EP1688554B1 - Device for fixing a roof covering element to a support - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a fixation hook (6) with a fixation zone of support (2) prolonged of a connection section (12) of a jamb (4). The hook has branches molded in the zone for clasping top and bottom sides of the support of predefined standard thickness while the zone forms an angle with the jamb to manage an insertion space (15) for a covering unit between the jamb and support.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for fixing a covering element, in particular a slate, on a support, such as a bail, batten, this device being in the form of a jamb completed at one end by a hook of retaining the lower edge of said slate and at its other end by a hook attachment to the support.

There are two categories of device for fixing a covering element.

The first category consists of so-called pointed devices in which the jamb of the device is terminated at one end by a retaining hook and at its other end by a tip. An example of such a device, also called hook to be nailed, is described in particular in the FR-A-2,516,135 .

The fixing device object of the invention does not belong to such a category of device. Indeed, this fastening device is constituted of a leg whose ends are folded to form, at one end, a U-shaped hook for the retention of a slate said overlying while the Another end defines a U-shaped fastening hook adapted to grip the top and bottom faces of the support, such as a flight or batten.

One of the branches of the fixing hook therefore extends in the same plane as the jamb. As the leg extends rectilinearly between the two hooks in a manner consistent with what is shown in the figure 6 which corresponds to the state of the art, it results, in the fixed state of the device on a support, such as a bail or batten, an uplift of the retaining hook portion of said device which no longer provides its plating function the underlying hedging element. Indeed, when an underlying slate is positioned under the device, as the thickness of a slate is not standard and varies from one slate to another, there is a lifting phenomenon of said device. This uplift, observed at the level of the organ of restraint of the device, leads to poor flatness of the coverage concerned.

The document WO 00/66853 describes a device for fixing large dimensions. In addition, its conformation does not allow to obtain a plating effect.

The German document DE C 15,546 which constitutes the state of the art which is the most relevant and corresponds to the preamble of claim 1, describes a device for fixing a covering element, in particular a slate, on a support, such as a bail or a thick batt. known device, this device being in the form of a leg (B) terminated at one end by a hook (C) for retaining the lower edge of said cover element or slate and at its other end by a hook (D, A) of attachment to the support (2), said fixing hook having a prolonged support fixing zone of a section (D) of connection to the leg, said connecting section leaving, in the set state of the device, between the jamb and the upper face of the support, an insertion space of a cover element said underlying. Such a device whose hook branches enclose both the support and the slate-type cover element, does not allow the slate covering of possibly unequal thicknesses of a slate to another.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a fixing device of a cover element of the aforementioned type whose design avoids an uprising of the slate overlying the laid state of the latter.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a fastening device for a cover element whose design allows a plating effect of the underlying slate by the fastening device, irrespective of the thickness of the the underlying slate.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device for fixing a covering element, in particular a slate, on a support, such as a flight, a batt, of known standard thickness, this device being in the form of a finished leg, at one end, by a retaining hook of the lower edge and said cover member, at its other end, by a hook for fixing to the support, said fixing hook having a prolonged support fixing zone of a leg connection section, said linking section providing, in the installed state of the device, between the jamb and the upper face of the support, an insertion space an underlying cover element, characterized in that the branches of the fixing hook are shaped, in the area of attachment to the support, to grip exclusively the top and bottom faces of the known standard thickness support, while the leg connection section forms with said leg, an angle to provide said insertion space.

The insertion space of an underlying cover member thus makes it possible to overcome the thickness variations of said slates, the fastening device being, by its retaining member, constantly in a bearing position on the underlying cover element regardless of the thickness of the underlying slate.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing hook is connected to the leg by a counter-bent section to provide between the jamb and the upper face of the support a free space for insertion of a sub-cover element. the elbow of said section, closest to the fixing hook, being located in the same plane as the outer bearing point of the retaining hook on said cover member to obtain, by cooperation between the elbow and the point of external support of the retaining hook, a plating effect of said underlying cover member by the retaining hook.

Thanks to this arrangement, an additional effect of plating the underlying cover element by the retaining hook is obtained, which guarantees a better holding of the underlying cover element.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the device consists of a round wire, preferably of metal, shaped by folding, at least one fold being formed at each end of the leg to form, at one of the ends of the leg, a recess or counter-bent section shifting transversely and axially the fixing hook relative to the jamb and at the other end of the jamb, between the leg and the retaining hook, an open angle giving the retaining hook a direction allowing the oblique introduction of a cover element.

