System for covering different types of surfaces, especially for building use

Abstract

 System for covering different types of surfaces, especially for building use, consisting essentially of a fundamental component (1) of quadrilateral shape made out of a piece of sheet metal cut to the desired shape in which two opposing pairs of mutually adjacent sides are bent in opposite directions to form corresponding opposing bent edges (11-12). When laid, those edges (11) which are bent towards the outer surface of the component (1) are uppermost and each component (1) is fixed to the underlying structure by a single strap (7) bent at one end which hooks into the inner vertex of these upper bent edges (11). The individual components (1) are interconnectable by a simple hook action in which said bent edges (11-12) are inserted into each other. Other complementary components for completing the sides of the covering can be derived from the fundamental component (1), and an additional ridge component (6) can be provided for use in the case of roof coverings.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for covering different types of surfaces, especially for building use, consisting of modular components made from already commercially available metal sheets which, when appropriately shaped and bent, can be joined together with an interlocking action made possible by special edging of their sides. The system makes it possible to create coverings for roofs, and also for inner and/or outer walls of buildings, and the resulting covering furthermore offers considerable advantages in terms of execution, laying and appearance.

[0002] The most widely used and most familiar covering systems and/or materials consist, in the case of roofs, of curved and/or flat roofing tiles in burnt clay and/or other materials, or sometimes wooden components or troughed or corrugated metal sheeting, etc. Such systems, for example those using curved roofing tiles, are certainly applicable without special precautions from the point of view of fixing, but are very heavy and therefore require strong supporting structures and a particular way of preparing their supporting surface; beside which, if, on reaching the ridge line, the curved or flat tiles are found to be slightly over-shooting or under-shooting this line, the tiler is obliged to cut these components - involving a loss of time and the risk of breaking them - in order to finish the slope where required, in the first case by cutting off part of the tile, and in the second adding a part, and then correctly laying the so-called ridge component.

[0003] As regards the use of wooden components, such as the well-known shingles, used for covering roofs and other surfaces, this system is certainly very satisfactory in terms of appearance and for durability like the system described above, and is superior from the point of view of being lighter in weight, but its cost is very high because the making of the individual components requires the use of special woods and is usually done manually by skilled workers; besides which installation requires special preparation of the surface that is to be covered and the resulting aesthetic effect is limited and monochrome.

[0004] As regards metal sheeting of various types such as corrugated, troughed, etc., their benefits are well known, such as lightness and overall strength and reliability, but there are also, as is well known, problems relating to installation and the possible durability of this system, which is of debatable aesthetic appeal and can also be used to install monochrome sheeting.

[0005] Another recent development in the roofing sector is a system that involves the use of components called by the manufacturer "lozenges" and consisting of square sheets of a special zinc-titanium alloy: these components are square or rhomboidal with a small portion on two adjacent sides bent towards one face of the component, while the other two portions are bent towards the other face, thus giving pairs of bent edges, two upper and two lower, by means of which adjoining components laid on the underlying structure can be made to interlock, their diagonals being set one vertically and one horizontally and with those edges that project outwards, when laid, being at the upper end.

[0006] This system was devised and produced in practice to reproduce one particular type of roof and wall covering which is very common particularly in the countries of central Europe.

[0007] Its principal use is in covering surfaces such as for example roofs with steep pitches owing to the fact that, for climatic reasons, such as the large snowfalls normally experienced in the regions in question, are built with very steep slopes in order to prevent the build-up of thick layers of snow, the weight of which would threaten the structure on which the roof is supported.

[0008] It should be understood that the components of this system, and the system itself, have significant drawbacks and limitations in terms of function, installation and appearance.

[0009] In the first place it can be seen in particular that the two bent edges which, when the tile is laid, are at the upper end of the component where the edges converge, i.e. at the upper vertex of the component, are slightly separated from each other, so that the channel formed between the surface of the component and these bent edges is interrupted at this point.

[0010] Clearly, when it is raining, and wind is blowing against the surface covered with this type of component, the water is driven back up towards the upper vertex of each component, and since, as stated above, this point is open, the result is that the water can flow through the resulting opening and penetrate into the area beneath the roofing made with these components.

[0011] This limitation is recognised and clearly referred to and described by the manufacturers themselves in their fitting instructions and advertising material, where it is explicitly stated that the system is effective on roofs with steep pitches, and it is recommended, moreover, that where the covering structure may be subject to blows, the tiles should be laid on a continuous undersurface, a point clearly based on the material employed (zinc-titanium alloy) which is quite malleable.

