Wall panel for a system wall and coupling component therefore

<img file="NL1007697C2_D0001.tif" />

Office for Industrial Property The Netherlands © 1007697 © C OCTROOI²⁰ © Patent application: 1007697 © Filed: 04.12.97 © Int.CI.®

E04B2 / 74, E04B2 / 78

<td>© Registered:</td><td>© Patent holder (s):</td>

<td> 07.06.99</td><td>Interfinish Project BV in Almere.</td>

<td>(© Date:</td><td>(72) Inventor (s):</td>

<td>07.06.99 © Published:</td><td>Gerrit Richard Seppen in Hilversum Jurrien Martin van Herwerden in Baarn</td>

<td>02.08.99 IE 99/08</td><td>(74) Authori zed representative: Ir. LC de Bruijn cs at 2517 KZ The Hague.</td>

(54) Wall panel for a system wall and coupling part therefor.

The invention relates to a wall panel for a system wall. The wall panel is provided on at least one of its sides with at least one coupling part with which the wall part can be attached to a further part of the system wall. The coupling part can be converted from a transport position in which the coupling part extends along the side and is overlapped by the side to a coupling position in which the coupling part is remote from the wall panel. The coupling part can comprise a lip connected to the wall panel along a fold line, which can be brought into the coupling position from the transport position by folding around this fold line. The fold line can be provided with one or more weakenings, such as recesses. The coupling part or the lip can be provided with gripping means, such as protrusions. The invention further relates to a coupling part suitable for a wall panel according to the invention.

NL C1007697

The content of this patent differs from the original filed description with claim (s) and possible drawing (s). The documents originally submitted can be viewed at the Industrial Property Office.

Wall panel for a system wall and coupling part for it

Description

The present invention relates to a wall panel for a system wall, the wall panel having two opposite panel major surfaces interconnected at the sides via side edge surfaces, and the wall panel comprising at least one coupling part on at least one of its sides, with which the wall panel can be attached to a further part of the system wall, wherein the coupling part comprises a coupling element which can be converted from a transport position to a coupling position, in which the coupling element is remote from the wall panel.

Such a wall panel is known from US patent US-A5,632,128.

Wall panels for system walls provided with coupling parts are further known in many embodiments. In general, a wall panel with its horizontal edges when mounted is clamped between a floor profile and a ceiling profile. In order to prevent bulging and / or rattling of the wall panel thus clamped, such a wall panel is attached to vertical support profiles in its mounted state vertical edges, one wall type using coupling parts provided on the wall panel and the other wall type of loose coupling parts, which can be attached / coupled in any way to the vertical support profiles.

Such coupling parts can generally be spaced from the wall panel or can be used as a loose coupling / clamping part. Coupling parts pre-attached to the wall panel can lead to problems when transporting the wall panels. This leads to problems with the transport of the wall panels, as this makes stacking or placing the wall panels next to each other more difficult. A solution for this is to provide the coupling parts as a coupling part to be fixed separately over the place where the system wall is to be erected. However, this entails mounting efforts at the destination and further entails the risk that the coupling parts are not fixed in the right place.

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As already indicated, a wall panel of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from US patent US-A-5,632,128. This US patent discloses a plasterboard wall panel with a coupling part. The coupling part consists of a staple plate, in fact two staple plates, and wings formed thereon via a weakened folding line, which can be converted by 90 ° for coupling the wall panel to a system wall by folding them around folding lines. In the initial state, prior to conversion for coupling, the wings extend in the plane of the staple plates, more particularly parallel to the plane of the wall panel, and are overlapped by the plane of the wall panel. When such panels are stacked for storage or transportation, the wings parallel to the wall panel will be pressed into or against the panel surface due to the weight of the panels above. This makes it difficult to convert the wings from the initial state to the coupling state for 90 ° coupling.

Furthermore, European patent application EP-A-0 085 630 also discloses a wall panel with a coupling part, wherein the coupling part is provided with wings which are attached to a staple plate along a folding line. Here too, the wings are parallel to the panel in their initial state and can be converted into a system wall through 90 ° for coupling. A drawback of this construction is that the wings in the initial state are parallel to the panel surface and protrude relative to the side of the panel. The parallelism of the panel surface means that when stacking a number of panels, the wing can be pressed against or into the panel surface and the lateral protrusion is impractical during transport and storage of the panels.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall panel for system walls of the type indicated at the outset, which is intended, inter alia, to improve the accessibility of the coupling element for conversion to the coupling position without this coupling element during transport and storage. gets in the way.

