WO1997014341A1

WO1997014341A1 - Suspension device for suspending and lighting objects to be exposed to view

Info

Publication number: WO1997014341A1
Application number: PCT/NL1996/000407
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Christiaan Mulholland
Original assignee: Stichting Kennis Beheer Nederland
Priority date: 1995-10-20
Filing date: 1996-10-18
Publication date: 1997-04-24
Also published as: NL1001455C1

Abstract

The device consists of a rail profile (1) for suspending objects, with a lighting rail (2) incorporated therein, so that an object can be suspended and individually lit at any desired point along the rail profile (1) which comprises a J-shaped (8) suspension part of minimized dimensions provided with a screen (7) of a rounded shape, so that a small cross-section, an optical size reduction effect and a locking of suspension means in the suspension part are obtained. The lighting rail (2) is snap fitted in the rail profile (1) and can repeatadly be assembled and disassembled.

Description

Suspension device for suspending and lighting objects to be exposed to view

The invention relates to the field of devices for the suspension and lighting of paintings

Suspension systems for paintings etc usually consist of a rail profile that is attached to a wall or other attachment surface Connected to the rail profile is a suspension thread or suspension rod, to which is attached a suspension hook, from which the object to be suspended is suspended Such a system can be combined with, for instance, a U-shaped lighting rail, which is secured separately (for instance to satisfy the prevailing regulations) in a U-shaped chamber in the suspension profile, for practical reasons above the suspension device in order to obtain a good distribution of the weight and to hide them from view, the means for the attachment of the suspension rail are usually hidden in the space where the lighting rail is secured In this way it is possible to suspend for instance, a painting, at any point in the suspension rail, which painting can be lit by a light source provided at any point in the lighting rail This system has many advantages See, for instance the Patent Applications NL-93 01434 and EP-0 640 309

A commonly used type of suspension rod for suspension systems, whether they make use of a lighting rail or not, is a rod (which often has a square cross-section with sides of 4 mm) with a 180° bend at the top end, so that a small part of the rod runs parallel to the rest in downward direction This end hooks into a suspension rail with a cross-section of opposite shape, for instance a U-shape, one of the legs of the U beingextended, so that a J-shape is obtained (this is why this type of rail is often referred to as a 'J— rail"), which extended leg can then contain the means of attachment of the suspension rail to an attachment surface In the above-mentioned combination the extension contains a chamber to accommodate the lighting rail, as described before

A combined suspension and lighting rail, as indicated above, has three important disadvantages

The first disadvantage has to do with securing the lighting rail in the suspension rail It must be properly locked in, since in actual use the lighting rail must not accidentally come loose from the suspension rail However, when the combi- nation is to be detached, it must be possible to remove the lighting rail from the suspension rail in an easy manner, since the lighting rail, for the afore-mentioned reasons, lies over the means of attachment of the suspension rail and hence covers them This assembly and disassembly must be repeatable

The second disadvantage has to do with the locking of the rod in the suspension rail The rod is usually secured by placing the short end above the short leg of the J-shape of the suspension rail (considered in section), so that the rod and the rail touch and the short end of the rod hovers over the space in the J-shape By lowering the rod, the short end thereof falls into the J-shape and the rod is suspended However, this manner of securing does not provide any locking the rod can simply be raised and moved away from the suspension rail If the rod is then released, it falls out of the suspension rail, together with anything that is attached to the rod

The third disadvantage relates to the large cross-section of the suspension rail necessary to accommodate both the lighting rail and the J-shape for securing the rod Between the chamber for the lighting rail and the short leg of the J-shape of the suspension rail, there must be sufficient room to provide apassage for the vertically held short end of the rod To hide this room from sight there usually is a screen in the suspension rail (usually formed integrally therewith), which must be at a certain minimum distance to the J-shape of the suspension rail to allow the passage of the rod between them These factors lead to a large cross-section which is not always desirable for aesthetic reasons

Solutions to these three problems are

With relation to disadvantage one securing the lighting rail in the suspension rail without any extra attachment or locking materials, with a locking system that makes use of the shape and a tight fit of the lighting rail and the suspension rail and the resilience arising from the stiffness of the material applied and the shape of the suspension rail, and which locking system is firm enough to allow the lighting rail to be delocked only with some extra attention and effort, without damaging or permanently deforming the rails

