Partition material

Abstract

To provide a partition material suitable for creating a characteristic landscape by utilizing the texture of natural materials.SOLUTION: A partition material 6 comprises: a basket body 1 of a bottomed container shape which has an opening face; a hard gravel 2 which is housed inside the basket body 1; and an embedded member 3 which is bound to the basket body 1 so as to close the opening face. The basket body 1 is formed by connecting metal wires 11 into a grid shape or weaving them into a net shape. The embedded member 3 is bound to the opening face of the basket body 1 housing the gravel 2 such as a stone material, and the embedded member 3 is embedded underground in a downward position, by which the basket body 1 housing the gravel 2 is exposed and held on a ground surface G, and the ground surface G can be partitioned by continuously providing the bodies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention disclosed in the present application relates to a partitioning material for partitioning the ground.

Background Art

[0002] In exterior landscape construction such as gardens, flower beds, vegetable gardens, parks, and plazas, when finishing the ground with various types of materials such as turf, gravel, soil, and planting, in order to prevent the spread of vegetation and the outflow of soil due to rain, a partitioning material (separator, edging material) may be installed at the boundary where the finishing material changes. As that type of partitioning material, for example, a form in which a long resin member as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is embedded to an appropriate depth in the ground is often used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although the conventional partitioning material is inexpensive, the part that appears on the ground is in the shape of a cylindrical synthetic resin, so it is monotonous in form and lacks texture. Therefore, when trying to finish a garden or park into a space with taste, there is a difficult-to-select aspect.

[0005] The invention disclosed in the present application has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a partitioning material suitable for creating a tasteful landscape by making use of the texture of natural materials.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the partition material according to the invention disclosed in the present application includes a bottomed container-shaped cage having an opening surface, gravel-like objects accommodated inside the cage, and an embedding member coupled to the cage so as to close the opening surface. By burying the embedding member in the ground with the opening surface of the cage facing downward, the cage containing the gravel-like objects is configured to be exposed and held on the ground.

[0007] In this partition material, the cage is characterized in that it is a wire mesh cage formed by joining metal wire rods in a lattice shape or knitting them into a net shape.

[0008] Furthermore, the cage has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the height is larger than the width and the length is larger than the height, and one surface surrounded by the side in the width direction and the side in the length direction is the opening surface.

[0009] Also, the embedding member has a lid portion attached to the opening surface of the cage to close the opening surface, and a wedge portion extending in a direction away from the cage from the lid portion. The lid portion is provided with an engaging portion for coupling the lid portion to the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface of the cage.

[0010] And the engaging portion is characterized in that it has claw-like protrusions that can be engaged with the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface of the cage.

[0011] Furthermore, the claw-like protrusions can be formed to protrude laterally of the lid portion and be hooked on the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface from the outside of the cage.

[0012] Also, the embedding member can be configured such that a part of the lid portion is formed to be able to open, close, expand, or contract in the width direction of the cage, and the cage is coupled by closing the opening, closing, expanding, or contracting portion and sandwiching the cage in the width direction.

[0013] Alternatively, the embedded member may be formed so as to be divisible in the width direction of the cage body, and may be configured to be coupled to the cage body by combining the divided bodies with each other to sandwich the cage body in the width direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] Since the partition material of the invention disclosed in the present application is configured by coupling an embedded member to a cage body containing stones or other gravel-like substances, by burying the embedded member in the ground, the cage body containing the gravel-like substances is held in a state of being exposed on the ground. If such partition materials are arranged continuously to partition the ground, it is possible to create an interesting landscape that makes use of the texture and feel of the gravel-like substances, as compared with the monotonous synthetic resin partition materials that have been commonly used in the past.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of a plurality of embodiments, components having the same functions or actions are denoted by the same numerical reference signs, and the description in the subsequent embodiments is simplified. When distinguishing or comparing a specific component in the foregoing embodiment and a similar component in the subsequent embodiment, an alphabet (A, B, C,...) is appended to the numerical reference sign corresponding to the component, but the basic concept of the components having the same numerical reference signs is common throughout each embodiment.

