Grating

Abstract

A grating for use as a cover for a channel, basin, or trough pit or as a shoe cleaner, consisting of a number of bars arranged parallel to each other and connected in the transverse direction by holding elements spaced from each other.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 234,844 filed Mar. 15, 1972, now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gratings and mats exist in a well-developed art with a variety of different designs available. For example, it is known to provide lined-up bars, which are parallel and which are connected by tension wires which penetrate, in certain places, transverse hole with which the bars are equipped. To maintain the space between adjacent bars separating elements are placed on the wire or on corresponding connecting members. Gratings of this type are expensive to make mainly because the tension wires or similar connecting elements have to be guided on the different places not only through the individual bars, strips etc., but additionally through the separating elements between the bars. However, it is also well-known to provide gratings in which the parallel bars consist of hollow extruded shapes, which are kept together at their open ends by fixed pins or head strips having teeth. On such gratings the disadvantage is that the bars are only connected to each other on their ends, if holding elements such as tension wires or similar connecting elements with separating elements are not used. Gratings in which the bars are connected only on their ends can be made only of small width. In some cases, the connecting of the bars by head bars is disadvantageous because of requirements for a stiffer support which will not permit one to make the supports for the bars wider as would be required by the thickness of the head bars. Finally, during use of gratings of the last-described design, attention has to be paid to the fact that the support for the bars may not be displaced lengthwise of the bars. The holding elements may then loosen up because of loss of the holding teeth. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a grating in which a plurality of bars of any length may be connected easily with one another and may be equipped with any number of holding elements located at any location along the length of the bars.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a grating including an assembly system having standardized elements that can be incorporated in a large range of sizes.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a grating made up of elements which are simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which are capable of a long life of service with a minimum of maintenance.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, the invention consists of a grating having bars formed of extruded shapes designed with undercut lengthwise grooves on one side and having holding elements which are undercut transversely of their lengths. Head elements are arranged spaced from each other on a carrier bar, which may be pushed from the open ends into the grooves of the bars and which are form-locked in place.

According to a further development of the characteristic of this invention, the head bars and the carrier bars are formed of one piece, which, on the opposite side of the head bar is equipped with an undercut profile longitudinal groove for the attachment of similarly undercut stiffener or holder with an extruded shape.

According to this invention, each carrier bar can be designed with head parts which are positioned in side-by-side relationship and equally spaced. For practical purposes, the length of the carrier bar is a multiple of the length of the distance between two head parts and at least on one end is equipped with a cross-section half of the head part. With this design of holding elements, it is possible to line up a number of them side-by-side to form a grate or a mat and two neighboring carrier bars are always touching in the area of the grate bars.

It is within the concept of this invention that each head part has its own carrier bar and its length corresponds to the width of the bars and that a number of head parts touch directly the ends of their carrier bars. By the centering of corresponding spacers on the carrier bars they form holding elements and are pushed onto the stiffener or holding elements. This design of holding elements has the special advantage that spacers of different length may be used and for that reason gratings of any length may be fabricated and the spacing between the bars can be selected of different amounts. It also could be possible in certain cases to make gratings in which the bars within different areas of the grating could have different divisions.

According to this invention, the bars, formed as extrusions, could be made from metal, plastic, or rubber and could carry brush strips on their upper sides.

A further characteristic of this invention is that the holding element for the head bars and carrier bars consists of material which resists deformation, such as metal, hard plastic, or hard rubber. They also may be fabricated of elastic materials such as rubber or plastic. As stiffeners for the holding bars, materials are preferably used which are made at least partially out of metal, such as light metal alloy, and are equipped with elements which support the carrier bars and holding elements from beneath. These support elements can receive extruded shapes which correspond to the desired stress requirements in a given situation.

According to this invention, it is especially of advantage when the holding element is designed as a molded body (by which the undercut parts present on the carrier bar can accept the stiffener or hollow elements) protrusions are provided spaced from each other longitudinally and positioned in such a way that the arrangement of these parts are on opposite sides but always face a space. The protrusions which are formed by the undercut parts can be designed to be reduced from the longitudinal center toward the edges of the holding elements, i.e., in the shape of a trapezoid. The end edges of two protrusions opposing one another with a space can be positioned in the same inclined plane relative to the longitudinal axis of the holding elements. Holding elements designed in such a way may be fabricated easily by molding of rubber, plastic, or even metal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structural forms, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a grating embodying the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II--II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a grating, but with a modification thereof,

FIG. 4 shows a further modification of the grating,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the grating taken on the line V--V of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the grating taken on the line VI--VI of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line VII--VII of FIG. 3,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a modification of a component of the grating,

FIGS. 9 and 10 show side and bottom views, respectively of a modified form of a component of the grating,

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the component shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of individual components for a modified form of the grating.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIGS. 1,2 and 5, it can be seen that a grate according to this invention can be used, for example, to cover channels, pits, etc., or as a mat which can be used as a shoe scraper. It is equipped with a number of bars 1 arranged parallel to each other and connected by a holder formed of several holding elements 2 extending transversely of the bars, the latter being held spaced from each other. The bars 1 are designed as hollow structural or extruded shapes made from plastic longitudinal and equipped with one undercut longitudinal groove 3.

For the connection of the bars 1 with each other, holding elements 2 are pushed into the grooves 3 of the open bar ends. These are in turn equipped with bases or holding blocks and head pieces 4 or undercut protuberances arranged transversely of the longitudinal direction of the holding elements 2. They have profiles corresponding in shape to the shape of the undercut grooves 3. By means of these head pieces 4, the extruded bars 1 are locked to the holding elements 2 in a simple way and maintained at the desired spacing.