• la figure 1 représente une vue en élévation d'un dispositif conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue partielle en plan d'une couverture effectuée à l'aide de dispositifs suivant l'invention ;
• les figures 3A à 3D représentent, sous forme de vues schématiques en coupe, les différentes étapes de pose d'un dispositif de fixation conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 4 représente une vue de détail en coupe suivant A-A de la couverture représentée à la figure 2 ;
• la figure 5 représente une vue en élévation d'un autre mode de réalisation d'un dispositif conforme à l'invention et
• la figure 6 représente l'état de la technique.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• the figure 1 represents an elevational view of a device according to the invention;
• the figure 2 represents a partial plan view of a cover made using devices according to the invention;
• the Figures 3A to 3D represent, in the form of schematic sectional views, the various steps of laying a fixing device according to the invention;
• the figure 4 represents a detail view in section along AA of the cover shown in FIG. figure 2 ;
• the figure 5 represents an elevational view of another embodiment of a device according to the invention and
• the figure 6 represents the state of the art.

As mentioned above, the fixing device, which is the subject of the invention, is more particularly intended for covering elements laid according to a technique in accordance with that shown in FIG. figure 2 . These cover elements are thus arranged in successive beds overlapping two by two to one third, as regards their height, and half as regards their width. Each slate 1, said overlying, is thus engaged by the median part of its foot or lower border in a hook 5 of the device. This slate is further flanked laterally by the features of two slates of the bed immediately overlying. Finally, by its head or upper edge, it is covered by a slate of the bed above the previous one. This provides a substantially staggered arrangement of the fixing devices 3. Due to such an arrangement, each fastening device 3 involved two cover elements: one underlying, the other overlying. Indeed, while the overlying cover element is engaged by its bottom edge or foot in the hook 5 of such a device, the underlying cover element is by its head covered by this one because of the overlap sought between these two elements of coverage. Each cover element can play both the role of an overlying slate or underlying, these elements will bear the same reference number 1.

While the supports 2, such as the batten, to which the fixing device 3 is to be fixed, are of standard thickness, this is not the case for slates whose thickness can vary from slate to other. The fixing device 3, object of the invention, has a design such that it completely empties the thickness of the underlying cover element. Thus, this thickness can vary from one covering element to another without affecting the installation of the fixing device. For this purpose, the fixing device is in the form of a leg 4, terminated at one end by a hook 5 for retaining the lower edge of the slate 1 above and at its other end by a member 6 for fastening to the support 2. This fastening hook 6 comprises a zone of attachment to the support 2 extended by a connecting section 12 to the jamb 4. The branches of the fastening hook 6, generally U-shaped, are shaped, in the zone of attachment to the support 2, to enclose exclusively the support 2 of known standard thickness while the section 12 of linkage to the leg 4 forms with said leg 4 an angle to arrange, in the installed state of the device, between the jamb 4 and the upper face of the support 2, a space 15 for insertion of a cover element 1 said underlying.

Such a fastening device is preferably made from a generally round wire of metal of suitable diameter and shaped to present the desired suitable shapes. The conformation of the wire is made by folding or equivalent.

The fixing device 3 is further designed to exert a plating effect of the underlying slate by the hook 5 retaining. To obtain such a result, the fastening hook 6 is connected to the jamb 4 by a cross-section 12 against bent to provide between the jamb and the upper face of the support 15 free space for insertion of an underlying slate 1. The bend 13 of said section 12, the closest to the hook 6 of attachment, is located in the same plane as the point 16 of external support of the hook 5 retaining said slate to obtain, by cooperation between the bend 13 and the 16 outer support point of the hook 5 retaining a plating effect of the slate underlying by the hook 5 retaining. This plane passing through the elbow 13 and the point 16 extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the jamb. This plan is removed from the jamb to firstly avoid rising water, on the other hand facilitate the establishment of an underlying cover element of varying thickness.

