GB2249474A

GB2249474A - Mounting device, primarily for a radiator

Info

Publication number: GB2249474A
Application number: GB9119259A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thorleif Hageberg
Original assignee: Sigarth AB
Current assignee: Sigarth AB
Priority date: 1990-09-14
Filing date: 1991-09-09
Publication date: 1992-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2011-09-09
Also published as: DE4129299A1; GB2249474B; GB9119259D0; DE9013103U1; DE4129299C2

Abstract

A mounting device 2, primarily for a radiator 3, comprises a first engaging member 17 for securing a first retaining portion 14 projecting from the radiator and a second engaging member 9 for securing the radiator or a second retaining portion 4 projecting therefrom, member 9 being capable of being moved relatively to the first engaging member 17 against the tension of a spring 10, member 17 being configured as part of a recess 15 which opens towards the radiator 3 and is outwardly narrowed by a locking element 6 on the side remote from member 9, and there being provided, on the side of the recess 15 facing member 9 and/or on the side of a further recess 21 in the mounting device remote from member 17 in the vicinity of member 9, a retaining face 8, 8a for substantially inhibiting movement of the first retaining portion 14 and/or the second retaining portion 4 in a direction away from the first engaging member 17 when the radiator 3 is mounted in its retained position. <IMAGE>

Description

MOUNTING DEVICE, PRIMARILY FOR A RADIATOR The invention is directed to a mounting device, primarily for a radiator.

Such a mounting device is already known from DE-PS 3790110. It is fastened in pairs in spaced side-by-side relationship in cantilever fashion for instance on a wall where radiators may then be mounted in a simple way. While a first engaging member, which is the lower one in the known mounting device, is fixedly joined to the mounting device and may be used to support the lower edge of a radiator, a second engaging member is secured in spaced relationship above the first engaging member on the mounting device in such a way that it may be moved upwards against the action of a spring and in a direction away from the first engaging member, so as to provide room for a retaining portion projecting rearwardly from the radiator.

As soon as the retaining portion is in the mounted position, the second engaging member will snap back under the tension of the spring and will now cooperate with the first engaging member to retain the radiator firmly on the wall.

Should it be necessary to take steps to prevent the radiator from easily and automatically snapping out of its mounted holding position, such as by inadvertent upward pressure, it has been known to retain the second engaging member in the mounted retained position by an additional bolt, but this does not only require an additional component but also at least one additional procedural step.

The present invention is based on the object of improving the mounting device with simple means so that the radiator or the like will be automatically and securely retained in the mounted retained position even if pressure is applied to the radiator in the direction of movability of the second engaging member.

According to the present invention, a mounting device, primarily for a radiator, comprises a first engaging member for securing a first retaining portion projecting from the radiator and a second engaging member for securing the radiator or a second retaining portion projecting therefrom, the second engaging member being capable of being moved relatively to the first engaging member against the tension of a spring, the first engaging member being configured as part of a recess which opens towards the radiator and is outwardly narrowed by a locking element on the side remote from the second engaging member, and there being provided, on the side of the recess facing the second engaging member and/or on the side of a further recess in the mounting device remote from the first engaging member in the vicinity of the second engaging member, a retaining face for substantially inhibiting movement of the first retaining portion and/or the second retaining portion in a direction away from the first engaging member when the radiator is mounted in its retained position.

Thus, if the retaining face is formed on the recess having the first engaging member, the portion of said recess which is remote from the second engaging member prevents any movability of the radiator or its retaining portion(s) in the direction away from the second engaging member, i.e. especially downwardly, whereas the retaining face, i.e. the portion of said recess which faces the second engaging member, prevents the radiator or its retaining portion(s) from being moved in the opposite direction, i.e. substantially in a direction towards the second engaging member and especially upwardly, after the (first) retaining portion has adopted its mounted retained position in which it is disposed in the space between the locking element and the opposite end of the recess behind the locking element.

