Method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls and element obtained with such method

Abstract

A method for obtaining a vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls, in particular to plasterboard walls that can be applied to in-wall frames for retractable sliding doors or for the provision of drywall dividing walls. The method entails a continuous machining of a metallic lamina by punching or drawing or rolling obtained by using two rollers, one acting as a die and the other acting as a punch, so as to obtain on the metallic lamina a plurality of holes, which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows.

Claims

1. A vertical or horizontal profiled element for the interconnection of plasterboard panels to walls, the element comprising: a planar surface on which there is a plurality of through holes which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows, in a plan view said through holes have, considering both an upper surface and a lower surface, a substantially X shape, a side or diameter of which is equal to or smaller than three times a measurement of a thickness of said planar surface which constitutes said profiled element, a center distance between two of said through holes that are adjacent being equal to or greater than the thickness of said profile, said thickness being between 0.4 and 1.5 millimeters.

2. The profiled element according to claim 1, wherein it is constituted by one or more horizontal or vertical profiled elements, by one or more front posts, by one or more abutment posts, by one or more rear posts, by one or more horizontal crossmembers, by one or more upper crossmembers for said rear posts, said front posts and said abutment posts and also by a support for a track/guide for sliding trolleys with which sliding doors or leaves are associated, all made of metal plate, which is used to achieve the support/resting and/or the fixing of plasterboard panels that are adapted to define said walls of an in-wall frame for retractable doors or panels or for installation in frames for the provision of plasterboard walls, characterized in that said plurality of through holes are distributed uniformly according to a series of mutually parallel rows, so as to obtain, between two adjacent rows, an upper surface which delimits each distinct row of said laterally adjacent through holes and is substantially shaped like an upturned U which determines a surface that is inclined in the direction of the adjacent through holes that are arranged at its sides.

3. The profiled element according to claim 2, wherein each one of said through holes has, in plan view, a substantially conical shape which provides a guide for a needle-like tip of a fastening screw to move toward an axis of the corresponding through hole if said tip is arranged either on said upper surface or at said side walls or surfaces of each one of said through holes and of said upper surface.

4. The profiled element according to claim 2, wherein a perforated conical tab protrudes, at each one of said through holes, at a lower surface which is opposite said upper surface and produces a localized increase in the thickness of said planar surface.

5. The profiled element according to claim 2, wherein the side or diameter of each one of said through holes that are provided on said planar surface of said profiled element, and therefore of each one of said horizontal profiled element, said vertical profiled element, said front post, said abutment post, said rear post, said horizontal crossmember, and said upper crossmember, is equal to or smaller than three times the measure of the thickness of said planar surface that constitutes said profiled element [D1≤3S].

6. The profiled element according to claim 1, wherein the center distance between two of said through holes that are mutually closer is equal to or greater than the thickness of said profiled element.

7. The profiled element according to claim 1, wherein its thickness is comprised between 0.4 and 1.5 millimeters [0.4≤S≤1.5].

8. The profiled element according to claim 3, wherein the shape and an arrangement of said through holes and said side walls or surfaces guides a penetration of said tip of said screw, regardless of its arrangement on a side of said planar surface that has said through holes, into an adjacent single through hole, and said head of said screw compresses a skin or layer of paper onto an underlying plaster of said plasterboard panel without breaking a thin paper layer.

9. The profiled element according to claim 1, comprising, at longitudinal sides of said planar surface, one or more ridges or two side edges or folds and two wings which give said profiled element a substantially omega-like shape.

Description

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view of an in-wall frame for doors or panels;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of a horizontal crossmember;

(4) FIG. 3 is a detail showing the holes provided on the profiled element;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view from below of a horizontal crossmember;

(6) FIG. 5 is a detail showing the holes provided on the profiled element, in the previous figure;

(7) FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of the horizontal crossmember in the region with the holes;

(8) FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line VII-VII in FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6;

(10) FIG. 9 is a detail showing the holes in a plan view;

(11) FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a profiled element, a panel, and a screw;

(12) FIGS. 11 to 15 are cross-sectional views of the step of inserting a screw into a hole.

