Abstract:
A profile system for finishing or defining a tile covering provided over a base includes at least one elongate profile that has a fastening arm and a profile section adjoining the latter which has a defining arm extending transversely, in particular at right angles, to the fastening arm and two side arms extending transversely, in particular at right angles to the free ends of the defining arm and arranged lying opposite one another, at least one illuminant that in the correct state is disposed in the receiving space defined by the substantially U-shaped profile section, and at least one elongate diffusion disc cover that can be secured to the profile.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicant claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Application No. 20 2013 100 144.9 filed Jan. 11, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a profile system for finishing or defining a slab covering provided over a base, for example in the form of tiles or the like. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Profiles for finishing or defining a tile covering provided over a base, such as for example on a wall or on a floor, are known in a wide variety of different configurations in the prior art. They serve to protect the exposed edges of the tiles on the edge of a tile covering. Moreover, they are also often used as decorative strips. One example of this type of profile is described, for example, in DE-U-297 09 378. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Proceeding from this prior art it is an object of the present invention to extend the area of application of profiles of the type specified at the start. 
     In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a profile system for finishing or defining a tile covering provided over a base, comprising at least one elongate profile that has a fastening arm and a profile section adjoining the latter which has a defining arm extending transversely, in particular at right angles, to the fastening arm, and two side arms extending transversely, in particular at right angles, to the free ends of the defining arm and arranged lying opposite one another, at least one illuminant, that in the correct state is disposed in the receiving space defined by the profile section, and at least one elongate diffusion disc cover that can be secured to the profile. 
     In the correctly arranged state the elongate profile is fastened to the base by the fastening arm. There are arranged over the top of the fastening arm tiles of the tile covering which are defined and protected by an outside of the profile section which is preferably substantially U-shaped. In addition to this conventional protective function the profile system according to the invention provides illumination which can be used, for example, as cove lighting for a ceiling, as plinth lighting for a base or the like. The illuminant is held in the profile section and is freely accessible after removing the diffusion disc cover so that, for example, repair work can be carried out without any problem. Consequently, the profile system according to the invention combines the functions of defining and protecting tile coverings with the function of providing visually attractive illumination. 
     According to one configuration of the present invention the profile is an extruded profile with a consistent cross-section. It is an advantage of extruded profiles that they are easy and inexpensive to produce. 
     Preferably, the profile is produced from aluminum or stainless steel. On the one hand, aluminum and stainless steel give the profile a visually attractive appearance. On the other hand, these materials are resistant to corrosion and accordingly are well suited for use in wet rooms, such as for example in bathrooms, in outdoor areas or the like. 
     According to one configuration of the present invention the fastening arm has through-holes arranged along its length, spaced apart from one another. An adhesive, such as for example a tile adhesive, used to secure the fastening arm to a base can pass through these through-holes, by means of which anchoring, and so securing of the fastening arm to the base is brought about. 
     According to an alternative configuration a fleece or a fabric is fastened to the back of the fastening arm. This fleece or fabric then serves as an adhesive base for the adhesive which is used to secure the fastening arm to a base. 
     Preferably, fastening means which co-operate with one another are provided on the diffusion disc cover and on the profile. Advantageously, the fastening means are made integrally with the profile and the diffusion disc cover, by means of which an inexpensive structure with a small number of individual components can be produced. 
     According to one configuration of the present invention the fastening means define a manually releaseable snap-on connection and in particular are provided in the form of protrusions and recesses that engage with one another. In this way one can produce a very simple fastening means structure. 
     According to one configuration of the present invention the diffusion disc cover has a base section and two side sections projecting from the latter and arranged lying opposite one another. 
     The first side section is preferably made to be longer than the second side section, in the correctly arranged state the illuminant being fastened to the inside of the region of the first side section which projects over the second side section. This design is advantageous in that due to the shorter second side section the illuminant disposed on the inside of the first side section is easily accessible, by means of which the manageability of the profile system is improved. 
     There is preferably provided in the region of the free end of the first side section an inwardly pointing protrusion which serves as a stop for the illuminant. This stop facilitates correct positioning of the illuminant and in addition contributes to stable fastening of the illuminant. 
     According to a first alternative of the present invention, in the correct state the base section of the diffusion disc cover terminates flush with the free ends of the side arms of the profile. In this first alternative light emitted by the first illumination means can accordingly only pass out of the profile in one direction. 
     According to a second alternative the second side section of the diffusion disc cover has in the region of its free end a region receding towards the first side section which is configured such that, in the correctly arranged state, the outer surface of the projecting region of the second side section terminates substantially flush with the outer surface of the adjacently arranged side arm of the profile. In this second alternative the light can accordingly also leave the profile in a second direction, as will be explained in more detail by means of the exemplary embodiment described below. 
     It should be made clear at this point that a profile system according to the present invention can have both a diffusion disc cover according to the first alternative and a diffusion disc cover of the second alternative. 
     The illuminant is preferably elongate in form, in particular in the form of a strip or a chain with a plurality of LEDs arranged over the latter. 
     According to one configuration of the present invention the illuminant is designed and arranged such that, in the correctly arranged state, light is irradiated towards the base section of the diffusion disc cover. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the present invention become clear from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of a profile system according to the invention with reference to the attached drawings. These show as follows: 
