GB2355398A

GB2355398A - Edging strip for furniture

Info

Publication number: GB2355398A
Application number: GB9924870A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Rodney Nott
Original assignee: J F NOTT Ltd
Current assignee: J F NOTT Ltd
Priority date: 1999-10-20
Filing date: 1999-10-20
Publication date: 2001-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-20
Also published as: GB9924870D0; GB2355398B

Abstract

A PVC edging strip 1 for furniture 7 has a central portion 3 and thin lateral wings 4 which are trimmed off when the edging strip 1 has been applied to the edge of the furniture 7. The wings 4 meet the outer surface of the central portion 3 at an angle so that there is a kink in the outer profile of the carrier strip 2. A PVC cover strip 6 is sealed to the carrier strip 2 and extends from one kink to the other, terminating in the kinks.

Description

2355398 M&C Folio: 230P81283 Document #: 426749 Edging SWp for Furniture

Background to the invention

It is known to place an edging strip on furniture such as desks and worktops, the edging strip being secured to an edge of the furniture in any convenient manner, for instance by providing a profile strip, called a "christmas tree", as in GB RD 2 046 34 1, projecting from the inner face of the edging strip and forming a groove on the edge of the furniture, the "christmas tree" being pressed into the groove in the furniture. In order to provide a good finish at the edges of the edging strip, the edging strip can have lateral portions, termed "wings", "ears" or "fms", are thin compared to the thickness of the edging strip (e.g. about one fifth to one tenth of the thickness of the central part of the edging strip but ignoring the christmas tree), and which are inclined towards the edge of the furniture before securing the edging strip in position and fumly engage the edge of the furniture and are pressed up when the edging strip is in position. The lateral portions are each much narrower than the edging strip, say each being about one tenth to one twentieth of the width of the edging strip. The lateral portions are subsequently trinirried off using for instance a sharp knife. In order to provide a wood finish, the edging strip can be treated with a hot stamping transfer process which applies a wood simulating pattern directly to the edging strip, covered by a transparent polyvinylchloride layer.

It is the general object of the invention to provide an edging strip which has improved durability and is not easily damaged in use. It is also desirable to provide a way of applying a more realistic wood finish to the edging strip.

The Invention The invention provides edging strips for ftu-niture as set forth in Claims I or 13, methods as set forth in Claims 5 or 14, and a piece of furniture as set forth in Claim 15.

2 Terminating the cover strip in the kink greatly reduces any tendency for the edge of the cover strip to peel back, for instance when someone fidgets with the edging strip, being a considerably improvement on one previous practice, which was to take the cover strip to the edge of the carrier strip. Another previous practice was to take the cover strip beyond the carrier strip and wrap it around, but this can give problems when the edging strip is secured to the furniture, particularly if the edging strip is taken round a curved comer of the furniture. Furthermore, this arrangement prevents having lateral portions which can be trimmed.

If, as is preferred, the carrier strip central portion has a continuously convex curved outer profile, this enables a rather thicker cover strip to be applied without the sort of problems that can arise if the outer profile is flat. Thus the cover strip can be slightly tensioned by the applying member (which may be a profiled roller) and there is no tendency for the cover strip to lift off. As the cover strip is thicker, it can be covered and have a relief surface to represent the colour of the wood finish with the lines of the wood grain. Thus the cover strip can for instance have a thickness of up to about 0.3 mm or greater without problems in application - the minimum thickness may be for example about 1.5 mm.

It is convenient if the carrier strip is hot extruded and the cover strip is applied to the hot carrier strip while the carrier strip is still hot from the extrusion, the cover strip either being of a material which will bond easily with the carrier strip in such circumstances, or having applied thereto a bonding medium. Most conveniently, both the carrier strip and the cover strip are formed of the same plastics material, such as polyvinylchloride.

Preferred Embodiment 3 The invention will be farther described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a cross-section through an edging strip in accordance with the invention, before application to a piece of furniture; Figure 2 is a cross-section corresponding to Figure 1, but showing the edging strip after application to a piece of finmiture; Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing the manufacture of the edging strip of Figures I and 2; and Figure 4 is a schematic section along the line IV - IV of Figure 3.

