GB2334484A

GB2334484A - A hollow decorative trim strip for housing cables or pipes

Info

Publication number: GB2334484A
Application number: GB9901342A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Mark Kerridge; Jochen Romstedt
Original assignee: Rehau Ltd
Current assignee: Rehau Ltd
Priority date: 1998-02-24
Filing date: 1999-01-21
Publication date: 1999-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 2019-01-21
Also published as: EP0940106A3; GB9901342D0; EP0940106A2; GB2334484B; GB9803872D0

Abstract

The strip comprises a rigid plastics base portion 2 having eg a barbed projection 3 for attachment to an object (eg furniture or a vehicle). A soft plastics cover portion 4 is attached to the base portion and includes a free end. The cover portion can be bent round from its initial position 4a to the position 4b in which the free end is joined to the base portion by projection 5 and co-operating slot 6. The hollow interior thus formed may be used for cables and/or pipes and may be split into compartments formed by walls 10-12 (Fig 4) extending upwardly from the base portion. These walls can be sufficiently long to influence the shape taken up by the wall 4 when it is bent to position 4b to thereby achieve a desired aesthetic effect.

Description

TRIM ELEMENT This invention relates to a trim element. Such an element has many uses in various industries such as the fumiture and automotive industries.

For example, in the furniture industry it is common to provide an edgeband trim to table tops to provide both impact resistance and a decorative appearance.

In order to enhance particularly the decorative appearance and impact resistance of a trim eiement, the visible portion of the element is often given a particular shaped visible surface e.g. an 'ogee' or a semicircle. It is also sometimes seen as desirable to apply a decorative or protective coating, foil or embossed design to said visible surface. This is difficult to achieve when the surface is curved and it would be desirable to be able to apply the decoration to a flat surface and subsequently make that surface take the desired shape.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided an elongate trim element comprising, in section: a first portion made of plastics material; a second, strip-like portion made of plastics material and having a free edge, said second portion being joined at a point to the first portion and; means for fastening a free edge of said second portion to the first portion at a position spaced from the joining of the first and second portions so that the second portion covers at least a part of the first portion.

In a first embodiment the first portion is formed as a planar wall and the second portion is formed wider than the distance between the joining and fastening points of the first and second portions so that when the twai; portions are fastened, the second portion takes up a curved shape ayjd the first portion largely retains its shape. This means that between the walls a hollow cavity is formed and if the second portion is of equal thickness and flexibility throughout its width, it will form an approximately semi-circular shape. Alternatively the of thickness andlor degree of stiffness (e.g. Shore hardness) can be varied along the width of the second portion (i.e. with distance from the joining of the two portions) to provide a shape other than semi-circular when the first and second portions are fastened.

In another embodiment one or more formations are formed integrally with, or attached to, the first portion so as to lie within the hollow cavity, which formations engage the inner surface of the second portion. Any such formations, which may take the form of ribs, can either provide support for a semi-circular second portion or can distort it and cause it to take up a different shape. This could be achieved by ribs having unequal lengths.

In a further embodiment, support for the second portion may be provided by attaching a backing wall to the cavity side of second portion, parallel therewith so that it provides support over at least a substantial area of the second portion. The backing wall is made flexible so that it may bend with, yet provide support for the second portion.

In a yet further embodiment, the trim element has a first portion formed as a hollow structure having a bearing surface, for example the first portion may have a hollow 'D' shaped section, such that when the two portions are attached, the second portion takes up the shape of the bearing surface. Alternatively, the first portion may be solid.

In a still further embodiment the formations attached to the first portion have clips adapted for the retention of cables, pipes and the like.

Means are preferably also provided for attaching the profile to the article to which it is to be associated - for example a piece of furniture. In one embodiment, a self adhesive strip is attached to the first portion but, alternatively, it may be retained by any convenient means and may have holes for mechanical fasteners such as screws, nails or clips. In a preferred embodiment a barbed projection is formed on a planar wall of the first portion, the barb extending approximately at right angles to the wall such as to engage in a slot formed in the article.

The fastening means may take various forms; in a preferred embodiment a clip feature is used, based on a barbed projection formed on one or other of the first or second portions. The projection is locatable into a corresponding slot formed in the other of the portions, the slot having a narrowed entrance so that the barbed projection becomes locked in place.

Whilst it is envisaged that the trim element may be produced by any convenient means, for example moulding or by adhering together the first and second portions, it is preferred that the trim element is extruded. Most preferably the first and second portions are co-extruded from the various grades or types of plastics. Various plastics materials are suitable including PVC, ABS and PP but many others are possible.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for producing a decorated or otherwise coated trim element, said method comprising producing a trim element as set out above, holding the second portion in a flat configuration, applying a decorative or protective coating, foil, printed or embossed design to the second portion and subsequently fastening the first and second portions. The fastening operation may be carried out immediately after the decorative/protective coating operation at the place of manufacture or immediately prior to installation on the article by the installing person.

In order that the invention may be better understood, several embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the profile of an extruded element made in accordance with the present invention; Figures 2 to 4 are alternative embodiments of the profile of Figure 1, shown on a smaller scale.

Figure 5 represents a further embodiment in which the first portion is formed as a hollow 'D' shaped element.

Figure 6 is similar to Figures 2 and 4 but with cable retainers formed on ribs.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a cross section of an elongate profile, made by extrusion of plastics material. The profile comprises two portions which are co-extruded together to thus produce a one-piece item.

These two portions are represented in Figure 1 by different directions of shading, the joining line between the two being indicated under reference 1.

The first portion is made of rigid plastics material such as PVC and comprises a first wall 2 which is generally straight. The wall 2 has a barbed projection 3 by which the profile may be attached to an article (not shown).

