Surface element and relaxation furniture with at least one surface element

Abstract

Surface element with a plurality of bars or tubes arranged next to one another, which rest on at least one support (7) running transversely thereto, characterized in that the at least one support (7) has indentations (73) in which the bars or tubes are arranged, wherein at least one clamping element (8) is present which fixes the bars or tubes in the indentations (73).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a surface element comprising a plurality of adjacently arranged rods or tubes resting on at least one support extending transversely thereto. The invention further relates to a piece of relaxation furniture comprising at least one surface element.

[0002] Surface elements in which a plurality of rods or tubes are arranged side by side on one or more transverse supports can be used in a variety of ways, such as seating or reclining areas in relaxation furniture, or as walkable surfaces or areas in garden and / or tree houses, as facade or privacy screen elements, or as room dividers. The rods or tubes used can be made of a wide variety of materials, with natural materials such as wood or bamboo being particularly suitable. Bamboo tubes offer advantages for many of the aforementioned applications because they are lightweight and stable and can be used without additional surface treatment.

[0003] Different techniques are known for attaching the rods or tubes, depending on the material. When using wooden rods and cross-running wooden supports, screwing is often used, for example, by screwing a wood screw through the center of the wooden rods into the support. When wooden rods are used together with a metal support, the screwing is usually done with threaded screws. However, this inherently simple method of connecting using a screw connection cannot be used effectively with all materials. For example, screwing bamboo canes can lead to splitting of the bamboo canes starting from the screw holes.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a surface element and a piece of furniture for relaxation of the type mentioned at the outset with a connection between the rods or tubes and the supports, which can be used with different materials and material combinations of rods or tubes and supports in the most material-friendly way possible.

[0005] This object is achieved by a surface element or a piece of relaxation furniture with a surface element having the features of the respective independent claim. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0006] In a surface element according to the invention of the type mentioned at the outset, the at least one support has indentations in which the rods or tubes are arranged, wherein at least one clamping element is present which fixes the rods or tubes in the indentations.

[0007] The indentations position the bars or tubes in the longitudinal direction of the beam and, due to a certain expansion of the beam in the longitudinal direction of the bars or tubes, also align them perpendicularly to the beam. The clamping element then secures the bars or tubes in all spatial directions – in the longitudinal direction of the bars or tubes by frictional engagement, and in all other directions by positive engagement. Depending on their cross-sectional shape, the bars or tubes are also secured against rotation around their longitudinal axis by positive engagement or frictional engagement, thus preventing distortion of the surface element.

[0008] In an advantageous embodiment of the surface element, the at least one support has a U-shaped profile with a base and two lateral legs. Preferably, both legs are provided with mutually associated indentations. Due to the mutually associated indentations in both legs of the support, the rods or tubes are effectively aligned perpendicular to the support, which makes the surface element particularly shear-resistant in its surface plane. The surface element thus retains its typically rectangular or square shape, with the stability of the surface element against shearing into a parallelogram increasing with the number of rods or tubes.

[0009] More preferably, the at least one support is made of metal, in particular stainless steel, making it weatherproof even without treatment. The indentations in the legs advantageously do not extend all the way to the base, thus maintaining the support's stability. Furthermore, the support area for the rods or tubes on the support is well ventilated, preventing waterlogging in the support area when the surface element is used outdoors.

[0010] In a further advantageous embodiment of the surface element, the at least one tensioning element comprises a band, in particular a metal band, and particularly preferably a stainless steel band, which runs over at least one rod or tube and tensions the rod or tube toward the support. A band has a large contact surface and adapts well to the surface of the rod or tube. Furthermore, it protrudes only minimally above the surface and is therefore not disruptive to the surface.

[0011] A separate, loop-shaped strap can be provided for each rod or tube. Preferably, however, the strap is guided over at least two adjacent rods or tubes and runs between the two adjacent rods or tubes under a bracket that is attached to the support. The bracket is preferably attached to the support so that it can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the support in order to tension the strap. For this purpose, the bracket can, for example, have at least one threaded pin that protrudes from the support on a side opposite the rods or tubes and is held there for movement by a nut.

