JP7803446B2 - Wall-mounted pipe cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wall-mounted pipe cover.

Patent Document 1 discloses a protective cover for wiring and piping materials that houses and protects wiring and piping materials along wiring and piping paths on a wall surface without exposing them.
The protective cover described in Patent Document 1 comprises a linear main cover and an accessory cover connected to the main cover. The main cover and the accessory cover each have a base that is in close contact with the surface of a wall and a lid that is fitted onto the base.

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 6-16799

However, the protective cover described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a lid is fitted onto a base that is in close contact with the surface of a wall. As a result, the entire protective cover protrudes from the surface of the wall. This results in problems such as an unsightly appearance and reduced space efficiency around the protective cover.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wall-mounted pipe cover that minimizes the protruding height of the pipe cover from the wall surface.

The wall-mounted piping cover that achieves the above-mentioned objectives comprises a base member that is inserted into a slit formed in a wall, has an opening facing the front side of the wall, and includes a storage recess for storing a piping component, and flange portions formed on both sides of the storage recess and fixed to the wall in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall; a decorative cover that is attached to the base member and covers the opening of the storage recess; and an opening correction jig that is used to correct the width of the opening of the storage recess during the process of fixing the flange portions of the base member to the wall, and is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the base member when attached to the base member.

In the above-mentioned wall-mounted pipe cover, the base member has a rib that forms the opening of the storage recess, and the opening correction jig has an insertion portion that prevents the width of the opening of the storage recess from becoming less than a specified value and a restraining portion that prevents the width of the opening of the storage recess from exceeding the specified value. It is preferable that the insertion portion corrects the width of the opening by being inserted into the opening of the storage recess, that a restraining recess is formed in the restraining portion, and that the rib of the base member corrects the width of the opening by being inserted into the restraining recess.

In the above-mentioned wall-mounted pipe cover, the flange portion is fixed to the wall with screws, and it is preferable that the width of the opening correction jig is smaller than the distance between the screws that fix the flange portion on both sides of the storage recess, sandwiching the storage recess.

According to the present invention, the protruding height of the piping cover from the wall surface can be kept small.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a wall-mounted piping cover. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the first base member and the support member. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the first base member, the support member, and the first decorative cover. FIG. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the process of fixing the splint to the back surface of the wall. 10 is a perspective view showing a process of inserting the receiving recess of the base member into the slit of the wall and fixing the flange portion to the wall. FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the piping member is accommodated in the accommodation recess of the base member. 10 is a perspective view showing a process of assembling the decorative cover and the cut surface cover to the base member. FIG. FIG. 2A is a front view showing a pipe cover installed on a wall, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the pipe cover installed on a wall. 10A is a front view showing a modified example of the second base member, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the second base member of the modified example. 10A is a front view showing a modified example of a joint used together with a modified example of a second base member, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the modified example of the joint. 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views sequentially showing steps of attaching a piping member to a second base member of a modified example. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example in which an opening correction jig is used in the process of inserting the accommodating recess of the first base member into the slit of the wall and fixing the flange portion of the first base member to the wall. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first base member fixed to a wall and an opening correction jig attached to the first base member. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another modified example, in which an opening correction jig is used in the process of inserting the accommodating recess of the first base member into the slit of the wall and fixing the flange portion of the first base member to the wall. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first base member fixed to a wall and an opening correction jig attached to the first base member.

An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the wall-mounted pipe cover (hereinafter referred to as pipe cover 10) includes a first base member 20, a first decorative cover 30, a second base member 40, a second decorative cover 50, a support member 60, and a cut surface cover 70.

Next, each component of the pipe cover 10 will be described in detail.
<First base member 20>
As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the first base member 20 has a gutter-shaped accommodating recess 21 that accommodates a pipe 81 as a piping member 80, and a pair of flange portions 27 formed on both sides of the accommodating recess 21 in the width direction.

The storage recess 21 has a long, flat bottom wall 22 and a pair of opposing side walls 23 that bend and extend from both widthwise edges of the bottom wall 22. The outer surfaces of both side walls 23 are flat and parallel to each other.

On the inner surface of each side wall 23, in order from closest to the bottom wall 22, a pair of first ridges 24, a pair of second ridges 25, and a pair of third ridges 26 extend along the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 22 and across the entire longitudinal direction.

