EP1082935B1 - Folding screen - Google Patents

Abstract

The method for manufacturing a screen comprises forming tubular pockets (32) across the width and/or length of a strip of material. Supporting rods (9) are then fitted into the pockets. An Independent claim is included for a screen manufactured as described above.

Description

The invention relates to a screen wall, which consists of a fabric surface, which is stretched by stiffening rods, and a method for producing such a screen wall. Screen walls of the type described above are usually used as variable separations (known as "Spanish wall" or "screen") for various purposes, such as visual or sun protection and are designed in one or more parts in order to fold them ,

In showers, it is known to use on a rod suspended shower curtains or shower cubicles with rigid wall parts to demarcate the surrounding space against the shower room and protect against umherspritzendem shower water. Shower curtains have the disadvantage that they delimit the shower room only poorly and are sucked in particular by the air circulation in the shower room. Shower cubicles prevent the latter, however, are expensive and must be provided with doors that are tight against the shower water. A particular problem is bathtubs, which should also be used for showering. In addition to curtains here also foldable shower partitions are known, which are placed on the bathtub. However, such devices are also very expensive and usually close at the separation and hinge points not enough, so that water penetrates to the outside and accumulates outside the bathtub. It is therefore also known to stretch over the hinged length of hinged wall parts a flexible strip, such as rubber or plastic.

By the US-PS 5,937,883 a portable shielding wall is known, which consists of several parts and should serve to cover against wind, sand or as a sight protection. Stiffening rods or pegs for installing the screen wall can be introduced into fastening structures, wherein the fastening structures are to consist of hook and Ösenbefestigungen mounted on the shield wall forming fabric. Such a fastening structure may also be formed in such a way that a loop is sewn from the fabric panel so as to form a pocket into which a stake for attachment can be inserted. The pockets thus formed require ready work. Furthermore, they have the disadvantage that when tensioning the part walls, these darts must absorb the entire train.

FR-A 2.611.792 describes a protective wall, net or the like which has hose pockets for being able to erect this protective wall, net or the like, the posts or pegs being inserted into these hose pockets. These hose bags are formed by joining two webs or, starting from a single web, by forming a loop or by sewing or gluing of cloth or film parts. However, this requires an additional operation, since the bags are not made in the course of fabric production. This is expensive and carries the risk of mistakes. One method of forming these barb pockets in fabric making is this document not removable. Likewise, pockets are arranged in the shower wall described in DE-U-94.15.406 for receiving tension rods. About the production of these bags is nothing to be found in this document. However, the drip tray should be easily removable from the tension rods, which should be made possible by the attachment by means of "refills" or even by unbuttoning the pockets. Again, additional clothing work is required to create such hose pockets for receiving the tie rods.

US Pat. No. 4,554,937 discloses a shielding wall in which frames are provided for the individual wall parts over which the fabric parts of the shielding wall are stretched. The adjacent wall parts are fixed by folding and sewing the ends of the fabric on these frame parts. For flexible connection of the individual wall parts, the ends of the abutting fabric panels are made up so that a hinge is formed. This type of attachment requires not only elaborate clothing, but the panels can not be stripped from these frames; For example, to replace damaged panels, they must be severed at the seams and removed. New panels must be fastened by appropriate clothing. A space-saving packaging is not given in this type of screen walls.

Object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and versatile screen wall, in particular for the separation of shower rooms, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the invention this object is solved by the features of claims 1 or 17. By incorporating the hose-like pockets for holding stiffening rods, which serve as a clamping or supporting framework, eliminates any confection. The stitching of strips of fabric is eliminated, by which usually such bags are made. The cloth surface for the screen wall is removed from the fabric produced in running meters by cutting or separating and thereby isolated. Even with multi-part screen walls, a continuous fabric web is produced, in which over the width and / or length of each wall part at least one tubular bag for receiving a stiffening rod is incorporated. If the individual wall parts are connected to one another by hinges, a hose-like pocket and, at the beginning of the adjoining wall part, a connecting strip is incorporated into the fabric at the end of the wall part. Thus, the screen wall is not only very easy to produce, but also in the hinge areas absolutely tight, so that no shower water can escape to the outside. This flexible connection strip can serve both as a hinge, and only as a cover of the hinge gap when the wall parts are connected by hinges. By such a design even greater stability of the multi-part screen wall is achieved.