[0012] Particularly advantageously, the band is guided continuously over all bars or tubes resting on the at least one support, wherein between each two bars or tubes arranged next to one another there is a bracket under which the band is guided.

[0013] The rods or tubes of the surface element can be made of wood, metal or plastic, for example. Bamboo tubes are preferably used, for which the connection between the tube and the support used in the surface element according to the invention is particularly well suited because no holes are needed in the bamboo tubes for fastening and the pressure exerted on the tube by the connection is not exerted at a specific point but as tangentially as possible. The band can also be used flexibly as a tensioning element even with slightly different diameters of the bamboo tubes. It can be provided that the bamboo tubes are each cut directly behind a thickened section of the stalk and thus have a different length based on the position of the thickened sections. The bamboo tubes each have a closed cross-section at the thickened sections of the stalk, which creates a stable end for the tubes.

[0014] A piece of relaxation furniture according to the invention is characterized by a seat or reclining surface and / or a backrest comprising at least one such surface element. This results in the advantages described in connection with the surface element.

[0015] It is noted that the surface element can be used advantageously not only for a piece of furniture, but can also be used, for example, as a facade element, as a privacy screen, as a room divider or as a walkable element.

[0016] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and figures. The figures show: Fig. 1a a first embodiment of a piece of furniture for relaxation in a side view; Fig. 1b the relaxation furniture of the Fig. 1a in a front view; Fig. 1c the relaxation furniture of the Fig. 1a in a plan view; Fig. 2a-c a second embodiment of a piece of furniture in different views analogous to the Fig. 1a-c; Fig. 3 a sectional view of the relaxation furniture of the Fig. 1a-c; Fig. 4 a part of a surface element in a spatial representation; Fig. 5a, b the surface element of the Fig. 4 in two different sectional views; and Fig. 6a, b various schematic representations of a support area between bars or tubes and a cross member in a surface element.

[0017] In all figures, identical reference symbols identify identical or identically functioning elements. For reasons of clarity, not every element in every figure is provided with a reference symbol.

[0018] In the Fig. 1a-c and Fig. 2a-c show two examples of resting furniture 1 constructed using surface elements according to the invention. Fig. 1a and 2a show the resting furniture 1 in a side view, the Fig. 1b and 2b the resting furniture 1 in a front view and the Fig. 1c or 2c the resting furniture 1 in a top view.

[0019] Both versions of the relaxation furniture 1 have the same basic structure. The only differences are the size and proportions of the relaxation furniture 1.

[0020] In the illustrated state, the piece of relaxation furniture 1 is a bench with a seat 2 and a backrest 3. The seat 2 and the backrest 3 are pivotally connected to one another via a joint 4, so that in the illustrated embodiments, the backrest 3 can be pivoted down and is then in line with the seat 2 to provide a continuous reclining surface. In alternative embodiments of the piece of relaxation furniture 1, the pivotability can be omitted, so that the backrest 3 is fixedly mounted, for example, at the angle shown relative to the seat 2.

[0021] Legs 5 are arranged beneath the seat 2. In the illustrated embodiments, additional legs 5 are pivotally mounted on an upper rear portion of the backrest 3. These additional legs 5 serve to support the backrest 3 in the lowered position.

[0022] The seat 2 and the backrest 3 are surface elements according to the invention with a plurality of bars or tubes arranged next to one another. In the illustrated embodiments, bamboo canes 6 are used as the bars or tubes. These are arranged on supports 7 running transversely thereto, hereinafter also referred to as crossbeams 7. The piece of relaxation furniture 1 of the first embodiment has shorter bamboo canes 6, which are mounted on two crossbeams 7 each for the seat 2 and the backrest 3.

