AIR CIRCULATION/LIGHT ELEMENT The present invention relates to an air circulation/light element and to an inte- rior cladding structure or a corresponding planar structure, such as a wall struc- ture or a door, provided with a corresponding structural part. The present inven- tion also relates to a corner part suited for use especially in air circulation/light element systems.

At present, metallic and plastic grating elements are used e. g. in doors and the lower parts of walls to improve air circulation. Corresponding grating elements are also used in illuminators. In respect of their material, metallic or plastic grat- ing elements like this are not applicable for use e. g. in saunas, where the tem- perature can be relatively high, with the result that the surface of such elements becomes hot and may cause burns or similar dangerous situations.

At present, saunas having a panel wall are provided with e. g. shade battens placed between the ceiling and the wall at a distance of a few centimeters, typi- cally 2 cm, below the ceiling to improve air circulation. At the joint between the floor, e. g. floor tiling, and the wall, often only a fairly large gap is provided, and often this gap is even blocked in practice. Grate lamps provided with a wooden grate and applicable for use in saunas are also known.

The object of the present invention is to achieve a new type of air circulation/ light element which can be used to ensure that the walls of e. g. a sauna or a corresponding room have air gaps required for air circulation. This is solved by a grating element and/or grating corner element according to the invention, which is made of wood material and can be mounted as a part of the wall clad- ding paneling of the room and which has narrow elongated slots for air circula- tion. The same element can also be used to implement lighting.

A further object of the invention is to achieve a suitable method for mounting the element that eliminates the problem of prior-art techniques, which is the narrow space remaining behind a batten, in the middle of which space the light source would be placed. In the present invention, the solution is e. g. a spring made from sheet metal, which in respect of its function corresponds in principle to a so-called lip seal with e. g. half-found lip parts formed at its ends to make it eas- ier for the spring to settle in grooves machined behind the batten. The spring

itself can be fastened to the wall by nailing. If necessary, the spring can be eas- ily trimmed by bending. In addition, the use of a spring allows a strip to be placed in an open corner. The spring can also be provided with machined fixing elements e. g. for a light source or wiring.

The features of the element of the invention and an interior cladding structure provided with a corresponding structural part or a corresponding planar struc- ture are presented in detail in the claims below.

The solution of the invention is especially applicable for use in spaces where aesthetically impressive solutions are aimed at. In addition to saunas, it is also applicable for use e. g. in emergency exits in public spaces, as lights for persons with a slight visual disability, in air circulation systems in EDP rooms and in kitchens.

The advantages achieved by the solution of the invention include the following: prevention of damage due to moisture, healthy air and therefore better quality of living and ease of mounting the paneling. In addition, the shape of the elements can be selected according to the application.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of examples with reference to the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 presents a cross-sectional view of a sauna where wooden air circulation elements according to the invention are used, Figures 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b present different elements according to the invention in cross-sectional front view, Fig. 6 presents a cross-sectional view of a sauna where wooden air circulation elements and a door structure according to the invention are used, Fig. 7 presents a cross-sectional view of a sauna where wooden air circulation and illumination elements according to the invention are used, Fig. 8 presents a cross-sectional view of corner part comprised in the air circula- tion/light element system of the invention, and

Fig. 9 presents cross-sectional view of a second corner part of the air circulation /light element system of the invention.

Fig. 1 presents a sauna with walls provided with horizontal wall panels 11 and a ceiling provided with longitudinal ceiling panels 12, with air gaps 13,14 behind them to allow circulation of ventilation air. The floor and the lower edge of the wall are provided with clinkers 15, 16. The sauna stove 17 is placed in a corner next to the door 18. Placed at the upper and lower edges of the walls are hori- zontal wooden grating elements 19 according to the invention, which are pro- vided with longitudinal horizontal slots 20 for air circulation. Through the air slots 20, the air is effectively circulated from inside the sauna into the ventilation slots 13,14 and from the slots into the sauna as indicated by the arrows.

The grating element may be of a desired shape according to each application. It may be e. g. of a square form as seen from front (see Fig. 1), and in cross- section it may be e. g. rectangular (elements 31 and 51 in Fig. 3a, 3b, 5a, 5b), convex (element 21 in Fig. 2a, 2b) or semicircular (element 41 in Fig. 4a, 4b). In the direction of air flow, the elongated slots going through the element may be aligned horizontally (slots 22 in element 21) or obliquely in either one direction (slots 32 in element 31) or two directions (slots 42 and 52 in elements 41 and 51) to direct the air flow in the desired manner.

In a corresponding manner, when the element is also used for illumination, the light being directed through the slots from an illuminator (illuminator 71 in Fig. 7) behind it, the direction of incidence of light can be controlled in a desired man- ner e. g. to create mood lighting via alignment of the slots. By placing the illumi- nator 71 in the wall structure behind the element at some distance from it as shown in the figure, it is possible to use the same element for air circulation as well, which additionally allows more efficient cooling of the illuminator.

It is also possible to place an element 61 according to the invention under the sauna door 18 to permit air circulation through the slots 62 in it between the sauna and the washroom.

Fig. 8 presents upright grated wooden corner elements 101 designed e. g. for a sauna which has horizontal wall panes, longitudinal ceiling panels and behind

them air gaps for circulation of ventilating air. The corner elements have slots 102 longitudinal relative to the element to allow air flow in the air gap formed behind it. Efficient air circulation through the slots 102 from inside the sauna into the ventilation slots and through these into the. sauna is achieved. The element 101 is secured to the wall 103 by means of metallic strip-like spring clips 104, which are fastened to the wall with screws 105. The clips 104 are bent at right angles over the corner, and they have hook-like parts 106 at their ends, by means of which the wooden parts 102 can be fastened to the wall via grooves 107 provided in their back surface, into which the ends of the clips can be in- serted by"snapping on", in which grooves the ends of the clips are held fast by being pressed against edges of the grooves by the spring force, and from which it can be released by pulling.

The outer surface of the grating element 101 preferably has a curved shape, and the slots 102 may be obliquely aligned relative to the corner, or they may be directly aligned towards the corner, like the slots 108 in Fig. 9.

In a corresponding manner, the element can also be used for illumination, in which case the light is directed through the slots from an illuminator behind it.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not limited to the example described above, but that they may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below. Thus, for example, the door can be provided with slots according to the invention already during manu- facture. The orientation of the slots is therefore in no way limited, so they can be oriented in a desired manner in vertical and horizontal directions, as e. g. in ele- ment 51, or in an oblique position like the slots 42 in element 41. The wood ma- terial of the element can be freely chosen, and e. g. in the case of a wall it may be made of the same material as the wall panel. Strips may be available for both internal and external corners. Behind the strip it is possible to choose a suitable filtering fabric and a suitable method for fastening it, such as a textile of suitable asperity and unplaned sawn wood.