[0012] In all cases, it is nonetheless intended that waterproofing sheets be laid to prevent the ingress of water into the loft space; all of which is clearly due to the fact that the upper and lower vertices of the individual covering components (lozenges) are open.

[0013] Lastly, in order to fix the individual components (lozenges) in place it is necessary to attach two straps, one on each of their two bent upper edges: these straps have one end bent back on itself to hook into corresponding recesses formed on portions of the inner lateral extremities of the bent upper edges, the other end of the strap then being nailed to a frame consisting preferably of wood battens equidistant from each other with a spacing dependent on the type of component used, which must obviously be laid horizontally on the underlying structure, so preventing or at any rate limiting to a considerable degree the ventilation which is needed not only on functional grounds but in order to meet the applicable standards, which means that additional adaptive structures must be constructed.

[0014] As can be seen from the above, the components used in this last-named covering system are suitable only for certain applications, in particular for covering steeply pitched surfaces, and require two recesses, one on each of the bent upper edges, for attachment of the fixing straps - which complicates manufacture -, and the consequent use of no less than two fixing straps for each component - which doubles the cost of production of these components and hence also their cost of application. Overall, therefore, the making of the individual components, and still more the laying thereof, is complicated and can sometimes actually be very difficult and so is always expensive.

[0015] In any case, the components used in that system are obviously monochrome and of a well-defined colour, given that the intention was essentially to reproduce the components of one particular architectural system that has long been in widespread use, so they cannot be used to give systems with different colours or at any rate different chromatic combinations, although these could be very useful because they would make it possible to develop a range of architectural systems with highly attractive resulting aesthetic effects.

[0016] As for the coverings for walls, ceilings, lofts, mezzanines, etc. are concerned, mention should be made of the traditional systems, such as plaster and paint, which crumble and pick up dirt which is then difficult to clean off, requiring repairwork in the case of soiling or cracking of the substrate; there is also ceramic tiling, which can be extremely attractive because of the possibility of multi-coloured decorations and/or designs of all shapes and types in addition to monochrome colouring, but which have the particular defect that, after they have been installed, as time passes the particular version or design becomes practically impossible to get hold of; furthermore, because of this, where work is required that involves breaking the walls and hence the tiles, the latter are destroyed and are not usually replaceable as they will have gone out of production. Added to this is the fact that tiles are fixed immovably to the substrate and therefore when, as often happens, the wall cracks, the tiles also crack irreparably with unsightly results. If applied out of doors tiles suffer from continual diurnal changes in temperature and humidity and are prone to detachment from the wall as well as to cracking and aesthetic deterioration due to pollution and air-borne dirt which will then require major attention such as only specialists can provide.

[0017] The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems and limitations described above and this is achieved by the present covering system which, in order that the features and advantages obtainable therewith may be fully understood, is here described, in one possible embodiment provided purely as a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 shows a partially exploded perspective view of the present covering system applied to a roof slope, the edges of the slope being indicated in thin lines;
• Fig. 2 shows for greater clarity, in an enlarged perspective view equivalent to Fig. 1, the fundamental components employed;
• Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show the series of steps involved in bending a main covering component having a first possible square shape, from the beginning to the end of its formation;
• Fig. 4a is a side view after an initial operation of bending the edges of the component shown in Fig. 3;
• Figs. 5a and 5b are sections taken on I-I and II-II as marked in Fig. 5;
• Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show still more clearly with perspective views the particular configuration developed during the series of bends illustrated in the previous Figures 3, 4 and 5, at the corner where two adjacent edges, bent towards the same side, converge;
• Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the particular configuration of the corner formed in the various bending steps illustrated in the previous Figs. 6, 7 and 8; and
     Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 illustrate as in the earlier Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the series of steps involved in bending a component having a possible second rhomboidal form.

[0018] Referring to these figures in which common parts are identified by the same references, it will be seen that the covering system of the present invention consists fundamentally of interlocking components made from ordinary commercially available sheet metal.

[0019] Referring in particular to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the covering of the roof slope (F) illustrated in this figure consists fundamentally of quadrilateral components 1 which interconnect by means of suitable upper bent edges 11, located at the upper end and bent towards that surface of the component 1 which, when laid, will be outermost, and of additional lower bent edges 12 bent towards the opposite surface of the same component.

[0020] The system of mutual interconnection is clearly visible in this Fig. 1 where it can be observed how the upper edges 11 of each component 1 engage, their lips fitting into the corresponding lower edges 12 of another component 1.