(13) In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

(14) With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a profiled element with which plasterboard walls or panels 2 can be associated.

(15) The profiled element 1 can be constituted by one or more horizontal 3 or vertical 4 profiled elements, by one or more front posts 5, by one or more abutment posts 6, by one or more rear posts 7, by one or more horizontal crossmembers 8, by one or more upper crossmembers 9 for the rear posts 7, front posts 5 and abutment posts 6 and also by a support for a rail/guide (not shown) for sliding trolleys (not shown) with which sliding doors or leaves (not shown) are associated, all made of metal plate.

(16) In the specific embodiment, the use is shown of a profiled element 1 in its various forms used to achieve the support/placement and/or the fastening of plasterboard panels 2 adapted to define the walls 10 of an in-wall frame 11 for doors or panels which can slide in-wall or which can be installed in frames for providing plasterboard walls.

(17) In the specific embodiment shown, the upper crossmember 9 furthermore connects the abutment post 6 which is fixed to the opposite end from the rear post 7, and the front posts 5 are arranged approximately at the same distance between the rear posts 7 and the front posts 5.

(18) The rear posts 7 and the front posts 5 are transversely connected by the horizontal crossmembers 8 and are positioned at a vertical distance from each other such as to divide the length of the rear post 7 and front posts 5 into approximately identical parts.

(19) The method allows to obtain, starting from a metallic lamina, a profiled element 1 that has, in each one of its embodiments, the horizontal 3 or vertical 4 profiled element, the front post 5, the abutment post 6, the rear post 7, the horizontal crossmember 8, the upper crossmember 9, a planar surface 12 on which a plurality of holes 13 is provided, which are uniformly distributed according to a series of mutually parallel rows.

(20) The holes 13, which are through holes, can be obtained by way of a step of perforating the planar surface 12, which is obtained by way of punching or even by drawing, for example by way of a continuous machining which can be obtained by way of rolling and therefore using two rollers, one acting as a die (which determines the shape and the perforation of the metallic lamina so as to obtain the various holes 13), and the other acting as a punch (which determines the external shape of each one of the holes 13).

(21) In the specific embodiment shown the method also allows to obtain, for each horizontal crossmember 8 and at the longitudinal sides of the planar surface 12, one or more ridges or, as illustrated, two side edges or folds 15a, 15b and two wings 16a, 16b which give the horizontal crossmember 8 a substantially omega-like shape; such machining strengthens the profiled element and makes it less flexible.

(22) As mentioned, the holes 13, which are obtained by deforming the planar surface 12, are distributed uniformly according to a series of mutually parallel rows, so as to obtain, between two adjacent rows, an upper surface 17 which thus delimits each distinct row of laterally adjacent holes 13 and is substantially shaped like an upturned U which determines a surface that is inclined in the direction of the adjacent holes 13 that are arranged at its sides.

(23) Each one of the holes 13 has, in plan view, a substantially conical shape 18 which provides a guide for the needle-like tip 50 of a fastening screw 51 to move toward the axis 52 of the corresponding hole 13 if the tip is arranged either on the upper surface 17 or at the side walls or surfaces (indicated in clockwise order) 13a, 13b, 17a, 13c, 13d and 17b of each hole 13 and of the upper surface 17.

(24) A perforated conical tab 20 protrudes, at each hole 13, at the lower surface 19 which is opposite the upper surface 17 and produces a localized increase in the thickness S of the planar surface 12.

(25) In a plan view the holes 13 have, considering both the upper surface 17 and the lower surface 19, a substantially X-like shape.

(26) The side or diameter D1 of each one of the holes 13 that are present on the planar surface 12 of the profiled element 1, and therefore of each one of the horizontal profiled element 3, the vertical profiled element 4, the front post 5, the abutment post 6, the rear post 7, the horizontal crossmember 8, the upper crossmember 9, is equal to or smaller than three times the measure of the thickness S of the planar surface 12 that constitutes the profiled element 1 [D1≤3S].

