EP2483497B1 - Use of a laying aid for tiles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a use of a device as a laying aid for tile work with adhesive and / or mortar according to the preamble of claim 1, comprising a base element with a support area for laying flat on a surface to be covered with tiles and a tile support area for laying tiles, said the tile support region has at least two web-like spacer elements with a thickness corresponding to a desired joint spacing, extending perpendicularly to a plane defined by the tile support region, arranged in said plane at an angle of a full-sided multiple of 90 ° to one another.

The use of laying aids for tile work of the type mentioned above is used to simplify the laying of wall or floor tiles, so that a uniform installation pattern with uniform joint widths between the tiles can be realized. The term tiles in the present case, all types of tiles and / or slabs for wall and / or floor of the most diverse materials, including glass, natural stone, ceramic, metal understood. In the context of the invention, the area to be tiled can equally be a floor as well as a wall. In the simplest case, known laying aids are designed as joint crosses, wedges or the like and serve to maintain the same joint widths. The known laying aids are used as spacers in the joints between the tiles. A disadvantage of the known joint crosses that they provide the tiles during installation, ie before the setting of the tile mortar, no maintenance. Furthermore, no disadvantage is achieved with this simplest known type of laying aid for tile work to achieve a flatness of the tile covering.

From the DE 82 35 824 U1 Therefore, a laying aid for tiles is known, which has a grid whose bars fix the tiles, so that the individual grid cells formed between the bars have the size of the tiles. Through the grid cells, either diagonally or parallel to the bars, run stiffening webs. By this known laying aid for tile work is achieved over, for example, simple joints cross that the tiles are laid, because the stiffening webs specify a laying level. In addition slipping the laying aid is prevented during installation due to the mass of laid on the laying aid tiles. A disadvantage of these known laying aids, however, is that they are very unwieldy, since they must have an expansion of several tiles in principle. Possibly this known laying aid must have the disadvantage of even contiguous the surface of the floor to be laid, which is particularly unwieldy. Furthermore, the large-scale structure of the known laying aid has the disadvantage that large areas of the tiles or plates to be laid are not wetted by the adhesive, since they are covered by the diagonal or parallel to the bars extending stiffening webs. It can therefore be disadvantageous insufficient bonding and adhesion of the tiles to the substrate.

Finally, out of the DE 29 604 286 U1 a laying aid for tiling known, which is composed essentially of a grid, which consists of a close-meshed, are arranged in the grid of the tiles joint crosses. By the well-known grid mesh a firm and durable connection with the ground should be achieved, the grid mesh should cause additional reinforcement. A disadvantage of this known laying aid for tile work is that even this can be impractical in the handle due to the dimension of which the surface of several tiles or even the entire surface to be laid. Also, the grid, which runs continuously between the floor and tile underside, the danger that adhesion of the tiles is impaired on the ground, since the wetting of tiles is interrupted with tile adhesive.

From the GB 2 334 731 A the use of a device as laying aid for tile work with the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known.

Based on the entire prior art, the present invention seeks to provide an improved use of a device as a laying aid for tile work with adhesive and / or mortar of the type mentioned.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a use of a device according to claim 1.

When using a device as a laying aid for tile work with adhesive and / or mortar of this type of tile support area is designed as a disc-like element with a base area that is smaller than a base of tiles to be laid. It is thus provided that the tile undersides are placed essentially only in the edge or corner areas on the laying aid. On the one hand you get so regardless of the size of the tiles to be laid a compact installation aid, with a diameter, for example, of at most 10 cm.

This design ensures that a large part of the underside of the tile is wetted with adhesive or mortar to form a firm bond with the substrate. Ideally, a wetting of up to 100% of the tile underside is achieved. Nevertheless, precise laying of the tiles with even joint spacing and flatness is guaranteed. Because the device is fixed in the tile support area due to the mass of the tile. It is expedient to have several tiles with their corner or edge area placed on one and the same device to align them together.

