EP1682734A1

EP1682734A1 - A springing device

Info

Publication number: EP1682734A1
Application number: EP04762884A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ole Slott; Thomas Flindt
Original assignee: Junckers Industrier AS
Current assignee: Junckers Industrier AS
Priority date: 2003-10-03
Filing date: 2004-10-01
Publication date: 2006-07-26
Also published as: HK1093089A1; WO2005033436A1; KR20060122825A; CN100404771C; CN1863976A

Abstract

A springing device to be used preferably between two joists (31, 32) crossing each other in a floor structure includes a rubber member (1) to be secured in advance on one the joists (31), as well as a locking member (2) to be secured in advance on the second joist (32). The rubber member (1) and the locking member (2) include co-acting engagement means adapted to engage one another in a locking manner when the two members (1, 2) are assembled.

Description

Title: A springing device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a springing device to be used preferably between two joists crossing each other in a floor structure, said springing device including a rubber member to be secured in advance on one of the joists.

Background Art

Especially in connection with sports halls or the like, it is known to manufacture floor structures with a flooring placed atop two layers of joists extending in parallel. The joists of one layer extend perpendicular to the joists of the other layer, and these two layers of joists abut one another through an intermediate rubber member enhanc- ing the resilience of the floor structure.

In addition it is known to mount such rubber members in advance on the joists forming part of one layer of joists. However, the placing of such a layer of joists atop another layer of joists at the mounting site of the floor structure involves a time- consuming measuring and adjustment at said site.

Description of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a springing device rendering it pos- sible in advance to prepare both layers of joists for the mounting, and which ensures a joining of said joists, where the joining locks in a reliable manner.

The object is obtained by the springing device mentioned above including a locking member to be secured in advance on the second joist, and by the rubber member and said locking member including co-acting engagement means adapted to engage one another through a locking coupling of the two members. The resulting mounting procedure has been extremely simplified because the two members can be mounted in advance in a very accurate manner at the locations which later on are to be positioned directly above one another in order to ensure that the floor structure meets the prescribed requirements.

The rubber member is according to the invention advantageously formed by a laminate including a rigid plate which in the mounted state on one joist is placed on the side turning away from said joist, said rigid plate being adapted to engage snapping means on the associated locking member by way of a snap action. As a result a very simple rubber member is obtained which allows the above joining. The rubber member is secured in a relatively easy manner on the associated joist by means of glue or nails.

Furthermore, the locking member may according to the invention include a cup- shaped part, which in turn includes a wall for an at least partially surrounding of the rubber member, said wall defining an opening receiving said rubber member, and where the snapping means are positioned on or within the inner side of said wall. As a result, the assembler can clearly see where the rubber member is to be moved into engagement with the locking member.

In addition, the locking member may according to the invention include stopping means for limiting the degree of compression of the rubber member while in use, because in order to preserve the resilient properties of the rubber member said rubber member must not be compressed beyond a predetermined degree, usually approxi- mately 50%, of the height of said rubber member.

According to the invention, the stopping means may advantageously be formed by an upper edge on the wall of the locking member, where said upper edge while in use is positioned farthest away from the joist on which said locking member is se- cured. According to the invention the locking member may include guide means for guiding the rubber member into a correct alignment relative to said locking member during the joining movement with the result that the joining has been facilitated. These guide means may particularly advantageously be formed by a plurality of ribs pro- jecting perpendicular from the inner side of the wall of the cup-shaped part, said ribs including upper inclining guide edges inclining downwards away from the upper edge of the wall. In this manner the rubber member is efficiently guided into a central position within the walls of the cup.

According to the invention the snapping means of the locking member may be barbs opposing one another on their respective resilient wall portions, said wall portions being spaced from the surrounding wall of the locking member while being connected to said wall through ribs arranged thereon and provided with inclining guide edges. As a result, the snap action is particularly simple while the guiding of the rub- ber member into the central position between the snapping means is ensured in a simple manner as well.

Finally, the wall and the ribs of the locking member may be formed integral with a supporting plate on the side opposite the upper edge of the wall, said supporting plate including projecting means to be used in connection with the mounting of the locking member on the joist in question. The resulting locking member is particularly simple and is easy to manufacture by way of injection moulding of a suitable plastic material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a side view of a springing device according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a top view of the springing device of Fig. 1, but where the associated rubber member has been removed,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of Fig. 2, where the rubber member engages the associated locking member,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the rubber member mounted on the lower face of a joist and the locking member mounted on the upper face of a second joist prior to the joining of said two members, and

Fig. 5 corresponds to Fig. 4, but after the joining of the rubber member and the locking member.

Best Mode(s for carrying out the invention

The springing device shown in the drawing includes a rubber member designated the general reference numeral 1, cf. Figs. 1 and 3, and a locking member designated the general reference numeral 2, cf. Figs. 1 to 3. The rubber member 1 is in form of a laminate including a rubber layer 3 and a rigid plate 4 secured on said rubber layer. The rubber material is of a conventionally known type, such as made of a PUR- foam, whereas the rigid plate is made of a suitable material, such as ABS-plastics. The laminate can include a glue coating on the side opposite the rigid plate 4, and until use this glue coating can be covered by a suitable tear-off cover layer not shown.