[0017] <Cage body> The partition material according to the invention disclosed in the present application is composed of a bottomed container-shaped cage body in which gravel-like materials are accommodated and an embedding member coupled to the cage body. A configuration example of the cage body is shown in FIG. 1.

[0018] The exemplary cage body 1 is a reduced-size wire mesh cage also called a snake cage, and is formed of a stainless steel wire, a steel wire, a copper wire, or other metal wires 11. The metal wires 11 are assembled in a lattice pattern intersecting at substantially equal intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the contact portions between the metal wires 11 are fixed by welding. The cage body 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the height H is larger than the width W and the length L is larger than the height H, and one surface surrounded by the side in the width direction (the shortest side) and the side in the length direction (the longest side) is formed as an opening surface.

[0019] The size of the cage body 1 may be appropriately designed according to the scale of the ground to be partitioned, the type of finishing material, the soil quality, etc. However, as practical dimensions, the width W is about 60 to 150 mm, the height H is about 100 to 250 mm, and the length is about 300 to 1000 mm. If the overall volume is too small or too large, the workability will be impaired. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the length according to the width and height so that one worker can carry and install it.

[0020] The thickness of the metal wire 11 and the interval between the grids may be appropriately determined according to the volume of the entire cage body 1 and the size of the gravel (details will be described later) accommodated therein. As practical dimensions, the outer diameter of the metal wire 11 is 1.5 to 4.0 mm, and the interval between the grids is about 10 to 40 mm. If this cage body 1 is installed on the ground, almost no weight of the gravel will be applied to the cage body 1 itself. Therefore, the strength of the cage body 1 only needs to be such that it will not be deformed by the weight of the gravel during construction. It is preferable in terms of appearance to select the metal wire 11 to be as thin as possible within that range.

[0021] This cage body 1 may be formed by knitting the metal wire 11 into a net shape. The form of the mesh (knit) may be a diamond mesh or a hexagonal mesh (hexagon). Also, not only the metal wire 11 but also thin wires such as bamboo, rattan, and synthetic resin can be used for knitting. Further, instead of the wire, the cage body 1 can also be formed using expanded metal obtained by making cuts in a thin metal plate and expanding it. Regarding the overall shape, a form in which two opposing sides are open and a separate bottom member can be attached to one side thereof, or a form in which an embedding member described later is coupled to one side of two opposing sides and the other sides remain open and are buried upward can also be adopted. Also, in addition to a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, a shape in which the cross-section in the width direction is substantially trapezoidal or substantially U-shaped can be adopted.

[0022] Inside the cage body 1, gravel 2 having a size that does not fall off from the grids or meshes of the cage body 1 is accommodated. As the gravel 2, small stones (gravel) such as round stones and crushed stones, or fragments of natural stones and lava can be preferably used. Also, in addition to stone materials, granular or crushed forms of various solid objects for exterior landscape gardening such as relatively large-sized ceramic sand (fragments of recycled tiles), recycled glass cullets, fragments of concrete waste materials, relatively large-sized bark chips (bark pieces of red pine or black pine), and shells can be used. In this specification, these are collectively referred to as "gravel". The type thereof may be appropriately selected according to the type of the finishing material of the ground to be constructed, the soil quality, etc., and also considering the landscape.

[0023] <Embedding member> Figures 2 and 3 show a first embodiment of the embedding member 3 coupled to the cage body 1. The exemplary embedding member 3A is a synthetic resin member having a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction, and includes a lid portion 4 attached to the opening surface of the cage body 1 and a wedge portion 5 extending from the lid portion 4, which are integrally formed.

