GB2344604A

GB2344604A - Inter-engaging, castellated, elongate beams with locking devices

Info

Publication number: GB2344604A
Application number: GB9926046A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kirpal Singh Sihra
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-11-04
Filing date: 1999-11-04
Publication date: 2000-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-11-04
Also published as: GB2344604B; GB9824070D0; GB9926046D0

Abstract

A building system using elongate, inter-engageable, castellated, I-section beams (200, 300). The castellations (316) on one beam (300) can be fitted into the castellation spaces (218) on another beam (200), to locate the beams at right angles to one another. Lock members (30, fig 8, not shown) or (50, fig 11, not shown) engage with features on one beam and are mounted for sliding movement along that beam to engage another beam, thus locking the beams together. The locking member is preferably held in position by friction or by a snap- fit arrangement.

Description

BUILDING SYSTEM This invention relates to a building system for making a building structure constructed of interlocking blocks. In particular the invention relates to a kit or a set of building components which can be arranged in a variety of ways in order to create structures of various forms or configurations.

In particular the invention is concerned with interlocking building components of the type described for example in patent specification WO 90/04688, and GB 2 275 063. The contents of both these documents are incorporated herein by reference. The building system described in WO 90/04688 comprises interlocking building components which are shaped so that they fit together and can be locked in place without the need for mortar or fixing elements such as bolts or the like.

Various systems for locking the structures are described in those documents.

There are however occasions when it is desirable to lock together just two building components where they cross or interengage, without using a third, massive, component to achieve the lock.

According to the invention, there is provided a building systems comprising elongate, inter-engageable, castellated, I-section beams where the castellations on one beam can be fitted into the inter-castellation spaces on another beam to locate the beams at right angles to one another, the system including lock members which engage with features on one beam and are mounted for sliding movement along said one beam to engage the other beam to lock the beams together. The beams can be fitted together with the castellations lying in the same plane but extending in opposite directions, or with the castellations lying in planes at right angles to one another.

The beams preferably have a spine and castellations extending from the spine, all the castellations extending in the same direction and the external cross-sectional dimensions of the spine being the same as the external cross-sectional dimensions of the castellations.

Each lock member can comprise a shoe adapted to engage with and to slide along one of the two beams, and a tongue on the shoe which engages from the side with the other beam, to prevent separation of the beams. The shoe can engage externally on said one of the beams and be held in position by friction, or can engage internally on said one of the beams and be held in position by a snap-fit engagement with the other of the beams.

In one embodiment, the lock member carries a detent and the beams are formed with means for receiving the detent in one of a series of discrete positions. The detent may be a plug and the means for receiving the plug may comprise a series of spaced-apart holes in the beam. The plug can be resiliently biased towards a position in which the plug engages in one of the holes. Alternatively, the beam may carry detents in a series of discrete positions and the lock member may be formed with means for receiving the one of the detents.

In another embodiment, the lock member can engage internally on said one of the beams and be held in position by a snap-fit engagement with the other of the beams.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a castellated beam forming part of the building system in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line A-A from Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a cross-section taken on the line B-B from Figure 4; Figure 4 is a side view of an alternative form of castellated beam; Figure 5 is a view from above of the beam of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a view from below of the beam of Figure 4; Figure 7 shows an assembly of two beams, in perspective view; Figure 8 shows a lock member for use in the assembly of Figure 7; Figure 9 shows an alternative assembly of two beams, in perspective view; Figure 10 is a first view of a lock member for use in the assembly of Figure 9 ; Figure 11 is a second view of the lock member of Figure 10, on a smaller scale; Figure 12 another alternative assembly of two beams, in perspective view; Figure 13 is a view of a lock member for use with the beams shown in Figure 12; Figure 14 is a cross-section through one of the beams of Figure 12, with a lock member as shown in Figure 13 in position thereon; and Figure 15 is a side view of the lock member shown in Figures 13 and 14.

The beam 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5 has one flat elongate surface 12 and an opposite castellated surface 14. The longitudinal dimension of each castellation 16 is equal to the corresponding dimension of each inter-castellation space 18, and the height of the castellations is equal to their longitudinal dimension. The castellations are therefore square. The castellations all extend from the same side of a spine 15 and the spine also has a crosssection with equal width and height dimensions, those dimensions being also equal to the height and width of the castellations.

The beam 10 has a generally I-section form. This can be seen particularly in the sectional view in Figure 2, where a web 20 connects a flange 21 which forms a flat surface 12 and an opposite flange 23 which in Figure 2 forms the castellated surface 14 at the base of one of the intercastellation spaces. The web 20 extends right up to the castellated surface 14, as can be seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows the beam 10 from one side. The opposite side may be a mirror image of the side shown in Figure 2, or may be of an alternative form as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of a beam where one side is as shown in Figure 1 and the other side is as shown in Figure 4. The web 20 extends across the beam from the flange 21 to the flange 23 (which this time is at the top of a castellation). An additional flange 25 extends from one side only of the beam and forms a separation between the spine 15 and the castellations 16. This flange 25 extends in a straight line the whole length of the beam.

This construction is particularly suitable when the beams are to be moulded from plastics materials.

Although Figures 1 to 6 show beams of a certain length, the invention can find applications with building elements of castellated form, of a wide range of lengths.

Figure 7 shows, on a large scale, two interengaged beams 200 and 300. The beam 200 has a spine 215, castellations 216 and inter-castellation spaces 218. The beam 300 has a spine 315, castellations 316 and inter-castellation spaces 318. The beams meet at right angles, and the spine 215 of the beam 200 engages into an inter-castellation space 318a of the beam 300, whilst the spine 315 of the beam 300 engages into an inter-castellation space 218a of the beam 200.

The beams are locked in this position by a lock member 30 which is shown in detail in Figure 8. The lock member has a shoe 32 which fits into the I-section of the beam and can slide between the longitudinal flanges 21 and 23,25 of the spine. A limb 34 stands up from the shoe and has two laterally extending arms, 36 and 38. The distance between the under surface of the shoe 32 and the upper surface of the arm 36 is substantially equal to the height of the flanges 21,23,25. The distance between the upper surface of the arm 36 and the under surface of the arm 38 is substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges 21,23,25. The arm 36 has a detent 40 at its outer end, and the distance between the detent and the limb 34 is substantially equal to the width of the flange 23. The arm 36 also has a hinge region at 42 which is of slightly lesser thickness than the rest of the arm, so that the arm can flex relative to the limb. An actual hinge at this point may or may not be necessary.

In use, the two beams 200,300 are slotted together so that they cross each other at the desired positions. A lock member 30 is then located in the track formed in the spine 315 by the web 20 and flanges 21,23,25, and is slid towards the beam 300 so that the arms 32 and 36 fit between the web 20 on the beam 300 and the outer surface of the castellation 216a. The detent 40 rides against the outer surface of the castellation 216a until it clears the far edge of the castellation, whereupon it snaps up to engage behind the far edge to secure the lock member in place. The lock member is then fixed to the beam 200 and the shoe cannot escape from the track 20,21,23,25, so that the two beams are held in engagement.

To remove the lock and disengage the beams, it is just necessary to press down on the leading end 44 of the arm 36, and then to push the lock back in the opposite direction. The hinge 42 will allow the arm to bend down so that the detent passes under the flange 23.

Figure 9 shows the beams being fitted together in a slightly different manner. Here the beam 500 is in the same orientation as the beam 300 in Figure 7, but the beam 400 is rotated about its own axis by 90 relative to the position shown by beam 200 in Figure 7.

In this case, the lock member 50 (Figures 10,11) has a shoe 52 which fits over and slides on the flange 421 of the face 412 of the beam 400. The shoe is a tight fit on the flange 421, so that the lock member will only slide along the beam when external force is applied. The lock member also has a tongue 54 which is spaced from the top of the slot in the shoe 52 by a distance equal to the thickness of the flange 23 (see Figure 11).

To lock the beams together after they have been positioned in engagement, the locking member is slid along the beam 400 until the tongue 54 slides into the cross-section of the beam 500. The two beams can then not be separated until the lock member is slid back again.

The shoe 52 of the lock member 50 has a length equal to or slightly smaller than the length of each castellation, and the wall thickness of the shoe 52 (especially on the top of the shoe) is less than the height of the tongue above the top of the slot, so that these locking members can be slid onto the flange of a beam, with the tongue of one overlying the shoe of the next. The locking members thus occupy a minimum space on the beam.

As an additional or alternative securing mechanism, a positive retention mechanism can be used to hold the lock member 52 in a desired position on the beam, and such a mechanism is shown in Figures 12 to 15. Figure 12 shows the beam 400 provided with holes 401 through the beam web 420. In this Figure, the lock member 50 is shown unmodified, but Figure 13 shows the modified lock member 450 which will cooperate with the holes 401.

The modified lock member 450 has the same features as already described with reference to Figures 10 and 11 but additionally carries a plug 456 on a resilient arm 458.

The arm has two limbs 460 and 462 and a spring link 464 between the arms. The plug 456 is carried on the limb 462, and all these parts will preferably be moulded in one piece, as a single plastics moulding.

Figure 14 shows how the plug 456 engages in one of the holes 401 in the web 420. Once this engagement is made, the lock member 450 cannot unintentionally slide along the flange 421. The lock member can however be released by pressing the plug out of the hole 401 (to flex the arm 458 and the spring link 464) until the engagement is released.

The lock member can then be slid along the beam to a different position. The biasing of the arm 458 and the spring link 464 will ensure that the plug is pressed against the web 420 and will enter the next hole 401 in the web which it encounters. The holes 401 will be made slightly larger than the plug, so that the plug can easily enter the holes. It may be desirable to place some taper on the plug and/or on the walls of the hole to assist entry of the plug into the hole. However any play between the lock member and the bean, when the two are engaged, must be limited to ensure that the tongue 54 always remains in engagement with the other beam.

The locking members described here provide a simple, effective and easy to operate manner of locking together two beams at any desired engagement position.

Claims

Claims 1. A building system comprising elongate, interengageable, castellated, I-section beams where the castellations on one beam can be fitted into the intercastellation spaces on another beam to locate the beams at right angles to one another, the system including lock members which engage with features on one beam and are mounted for sliding movement along said one beam to engage the other beam to lock the beams together.
2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the beams can be fitted together with the castellations lying in the same plane but extending in opposite directions, or with the castellations lying in planes at right angles to one another.
3. A system as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the beams have a spine and castellations extending from the spine, all the castellations extending in the same direction and the external cross-sectional dimensions of the spine being the same as the external cross-sectional dimensions of the castellations.
4. A lock member for use in the system of any preceding claim, the lock comprising a shoe adapted to engage with and to slide along one of the two beams, and a tongue on the shoe which engages from the side with the other beam, to prevent separation of the beams.
5. A lock member as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the shoe engages externally on said one of the beams and is held in position by friction.
6. A lock member as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the shoe carries a detent and the beams are formed with means for receiving the detent in one of a series of discrete positions.
7. A lock member as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the detent is a plug and the means for receiving the plug comprise a series of spaced-apart holes in the beam.
8. A lock member as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the plug is resiliently biased towards a position in which the plug engages in one of the holes.
9. A lock member as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the shoe engages internally on said one of the beams and is held in position by a snap-fit engagement with the other of the beams.
10. A lock member substantially as herein described with reference to either Figures 7 and 8 or Figures 9 to 13 of the accompanying drawings.
11. A building system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.