RETAINER PANEL FOR A PANEL HEATING SYSTEM

Abstract

Retainer panel of a panel heating system. The retainer panel has a carrier to which a structural surface is directly laminated. The structural surface is serves as one component of a touch hook-and-loop fastener. The carrier has a relief surface with a configuration of raised and relief areas that forms a grid of channels. The channels are dimensioned to accommodate the layout of a heating tube. The heating tube carries the second component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener that interacts with the first component to hold the heating tube in-place on the retainer panel.

Claims

1. A retainer panel in a panel heating system, the retainer panel comprising: a carrier having a top surface that has a relief structure with relief areas and raised areas; and a structural surface that is partially pressed into the top surface of the carrier in a direct lamination process; wherein the relief surface of the carrier is dimensioned to receive a heating tube between raised areas; and wherein the structural surface serves to fix the heating tube in place on the retainer panel.

2. The retainer panel of of claim 1, wherein the relief structure is constructed as a type of layout grid.

3. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein the carrier is a three-dimensionally formed thermoforming film.

4. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein a plurality of through-holes are provided on the carrier and structural surface.

5. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein the retainer panel has a height of at most 10 mm.

6. The retainer panel of claim 5, wherein the retainer panel has a height of at most 3 mm.

7. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the raised areas on the relief structure includes pairs of parallel ribs, each pair creating a channel that is dimensioned to receive a portion of a circumference of the heating tube.

8. The retainer panel of claim 7, wherein the relief structure includes a plurality of channels that intersect each other.

9. The retainer panel of claim 8, wherein the two ribs that form the channel are spaced a first distance apart and two parallel channels are spaced a second distance apart that is greater than the first distance.

10. The retainer panel of claim 7, wherein the channels are arranged in a quadratic grid.

11. The retainer panel of claim 7, wherein a plurality of raised profiles are provided in areas between the channels and are spaced apart from each other such, that any two adjacent raised profiles provide a free space between them that is dimensioned to receiving a curved section of the heating tube.

12. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein the retainer panel has a four edges and wherein an overlap strip is provided under the carrier on at least one of the four edges and that is connectable with an adjacent retainer panel.

13. The retainer panel of claim 12, wherein the retainer panel is adhesive, so as to allow an adhesive bond with the overlap strip of an adjacent retainer panel.

14. The retainer panel of claim 12, wherein an underside of the retainer panel is adhesive.

15. The retainer panel of claim 14, wherein the underside of the retainer panel is adhesive on the overlap strip and beyond the overlap strip.

16. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein a touch hook-and-loop fastener serves to fix the heating tube, wherein the structural surface is a fleece component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener, and wherein a hook component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener is provided on the heating tube.

17. The retainer panel of claim 1, wherein the structural surface is affixed to the carrier with an excess amount of material, such that the structural surface lies on the carrier in a wave-like form.

18. The retainer panel of claim 17, wherein the wave-like form has peaks and valleys and the structural surface is affixed to the carrier only at the valleys.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of a retainer panel.

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the retainer panel, with a portion of the structural surface removed to show the underlying carrier.

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of the retainer panel, with a portion of the structural surface removed to show the underlying carrier.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional cut through a section of the retainer panel according to the invention.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates in a pulled-apart view of a section of a carrier and the structural surface, whereby two embodiments of the structural surface are shown, one above the other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0048] FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate various embodiments of a retainer panel 1 according to the invention that comprises a carrier 10 and a structural surface 11. FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment and, thus, the carrier 10 is not visible. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate second and third embodiments of the retainer panel 1. In these figures, the structural surface 11 is shown on only a portion of the retainer panel 1, so that the carrier 10 with its relief structure is also visible.

[0049] The carrier 10 is a plastic film and the structural surface 11 is a velour-like fleece component or a loop component of a touch hook-and-loop fastener. The hook component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener is provided on an outer surface of a heating tube 6 that is to be placed on the retainer panel 1. The structural surface 11 is directly laminated onto an upper surface of the carrier 10, completely covering it.

[0050] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 10 is a thermoforming film having a three-dimensional profile that creates a relief structure on the upper surface of the carrier. Ribs 2 are provided on the carrier 10 in lengthwise and crosswise directions, thereby creating a rectangular grid, and, particularly in this case, a grid of squares. Any two parallel adjacent ribs 2 create a channel 3 between them, in which a heating tube 6, represented only schematically with a dashed line, may be placed. The channels 3 are evenly spaced and intersect each other at 90 degree angles. In the embodiment shown, the channels 3 have a depth of 1 to 2 mm.