The first ridges 24 , the second ridges 25 , and the third ridges 26 face each other in the width direction of the accommodating recess 21 .
Each flange portion 27 extends outward in the width direction of the accommodating recess 21 from the outer surface of the tip of each side wall 23. Each flange portion 27 has a plurality of screw holes 28 formed therein at intervals.

The first base member 20 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by extrusion molding.
<First decorative cover 30>
As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the first decorative cover 30 has a flat cover body 31 that covers the opening 21a of the storage recess 21 and is overlapped with the flange portion 27, and a pair of protrusions 32 formed on the back surface of the cover body 31.

The cover body 31 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. Both widthwise edges of the cover body 31 are curved so that the outer edges in the widthwise direction are positioned closer to the back side of the cover body 31.
Each of the protrusions 32 extends along the longitudinal direction of the cover body 31 over the entire longitudinal direction.

The protrusions 32 are inclined so that the farther they are from the cover body 31, the closer they become to each other.
A locking claw 33 is formed at the tip of each protrusion 32. The locking claws 33 are inclined so that the further they are from the cover body 31, the more they move away from each other.

Both ends of the first decorative cover 30 in the longitudinal direction are cut surfaces 30a.
4, the first decorative cover 30 is assembled to the first base member 20 by engaging the locking claws 33 with the third ridges 26 of the first base member 20. At this time, a gap S is formed between the cover body 31 and each flange portion 27.

The first decorative cover 30 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by extrusion molding.
<Second base member 40>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the second base member 40 includes an accommodating recess 41 for accommodating a joint 82 as a piping member 80 , and flanges 47 formed on both sides of the accommodating recess 41 .

The accommodation recess 41 has a bottom wall 42 and a side wall 43 that is bent and extends from the edge of the bottom wall 42 and has an inverted U-shape when viewed from the front.
As shown in FIG. 5, a recess 42a is formed on the surface of the bottom wall 42 to allow the back of the joint 82 to escape.

A plurality of screw holes 45 are formed at intervals around the recess 42a in the bottom wall 42.
The flange portion 47 extends outward in the width direction from the outer surface of the tip of the side wall 23 and toward the opposite side from the first base member 20. The flange portion 47 is provided with a plurality of screw holes 48 and a plurality of engagement holes 49 spaced apart from one another.

The second base member 40 has extensions 44 that extend from both the bottom wall 42 and the side walls 43 toward the first base member 20 side.
The second base member 40 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by injection molding in this embodiment.

<Second decorative cover 50>
As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the second decorative cover 50 has a flat cover body 51 that covers the opening 41a of the storage recess 41 and is overlapped with the flange portion 47, and a plurality of locking claws 52 formed on the back surface of the cover body 51.

The cover body 51 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the front.
Of the four edges of the cover body 51, three edges 51b, excluding an edge 51a that overlaps with the first decorative cover 30, are bent and protrude toward the rear side.

When the second decorative cover 50 is attached to the second base member 40 , the end edge 51 b is located on the outer periphery of the flange portion 47 of the second base member 40 .
An insertion hole 51c is provided in the center of the cover body 51 for inserting a water faucet or the like to be connected to the joint 82.

The second decorative cover 50 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by injection molding.
<Support member 60>
As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the support member 60 is detachably attached to the first base member 20 and supports the pipe 81, and has a base plate 61, a pair of regulating protrusions 62 protruding from the surface of the base plate 61, and a support portion 63 protruding from the surface of the base plate 61 and supporting the pipe 81.

The base plate 61 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and has a slot 61 a formed in the center thereof that is long in the longitudinal direction of the base plate 61 .
A pair of corners 61b at diagonal positions of the base plate 61 are right-angled, while the remaining pair of corners 61c are rounded into an arc shape when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the pair of corners 61c are located at the upper left and lower right when viewed from the front when attached to the first base member 20.

A pair of fitting protrusions 61d are formed on both ends of the surface of the base plate 61 in the longitudinal direction.
As shown in Figure 4, the support member 60 is attached to the first base member 20 by fitting both longitudinal ends of the base plate 61 between the bottom wall 22 of the first base member 20 and the pair of first protrusions 24.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2, with the longitudinal direction of the support member 60 aligned with the longitudinal direction of the first base member 20, the support member 60 is abutted against the bottom wall 22 and rotated 90 degrees clockwise in a front view. As a result, both longitudinal ends of the base plate 61, more specifically, the portions where the pair of fitting protrusions 61d are provided, are fitted between the bottom wall 22 of the first base member 20 and the pair of first protrusions 24.