[0021] To complete the entire structure along the upper and lower extremities of the slope, where triangular areas would be left uncovered, these areas are completed using the left and right side components, respectively, and the upper and lower components 4 and 5, respectively, which are essentially triangular in shape and basically reproduce the left and right, or upper and lower, halves of the fundamental component 1.

[0022] The configurations of all these components 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are easily produced by simple operations of cutting and bending suitable pieces of sheet metal, the final configurations of which are clearly illustrated and can be seen in particular in the enlarged figures thereof shown in Fig. 2.

[0023] In order to complete the possible structure of the roof slope F, as in the example shown in Fig. 1, at least one additional ridge component 6 will be needed, its structure and application also being clearly illustrated not only in Fig. 1 but also much more clearly in Fig. 2.

[0024] The fundamental component 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 and more clearly in Fig. 2, in the form in which its final shape is square, is produced as shown in Fig. 3 from a square metal sheet 1a in which two square portions 13 of limited but adequate dimensions are removed from opposite corners. Along the broken lines 15 two initial bends are made towards opposite surfaces of the fundamental component 1a. This gives the respective bent edges 11 and 12 on opposite sides from each other, as clearly visible in Fig. 4. The other two opposing edges will then be bent along the broken lines 16, also in mutually opposite directions, to give additional bent edges 11 and 12. This will have given the final component illustrated in Fig. 5, with respective sections on I-I and II-II illustrated for greater clarity in Figs. 5a and 5b respectively.

[0025] The progressive bending of the upper 11 and lower 12 adjacent bent edges which takes place as clearly illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 will comprise at their point of convergence a configuration of which detail A (see Fig. 5) is clearly illustrated by an enlarged perspective view in Fig. 9.

[0026] This system of progressive bends makes it possible to obtain structural continuity at the abovementioned point of convergence and avoid any break which may create, as in other systems, openings or even cracks and the associated resulting problems mentioned earlier.

[0027] If the angle of convergence of said upper 11 and lower 12 bent edges is less than a right angle, as in the case of components of rhomboidal form, which, when laid, are arranged so that the long diagonal lies along the vertical, the succession of bend operations results in the formation at the corresponding vertex of parts 11a - 11b - 11c of the ends of the lower 11 or upper 12 bent edges, which then project to a greater or lesser extent and must be progressively bent inwards in order to give a final component free of projections which would hamper its use.

[0028] Figs. 10 to 13 illustrate clearly the succession of operations involved in forming a rhomboidal component 1 in which the vertices of its upper 11 and lower 12 bent edges form acute angles of 60 degrees, i.e. of the type mentioned earlier, in which the long diagonal runs vertically when the tile is laid. It should be pointed out, incidentally, that the angle of 60 degrees is clearly the smallest possible of those obtainable with a limited number of bends because smaller angles would require more complex operations for the possible removal of the projecting part remaining after the first series of bends illustrated in the aforementioned Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13.

[0029] Referring therefore to Fig. 10, it will be seen that the fundamental component 1 is prepared on this occasion from a metal sheet cut to a rhombus which for the sake of clarity is referred to here as 1b. At the opposite corners of the short diagonal of this shape, two portions will be removed of limited size 13', and also of rhomboidal form, whose sides, as in the case of the earlier square component, will coincide with the bend lines 15' and 16', which effectively define the width of the upper 11 and lower 12 bent edges.

[0030] The first bend, as illustrated in Fig. 11, is of two opposite sides along their respective bend lines 15', in such a way, that each is parallel to an opposite surface of the component 1b. The upper and lower ends of the resulting bent edges, 11 at the top and 12 at the bottom, will then have triangular parts 11a and 12a, respectively, projecting from the still unbent sides. Next, as illustrated in Fig. 12, the remaining two sides are bent along their respective bend lines 16' so that said projecting parts 11a and 12a have a triangular part 11b and 12b projecting from the bent edges 11 and 12, respectively, which together form the projecting rhomboidal parts 11c and 12c that are finally, as shown in Fig. 13, once again bent in along their respective bend lines 15 to form an only slightly thickened part, which in no way hampers the use of the component, at the upper and lower vertices of the resulting rhomboidal component 1b.

[0031] It should be pointed out that, as before, at the upper and lower vertices where the upper 11 and lower 12 bent edges of the rhomboidal component 1b described above converge, there will be a structural continuity preventing the formation or presence of any kind of opening.

[0032] This structural continuity ensures that when rain is falling and a wind is simultaneously blowing against the inclined surface of the slope F of the roof, driving the water that falls on the many covering components 1 or 1b into the channels formed by the respective upper parts of the latter, by the respective bent edges 11, the water cannot enter the area below.

