The invention relates to the technical field of stretched false ceilings and walls.
A large number of embodiments using such false ceilings are already known in the prior art.
By way of examples, reference can be made to the patent applications in France published under the following numbers: 2 767 851, 2 751 682, 2 734 296, 2 712 006, 2 707 708, 2 703 711, 2 699 211, 2 699 209, 2 695 670, 2 691 193, 2 688 849, 2 685 036, 2 645 135, 2 630 476, 2 627 207, 2 624 167, 2 623 540, 2 619 531, 2 597 906, 2 611 779, 2 592 416, 2 587 447, 2 561 690, 2 587 392, 2 552 473, 2 537 112, 2 531 012, 2 524 922, 2 475 093, 2 486 127, 2 523 622, 2 310 450, 2 270 407, 2 202 997, 2 175 854, 2 145 147, 2 106 407, 2 078 579, 2 002 261, 1 475 446, 1 303 930, 1 287 077.
By way of examples, reference can also be made to the following documents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,058,340, 4,083,157, EP-A-643 180, EP-A-652 339, EP-A-588 748, EP-A-504 530, EP-A-338 925, EP-A-281 468, EP-A-215 715, EP-A-089 905, EP-A-043 466, WO-A-94/12741, WO-A-92/18722.
Reference can further be made to the following patent applications in France originating from the Applicant: 2 736 615, 2 756 600, 2 727 711, 2 712 325, 2 699 613, 2 695 670, 2 692 302, 2 658 849.
The materials known in the prior art for manufacturing false stretched ceilings or walls are most often polymers provided with a large number of qualities such as in particular fire resistance, air tightness, that is being dust-proof and damp-proof, and ease of maintenance.
False ceilings obtained by means of such materials can incorporate heat insulants, spot lights or various lighting elements, as well as ventilation or aeration openings or sprinklers.
As said false ceilings are dismountable, any intervention can be made in the plenum chamber of an air heater.
The polymers for stretched ceilings known in the prior art, regardless of whether they are translucid or opaque, possibly mass-tinted, matt, lacquered, marbled, suede or satin lustre, can thus be used both in an industrial and hospital environment, for collective equipment, laboratories or dwellings.
The lacquered finishing makes it possible to obtain a mirror effect used in shopping centres, a matt finishing appearing similar to a plaster aspect being most usually used for conventional decorations.
In a prior technique, the stretched fabrics or sheets on the roof or wall were definitively fixed by means of points or staples.
The conventional stretched false ceilings currently include:
This arrangement enables the stretched ceiling to be dismantled.
Keeping the web in place with respect to the rail frame is obtained by various means, some examples of same being given below.
According to a first type of embodiment, the rail comprises a U-shaped groove defined by two walls, one of the two walls having a lip orientated towards the bottom of the groove, hooks being placed on the periphery of the web positively being anchored on this lip.
As regards this first type of embodiment, reference can be made to the document FR-A-1 303 930.
According to a second type of embodiment, the rail includes an U-shaped groove defined by two walls, one of the latter comprising a shoulder having one portion situated towards the bottom of groove to form a stop.
As regards this second type of embodiment, reference can be made for example to the documents FR-A-1 475 446, FR-A-2 002 261.
According to a third type of embodiment, the rail is a flat section, the web being squeezed between said section and the wall on which said section is fixed.
As regards said third type of embodiment, reference can be made for example to the document FR-A-2 734 296.
According to a fourth type of embodiment, the rail is provided with means forming a fitting and tension clamp.
As regards this fourth type of embodiment, reference can be made for example to the documents FR-A-2 699 211 and FR-A-2 537 112.
According to a fifth type of embodiment, the rail is provided with a groove to which hook-shaped elements cling in the way of a fish-hook and integral with the web.
As regards this fifth type of embodiments, reference can be made for example to the documents FR-A-2 630 476, EP-A-388 925.
