FR2960925A1 - Device for fixing longitudinal boarding plate on e.g. wall, to carry out coating of wall of building, has groove and wings that are cooperated such that wings are tend to revert to rest position in housing to be maintained by interlocking - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has wings (34, 36) extended between its lower end fixed on a base (30) and upper end and arranged with respect to each other such that the upper end of one of the wings is extended beyond other wing. A groove (24) is formed in T-shape, and comprises an opening (24b) and a housing with width larger than that of the opening. The groove and the wings are cooperated such that the wings are in an insertion position when the wings are inserted into the opening, and tend to revert to a rest position in the housing to be maintained by interlocking. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a coating for a building, comprising a boarding plate (2) a method for assembling of an element to be fixed on a support.

Description

Device for fixing an element on a support, method for mounting such an element on a support.

The present invention relates to devices for fixing an element on a support, such as a slat or a board, for example wood, in order to achieve wall or floor coverings. More particularly, it relates to a device for fixing an element on a support, the device comprising at least a first part intended to be fixed on the support and at least a second part intended to be connected to the element to be fixed, the second part having a groove adapted to cooperate with the first part. It is known from EP 1 691 002 a cladding plate fastening device comprising a first portion comprising fasteners substantially T-shaped, and a second portion having a substantially U-shaped groove, with upper edges delimiting an opening. The fasteners and the upper edges of the groove cooperate together to maintain the fasteners nested in the groove.

However, during the disengagement of the slats, the fastener is deformed and incurs a risk of irreversible deterioration. US 5,394,667 discloses a floor fastening device in which the boards are attached to beams by means of a fastening clip. The fastening clip has wings that deform and engage in the sides of the grooves. However, this fixing device does not ensure sufficient fixation when the element to be fixed extends in a vertical plane, for example for a wall covering. The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and to propose a fixing device for ensuring a safe and effective fixation, while being reversible so as to be able to easily fit and to disemboss the fastener element and consequently to be able to easily place and remove an element on a support. For this purpose the fixing device of the type described above is characterized in that the first part comprises a substantially longitudinal base on which are mounted at least a first and a second wings each extending between a lower end fixed on the base and a upper end, the wings being disposed inclined relative to each other so that the upper end of one of the first and the second wing extends beyond the other of the first and second wing, each of the first and second wings being movable between a rest position in which it is not subjected to any stress and an insertion position in which the upper end of one of the first and the second wing tends to approaching the end of the other one of the first and second wings, the groove having a substantially T-shaped shape, and having an opening and an a housing having a width greater than the opening, the groove and the wings cooperating so that the two wings are in insertion position when they fit into the opening, and tend to return to the rest position in the housing so as to be held there by interlocking.

Thanks to these provisions, the fixing device according to the invention ensures a better maintenance of the element on the support, while allowing to remove the element without tearing of the first or second part of the fixing device. In addition, the machining of a groove on the side of the underside of the lamella makes it possible to reduce the deformation of the wood due to the external climate. Indeed the grooves absorb at least partly natural tensions inherent in wood. According to other features: - each wing has a lower end having a width and an upper end having a width less than the width so that the upper end of one of the first and the second wing is disposed above the lower end of the other one of the first and second wings of a pair; - The opening of the groove is delimited by edges defining a substantially conical shape and in that the upper ends of the wings have a sliding face inclined so as to cooperate with the edges of the opening; - The wings are in the rest position when they are held by interlocking in the groove; - The groove is made in the thickness of the strip and opens on the underside of the strip; - The groove is formed by the association of two symmetrical grooves formed in the side faces of two successive lamellae; - The fixing device comprises an end clip having a lateral edge having a complementary shape of the groove formed in the side face of the end plate, and a substantially straight opposite side edge. The present invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description on the basis of the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 shows a side view of cladding slats mounted on the fixing device according to the invention, FIG. 2 represents a front view of the fixing device according to the invention, FIG. 3a shows a front view of the device according to the invention according to a variant embodiment, FIG. 3b represents a view similar to that of FIG. 3a, in which the fixing device comprises an adjusting tool, - Figure 4 shows a view similar to that of Figure 3a, according to an alternative embodiment, Figures 5 to 9illustrate the fastening device according to alternative embodiments. In order to illustrate and best explain the invention, the following description describes a fastening device according to the invention for fixing cladding slats on a wall of a building. However, the fastening device is not limited to this application and could be used to attach paneling, or a fence on a vertical wall or terrace elements, a parquet, or a floor on a horizontal floor. The siding slats are arranged in a determined manner, so as to achieve a coating having a regular appearance. Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a coating 10 formed of longitudinal siding strips 12. The slats 12 of cladding are intended to be fixed on a not shown support such as a vertical wall of a building. The plates 12 are fixed to the support by means of at least one fixing device comprising a first part connected to the wall and a second part connected to the lamellae.