For sealing against the wall or the tub rim, the screen wall has flexible edge strips. If hose-like pockets are incorporated in the fabric over the length and across the width at certain intervals, then the manufacture of the screen walls is adjusted to certain desired sizes. The respective size of the screen wall or of the individual wall parts is determined by the fact that the required surface is cut out of the fabric along a tube-like pocket, which can be done for example by cutting, and in the selected tubular pockets Stiffening rods are inserted. If separation gaps or separation rows are incorporated along these separation points between the individual screening walls, cutting is unnecessary. By limiting the screen wall by an incorporated, so-called. Fixed edge is unnecessary bordering or hemming of this edge, so that there is no packaging. Also, the edge strips at the end of the screen wall and on the narrow sides of the partial walls are incorporated in this way in the manufacture of the fabric, so that here also eliminates any clothing. The individual wall parts are tensioned by removable diagonal tensioners, so that the screen wall as a roll can be easily transported for transport or sale and requires little storage space. The screen wall produced in this way consists of a fabric surface which has tubular pockets over the width and / or length which are incorporated in the fabric surface for the purpose of receiving stiffening rods. In the case of a multi-part screen wall, this consists of a continuous web of material which has at least one tubular pocket for receiving stiffening rod over the width and / or length of each wall part. The individual parts of the screen wall connected by flexible connecting strips together, which serve as a hinge. However, the individual wall parts can also be connected to one another by hinges, which gives the screen wall more rigidity. Flexible edge strips of the screen wall serve as a seal for the wall connection or attachment to the tub.

Figur 1

eine Stoffbahn, in welcher die erfindungsgemässe Schirmwand formgerecht hergestellt wird;

Figur 2

ist eine Querschnitt zu Figur 1;

Figur 3

zeigt eine Duschtrennwand in gespanntem Zustand;

Figur 4

ist eine Draufsicht auf die Duschwand gemäss Figur 3;

die Figuren 5 und 6

zeigen Einzelheiten der gelenkigen Verbindung durch Scharnier sowohl der einzelnen Wandteile als auch der Befestigung der Schirmwand an der Wand.

Figuren 7 und 8

zeigen eine dreiteilige Schirmwand, bei welcher die einzelnen Wandteile durch eine Gelenktasche miteinander verbunden sind.

Figur 9

zeigt eine Stoffbahn, bei welcher in regelmässigen Abständen über die Länge und die Breite schlauchartige Taschen eingearbeitet sind.

Further details of the invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Show it

FIG. 1

a fabric in which the inventive screen wall is produced in accordance with the form;

FIG. 2

is a cross section to Figure 1;

FIG. 3

shows a shower partition in a tensioned state;

FIG. 4

is a plan view of the shower wall according to Figure 3;

FIGS. 5 and 6

show details of the articulated connection by hinge both the individual wall parts as well as the attachment of the screen wall to the wall.

FIGS. 7 and 8

show a three-part screen wall, wherein the individual wall parts are connected by a hinge pocket.

FIG. 9

shows a fabric in which at regular intervals over the length and width tubular pockets are incorporated.

The screen wall consists according to Figures 2 and 3 of wall parts 1 and 2, which are interconnected by a connecting strip 6. In the corners of the wall parts 1 and 2 clamping pieces 72 are arranged, which are provided for receiving the clamping heads 81 of the diagonal tensioner 8 with a recess 82. Furthermore, the wall parts 1 and 2 each have two tube-like pockets 32 delimiting the wall parts on their longitudinal sides, into which rods 9 are inserted for stiffening purposes. The clamping pieces 72 respectively clamp the fabric of the wall parts 1 and 2 together with the inserted into the tubular bag 32 bar 9. In the embodiment in Figure 3, the connecting strip 6 serves as a hinge, so that the wall parts 1 and 2 to this longitudinal side against each other are foldable. However, to give the screen wall a bit more stability, can also be provided a hinge 7, which is respectively clamped against the clamping pieces 72 of the wall parts 1 and 2, to connect these two wall parts 1 and 2 articulated with each other (Fig. 6). The connecting strip 6 serves in this case only to seal the gap 7 formed by the hinge between the two wall parts 1 and 2.

