DE20310649U1 - Arrangement of picnic table, benches, and basic concrete module, joined with screws and holding sleeves - Google Patents

Abstract

After the area intended to be used for the positioning of a picnic table (1) and two benches (2) has been leveled, a rectangular deck module (4), made of steel reinforced concrete, is placed on top of the soil. The table (1) and the benches (2) are assembled of slatted tops (3) and metal bases (7), which can be joined to pre-positioned anchoring elements located at the deck module (4) with sleeves engaging in recesses provided at the floor (4).

Description

July 10, 2003

Richard Baibach BAL-OOL-IP

97990 Weikersheim Boe/Kis/pab

Seating arrangement

The invention relates to a seating furniture arrangement for outdoor installation according to the preamble of claim 1.

Seating arrangements of the type mentioned above are known, for example, from public rest areas and motorway service stations. In the simplest case, a seating arrangement of this type consists of a table and usually two benches, whereby in most cases this seating is firmly mounted on the floor or anchored in the floor to prevent theft and vandalism.

In the well-known seating arrangements, the seating is usually anchored to or in the ground by digging the bases of the respective seating furniture, which are made of concrete blocks, into the ground at the intended location of the seating group to a depth of half a meter to one meter. After the concrete bases have been inserted, the excavations must be filled in again and carefully compacted to prevent the concrete bases from becoming loose or the ground from rising or sinking later.

After filling and compacting the soil, it is usually necessary to level the area under the seating area and a certain area

to lay suitable paving stones around the seating area to ensure that the rest area has a clean appearance. If this paving, including the necessary sand bed, is not carried out with the greatest care, this will almost inevitably lead to unwanted growth of grass and weeds in the area of the seating area over time, which is unsightly and therefore undesirable, particularly under tables and benches.

In addition, the unwanted growth often leads to additional contamination of the rest area with waste and food scraps. This is not only unappetizing, but also poses a hygiene risk and, particularly if additional moisture occurs, results in a significant risk of slipping with corresponding liability consequences for the owner or operator of the rest area.

From the above it is clear that the known seating arrangements require a disproportionately high level of effort both in terms of assembly on site and in terms of the ongoing maintenance required, which results in considerable costs for the owner or operator of such a rest area. In particular, the high ongoing maintenance costs can hardly be met given the level of current personnel costs; however, it is also desirable to keep the effort and costs involved in assembling and installing such seating groups for rest areas as low as possible, without having to make any compromises in terms of the quality of the seating groups.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to create a seating arrangement for outdoor installation, by which the described disadvantages of the prior art are overcome. In particular, the assembly of the seating arrangement should be quick and uncomplicated without major excavation work, and the cost of maintenance should be reduced.

Maintenance, care and cleaning of the seating arrangement should be reduced to a minimum.

This object is achieved by a seating arrangement according to the teaching of claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

In a manner known per se, the seating furniture arrangement according to the invention comprises at least one piece of seating furniture, for example a bench and/or at least one table. The seating furniture or table each have at least one support leg or support base.

However, in the seating furniture arrangement according to the invention, the support bases of the seating furniture and/or table no longer have to be buried deep in the ground, as is usual in the prior art. Rather, the seating furniture arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that a transportable base plate is provided to which the support bases of the seating furniture or table can be connected.

A seating arrangement equipped with a transportable base plate according to the invention solves all the problems described above that are associated with the known seating arrangements. Firstly, there is no need to bury the support bases of the seating or table deep into the ground and there is no need for the subsequent careful compaction of the surrounding soil.

Instead, the invention only requires minor leveling work before the finished base plate is positioned in place, preferably by means of a crane.

Furthermore, thanks to the base plate, there is no longer any need to pave the area under or in the immediate vicinity of the seating group.

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The presence of a continuous base plate, which can be made in one piece, also completely eliminates the problem of unwanted grass growth in the area of the seating group or under the table and benches of the seating group.