[0023] The embodiment of the Fig. 2a-c depicts an extended bench as a piece of furniture 1, in which four cross members 7 are used as an example. As a comparison of the figures further shows, the first embodiment has a deeper seat 2 (measured from the front edge of the piece of furniture 1 to the backrest 3). In the embodiment of the Fig. 2-c, the seat 2 is approximately as deep as the backrest 3 is high. With regard to the proportions, any combination of the width of the relaxation furniture 1, the depth of the seat 2 and the height of the backrest 3 is possible, of which only the two variants in the Fig. 1a-c and Fig. 2 ac are shown.

[0024] Another difference between the two embodiments is the overhang of the bamboo tubes 6 over the respective outer cross members 7. In the embodiment of the Fig. 2a-c, this projection is kept the same for all bamboo tubes 6. In the embodiment of the Fig. 1a-c, the overhangs vary. The length of the bamboo canes, or rather the length of the overhangs, is determined by the position of the stem thickenings. The bamboo canes are preferably cut directly behind a stem thickening, as the cane has a closed cross-section here and forms a stable end. In both cases, the bamboo canes 6 preferably rest on the cross member 7 in the area of ​​a stem thickening. However, due to the natural spacing variations of the stem thickenings on the bamboo canes 6, this cannot be consistently implemented for all bamboo canes 6 on both sides of the lounge furniture 1.

[0025] Fig. 3 shows the relaxation furniture 1 of the Fig. 1a-c in a cross-sectional view, wherein the cross section is executed through one of the cross members 7. In this figure, it can be seen that the bamboo tubes 6 are mounted on the cross member 7 by means of clamping elements 8. This is shown in the Fig. 4, Fig. 5a, b and Fig. 6a, b are explained in more detail below.

[0026] Fig. 4 shows a section of a surface element according to the invention, such as it can be used as a seat 2 or backrest 3 in the resting furniture 1 of the Fig. 1a-c and Fig. 2a-c can be used. For example, only sections of three bamboo tubes 6 on a crossbeam 7 are shown here.

[0027] In the present example, the cross member 7 is U-shaped and made of metal, advantageously from a stainless steel sheet. The cross member 7 has a base 71 from which two legs 72 are bent. The legs 72 are provided with mutually associated indentations 73 along their free edges. A bamboo tube 6 is positioned in each of the indentations 73 and is fixed by the indentations 73 in a longitudinal direction of the cross member 7. Furthermore, a clamping element 8 is provided, which presses the bamboo tubes 6 into the indentations 73 of the cross member 7 and thus fixes them in all spatial directions. In particular, due to the contact force, the bamboo tubes 6 are also fixed in their longitudinal direction and also with respect to rotation about their longitudinal axis. This effectively prevents twisting of the surface element.

[0028] Due to the indentations 73 in both legs of the cross member 7, which are respectively assigned to one another, the bamboo tubes 6 are also aligned perpendicular to the cross member 7 and shearing of the surface element in its surface plane is prevented.

[0029] Advantageously, the bamboo tubes 6 rest only on the legs 72, which prevents waterlogging when the surface element is used outdoors.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the tensioning element 8 preferably comprises a continuous band 81, in particular a metal band and particularly preferably a stainless steel band. The band 81 runs over each bamboo cane 6 on the side facing away from the cross member 7 and is guided between two bamboo canes 6, each under a bracket 82. The brackets 82 are also U-shaped and designed as rectangular brackets and are fastened in the base 71 of the cross member 7. A plurality of bamboo canes 6 can thus be fastened with a single band 81. At the ends, i.e., at the last or first bamboo cane 6 that is fastened to a cross member, the band 81 can be fastened, for example, directly to the base 71 of the cross member 7. It is also conceivable for the band 81 to be looped around the corresponding bracket 82 in front of the first or behind the last bamboo cane 6, so that the free end of the band 81 is folded under and clamped on the surface of the bamboo cane 6.

