LEAD-THROUGH STRUCTURE FOR A WALL

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lead-through structure for a wall, said structure comprising two frame like parts interconnecting from each side of said wall, a first male part (10) comprising a set of locking tongues (11, 11A) extending from a circumferential plane oriented in the general direction of said wall towards said wall and extending in the direction of corresponding edges of said frame, said locking tongues (11, 11A) interacting with counter slots located, recessed against said wall, in a female second part (1) and being directed in the direction of said edge of said frame. Each locking tongue (11, 11A) comprises at least one locking claw (17) extending essentially in the direction of a corresponding edging (3) of said frame, said claw (17) extending from the side surface of said tongue. Each counter slot (6) comprises at least one counter shoulder (7) co-operating with said locking claw (17), said counter shoulder (7) also extending in the direction of said corresponding edging (3) of said frame. The invention is especially useful as a window framing in walls or the like having a sandwich structure.

Description: Lead-through structure for a wall The present invention relates to a lead-through structure for a wall, said structure comprising two frame like parts inter¬ connecting from each side of said wall, a first male part comprising a set of locking tongues extending from a circum¬ ferential plane oriented in the general direction of said wall towards said wall and extending in the direction of cor¬ responding edge of said frame, said locking tongues, directed in the direction of a respective edge of said frame, inter¬ acting with counter slots or notches located in a female second part, said slots or notches being recessed against said wall and extending in the direction of said edge of said frame. Such lead-through structures are known especially in inte¬ grated window and door structures, where two part frame like edge structures manufactured from metal or plastic are pushed against each other during installation at an opening made in said wall, and frame parts located on opposite sides of said wall becoming interlocked by respective locking elements, to form a lead-through structure, at least to one of said frames often being associated with an integral window or the like structure to be mounted in said wall. The advantage of integral structures to be interconnected by pushing from both sides of a wall primarily resides in pro¬ viding a simple and quick installation. Same parts will often fit, with respect to their locking mechanism, to walls, the thickness of which may sometimes vary. International patent application WO 90/12187 discloses a struc¬ ture of the kind described, said structure having a tooth system on the short sides of longish flat locking tongues. Such a structure may be preferable to manufacture, but the grip of locking toothing engaging at a very narrow area is weak, and thus the structure may be easily broken up, so that a burglar may have access through said wall via said opening. In order to improve the security against burglary and the versatility of the structure the inventive structure has been developed, the characterizing features of which will be evi¬ dent from the appended claims. Thus the invention is charac¬ terized by each locking tongue comprising at least one locking claw extending essentially in the direction of the cor¬ responding edging of said frame, said claw extending from the side surface of said tongue and generally in the direction of the plane of said wall, and by each counteracting slot or notch comprising a counter shoulder co-operating with said locking claw, said counter shoulder also extending in the direction of said corresponding edging of said frame. The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawing, where Figure 1 shows the general arrangement of a structure according to the invention, and Figure 2 shows, in an enlarged scale, details of Figure 1 and partially in section how a tongue according to the invention will co-operate with a corresponding oblong slot or notch. In Fig 1 there is shown two frame like parts 1 and 10, one of which, usually the one which will be located on the outer side of said wall, functionally is a female frame part 1 comprising a flange 2 generally extending around said opening in said wall, and an edging 3 extending therefrom in an essentially perpendicular direction with respect to said flange and pro¬ truding into said opening and generally following the sides of said opening. At the sides directed toward the center of said said flange 2, which clearly will improve the strength of said structure, as hereafter will be more closely described. Correspondingly, each locking tongue 11, 11A at said male frame part 10 comprises at least one locking claw 17 extending at said long side of the respective locking tongue 11, 11A generally in the longitudinal direction of said locking tongue, i. e. in the direction of the frame edge associated with said tongue. Preferably several locking claws 17 are arranged one above the other so that a corresponding counter shoulder 7 meets each one of successive locking claws 17 when said locking tongue during the installation is pushed into the counter slot. Thus the section of said locking tongues will be generally saw-tooth shaped, as will be more closely evident from the section shown in Figure 2. At the installation a corresponding claw plane 18 arranged transversely with respect to the locking direction of each locking claw 17 will co¬ operate with a claw plane arranged transversely with respect to the locking direction of said counter shoulder 7 in said counter slot 6 so that said locking tongue 11 with at least one of its locking claws 17 " may be interlocked behind said claw plane of said counter shoulder 7. In one embodiment of the invention counter shoulders 7 are also arranged succes¬ sively in a corresponding manner, whereby several successive locking claws 17 in an ideal situation correspondingly will grip behind successive counter shoulders 7, whereby the locking will be very tenable. At the installation, said frame parts 1, 10 will be placed close to said opening made in said wall structure, one on each side thereof, so that said female frame part 1 will be located close to the edges of said opening, preferably at the outer side of said wall structure, and said edging 3 of said frame part will extend into said opening and the inner side 4 of said edging forms an edge skirt which covers the structure of said opening. Said flange 2 will then be located against the surface of said wall structure. Said opening in said wall structure should be so large that said beam like edge portion 5 also will remain within said opening, whereby, in practice, a set or row of counter slots will be formed at said opening in said wall structure, said slots thus extending in the vicinity of the edges of said opening essentially in the di¬ rection of said edges between said wall surface 4 