MAKING FURNISHING COMPONENTS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components. Art

It is well known that there is a special need in many areas of industrial activities to renew the produced manufactured articles and to search for new ones in order to distinguish them more from those of competitors.

This need is felt, especially, in the area of manufacturing panels for decorative purposes, applicable to surfaces, such as floors, walls, etc., or employable themselves for the production of furnishing components, such as tables, kitchen or bathroom countertops, etc.

Indeed, in this sector it is necessary to offer new solutions, possibly customized, and which have a distinctive character that can attract the attention of even new potential customers.

At the same time, in recent years, the need to recover and reuse polluting or potentially polluting waste materials is well known and felt. Generally, however, such reuse activity is complex and generally requires the treatment of reclaimed materials through complex and expensive processes.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to devise a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components that enables the reuse of reclaimed materials.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components that is provided with a distinctive decorative effect.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components that is easy to make and provides for low production costs.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components that can overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art within the framework of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use, as well as affordable solution.

The aforementioned objects are achieved by this decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components having the characteristics of claim 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components, illustrated by way of an indicative, yet non-limiting example, in the accompanying tables of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a decorative panel according to the invention;

Figures 2-5 are axonometric views showing the phases in the process of making the decorative panel according to the invention;

Figures 6 and 7 are axonometric views of a panel according to the invention, in accordance with two alternative embodiments.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to these figures, reference numeral 1 globally indicates a decorative panel for covering surfaces and/or making furnishing components.

The decorative panel in accordance with the present invention is intended to be used to cover surfaces such as floors, walls or portions thereof or to make the surfaces themselves. At the same time, the decorative panel can be used in the manufacture of furnishing components, such as table tops, kitchen tops, bathroom tops, etc.

The decorative panel 1 comprises: at least one transparent panel 2 provided with at least one inner cavity 3; closing means 4 associated with the transparent panel 2 and adapted to close the inner cavity 3; and a plurality of decorative elements 5 in the form of powder or flakes, arranged within the inner cavity 3 and made of at least one reclaimed material.

The transparent panel 2 is therefore adapted to contain and to make decorative elements 5 visible from the outside.

In the context of this disclosure, the term “reclaimed material” refers to waste materials, otherwise intended for disposal, which can be reused for room decoration.

Instead of providing for the use of specially made decorative elements for the production of the decorative panel, the present invention substantially provides for the use of waste parts which are unusable for other purposes.

The decorative elements 5 can be of a variety of types, e.g., scraps of paper, fabric, leather, as well as fragments of glass, wood or metal shavings, dried flowers, etc.

In addition, the decorative elements 5 have varying shapes and sizes.

The transparent panel 2 is preferably made of a transparent plastic material, e.g. polycarbonate. The plastic material gives the transparent panel 2 an extremely low weight.

It cannot however be ruled out that the transparent panel 2 may be made of glass.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the transparent panel is colorless. Alternatively, the transparent panel 2 can be colored.

The transparent panel 2 comprises a pair of main surfaces 6 which are opposite and substantially parallel to each other. The main surfaces 6 are the surfaces of the transparent panel 2 with the largest surface area and, at least one of them, in use, faces an end user.

The main surfaces 6 define at least partly the inner cavity 3.

The decorative elements 5 are visible through the main surfaces 6.

The transparent panel 2 also comprises a plurality of perimeter sides 7 transverse to the main surfaces 6.

In more detail, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the transparent panel 2 is rectangular in shape and comprises four perimeter sides. It cannot, however, be ruled out that the transparent panel 2 may have a different shape and a different number of perimeter sides 7.

At least one of the perimeter sides 7 comprises at least one opening 8 which is adapted to allow the insertion of the decorative elements 5 within the inner cavity 3.

Advantageously, the transparent panel 2 comprises a plurality of inner cavities 3.

In more detail, the transparent panel 2 comprises a plurality of separating elements 9 positioned between the main surfaces 6 and defining the inner cavities 3.

The separating elements 9 are of laminar conformation and are also transparent. The transparent panel 2 is substantially of the type of a honeycomb panel.

The separating elements 9 comprise transverse elements 10 positioned between the main surfaces 6 and arranged perpendicular to them. Thus, the transparent panel 2 comprises a plurality of inner cavities 3 arranged side by side along a direction substantially parallel to the main surfaces 6.