[0051] A plurality of through-holes 4 are provided on the retainer panel 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a central through-hole 4 is provided in the middle of each of the squares formed by the ribs 2, as well as at each intersection of the channels 3. These through-holes 4 may differ in size.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 1, the relief structure is defined by the channels 10 and a plurality of other raised areas 9. These raised areas 9 may have different forms, such as raised profiles 5 in the form of nipples or nubs that are placed a distance from the through-hole 4, closer to the corners of each square, or other raised profiles 8 that encircle the edge of the central through-hole 4 in the squares.

[0053] The heating tube 6 in FIG. 1 is shown having a curved run on the retainer panel 1. A first section of the tube 6 runs in a channel 3 that extends in what is here referred to as a lengthwise direction, a second section runs in a channel 3 in the crosswise direction, with a curved section 6A therebetween. The raised profiles 5 and 8 create trough-like or channel-like areas, so that the curved section 6A that runs between the raised profiles 5 and 8 bumps up against one or more of these raised profiles. The hook component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener that is on the outside of the heating tube 6 thus comes into contact with side portions of the raised profiles 5 and 8, thereby providing a touch hook-and-loop fastener effect at these places. This relief structure that accommodates a curved run of the heating tube 6 effectively increases the contact area between the retainer panel 1 and the curved section 6A of the heating tube 6 that lies outside of the channels 3.

[0054] FIG. 1 shows an overlap strip 7 on two sides of the retainer panel 1, namely, along one width side and one length side. An adhesive coating is applied to the underside of the retainer panel 1. This coating may be applied to the complete surface or in a grid pattern made of lines or dots, so that, in any case, the retainer panel 1 may be affixed to a substrate, as well as to the overlap strip 7 of an adjacent retainer panel 1. In this case, the overlap strips 7 are provided on the underside of the retainer panel 1.

[0055] Alternatively, the overlap strip 7 may be provided on the upper side of the retainer panel 1. For example, it may be formed by the structural surface 3, i.e., by the textile element, the so-called fleece component that forms the loops of the touch hook-and-loop fastener. The structural surface 3 extends beyond the two sides of the carrier 10, i.e., the thermoforming film, by being cut to be appropriately large, as shown in FIG. 1. The underside of the overlap strip 7 is constructed such, that it may be connected to an adjacent retainer panel 1. To this end, the underside of the overlap strip 7 is provided, for example, with a strip of the hook component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener, so that the overlap strip 7 may be pressed from above onto the structural surface 3 of an adjacent retainer panel 1, fastening the two panels 1 together. Or the underside of the overlap strip 7 that is placed on top of the other strip may be coated with an adhesive, for the same purpose.

[0056] FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the retainer panel 1 that comprises the carrier 10 and the structural surface 11 discussed with reference to FIG. 1, but with a different relief structure. Instead of the channels 3 formed by ribs 2, the relief structure creates the channels 3 exclusively by the raised profiles 5 and 8. Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, four smaller raised profiles 5 are arranged in a quadratic pattern around each central through-hole 4 with its raised circular profile 8. This configuration of five raised profiles 5 and 8 is referred to as a nipple group. The left half of FIG. 2 shows the carrier 10, and the right half the structural surface 11 that covers the carrier 10.

[0057] The four smaller raised profiles 5 of the nipple group in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 may be spaced a greater distance from the central raised profile 8 than is shown in FIG. 1. Or the quadratic grid pattern in which the individual nipple groups are arranged relative each other may be smaller than is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1. In any case, the result is that the channels 3 run in straight lines and intersect each other between the nipple groups, the channels 3 having a similar width as the channels 3 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0058] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which the four smaller raised profiles 5, which are individually formed in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and mark the four corners of a square, are connected to each other to form a cross-or X-shaped raised area 9. These cross- or X-shaped raised areas 9 are also arranged in a square grid, so that, with this embodiment, too, channels 3 are formed between the raised areas 9, these channels also running in straight lines and intersecting each other. Similarly to FIG. 2, the left half of FIG. 3 shows the carrier 10, and the right half the structural surface 11 that covers the carrier 10.