This object is achieved with a wall panel of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph in that the coupling element extends in transport position along the side edge surface and is overlapped by the side edge surface, preferably thereby completely overlapped. This entails a number of advantages. The coupling element is arranged in a space-saving manner in transport position, i.e. it is not away from the wall panel, so that the stacking or placing next to each other of a number of wall panels on top of each other is not hindered and as with such stacking or side by side the coupling element is not damaged. A further advantage is that the coupling element in transport position lies entirely next to the side and shields this side. The advantage of this shielding is that the wall panel will not be damaged as easily during transport. Because the coupling element is already installed in the factory, this does not have to be done where a system wall is erected, which can lead to a time determination and also reduces the chance that the wall panel will be damaged in its destination and still be must be exchanged for an undamaged new wall panel. At the place of destination, the place where the system wall can be erected, the coupling element only has to be converted to a coupling position in which the coupling element is remote from the wall panel in order to then be usable for fixing the wall panel to a further part of the system wall, such as a profile part. This confirmation can be done in many ways; for example, a hole arranged in the coupling element can be envisaged, in which a protrusion or resilient pin arranged on the further part of the system wall can engage.

According to the invention, the coupling element can be realized in a very simple constructional manner when it comprises a lip connected to the wall panel along a folding line, which can be brought into the coupling position from the transport position by folding around this folding line. In the case of wall panels manufactured from sheet metal, such a lip can easily be formed as one unit with the wall panel by providing a lip connected to the wall panel via a fold line along an edge thereof. However, such a lip can also be part of a coupling element attached to the wall panel as a separate part.

For example, according to the invention, in particular with a wall panel of scratchable or nailable material, it is very advantageous if the lip is an edge portion of a staple plate provided with staple members, converted along the fold line, wherein the staples and the lip in the transport position are substantially in the same direction perpendicular to the plane of the staple plate and the staple plate at the side of the wall panel with its staples being driven into the rear face of the wall panel.

In this context, the rear face is understood to mean the remote face intended from the viewing surface. In the transport position, the lip will hereby move from the folding line to the free end along the side lying in the direction of the viewing surface.

When using a coupling element fixed as a separate part to the wall part, in particular in the case of a wall panel of a hard board material, such as chipboard, which is generally relatively hard, the lip can advantageously be converted into an edge section of a plate which is glued to the back face of the wall panel by means of an adhesive, such as glue or tape. When such an adhesive is used, the adhesive will preferably be applied to the coupling element in advance, and then, if necessary after removal of a protective layer, to be applied to the back of the wall panel.

In order to facilitate conversion over the fold line, it is advantageous according to the invention if the fold line is provided with one or more weakenings, such as recesses. Such recesses can for instance be punched holes or perforations arranged distributed over the fold line.

Although the coupling element, in particular when it concerns a lip, can be attached to a further part of the system wall by, for example, screwing a self-tapping screw through it, it is advantageous in connection with mounting convenience and mounting efficiency when the coupling element, in particular the lip, is provided with an engaging means, which can engage on a further part of the system wall for attachment to it. Such an engaging means may be a hole or recess in the coupling element in which a protrusion or resilient member formed on the further part of the system wall can engage.

In order to enable simple, clickable mounting of a wall panel according to the invention, in particular laterally aligned side by side, it is advantageous according to the invention if the gripping means is a projection which is arranged on the side of the coupling element that faces away from the side of the panel in transport position. For mounting two laterally adjacent, aligned wall panels, the coupling element will then be converted 180 ° from the transport position to the coupling position, so that the projections of adjacent coupling elements of adjacent wall panels then point away from each other. In particular, this makes it possible to place adjacent wall panels very close together, so that the transition seam can be kept very small.

The present invention relates in particular to a wall panel which mainly comprises a plasterboard as panel element. Wall panels made of plasterboard are relatively fragile, in particular at the edges. The protective effect of the coupling element in transport position therefore offers considerable advantages here.

