EP0779397A1 - Cover arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The arrangement has a covering panel (4) which can form a detachable connection to a frame (3), which can be installed in the region of the opening (2). At least one locking element (6) is used to form the connection, and can be unlocked in order to detach the panel from the frame. The element is arranged in a receptacle (7) so that it can move but cannot be released, and is associated with a corresponding element (17), with which it engages in order to connect the panel and the frame. It can also be disengaged from the corresponding element in order to free the locking element.

Description

The invention relates to a cover arrangement of openings, in particular inspection openings in the sanitary area, according to the features specified in the preamble of claim 1.

Such a cover arrangement is known, for example, from German utility model DE 92 10 905 U1. This arrangement is assigned to a lining of the wall opening and contains a frame and a cover plate with a button for actuating the drain valve of a cistern. The cover plate is detachably fastened to the frame by means of screws and the lining of the wall opening is fastened to the frame covered with the cover plate by means of stud bolts. A total of four screws are provided for fastening the cover plate to the frame. Screwing on the cover plate during assembly or unscrewing it during service or inspection work requires a not inconsiderable effort. Care must be taken be that damage, for example due to excessive tightening of the screws, is avoided. There is also the risk that one or the other of the screws is lost during assembly or disassembly, thereby causing a loss of time.

Furthermore, a revision cover with a frame and a revision cover is known from German Offenlegungsschrift DE 35 38 757 A1. To fasten the inspection cover, snap locks are arranged on this, which have locking springs and spring lugs that overlap the frame. Deflectors for the spring lugs mentioned are arranged on the inspection frame, and locking devices are provided on the inspection cover. The snap locks arranged on the inspection cover require a complex design of the inspection cover, which can also be referred to as a cover plate.

Furthermore, from the German published patent application DE 40 05 753 A1, a built-in cistern with a cover plate is known, which is provided as a ceramic plate with hooks arranged on the back. A frame that can be connected to the wall contains suspension elements that correspond to the approaches. Screws are provided on the underside of the cover plate, which are brought into engagement with the lower edge of the frame during assembly. Although the ceramic cover plate is suspended from the upper edge, screwing in and adjusting the screws mentioned requires a considerable amount of time and assembly. The screws are inserted into openings in the ceramic cover plate, and there is a risk that these screws will fall out of these openings during transport or assembly and may not be available.

Finally, a ceiling panel is known from German utility model 69 18 613, which rests on brackets on beams connected to a ceiling. The brackets contain two tabs which can be brought into engagement with projections of the carriers. At least one tab contains a movable locking element, which is acted upon by a spring and, if necessary, can be removed from the assigned carrier. The tab with the locking element is in turn connected to the panel by means of screws and overall requires a comparatively large construction volume. Special measures are necessary to operate the locking element.

The present invention has for its object to provide an arrangement of the type in question in such a way that a simple and easy assembly of the cover plate is made possible and the disassembly can be carried out with little effort. The cover arrangement should require little manufacturing effort and should have only a few components and individual components. A functionally reliable connection to the frame should also be ensured if the cover plate is removed or reassembled repeatedly.

This object is achieved in accordance with the features of patent claim 1.

The cover arrangement according to the invention has a functional design and enables simple mounting of the cover plate without tools, and the disassembly can be carried out by releasing the locking elements using a suitable tool. At least one unlockable locking element is provided for connecting the cover plate to the frame. The arrangement contains at least one linearly displaceable locking element which serves to form the connection and can be unlocked if necessary. By means of the locking element, a latching lock takes place during assembly without the need for a tool. The unlocking is expediently effected by the action of a compressive force and displacement of the locking element against the force of a spring which, after the cover plate has been mounted, holds the locking element in engagement with a corresponding latching element and thus defines the cover plate with respect to the frame.

Preferably, the linear displacement which can be carried out from the outside, in particular the underside of the frame, takes place counter to the force of an elastically flexible spring element. In order to avoid the risk of damage to the locking element due to improper storage of the cover plate after removal from the frame, the locking element is preferably assigned to the frame. With an arrangement of the locking element on the frame essential that the locking element is accessible and operable from the outside when the cover plate is mounted. It is also advantageous if the frame has a receptacle for the locking element and contains guide channels for the locking element that are required for movement sequences during locking and unlocking.