With relation to disadvantage two a manner of securing the rod in the suspension rail, without extra securing or locking materials, such that the rod can only be secured through a number of specific manipulations which make use of the shape of the suspension rail and lock the rod

With relation to disadvantage three minimizing all the open spaces in the cross-section through the suspension rail, starting from the assumption that the open space for the lighting rail is already minimal This means that the space required to move the rod for the purpose of securing it in the suspension rail must be made as small as possible, making use of the solution to disadvantage two

Advantages of the invention are the following

- a firm locking of the lighting rail in the suspension rail through the properties of the rails, their form and fit.without using extra securing or locking materials, which admit of a simple and repeated assembly and disassembly, without it being necessary to damage or permanently deform the rails - a proper locking of the rod in the suspension rail by making use of the fact that the rod at the bend - and through the bend - is broader than the diameter of the rod, affording the rod less room for movement, and by restricting the room for movement of the rod because the object to be suspended from the rod prevents this, - a smaller diameter of the suspension rail than with other comparable types, by making use of the consequences of the other solutions (tight fit and less room for movement for the rod) and a partially circular screen, which, moreover, has an optically reducing effect

There now follows a description of one embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended drawing, namely figure 1 a cross-section through the suspension rail with lighting rail secured therein, and figure 2 an example of the rod described

The invention relates to making possible the above-mentioned solutions by i) - providing at equal points in the inner sides adjoining the open side of the U-shaped chamber for securing the lighting rail (2) in the suspension rail (1 ) grooves (3), which run along the entire length of the suspension rail (1 ) (preferably) closer to the adjoining open side than to the adjoining closed side, - providing at equal points in the corresponding outer sides of the lighting rail (2) (the sides adjoining the open side of the U-shape thereof) ridges (4), which run along the entire length of the lighting rail (2) and which, when the lighting rail (2) is secured in the suspension rail (1 ), fit in the above-mentioned grooves (3),

- using a very tight fit (5) of the lighting rail (2) in the suspension rail (1), so that the ridges (4) on the lighting rail (2) produce too small a fit, as a result of which the ghting rail (2) can be secured in the suspension rail (1 ) only with some effort, and the ridges (4) fall into the grooves (3) and thus lock the lighting rail (2) in the suspension rail (1 ) (usually attended with a clearly audible 'click'), ail this being effected through the resilience of the suspension rail (1 ) - which originates from the stiffness of the material used for the suspension rail and the thickness thereof - and yet made practicable by the place where ridges (4) and grooves (3) are provided (the closer these are placed to the adjoining closed side, the greater the effort required when applying the same force, the amplitude increases with increasing distance to the closed side),

- making it possible for the lighting rail (2) to be removed from the suspension rail (1 ) with some effort, and for these actions ( securing the lighting rail (2) in and removing it from the suspension rail (1 ) ) to be repeated without any problem, all this being made possible by the afore-described combination of ridges (4) and grooves (3) and their position, the (too) tight fit (5) and the resilience

n) - locking the rod (1 1 ) in the suspension rail (1 ) by making the gap (6) between the screen (7) and the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ) so small that the rod (11 ) can only be secured in the suspension rail (1 ) by moving it vertically upwards through the gap (6) with the bend (12) held substantially parallel with the longitudinal direction of the suspension rail (1 ) and when the bend hits the overlying chamber for the lighting rail (2) turning the rod through 90°, so that the bend (12) is now positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the suspension rail (1 ) and the short end (13) of the rod (11 ) is present over the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1), lowering the rod (1 1 ), so that the short end (13) thereof falls into the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ), and subsequently releasing the rod (11 ) For the rod (11) to be removed from the suspension rail (1), it must not only be raised from the J-shape (8), but also be turned The gap (6) need only be so wide as to allow the rod (11 ) to be turned, which means it need not be much wider than the largest diagonal ofthe smallest cross-section (14) through the rod (11 ), because during turning, the bend (12) and the short end (13) of the rod (11 ) make use of the space (9) in the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ) As the rod is used to suspend something that is nearly always broader than the rod (1 1 ) and also broader than the space between the rod (11 ) and the attachment surface of the suspension rail (1 ), in which very case the rod must not accidentally get out of the suspension rail (1 ), the object suspended locks itself because the object together with the rod can only turn so far that it touches the attachment surface of the suspension rail (1 ), which is not far enough to turn the rod (11 ) so far that it can get out of the suspension rail (1 ).