[0033] It will thus be possible with the present system to create roof coverings with almost no limitations on pitch, unlike the similar system described earlier, which, by contrast, the vertices of the square or rhomboidal covering components or "lozenges" being totally open, could only be used on steeply pitched roofs and moreover required the application, for safety's sake, of suitable waterproofing systems and/or means underneath the covering structure made up of such "lozenges".

[0034] The various triangular components 2, 3, 4 and 5, which as already stated are used to complete the right, left, lower and upper edges of a roof slope, are made in practice by cutting the fundamental component along its diagonals and where necessary finishing its sides as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 and more obviously in Fig. 2.

[0035] The ridge component 6, lastly, is perfectly simple and its configuration obvious, that is to say evident and clear both from Fig. 1 and in still greater detail in Fig. 2.

[0036] This ridge component 6 consists basically of a simple rectangular piece of sheet metal whose ends are bent in opposite directions to form corresponding edges 61 and 62 of limited extent (similar to the bent edges of the other components 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), the whole component then being bent along its longitudinal axis of symmetry to produce a component with a general V profile. Obviously the two longitudinal sides of this ridge component 6 can also be bent to form two bent edges in which corresponding bent edges of covering components along the upper edge of the covered slope F can be hooked.

[0037] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the various components of the composition of the present invention can be fixed to the supporting structure by means of strips of sheet metal 7 bent at one end to engage in a cavity in a corresponding edge of its particular component (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6): they are fixed in place using suitable fixing means such as screws, nails, expansion plugs, etc., which are inserted through holes 71 and keep the covering component firmly in place on the supporting surface. As is obvious, with the present system each covering component 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 is fixed to the supporting structure by a single strip 7 and requires no recess to be made to accommodate said strip on the inner flanks of the upper bent edges, whereas by contrast in the similar system discussed earlier, fixing requires no less than two strips engaging in cavities formed on the inner flanks of the upper bent edges.

[0038] This fixing system can be used on vertically arranged framework components, so that actual vertical channels are formed in the area beneath the final covering structure to enable a free circulation of air from the lower to the upper regions as required by the relevant standards.

[0039] It will readily be appreciated that the component 1, which in the example here referred to is square, may advantageously have a great many other similar shapes, such as rhomboidal, etc.

[0040] This first possible configuration can obviously be the basis for other triangular configurations which in practice will be formed by dividing the preceding square or rhomboidal components along their diagonals so as to give corresponding triangular components which will obviously have to be provided along their resulting sides with opposing projecting edges in order to enable interlocking and, as it were, the reconstructing of the initial square or rhomboidal component.

[0041] It will be readily understood that by the use of suitable means it will be possible to develop interconnectable covering components in accordance with the above system that may be of the most diverse polygonal shapes.

[0042] It should incidentally be noted that in the practical implementation of the covering surface of the slope "F" of a roof, the job will be commenced as usual along the lower longitudinal edge and from one of the lateral edges of the slope, the work then proceeding towards the opposite edges. Clearly, in most cases the components which will eventually be laid along the final edges may not coincide exactly with those edges, in which case it will be necessary, using suitable tools such as shears or the like, to remove any excess. This operation is obviously very simple and quick and safe to carry out and avoids all the problems associated with the corresponding removals the tiler must carry out for the same reasons on curved or flat tiles in the traditional systems that use those components.

[0043] The great advantages in terms of production, application and appearance obtainable with the above system will be obvious from the above, namely:

• the individual components (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) can be made with known devices that are in ordinary use, very simply and quickly,
• the sheet metal that can be used may be of ordinary type, such as so-called galvanized metal sheet, though this is monochrome, or, much more advantageously, ready painted in various colours or easily paintable after laying, which of course means that other special aesthetic effects based on colour, as well as on the possible combination of many components in different colours, can be obtained,
• the covering structure obtainable with the present system will be found to be very light, exceptionally sturdy and stable, and in particular a complete and perfect rainproof seal, a fact which even enables the coverings to be laid on surfaces with very low pitch, and
• since the individual covering components are fixed by means of a single simple strap, the underlying framework can have its battens running vertically, enabling the direct formation of ventilation ways which in cases other than the present case are produced using special systems of dual frameworks and/or underdeckings or other complicated and expensive systems.

[0044] It will be understood, of course, that many alterations may be made to the covering system forming the subject of the present invention, without however departing from the scope of that which has been described above and is claimed below with reference to the attached drawings and hence from the scope of protection of this industrial property document.

