This invention relates to space heating systems, and particularly to systems of the kind in which heating elements, or heat exchange elements which can be used for heating or cooling, are incorporated in panels which are adapted to be permanently installed in a room.

Existing systems of this kind include systems in which discrete panels are attached to the walls or ceiling of a room, which are relatively straightforward to install but tend to be unsightly because they are difficult to conceal. Other alternatives include underfloor heating systems, which are very difficult to install unless the installation is part of the construction of the building, and once installed, are very difficult to maintain, and skirting heating systems which have the great advantages of being relatively easy to install, and, if properly designed, almost invisible in use.

However, even skirting systems have the disadvantage that their installation becomes complicated in the region of doorway openings and also, if they are to be installed in an existing room which already has a conventional skirting board, there may be disruption and mess caused by the removal of the existing skirting boards, giving rise to the need for extra "making good". Particularly in older buildings, the condition of the walls behind the existing skirting boards can be very poor, leading to difficulties in mounting any structures to the wall, at this level.

In addition, ordinary radiator systems may need to be run at relatively high temperatures. This can be a problem in premises specifically designed for children or elderly people, where low surface temperatures are a statutory requirement.

As mentioned above, it is also known to attach heating or cooling panels to the ceiling of a room, but in the case of heating panels attached to a ceiling, the

heating effect can be rather uncomfortable to the occupants of the room, since it results in heat being radiated vertically downwards, i.e. onto the tops of their heads.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a heat exchange unit for space heating/cooling which is adapted to be fitted at the junction of the wall and ceiling of a room, whilst forming a decorative coving or cornice.

Preferably, the unit is formed as a length of "coving", with an outer surface which is preferably shaped and finished to ensure that heat is radiated downwardly from the coving, at an angle of approximately 45° to the wall. For example the surface may be concave, but it may alternatively be flat or have a decorative profile. In this way the heating effect is experienced by the occupants of the room at a natural angle, rather as though they were standing outdoors on a sunny day, with the sun at a "three o'clock in the afternoon" position. Consequently, a pleasantly natural radiant warming sensation is provided, whilst installation problems are minimised and the system effectively provides its own system of concealment.

Preferably, the interior of the unit comprises tubular elements which may carry a heating or cooling fluid, or may contain electrical heating elements.

In one embodiment of the invention, each unit is mounted in position by means of an adjustable mounting assembly of the kind shown in our European patent publication no. 05 42 785 (or a plurality of such members) . This allows the unit to be securely mounted in position, while providing for some adjustment to cater for unevenness of the wall or ceiling surface to which it is attached.

Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an elongate coving member carrying at least one longitudinally extending heating element on its inner surface, and also having a pair of longitudinally extending parallel flanges on the said inner surface; and at least

one mounting member which is adapted to be fitted at the junction of a ceiling and a wall, and includes a pair of divergent, resilient wings which cooperate with the said flanges, so as to provide an adjustable mounting for the coving.

Preferably, the mounting member is an assembly including a first part comprising a bracket with screw holes for attachment to the ceiling and wall, and a second part, which cooperates with the bracket by means of a "plug and socket type" connection, and which carries the resilient wings.

An alternative embodiment of the invention comprises an elongate coving member having at least one tubular heating element mounted on the rear surface or formed integrally therewith, and a mounting bracket including at least one pair of mutually opposed flanged members which are arranged to engage around the heating element or elements. Preferably, the construction is such that the heating elements will clip in between the flanges.

The peripheral edges of the coving member are preferably provided with flexible sealing beads or skirts, to take up unevennesses in the ceiling or wall surfaces.

Alternatively or additionally, shaped mouldings or extrusions may be attached at each edge of the coving member so as to provide a more elaborate decorative effect.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a lateral cross-section through a coving structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a lateral cross-section through a structure comprising a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a lateral cross-section through a coving structure comprising a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is a lateral cross-section through a

structure comprising a fourth embodiment;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an electric heating system in an installed condition; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a fluid type heating system in an installed condition;

Figures 7a and 7b illustrate different types of coving edge seals;

Figure 8 is a lateral cross-section through a fifth type of coving structure;

Figures 9a, 9b and 9c illustrate possible decorative edge mouldings attached to the coving of Figure 8; and

Figures 10a and 10b illustrate further alternative mounting arrangements

Referring to Figure 1, a coving member 2 is formed with a concave outer surface, so that when installed, it has the same appearance as conventional plaster coving. In the embodiment shown, the coving is formed from an aluminium extrusion, and its peripheral edges 4 and 6 are inwardly flanged and formed with slots which receive silicone rubber or plastic seals 8 and 10 which respectively take up undulations on the wall 12 and ceiling 14 to which the coving is mounted.

The rear surface of the coving member is formed with two pairs of opposed flanges or beads 16 and 18, each pair being adapted to receive a suitably shaped tubular extrusion 20 or 22, which contains an electric heating element. Alternatively, these heating element chambers may be formed integrally with the main extrusion forming the coving.

In the embodiment illustrated, the coving is mounted in position by means of an adjustable mounting assembly which is basically the same as that described in our European publication no. 05 42 735 and comprises a resilient winged member 24 which is supported in a bracket 26 mounted on the wall and ceiling respectively by screws 28 and 30. In the embodiment shown, the bracket has a two part construction, comprising a metal plate 32 which is formed

with screw holes for the screws 28 and 30, and a plastic socket member 34 which is slidably mounted on the metal plate and receives a cooperating plug member of the resilient part 24 of the mounting member.