The handling when using the laying aid is particularly favorable, if the disk-like element is configured circular in an embodiment of the invention. The circular shape also offers an optimum with regard to the fixation of the device due to the mass of the tiles placed on the tile support area on the one hand and the largest possible mortar or adhesive, not covered by the laying aid bottom surface of the tile. In the present context, a circular disk-like element is understood as any disk-like element which has a substantially circular outer contour. In the context of the invention, however, the term also encompasses elements having a semi- and / or four-circle form.

In another embodiment of the invention, the disc-like element may also have a polygonal, in particular triangular and / or square and / or pentagonal, outer contour.

The wettable with mortar or tile adhesive surface of the tiles is further increased if, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the support area has at least one recess.

In order to make the devices stackable as a laying aid for tile work, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides that a first extension of the recess corresponds to at least one length of the spacer element and a second extension of the recess corresponds to at least the thickness of the spacer element. It is possible according to this embodiment of the invention to stack the devices to each other by a second device so on a first
Device hangs up that the spacer element of the first device protrudes through the recess of the second device. With a suitable dimensioning of the recess, in particular if its second extent corresponds to a multiple of the thickness of the spacer element, a plurality or any number of devices can be stacked on one another in this way. The stackability is a great practical advantage, especially when laying the tiles.

Another favorable embodiment of the invention provides that the spacer elements are arranged separately from each other, not touching each other. For example, instead of intersecting spacer elements in the manner of a conventional tile cross, the arrangement of the spacer elements may be selected so that the intersection of the joints defined by the spacer elements on the tile support area is not covered by a spacer element. In this case, a recess in the tile support area may be formed in this point of intersection in order to bring the tile mortar or tile adhesive in the area of this joint intersection point in direct contact with the substrate in the interest of adhesion of the joint.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spacer elements have a trapezoidal basic shape, wherein the tile support area facing side is greater than the opposite side. This embodiment simplifies the insertion of the spacer elements in recesses of other devices for the purpose of stacking.

The same purpose serves another embodiment of the invention, according to which edges of the spacer elements are designed rounded.

By the measure that the support area and / or the tile support area, in particular pointed, knob-like elevations, an unintentional displacement of Laying device against the substrate and / or moving the tiles against the laying aid effectively avoided.

The measure that the disc-like element has at least one predetermined breaking edge for breaking out a segment comprising at least one spacer element makes it possible to assemble the device during tiling in a simple manner without tools. For example, the base element can be breakable in two halves by means of predetermined breaking edges without tools in order to use one of the halves on a wall or edge area of the tile-to-beveled surface, because in this area only two tiles adjoin one another. Likewise, the predetermined breaking edges may be arranged such that breaking out of a quarter of the disc-like element is possible, so that the remaining disc-like element has a 90 ° internal angle. A device made up in this way can advantageously be used in the area of corners in which only three tiles to be laid adjoin one another.

Finally, an arrangement of predetermined breaking edges can be provided, which makes it possible to break out of the disk-like element, a segment with a 90 ° outer angle. This "quarter element" can be used to advantage on edges in peripheral areas, in which a corner of a tile is adjacent only to walls, but not to other tiles. This is the case, for example, with an inner corner.

In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the predetermined breaking edge can be arranged on a straight line running through the center of the disk-like element. The break-away Segments in this way have a symmetry with respect to the disk-like element.

The production as a mass product is particularly cost-effective in development of the invention, when the device is produced by injection molding.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the laying aid is formed of a substantially inflexible and / or transparent plastic material, in particular ABS, PC, SAN, polystyrene. If a transparent material is selected in a preferred embodiment of the invention, this has the advantage according to the invention that the laying aid, which remains intended in the finished tiled surface, even when using transparent grout, such. As silicone, is substantially invisible. The plastics polystyrene, ABS, PC, SAN, ie acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polycarbonate, styrene-acrylonitrile are characterized by a high surface hardness and resistance to conventional tile adhesives and by a high modulus of elasticity, such as in the order of 2000 MPa and more ,

The invention will be described by way of example in a preferred embodiment with reference to a drawing, wherein further advantageous details are shown in the figures of the drawing.

Functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

Figur 1:

Perspektivische Ansicht einer Ausführungsform der Verlegehilfe in einer Ansicht von schräg oben;

Figur 2:

Schnitt entlang der Linie II - II durch die Verlegehilfe gemäß Figur 1;

Figur 3:

Draufsicht auf verschiedene Ausgestaltungsvarianten der Verlegehilfe;

Figur 4:

Schematische Veranschaulichung der Verwendung verschiedener Ausführungsformen der Verlegehilfe im Zusammenwirken mit (a) einem Fliesenverbund und (b) einem Fliesenversatz;

Figur 5:

einen Stapel bestehend aus 80 aufeinander gestapelten Verlegehilfen gemäß Figur 1 in einer Seitenansicht (a) sowie einer Draufsicht (b).

The figures of the drawing show in detail:

FIG. 1:

Perspective view of an embodiment of the laying aid in a view obliquely from above;

FIG. 2:

Section along the line II - II by the laying aid according to FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3:

Top view of various design variants of the laying aid;

FIG. 4:

Schematic illustration of the use of various embodiments of the laying aid in conjunction with (a) a composite tile and (b) a tile offset;

FIG. 5:

a stack consisting of 80 stacked laying aids according to FIG. 1 in a side view (a) and a plan view (b).

The FIG. 1 shows in a perspective view obliquely from above a preferred embodiment of a laying aid 1 with a tile support area 2. The laying aid 1 has a total disk shape with a circular outline. The tile support area 2 is interrupted by four similar recesses 3. The recesses 3 have substantially the shape of a circular sector, ie a circular area which is bounded by a circular arc 4 and two circular radii 5. The corners of the circle sector are rounded.

In the center of the laying aid 1 is a circular recess 6. The tile support area 2 thus consists of a ring portion 7 and four spoke-like sections 8, which are oriented at an angle of 90 ° to each other. On each spoke-like section 8, a spacer web 9 is arranged. Each spacer web 9 is arranged in the radial direction to the spoke-like section 8 at the level of the recesses 3. The height of each spacer web 9 extends perpendicular to the spanned by the tile support area 2 Level. A thickness 10 of each spacer web 9 is selected according to a desired joint width of the tile surface to be laid. The tile support region 2 constructed from the spoke-like sections 8 and the ring section 7 may consist of polystyrene, ABS, PC or SAN and is transparent in a preferred embodiment. The entire tile support area 2 has pointed nubs 11. The in the FIG. 1 Unrecognizable underside of the laying aid 1 is the support area 12 with which the laying aid 1 is placed on the surface to be covered with tiles. This is in the sectional view described in more detail below FIG. 2 to recognize.

How very good in FIG. 2 to recognize which a section through the laying aid 1 according to FIG. 1 along the line II - II shows, the spacer webs 9 with respect to the tile support area 2 has a height 13. The height 13 of the spacer webs 9 is suitably chosen so that it is smaller than the thickness of the tiles to be laid.

As in FIG. 2 To recognize, the support area 12 is provided with pointed knobs 11. The spacer webs 9 are rounded at the side facing away from the tile support area 2 at the corners 13.

In FIG. 2 Furthermore, it can be seen that the tile support region 2 has a predetermined breaking edge 14 which, in the sectional view according to FIG FIG. 2 as a notch-like depression appears. As in FIG. 1 to recognize, the laying aid 1 according to the embodiment described here at three adjacent spoke-like sections 8 of the tile support area 2 a predetermined breaking edge 14. The predetermined breaking edge 14 extends in each case in the longitudinal direction of the spoke-like spacing 8, that is to say in the radial direction relative to the circular-disk-shaped laying aid 1, starting from an outer region of the annular section 7 continuously up to the circular recess 6 in the center of the laying aid 1 Spacer webs 9 are each slightly offset from the radial positions parallel to the edges of the predetermined breaking edges 14.