The second portion is made of soft plastics material such as soft PVC and comprises a second wall 4 which is of longer length than the wall 2. Typically, the wall 2 is 32mm in length, the wall 4 is 55mm in length.

When initially formed the walls 2, 4 extend transversely with respect to one another, conveniently at right angles, as shown, but other angles are possible. However in order to form the trim element, the second wall which is initially straight is bent around from the position shown under reference 4a to the position shown under reference 4b in which the free ends of the walls 2 and 4 are joined. To this end, the wall 4 is formed with an arrow head projection 5 which co-operates with a slot 6 formed in the wall 1. The slot 6 has a narrowed neck to prevent the projection 5 from being readily removed. It is in this state that the element is used, by attachment using the barbed projection 3 or other means to an article to form an elongate trim element which may have a practical purpose for protecting the article against damage, andlor an aesthetic purpose in providing a decorative profile.

Advantageously, the ends of the wall 4 may extend slightly beyond the ends of the wall 2, as indicated under reference 7, and are preferably chamfered as shown, this being for the purpose of taking up small irregularities in the surface to which the element is attached and/or to provide a degree of sealing against penetration of moisture undemeath the element, when fitted.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention in which a rib 8, integrally formed with the wall 2, extends at right angles to the wall 2 at about the centre of its length, to effectively split the interior of the element in two halves. In this case, the rib 8 is of such a length that it does not distort the natural shape of the wall but serves to provide physical support to the wall 4. Clearly, greater support could be provided by using more such ribs.

An alternative form of support is illustrated in Figure 3 in which said second portion further comprises a backing wall 9 which extends parallel to the wall 4 and on the inside thereof so that, when the wall 4 is bent from the reference 4a position to the reference 4b position, the wall 9 is bent round too. The wall 9 is made of the same hard PVC as the wall 2, but is thinner in section so that, whereas the wall 2 is rigid, the wall 9 is flexible.

Thus the wall 9 takes up the curved shape illustrated in Figure 3, as the wall 4 is bent, but has inherent spring-like properties which give it a tendency to be constantly urged back towards its original position; thus it acts as an effective support for the soft material of the wall 4, ensuring that it keeps its shape.

Figure 4 illustrates the manner in which the shape of the wall 2 can be changed from its otherwise natural approximately circular shape using internal ribs 10,11,12. These ribs are formed integrally with wall 2, in a similar manner to rib 8 (Figure 2) but have a length which is such as to force the wall 2 to take up a shape other than its natural shape. This may be done for practical purposes, or for purely aesthetic reasons.

The hollow interior of the element may be used for carrying services such as pipes or cables and as shown in Figure 6 any ribs may have retainer clips. Where the interior is divided into two or more compartments, as in the embodiments of Figures 2, 4 and 6, the different compartments can be used to separate different services.

The external surface 13 of the wall 4, which is the only part of the element which is visible (as indicated by the dash-dot lines in the figures) when fitted, may be left with self-colour or a specific coating may be applied to give a desired decorative effect such as a wood or stone effect.

The surface may also be embossed or given a similar 3-D treatment in order to enhance its appearance.

Figure 5 is similar to Figures 14 and 6 but differs in that the first portion comprises a straight wall 2 and a curved bearing wall 2a to form a hollow 'D' shaped profile. When the wall 4 that is the second portion is bent around the first portion from position 4a to 4b, the wall 4 adopts the shape of the bearing surface.

In the foregoing embodiments the second portion has been joined at one edge and attached at the other, however it is envisaged that the second portion could be joined to the first portion at a position other than the edge, for example at its centre. This would permit the second portion to have two free edges available for fastening to the first portion.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An elongate trim element comprising, in section: a first portion made of plastics material; a second, strip-like portion made of plastics material and having a free edge, said second portion being joined at a point to the first portion and; means for fastening said free edge of said second portion to the first portion at a position spaced from the joining of the first and second portions so that the second portion covers at least a part of the first portion.
2. An elongate trim element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first portion is formed as a planar wall and the second portion is formed as a second wall, longer than the distance between the joining and fastening points of first and second portions so that when the two portions are fastened, the second portion takes up a curved shape and the first portion largely retains its shape, the walls defining a hollow cavity thereinbetween.
3. An elongate trim element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first portion is formed having a bearing surface such that when the two portions are fastened, the second portion takes up the shape of the bearing surface.
4. An elongate trim element as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first portion has at least one rib extending away from the first portion within the cavity, the at least one rib engaging the cavity side surface of the second portion.
5. An elongate trim element as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the stiffness of the second portion is lower than that of the first portion.
6. An elongate trim element as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the trim element is formed as a co-extrusion of different grades or types of plastics materials.
7. An elongate trim element as claimed in any preceding claim wherein either the thickness or degree of stiffness of the material of the second portion varies with distance from the joining point between first and second portions.
8. An elongate trim element as claimed in Claims 1, 2 and 4-7 wherein the second portion has a backing wall arranged on its side that faces the first portion and parallel therewith.
9. An elongate trim element as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fastening means comprises a barb on one of the first and second portions and a corresponding slot formed on the other of said portions.
10. An elongate trim element as claimed in any preceding claim wherein means are provided for the attachment of the trim strip to an article with which it is to be associated.
11. An elongate trim element as claimed in claim 10 wherein the attachment means comprises a barbed projection, adhesive tape, or holes for mechanical fasteners.
12. A method for producing a decorated or otherwise coated trim element, said method comprising producing a trim element as claimed in any preceding claim, holding the second portion in a flat configuration, applying a decorative or protective coating, foil, printed or embossed design and subsequently fastening the first and second portions.