More particularly, Figure 1 illustrates the longitudinal ends 14 of two slats 12 cladding nested one inside the other. Each lamella 12 cladding has a thickness el delimited between an upper face 16 and a lower face 18 intended to come opposite the support structure. In addition each lamella 12 has two lateral faces 20, 22 which cooperate respectively with the side faces 20, 22 of the strip 12 preceding and following. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the lamellae 12 are nested one inside the other by a socket of the male-female type preventing any translation in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Y. Each lamella 12 has at least one groove 24 forming the second part of the fixing device. According to a first variant embodiment, the groove is made in the thickness e1 of the lamella, and has a substantially T-shape and opens out on the lower face 18 of the lamella 12. The groove 24 comprises a housing 24a and an opening 24b delimited by edges 26a, 26b defining a substantially conical shape.

The width 11 of the housing 24a is greater than the width 12 of the opening 24b. According to a second variant of the invention not shown, the groove 24 is made in a longitudinal section extending in a longitudinal direction Y and is itself fixed on a siding strip 12.

The first part 28 of the fixing device is intended to be fixed on the support. The first portion 28 has a base 30 extending in a lateral direction X perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The base 30 is mounted on the support, such as a wall for cladding slats or a floor for floor slats, by fastening means known to those skilled in the art. It can be nested on a rail 32 as visible in Figures 3 and 4, itself attached to the support. The first portion 28 of the fixing device further comprises a series of pairs of wings 34, 36 arranged spaced apart from each other. The distance separating the pairs of wings 34, 36 will be determined according to the element to be fixed. For siding strips 12, and as shown in Figure 1, the pairs of flanges 34, 36 are spaced at regular intervals. However, the spacing between the pairs of wings and their orientation relative to each other may vary depending on the element to be fixed on the support. According to a variant shown in Figure 5, a pair of wings may be arranged perpendicular to the surrounding pairs. Each pair of wings 34, 36 comprises two wings 34, 36 each extending between an upper end 34a, 36a and a lower end 34b, 36b, in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The upper ends 34a, 36a consist of tenons oriented in opposite directions substantially parallel to the lateral direction X. The tenons are advantageously shaped to prevent the removal of a siding blade 12, when the first part 28 of the fixing device is engaged in the groove 24 forming the second part of the fixing device. The wings 34, 36 of the same pair are arranged inclined relative to each other so that each upper end 34a, 36a of one of the two wings 34, 36 extends, partially in the longitudinal direction beyond the other of the two wings 34, 36. As seen in Figure 1, the wings 34, 36 of the same pair have a side view X shape. The wings 34, 36 and the base 30 are made of polyethylene or regenerated polypropylene and are made by molding so that the assembly formed by the wings 34, 36 and the base 30, constituting the first part 28 of the fixing device, is made in one piece. According to an alternative embodiment, they are made of metal, or aluminum or PVC. The wings 34, 36 are inclined relative to each other and respectively have an angle α1 and α2 formed between the flanges 34, 36 and the longitudinal base 30. The angles are substantially identical and have a value between 10 ° and 70 °, preferably 25 °. In the rest position, the wings 34, 36 are not stressed and extend at a predetermined inclination during molding. The wings 34, 36 have a capacity of elastic deformation, allowing to be movable between the aforementioned rest position and an insertion position, wherein the wings are subjected to a force tending to bring the upper ends 34a, 36a the one of the other, so that the wing deforms like a spring biased in flexion. In the insertion position, the angles α1 and / or α2 tend to increase. The inclination of the wings 34, 36 is reversibly modifiable by deformation when a force tends to modify said inclination. According to another embodiment, the wings can be pivotally mounted on the base and held at different angular positions by means of adjustment means known to those skilled in the art.