         FIG. 1A  a perspective view which shows a diffusion disc cover which is an individual component according to a first embodiment of the profile system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 1B  a perspective view which shows a diffusion disc cover which is an individual component according to a second embodiment of the profile system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 1C  a perspective view which shows a profile which can be fitted to either of the diffusion disc covers shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ; 
         FIG. 2  a side view which shows the diffusion disc cover shown in  FIG. 1A  fitted in the profile of  FIG. 10  to form a first embodiment of the profile system; and 
         FIG. 3  a side view which shows the diffusion disc cover shown in  FIG. 1B  fitted in the profile of  FIG. 10  to form a second embodiment of the profile system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The drawings show a profile system  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention that serves to finish or define a tile covering provided over a base and to provide illumination. The profile system  1  comprises as main components a profile  2  shown by itself in  FIG. 1C  and in a fitted state in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an illuminant  3 , a first type of diffusion disc cover  4  shown by itself in  FIG. 1A  and shown in  FIG. 2  in a fitted state with the profile of  FIG. 1C , and a second type of diffusion disc cover  5  shown by itself in  FIG. 1B  and shown in  FIG. 3  in a fitted state with the profile of  FIG. 1C . 
     The profile  2  is an extruded profile that is preferably produced from aluminum or stainless steel, other materials basically also being able to be used, such as for example plastic or the like. The profile  2  comprises a fastening arm  6  which in this instance is provided with through-holes  7  arranged along its length, spaced apart from one another. A viscous adhesive, such as for example a tile adhesive, used to fasten the profile  2  to a base can penetrate through these through-holes  7 , by means of which anchoring is achieved in a known manner. Alternatively however, a fleece or fabric (not detailed) can also be fastened to the back  8  of the fastening arm  6 , said fleece or fabric forming an adhesive base for an appropriate adhesive. The profile  2  further comprises a substantially U-shaped profile section  9  which is made integrally with the fastening arm  6 . The U-shaped profile section  9  has a defining arm  10  extending at right angles to the fastening arm  6  and two side arms  11  and  12  extending at right angles to the free ends of the defining arm  10  and arranged lying opposite one another, the side arm  12  being arranged as an extension of the fastening arm  6 . There are arranged on the insides of the side arms  11  and  12  inwardly projecting protrusions  13  and  14  which serve to releaseably hold the diffusion disc cover  4  or the diffusion disc cover  5 , as will be described in more detail below. Moulded into the outside of the side arm  12  is a recess  15  which serves to hold excess adhesive when sticking the profile  2  to a base. 
     The diffusion disc cover  4  is produced from transparent plastic and comprises a base section  16  and two side sections  17  and  18  projecting from the latter at right angles and arranged lying opposite one another. The first side section  17  is made to be longer than the second side section  18  and on its inside in the region which projects over the second side section  18  holds the illuminant  3  which in this instance is secured by an adhesive strip  19 . By virtue of the different lengths of the side sections  17  and  18  the illuminant  3  is easily accessible to a user. In the region of the free end of the first side section  17  there is an inwardly pointing protrusion  20  which serves as a stop for the illuminant  3 . Each side section  17 ,  18  is provided on its outside with a groove-shaped recess  21 ,  22 , in the correctly arranged state the groove-shaped recesses  21  and  22  co-operating with the elongate protrusions  13  and  14  of the profile  2  and defining a manually releaseable snap-on connection, as shown in  FIG. 2 . Accordingly, the diffusion disc cover  4  with the illuminant  3  held on the latter can be inserted from above between the side arms  11  and  12  of the profile  2  until the snap-on connection engages. If the diffusion disc cover  4  is inserted into the profile  2  the arrangement illustrated in  FIG. 2  is produced in which the outside of the base section  16  of the diffusion disc cover terminates flush with the free ends of the side arms  11  and  12  of the profile  4 . Accordingly, light emitted by the illuminant  3  can only leave the profile  2  in the direction of arrow A. In the correctly arranged state a duct  23  is left beneath the diffusion disc cover  4  which can be used, for example, for the laying of cables. 
     The diffusion disc cover  5  is also produced from transparent plastic and comprises a base section  24  and two side sections  25  and  26  projecting from the latter at right angles and arranged lying opposite one another. The first side section  25  is made to be longer than the second section  26 , the illuminant  3  being fastened by an adhesive strip  19  to the inside of the region of the first side section  25  that projects over the second side section  26 . By virtue of the different lengths of the side sections  25  and  26  the illuminant  3  is easily accessible to a user. In the region of the free end of the first side section  25  there is an inwardly pointing protrusion  27  which forms a stop for the illuminant  3 . The side sections  25  and  26  are respectively provided on their outside with a groove-shaped recess  28 ,  29  which in turn co-operate with the elongate protrusions  13  and  14  of the profile  2  such as to produce a releaseable snap-on connection. The second side section  26  of the diffusion disc cover  5  has in the region of its free end a region  30  receding towards the first side section  25  and which is designed such that, in the correctly arranged state, the outer surface of the correspondingly projecting region  31  of the second side section  26  terminates substantially flush with the outer surface of the adjacently arranged side arm  11  of the profile  2 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Accordingly, light emitted by the illuminant  3  can leave the profile  2  in the direction of arrows A and B. 
     The illuminant  3  is an elongate strip with a plurality of LEDs arranged over the latter. The emission of light from the illuminant  3  is chosen such that in the correctly arranged state light is irradiated towards the base section  16 ,  24  of the corresponding diffusion disc cover  4 ,  5 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show the profile system  1  in the fitted state, according to  FIG. 2  the diffusion disc cover  4  and according to  FIG. 3  the diffusion disc cover  5  being held on the profile  2 , by means of which different light effects are achieved. The profile  2  is respectively stuck to a base  33  using a tile adhesive  32 . The hold between the profile  2  and the tile adhesive  32  is achieved by the tile adhesive  32  penetrating through the through-holes  7 , by means of which corresponding anchoring takes place. The tiles  34  which are arranged adjacent to the profile  2  cover the fastening arm  6  of the profile  2  and are adjacent to the defining arm  10  which serves to protect the tile edge. 
     It is an advantage of the profile system  1  that it provides both a protective effect for the edges of the adjacently laid tiles as well as illumination which can be used, for example, as cove lighting for a ceiling, as plinth lighting for a base or the like. Moreover, by choosing appropriate diffusion disc covers  4  and  5  different light effects can be achieved. Moreover, the profile system  1  can be produced inexpensively and be handled easily. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                  1 
                 profile system 
               