and said wall structure. Said second male frame part 10 will now be positioned at said opening from the opposite direction whereby said locking tongues 11, 11A will be aligned into corresponding counter slots 6. Under the force of an evenly pushing movement said locking tongues 11, 11A will enter into said counter slots 6 so that said locking claw or claws 17 and their claw planes 18 will be disposed behind said counter shoulder 7 in a cor¬ responding slot 6 of said female frame part 1, and said frame parts 1 and 10 will be interlocked. When the arrangement is observed in an installation direction perpendicular to said wall structure and thus also perpendicular to the plane of each frame each locking tongue 11, 11A and/or counter slot 6 preferably comprises several successive locking claws 17 and/or counter shoulders 7, respectively, whereby any possible divergences in the thickness of said wall will cause no harm nor render the installation work more difficult. In the installation procedure each frame part 1, 10 will be pushed hard against said wall, whereby each frame part pre¬ ferably comprises edge lips 19, 19A or the like, which seal, on one hand, against said wall and on the other hand against for example a window or the like to be installed. Since said edge lips 19, 19A are slightly resilient a certain fitting clearance will be achieved simply with this arrangement, with respect to the thickness of said wall. If said locking tongues 11 and/or counter recesses 6 comprise several successive locking claws 17 and/or counter slots 6, correspondingly, seen in the installation pushing direction, one and the same frame arrangement may be adapted for wall structures, the thickness of which may diverge even considerably from the nominal. In order to facilitate the installation it is preferable, that one flank surface 20 of said locking claws 17 of each locking tongue 11, 11A to be pushed during installation against the other frame part, and/or correspondingly the flank surface of said counter shoulder 7 co-operating therewith, is inclined, preferably so that each locking tongue 11, 11A and/or counter shoulder 7 has a saw tooth formed section, seen in a direction perpendicular the direction of the edge of said frame, as will be more closely evident from the embodiment shown in the drawing. Preferably each locking claw 17 is located at that side of said locking tongue 11, 11A which is facing the center of said opening, whereby said counter shoulder, facing away from the center of said opening, correspondingly will be located at that side of said counter slot 6, which side is facing the center of said opening. This structure enables the locking forces to run as straight as possible and thus with only a slight bending moment from one frame part to the other. Said locking tongue 11, 11A itself suitably has a generally flat shape, but according to one preferable embodiment of the invention the section of said tongue 11, 11A seen in a di¬ rection transverse to the direction of said edge is, at least to some parts, slightly wedged so that the thickness of said locking tongue 11, 11A at the front end portion 21 is smaller and, correspondingly, its root portion 22 adjoining said flange 12 of said frame part 10 is thicker. Thus said tongue 11, 11A entering into said counter slot 6 will be wedged with its locking claw 17 against said counter shoulder 7 of said counter slot 6. Simultaneously said tongue will be wedged against the wall 8 of said beam like structure 5 defined by said counter slot 6, or against a special exaction surface arranged there. Said wall 8 or exaction surface is suitably slightly resilient in the direction of the plane of said frame, the interlocking thus being especially firm. Alter¬ natively said locking tongue 11, 11A itself may be arranged to be slightly resilient, so that said wall 8 will force said front end 21 of said locking tongue 11, 11A against the op¬ posite wall 4 and against the counter shoulder located there. The wedge-like form is suitably provided by making said tongue front end portion 21 entering said counter slot 6 narrower, in a section transverse to said edging 3, than said root portion 22 of said tongue 11, said wedge like portion the co-operating with said walls 4 and 8 of said counter recess 6. As such the wedge-like form of said locking tongue 11, 11A is preferably provided by wedged ribs 23 suitably located at spaced dis¬ positions on each tongue back surface facing away from said locking claws 17, said ribs 23 preferably being located at least at both edges of each tongue 11, 11A. Above an arrangement is described, wherein locking claws are located especially at that side of each locking tongue 11, 11A, which is facing the center of said opening. The in¬ vention, however, also covers embodiments having locking claws 17 arranged on the opposite side of each locking tongue 11, 11A, either together with said first mentioned locking claws, or instead of these. In one embodiment locking claws 17 are arranged in such a manner that successive locking tongues 11, 11A have claw arrangements which differ from each other. In all said embodiments the counter shoulders 7 of each counter slot 6 are arranged at side walls 4, 8 corresponding to the location of the respective locking claws 17. During the installation there is provided a flange structure surrounding an opening which structure suitably is connected with for example a window glazing or the like structure, dif- fering from the normal structure of the wall. Preferably the window glazing is then attached e. g. by gluing or double sided tape to said female outer frame part, at which corresponding sealing shoulders 25, 25A or rebates suitably are arranged. Especially for windows or the like closed structures it is important that it is as hard as possible to break the flange. In order to make it difficult to locate and break said locking tongues 11, e.g. by drilling, the inventive frame structure is preferably arranged in such a manner that the locations of said locking tongues 11 cannot be seen on the outer surface of said flange. Thus a preferable embodiment of said structure, which is preferably manufactured of plastic, is so arranged that at said flange 12 the surface facing away from the wall comprises a groove or the like formation 24, along which said locking tongues 11 are located inside said flange 12. When said tongues 11 are located at such a formation no visible molding shrinkage trace of said tongue 11 will form on the flange surface. Simultaneously said flange will be slightly resilient, which also facilitates the installation. Some specially preferred embodiments of the invention are described above, but it should be clear, that the invention may also be altered in many other ways within the scope of the appending claims, and the invention is not restricted only to the embodiments shown here. Especially the scope of the in¬ vention comprises the use of the aforesaid structure as a window framing, especially in relatively thin sandwich struc¬ tures in door or the like arrangements.

