EP0511090B1 - Device for achieving a visible surface of a wall containing flush-mounted element and wall element containing such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for achieving a visible surface (2), with no discontinuity, of at least one partition element (1), comprising at least one housing (3) for an element (4) to be flush-mounted, characterised in that it consists of a diaphragm (12) stuck to the visible surface (2) of the partition (1) and covering the element (4) beyond the jointing plane formed between the lateral edges of the said element (4) and of the housing (3), in order to form a flat joint cover which is able to render the flush-mounting leaktight, whilst ensuring continuity of the visible surface (2) of the partition, in a substantially identical plane, by levelling the diaphragm (12) with the said surface (2) and to render the latter leaktight and smooth. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device for obtaining a partition without discontinuity, while it comprises at least in one visible face a housing intended for an element to be embedded, covered by a protective membrane fixed to the visible face of the partition.

The element to be built-in could consist, for example, of a switch for controlling lighting or of various apparatuses, in an indicator light colored according to a code or bearing inscriptions, in a device grouping a plurality of push-button switches, indicator lights. ... and constituting a control panel for using or entering an apparatus such as, for example, a communication or telephony device.

The importance of obtaining a partition without discontinuity comprising such a material which is integrated there, is especially felt in the premises having to meet rigorous health and safety standards which can go as far as the requirement of sterilization of these premises in order to make them free from all microbial germs.

This is the case, for example, in operating rooms in hospitals, clean rooms intended for the manufacture of semiconductors, slaughterhouses, industrial kitchens, pharmaceutical laboratories, etc.

It is known to meet these conditions to have partitions, at least the visible face of which is treated airtight or coated with a sheet of plastic material, so as to be able to carry out cleaning, optionally by means of a jet of pressurized water with or without adding disinfectants.

However, the presence of the aforementioned apparatus, even if it is waterproof in itself, represents an obstacle to disinfecting the premises.

Indeed, these, even when embedded, define with the housing in the partition a joint plane perpendicular thereto, in which are likely to lodge bacteria which thus nested can not be reached by the cleaning means used.

Of course, in the aforementioned specific places, it is not admissible to tolerate such dust and bacteria traps, constituted by the aforementioned joint planes, or in general by any cracks, cracks, recesses, and interstices various.

To remedy this, one can imagine sealing the aforementioned joint planes by pouring into the gap a fluid sealing material based on silicones for example.

However, such a method has the drawback on the one hand of not ensuring a perfectly flat surface condition, in continuity with the visible face of the partition, but moreover, it is impossible to implement in the gap between a mobile push button and its support for obvious reasons of sliding of one relative to the other.

We can also think of having attached rubber seals to obtain a seal by means of, for example, baffles constituting an obstacle to the flow of water, but in all cases, these devices constitute reliefs of a nature to create recesses where s '' will accumulate dust and bacteria.

Another known problem, for more particularly sealing reasons, is also encountered in the bathrooms.

Indeed, for obvious security reasons, water points such as showers, baths, sinks define a volume-envelope, in which no equipment or control of electrical equipment must not be located, and beyond which extends a meter in all directions a protection volume where the devices therein must have double insulation.

The closest state of the art according to document DE-U-1 726 389 cannot meet such requirements. It describes a device for protecting an electrical control element installed on the front of a building wall. In this document the partition element comprises at least one housing for a built-in electrical control element covered by a protective membrane fixed to the visible face of the partition. It is proposed to cover a movable control element with a rubber membrane which is fixed to the exterior face of the wall by screws. Such a design involves mechanical fixing means which pass through the covering membrane and have at least one part accessible from the outside. It therefore leaves many possibilities for fouling and the proliferation of bacteria in areas difficult to clean or disinfect, in particular at the screw heads and around the membrane.