[0024] The lid portion 4 has a substantially triangular cross-section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and its bottom surface forms a rectangular shape that just fits within the opening surface of the cage body 1. The bottom surface of the lid portion 4 is inserted into the opening surface of the cage body 1 by about several centimeters, and the opening surface is blocked so that the gravel-like material 2 does not fall off from the cage body 1. Accordingly, the cage body 1 is filled with the gravel-like material 2 shallower by the insertion depth of the lid portion 4. On both sides in the width direction of the lid portion 4, engaging portions 41 are formed that project and extend to substantially the same height as the bottom surface of the lid portion 4. The engaging portions 41 are formed so as to be elastically deformable outward in the width direction, and the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface of the cage body 1 is sandwiched in the gap provided between the engaging portions 41 and the lid portion 4. Inside the engaging portion 41, claw-like protrusions 42 having a saw blade-shaped cross-section in two or three stages are formed, and the embedding member 3 is coupled to the cage body 1 when the claw-like protrusions 42 catch on the metal wire 11 at the peripheral edge of the opening surface. When the bonding force is insufficient with only the claw-like protrusions 42, the engaging portions 41 are screwed to the lid portion 4 at several locations from the outside.

[0025] The outer surfaces of the lid portion 4 and the engaging portion 41 are continuous with the wedge portion 5 through a tapered surface that narrows in a direction away from the cage body 1. The wedge portion 5 extends with a substantially uniform width in a direction away from the cage body 1, and a pointed tip portion 51 having a V-shaped cross-sectional shape is formed at its leading edge.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the partition material 6 assembled by coupling the embedding member 3 to the cage body 1 containing the gravel-like material 2 is fixed by embedding the embedding member 3 in the ground with the opening surface of the cage body 1 facing downward. By aligning the height of the cage body 1 exposed on the ground G and embedding the partition materials 6 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction, the ground G is partitioned into a desired area. Note that the term "exposed on the ground G" shall also include an embedding state in which only the bottom surface of the cage body 1 is visible on the ground.

[0027] Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the embedding member 3. The exemplary embedding member 3B is also a member made of synthetic resin, and a lid portion 4 attached to the opening surface of the cage body 1 and a wedge portion 5 extending from the lid portion 4 are integrally formed. The lid portion 4 of this embedding member 3B has a shape in which the width of the middle portion is slightly larger than the width of the opening surface of the cage body 1, and the width of the bottom surface is sufficiently smaller than the width of the opening surface of the cage body 1. Engaging portions 43 are provided on both sides of the portion with a small width, with an appropriate gap therebetween. The engaging portions 43 are arranged at appropriate intervals in the length direction of the embedding member 3B. The engaging portions 43 extend to approximately the same height as the bottom surface of the lid portion 4, are formed so as to be elastically deformable inward in the width direction, and are pushed into the inside of the opening surface of the cage body 1 in a state of reduced width. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the gravel-like material 2 is filled in the cage body 1 to a shallower depth by the insertion depth of the lid portion 4 and the engaging portion 4. On the outside of the engaging portion 43, a claw-like protrusion 44 and a recessed portion 441 are formed. The outer surface of the claw-like protrusion 44 is inclined so as to be tapered and reduced in width toward the cage body 1 side. By engaging this claw-like protrusion 44 with the metal wire 11 at the periphery of the opening surface of the cage body 1, the metal wire 11 is restrained within the recessed portion 441, and the embedding member 3B is coupled to the cage body 1. Further, in this embodiment, a retaining claw 52 for preventing detachment is formed on the side surface of the wedge portion 5.

[0028] Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of the embedding member 3. The lid portion 4 of this embedding member 3C has a shape in which its bottom surface covers the opening surface of the cage body 1, and from the center line in the width direction of the bottom surface to the vicinity of the base of the wedge portion 5 is cut open and formed so as to be openable and closable in the width direction. On the cut surface, a convex portion 45 and a concave portion 46 having a cross-sectional saw blade shape that fit together are formed. Engaging portions 41 covering the outside of the cage body 1 are extended on both side edges of the lid portion 4. With the claw-like protrusion 42 having a cross-sectional saw blade shape formed inside the engaging portion 41 engaged with the metal wire 11 at the periphery of the opening surface of the cage body 1, the cut surface is closed, and the convex portion 45 and the concave portion 46 are fitted together, whereby the embedding member 3C is coupled to the cage body 1. That is, in this embodiment, the gravel-like material 2 is filled in the cage body 1 to the full depth.

