GB1161926A - Mosaics - Google Patents

Abstract

1,161,926. Mosaics. R. DE LA RIVE BOX. 3 April, 1967 [4 April, 1966], No. 5114/67. Heading B6G. [Also in Division E1] A mosaic comprises a plurality of mosaic elements each having a plane surface bounded by faces perpendicular thereto and having coupling members to connect the element to other elements and located at the corners of the element where adjacent faces meet, each coupling member lying wholly inside the periphery of the plane surface, the elements being arranged with their adjacent faces in abutting relationship, and connecting members co-operating with juxtaposed coupling members of adjacent elements of the mosaic to detachably secure the elements together. The coupling means may comprise protrusions directed away from the main plane of the mosaic and the connecting members may be rings gripping around the protrusions. Alternatively the coupling means may consist of holes and the connecting means may comprise elements containing pins which can be stuck in the little holes, recesses being provided in the mosaic element to take up the connecting elements, e.g. the connecting elements may consist of circular discs having pins protruding perpendicularly on them and a recess in the form of a sector of a circle having the same thickness as the discs is mounted on the places where coupling means are desired. The coupling means may be provided at the corners and along the sides of a mosaic element. In Fig. 1 a mosaic element 1 is provided at the corners with protrusions 4 having the shape of a rectangular sector of a truncated cone. Connecting elements are illustrated in Fig. 2 (not shown). In Fig. 5 (not shown) a mosaic is built up out of rectangular mosaic elements using circular and semicircular ringed members as connecting elements. Other forms of mosaic elements can mutually co-operate (Figs. 6 and 7, not shown). The rings may be elastic so that they clamp the protrusions firmly against each other. The inner surface of the rings may not exactly correspond with the outer surface of the protrusions, e.g. cylindrical protrusions can co-operate with rings having at least over part of the their heights a conical inner surface. A locking action between the protrusions and rings may be provided by giving the rings an inner groove and the protrusions a corresponding rib so that the ring can be shifted over the rib under elastic deformation until the rib falls in the groove of the ring. Mosaic elements at the edge of the mosaic may have curved side faces.