The invention concerns a system of a skirting board and at least one fixing element for engagement of the skirting board with a floor and an adjacent wall.

From the Polish Patent PL214851 a skirting board is known having an external element in the form of a two-arm profile having a base abutting a floor, the external element being connectable to an internal element by means of a click joint. The click joint is formed by a downwardly angled V-shaped ending of the downwardly bent base of the internal element and by an upward projection located on the base of the external element, the shape of which corresponds to ending.

During engagement of the external element with the internal element of the skirting board described in PL214851, not only the base of the resilient internal element has a tendency to be deflected from the floor, but also its upright arm is partly deflected from the wall. This is a disadvantage because it reduces the pressure exerted by the external element against the wall and it may cause incorrect positioning/mounting of the skirting board .

The aim of the present invention was to provide a system of a skirting board and at least one fixing element that would ensure reliable mounting of the skirting board, in which system the skirting board would be tightly pressed both against the wall and the floor.

According to the invention a system of a skirting board and at least one fixing element is provided for connecting the skirting board with a floor and an adjacent wall, the system being characterized in that the fixing element comprises:

— a first rigid arm to be fixed to the wall, the first rigid arm having a lower edge by the floor and an upper edge,

— at least one second rigid arm located opposite to the first rigid arm, the second rigid arm having a lower edge by the floor and an upper edge,

— a fixing element coupling protrusion extending along the lower edge of the at least one second rigid arm and connected therewith, wherein the first rigid arm and the at least one second rigid arm are connected with each other along their upper edges by means of a resilient arm, the first rigid arm and the at least one second rigid arm are articulated with each other along their lower edges by intermediary of a third rigid arm, and wherein the skirting board comprises and internal shelf projecting towards the fixing element, the shelf comprises a skirting board coupling protrusion adapted to be snapped with the fixing element coupling protrusion, so that said skirting board coupling protrusion is pressed by the at least one second rigid arm in a direction different from horizontal.

Preferably, said skirting board coupling protrusion is pressed by the at least one second rigid arm in a direction selected from a group comprising the vertical direction and a direction slanting to the wall.

The skirting board coupling protrusion preferably comprises a slanted internal surface and a slanted external surface so as these two surfaces form a reversed V-shaped cross-section of said coupling protrusion. The fixing element coupling protrusion preferably comprises a slanted guiding surface adapted to be slid on the slanted external surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion during engagement of the skirting board, and at least one slanted contact surface adapted to press against at least one of the slanted internal surface and the slanted external surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion upon engagement of the skirting board.

In another preferred variant, the fixing element coupling protrusion comprises a slanted guiding surface adapted to be slid on the slanted external surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion during engagement of the skirting board, and a slanted contact surface adapted to press against the slanted internal surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion upon engagement of the skirting board.

Optionally, the fixing element coupling protrusion comprises a slanted guiding surface adapted to be slid on the slanted external surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion during engagement of the skirting board, and two slanted contact surfaces adapted to press against respectively the slanted internal surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion and the slanted external surface of the skirting board coupling protrusion upon engagement of the skirting board.

The fixing element may comprise two parallel second rigid arms.

Preferably each resilient arm has a wavy profile.

Optionally, the third rigid arm may be articulated with the first rigid arm and with at least one second rigid arm via areas of a thinned material.

Optionally, the third rigid arm may be articulated with the first rigid arm and with at least one second rigid arm via areas made of a material with higher elasticity than the material of the rigid arms.

In the system according to the invention, the second rigid arm of the fixing element may exert on the skirting board a force in a direction slanting both to the wall and to the floor. The slanting direction means that the force is neither perpendicular nor parallel to the wall and the floor. The fixing element may not divert from the wall during engagement of the skirting board, which would weaken the connection, because the lower edge of the second rigid arm is connected in a non-extensible way with the lower edge of the first rigid arm by means of the third rigid arm, so that the first rigid arm may not be moved away from the wall.

Embodiments of the system according to the invention are shown in a drawing in which:

Figs, la and lb show perspective views of the system according to the invention before engagement, with two variants of the fixing element respectively;

Fig. lc shows a perspective view of another variant of the fixing element of the system according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the installed system according to the invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates in a cross section how the position of the arms of the fixing element is changed during installation of the system according to the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a cross section of the installed system according to the invention in which another variant of the fixing element is used.

In figs, la and lb two variants of the system according to the invention before engagement are shown in perspective views. The system comprises a skirting board 1, a fragment of which may be seen in the figures, and one fixing element 2. There may be any number of the fixing elements 2 depending on the length of the skirting board. The fixing element 2 shown in fig. la comprises a first rigid arm 3 to be immovably fixed to the wall S, one second rigid arm 4, a fixing element coupling protrusion 5, a resilient arm 6 and a third rigid arm 7. In the first rigid arm 3 there is an opening 3c for a coupling means, e.g. a screw connecting the fixing element 2 with the wall S. In the variant shown in fig. lb, the fixing element 2 comprises one first rigid arm and two second rigid arms 4, 4' and two respective resilient arms 6, 6' as well as two respective third rigid arms 7, 7'. In the case where the fixing element 2 comprises two second rigid arms 4, 4', the opening 3c is preferably located between these arms 4, 4'.