[0029] Figure 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the embedded member 3. This embedded member 3D is such that the lid portion 4 of the embedded member 3A according to the aforementioned first embodiment is divided along the central plane in the width direction. The wedge portion 5 extends from one of the divided bodies. When the two divided bodies are combined, the bottom surface of the lid portion 4 fits within the opening surface of the cage body 1 and closes the opening surface. On each divided body, an engaging portion 41 for engaging with the peripheral portion of the opening surface from the outside of the cage body 1 is formed. Similar to the first embodiment, the claw-shaped protrusion 42 is hooked onto the metal wire 11 at the periphery of the opening surface to be coupled to the cage body 1.

[0030] Thus, when adopting the two-piece type embedded member 3D divided in the width direction, as shown in Figure 8, when arranging the partition members 6 in a row in the length direction, by shifting one of the divided bodies by half in the length direction and coupling it with the other divided body, it becomes possible to firmly connect adjacent partition members 6 to each other.

[0031] Figure 9 shows a fifth embodiment of the embedded member 3. This embedded member 3E is also of the two-piece type, and the lid portion 4 and the wedge portion 5 are divided along the central plane in the width direction. On the dividing surface, a convex portion 47 and a concave portion 48 that fit into each other are formed. Also, on each divided body, connecting arm portions 49 that engage with the other divided body are formed at appropriate intervals. These connecting arm portions 49 are formed to have a thickness that can be inserted through the mesh (knitting) of the cage body 1. By elastically engaging the connecting arm portions 49 in a state of being inserted from the outside of the cage body 1 into the inside of the cage body 1, the embedded member 3E is coupled to the cage body 1. Therefore, in this form, the gravel-like material 2 is filled shallower in the cage body 1 by the height of the connecting arm portions 49. As the engaging form of the connecting arm portions 49, various engaging forms similar to joint structures such as so-called substantially dovetail joints, dovetail joints, and mortise joints can be appropriately adopted, for example, as exemplified.

[0032] Figure 10 shows a sixth embodiment of the embedded member 3. This embedded member 3F is also of the two-piece type, and the lid portion 4 and the wedge portion 5 are divided along the central plane in the width direction. On the dividing surface, a convex portion 47 and a concave portion 48 that fit into each other are formed. Also, on one of the divided bodies, similar to the first embodiment, a lid portion 4 that fits within the opening surface of the cage body 1 and an engaging portion 41 that projects laterally therefrom are formed. With the bottom surface of the lid portion 4 inserted into the cage body 1, the peripheral portion of the opening surface of the cage body 1 is sandwiched between the lid portion 4 and the engaging portion 41. Therefore, in this form, the gravel-like material 2 is filled shallower in the cage body 1 by the amount of the insertion depth of the lid portion 4.

[0033] On the other of the divided bodies, connecting arm portions 49 that engage with the lid portion 4 of the one divided body are formed at appropriate intervals. The connecting arm portions 49 are formed to have a thickness that can be inserted through the mesh (weave) of the cage body 1. By inserting the connecting arm portions 49 from the outside of the cage body 1 into the inside of the cage body 1 and engaging them with the lid portion 4, the embedded member 3 is coupled to the cage body 1. As the engagement form between the lid portion 4 and the connecting arm portions 49, in addition to the form in which triangular claw portions as exemplified are elastically engaged with corresponding concave portions, engagement forms similar to dovetail joints or mortise-and-tenon joints can be appropriately adopted.

