METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR THE ATTACHMENT OF AN ELEMENT TO A RECEIVING OBJECT

Abstract: Method and a device for attaching a panel (10) to a reception device (20). In accordance with the invention the reception device is provided along a vertical surface with grooves (21) set an oblique angle to the vertical surface, while there are disposed on the panel laminar devices (30) with which the panel is affixed in the grooves of the reception device. The laminar devices are preferably somewhat thinner than the width of the grooves, in addition to which the minimum angle ( alpha ) between the laminar devices and the vertical surface is less than the corresponding angle ( beta ) between the direction of the grooves and the vertical surface. This ensures that the abutment forces from the laminar devices are applied to the material of the reception device in the vicinity of the bottom of the groove, by which means the risk of splitting the material of the reception device is minimised.

Description: Method and arrangemant for the attachment of an element to a receiving object. The present invention relates to a method and a device for attaching a panel to a reception device, and more specifically, to providing the reception device with grooves and to providing the panel with laminar devices which are inserted in the grooves when the panel is suspended in the reception device. Alterations to internal cladding or repainting interior walls is a te¬ dious and costly operation. Especially when wall surfaces are plaster boards, removal of the internal cladding, e.g. when it is of fabric, of¬ ten causes such extensive damage that the entire board has to be replaced. In addition, it is usually necessary to re-fill the joints between the boards, irrespective of whether or not the boards have been replaced. Internal supplementary insulation of buildings is also a costly operation due, among other factors, to the time required as a consequence of the installation of spacers/joists, plaster or chipboards, coating of the joints between them, and the region of the nail heads, with fabric and filling compound, as well as painting or cladding the inner surfaces thus prepared. The installation, moving and/or assembly of e.g. cupboards, ward¬ robes, shelf units (wall-mounted and free-standing) or similar devices are also examples of tedious and costly operations. The present invention indicates a method and a device which con¬ siderably reduces the costs in conjunction with the aforementioned operation. In accordance with the invention there is disposed a panel with one or several laminar devices which are set at an oblique angle in relation to adjacent surface or edges of the panel, in ad¬ dition to which a reception device is arranged to interact with the panel, at which the reception device is disposed with upwards-facing grooves which correspond to one or more of the laminar devices, and whereby the grooves are set at an oblique angle to the plane of the wall. The grooves have a width and a depth adapted to the corresponding dimensions of the laminar devices. The panel is OMPI ' ' suspended in the reception device in that the laminar devices are inserted in grooves corresponding to each device, whereby the panel is also simultaneously locked relative to the reception de¬ vice, against movement in the horizontal plane outwards from the reception device. In certain embodiments the grooves are directly disposed in the material of a wall, a side of a bookcase etc, while in other embodiments the grooves are disposed in separate units that areaffixed to e.g. a wall, a side of a cupboard etc. It was stated in the preceding paragraph that one panel collabo- rates with one reception device, but the invention is of course applicable for embodiments where one reception device collaborates with several panels, or alternatively, where several panels colla¬ borate with one reception device. The minimum angle which the laminar devices form with adjacent surfaces or edges is in a preferred embodiment always somewhat less than the corresponding angle for the direction of the grooves. The angular difference is normally of the order of magnitude of 1-5° and preferably approx. 1-2°. This angular difference ensures that the outer ends of the laminar devices abut only one of the inner surfaces of the grooves, and thus the inner surface which is closest to the surface the reception device turns towards the panel. This means that the abutment forces from the laminar devices are applied to the material of the reception device in the vicinity of the bottom of the groove, whereby the forces are applied far inside the surface the reception device turns towards the panel. This extension of the abutment forces minimises the risk of split¬ ting the material of the reception device. In an alternative embodiment the outer parts of the laminar de¬ vices from a somewhat larger angle to adjacent surfaces of the panel than that which the laminar devices form closest to the panel, whereby the outer parts of the laminar, devices obtain a primarily plane abutment against the inner surface of the groove. By this means the abutment forces are distributed over a larger surface than in the case of completely flat laminar devices.. In yet another embodiment the laminar devices are, in order to achieve an equivalent effect to that described in the preceding paragraph, bevelled at their outer ends in order to form surfaces which abut the inner surface of the groove