iii)- the cross-section of the suspension rail (1 ) can be made considerably smaller because the gap (6) between the screen (7) and the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ) is reduced and the short leg (9) of the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ) can also be made smaller, because - in view of the above-described locking mechanism - it is only there to prevent the rod (11) from turning away and it is not, as was usual, longer (higher), in order that the rod (11) could be supported by the contact surface between the short leg (9) of the J-shape (8) and the inside of the bend (12) of the rod (11); the rod (11) is now supported by the contact surface between the bottom end of the short end (13) and the side lying opposite the open side of the J-shape (8). By also giving the screen (7) - in cross-section - a partially circular form, which extends from the lower end (10) of the chamber for accommodating the lighting rail (1 ) to a given minimum distance (the gap (6)) from the J-shape (8) of the suspension rail (1 ) an additional optically reducing effect is obtained. This minimum distance depends on the diameter and the shape of the cross-section through the rod (11) to be used: it must only be just large enough to allow the passage of the rod (11), that is: a fraction larger than the smallest diameter of the (diagonal of the) section of the rod (11 ).

Examples of possible alternative embodiments are the type of rod to be used (other diameter or cross-sectional shape, forinstance circular in stead of square), the lighting rail (different shape or no lighting rail at all, in which case the two superfluous sides of the upper U-shape can be omitted); the use of the U-shaped chamber for other purposes (for instance ceiling tiles); the use of only part of the solutions (for instance type of locking system for the lighting rail or of the rod in other types of rail); and the shapes used for the above-described functions: the screen can have its end above, below or at the same level as the bottom end of the J-shape, a different shape of the screen (flatter, angular, etc.) and/or a different distance between the short leg of the J-shape and the screen and/or a different distance between the short leg of the J-shape and the lower leg of the U-shape (i e. one or both larger or smaller).

Claims

1 ) Suspension device for the suspension and lighting of objects to be exposed to view, which device consists of a rail profile for the suspension of objects with a lighting rail incorporated therein, so that an object can be suspended and individually lit at any desired point along the rail, which suspension rail has a U-shaped cross-section, one of the legs adjoining the open side being longer than the other, so that the rail has a J-shape, and the rail lying with its longer leg against an attachment surface for the suspension rail, and the suspension systems being attached across or on the short leg, which suspension rail is usually employed for suspension systems that have at their top a cross-sectional shape that is opposite to that of the suspension rail (i e an inverted U or J), one of the sides adjoining the open side of each suspension system being secured between the sides adjoining the open side of the other, the inverted U-shape of the suspension system then hanging in the J-shape of the suspension rail, which suspension systems have in many cases the shape of a rod with a 180° bend at the top end and to which the object to be suspended is attached (for instance, by means of a suspension hook), which suspension rail is provided with a screen to hide the suspension part of the rail from view, beginning at the bottom of the chamber for the lighting rail and terminating at the level of the bottom side of the suspension part, with some space left between the latter abd the screen, for mounting the suspension systems on/in the suspension part, which lighting rail is incorporated in the suspension rail in a specially adapted chamber (above the suspension part) which in cross-section has at least one open side, the open side of the lighting rail (through which the lighting devices are to be introduced into the rail) extending parallel and far-sided to, or perpendicular and top-sided to the attachment surface of the suspension rail, the means for the attachment of the suspension rail to the attachment surface being preferably present in the side of the chamber for the lighting rail that lies against the attachment surface, so thatthese means are hidden from view after the lighting rail has been secured in that chamber,

characterized in that for the lighting rail and the chamber in the suspension rail

