FR2689540A1 - Support for cross-member, e.g. of partition frame - comprises rectangular U=shaped stirrup with side extensions which fits round sides of upright and engages with ends of cross-member - Google Patents

Abstract

The support consists of a rectangular U-shaped stirrup (21) with a central section (22) and two sides (23) with extensions (24). The central section and sides are designed to fit round three sides of an upright (12), while the extensions engage with the inside of a cross-member (20). The extensions are angled so that they diverge relative to one another when the support is at rest, and are forced inwards to fit into the end of the cross-member. In addition, each of the extensions is attached to a side of the support by a cranked section (26) set at an obtuse angle to the side. The central section of the stirrup can be of the same height as its sides or smaller, and the sides can be rectangular or trapezoid. ADVANTAGE - Simpler assembly in reduced time and at lower cost.

Description

"Support for crosspiece to be established between two uprights, and
matching strip "
The present invention relates generally to the frameworks used for fixing any plates or facing panels, whether it is, for example, the establishment of a partition or whether it is, more simply, dubbing by covering a partition or an existing wall.

 These frameworks are most often made up of simple uprights, which, erected between a high rail and a low rail, are established in a regular pitch, at least in the current part of the partitions or walls concerned, and on which are reported, in practice by screwing, the facing plates or panels to be fixed.

 Most often, too, these uprights are sections of profile with transverse U-shaped profile, with median part and lateral wings provided with a return to their internal volume along their edge, and the screwing of the plates or facing panels to fixing is done on one of their side wings.

 Most often, finally, the step according to which these amounts are established is equal to a fraction, in practice equal to half, of the standard width of the facing plates or panels to be fixed.

 However, it is currently envisaged, in order to lighten these facing plates or panels, to reduce their width.

 If, under these conditions, the pitch of the amounts used remains equal to half of this width, the number of amounts required for the same total length of partition or wall increases significantly, to the detriment of the cost price of the assembly .

 To reduce this cost price, it has therefore been proposed to increase the pitch of the uprights to the width of the facing plates or panels, and, to avoid buckling of these facing plates or panels between two uprights, thus further apart, it has been proposed to connect these uprights by crosspieces.

 The problem is then to subject appropriately a crosspiece to the uprights which it connects, the time, at least, necessary for the subsequent screwing of a plate or a facing panel on the assembly.

 Various arrangements have been envisaged, all of which have in common the need for intervention on the uprights, in particular to allow the insertion of the crosspiece between their lateral wings, which in practice implies local crushing of the return thereof, and of which some require in addition the presence of a tab at each end of the crosspiece for its picking in openings made for this purpose in the bottom of the uprights.

 The present invention generally relates to a provision making it possible in particular to avoid on the contrary very simply any intervention on the uprights.

 More specifically, it firstly relates to a support for crosspiece to be established between two uprights, characterized in that, being in the general form of a stirrup, it comprises, according to a general U-shaped profile, d on the one hand, a middle part and two lateral wings, by which it is capable of enclosing an upright from the outside, and, on the other hand, each extending respectively said lateral wings, two arms, by which it is capable of coming in engagement with the crosspiece to be supported; it also relates to any strip, which, suitably cut and provided with fold lines, is suitable for the constitution of such a support.

 In short, according to the invention, the decision is made to postpone, beyond the return of the lateral wings of the uprights, the fixing of the cross-member, without inserting this cross-member between their lateral wings, which, as desired, effectively makes it possible to avoid any intervention on them.

 Standard amounts can thus advantageously be used as is, for the benefit of the cost of the assembly.

 According to a first development of the invention, each of the arms of the support used is preferably obtained from a return from the corresponding lateral wing generally directed towards the interior volume with its two lateral wings.

 This advantageously results, in combination with an adjustment of the middle part and of the two lateral wings with the cross section of the upright, the possibility of a snap-fastening on this upright.