On the free longitudinal side of the wall part 1 or 2, a hinge 71, 71 'against the clamping piece 72 (Figure 5) attached so that the fabric and the stiffening rods 9 are clamped. The free hinge leg 71 'serves to secure the screen wall to the wall 10. If the screen wall serves as a shower partition, an edge strip 3 is provided on this longitudinal side, which is applied to the wall 10 and fixed to the leg 10 'of the hinge on the wall 10. As a result, sealing of the screen wall is also given when connecting to the wall 10. It can now be provided more edge strips 4 and 5, to ensure when using the screen wall as a shower partition a seal against the tub rim or bottom or in the case of the edge strip 5 another connection wall.

The preparation of the screen wall could now be done in such a way that the individual wall parts are tailored and assembled with their tube-like pockets 32, the connecting strip 6 and the edge strips 3, 4 and 5 from a fabric. This means that the edge strips are sewn on, the edges are edged, the wall parts are sewn together and tubular bags for the distribution bars are sewn on. However, this method of preparation is expensive. According to the invention, therefore, the screen wall is made of a single piece of fabric. For this purpose, a fabric web is first generated continuously, and during its manufacture tubular pockets are incorporated across the width, which limit the space required for the screen wall. The thus bounded by the tubular pockets area is by cutting or separating of removed the fabric. The tubular pockets thus form the edges of these surfaces. Subsequently, stiffening rods are introduced into the tubular pockets. To avoid slipping out of the stiffening rods, the hose-like pockets may be closed at the bottom. As can be seen from FIG. 3, this is expediently carried out by working the edge strips 4 to below the tube-like pockets 32, so that the tube-like pockets are closed. These edge strips can also be produced in a form-fitting manner in the production of the fabric, so that a cutting or sewing is eliminated.

The thus defined fabric surface of the screen wall is now provided without further confection in the corners with clamping pieces 72, wherein, as already described above, the fabric of the screen wall is clamped together with the inserted into the tube-like pocket 32 stiffening rod 9 respectively. As shown in Fig. 1, in a multi-part screen wall also a continuous fabric web 100 is generated, in which over the width of each wall part 1 and 2 at the end of a wall part 1 and at the beginning of the adjoining wall part 2 a tubular bag 32 and between them tubular pockets 32 a connecting strip 6 are incorporated. Depending on the intended use of the screen wall edge strips 3 and 5 can be at the beginning of the screen wall in front of the tube-like bag 32 and / or at the end of the screen wall after the tube-like bag 32, which, as already described above, as a seal against a wall 10 or a serve another connection.

For the mass production of the screen wall, it is important to keep the Konfektionsaufwand as small as possible. It is therefore, as shown schematically in Figure 1, a fabric 100 produced on a weaving or knitting machine, in which the individual screen walls are separated by separating rows or separating lanes 14 from each other. The resulting in the production of the fabric 100 production edge 11 is usually a solid edge, ie the binding at the edge is such that it does not fray in the further course of production, when the fabric is held by means of clips on this production edge 11 and guided and tensioned in the equipment. This production edge 11 would also be strong enough to be stable against fraying in the finished product of the screen wall. However, if this production edge 11 is stressed and loaded so much during the equipment that it does not have a sufficiently straight course, it is advisable to provide an edge region 12 with a separating gap 14 with respect to the actual material surface of the screen wall. By means of these separating lanes or separating rows 14, after passing through all the production stages, including the coating and the equipment, the individual piece of product along these separating lanes 14 is cut out of the fabric 100 in a simple manner. Insofar as the equipment does not provide a sufficiently firm marginal edge along this separation lane 14, provision can also be made for a solid edge to be produced in the product section relative to this edge region 12 by incorporation of a reinforcing thread or by a corresponding thread binding during production. The tubular pockets 32 for receiving the stiffening rods 9 are incorporated during the weaving or knitting process, so that no more clothing is required. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the screen wall is started after a separation row 14 with the edge strip 5. This is followed by a tube-like pocket 32 before the wall part 1 is worked. The wall part 1 ends again with a tube-like pocket 32, followed by the connecting strip 6, followed again by a tube-like bag 32. After this, the second wall part 2 is finally worked, which in turn concludes with a tubular bag 32, followed by an edge strip After separating gate 14, the next piece of goods for the next screen wall follows. In this way, one behind the other in a continuous panel 100, a plurality of screen walls - one or more parts - produced which are finished without the need for any ready made out of this fabric 100 after the finishing process.

