Technical field

The present invention relates to a frame for supporting a balcony slab, which frame comprises a plurality of frame elements which are connected in pairs such that corners are formed.

The present invention also relates to a balcony structure comprising such a frame.

Technical background

Known frames of the abovementioned type often have frame elements which are joined together by welding. Such frames are usually welded together in a workshop and then transported to the place where they are to be mounted on a house wall. A disadvantage of frames of this type lies in the high transport costs, since the frame is transported in the state when welded together and therefore takes up a lot of space.

DE 297 17 050 Ul discloses a frame which is screwed together by means of angle irons and securing bolts . The frame can thus be transported in a non- assembled state. However, this frame comprises a plurality of components and is relatively difficult to assemble .

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to make available a robust frame for supporting a balcony slab, which frame permits simple assembly.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a frame for supporting a balcony slab, which frame comprises a plurality of frame elements which are connected in pairs such that corners are formed, and which is characterized in that at least one of the corners of the frame is formed by two frame elements, of which one has at least one portion protruding in the longitudinal direction of the frame element, and the other has at least one hole into which the protruding portion is inserted, and in that the frame also comprises locking members which lock said two frame elements together and prevent withdrawal of the protruding portion inserted into said hole.

The protruding portion thus takes up loads in the vertical direction. The protruding portion can take up a considerable vertical load, which means that the frame can be made robust and can thus support a heavy balcony slab. The frame can thus support balcony slabs of different types, for example a cast balcony slab of concrete. Moreover, the protruding portion holds the frame elements in place when the latter are coupled together, i.e. when the protruding portion is inserted into the opening during assembly of the frame, which considerably facilitates the assembly work. After the frame elements have been coupled together, they are locked to each other by means of a locking member. The main purpose of the locking member is to lock the frame elements together and prevent withdrawal, and therefore it does not have to be dimensioned to take up the vertical loads to which the frame is exposed. The frame elements of the frame can be transported as separate parts and then mounted on a house wall in a simple way. This provides benefits both in terms of the environment and also economics.

The protruding portion preferably comprises a protruding tongue, and the hole in said other element is preferably an elongate hole.

Each of said two frame elements preferably consists of a pipe with a quadrilateral cross section.

The protruding portion preferably comprises a wall portion that protrudes from one of the horizontal walls of said one frame element.

In one embodiment, the protruding portion comprises a wall portion, in the form of a tongue, that protrudes from one of the horizontal walls of said one frame element, and the hole in said other element is a hole that is elongate in the vertical direction. Preferably, the protruding portion also comprises at least one further protruding wall portion, which protrudes from one of the vertical walls of said one frame element, and said other frame element comprises at least one further hole into which said further protruding wall portion is inserted, which further improves the ability of the frame to take up loads in the vertical direction.

In one embodiment, the protruding portion comprises two protruding wall portions, in the form of tongues, which each protrude from one of the respective horizontal walls of said one frame element, which further improves the ability of the frame to take up loads in the vertical direction and also improves its stability.

Preferably, the protruding portion of said one frame element comprises at least two protruding wall portions which each protrude from one of the respective vertical walls of said one frame element.

In one embodiment, said one frame element has, at one end thereof, two protruding wall portions which each protrude from one of the respective horizontal walls of the first frame element, and at least a further two protruding wall portions which each protrude from one of the respective vertical walls of the frame element, and said second frame element has, at one end thereof, a hole into which one of the wall portions protruding from the respective horizontal walls of the first frame element is inserted, and at least two further holes into which the wall portions protruding from the respective vertical walls of the first frame element are inserted, which gives a very robust, torsionally rigid and stable frame.

The locking member preferably extends through a through-hole formed in said protruding portion.

Said two frame elements preferably have the same cross section, seen in a web portion of the respective frame element, in order to make matters easier when producing the frame elements included in the frame.

Each of the two frame elements is preferably made in one piece, which has the advantage that a frame with a small number of components can be produced.

The locking member preferably comprises at least one locking element, for example in the form of a locking pin or locking bolt.

In one embodiment, the locking member comprises a locking bolt, and the protruding portion of said one frame element and the second frame element each have through-holes for receiving said locking bolt, the locking bolt locking the protruding portion and the second frame element together. The locking pin thus extends through the protruding portion and at least one of the walls of the second frame element.

Another object of the invention is to make available a robust balcony structure that permits simple assembly.

This object is achieved by a balcony structure comprising a frame according to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a balcony structure mounted on a house wall.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of a frame included in the balcony structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows, on a larger scale, two of the frame elements of the frame shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows the frame elements from Fig. 3 in a non-assembled state.

Fig. 5 shows the frame elements from Fig. 3 in a non-assembled state.

Fig. 6 shows parts of a balcony structure supported by the frame shown in Fig. 2. Description of a preferred embodiment

Fig. 1 shows a balcony structure 8 which comprises a frame 1, in the form of a balcony frame, and a balcony slab 4. The balcony frame 1 supports the balcony slab 4. The balcony structure 8 is mounted on a house wall 2. The frame 1 is provided with assembly elements (not shown) in the form of angle pieces, for horizontal mounting of the balcony structure 8 on the house wall 2. The balcony structure 8 also comprises oblique tie rods 6 which, at their lower end, are secured to the frame 1 and, at their upper end, are secured to the house wall 2. The oblique tie rods 6 help support the balcony structure 8.