In the examples shown, the connecting section 12 of the leg attachment member is constituted by a first elbow 13 and a second elbow 14. The elbow 14 is disposed in the extension of the leg. This elbow 14 is extended by a rectilinear portion folded again to form the elbow 13. The elbows 13 and 14 are offset axially relative to the leg. The elbow 13 is extended by a rectilinear section which extends substantially parallel to the jamb and which constitutes the first branch of the U-shaped fastening hook 6. This first branch bears on the top face of the support 2 while the branch 21 of the hook is supported on the underside of the support 2. The elbows 13 and 14, their connecting zone, the jamb 4 and the rectilinear section extending elbow 13 have a profile in the form of stairs. The core of the U of the fastening hook 6 extends substantially perpendicularly to the jamb 4. The distance separating the two elbows 13 and 14 may thus be slightly smaller, substantially equal to or preferably slightly greater than the thickness of the element of FIG. covering to be fixed covered by said device. In this embodiment, the planes P1; Parallel P2 passing through the points 17, 18 of support of the branches of the fastening hook 6 on the opposite faces of the slate assembly 1 / support 2 at the cross section 12 of the hook 6 of attachment to the jamb 4 are discarded a distance greater than the parallel planes P, P1 passing through the points 19, 20 for supporting the branches of the fixing hook 6 on the opposite faces of the support 2 in the zone of attachment to the support 2. Thus, the hook 6 of fastening, generally U-shaped, has a branch 21 whose free point or bearing area on the underside of the support 2 is positioned (e) substantially to the right of the section 12 of the connecting hook attachment 6 to the jamb 4.

In a particular embodiment, the point or zone of support of the so-called free branch of the fastening hook 6 on the underside of the support 2 constitutes a pivot point or surface of said device during its installation in order to facilitate this last. So, in the example shown in figure 5 the so-called free branch 21 of the fixing hook 6 bearing on the underside of the support 2 in the fixed state of the device to the support 2 has the general shape of a spiral, in particular of a spiral winding. This free branch 21 of the fixing hook 6 may further form a ramp for introducing the support 2 into the hook 6 for fixing.

As the branches of the fixing hook 6 are shaped in the area of attachment to the support 2 to enclose exclusively the support 2 of standard thickness, these branches are generally spaced a distance corresponding to the thickness of the support 2 minus one millimeter. The support 2 has, when it is a batten, a standard thickness of 14 mm or 18 mm or 20 mm.

The retaining hook 5, used to retain the lower edge of a cover element, is in turn in the general U-shape. It has a free branch 8 and a branch 9 which forms with the jamb 4 an angle α open, so as to delimit with respect to the leg 4, an oblique introduction axis of the cover member 1 within said hook 5. The vertex of the angle constitutes a bearing point 10 of the element cover 1 between hook 5 retaining and jamb 4 to allow inertia pivoting of said cover member 1 after introduction into the hook 5 retaining. This pivoting causes jamming of the cover element 1 between the support point 10 and the free branch 8 of said hook 5. Again, this solution is an improvement over the state of the art. Indeed, in the state of the art, the retaining portion of said device was constituted by a generally U-shaped hook, this hook affecting the form of a clamp. This clamp was formed by a U-fold of the jamb, parallel to itself, this fold including a first section which was gradually approaching the jamb and an end section which moved away gradually. The constriction thus formed made it possible to secure the bottom edge of the underlying slate. This solution was not satisfactory due to the fact that the slates do not have a standard thickness. Accordingly, as soon as the thickness of a slate was greater than the area of the constriction, it was necessary for the installer to deform the retaining member to allow the insertion of a slate between the branches of said clamp. When the slate was on the contrary of a thickness less than the thickness retained for the throttling zone, the retaining effect was no longer ensured.

The configuration as imagined and described above with respect to the holding hook solves such problems. In addition, it allows a much shorter installation time than those observed so far since it is no longer necessary to force insert the cover element in a throttling zone. Indeed, it suffices to insert the cover element freely in an oblique manner inside the retaining hook before releasing it, which automatically moves into a locking position. In addition, the angle between jamb 4 and hook 5 restraint household, in the installed state of the device, between the jamb 4 and the top of the cover element 1, said underlying on which the hook 5 retaining is supported, a free space 11 preventing any upwelling along said jamb 4. Similarly, this household angle, between the branch 9 of the hook 5 retaining and the underside of the cover member said overlying, a free space preventing any upwellings.

In summary, and as mentioned above, the leg binding areas, one to the fixing hook, the other to the retaining hook, each comprise at least one bend. The fixing hook and the retaining hook are located in the same plane and extend in a first step in the same direction vis-à-vis the jamb.