The resilient member is formed with a pair of outwardly divergent wings 36 and 38, and the ends of these are received within the slots formed by a pair of mutually opposed flanges 40 and 42 formed on the back of the coving, some lost motion being allowed between them, as illustrated, to allow for exact adjustment of the poεition of the coving.

It will be appreciated that in use, the coving will be mounted in sections around the peripheral edges of the ceiling of a room. The electrical elements may be hardwired together or interconnected by fly-leads with plug-and-socket connectors and connected to a supply by means of suitable junction boxes.

Figure 2 illustrates an alternative type of arrangement, for use in a fluid based heating or cooling system, and once again, this comprises an extruded metal coving element 50, the external appearance of which is the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 1, and which carries resilient sealing beads or skirts 50, 54 along its peripheral edges to seal against the wall and ceiling. In this case, relatively large aluminium or copper lined water channels 56 and 58 are integrally formed with the rear surface of the extrusion, and these are adapted to be held in flanges formed on a bracket 60 which is mounted to the wall and ceiling by means of screws 62, 64 respectively. The bracket is preferably made of a resilient plastics material, so that the tubular water carrying members can clip in between pairs of suitably shaped flanges 66 and 68. Again, it will be appreciated that a series of units such as that illustrated will be mounted around the periphery of the room, and these may be connected together at the corners by means of conventional soldered joints or by means of plug and socket connectors such as thoεe shown in our

International patent publication no. 94/17231.

A third embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figure 3, is basically a simplified version of the Figure 2 construction, in which the coving extrusions 70 carries on its rear surface, a pair of flanges 72 for mounting a single large bore tube 74 which is in turn connected to the wall or ceiling by means of a mounting bracket 76 which, as can be seen from the drawing, is a simplified version of the mounting bracket 60 of Figure 2. Alternatively, the large bore tube 74 may be integrally extruded with the coving member 70.

Figure 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention, in which the coving is so formed that it can be used to construct either an electrical heating system, or a fluid based system. As illustrated, the rear surface of the coving extrusion 80 is provided with pairs of flanges 82 and 84 for receiving electrical element chambers 86 and 88, respectively, adjacent each peripheral edge, and also, a pair of centrally positioned flanges 90 for receiving a single large bore tube 92 in the same way as the large bore tube 74 of Figure 3. This tube may be used either as an electrical conduit or a water channel. In this embodiment, the large bore tube is formed in an elongate housing which has longitudinally extending sets of ribs 94 on its opposite side, and these cooperate with correspondingly ribbed formations on the facing internal surfaces of a channel formed in a mounting bracket 96. In this way, if the mounting surfaces are somewhat uneven, the coving structure can be pushed into the mounting bracket, to varying degrees in accordance with the spacing of the cooperating ribs.

Figure 5 illustrates the installation of an electric type system, made up of elements such as that illustrated in Figure 1. The positions of the tubular heating chambers 20 and 22 of Figure 1 are illustrated in dashed lines, and the electrical heating elements contained in these heating chambers are supplied by junction boxes loo, 102, at each

end of each length of coving, with a flexible lead 104 connecting the adjacent pairs of junction boxes, so that the system can be interconnected, all around the periphery of the room. It will be appreciated that various electrical interconnection arrangements are possible, in order to ensure that the heat output is suitably balanced, for different lengths of coving, and also to present a suitable load to the supply circuit.

At the junction of adjacent coving elements, resilient cover clips 106, 108 are provided to cover inside and outside corner junctions respectively, and these are preferably made from a plastics or metal material, with flanged upper and lower edges (not shown) so that they can be easily clipped around the edges of the installed coving elements.

Figure 6 illustrates a corresponding installation, for a fluid based system such as that described with reference to Figure 3 above, and once again, corresponding cover clips 106, 108 are provided for the inner and outer corners. The adjacent ends of water channel 74 are connected together by means of elbows 110, and these may be arranged as conventional capillary soldered joints, compression joints, or push fit water seal connectors of the kind illustrated in our International Patent Publication No. 094/17321.

Figure 7a illustrates a first possible type of resilient sealing arrangement for the edges 112 of the coving in which a recess 114 is arranged to receive a flexible blade-like sealing member 116, so that the flexible edge of the blade takes up any unevenness in the adjacent wall/ceiling surface.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7b, the blade edge of the seal may be omitted, and any remaining gaps may simply be filled with a suitable filler 120 which is preferably flexible (e.g. mastic) so as to allow for heat expansion effects.

Figure 8 illustrates an alternative arrangement in which each edge 120 of the coving 122 is formed with a flange having a "dove-tail" section 124, adapted to receive various different configurations of decorative mouldings such as thoεe shown in Figures 9a-9c. As shown in these figures, this arrangement allows the overall decorative effect of the coving to be varied, whilst using the same basic structure, by fitting different mouldings or extrusions 126, 128, 130 each of which is formed with a mating dove-tail or T-section flange 132 to lock into a correεponding dovetail or T-section slot 124. In this way it is possible to add various "period-style" embellishments to the plain coving.

Figure 10 illustrates a further alternative type of mounting bracket 134 which comprises a simple bent metal plate particularly adapted for supporting the end 136 of a length of coving. Figure 10b. As can be seen from the larger view of Figure 10a, this includes an angled end plate 138 which is wide enough to engage between the flanges 40, 42 at the end 136 of the coving section.

Alternatively the coving may be retained in position on the wall by simple spring clips 140, 142 which engage around the heating element chambers or other suitable projections on the rear of the coving, so that it can simply be "sprung" into place.