Such a shape-appropriate manufacturing process is the subject of the earlier patent application 198 36 447.4-26 and can be used with advantage in the present invention.

According to this method, it is also possible to work edge strips 4 on the wall parts 1 and 2 in a manner suitable for the production of the fabric 100. The separating lane 14 is in each case moved in the region of the edge strip 4 in the edge region 12 by the width of this edge strip 4. In order to close the tubular pockets 32 on the lower side, the edge strip 4 may expediently extend below the tubular pocket 32 respectively. As a result, the positioning of the stiffening rods 9 is facilitated.

The separation of the individual pieces of goods from the fabric 100 can also be done by working between the individual pieces of goods and / or the edge region 12 of the fabric 100 instead of a separation alley in each case a separation row 14, in which a thread is used by a corresponding aftertreatment dissolved and thus a separation between the individual pieces of merchandise or screen walls and the edge region 12 takes place. This eliminates a need to cut along the separating lanes 14th

If the screen wall is used as a shower partition, it is advisable to coat the fabric after its production, in order to make the fabric water repellent or waterproof. If such a coating, then the Trenngasse or Trennreihe 14 are usually glued by coating. It is therefore unnecessary to incorporate separating rows or separating lanes 14. In this case, the separation of the individual pieces of goods or screen walls from the fabric 100 by cutting takes place. When coating is, however to note that the tube-like pockets 32 and / or 33 incorporated into the fabric 100 or 110 do not stick together. Apart from the fact that it is necessary to adjust the viscosity of the coating composition so that it does not penetrate the fabric 100 or 110, it is necessary to take measures that the fabric to be coated 100 and 110 at least in the area of the tube-like pockets 32nd , 33 is dense enough to prevent passage of the coating composition in this area. This can be done in different ways. It has proven to be successful if the fabric web 100 or 110 is hot-pressed at least in the region of the hose-like pockets 32, 33 (at about 210 ° C.). As a result, the threads are compressed in such a way that no coating mass penetrates. The use of textured thread material or fiber yarn for the fabric to be coated has also proved to be particularly advantageous. Both measures can also be used in combination for safety.

Another embodiment of a multi-part screen wall is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The screen wall consists of the three part walls 15, 16 and 17. For sealing on the connecting wall, an edge strip 3 is provided. For sealing against the trough edge strips 4 are provided. The clamping of the individual wall parts takes place, as already described in the previous screen wall, by diagonal tensioners 8, which engage in recesses 82 with their clamping heads 81 of the clamping pieces 72. The hinged connection between the individual wall parts is not in a connecting strip 6, as in the embodiment of Figure 3, but it is in each case a tube-like pocket 32 between the wall parts 15,16 and 17 is provided, in which a stiffening rod 9 is arranged. The wall parts 15, 16 and 17 thus each have a common tube-like pocket 32 and a stiffening rod 9 for their hinged connection. Similarly, the edge strip 3 is connected by a tube-like bag 32 with a stiffening rod 9 to the wall part 17. FIG. 8 shows the screen wall of Figure 7 in cross section. This embodiment has the advantage that fewer parts are needed and yet there is a stable and rigid joint connection between the individual wall parts 15, 16 and 17.

