Λ device for supporting a floor material over a floor drain and a method to lay such a floor material
The present invention refers to a device for supporting a floor material, e.g. a clinker slab, such as a cover, over a floor drain, which is intended to be laid onto a floor with distance laterally to surrounding floor material and a method to lay such a floor material. According to the invention the floor material above the drain comprises an underside, which is supported at a number of supporting points distributed over the underside to create a space over an existing supporting surface, which comprises a larger extended surface than that one of the underside, said floor material situated above the drain is movably adjustable over the supporting surface laterally. Fluid situated on the floor material flows through said distance into the space beneath and further downwards into the floor drain.
For existing structures on the market of this type floor materials, preferably clinker slabs, are today provided to be laid onto floors e.g. over a floor drain in a wet room as a cover over a floor drain, so that it cannot be seen and the whole floor looks like it is lacking a drain. This is made by that a supporting structure in the form of a frame around the edge area of the clinker slab or further supporting points or elongated rods support said clinker slab in creating of a space under the same. The edge area inside said frame is not jointed in this case but makes distance for the liquid to flow down into the space and into the floor drain according to the patent specification DE 20 2005 004087 U l and JP 2002256680. The problems with these structures are that the position of the clinker slab is determined by the location of the floor drain, by that the frame is connected to the floor drain by an opening, which is fixed into position to said floor drain. This means that the position of the floor drain is not always adapted to the size of the slabs, why the surrounding clinker slabs around the floor drain in this case must be cut into the right size to adapt around the same, which will be expensive an unaesthetic. The structures having a frame will also be extensive and complicated.
One object of the present invention is to eliminate those drawbacks mentioned above by making the floor material over the floor drain movable laterally into predetermined positions over a supporting surface situated below, which is larger than the floor material over the floor drain until a laterally predetermined distance has been created to the surrounding floor material, which in this case does not need to be cut so much.
Thanks to the invention a device has now been provided, which makes it easier to lay floor material, e.g. clinker slabs on a floor e.g. in a wet room, where there is a floor drain. The floor material situated above the floor drain in mainly laid in the horizontal plane, as a cover having an open distance laterally to the surrounding floor material, where the fluid can flow down. According to the invention the floor material situated above the floor drain comprises an underside, which is supported by a number of supporting points, which are equally distributed over a supporting surface, which extends below the floor material but above the floor drain, which is essentially larger than the extension surface of the underside. The supporting points are distributed over the whole supporting surface and create in this case a space below the extension surface of the underside. A clinker slab is usually about 28 x 28 cm and the supporting surface about 480 x 480 cm. The supporting surface is in the middle of the same provided with an opening having a diameter of about 110 cm, over which the floor material situated above the floor drain can be moved and therefore can be adjusted about 16 cm laterally over the supporting surface in a direction mainly in parallel to the underside as a cover over the opening, so that fluid present on the floor material can flow through the distance downwards to the space via the opening of a tube connection to the floor drain. The supporting points comprise partly of extensions provided on the supporting surface, which are directed across the horizontal plane having a predetermined height and partly of bowl formations. The extensions are made as cones and comprise free ends, which are matching corresponding bowl formations and which are fixed in the same laterally, said bowl formations are made as spheres provided to support against the underside, said second end of the extensions is provided to support against the
supporting surface. The bowl formations have the same distance between their middles in a direction laterally, which creates a imagined square pattern with square checks, which makes that the clinker slab, which has a square form, can be turned 90° in the horizontal plane. The square pattern can be arranged in parallel or angled in relation to the straight side edge of the clinker slab. The angle of the slabs makes that the corner of a clinker slab will have a better support by that the underlying supporting points in this case can be provided closer outwards in a direction to the corner of the clinker slab. In a preferred embodiment example of the invention the supporting surface is made as a first supporting sheet comprising the extensions having their free ends pointing outwards from the same to the underside of the clinker slab, which is supported by a second supporting sheet having the bowl formations covering the whole underside of the clinker slab. The first and second supporting sheet can be made of metal or plastic or mixtures of these materials e.g. a form pressed metal sheet or plastic sheet, A number of smaller clinker slabs can of course be laid side by side on the second supporting sheet with a desired distance between the clinker slabs. The bowl formations and the free ends are embossed in the first and second supporting sheet matching to the free ends as male- and female parts. In order to achieve a good outflow of fluid towards the floor drain, the extension surface of the first supporting sheet is sloping and is resting on a sloping support constituting a fall downwards to the opening, so that the height of the extensions increases after the fall line of the slope, so that they are lower a longer distance from the opening and in a corresponding way higher closer the opening. All free ends then are in a height direction in the horizontal plane at the same height lever to match the bowl formations in order to support the floor material horizontally above the floor drain.
The most important features of the invention thus are that a sheep and simple device is provided, which makes it easy to lay a floor material, e.g. clinker slabs above a floor drain with an adjustable desired joint distance laterally to the surrounding floor material without the need to cut the same. The clinker slab constituting the cover above the floor drain is simple to
remove and to mount after cleaning around and at the floor drain. Furthermore more than one clinker slab constitutes a cover on the second supporting sheet.
The invention is described closer below by aid of a preferred embodiment example with reference to the drawings enclosed, in which
Fig. 1 shows a vertical cross section through a floor drain provided in a floor having a clinker slab as a cover with surrounding clinker slabs,
Fig. 2 shows a vertical section through a portion of a first supporting sheet and a second supporting sheet, and
Fig. 3 shows a principal view of a portion of a square pattern of the first supporting sheet in perspective.
As can be seen from the figures 1 and 2 a device is illustrated for supporting a floor material 1 in a position above a floor drain 4 having a distance 2 laterally to surrounding floor material 3. The floor material 1 over the floor drain 4 comprises an underside 5, which is supported by a number of underlying supporting points 6, divided over the whole extension of a supporting surface 7, to create a space 9 below the extension surface of the underside 5, which is substantially smaller than the supporting surface 7, which comprises an opening 19. The floor material 1 over the floor drain 4 is movably adjustable over the supporting surface 7 in a direction 24 mainly in parallel with the underside 5. The supporting points 6 consist partly of extensions 1 1 having a predetermined height 12 with free ends 13, which constitute cones 17 and partly of bowl formations 14. The other end 18 of the extensions 11 is firmly provided directly or indirectly to the underside 5 and/or the supporting surface 7. The other end 18 of the extensions 1 1 is firmly provided directly or indirectly to the underside 5 and/or the supporting surface 7, which consists of a first supporting sheet 15. The underside 5 is supported by a second supporting sheet 16, which
comprises the bowl formations 14 constituting spheres 25. The opening 19 removes fluid 10 via a tube connection 20 provided in the middle of the supporting surface 7.
As can be seen from figure 3 it is illustrated that the bowl formations 14 and the free ends 13 are equally distributed with the same distance 23 between its middle 21 in a direction 24 constituting an imagine square pattern 22 with square cheks.