The locking member 2 is cast integral in form of a cup-shaped part. Fig. 2 is a top view showing said cup-shaped part which includes a rectangular wall 5 and a bottom-forming supporting plate 6. At each end of the rectangular wall, the supporting plate includes a portion 7 and 8 projecting outside said wall, said portions being de- fined by inclined, reinforcing wall parts 9, 10 and 11, 12, respectively. Ribs 13 to 22 are provided on the inner side of the rectangular wall 5, said ribs extending perpendicular from said wall 5 at suitable regular intervals. At the top, the ribs 13 to 22 include an inclined edge extending obliquely downwards towards the supporting plate 6, said ribs ending in an edge extending parallel to the wall 5 and substantially in a perpendicular manner downwards towards the supporting plate 6. The ribs 19, 20 and 21, 22, respectively, positioned within the projecting portions 7 and 8 of the supporting plate 6 are at the root formed integral with wall portions 23 and 24, respectively, extending parallel to the adjacent portion of the rectangular wall 5. These wall portions 23 and 24 are formed separately and extend across a rec- tangular recess 25 and 26, respectively, in the bottom plate 6. As a result, the wall portions 23 and 24 present a resilience which, of course, has been adjusted through a suitable thickness. Due to the strength, the adjacent portions of the wall 5 are shaped with a slightly increased thickness, cf. Fig. 2.

A barb-forming projection 27 and 28 is provided on each of the opposing sides of the wall portions 23 and 24, said projections being adapted to grip about the rigid plate 4 of the rubber member 1, cf. Fig. 3.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the wall 5 is shaped with a raised upper edge 29 and 30 on two opposing sides. These raised upper edges present such a height that in use they ensure that the rubber member 1 is not compressed beyond a predetermined limit of for instance 50%.

The locking member 2 is placed on the joist 32 in question by means of clips or nails driven through the projecting portions 7 and 8 of the supporting plate 6.

When the rubber member is to be used, said rubber member 1 is mounted on the lower face of a joist, cf. Fig. 4, whereas the locking member 2 is mounted on another joist 32. The two joists 31 and 32 are to form part of their respective layers of joists in a floor structure, and the sets of rubber members and locking members are arranged on locations determined in advance and centrally along their respective cen- tre lines in such a manner that they are correctly positioned after the mounting. At the mounting of the floor structure, each rubber member 1 is guided downwards into an associated locking member 2, the ribs 13 to 22 with the inclined edges ensuring an accurate and easy guiding of said rubber member into a position within the inner edges of said ribs 13 to 22. The inner edges of the ribs extend perpendicular to the supporting plate 6. Subsequently, the two members are pushed together, the wall portions 23 and 24 yielding and allowing the rigid plate 4 of the rubber member 1 to pass the barbs 27 and 28 and to enter a locking engagement below said barbs, cf. Fig. 3. The mounted state appears also from Fig. 5.

The present springing device has been described in connection with joists to be arranged in two layers with the result that a plurality of the rubber members 1 and the locking members 2 are positioned on their respective layers of joists. However, the springing devices can also be used alone below single joists and thereby act as a chocking means presenting built-in resilient properties. They can also be mounted on another base material, such as wedges or the like by means of nails or glue.

Finally, the springing devices according to the invention can be used as spring members/deformation stops underneath for instance panels, joists and the like, in which case the locking member is mounted on the panel and the rubber member rests on the bottom floor, said locking member and said rubber member being caused to engage one another in a locking manner prior to the mounting procedure.

The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. Many modifications can for instance be carried out without thereby deviating from the scope of the invention. The rubber member 1 can for instance include projecting members above the locking member, said projecting members being used at the mounting of the rubber member 1 on a joist by means of nails or clips. The rubber member can also be cast integral in such a manner that along one side said rubber member is more solid and can enter a locking engagement with the locking member.

Claims

1. A springing device to be used preferably between two joists (31, 32) crossing each other in a floor structure, said springing device including a rubber member (1) to be secured in advance on one of the joists (31), characterised in that the springing device includes a locking member (2) to be secured in advance on the second joist (32), and that the rubber member (1) and the locking member (2) include co- acting engagement means (4; 27, 28) adapted to engage one another through a locking coupling of the two members (1, 2).

2. A springing device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the rubber member (1) is a laminate including a rigid plate (4), which in the mounted state on one joist (31) is placed on the side turning away from said joist (31), and which is adapted to engage snapping means (27, 28) on the associated locking member (2) by way of a snap action.

3. A springing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in, that the locking member (2) includes a cup-shaped part, which in turn includes a wall (5) for at least partially surrounding of the rubber member (1), said wall defining an opening re- ceiving said rubber member (1), and that the snapping means (27, 28) are positioned on or within the inner side of said wall (5).

4. A springing device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the locking member (2) include stopping means (29, 30) for limiting the degree of compres- sion of the rubber member ( 1 ) while in use .

5. A springing device as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterised in, that the stopping means (29, 30) are formed by an upper edge on the wall (5) of the locking member (2), where said upper edge (29, 30) while in use is positioned farthest away from the joist (32) on which said locking member (2) is secured.

6. A springing device as claimed in one or more of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the locking member (2) include guide means (13 to 22) for guiding the rubber member (1) into a correct alignment relative to the locking member (2) during the assembling movement.

7. A springing device as claimed in claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterised in that the guide means (13 to 22) are formed by a plurality of ribs projecting perpendicular from the inner side of the wall (5) of the cup-shaped part and including upper guiding edges inclining downwards in a direction away from the upper edge of the wall (5).

8. A springing device as claimed in one or more of the claim 3 to 7, characterised in that the snapping means (27, 28) of the locking member are barbs opposing one another on their respective resilient wall portions (23, 24), said wall portions being spaced from the surrounding wall (5) of the locking member (2) while being connected to said wall through ribs arranged thereon and provided with inclining guide edges.

9. A springing device as claimed in one or more of the claims 3 to 8, characterised in that the wall (5) and ribs (13 o 22) of the locking member (2) are formed integral with a supporting plate (6) on the side opposite the upper edge of the wall (5), and that said supporting plate (6) includes projecting portions (7, 8) to be used in connection with the mounting of the locking member (2) on the joist (32) in question.