To satisfy this, the subject of the invention is a partition element, comprising at least one housing for a recessed electrical control or signaling element covered by a protective membrane fixed to the visible face of the partition, characterized in that said membrane is glued at least on the visible face of the partition in an adhesive peripheral zone forming a frame around the embedded element beyond the joint plane formed between the lateral edges of said element and said housing, to form a joint cover flat, capable of sealing the embedding while ensuring the continuity of the visible face of the partition, along a substantially identical plane, by flush with the membrane on said face, which is thus sealed and smooth.

According to the invention, the term “visible face” means the finished face of the partition, that is to say optionally coated with a facing or utility material such as laminate, tiling or the like.

By means of such a device, a partition element is obtained which is free from any dirt or bacteria trap. In fact, even if the periphery of the membrane constitutes a corner with the visible face of the partition, the latter is easy to access and can therefore be cleaned, insofar as it does not constitute a gap between two planes substantially perpendicular to the visible face of the partition, and where, according to the invention, the thickness of the membrane will be as small as possible.

To further reduce the thickness of the membrane around its periphery, it is advantageously provided according to the invention that its peripheral edges are tapered.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the housing intended for the element to be embedded is dimensioned so that one face of this element, once embedded, comes flush with the visible face of the partition so that the membrane relates to a maximum of surface, which makes it possible to further reduce its thickness insofar as it does not need to withstand significant perforation forces.

According to other characteristics of the invention, said membrane is constituted by a plastic film having qualities of resistance to puncture and elastic flexibility to deformation and is bonded to the visible face of the partition, by means of a layer. of adhesive material.

For an application of the device according to the invention to an electrical control element of the pusher type, the membrane according to the invention is provided to present an elastic flexibility to the deformation allowing the actuation of the pusher and a resistance to perforation allowing these deformations without risking breaking the seal.

For such a type of application, it is advantageously provided that the membrane is only stuck on the periphery of the housing intended for the element to be embedded so as to preserve the deformation of the membrane by avoiding it being stuck on the movable portion. of the pusher.

To this end, the membrane is advantageously associated with a layer of adhesive material, defining a frame around the element to be embedded.

For an application to a signaling element, it can however be provided that the membrane is also bonded over the entire surface of the element coming flush with the visible face of the partition.

For an application to a built-in element comprising at least one control panel comprising a plurality of electrical control keys of the push-button type, provision is advantageously made for the membrane to be associated with a layer of adhesive material defining at least one frame around said panel. control.

The deformation of the membrane is thus preserved by preventing it from being glued to the surface portion corresponding to the control panel comprising the pushers, while ensuring that the membrane is held on a sufficient surface by bonding it to the surface portions of the element coming flush with the visible face of the partition, which are not intended to undergo displacement.

Such an application can, for example, be used for embedding telephony equipment. In which case the control panel is made up of push-type push buttons for line, call, or dialing commands, the locations of the buttons and of the speaker and / or microphone can be materialized by screen printing of the membrane. .

Depending on the characteristics of the telephone equipment, it may prove advantageous for the thickness of the membrane to be reduced at the locations of the loudspeaker and / or microphone in order to limit the attenuation of sound when passing through the membrane, for example in the case where the increase in the power of the loudspeaker and / or the sensitivity of the microphone of the telephone equipment would involve structural modifications of this one.

This reduction in thickness can advantageously be obtained either during the manufacture of the plastic membrane, or by affixing a thinner sheet to the internal face of the membrane, the membrane then being provided with series of holes at the locations speaker and / or microphone. This last solution does night, neither the tightness nor the mechanical strength of the membrane, insofar as these locations correspond to portions of the surface of the element coming into flush which do not require displacement action.

The invention being more particularly intended for the covering of electrical equipment, a partition element according to the invention advantageously comprises a conduit for passage of electrical conductors intended for said element opening into said housing.

According to another embodiment, said housing can also be through to allow intervention on said element without intervening on the visible face such as for example the replacement of a bulb of a signaling element of the light indicator type.