The locking element is expediently connected to the frame or the cover plate in such a way that it is anchored in the frame or the cover plate even when the cover plate is removed. The locking element is "captively" movably connected to the cover plate or the frame and cannot be lost before assembly or during service work when removing the cover plate. The locking element can be operated with a pin or peg and a screwdriver or wrench is not required. All that is required is a simple pushing movement to unlock and detach the cover plate. On the other hand, according to the invention, the cover plate is connected to the frame without any tools due to the resilient and / or flexible arrangement of the locking element.

According to the invention, the cover plate and the frame each have at least one articulation element and a corresponding latching element, which are arranged on one side, preferably in the region of the upper edge, of the frame and the cover plate. On the other side, preferably in the area of the underside of the cover plate and frame, the at least one locking element with the corresponding latching element is provided. To establish the connection, the cover plate is first coupled to the frame by means of the articulation element and the associated latching element. After performing a small pivoting movement, combined with a small linear movement, the locking element is brought into engagement with the assigned locking element on the other side of the frame and / or the cover plate with the assigned locking element. The connection is made manually without the aid of a tool by hanging the cover plate into the frame on one side, a small swivel movement, possibly combined with a short linear movement and then pressing the cover plate by means of the elastically designed and / or elastically arranged locking element the cover plate is firmly connected to the frame.

In a particularly expedient embodiment, two unlockable locking elements with associated locking elements are provided. These locking elements are expediently spaced from one another in such a way that the cover plate can be detached from the frame only when operated simultaneously, in particular by means of a special tool. A "vandal-proof" fastening is guaranteed, since it is not possible to remove the cover plate with a nail, pen or the like, since both locking elements have to be actuated.

So that the locking element assigned to the frame can be easily actuated from the outside when the cover plate is mounted, the cover plate has an unlocking recess through which the locking element can be reached and actuated. An unlocking element for locking and / or unlocking is preferably provided, which preferably extends within the unlocking recess. On the one hand, a concealed arrangement of the actuating element within the unlocking recess largely prevents actuation by unauthorized persons, in particular if the cover plate is fixed to a frame assigned to a vertical wall in such a way that the unlocking recess incorporated into the edge area opens downward. On the other hand, a visually appealing design is achieved, since the unlocking element does not protrude from the cover plate or its edge area, but is completely covered.

With regard to the realization of a low construction effort, the unlocking element is designed according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention as an integral part of the locking element and projects into the unlocking recess in the locking position. The one-piece design keeps the manufacturing costs low, although it would also be conceivable to provide an unlocking recess designed as a bearing and guide part, which contains a separate unlocking element.

A particularly simple, inexpensive and therefore preferred variant of the locking element comprises a spring element, in particular a return spring, the state of relaxation of which justifies the locking position. For unlocking, the unlocking element is moved in the direction of the end of the return spring fixed on the frame, the spring being compressed and the locking element being released. In view of the small distance between the frame and the cover plate and in view of a largely inconspicuous actuation that can only be achieved via the edge region of the cover plate, the return spring is arranged in such a way that the actuation direction extends parallel to a vertical wall or horizontal contact surface. The spring could now be pressurized by means of a tool which is inserted into the unlocking recess and acts on the unlocking element. The unlocking element itself could form a receptacle for the tool, which is thereby guided securely. As a tool, e.g. B. an Allen key or a pin are used.

With regard to the embodiment of the invention, wherein the unlocking element is designed as an integral part of the locking element, an injection molded component is used. An essentially U-shaped component shape has proven to be particularly suitable and stable - especially since the central arrangement of the unlocking element on the base part of the U-shape means that force is applied uniformly and two hooks are available at the ends of the U-legs for locking purposes can stand. The length of the U-legs determines the adjustment path of the spring and the amount of the restoring force acting in the locked position.