the outside of the lighting rail has an identical shape and substantially identical dimensions to those of the inside of the chamber in the suspension rail intended for accommodating this rail, so that there is a very tight fit, there is a very slight resilience in the walls of the chamber in the suspension rail and in the walls of the lighting rail, on account of the stiffness of the material used for the rails (such as, for instance, aluminium), the thickness thereof and the shape of the cross-sections, in each of one or more inner sides adjoining the open side of the chamber there extends a groove in the longitudinal direction of the suspension rail (preferably along the entire length), and in each of the one or more outer sides adjoining the open side of the lighting rail there extends a ridge in the longitudinal direction of that rail (preferably along its entire length), such that when the lighting rail has been secured in the chamber of the suspension rail, the ridge or ridges fit tightly in the groove or grooves in the suspension rail and the chamber of the suspension rail lies snugly against the lighting rail, the ridge or ridges on the lighting rail and the very tight fit actually give too tight a fit, as a consequence of which the lighting rail, in view of the above-described resilience, can only be secured in the suspension rail using some force, as a result of which the ridge or ridges snap into the groove or grooves of the suspension rail, so that the lighting rail is locked in the suspension rail, as a consequence of which it can only be removed from the locking and the suspension rail with some extra attention and effort, that this locking action is usually clearly audible (a clearly audible 'click'), that these manipulations - securing the lighting rail in thesuspension rail and removing it therefrom - are repeatable, without it being necessay to damage or permanently deform the rails, that the securing and locking are firm and without any play, that - viewed in the cross-section of the lighting rail and the suspension rail - the ridge or ridges and the groove or grooves are provided at the points of the two rails with the widest possible amplitude of the resilient movement or near those points (i e close to the openings in the two rails), but far enough away from the respective openings to ensure a firm locking action, for instance on that half of the side or sides in question that adjoin the open side, that no securing and/or locking means are necessary to secure and lock the lighting rail in the suspension rail, and in that for the suspension part of the suspension rail

the gap between the screen and the J-shaped suspension part is not much wider than the largest diagonal of the smallest cross-section of the suspension means (i e below the part of the means that is used for securing the suspension means in/to the suspension part), and in that the suspension means can hence be secured along the lenght of the suspension rail in/to the suspension part, only by raising it through the gap with its securing part parallel with the suspension rail, after which the suspension means is secured to the suspension part by turning it through 90° - so that the securing part is positioned above the suspension part - and lowering it into/onto the suspension part, and in that an object suspended from a suspension means which is secured to the suspension part is usually more than twice as broad as the distance from the suspension means to the attachment surface of the suspension rail and that it is hence always impossible for the suspension means to turn through 90° when such an object is suspended from it, because the object has to turn with the suspension means but is blocked of doing so by the attachment surface of the suspension rail, and in that the suspension means is locked in/to the suspension part, because it must be turned through 90° to get loose, whereas this is prevented by the object being blocked and that hence no (extra) securing or locking materials are needed

for the cross-section of the suspension rail

the short leg of the J-shaped suspension part adjoining the open side only serves to prevent the suspension means from turning and need not have any supporting function, and in that the height of this leg can be kept to a minimum, and in that the supporting function of the suspension part is mainly fulfilled by the side of the J-shape that adjoins the two closed sides, and in that the distance from that short leg to the overlying underside of the chamber (for the lighting rail) need only be large enough to allow the passage, in the position required for securing, in horizontal direction, of the part of the suspension means that serves to secure that means to the suspension part, and in that the gap between the screen and the short leg is minimal (as described earlier), and in that this minimization of the dimensions does not lead to a loss of functioning, but does lead to a minimum cross-section of the suspension rail, and in that the screen is rounded (so, forms a segment of a circle or an oval) and in that this rounded shape makes the suspension rail visually smaller, when the suspension rail has been attached, than if this screen were to extend vertically downwards

2 ) Suspension device according to claim 1 , characterized in that there is no intention of lighting, so that the lighting rail, the chamber therefore and the ridges and grooves can be omitted, and the suspension rail obtains a top side which connects the screen with the J-shape and provides the required distances

3) Suspension device according to claim 1 , or claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the chamber for the lighting rail can also be used for other purposes (such as the support of ceiling tiles) and in that if that is the main purpose, the ridges andgrooves can be omitted

4 ) Suspension device according to claim 1 , or to claim 1 and to one or more of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the locking mechanism described for the lighting rail (ridges and grooves) is used in combinations other than the one described, which involves a self-locking J-shaped suspension rail with a small diameter and optical reduction

5 ) Suspension device according to claim 1 , or to claim 1 and one or more of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the locking mechanism described for the suspension means is used in combinations other than the one described, which involves a lighting rail and a suspension rail with a small diameter and optical reduction

6 ) Suspension device according to claim 1 , or to claim 1 and one or more of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the small diameter and the optical reduction as described for the suspension rail are used in combinations other than the one described, which involves a self-locking J-shaped suspension rail and lighting rail