EP1743990A2

EP1743990A2 - Fixing device for slotted skirting boards

Info

Publication number: EP1743990A2
Application number: EP06380189A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Josep Vidal Vilarmau
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-07-05
Filing date: 2006-07-05
Publication date: 2007-01-17
Also published as: EP1743990A3; ES1060687Y; ES1060687U

Abstract

Fixing device for slotted skirting boards designed on the one hand to allow the easy and comfortable installation of a skirting board (1) and on the other to form an effective means for housing cables and other similar conduits, which mainly has a longitudinal slot (2) in the rear face of the skirting board (1) which faces the wall (8), and with a rectangular piece (4), that is attached to the wall (8) by bolting through a hole (7), whose profile has a sharp termination (5) on its upper part to support the longitudinal slot (2) and a number of channels (6), and which on its lower part converges with the base of the skirting board (1) to form a housing (3) for cable conduits.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

This invention refers to a fixing device for skirting boards with a longitudinal slot on their rear face, which essentially consists of a rectangular piece that can be nailed or bolted to a wall, there being on the top of the piece, usually of plastic, a sharp termination on which the skirting board is held by its longitudinal slot.
The object of the invention is to allow the easy and simple installation of a skirting board while at the same time, if it is necessary to remove it from the wall, allowing it to be removed immediately and in a simple manner.
It is also the object of the invention that the fixing device and the slotted skirting board form an effective means for housing cables and other similar conduits for houses, providing an impeccable aesthetic finish.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In interior decorating today it is very usual to install skirting boards on the edges defining the junction between a vertical surface, a wall or column, with a horizontal surface, the floor.
As well as providing an aesthetic finish to the room, after the surfaces have been built and after the walls and floors have been suitably finished, the skirting boards have other purposes beyond that of the purely ornamental. On the one hand, the placing of skirting boards at the joint between the walls and the floor prevents the accumulation of dirt in these edges and especially in the room's corners. On the other hand, these skirting boards cover up any defects in the finishes of the surface.
Many of the current skirting boards are also designed to hide electrical conduits or those of other types typical of a domestic installation, preventing the cabling from running along the walls in view above the covering skirting board.
These skirting boards may be made of many types of material such as wood, plastic, ceramics, plaster, metal plates, marble strips, granite, etc, although it is preferable to use inexpensive materials which especially provide electrical insulation and an agreeable appearance.
Traditionally, their installation has involved gluing or screwing the skirting board directly to the wall or gluing or fitting to a base piece fixed to the surface as described in applications for Utility Model numbers U 9801501 and U 200100007, respectively.
Nevertheless, due to the need to associate aesthetics with the effective fixing of the skirting board to the wall in conditions of safety to support electric cabling, the skirting boards are often designed with complicated fixing means that make it difficult to remove the skirting board later to access the installation it hides or simply for a change of decoration.
Therefore, the installation of the skirting boards to cover the joint of the wall with the floor requires a fixing that does not involve a difficult operation on the surface or skirting board while allowing the skirting board to be replaced easily and quickly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention solves all of the aspects described for the above-mentioned problem, consisting of a new and advantageous skirting board fixing device compared to other known predecessors.
Specifically, the invention consists of a rectangular piece, preferably of plastic, for placing on a vertical surface or wall at a specific height from the horizontal surface or floor to which it is joined.
This rectangular piece is fixed to the wall, supported on the floor and attached to the wall by conventional means such as nails or bolts directly applied on the wall or on plugs or pieces of wood that may be embedded or inserted in the wall. For this, the rectangular piece has a hole, preferably central and oval, for the direct bolting or with plugs of this piece that forms the skirting board fixing device of the invention.
The skirting board may be made of any of the conventionally-used materials, the most economical ones being wood or plastic for the fixing piece, as long as it has a longitudinal insertion slot on the rear face, that is, the hidden side that lies against the wall.
The profile of the rectangular piece has a sharp termination on its upper part so that, once the skirting board is placed on the rectangular piece with its sharp termination facing upward, it penetrates the longitudinal slot in the skirting board like a tongue. Thus, this rectangular piece, previously placed and bolted on the wall, forms a wedge which, when it couples the same to the skirting board, through the insertion slot, raises the skirting board slightly with respect to the floor.
Additionally, the rectangular piece that forms the proposed fixing device has multiple channels on its top which help to anchor the sharp finish of the piece firmly in the longitudinal slot in the skirting board.
To adjust the slotted skirting board to the wall perfectly, it is sufficient to press down manually on the upper part of the skirting board. For this reason, - this fixing device allows the placing of skirting boards very simply; this can be carried out by a person without being specialised in the installation of skirting boards. Optionally, the installer may use a small mallet or hammer to fit the skirting board perfectly to the proposed fixing device.
The fixing device for slotted skirting boards may be fixed to the wall at regular or irregular intervals, it being recommended that the installation starts in one of the corners of the room and that the rectangular pieces are distributed with a separation of some 50 to 60 cm along the skirting board. It is important to place a rectangular piece at each end of the skirting board while at the joint between two sections of skirting board, the fixing device must be placed in the centre of the joint to guarantee a perfect joint and to prevent differences in level caused by building irregularities in walls and floors.
At each interval chosen for placing the skirting board fixing device, the installer can mark the definitive position on the wall itself and then drill the marked points for inserting the screws and plugs that fix the rectangular piece through its central hole which in turn facilitates the later levelling of the skirting board.
The skirting board is fitted downward, aligning its longitudinal slot with the termination provided with channels on the upper part of the fixing device, pressing until the two elements engage, and the skirting board is fitted against the floor.
The fixing device also facilitates the occasional removal of the skirting board simply by pulling up on it using one's hands or with the help of a screwdriver or similar, although this is not necessary.
Likewise, the bottom part of the rectangular piece, fitted against the wall, forms an effective housing for domestic telephone, television, computer, music, etc, cabling or any other installations with tubular or wire-like conduits, which are hidden by the skirting boards with an aesthetically satisfactory result.
If the electrical installation concealed by the skirting board is to be changed to make a connection between cables or for repair or maintenance work, the design of the fixing device allows the easy removal of the skirting board, separating the rectangular piece simply by pushing the bottom of the skirting board upwards.
To favour removal, the front or visible face of the skirting board is designed to be sloped so that once the skirting board is positioned on the fixing device, this front face forms an inclined plane, also solving access to the edges and corners of the surface for easier cleaning.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement this description and to help the better understanding of the features of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical embodiment, this Utility Model is accompanied by a set of drawings that illustrate, but do not limit, the following:

Figure 1. Shows a perspective view of the fixing device for slotted skirting boards, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, seen from its rear face that will be in contact with the wall surface.
Figure 2. Shows a perspective view of the fitting of a slotted skirting board on the fixing device that forms the object of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above mentioned figures, a preferred embodiment of the invention of a fixing device for slotted skirting boards can be described as consisting of a rectangular piece (4) of plastic the dimensions of which, according to a possible form of manufacture, are 4 cm high by 3.5 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick.
As shown in Figure 1, the rectangular piece (4) has a hole (7) in its centre to receive the nails or bolts with which said piece (4) is fixed to a wall (8) using plugs inserted or embedded in the wall (8) itself.
There are multiple channels (6) in the upper part of the rectangular piece (4) which is placed and fixed, as described, to the wall (8) at regular or irregular intervals and at a suitable height, with this part facing upward, normally at least four channels (6) on the front face of the piece (4).
The profile of the rectangular piece (4) has a sharp termination (5) at its top where the channels (6) are distributed.
There is a longitudinal insertion slot (2) on the rear face of the skirting board (1) as can be seen in Figure 2; the sharp termination (5) of the rectangular piece (4) is coupled inside the longitudinal slot (2) in the skirting board (1), with the previously-mentioned channels (6) on the upper part of the piece (4) helping to anchor it.
For the optimal fixing of the skirting board (1) to the rectangular piece (4), the width of the longitudinal slot (2) in the skirting board (1) is at least equal to the length of the termination (5) with channels (6) of the rectangular piece (4) of the fixing device.
The skirting board (1) is fitted with a downward movement, its insertion slot (2) engaging with the upper termination (5) of the piece (4) fixed to the wall (8), pressing the upper part of the skirting board (1) with the hands so that it is correctly fitted with the rear face of the skirting board (1) fully supported on the wall or surface (8) to provide a perfect aesthetic appearance.
With the slotted skirting board (1) thus installed, the bottom of the rectangular piece (4) converges with the base of the skirting board (1) to from a housing (3) for channelling and supporting tubular or wire-like conduits such as the classical electrical lighting cables for the house or domestic appliances.
When it is necessary to replace the skirting board (1), for example, to access the cabling concealed by the skirting board (1), it is pulled upward with one hand, disengaging the slot (2) in the skirting board (1) from the piece (4), which remains bolted to the surface (8).
The terms used in this application must always be taken in their widest and non-limiting meanings.
With the nature of the invention and the manner of manufacturing it in practice described, it must be stated that the dispositions explained above and shown in the attached drawings are susceptible to modifications in detail that are technically equivalent in that they do not change the fundamental principle of the invention, defined by the claims given below.

Claims

Fixing device for slotted skirting boards, with a longitudinal slot (2) in the rear face of the skirting board (1) for fitting against a wall (8), characterised in that it comprises a rectangular piece (4) which is attached to the wall (8), the profile of which has a sharp termination (5) on its upper part on which the longitudinal slot (2) in the skirting board (1) is supported and fitted to the wall (8) by pressure.
Fixing device for slotted skirting boards, according to claim 1, characterised in that the rectangular piece (4) has a hole (7) in its centre for bolting to the wall (8).
Fixing device for slotted skirting boards, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rectangular piece (4) has a number of channels (6) on its upper part which grip the interior of the longitudinal slot (2) in the skirting board (1).
Fixing device for slotted skirting boards, according to any of the above claims, characterised in that the lower part of the rectangular piece (4), converges with the base of the skirting board (1) to form a housing (3) for cable conduits.
Fixing device for slotted skirting boards, according to any of the above claims, characterised in that the rectangular piece (4) is made of plastic.