As mentioned above, the pair of corners 61c of the base plate 61 are rounded into an arc shape when viewed from the front. This allows the support member 60 to rotate clockwise when viewed from the front from the position shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2.

Furthermore, when the support member 60 is rotated to the normal assembly position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 2, the pair of corners 61b come into contact with the pair of side walls 23, thereby preventing further rotation of the support member 60.
On the other hand, rotation of the support member 60 in the counterclockwise direction in front view from the attitude shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 is prevented by the pair of corners 61b abutting against the pair of side walls 23.

The pair of restricting protrusions 62 restrict the insertion margin when both longitudinal ends of the base plate 61 are inserted between the bottom wall 22 of the first base member 20 and the pair of first protrusions 24. They are provided on both longitudinal sides of the base plate 61 and extend along the width of the base plate 61.

The support portion 63 is located in the longitudinal center of the base plate 61 and has a concave surface with an arc-shaped cross section that supports the pipe 81. The support portion 63 is located across the entire width of the base plate 61.

The support member 60 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by injection molding.
<Cutting surface cover 70>
As shown in FIG. 1, the cut surface cover 70 covers the cut surface 30a of the first decorative cover 30 and has a generally flat plate shape.

The cut surface cover 70 has a generally rectangular shape in a front view that is long in the width direction of the cover body 31 of the first decorative cover 30 .
The longitudinal edges of the cutting surface cover 70 are bent and protrude toward the rear side.

The cut surface cover 70 is integrally molded from a hard resin material by injection molding.
7 to 11, a method for installing the piping cover 10 will be described. In this embodiment, a method for installing the piping cover 10 that houses piping members 80 extending upward from piping arranged under the floor of a house or the like, that is, underfloor piping, will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, a slit 91 extending in the vertical direction is formed in a wall 90.
The slit 91 extends to the bottom of the wall 90. A baseboard 93 extending along the width direction of the slit 91 (the horizontal direction in the figure) is fixed to the bottom of the surface of the wall 90 with a nail or the like (not shown). The bottom end of the slit 91 is covered by the baseboard 93 from the front side.

The upper end of the slit 91 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the front.
Next, a pair of splints 92 are fixed to the rear surface of the wall 90 along the extension direction of the slit 91. More specifically, splints 92 made of a pair of square timbers are fixed to portions of the wall 90 on both sides of the width of the slit 91. Screws 94 are inserted from the front side into holes 90a formed in the wall 90 and screwed into the splints 92, thereby fixing the splints 92 to the wall 90.

Next, as shown in Figure 8, the second base member 40 is inserted into the upper part of the slit 91, and the flange portions 47 are fixed to the wall 90 with the wall 90 sandwiched between the second base member 40 and the splint 92. The opening 41a of the storage recess 41 faces the front side of the wall 90, and the pair of flange portions 47 are fixed to the wall 90 in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall 90. More specifically, screws 95 are inserted from the front side into the screw holes 48 of the flange portions 47 and screwed into the wall 90 and splint 92, thereby fixing the second base member 40 to the wall 90.

Next, the storage recess 21 of the first base member 20 is inserted into the lower part of the slit 91, and the flange portion 27 is fixed to the wall 90 with the wall 90 sandwiched between the storage recess 21 and the splint 92. The opening 21a of the storage recess 21 faces the front side of the wall 90, and the pair of flange portions 27 are fixed to the wall 90 in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall 90. More specifically, screws 96 are inserted from the front side into the screw holes 28 of the flange portions 27 and screwed into the wall 90 and splint 92, thereby fixing the first base member 20 to the wall 90.

The upper end of the accommodating recess 21 of the first base member 20 overlaps with the front side of the extension portion 44 of the second base member 40 .
9, the pipe 81 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 21 of the first base member 20, and the joint 82 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 41 of the second base member 40. At this time, the pipe 81 is supported by the two support members 60 attached to the accommodation recess 21. Specifically, the pipe 81 is fastened to the support members 60 via cable ties (not shown) inserted into the elongated holes 61a of the support members 60.