 Thanks to this snap-fastening, the support according to the invention can advantageously stand on its own on the upright, without any other fixing means, even before the installation of the cross-member.

 The operations to be carried out are advantageously facilitated.

 When, as is the usual case, the crosspiece to be implemented is itself made up of a section of profile with a transverse U-shaped profile of the same type as the uprights, it is taken advantage of, according to a second development of the invention, of the interior volume thus formed by the lateral wings of such a cross member to engage the arms of the support necessary for its support.

 In other words, in this case, the support according to the invention is capable by its own arms of engaging the interior with the crosspiece.

 Preferably, according to a third development of the invention, these arms are preferably oblique with respect to each other at rest, moving away from one another as they move away from the middle part from which the lateral wings which they extend come.

 Thus, when they are engaged in the cross member, they are under elastic stress.

 I1 results in a double elastic clamping effect, on the one hand, from the outside, on the upright, which strengthens the support thereon, and, on the other hand, from the inside, on the crosspiece.

 This double elastic clamping effect is advantageously sufficient for securing the cross member to the uprights, without it being necessary to provide any other means for this.

 However, as a variant, the crossmember can just as easily rest by the return of its lateral wings on the arms of the support used for its support.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, by way of example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings in which
Figure 1 is, with local cutaway, a perspective view of a frame using supports according to the invention and facing plates attached to this frame
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the implementation of such a support in a T-connection
Figure 3 is, on a different scale, and with a cutaway, a partial cross-sectional view of the frame present in Figure 1, along line III-III of this Figure 1
Figure 4 is, on the scale of Figure 3, a plan view of the support according to the invention, according to arrow IV of Figure 2
Figure 5 is, on a different scale, a plan view of a strip suitable for the constitution of such a support
Figure 6 is, on a reduced scale, a partial perspective view of a frame using two sleepers each arranged respectively on either side of the same amount
Figure 7 is a partial perspective view which, similar to that of Figure 6, relates to an alternative embodiment of the support according to the invention
Figure 8 is, on a larger scale, an exploded perspective view illustrating this alternative embodiment.

 As illustrated in FIG. 1, it is generally a question of attaching, by screwing, to a framework 10, facing plates 11.

 These facing plates 11 are for example plasterboards coated with a sheet of cardboard on each of their faces.

 Let L1 be their width, which is a standard width.

 Following a pitch P equal to this width L1, the framework 10 comprises, from place to place, in a manner known per se, uprights 12, along which the facing plates 11 join successively two by two.

 For example, and as shown, these uprights 12 consist of profile sections, in practice metallic, with a U-shaped transverse profile.

 They therefore comprise, more specifically, a middle part 14, and two lateral wings 15.

 Let L2 be the width of the middle part 14 and L3 the height of the lateral wings 15.

 In practice, the lateral wings 15 each have along their free edge a return 16 directed towards the interior volume which they delimit.

 For example, and as shown, this return 16 is an angle return parallel to the middle part 14.

 However, as a variant, it can be more or less hemmed in the shape of a butt.

 Be that as it may, it is against such a lateral wing 15 that the facing plates 11 are applied, and they are subjected thereto by means of screws 18 duly established from place to place.

 In a manner also known per se, a cross member 20 is used between two of such uprights 12, for example at mid-height thereof.

 In practice, and as shown, it is a section of profile with transverse U-shaped profile of the same type as the uprights 12.

 This cross-member 20 therefore also includes a middle part 14 and two lateral wings 15 with return 16.

 According to the invention, the support, before the facing plates 11, of the cross member 20, is done using two supports 21 each intervening at its two ends respectively.

 These supports 21 are identical to each other.

 Each of them is in the general form of a stirrup.

 I1 therefore comprises, according to a general U-shaped profile, on the one hand, a central part 22 and two lateral wings 23, by which, as will appear below, it is capable of enclosing an amount from the outside 12, and, on the other hand, each extending respectively the lateral wings 23, two arms 24, by which it is able to come into engagement with the crosspiece 20 to be supported.

