AU7187998A - A retaining clip - Google Patents

Description

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71 Wi.

AUSTRALIA

patents Act 1990 COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

STANDARD~ PATENT Applicant (g) KEMUNING STEEL SDN BHD Inventionl Title: A RETAINING

CLIP

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the biest method of performing it known to me/us: A RETAININ CLIP TBCNICL- FIELD The Press=t invention relates to a retaining clip for concealed fixing 6f a cladding to an anchor.

More particularly, the present invention relatez tu the concealed fixing' Of roofing to a roof structure, and will be described~ Primarily with reference to this 0 application.

EACRGROUN

ART

Certain kinds of roofing sheets are conveniently fixed to the roof structure usincg a retaining clip.

Suitable clips are formed as a strop which is folded at either end so that each. end turns upwardly at 9 0 0 but has a generally U-shaped formation at the very end of one said and. The U-shaped formation has detente formed on either legr of the U. The U-shaped formation together with the detents formed thereon acts as a retaining formation able to be snap-fitted into a channel on a shoot ofroigpositioned aporteythereon.Th other end of the strap does not have the second leg of 25 the U at its very end, and has only a single detent an a result. This end of the clip if; adapted to rest upon the edge of a sheet of roofing already laid, and then to have a second sheet snap-fitted to the single deten-t.

Thuz, the roof ing shem-ts are secured in ovarlappz~ engagem~ent. However, this arrangement requires that each sheet muse be laid and secured with the clip before the next sheet can be laid-. This is an i otvenient and time-consumlmg method of laying roof ing. *Acrigy WEe cjnwa ~ntion. providgMD a e1a' cladding such as r~oof ijg Which alw h ea~- Clive to laid and the cladding~ to be f itted thereto once all of the Clips have been laid- SMn(AMf OF THE INVEN4TION Accordinlg to a first aspect of the present inventionl there is provided a retainiflng clip for concealed fixing of a claddinlg to a- anchor. comPrisingan slonuated base adapted for Seciuremeflt to said anchor; a first uprighnt cladding engacement member at on~e end of sad elongated base; and a second upright cladding engagemenlt member at the other end of said elongated base; each of said f irst and second upright cladding engagement members including detent mesansi able to be received in a Complementary recess in said claddinlg; characteriad in that: said f irst upright cladding engagement member is adapted for operative as0ociation w.ith the second upright cl.addinga engagement ma:mber of an adjacenlt clip to form a conpovite upright claddizg engagement member including composite detent means, whereby the two clips may be laid toget-her in an appropriate configurati.on for oaid cladding to be fitted to said composite upright cladding engagement member.

Preferably, said first upright cladding agaemenft emzba includes engagement means for engaging So said second upright claddivg angaaement monber.

AlternativelY, said first uPright cladding ezgagemzent member and said second upright cladding engagement member could be brought into operative association~ -3.

MW =,rely by abutting 1- a aPPropriae provided they are secuJred in this position- Mlore preferlY ad.qq*Z an O~Pie a second~ 42tent On a first face Of sai.d scn pi claddiff sugagenent member and said second detent irG adapd fo recipt in a complemenGftary depreoGiOforme in zaid fi.rst upright cladeiflg engagement member so as to form said composite detalit means.Adatgoslp maid first upright cladding engagement member incluades a first detent onl a first face of said first ilPright h cladding engagemlent member and said depression isal opening to said firat detent from the rear of gaid f irst face. Alterna~tively, in place of said firat detent, said first face of maid first upright cladding engagement membar may simply have an o~rif ice formed therein throug~h which said second datentj on said first face of said second uprigbt cladding engagement member extends.

Advantageously, said detent means further comprises a third detant on a second face of said first upright claddinlg engagement member.

Advantageously, said fir~t face of said firtt upright cladding engagement member and said first face Of said second upright cladding engagement member lie in 4 2 parallel planefl- 4 ~~~ypica2lly Said first and second fcso a first upright cladding engagemn1t member are spaced apart by a spacer member. The spacer member generally lies in a plane parallel to the elongated base of the clip and said seconId upright cladding engagement member usuail includes an exctension from said first face in this Plans. The extensgion ,qould Crenerally be approxmately tbhe Same length as the spacer member so -4 that the spacer Member lies above and- is, co-extensiie with the extension when two adjacent clips are placed in operative- association.

According to a second aspect of then present invention there is provided a cladding system comprising a plurality of clips as described above and a cladding.

