GB2485632A - A panel to panel connector for acting as a gasket between two panes. - Google Patents

Abstract

The connector 2 comprises an elongate component with two opposed adhesive coated faces 14 for connecting the end faces of glass panels 6. A cross section of the connector, along its longitudinal axis, fits within the envelope of an isosceles trapezium wherein the adhesive coated faces are joined by concave curved webs 16, 18 which fit within the envelope. The adhesive coated faces are made from harder material than the curved webs. The connector is preferably made from two kinds of co-extruded plastic such as PVC. The connector is preferably suited to connecting two panes together such that they are not parallel to each other once they are connected.

Description

Panel to Panel Joint Component The present invention relates to a flexible, elongate gasket used for making panel to panel joints during the construction of partition walls, such as are used in creating office spaces.

Silicone joints can be used between end faces of panels made of unframed glass panes. The making of such joints is labour intensive. Access from both sides of the glass pane is required to form a silicone joint. Therefore it cannot be used with double-glazed panels as the internal faces of the panes are not accessible.

The use of such joints with mitered edge glass panes to create a faceted layout results in the adhesive being unacceptably visible (known as a watermark effect) when viewing the mitered glass edge through the front face of the glass pane at a perpendicular angle to the mitered glass edge.

An alternative approach is described in GB 24326 17A (Komfort Workspace plc) 30 May 2007. Komfort teaches an elongate gasket made of a hollow tube which has adhesive applied to opposite, parallel elongate sides. These adhesive-coated side surfaces may be provided by an application of a double sided adhesive tape having an exposed adhesive surface protected by a removable tape so that the gasket can be used to make a joint between end faces of adjacent glass panels. The narrower sides of the Komfort gasket are curved outwardly leaving narrow crevices between the end faces of the panel and the gasket on either side. These crevices collect dirt and are difficult to keep clean. When such a gasket is made to be too flexible there can be problems in affixing adhesive tape to the sides. This type of gasket is suitable for in-line joints with panels having square end faces and for creating panel to panel joints between mitered (45 degree beveled) end faces.

Such gaskets are not suitable for making other faceted partitions; for use where the panels have end faces which are not exactly at 90 degrees; or where a panel is required to join up to another component such as a door frame or mullion or another partition wall at an angle which is other than 180 degrees or a right angle.

Typically the end faces of glass panes are not perfectly formed so that expensive and fragile glass edge treatment is required to make them suitable for use with existing joint making components required them to be precisely square.

Solution of the Invention The present invention provides an elongate gasket for joining end faces of glass pane panels, the gasket having opposing adhesive coated flat sides for joining to respective end faces of S panels to be joined; characterised in that an envelope of the cross section of the gasket is in the form of an isosceles trapezium, and in that the flat sides are joined by concave curved webs inside the envelope; and in that the flat sides are formed of a harder material than the concave webs.

Preferably the gasket is formed by co-extrusion of plastics material using two different grades of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The concave webs preferably have different radii of curvature and are made of a softer grade plastic so that the component as a whole can flex in the manner of an accordion to allow expansion and compression. In this way the gasket can be used to hold panels at a variety of angles. The flat sides are a firmer grade plastic to accept adhesive tape well.

The material and shape create sufficient flexibility to follow non-planar surfaces, to allow for junctions, and a range of angular variation of faceted partitions. The gasket component of the invention removes the necessity for glass or panel edge treatment, or the use of silicone. The fan or accordion shape allows the glass end faces to be square, which, due to the refraction of the glass, makes the adhesive tape invisible, with no visible adhesive watermark effect.

The use of dual hardness plastic materials as a composite to create the gasket component overcomes typical plastic extrusion manufacturing issues of the joint profile collapsing and bowing. The webs are simple and consistent thickness with no protrusions, neither internally nor externally, for an even and symmetrical extrusion shape which ensures the profile is balanced and does not bow during the extrusion process.

Preferably each web in its relaxed state subtends a 90 degree arc of a circle at an imaginary center of curvature of the concave surface, so that when used with a pane of glass having chamfered edges the web merges with the chamfered edge to create a smooth concave feature that is easy to clean and does not collect dust and dirt, unlike other glass joints.

Joints can be made in a clean and dry manner using the gasket of the invention. This reduces the time and skill required to install a partition.

The joint can be constructed from one side of the partition, which means it can be used to create partitions using double glazed panels.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be well understood an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a horizontal section through a gasket in a relaxed state creating a faceted single-glazed panel to panel joint; Figure 2 shows a horizontal section through the gasket in a relaxed state joined to one end face; Figure 3 shows a horizontal section through a faceted single-glazed partition made using several joints; Figure 4 shows a horizontal section through an in line joint using the gasket with panels having non-square end faces; Figure 5 shows a horizontal section through a joint in which the gasket used to join a single-glazed pane to a double skinned panel; Figure 6 shows a horizontal section through a joint showing two gaskets used in a double-glazed partition; Figure 7 shows a horizontal section through a joint showing two gaskets used in a double-glazed partition with a mullion; Figure 8 shows a horizontal section through a joint between double-glazed panels to a solid panel; Figure 9 shows a horizontal section through a joint between solid panels; Figure 10 shows a horizontal section through a variation of the panel joint of Figure 9; Figure 11 shows a horizontal section through a joint between a glazed panel and a doorframe; Figure 12 shows a horizontal section through a joint created at a junction between two panels; and Figure 13 shows a vertical section through a panel showing how the gaskets can be used to create horizontal joints in a partition.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The gasket component 2 is designed for forming a joint between end faces 4 of panels 6 used in constructing partitions. The panels may be made of various materials but the gasket is particularly suitable for use with glass panes, which are intended to have square end faces which lie at 90 degrees to the face 8 of the pane. Typically the edges 10 of the glass panes are chamfered at an angle Al, typically 45 degrees.

