Cover device

The present invention relates to a covering device for floor coverings od. Like., Consisting of at least one base part and a cover part attachable to it, which is designed as a profile strip, wherein the base part has a recess into which a leg of the cover part can be inserted, the recess of the base part is designed as a slot that is divided by two in Substantially parallel side walls is limited, and wherein at least one side wall of the slot or one flank of the leg of the cover part that can be inserted into the base part has a section profiled in a sawtooth shape.

Cover strips in the above sense are used to create an elegant connection between individual fields of floor coverings.

For example, in the case of parquet floors in the area of ​​doors, it is necessary to create a corresponding transition. A similar problem arises with carpeting.

Such a connection is generally released by a cover strip which is essentially T-shaped, with the two legs of the strip covering the adjacent floor coverings. In order to fasten this profile strip, which is referred to as a cover part in the following, a base part is generally provided which is fastened to the substrate. A large number of solutions have become known for fastening the cover part to the base part. On the one hand, the fastening should enable a shapely solution that avoids fastening means, such as screws, remaining visible in the fully assembled state. On the other hand, the connection must be robust and be able to absorb relatively large forces. The assembly should be easily possible and it is desirable that one and the same covering device can be used for floor coverings of different heights.

A covering device is known from AT 862 U which fulfills the above requirements. In this solution, the connection between the base part and the cover part is achieved in that one leg of the cover part can be inserted into a slot in the base part, with both the leg and the slot having a profile that enables insertion but provides resistance to pulling out. In order for this device to function, it is necessary for the side walls of the base part, which delimit the slot, to be constructed from a deformable material. However, since these side walls simultaneously have the task of holding the cover part in a predetermined position, the deformability of the side walls limits the strength of the connection. Similar disadvantages apply to solutions such as are known from FR 2 322 244, US Pat. No. 3,667,177 or DE 41 36 177.

Another problem with the known solutions described above is that the device cannot easily be dismantled. It is desirable that the cover part can be detached from the base part again by applying correspondingly large forces. In the known solutions it is possible to separate the cover part from the base part against the locking direction by using appropriate force. The destruction of the base part is completely acceptable, since the base part can generally be manufactured inexpensively. In known solutions, however, the cover part is also damaged in general, since the forces required are too great in many cases. The reason for this is that the resistance against pulling the cover part out of the base part in the known solutions depends on a large number of parameters and tolerances and can practically not be predicted or set in a targeted manner.

The object of the present invention is to develop a cover device of the type described above in such a way that an improved hold of the cover part on the base part is achieved with the simplest possible construction. Another object of the invention is to achieve a relatively precisely defined force with which the cover part can be detached from the base part.

According to the invention it is provided that the component opposite the sawtooth-shaped profiled section has integrally molded latching elements which are designed in the form of ribs which protrude at an acute angle from the side wall or flank and which are hingedly attached to the component. What is essential to the present invention is that, in order to connect the base part to the cover part, two sets of teeth do not mesh with one another, but rather the specially shaped latching element meshes with a corresponding set of teeth on the opposite component. In principle, it is possible to design the locking elements both on the base part and on the cover part. However, it is preferred to mold the locking elements, which are designed as ribs, onto the base part, since the ribs and thus the base part are destroyed when they are pulled out

AT 412 005 Β and thus the more valuable cover part, which is mostly made of metal, is retained. The design according to the invention makes it possible to set the force relatively precisely that is required to separate the cover part from the base part. It is therefore possible to design components in such a way that the operational loads can be safely absorbed, but a

Separating the components with reasonable effort is easily possible. The production of the corresponding components is made much easier, in particular, in that the ribs are formed in one piece on the base part or on the cover part.

Several locking positions are preferably provided between the base part and the cover part. In this way, floor coverings of different heights can be covered.

A particularly favorable variant of the present invention is characterized in that the articulated connection of the ribs in the area of ​​the transition to the side wall or to the flank is produced by a thinning of the material. In this way it is possible to combine conflicting tasks in an optimal way. If the ribs are arranged, for example, on the side walls of the slot on the base part, the side walls can be made very rigid, which ensures that the cover part is held securely. The ribs themselves are relatively easy to move so that the cover part can be inserted without hindrance. It has been found to be particularly favorable in this sense if the material thinning makes up between 40% and 60% of the cross-sectional area of ​​the rib.

A particularly favorable geometric design is achieved in that the angle at which the ribs protrude from the side wall or the flank in the unloaded state essentially corresponds to the angle of a surface of the sawtooth-shaped section. It is particularly favorable if the angle at which the ribs protrude from the side walls or the flanks is between 15 ° and 40 °, preferably between 20 ° and 30 °. Under these conditions, a particularly favorable ratio between easy insertion and great holding force can be achieved.

Particularly large holding forces can be achieved in that a plurality of ribs are arranged one above the other.

An advantageous assembly is possible in that the cover part is held by a plurality of base parts which are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction. In many cases the area in which the covering device according to the invention is to be used is not completely flat, or the height to be covered varies from one end of the covering device to the other. If, under such conditions, a cover part is held, for example, by two base parts which are arranged at the ends of the cover part, these irregularities can easily be bridged, since the cover part is inserted into the base parts at different distances. It is of course possible to provide three or more base parts for longer cover strips. The assembly can also be simplified in that several base parts are connected to one another by fastening sections.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment variant of the present invention, it is provided that retaining ribs are formed in one piece on the cover part and bear laterally on the base part. In this way, the cover part is also guided on the base part, whereby a particularly good connection is achieved.

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures.

1 shows a section through a first embodiment variant of the invention, FIG. 2 shows a detail of the embodiment variant from FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment variant of the invention.

The cover device according to the invention consists of a base part 1, which is generally made of plastic, and a cover part 2, which is made as a metal profile, for example from aluminum. The base part 1 has two legs 3, 4 with side walls 3a, 4a, between which a slot 5 is formed. On the lower side of the cover part 2, a leg 6 is formed, which has sawtooth-shaped profiled sections 7 on its flanks 6a. Holding ribs 8, 9 are formed parallel to the limb 6 and are designed to encompass the limbs 3, 4 of the base part 1 on the outside.

On the side surfaces 3a, 4a of the legs 3, 4 of the base part 1, ribs 10 are provided which

AT 412 005 B are articulated on the base part 1 in an area 11 of a material thinning. The cross section of the ribs 10 in the area 11 of the material thinning is reduced by approximately 50%. The ribs 10 are arranged opposite the side walls 3a, 4a of the legs 3, 4 at an acute angle α, which is approximately 25 °. To simplify the illustration, this angle α is shown in FIG.

2 exaggerated. In addition, cover legs 12, 13 are provided in a manner known per se on the cover part 2, which are designed to cover the adjacent floor coverings. A laterally protruding fastening section 14 enables the base part 1 to be screwed on via indicated bores 15.

In Fig. 3, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown. This variant embodiment corresponds to the solution described above with the following differences: In this variant embodiment, the ribs 10 are arranged on the cover part 2, while the legs 3, 4 of the base part 1 have a corresponding sawtooth-shaped profile 7a. Furthermore, the fastening of the cover part 1 takes place via a screw connection, not shown, for which bores 15a are provided.

The present invention not only makes it possible to lay cover strips in a simple manner, but also to remove them in a predeterminable manner. In this way, it is possible to replace destroyed base parts at low cost and to reuse the more complex cover strips.