The present invention relates to the field concerning the coatings which can be applied externally and/or internally to building works and it refers to a removable coating device or better to a removable cladding system and particularly suitable to cover walls and inner and outer ceiling of buildings and building works in general, for example made of reinforced concrete, prefabricated elements, bricks, varied building materials or works comprising or consisting of metal structures, of wooden beam and of other materials. For example the device can be directly fixed to a ceiling to clad it or it can be fixed to a metal structure to realize a false ceiling.
Coatings for outer walls constituted by panels, metal slabs or staves, generally made of aluminium sheet, fixed in an horizontal way to the wall by means of connections fixed to the wall and each engaged to the horizontal edges of two panels or adjacent sheets or to an upper or lower edge respectively of the upper and lower panel are known.
A disadvantage of such known coatings consists in the fact that the release of a panel, for example because of a necessary replacement owning to a damage or to access to the wall or to elements fixed to this latter, needs the disassembly of all of the upper or lower panels to the one to remove.
Another disadvantage of some of such coatings consists in the fact that they are difficult to apply and they need a lot of time of an appropriately trained staff.
An object of the present invention is to propose a coating or, in other words, to a removable cladding system device which allows the release of even of just one and any panel of the coating in use.
Another object is to propose a removable coating device which allows to remove any panel by means of preliminary removal of a maximum number of other upper or lower panels of the coating in use.
Documents US 2014/305063 A1 and DE 24 09 028 A1 disclose a coating device having the features of the preamble of claim 1.
Further object is to propose an easy and fast wall fitting device for the installation of the coating.
Another object is to propose a device almost free from the risk of damage of the walls or slabs because of the thermal expansion not having edges or ends submitted to mechanical direct wall fixing or for another bearing structure.
Further object is to propose a hidden fixing device which, when in use, exposes to the sight only the panels or slabs.
The characteristics of the invention are underlined below with particular reference to the enclosed drawings in which:
With reference to
The device 1 comprises a plurality of panels 3 made, for example, of synthetic material or preferably of a metal type or comprising at least one metal portion or eventually a portion of organic material of synthetic or natural origin such as wood and its by-products.
In particular the panels 3 can be obtained by punching, or otherwise cutting, and bending aluminium (or its alloys) slabs, anodized or painted, steel sheets or made of stainless steel covered, oxidized, painted or with the stainless steel exposed, of zinc titanium or of other alloys and materials.
The following description and the figures show in an exemplifying way flat slabs, rectangular and elongated with bended and shaped edges and disposed, in a fitting condition to a wall of a building work or furniture work, with the longitudinal edges, or longest, which are horizontally arranged.
Alternatively, the invention provides that the slabs could be also undulated, embossed, drilled, drawn, subjected to nibbling or with face in view in every nature and shape or covered and which can be mounted with any orientation, even vertical or with any inclination.
Hereinafter the terms upper and lower will be used only with a descriptive and non-limitative aim and they refers to the arrangement of the panels on a vertical plane and with longitudinal edges arranged in a horizontal way as shown in the figures in an exemplifying way.
The upper and lower longitudinal edges of the panels 3 are dissimilar to allow the lower edge of a panel to house and hook itself to the upper edge of a panel below but the invention provides that, mutatis mutandis, also the contrary or the coupling of the edges vertically arranged or inclined.
The longitudinal edges of two adjacent panels 3 mutually touch each other and are locked to the wall and one to each other by means of a respective plurality of fastenings 5, 7.
Each panel 3 is equipped with a first longitudinal edge 11 which is shaped to couple, for instance in a horizontal orientation, to a second longitudinal edge 13 of an adjacent panel when assembled as shown. The first longitudinal edge 11 runs along an upper horizontal edge of each panel. In the assembled condition the first longitudinal edge 11 is positioned above the respective second longitudinal edge 13 which is shaped to run along a lower horizontal edge of each panel, so that for the example horizontal orientation illustrated, it is positioned lower than and parallel to the first longitudinal edge 11.
The first longitudinal edge 11 has at least one concave housing means 15 and the second longitudinal edge 13 has a first rib means 17 whose shape is approximately complementary to the one of the concave housing means 15.
Such configuration provides that in the operative condition the first rib means 17 of a panel is inserted into the concave housing means 15 of the adjacent panel to form a couple. The concave housing means 15 and the first rib means 17 are shaped as a bevelled elongated prism, in other words they have longitudinal flat sides mutually jointed by rounded bevels.
