Method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls and element obtained with such method

A method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls, in particular to plasterboard walls that can be applied to in-wall frames for retractable sliding doors or for the provision of drywall dividing walls.The method entails a continuous machining of a metallic lamina by punching or drawing or rolling obtained by using two rollers, one acting as a die and the other acting as a punch, so as to obtain on the metallic lamina a plurality of holes, which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows.

The present application relates to a method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls, in particular to plasterboard walls that can be applied to in-wall frames for retractable sliding doors or for the provision of drywall dividing walls, and to the element obtained with such method.

Nowadays it is known to provide door frames which involve the use of an in-wall frame, positioned inside a wall, in which a door or a panel is slideably associated and which is also known as a “retractable door”.

This solution allows to reduce the space occupation of the door in a room by virtue of the possibility to make it slide into the in-wall frame: it is thus possible to use the space adjacent to the door, which would instead be occupied by doors of the type hinged laterally to a frame.

In the known art, the in-wall frame embedded in the wall is usually constituted by a frame that comprises a plurality of horizontal and vertical profiled elements, a pair of front posts, an abutment post and a rear post, all connected by horizontal crossmembers made of metal plate, preferably aluminum, the whole defining a containment case of the panel or of the door.

The components of the in-wall frame are usually provided by way of machining operations that substantially involve the folding of a metallic lamina.

Above the casing there protrudes, along an axis which is longitudinal to the casing and is extended on the opposite side with respect to the containment casing, a rail which is concealed by a profiled element that is commonly called an “upper crossmember” or “pocket header” or also “fanlight”.

Trolleys are associated slideably within the track and are coupled to the upper edge of the door or panel in order to allow the sliding thereof in and out of the in-wall frame.

Usually the abutment post that acts as a terminal for the abutment of the front edge of the door or panel is associated with the end of the rail that is not associated with the vertical posts.

Such conventional door frames thus use metallic profiled elements that can be mounted together and are sold for example in kit form for assembly.

To this end this same applicant is owner of Italian utility model no. 278468 which discloses a framework for walls or panels made of plasterboard which is constituted by a first element which is adapted to act as an upper crossmember for the front and rear upright members and also by a rail/guide for sliding trolleys for supporting a door, said framework being furthermore constituted by brackets for centering an upper framework and for supporting the walls or panels made of plasterboard.

Although this solution is valid, it exhibits a drawback in that, in general, in such solutions, which are also known as in-wall frames for drywall buildings, the external finish of the wall is obtained by superimposing plasterboard panels on the structure which are then affixed by way of using conventional affixing systems such as screws, both self-tapping and non-self-tapping.

Such method entails the necessity of having to make holes in the metal plate that constitutes the horizontal crossmembers arranged to support the plasterboard panels, such metal plate having a smooth perforation base.

Therefore a certain pressure has to be exerted, which entails an initial bending of the profiled element, which increases with the increase of the thrust that the installation technician has to exert using the screw gun, thus making perforation of the metal difficult.

It should be noted moreover that the plasterboard panels are basically panels adapted to fill in the metallic structures or frames, both on one side and on the other, and they are provided by way of a mixture of plaster or the like that is compressed so as to reach a determined thickness and is inserted in a sandwich-like manner between two layers of cellulose material, commonly paper.

Such paper covering to all intents and purposes forms a skin and stratifies the layer of plaster, the result obtained is a panel that is commonly called “plasterboard panel”.

The layer of plaster ensures thickness and insulation, but on its own it would break easily, and when screwing it to the structure it would crumble at the fastening point. The compactness of the panel is ensured by the two coverings in paper, and the hold at the fastening point is given by the fastening of the head of the screw, which compresses the skin or layer of paper onto the underlying plaster. It is therefore necessary, for an optimal and secure fastening, that the thin paper layer does not break.

In order to overcome the mentioned drawbacks, some makers provide structures in which profiled elements are used with reduced thicknesses in order to be perforated more easily; this however entails a weakening of the profiled element, on which adapted ribbing has to be provided in order to stiffen it.

The result that is obtained, although functional, is however a compromise between rigidity/bending and thickness, and in any case it entails a complexity of construction in the profiled element and a higher implementation cost for it.

Other makers provide systems in which horizontal crossmembers are used to support and fasten the plasterboard panels, and these crossmembers are made of wood instead of metal.

Such solutions can help in the fastening operation, in that wood can be perforated easier than metal; however, wooden crossmembers are more flexible than metallic solutions as it is not possible to produce them with greater thicknesses than the latter, in order to ensure that the entire structure can be accommodated in the cross-section/thickness of the wall and at the same time is able to arrange the sliding door or panel inside it.