Claims

1. System for covering different types of surfaces, especially for building use, this system involving the use of a fundamental component (1) of quadrilateral shape, preferably square or rhomboidal, made out of a piece of sheet metal cut to the corresponding desired shape, of which two sections of suitable width on two corresponding mutually adjacent sides are bent towards one surface of the component (1) while the other two sides, also mutually adjacent, are bent in the same way towards the opposite surface, the resulting bent sides forming two pairs of corresponding bent edges (11-12) opposite each other, one pair (11) of said bent edges, whose lips are towards that surface of the component (1) which when laid is on the outside, being arranged with its vertex uppermost, while the vertex of the other pair (12) of edges bent in the opposite direction is downmost, the lips that form said pairs of bent edges (11-12) being interrupted at their respective ends, so that at the upper and lower vertices of every component (1) there are corresponding openings that limit the use of such covering components to steeply pitched roof coverings only, because of the possible ingress of rainwater driven by the wind into the area beneath the roofing, all of which is known, the new covering system that forms the subject of the present invention being characterized in that in said fundamental quadrilateral component (1) the upper (11) and lower (12) pairs of bent edges are produced simply in just two successive bending operations, namely a first bending operation in which two lips on two opposite sides are bent in opposite directions to each other until parallel to and slightly separated from the respective opposite surfaces of the component (1) and a second bending operation done in the same way on the other two sides, these bends being made without removing any part of the bent ends where the bent edges (11-12) converge, with the result that at the corresponding opposing upper and lower vertices there is a structural continuity capable of preventing any ingress of water, the resulting covering structure therefore being impermeable in practice.

2. System according to Claim 1, characterized in that other complementary components (2,3,4 and 5) derived from the fundamental component (1) and of triangular shape can be made in practice by dividing the fundamental components (1) along their diagonals, the sides formed along said diagonals being preferably extended outwards by a suitable section forming a lip which in turn is suitably bent back like the bent edges (11-12) of the component (1), and turned towards that side which when laid is on the outside, or in the opposite direction, in such a way that the sides can be connected by hooking the respective bent edges onto the oppositely bent edges of other possible finishing components such as are normally laid along the edges of the slope F of a roof, such as guttering, flashing and ridge components.

3. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said fundamental components (1) and the respective complementary components (2,3,4,5) can be fixed to the underlying structure with a single strap (7) of which one end is bent so as to wrap around the inner extremity of the lip of the upper bent edge (11), against which it abuts, while at the same time the top edge of the bend fits into the inner vertex of the upper bent edge (11), the other end of which strap (7) can be fixed to the underlying structure with suitable means, such as nails, screws, expansion plugs and the like inserted through one or more holes in this end and fastened into the underlying structure, so that the associated component (1,2,3,4,5) is hung at the same time.

4. System according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that when laid as a covering for roof slopes (F), there is in addition to the fundamental component (1) and complementary components (2,3,4,5) at least one ridge component (6) for covering and connecting together the coverings of two slopes (F) converging on the ridge line, said ridge component (6) consisting of a simple rectangular piece which is likewise made out of a suitable metal sheet whose length may vary greatly according to the length of the ridge line and whose width is such that its resulting longitudinal sides can adequately cover the upper edges of the coverings prepared on the slopes (F), said rectangular piece having two lips, one at each opposite end, bent in opposite directions to form respective bent edges (61 and 62) similar to those of the other components (1,2,3,4,5), said rectangular piece finally being bent along its longitudinal axis to give a V profile, the angular width of which is easily variable in order that said ridge component (6) can be adapted to the various pitches of the slopes (F) of the roof, the oppositely bent edges (61, 62) at the ends of individual ridge components (6) making it possible to lock together two edge components (6) so that a ridge can be effectively and completely covered, each ridge component (6) also being able to be hooked and fixed to the associated supporting structure by means of straps (7a) just like the straps (7) used for fixing the other covering components (1,2,3,4,5), differing from the latter only in that the end which is to be hooked over one of the bent edges (61 or 62) of a corresponding ridge component (6) is bent straight back on itself.

5. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the individual covering components (1,2,3,4,5,6) can be made from metal sheets in the "natural" state, such as aluminium sheets, galvanized sheets etc., and hence monochrome, or from pre-painted sheets and hence having coloured surfaces, or may be painted in various colours after laying, the painting of said components enabling the creation of coloured monochromatic and/or polychromatic coverings to give a wide variety of special aesthetic effects.

Drawing