In the examples shown, the angle, close to 140 °, formed between the connecting section 12 of the fixing hook to the jamb 4 and the jamb 4 and the angle α, close to 170 °, formed between the jamb 4 and the retaining hook 5 are chosen such that the section of the leg 4 is substantially parallel to the cover member 1, said underlying on the top of which said retaining hook 5 bears in the set state of the device. In other words, the connecting section 12 of the hook 6 for attachment to the leg 4 is shaped such that, in the installed state of the device, the leg 4 extends substantially parallel to the sub-cover element. jacent on the top of which the hook 5 retaining bears.

As illustrated by Figures 3A to 3D , the installation of such a device is extremely simple. It suffices firstly to position the fastener on the support 2, it being understood that the latter, because of its design, completely empties the thickness of the underlying cover element. Once the latter has been positioned, it is then sufficient to insert the overlying slate into the retaining member portion of said device before releasing the latter which is self-locking in the retaining member.

Claims (10)

1. A device (3) for fastening a roofing element, in particular a slate (1), to a base (2), such as a lath, a batten, of known standard thickness, the device (3) having the shape of a brace (4) terminated at one end by a hook (5) for retaining the lower border of said roofing element (1), and at the other end thereof by a hook (6) for fastening to the base (2), said retaining hook including an area for fastening to the base (2) extended by a portion (12) for connecting to the brace (4), said connecting portion (12) creating in the installed state of the device, between the brace (4) and the upper face of the base (2), a space (15) for inserting a so-called lower roofing element (1),
   characterized in that the branches of the fastening hook (6) are shaped, in the area for fastening to the base (2), for exclusively enclosing the sides of the top and the bottom of the base (2) of known standard thickness, while the portion (12) for connecting to the brace (4) forms together with said brace (4) an angle for creating said insertion space (15).
2. The fastening device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening hook (6) is connected to the brace (4) by an elbowed portion (12) so as to create between the brace (4) and the upper side of the base (2) a free space (15) for inserting a lower roofing element (1), the elbow (13) of said portion (12) which is closest to the fastening hook (6) being located in the same plane as the outer resting point (16) of the retaining hook (5) on said roofing element in order to obtain by cooperation of the elbow (13) and the outer resting point (16) of the retaining hook (5) a pressing effect of said lower roofing element due to the retaining hook (5).
3. The fastening device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is composed of round wire, preferably of metal, shaped by bending, at least one bend being created at each end of the brace (4) in order to form at one of the ends of the brace (4) a detachment or elbowed portion (12) transversely and axially offsetting the fastening hook (6) with respect to the brace (4), and at the other end of the brace (4), between the brace (4) and the retaining hook (5), an open angle giving the retaining hook (5) an orientation which allows for oblique introduction of a roofing element.
4. The fastening device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening hook (6), which is generally U-shaped, has one free branch (21) the resting point or area of which on the side of the bottom of the base (2) is positioned substantially flush with the connecting portion (12) of the hook (6) for fastening to the brace (4).
5. The fastening device (3) according to claim 4, characterized in that the resting point or area of said free branch of the fastening hook (6) on the side of the bottom of the base (2) forms a pivoting point or surface of said device when it is installed in view of facilitating the installation.
6. The fastening device (3) according to any of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that said free branch (21) of the fastening hook (6) resting on the bottom of the base (2) in the state where the device is fastened to the base (2) adopts the shape of a spiral winding.
7. The fastening device (3) according to any of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the free branch (21) of the fastening hook (6) forms a ramp for introducing the base (2) into said hook (6).
8. The fastening device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the hook (5) for retaining the lower border of a so-called upper roofing element (1) is generally U-shaped and has one free branch (8) and one branch (9) which forms together with the brace (4) an open angle (α), so as to delimit with respect to the brace (4) an axis for oblique introduction of the roofing element (1) into said hook (5), the apex of the angle forming a resting point (10) of the roofing element (1) between the retaining hook (5) and the brace (4) so as to allow for said roofing element (1) to pivot by gravity after the retaining hook (5) has been introduced, such pivoting causing the roofing element (1) to be blocked between the resting point (10) and the free branch (8) of said hook (5).
9. The fastening device (3) according to claim 8, characterized in that the angle between the brace (4) and the retaining hook (5) in the installed state of the device between the brace (4) and the top of a so-called lower roofing element (1), on which the retaining hook (5) is resting, forms a free space (11) avoiding any rise of water along the brace (4).
10. The fastening device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion (12) for connecting the fastening hook (6) to the brace (4) is shaped so that in the installed state of the device, the brace (4) is resting substantially in parallel to the roofing element on which the retaining hook (5) is resting.

Images