Patent Description:
Such decorative panels are often produced from fibre cement, and may be provided with a textured front surface for decorative purposes and a smooth back surface. The panels are mounted on an exterior wall with the requirement that no or very limited traces are observable of the attachment means applied to attach the panels. Attachment systems in use today include systems wherein hangers are fixed to the back surface of a panel, allowing the panel to be mounted on a framework of vertical and horizontal support profiles (also referred to as rails) mounted on the wall. While these systems are effective and show no outward trace of the attachment means, the use of vertical and horizontal rails represents an important material cost and increases the complexity of the installation procedure. The hangers are attached to the back of the panel by bolt connections or by clamping the hangers into horizontal grooves processed in the back surface of the panel. However, this makes the re-use of a panel difficult or impossible, as it may require drilling additional holes or processing additional grooves into the back of the panel. The hangers also represent fixation points which do not allow for expansion of the panel in the height direction, as a consequence of important temperature changes for example. This may cause excessive stress build-up in the panel, possibly leading to crack formation.

Some systems use only horizontal support profiles directly fixed to the wall, but this requires very accurate attachment of these profiles to the wall, which can easily lead to incorrect installations. Also, using only horizontal rails may restrict the dimensions of the cavity behind the panels, leading to problems in terms of the required airflow in such cavities.

An attachment system and a support bracket according to the preamble of claim <NUM> or <NUM> is known from <CIT>.

The invention aims to provide solutions to the above problems. This aim is achieved by an attachment system and an installation method as disclosed in the appended claims.

The invention is in particular related to an attachment system comprising one or more panels provided with pairs of mutually parallel grooves through the back surface of the panels while not going through the full thickness of the panel, the system further comprising a plurality of support profiles and a plurality of support brackets. The support profiles comprise at least a portion having an L-shaped section comprising a first leg portion and a second leg portion, so that the support profiles may be attached vertically to a wall with the second leg portion oriented at a (non-zero) distance from the wall and parallel thereto.

In accordance with the invention, the support brackets each comprise an assembly of a first and a second bracket profile, each including a leg portion for fixation into a groove and a wall portion extending away from the leg portion and, after assembly, from the panel. At least two of the brackets attached to a panel are provided with elongated portions configured to extend beyond the upper edge of the panel, enabling the fixation of these brackets and thereby of the panel to the vertical support profiles attached to the wall.

The invention is related also to a support bracket as defined in claim <NUM> and to a method of mounting a panel using an attachment system as described above as defined in claim <NUM>.

The attachment system requires only vertical support profiles fixed to a wall and thereby represents an improvement over many existing systems in terms of material cost and installation complexity. The grooves are oriented vertically when the panels are installed on a wall, making the exact positioning of the brackets in the height direction of the panel less critical. The mounting of a panel is straightforward, as the correct horizontal position is automatically reached when the leg portions of the support profiles become inserted into the half-closed spaces of the brackets when the panel is shifted horizontally with respect to the vertical support profiles.

In one embodiment, at least two support brackets comprise an elongated planar portion configured to extend beyond the upper edge of the panel and overlap the second leg portion of the L-section of at least two respective support profiles, when the brackets are mounted on the panel and the panel has been moved horizontally. This embodiment enables to fix the at least two elongated portions to the second leg portion of the L-section of said at least two respective support profiles.

In one further implementation, only the support brackets mounted near the upper edge of the panel are fixed, for example by screw connections, to the support profiles, while the lower brackets are not secured to said profiles in the vertical direction while still maintaining the panel at a fixed distance from the wall. This means that the panel is free to expand and retract in the height direction so that stress build-up and cracking is avoided.

Preferably, the wall portion of the second bracket profile is shorter than the wall portion of the first bracket profile as seen in a first main extension direction of the bracket profiles being perpendicular to the back side of the panel. In other words, the two bracket profiles mutually differ as to their top portion. This has been found effective to create the said half-closed space and to facilitate an aperture so that the second leg-portion of the support profile can slide in.