Furthermore, a screw 97 is inserted into a mounting seat (not shown) of the joint 82 and screwed into the threaded hole 45 of the accommodating recess 41 , thereby fixing the joint 82 to the accommodating recess 41 .
10 , the first decorative cover 30 is assembled to the first base member 20. Next, the second decorative cover 50 is assembled to the second base member 40. As a result, the cut surface 30 a at the upper end of the first decorative cover 30 is covered by the second decorative cover 50.

A cut surface cover 70 is attached to cover the cut surface 30a at the lower end of the first decorative cover 30. The cut surface cover 70 is fixed to the surface of the first decorative cover 30 using, for example, double-sided tape or adhesive.

As shown in Figures 11(a) and 11(b), the protruding height of the first decorative cover 30, second decorative cover 50, and cut surface cover 70 from the surface of the wall 90 is equal to or less than the protruding height of the baseboard 93 from the surface of the wall 90.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1) The accommodating recesses 21, 41 of the base members 20, 40 that accommodate the piping member 80 are inserted into the slits 91 formed in the wall 90, and the flange portions 27, 47 are fixed to the wall 90 in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall 90. Therefore, the protruding height of the piping cover 10 from the surface of the wall 90 can be kept small.

(2) The length of the first base member 20 and first decorative cover 30 that make up the piping cover 10 is determined according to the length of the piping member 80 to be housed. At the construction site, workers cut the first base member 20 and first decorative cover 30, each of which has a fixed length (e.g., 2 to 3 m), to a predetermined length determined according to the length of the piping member 80. Therefore, if the cut surface 30a of the first decorative cover 30 is exposed to the outside, the aesthetic appearance of the piping cover 10 may be compromised.

In this regard, with the above configuration, the cut surface 30a of the first decorative cover 30 is covered by the cut surface cover 70, so the cut surface 30a is not exposed to the outside, improving the appearance of the piping cover 10.

(3) By fixing a pair of splints 92 to the back surface of the wall 90 on both sides of the slit 91 in the direction of extension of the slit 91, the peripheral portion of the wall 90 around the slit 91 can be reinforced. By fixing the flange portion 27 of the first base member 20 to such a wall 90, the flange portion 27 can be stably supported by the wall 90.

With the above configuration, the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls 23 that form the storage recess 21 of the first base member 20 are planar and parallel to each other, so the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls 23 fit along the side surfaces of the pair of splints 92 arranged on both sides of the slit 91. This allows the first base member 20 to be positioned relative to the wall 90. This improves ease of installation when fixing the first base member 20 to the wall 90.

(4) The first decorative cover 30 has a cut surface 30a, which is covered by the second decorative cover 50. With this configuration, when the piping cover 10 is viewed from the front, the first decorative cover 30 and the second decorative cover 50 are continuous, and the cut surface 30a of the first decorative cover 30 is covered by the second decorative cover 50. Therefore, the appearance of the piping cover 10 can be improved without providing a dedicated cover to cover the cut surface 30a of the first decorative cover 30.

(5) The protruding height of the decorative covers 30, 50 and the cut surface cover 70 from the surface of the wall 90 is equal to or less than the protruding height of the baseboard 93 from the surface of the wall 90.
With this configuration, the decorative covers 30, 50 and the cut surface cover 70 do not protrude forward beyond the baseboard 93, and therefore the decorative covers 30, 50 and the cut surface cover 70 do not get in the way when placing a washing machine or the like close to the wall 90. Therefore, the washing machine or the like can be placed with a small distance from the wall 90.

(6) The installation method for the piping cover 10 includes the steps of forming a slit 91 extending in the vertical direction in the wall 90, and fixing a splint to the rear surface of the wall 90 along the extension direction of the slit 91. The installation method also includes the steps of inserting the accommodating recesses 21, 41 of the base members 20, 40 into the slits 91 and fixing the flange portions 27, 47 to the wall 90 in a manner that sandwiches the wall 90 between the slits 91 and the splint 92, and assembling the decorative covers 30, 50 to the base members 20, 40.

With this method, the splint 92 is fixed to the back surface of the wall 90 in the direction in which the slit 91 extends, reinforcing the peripheral edge of the wall 90 around the slit 91. By fixing the flange portions 27, 47 of the base members 20, 40 to this wall 90, the flange portions 27, 47 can be stably supported by the wall 90.