[0034] As described in each of the above embodiments, the partition material 6 according to the invention disclosed in the present application can be assembled extremely easily by first filling the opening surface of the cage body 1 with stone materials or other gravel-like materials 2 with the opening surface of the cage body 1 facing upward, and then attaching the embedded member 3 so as to close the opening surface of the cage body 1. If the partition material 6 is turned upside down and a groove of an appropriate depth is dug in the ground G to embed the embedded member 3, the upper part of the cage body 1 containing the gravel-like material 2 is exposed on the ground G. By arranging the partition materials 6 in a row in the length direction, the ground G can be partitioned. If the size of the cage body 1 is appropriately designed, even one worker can perform the construction. By selecting the materials of the cage body 1 and the gravel-like material 2 according to the type of the finishing material of the ground G to be constructed, the soil quality, etc., and also considering the landscape, a tasteful landscape that makes use of the texture and feel of the materials can be created.

[0035] Note that the technical scope of the invention disclosed in this application should not be construed in a limited manner by the illustrated embodiments, but should be conceptually construed based on the description in the claims. When implementing the invention disclosed in this application, the shape, structure, material, quantity, joining form, relative positional relationship, etc. of the components not specifically specified in the claims can be appropriately modified within the range where substantially the same or greater operational effects can be obtained as in the illustrated embodiments.

Industrial Applicability

[0036] The invention disclosed in this application can be widely used as a partition material for partitioning areas with different floor finishing materials in exterior landscape construction such as gardens, flower beds, vegetable gardens, parks, and plazas.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1 Cage body 11 Wire 2 Gravel 3 (3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F) Embedded member 4 Cover part 41 Engaging part 42 Claw-like protrusion 43 Engaging part 44 Claw-like protrusion 441 Depressed part 45 Convex part 46 Concave part 47 Convex part 48 Concave part 49 Connecting arm part 5 Wedge part 51 Sharp tip 52 Return claw 6 Partition material G Ground

Claims

1. A bottomed container-shaped cage body having an opening surface, Gravel-like materials accommodated inside the cage body, An embedding member that closes the opening surface and is coupled to the cage body, Characterized by comprising: The embedding member has a lid portion attached to the opening surface of the cage body to close the opening surface, and a wedge portion that extends in a direction away from the cage body from the lid portion and has a pointed tip formed at its leading edge. The outer surface of the lid portion is formed to be continuous with the wedge portion via a tapered surface that narrows in a direction away from the cage body. A partition material configured such that by burying the embedding member in the ground with the opening surface of the cage body facing downward, the cage body containing the gravel-like materials is exposed and held on the ground.

2. The partition material according to Claim 1, wherein the cage body is a wire mesh cage formed by joining metal wire materials in a lattice pattern or knitting them into a net shape. A partition material characterized by this.

3. The partition material according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the cage body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a height greater than the width and a length greater than the height, and one surface surrounded by the sides in the width direction and the sides in the length direction is the opening surface. A partition material characterized by this.

4. The partition material according to Claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the lid portion is provided with an engaging portion for coupling the lid portion to the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface of the cage body. A partition material characterized by this.

5. The partition material according to Claim 4, wherein the engaging portion has claw-like protrusions that can be engaged with the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface of the cage body. A partition material characterized by this.

6. The partition material according to Claim 5, wherein the claw-like protrusions are formed to project laterally from the lid portion and be hooked on the vicinity of the periphery of the opening surface from the outside of the cage body. A partition material characterized by this.

7. In the partition material according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, the embedding member is formed such that a part of the lid portion can open, close, or expand and contract in the width direction of the cage body, and the cage body is coupled by closing the opening, closing, or expanding and contracting portion and sandwiching the cage body in the width direction. A partition material characterized by this.

8. In the partition material according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, the embedding member is formed such that it can be divided in the width direction of the cage body, and the cage body is coupled by combining the divided bodies and sandwiching the cage body in the width direction. A partition material characterized by this.

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