Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a balcony floor comprising at least two sectional floor elements disposed side by side and connected to each other by a joint structure so as to form a flat subfloor, the balcony floor being adapted to be carried by a floor support.

Background Art

A balcony floor according to the preamble is revealed in EP 0 370 043 B1 . The balcony floor revealed therein requires extensive welding, which is time consuming and questionable from a working environment point of view. Further, as balconies usually are placed outdoors, corrosion and leakage are major issues, on which the known document is mute. Object of the Invention

Against that background it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved balcony floor.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention in a balcony according to the preamble this is achieved in that the joint structure comprises a hinge means rotatably interconnecting two sectional floor elements at meeting bottom edges of these, and a locking means at meeting top edges of these two sectional floor elements interlocking them in a flat position, and in that the subfloor is coated with a liquid repellant coating covering said joint structure. The joint structure according to the present invention enables quick assembly and does not require any welding action. Hence, it solves both the time and environmental problems of the previously known balcony floor design. And as the subfloor including the joint structure is coated, corrosion and leakage problems are at least mitigated. According to a preferred embodiment said hinge means comprises a female channel along a bottom edge of one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements and a mating male flange along a bottom edge of the other one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements. The female channel and the mating male flange can form integral parts of the sectional floor elements, which is easy to accomplish e.g. by extrusion and reduces production steps to a minimum. And assembly is facilitated too.

Preferably said locking means comprises a subfloor portion along a top edge of a first one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements, and a ledge fitting underneath said subfloor portion along a top edge of a second one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements, wherein the subfloor portion and the ledge comprise snap fit ridges interlocking the two

interconnected sectional floor elements in said flat position. The snap fit ridges and the ledge can also form integral parts of the sectional floor elements and are also easy to accomplish e.g. by extrusion. They render assembly quite easy and provide for a well defined flat position of the sectional floor elements involved.

Most preferably a locking flange, which comprises an upward lip, is arranged below said subfloor portion along the top edge of said first one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements, wherein said ledge of said second one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements comprises a downward lip, which in said flat position of the two interconnected sectional floor elements has passed said upward lip and is arranged above said locking flange, and wherein at least one close fitting rod is inserted between the ledge and the locking flange and their lips, such that the two sectional floor elements are permanently interlocked in said flat position. The lips are easy to accomplish e.g. by extrusion and do together with said at least one rod ensure that the sectional floor elements are permanently kept in their flat position.

Preferably the sectional floor elements comprise hinge and locking means along two opposite sides. By this an arbitrary number of sectional floor elements can be interconnected. Preferably the sectional floor elements are made of aluminium, for instance in an extrusion process, which is very cost effective.

Preferably said said coating is liquid tight. By this corrosion and leakage problems can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will hereafter be described in more detail and with reference to the appended schematic drawings.

Fig. 1 a-d are perspective views in sequence and illustrate connection of two sectional floor elements of a balcony floor.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view and shows a portion of a balcony floor comprising sectional floor elements according to figs. 1 a-d. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

In figs. 1 a-d assembly of two sectional floor elements 2, 3 is shown in sequence. In the sequence the two sectional floor elements 2, 3 are disposed side by side and connected to each other by a joint structure 5 so as to form a flat subfloor 4. The joint structure comprises a hinge means 10 rotatably interconnecting the two sectional floor elements 2, 3 at meeting bottom edges 2', 3' (cf. fig. 2) of these, and a locking means 20 at meeting top edges 2", 3" (cf. fig. 2) of these two sectional floor elements 2, 3 interlocking them in a flat position.

As can be seen in fig. 1 a, the hinge means 10 is used to loosely interconnect the two sectional floor elements 2, 3 when almost in right angle to each other. Then, as indicated by arrows a1 and a2 in fig. 1 b, the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 are rotated such that they, as shown in fig. 1 c, form an all flat sub floor 4. Now at least one rod 28 is inserted between the interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3, thereby permanently joining the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3, such as shown in fig. 1 d.

As shown in fig. 2, the subfloor 4 is covered by a coating 6, which is at least liquid repellent but preferably liquid tight. As the coating 6 covers the joint structure 5 as well, that structure is well protected against harming environmental influence.

The subfloor 4 thus created is laid out on and attached to a floor support, which is shown in fig. 2 and depicted 7. The floor support 7 can for instance comprise of a number of horizontal parallel beams at right angles to the interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 laid out on them.

As shown in fig. 2, the hinge means 10 comprises a female channel 1 1 along a bottom edge 3' of one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 and a mating male flange 12 along a bottom edge 2' of the other one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3. As both the female channel 1 1 and the mating male flange 12 when seen in cross-section comprise rounded portions, they render the described rotation smooth and easy.

The locking means 20 comprises, as shown in fig. 2, a subfloor portion 21 along a top edge 3" of a first one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3, and a ledge 22 fitting underneath said subfloor portion 21 along a top edge 2" of a second one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3. In order to interlock, the subfloor portion 21 and the ledge 22 comprise snap fit ridges 23, 24 interlocking the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 in said flat position. Further, a locking flange 25, which comprises an upward lip 26, is arranged below said subfloor portion 21 along the top edge 3" of said first one of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3, wherein said ledge 22 of said second one of the two

interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 comprises a downward lip 27, which in said flat position of the two interconnected sectional floor elements 2, 3 has passed said upward lip 26 and is arranged above said locking flange 25.

Shown in fig. 2 is also the rod 28 mentioned before. It is inserted with a close fit between the ledge 22 and the locking flange 25 and their lips 26, 27, such that the two sectional floor elements 2, 3 are permanently interlocked in said flat position. The rod 28 can comprise of a longer single rod or of several shorter ones arranged in line. Preferably the sectional floor elements 2, 3 are all alike and made of extruded aluminium and comprise hinge and locking means 10, 20 along two opposite sides, such that an arbitrary number of sectional floor 2, 3 can be interconnected.

It is realized by a person skilled in the art that features from various embodiments disclosed herein may be combined with one another in order to provide further alternative embodiments.