(7) Each flange portion 27 of the first base member 20 has a plurality of screw holes 28 formed at intervals.
With this configuration, when fixing each flange portion 27 to the wall 90, the screws 94 already installed in the wall 90 can be seen through the screw holes 28. This makes it possible to avoid installing screws 96 in positions that overlap with the screws 94.

Furthermore, when cutting the first base member 20 of a fixed length to a specified length determined according to the length of the piping member 80, the first base member 20 can be cut while checking the position of the screws 94 through the screw holes 28 of the first base member 20 so that the positions of the screws 94 already installed in the wall 90 do not overlap with the positions of the screw holes 28.

(8) The upper end of the slit 91 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the front. This reduces stress concentration at the upper end of the slit 91 in the wall 90. This effectively prevents cracks from occurring in the wall 90.

(9) The outer peripheral surface of the side wall 43 of the second base member 40 is inverted U-shaped when viewed from the front. Therefore, whether the shape of the upper end of the slit 91 is arc-shaped when viewed from the front, as in this embodiment, or rectangular when viewed from the front, the accommodating recess 41 of the second base member 40 can be inserted for installation.

(Example of change)
The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The present embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.
The shape of the upper end of the slit 91 is not limited to an arc shape when viewed from the front. For example, the slit may be rectangular when viewed from the front. In this case, the slit can be easily formed in the wall 90.

- The modified example of the second base member 40 shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b) has a pair of engagement portions 46 that protrude from the front side of the bottom wall 42. The pair of engagement portions 46 are arranged side by side on the first base member 20 side with respect to a pair of screw holes 45 formed on either side of the recess 42a in the width direction. Note that in the second base member 40 shown in Figure 12, components that are the same as or correspond to those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 13(a) and 13(b), the fitting 82 used with the modified second base member 40 is an elbow-shaped fitting having a first connection port 82a to which the pipe 81 is connected and a second connection port 82b to which a faucet (not shown) is connected, similar to the embodiment described above, and has multiple mounting seats 83A, 83B.

Specifically, the multiple mounting seats 83A, 83B include one mounting seat 83A that protrudes from the main body of the fitting 82 toward the side opposite the first connection port 82a (upper side in the figure), and a pair of mounting seats 83B that protrude outward in the width direction from the main body. Each mounting seat 83A, 83B is open toward the tip in the protruding direction and is formed with an insertion portion 83a through which a screw 97 is inserted.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the steps of attaching the piping member 80 to the second base member 40 will be described.
14( a), a screw 97 is temporarily fastened into the top screw hole 45 of the second base member 40. At this time, the distance between the head of the screw 97 and the bottom wall 42 of the second base member 40 is greater than the thickness of the mounting seat 83A of the joint 82.

Next, while tilting the fitting 82 relative to the second base member 40, the insertion portion 83a of the mounting seat 83A is inserted into the portion of the screw 97 between its head and the bottom wall 42 of the second base member 40. This temporarily holds the fitting 82 in place on the second base member 40. At this time, the upper end of the pipe 81 is connected to the first connection port 82a of the fitting 82.

Next, as shown in Figure 14(b), the joint 82 is pushed into the recess 42a. This causes the pair of left and right mounting seats 83B to abut against the bottom wall 42 of the second base member 40 and also abut against the upper surfaces of the pair of engagement portions 46, thereby engaging with the second base member 40.

Finally, as shown in Figure 14(c), the pre-tightened screws 97 are fully tightened, and the pair of screws 97 are inserted into the insertion portions 83a of the pair of left and right mounting seats 83B and screwed into the screw holes (not shown). In this way, the joint 82 is assembled to the second base member 40.

This configuration allows the joint 82 to be temporarily held in place on the second base member 40, eliminating the need for the worker to hold down the joint 82 with one hand when screwing in the screw 97. This improves the ease of installation of the joint 82.

- The screw holes 28 provided in each flange portion 27 of the first base member 20 can also be omitted. In this case, the worker at the construction site will determine the position in the flange portion 27 where the screw 96 will be screwed in. In this case, as shown in Figure 9, for example, it is preferable to form a protrusion 29 extending in the longitudinal direction (the vertical direction in the figure) on the surface of each flange portion 27 as a marker for the position where the screw 96 will be screwed in.

- In the above embodiment, the slits 91 were formed in the wall 90 along the vertical direction in order to arrange the piping members 80 along the vertical direction. However, if the piping members 80 are arranged along the horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the vertical direction, for example, the slits 91 may be formed along the horizontal direction.