Fig. 2 shows the frame 1 in an enlarged view. The frame 1 has two mutually parallel longer frame elements 3, 7 and two mutually parallel shorter frame elements 5, 9. Each frame element 3, 5, 7, 9 of the frame 1 consists of steel pipes with a quadrilateral cross section. The two shorter frame elements 5, 9 have, at their respective ends 5a, 5b and 9a, 9b, a protruding portion 21 that protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the respective frame element 5, 9. The two longer frame elements 3, 7 have, at their respective ends 3a, 3b and 7a, 7b, openings in the form of through-holes, into which the protruding portions 21 of the shorter frame elements are inserted. The frame elements 3, 5, 7, 9 are connected in pairs such that four corners are formed. For example, the frame element 9 is connected to the frame element 7 such that a corner 11 is formed. The frame 1 also comprises locking members, which are best illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 and which prevent withdrawal of the respective protruding portions 21 of the shorter frame elements 5, 9 from the longer frame elements 3, 7.

The corner 11 will now be described with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5. In order to explain clearly how the corner 11 is formed, Figures 4 and 5 show the corner 11 in a non-assembled state. The corner 11 is formed by a first frame element 9, which represents one of the shorter frame elements of the frame 1, and a second frame element 7, which represents one of the longer frame elements of the frame 1. The first frame element 9 has two vertical walls 13, 15 and two horizontal walls 17, 19. The two vertical walls 13, 15 of the first element are of equal length. The two horizontal walls 17, 19 of the first frame element are of equal length. The first frame element 9 has a rectangular cross section. The two vertical walls 13, 15 are thus longer than the two horizontal walls 17, 19, as can be seen from Fig. 4. The first frame element 9 has, at one end 9b thereof, a protruding portion 21, which comprises a wall portion, in the form of a tongue 23, protruding from the upper horizontal wall 17 of the first frame element 9. The second frame element 7 has two vertical walls 25, 27 and two horizontal walls 29, 31. The two vertical walls 25, 27 of the second frame element 7 are of equal length. The two horizontal walls 29, 31 of the second frame element 7 are of equal length. The second frame element 7 also has the rectangular cross section. The two vertical walls 25, 27 are thus longer than the two horizontal walls 29, 31. The first frame element 9 and second frame element 7 have the same cross section, seen in a web portion 9c, 7c of the respective frame element 9, 7.

The second frame element 7 has, at one end 7b thereof, an opening in the form of a hole 33, which is elongate in the horizontal direction and is best illustrated in Fig. 5 and receives the protruding tongue 23 of the first frame element 9. The upper protruding wall portion 23 of the first frame element 9 is thus inserted into the opening 33 formed in the second frame element 7. The protruding wall portion 23 bears against the inside of the upper horizontal wall 29 of the second frame element 7.

The protruding portion 21 of the first frame element 9 also comprises a wall portion, in the form of a lower tongue 35, protruding from the lower horizontal wall 19 of the first frame element 9. The lower protruding tongue 35 is designed to bear against the lower horizontal wall 31 of the second frame element 7. The lower tongue 35 bears against the outside of the lower horizontal wall 31 of the second frame element 7.

The frame 1 comprises locking members which lock the first frame element 9 and second frame element 7 together and prevent withdrawal of the protruding wall portion 23 inserted into the elongate through-hole 33. The locking member in this case comprises two locking bolts 41, 43 and, adapted thereto, two nuts 45, 47. The first securing bolt 41 extends through a hole 37 in the upper tongue 23 and a hole 49 in the upper horizontal wall 29 of the second frame element 7. The second locking bolt 43 extends through a hole 39 in the lower tongue 35 and a hole 51 in the lower horizontal wall 31 of the second frame element 7. The nuts 45 and 47 hold the locking bolts 41 and 43, respectively, in place and contribute to a robust structure of the frame 1.

The holes 49, 51 in the second frame element 7 are designed such that the hole 37 in the upper tongue 23 is located in front of the hole 49 in the upper horizontal wall 29 of the second frame element 7, and the hole 39 in the lower tongue 35 of the first frame element 9 is located in front of the hole 51 in the lower horizontal wall 31 of the second frame element 7, when the frame elements 7, 9 are coupled together, i.e. when the upper protruding portion 23 is inserted fully into the opening 33 in the second frame element 7.

The protruding portion 21 of the first frame element 9 also comprises four wall portions, in the form of teeth 53, protruding from one of its vertical walls 13, and four wall portions, in the form of teeth 55, protruding from its other vertical wall 15. One vertical wall 23 of the second frame element 7 has eight through-holes 42, which are each designed to receive one of the teeth 53, 55 of the first frame element, as is best illustrated in Fig. 5. The teeth 53, 55 considerably increase the ability of the frame to take up loads in the vertical direction and thus contribute to a robust and stable structure of the frame 1.

At the end 7b shown, the second frame element 7 thus has one larger opening 33 and a plurality of smaller openings 42 for receiving the protruding portion 21 of the first frame element.