As can be clearly seen in FIG. 1, the grating bars are easily and without considerable expenditure of work, fitted to any requirements for the number of bars 1 and holding elements 2. Also, the holding elements 2 with the undercut head piece 4 can be made from plastic or the like. The requirements for usage determine if stiff or flexible grating is to be made. This also will determine if the holding elements 2 with their head pieces 4 are to be made of bend-resisting material or from elastic material.

In the preferred form of the invention the holding elements 2 are equipped with a groove 5 open to the underside and undercut. Into this groove 5 can be pressed, if necessary, a stiffener or holding profile 6 or stiffening element, 6, which is equipped with a corresponding longitudinal web part. This stiffener and holding profile 6 can be made of hard plastic or hard rubber. However, it is especially desirable to make it out of light metal to achieve high resistance to bending.

The holding elements 2 with their head pieces 4 could extend, without any interruption, over the entire length of the grating and also transversely of the length of the bars 1. In this design the bar 1 could be of trapezoidal shape in cross-section, as indicated in FIG. 2. On its top side, the bars 1 are equipped with brush strips 7 as can be seen in FIG. 3.

It is also possible to design the bars 1 as rectangular pipes cut open longitudinally as shown in FIG. 4. In general, the shape of the sectional bars or strips 1 is not significant, as long as there is present an undercut longitudinal groove 3 for the engagement of similarly-shaped head parts 4 of the holding elements 2.

Comparison of FIGS. 5 and 6 will show clearly that, according to requirements, reinforcing and holding profiles 6 of various longitudinal cross-sections of the holding elements 2, may be pressed into the undercut grooves 5. The reinforcement or holding profile 6 (according to FIG. 6) has in addition to its undercut profiled longitudinal web, only a flat support flange 9 which supports the holding elements 2 on its entire width. The thickness of this support flange 9 may be made to suit the load requirements.

According to FIG. 5, the reinforcing or holding profile 6 is equipped, in addition to the profiled longitudinal web 8 and the support flange 9, with two side bars 10 as stiffeners.

FIG. 8 shows clearly a reinforcing or holding profiles 6 which can be made also from a pipe-shaped element 11 which is equipped on its top with an undercut longitudinal web 8.

Naturally, it is possible to use the holding elements 2 without any reinforcing or holding profiles 6, as can be seen in FIG. 7. In this case, the undercut profiled longitudinal grooves of the holding element 2 are then left free and open.

The holding element shown in the FIGS. 9 to 11 for the connection of a number of profiled bars 1 to form a grating differs from those shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 mainly in that on the underside no undercut longitudinal groove 5 is present. It is equipped, however, in its cross-section with L-shaped additions 12 which are spaced from each other on both longitudinal edges of the holding elements 2 with their free legs directed toward each other. Every addition 12 on one longitudinal edge of the bar is opposed by a space between the additions, arranged on the other side of the bar, as can be seen especially in FIG. 10. Holding elements 2 designed in this way are easily made by injection molding because all profiled parts are positioned in such a way that the profile insertion of the mold engages in the same direction.

A further design of the holding elements according to the FIGS. 9 to 11 provides that they carry on each end a cross-section half 14 of head part 4. With this type of design, it is possible to arrange several of the holding elements in contact with each other, the touching ends of the neighboring holding elements 2 within one profiled bar 1 being connected by the side-by-side head part halves 14. A special variable design of grates or mats will result, when the profiled bars 1 are connected in a grating by a holding element design as shown in FIG. 12. According to FIG. 12, each holding element 2 is equipped with only one undercut profiled head part 4. In the direction transverse to the profile of the head part 4, the holding element 2 is equipped with the undercut groove 5. These holding elements 2 are pushed individually longitudinally of the undercut profiled web 8 of a reinforcing or holding profile 6 where between two successive holding elements 2 is pushed a spacer 15 or spacer block equipped with an undercut longitudinal groove 16. This spacer 15 determines the distance between two successive holding elements 2 and also the distance between the neighboring profiled bars 1. Since the spacer 15 may be made in any length, it is possible for practically every selected distance between the grating bars 1 to be obtained with the holding element arrangement shown in FIG. 12.

The number of the previously described designs makes it clear that a grating made according to this invention is much simpler and easier to make than those previously known. Without any difficulty, a grating made in accordance with this invention may be adjusted to varying stress requirements, because on one hand the selection of the holding element 2 may be easily changed according to those requirements and, in addition, everyone of these holding elements 2 may additionally be stiffened by insertion of reinforcing or holding elements.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Claims

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A grating comprising:

a. a plurality of elongated holding elements spaced from and parallel to one another,

i. each holding element being provided with an elongated stiffener, and

ii. each holding element being formed of separate a plurality of holding element portions in contact with one another,

1. some of the holding element portions having an undercut head piece on one side, the head piece being of constant cross-section for a substantial length, and

2. each portion having groove means for fixing the holding element portion to the stiffener on another side, and

b. a plurality of elongated bars of extruded shape, held parallel to one another and extending transversely of the holding elements,

i. each bar having a longitudinal undercut groove of cross-section corresponding to that of the head piece, which groove forms a locking non-rotational engagement with each of at least two of the undercut head pieces, and

ii. the holding elements forming the only connection between adjacent bars.

2. A grating as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the holding element portions has more than one undercut head piece extending from a side.

3. A grating as recited in claim 1, wherein the length of each holding element portion corresponding to a multiple of the center-to-center distance between undercut head pieces and for at least one pair of adjacent holding element portions, each member of the pair has a complimentary part of an undercut head piece.

4. A grating according to claim 1, wherein a spacer, which is provided with means for fixing it to a stiffener but is not provided with an undercut head piece is fixed to the stiffener between two adjacent holding element portions which have head pieces.

5. A grating as recited in claim 1, wherein the bars carry a brush-like surface on a portion of the bars opposed to the groove.