[0059] The through-holes 4 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be provided, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, as central through-holes 4, always in the center of a nipple group or of a cross-shaped raised area 9, as well as through-holes 4 that are placed at intersections of the channels 3. Thus, the X-shaped raised areas 9 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 connect not only the four smaller raised profiles 5, but they also integrally form the raised profiles 8 around the central through-holes 4, which are constructed as separate rings in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0060] FIG. 4 illustrates a vertical cross-section through the retainer panel 1, whereby the cut runs through two raised areas 9, as well as through the intersection of two channels 3 and, thus, through the corresponding through-holes 4. The retainer panel 1 in this area of the vertical cross-section consists of just two elements: the carrier 10 and the structural surface 11. The three-dimensionally shaped thermoforming film that forms the carrier 10 has a relief structure that has a lower or relief area and a raised area. The structural surface 11 that is laminated to the carrier 10 is a fleece textile that serves as the fleece component of a touch hook-and-loop fastener and, accordingly, is a textile with many loops. The structural surface 11 is pressed into the heated material of the carrier 10 as a way of directly laminating the surface 11 to the carrier 10, thereby creating a firm bond between the two elements 10 and 11, without the use of additional materials, such as adhesive.

[0061] During the lamination process, the structural surface 11 is pressed onto the raised areas 9 of the relief structure of the carrier 10. The fabric or material of the structural surface 11 is thus suspended freely between the raised areas 9, possibly without making contact with the carrier 10. In order to simplify the stamping process and ensure a precise stamping result when stamping out the through-holes 4 at the intersections of channels 3, a highly profiled pressure pad may be used, for example, a profiled roller, which is able to press the structural surface 11 even into these deeper lying intersecting areas on the carrier 10, so that the structural surface 11 is laminated onto the carrier 10 even in these deeper areas.

[0062] FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of the carrier 10, showing two variants of the structural surface 11 that may be laminated to the carrier 10 to create the retainer panel 1 according to the invention. The carrier 10 is shown here as a flat element, without a relief structure, because the view is only of a small section of the carrier 10 at a place where the carrier is flat.

[0063] A first variant of a structural surface 11A is shown in the middle of FIG. 5, above the carrier 10. Seen microscopically, the texture of the material of the fleece component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener is rough, because it has many loops. Macroscopically, however, the structural surface 11A is shown as a flat element.

[0064] By contrast, a second variant of a structural surface 11B shown in the upper portion of FIG. 5 is not only microscopically rough due to the texture of the material of the fleece potion, but it is also macroscopically rough or uneven. When producing this fleece component, different tensions are applied to the threads, producing a three-dimensional, relief-like, crimped or wave-like structure. Such structures are also referred to as crushed, i.e., crumpled or creased. Compared to the flat or smooth construction of the structural surface 11A, an excessive amount of the material of the structural surface 11B is applied to the carrier 10 to obtain the relief-like structural surface 11B.

[0065] Regardless of the relief structure of the carrier 10, the structural surface 11 itself has a three-dimensionality or depth to it, so that it imparts a particularly strong hold on the heating tube 6 that is pressed onto the retainer panel 1, even there, where the carrier 10 runs smoothly, i.e., does not exhibit a relief structure.

[0066] A similar macroscopically rough structure of the structural surface 11 on the carrier 10 may be achieved, even if the structural surface 11 is initially not macroscopically rough, i.e., is not produced, for example, as a crimped textile 11B. If, for example, the the structural surface 11 is the macroscopically flat structural surface 11A, then a profiled roller may be used in the lamination process to press this flat structural surface 11A onto the carrier 10. The use of a profiled roller results in a crimped or wave-like shape that corresponds to that of the structural surface 11B.

[0067] Accordingly, the relief-like structural surfaces 11A/11B may be used on a carrier 10 that has only a low surface profile, yet nevertheless ensure a significant holding strength for the heating tube 6.

[0068] The manufacture of the retainer panel 1 according to the invention is cost-effective, because the low three-dimensionality of the thermoformed carrier 10 contributes to a reduction in production costs. Also, the circular raised profiles 8 that are provided around the central through-holes 4 are simple to create, by providing a raised profile initially having a large, circular surface area and then stamping the appropriate circular raised profiles 8 from it, in order to create the central through-hole 4 with the raised profile 8. The fleece component of the touch hook-and-loop fastener is laminated as the structural surface 11 onto the carrier 10, namely, onto the thermoforming film. The stamping process does not cause a problem, because the structural surface 11 and carrier 10 are firmly bonded together in the lamination process. As a result, the velour-like fleece material cannot pull or yield and thereby avoid being stamped along with the carrier material.