Other characteristics will appear during the description which follows, given by way of example and carried out with reference to the appended drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a partial front view of an apparent face of a partition without discontinuity according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a device for obtaining a partition without discontinuity according to FIG. 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a partition at the level of a built-in element after assembly.

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of a partition element with visible face without discontinuity according to the invention, comprising a built-in telephone apparatus.

In these figures, the same elements have been designated by the same references for reasons of clarity. Likewise, and for the same reasons, only the elements essential for understanding the invention have been shown. They were done without respect for scale and schematically.

The partition 1 shown in the figures has an apparent face 2 from which is provided a housing 3 of dimensions and shape such as to be able to receive an element 4 to be embedded.

In this case, in these figures, the element 4 is a switch of the built-in type of rectangular shape, known per se, composed of a body 5 containing the mechanism and a set of contacts (not shown) actuated by a push button. 6 acting from top to bottom in the direction F (Figure 3) against a spring 7 or equivalent means.

The push button 6 is able to slide in an upper frame 8 of the switch 4 thanks to a joint plane 9 defining a peripheral gap, here rectangular, between the button 6 and the frame 8, perpendicular to their respective planes which are substantially identical.

The frame 8 of the switch 4 is of shape and dimensions making it suitable for being housed and coming to bear in a rebate 10 formed in an upper part of the housing 3 at a depth equal to the thickness of said frame 8 so that the assembly of the switch 4 comes flush with the surface 2 of the partition 1. As previously, a joint plane 11 remains, thus defining a peripheral rectangular gap between the frame 8 and the edge 10a of the rebate 10.

The switch 4 conventionally comprises connection means 13, for example actuated by screws 14, to electrical conductors (not shown). To allow the passage of these electrical conductors, the partition element includes, in its thickness, a conduit 15 opening into the housing 3. This conduit may, either as shown in FIG. 3, open into the face 16 opposite the exposed face 2, either follow an appropriate path in the thickness of partition 1.

According to the invention, the predefined joint planes 9 and 11 are covered by an adhesive membrane 12, pressed against the visible face 2 of the partition 1 and encompassing the upper surface of the switch 4, that is to say the push button 6, the joint plane 9 and the frame 8 extending beyond the plane joint 11, located between said frame 8 and the visible face 2 of the partition 1, to also include said joint plane 11 and thereby remove all forms of interstices.

Thus, the membrane 12 does form a flat joint cover capable of rendering the partition 1 tight and hermetic while ensuring continuity of the face 2, along a substantially identical plane, to the thickness of the membrane 12, by flush with the latter on said face 2, so as to also make it substantially smooth.

To perfect the continuity of the membrane 12 relative to the face 2 and to reduce to nothing all possible forms of recesses, even due to the own thickness of the membrane 12, the peripheral edges 12a thereof can be tapered in the form of a bevel (figure 3).

The membrane 12, according to the present exemplary embodiment, is constituted by a plastic film known under the trade name of "LEXAN", offering good qualities of resistance to perforation, while allowing a certain elastic flexibility to deformation. This last quality is especially useful in the case of a push button command. Indeed, in the case of a static indicator light, this will not be necessary.

The film constituting the membrane 12 will also be translucent in the case of a sight glass so as to allow the passage of light. If it is a switch, this quality will not be required, unless it is a light switch.

Also, indicative inscriptions may be reproduced on the membrane 12 by screen printing, inkjet or any other known means. The membrane 12 thus defined, also comprises on its periphery, a frame 12b, delimiting a zone comprising an adhesive 12c, corresponding to a zone of the face 2 of the partition 1, adjoining the embedding 3 in which the switch 4 is placed. Of course, the adhesive zone could be extended to the entire surface bearing of the membrane 12.

In the present case, the adhesive 12c is deposited directly on the corresponding zone of the membrane 12, delimited by the frame 12b, and is protected by a peelable protective sheet (not visible), to make said membrane 12 self-adhesive during removal. of the sheet at the time of its implementation.