In one specific implementation the half-closed space is generated in that the transversal portion of the first bracket profile is a planar portion extending at an essentially right angle to the wall portion of the first bracket profile. Furthermore, the transversal portion of the second bracket profile comprises a first slanted planar portion extending at an obtuse angle with respect to the wall portion of the second bracket profile, and further a second planar portion that is essentially perpendicular to the wall portion of the second bracket profile, forming an acute angle with the slanted portion.

Preferably, the transversal planar portion of the first bracket profile and the second planar portion of the second bracket profile are at different height levels relative to a base plane corresponding to the back side of the panel after mounting the bracket thereto, so as to allow the second leg portion of the L-section of a support profile to slide between said planar portions, into said half-closed space.

In again a further implementation, the elongated planar portion of said at least two brackets is uniform with the transversal portion of the first bracket profile of said at least two brackets. Said elongated planar portion constitutes an extension of said transversal portion.

The grooves are preferably made significantly longer than the length of the brackets, providing much flexibility in terms of the positioning the brackets. This makes it also easier to re-use a panel as the re-positioning of brackets requires no additional processing of the panel.

The structure of the brackets allows for the brackets to be made sufficiently high so that the cavity behind the panels can be large enough to provide a required airflow.

The bracket profiles are preferably made by means of extrusion, and more preferably comprise a metal, so as to ensure sufficient strength. Aluminum is a preferred choice. However, it is not excluded that use is made of composites, such as matrix materials reinforced with particles and/or fibers. Alternatively manufacturing techniques such as insert molding, transfer molding and 3D-printing are not excluded.

The figures illustrate exemplary embodiments only and are not limiting the scope of the invention. Equal reference numerals in different figures refer to equal or corresponding parts.

<FIG> shows a single panel <NUM> mounted on a vertical wall <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Only one panel is shown in order to illustrate the invention, but it is to be understood that in most cases the wall is to be fully covered by multiple panels, with a small clearance between adjacent panels.

As seen in <FIG>, the attachment system of the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises, apart from the panel <NUM>, a plurality of L-sectioned support profiles <NUM> which are mounted vertically on the wall <NUM>. The way in which the L-profiles <NUM> are fixed to the wall is not shown, but this may be done in any way known in the art, for example by attaching the L-profiles to anchors fixed to the wall. Regardless of how the L-profiles are mounted, the cross-section of each of these profiles <NUM> comprises a first leg portion <NUM> that is essentially perpendicular to the wall <NUM> and a second leg portion <NUM> positioned at a distance from the wall <NUM> and oriented essentially parallel thereto. Any support rails equivalent to an L-profile, in terms of comprising the first and second leg portions <NUM> and <NUM> can be used, for instance T-profiles or U-profiles with one of the upstanding legs of the 'U' fixed to the wall <NUM>. What counts is that an 'L-shaped section' of the support profiles <NUM> extends outward from the wall, said L-shaped section comprising the leg portions <NUM> and <NUM> oriented as described above. The support profiles <NUM> may be profiles that are already known today for use as vertical or horizontal support rails, i.e. no dedicated support profile design is required. The length of the leg portions <NUM> and <NUM> may be equal to each other or slightly different, as is the case in the enclosed drawings. As seen in <FIG>, the panel <NUM> is attached to the second leg portion <NUM> of two adjacent profiles <NUM> by two connections <NUM>, preferably screw connections.

<FIG> is a view from the top, revealing the additional attachment means hidden behind the panel <NUM>. It is seen that four support brackets <NUM> are attached to the back surface of the panel <NUM>. Each bracket <NUM> is mounted into a pair of mutually parallel grooves <NUM>, and the brackets are coupled to the second leg portion <NUM> of the support profiles <NUM>, in a manner that will be detailed further in this description. To explain how the brackets <NUM> may be shaped and assembled, in accordance with one specific embodiment of the invention, reference is made to <FIG>. Nevertheless, the provision of a bracket comprising at least two bracket profiles each having a leg portion extending into a groove and with a wall portion extending away therefrom is known per se. <CIT> for instance discloses in <FIG> a system with grooves including oblique angles relative to the back side of the panel. The bracket profiles include an essentially S-shaped bottom part, wherein the utmost end constitutes the leg portion, which includes a sharp angle relative to a base portion. The wall portion is continued from the base portion at an approximately right angle therewith. The two wall portions are mutually secured by means of a screw and bolt fixture.