As a result, the seating arrangement designed according to the invention makes it possible to save considerable costs both when setting up a seating group and when carrying out the maintenance and cleaning work required later, while at the same time the quality, cleanliness and appearance of the seating group are sustainably and permanently improved compared to the seating groups known from the state of the art.

The design and material of the base plate are initially irrelevant to the essence of the present invention, as long as the requirements regarding service life and weather resistance are met. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the base plate consists of a concrete material. Concrete has the advantage of combining good weather resistance, high specific weight and the possibility of completely free design.

According to further preferred embodiments, the base plate has embedded steel reinforcements or a surrounding steel frame. This leads to greater stability, in particular a higher bending strength of the base plate, and a base plate designed in this way can also be transported particularly well without the risk of damage to the base plate. A steel frame surrounding the base plate is particularly preferably dimensioned so that a gap of a few centimeters remains between the upper edge of the base plate and the upper edge of the surrounding steel frame. This allows adjacent vegetation, for example grass, to grow directly up to the upper edge of the base plate, so that the surrounding steel frame is covered and remains invisible.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the embedded steel reinforcements are connected to the surrounding steel frame, for example welded.

For the implementation of the invention, it is unimportant how the support bases of the seating furniture or the table are connected to the base plate. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the base plate has at least one fastening plate for the at least one support base, or one fastening plate for each support base provided. The fastening plates are particularly preferably connected to the steel reinforcements and/or to the steel frame of the base plate. On the one hand, this enables the construction of a modular seating furniture system with standardized distances between the fastening points on the support bases and on the base plate, and on the other hand, it enables particularly safe and effective force introduction into the base plate.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the base plate further comprises embedded anchor elements for engagement of transport hooks, rope loops or the like. This serves to ensure safety and effectiveness when transporting the base plate and setting up the seating arrangement on site.

The connection between the support bases of the seating furniture and the base plate is preferably made by screwing. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support bases are essentially made of metal. On the one hand, this leads to a relatively low weight of the seating furniture, which is important when setting up the seating furniture. On the other hand, this enables a particularly free design of the support bases and in particular the connection between the support bases and the base plate or between the support bases and the supports of the seating furniture.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the screw connection between the support base and the base plate is arranged inside the support base. A screw connection arranged inside the support base has the great advantage that it is completely invisible and also completely inaccessible when the seating arrangement is fully assembled, which benefits the desirable protection against vandalism and theft.

It is particularly preferred that the screw connection between the support base and the base plate has a sleeve on the support base side for receiving a screw bolt. The screw bolt with which the support base and base plate are to be screwed together can be inserted and positioned in this sleeve before the support base is placed on the base plate, which makes mounting the support base on the base plate considerably easier.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the sleeve protrudes at least slightly beyond the bottom plate side or lower end of the support base, and that a recess corresponding in shape to the sleeve is also arranged in the area of the fastening plate of the base plate. In other words, this means that the support base snaps into the base plate in a form-fitting manner even before it is screwed to the base plate thanks to the protruding screw sleeves and the corresponding recesses in the fastening plates, which makes assembly on site at the construction site much easier.

The manner in which the seat of the seating furniture or the table top is connected to the respective support bases is initially unimportant for the invention, as long as a permanent and as theft-proof connection as possible is ensured. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, it is provided that the seat of the seating furniture or the table top is screwed to the respective support bases, with the screw connection inside the support base

The arrangement of the screw connection between the support and the support base inside the support base results in a completely vandalism- and theft-proof anchoring of the support to the support base.

It is conceivable that the seat of the seating furniture or the table top each consists of a single piece that is screwed to the support base, or that the seat or table top each consists of several individual profiles, each of which is also individually screwed to the support base.