The edges of two adjacent panels 3 of the system or device in the operative condition, are constrained by the fact that the first rib means 17 of one of them 3 is housed into the concave housing means 15 of the other one 3 and they are mutually fixed to the wall by means of a respective plurality of fastenings 5, 7. The invention, to obtain a covering in which each panel is directly removable, provides that all of the fastenings could be of a removable fastening means 5, for example shown in
Alternatively the invention provides that some couples of edges of adjacent panels are constrained by said removable fastening means 5 and other couples of edges are constrained by fixed fastenings 7 shown in an exemplifying way, previous to the operative condition and in the operative condition, in
The covering obtained from such succession of edges fixed with removable fastening means 5 and with fixed fastenings 7, and these latter 7 shown in an exemplifying way in
With reference to said operative condition of two adjacent panels in which the first rib means 17 of one of them 3 is housed into the concave housing means 15 of the other one 3, each removable fastening means 5 comprises a locking means 21 which is lockable to the wall and matches with the first longitudinal edges 11 having said concave housing means 15 of one of the two adjacent panels 3.
Each removable fastening means 5 furthermore comprises a releasable clamping member 23 which is movable with respect to the corresponding locking means 21 and which can be interlockingly hooked and in a removable way with respect to the locking means 21 fixed to the wall with said concave housing means 15 of the first longitudinal edge 11 of a panel 3 containing the first rib means 17 of the second longitudinal edge 13 of the other panel 3.
The release of the releasable clamping member 23 from the respective locking means 21 of a plurality of removable fastening means 5 of the edges 11, 13 of two adjacent panels 3 allows to free such edges 11, 13.
Preferably the locking means 21 and the releasable clamping member 23 are made of a material having a certain level of elasticity and mechanical resistance to corrosion, for example made of zinced steel sheet or otherwise protected from the several forms of corrosion.
The concavity of the concave housing means 15 of each first longitudinal edge 11 is oriented to the opposite direction to the second longitudinal edge 13 of the corresponding panel 3 and the convexity of the first rib means 17 of the second longitudinal edge 13 of such panel 3 is oriented to the opposite direction to the first longitudinal edge 11 of the same panel 3.
Besides, this configuration allows in a preliminary way, during the assembly phase, to fix to the wall, by means of the fastening means 5, 7, the first longitudinal edge 11 of a panel 3 and to insert the first rib means 17 of the second longitudinal edge 13 of the upper adjacent panel into the concave housing means 15 of the longitudinal edge 11, fixed to the wall, of the lower panel constraining this way such edges mutually and to the wall.
Hereinafter the terms “external” and “internal” referred to elements or characteristics of the panels, of the fittings and of their members refer to the respective middle or central portions, with respectively the meaning of “distal” and “proximal”.
The external longitudinal end of the first longitudinal edge 11 of each panel 3 has a respective second rib means 27 whose concavity is facing, opposing and spaced from the concavity of the concave housing means 15 of the same first longitudinal edge 11.
The transversal section of the second rib means 27 has the shape of a bevelled “V” or of a “U”.
The longitudinal portion internal to the panel 3 with respect to the concave housing means 15 of the first longitudinal edge 11 has a first channel portion means 29 with section approximately “U” shaped or the like.
Such first channel portion means 29 is parallel and placed side by side inside the concave housing means 15 where the concavity of such concave housing means 15 and channel portion means 29 are placed side by side and opposing. The cross section of the portion of the first longitudinal edge 11 comprising the concave housing means 15 and the channel portion means 29 and it is approximately “S” or “5” shaped.
Such first channel portion means 29 has a complementary shape and can be housed into a longitudinal cavity of a second channel portion means 31, with section approximately “U” shaped, for example as “U” cursive capital letter, realized into the longitudinal portion of the second longitudinal edge 13 internal with respect to the first rib means 17 of the panel 3.
The concavities of the channel portion means first 29 and second 31 are faced and oriented towards the same direction.
Going back to the removable fastening means 5, the locking means 21 of each removable fastening means 5 comprises a respective plate-shaped body equipped with a respective protruding matching means 33, preferably constituted by two protruding arms, which are lateral and symmetrical, each having the respective free longitudinal edge or external end hook or rounded “V” or “U” shaped.
