FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support plate for connecting tiles to a wall structure and more particularly to a support plate as defined in the preamble of the independent claim 1.

The present invention relates also to interlocking connection between two support plates and more particularly to interlocking connection as defined in the preamble of the independent claim 12.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that tiles can fixed to one another by adding mortar between the tiles. Also, prior art teaches back plates which can be connected to a wall structure by hangers. Hangers are protrusions which are arranged on the other side of the back plate where the tiles are arranged. In these kind of solutions, the back plates are typically first provided with tiles that are arranged in connection with the back plates and fixed with mortar and then the whole board will be installed in place on a wall by its hangers to be attached to supports on the wall structure.

One of the problems associated with the prior art is that the tiles must be provided on the back plate prior to connecting the tile board to the wall structures. Therefore, the supports must be connected to wall structures prior to attaching the whole board comprising both the back plates and the tiles which requires strength due to the weight of the board. Another problem with the prior art is that alignment of each support must be controlled when connecting to the wall structures, otherwise the inclination of the support leads to an increased inclination in the finished wall having the boards attached to the supports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a support plate and interlocking connection which alleviates the problems related to the prior art.

The objects of the invention are achieved by a support plate and interlocking connection which are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea of providing a support plate which can be attached to wall structures by connecting support plates on top of each other for forming a carrier system for tiles before connecting tiles to the support plates. The carrier system provides a ventilated and moisture controlled structural backing for tiles which at the same time provides an efficient way to attach the backing to the wall structures in one phase. Further the invention provides solution to the alignment problem of the prior art since only the first support plate is aligned horizontally and all the next support plates connected through the interlocking connection are thereby automatically horizontally aligned.

A support plate according to the invention for connecting tiles to a wall structure has a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface on which the tiles are to be attached and a back surface on the opposite side of the support plate for forming a connection with the wall structure. The front surface and the back surface extend between the top edge and the bottom edge as well as between side edges. The support plate comprises an interlocking structure for connecting support plates on top of each other together. The interlocking structure comprises a first form locking part arranged at the bottom edge of the support plate, a second form locking part arranged at the top edge of the support plate, and a retaining lip in connection with the first form locking part for securing the second form locking part of a next support plate to the first form locking part. The first form locking part and the retaining lip are arranged to form a form locking connection with the second form locking part. The form locking connection means that the first form locking part and the second form locking part are connected together through their shapes and in particularly through the shapes of the form locking parts when the support plates are inserted into position. Inserting into position may also require a pushing movement or a turn movement or twist movement or a combination of said movements.

In an embodiment of the invention the first form locking part and the retaining lip are arranged to extend from the back surface of the support plate away from the front surface to form a recess arranged to receive the top edge of the next support plate. The retaining lip is preferably in a form of planar member protruding from the support plate and the first form locking part is preferably in a form of a fold from the support plate. The retaining lip and the first form locking part together form a recess having a bottom which is part of the planar support plate.

In an embodiment of the invention the first form locking part has a fold extending backwards away from the front surface of the support plate at the bottom edge of the support plate; and the second form locking part has a protrusion protruding from the back surface of the support plate forming a groove on the front surface of the support plate. The fold of the first form locking part is arranged to correspond at least part of an inner surface of the protrusion forming the groove. In other words, the first form locking part is formed by folding the support plate such that the first form locking part is formed as a fold. The second form locking part is formed by bending the support plate such that a protrusion is formed having side surfaces forming the protrusion and at the same time a groove is formed on the other side of the support plate.

In an embodiment of the invention an angle between the back surface of the support plate and the fold is 90° or more, preferably between 100 - 170°, more preferably between 110-160° and most preferably between 120-150°.

In an embodiment of the invention the fold of the first form locking part is a continuous fold extending between side edges of the support plate, whereas the retaining lip may be a discontinuous lip extending partially or in portions or a continuous lip extending between the side edges of the support plate.

In an embodiment of the invention the groove of the second form locking part having a groove angle between 30-110°, preferably between 45-90° and most preferably between 50-70°. The groove angle is the angle between the side surfaces of the groove which form on the other side of the support plate the side surfaces of the protrusion.

In an embodiment of the invention the groove of the second form locking part is a V-shaped groove extending between side edges of the support plate.

In an embodiment of the invention the second form locking part comprises an edge lip extending from the groove toward the top edge in the direction of the support plate such that the edge lip forms the top edge of the support plate. Or in other words the edge lip extends from the protrusion toward the top edge in the direction of the support plate since the protrusion is the other side of the groove on the other side of the support plate. The edge lip is arranged to be inserted between the retaining lip and the fold of the first form locking part when connecting two support plates together. In other words, when connecting two support plates together the retaining lip of the support plate above is arranged in contact with the edge lip of the support plate below such that the edge lip and the retaining lip form a connection and the retaining lip supports the above support plate in position before connecting it to the wall structures. In an embodiment of the invention the retaining lip is arranged to extend from the back surface of the support plate in a direction away from the front surface. Alternatively or in addition the retaining lip is arranged to extend from the back surface of the support plate in a direction away from the front surface and transversely in relation to orthogonal direction to the support plate such that the edge of the retaining lip is toward the fold of the first form locking part or the retaining lip is parallel to the fold of the first form locking part.