Although the coupling element can in principle be converted over many angles from a position lying along the side, which is generally parallel to this, this angle will preferably be 180 °, since the wall panel is then situated in particular with respect to adjacent wall panels can be attached to a rear construction part of the system wall in a very space-saving manner. The angle difference between the coupling element in transport position and the coupling element in coupling position is therefore 180 °. When the wall panel is to be attached to an adjacent structural part, that is to say and next to the lateral structural part, the angle difference between the coupling element in transport position and the coupling element in coupling position will generally be 90 °.

The present invention furthermore also relates to a coupling part which is particularly suitable for a wall panel according to the invention. In particular, a coupling element for a wall panel according to the invention can be envisaged here, characterized in that the coupling element comprises a staple plate provided with staple members and a lip-shaped coupling element which is perpendicular to the staple plate and which converts an edge portion around a fold line. the staple plate is formed on said staple plate, the staple members and the lip in a starting position pointing substantially in the same direction, and wherein the lip can be converted into a further coupling position. In order to facilitate the conversion, the folding line will advantageously be provided with one or more weakenings, such as recesses. In order to facilitate mounting by means of the coupling element to a further part of the system wall, it is hereby advantageous if the lip-shaped coupling element is provided with an engaging means which can engage on a further part of the system wall for attachment to it. The engaging means can advantageously be a projection which is arranged on the side of the lip-shaped coupling element which faces away from the clamping members in the initial position.

007697

The present invention also relates to a system wall comprising one or more wall panels according to the invention, in particular to a system wall comprising one or more wall panels according to the invention, wherein the coupling element is in the coupling position which faces away from the respective wall panel.

The invention further also relates to a system wall, preferably a system wall according to the aspect of the invention described above, wherein the system wall comprises view panels (the one or more wall panels) located on the outside of the wall, and wherein rear, preferably in substantially immediately behind, with the possible release of a spatial space with a gap thickness, for example in the range of 1 to 10 mm, one or more additional boards, in particular plasterboard, are provided. Thus, better sound insulation and increased fire resistance can be achieved.

According to the invention, optionally in combination with the aspects of the invention described above, the view surfaces of the wall panels can be covered with a wallpaper which is pasted along longitudinal sides, in particular the vertical longitudinal sides and optionally also the horizontal longitudinal sides. A neat finish can thus be achieved. If the wall panels used as sight panels are veneered chipboard panels, then for a neat finish, in particular the vertical longitudinal sides, possibly also the horizontal longitudinal sides, will be provided with a edge veneer, which may optionally be formed as one with the veneer on the face surface. .

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing. Herein shows:

Figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a system wall according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a coupling part according to the invention; Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view, partly in elevation, of a side edge portion of a wall panel according to the invention; and

Figure 4 shows a detail of a cross-sectional view IV-IV from figure 1.

Figure 1 shows schematically and perspective a system wall 1 with wall panels 2 according to the invention. Referring also to Figure 4, the

Ί system wall 1 essentially consists of a ceiling profile 4, a floor profile 3, a vertical support profile 6 and wall panels 2.

The wall panels 2 are mounted, suspended or clamped between the ceiling profile 4 fixed to the ceiling and the floor profile 3 fixed to the floor. In general, the system wall will be mirror-symmetrical with respect to a mirror surface indicated by 7 in Figure 4, which extends parallel to the wall panels. That is to say, the system wall forms a partition between two rooms, the partition between the rooms on each side having its own wall panels. The wall panels of the adjoining rooms are arranged at mutual spacing, and the spacing as a result of that spacing can be filled with an insulating material 5, such as rock wool. In order to prevent spheres towards the rear surface 8 of the wall panels, vertical support profiles 6 are placed in the spaces, which may be filled with insulating material 5. These vertical support profiles 6 are in particular placed at the vertical side edges of the wall panels. In order to prevent the wall panels 2 from bulging forward in the direction of the viewing plane 9, the wall panels 2 are usually fixed / fixed to the vertical support profiles 6. This is also known from NL 92.02034, for example. In this way it is also possible to prevent rattling and / or rattling effects, which could occur, for example, with slamming doors.

