GB2497615A - A fixing system for skirting boards - Google Patents

Abstract

A rectangular clip for use in combination with a suitable receptacle where the longest sides of the said clip in use are vertical and where the said clip is used for attaching the said receptacle to a wall. The clip has an elongate aperture, or fixing slot, parallel to its longest sides through which the shaft of a screw used for fixing the clip to a wall may pass. The clip may have a reduced cross section spacer portion and a larger cross section engagement portion. In use a suitable receptacle, preferably in the form of a skirting board, is engaged with the said clip using an up and down movement which also moves the clip and allows full engagement between the clip and the receptacle so that the receptacle is removably fixed to the wall.

Description

A FIXING SYSTEM FOR SKIRTING BOARDS

The present invention is a method and apparatus for fixing skirting boards to the wall of a room within a building so that they may be easily removed for cleaning or decorating. The apparatus consists of a sliding wall mounted clip and a mating skirting board or socket to receive the clip. The invention allows for variations in floor height, errors in the vertical positioning of fixing clips and provides the possibility of allowing a removable floor covering to pass under the skirt.

Conventional skirting boards are often fixed to walls within a building during construction and form a permanent, often decorative, feature of the room in which they are installed. They are mostly made of wood or a composite which has similar properties to wood and are fixed to the wall by nails or screws driven straight through the board and into the wall. The surface of the skirt is then filled and finished in the area where the nail or screw entered so that the nail or screw cannot be seen.

There are drawbacks to using conventional skirting boards; the obvious one being that they have to be permanently fixed to the wall. This can make decorating or cleaning or even fitting carpets or floor coverings much more difficult than it needs to be. The obvious solution to this is to provide for a removable skirting board which can be temporarily taken away then replaced after decorating, cleaning or fitting a new floor covering.

There is no novelty in a removable skirting board system there being many different ones to be found in the art. The art seems to break down into three broad groups, concealed fixing, trunking systems and those featuring special brackets. Some examples are given as follows.

CN201747036 Demonstrates concealed fixing. This could either be a solid machined profile or an extrusion but it is made in two parts which lock together and the one part covers the fixings. The skirting is therefore removable.

GB379593 Also demonstrates concealed fixing with an inset strip to conceal the heads of nails or screws. The strip can be removed to unscrew the board from the wall.

GB577049 relates to trunking as do CN2O1 310178 and GB595513 and each is to do with a back-plate with removable front cover. They also demonstrate the concealment of cables or pipes within the trunking as does the present invention.

GB1100821 and GB1586307 both demonstrate an extruded plastic system which can also carry cables with corner pieces, joining pieces and end pieces which are simiiar to one embodiment of the present invention.

There then follows a group of examples of the art which are similar to the present invention in that they each feature the use of a fixing clip or fixing element which is secured to the wall.

US2004168384 Shows a fixing bracket attached to a wall which also carries cables and to which the skirting is attached by placing against the wall to which the bracket is fixed and then sliding it downwards.

GB2326429 This teaches a wall mounted bracket which receives a projection on the inside of the skirting board and the board is attached by pressing it against the wall.

GB1422550 Shows a wall mounted bracket and a U section skirting board which is placed against the wall and slid down over the bracket. This also shows the concealment of the edge of the carpet or floor covering.

CN2O1 835503 In this example a clip is attached to the wall and a skirting with specially moulded groove is hooked on to the top of the clip and pressed against the clip so that the clip snaps into the said groove. The attachment of this is not unlike that used in the present invention.

The present invention has features which are anticipated by the present art such as the clip, the moulded or shaped section to receive the clip, the hollow skirting which can carry cables and the corner pieces, joining pieces and end pieces. However the present invention provides an improved fixing system with a unique fixing clip and mating section to receive the said clip which can either be the skirting itself or an insert mounted inside the skirting.

According to a first feature of the invention there is provided a clip intended for attachment to a wall, which clip in use wUl slide up and down. There is also a suitable receptacle for receiving the said clip which preferably but not exclusively is a plastic extrusion and where in use the said receptacle is attached to the said wall by the said clip.

According to a second feature of the invention there is provided a clip intended for attachment to a wall according to the first feature which clip in use will slide up and down and which clip has an elongate slot for receiving suitable fixing means.

According to a third feature of the invention there is provided a clip intended for attachment to a wall according to the first or second features which clip has a spacer portion and an engagement portion through which the said vertical slot extends.

According to a fourth feature of the invention there is provided a clip intended for attachment to a wall according to the first or second features which clip has a spacer portion and an engagement portion through which the said vertical slot extends and where the spacer portion is smaller in size than the engagement portion.

According to a fifth feature of the invention there is provided a receptacle intended for receiving a clip as described in any previous feature which receptacle is in the form of a skirting board preferably but not exclusively in the form of a plastic extrusion.

According to a sixth feature of the invention there is provided a receptacle intended for receiving a clip as described in any previous feature which receptacle can be inserted into a suitable cavity within any skirting board but preferably a solid skirting board.

The invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Figure 1. Is a view of the skirting board when installed showing the clip, the plastic extruded skirting board and the joining pieces, corner pieces and end pieces.

Figure 2. Is a close up view of the clip with fixing and the receptacle which in this case is also the skirting board when in the form of a plastic extrusion.

Figure 3. Shows the board attached to a wall and engaged with the clip and also shows the carpet running under the skirting board.