Each of such hooked ends of a locking means is assigned to match with, and to block, a corresponding second rib means 27, described previously, of the first longitudinal edge 11 of a panel 3. In particular the free longitudinal edge of the matching means 33 matches and blocks an external side face of the bevelled “V” or “U” shaped second rib means 27.
Each releasable clamping member 23 is equipped with protruding arm means first 37 and optional second 39. When the releasable clamping member 23 is interlockingly hooked to the respective locking means 21, the first arm means 37 is assigned to match with the concave wall of the first channel portion means 29 and/or with an outer face of the concave housing means 15 so as to fix to the wall said concave housing means 15 of the first longitudinal edge 11 of the respective panel 3 containing the first rib means 17 of the second longitudinal edge 13 of the other panel 3. The optional and protruding second arm means 39 cooperates with the first arm means 37 to form an interposed seat for the concave housing means 15 of said first longitudinal edge 11 and it 39 is assigned to match with an inner face or, in other words, with the face closer to the wall, of the concave housing means 15 or with a portion of the first longitudinal edge 11 comprised between the concave housing means 15 and the corresponding second rib means 27, for instance, to stiffen the fixing of the panels to the wall and/or to avoid or to limit the possible vibrations or oscillations of the panels.
Said plate-shaped body of each locking means 21 has a lateral outline approximately “L” shaped, having a main portion 42 corresponding to the leg of the L equipped with a hole 43 in the centre for a wall fitting means for example a screw plug and laterally provided with symmetrical protrusions which constitute the respective protruding matching means 33.
Each locking means 21 has as well a secondary portion 44 corresponding to the foot of the “L” perpendicular to the main portion.
The secondary portion 44, in correspondence with the junction with the main portion, has two side concave recesses 45 and, in correspondence with the end opposite to such recesses, has a ledge means 47 which protrudes in a parallel way to the main portion 42.
The free end of such ledge means 47 has two lateral protrusion means 49. The releasable clamping member 23 of each removable fastening means 5 comprises a respective plate-shaped body whose lateral outline is approximately “S” shaped and provided with:
The releasable clamping member 23 comprises seating means first 53 and second 55 comprised respectively between the first arm means 37 and the median portion 38 and between this latter 38 and the lower portion 48.
The cross section of such seating means first 53 and second 55 is V-shaped. When the releasable clamping member 23 is interlockingly hooked to the respective locking means 21, the ledge means 47 of the locking means 21 is housed into the first seating means 53 of the releasable clamping member 23 and edges of the concave recesses 45 of the locking means 21 are housed into the second seating means 55 of the releasable clamping member 23 and elastically and in a reversible way kept therein by the lower portion 48 of the releasable clamping member 23 and/or vice versa.
It is possible to modulate the intensity of the force necessary to the disengagement of the ledge means 47 and of the edges of the concave recesses 45 from the seating means first 53 and second 55 and thus necessary to release mutually the locking means 21 and the releasable clamping member 23 setting appropriately the measurement and/or the thicknesses and/or the modulus or elasticity of the material or of the materials with which they are made of.
The force necessary to unhook the panels to disassemble, even partially, the device will depend on said setting of the dimensional and physical parameters of the removable fastening means 5.
A side of the first window 41 is constituted by the side of the second arm means 39 fixed to the median portion 38 and such first window 41 has at least at one end of such side a notch or enlargement 61 assigned to facilitate the passage of a respective lateral protrusion means 49 of the ledge means 47.
The portion of the second window 51 close to the median portion 38 of the releasable clamping member 23 has a width approximately equal to the width of the part of the secondary portion 44 comprised between the two concave recesses 45.
The remaining portion of the second window 51, or its portion opposed to the median portion 38 of the releasable clamping member 23, has a width approximately equal or lightly superior to the maximum width of said of the secondary portion 44 of the locking means 21.
The edge of the second window 51 adjacent to the median portion 38 can have an optional bracket means 63.
The optional bracket means 63 is coplanar to the median portion 38 of the releasable clamping member 23 and it is assigned to occupy part of the joint area between its portions main 42 and secondary 44 of the locking means 21 without matching with this latter 21.
The lower portion 48 of the releasable clamping member 23 of each of the removable fastening means 5 has a ribbing or lever point 65 for the operation of a disassembling tool, for example provided with a handle for a stem whose portion opposite to the handle is angular.
