PROCESS FOR CONNECTING FLAT ELEMENTS MADE OF GLASS OR PLASTIC

Abstract: The invention may be applied in the furniture sector, in particular in the manufacturing of fittings with or without metal or plastic grids (4). The described system requires the beam (2) to be fixed to each glass or plastic laminar element (1); then two or more laminar elements (1) are joined and/or each laminar element (1) is joined to one or more support element of the piece of furniture or fittings. The edge of each laminar element (1) is inserted into a beam (2); the lateral cross section of the beam, preferably C or U-shaped, is placed so as to face the laminar element (1). Each glass or plastic laminar element (1) is then joined to one or more laminar element (1) and/or to one or more support elements by means of coupling joints (5) or directly fixed with a groove-and-tongue joint or glued.

Description: PROCESS FOR CONNECTING FLAT ELEMENTS MADE OF GLASS OR PLASTIC Technical Field The invention may be applied in the furniture and fitting sector, in particular in the manufacturing of windows and doors with or without metal or plastic grids in the glazing. The technique to join pieces of coloured glass to form artistic leaded lights dates back in time. The pieces of glass were shaped and joined with lead. This joining technique has gradually gone out of use for several reasons: the style has changed, the complex crafting technique(cutting of glass according to the suitable size, melting of lead, ect.) entails very high costs, the arrangement of the pieces of glass can be changed only by replacing part of the leaded light, ect. Ancient style however is coming into fashion again and consumers require furniture and fittings decorated with plates made of glass or of other modern material such as plastic. Therefore, two techniques have been devised. The first requires the lining of the edges of glass plates with a thin layer of copper; the copper is tinned and thus the plates are joined. The second technique is based on the beams inserted into the glazing of doors and windows. In fitting manufacturing, metal or plastic grids are often inserted between two glass panes for decorating purposes only. Grids are composed of parts of beams fixed by internal or external joints. These joints may have all possible shapes according to the angles of their arms, but the most common shapes are the cross-shape with right angles, the X-shape, the T-shape, the L-shape, the Y-shape and arched shape. Thus, squares, triangles, circles and other geometrical shapes are formed. The second technique requires the glass plates to be inserted into the lateral (radial) grooves of these beams and thus framed. Finally, the above mentioned glass or plastic laminas can be joined together - 2 - or to other fittings by means of suitable glues. These techniques however have drawbacks. The position of glass or plastic laminas cannot be changed; moreover, the position of the glass or plastic laminas cannot be determined freely in order to limit the number of components and keep costs down. Disclosure of Invention The objective of the invention lays in devising a system whereby each single plastic or glass lamina can be joined to another lamina or to the support element of the fitting or piece of furniture easily and quickly thus overcoming the rigidity of existing techniques; moreover, glass or plastic lamina can be new, modular and independent decorating elements. A further objective is the manufacturing of furniture and fittings using laminas of coloured glass or plastic which constitute fine decorations and do not alter the transparency of light. All these objectives are achieved through the system which is the subject- matter of the invention. The system requires beams or rolled sections to be fixed to one or more edges of each glass or plastic laminar element. That is, the edge of the laminar element is inserted into a suitable C or U-beam. Beams are made by extrusion. They may however be made by forming a rolled section in one piece or in several parts which would combine when inserted into the laminar element and will thus form a complete beam. The laminar element is fixed to the beam by means of glue or it is fixed to the beam or rolled section; in the latter case, the beam or the rolled section frames most of the edge of the laminar element. The various parts of the beam or rolled section and/or its edges are glued, welded or fixed. Subsequently, each glass or plastic laminar element is fixed to one or several laminar elements each equipped with beams (or rolled sections) and/or to one or several support elements of the fitting or the piece of furniture. Support elements may be beams made to this purpose and/or beams used in grids and/or frames and/or other parts of windows, outside or inside doors, partitions, pieces of furniture, mirrors, jewel boxes and any other appliance. Laminar elements are fixed to each other or to the above mentioned support elements by means of coupling joints or groove-and-tongue joints or pin-hole joints or screw-threaded hole or glue. The choice depends on the shape of the external lateral (radial) profile of beams or rolled sections fixed to the laminar elements and on the shape of the support elements. The shape of the external lateral (radial) profile of beams or rolled sections fixed to the laminar elements can either be identical, similar, complementary to or different from the shape of the other beams fixed to the laminar elements or from the shape of the support element fixed to the laminar elements. Beams fixed on each laminar element may be equipped with tongues, pins or any other projection matching the grooves or the appropriate holes of the support elements. In this case, laminar elements are fixed by means of an external cross joints like those used in the grids or new joints made to this purpose. Glass or plastic laminar elements may also be glued or welded to the cross joints. Beams or rolled sections which form the frames of laminar elements are shaped so as to limit the overlapping with the fittings and pieces of furniture as much as possible. Glass or plastic laminar elements may have all possible geometrical shapes: they may be triangular, square, rhomboidal, circular, semi-circular, elliptic, semi-elliptic, or irregular. They can be fixed in any point of the above mentioned support elements and also to right, acute, obtuse angles formed by crossed joints, X-joints, T-joints, L-joints, Y-joints and arched joints of these support elements. The advantages of the system are manifold: glass or plastic laminas are independent, they are easy to join and their arrangement may be determined when the fitting is assembled. The only limit to the choice of possible combinations lies in the user's imagination. A Brief Description of the Drawings Further features and advantages of the invention will be underlined in the description of the practical application of the system. This application is desired, but it is only one of the possible solutions, the attached drawings are intended as an example. - figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a beam suitable to frame glass laminar elements; - figure 2 is a cross sectional view of a glass laminar element framed by the above described beam; - figure 3 is a cross sectional view of a beam suitable to form either a window grid or a support element for the beam described in Fig. 1 ; - figure 4 is a cross sectional view of a coupling joint; - figures 5,6,7, 8, 9,10, 11 , 12, 13 and 14 are top views of framed glass laminar elements; - figure 15 is a cross sectional view of a laminar element joined to a beam of a window grid; - figure 16 is a cross sectional view of joined laminar elements; - figure 17 is a top view of a rolled section before forming; - figure 18 is a top view of the rolled section described in Fig. 17 after forming and framed in a laminar element; - figure 19 is a top view of two crossed beams with a laminar element framed in the rolled section described in Figs. 17 and 18; - figures 20 and 21 are top views of external X-shaped cross joints which may be framed either with identical or different laminar elements; - figures 22 and 23 are front views of windows with glass laminar elements fixed to the grids and/or to the external X-shaped cross joints. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention According to the system and as shown in the attached figures, each laminar element 1 is framed with a beam 2 made by extrusion. Framing is carried out by cutting the beam 2 according to the required size by means of the most suitable technique (cutting, milling or bending) in conjunction with the angles, the beam is then bent on the laminar element 1 ; its edges are either glued or welded. As shown in figures 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, the lateral (radial) shape of beam 2 is similar to the shape of beam 3 shown in figs. 3 and 15; beam 3 is suitable to form a grid 4 where the above described laminar elements 1 can be fixed. Two laminar elements 1 can be fixed by placing them side by side inserting the edges of a coupling joint into the external lateral (radial) hole of beam 2 and in one of the lateral (radial) hole of beam 3 of grid 4. Beam 2 shown in figs. 17, 18 and 19 is made by forming a thin plate. The plate is first cut so as to form two reversed parts which are bent: the plate is bent with right angles and thus two L-shaped rolled sections are obtained; subsequently, the unbent edges of the plate are bent by 180° along the symmetry axis thus obtaining a double-L-shaped or a C-shaped rolled section. The glass laminar element 1 is then framed and the two L-shaped rolled sections are fixed by fastening their two tongues. Tongues 6 are positioned almost on the same level, but they are orthogonal. Thus, beam 2 can be fixed by means of a cross-shaped cross joint. Tongues 6 are inserted in the lateral grooves of the two crossed beam 3. The two external cross joints are fixed at the conjunction thus fixing the two beams 3, the tongues 6 and the laminar element 1. Laminar elements 1 may be fixed to the external cross joints 7 by gluing or welding beams 2 to the external cross joints 7. The joining system thus devised may be modified in many ways but all variations are based on the main idea of the invention. Moreover, all details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