In addition to the locking element, the arrangement according to the invention could expediently be associated with connecting means which are in the form of engagement elements and cutouts. According to a preferred embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, the engagement elements are assigned to the cover plate and the cutouts are assigned to the frame. In order that a particularly simple assembly and disassembly can now be realized and the further task set out at the beginning can be achieved, opposing engagement elements are preferably provided, on the one hand as articulation elements and on the other hand are designed as a locking element. For assembly, the articulation element is inserted into the articulation recess extending between the wall or the support surface and the frame, a pivot axis being formed there, around which the cover plate is pivoted in the direction of the wall or support surface until the catch element engages in the catch recess of the frame. Depending on the application for which the cover plate is intended and the type of unlocking to be carried out, the locking element could also be provided in a different position to the articulation element. In any case, it is essential that the locking element should cooperate with the locking element during manufacture, on the one hand to effect the locking process and on the other hand - in the locking position - for additional fixing of the locking element, in particular in a direction extending perpendicular to the wall or support surface.

With reference to the already described embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, wherein the unlocking element and the locking element are designed in one piece and essentially U-shaped, the interaction with the locking element of the cover plate takes place via the base part of the U-shape. In this case, two locking elements are provided, each of which adjoins the unlocking recess and are guided along the base sections arranged on both sides of an unlocking element during assembly. The return spring of the locking element is pressed together until the locking elements have passed the two base sections and finally snap into the locking recesses. In this way, on the one hand the locking state and on the other hand the connection is established.

So that there is enough space for receiving the locking element, it is particularly advantageous to design the cover plate to be arched and to assign the frame to the cover plate and in the assembled state adjoining webs or a corresponding flange that match the shape of the cover plate are adapted or is. In the area of the greatest spacing between the frame and the cover plate, the receptacle for the locking element is expediently incorporated into one of the webs or into the flange.

A further embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, which relates to the special application for toilet cisterns, provides a probe element that triggers the flushing. The cover plate could now be shaped so that a recess is provided for receiving the probe element. In addition, the frame could have a stiffener that forms an abutment for the recess after the cover plate has been installed.

Fig. 1

einen Schnitt in einer vertikalen Ebene durch die Anordnung mit eingebautem Rahmen während der Montage der Abdeckplatte,

Fig. 2

eine Aufsicht auf die Anordnung aus Fig. 1 bei teilweise weggebrochener Abdeckplatte im Verriegelungszustand,

Fig. 3

eine Schnittdarstellung entlang der Schnittlinie A-A aus Fig. 2,

Fig. 4

eine Detaildarstellung aus Fig. 2, betreffend das Verriegelungselement,

Fig. 5

eine Aufsicht auf die Anordnung aus Fig. 1 bei teilweise weggebrochener Abdeckplatte während des Entriegelns mittels eines Werkzeuges,

Fig. 6

eine Schnittdarstellung entlang der Schnittlinie B-B aus Fig. 5 und

Fig. 7

einen Schnitt ähnlich Fig. 1 während der Demontage der Abdeckplatte,

Fig. 8

eine Ansicht einer weiteren Ausführungsform des Rahmens,

Fig. 9

teilweise eine Ansicht einer weiteren Ausführungsform der Abdeckplatte,

Fig. 10-11

Schnitte entlang der Schnittlinie G gemäß Fig. 9.

Particular refinements and developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims. The cover arrangement according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the special exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a section in a vertical plane through the arrangement with built-in frame during assembly of the cover plate,

Fig. 2

2 shows a top view of the arrangement from FIG. 1 with the cover plate partially broken away in the locked state,

Fig. 3

3 shows a sectional illustration along the section line AA from FIG. 2,

Fig. 4

2, relating to the locking element,

Fig. 5

1 with the cover plate partially broken away during unlocking by means of a tool,

Fig. 6

a sectional view taken along section line BB of Fig. 5 and

Fig. 7

2 shows a section similar to FIG. 1 during the disassembly of the cover plate,

Fig. 8

2 shows a view of a further embodiment of the frame,

Fig. 9

partly a view of a further embodiment of the cover plate,

Fig. 10-11

Sections along the section line G according to FIG. 9.

Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of a wall 1 with an opening, in particular an inspection opening 2, behind which a cistern, not shown, is arranged. In the area of the opening 2, a frame is firmly connected to the wall 1, on which a cover plate 4 can be detachably fixed. To fit into the opening 2, the frame 3 has a circumferential flange 5.

According to the invention, two unlockable locking elements 6 are provided for connecting the cover plate 4 to the frame 3, of which only the one locking element can be seen here. Each locking element 6 is arranged in a receptacle 7 of the frame 3 and can be actuated from the outside. For this purpose, the cover plate 4 each has an unlocking recess 9 in its edge region 8 designed as a border for the frame 3.

2 and 3, the cover plate 4 is mounted and locked. In this case, an unlocking element 10 extends within the respective unlocking recess 9. The unlocking element 10 is an integral part of the locking element 6 in this exemplary embodiment.

4, the locking element 6 comprises a return spring 11. From FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 7 it can be seen that the return spring 11 is fixed at one end in the receptacle 7, which is not one for this purpose has designated plug extension, on which the return spring 11 is attached. The other end of the return spring 11 carries the unlocking element 10. To unlock the locking element 6, the return spring 11 is compressed in the actuating direction C shown in FIG. 6 parallel to the wall 1 by means of a tool 12. The tool 12 contains a pin which is inserted into a tool recess 13 of the unlocking element 10 provided for this purpose.

A special embodiment is to be explained with reference to FIG. 5, according to which the tool preferably has two pins 12 which are connected to one another by a common base part 12 ′ to form a single tool. This special tool is available to the installer and he can easily operate the two locking elements 6, 6 'to detach the cover plate. This ensures an at least largely vandal-proof fastening of the cover plate, since the required simultaneous actuation of the locking elements 6, 6 'cannot be easily carried out with simple tools, nails or the like. If necessary, an experienced installer can of course carry out the unlocking with two separate tools.

As can be seen particularly clearly from FIG. 4, each of the two locking elements 6 has the shape of an essentially U-shaped component, the unlocking element 10 preferably being integrated centrally in the base part 14 of the U-shaped component. The legs 15 of the U-shaped component are provided with hook-shaped extensions 16, which bear against the receptacle 7 in the locking position. The receptacle 7 has guides, which are indicated in FIGS. 2 and 5 and in which the legs 15 of the locking element 6 extend.

For the detachable connection of the cover plate 4 to the frame 3, the cover plate 4 also has four latching elements 17 and two articulation elements 18, which interact with corresponding latching and articulation recesses 20 of the frame 3. The articulation elements 18 and the locking elements 17 are arranged on the opposite longitudinal sides of the cover plate 4. The locking elements 17 expediently have inclined surfaces over which the associated locking elements 6 or their base partial sections 22 slide during assembly until the latter then come into engagement with the locking elements 17. Furthermore, the locking elements or their base sections 22 have inclined surfaces which point outwards in the direction of the cover plate. During assembly, the mutually facing and mutually corresponding inclined surfaces of the latching element 17 and the locking element 6 expediently slide against one another, as a result of which mutual jamming is avoided and the assembly is functionally easier.

The assembly of the cover plate 4 on the frame 3 is explained with reference to FIG. 1: In the direction of arrow D, that is to say parallel to the wall 1, the two articulation elements 18 of the cover plate 4 are inserted into the articulation recesses 20. The articulation element 18 is a section with a slightly conical cross section which is angled essentially at right angles from the edge region 8 of the cover plate 4 and which facilitates insertion into the articulation recess 20, which in turn is also of slightly conical design. If the angled region of the articulation element 18 is seated on the edge region 21 of the frame 3, a pivoting movement of the arrow E is now carried out on the cover plate 4, so that the latching elements 17 snap into the base part 14. The locking elements 17 are - as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 5 - arranged on both sides of the unlocking recess 9. During the engagement, the locking elements 17 meet the base sections 22 of the locking element 6, which extend on both sides of the unlocking element 10, and temporarily press the return spring 11 together until they engage in the locking recess 19. The base sections 22 and the latching elements 17 have bevels facing one another, which facilitate the passage of the locking element. After passing the base sections 22 of the locking element 6, not only the snap connection, but also the locking of the cover plate 4 and the frame 3 is realized, since the return spring 11 now relaxes again, the unlocking element 10 in the unlocking recess 9 and the base section 22 in extend the edge region 8 of the cover plate 4 which is exposed behind the latching elements 17. In the assembled and locked state, the side surfaces of the base sections 22 and the latching elements 17 which have just been formed are in contact with one another (see FIG. 3).