Instead of the retaining face being formed on the recess having the first engaging member, or in addition to said retaining face, it is also possible to provide a corresponding retaining face on a further recess in the mounting device so as to provide the same locking function for the other (second) retaining portion of the radiator in the mounted position.

It is desirable that the length of the recess in the direction towards the second engaging member, or substantially parallel to the radiator, i.e. in the direction in which the movability should be prevented or at least impeded, is only slightly greater than the length of the first retaining portion in the same direction.

It is especially advantageous that the locking element should be configured as a retaining lug which is disposed at a distance from the bottom or rear end of the recess to form a pocket whose base is at least equal to but not substantially greater than the thickness of the first retaining portion. The locking element thereby prevents the radiator or its retaining portion from being able to be pulled from the mounted retained position away from the mounting device or the wall, respectively. In other words, the invention will not only prevent withdrawal of the radiator from the mounting device in the normal direction of the wall where the mounting device is fastened but will also prevent movement of the radiator in a direction which is parallel to the wall, with insertion of the first retaining portion into the recess of the first engaging member not being obstructed.

An embodiment of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1: is a schematic cross-sectional view of a mounting device secured to a wall and illustrated at the time when a first retaining member of the radiator is fitted into the lower or first engaging member while a second retaining member of the radiator is still at a distance from the second or upper engaging member; Fig. 2: is a corresponding schematic illustration in the mounted retained position of the radiator in which the first and second retaining members thereof are gripped by the first and second engaging members to retain the radiator reliably at a distance from the wall; and Figs. 3a and 3b: are details respectively of the upper and lower ends of a rail which forms part of the mounting device.

As will be apparent from the drawings, a mounting device 2, which is for instance designed as an L-bar or rail having an arm 2b facing a wall 1 and an arm 2a extending from the wall 1 and which may be fastened to the wall 1 by a bolt (not illustrated), comprises a first or lower engaging member 17 and a second or upper engaging member 9. The lower engaging member is defined by a recess 15 which in its upper portion has a retaining face 8 extending in normal direction from the wall 1, and at its rear end has a bottom 16 extending substantially in parallel to the wall 1, while at a distance D from the bottom 16 a retaining lug constituting a locking element 6 extends upwardly, i.e. in the direction towards the retaining face 8, whereby the width of the recess 15 is outwardly narrowed.The length A, or the distance of the retaining face 8 from a bottom 7 of the pocket defined between the bottom 16 and the locking element 6, is slightly greater than the length B of a retaining member 14 which is fastened in bracket-fashion to the back of the radiator 3 (the retaining member 14 constitutes a web, as it were, between two legs 14a which join the retaining member 14 to the back of the radiator 3).

The side of the retaining lug or locking element 6 facing towards the bottom 16 of the recess 15 tapers somewhat towards the retaining face 8 according to the surface 6a, which is shown more clearly in Fig. 3b and which is inclined at an angle B of approximately 10-300 so that the bottom portion of the retaining member 14 may be fitted more readily into the pocket behind the retaining lug, where it offers the possibility of being swung from the initial position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the mounted retained position illustrated in Fig. 2.

The height F of the lug is approximately 0.1 to 0.3 times the length A of the recess.

For achieving the mounted retained position it is merely required to take the following steps. The radiator 3 is pressed to move its upper retaining member 4 from the initial position illustrated in Fig. 1 towards the second or upper engaging member 9, which is pulled upwards against the action of a spring 10 - which is supported by a retaining bolt 11 - by distance C where it is held in a locked position by elements not illustrated here. In the locked position the second engaging member 9 is deflected by the angle a away from the wall 1 in forwards direction, i.e. in the direction towards the radiator 3. As soon as the retaining member 4 abuts stop face 9a of the second engaging member 9, the second engaging member 9 will be pressed backwards to be released from its locked position.

At the same time, the spring 10 will pull the second engaging member 9 downwards in the direction to the first engaging member 17 so that a retaining lug 12, the inner side of which is likewise bevelled in forward direction, will engage behind the top portion of the retaining member 4, which will enter pocket 13 between the stop face 9a and the retaining lug 12, as will be more clearly apparent from Fig. 2.