Claims: CLAIMS 1 - System to join laminar elements in glass or plastic and/or to join them to furniture and fittings characterised by the fact that a beam (2) or a rolled section is fixed to the lateral (radial) edges of each glass or plastic laminar element (1); laminar elements (1 ) are joined to other laminar elements (1) or to support elements such as beams made to this purpose and/or beams (3) for grids (4) and/or frames and/or other parts of fittings or any other piece of furniture; the edge of each laminar element (1 ) is inserted into the groove of a beam (2) or a rolled section preferably C-shaped or U-shaped; the laminar element (1) is glued or fixed to the beam (2) or the rolled section; the fixing is possible if the beam (2) covers most of the edge of the laminar element (1); the various parts of the beam (2) or the rolled section can be glued, welded or fixed; each glass or plastic laminar element (1) is then joined to other laminar elements (1) equipped with beams (2) or rolled sections and/or to one or more support elements of the fittings or the furniture; laminar elements (1) are joined to other laminar elements (1 ) or to support elements by means of coupling joints (5) or groove-and-tongue joints or pin-hole joints or screw-threaded hole joints or they may be glued depending on the shape of the external lateral (radial) profile of the beam (2) or the rolled section joined to the laminar element and on the shape of support elements; the external lateral (radial) shape of the beams (2) or rolled section joined to the laminar elements (1) can either be identical, similar, complementary to or different from the shape of the other beams framing the laminar elements or from the shape of support elements where laminar elements (1 ) are fixed. 2 - System to join laminar elements in glass or plastic and/or to join them to furniture and fittings, as in claim 1 , characterised by the fact that the beam (2) is made by extrusion, beam (2) may also be made by forming a rolled section in one piece or in several parts which would be combined when inserted into the laminar element (1) and will thus form a complete beam (2). 3 - System to join laminar elements in glass or plastic and/or to join them to furniture and fittings, as in claims 1 and 2, characterised by the fact that the beam (2) fixed on each laminar element (1) may be equipped with tongues (6), pins or any other projections matching the grooves and/or the appropriate holes in the support elements; thus the laminar element (1) is fixed on the support element by means of external cross joints (7). 4 - System to join laminar elements in glass or plastic and/or to join them to furniture and fittings, as in claims 1 , 2 and 3, characterised by the fact that the glass or plastic laminar elements can either be glued or welded to the external cross joints. 5 - System to join laminar elements in glass or plastic and/or to join them to furniture and fittings, as in claims 1 , 2, 3 and 4, characterised by the fact that it is based on the beams (2) to be fixed on each laminar element and the beams (3) suitable to form grids for fittings or for any other piece of furniture, and shaped as described in figures 1 , 2, 3, 15 and 16.

Inventors: CANDUSSO BRUNO, CANDUSSO, BRUNO
Applicants: CANDUSSO BRUNO, STRATO SRL, CANDUSSO, BRUNO, STRATO S.R.L.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B44F1
IPC codes: B44C5, B44F1