 More specifically, in the embodiment shown, and as will also appear later, the support 21 according to the invention is capable of engaging from the inside with such a cross member 20 by its arms 24.

 The middle part 22 has a length L'2 which is substantially equal to the width L2 of the middle part 14 of the uprights 12, while being slightly greater than the latter.

 The lateral wings 23 have a height L'3, which is substantially equal to the corresponding dimension of the uprights 12, that is to say the height L3 of the lateral wings 15 thereof, while being slightly greater than this height.

 Preferably, and as shown, each of the arms 24 comes from a return 26 from the corresponding lateral wing 23 generally directed towards the interior volume of the two lateral wings 23.

 I1 follows from the above that, in the embodiment shown, the support 21 according to the invention is capable of snapping onto an upright 12, by elastically enclosing it, which is sufficient to hold it on such an upright 12.

 In practice, the return 26 of a lateral wing 23 makes with it a dihedral D of obtuse angle.

 The latching of a support 21 according to the invention on an upright 12 can thus advantageously be done even in the case of inevitable manufacturing tolerances in the height L'3 of its lateral wings 23.

 Preferably, and as shown, the arms 24 of a support 21 according to the invention are oblique with respect to each other, moving away from each other as they deviate from the middle part 22.

 In practice, these arms 24 are thus both oblique with respect to a normal to the middle part 22.

 In other words, they jointly form a divergent.

 This firstly results in a facilitated commitment on an amount 12.

 I1 also results, when these arms 24 are engaged in the cross member 20, an elastic application of these arms 24 against the internal surface of the lateral wings 23 of this cross member 20.

 In the embodiment more particularly shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the middle part 22 of the support 21 according to the invention has the same width L4 as its lateral wings 23 and its arms 24.

 This width L4 can for example be substantially equal to the height L3 of the lateral wings 15 of the cross member 20, while being slightly less than the latter.

 But it can also be very much less than this height L3.

 If desired, the support 21 according to the invention is folded at the factory.

 However, as illustrated in FIG. 5, it can also initially appear in the form of a simple strip 21 'advantageously available flat, which facilitates packaging, this strip 21' being suitably cut and suitably provided with fold lines so that, by subsequent folding at its places of use, it can be shaped.

 In FIG. 5, these fold lines have been shown diagrammatically by dashed lines.

 They correspond to the edges between the middle part 22 and the lateral wings 23, and to those delimiting the returns 26.

 For example, these fold lines result from a local weakening of the section of the strip 21 ′, which facilitates the subsequent folding of the latter.

 For the implementation of the support 21 according to the invention, it suffices, firstly, to snap it, from the outside, onto an upright 12, according to the arrow F1 in FIG. 1.

 Its arms 24 then engage on the lateral wings 15 of this upright 12, until the returns 26 from which they come come to close on the returns 16 of these lateral wings 15.

 The support 21 according to the invention then resiliently encloses the upright 12, which is sufficient to maintain it thereon.

 The arms 24 of the support 21 according to the invention then also protrude from the upright 12, beyond the returns 16 of the lateral wings 15 of the latter.

It suffices, therefore, then, in a second step, to engage on these arms 24, the crosspiece 20, along the arrow
F2, opposite the previous one, in Figure 2.

 To do this, it is necessary to slightly constrain the arms 24, by bringing them elastically towards one another, so that the distance which separates their ends is less than that separating the lateral wings from one another 15 cross member 20.

 Once released, the arms 24 of the support 21 come to bear elastically against the internal surface of the lateral wings 15 of the cross-member 20, which may be sufficient to maintain the latter.

 As a variant, the cross-member 20 can rest freely on the arms 24 of the support 21 by the returns 16 of its lateral wings 15.

 Anyway, it is then proceeded to the positioning of the facing plate 11 and then to its screwing, both on each of the two uprights 12 concerned and on the crosspiece 20 which connects these two uprights 12.