<FIG> shows the panel <NUM> with the four brackets <NUM> attached thereto, before the panel is mounted to the wall. The panel <NUM> may be a fibre cement panel having a thickness of about <NUM> for example, and more generally in the range of <NUM>-<NUM>, although the invention is applicable to panels of all sizes, thicknesses and materials. In the particular embodiment shown, it is seen that four pairs of mutually parallel grooves <NUM> have been processed into the back of the panel <NUM>. In general, a minimum of two pairs of mutually parallel grooves can be used depending on the size of the panel and engineering design calculations. In an <NUM>-mm panel, the depth of the grooves <NUM> is preferably about <NUM> to <NUM> deep. The grooves have parallel side walls extending essentially perpendicularly to the back surface of the panel <NUM>. The length of the grooves <NUM> is sufficient for receiving the brackets <NUM> therein, preferably exceeding the length of the brackets to a considerable degree, so that some flexibility is provided for the placement of the brackets <NUM> in the length direction of the grooves <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the pairs of grooves <NUM> are aligned along two lines A and B which will be oriented vertically when the panel <NUM> is mounted to the wall. The two brackets mounted close to the upper edge <NUM> of the panel comprise elongated plate portions <NUM> which extend beyond said upper edge <NUM>. The extending ends of these plate portions <NUM> are visible in <FIG>. Through these ends, the connections <NUM> are applied for attaching the panel <NUM> to the support profiles <NUM>. Near the lower edge <NUM> of the panel, two brackets <NUM> are mounted which are not provided with the elongated portion <NUM>.

Before explaining how the panel <NUM> is mounted to the wall, the brackets <NUM> are described in more detail as well as the manner in which the brackets are assembled. <FIG> shows a detailed view of one of the brackets <NUM> mounted near the lower edge <NUM> of the panel <NUM>. The bracket consists of an assembly of two bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM>, which may be formed of extruded aluminium for example. Each bracket profile <NUM>, <NUM> comprises a number of plate-shaped sub-portions, starting with a base portion <NUM>, a leg portion <NUM> extending downward from about the middle of the base portion <NUM>, and a wall portion <NUM> extending upward from the edge of the base portion <NUM>. The wall portions <NUM> are provided with respective grooves <NUM> and ridges <NUM> which fit together when the wall portions <NUM> are placed against each other, with the base portions <NUM> at the same level. The wall portions <NUM> further comprise facing holes <NUM> through which connectors <NUM> are inserted which secure the bracket profiles <NUM>, <NUM> together. These connectors may be rivets <NUM> as shown, or they may be bolt connections, screw connections or any other suitable connector type. As discussed before, this base structure of the bracket <NUM> is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Alternative base structures may be applied in combination with the inventive concept of creating a half-closed space into which the second leg portion of an L-shaped section of the support profile may be inserted by sliding.

The bracket profiles <NUM>, <NUM> further comprise transversal portions at the top of the wall portions <NUM> (i.e. at the side opposite the base portions <NUM>). The first bracket profile <NUM> comprises a transversal portion <NUM> that is a rectangular plate element oriented essentially perpendicularly to the wall portion <NUM> of the first bracket profile <NUM>. The second bracket profile <NUM> comprises a transversal portion comprising a first plate portion <NUM> extending at an obtuse angle from the wall portion <NUM> of the second bracket profile <NUM>, the latter wall portion being shorter (as seen in the direction perpendicular to the base portion <NUM>) than the wall portion of the first bracket profile <NUM>, and at the top of the angled portion <NUM> a planar portion <NUM> that is essentially perpendicular to the wall portions <NUM> of both bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM> (i.e. essentially parallel to portion <NUM>) and that forms an acute angle with the angled portion <NUM>. The latter planar portion <NUM> of the second bracket profile <NUM> is located at a higher level from the base portions <NUM>, compared to the transversal portion <NUM> of the first bracket profile <NUM> so that the transversal portions define a half-closed space <NUM> into which a planar plate element can be slidably inserted. The term 'half-closed' is applicable to the cross-section of the assembled bracket <NUM>, as illustrated in the section view of <FIG> : the space <NUM> is open on the side of the first bracket profile <NUM>, and closed on the side of the second bracket profile <NUM>. As seen in the drawing, the space <NUM> is preferably closed on said latter side by a short wall portion <NUM> that interconnects the portions <NUM> and <NUM>.