Within the context of stretched ceilings of the prior art, regardless of means used for maintaining tension of the web on the rail frame (stops, cramps, fish-hooks, clamping, latching . . . ) the rails are conventionally made of extruded polymer or an aluminium alloy.
The stretched false ceilings are moreover mostly mounted with the web fully stretched horizontally.
In certain particular embodiments, as the web is stretched on a horizontal rail frame fixed to the walls of a room, deformations of the stretched web occur, as described in the documents FR-A-1 515 260 or EP-A-281 468.
Considering that in certain embodiments the stretched ceilings had the drawback of showing the lower portion of the rail used to fix them, certain installers have offered the use of complex sections only partially masking said rail.
Thus, for example, the document EP-A-338 925 describes a rail comprising a recess defined by two vertical wings of different heights, namely a first wing of smaller height terminating towards the bottom by a shoulder extending horizontally in the direction of the second wing, and a second wing of greater height; a “fish-hook” integral with the edge of a fabric able to be engaged between the two wings so as to take support on the shoulder of the first wing, said fabric of the stretched ceiling thus being deviated upwards so as to penetrate into the recess whilst taking support and being deviated against the lower extremity of the second wing.
As specified in said prior document, a clip or finishing cover is provided to cover the lower portion of the rail. In other words, the complex section described in the document EP-338 925 remains visible as long as a finishing cover is not installed, which proves to be a long and tedious operation.
The document FR-2 619 531 describes in relation to a false ceiling or stretched false wall a rigid PVC rail provided with a recess defined by two vertical wings of different heights, namely a first wing of small height next to a wall and ending towards the bottom by a mobile perforated tongue extending in an oblique direction towards the higher second wing; a fish-hook integral with the edge of a fabric able to be engaged between the two wings so as to take support both on the second wing and the perforated mobile tongue, said fabric of the stretched ceiling being thus deviated upwards so as to penetrate inside the recess by coming to rest and being deviated against the lower extremity of the second wing.
The rail described in the document FR-A-2 619 531 has a large number of drawbacks. In particular, it remains visible after it has been mounted. Having regard to its small tapered section, the mobile tongue does not allow the fish-hook to be properly held in place. Increasing the tongue section would a priori reduce this problem but would make it more difficult to place the forked-tie.
The document FR-A-2 597 906 describes, as regards a false ceiling or a false stretched wall, a rail provided with a recess defined by two vertical wings of different heights, namely a first wing of very small height close to a wall and a second wing of greater height; a forked-tie integral with the edge of a fabric able to be engaged between said two wings so as to fasten onto the second wing, said fabric of the stretched ceiling being thus deviated upwards so as to penetrate inside the recess whilst taking support and being deviated against the lower extremity of the second wing.
The rail described in the document FR-A-2 597 906, just like those of the documents FR-A-2 619 531 or EP-A-338 925, remains visible and, so as to mask the slit formed between the edge of the fabric and the wall on which the rail is fixed, a finish profile needs to be provided.
A first object of the invention is to provide a rail section for a false wall, said section able to be qualified as being invisible after the stretched fabric is mounted, this invisibility being obtained without fitting any type of finishing cover, said section ensuring a quick and safe fitting of the false partition fabric and having moreover a sufficiently simple construction so as to remain inexpensive.
With this aim in view, the invention relates according a first characteristic to a rail section for stretched fabric false partitions, said section comprising at least one groove defined by two lateral walls and a base wall, said groove being intended to contain at least one edge of the stretched fabric after it has been mounted in the section, said section being made of a single piece and comprising a joint for retaining the edge of the stretched fabric in said groove and being made of a material having a flexibility differing from that of the material constituting the walls of said groove.
The cross section of said groove has a general U, V, pseudo-U or pseudo-V shape, the extreme portions of the lateral walls of the groove opposite the base wall of the groove defining an opening at least partially blocked by the joint for keeping the edge of the fabric stretched.
