GB2275701A - A coving - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite coving (48) comprises a substrate (50) which may be a plain coving (50a) having a plain concave surface (50a). The composite coving (48) further comprises a coving cover (52) which is a sheet of plastics material moulded to a desired shape. The caving has a cross-section which is formed to have at least one section (56a, 56b) which is flush with the substrate (50) to provide an impression of solidity. The edges or the cross-section comprise first and second lips (52a, 52b) by which the cover (52) is affixed to the substrate (50). A section (54) of the cover (52) may have a relief pattern repeating therealong to provide the main decorative part of the coving. The cross-section of the coving (52) may have a plurality of sections with the same curvature. <IMAGE>

Description

A COVING The present invention relates to covings, particularly to covings applied to the corner between a ceiling and an adjoining wall.

Rather than leave a sharp right angled joint between a ceiling and the adjoining walls in a room of a house or of a building, it is often preferred to conceal the joint with a coving. Such covings are usually provided in convenient lengths for adhesion to a wall and ceiling. Appropriate corner pieces are also provided for corners between two walls and the ceiling.

A coving may be ornately designed having an irregular section along its length or may simply provide a plain concave surface between a ceiling and walls.

Between these two extremes are covings of constant but perhaps intricate cross-section.

Ornate covings are usually moulded individually from plaster and accordingly somewhat expensive. Covings of constant (albeit intricate) cross-section can be extruded from polystyrene or other suitable material and are thus much cheaper. A coving with a plain concave surface may be moulded from plaster in a paper envelope, in which the same way as plasterboard is manufactured, to provide a particularly cheap coving which is commonly employed nowadays.

GB-A-2190115 (Brown) discloses a composite coving comprising a coving with a plain concave surface and a sheet of plastics material affixed to the coving.

A composite coving as disclosed in GB-A-2190115 is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The joint 12 between a ceiling 14 and wall 16 is concealed by a coving 18 adhered to the wall and ceiling. The coving 18 has a plain concave exterior surface 20 and two mutually perpendicular flat surfaces 22, 24 adjacent each edge of the coving. A sheet 30 of semi-rigid plastics material is applied to the plain coving 18 to provide an ornate design. The sheet 30 has been shaped in a vacuum mould to have flat surfaces 32, 34 which match and lie against surfaces 22, 24 of the plain coving 18.

The sheet 30 is formed to have a desired shape to provide the required ornamentation of the coving. Three distinct regions are shown for the sheet 30 in the drawings. A stepped region A leads from the surface 32 to region B while region C is a smoothly curving plain surface joining region B to the surface 34. Region B itself is the main decorative part of the coving and has a relief pattern 36 repeating there along.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved composite coving.

According -to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a coving cover comprising a sheet of plastics material moulded to a desired shape with a cross-section formed to have a plurality of sections having the same curvature.

A coving cover provided in accordance with the present invention may be used to cover a coving (or other substrate) with an exterior surface having the same curvature as sections of the cover. As said sections having the same curvature lay flush against the surface of the coving, a greater impression of solidity is provided so that the composite of the coving and the cover resembles known, more expensive, ornate covings.

The provision of a coving cover with sections having the same curvature as each other and as a surface of a coving also simplifies the assembly of the coving and cover to provide the required effect. First of all, the joining together of two lengths of coving cover is simplified with a cleaner join being produced.

Previously, a ridge would have been produced if two lengths of plastics material were joined by one being placed on top of the other. The present invention enables first and second lengths of coving cover to be joined together by being placed adjacent to each other (so that there is no ridge) and separately affixed on top of a third length of coving cover which has already been affixed to the coving. The provision of coving covers according to the present invention also simplifies the joining together of lengths of coving cover at corners.

Preferably, the edges of said cross-section of the coving comprise first and second lips by which the coving cover may be affixed to edges of the coving. Sections having the same curvature may be provided adjacent each of said lips.

Advantageously, said cross-section includes at least one projection displaced from a said lip. A length of coving cover may therefore be cut along this projection to produce a coving cover of smaller width, the cut projection providing a lip by which the coving cover of smaller width may be affixed to a coving. This aspect of the present invention allows a coving cover of standard width to be manufactured for covings of different width, the standard coving cover being cut down as required. As known covings of different widths have the same curvature, said projection is preferably provided between a said lip and a said section having the same curvature to ensure that the lip formed by the cutting of the projection will be in the correct position.

Advantageously, said cross-section of the cover is of uniform thickness to simplify manufacture. Preferably said uniform thickness is in the range of from lmm to 2mm. If the cover is too thin, it will not be sufficiently rigid to hold its shape. If the cover is too thick, it is difficult to handle and the definition of the ornamentation may be lost.