               
                  2 
                 profile 
               
               
                  3 
                 illuminant 
               
               
                  4 
                 diffusion disc cover 
               
               
                  5 
                 diffusion disc cover 
               
               
                  6 
                 fastening arm 
               
               
                  7 
                 through-hole 
               
               
                  8 
                 back 
               
               
                  9 
                 profile section 
               
               
                 10 
                 defining arm 
               
               
                 11 
                 side arm 
               
               
                 12 
                 side arm 
               
               
                 13 
                 protrusion 
               
               
                 14 
                 protrusion 
               
               
                 15 
                 recess 
               
               
                 16 
                 base section 
               
               
                 17 
                 side section 
               
               
                 18 
                 side section 
               
               
                 19 
                 adhesive strip 
               
               
                 20 
                 protrusion 
               
               
                 21 
                 groove-shaped recess 
               
               
                 22 
                 groove-shaped recess 
               
               
                 23 
                 duct 
               
               
                 24 
                 base section 
               
               
                 25 
                 side section 
               
               
                 26 
                 side section 
               
               
                 27 
                 protrusion 
               
               
                 28 
                 groove-shaped recess 
               
               
                 29 
                 groove-shaped recess 
               
               
                 30 
                 receding region 
               
               
                 31 
                 projecting region 
               
               
                 32 
                 tile adhesive 
               
               
                 33 
                 base 
               
               
                 34 
                 tile 
               
               
                 A 
                 arrow 
               
               
                 B 
                 arrow