Such cladding systayna will often be sold in kit form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1. is a perspective view showing installation of a roofing sheet using a prior art retaining clip; Figure 2 is a Bide view of a clip in accordance with the present invention; Figure I is a perspective, view of the clip shown in Figuire 2; Figure 4 illustrates a cladding sheet profile for use with clips in accorda-ce with the present invention; Figures SA to SC are schematic side views illustrating the installation procedure; and Figure 6 is a side view of a plurality of the clips in accordance with the present invention when 2-3 installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMMODIMNTS Figure I shows the installation of a roofing sheet using a prior art retaining clip. The method of fixing using such clips involves securing cladding aheet to purlin 17, then securing clip 10 to purlin 17 with the retaining lozation Ila overlapping rib 16a as shown. Retainling formuationfl a includes detent 12 On ito inside edge The cliLp In further Compises0 an elangatea. base by Which it is gecured to PurliA 17 With screws l~a, I~b, and a 9600nd retaining formation hib' which is generallY u-.haped in configurtionl, ad has decentg Qza each Of the legs Of the U.

-A aenand claddinc sheet 15b comprises a terminal rib 13b with pan sectionls between it and the adjacenlt rib 1.4b- In order to secure the second cladding sheet 15b to purlin 17 the sheet 15b is pressed 021to thbe secured clip 10 in an orientatiOfl such that rib l3b in pushed over rib 16a and the retaining formation Ila, encurinrg that det-ent 12 snaps into the porti*n of rib 13D adapted to receive it. SimilarlY, rib 14b is pressed onto retai~rnn formation~ ib and the deteflts on retaininlg formationl llb are received in rib 14b. Once steet 15b is secured in this mnner, another cliD is screwed to purliu 11, and a further cladding sheet can then be fixced. This is, however, a somewhat timeconsuming procedure and the present invention, as described herein with ref erence to Ficures 2 to 6, allows all the retaining clips to be lai~d and then the roofing'sheets to be secured thereon subsequenltly- Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a retaining clip in accordance with the present invention. The clip has an elongated base 22, in this case a metal strap, with fastenert holes 23a formed therein. The strap is V folded upwardly at two points, one to either end of the strap, to form first and second upright cladding 30 engagement members- 22a, 22b. in each cana the strap is folded thrcmgh angle x, which in leas than~ 90* but greater than 450, and preferably around 70C, to create the upright cladding engagement members 22a, 22b. The -6-f very and of the strap is bent furthor' in1 the case o I. ___first upright cladding engagement, member 22a, to create a sui~fee hers aftsr to'as pacer member 29 I eand a do iwazdly extending port ion- hereinafter referred Sto as first face 25& of jirTg upxig]ht cladding engaeelt member 22a. At the other extre.3tY Of the j atrap there is only a single fold to create extension 31 of first face 30 of the second upright claddi.ng engagement member 22b. From left to right aG shown in vigure 2, the clip 20 ccmPrias the follow4ing Surfaccal first face 25a of first upright cladding engagement eber saer mamber 29 which spacee said firat face from the second face 25b~, second fa.ce 25b, of first u~pright cladding engagement memiber 22a, elongated base 1 1-15 21, first face 30 of second upright cladding engagement member 22b and the extension 31. of said first face The angles betwen the respective faces are such that each of the upright cladding engagement members 22a.. 22b is a huw-5saped formation capable of being received within a rib of a cladding sheet 28 as shown in Figure 4.

Thle clip 20 also includes detents 24a,b,c formied on the first face 25a. of the first upright r-I&ddinv engagement menber 22a, the firot face 30 of the second upright claclaing engagement member 22b and the second face 25b of the first upright cladding angacement member 22a, respectively. iwithk raf erence to Figure 3, it will .be apparent that the detent 24s, is ho-Ihow and open to tha rear gxf ace of first face 25a, of first upright cladding engagement, zwmber 22a-. Thus, a depression 32 in created in the rear of first face 25a- FurtherC3e, as the deteat 24b is -approximately the same size as detent 24a, cr slightly smaller then detent 24a, detent 24b can be received within detent 24a when it enters via depression 32 in the rear surface of said first face n -thin cn gn~to ts extan ion 31. of said_ Pecond face 30 fits beneath space= memer 29 and so the second upright cladding engagement member 22b resides beneath said first upright cladding engagement member 22a. Thug a composite upright cladding engagement member 33 (best seen in Figure 5C) is formed with a detent on either side thereof, one said detent being detent 24a and the other said detent being detent 24c.

Comvonite upright cladding engagement member 33 is also a hump-ahaped formationi capable of being received in the rib of a cladding sheet 28 as shown in Figure 4.