The FIG. 3 illustrated using various variants of the laying aid, which uses with the laying aids 1 without tools using the predetermined breaking edges 14 are available. The FIG. 3 is constructed as a matrix, wherein in the lines (a), (b), ..., (g) in the highlighted by framing first column with the column heading 1/1 different variants of the laying aid 1 are shown. In the columns with the headings 1/2 and 1/4, modifications of the laying aid 1 which can be obtained without tools are shown in the basic design of the laying aid 1 shown in column 1/1 by breaking away segments along the predetermined breaking edges 14. The laying aids 1 are each shown in plan view of the tile support area 2. The variant shown in line (a), column 1/1 is suitable for laying tiles in the joint compound, four spacer bars 9 are provided with a given thickness. By canceling the lower circle segment along the predetermined breaking edge 14, this basic shape can be transferred without tools into a laying aid 1 with a semicircular basic shape, the segment obtained having only three spacing webs 9. Compared to the basic shape according to column 1/1, in which four tiles can be aligned with each other, the segment in accordance with column 1/2 is suitable for aligning two tiles to each other and on an end wall. The device can be used equally for tiles and slabs of all sizes as well as all materials.

Finally, by breaking the element according to column 1/2 along the predetermined breaking edge 14, the quarter-circle-like segment is obtained according to FIG Column 1/4. This has only two spacer webs 9, which are at 90 ° to each other, on.

In lines (b) and (c) of FIG. 3 Variations of the basic shape according to line (a) are shown, which differ from the basic form according to (a), 1/1, in that the spacer webs 9 have a spacing nub 15. The distance nub 15 extends parallel to the plane of the tile support region 2 at right angles to the end face of the spacer webs 9. Due to the distance nubs 15 increases when creating tiles on the spacer webs 9, the effective thickness of the spacer webs 9, so that a larger joint width of the laid tiles results ,

The execution according to line (c) of FIG. 3 differs from that according to line (b) in that the spacer knobs 15 are pronounced even longer, resulting in a correspondingly even larger joint width.

In line (d) of FIG. 3 in column 1/1 a basic embodiment of the laying aid 1 is shown, which has only three each at an angle of 90 ° to each other arranged spacing webs 9. This embodiment is suitable for laying tiles in the joint offset, in each case three tiles contiguous.

The variants according to lines (e) and (f) of FIG. 3 differ from the basic shape according to line (d) in turn by the spacer knobs 15 to produce a greater effective joint width effective effective thickness 10 of the paragraph webs. 9

Line (g) of the FIG. 3 shows in the single column 1/1 a variant of the device, which is particularly suitable for use as a base element when laying
Tiles and / or panels on a wall is suitable. The device according to this embodiment has a semicircular shape with a spacer web 9 along the straight edge.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of different embodiments of the laying aid 1 according to the invention when tiling. The schematic representation in part (a) of FIG. 4 illustrates the uses in the so-called joint compound, whereas the figure (b) of the FIG. 4 the conditions at a joint offset shows. In the FIG. 4 the tiles are each denoted by the reference numeral 16. In both parts of the figure, in each case a vertical wall termination 17 delimits laterally and a horizontal bottom termination 18 downwards the area 19 to be covered with tiles 16.

In the in FIG. 4 (a) shown Fugenverbundmustern boundaries at the positions 20 each four tiles 16 with their corners together. Laying aids 1 according to one of the lines (a), (b), (c), column 1/1 according to FIG FIG. 3 , be used depending on the desired joint width.

At the positions 21 in each case two tiles 16 and the wall end 17 adjoin one another. In these positions 21, the embodiments according to column 1/1 obtained by breaking along the predetermined breaking edges 14 according to column 1/2 in one of the embodiments according to lines (a), (b) or (c) of the FIG. 3 be used, depending on the desired joint width.

The position 22 is characterized by the coincidence of the wall finish 17 and the bottom end 18 with a tile 16. In such a corner position 22, depending on the desired joint spacing, the two by breaking out of segments along the predetermined breaking edges 14 starting from the in FIG. 3 shown Embodiments according to column 1/1 obtained embodiments according to column 1/4 in one of the variants according to lines (a), ..., (f) are used.

In the case of in FIG. 4 (b) Again, the positions 21 are characterized by two adjacent tiles 16 which meet the vertical wall termination 17 shown Fugenversatzverlegetechnik shown. The usable in these positions 21 types according to FIG. 3 correspond to those in connection with the joint assembly according to FIG. 4 (a) described.