However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the seat of the seating furniture or the table top consists of several individual profiles, each of which is connected to one another in the area of the support base by a cross profile, for example a flat iron. In this way, the supports can be handled as one piece, and this also enables a theft-proof screw connection both between the cross profile and individual profiles and between the support base and the cross profile. The individual profiles that make up the supports of the seating furniture or tables can be made of wood, plastic or a recycled material.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the top of the floor slab has a particularly resistant wear layer. This wear layer can be formed in particular by covering the top of the floor slab with tiles or paving stones. In this way, not only is the service life and resistance of the floor slab improved, but a wide variety of aesthetic effects can also be created.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the peripheral outer edge of the base plate has, at least in some areas, a system geometry that allows further plate elements to be connected in a defined and form-fitting manner. In this way, further plate elements

elements, for example path elements to connect a seating group with a parking space, or the floor panels of other seating groups can be connected seamlessly and in an aesthetically pleasing manner to the floor panel of the seating arrangement.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to drawings which merely illustrate exemplary embodiments.

It shows:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the seating furniture arrangement according to the invention in side view;

Fig. 2 shows, in a representation corresponding to Fig. 1, the structure of the steel reinforcements of a base plate for a seating furniture arrangement in plan view;

Fig. 3 in a representation corresponding to Fig. 1 and 2, a base plate and a seating furniture in side view;

Fig. 4 shows a part of the seat of a bench in a view corresponding to Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig. 5 in a representation corresponding to Figs. 1 to 4, the seat and support base in a side sectional view;

Fig. 6 in an enlarged view corresponding to Fig. 1 to 5

position Longitudinal section of the screw sleeve with inserted screw bolt; and

Fig. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a seating arrangement according to the present invention with connected travel mechanism

ment.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a seating furniture arrangement according to the present invention. Firstly, one can see a table 1 and two benches 2, each of which is provided with wooden supports 3. Furthermore, Fig. 1 shows the basic structure of the base plate 4 of the seating furniture arrangement. From the representation in Fig. 1 it can be seen that the base plate 4 consists of a prefabricated concrete part, the surface of which is covered with stone slabs or tiles 5. Furthermore, fastening plates 6 are embedded in the base plate and are screwed to the bases 7 of the table 1 or the benches 2.

For example, the outer edge of the base plate 4 is followed by a paving 8 known per se.

Fig. 2 shows the steel reinforcement contained in the base plate 4. It can be seen that the steel reinforcement comprises a surrounding frame 9, which is constructed, for example, from steel profiles or bent angle profiles. In addition, the reinforcement of the base plate 4 comprises a number of longitudinal and transverse reinforcing elements 10, which are welded to one another and to the surrounding steel frame 9. Fig. 2 also shows that the entire steel reinforcement of the base plate 4 is divided in the middle into two halves, which are connected to one another by connecting elements 11. This division into two halves is not a structural necessity, but in this case results from a size limitation of the galvanizing system used to galvanize the reinforcement.

To further improve the anchoring between steel reinforcement 9, 10 and concrete of the base plate 4 and to further increase the bending stiffness of the base plate 4, a structural steel mat is placed on the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement elements 10, which preferably do not extend to the upper edge of the base plate 4, before the base plate 4 is concreted, and is also fixed to the reinforcement elements 10.

welded. For the sake of clarity, the structural steel mesh is not shown separately in Fig. 2 and 3.

In Fig. 2 one can also see a total of 6 fastening plates 6, which are also welded to the elements 10 of the steel reinforcement.

The fastening plates 6 are each provided with four fastening threads in order to be able to accommodate the fastening screws 18 of the support base 7. The four external fastening plates also each have an additional thread 13, which is used to anchor transport aids, for example rope loops for the attachment of crane hooks. The rectangular base plate 4 shown here is of course only one of many possible basic shapes, which can also include round or polygonal outlines.