In an embodiment of the invention an angle between the retaining lip and the support plate is 90° or less and preferably between 20-85° at the bottom edge of the support plate. The angle in question is the angle between the retaining lip and the support plate on that side of the retaining lip which is nearer to the bottom edge of the support plate.

In an embodiment of the invention the support plate comprises at least one stiffener rib extending in the support plate between the top edge and the bottom edge. The stiffener rib may be a protruded rib or an open rib improving structural rigidity. The stiffener rib is provided in the support plate such that the stiffener rib extends over horizontal joints of tiles arranged in connection with the support plates. The stiffener rib is provided in the support plate for stiffening the support plate for the interlocking connection. When two support plates are connected together through the interlocking connection, the support plate above having only one edge connected through the interlocking connection could otherwise bend without the stiffener rib. The stiffener rib is therefore providing rigidity for the interlocking connection. Interlocking connection between two support plates according to the invention for connecting the support plates on top of each other to form a backing structure for tiles to be attached to a wall structure comprises a first form locking part provided at a bottom edge of a first support plate; a second form locking part provided at a top edge of a second support plate; and a retaining lip provided in connection with the first form locking part of the first support plate. The first form locking part and the retaining lip form a recess for the second form locking part such that the top edge of the second support plate is form locked to the recess for securing the first support plate to the second support plate. In other words, the recess of the support plate above is provided in contact with the top edge of the second support plate which is inserted into the recess for supporting the first support plate to the second support plate. The connection between the second form locking part and the combination of the first form locking part and the retaining lip is arranged through a form locking connection which means that when the first form locking part is arranged in contact by the second form locking part, the retaining lip holds the first support plate in place with the help of the second form locking part of the second support below before the first support plate is connected to the wall structures.

In an embodiment of the invention the second form locking part comprises an edge lip forming the top edge of the second support plate and extending in the direction of the support plate. The edge lip communicates with a bottom of the recess formed by the first form locking part and the retaining lip.

In an embodiment of the invention the retaining lip extends from a back surface of the first support plate so as to form an angle between the retaining lip and the bottom of the recess less than 90°.

In an embodiment of the invention the second form locking part has a protrusion protruding in a direction away from the front surface of the second support plate, and the first form locking part has a fold extending in a direction away from the front surface of the first support plate. The fold communicates with the protrusion such that a fold surface forming part of the back surface of the first support plate is in contact with an inner protrusion surface forming part of the front surface of the second support plate.

An interlocking connection between two support plates means in the context of this application that the support plates are locked together such that the support plates keep together without falling apart when the second form locking part is provided in the recess formed by the first form locking part and the retaining lip. In other words, the interlocking structure of the support plates provide a locking between the support plates when connected together.

The interlocking connection is provided between support plates on top of each other in the direction of the wall structure, i.e. one above the other when the plates are arranged on the surface of the wall structure and the support plates are parallel to the wall structure.

An advantage of the invention is that the support plates can be assembled and attached to the wall structures efficiently and straight only by aligning the first support plate or a first section and then connecting the other support plates on top of each other so that when the interlocking connection between adjacent support plates on top of each other is formed the support plates carry themselves and are straight aligned. Another advantage of the invention is that the support plates are attached to the wall structure in a direction from bottom to top which means that the wall structures need not to be complete everywhere when the assembly of the support plates and tiles can be started. Another advantage of the invention is that when assembling the support plate, the worker does not have to support them when attaching them to the wall structures, because the support plates support themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in detail by means of specific embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows support plates connected through interlocking connection according to the invention as seen from front;

Figure 2 shows a support plate according to the invention as seen from side; and

Figure 3 shows interlocking connection between two support plates as seen from side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows support plates according to the invention connected together and having tiles attached to the support plates 1. The figure 1 shows the connected support plates 1 as seen from the front side 11 of the support plate 1. The front side 11 is the side in which the tiles 3 are connected. The support plate 1 comprises a top edge 13 and a bottom edge 14 and two side edges extending between the top edge 13 and the bottom edge 14 on the opposite sides of the support plate 1. The front surface 11 extends between the top edge 13 and the bottom edge 14 and between the side edges. The bottom edge 14 of a first support plate la is connected through an interlocking connection to the top edge 13 of a second support plate lb. The support plates 1, la, lb are attached to wall structures such that first one support plate is connected to the wall structures and aligned horizontally and then the rest of the support plates are connected together through the interlocking connections between support plates on top of each other. The first to be connected to the wall structures can be a support plate or a section 5 providing a base for the support plate starting the formation. When the first section or the support plate is aligned and levelled and then fixed to the wall structures the next support plate is then placed and interlocked to the first section 5 or the support plate and fixed to the wall structures. Support plates attached after the first section are aligned themselves, i.e. self-aligned, without any need for further levelling. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the attachment to wall structures can also be provided from top to bottom such that there is a section from which the support plate first attached to the wall structures is arranged to hang. However, this is not a preferable embodiment because when the support plates hang, they are easily stretched or deformed.

