Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Sheetlike element assembled parallel to existing wall,... – Element spaced from wall – ceiling – or floor and held by...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2001-06-26
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Sheetlike element assembled parallel to existing wall,...
Element spaced from wall, ceiling, or floor and held by...
C052S582100, C052S586200, C052S590300, C052S592200, C052S592300, C052S591100, C052S592500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250035
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a modular system for the cladding of surfaces and for the construction of functional surfaces and functional walls, the modular system including a plurality of module elements which can be coupled together in a hidden manner relative to the visible side.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
A constructional element for the cladding of surfaces with surface elements, in particular wall and/or floor tiles, is known from German utility model 29501945.9, with the special feature of this constructional element lying in the fact that a plate-like base carrier element is provided which has at least one surface element and is releasably connectable both to the surface to be clad and also to complementary basic carrier elements.
The surface elements can either be fixedly or releasably mounted on the base carrier element and the base carrier elements themselves are provided with tongues and/or grooves which enable the coupling together of adjacent base carrier elements.
Wall claddings, in particular in wet rooms, can be provided by means of such constructional elements, the surface elements of which can, for example, consist of tiles, wood, marble, metal or ceramic elements and which, in contrast to conventional tiling, can be erected with a small expenditure of time and which are particularly suitable for renovation purposes and can also, if required, be simply removed or modified.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a modular system of the initially named kind which, while retaining the advantages of the known cladding system, on the one hand results in a simplification of both the constructional elements and also their processing and installation and, on the other hand, leads to an increase of the design possibilities from a technical and aesthetic point of view. Furthermore, the sealed nature of the walls that are formed against the penetration of water is to be ensured in a simple and effective manner and the sealed nature and optical appearance of the joints is also to be ensured even with expansion of the tiles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This object is satisfied in accordance with the invention essentially by a modular system comprising a plurality of modular elements which can be coupled together in a hidden manner with respect to the visible side, the modules being formed as areal, frame-like or three-dimensional-shaped parts and being freely combinable with one another, wherein at least the substantially flat modular elements or flat modular element regions have a plurality of mutually spaced apart coupling and fixing members which project beyond a boundary edge of the module (
1
) and also insert grooves provided at the rear side of the module for the shape-locked and force-transmitting reception of coupling and fixing members of adjacent modules.
Provision is preferably made for the coupling and fixing members to be formed on adapter elements which are to be used horizontally and for them to be arranged on both sides of a centrally extending sealing strip integrated into this adapter element. In addition, provision is usefully made for the combination of such adapter strips to be used horizontally, with connection sections which are to be used vertically and which have an analogous construction with respect to the sealing strip design and its retention.
Through the design and arrangement of the coupling and fixing members and also of the insert grooves, there results, on the one hand, a simple mounting technique, which is, on the other hand, particularly variable, since the modular elements can be cut to length steplessly both vertically and also horizontally and also with inclined cuts and can be installed without further adaptation using the same mounting technique.
The module elements can be mounted both directly via hidden screw strips to the particular surface to be clad, but can, however, also be installed on an installation register and can, if required, also be directly adhesively bonded to the surface to be clad, for example to the floor. In the latter case, the insert grooves provided at the rear side ensure a particularly reliable bond because of the interlocking effects which result.
The installation on an installation register result in particular advantages, since in this case one can not only provide functional spaces between the wall and the cladding for the accommodation of supply lines and the like but rather the use of three-dimensional module elements is also made possible. In this way functional walls can be provided with which the separate installation of shelves, holders, cupboards and the like, which is customary in wet rooms, can be avoided because a direct integration into the wall construction can take place.
The coupling and fixing members and the insert grooves which extend substantially over the entire height of the respective module element are preferably designed such that in the coupled state undercut or interlocking connections can be produced in the manner of a dove-tail connection. In this way a very precise mutual coupling of the module elements is ensured and it is certain that the holding forces which act perpendicular to the module plane act uniformly and uniformly distributed so that flat surfaces can be achieved from a plurality of module elements without problem.
The visible side of the module is preferably formed as a decorative surface part and the rear side of the module as a functional surface part. The decorative surface part and the functional surface part are thereby mutually displaced relative to one another so that at the front side of the functional surface part and at the rear side of the decorative part two overlapping margins extending perpendicular to each other are formed in each case, with these overlapping surfaces forming carrier surfaces for sealing material, in particular for a shaped seal part which is lightly pre-stressed when the module elements are installed and ensures the required sealing, in particular sealing against water spray together with the overlap in the horizontal and vertical region. Joint gaps can, if required, also be optically filled by manual silicon jointing or with customary tile grouting materials.
The module elements preferably consist of at least two-layer sandwich component since in this manner an economical material can be used for the functional surface part, whereas a high quality material can be used for the visible surface part and can be selected in accordance with the respective requirements. The modules consist in particular of injection molded parts which can be manufactured with very high accuracy and indeed not only in the shape of planar elements but rather in the same manner in the shape of three-dimensional elements. For the manufacture of these modules and in particular of the decorative surface parts, high quality, highly filled polymers are preferably used which satisfy all requirements both from the technical manufacturing view point and also from the view points of technical use and aesthetic appearance. It should, however, be mentioned that the decorative surface parts, or at least in a covering material layer on the decorative surface parts, can consist of all materials which are customary for cladding elements, in particular also of ceramic material.
In accordance with a preferred design of the invention the module elements can consist of a frame-like functional part and insert units which can be connected thereto. These insert units can, for example, be switches, installation sockets, armatures, light outlet surfaces, actuating members, holding devices, access covers for service and repair purposes, ventilating and extraction units or also functional units such as dispenser units, vertically adjustable shower outlets and the like.
It should, furthermore, be mentioned that the module units must in no way only be of flat design, but rather these module units can also be three-dimensionally shaped and in particular three-dimensionally shaped parts in the form of curved conne
Bristow Paul Anthony
Bub Frank-Martin
Gocke Klaus W.
Heitmann Jurgen
Friedman Carl D.
Horton Yvonne M.
LOGY Design und Ehlebrecht Gesellschaft zur Verwertung gewerblic
Townsend and Townsend / and Crew LLP
LandOfFree
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