The invention relates in the first place to a clip for securing mesh that within its top and side borders comprises horizontal and vertical rods that cross one another and are attached to one another at the cross points, to a post that is provided with a protuberance extending along its length, said clip comprises a roughly U-shaped profile part, the legs of which are provided with recesses, coinciding in projection, that are able to clasp around the protuberance, and at least the legs of the U-shaped profile part comprise extended arms at both sides of the recess for supporting parts of horizontal rods, each of which at least at the end of the side that is turned away from the recesses comprises an end flange that is parallel with the bottom of the U-shaped profile part and stands essentially perpendicular to the arm in question and in the bottom of the U-shaped profile part there is an opening to receive securing means for fastening the clip to the post.

Background of the invention.

Such a clip is known from EP-A-0 481 100. In said publication, a clip of the previously indicated type is described that is intended for gripping between two vertical rods of a mesh in which a horizontal rod comes to lie against the two arms extending out of the U-shaped profile part and is moreover positioned between the end flanges and the protuberance on the post, while the vertical rods are placed on both sides of the clip and out of contact with said clip.

Such a clip is intended to grip in the plane of a mesh material; it is not appropriate for holding a side border.

The end flanges in the above-mentioned publication are furthermore intended to be bent over by mechanical means in order to hold the horizontally oriented rods; the known clip is not designed such that one could speak of the holding of a mesh material solely by means of the clip as such.

Summary of the invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clip of the indicated type that can also be utilized on the side border of mesh materials and that, when used, requires no extra actions to attach a mesh material to the post.

To this end, a clip of the indicated type is characterized in that the U- shaped profile part also comprises a central flange at the side that is turned away from the recesses, which flange is parallel with the base of the U-shaped profile part and is perpendicular to the arms, and that between the central flange and each of the end flanges a space is left free into which a vertical rod can fit either near a side border or else in the plane of the mesh.

By providing a central flange in the U-shaped profile part and by leaving spaces free into which vertical rods near a side border of a mesh can fit, a fixed positioning of a mesh material in relation to a post is obtained (in a manner that will be discussed below) by means of the simultaneous introduction of a horizontal rod part.

By preference, the central flange and the end flanges extend above and below the legs of the U-shaped profile part; by this means, the clip acquires a double symmetry, namely a symmetry around a plane passing through the center of the clip and perpendicular to the arms, and a symmetry around a plane passing through the center of the clip and parallel to the arms.

It should be noted, though, that this doubly symmetric preferred embodiment of the clip is a very attractive embodiment, which, however, is not essential for its functioning as such. If, for example, the flanges extended only on one side of the legs of the profile part, the clip would work just as well.

For purposes of stretching the mesh, however, a clip lying underneath another clip needs to be turned 180° before being pushed onto the probuberance.

Owing to the doubly symmetrical construction, the clip can be used in two manners, namely: a position in which a part of a horizontal rod of the same mesh lies with its underside against the upperside of the uppermost arm extending from the U-shaped profile part of the first clip ; and a position in which a part of a horizontal rod of the same mesh lies with its upperside against the underside of the lowermost arm extending from the U-shaped profile part of the second clip.

By pushing the clips away from one another and then fastening them, it is easy to achieve a stretching of the mesh material without the clip needing to be put into a different position in relation to the post, which is the case with the known clip described above.

Appropriately, the spaces between the central flange and the end flanges have a depth and a breadth in relation to the U-shaped profile part which is at least equal to the thickness of the rods of the mesh to be attached.

It is an advantage that the central flange and the end flanges are of the same thickness, as a result of which therefore their front planes lie in the same plane.

As will be further discussed below, it is an advantage that the clip according to the invention is made of bent steel plate, with the clip having an essentially IT-shaped cross-section at the flanges.