Said first aspect of the present invention also embraces a composite coving comprising a substrate and a coving cover as defined in accordance with said first aspect of the present invention whereby said plurality of sections having the same curvature of the coving cover are flush with a surface of the substrate. Such a composite coving may be assembled before being placed in position to cover a joint between a ceiling and walls.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a composite coving comprising a substrate and a coving cover, the coving cover comprising a sheet of plastics material moulded to a desired shape with a cross-section formed to have at least one section which is flush with the substrate, the edges of the cross-section comprising first and second lips by which the cover is affixed to the coving.

The provision of a cover with at least one section which is flush with the coving in addition to the edges improves the impression of solidity provided by the composite coving.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a section through a wall and ceiling joint having disposed therebetween a prior art composite coving; Figure 2 is perspective cut away view of the coving, ceiling and wall shown in Figure 1; and Figures 3 and 4 are sections through a wall and ceiling joint having disposed therebetween embodiments of composite covings provided in accordance with the present invention.

As shown in Figure 3, a joint 42 between a ceiling 44 and a wall 46 is concealed by a composite coving 48 comprising a coving 50 and a cover 52. The coving 50 has a plain concave surface 50a and may be moulded from plaster in a paper envelope. The cover 52 is made of a semi-rigid plastics material, such as polystrene. The cover includes lips 52a, 52b by which the cover 52 may be affixed to edges 50b, 50c of the coving.

The coving cover 52 further includes a section 54 which is the main decorative part of the coving and which has a relief pattern repeating therealong. In addition, the coving cover 52 has at least one section 56a, 56b which lies flush with the coving 50 to provide an impression of solidity. As shown, at least two sections 56a, 56b are provided in the cover 52, the sections 56a, 56b having the same curvature as each other so that they may lie flush with the concave surface 50a of the coving 50.

The embodiment of Figure 4 is a modification of the embodiment of Figure 3 and so like parts are designated by like reference numerals. In addition, the coving cover 52 of Figure 4 includes a projection 58 displaced from the edge of the cover. The protection 58 may be effective as a further design feature in the cover to separate two sections 56b, 56c having the same curvature.

Alternatively, the cover 52 of Figure 1 may be cut along the projection 58 to provide a cover of reduced width which may be used with a smaller coving 50. The cut projection 58 is effective as a lip by which the cover 52 may be affixed to an edge of a smaller coving.

While the coving 50 is illustrated as having two flat mutually perpendicular surfaces 50b, 50c, it is envisaged that alternative covings may be used with different surfaces SOb, 50c. In particular, there may be no apparent junction between the surfaces 50b, 50c and the main surface 50a.

The invention has been described with reference to covings of existing design, having a concave exterior surface, with the cover being provided for ornamentation.

Alternatively, it is envisaged that new designs of composite coving may be provided in which a cover providing ornamental design is affixed to a substrate of another shape. As sections of the cover are flush with a surface of the substrate, the substrate provides bulk and solidity to the composite coving. Furthermore, as the cover would about the ceiling or wall only at its edges, the substrate enables the composite coving to be attached to the wall and ceiling.

Composite covings provided in accordance with the present invention, when in place, resemble prior art plaster covings and maybe painted with emulsion paints of any desired colour.

Modifications to the embodiments described within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (17)

1. A coving cover comprising a sheet of plastics material moulded to a desired shape with a cross-section formed to have a plurality of sections having the same curvature.

2. A coving cover according to Claim 1 wherein the edges of said cross-section comprises first and second lips.

3. A coving cover according to Claim 2 wherein said cross-section includes sections having the same curvature adjacent said lips.

4. A coving cover according to any one of Claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said cross-section includes at least one projection displaced from a said lip.

5. A coving cover according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said cross-section is of uniform thickness.

6. A coving cover according to Claim 5 wherein said uniform thickness is in the range of from lmm to 2mm.

7. A composite coving comprising a substrate and a coving cover according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 whereby said plurality of sections having the same curvature of the coving cover are flush with a surface of the substrate.

8. A composite coving according to Claim 7 wherein said surface of the substrate is concave.

9. A composite coving comprising a substrate and a coving cover, the coving cover comprising a sheet of plastics material moulded to a desired shape with a cross-section formed to have at least one section which is flush with the substrate, the edges of the cross-section comprising first and second lips by which the cover is affixed to the substrate.

10. A composite coving according to Claim 9 wherein said cross-section comprises a plurality of sections which are flush with the coving.

11. A composite coving according to Claim 9 wherein said cross-section comprises sections flush with the substrate adjacent said lips.

12. A composite coving according to Claims 10 or 11 wherein said sections flush with the substrate have the same curvature.

13. A composite coving according to any one of Claims 9 to 12 wherein said cross-section includes at least one projection displaced from a said lip.

14. A composite coving according to any one of Claims 9 to 13 wherein said cross-section is of uniform thickness.

15. A composite coving according to Claim 14 wherein said uniform thickness is in the range of from lmm to 2mm.

16. A coving cover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 or 4 of the drawings.

17. A composite coving substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 or 4 of the drawings.