The width and height (in the direction perpendicular to the base portion <NUM>) of the leg portions <NUM> are matched to the width and depth of the grooves <NUM> so that the leg portions <NUM> can be inserted manually in said grooves, preferably being able to be inserted fully in the grooves <NUM>, so that the base portions <NUM> are lying against the back surface of the panel <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown, the leg portions <NUM> of the profiles are provided with gripping teeth <NUM> extending along the full length of the leg portions <NUM>, the teeth <NUM> being present on the mutually facing sidewalls of the leg portions <NUM>. Still in the embodiment shown, said mutually facing sidewalls comprise a first portion <NUM> near the base portion <NUM> of the respective profiles, the first portion having no teeth produced thereon, followed by the three teeth <NUM>. This way of producing the teeth <NUM> has been proven optimal in the case of a fibre-cement panel and represents a preferred embodiment of the teeth <NUM> on the leg portions <NUM>. For a panel having a thickness of about <NUM>, it is preferable to provide three teeth as shown, wherein the width of each tooth is of the order of <NUM>. For thicker panels, the number of teeth having this same width may be increased. The invention is however not limited to this embodiment, and includes embodiments involving other configurations and dimensions of teeth or equivalent gripping aids, as well as leg portions that are not provided with gripping aids, and which are clamped mainly by friction between the leg portions <NUM> and the sidewalls of the grooves <NUM>.

The assembly of the brackets <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>, illustrating the assembly of one of the brackets mounted close to the upper edge <NUM> of the panel, and comprising the elongated portion <NUM>. In this embodiment, the elongated portion <NUM> is a uniform extension of the transversal portion <NUM> of the first bracket profile <NUM>. According to other embodiments, the elongated portion <NUM> could be a separate piece attached to the bracket before or after its assembly.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM> are placed together manually, by placing the ridges <NUM> of the first bracket profile <NUM> into the corresponding grooves <NUM> of the second bracket profile <NUM>, and with the holes <NUM> of the two bracket profiles facing each other. The leg portions <NUM> of the bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM> are then inserted in the grooves <NUM> of one of the groove pairs, as illustrated in <FIG>.

When the bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM> are correctly positioned in the grooves <NUM>, they are secured to each other by inserting rivets <NUM> into the matching holes <NUM>, thereby pulling the profiles towards each other and clamping the leg portions <NUM> in the grooves <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The teeth <NUM> are pulled against the walls of the grooves <NUM>, ensuring thereby a sufficient clamping force. The bracket <NUM> may however be assembled also in different manner.

In one advantageous embodiment, the bracket profiles <NUM>, <NUM> are placed in such a way that part of the elongated portion <NUM> extends beyond the upper edge <NUM> of the panel <NUM> the length direction of the grooves <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>). Possibly a positioning aid could be used in the form of a block or other object having the desired length of the extending portion, so that the block may be placed against the upper edge <NUM>, thereby allowing to position the profiles correctly with respect to said upper edge. Alternatively, a marker could be produced on the elongated portion <NUM> itself, so that the marker can be aligned with the upper edge <NUM> for correctly positioning the profiles in the grooves <NUM>.