Claims: Claims 1. A lead-through structure for a wall, which structure com¬ prises two frame like parts interconnecting from both sides of said wall, a first male part (10) comprising a set of locking tongues (11, 11A) extending from a frame plane being generally parallel to the surface of said wall and being generally directed along a corresponding edge of said frame, said locking tongues (11, 11A) co-operating with counter slots located in a female second part (1) and being recessed towards said wall and generally directed along an edge of said frame, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each locking tongue (11, 11A) comprises at least one locking claw (17) directed gene¬ rally in the direction of the corresponding edging (3) of said frame, said locking claw (17) extending outwards from the side surface of said tongue (11, 11A), and that each counter slot (6) comprises at least one counter shoulder (7) co-operating with said locking claw (17) and likewise extending generally in the direction of said corresponding edging (3) of said frame. 2. A structure according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that several locking claws (17) are arranged successively, as seen in an attachment direction extending from the flange plane of said frame part (10) in a direction towards the edge (21) of said tongue (11, 11A). 3. A structure according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the flank surface (20) of said locking claw (17) at each locking tongue (11, 11A) of a first frame like part (10), which flank surface during installation is movable against a second frame like part (1), and/or a flank surface of a counter shoulder (7) correspondingly co-operating there¬ with, is inclined, preferably so that each locking tongue (11, 11A) and/or counter shoulder (7) is generally of a saw tooth shape, seen in a section transverse to the direction of the corresponding edge of said frame. 4. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that each locking claw (17) is located at that side of a corresponding locking tongue (11, 11A), which is directed towards the center of the opening in said wall, and that a counter shoulder (7) correspondingly is located on that side of said counter slot (6), which is formed by an essentially unbroken edge skirt (4) of said female frame part (1), said edge skirt being directed towards the center of said opening, and said counter shoulder (7) suitably being directed away from said opening. 5. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that each locking tongue (11, 11A) is generally flat, whereby a locking claw or preferably claws (17) are arranged suitably as a beam like formation in the direction of the front edge portion (21) of said locking tongue (11, 11A). 6. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that the section of said locking tongue (11, 11A) in a transverse direction, with respect to the edging (3) of said frame, is at least to some portions slight¬ ly wedge-like so that a tongue (11, 11A) entering, with its narrower front tip (21), into said counter slot (6) will be wedged with its locking claw (17) against a counter shoulder (7) or shoulders of said counter slot (6), and correspondingly against a suitably slightly resilient outer exaction surface directed along an edging (3) defined by said counter slot (6), preferably against an outer wall (8) of said edging (3). 7. A structure according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said wedging is formed by wedge-like ribs (23) suitably located in spaced apart relationship at a back sur- face facing away from of the locking claws (17) of a cor¬ responding locking tongue (11, 11A), said wedge like ribs (23) suitably being located at the edges of said tongue (11, 11A). 8. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that the a portion (22) of each locking tongue (11, 11A) is located at a groove (24) running at the frame surface and facing away from said wall and being recessed from said frame surface. 9. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that said lead-through structure com¬ prises one or more window glasses, whereby preferably at least one glass is arranged by glue or double sided tape or the like attachment to a sealing shoulder (25, 25A), rebate or the like arranged suitably at said female second part (1).

Inventors: VIRTANEN ANTTI JAAKKO, VIRTANEN, ANTTI, JAAKKO
Applicants: MESVAC OY, VIRTANEN ANTTI JAAKKO
Application year: 1993
Main classification: E06B1
IPC codes: E06B1, E06B3