Fastener

The invention relates to a fastener, which is intended in particular for the installation of a floor heating cable, conduit or the like for coupling the same into an engagement with a concrete reinforcement grid or the like. The fastener comprises an integral solid block, which is provided with a coupling system firstly for coupling the fastener into an engagement with the concrete reinforcement grid or the like and secondly for coupling the heating cable, conduit or the like into an engagement with the fastener. The coupling system is established by way of feedthrough slots extending in a body of the fastener substantially perpendicularly to each other, on top of each other in a vertical direction, and extending in an open configuration to an edge of the body.

Today, a common practice in this field is to employ e.g. iron wire for tying e.g. a floor heating cable or conduit into an engagement with a concrete reinforcement grid, e.g. prior to floor casting. In practice, this is quite a tedious and laborious operation, since each individual coupling point requires cutting a suitable length of iron wire, wrapping it around elements to be engaged with each other, and then further twisting together the ends of the iron wire.

However, for example publication WO 2006/029627 has disclosed a clamp of the type described above, enabling in particular the coupling of a floor heating cable into contact with a concrete reinforcement bar. Like others before it, this particular solution is based on such an arrangement that the feedthrough channels for a floor heating cable and a concrete reinforcement grid be adapted to open onto the opposite sides of the clamp. For this

reason, the installation of such a clamp requires fitting it between a floor heating cable and a concrete reinforcement grid set on top of each other, which in practice is a manual operation. Further in the cited solution, the feedthrough grooves at each end of the clamp are configured by way of intersecting channels open onto each side, which is why the clamp corners are left with thin extensions which are highly fragile in practical installation work.

On the other hand, patent publication WO 2006/017411 has disclosed a solution, enabling the coupling of two superimposed concrete reinforcement bars with each other at the intersection by means of a clip, which is secured to the crossing reinforcement bars by pressing from above. Hence, first of all, the solution described in the cited publication is not specifically intended for coupling a floor heating cable, conduit or the like into an engagement with a concrete reinforcement grid. On the other hand, the cited solution is based on the fact that, being braced by the clip, the concrete reinforcement bars crossing each other one below the other are in a direct contact against each other. In practice, this type of design is not applicable in the present context, because a reinforcement bar in a direct contact against a floor heating cable, conduit or the like may cause attritions and thereby jeopardize the operation of floor heating. Because of its multi-finger configuration, the cited clip is also fragile and inconvenient for other than manual use.

An objective with a fastener according to the present invention is to provide a decisive improvement regarding the foregoing problems and to thereby raise substantially the available prior art. In order to achieve this objective, a fastener of the invention is principally characterized

in that the feedthrough slots, included in the coupling system for engaging the fastener with a concrete reinforcement grid or the like and with a heating cable, conduit or the like, are arranged to open onto one and the same side of the fastener, and that between the feedthrough slots, which extend through the body in directions perpendicular to each other, is provided a bearer.

The most important benefits offered by a fastener of the invention should be mentioned to include the simplicity of its construction and use, by virtue of which the installation of e.g. a floor heating cable or conduit proceeds remarkably faster than in currently employed working methods and without extra operations . In its simplest form, the fastener of the invention is implementable as a highly compact and strong structural member such that, in the process of fitting it, e.g. with a suitable tool, the fastener is firstly pressed in such a way on top of a floor heating cable to be secured that the latter sinks in a feedthrough slot present in the fastener, locking itself therein with a snap fit in a preferred embodiment. This is followed by pressing the fastener further into contact with a concrete reinforcement grid bar underneath, the latter locking itself with a second snap fit in a second feedthrough slot present in the fastener. Based on the experience, a fastener according to the invention enables a multiple speeding-up of installation work with respect to prior working methods .

Preferred embodiments for a fastener according to the invention are presented in relevant dependent claims.

In the following description, the invention will be specified in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

fig. 1 shows one preferred fastener of the invention in a perspective view,

figs. 2a-2d show a fastener in views from below, above, one side and the other side, respectively, and

fig. 3 shows a fastener of the invention in an installation process.