It will be appreciated that the shape of the upright cladding engagement member 33 is complementary to the orifice in the underside of rib 27 and further that the detents 24a,c on either aide of the composite upright cladding engagement member 33 will be received in complementary recesses 40, 42 respectively- Thus, the cladding 28 can he 6nap-fitted onto an array of t-wo or more clips 20 juxtaposed an described above. With respect to rib 25. located at one end of the sheet, it will be appreciated that detent 24a on the first upright cladding enaement member 22a will be available f or engagement if this clip is the terminal clip in thle array. At the other end of the cladding 23, recess 44 will receive detent 24c of the next clip in the array if a further cladding aheet is to be added or will be vacant if this is the terminal cladding sheet.

The manner in which an array of clips 20 in accordance with the present invention Is assembled is illustrated iD Figures SA to 5C. As best seen in Figure the first clip 20a is secured to the Durlin 3S by f&*tX1C9 3~.Iich are typi.caly BSll An insuilationl blaket41 s gnerllYlaid on purlin 35 before ba nte 1 i g enel rath~ e A s ho wn i n Figure 5 B, the _COZnd clip- 20b taiexiditoa oiif he rear 3 deteflt 24b cam be received in teoi c 2i h etgurf ace of the first face 25a of the first upright rladding Bebr2a etent 24b fits =atY it h rear of detent 24a, thuis first srae3 fscn LW upright cladding engdage12ntL membex 22b abuts the Zear F.0 rface of first face 25a Of fixgt upright claddinfg ntceme 22a, and the spacer member 29 rear-S On extenlsion 31 Of said second face 30. Thus, a compost upright cladding engageOT'1t memvber 13 is formea in the Manner described above. -once in position, t-he VedoZnd I clip 20b is faStened to Purlifl 35 using fasteners34 and this is GhOwfl in Figure A it will be appreciated that a plurality of such clips can be laid end to endr an hsarnO~tIs shown in Figure C5. In Figuret 6 clips, 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d have all been laid enid to end in the manner describd abovR, to create am a ra'Y- of clips adaPtea to receive a cladding 28 of the type illustrated in Figure t will be appreciated that this array is built uP first and tben the cladding sheets 29 gnSpfitted in a second 4 operationl. This avoids the need, as it, the prior arto aff iu one clip, then Jay a cladding sheet, thera~ff ix aL second clip amd lay a second cladding sheet, and so OnL.

Claims (5)

1. 2. A etaiing cliP (20) as claimdi li wherein Ssid first UiPzright C S dfor engaging sai eer (22a) inclldes .~aemn (en 22b).~5gf~ ad e ~p~iht 0 .~linlg-engagemenlt member (2)
2. 3. reta.~~ lip 20) s clai.md in claim 2 3 A et ai ni cgag mem (e fl com pr ies a second. detent 30 (24b) :n irst face (22b sad scod second hteA cadd ig engagemnt membS t2 b i n i~ O emd nCO2a de e (4)is adapted for receiP ia deresin(32) formed said first upright adg IN engagement mewber (22a) so as to formI Gaic. COmpOsite detent means- A. A retaining cliV (20) as claimed in claim 3 wh~erein paid firgt upright cladding engagement member (22a) includes a first detent (24a) on a fixzt face of said first upright cladding engagemenit member (22a), and said depression (32) is the opening to said first detent (24a) from the rear of said first face S. A retaining clip (20) as claimed in claim 4 wherein said composite detent ineans further compriges a third detent (24c) on a second face (25b) Of said first upright cladding engagement member (22a). A retaining clip (20) as claimed in claim 4 Wherein said first face (25a) of said first uprighit cladding engaaemezt member 122a) and said first face of said uprigbht cladding engagement member (22b) lie in. parallel planes.
3. 7. A retai.ning clip (20) as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first face (25a) and said secord face of said fixot upright cladding engagement member (22a) are spaced apart by a spacer member (29). a. A retaining =lip (20) as claimed in claim 7 wherein said second upright cladding engagement member (22b) has an. ex~tension (31) from said first face (30) in the same Plane an said spacer member (29).
4. 9. A cladding system compriszing a plurzality Of clips (20) in accordance with anY one of claims 1 to 8 and at least one cladding sheet (28).
5. 10. A cladding system as-claimed in claim 9 in ki~t form. DATED THIS 16TH DAY OF JUNE 1998 KEMUNING STEEL SDN 3RD By its Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK Fellows institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia