FR3078355A1 - ASSEMBLY COMPRISING CLOSURE BLADES AND ELASTIC FASTENERS AND METHOD OF MOUNTING - Google Patents

Abstract

The fence assembly having at least two fence strips (2) and at least one bracket (5); each fence blade (2) has two longitudinal edges (2c; 2d) extending along the length (L) of the blade (2); the clip (5) is adaptable to the two fence strips (2) so as to connect them in the same mounting plane and side-by-side along their longitudinal edges (2c, 2d); the fastener (5) is elastically deformable and allows, when it is fitted to the two fence strips (2), to exert on the fence strips (2) restoring forces of the two fence strips (2); one to the other.

Description

ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FENCE BLADES AND ELASTIC FASTENERS AND MOUNTING METHOD THEREOF

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of fences comprising blades of fences juxtaposed so as to form a leaf fence panel.

Prior art

It is currently widespread to offer panels comprising juxtaposed fence blades, generally of rectangular shape, and more particularly fence blades fitted loosely with the adjacent blades along their longitudinal edge.

These fence blades can be made of different materials, including wood, plastic, metal and for example aluminum, or composite material. These fence blades are most often opaque, but can also be translucent or transparent. It is also possible to add a decorative insert between two blades, in the form for example of a decorative plate, and for example of a perforated decorative metal plate.

In a first configuration, these fence blades are mounted in the same vertical plane with their two ends corresponding to the width of the blade, inserted in two vertical profiles with a post function. Generally in this first configuration, the two longitudinal edges of greater length of these blades are oriented substantially horizontally.

More recently for aesthetic reasons, a second configuration has been proposed in which the fence blades are mounted in the same vertical plane with at least their lower end, corresponding to the width of the blade, inserted in a horizontal profile with a heald function. rigidly connecting two vertical posts, and optionally with their upper end inserted in a horizontal profile with the function of a top rail, the top rail not necessarily rigidly connecting the two posts together.

Generally in this second configuration, the two longitudinal edges of greater length of these blades are oriented substantially vertically. It is also possible in this second configuration that, for aesthetic reasons, the two longitudinal edges of the blades are inclined relative to the vertical, generally by an angle less than 45 °, the ends of these blades corresponding to their width being cut in this case. beveled.

When the temperature increases, especially in summer, the fence blades tend to heat up, especially if they are dark in color, and to expand under this thermal effect. In order to avoid curling of the panel under the effects of thermal expansion, the slats can slide slightly across their width, i.e. in the direction perpendicular to their longitudinal edges, which allows automatic compensation changes in the size of the boards under the effects of thermal expansion in the direction of their width.

Conversely, when the temperature drops, especially in winter, the fence blades tend to shrink in width. There is therefore a risk that the blades will no longer be perfectly contiguous over the entire length of their longitudinal edges, and in the worst case that days between the blades appear, which is entirely detrimental for the appearance. aesthetics of the fence.

In the case of the aforementioned first configuration with horizontal fence blades, under the effect of their own weight, the fence blades may tend to remain contiguous when approaching the underlying blade during the thermal shrinkage phase, this which in practice reduces the aforementioned risk, without however eliminating it completely.

On the other hand, in the case of the aforementioned second configuration with essentially vertical closing blades, this risk is very important and it is frequent that the blades are no longer perfectly joined over the entire length of their longitudinal edges, and in the worst case that days between the boards appear, which is completely detrimental to the aesthetic appearance of the fence.

Objective of the invention

The object of the present invention is to propose a new simple technical solution which makes it possible to solve the aforementioned problem, in particular in the case of the aforementioned second configuration of fence blades.

Summary of the invention

The present invention thus has for first object a fence assembly comprising at least two fence blades and at least one fastener; each fence board has two longitudinal edges which extend along the length of the board; the clip is adaptable on the two fence blades so as to connect them in the same assembly plane and side by side along their longitudinal edges; the fastener is elastically deformable and, when it is adapted on the two fence blades, exerts on the fence blades the restoring forces of the two fence blades towards each other.

Once adapted on the two fence blades, thanks to its elasticity, each fastener is able to deform elastically in said mounting plane during thermal expansion in width of the fence blades, which increases the restoring forces of the two fence blades towards each other exerted by the fastener on the fence blades.

In the event of thermal retraction of the fence blades in the direction of their width, that is to say perpendicular to their longitudinal axis (length), the restoring forces exerted by the fastener on the fence blades make it possible to maintain the two fence blades side by side along their longitudinal edges.

More particularly, and optionally, the whole of the invention may include the following optional characteristics taken individually or in combination with one another:

- The clip is adaptable to one end of the fence blades.

- Each fence blade has at least one cavity opening into at least one of the two ends of the blade, and the fastener (5) forms an elastically deformable and insertable jumper, at one end of the two fence blades, in two cavities of said blades fence blades.

- Said cavity of each fence blade opens into the two ends of the fence blade.

- The clip has a substantially S-shaped profile.

- Said fence assembly comprises, for each pair of fence blades, two elastically deformable fasteners and adaptable to each of the two ends of the two fence blades.

- Two longitudinal edges of the fence blades can be pushed together without tightening.

- Said fence assembly comprises at least one bottom rail, which comprises a longitudinal groove in which the lower end of the fence blades can be fitted, without clamping or with a sufficiently weak clamping, so as to allow sliding of the fence blades in the longitudinal groove.

- Said fence assembly comprises an upper rail which comprises a longitudinal groove in which the upper end of the fence blades can be fitted, without clamping or with a sufficiently weak clamping, so as to allow sliding of the fence blades in the groove longitudinal.

- Said fence assembly comprises at least two posts and each stringer is capable of being assembled with the two posts and with the fence blades, so as to form a fence panel in which at least one stringer and preferably the bottom stringer, rigidly connects the two posts together.

The invention also relates to a fence panel which is produced from a set of aforementioned fence, and in which the fence blades are assembled side by side in the same assembly plane, each being connected to a blade of fence adjacent by means of said elastically deformable fasteners.

More particularly and optionally, the fence blades are positioned side by side in the same assembly plane with their longitudinal axis oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each beam or with their longitudinal axis inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of each smooth with an angle less than 90 ° and greater than or equal to 45 °.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting a fence by means of an aforementioned fence assembly during which a fence panel is assembled in which the fence blades are positioned in the same mounting plane and side- side by side along their longitudinal edges, and in which the fence blades can slide in the mounting plane in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axis and each fence blade is connected to an adjacent fence blade by at least one of said clips elastically deformable.

Brief description of the drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the detailed description below of several alternative embodiments in accordance with the invention, which detailed description is given by way of non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of the invention and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is an exploded view of a particular example of a fence panel according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is an isometric perspective view of the assembled fence panel;

Figure 3 is an isometric perspective view of a particular example of an elastically deformable fastener;

- Figure 4 is an isometric perspective view of a particular example of a fence blade;

- Figure 5 is a top view of the fence panel of Figure

1, the top rail having been removed;

- Figure 6 is an isometric view of a particular example of the end of the bottom rail of the fence panel in Figure 1;

- Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom rail of Figure 6.

detailed description

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fence panel 1 comprises several identical fence blades 2, of length L and width I, which are mounted in a frame 3 comprising two posts 30, a bottom rail 31 and a top rail 3Τ .

The fence blades 2 are positioned vertically in the same mounting plane P and are side by side along their longitudinal edges 2c, 2d.

The closing panel 1 also includes, for each post 30, a closing cap 4 which can be fitted on the upper end of the post 30.

In the general context of the invention, the material or materials of a fence blade and the structure of the fence blade are not important for the invention. A fence strip may in particular be, in whole or in part, opaque, translucent transparent, or perforated.

In addition, within the general framework of the invention, a fence strip 2 is not necessarily rectangular in shape, but may generally have an elongated shape with a longitudinal axis A (FIG. 4) with two longitudinal edges 2c. , 2d opposite, which are not necessarily straight, and which correspond to the largest dimension (length L) of the fence strip 2 and two ends 2a, 2b which are not necessarily straight and which correspond to width I of the strip .

With reference to the particular variant of FIG. 4, the longitudinal edge 2c of each closing blade 2 has a longitudinal groove 20 and the opposite longitudinal edge 2d has a longitudinal tongue 21, so as to allow an edge-to-edge fitting without tightening , of the grooved-grooved type, of the fence blades 2 between them in the same assembly plane and without daylight between the fence blades 2.

In another variant, the blades 2 can be designed to be juxtaposed side by side without being nested one in the other.

In the particular variant of FIG. 4, and in a nonlimiting manner of the invention, each fence blade 2 is a hollow blade, for example made of composite material, and has two main walls 22 which form the two main faces of the blade 2 and which are connected transversely to each other by reinforcing walls 23 delimiting in the blade 2 longitudinal cavities 24 which open out at the two ends 2a, 2b of the blade 2.

Optionally (FIG. 1) reinforcement bars 6, for example made of metal, can be inserted into one of the longitudinal cavities 24 of certain blades 2 to reinforce them mechanically.

With reference to FIG. 2, the bottom rail 31, of longitudinal axis A ′ (FIG. 6) is assembled with the two posts 30 and is fixed perpendicular to the two posts 30, so as to rigidly connect them one to the other.

With reference to FIG. 6 and to FIG. 7, this lower rail 31 has at each end an end piece 310 allowing its fitting and its fixing in a longitudinal groove of a post 30. The lower rail 31 also comprises a longitudinal groove 311 in which can be inserted the lower ends 2b of the fence blades 2.

Preferably, the dimensions of this longitudinal groove 311 are adapted to the thickness of each blade 2, so as to allow the insertion in this groove 311 of the lower ends 2b of the fence blades 2, without clamping or with a sufficiently weak clamping. , so as to allow the blades 2 to slide in the longitudinal groove 311 in the width direction of the blades 2, under the effect of the thermal expansion of the blades 2 in the direction of their width.

The upper rail 31 'is similar to the lower rail 31 and is fitted on the upper ends of the blades 2, without tightening or with a sufficiently weak tightening, so as to allow the blades 2 to slide in the longitudinal groove 311 in the direction of the width of the blades under the effect of the thermal expansion of the blades 2 in the direction of their width.

The top rail 31 ’can be fixed or not fixed at its two ends to the two posts 30.

According to the invention, the fence has several clips 5, of clip type, which are elastically deformable and which are adaptable on two adjacent fence blades 2, so as to form a jumper allowing them to be elastically connected side-by-side. - side in the same assembly plan P.

In the variant of FIG. 3, each elastically deformable fastener 5 has a substantially S-shaped profile and is for example made of metal or plastic.

More particularly, each fastener 5 has a central plane of symmetry P1 (Figure 3), and has two end walls 50, 51 and a central wall 52 oriented substantially vertically in Figure 3, and two connecting walls 53 and 54 oriented substantially horizontally in the figure

3. The connecting wall 53 transversely connects the upper end of the end wall 50 to the upper end of the central wall 52 so as to form a first part 55 of the clip substantially in the shape of an inverted U, and the connecting wall 54 transversely connects the lower end of the central wall 52 to the lower end of the end wall 51, so as to form a second part 56 of the substantially U-shaped fastener.

The two walls 50 and 52 of the first part 55 in the shape of an inverted U can be slightly spaced from the connecting wall 53 forming the base of the U, under the action of a spacing force in the plane of symmetry P1, and are capable of resuming resiliently their rest position of the figure in the absence of mechanical stress. Similarly, the two walls 51 and 52 of the second U-shaped part 55 can be slightly separated from the connecting wall 54 forming the base of the U, under the action of a spacing force in the plane of symmetry P1, and are able to return resiliently to their rest position in FIG. 3 in the absence of mechanical stress.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, each fence blade 2 is connected elastically to each fence blade 2 which is adjacent to it by means of an upper fastener 5 and a lower fastener 5. The upper fastener 5 is fitted to the upper end 2a of the two adjacent blades 2 while being fitted into a longitudinal cavity 24 of each blade 2 which opens out at the upper end 2a of the blade. The lower clip 5 is fitted to the lower end 2b of the two adjacent blades 2, being fitted into a longitudinal cavity 24 of each blade 2 which opens out at the lower end 2b of the blade.

When the blade panel 2 is assembled (FIG. 2), the blades are mounted in the same mounting plane P and side-by-side along their longitudinal edges 2c, 2d, and may, under the effect of their expansion thermal in the direction of their width, slide slightly in the assembly plane P along the beams 31, 31 ', that is to say in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axis A, and more particularly in the case of the figure 2, in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal axis A.

Each fastener 5 has an elasticity which allows its elastic deformation during thermal expansion, in the direction of their width, of the blades 2 which it connects. In addition, each fastener 5 exerts on the closing blades 2 elastic return forces of the blades 2 towards one another, which makes it possible in the event of thermal retraction of the blades 2 in the direction of their width to keep them at edge, no day between the blades.

So when the outside temperature is high, for example in summer, the blades 2 of the fence panel 1 can expand in width by sliding slightly in the two rails 31 and 31 'while being connected to each other by the fasteners 5, which are elastically deform. Then, when the outside temperature drops, for example in winter, the blades 2 can contract in width under the effect of their thermal retraction and, in this case, slide towards one another in the two rails 30 and 31, under the effect of the elastic restoring forces of the fasteners 5, so that the boards remain contiguous and no day appears between the boards 2 and the fence panel 5 does not curl.

In the particular example of FIG. 2, the fence blades 2 are positioned side by side in the same mounting plane P with their longitudinal axis A which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A ’of the heddles 31, 31’.

In another variant, the orientation of the fence blades 2 can be different, and more particularly the fence blades 2 can be oriented so that their longitudinal axis A is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis A of each heald 31, 31 'of a given angle, in particular of an angle less than 90 ° and greater than or equal to 45 °.

Claims (13)

1. Fence assembly comprising at least two fence blades (2) and at least one fastener (5), each fence blade (2) having two longitudinal edges (2c; 2d) which extend lengthwise (L) of the blade (2), the fastener (5) being adaptable on the two fence blades (2) so as to connect them in the same mounting plane (P) and side by side along their longitudinal edges ( 2c, 2d), and the fastener (5) being elastically deformable and allowing when it is adapted on the two fence blades (2) to exert on the fence blades (2) restoring forces of the two blades fence (2) towards each other. 2. A fence assembly according to claim 1, wherein the clip (5) is adaptable to one end of the fence blades (2). 3. A fence assembly according to claim 2, wherein each fence blade (2) comprises at least one cavity (24) opening into at least one of the two ends (2a; 2b) of the blade, and in which the fastener (5) forms an elastically deformable and insertable jumper, at one end of the two fence blades (2), in two cavities (24) of said fence blades (2). 4. A fence assembly according to claim 3, wherein said cavity (24) of each fence blade (2) opens into the two ends (2a; 2b) of the fence blade (2). 5. Fence assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the fastener (5) has a profile in the form of substantially S. 6. A fence assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising, for each pair of fence blades (2), two fasteners (5) elastically deformable and adaptable to each of the two ends (2a; 2b) of the two fence blades (2). 7. Fence assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which two longitudinal edges (2c; 2d) of the fence blades (2) can be fitted into each other without clamping. 8. A fence assembly according to any preceding claim, comprising at least one bottom rail (31), which comprises a longitudinal groove (311) in which the bottom end (2b) of the fence blades (2) can be nested, without clamping or with a sufficiently weak clamping, so as to allow sliding of the fence blades (2) in the longitudinal groove (311). 9. A fence assembly according to claim 8, comprising an upper rail (3Γ) which comprises a longitudinal groove (311) in which the upper end (2a) of the fence blades (2) can be fitted, without clamping or with a sufficiently low clamping, so as to allow the fence blades (2) to slide in the longitudinal groove. 10. A fence assembly according to claim 8 or 9, comprising at least two posts (30) and each heald (31; 3Γ) is capable of being assembled with the two posts (30) and with the fence blades (2), so as to form a fence panel (1) in which at least one rail (31; 3T) and preferably the lower rail (31), rigidly connects the two posts together. 11. Fence panel (1) which is produced from a fence assembly of any one of the preceding claims, and in which the fence blades (2) are assembled side by side in the same mounting plane ( P) each being connected to a fence blade (2) adjacent by means of said elastically deformable fasteners (5). 12. Fence panel according to claim 11, which is made from a fence assembly of any one of claims 8 to 10, and wherein the fence blades (2) are positioned side by side in a same mounting plane (P) with their longitudinal axis (A) oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A ') of each beam (31, 3Γ) or with their longitudinal axis (A) inclined relative to the longitudinal axis (A ') of each beam (31, 31') with an angle less than 90 ° and greater than or equal to 45 °. 13. A method of mounting a fence by means of a fence assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, in which a fence panel is assembled in which the fence blades (2) are positioned in the same mounting plane (P) and side by side along their longitudinal edges (2c, 2d), and in which the fence blades (2) can slide in the mounting plane (P) in a transverse direction to their longitudinal axis (A) and each fence blade (2) is connected to an adjacent fence blade (2) by at least one of said elastically deformable fasteners (5).