CLIP FASTENING BRACKET AND PLANAR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPPED THEREWITH

Abstract

A clip clamp for attaching boards or planks with longitudinal grooves on their edges to beams in a substructure or supporting structure that also have longitudinal grooves on both sides, without the need for screws or nails, to create flat structures such as decks, wall coverings, fences, billboards, etc., includes a squared C-shaped profile forming the base, with a rectangular middle plate, from opposing parallel edges of which two side-plates extend downward at a right angle, each of which have lip elements at their edges that engage in the grooves on the beams, while on the other side of the middle plate, two board clamps extend in the other direction, at a right angle to the side plates, which have lips facing away from one another on their upper edges that fit into the grooves in the boards.

Claims

1. A clip clamp for securing boards, each having first longitudinal grooves on each side, without screws or nails, onto support beams, each having second longitudinal grooves on each side, the support beams running at an angle to the boards longitudinally, to form a substructure or support structure, comprising: a base comprising a squared C-shaped profile and having a middle plate, from which two side plates extend at a right angle from edges of the middle plate; each of the side plates have a first lip at an end of each side plate, the side plate facing toward one another in a first direction, the first lips being configured to fit into the second longitudinal grooves in the support beams; and two board clamps extending from the middle plate in a second direction that is at an angle to the first direction, each board clamp having a clamping plate, each clamping plate having a second lip facing outward, the second lips facing away from one another, the second lips being configured to fit into the first longitudinal grooves in the boards, characterized in that: the clip clamp comprises a single piece of an elastic, resilient polymer; the first lips on the side plates and the second lips on the clamping plates all having a substantially rectangular cross section, and wherein the first lips on the side plates and the second lips on the clamping plates extend at right angles to one another; wherein the clip clamp is further configured to form a first substantially form-fitting connection with one of the support beams when the clip clamp is pushed onto the support beam by spreading the side plates apart until the first lips on the side plates engage the second longitudinal rooves of the support beams; and wherein the clip clamp is further configured to form a second substantially form-fitting connection with one of the boards to hold the board in place when the board clamps of the clip clamp are bent back to allow the second lip of one of the clamping plates of the clip clamp to engage the first longitudinal groove on a side of one of the boards and when the board clamps of a second, identical clip clamp oxan adjacent support beam are bent back to allow the second lip of one of the clamping plates of the second clip clamp to engage the first longitudinal groove on an opposite side of the board.

2. The clip clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the board clamps are at a spacing to one another of at least 3 mm.

3. The clip clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that a space between the board clamps at a lower region between the board clamps is squared off or has a V-shape.

4. The clip clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that an edge of each of the first lips of the side plates is rounded.

5. The clip clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of a lower edges and an upper edge of each of the second lips of the board clamps is rounded.

6. The clip clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that a half-clip clamp for securing the boards on both side edges of the flat structure is obtained by smoothly cutting the clip clamp in half along a plane of symmetry parallel to the clamping plates.

7. A flat structure in which a plurality of support beams having longitudinal grooves along each side form a substructure or support structure and are configured to support a plurality of boards also having first longitudinal grooves along each side, wherein the support beams and boards are connected with one another with a plurality of clip clamps according to claim 1.

8. A flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that the middle plate of each clip clamp is in the shape of a rectangle or parallelogram.

9. The flat structure according claim 7, characterized in that the board clamps of each clip clamp are at a spacing to one another of at least 3 mm.

10. The flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that at a lower region between the board clamps on each of the clip clamps at a spacing to one another therein is squared off or V-shaped.

11. The flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that an edge of each of the first lips of the side plates of each clip clamp is rounded.

12. The flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of a lower edge and an upper edge of each of the second lips of the board clamps of each clip clamp is rounded.

13. The flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that at least a lower longitudinal edges of each of the boards facing the support structure is rounded.

14. A method for building a flat structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, when placing each board on the support beams, a first clip clamp is pushed onto one of the support beams by spreading the side plates apart, until the first lips of the side plates snap in place in the second longitudinal grooves on each side of the support beam in a substantially form-fitting connection; and after this, bending back the board clamps of the first clip clamp to allow the second lip of one of the clamping plates to engage the first longitudinal groove on one side of one of the board, and bending back the board clamps of a second, identical clip clamp on an adjacent support beam to allow the second lip of one of the clamping clips of the second clip clamp to engage the first longitudinal groove on an opposite side of the board to form a substantially form-fitting connection to the board and hold the board in place.