[0031] The Fig. 5a, b show two cross sections through the arrangement of the Fig. 4, cut once in the area of ​​one of the brackets 82 ( Fig. 5a) and once in the area of ​​one of the bamboo tubes 6 ( Fig. 5b). The figures show that the brackets 82 are U-shaped and their free ends are guided through holes in the base 71 of the cross member 7. The ends of the brackets 82 are provided with threads onto which nuts 83 are screwed. With the help of the nuts 83, the brackets 82 can be pulled towards the base 71, whereby the band 81 is tightened and the bamboo tubes 6 are pressed into the recesses 73. The arrangement can be easily retightened, for example, if the bamboo tubes 6 have become deformed due to weather conditions. In addition, the band 81 can be loosened, for example, to replace a bamboo tube 6 after it has been damaged. A bamboo tube 6 to be replaced can be easily pulled axially out of the surface element after loosening the band 81 and replaced with a new bamboo tube 6.The surface element according to the invention can thus be easily repaired, which enables long and ecologically sustainable use.

[0032] Fig. 6a shows schematically in a cross-section the arrangement of the rod or tube, for example the bamboo tube 6, in the recess 73 of the cross member 7.

[0033] In the Fig. 6b shows different geometries of the recess 73, with two different tubes or rods with different diameters being shown in each case with a solid line and a dashed line.

[0034] In the schematic drawing above, the recess 73 is V-shaped with straight edges. The arrangement with a V-shaped recess 73 is advantageous because, regardless of the diameter, there are two support points, resulting in a play-free and angularly accurate connection. A disadvantage is a point-based support, which leads to a high surface force at the support point.

[0035] In the middle part of the Fig. Figure 6b shows a circular segment-shaped recess 73, which, for a rod or tube with a matching diameter, results in a perfect, play-free, and large-area support. However, with a smaller rod or tube diameter, only a single central support point results. With a larger rod or tube diameter, the rod or tube cannot sink into the recess 73 at all.

[0036] In the lower part of the Fig. Figure 6b shows a combination of the two previously described configurations, specifically a V-shaped recess 73, with the two legs of the V-shape each having a slight curvature. Here, both advantages of the previously mentioned shape of the recess 73 are combined. Reference symbol 1 relaxation furniture 2 seats 3 backrest 4 joint 5 leg 6 bamboo sticks 7 (cross) beams 71 Base 72 legs 73 indentation 8 clamping element 81 volumes 82 brackets 83 mother

Claims

[1] Surface element with a plurality of bars or tubes arranged next to one another, which rest on at least one support (7) running transversely thereto, characterized by that the at least one support (7) has indentations (73) in which the rods or tubes are arranged, wherein at least one clamping element (8) is present which fixes the rods or tubes in the indentations (73). [2] Surface element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support (7) has a U-shaped profile with a base (71) and two lateral legs (72). [3] Surface element according to claim 2, in which both legs (72) are provided with mutually associated indentations (73). [4] Surface element according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one carrier (7) is made of metal, in particular stainless steel. [5] Surface element according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one tensioning element (8) comprises a band (81) which runs over at least one rod or tube and tensions the rod or tube in the direction of the support (7). [6] Surface element according to claim 5, in which the band (81) is guided over at least two bars or tubes arranged next to one another and runs between the two bars or tubes arranged next to one another under a bracket (82) which is fastened to the support (7). [7] Surface element according to claim 5, wherein the bracket (82) is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the support (7) in order to tension the band (81). [8] Surface element according to claim 6, wherein the bracket (82) is slidably attached to the support (7) by at least one threaded pin. [9] Surface element according to claim 8, in which the at least one threaded pin emerges from the support (7) on a side opposite the rods or tubes and is slidably fastened there by a nut. [10] Surface element according to one of claims 6 to 9, in which the band (81) is guided continuously over all rods or tubes resting on the at least one support (7), a bracket (82) being provided between each two adjacently arranged rods or tubes. [11] Surface element according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tubes are bamboo tubes (6). [12] Surface element according to claim 11, in which the bamboo tubes (6) are cut off directly behind a stalk thickening and thus have a different length oriented towards the position of the stalk thickening. [13] Resting furniture (1), in which a seat (2) and / or a backrest (3) have at least one surface element according to one of claims 1 to 12.

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