The invention relates to a fastener, which is intended in particular for the installation of a floor heating cable, conduit A or the like for coupling the same into an engagement with a concrete reinforcement grid B or the like. The fastener comprises an integral solid block, which is provided with a coupling system 1; Ia, Ib firstly for coupling the fastener into an engagement with the concrete reinforcement grid B or the like and secondly for coupling the heating cable, conduit A or the like into an engagement with the fastener. The coupling system 1 is established by way of feedthrough slots Ia, Ib extending in a body R of the fastener substantially perpendicularly to each other, on top of each other in a vertical direction h, and extending in an open configuration to an edge of the body. The feedthrough slots Ia, Ib, included in the coupling system for engaging the fastener with the concrete reinforcement grid B or the like and with the heating cable, conduit A or the like, are arranged to open onto one and the same side I of the fastener. In addition, between the

feedthrough slots Ia, Ib, which extend through the body R in directions perpendicular to each other, is provided a bearer k with particular reference to what is depicted in fig. 2c.

In particular reference to figs.l, 2a and 2c, when viewed in a horizontal plane, the feedthrough slots Ia, Ib, penetrating the fastener's opposite first sides Rs and its second sides Rp perpendicular thereto, are arranged one below the other in the vertical direction h. Thus, in a solution depicted in the attached drawings, neither one of the coupling systems has been constructed with intersecting feedthroughs which would be perpendicular to each other.

In a preferred embodiment, with a particular reference to figs. 1 and 2c, the feedthrough slot Ib of the substantially elongated s body R for coupling the heating cable, conduit A or the like into an engagement with the fastener is arranged so as to penetrate the long sides Rp of the body

R. Further, with a particular reference to figs 1 and 2d, the feedthrough slot Ia for coupling the fastener into an engagement with the concrete reinforcement grid B or the like is arranged so as to penetrate the short sides Rs of the fastener.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, with a particular reference to figs. 1 and 2d, it is provided with a bracing, relieving or (in view of the manufacture of a fastener) cooling system 2, such as a rib arrangement

2a along one or more of its sides and/or a hole formation 2b, which in a preferred embodiment is disposed on a side II of the fastener which has no feedthrough slot.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the body R of a fastener intended for the coupling of elements with substantially unequal diameters is preferably a rectangular prism, which enables wall thickness that are optimal in terms of the manufacture and material consumption of the fastener.

In a still further preferred embodiment, the body R of a fastener intended for the coupling of elements A, B of substantially equal thicknesses can also be a cube (although this is not shown in the drawings) .

The fastener is at least partially made from a structurally flexible/pliable, such as a plastic-, rubber-based and/or the like manufacturing material .

In another preferred embodiment, the feedthrough slots Ia, Ib are associated with a guide system 0 for facilitating installation. In the embodiments shown in the attached drawings, the discussed guide system O is implemented by way of edge obtrusions at entrance openings Ia" , Ib" of the feedthrough slots Ia, Ib and by way of conical surfaces flaring outward from the feedthrough slots .

In yet another preferred embodiment, the coupling system includes locking means P for coupling the floor heating cable, conduit A or the like and/or the concrete reinforcement grid B or the like into an engagement with the fastener by locking on a bayonet coupling principle. In a particular reference to figs. 2c and 2d, these bayonet locking means P are established by forming a width Ll, L2 of the entrance openings Ia", Ib" substantially smaller than a diameter Dl, D2 of the feedthrough slots Ia, Ib.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to embodiments illustrated or described above, but it can be varied within a basic concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, it is first of all obvious that, as opposed to manufacturing materials set forth above by way of example, a fastener according to the invention can be manufactured also from a relatively rigid material, such as wood, e.g. by providing the entrance openings with dimensions that are close enough to the diameters of the feedthrough slots . It is further possible to implement a fastener of the invention by providing it with a coupling system functioning in more planes than what was described above, enabling the coupling of e.g. a floor heating cable or conduit therewith at mutually varying heights or in several tiers. Thus, it is possible to implement a fastener of the invention e.g. in such a way that its bottom section complies with a construction as illustrated in the attached figures 1 and 2a-2d, wherein its top surface is additionally provided with e.g. a third feedthrough slot which opens onto a top side II of the fastener.