(27) The center distance D2 between two of the holes 13 that are mutually closer is equal to or greater than the thickness S of the profiled element 1 [D2≤S].

(28) The thickness S of the profiled element 1 is comprised between 0.4 and 1.5 millimeters [0.4≤S≤1.5].

(29) The presence and the particular arrangement of the holes 13 at the planar surface 12 enables an installation technician, once a plasterboard wall or panel 2 is placed alongside a profiled element 1, whether it is a horizontal 3 or vertical 4 profiled element, a front post 5, an abutment post 6, a rear post 7, a horizontal crossmember 8, an upper crossmember 9, to fasten it by positioning the screw in any point of the plasterboard wall or panel 2, making sure that the tip of that screw will intercept one of the holes 13 and therefore allows to achieve an optimal interconnection.

(30) As illustrated in fact in FIGS. 11 and 12, if the tip 50 of a screw 51 is positioned at a hole 13, so as to affect one of the side walls or surfaces 13a, 13b, 17a, 13c, 13d, and 17b of the hole 13, it penetrates directly into the profiled element 1 and its head 53 compresses the skin or layer of paper onto the underlying plaster of the plasterboard panel 2 without breaking the thin paper layer.

(31) If instead, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the tip 50 of the screw 51 is positioned at an intermediate point between two adjacent holes 13 and therefore at the upper surface 17 i.e. when the displacement axis of the screw toward a hole 13 is greater, a minimal degree of offset is obtained in any case and, by virtue of both the curved shape of the upper surface 17 and the shape structure of the holes 13, the tip 50 is guided toward the hole 13.

(32) In this case too the head 53 of the screw 51, which has the characteristic trumpet shape, once screwed in, does not protrude from the surface of the panel 2 and does not break the surface layer/skin of the panel 2, thus ensuring a properly carried out fastening.

(33) Thus it has been found that the method has achieved the set aim and objects, by allowing to obtain a profiled element that allows to achieve the optimal and rapid support/placement and/or the fastening of plasterboard panels adapted to define the sides of an in-wall frame for doors or panels that slide in-wall, and which can be installed in frames for providing plasterboard walls, such profiled element having at the same time a considerable simplicity of construction and installation and allowing to obtain the fastening of normal plasterboard panels stably, durably and quickly.

(34) The needle-line tip 50 of the screws 51 for the plasterboard panels, in fact, once in contact with the region of the planar surface 12 that has the holes 13, finds a guiding portion whatever its initial positioning; since the needle-like tip 50 of the screw 51 never finds a planar surface, it always slides into the holes 13, which are close together so as not to shift the axis of the screw too far and this is a great screwing advantage for the installation technician.

(35) The invention therefore resolves the problem of conveying the screw 51 to the nearest hole 13 to which its tip 50 is arranged, without such choice needing to be made by the installation technician, who has only to screw the screws 51 in any position, within the dimensions of the profiled element 1 underlying the panel that has the holes 13, without exerting particular pressure, and proceed until the head 53 of the screw 51 is flush with the surface of the panel 2; such operation is very light because high pressure is not needed to make a hole in the metal of the underlying profiled element 1.

(36) The profiled element 1 furthermore maintains particularly reduced thicknesses and allows to fasten plasterboard walls thereto even by people with no special training and with conventional or standard means for screwing that are easily available.

(37) The invention is of course susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

(38) Thus it does not matter that the fastening needs to be carried out with a double plasterboard panel 2.

(39) The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to the specific requirements.

(40) The various means of achieving certain different functions certainly need not coexist only in the embodiment shown, but may be present in many embodiments, even if they are not shown. The characteristics indicated above as advantageous, convenient or the like, may also be missing or be substituted by equivalent characteristics.

(41) The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102018000004060 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.