primarily flatly. In certain embodiments the reception device is disposed as a separate unit which is affixed to a device, e.g. a wall, on which the panel is mounted. The invention allows great freedom in the design of the panels. Thus in certain embodiments the laminar ; devices are affixed to a supporting frame which encloses material therein, e.g. insulat¬ ing material, panel boards, sound-dampening boards etc, while in other embodiments the laminar devices are affixed to centrally located devices which are enclosed by e.g. a decorative frame, or comprise a supporting device for a cupboard, a bookcase etc. When the invention is applied in order to design an interior wall, the panel is produced with the required cladding, e.g. wallpaper, fabric or panel, whereby e.g. the wallpaper or the fabric is folded around the edges of the panel. In mounting panels located next to one another thus form a smooth and even surface which is divided by hardly noticeable joints. In certain applications the transitions between the panels are highlighted by decorative strips which are snapped in between the panels, and which can, in addition, easily be replaced when it is desired to alter the appearance of the wall. In other applications the panels are placed at a distance from each other and the groove which is thus formed between the panels is provided with a bottom delineation which comprises e.g. a strip that is fitted into grooves in the panels. The invention is described in greater detail in conjunction with a number of figures where fig. 1 shows a section through a reception device and a panel attached to the reception device, fig. 2 shows an enlarged detailed view of a groove with a lam¬ inar device inserted in the groove, fig. 3 shows an embodiment where the outer end of the lam¬ inar device is bent outwards, fig. 4 shows an embodiment where the outer end of the lam¬ inar device is bevelled, fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a laminar device and figs. 6 and 7 shows examples of embodiments of the panel. The figures contain a panel 10 fitted with a number of laminar . devices 30. The panel has an outer cladding 13 and an inner clad¬ ding 14 attached to a frame 15 and enclosing a space 12 which in certain applications is filled with insulation whilein other appli¬ cations it is left empty. Outer and inner claddings are adapted to prevailing needs. Thus the outer cladding comprises e.g. a preferably laminated panel, while the inner cladding e.g. comprises a fibre- board. The figures moreover show a reception device 20 fitted with a number of grooves 21 which open upwards in the vicinity of the side of the reception device which faces towards the panel. The grooves form an oblique angle to the side of the reception device and have their apertures facing obliquely upwards. The reference designation for the upper delineation of the grooves is 22, 23 for its lower deli¬ neation, and 24 for its bottom delineation. In the majority of applications the reception device is affixed to an adjacent wall 25 by means of screws 25. In certain applications grooves and lam¬ inar devices corresponding to those just described are used, and are disposed in the wall or on the reception device for affixing the latter to the wall. The reception device 20 thereby constitutes a spacing device in order to form a space e.g. for insulating ma¬ terial, for routing pipes or electrical cables etc. between the panel and the wall. Fig. 2 shows how the material of the reception device is affected by forces when the panel is suspended in the reception device. It can be seen from the figure that the forces are applied to the ma¬ terial in a region close to the bottom of the groove, for which reason the risk of splitting the material is minimal. The abutment force is divided in the figure into a vertical component and a horizontal component. It can be seen from the figure how the ho¬ rizontal component, which is decisive in the splitting of the material, is applied far into the material wall. In the embodi- ment shown in the figure the laminar device forms an angle cc with the vertical plane of approx. 46° while a corresponding angle p between the lower wall of the groove and the vertical plane is approx. 45 . This angular difference causes the lam¬ inar device to abut the lowerdelineation 23 of the groove pri- marily only in one region close to the bottom of the groove, by which means the abovementioned and sought-after effect of apply¬ ing the abutment force as far into the groove as possible is achieved, and thus the risks of splitting the material of the reception device are minimised. The combination of grooves and laminar devices also means that the panel has no mobility in the horizontal plane outwards from the reception device 20. The loca¬ tion of the centre of gravity of the panel also causes the force of gravity to contribute towards keeping the panel pressed against the reception device 20 or, alternatively, the wall 25. The values of the anglescc and Pgiven in the preceding paragraph com¬ prise solely examples of suitable angles. In reality they can be varied within a wide range. It is vital, however, to maintain the difference between angle Λ and angle f. It has proved in practice that the angular difference can be allowed to assume values within the range 1-5°, and that an angular difference in the range 1-2° is optimal . Fig. 3 shows an embodiment where the laminar device 30a has an outer part 31a and an inner part 32 which are both located