The edging strip I shown in Figure 1 has a polyvinylchloride carrier strip 2 which is coloured to represent a wood. The carrier strip 2 has a central portion 3 which is about 24 mm wide and about 4.5 mm thick at its centre (though any suitable thickness and width can be chosen), and which extends from adjacent one edge of the carrier strip 2 to adjacent the opposite edge of the carrier strip 2 and whose outer profile, as seen in the cross-section of Figure 1, is continuously convex curved from edge to edge. Along each edge of the central portion 3, there is a lateral portion 4 which is about 2 mm wide. Each lateral portion 4 is thin, as seen in the cross-section of Figure 1, say about 0.75 mm thick, and its outer surface meets the outer surface of the central portion 3 at an angle of roughly 90' so that there is a kink in the outer profile of the carrier strip 2, ninning along the outer surface of the carrier strip 2 where each lateral portion 4 joins the central portion 3. The inner surface of the central portion 3 is slightly concave curved and the lateral portions 4 are down turned. Projecting from the inner surface of the central portion 3 is a "christmas tree" 5. A polyvinylchloride cover strip 6, about 0.2 mrn thick, is sealed to the outer surface of the central portion 3 and extends from the kink adjacent one edge to the kink adjacent the other edge, terminating in the kinks. The cover strip 3 is coloured to represent a wood finish and is in relief so as to 4 incorporate lines representing the grain of the wood - the amount of relief may vary with differing wood-grain effects. The cover strip or foil 6 can be manufactured in any suitable fashion, for instance, by extrusion, light calendering with rolls and screen printing - in a preferred arrangement, it is produced from a plain coloured sheet which passes through a print roller for the application of colour and figuring and a secondary roller for the application of the wood-grain texture, and is then rolled and slit into strips, Figure 2 shows the edging strip I in place on the edge 7 of say a worktop or desk. The edge 7 was machined with a groove 8 which receives the "christmas tree' 5 when the edging strip I is pressed into position, the inner surface of the edging strip I straightening and the lateral portions 4 initially projecting up above the top return surface of the edge 7 and down below the bottom return surface of the edge 7. The lateral portions 4 are subsequently trimmed with a sharp knife, the trimming being flush with the return surfaces of the edge 7.

Figures 3 and 4 show how the edging strip I can be manufacture& Figure 3 shows an extrusion head I I from which the carrier strip 2 is hotextruded onto a mandrel 12. Whilst the carrier strip 2 is almost at the extrusion temperature, a cover strip 6 is pressed on to the surface of the carrier strip 2 by means of a profiled roll 13 which can also act as a traction roll for the extrusion process, the underside of the cover strip 6 melting or becoming tacky so that the cover strip 6 is sealed to the carrier strip 2. The hot edging strip I then passes into a trough of water (not shown).

General The present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention. The invention also consists in any individual features described or implicit the herein or shown or implicit in the drawings or any combination of any such features or any generalisation of any such features or combination.

A i CLAMS:

1. An edging strip for furniture, comprising: a plastics carrier strip which is arranged to be secured to an edge of the furniture, the carrier strip having a central portion which extends from adjacent one edge of the carrier strip to at least adjacent the opposite edge of the carrier strip, and at least one lateral portion which extends along an edge of the carrier strip, the lateral portion being, as seen in cross-section, thin and its outer surface meeting the outer surface of the central portion at an angle so that there is at least one kink in the outer profile of the carrier strip, the kink running along the outer surface of the carrier strip where the lateral portion joins the central portion, which lateral portion can be trimmed when the edging strip has been applied to the edge of the furniture; and a plastics cover strip which is sealed to the carrier strip and extends from one edge of the central portion to the opposite edge, terminating substantially in said kink.

Claims

2. The edging strip of Claim 1, wherein there is a said lateral portion

along each edge of the central portion and two said kinks, each edge of the cover strip terminating substantially in a respective kink.

3. The edging strip of Claim I or 2, wherein the carrier strip central portion has an outer profile, as seen in cross-section, which is continuously convex curved from edge to edge of the central portion.

4. The edging strip of any of the preceding Claims, wherein the cover strip is coloured and in relief to represent a wood finish.

5. A method of making an edging strip for furniture, comprising: providing a plastics carrier strip which is arranged to be secured to an edge of the ftu-niture, the carrier strip having a central portion which extends from adjacent one 6 edge of the carrier strip to at least adjacent the opposite edge of the carrier strip, and at least one lateral portion which extends along an edge of the carrier strip, the lateral portion being, as seen in cross- section, thin and its outer surface meeting the outer surface of the central portion at an angle so that there is at least one kink in the outer profile of the carrier strip, the kink running along the outer surface of the carrier strip where the lateral portion joints the central portion, which lateral portion can be trimmed when the edging strip has been applied to the edge of the furniture; providing a plastics cover strip; and sealing the plastics cover strip to the carrier strip so that the plastics cover strip, as seen in cross-section, extends from one edge of the central portion to the opposite edge of the central portion, terminating substantially in said kink.

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein there is a said lateral portion along each edge of the carrier strip and two said kinks, both edges of the cover strip terminating substantially in a respective kink.

7. The method of Claims 5 or 6, wherein the carrier strip portion is continuously convex curved from edge to edge of the central portion.

8. The method of any of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the cover strip is coloured and in relief to represent a wood finish.

9. The method of any of Claims 5 to 8, wherein the carrier strip is hot extruded and the cover strip is applied to the carrier strip whist the carrier strip is still hot from the extrusion, to seal the cover strip to the carrier strip.

10. The method of any of Claims 5 to 9, wherein the cover strip is formed of the same plastics material as the carrier strip.

11. The method of any of Claims 5 to 9, wherein both the carrier strip and the cover strip are formed of polyvinylchloride.

7 12. An edging strip for furniture, made by the method of any of Claims 5 to 11.

13. An edging strip for furniture, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

14. A method of making an edging strip for ftu-niture, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

15. A piece of ftu-niture to an edge of which has been secured the edging strip of any of Claims I to 4, 12 and 13.

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