Elongated element for the frame of a panel system comprising a flexible sheet material

Abstract

An elongated element for the frame of a panel system comprising a flexible sheet material includes a main profile to which an auxiliary profile is associated. The auxiliary profile is provided with means for anchoring an edge of the sheet material and it can be moved with respect to the main profile as a result of the driving of position control screws. The main profile is adapted to be fixed on the surface of a wall by connection means engaging a connection portion associated to it. The position control screws have a control formation which can be reached from the outside of the frame, when the main profile of the elongated element is fixed to a wall and the sheet material is anchored to the auxiliary profile.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention refers in general to frames which can be used for supporting and stretching a flexible sheet material, for the purpose of manufacturing a panel system which can be used to carry out a variety of functions, each of which depends on the type of sheet material used and on the surface to which the sheet material is associated. [0002] In the following description, the term frame is used both to indicate a closed structure consisting of a pluraly of elongated elements connected to each other at their ends with the aim of keeping a sheet material stretched, and an open structure including at least an elongated element intended to be associated with an end of the sheet material to be stretched, the opposite end of the sheet material being connected with another elongated element or with a fastening device of a type known per se. [0003] A frame adapted to support and stretch an artistic canvas or similar, is described in the Italian ut...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The main object of the present invention is to provide an elongated element which is particularly adapted to be used for manufacturing a frame for supporting a flexible sheet material of large size, whose elements can be easily fixed to a support surface, such as the wall surface of a room or of a building, and on which the sheet material can be arranged afterwards and stretched with the desired tension without necessarily requiring the removal of the frame from the support surface.

[0010] By virtue of these features, the elongated element of the invention can easily be fixed to a wall surface and possibly connected with other elongated elements, also fixed to the surface of the same wall or to the surface of another wall, in order to form a frame which is able to support the sheet material and which allows to apply to it an even tension as a result of the adjustment of the position of the auxiliary elements of the elongated elements.

[0012] At any rate, the elongated elements forming the frame can be arranged so as to follow accurately the perimeter of the surface of a wall, allowing to by-pass possible openings in it, such as doors or windows, or allowing to make accessible systems or accessories associated with the wall, such as sockets or switches.

[0015] The flexible sheet material can be easily removed from the frame for maintenance reasons, such as to be washed, or when one desires to replace it. The costs and inconveniences involved by its removal are of course well smaller than those required by the removal of traditional wall coatings, for example made by wallpaper, wood or tiles.

[0018] By virtue of this feature, the operation of stretching the sheet material on the frame is made easier, in particular when it is fixed on a support wall.

Problems solved by technology

The frame of this document is not much fit to be used with sheet materials of large size, in which case also the base frame and the counter-frame should be very large.

However, it is very difficult to assure that an effective mutual sliding may take place between a base frame and a counter-frame having very extended sides and relatively small sections.

Moreover, this frame cannot be used to stretch a sheet material if the frame is fixed to a support surface, such as a wall surface, since it would require to operate from the inside of the base frame for changing the tension of the sheet material.

The main elements of the frame of this solution have however a structure which is not much fit to be fixed on a support surface, owing to the presence of the auxiliary profiles which are hinged at the back.

At any rate, this structure would not allow to obtain in a simple and practical manner the adjustment of the tension of a sheet material supported by the frame when the latter is already fixed on a support surface.

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