Preferably the upper ends 34a, 36a of each wing have an inclined edge 38, 39, cooperating with the edge of the opening 24b of the groove 24, so as to facilitate the insertion of the wings 34, 36 in said groove 24, by bringing these together. In addition, the upper ends 34a, 36a comprise a holding face substantially parallel to the lower face 18 of the strip and being positioned opposite an inner edge of the groove when the siding strip is mounted on the flanges 34, 36 of the fixing device. The present invention operates as follows: The element to be fixed, that is to say the lamella 12 siding, is set up so that each groove 24 is arranged vis-à-vis a pair of wings 34, 36. The user exerts a bearing force so that the upper ends 34a, 36a of the wings 34, 36 fit into the groove 24. For this purpose, when the upper ends 34a, 36a of the wings 34, 36 fit into the opening 24b, the conical shape of the latter tends to gradually change the inclination of the wings 34, 36 and to bring said upper ends 34a, 36a. When the upper ends 34a, 36a reach the housing 24a, which has a width greater than that of the opening 24b, they tend to move away from one another and are then trapped in said housing 24a, and come into abutment against a lower edge of the housing, preventing the removal of the blade in a direction opposite to the direction of insertion. An intermediate piece 44a, 44b may be arranged between the base 30 and the element to be fixed, so as to maintain the cladding strips in the same vertical plane, and thus prevent deformation while limiting the number of pairs of wings ensuring the fastening the slats. The intermediate piece 44a, 44b makes it possible to offer an additional point of support to the cladding lamella. This intermediate piece can have different shapes. It may have the shape of a parallelepiped, as illustrated in Figures 6a, 8b and 9b having a first edge bearing against the base and a second edge parallel to the first edge, and disposed adjacent to the lower face 18 of the coverslip. According to a variant, it has the shape of a half-ring 44b, the top of which comes into contact with the lower face 18 of the cladding strip and whose lower ends bear against the base. The intermediate piece can also be made in one piece with the base 30, as shown in Figures 8a and 9a.

In order to lock the connection between the flanges 34, 36 in the groove 24, a locking key 40 is put in place so as to prevent the wings from moving towards their insertion position. The locking key has three fingers 42a, 42b, 42c arranged parallel to each other and blocking the wings in the interlocking position in the housing. The locking key assures the user that the wings can not be disengaged from the throat. To disengage the first portion 28 of the fastening device of the groove 24 in which it is fitted, a specific tool is used to bring the upper ends 34a, 36a together until they can slide in the opening 24b in the sense of disengagement. For this purpose the tool comprises a means for spreading the two wings 34, 36 and therefore to bring the upper ends 34a, 36a thereof. The upper ends 34a, 36a of the wings 34, 36 can then slide in the opening 24b and disengage from the groove 24 in which they were fitted. The invention thus provides a reversible fastening device for interlocking and disengaging the element to be fixed simply and quickly. According to a variant illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, each wing has a lower end 34b, 36b having a width I34b, 136b and an upper end having a width 134a, 136a smaller than the width I34b, I36b. The wings 34, 36 are arranged vis-à-vis so that the upper end 34a of the first flange 34 is disposed above the lower end 36b of the second flange 36 and vice versa.

This arrangement offers the advantage of obtaining a fastener more resistant to deformation. Indeed, when the wing is moved between the rest position and an insertion position, the forces are distributed all along the width of the lower end. According to Figures 2 and 3 illustrated, the upper ends 34a, 36a have an identical width substantially equal to half the width of the lower end. According to another variant, as shown in Figure 5, the lower end of the wings has a greater thickness, to strengthen and improve its resistance to deformation.

According to another variant illustrated in FIG. 7, the upper ends 34a, 36a of the wings have an upper face disposed facing an upper internal edge of the T-shaped housing. The upper face has an irregular relief, making it possible to increase the friction. between said face and the inner edge of the housing, so as to offer better adhesion with the element to be fixed. The irregular relief can be achieved by a set of parallel grooves. According to an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 8a, 8b, 9a and 9b, the groove is formed by the association of two symmetrical grooves hollowed in the side faces 20, 22 adjacent two contiguous strips 12. The two grooves 46a, 46b forming a groove are arranged facing one another and are symmetrical with respect to each other, so as to form a substantially T-shaped groove. a first part 28 of the fastening device is arranged between each lateral end of the two successive cladding slats. In this variant embodiment, the fixing device may comprise an end clip 48 intended to close off the groove 46a, 46b of the lateral face of the end strip, in order to offer an improved aesthetic appearance. For this purpose the end clip has a lateral edge 50 having a complementary shape of the groove 46a, 46b made in the end face 20, 22 end and a substantially straight opposite edge 52.