The previously described embodiments make it necessary that the size of the screen wall or the individual screen wall parts is already known in the production of the fabric, since according to the tube-like pockets 32 must be incorporated for the stiffening rods 9 in the production of the fabric at the desired distance. It must also be already established whether an embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8 or, for example, according to FIGS. 2 and 3 is desired. The height of the screen wall must already be fixed in order to produce the fabric in the required width. FIG. 9 now shows a fabric web 110 in which hose-like pockets are incorporated transversely to the width of the fabric web 110 as well as hose-like pockets 33 in the longitudinal direction of the fabric web 110. In addition, these tube-like pockets are arranged at regular intervals so that the tube-like pockets 32 can be selected accordingly in the grid of these distances and thereby the size of the screen wall or partial wall is determined. Even at the height of the screen wall, any division can be made by the tubular pockets 33 in the longitudinal direction of the panel 110. This grid-like arrangement of the tubular pockets 32 and 33 allows the production of any desired sizes, the gradation by the grid of the distances of the tube-like pockets 32 and 33 is determined. The customer determines the number of partial walls and the consequent number of stiffening rods 9 and diagonal tensioner 8. The fabric is cut to the meter to the roll from the role. The division into the individual wall parts 15, 16 and 17 takes place by inserting the stiffening rods 9 in the tube-like pockets 32, whereby the respective surface of the wall part is determined. Through the grid of the tube-like pockets 32 and 33, as a side effect creates an attractive pattern in the fabric.

The arrangement of the tube-like pockets 33 in the longitudinal direction of the fabric 110 also screen walls can be achieved with stiffening on the narrow sides of the wall parts. It can thus be mounted together stable screen walls in which the wall parts are supported and stretched by stiffening rods 9 on all four sides.

The described embodiments are only to be understood as examples. Of course, the individual features of the described embodiment can be kominbiert in other ways, depending on the purpose for which the screen is to be used. Other tensioning devices or stiffeners are also possible, e.g. the clamping can also be done via the stiffening rods by a tensioning device which engages at the ends of the protruding from the tubular pockets stiffening rods 9.

By the inventive method, the production of the screen wall is not only very simple and inexpensive. It is also screen walls in a variety of sizes and divisions for a variety of applications produce without having to commit to the production of the fabric on a specific screen wall.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1,2; 15,16,17

wall part

3,4,5

edge strips

6

connecting strips

7; 71,71 '

hinges

72

clamp

8th

Diagonal tensioner

81

clamping head

82

recess

9

stiffening rod

10

Wall, wall

11

production edge

12

border area

14

Trennreihe, Trenngasse

32.33

tubular bag

100.110

web

Claims (25)