When all the brackets <NUM> are assembled and thereby attached to the back surface of the panel <NUM>, a panel as shown in <FIG> results, provided with four brackets <NUM>. The mounting of the panel <NUM> to the wall <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, an auxiliary profile <NUM> is preferably used. This auxiliary profile <NUM> may be an L-profile as shown, that is temporarily attached to the vertical support profiles <NUM>, for example by manually attachable and removable clamps (not shown), and positioned horizontally, preferably with the aid of a spirit level, at the required position of the lower edge of the panel <NUM>. The panel <NUM> is placed on the auxiliary profile <NUM> and shifted horizontally. This is illustrated in the top view shown in <FIG>.

The transversal portions <NUM> of the brackets <NUM> are placed in contact with the second leg portions <NUM> of the support profiles <NUM>, and then the panel is moved horizontally, until said leg portions <NUM> slide into the half-closed spaces <NUM> of the brackets <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. At this point, the panel is correctly positioned horizontally, and maintained at a fixed distance from the wall <NUM> at four locations by the brackets <NUM>. At this point also, the elongated portions <NUM> of the brackets <NUM> overlap the second leg portions <NUM> of the support profiles <NUM>.

The technician can then secure the panel <NUM> to the wall <NUM> by the connections <NUM> through said portions <NUM> and through said leg portions <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. These connections <NUM> may be any suitable fastening means, such as self-drilling screws for attaching metal plate elements without pre-drilling. Nevertheless, pre-formed holes may be present in the elongated portions <NUM> of the brackets to enable the use of other types of fasteners. The attached panel is thereby suspended from the support profiles <NUM> at two positions only, along the upper edge of the panel, leaving the panel free to expand and contract in the height direction.

As indicated already in a number of instances, the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings. The shape of the brackets may be different, within the boundaries of the characteristics included in the independent claims. For example, the transversal portions <NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM> of the bracket profiles <NUM> and <NUM> could have a different shape, while still allowing the second leg portion <NUM> of the support profiles to be inserted in the half-closed space <NUM> defined by said transversal portions. A few examples of such alternative shapes are shown in <FIG>. In both drawings, the half-closed space <NUM> is indicated into which the second leg <NUM> of the support profiles <NUM> may be slidably inserted. Various other alternatives may be devised by the skilled person, all falling within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

The number of brackets <NUM> applied to a panel <NUM> may be different than four. More than four brackets may be required for attaching a large panel for example.

Claim 1:
An attachment system for attaching panels (<NUM>) to a wall (<NUM>), wherein at least one of said panels (<NUM>) has a front surface, a back surface, an upper edge (<NUM>) and a lower edge (<NUM>), and is provided with multiple pairs of mutually parallel grooves (<NUM>) through the back surface of the panel, which attachment system comprises:
- at least two support profiles (<NUM>) configured to be fixed vertically to the wall and shaped so that an L-shaped section (<NUM>,<NUM>) of the support profiles, extends outward from the wall (<NUM>) when the profiles are fixed thereto, said section comprising a first leg portion (<NUM>) and a second leg portion (<NUM>), with the first leg portion (<NUM>) oriented transversely with respect to the wall and the second leg portion (<NUM>)at a distance from the wall and essentially parallel thereto,
- a plurality of support brackets (<NUM>) configured for fixation into the grooves, each support bracket comprising an assembly of a first and a second bracket profile (<NUM>, <NUM>), each including a leg portion for fixation into a groove and a wall portion extending away from the leg portion and, after assembly, from the panel,
characterised in that each pair of grooves (<NUM>) are configured to be oriented in the vertical direction when the panel (<NUM>) is mounted to the wall (<NUM>),
and in that the first and second bracket profiles (<NUM>,<NUM>) each comprise at least one transversal portion (<NUM>;<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) at the top of the respective wall portions (<NUM>), the transversal portions being shaped so as to form a half-closed space (<NUM>) when the bracket (<NUM>) is assembled, into which half closed space the second leg portion (<NUM>) of the L-section of a support profile (<NUM>) can be slidably inserted, thereby enabling the panel (<NUM>) provided with multiple assembled brackets (<NUM>) to be moved horizontally relative to the support profiles (<NUM>) until the second leg portion (<NUM>) of the L-section of at least two support profiles slides into the half-closed spaces (<NUM>) of a plurality of brackets.