Unlocking is carried out by inserting the tool 12 into the tool recess 13 of the unlocking element 10 and compressing the return spring 11. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the disassembly is realized by pivoting the now released or unlocked cover plate 4 in the direction of arrow F. , wherein the pivot axis, not shown here, lies in the region of the articulation elements 18 and the articulation recesses 20, and is led out of the articulation recesses 20 in the direction of arrow G.

1, 3, 6 and 7 also show that the frame 3 has two webs 23 which contact the cover plate 4 in the assembled state, as shown in FIG. 3, and extend on the long sides of the frame 3 . At least one web 23, expediently both webs 23, according to the invention serve to stiffen the frame 3 and / or to support the cover plate 4. Furthermore, it is indicated in FIGS. 2 and 5 that the cover plate is convex and that a web 23 in Area of the highest curvature forms the two receptacles 7, in which the two locking elements 6 are mounted.

Finally, it can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 7 that the cover plate 4 is assigned a centrally arranged trigger element 24 for actuating the valve of a toilet cistern or a urinal control. The trigger element 24 is arranged in a recess 25 of the cover plate 4. The depression 25 is designed, for example, as a protective glass for an infrared control. Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, the trigger element can be designed as a spring-loaded pushbutton which is slidably mounted in the cover plate in order to enable actuation of the valve to trigger a flushing process by means of pins, levers or the like.

8 shows a view of a special embodiment of the frame 3, which has a curved edge 26 at its lower end. The design of the locking elements 6 with the return springs 11 corresponds to the embodiment explained above. In the four corner areas, the frame contains flanges 28 with openings 30, through which, in particular, screws for fastening the frame to the wall or other components can be passed. In a particularly expedient manner, this particular frame contains at least two webs 32 to 35, which extend from the edge to the center to a receiving body 36. The receiving body 36 serves to support or guide parts of the trigger element mentioned. If the trigger element contains an electronic module, in particular with an infrared sensor, this electronic module is fastened on the central receiving body 36 of the frame 3. On the cover plate, the release element contains, for example, a protective glass or the like that is transparent to infrared rays. When assembling or disassembling the cover plate, the infrared sensor can therefore remain on the Frame 3 remain without additional measures, such as disconnecting cables or the like, are required.

If, on the other hand, the release element contains a push button for mechanically actuating a valve, this push button is expediently assigned to the cover plate. The central receiving body 36 of the frame 3 contains a continuous recess 38 through which a pin corresponding to the push button of the cover plate extends. In this embodiment variant, the receptacle body 36 thus preferably serves to support or as a stop for the push button and / or for guiding the pin coupled to the push button, thereby ensuring reliable operation for many years. As a result of the at least two star-shaped webs 32, 33 provided according to the invention, expediently in conjunction with the two further star-shaped webs 34, 35, the frame 3 has high stability and strength with little use of material.

Another special embodiment of the cover arrangement is to be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. The cover plate 4 contains a base body 40, which expediently consists of plastic. The base body 40 can consist of colored plastic in the desired color or have a colored layer or lacquer layer of the desired color on its surface 42. There is often a requirement to obtain a metal surface, although the deposition of thin metal layers is possible in principle, but often does not correspond to the heavy loads and wear. Therefore, according to the invention, a surface 44 is assigned to the surface 42. This sheath 44 expediently consists of thin metal and completely surrounds the base body of the cover plate on the visible side, as can be clearly seen from FIG. 11. The casing 44 is firmly and permanently connected to the base body 40. For this purpose, the cover 44 is preferably glued to the surface 42 of the base body. As can also be seen from FIG. 10, in an alternative embodiment, the cover 44 can have tabs 46 which encompass the rear edge 48 of the base body 40. The metal sheath 44 according to the invention expediently protects the base body 40 from external influences and the cover plate 4 constructed in this way is distinguished by a high level of functionality and service life. It is also essential that the same basic body 40 for the colored normal version and for the special version of the cover plate with an additional cover 44, preferably made of metal.