According to a first type of conception, the joint comprises a single lip projecting from one of the lateral walls of said groove, known as joint support wall, said lip comprising an internal face opposite the base wall of the groove and an opposing external face.
According to a first series of embodiments, the sections of said first type of conception have the following characteristics, possibly combined:
According to a second series of embodiments, the sections of the first type of conception have the following characteristics, possibly combined:
According to a second type of design, the joint comprises two lips, projecting from one of the lateral walls of said groove, known as a joint support wall, namely a first lip known as a support lip and a second lip known as a masking lip, the internal face of the first lip, turned towards the base wall of the groove, being slanted with respect to the joint support wall, the external face of the second lip opposite the base wall of the groove being approximately perpendicular to the joint support wall.
According to a first series of embodiments, the section of the second type of design has the following characteristics, possibly combined:
According to a second series of embodiments, the sections of the second type of design have the following characteristics, possibly combined:
The lateral walls of the groove are made of an approximately rigid material selected from a group including metal alloys and rigid polymers, the joint being made of an approximately flexible material such as a flexible polymer.
The sections mentioned above can be obtained by co-extrusion or duplicate moulding of different materials, namely a first material constituting the approximately rigid walls of the groove, and a second material constituting the joint.
In one type of embodiment, the groove is made of rigid PVC-based material, possibly recycled, the joint being made of a flexible PVC.
In one particular embodiment, the section comprises an external wing from which perpendicularly projecting is a core bearing on projection an internal wing, said wing being approximately parallel to the lower section of the external wing, the internal wing and the lower section of the external wing constituting the lateral walls of said groove, the core of the section constituting the base wall of said groove, the upper portion of the external wing comprising a C-shaped groove able to receive means for assembling the two portions of the sections joined end-to-end.
According to a second aspect, the invention concerns false walls comprising a stretched fabric fastened along its edges to a support onto the walls of a room, said support comprising a rail formed of portions of sections as mentioned above, the edge of the fabric being provided with an excess thickness in support against the internal face of the joint.
These false walls, used as false ceilings, may be fixed so that the groove of the rail is oriented downwards, the lateral walls of the groove being approximately vertical, a first lateral wall of the groove being mounted close to a wall and the second lateral wall of the groove being situated towards the inside of the room, the joint extending projecting from the lower extreme part of the first lateral wall, the excess thickness of the fabric edge being forcefully introduced upwards between the free edge of the joint and the second lateral wall of the groove so that the excess thickness takes support against the internal face of the joint and against the internal face of the second lateral wall of the groove, the fabric stretched horizontally thus being deviated upwards so as to penetrate into the groove of the section, whilst taking support on the lower extreme edge of the second lateral wall of the groove.
In one embodiment, the two lateral walls of the groove have identical heights, the external face of the joint being placed approximately perpendicular to said lateral walls, and so on in the continuity of the stretched fabric.
In another embodiment, the two lateral walls of the groove have different heights, the lateral first wall of the groove close to the wall having a smaller height than the second lateral wall, the external face of the joint being slanted so as to constitute a continuity solution between the extension plane of the stretched fabric and the lower extremity of the first lateral wall.
According to one type of embodiment, the external face of the joint is made of a material having a colour, tint and brilliance identical to or coordinated with those of the stretched fabric, the remaining of the section having a standard colour, tint and brightness.
To limit the risks of damaging the fabric when it is placed, the lower extremity of the second lateral wall of the groove under which the stretched fabric takes support is rounded.
In one particular embodiment, the false wall includes two horizontally coplanar stretched fabrics, the edges of said stretched fabrics being kept in the groove of a section fixed under the ceiling of a room, said section comprising an upper horizontal core extended downwards by a vertical central wing and two lower horizontal wings situated on both sides of the vertical central wing, the horizontal wings constituting the lateral walls of two opposing grooves and a joint support for keeping the edge excess thicknesses of the fabrics stretched.
