WO2005049336A1

WO2005049336A1 - Interior accessory, particularly furniture or its part, and method of their production

Info

Publication number: WO2005049336A1
Application number: PCT/CZ2004/000076
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michal Gabriel
Original assignee: Michal Gabriel
Priority date: 2003-11-20
Filing date: 2004-11-16
Publication date: 2005-06-02
Also published as: CZ297138B6; CZ20033172A3

Abstract

The interior accessory, particularly furniture or its part, consists of a laminated material consisting of a bearing structure (1) shaped into the desired shape of the respective accessory or its part. In straight, curved or distorted areas of the object, this bearing structure (1) consists of a layer of tlass cloth (2) saturated with resin, in narrow profiles, it consists of a pipe (3), in cavities it consists of a layer of foamed polyurethane foam (4), and in case of small objects, it consists of a bearing resin layer (5). The external surface of the bearing structure (1), forming the surface of the accessory, is furnished with a resin layer (6) with embedded, arbitrarily arranged elements (7) made of natural and/or artificial materials, which is covered with a finishing layer (8) of varnish or polish. The application also comprises a method of production of the accessory.

Description

Interior accessory, particularly furniture or its part, and method of their production

Technical Field of the Invention

The p resented solution relates to n ewly created i nterior accessories, utility or decorative objects, particularly interior furniture, and the method of their production.

Background of the Invention

For the time being, technologies working mainly with wood, metal or plastics were used to produce atypical items of furniture and interior objects. Each of these m aterials h as some advantageous characteristics and some drawbacks. In case of use of wood, the drawback is that it cracks by drying, and shapes and d imensions are limited in its processing. With metals, the drawback is their heat and electric conductivity and the fact that intensive finishing work is necessary. In case of use of plastics, the drawback is their synthetic appearance, instability of colours, and easy damage of their surface.

Summary of the Invention The above-mentioned drawbacks are eliminated by an interior accessory, particularly furniture, and the method of their production in accordance with the p resented s olution. The s ubstance o f t he n ew i nterior a ccessory i s t he fact that it consists of a laminated material consisting of a bearing structure shaped into the desired shape of the respective accessory or its part. This bearing structure if formed in a different way in various areas of the accessory according to its desired shape, while in one accessory, all or only some of these areas may be present. In straight, curved or distorted areas of the object, the bearing structure consists of a layer of glass cloth saturated with resin. In narrow profiles, it consist of a pipe, in cavities it consists of a layer of foamed polyurethane foam, and in case of small objects, it consists of a resin layer. The external surface of this bearing structure, forming the surface of 5 the accessory, is furnished with a resin layer with embedded, arbitrarily arranged elements made of natural and/or artificial materials, which is covered with a finishing layer of varnish or polish.

The embedded elements can be arbitrary hollow shells, conveniently 0 nutshells, stones, acorn caps, shells, conches, seashells, calcified shells and the like, which are embedded in the resin layer with their bulging parts. s In one possible embodiment, the embedded bulging parts of ihe elements may, rotrude from the bearing structure, and there are holes. reated in the5 elements. On the side of these holes, the bearing structure may be furnished ... with a layer of transparent resin. , -..,•. ,. ,

• , ^■ , In.- another embodiment, the cavities of the elements are filled with transparent resin up to the level constituting smooth surface of the object.0 . .. ^.. ... ^•- • :^■ •: - : ^■

; , .-. The resin l ayer, in which the elements a re embedded, can b_;e coloured using pigment.

Based on its purpose, the interior accessory may be furnished with5 connecting and/or fastening elements passing through the bearing structure and anchored in the resin layer.