The wall panel 2 according to the invention, which can be manufactured substantially from plasterboard, is provided at its vertical side edge surfaces 10 with coupling parts 11, one of which is shown in perspective in Figure 2. Each of these coupling parts 11 consists of a staple plate 12 with pointed staple members 13 punched out and folded upwards and pointing upwards therefrom. Ribs 14 are formed along a side edge and a lip-shaped coupling element 15. The transition from lip 15 to the staple plate 12 is formed by a fold line 16, along which the lip 15 is turned relative to the staple plate 12. As can be seen in figure 2, five weakenings 17 are formed in the fold line over the fold line 16. These weakenings 17 in the form of perforations or punching holes locally interrupt the fold line 16, so that the folding of the lip 15 along the fold line 16 is facilitated and thus can be made lighter. The lip 15 can thus easily be converted, possibly with a separate auxiliary tool, from the so-called transport position shown in solid lines in Figure 2 and Figure 3 to the coupling position shown in dashed-dot lines in Figure 2 and Figure 3, by transferring the lip 15 180 ° with respect to the folding line 16 for folding.

Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3, it will be apparent that the coupling element

11 by means of the staple members 13 and the staple plate 12 can be easily attached to the rear side of the wall panel 2 by driving the staple members into the wall panel 2. The wall panel 2 must therefore be manufactured from a nailable or scratchable material, such as, for instance, wood, chipboard, many plastics and in particular also plasterboard.

As clearly shown in Figure 3, the lip 15 lies in the transport position along the side edge surface 10 of the wall panel 2 and completely within the thickness of the wall panel 2, i.e. the side edge surface 10 completely overlaps the lip 15 in the transport position. It will be clear that a number of panels 2 can easily be stacked or placed next to each other in this way, just as it will also be clear that the lip 15 in the transport position protects the side edge surface 10 from damage.

At the place of destination, where the wall panel is to be built into a system wall, the lip 15, as shown with an arrow in figure 3, will be converted to the coupling position shown in dashed lines in figure 3 and in figure 2. . Subsequently, the lip 15 converted into the coupling position can be inserted into a receiving opening formed in the vertical support profile 6 (see figure 4), as well as the lip 15 of the adjacent position, which has been converted into the coupling position, to be aligned with the first wall panel. wall panel. The projection 18 formed on the lip 15 thereby lies in a widening 19 of the receiving opening formed in the vertical support profile 6. A completely rattle-free fixation of the wall panels 2 can then be realized by inserting a profile strip 20, for instance of plastic, between the vertical sides of the adjacent wall panels 2 and also between the lips 15 of the adjacent wall panels 2. This profile strip 20 also ensures that the protrusions 18 remain pressed into the widening 9.

Although the staple plate 12 can extend over its entire height along a vertical side 10 of a wall panel 2 and then be provided with one or preferably a number of mutually spaced lips 15, in practice it will be preferable to the vertical sides 10 at mutual distances to provide a number of, for instance three, four or five coupling parts 11 with an arrow in the direction of P (figure 2), a length of for instance 10 to 15 cm.

Figure 4 further shows with dashed-dot lines that two additional panels 21 may be provided behind the view panels. These can be made from plasterboard. Such panels are advantageous with regard to sound insulation and with suitable choice of material, such as plasterboard, they also have a fire-retardant effect.

It will be clear that many variants falling within the essence of the invention and the scope of the claims are conceivable in the exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. Thus, the lips 15 can also be integrally formed with a wall panel 2 or be attached to a wall panel 2 in a completely different manner than by means of a staple plate. The clamping members of the clamping plate 12 could for instance be omitted, after which the plate 12 can be fixed by gluing or by screwing on the rear surface 8 of the wall panel 2 or, if desired, could also be inserted into the side 10 of a wall panel 2. It will also be clear that the lip 15 can be mounted on the wall panel 2 instead of by means of a folding seam / folding connection by means of a hinge. As will be apparent from figure 4, it is possible with the construction according to the invention to keep the gap T between adjacent wall panels 2 relatively very small, since it is not necessary that screws need to be screwed into the vertical support profile 6 via this gap where these screws must then be covered with a cover strip.