Other objects and advantages of the invention shall appear in the following description of the embodiments, said description being given with reference to the accompanying drawings showing in cross-sectional views the various embodiments of the sections of the invention.
In the continuation of this description, the word “fabric” shall be designated by webs able to be made of a material selected from the group comprising woven or non-woven textiles fibres, polymer films, especifically vinyl polychloride, vinydilene polychloride.
It is understood that when said web is a polymer, it could be:
When said web is made of a polymer, its thickness is typically between several tenths of a millimeter and several millimeters.
The fabric kept tensioned can be effected by assembling several cloth identical widths, especially as regards their colours, tints, surface aspects, finish, printing and dimension.
Thus, for example many widths of polymer sheets of different widths and tints can be assembled by butt welding so as to constitute a cameo.
Spotlight frames, passages for sprinklers or pipes can be fixed by known means through the stretched fabric.
After having set forth these general points, several embodiments of the invention shall hereafter be described, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
First, reference is made to FIG. 1.
The rail section 3 comprises an external wing 5, approximately vertical and extending parallel to the wall 4 and close to the latter. Projecting from said external wing 5 is a core 6 approximately extending over a short distance, for example about several millimeters towards the inside of the room.
In the embodiment shown, the core 6 extends approximately to half the height of the external wing 5. In other embodiments (not shown), said core 6 is situated closer to the upper extreme edge 5a or the lower extreme edge 5b of the external wing 5.
The core 6 bears, on an approximately vertical projection, an internal wing 7 provided with a rounded lower extremity 8. Said internal wing 7 is approximately parallel to the lower section 9 of the external wing 5 so that a groove 10 with a U-shaped section opened towards the bottom is defined by the internal wing 7, the core 6 and the lower section 9 of the external wing 5.
In the embodiment shown in
The edge of the fabric 1 bears, at least in certain places, an excess thickness 11. In the embodiment of
As it shall be apparent to an expert in this field, the sections of the invention may be used without particularly adapting the main types fixing means secured to the edges of the stretched fabrics.
The lower section 9 of the external wing 5 bears a slanted joint 12.
In the embodiment of
In other embodiments, not shown, the first lip 13 and the flap 14 are not aligned. For example, the first lip 13 is slanted with respect to the external wing 5 by an angle smaller than the angle of inclination of the flap 14 with respect to said external wing 5.
In other embodiments, the joint 12 comprises no flap 14, the external wing 5 being in direct support on the wall 4.
The fabric 1, when it is fixed on the section 3, is introduced into the groove 10 by taking support on the rounded extremity 8 of the internal wing 7. Owing to this, the fabric 1 slides onto said rounded portion 8 without any risk of being damaged.
The fabric 1 is kept in place by being pinched between the first lip 13 of the joint 12 and the internal wing 7 of the groove 10. If necessary, the fabric can be also be kept in place or mainly by taking support on the excess thickness 11 against the internal face 15 of the internal wing 7 and against the internal face 16 of the first lip 13 of the joint 12.
In another embodiment (not shown), the excess thickness is kept squeezed between the internal face of the internal wing of the internal face of the external wing.
Placing the excess thickness 11 inside the groove 10 can be carried out for example by using a spatula so as make the excess thickness 11 pass between the first lip 13 of the joint 12 and the internal wing 7 and thus bring it into the groove 10 above the joint 12.
The first lip 13 of the joint 12 seals off the groove 10 and renders it undetectable to an occupant of the room who is looking at the ceiling from a normal distance.
In the embodiment shown on
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment of
There now follows more specifically a description of the embodiment of the joint 12.
In a first type of embodiment, the joint 12 is pre-assembled on the extreme portion 5a of the external wing 5, for example by glueing or welding.
In a second embodiment, the joint 12 is produced with the rest of the rail section 3. According to a particular embodiment, the joint 12 is co-extruded with the rest of the rail section 3.