Another drawback that can be found in the prior art is constituted by the fact that the consistency of plasterboard panels has not a high-density and therefore makes such material friable, while instead the underlying metallic horizontal crossmembers have a high surface hardness and have a smooth perforation base on which the plasterboard panels lay.

It can therefore happen that the tip of the fastening screw subjected to pressure during screwing can laterally slide, thus being screwed not perpendicular to the crossmember, with the consequence that it has to be screwed in deeper in order to ensure that the head of the screw is co-planar with the surface of the facade outside the wall; this brings the risk that the tip of the screw might protrude too far inside the in-wall frame and damage the door or panel when it slides and is accommodated inside the compartment.

Systems are known in which horizontal crossmembers are used, in which the resting surface of the panels is embossed so as to create, by way of a calendering operation, an incision of a desired pattern: this solution only allows to try to prevent the tip of the screw from sliding beyond a certain measurement determined by the pattern obtained, but it does not prevent the screw from sliding and it therefore does not solve the problem mentioned earlier, while contributing to increasing the structural complexity of the profiled element and the corresponding implementation costs.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the above mentioned technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks in the cited prior art and hence providing a method for obtaining a profiled element that allows to achieve the optimal and rapid support/placement and/or the fastening of plasterboard panels adapted to define the sides of an in-wall frame for doors or panels that slide in-wall, and which can be installed in frames for providing plasterboard walls.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a profiled element that offers a considerable simplicity of construction and installation and which at the same time allows to obtain the fastening of normal plasterboard panels stably, durably and quickly.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain a profiled element whose correct coupling to the panel is obtained irrespective of the ability of the installation technician, who has only to screw the screws in any position of the profiled element without exerting particular pressure.

Another object is to provide a usable profiled element to which to fasten plasterboard walls, which has an optimal functionality and strength and which moreover allows to have a particularly reduced thicknesses.

Another object is to provide a profiled element that enables a facilitated fastening thereto of plasterboard panels even by people with no special training and with conventional or standard means for screwing that are easy available.

Another object is to provide a profiled element that allows to apply plasterboard panels thereto while safeguarding their structural integrity.

Another object is to provide an invention that is structurally simple, which can be provided with conventional systems and machines, and which has low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element1for the interconnection of plasterboard panels2to walls10, characterized in that it provides for a continuous machining of a metallic lamina by punching or drawing or rolling obtained by using two rollers, one acting as a die and the other acting as a punch, so as to obtain on said metallic lamina a plurality of holes13, which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows, in said method the side or diameter D1and the center distance D2between two of said holes13that are mutually closer and the thickness S of said planar surface12being defined by the following proportions: D2≥S, 0.4≤S≤1.5 and D1≤3S.

In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral1generally designates a profiled element with which plasterboard walls or panels2can be associated.

The profiled element1can be constituted by one or more horizontal3or vertical4profiled elements, by one or more front posts5, by one or more abutment posts6, by one or more rear posts7, by one or more horizontal crossmembers8, by one or more upper crossmembers9for the rear posts7, front posts5and abutment posts6and also by a support for a rail/guide (not shown) for sliding trolleys (not shown) with which sliding doors or leaves (not shown) are associated, all made of metal plate.

In the specific embodiment, the use is shown of a profiled element1in its various forms used to achieve the support/placement and/or the fastening of plasterboard panels2adapted to define the walls10of an in-wall frame11for doors or panels which can slide in-wall or which can be installed in frames for providing plasterboard walls.

In the specific embodiment shown, the upper crossmember9furthermore connects the abutment post6which is fixed to the opposite end from the rear post7, and the front posts5are arranged approximately at the same distance between the rear posts7and the front posts5.

The rear posts7and the front posts5are transversely connected by the horizontal crossmembers8and are positioned at a vertical distance from each other such as to divide the length of the rear post7and front posts5into approximately identical parts.

The method allows to obtain, starting from a metallic lamina, a profiled element1that has, in each one of its embodiments, the horizontal3or vertical4profiled element, the front post5, the abutment post6, the rear post7, the horizontal crossmember8, the upper crossmember9, a planar surface12on which a plurality of holes13is provided, which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows.

The holes13, which are through holes, can be obtained by way of a step of perforating the planar surface12, which is obtained by way of punching or even by drawing, for example by way of a continuous machining which can be obtained by way of rolling and therefore using two rollers, one acting as a die (which determines the shape and the perforation of the metallic lamina so as to obtain the various holes13), and the other acting as a punch (which determines the external shape of each one of the holes13).

In the specific embodiment shown the method also allows to obtain, for each horizontal crossmember8and at the longitudinal sides of the planar surface12, one or more ridges or, as illustrated, two side edges or folds15a,15band two wings16a,16bwhich give the horizontal crossmember8a substantially omega-like shape; such machining strengthens the profiled element and makes it less flexible.