Fig. 3 shows the base plate 4 and a piece of seating furniture 2 screwed to the base plate 4 in a side view. It can be seen that the surrounding steel frame is made up of bent steel profiles. The fastening plates 6 are also in the form of bent steel profiles. The dashed line 14 in Fig. 3 represents the upper edge of the base plate 4. By looking at Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 together, it can be seen that the shape of the surface of the fastening plates 6 corresponds to the cross section of the support base 7 of the respective piece of seating furniture 2 or table 1.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged section of the wooden supports 15 of a piece of seating furniture 2 or table 1 in a top view. It can be seen that the wooden supports 15 are connected to one another on their underside with a cross profile 16.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-section through part of the wooden supports 15, through part of the cross-section 16 connecting the wooden supports 15 and through part of the support base 7 of the respective seating furniture 1, 2. The support base 7 consists of bent, galvanized and painted sheet steel and has a box-like cross-sectional shape corresponding to the dashed line 16 in Fig. 4. Of course,

Other cross-sectional shapes can also be used, for example for support bases with a round or polygonal cross-section, wherein the fastening plates 6 and the cross profiles 16 preferably have the same shape as the cross-section of the support base 7.

Four sleeves 17 are attached to the lower end of the support base 7, one sleeve 17 of which is shown in Fig. 5. The sleeves 17 are welded to the wall of the support base 7 and protrude slightly beyond the lower limit of the support base 7.

The sleeves 17 serve to accommodate the fastening screws 18 with which the respective seating furniture 1, 2 is fastened to the fastening plates 6 of the base plate 4. Fig. 6 shows a sleeve 17 with an inserted fastening screw 18 in an enlarged schematic sectional view. In addition , Fig. 6 shows a section of the associated fastening plate 6 of the base plate 4, which has a recess corresponding in shape to the sleeve 17 to accommodate the protruding sleeve 17. Furthermore, the fastening plate 6 is provided with an additional reinforcement in the form of a threaded plate 19, which contains the thread 12 of the fastening screw 18 for the seating furniture 1, 2.

A look at Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 together shows the principle of the theft-proof screw connection of both the wooden supports 15 on the support base 7 and of the support base 7 to the base plate 4. The assembly of a piece of seating furniture 1, 2 begins with the wooden profiles 15 for the seating furniture 1, 2 being connected to one another by screwing on the cross profile 16 designed as a flat iron. Normal wood screws 20 can be used for this. The cross profiles 16 or the supports 15, 16 formed from the cross profile 16 and wooden profiles 15 are then screwed to the support bases 7 using the additional screws 21.

For this purpose, the support bases 7 have an upper cover plate 22 which is welded to the side walls of the support base 7. The cover plate 22 is shaped in such a way that it completely covers all screw connections 20 between the cross profile 16 and the wooden profiles 15. In other words, this means that after the support base 7 and the wooden support 15, 16 have been screwed together using the screws 21 from the inside or through the bottom open end of the support base 7, all screw connections 20, 21 with the wooden profiles 15 or with the support 15, 16 on the finished seating group are completely inaccessible. This is an extremely effective way of preventing theft of the supports 15, 16, which are usually made of high-quality wood 15.

Once the wooden supports 15, cross profiles 16 and support base 7 are connected to one another in this way, the seating furniture 2 or the table 1 thus completed can be screwed to the base plate 4. To do this, fastening screws 18 are loosely inserted into the sleeves 17 by accessing the bottom open end of the support base 7. For example, commercially available hexagon socket screws 18 can be used. The seating furniture 2 or the table 1 is then placed on the base plate 4, with the protruding ends of the sleeves 17 snapping into the corresponding recesses of the fastening plates 6 of the base plate 4. To finally fasten the seating furniture 2 or the table 1 to the base plate 4, all that is left to do is tighten the fastening screws 18.

The fastening screws 18 are tightened through the holes 23 arranged in the cross-section 16 of the support 15, 16 and in the cover plate 22 using an appropriately long Allen key. The holes 23 can then be closed, for example, with suitable plugs. Since Allen keys with the necessary length are not commercially available, this method of screwing the support base 7 to the base plate 4 results in an extremely effective anti-theft device, without

that further complex measures or components would be necessary for this purpose.