Figure 4. Illustrates an alternative embodiment where the receptacle is inserted into a cavity in the rear of a conventional skirting board.

Figure 5. Is a template for marking the position of the fixing for the clip.

Figure 6. Is an end view of a receptacle when in the form of a skirting board and also showing how it can carry a cable.

Figure 7. Shows an alternative profile for a skirting board to illustrate that any outside profile may be used.

Referring now to figure 1, This shows a typical installation comprising straight skirting 1, which in this example is also the receptacle for the clip, a joining piece 2, inside corner piece 3, outside corner piece 4 and end closure piece 5.

The clip 6 is attached to the wall by fixing means 7 which in this case is a screw together with washer 7a.

Figure 2 is a close up of the clip and the receptacle which in this example is the skirting extrusion. A slot 10 can be seen in the clip through which the fixing means 7 passes. The clip 6 consists of a spacer portion 9 and an engagement portion 8. The engagement portion has it's ends bevelled to assist engagement.

The surface 8c of engagement portion 8 may be smooth, however in a preferred embodiment the surface 8c of the engagement portion 8, would be an anti-slip surface which is achieved by applying grooves or scoring or by applying any other suitable finish. Similarly the inward face (not visible) of washer 7a would also carry a suitable anti-slip surface finish.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the skirting when fixed to a wall. The fixing system operates as follows. The clip 6 is slid upwards until the fixing means 7 rests at the bottom of the groove 10. The inner bottom edge 11 of the receptacle 1 is then placed over the clip and the receptacle is moved upwards so that it's inner bottom edge 11 rests behind the lower engagement portion of the clip 8a. The clip is now within the receiving cavity 15 of the receptacle. The top of the receptacle is then placed against the wall and the receptacle 1 is moved downwards until it rests in the position shown in figure 3. The downward movement causes the inner top edge 12 of the receptacle 1, to engage behind the upper 8b, engagement portion of the clip.

Referring now to Figure 4, this shows a different embodiment of the same invention. In this case a receptacle 13, is mounted in a cavity within a conventional skirting board 14. It will be understood that the receptacle may be mounted within any suitable skirting ranging from a hollow extrusion to a solid construction of any suitable material.

Figure 5 illustrates a template which is placed on the floor to correctly mark the height of the fixing point for the clip. There is a hole 16, to receive a marker or a drill, It will be understood from the previous description that the position of the clip is important because of the up down vertical movement required to secure the receptacle to the clip.

Turning now to figure 6 this shows how cable 17, can be concealed within the profile of the skirting board.

Figure 7 illustrates a different outside profile 18. Any outside profile/shape may be used.

There are a number of different embodiments of this invention and the dimensions of the wall mounted clip 6 may vary as may the dimensions of the receptacle intended to receive the clip. The invention also includes different types of skirting board, some solid as described and some hollow or extruded with different outside appearances. The materials used in the manufacture may be any suitable material.

However, in all embodiments any dimensional variations will still provide for the sliding action of the clip 6 which allows it to be lodged in a receiving cavity 15, within a receptacle having been inserted through an aperture which is essentially smaller than the total height of the clip 6. The clip 6, when fully inserted, rests in the receiving cavity 15, within the receptacle.

The action of insertion requires a reciprocating movement of the receptacle 15 and aiso of the cup 6, both aiong the same axis.

Claims (2)

1. <claim-text>CLAIMS1. A rectangular clip intended for use in combination with a suitable receptacle where the longest sides of the said clip in use are vertical and where the said clip is used for removably attaching the said receptacle to a wall within a building the said clip having an elongate aperture parallel to the longest sides of the said clip through which the shaft of a screw used for fixing the clip to a wall may pass so that when in use the said clip may be moved up or down and where the said up or down movement is limited by the said fixing screw meeting the ends of the said (Y) elongate aperture. r c'J</claim-text> <claim-text>O 15
2. 2. A rectangular clip according to claim 1 where the said clip has a spacer 0) portion and an engagement portion through which the said elongate aperture extends.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A rectangular clip according to claim 2 and where the spacer portion is smaller in size than the engagement portion and the spacer portion in use is proximal to wall to which the said clip is attached.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A receptacle intended for receiving a clip as described in any previous claim which receptacle has a cross section which is substantially rectangular where one of the longest of the parallel sides has a section removed so as to create an aperture through which in use the said clip may pass and where the remaining portions of the said parallel side are intended in use to engage with the top and bottom said clip.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A receptacle intended for receiving a clip as described in any previous claim which receptacle has a cross section which is substantially rectangular where one of the longest of the parallel sides has a section removed so as to create an aperture through which in use the said clip may pass and where the remaining portions of the said parallel side which has had a portion removed are intended in use to engage with the top and bottom said clip and where in use the top remaining portion of the said vertical side which has had a section removed is shorter than the remaining bottom portion (Y) 6. A receptacle intended for receiving a clip as described in any previous r claim which receptacle is substantially rectangular but deviates from the C\J C rectangular shape to provide decorative features and in use is a skirting 0) board preferably but not exclusively in the form of a plastic extrusion.7. A skirting board intended for fixing to a wall where the surface of the skirting board which in use is proximal to the wall to which the skirting board is fixed contains a cavity intended in use to receive a receptacle as described in any previous claim and where the said receptacle is permanently fixed to the said skirting board.</claim-text>