A further embodiment of a clip according to the invention relates to a clip for securing mesh, that within its top and side borders comprises horizontal and vertical rods that cross one another and are attached to one another at the cross points, to a post that is provided with a protuberance extending along its length, said clip comprises a roughly U- shaped profile part, the legs of which are provided with recesses, coinciding in projection, that are able to clasp around the protuberance, and at least the legs of the U-shaped profile part comprise extended arms at both sides of the recess for supporting parts of horizontal rods, and whereby in the bottom of the U-shaped part there is an opening to

receive securing means for fastening the clip (1) to the post to the post.

Such a clip is also known from EP-A-0481 100.

This further preferred embodiment of the clip according to the invention is characterised in that near to the ends of the arms spaces are left free into which a vertical rod can fit either near a side border or else in the plane of the mesh and that the ends of the arms are provided with four protrusions two extending above and two extending under the corresponding arm for maintaining the supporting part of a horizontal rod behind each protrusion.

Brief description of the drawings.

The invention will now be described into more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1A shows a front view of the clip in a preferred embodiment according to the invention; Fig. 1 B shows a side view of the same clip; and Fig. 1C shows a top view of the clip in Fig. 1A; Fig. 2 shows a side view of a clip according to the invention in an alternative form; Fig. 3 shows schematically the introduction of a mesh material along the side border into two clips connected to the same post.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a modified embodiment of a clip according to the invention Description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1A shows a clip 1 according to the invention, and the number 2 in Fig. 1B shows the form of the U-shaped profile part. The legs of the U-shaped profile part 2 are indicated in Fig. 1 B by 3, while the bottom of the U- shaped profile part is indicated by 8.

in Fig. 1A, the central flange is indicated by 12 and its extensions above and under the legs 3 of the U-shaped profile part are indicated by 5 in Fig. 1 B.

From the legs of the U-shaped profile part 2 extend arms 6, the ends of which are provided with end flanges 7. In this manner, between the central flange 12 and the end flanges 7, spaces 11 in (Fig 1 C) are formed that are sufficiently deep to receive and fasten vertical rods in the area of the side border of the mesh, whereas for example can be understood from Fig 1A a part of a horizontal rod can lie against the topside of the upppermost arm 6 and at least behind the upper part 13 of the flange 7, extending above the uppermost arm 6, a part of a horizontal rod can lie close to the top of the uppermost arm 6 in Fig. 1A.

Some features can also be seen in Fig. 1 C, which shows a top view of the clip with a recess 4 that encloses a protuberance of a post to which the clip is attached; 6 indicates the arms that extend from the U-shaped profile part; 7 indicates the end flanges and 12 indicates the central flange. The spaces intended to receive vertical rods are indicated by 11.

The opening 9 is intended for fastening the clip to the protuberance of a post with the aid of securing means. The opening 9 can, for example, be provided with a screw thread, and the securing of the clip to the protuberance of a post can be achieved by screwing a bolt into the opening until it comes into contact with the front side of the protuberance and the clip is secured in relation to the post.

Appropriately, the bolt utilized is a bolt with a weakening that breaks upon application of a predetermided foroe so that, once secured, a clip cannot easily be loosened by unautohorized persons.

Other means that will be familiar to the professional can of course also be used as securing means.

The following should be noted regarding the mounting of a mesh material on a post with the aid of the doubly symmetric type of clips according to the invention:

Starting from a post with a protuberance extending over its entire length, the number of clips that need to be used are first pushed onto the protuberance and lightly secured at the approximately correct positions.

A mesh material is placed on both sides of the post, after which the upper clip is set in its final position and the mesh is installed on both sides, i. e. a horizontal part of a rod near the side border is laid on the arm 6, while the corresponding vertical rod in inserted into the space 11.

Lower-lying clips are then positioned, with the difference, for example, that when two clips are being used, the lower arm 6 of such a clip 1 lies against the topside of a horizontal rod part, which makes it possible to stretch the mesh.

When there is sufficient tension, it will be very difficult-if not impossible -for unauthorized persons to remove the mesh from the clips, assuming that the clip securing mechanism can no longer be operated without special tools.