The component 2 is formed from an elongate gasket 2. The gasket is a hollow plastic extrusion having a uniform cross section throughout its length so that it can be cut into appropriate lengths for any particular joint. The cross section of the gasket is fan-shaped, that is an outer envelope of a cross section of the component 2 is an isosceles trapezium in which the equal sloping sides 14 form the main faces of the component. The sides 14 are at an angle A3 to each other in the relaxed state. The flat sides 14 are joined by concave curved webs 16, 18. The webs are each arcs of a circle in their relaxed state and each subtends a 90 degree angle at an imaginary center of curvature. These webs lie within the parallel sides of the trapezium envelope. The radius of curvature of the shorter web 16 is less than the radius of curvature of the longer web 18. The overall profile of the component is therefore like a pleat of an accordion and the gasket can flex in similar ways.

The gasket is co-extruded from two different plastics material. The flat sides 14 are relatively thick and made of a harder grade of a plastic such as pvc. The webs 16, 18 are thinner and made of a more flexible, softer grade of plastic. Both the sides and webs can be made of the same plastic, e.g. pvc but with differing amounts of plasticizers to adjust their hardness.

In the relaxed state of the component 2 the sides 14 lie at an angle A3. A3 may be in the range to 45 degrees, preferably 22.5 degrees. However the component can be flexed so that it can adopt a range of angles to take up deviations from squareness in the end faces of the panels.

The component will retain its adjusted position within the joint because the top and bottom of each panel joined would always be within a head and base channel section which would hold (and set) the angle of the panels. The other end faces of the panels remote from the joint may be free (with no trim or stop end).

Double-sided adhesive tape is applied to the rigid faces 14. This type of high strength pressure sensitive bonding tape is manufactured in various widths and, where provided with a an acrylic foam layer, thicknesses, by 3M and is widely used in glazing applications.

Alternative adhesive coatings may be employed. The presence of pressure sensitive adhesive on the faces 14 can be used to join each face 14 of the component to a respective end face of a glazing pane or other panel 6.

The shape of the webs is preferably such that the tangent to the curve of the web in its relaxed state is in the same plane as a chamfer 22 along the edge of a glazed panel. This creates a smooth curve across the width of the joint and an appearance similar to that which would be created by smoothing down a wet joint.

The gasket is hollow but could be provided with internal webs.

The component can be used to form both horizontal and vertical joints.

The component can be used to form a variety ofjoints with panels which are glass panes or other materials. A variety of different uses are shown in the drawings.

In Figure 3, the component is used to form a typical facetted partition. The angle A2 of the glass panes 6 can be varied to accommodate the requirements of the facetted partition plan layout.

In Figure 4, the component 2 is used to form a single-glazed glass-to-glass joint in a situation where the end faces are not square This diagram highlights the ability of the component to cope with the variation of angle A3 that can occur with non-planar edges and facetted partitions.

In Figure 5, the component is used to form a single-glazed glass-to-panel joint. The panels 20 may be of various materials, such as timber, MDF, MFC or steel. Typically, the panels 20 are separated by a framework member or members 24, which may be made of various materials, such as aluminium, steel or plastic.

In Figure 6, the component is used to form a double-glazed glass-to-glass joint.

In Figure 7, the component is used to form a double-glazed glass-to-glass joint with a mullion 26, which may be made of various materials, such as timber, MDF, aluminium, steel, or plastic.

In Figure 8, the component is used to form a double-glazed glass-to-panel joint. The panels 20 may be of various materials. Typically, the panels 20 are separated by a framework member or members 24, which may be made of various materials.

In Figure 9, the component is used to form a panel-to-panel joint. The panels 20 may be made of various materials. Typically, the panels 20 are separated by a framework member or members 24, which may be of various materials.

In Figure 10, the component is used to form a variation of a panel-to-panel joint. The panels have an edge trim 28, which may be made of various materials, such as aluminium, steel or plastic. The panels 20 may be made of various materials such as plasterboard or cement-board. Typically, the panels 20 are separated by a framework member or members 24, which may be made of various materials.

In Figure 11, the component is used to form a single-glazed glass-to-door set joint. This may be single-glazed or double-glazed. The door set consists of a door leaf 30 and doorframe 32.

The door set, both doorframe and door leaf, may be made of various materials, such as timber, MDF, aluminium, steel, glass, or plastic.

In Figure 12, the component is used to form a single-glazed junction. This junction may be to a single-glazed or double-glazed partition. This may be glass-to-glass, glass-to-panel or panel-to-panel. The arrangement, angles, and number of glass panes may vary to suit the requirements of the partition plan layout.

In Figure 13, the component is used horizontally to form a facetted horizontal elevation. This may be single-glazed or double-glazed. This may be glass-to-glass, glass-to-panel or panel-to-panel. The arrangement and number of glass panes may vary to suit the requirements of the partition elevation. Typically, a framework member 34 is used at the head or ceiling, along with a framework member or members 36 at the base or floor.

Claims (6)

1. CLAIMS1. An elongate component (2) for joining end faces of glass pane panels, the component having opposing adhesive coated flat sides (14) for joining to respective end faces of panels to be joined; characterised in that an envelope of the cross section of the gasket is in the form of an isosceles trapezium, and in that the flat sides are joined by concave curved webs (16,18) inside the envelope; and in that the flat sides are formed of a harder material than the concave webs.
2. 2. A component as claimed in claim 1, formed by co-extrusion of plastics material using two different grades of plastic.
3. 3. A component as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the plastic is polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
4. 4. A component as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the concave webs have different radii of curvature.
5. 5. A component as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each web in its relaxed state subtends a 90 degree arc of a circle.
6. 6. A component substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.