within the groove 21. The outer part forms a somewhat larger angle with the vertical plane than does the inner part 32. This ensures that the outer part 31a has an abutment surface 35a against the lower delineation 23 of the groove which is primarily parallel to this delineation, which means in turn that the abutment forces are dis¬ tributed over a larger material region that is the case in the in the embodiment shown in fig. 2. Fig. 3 also shows an alternative embodiment of the laminar device 30a where the latter is rebent into an angular shape and has a downwards-bent part 34 for affixing the device to the panel.10. The bent part 34 abuts in certain embodiments, and preferably only by its lower part, the outer surface 27 of the reception device in the region of the groove 21. The laminar device thereby encloses the material of the reception device between the lower delineation 23 of the groove and the outer surface of the reception device 27, whereby the material is subjected to compressive forces between the outer part 31a of the laminar device and its downwards-bent part 34. The compressive forces counteract the previously mentioned splitting forces. Only in extreme load cases (e.g. with a small angled) or when the reception device consists of material which is easily split, is the aforementioned bent embodiment of the lam¬ inar device required however. The downwards-bent part 34 is thus generally given a relatively large length. Fig. 4 shows an embodiment, where the laminar device 30b has an..- outer bevelled part 31b. This embodiment also achieves an abutment surface 35b against the lower delineation 23 of the groove which is primarily parallel to the delineation and thus the sought-after in¬ crease in the abutment surface against the lower delineation 23 of the groove, for distribution of the abutment force against a larger material region than is shown in fig. 2. The figure also shows how a supplementary anchoring of the panel 10 to the reception device 20 is disposed by means of a screw 19 which is recessed in the recep¬ tion device. The screw is countersunk in a hole 18 in the panel. This supplementary attachment is applied where unusually severe demands are made on secure anchoring of the panel against movement in the horizontal plane. Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the laminar device 30c where the attachment part 36 of the device for collaboration with the panel 10 is tubular, while the outer part 33 is primarily plate-shaped. Fig. 6 shows an embodiment, where the panel 10a has a central, stable-shape and supporting part 11 which is enclosed in its edge regions by a frame 15a and where the laminar devices 30 are attached to the central supporting part. Fig. 7 shows an embodiment, where the panel has a supporting frame 15b which encloses existing material 16 within the frame, e.g. in¬ sulating material, panel boards, sound-dampening boards etc. The laminar devices 30 are thereby attached to the frame. The embodiments shown in figs. 6 and 7 of the panel 10 and the asso- ciated attachments of the laminar devices 30 also shown are specially suited to be used when the panel forms the rear of a cupboard, ward¬ robe, wall shelf unit etc. The dimensions of the aforementioned laminar devices 30 are natural¬ ly matched to the material which is used in both the laminar devices and the reception devices. It will be seen from the foregoing des¬ cription that the invention only requires that the laminar devices be stable in shape in order that the aforementioned angular differ¬ ence between angledand angle p * is maintained with the load in the preferred embodiment, but that the laminar devices 1 shape may vary within wide limits in respect of both the part which collaborates with the reception device and that which collaborates with the panel. Angles Cl and ? are defined above in relation to the direction of the surfaces of the reception device and panel which face towards one another. In the embodiments shown this direction corresponds primarily to the direction of the vertical line. It is clear from the description that the invention is not restricted to the panel and the reception device turning primarily flat surfaces towards one another, but the invention is applicable even when said surfaces are disposed with "ridges" and "valleys" in wh-ich the panel and reception device abut one another. It is thereby essential that the angular difference between <χ and § is maintained in relation to a line equivalent to the aforementioned vertical line. In certain embodiments the reception device 20 comprises a separate device which (cf fig. 1) is affixed to the wall by e.g. screwing into position. The reception device is disposed preferably with a number of grooves located one above the other (cf fig. 1) in order to allow the panel 10 to be placed at the required level when it is suspended in the reception device 20. This facility for level selec- tion is especially important in the embodiment where the panel com¬ prises the supporting part (rear) of e.g. cupboards, wardrobes, shelf units that are suspended from the wall. It is evident to the expert that the combination of grooves and laminar devices in certain embodiments of the invention is alter- nated so that the groove is disposed in the panel and the laminar devices in the "reception". In those applications the bottom of the groove is as a rule upwards-facing. In addition to the foregoing description the invention is also revealed by the subsequent claims.