Here, the term “co-extrusion” means the simultaneous extrusion of several materials of the same type or totally different polymers in a single die, the materials not being mixed. Said co-extrusion can be carried out with a single die with separate channels.
According to a first embodiment, the joint 12 is made of polyvinyl chloride having a greater flexibility than polyvinyl chloride used for the rest of the rail section 3. This difference in flexibility can be obtained by using different plastifying agent contents, said plastifying agents able to be esters resulting from the action of mono or polybasic, aliphatic or aromatic acids. For example, said plastifying agents shall be phtalic (diotylephtalate, diisonosylphtalate) acid esters, adipic (butyl adipate, octyle adipate, diisonolyl adipate, benzyleoctyl adipate, acid esters, debacic (butyl sebacate, octyl sebacate) acid esters, phosphoric acid esters. These plastifying agents can be combined with sebacic, adipic or adipic-phtalic acid polyesters, or synthesis elastomers of butadiene copolymer and acrylic nitrile type.
For example, the joint 12 could be made of a flexible PVC charged with a 60% plastifying agent, the remaining of the rail being in rigid PVC charged with a 10% plastifying agent. The table below shows the differences of mechanical properties between the flexible PVCs (typically above 60 parts for 100 parts of PVC resin) and the rigid PVCs (typically less than 30 parts for 100 parts of resin).
According to other embodiments, the joint 12 is made of polyvinyl chloride and the rest of the rail is made of polyethylene, impact polystyrene or styrene butadiene acrylonitrile.
The joint 12 could be coloured, tinted or brightnessy or have a different aspect from that of the rest of the rail section.
In one type of embodiment, the joint 12 is coloured, tinted or brightnessy and has an aspect closely related or coordinated with the fabric 1 so that the hook exhibits uniformity or has continuity of aspect with the fabric. As the rest of the rail is hidden from view, it could have a standard aspect and be made of a recycled or inferior material so as to reduce manufacturing costs.
In one particular embodiment, the joint 12 and/or the rest of the rail can be constituted by a two-grade material, namely a central portion of a lesser grade material and an elaborate aspect skin for all the visible portions, said skin being obtained by co-extrusion or flocking or by combining co-extrusion and flocking.
In one particular embodiment, the first lip 13 of the joint 12 is made of a polymer having a different nature or flexibility than those of the flap 14 of said joint 12. Thus for example, the flap 14 of the joint 12 shall be highly flexible so as to counterbalance all the irregularities in the surface evenness of the wall 4, whereas the first lip 13 of the joint 12 shall exhibit at least a high flexibility so as to keep the fabric 1 firm inside the groove 12 of the rail 3.
In one particular embodiment, the joint 12 is made of a polymer, the remaining portion of the rail being made of a metal alloy, both of these elements being obtained by duplicate moulding. Thus, it is possible to obtain both straight and curved sections.
Reference is now made to
The main differences between the embodiment of FIG. 2 and that of
The mounting of the fabric 1 on the rail 3 or assembling together of the rail portions by squares or linking rectangular bars as described with reference to
Reference is now made to
The second lip 21 lessens further the visual impact of the rail section 3 and makes it almost undetectable, especially when the visible face of said lip 21 is made of a material having the colour, tint or brightness of the stretched fabric 1.
Reference is now made to FIG. 4.
In the embodiment variant of
According to one particular embodiment, the joint 12 is made of a monomaterial, for example, a flexible PVC, co-extruded with the rest of the section 3 which is made of a rigid PVC.
In another embodiment, the joint 12 is duplicate moulded onto the external wing 5, said wing 5 being made for example of a metal alloy, such as an aluminium alloy.
Again, in a further embodiment, the joint 12 shown on
If necessary, the second lip 21 and flap 14 are made of or coated with a material having a similar aspect or coordinated with that of the visible face 22 of the fabric 1.