When the clip is intended to grip in the plane of a panel of mesh, the breadth of the arms 6 in Fig. 1 C will be selected to be so large that between the bottom of the recess 4 and the side of the end flanges 7 and the central flange 12 that is pointed toward this recess there will be sufficient space present to allow passing a horizontal rod to lie on this arm 6.

The horizontal rod then lies between the flanges 7 and 12 and the protuberance on the post to which the clip is attached. Naturally, in such a case the center-to-center distance between the spaces 11 is essentially equal to the center-to-center distance of the mesh with horizontal and vertical rods that is to be secured.

The clip according to the invention can accordingly be of a type that can grip both in the plane of the mesh and near the side border. The clip can also be made so as to serve exclusively to secure and stretch one or two mesh surfaces on both sides of a post.

Fig. 1 B shows the clip according to the invention in an embodiment provided with a U-shaped profile part 2 with legs 3 and a bottom 8 and

parts 5 of the central flange 12, in which this form is assembled, for example, by welding flat plate material.

Fig. 2 shows an alternative cross-sectional form that is obtained when the clip according to the invention is made out of a single piece of steel plate that can be formed in a suitable manner, with openings being punched in the original plate material to form the spaces 11 (Fig. 1 C).

The professional will of course also know of other familiar construction methods.

In all cases the profile part 2 will possess roughly a U-shape, whereby otherwise it can also be said that the profile part at the flanges possesses roughly a Tr-shape.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the placement of two clips 21 and 22 in relation to a post 20, with the clip 21 serving to allow a part of a horizontal rod 24 to lie against the underside of the lowermost arm 6 of clip 21, while the top clip 22 serves to allow a part of a horizontal rod 25 to lie with its underside against the upperside of the uppermost arm 6 of the clip 22. A tension can be created in the mesh material by pulling the clips 21 and 22 away from each other.

The vertical rod 23 near the side border of the mesh rests in the spaces 11 that are left free between the central flanges 12 and the end flanges 7 of the clips 21 and 22.

Appropriately, the clips will be made of metal, although the use of suitable mechanically strong plastics cannot be excluded.

Likewise, the mesh material will as a rule be made of metal, with the horizontal and vertical rods being welded to one another where they intersect; mesh material made of plastic with the rods joined to one another where they intersect is also a possibility, however.

Generally speaking, the mesh to be used is flat mesh, although in its surface the mesh can have undergone deformations such as ripples in order to give the mesh greater rigidity.

As previously described, the clip according to the invention can also be utilized to grip in a mesh surface and, together with one or more clips, to stretch it.

Viewed from above, the clip typically has a total length of 70 mm.

Spaces 11 with a breadth of 13 mm, a depth of 8 mm and a 39 mm center-to-center distance are arranged around the center.

The total breadth viewed from above is, for example, 19 mm, while the total breadth viewed from in front is 36 mm.

A bolt M6, for example, is utilized as a securing bolt.

For a clip that needs to grip in the plane of a portion of mesh with 8 mm rods, the breadth of the contact surface or the arm 6 is enlarged from approximately 11 to 20 mm; the center-to-center distance between the spaces is made equal to the center-to center distance between the vertical rods of welded mesh.

Fig. 4 shows a modified preferred embodiment of the clip 1 according to the invention. The reference numbers used in figures 1A-1C are now used for showing the same parts of the clip 1 in figure 4.

The parts 5 and 13 of the central flange 12 and the end flanges 7 (Fig.

1A) extending above and under the arms 6 are taken away and are replaced by four protrusions 14 in figure 4.

Two protrusions 14 are extending under the corresponding arm 6 and two protrusions 14 are extending above the corresponding arm 6 at the ends of the arms 6.

Spaces 11 are left free near to the ends of the arms 6 of the clip 1. A vertical rod of the welded mesh can be applied in such a space 11, whereby a part of the horizontal rod is applied against the arm 6 and behind the protrusion 14.