The substance of the method of production of the interior accessory is the fact that based on the requirement for appearance of the produced object, a0 shaped or plane mould is created, a layer of adhesive substance is applied on the mould, where the thickness of this layer ranges from 1 to 50 mm. Small elements made of natural and/or artificial materials are applied on this layer in any arrangement, while their sides, which should constitute the superficial area of the resulting accessory, face to the adhesive substance. Conveniently, these a re shells of various fruits and/or animal shells and/or any small casts or pressings. The layer of these elements is covered, at least partially, with at least one layer of slightly thickened resin from the group of polyester, epoxide, acrylate or polyurethane resins, which may be pigmented, if appropriate. After the resin hardens partially, the bearing structure is formed in the cast created in this way, depending on what area of surface is being produced. In straight, curved or distorted areas of the accessory being produced, the semi-product is laminated, over the resin layer with elements, with glass cloth saturated with at least one layer of the same resin. In narrow profiles, at least a two-piece mould with casts produced using the above- described procedure is used, and the bearing structure is created by inserting a pipe of the required diameter into one piece of the mould, and this pipe is laminated in. The connecting areas of the casts are then furnished with an adhesive layer, and the mould pieces are closed. Foamed polyurethane foam is injected in cavities, and the area of small fillings, bulges or flat shapes is filled with resin. After hardening of the bearing structures made of resin, the cast is taken out of the mould, the adhesive substance layer is removed, and the surface is finished by abrading and polishing the cast face.

The layer of adhesive substance may conveniently consist of wax and/or double-sided adhesive foil and/or glue paper. In case of a multi-piece mould, the parts to be connected are covered with a resin layer, put together, and the inside of the joint is laminated, while the outside of the joint is retouched and abraded during the final finishing.

In one of the possible embodiments, hollow elements like shells and conches are used as embedded elements, while their o pen sides form the superficial side of the cast. The reverse side of this cast, i.e. the side of the bearing layer, is ground off in such way that holes are created in the bottoms of the hollow elements. These holes may be filled with transparent resin.

Another alternative is that the cavities in the embedded elements are filled with transparent resin up to the level necessary to form smooth face surface, which is created by abrading and polishing during the finishing operations.

Based on the intended use of the resulting accessory, this accessory may be furnished with a connecting and/or fastening element. One of the alternatives how to create these elements, is to place these connecting and/or fastening elements on the appropriate places^* in -a layer of slightly thickened resin before this layer partially hardens, and t e^~bearing structure is tftep shape around these elements in such way that their parts intended for connection or fastening protrude out of this bearing structure. Of course, these fastening or connecting elements can be attached to, the. already^ finished product by boring. the respective holes to attach these elements,, for example. , . : i _{. ;}

An advantage of the mentioned solution is the fact that it combines some advantages of all the existing methods, namely the strength of metal, natural appearance and luxurious touch of wood, variety of shapes, colour range and indestructibility of plastics, and at the same time, it eliminates some of their drawbacks, for example the heat and electric conductivity of metal and the necessity of difficult surface finishing, cracking by drying and limitation of shapes and dimensions in processing of wood, synthetic appearance, instability of colours, and easy damage of the surface of plastics.

Another advantage is the fact that it allows producing objects of widely assorted shapes, for example round or rounded, concave, convex, as well as flat and waved or embossed surfaces and plates, very firm and durable, with highly tasteful appearance of natural character.

The new technology allows using all the advantages of laminate in the interior. At p resent, I aminate is not u sed i n i nteriors; i t i s u sed for auxiliary bearing elements. Here, it is used as a peculiar material. The new solution provides a wide range of possible use, allows production of solid self- supporting pieces of various shapes, with durable surface and very decorative appearance.

Another significant advantage is the fact that the new technology connects synthetic material and natural material, which is currently disposed of as waste. In the existing situation, no convenient method of how to use it for production of furniture or interior accessories is known. With use of this new technology, it is possible, and the characteristic appearance of these wastes is used to achieve the mentioned visual effect. The result is a product with a highly decorative surface of natural appearance and touch, with characteristic unmistakable surface structure formed by this natural component, with rich shapes, fully functional and very solid and durable thanks to the synthetic material. With preservation of all advantages, it is suitable for production of one as well as more pieces.

A certain drawback is the significant share of handwork in the production, but this fact does not hinder production in batches, and in the result, it will have a positive effect on the luxurious and original character of the product appearance.

The current general level of aesthetic demands on the lifestyle and environment is mainly oriented on natural materials and natural non- aggressive, yet comfortable and non-uniform appearance of objects. Such demands can be easily met with use of this material.