The present invention is in no way limited to the previously described and illustrated embodiments which have been given by way of example only and can be applied to secure various elements to supports while operating in the manner previously described.

Claims (12)

REVENDICATIONS1. Device for fixing an element on a support, the device comprising at least a first part (28) intended to be fixed on the support and at least a second part intended to be connected to the element to be fixed, the second part comprising a groove (24) adapted to cooperate with the first portion (28), characterized in that the first portion (28) comprises a substantially longitudinal base (30) on which are mounted at least a first and a second wing each extending between a lower end fixed to the base (30) and an upper end, the wings (34, 36) being arranged inclined relative to each other so that the upper end (34a, 36a) of the one of the first and second wings (34, 36) extends beyond the other one of the first and second wings (34, 36), each of the first and second wings (34, 36) being movable between rest position in which she does not is subjected to no stress and an insertion position in which the upper end (34a, 36a) of one of the first and second wings tends to approach the other (34a, 36a) among the first and the second flange (34, 36), the groove (24) having a substantially T-shaped shape and having an opening (24b) and a housing (24a) having a width greater than the opening (24b), the groove ( 24) and the wings (34, 36) cooperating so that the two wings (34, 36) are in the insertion position when they fit into the opening (24b), and tend to return to the rest position in the housing (24a) so as to be held therein by interlocking. 2. Fixation device according to claim 1, wherein each wing (34, 36) has a lower end (34b, 36b) having a width (134b, 136b) and an upper end (34a, 36a) having a width (I34a). 136a) smaller than the width (34b, 136b) of the lower end (34b, 36b) so that the upper end (34a, 36a) of one of the first and second flanges (34, 36) is positioned above the lower end (34b, 36b) of the other of the first and second flanges (34, 36) of a pair. 3. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening (24b) of the groove (24) is delimited by edges (26a, 26b) defining a substantially conical shape and in that the upper ends ( 34a, 36a) wings (34, 36) have an inclined sliding face so as to cooperate with the edges (26a, 26b) of the opening (24b). 4. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the wings (34, 36) are in the rest position when they are held by interlocking in the groove (24). 5. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the groove (24) is formed in the element to be fixed, the element to be fixed comprises at least one blade having an upper face (16), a lower face. (18) disposed opposite the first fixing portion, and two side faces (20, 22). 6. Fastening device according to claim 5, wherein the groove (24) is formed in the thickness of the strip and opens on the underside (18) of the strip. 7. Fastening device according to claim 5, wherein the groove is formed by the association of two symmetrical grooves (46a, 46b) formed in the side faces (20, 22) of two slats succeeding one another. 8. Fastening device according to the preceding claim comprising an end clip (48) having a side edge having a shape complementary to the groove (46a, 46b) formed in the side face (20, 22) of the end strip. , and a substantially rectilinear opposite side edge. 9. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, whereinle the upper ends (34a, 36a) of the wings have an upper face disposed opposite an upper inner edge of the T-shaped housing, the upper faces having an irregular relief, to increase the friction between said face and the inner edge of the housing. 10. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base comprises an intermediate piece (44a, 44b) adapted to come into contact with the element to be fixed, so as to provide an additional point of support. 11. Building cladding comprising at least one cladding slat (12) intended to be mounted on a wall of the building, characterized in that it comprises a fixing device according to the preceding claim, the groove (24) being made in the thickness of the lamella (12) cladding. 12. A method of mounting an element to be fixed on a support by means of a fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: Fixing the first part (28) on the support, Fixing the second part on the element to be fixed, Placing the first part (28) in front of the second part so that the grooves (24) are vis-à-vis ends of the wings (34, 36), applying a force on the element to be fixed until the upper ends (34a, 36a) of the wings (34, 36) fit into the groove housing (24a) ( 24).