1. A method for the manufacture of a wall-type screen which is tensioned by stiffening bars, from a web of fabric which has at least one tube-like pocket across its width for accommodating a stiffening bar, characterized in that a web of fabric (100; 110) first is produced continually and tube-like pockets (32; 33) defining the region of the wall-type screen are incorporated over the width and/or length of the web of fabric (100; 110) during the manufacture thereof, the region thus delimited is taken off the web of fabric (100; 110), the tube-like pockets (32; 33) form edges of this region, and stiffening bars (9) are inserted into the tube-like pockets (32; 33) located at the border of this fabric region, and that the fabric region thus defined of the wall-type screen is provided with clamping pieces (72) at the corners without being further made up wherein the fabric of the wall-type screen is clamped each, along with the stiffening bar (9) inserted into the tube-like pocket (32; 33).
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, for a multipart wall-type screen, a continuous web of fabric (100; 110) is produced into which at least one tube-like pocket (32; 33) for accommodating a stiffening bar (9) is incorporated over the width and/or length of each panel portion (1, 2; 6; 15, 16, 17).
3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that a tube-like pocket (32) is incorporated each at the end of one panel portion (1) and at the beginning of the adjacent panel portion (2) and a joining strip (6) is incorporated between these tube-like pockets (32).
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that marginal strips (3, 5) are worked on at the beginning of the wall-type screen in front of the pocket (32) and/or at the end of the wall-type screen after the pocket (32).
5. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that tube-like pockets (32; 33) are incorporated into the web of fabric (100) over the length and/or over the width at regular intervals so as to allow the tube-like pockets (32; 33) to be selected in the pattern of these intervals for a determination of the size of the wall-type screen or a panel portion.
6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the wall-type screen is cut out of the web of fabric (100; 110) along a tube-like pocket (32; 33) in correspondence to the desired size of the individual screen portions (1, 2) and the screen portions (1, 2; 15, 16, 17) are determined as to their size by inserting stiffening bars (9) into the selected tube-like pocket (32; 33).
7. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 5,
   characterized in that partitioning lanes or partitioning rows (14) are worked in between the individual wall-type screens and serve for individualizing the wall-type screens after finish treatment.
8. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a plurality of wall-type screens are manufactured in juxtaposition in the web of fabric (100; 110).
9. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the edge of the wall-type screen is manufactured as a fixed edge.
10. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the web of fabric (100) has a marginal region (12) for handling the web of fabric (100), and partitioning lanes (14) or partitioning rows are incorporated in between the marginal region (12) of the web of fabric and the edge of the wall-type screen and serve for severing the marginal region (12)
11. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 5 and 7 to 10, characterized in that the individual panel portions (1, 2; 15, 16, 17) are manufactured in a fashioned way in a coherent web of fabric (100; 110) of a constant width wherein marginal strips (4) are worked onto the side of the wall portions (1, 2; 15, 16, 17) that faces the edge of the web of fabric.
12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the marginal strips (4) close the tube-like pockets (32).
13. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the web of fabric (100; 110), prior to being coated, is hot-ironed at least within the region of the tube-like pockets (32; 33).
14. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the web of fabric (100; 110) is manufactured from textured fibrous yarn or thread material at least within the region of the tube-like pockets (32; 33).
15. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the web of fabric (100; 110) is manufactured on a warp-knitting machine.
16. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the web of fabric (100; 110) is manufactured on a weaving machine.
17. A wall-type screen, manufactured by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising a fabric area which is tensioned by a stiffening device and has stiffening bars, characterized in that the wall-type screen consists of a web of fabric (100; 110) including tube-like pockets (32; 33) which are incorporated over the width and/or length during the manufacture of the fabric and define the area of the wall-type screen so that the tube-like pockets (32; 33) define edges of this area and stiffening bars (9) are inserted into the tube-like pockets (32; 33) located at the border of this fabric area, and that the fabric area of the wall-type screen is provided with clamping pieces (72) at the corners such that the fabric of the wall-type screen is clamped each, along with the stiffening bar (9) inserted into the tube-like pocket (32; 33).
18. The wall-type screen according to claim 17, characterized in that, for a multipart wall-type screen, the panel comprises a continuous web of fabric (100; 110) which has at least one tube-like pocket (32; 33) for accommodating a stiffening bar (9) over the width and/or length of each panel portion (1, 2).
19. The wall-type screen according to claim 18, characterized in that the individual portions (1, 2) of the wall-type screen are connected to each other by flexible joining strips (6).
20. The wall-type screen according to claim 19, characterized in that the flexible joining strip (6) serves as a hinge.
21. The wall-type screen according to any one of claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the panel portions (1, 2) are connected to each other by hinges (7, 71).
22. The wall-type screen according to claim 18, characterized in that the individual panel portions (15, 16, 17) each are connected to each other by a common tube-like pocket (32).
23. The wall-type screen according to one or more of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that the wall-type screen has flexible marginal strips (3, 4, 5).
24. The method according to one or more of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that the individual panel portions (1, 2; 15, 16, 17) have diagonal tensioners (8).
25. The method according to one or more of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that the wall-type screen consists of a web of fabric (110) which has tube-like pockets (32; 33) for accommodating stiffening bars (9) at regular intervals over the length and/or width.

Images