 Of course and as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6, when, as in the present case, facing plates 11 extend on either side of the same upright 12, two cross-pieces 20 can each be established on each side and on the other of such an upright 12, using, each respectively, two supports 21, which are then superimposed one on the other while being arranged head to tail, one having its middle part 22 on the side of the middle part 14 of the upright 12 while the other has its middle part 22 on the side of the return 16 of the side wings 15 thereof.

 The variant embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 allows that, in such a case, the two crosspieces 20 are at the same level.

 According to this alternative embodiment, the middle part 22 of the support 21 according to the invention has a width L'4 reduced relative to that L4 of its arms 24.

 However, and as before, one of the edges of this middle part 22 remains level with the corresponding edge of the arms 24.

 However, for head-to-tail nesting with another support 21, the lateral wings 23 are notched from their edge opposite to that along which the middle part 22 extends.

In practice, in the embodiment shown, these lateral wings 23 are notched along a straight trapezoid outline, the small base of which, on the side of the arms 24, has a width L'4 equal to that of the middle part 22, and whose large base, on the side opposite the arms 24, has a width L "4 which is a complement of the width L'4 with respect to the width
L4 arms 24.

 As a variant, the corresponding notch may have a rectangle outline, by affecting the lateral wings 23 at mid-width.

 However, in both cases, it extends over the entire height L'3 of these lateral wings 23.

 The present invention is moreover not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but encompasses any variant.

 In particular, when, as indicated, the support according to the invention comes from a strip, at least some of the fold lines which the latter comprises can be multiplied, for adaptation to amounts of different cross sections.

 I1 also goes without saying that the amounts to which the support according to the invention can be applied are not necessarily amounts with a transverse U-shaped profile.

 On the contrary, it could just as easily be full amounts.

 The same is true, moreover, of the corresponding crosspieces.

 It suffices, in fact, in this case, for the arms of the support according to the invention to be applied from the outside to such a cross-member, for example by being fixed there by screwing.

Claims (12)

 1. Support for crosspiece to be established between two uprights (12), characterized in that, being in the general form of a stirrup, it comprises, in a U-shaped profile, on the one hand, a middle part (22) and two lateral wings (23), by which it is able to enclose an upright from the outside (12), and, on the other hand, each extending respectively said lateral wings (23), two arms (24), by which it is able to engage with the crosspiece (20) to be supported.  2. Support according to claim 1, characterized in that, the crosspiece (20) itself having a transverse U-shaped profile, it is able by its arms (24) to engage from the inside with this crosspiece (20 ).  3. Support according to any one of claims 1, 2, characterized in that, at rest, the arms (24) are oblique to each other, moving away from one another as they move away from the middle part (22).  4. Support according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each of the arms (24) comes from a return (26) of the lateral wing (23) corresponding generally directed towards the interior volume of the two side wings (23).  5. Support according to claim 3, characterized in that said return (26) made with the lateral wing (23) from which it is derived a dihedral (D) of obtuse angle.  6. Support according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that its lateral wings (23) have a height (L'3) substantially equal to the dimension (L3) corresponding to the uprights (12).  7. Support according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the middle part (22) has the same width (L4) as the arms (24).  8. Support according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the middle part (22) has a width (L'4) reduced relative to that (L4) of the arms (24).  9. Support according to claim 6, characterized in that one of the edges of the middle part (22) is level with the corresponding edge of the arms (24).  10. Support according to claim 9, characterized in that, for nesting head to tail with another support, the lateral wings (23) are notched from their edge opposite to that along which extends the middle part (22) .  11. Support according to claim 10, characterized in that the lateral wings (23) are notched along a trapezoidal outline, the small base of which, on the side of the arms (24), has a width (L'4) equal to that of the middle part (22).  12. Strip characterized in that, suitably cut and provided with fold lines, it is suitable for constituting a support according to any one of claims 1 to 11.