Brief Description of the Drawings Examples of embodiment of the invention are schematically outlined in the attached drawings. Fig. 1 contains an example of embodiment of a plane plate that can be used as an interior accessory or a part thereof, and Fig. 2A and 2B show the method of its production. Similarly, Fig. 3 contains an example of an accessory with curved surface, and Fig. 4A and 4B illustrate an example of its production. Fig. 5 to 7 show examples of creation of bearing structures for atypical shapes. Fig. 8A and 8B indicate the method of creation of special appearance of the surface area, and the result is schematically shown from two different views in Fig. 9 and 10. Examples of embedding of various elements, particularly connecting or fastening ones, are schematically shown in Fig. 11 A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 13, 14A and 14B.

Examples of Embodiment of the Invention

Based on the presented invention, it is possible to produce varied types of interior accessories, individual pieces of furniture, or its individual parts. For the sake of simplicity, a plane plate is shown in Fig. 1 and a plate with curved surface is shown in Fig. 3 as examples of final products. In both cases, the resulting product is made of laminated material consisting of bearing structure i shaped into the desired shape of the respective accessory or its part, i.e. flat or curved surface in this case. This bearing structure I is formed using various methods, depending on the intended shape of the resulting product. In straight, curved or distorted areas of the object, like the examples in Fig. 1 and 3, the bearing structure consists of a layer of glass cloth 2 saturated with resin. A narrow profile is created, and the bearing structure 1 is formed using a pipe 3 or using an iron bar, as shown in Fig. 5. If the accessory contains any cavities, the bearing structure 1 consists of a layer of foamed polyurethane foam 4. In case of small objects, the bearing structure consists directly of the bearing resin layer 5. The external surface of the bearing structure 1, forming the surface of the accessory, is furnished with a layer 6 of slightly thickened resin, in which arbitrarily arranged elements 7 made of natural and/or artificial materials are embedded. The surface of the accessory produced in this way is covered with a finishing layer 8 of varnish or polish. Various hollow shells, for example nutshells, stones, acorn caps, shells, conches, seashells, calcified shells, which are embedded in the layer with their bulging parts, as well as small casts of various shapes and colours, e.g. made of resins, plaster, woody mixtures, and the like, can be used as elements 7. It is also possible to apply various labels or plates 10, as shown in Fig. 11 A and 11 B.

The product appearance can be modified in various ways. One of the alternatives is that the embedded bulging parts of the elements 7 will protrude from the bearing structure 1, and holes 71 will be made in them. This example is schematically illustrated in Fig. 8A, 8B, 9 and 10. Bearing structure 1 can be furnished with a layer of transparent resin on the side of holes 7. Another alternative is that the cavities of elements 7 will be filled with transparent resin, so that smooth surface of the object will be formed after the finishing modifications. The appearance of the resulting accessory can be modified in such way that the resin layer 6, in which elements 7 are embedded, will be coloured using pigment. Based on the purpose of the interior accessory, for example, if it is only a part of furniture, the accessory may be furnished with connecting and/or fastening elements 9 passing usually through the bearing structure i and anchored in the resin layer 6. These connecting and/or fastening elements 9 are created either during production of the accessory, or, depending on their location and character, they are applied on the finished product, by creating holes for screws, for example.

The mentioned interior accessories or parts of furniture, plates and similar products are produced in the following way. A layer of adhesive substance H is applied on a ready mould, which has the parameters of common moulds for production of laminate casts, of the desired shape or on an area of the desired size. Conveniently, this layer of adhesive substance 11 is wax, which is both cheap and recyclable, but it is also possible to use glue paper or double-sided adhesive foil, or it is even possible to combine these materials in one product. This substance must have separation effects on laminate, must be dissoluble, so that it can be removed. If glue paper or double-sided adhesive foil is not used, it is necessary to use soft, but not viscid substances, which can be spread and easily applied in layers. Depending on the use, the usual thickness of the layer ranges from 1 mm to 50 mm, and it must be easy to remove from both the cast and the mould. Various small elements 7, for example shells of various fruits or animal shells, like conches, are embedded in the adhesive substance 1L At this stage, the structure of the resulting surfaces is formed by the selected arrangement of shells. The layer of elements 7 is covered with at least one layer 6 of slightly thickened polyester, epoxide, acrylate or polyurethane resin, which may_, be pigmented, if appropriate, and after partial hardening of the resin, the bearing structure i is formed in this cast. In case of flat, curved or distorted surfaces, the bearing structure 1 is created by lamination using glass cloth, also saturated with resin. The resin is applied by painting or spraying in one or more layers. In case of m ulti-piece mould, i ndividual parts are g lued together in the mould using the same material, and laminated together on the inside. After the resin hardens, the cast is taken out of the mould, cleaned, retouched, abraded, polished and re-polished using varnish or polish.