Figure 2 shows a support plate 1 according to the invention as seen from side. The support plate 1 is formed of a metal plate for example by bending and/or punching. The support plate 1 comprises an interlocking structure 10 provided at the top edge 13 and at the bottom edge 14 of the support plate 1. The interlocking structure 10 comprising a first form locking part 101 arranged at the bottom edge 14 of the support plate, a second form locking part 102 arranged at the top edge 13 of the support plate 1 and a retaining lip 103 arranged in connection with the first form locking part 101. The retaining lip 103 and a fold 101a of the first form locking part 101 form a recess 104 having a bottom 105 which is extending in the direction of the support plate 1. The second form locking part 102 comprises a protrusion 102a forming a groove 102b on the other side of the support plate 1. In other words, the protrusion is made by bending or otherwise forming the support plate 1. The second form locking part 102 also comprises an edge lip 102c extending from the protrusion 102a and from the groove 102b. The edge lip 102c is arranged to extend in the direction of the support plate 1. The top edge 13 of the support plate 1 is formed of the edge lip 102c.

The first form locking part 101 comprising the retaining lip 103 and the fold 101a forming the recess 104 are preferably arranged such that the fold 101a and the retaining lip 103 extend parallel from the back surface 12 of the support plate 1 or alternatively the retaining lip 103 is arranged to extend from the back surface of the support plate 1 in a sharper angle than the fold 101a such that the distance between the retaining lip 103 and the fold 101a is smaller at the opening of the recess 104 than the distance between the retaining lip 104 and the fold 101a at the bottom 105 of the recess 104. Although not shown in the figures the retaining lip 103 may extend between the side edges of the support plate 1 or the retaining lip 103 may extend in portions between the side edges of the support plate 1 or the retaining lip 103 may extend partly between the side edges of the support plate 1.

Although not shown in the figures the support plate 1 comprises also fixing part for attaching the support plate 1 to wall structures. The fixing part may be for example holes through which screws are arranged to connect the support plate 1 to the wall structures.

Figure 3 shows the interlocking connection 100 between two support plates 1, la, lb. The first support plate la is connected to the second support plate lb through the second form locking part 102 provided at the top edge 14 of the second support plate lb and the combination of the retaining lip 103 and the first form locking part 101 provided at the bottom edge 13 of the first support plate la. The first form locking part 101 and the retaining lip 103 form a recess 104 in which the second form locking part 102 is arranged such that the top edge 14 of the second support plate lb is locked to the recess 104 for securing the first support plate la to the second support plate lb. In other words, the edge lip 102c and the protrusion 102 a of the second form locking part 102 in the second support plate lb are arranged to provide a support for the retaining lip 103 and the first form locking part 101 in the first support plate la for supporting the first support plate la before attaching it to the wall structures with screws or other connectors.

The edge lip 102c of the second form locking part 102 is arranged to communicate with the bottom 105 of the recess 104 formed by the first form locking part 101 and the retaining lip 103. The edge lip 102c is arranged to form the top edge 14 of the second support plate lb and thereby the top edge 14 of the second support plate lb is arranged in the recess 104 of the first support plate la.

As seen from the figure 3 the retaining lip 103 is arranged to extend from a back surface 12 of the first support plate la so as to form an angle between the retaining lip 103 and the bottom 105 of the recess 104. The angle is less than 90°. The fold 101a of the first form locking part 101 and the retaining lip 103 may be parallel or slightly congruent such that the distance between the tip of the retaining lip 103 and the tip of the fold 101a is smaller than the distance between the retaining lip 103 and the fold 101a at the bottom 105 of the recess 104.

The second form locking part 102 comprises a protrusion 102a protruding in a direction away from the front surface 11 of the second support plate lb. The protrusion 102a is such that the fold 101a of the first form locking part 101 is arranged to communicate with the protrusion 102a. A fold surface forming part of the back surface 12 of the first support plate la is arranged in contact with an inner protrusion surface forming part of the front surface 11 of the second support plate lb and at the same time part of the groove 102b formed by the protrusion 102a.

The invention has been described above with reference to the examples shown in the figures. However, the invention is in no way restricted to the above examples but may vary within the scope of the claims.