In the embodiment of
As in the embodiment of
The excessive thickness 11 in the shape of a hook in
Reference is now made to FIG. 5.
In the embodiment of
Reference is now made to
The embodiments diagrammatised on
In the embodiment of
The angle profile diagrammatized on
In the embodiment of
Reference is now made to
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
In, the embodiment of
As diagrammatised by the lines 1a, 1b on
The rail sections described above can be used for stretched fabric structures for decoration, masking or display, especially false ceilings, false walls in hospital and industrial environments or for collective equipment, and modern or historical dwellings.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
00 09186 | Jul 2000 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/FR01/02245 | 7/11/2001 | WO | 00 | 4/8/2002 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO02/06604 | 1/24/2002 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4083157 | Anthonioz | Apr 1978 | A |
5058340 | Muller | Oct 1991 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 043 466 | Jan 1982 | EP |
0 089 905 | Sep 1983 | EP |
0 215 715 | Mar 1987 | EP |
0 281 468 | Sep 1988 | EP |
0 338 925 | Oct 1989 | EP |
0 504 530 | Sep 1992 | EP |
0 588 748 | Mar 1994 | EP |
0 643 180 | Mar 1995 | EP |
0 652 339 | May 1995 | EP |
1 287 077 | Jan 1962 | FR |
1 303 930 | Aug 1962 | FR |
1 475 446 | Mar 1967 | FR |
1 515 260 | Mar 1968 | FR |
2 002 261 | Oct 1969 | FR |
2 078 579 | Nov 1971 | FR |
2 106 407 | May 1972 | FR |
2 145 147 | Feb 1973 | FR |
2 175 854 | Oct 1973 | FR |
2 202 997 | May 1974 | FR |
2 270 407 | Dec 1975 | FR |
2 310 450 | Dec 1976 | FR |
2 475 093 | Aug 1981 | FR |
2 486 127 | Jan 1982 | FR |
2 523 622 | Sep 1983 | FR |
2 524 922 | Oct 1983 | FR |
2 531 012 | Feb 1984 | FR |
2 537 112 | Jun 1984 | FR |
2 552 473 | Mar 1985 | FR |
2 561 690 | Sep 1985 | FR |
2 587 392 | Mar 1987 | FR |
2 587 447 | Mar 1987 | FR |
2 592 416 | Jul 1987 | FR |
2 597 906 | Oct 1987 | FR |
2 611 779 | Sep 1988 | FR |
2 619 531 | Feb 1989 | FR |
2 623 540 | May 1989 | FR |
2 624 167 | Jun 1989 | FR |
2 627 207 | Aug 1989 | FR |
2 630 476 | Oct 1989 | FR |
2 645 135 | Oct 1990 | FR |
2 658 849 | Aug 1991 | FR |
2 685 036 | Jun 1993 | FR |
2 688 849 | Sep 1993 | FR |
2 691 193 | Nov 1993 | FR |
2 692 302 | Dec 1993 | FR |
2 695 670 | Mar 1994 | FR |
2 699 206 | Jun 1994 | FR |
2 699 211 | Jun 1994 | FR |
2 699 613 | Jun 1994 | FR |
2 703 711 | Oct 1994 | FR |
2 707 708 | Jan 1995 | FR |
2 712 006 | May 1995 | FR |
2 712 325 | May 1995 | FR |
2 715 682 | Aug 1995 | FR |
2 727 711 | Jun 1996 | FR |
2 734 296 | Nov 1996 | FR |
2 736 615 | Jan 1997 | FR |
2 751 682 | Jan 1998 | FR |
2 756 600 | Jun 1998 | FR |
2 767 748 | Mar 1999 | FR |
2 767 851 | Mar 1999 | FR |
WO 9218722 | Oct 1992 | WO |
WO 9412741 | Jun 1994 | WO |
WO 9635846 | Nov 1996 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20020194802 A1 | Dec 2002 | US |