Each panel 3 has at least a hole in a prefixed position of each releasable clamping member 23. Such hole is assigned to the passage of the stem of the tool up to the ribbing 65. Acting with the tool on such ribbing 65, the release of the removable fastening means 5 is caused releasing the respective edges of the corresponding panels 3.
Each of said fixed optional fastening means 7, comprises a plate-shaped body having a first hole for a wall-fitting means and whose lateral outline is approximately L-shaped. Such body has an end portion partially folded 71 and flexible having a second hole side by side to the first one and a first stop means 73.
The opposite end of the body has a second stop means 75 and the portion of the body comprised between the second stop means 75 and the part of the body itself facing the upper end portion partially folded 71 has a plurality of protruding pushing means 77, for example consisting of protruding fins and angular with respect to the body.
Such stop means first 73 and second 75 and pushing means 77 are assigned, in a fixing condition of the fixed fastening means 7 to a wall by means of fixing means engaged in said two holes, to match with the first longitudinal edge 11 of a panel 3 and to shut such edge 11 as a result of the screwing of a screw, engaged in said holes of the fixed fastening means 7, of a wall-fitting expansion plug or of a self-perforating screw in the event of fixing to a metal structure.
The first stop means 73 are hook-shaped or rounded “V” or “U” shaped and the longitudinal edge thereof is assigned to match and to block an external side face of the bevelled “V” or “U” shaped second rib means 27.
The operation of the device provides that it could be installed fixing the panels to a part by means of the fastenings 5, 7 and that such panels could be disassembled acting with the tool at least on the releasable clamping member 23 of the removable fastening means 5 of the constraint of the edges of two panels and eventually also on some fixed fastenings means 7 if present and if necessary.
It must be observed that the locking means 21 and the releasable clamping member 23 of the removable fastening means 5 for the edges, which mutually match, of two adjacent panels can be mutually moved up to their mutual interlocking removable hooking and thus up to the fixing of such edges, simply by manually pushing such panels or edges towards the wall or the ceiling.
It must be also observed that the longitudinal cavity of the first longitudinal edge 11 fixed to a wall by means of the fixed fastening means 7, and thus free of holes or slots for the mounting tool, works as a drain joint.
The cladding system or, in other words, the removable coating device of
The longitudinal edges first 11 and second 13 of each panel 3, respectively, have a rounded concave housing means 15 and a rounded first rib means 17, the shape of the latter 17 is approximately complementary to the hollow of the concave housing means 15.
The longitudinal edges of the protruding matching means 33 of the removable fastening means 5 and of the first stop means 73 of the fixed fastenings 7 are 180° or more bended to form, at their longitudinal end portions, respective shoulders assigned to match with and to block the longitudinal end of the respective second rib means 27. The cross section of the second rib means 27 has the shape of an opened “V” or a “V” with enlarged angle so the respective longitudinal free edge can face and can match with the shoulders formed by the matching means 33 and by the first stop means 73.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102016000039689 | Apr 2016 | IT | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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312658 | Sagendorph | Feb 1885 | A |
3417531 | Jones | Dec 1968 | A |
3438168 | Tischuk | Apr 1969 | A |
4267679 | Thompson | May 1981 | A |
4283897 | Thompson | Aug 1981 | A |
4411117 | Bolha | Oct 1983 | A |
4607471 | Olsen | Aug 1986 | A |
5018323 | Clausen | May 1991 | A |
5191745 | Story | Mar 1993 | A |
5675955 | Champagne | Oct 1997 | A |
6301853 | Simpson | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6393792 | Mowery | May 2002 | B1 |
6968659 | Boyer | Nov 2005 | B2 |
7614191 | Mitchell | Nov 2009 | B2 |
9803372 | Griffiths | Oct 2017 | B2 |
20140305063 | Kim | Oct 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
24 09 028 | Sep 1975 | DE |
2409028 | Sep 1975 | DE |
2 776 748 | Oct 1999 | FR |
Entry |
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English Abstract, for DE 24 09 028, 2 pages. |
English Abstract, for FR 2 776 748, 2 pages. |
Search Report and Written Opinion, ITUA20162682, completed Dec. 6, 2016, 8 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170298634 A1 | Oct 2017 | US |