Reference numerals

1

wall

2nd

opening

3rd

frame

4th

Cover plate

5

Flange of frame 3

6, 6 '

Locking element

7

Recording for the locking element 6

8th

Edge area of the cover plate 4

9

Unlocking recess

10th

Unlocking element

11

Return spring

12th

Tool

12 '

Line / base part of 12

13

Tool recess in the unlocking element 10

14

Base part

15

leg

16

hook-shaped extension

17th

Locking element

18th

Articulation element

19th

Notch

20th

Link recess

21

Edge area of the frame 3

22

Base section

23

web

24th

Release element

25th

deepening

26

curved edge of 2

28

Flanges

30th

Opening in 28

32-35

web

36

Receiving body

38

Recess in 36

40

Basic body

42

surface

44

Cover

46

Tab

48

rear margin of 40

Claims (10)

Cover arrangement of an opening (2), in particular an inspection opening for a sanitary element, comprising a frame (3) which can be installed in the region of the opening (2) and a cover plate (4) which can be detachably connected to the latter, at least one locking element (6) being provided for the connection, which can be unlocked to release the connection if necessary, characterized in that the locking element (6) is movably arranged in a receptacle (7) and is captively fixed and that the locking element (6) is correspondingly associated with a latching element (17) with which the locking element (6) for establishing the connection between the frame (3) and the cover plate (4) is in engagement, the locking element (6) being able to be disengaged from the locking element (17) for unlocking. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking element (6) is arranged to be elastically flexible and / or that an elastically flexible spring element (11) is associated with the locking element (6) in such a way that it can be brought into engagement with the latching element (17) and / or that the spring element (11) is arranged in the receptacle (7). Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking element (6) is linearly displaceable in the receptacle (7) and can be actuated from the outside and / or is covered by means of the cover plate (4), the cover plate (4) has a recess (9) for actuating the locking element (6). Arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the locking element (6) is arranged on the frame (3) and that the corresponding latching element (17) is arranged on the cover plate (4) and / or that an unlocking element (10 ) is assigned to the locking element (6) and / or that the unlocking element (10) is an integral part of the locking element (6) and / or that the unlocking element (10) protrudes from the locking element (6) and is at least partially arranged in the unlocking recess (9) is. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the frame (3) has a receiving body (36) for a trigger element (24) and / or in that the cover plate (4) has a trigger element (24), in particular, arranged centrally, in particular for actuating a flushing system, having. Arrangement, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the spring element (11) is designed as a return spring (11) and can be compressed to unlock the locking element (6) and / or that the spring element between the locking element (6) and a contact area, in particular an edge area (21) of the frame (3). Arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the locking element (6) is substantially U-shaped and / or has hook-shaped extensions (16) which rest in the locking position on the receptacle (7), and / or that the frame (3) and the cover plate (4) have connecting means in the form of engaging elements and recesses. Arrangement, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the frame (3) and the cover plate (4) have at least one articulation element (18) and at least one corresponding latching element (17) and / or that the cover plate (4) or the frame (3) has at least one articulation recess (20) or locking recess (19) corresponding to the articulation element (18) or the locking element (17), which preferably in the area of the upper side of the frame (3) and the recess (19, 20) is arranged on the other, lower side of the frame (3), and / or that the latching recess (19) is arranged in the region of the receptacle (7) for the locking element (6). Arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the cover plate (4) can be pivoted about a pivot axis, by means of which the pivot element (18) engaging for mounting in the pivot recess (20) is formed, the pivot axis being pivotable, the latching element (17) into the Locking recess (19) can be inserted and by means of the spring element (11) the locking element (6) can be temporarily compressed until it engages in the locking recess (19). Arrangement, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the cover plate (4) has a base body (40) and a cover (44) which can be connected to it, the base body (40) preferably being made of plastic and the sleeve (44 ) is made of metal.

Images