Hooking-on Profiles For The Attachment Of Wall Covering Fabrics

Abstract

Improvements to fixed and mobile elements for the hooking-on of wall cloths, consisting in providing said elements with at least one zone covered with protrusions in order to promote the adherence between the cloth and aforesaid hooking-on elements.

Description

In previous patents the applicant has disclosed a novel technique for the attachment of wall covering fabrics. This technique makes use of hooking-on elements which consist of extruded strips of plastic material, the longitudinal edges of which being both bent over to one same side.

One of these elements is preferably attached beforehand along two opposite edges of the wall to be covered; another element is attached to two opposite edges of the fabric and the latter is positioned by hooking aforesaid mobile elements into aforesaid fixed elements, this hooking-on operation being accompanied by a single or a multiple rotation upon themselves of aforesaid mobile sections, in accordance with the required tightness to be given to the fabric.

This technique has proved to be extremely efficient, easy, fast and economical.

The fixed and mobile hooking-on elements may present widely differing shapes and dimensions as disclosed in said previous patents, so that aforesaid technique can be duly adapted in accordance with the problems raised by the particular coverings to be made, whether the latter consist of one, two or even three layers.

It was discovered in practice, that for certain impregnated or nonimpregnated fabrics it was desirable to provide a supplementary hooking-on action between the fabric and the adjacent elements of the fixed and/or mobile elements. In the case of certain applications it was also deemed preferable not to attach the fabric and the adjacent parts of the mobile sections by gluing, which on the other hand may be perfectly sufficient for many other sorts of cloth.

In order to comply with this supplementary requirement, the present invention consists in providing all, or certain parts of the sections which are intended to come into contact with the fabric with protrusions which enter into the fabric in the course of the wall covering operations, thus leading systematically to an extremely effective hooking-on, respectively connection, between fabric and elements.

In a particular form of embodiment, which forms an integral part of the present invention, it is advised for certain hooking-on elements, and more particularly for the mobile elements, to orient said protrusions in two opposite directions, so that these protrusions project on the one hand towards the front, and on the other hand towards the rear of the same element.

In another particular embodiment of the present invention, such a mobile element with bi-directional protrusions is associated with a fixed section having monodirectional protrusions, i.e., having a zone of protrusions directed in one single sense.

It was found that by means of the cooperation of the various zones of protrusions thus directed, an extremely effective fixing of the cloth was obtained, without prejudice to the good preservation of same, and without prejudice either to the mobility of the system which permits the removal and replacement of cloths at will.

The shape, dimensions, density and distribution of these protrusions may of course vary widely in accordance with the sort of work to be carried out.

Merely as an example, forms of embodiment are hereinafter described in greater detail with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of two hooking-on elements to be used in mutual association;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the elements of FIG. 1 in two characteristic positions of installation;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show two alternatives to FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6 to 9 show perspective views of fragments of hooking-on elements; and

FIG. 10 shows, to a greatly enlarged scale, that part of FIG. 9 which is indicated by F 10.

As illustrated as example in FIGS. 1 to 5, the fixed element 1, i.e., the hooking-on elements which have previously to be fixed upon the wall to be covered, are characterized by the fact that they consist of strips, both longitudinal edges of which 2-3 being curled over so as to form hooking ledges. The rear face shall preferably be provided with anchoring elements 4.

According to the invention, the front face of aforesaid element 1 has a zone which is provided with protrusions 5.

The mobile elements 6 are also constructed in the shape of strips of which the two longitudinal edges 7-8 are curved in such a manner as to be able to cooperate by hooking on with fixed elements 1. Aforesaid mobile elements 6 are essentially characterized by the fact that, in the present case, they are provided on both dorsal and frontal faces with hooking protrusions, respectively 9 and 10.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, aforesaid protrusions are distributed in such a manner that the two zones which are provided with protrusions 9 are spaced at a distance which is larger than the height of the zone having protrusions 5 on the fixed element.

As schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one obtains by means of this lay-out that whilst a mobile element 6 is suspended to fixed element 1, a first cloth 11 is hooked unto protrusions 9 of that part of element 6 which is temporarily the lower one, whereas a second cloth 12 is hooked unto the protrusions 9 of that part of element 6 which is temporarily the upper one. When, by means of a rotary and translation motion of aforesaid element 6, the latter is brought into engagement with fixed element 1, as shown in FIG. 3, both cloths 11-12 are very effectively hooked on between the various protrusions and the corresponding adjacent parts respectively of elements 1 and 6 which are thus mutually associated.

In the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, the fixed element 1 consists of a continuous flat strip.

FIG. 4 shows a slightly varying alternative in which the fixed element 1, instead of being made out of a simple flat strip, is made out of a shaped strip of which the central portion 13, which corresponds to the zone covered by protrusions 5, is slightly pressed in so as to reduce by that much the contact surface with the wall upon which aforesaid fixed element 1 is attached.

The protrusions, which are the main subject of the present invention, can be given different shapes and dimensions.

In accordance with the schematic representation of FIG. 6, the protrusions may be provided as continuous ridges 14 with more or less triangular cross section. This shape is of interest as it permits the industrial fabrication of aforesaid hooking-on elements by extrusion, which is a fast and economical industrial process. On the other hand, as schematically shown in FIG. 7, protrusions 15 may be made by moulding, aforesaid protrusions having then for instance the shape of small cones or pyramids. As shown in FIG. 8, a similar result can be obtained by embossing the material, in which case the protrusions 16 will also be of a conical or prismatic shape, but will be hollow. As schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the protrusions can also be brought about by punching of the material.

In such a form of embodiment, as shown more particularly in FIG. 10, protrusions 17 consist mainly of the burrs left by the punching operation.

In a preferential form of embodiment, aforesaid punches will be of triangular cross-section, whereby the burrs will be aligned in three converging directions, which can be particularly favorable in order to assure good adhesion.

In a most general possible manner, the present invention concerns the fabrication of hooking-on elements for wall cloths, characterized by one or more zones of protrusions for the purpose of assuring or of reinforcing the adhesion between cloths and hooking-on elements.

The present invention also concerns all constructions, and more particularly wall coverings, which apply such fixed and mobile elements with protrusions.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A device for securing an edge of a flexible sheet, for example a fabric, to a wall surface, comprising:

a first elongated member having parallel longitudinal edges defining, respectively, a first portion of a separable hinge and a first locking portion, said first member having a rear face provided with means for securing the same to said wall surface and having a front face between said hinge and locking portions provided with at least one zone of protrusions;

a second elongated member having parallel longitudinal edges defining, respectively, a second portion of said separable hinge, releasably engageable with said first portion on said first member, and a second locking portion cooperable with said first locking portion;

said second member having at least one zone of protrusions on one face thereof, whereby said first and second hinge portions may be engaged, an edge portion of said flexible sheet may be positioned on the protrusions of said second member and said second member may then be hingedly pivoted relative to said first member to a position to clamp said edge of said sheet therebetween to be engaged and held by the protrusions of said members;

said first and second locking portions cooperating to hold said members in said last-named position.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the other face of said second member is provided with at least one zone of protrusions.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said zone of protrusions on said one face of said second member is opposite a zone of said first member not provided with protrusions when said members are in said last-named position.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said zone of protrusions on said first member is between two zones of protrusions on said second member when said members are in said last-named position.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said first member is provided with two zones of protrusions facing two zones of protrusions on said second member when said members are in said last-named position.

6. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said protrusions comprise burrs extending from the edges of openings through said members.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said protrusions comprise burrs extending from the edges of triangular openings through said members.