In this mounted retained position, the radiator 3 is securely fastened and protected from any movement both towards and away from the wall 1, on the one hand, and also in downward and upward direction, on the other hand. Even though the upper engaging member 9 remains deflectable in upward direction against the tension of the spring 10, the retaining face 8 (upon abutment thereon of the top end of the lower retaining member 14) will prevent the radiator 3 from moving upwardly provided the length A is not substantially greater than, and is especially approximately equal to, the length B of the lower retaining member 14.

Any rocking in the normal direction N relative to the wall 1 is prevented by the feature that the thickness E of the retaining members 14 and 4, respectively, is approximately equal to the distance D of the retaining lugs 6, 12 from the bottom 16 of the recess 15 and from the stop face 9a of the second engaging member 9, respectively.

Rocking in a direction perpendicular thereto, in this case upwardly, is avoided by making the length B of the retaining member 14 approximately equal to the length A of the recess 15.

According to Fig. 3a, holes lla are used for anchoring the spring 10, while elongate cut-out 22 which extends from recess 21 guides a portion of the second engaging member 9.

Elongate slot 18 also functions as guide means for a portion of the second engaging member 9 while stop face 20 in slot extension 19 receives the respective portion of the second engaging member 9 thereon in the locking position.

At its upper delimitation remote from the lower recess 15, the recess 21 is formed with a stop face 8a which prevents the retaining portion 4 guided by the second engaging member 9 from being displaceable in vertical direction V when the mounting position of Fig. 2 has been achieved.

The invention is especially useful for heating installations in which plastics pipes are employed for supplying and discharging the heating medium. Thanks to the secure retained position of the radiator in the fastened or mounted condition without any additional locking elements, even shaking of the radiator such as by children will not cause any overloads on or breakage of the plastics pipes.

This is also a considerable advantage in restaurants and the like, because on the one hand mounting can easily be done with only a few manipulations even by unskilled persons, yet on the other hand there is no risk of disengagement or knocking-out of the radiators unless skilled persons perform special manipulations so as to turn the radiator from the position shown in Fig. 2 back to the position shown in Fig. 1, as it is only in the latter position that the radiator can be removed from the first or lower engaging member.

Claims

1. A mounting device, primarily for a radiator1 comprising a first engaging member for securing a first retaining portion projecting from the radiator and a second engaging member for securing the radiator or a second retaining portion projecting therefrom, the second engaging member being capable of being moved relatively to the first engaging member against the tension of a spring, the first engaging member being configured as part of a recess which opens towards the radiator and is outwardly narrowed by a locking element on the side remote from the second engaging member, and there being provided, on the side of the recess facing the second engaging member and/or on the side of a further recess in the mounting device remote from the first engaging member in the vicinity of the second engaging member, a retaining face for substantially inhibiting movement of the first retaining portion and/or the second retaining portion in a direction away from the first engaging member when the radiator is mounted in its retained position.

2. A mounting device according to claim 1, in which the length of the recess in the direction towards the second engaging member, or substantially parallel to the radiator, is but slightly greater than the length of the first retaining portion in the same direction.

3. A mounting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the locking element is formed as a retaining lug and is disposed at a distance from the bottom or rear end of the recess, said distance being at least equal to but not substantially greater than the thickness of the first retaining portion.

4. A mounting device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the locking element tapers towards the retaining face away from the bottom of the recess by means of an inclined surface.

5. A mounting device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second engaging member is provided with a stop face for the radiator or the second retaining portion, said stop face continuing in a pocket which is remote from the first engaging member.

6. A mounting device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second engaging member is capable of being locked in a locking position in which it has a greater distance from the first engaging member than in the mounted retained position of the radiator.

7. A mounting device according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which, when the radiator or the second retaining portion is urged against the stop face of the second engaging member, the latter can be released from the locking position and can be urged or pulled back by the spring to the retaining position.

8. A mounting device, primarily for a radiator, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.