As mentioned, the holes13, which are obtained by deforming the planar surface12, are distributed uniformly according to a series of mutually parallel rows, so as to obtain, between two adjacent rows, an upper surface17which thus delimits each distinct row of laterally adjacent holes13and is substantially shaped like an upturned U which determines a surface that is inclined in the direction of the adjacent holes13that are arranged at its sides.

Each one of the holes13has, in plan view, a substantially conical shape18which provides a guide for the needle-like tip50of a fastening screw51to move toward the axis52of the corresponding hole13if the tip is arranged either on the upper surface17or at the side walls or surfaces (indicated in clockwise order)13a,13b,17a,13c,13dand17bof each hole13and of the upper surface17.

A perforated conical tab20protrudes, at each hole13, at the lower surface19which is opposite the upper surface17and produces a localized increase in the thickness S of the planar surface12.

In a plan view the holes13have, considering both the upper surface17and the lower surface19, a substantially X-like shape.

The side or diameter D1of each one of the holes13that are present on the planar surface12of the profiled element1, and therefore of each one of the horizontal profiled element3, the vertical profiled element4, the front post5, the abutment post6, the rear post7, the horizontal crossmember8, the upper crossmember9, is equal to or smaller than three times the measure of the thickness S of the planar surface12that constitutes the profiled element1[D1≤3S].

The center distance D2between two of the holes13that are mutually closer is equal to or greater than the thickness S of the profiled element1[D2≤S].

The thickness S of the profiled element1is comprised between 0.4 and 1.5 millimeters [0.4≤S≤1.5].

The presence and the particular arrangement of the holes13at the planar surface12enables an installation technician, once a plasterboard wall or panel2is placed alongside a profiled element1, whether it is a horizontal3or vertical4profiled element, a front post5, an abutment post6, a rear post7, a horizontal crossmember8, an upper crossmember9, to fasten it by positioning the screw in any point of the plasterboard wall or panel2, making sure that the tip of that screw will intercept one of the holes13and therefore allows to achieve an optimal interconnection.

As illustrated in fact inFIGS. 11 and 12, if the tip50of a screw51is positioned at a hole13, so as to affect one of the side walls or surfaces13a,13b,17a,13c,13d, and17bof the hole13, it penetrates directly into the profiled element1and its head53compresses the skin or layer of paper onto the underlying plaster of the plasterboard panel2without breaking the thin paper layer.

If instead, as shown inFIGS. 13 to 15, the tip50of the screw51is positioned at an intermediate point between two adjacent holes13and therefore at the upper surface17i.e. when the displacement axis of the screw toward a hole13is greater, a minimal degree of offset is obtained in any case and, by virtue of both the curved shape of the upper surface17and the shape structure of the holes13, the tip50is guided toward the hole13.

In this case too the head53of the screw51, which has the characteristic trumpet shape, once screwed in, does not protrude from the surface of the panel2and does not break the surface layer/skin of the panel2, thus ensuring a properly carried out fastening.

Thus it has been found that the method has achieved the set aim and objects, by allowing to obtain a profiled element that allows to achieve the optimal and rapid support/placement and/or the fastening of plasterboard panels adapted to define the sides of an in-wall frame for doors or panels that slide in-wall, and which can be installed in frames for providing plasterboard walls, such profiled element having at the same time a considerable simplicity of construction and installation and allowing to obtain the fastening of normal plasterboard panels stably, durably and quickly.

The needle-line tip50of the screws51for the plasterboard panels, in fact, once in contact with the region of the planar surface12that has the holes13, finds a guiding portion whatever its initial positioning; since the needle-like tip50of the screw51never finds a planar surface, it always slides into the holes13, which are close together so as not to shift the axis of the screw too far and this is a great screwing advantage for the installation technician.

The invention therefore resolves the problem of conveying the screw51to the nearest hole13to which its tip50is arranged, without such choice needing to be made by the installation technician, who has only to screw the screws51in any position, within the dimensions of the profiled element1underlying the panel that has the holes13, without exerting particular pressure, and proceed until the head53of the screw51is flush with the surface of the panel2; such operation is very light because high pressure is not needed to make a hole in the metal of the underlying profiled element1.

The profiled element1furthermore maintains particularly reduced thicknesses and allows to fasten plasterboard walls thereto even by people with no special training and with conventional or standard means for screwing that are easily available.

The invention is of course susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus it does not matter that the fastening needs to be carried out with a double plasterboard panel2.

The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to the specific requirements.

The various means of achieving certain different functions certainly need not coexist only in the embodiment shown, but may be present in many embodiments, even if they are not shown. The characteristics indicated above as advantageous, convenient or the like, may also be missing or be substituted by equivalent characteristics.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102018000004060 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.