GB2301153A

GB2301153A - Strip sealing assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2301153A
Application number: GB9610580A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derrick John Martin Barker
Original assignee: McKechnie UK Ltd
Current assignee: McKechnie UK Ltd
Priority date: 1995-05-23
Filing date: 1996-05-21
Publication date: 1996-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-21
Also published as: GB2301153B; GB9510360D0; GB9610580D0

Abstract

A sealing assembly comprising an elongate sealing strip (1) and discrete clips (2). The sealing strip (1), when seen in section, comprises flexible sealing tips (10, 20) and a central relatively rigid portion. The sealing strip (1) attaches to each clip (2) adjacent to both of the sealing tips (10, 20). The attachment is made by a releasable snap-fit. In use, each clip (2) is adhered to a vertical surface in the angle between the vertical and a horizontal surface join which it is desired to seal.

Description

SEALING ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a sealing assembly, which may be fitted in the angle between two relatively inclined surfaces for providing a seal against, for example, liquids and/or organic material. It is especially adapted to provide a seal between an edge of a bath or a sink and an adjacent wall.

Known seals of this type generally take the form of an elongate sealing strip structure with a substantially "L" shaped main portion when seen in cross-section. The ends of such strips, when seen in crosssection, are conveniently formed into sealing tips either by using the same material as used in the main body of the strip, but thinning it or, more usually, by forming the tips out of a more flexible material than that of the main portion and co-extruding the two materials together. These flexible tips are inclined away from the main portion of the strip such that when the strip is fitted the sealing tips are urged towards the inclined surfaces and, because of their resilient nature, the sealing tips thus effect a seal with respect to these surfaces.

Some known sealing strips take the form of a two-part structure: a clip portion which is attached to one of the surfaces to be sealed and a substantially "L" shaped main portion which is attached to the clip once the clip has been securely positioned. In one type, the clip is formed with a wedge which is so shaped as to provide a snap-fit with a cooperating valley formed in a projection from the main portion. When seen in cross-section the fit looks much like a ball and socket joint, the socket being of a resilient nature such that by applying sufficient force to the main portion the socket will deform sufficiently to allow the ball part of the clip to fit snugly inside the socket part of the main portion.

The main disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the sealing tips are located a relatively large distance from the point of attachment of the main portion to the clip when seen in cross-section. This tends to reduce the efficiency of the sealing tips in providing a seal with the inclined surfacing to which the sealing strip is applied. It can also result in too great a force being applied through the sealing tips which tends to pull the clip portion away from the surface to which it is attached.

Furthermore, a conventional sealing strip of this type has a clip portion which attaches only to one of the relatively inclined surfaces it is desired to seal. Where the angle between these inclined surfaces is other than 90" conventional seals can be difficult to fit correctly because the correct position for the clip will vary with the variation of the angle from 90" in a manner which is difficult to foresee. For example, where the angle between the inclined surfaces is more acute than a right angle, and where the clip portion of the sealing strip attaches only to one of the inclined surfaces, it will be necessary to position the clip portion further away from the corner than if the angle between the two surfaces was a right angle.If the seal is incorrectly fitted with, using the example given above, the clip portion being situated too close to the corner, the main portion may exert a larger than desired force pulling the clip portion away from the surface to which it is attached, and this in time may cause the clip portion to become unattached. This is especially likely in a damp environment such as is often found in bathrooms.

A further disadvantage of conventional sealing strips is that the "L" shaped profile tends to make such sealing strips rigid in the horizontal plane when fitted for use. Such sealing strips are then not able to follow any undulations which might exist in, for example, a bathroom wall. This, in turn, limits their effectiveness to seal against such a wall.

The present invention seeks to provide a two part sealing strip which provides an efficient seal with respect to two relatively inclined surfaces, and is readily and easily fitted for use.

According to the present invention there is provided a sealing assembly adapted to fit in the angle between two relatively inclined surfaces, the assembly comprising at least one clip, adapted to be attached to at least one inclined surface, and an elongate sealing strip comprising, when seen in section, a relatively rigid central portion and, extending from each end thereof, a respective flexible sealing tip adapted to sealingly engage a respective one of said surfaces and wherein, at positions adjacent the flexible sealing tips, said central portion comprises respective attachment points which are releasably attachable to corresponding formations in said clip.

Preferably said relatively inclined surfaces will comprise a substantially vertical surface, for example a wall surface, and a substantially horizontal surface, such as is found around the edge of a bath.