It goes without saying that the adhesive 12c could also consist of an adhesive added between the membrane 12 and the face 2 of the partition 1 in the zone surrounding the switch 4, immediately before the application of the membrane 12. Or else again, the adhesive 12c can be replaced by a double-sided adhesive strip first glued to the visible face 2 of the partition 1 by its first adhesive face, its second adhesive face then receiving the membrane 12. The adhesive membrane 12 may also be applied by heat sealing, for example from a source of hot air.

In the case of application of the invention to a tiled bathroom, the housing 3 may advantageously open into the visible face of a tile, sheltering the switch from any water splashes.

The variant embodiment shown in section in FIG. 4 relates to the fitting of a telephony apparatus 4 ′. This apparatus includes in particular on its face which is flush with the visible face 2 of the partition 1, a control panel consisting of push buttons 6 ′, a microphone 17 and a loudspeaker 18.

As can be seen in this figure, the membrane 12 comprises at the locations of the speaker 18 and of the microphone 17, a series of holes 19, so as to limit the attenuation of sound when passing through the membrane 12. In order not to not affect the sealing, a plastic sheet 20, thinner than the membrane 12, for example in the same material as that constituting the membrane 12, is attached to the inner face thereof.

This sheet could also be added only on portions of this face opposite the locations of the series of holes 19.

This reduction in thickness could be obtained during the manufacture of the plastic film constituting the membrane 12.

The fact of providing this reduction in thickness locally at the locations of the loudspeaker 18 and of the microphone 17, makes it possible not to harm the mechanical resistance of the membrane 12, at the locations where the latter must be able to undergo deformations for actuation of push buttons 6 ′. This thickness is preferably produced on reduced surfaces, either by means of the series of holes 19 in the membrane 12 and the affixing of the sheet 20, or during the manufacture of the membrane 12 while respecting decreases d thickness located in the form of series of discs, in order to reinforce this mechanical resistance.

Claims (6)

1. Partition section (1), including at least one position (3) for a flush-mounted item for electrical control or signalling (4 ; 4′) covered by a protective membrane fixed to the visible face of the partition, characterised by the fact that the said membrane (12) is stuck at least to the visible face (2) of the partition (1) in a peripheral adhesive zone (12c) forming a frame (12b) around the flush-mounted item (4 ; 4′) beyond the joint plane (11) formed between the lateral edges of the said item (4 ; 4′) and the said position (3), to form a flat joint cover which renders the recessing watertight while providing continuity of the visible face (2) of the partition (1), in a plane which is practically identical, by flush contact between the membrane (12) with the said face (2), which is thus smooth and watertight.
2. Partition according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the said flush-mounted item (4, 4′) being a control item with movable push button (6) the said membrane (12) is made up of a film of plastic material having qualities of perforation-resistance and elastic deformation.
3. Partition according to claim 2, characterised by the fact that for a flush-mounted item comprising an electrical signalling device, the said membrane (12) includes a layer of adhesive material on its whole contact surface and by the fact that it is also stuck on the whole surface of the said flush-mounted item (4, 4′), this being in flush contact with the visible face of the partition.
4. Partition according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the partition includes a flush-mounted item (4′) comprised of a flush-mounted control panel including several control keys of the push-button type (6′) and by the fact that the said membrane associated with the said panel is also stuck on the portions of surface fixed to the visible face (2) of the partition in flush contact with the visible face of the partition, which do not have to be moved.
5. Partition according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that the thickness of the said membrane (12) is locally reduced on the portions (19) of its surface at the position of a loudspeaker (18) and/or microphone (17) incorporated in the said panel with elastic flexibility to deformation allowing the said push button (6) to be operated and sufficient resistance to perforation to permit its deformation without risk of rupturing its waterproofness, the said membrane then only being stuck on the periphery of the said housing and not on the said push-button.
6. Device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised by the fact that the peripheral edges (12a) of the membrane (12) are feathered.

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