If flat plates are produced, the mould is a smooth plate of non- absorbent material with heightened edge to prevent the material from running off. The plates are cast either in the specific shape of the final products, like e.g. doors, covers, seats, and the like, or as plate material, which can be cut to the desired size and shape. Plane mould is covered with an even layer of soft substance, for example wax, or it is furnished with an adhesive layer, e.g. foil or glue paper. The adhesive effect is necessary only to fix the elements 7, e.g. shells, in the desired arrangement on the surface. The arrangement of embedded elements 7 on the adhesive area H is realized in any size or in prepared a uxiliary structures. I n p roduction of flat s urfaces, the e lements 7 are covered with a sufficient quantity of resin at one shot. This procedure cannot be used for curved surfaces, because the material flows off. After that, they are laminated with glass cloth saturated with resin until the needed thickness and firmness is achieved, and after it hardens, the products is removed from the surface, and the adhesive layer 1 is removed from it. Finally, the face of the finished plate is abraded and polished.

As mentioned above, the bearing structure 1 consists of glass cloth saturated with resin for all curved or distorted shapes, e.g. for chairs as well as for plane plates. In addition to glass cloths, the bearing structure in narrow profiles may consist of a plastic, steel or other pipe 3 on places, where there is little inner space, like e.g. thin legs, narrowing of elbow-rests, or architectonic details of the interior. The bearing structure 1 of cavities can consist of foamed polyurethane foam 4, which replaces the glass reinforcement on closed places, which cannot be accessed after the finished parts are put together. In case of small casts, where weight is not important, the whole space can be filled with a bearing resin layer 5, especially in case of small fillings and objects of convex and flat shapes. If other than polyester resins are used, for example polyurethane resins, the cast may be self-supporting, without a ny bearing structure. lt is necessary to use binding materials that harden by a chemical reaction, not by drying, i.e. for example two- and more-component resins, cements and plasters that do not change their volume, or change the volume by percentage fraction only.

The basic method can be modified based on various requirements for the resulting appearance of the accessory. For example, by grinding off the rear, reverse side of the bearing structure 1, Fig. 8A, 8B, 9 and 10, holes 71 are made on the places of hollow elements 7, creating a lace effect. This can be left open, or filled with transparent resin, thus achieving a smooth compact surface with h oles showing through. This method can be u sed forwalls of lighting fixtures and screens in the interior, for example. The cavities in elements 7 can be filled with transparent resin, achieving a smooth surface, while preserving the optical structure, which can be used particularly on upper surfaces of casts, e.g. table tops. Between the embedded elements 7, it is possible to imbed another element, for example a table with data, Fig. 11A and 11B, connecting elements like fittings, hooks, pulls, etc., Fig. 12A, 12B, 13, 14A, 14B, or even elements made of a different material like metal, plastic, glass or wood. The product may even contain auxiliary bearing structures like meal frames furnished with the necessary fittings, for example furniture doors, whole boxes with opening and moving parts. The plates are then put together or cast directly in the frames or auxiliary structures. Fittings, fastening and connecting elements 9, can be embedded in the material of plates straight during casting, or attached by boring and pasting on finished plates. Similarly, the holes in plates and casts can be made during casting, or bored in the finished products.

Industrial Applicability The presented solution can be used primarily in interiors and in furniture industry in individual production, as well as in small batches. This includes various individual pieces of furniture, like armchairs, chairs, benches, beds and the like, parts of furniture, for example posts, frames, doors, plane plates, partitions, decorative screens, fixed parts of the interior, like columns and standalone objects and statues. Objects can be produced in small size, generally from approximately 10 cm to approximately 10 m, and even more.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Interior a ccessory, p articularly furniture o r its p art, c haracterized by the fact that it consists of a laminated material consisting of a bearing structure (1) shaped into the desired shape of the respective accessory or its part, where in straight, curved or distorted areas of the object this bearing structure (1) consists of a layer of glass cloth (2) saturated with resin, in narrow profiles it consists of a pipe (3), in cavities it consists of a layer of foamed polyurethane foam (4), and in case of small objects, it consists of a bearing resin layer (5); the external surface of this bearing structure (1), forming the surface of the accessory, is furnished with a resin layer (6) with embedded, arbitrarily arranged elements (7) made of natural and/or artificial materials, which is covered with a finishing layer (8) of varnish or polish.