In fig. lc another variant of the fixing element 2 is shown having a first rigid arm 3, one second rigid arm 4, similarly to that of fig. lb, but in this case the opening 3c is located behind the second rigid arm 4 in which another opening, preferably larger, is located allowing mounting access to the opening 3c.

The skirting board 1 may have substantially any external shape suitable for this type of a product, as far as it comprises an internal shelf 8 extending towards the fixing element 2 and the wall S, the shelf 8 constituting and integral part of the skirting board 1 or being fixedly connected therewith and being designed for engagement with the fixing element 2. The shelf 8 has a skirting board coupling protrusion 9 to be snapped with the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 through pushing the skirting board 1 against the wall S.

The following description refers to the variant shown in fig. lb where the fixing element 2 has two second rigid arms 4, 4', one common fixing element coupling protrusion 5, two resilient arms 6, 6' and two third rigid arms 7, 7'

As shown in fig. 2, the first rigid arm 3 has a lower edge 3a on the side facing the floor P and a opposite upper edges 4b, 4b'.

The second rigid arms 4, 4' are connected with the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 which extends along the lower edges 4a, 4a' of the second rigid arms 4, 4'.

The first rigid arm 3 is connected with the second rigid arms 4, 4' along the upper edges 3b, 4b, 4b' via the resilient arms 6, 6'. In this embodiment the resilient arms 6, 6' have a wavy profile that gives them elasticity. The profile may be any suitable profile selected by a specialist. Along the lower edges 3a, 4a, 4a' the first rigid arm 3 is connected with the second rigid arms 4, 4' via the third rigid arms 7, 7'. The third rigid arms 7, 7' are articulated with both the first rigid arm 3 and the second rigid arms 4, 4' at the areas 14, 14'. The resilient arms 6, 6' and the third rigid arms 7, 7' articulated therewith enable movement of the in relation to the first rigid arm 3 so that the second rigid arms 4, 4' may be lifted during the installation of the skirting board 1.

As shown in fig. 2, in the described embodiment of the invention the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 has a slanted internal surface 10 and a slanted external surface 11, so that the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 has a reversed V-shape in cross section. On the other hand, the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 comprises a slanted guiding surface 13 and a slanted contact surface 12. In order to engage the skirting board 1, the slanted guiding surface 13 is slid over the slanted external surface 11, which causes the second rigid arms 4, 4' to be lifted so that the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 may negotiate the skirting board coupling protrusion 9. Upon engagement of the skirting board 1, the slanted contact surface 12 presses against the slanted internal surface 10 of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 with a force F having a direction slanting both to the wall S and the floor P. A specialist will appreciate that other configurations of the shapes of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 and the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 are possible, as far as they ensure a slanting direction of the pressure exerted by the skirting board 1 on the wall S. For example, the cross-sectional shape of one protrusion may be a half-circle / section of an arc, cooperating with the opposite protrusion being a slanted surface, or a pair of two opposite half-circle / section of an arc surfaces.

The fixing element 2 may be made of any suitable material, e.g. a plastic material or metal. If the whole fixing element 2 is made of one material, then the local rigidity / elasticity of the specific portions thereof is imparted by their shape.

It is also possible to make the specific portions of the fixing element 2 of different materials, in particular materials having different elasticities. For example, the resilient arms 6, 6' and the areas 14, 14' of articulation of the third rigid arms 7, 7' with the rigid arms 3 and 4, 4' could be made of a material having a higher elasticity then the remaining portions of the fixing element 2. Optionally, the areas 14, 14' of articulation of the third rigid arms 7, 7' with the rigid arms 3 and 4, 4' may be made of a thinned material so that they constitute the articulated connection of the corresponding arms.

In fig. 3 the fixing element 2 is shown in two positions - as installed with a continuous line, and with a dotted line with the arm(s) 4, 4' lifted during engagement with the skirting board 1. As may be seen, upon engagement of the skirting board 1, the third rigid arms 7, 7' that are inextensible, hold the lower edge 4a, 4a' and the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 in a constant distance from the first rigid arm 3. Due to such configuration, in the engagement position shown in fig. 2, the second rigid arms 4, 4' press on the shelf 8, and hence on the whole skirting board 1, via the fixing element coupling protrusion 5, with a force F (indicated by an arrow in fig. 2) having a direction slanting both to the wall S and to the floor P. This effect has been achieved due to the specific shapes of the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 and the skirting board coupling protrusion 9, as well as to fact that the fixing element 2 is kept tensed due to its rigid and inextensible third arms 7, 7'.

Fig. 4 shows in cross section, a fourth embodiment the system with still another variant of the fixing element 2. In this embodiment, the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 comprises a slanted guiding surface 13 adapted to be slid on the slanted external surface 11 of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 during engagement of the skirting board 1, and two slanted contact surfaces 12 and 12', adapted to press, upon engagement of the skirting board 1, respectively against the slanted internal surface 10 and the slanted external surface 11 of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9. The two slanted contact surfaces 12 and 12' form a reversed V-shaped cross section, corresponding to the shape of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9. The slanted guiding surface 13 facilitates the sliding of the fixing element coupling protrusion 5 along the slanted external surface 11 overthe skirting board coupling protrusion 9 during the installation of the skirting board 1. On the other hand, upon the engagement of the skirting board 1, the two slanted contact surfaces 12 and 12' press against the slanted internal surface 10 and the slanted external surface 11 of the skirting board coupling protrusion 9 with a force F (indicated by an arrow in fig. 4) having a vertical direction.