Since there are two sealing tips, it will be understood that the sealing strip comprises two attachment points, each positioned adjacent a respective sealing tip, which engage with corresponding formations on the or each clip. This construction ensures that the fixing of the sealing strip to the clips in the region of the sealing tips is secure and that the sealing tips are firmly applied to their respective surfaces with no tendency to lift.

The sealing assembly will operate satisfactorily with just a single sealing tip at each end of the central portion of the sealing strip, when seen in section. However, improved sealing can be achieved with a two pronged sealing tip at one or both ends of the central portion of the sealing strip. The sealing tips1 whether two pronged or not, are preferably made from a flexible resilient material such as PVC.

Preferably the sealing strip attaches to each clip by means of a force fit, the sealing strip co-operatively and resiliently fitting over abutment surfaces formed at the two ends of each clip as seen in crosssection.

In a preferred embodiment, the sealing strip is formed to have a shallow concave shaped profile. This enables the sealing strip to have a degree of flexibility in the horizontal plane which allows the sealing assembly to follow any undulations in the vertical surface to which the sealing assembly is applied. Furthermore, the amount of material used in manufacturing the sealing strip is kept sufficiently sparse that the flexibility of the sealing strip is not inhibited by its thickness. Preferably the sealing strip will thus have a thickness of about 1-2mm.

Each clip is preferably adhered to the substantially vertical surface by means of a suitable fixing adhesive. Each clip may conveniently be provided with small grooves inside a central area of an upper part of each clip. The small grooves may be conveniently used as a reservoir for the fixing adhesive. The reservoir maintains the quantity of adhesive required (in relation to the wall) to ensure that the clip is held firmly.

Furthermore, each clip is preferably shaped specifically to ensure a consistent positioning of the clips and the main part when sealing a corner. This may be done by cutting away a corner or corners of the clip part, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

In order that the invention may be better understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a sealing assembly according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an end on side view of the sealing assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front perspective view of a clip only of the sealing assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the clip of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings it can be seen that the sealing assembly which is intended to be fitted between a substantially vertical and a substantially horizontal surface (not shown), comprises a sealing strip 1 and a plurality of clips 2. The sealing strip 1, which has a shallow concave shaped profile, has a central portion 5 which has a thickness of about 1.5mm and which is made of a relatively rigid material. Nonetheless, despite the relatively rigid nature of the material, because the sealing strip is relatively thin and has a flat "C" shaped profile, it has sufficient flexibility in the horizontal plane when fitted, to follow any undulations in a wall's surface. Upper and lower sealing tips 10 and 20 made of a flexible resilient material, are formed at the cross-sectional ends of the central portion 5.

The central portion 5, and the sealing tips 10 and 20, may conveniently be made of relatively rigid, and flexible resilient, PVC respectively. In order to manufacture the sealing strip 1 it may conveniently be extruded, with the sealing tips 10,20 and the central portion 5 being co-extruded together.

The upper sealing tip 10 is divided into two prongs or fins 11 and 12. The upper fin 11 adopts a position in which a degree of deflection occurs. The main objective is to deflect the majority of water whilst at the same time creating a smooth visual line. The lower fin 12 is set at a more acute angle such that when installed a greater degree of deflection occurs compared with the upper fin 11. The deflection, combined with the nature of the material, enables the top of the lower fin 12 to follow an uneven surface contour, in particular where two tiles meet, which adds a secondary barrier to the upper fin 11. The sealing strip 1 is also seen to have flanges 31 and 32 formed in the back face of the central portion 5, where the back face is the face which is not exposed to view when the sealing strip is fitted for use.

Each clip 2, as can be seen in Figure 3, comprises a lower part 60 which is attached to upper part 61; these parts extend parallel to one another along the length of each clip and substantially at right-angles from one another transversely to the length of the clip 2. Strengthening flanges 55 are formed extending between, and perpendicular to, the upper and lower parts 61 and 60.

The top edge of the upper part 61 is formed into a rounded upwardly facing abutment surface 51 which extends along its length.

Formed on a part of the front edge of the lower part 60 is an upstanding ridge portion 52 of triangular section defining a forwardly-facing abutment surface 53. The lower part 60 is longer than the upper part 61, and extends beyond it in the lengthwise direction, as shown.

It can also be seen that the front edge of the lower part 60 has its corners cut away to define chamfers 54 which make an angle of approximately 45 with the side edges and the front edge of the lower part 60. The chamfers 54 enable two clips 2 to be fitted against respective walls close to a corner.

The lower and upper parts 60,61 have grooves formed in their exterior surfaces which, when the assembly is fitted between a horizontal and a vertical surface, lie substantially flat against the respective horizontal and vertical surface. That is to say, the exterior surfaces of the lower and upper parts 60,61 define two intersecting planes which correspond to the horizontal and vertical surfaces when the clip is fitted for use. The grooves formed in the upper part 61 have been added to the clips to increase surface area and adhesion.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the grooves are made much smaller, or are absent altogether, and a reservoir is formed in the central area of the upper part 61 by providing a border around the central area. The border limits the quantity of adhesive to the correct amount and prevents adhesive seeping upwards on the clip 2 to interfere with the sealing strip 1.

The clips 2 are preferably made of a substantially rigid plastics material such as nylon and are conveniently formed by moulding, for instance in a press mould.

The sealing strip 1 attaches to each clip 2 at the two spaced apart flanges 31 and 32 which may be releasably engaged over the abutment surfaces 51 and 53.

In order to use the sealing assembly, several clips are placed at spaced intervals between the inclined surfaces to be sealed and the exterior surface of the upper part 61 of each clip 2 is adhered to the substantially vertical surface.

The grooves formed in the exterior surface of the upper part 61 are designed to ensure that the correct amount of adhesive is provided to adhere the clip 2 firmly to the vertical, or near-vertical, surface. This is done by so configuring the grooves as to provide a reservoir which holds the correct amount of fixing adhesive for each clip 2. The serrations formed in the lower external surface are simply there to ensure that the clip can be fitted easily even in the presence of debris, such as silicone or tile adhesive.

In order to place each clip in the correct position, it is simply placed as far into the corner as it will go, without applying undue force.

Because the sealing strip 1 attaches to the clips 2 at their cross-sectional ends 51, 53 this positioning of the clips 2 will ensure that the sealing strip 1 is in the correct position, once it has been fitted, to provide an efficient seal with the inclined surfaces without exerting undue force causing the clips 2 to become detached from the surface to which they are attached.

Once the clips 2 are attached, the main part 1 is fitted to the clips 2 by resiliently forcing the flanges 31 and 32 over the abutment surfaces 51 and 53. Although the central portion 5 is made of relatively rigid material, it is nevertheless sufficiently resilient to allow the flanges 31 and 32 to flex sufficiently to ride over the abutment surfaces 51 and 53 to thereby attach the main part 1 to the clip parts 2 in a secure fashion.

When the assembly is not fitted for use, and the sealing strip 1 is attached to a clip 2, the sealing tips 10 and 20 extend beyond the planes defined by the respective exterior sides of the upper and lower parts 61 and 60 by a small amount (see Figure 2). This ensures that the sealing tips 10 and 20 are urged against the inclined surfaces when the sealing assembly is fitted for use with the sealing strip 1 attached to the clips 2.

The material from which the strip 1 is made can be coloured to match the decor of the surroundings in which it is to be used; altematively a decorative finish can be applied to the front surface of the sealing strip 1 or to the whole assembly. The sealing assembly will find a variety of uses for sealing surfaces, but it will find particular application in sealing between a bath or sink and the adjacent wall surface in a bathroom or similar area.

Claims

1. A sealing assembly adapted to fit in the angle between two relatively inclined surfaces, the assembly comprising at least one clip, adapted to be attached to at least one inclined surface, and an elongate sealing strip comprising, when seen in section, a relatively rigid central portion and, extending from each end thereof, a respective flexible sealing tip adapted to sealingly engage a respective one of said surfaces and wherein, at positions adjacent the flexible sealing tips, said central portion comprises respective attachment points which are releasably attachable to corresponding formations in said clip.

2. A sealing assembly as claimed in Claim 1 wherein at least one of said flexible sealing tips is a two-pronged sealing tip.

3. A sealing assembly as claimed in either one of the preceding claims wherein said sealing strip attaches to said at least one clip by means of a force-fit.

4. A sealing assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said central portion has a shallow concave shaped profile.

5. A sealing assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one clip is provided with a plurality of grooves adapted to act as a reservoir for adhesive.

6. A sealing assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one clip has a serrated base whereby the clip may be fitted easily even in the presence of debris.

7. A sealing assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one clip is provided with at least one chamfer whereby two clips having opposite chamfers may be fitted against respective walls close to a comer.

8. A sealing assembly adapted to fit in the angle between two relatively inclined surfaces substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.