Claims: CLAI MS 1. Method for attachment of a first organ (10) to a second organ (20), characterised in that one of the organs is disposed with laminar devices (30) set at an oblique angle to adjacent sur¬ faces or edges of the organ, in that the second organ forms a reception device which is disposed with grooves corresponding to the laminar devices and set at an oblique angle to adjacent sur¬ faces of the reception device, whereby each groove has a width and a depth adapted to the dimensions of the laminar devices, and in that the organs are affixed relative to one another in that the laminar devices are inserted in the grooves whereby the organs are simultaneously locked relative to one another against movement primarily at right-angles to the relative movement of the organs when the laminar devices are inserted in the grooves. 2. Method as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the recep- tion device (20) is formed as a separate device which is affixed to the wall by e.g. nailing, screwing, glueing into position etc. 3. Device for attachment of a first organ (10) to a second organ (20), characterised in that the first organ has one or several attachment devices comprising laminar devices (30), extending outwards at an oblique angle to the sides or edges of the organ, for collaboration with grooves (21) disposed in the second or¬ gan, where the width and depth of each groove agrees primarily with equivalent values for the parts (31-33) of the laminar de- vices (30) which extend outwards from the first organ, that with the organs in position for collaboration with one another, the d rection of the laminar devices extending outwards from the first organ agrees primarily with the direction of the grooves, and that the thickness of the laminar devices is less than the width of the grooves in the second organ. 4. Device as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the minimum angle (oi) between the laminar devices and the adjacent surfaces or edges of the first organ is less than the corresponding angle ( β ) between the direction of the grooves and the adjacent surfaces or edges of the second organ. 5. Device as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the laminar devices (30) at their outer ends (31a) form a somewhat larger angle with adjacent surfaces of the devices in order to abut primarily flatly corresponding surfaces of the grooves (21) in the delineation (23) of the groove. 6. Device as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the laminar devices (30) at their outer ends (31b) are bevelled in order to form surfaces (35a) primarily in a plane with surfaces of the grooves (21) corresponding thereto in the delineation of the groove (23). 7. Device as claimed in one or several of Claims 3-6, characterised in that the laminar devices (30) or the grooves (21) are affixed to a central supporting device (11) of one of the organs and that said organ is enclosed in its edge regions by a frame (15a). 8. Device as claimed in one of Claims 3-7, characterised in that one of the organs (10,20) is disposed as a separate unit which is affixed to the device, e.g. a wall (26), on which the other organ is mounted. 9. Device as claimed in one or several of claims 3-8, characterised in that the laminar devices (30) are affixed to or the grooves are disposed in a supporting frame (15b) which encloses existing material (16) within the frame, e.g. insulating material, panel boards, sounddampening boards etc. S ' - ** *' ^^ x ' * 10. Device as claimed in one of Claims 3-8, characterised in that the laminar devices (30) are affixed to the rear of a cupboard, a bookcase or to a cladding panel for a wall.

Inventors: ARVIDSSON KJELL, ARVIDSSON, KJELL
Applicants: PROMACO I HALMSTAD AB, PROMACO I HALMSTAD AKTIEBOLAG
Application year: 1983
Main classification: E04B1
IPC codes: E04F13