2. Interior accessory pursuant to claim 1 , characterized by the fact that the elements (7) are arbitrary hollow shells, conveniently nutshells, stones, acorn caps, shells, conches, seashells, calcified shells and the like, which are embedded in the resin layer (6) with their bulging parts.

3. Interior accessory pursuant to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the embedded bulging parts of elements (7) protrude from the bearing structure (1), and holes (71) are made in them.

4. Interior accessory pursuant to claim 3, characterized by the fact that bearing structure (1) can be furnished with a layer of transparent resin on the side of holes (71 ).

5. Interior accessory pursuant to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the cavities of elements (7) are filled with transparent resin up to the level constituting smooth surface of the object.

6. Interior accessory pursuant any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that the resin layer (6), in which the elements (7) are embedded, is coloured using pigment.

7. Interior accessory pursuant any of the claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that based on its purpose, the interior accessory is furnished with connecting and/or fastening elements (9) passing through _. the bearing structure (1) and anchored in the resin layer (6).

8. Method of production of an interior accessory pursuant to any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized by the fact that based on the requirement for appearance of the produced object, a shaped or plane mould is created, a layer of adhesive substance (11) is applied on the form, where the thickness of this layer ranges from 1 to 50 mm, small elements (7) made of natural and/or artificial material, conveniently shells of various fruits and/or animal shells and/or any small casts or pressings, are applied on this layer of adhesive substance (11) in any arrangement, while their sides, which should constitute the superficial area of the resulting accessory, face to the adhesive substance; the layer of these elements (7) is covered, at least partially, with at least one layer (6) of slightly thickened resin from the group of polyester, epoxide, acrylate or polyurethane resins, which may be pigmented, if appropriate, and after partial hardening of the resin, the bearing structure (1) is formed in this cast in such way that in straight, curved or distorted areas of the accessory being produced, the semi-product is laminated, over the resin layer with elements (7), with glass cloth saturated with at least one layer of the same resin; in narrow profiles, at least a two-piece mould with casts produced using the above- described procedure is used, and the bearing structure is created by inserting a pipe (3) of the required diameter into one piece of the mould, and this pipe (3) is laminated in, the connecting areas of the casts are furnished with an adhesive layer, and the mould pieces are closed; in cavities, foamed polyurethane foam (4) is injected, and the area of small fillings, bulges or flat shapes is filled with resin layer (5), while after hardening of the bearing structures (1), the cast is taken out of the mould, the adhesive substance layer (11) is removed, and the surface is finished by abrading and polishing the cast face.

9. Method pursuant to claim 8, characterized by the fact that the layer of adhesive substance (11) consists of wax and/or double-sided adhesive foil and/or glue paper.

10. Method pursuant to any of the claims 8 o r 9 , c haracterized by the fact that in case of a multi-piece mould, the parts to be connected are covered with a resin layer, put together, and the inside of the joint is laminated, while the outside of the joint is retouched and abraded during the final finishing.

11. Method pursuant to any of the claims 8 to 10, characterized by the fact that hollow elements like shells and conches are used as embedded elements (7), while their open sides form the superficial side of the cast.

12. Method pursuant to claim 11 , characterized by the fact that the reverse side of this cast, i.e. the side of the bearing layer, is ground off in such way that holes (71) are created in the bottoms of the hollow elements (7).

13. Method pursuant to claim 12, characterized by the fact that created holes (71 ) are filled with transparent resin.

14. Method pursuant to claim 11 , characterized by the fact that the cavities in the embedded elements (7) are filled with transparent resin up to the level necessary to form smooth face surface, which is created by grinding and polishing during the finishing operation.

15. Method pursuant to claim 8 and any of the claims 9 to 14, characterized by the fact that before the layer (6) of slightly thickened resin partially hardens, connecting and/pr fastening elements (9) are placed on the appropriate places in this resin layer (6), and the bearing structure (1) is then shaped around these connecting and/or fastening elements in such way that their parts, intended for connection or fastening protrude out of this bearing structure (1 ). .