The frame 1 thus comprises a first frame element 9 which, at its end 9b, has two protruding wall portions 23, 35 which each protrude from one of the horizontal walls 17, 19, respectively, of the first frame element 9, and at least two additional (in this case eight) protruding wall portions 53, 55, which each protrude from the respective vertical walls 13, 15 of the frame element, and a second frame element 7 with an opening 33 into which one of the tongues 23 of the frame element is inserted, and at least two additional (in this case eight) openings 42 into which the wall portions 53, 55 protruding from the vertical walls 13, 15 of the first frame element 9 are inserted.

When the protruding portion 21 of the first frame element 9, comprising the upper tongue 23, the lower tongue 35 and the teeth 53, 55, is inserted fully into the respective openings 33, 42 of the second frame element 7, as is shown in Fig. 3, the upper tongue 23 and lower tongue 35 of the first frame element 9 bear against an upper and a lower face, respectively, of the second frame element 7, such that bearing portions are formed. The upper tongue 23 and the upper horizontal wall 29 of the second frame element 7 thus together form an upper bearing portion through which the securing bolt 41 extends. The holes 37 and 49 are then located in front of each other and together form a through-hole that extends through the upper bearing portion. The vertical center lines of the holes 37, 49 are located in one and the same vertical plane. Correspondingly, the lower tongue 35 and the lower horizontal wall 51 of the second frame element 7 together form a lower bearing portion through which the lower locking bolt 43 extends. The holes 39 and 51 are located in front of each other and together form a through-hole that extends through the lower bearing portion when the protruding portion 21 of the first frame element 9 is inserted fully into the respective openings 33, 42 of the second frame element 7. The vertical center lines of the holes 39, 51 located in the lower bearing portion are located in one and the same vertical plane, which vertical plane coincides with the vertical plane in which the vertical center lines of the holes 37, 49 located in the upper bearing portion are located.

As was mentioned previously, the first frame element 7 and second frame element 9 are locked with each other by means of a locking member which comprises locking bolts 41, 43 and, adapted thereto, nuts 45, 47. The first frame element 9 and second frame element 7 are thus locked with each other in a releasable manner. The locking bolts 41, 43 lock the frame elements 7, 9 to each other and prevent withdrawal of the protruding portion 21 of the first frame element 9 from the second frame element 7 and ensure a robust and reliable frame 1.

The frame 1, which comprises two mutually parallel longer horizontal frame elements 3, 7 and two mutually parallel shorter horizontal frame elements 5, 9, is intended to support a balcony slab 4, which is shown in Fig. 1. A balcony frame 1 of this kind is very robust because the protruding portion 21 takes up the vertical load to which the balcony slab 4 is exposed. Therefore, the locking members do not need to take up a vertical load, for which reason they can be dimensioned for significantly lower stresses than would be the case if they were to take up vertical loads to which the frame 1 is exposed. The frame 1 can thus support a balcony slab that is very heavy. It will be appreciated that a frame according to the invention can support a balcony slab of a different type than that described, for example a balcony slab made of concrete.

Fig. 6 shows parts of the balcony slab 4 of the balcony structure 8, which is supported by the frame 1 described above. The frame elements 3, 5, 7, 9 are connected in pairs such that they together form four corners 11, 12, 14, 16. Each of the corners 11, 12, 14, 16 of the frame 1 is formed in the manner of the corner 11, which has been described above with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5. Thus, the two shorter frame elements 5, 9 each have protruding portions 21 at their respective ends 5a, 5b and 9a, 9b, and the two longer frame elements 3, 7 each have, at their respective ends 3a, 3b and 7a, 7b, a larger opening 33 and a plurality of smaller openings 42 into which the protruding portions 21 of the shorter frame elements 5, 9 are inserted .

The balcony slab 4 of the balcony structure 8 comprises a plurality of horizontal profile elements 57 of equal length, made of bent sheet steel and arranged side by side to form a horizontal stiffening structure 59. In order to show the frame 1 more clearly, only some of the horizontal profile elements 57 are shown in Fig. 6. In this case, each of the horizontal profile elements 57 is secured, at the ends thereof, to the longer frame elements 3, 7 of the frame 1 by means of screws (not shown) . The balcony slab 4 also comprises a plurality of horizontal floor elements 61 which are made of aluminum plate, are arranged side by side and rest on the stiffening structure 59 formed by the horizontal profile elements 57. Together with the stiffening structure 59, the floor elements 61 form a horizontal load-bearing floor. In this case, each floor element 61 of the floor is secured to the horizontal profile elements 57 by means of screws (not shown) . To show the frame 1 and the horizontal profile elements 57 of the balcony slab 4 more clearly, only two of the floor elements 61 of the floor are shown.

It will be appreciated that many variants of the above-described embodiment are possible within the scope of the attached claims.

The locking members of the frame have been described above as comprising two locking bolts and associated nuts. In an alternative embodiment, the locking member comprises one locking bolt or locking pin that extends through both the upper bearing portion and also the lower bearing portion, i.e. through holes in the upper tongue 23 and lower tongue 35 of the first frame element.