15. The clip clamp according to claim 1, wherein the elastic, resilient polymer is polyethylene terephthalate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the present disclosure and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

[0040] FIGS. 1 and 1a show a clip clamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a detail thereof, diagonally from above;

[0041] FIGS. 2a to 2c show the clip clamp of FIGS. 1 and 1a from the front, the side, and from above;

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a side view of one of the boards secured to the support structure by a clip clamp snapped into the grooves in a support beam according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 3a shows a detail view of the clip clamp of FIG. 3;

[0044] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view through two boards spaced apart by two board-clamping plates according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 4a shows a detail of two boards clipped in according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a clip clamp clipped onto the support beam according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

[0047] FIG. 5a shows a detail of the clip clamp of FIG. 5;

[0048] FIG. 6 shows two boards clipped in according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

[0049] FIG. 7 shows the plane of symmetry through a clip clamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0050] FIGS. 7a and 7b each show a half-clip clamp for securing the boards on the edges of a deck, diagonally from above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. The following definitions and non-limiting guidelines must be considered in reviewing the description of the technology set forth herein.

[0052] In the following detailed description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. For example, the present disclosure is not limited in scope to the particular type of industry application depicted in the figures. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present disclosure.

[0053] The headings and sub-headings used herein are intended only for general organization of topics within the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure of the technology or any aspect thereof. In particular, subject matter disclosed in the Background may include novel technology and may not constitute a recitation of prior art. Subject matter disclosed in the Summary is not an exhaustive or complete disclosure of the entire scope of the technology or any embodiments thereof. Classification or discussion of a material within a section of this specification as having a particular utility is made for convenience, and no inference should be drawn that the material must necessarily or solely function in accordance with its classification herein when it is used in any given composition.

[0054] The citation of references herein does not constitute an admission that those references are prior art or have any relevance to the patentability of the technology disclosed herein. All references cited in the Detailed Description section of this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0055] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a clip clamp 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The clip clamp 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a squared C-shaped profile 10 with a rectangular middle plate 2, from the two parallel side edges 25 of which two parallel side plates 3 extend downward in the direction R1, from which lips 31 that fit into grooves extend inward toward one another at the ends 35 thereof with a rectangular cross section, which are parallel to one another in the direction V1.

[0056] Two board clamps 4 extend upward from the middle plate 2 in the direction R2, with lips 41 that fit into grooves on the ends of the two parallel board-clamping plates 40 that are at least 3 mm apart from one another in the direction a facing away from one another, which extend at a right angle to the lengthwise direction V1 of the lips 21, in the direction V2.

[0057] It is clear from the detail shown in FIG. 1a that the board-clamping plates 40 transition to the middle plate 2 with rounded corners at the bottom, where they meet the middle plate.

[0058] FIGS. 2a to 2c, in which the novel clip clamp 100 is shown from three perspectives, clearly show in detailwith otherwise the same reference symbolsthe spacing a between the two clamping plates responsible for ensuring a certain spacing between adjacent boards 6 clipped in place on a support beam 5 in the support structure.

[0059] How the board 6 is placed and secured with its lateral grooves 61 on the support structurewith otherwise the same reference symbolsis clarified by the side view of a board 6 clipped onto the support beam 5 via its grooves 51 shown in FIG. 3, and by the detail thereof shown in FIG. 3a, as well as the sectional view shown in FIGS. 4 and 4a, which also show the gap F between adjacent boards 6.

[0060] FIGS. 5 and 5a showwith otherwise the same reference symbolsa board element clipped onto a support beam 5 shown from the side, by means of the squared C-shaped profile 10 of the clip clamp 100, and FIG. 6likewise with otherwise the same reference symbolsshows a support beam 5 from the side with the board-clamping plates 40 extending transverse theretoat a right angle in this casethe lips 41 thereof clipped into the lateral grooves 61 of two adjacent boards 6, separated from one another by a gap.

[0061] Lastly, FIGS. 7a and 7b showwith otherwise the same reference symbolstwo half-clip clamps 100 according to the present disclosure that are obtained by cutting a clip-clamp 100 according to the present disclosure along the plane of symmetry Sy, with which boards 6 can be securely held in place on the edges of the support structure made of the support beams 5.

[0062] The preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above to explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the present disclosure. However, as various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, including all materials expressly incorporated by reference herein, shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiment but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.