The position 22 is also characterized by the coincidence of a corner of a tile 16 with the vertical wall finish 17 on the one hand and the bottom end 18 on the other hand, wherein the deployable in these positions 22 embodiments of the laying aid according to FIG. 3 related to FIG. 4 (a) correspond to the joint compound described.

Finally, when laying the tiles 16 in the joint offset, as in FIG. 4 (b) shown, the positions 23 characterized by the meeting of two tiles 16 with the corners and another tile 16 at one edge. In these areas, as in the case of positions 21, depending on the desired joint width, the designs according to column 1/2 in FIG. 3 used.

As well in FIG. 4 (a) as well as in FIG. 4 (b) is the use of the embodiment of the invention according to FIG. 3 (g) shown in position 25. As can be seen, the embodiment serves as a base between the floor and wall approach when laying tiles or plates on a wall. It is inserted along the lower edge of a tile or tile to keep it at a given joint distance to the ground.

The FIG. 5 illustrates the stackability of in FIG. 1 shown embodiment of the laying aid 1. It is in FIG. 5 (a) a side view of a "tower" consisting of 80 vertically stacked laying aids 1 according to FIG. 1 to recognize. In FIG. 5 (b) is a plan view of the tower 24 according to figure (a) in the direction of arrow B shown. As can be seen, the stackability is based on the fact that the spacer webs 9 can be inserted into the recesses 3 of the respectively laid laying aid 1. In this case, each additional laying aid 1 relative to the laying aid 1, to which it is placed, rotated about the vertical in order to position the spacer webs 9 and spoke-like sections 8 can. This stackability is based on the fact that the recesses 3 are shaped so that they can accommodate the spacer webs 9 in terms of radial expansion as well as in terms of their thickness 10.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

laying aid

2

Tile bearing area

3

recess

4

arc

5

circle radius

6

circular recess

7

ring section

8th

spoke-like section

9

spacer web

10

thickness

11

lace pimples

12

support area

13

corner

14

Breaking edge

15

Abstandsnoppe

16

tile

17

wall close

18

ground close

19

surface

20

position

21

position

22

position

23

position

24

stack

25

position

Claims (12)

1. Use of a device (1) as a laying aid for tiling work using adhesive and/or mortar, the device (1) comprising a main element (7, 8) having a support region (12) for planar support on a surface to be covered with tiles (16) and a tile support region (2) for supporting tiles (16), the tile support region (2) comprising at least two rib-like spacing elements (9) which extend perpendicularly to a plane defined by the tile support region (2) and which are arranged in said plane at an angle of an integer multiple of 90° relative to one another, which spacing elements have a thickness (10) corresponding to a desired joint spacing, the main element (7, 8) being designed as a disc-like element having a main surface that is smaller than the main surface of the tiles (16) to be laid, characterised in that the support region (12) and/or the tile support region (2) comprises elevations (11) for preventing undesired shifting of the laying aid with respect to the substrate and/or shifting of the tiles with respect to the laying aid.
2. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that the disc-like element is circular.
3. Use according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the support region (12) comprises at least one cut-out (3, 6).
4. Use according to claim 3, characterised in that a first extent (5) of the cut-out (3) corresponds at least to a length of the spacing element (9) and a second extent (4) of the cut-out (3) corresponds at least to the thickness (10) of the spacing element (9).
5. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spacing elements (9) are arranged so as to be separate and so as not to touch one another.
6. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spacing elements (9) have a trapezoidal basic shape, the side facing the tile support region (2) being larger than the side remote therefrom.
7. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that edges of the spacing elements (9) are rounded.
8. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the disc-like element (7, 8) comprises at least one break-off edge (14) for breaking off a segment comprising at least one spacing element (9).
9. Use according to claim 8, characterised in that the break-off edge (14) is arranged on a straight line that runs through the centre of the disc-like element (7, 8).
10. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the device (1) can be produced in an injection moulding method.
11. Use according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the device (1) is formed from a substantially inflexible and/or transparent plastics material, in particular ABS, PC, SAN.
12. Use according to any of the preceding claims, the elevations (11) being pointed, nub-like elevations (11).

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