified element can be embodied merely as a plate with flat surfaces on both sides. In lieu of plastic, the device


10


can also be embodied, for example, as a diecast metal part and consequently can transmit higher forces. In addition to a square surface area, other surface areas are also conceivable which are respectively adapted to the different mesh forms of gratings. If higher forces are to be transmitted, modified devices can also be used which are comprised of more than two elements.



Claims
  • 1. A device for fastening elements to at least one first grating composed of wires, the device comprising at least two essentially flat elements which are connectable to each other and clampable around the wires of the at least first grating, said elements having at least one side with side edges, ribs provided along said side edges and leaving corner regions of said side edges being open, said ribs having sides, said sides of said ribs and said at least one side of said elements being placeable at least partially against the wires of the at least first grating, wherein a square, first raised area is formed onto a center portion of said at least one side of at least one of said elements, said square, first raised area having a surface area that is smaller than a surface area of said at least one element, wherein a second raised area is formed onto said square, first raised area, said second raised area having a surface area that is smaller than the surface area of said first raised area, said second raised area having sides, said sides of said second raised area and said surface area of said first raised area being arranged to rest at least partially against wires of a second grating.
  • 2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said elements has projections for encompassing the at least one first grating in a form-fitting manner.
  • 3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said elements are identical.
  • 4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said elements has at least one recess while the other of said elements has at least one projection formed so that said elements are connectable to each other by a press fit.
  • 5. A device as defined in claim 1,wherein said elements are provided with a recess for fastening means.
  • 6. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said elements are composed of plastic.
  • 7. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said elements are composed of metal.
  • 8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said elements are dimensioned so that they only touch each other when pressed together by fastening means.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
198 13 568 Mar 1998 DE
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/DE99/00315 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO99/50564 10/7/1999 WO A
US Referenced Citations (12)
Number Name Date Kind
3765634 Stempel Oct 1973 A
4066373 Workman Jan 1978 A
4217711 Spresser et al. Aug 1980 A
4765077 Rosenthal et al. Aug 1988 A
4773175 Larsen Sep 1988 A
4777750 Garfinkle Oct 1988 A
5235767 Waterman et al. Aug 1993 A
5331756 Rehrig Jul 1994 A
5492295 Remmers Feb 1996 A
5758439 Sawyer et al. Jun 1998 A
5794953 Duchene et al. Aug 1998 A
5901482 Sawyer et al. May 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number Date Country
2231432 Nov 1990 DE
297 11 673 Sep 1997 DE
29711673 Oct 1997 DE
2 538 868 Jul 1984 FR
2 231 432 Nov 1990 GB