To further improve theft protection, fastening screws with a special engagement, for example with a Torx head or the like, can be used instead of the hexagon socket screws 18.

Finally , Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of a seating group according to the invention with table 1 and benches 2 in a highly schematic, perspective view. It can be seen in particular that the base plate 4 is equipped with a decorative tiled surface, laid diagonally here, which gives the seating group a characteristic, aesthetic appearance. In addition, the tiled surface of the base plate 4 can be kept hygienically clean with minimal effort. It can also be seen in Fig. 7 that the surrounding outer edge of the base plate 4 is provided with a system connection 24, which allows the defined, form-fitting and seamless connection of, for example, path elements 25, which can be constructed and manufactured in a similar way to the base plate 4 of the seating group.

As a result, it is clear that the seating arrangement according to the invention, particularly thanks to its modular structure and the continuous base plate, combines low manufacturing costs, extremely simple assembly on site and the lowest possible maintenance effort over the entire service life in an extremely effective manner. Overall, the seating arrangement according to the invention therefore represents a fundamental improvement in every respect compared to the known seating arrangements, with very significant cost savings also being achieved over the entire life cycle of the seating arrangement.

Claims (19)

1. Seating furniture arrangement for outdoor installation, comprising at least one piece of seating furniture ( 2 ) and/or at least one table ( 1 ), the seating furniture ( 2 ) or the table ( 1 ) each having at least one support base ( 7 ), characterized by a transportable base plate ( 4 ) to which the at least one support base ( 7 ) can be connected. 2. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the base plate ( 4 ) consists of concrete. 3. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base plate ( 4 ) has embedded steel reinforcements ( 10 ). 4. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base plate ( 4 ) has a surrounding steel frame ( 9 ). 5. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that there is a distance of 1 to 3 centimeters between the upper edge of the base plate ( 4 ) and the upper edge of the surrounding steel frame ( 9 ). 6. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the embedded steel reinforcements ( 10 ) are connected to the steel frame ( 9 ). 7. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the base plate ( 4 ) has at least one fastening plate ( 6 ) for connection to the at least one support base ( 7 ). 8. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the at least one fastening plate ( 6 ) is connected to the steel reinforcements ( 10 ) and/or to the steel frame ( 9 ). 9. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base plate ( 4 ) has embedded anchor elements ( 13 ) for the engagement of transport hooks or the like. 10. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the connection between the support base ( 7 ) and the base plate ( 4 ) is made by screwing ( 18 ). 11. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the support base ( 7 ) consists essentially of metal. 12. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the screw connection ( 18 ) between the support base ( 7 ) and the base plate ( 4 ) is arranged in the interior of the support base ( 7 ). 13. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the screw connection ( 18 ) has a sleeve ( 17 ) on the support base side for receiving the screw bolt ( 18 ). 14. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 13, characterized in that the sleeve ( 17 ) protrudes at least slightly beyond the base plate-side end of the support base ( 7 ) and that a recess corresponding in shape to the sleeve ( 17 ) is arranged in the region of the fastening plate ( 6 ). 15. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the seat of the seating furniture ( 2 ) or the table top is screwed to the support base ( 7 ), wherein the screw connection ( 21 ) is arranged in the interior of the support base ( 7 ). 16. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the seat surface of the seating furniture ( 2 ) or the table top each consists of several individual profiles ( 15 ) which are connected to one another in the region of the support base ( 7 ) by a transverse profile ( 16 ). 17. Seating furniture arrangement according to claim 16, characterized in that the individual profiles ( 15 ) consist of wood, plastic or recycled material. 18. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the upper side of the base plate ( 4 ) has a resistant wear layer ( 5 ), in particular is tiled or paved. 19. Seating furniture arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the peripheral outer edge of the base plate has, at least in regions, a system geometry ( 24 ) for the positive attachment of further plate elements, in particular path elements ( 25 ).