Alternatively or in combination thereof, the separating elements 9 comprise parallel elements 11 positioned between the main surfaces 6 and arranged parallel thereto. In such a case, the transparent panel 2 comprises a plurality of inner cavities 3 arranged side by side along a direction substantially perpendicular to the main surfaces 6.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, the separating elements 9 are developed along a substantially straight direction.

The transparent panel 2 may have separating elements 9 which develop along a curvilinear direction (Figure 6) or according to an irregular pattern, e.g. to a zigzag pattern (Figure 7).

As stated above, at least one of the perimeter sides 7 comprises at least one opening 8 adapted to allow the insertion of the decorative elements 5 into the inner cavity 3.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in the figures, at least one of the perimeter sides 7 comprises a plurality of openings 8 each adapted to allow the insertion of the decorative elements 5 into the relevant inner cavity 3.

In more detail, each of the inner cavities 3 defines at least one opening 8 facing one of the perimeter sides 7.

Conveniently, the closing means 4 comprise at least one closing profile 12 associated with the perimeter side 7 and adapted to close the at least one opening 8.

The closing profile 12 is of elongated conformation and extends along the entire length of the perimeter side 7.

Advantageously, the closing profile 12 has a substantially “U”-shaped crosssection.

In other words, the closing profile 12 has a base portion overlapping the perimeter side 7 and adapted to close the openings 8 and a pair of side portions, perpendicular to the base portion and overlapping part of the main surfaces 6.

The closing profile 12 can be associated with the transparent panel 2 by interlocking. Alternatively, the closing means 4 may comprise adhesive means positioned between the closing profile 12 and the transparent panel 2.

Again, alternatively, the closing profile 12 can be associated with the transparent panel 2 in a removable maimer.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in the figures, each of the inner cavities 3 defines a relevant pair of openings 8 opposite each other, each facing a respective perimeter side 7.

In other words, each of the inner cavities 3 develops along the entire length of the transparent panel 2 from one perimeter side 7 to the opposite perimeter side 7.

The transparent panel 2 is, therefore, open where two opposite perimeter sides 7 are located.

For this purpose, the closing means 4 comprise a pair of closing profiles 12 each associated with a relevant perimeter side 7.

Conveniently, in accordance with a possible embodiment shown in Figure 5, the decorative panel 1 comprises a transparent reinforcing slab 13 associated with one of the main surfaces 6.

The reinforcing slab 13 gives greater strength to the decorative panel 1 and makes it less prone to damage and/or breakage.

The decorative panel in accordance with such an embodiment is particularly suitable for applications where high mechanical stress is expected, e.g., for floor coverings or for making tables or other worktops.

Preferably, the reinforcing slab 13 is made of glass. It cannot however be ruled out that the reinforcing slab 13 may be made of a different material.

The decorative panel 1 can be obtained by the following manufacturing process. The process first comprises a phase of supply of the transparent panel 2, of the closing means 4 and of the decorative elements 5.

In particular, the transparent panel 2 can be produced in standardized sizes and cut out on the spot to the desired dimensions.

Similarly, the closing profile 12 can also be produced in standardized length and cut out on the spot according to the length of the relevant perimeter side 7.

The decorative elements 5, on the other hand, simply require treatment of the reclaimed materials aimed at making them of a suitable size to be inserted within the inner cavities 3.

The process also comprises a phase of insertion of the decorative elements 5 within the inner cavity 3 and a phase of closure of the at least one inner cavity 3 by means of the closing means 4 to obtain the decorative panel 1.

Usefully, in accordance with the embodiment shown in the figures, the phase of closing comprises a first step of closing the inner cavity 3, carried out prior to the phase of filling, and a second step of closing the inner cavity 3, carried out subsequently to the phase of filling.

It has in practice been ascertained that the described invention achieves the intended objects and, in particular, the fact is emphasized that the decorative panel according to the invention allows the reuse of reclaimed materials as decorative elements.

Moreover, such a solution, allows this decorative panel to have a distinctive decorative effect compared to known solutions and able to attract new potential customers.

Finally, this decorative panel involves an extremely simple production process which has very low production costs.