In the above embodiment, the pair of splints 92 are fixed to the rear surface of the wall 90. However, one or both of the splints 92 may be omitted.
For example, the protruding height of the second decorative cover 50 and the cut surface cover 70 from the surface of the wall 90 may be greater than the protruding height of the baseboard 93 from the surface of the wall 90. The same applies to the first decorative cover 30.

- In the above embodiment, a method for installing a piping cover 10 to house piping components 80 extending upward from underfloor piping was described. However, the present invention can also be embodied as a method for installing a piping cover to house piping installed above the ceiling, i.e., piping components extending downward from ceiling piping. In this case, the base members 20, 40 and decorative covers 30, 50 are provided below a molding provided at the top of the wall 90. Even in this case, the same effect as effect (5) of the above embodiment can be achieved by setting the protruding height of the decorative covers 30, 50 and cut surface cover 70 from the surface of the wall 90 to be equal to or less than the protruding height of the molding from the surface of the wall 90.

- The cut surface 30a at the upper end of the first decorative cover 30 may not be covered by the second decorative cover 50. In this case, a dedicated cover may be provided to cover the cut surface 30a at the upper end of the first decorative cover 30.

The pair of side walls 23 of the first base member 20 may be closer to each other as they approach the bottom wall 22. The same applies to the second base member 40.
The number of support members 60 can be changed as appropriate. Also, the support members 60 can be omitted.

- For example, if the lower end of the first decorative cover 30 is not the cut surface 30a, the cut surface cover 70 can be omitted.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, in the process of inserting the accommodating recess 21 of the first base member 20 into the slit 91 of the wall 90 and fixing the flange portion 27 of the first base member 20 to the wall 90, an opening correction jig 100 is used to correct the dimensions of the opening of the accommodating recess 21. This makes it possible to easily assemble the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20 while also ensuring a high level of fit between the first base member 20 and the first decorative cover 30. This is explained in detail below.

The thin-walled first base member 20 made of resin material is easily deformed by external forces acting on the flange portion 27 during installation, such as when the screws 96 are screwed in. This causes the width of the opening 21a of the storage recess 21, which has particularly low rigidity, or in other words, the distance between the pair of side walls 23 on the opening 21a side, to become wider or narrower than the specified value L.

When the distance between the pair of side walls 23 on the opening 21a side becomes wider than the specified value L, the distance between the pair of third ridges 26 located on the opening 21a side also becomes wider than the specified value. When the first base member 20 is fixed to the wall 90 with the screws 96 while the distance between the pair of third ridges 26 is wider than the specified value, the engagement of the locking claws 33 with the third ridges 26, i.e., the fit between the first base member 20 and the first decorative cover 30, becomes loose, making the first base member 20 more likely to fall off the first decorative cover 30.

Conversely, if the distance between the pair of side walls 23 on the opening 21a side becomes narrower than the specified value L, the distance between the pair of third ridges 26 located on the opening 21a side will also become narrower than the specified value. If the first base member 20 is fixed to the wall 90 with the screws 96 when the distance between the pair of third ridges 26 is narrower than the specified value, the engagement of the locking claws 33 with the third ridges 26, i.e., the fit between the first base member 20 and the first decorative cover 30, will become difficult, making it difficult to assemble the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20.

The opening correction jig 100 is used to correct the opening 21a of the accommodating recess 21 in the first base member 20 so that the width of the opening 21a is equal to the specified value L. The opening correction jig 100 is integrally molded from a synthetic resin material and includes an insertion portion 110 that prevents the width of the opening 21a of the accommodating recess 21 from falling below the specified value L, and a restraint portion 120 that prevents the width of the opening 21a of the accommodating recess 21 from exceeding the specified value L.

The insertion section 110 has an insertion plate 111 with a width equal to the specified value L, and an engagement plate 112 connected to the insertion plate 111 and with a width smaller than the specified value L. Engagement recesses 112a are formed on both end faces of the engagement plate 112 in the width direction. The plate thickness of the insertion plate 111 is 10 to 30% of the specified value L.

The restraining portion 120 has a pair of restraining plates 121 protruding from both end faces of the insertion plate 111 in the width direction. Each restraining plate 121 is bent in a crank shape near the insertion plate 111, and a restraining recess 121a is formed by the bent portion and the end face of the insertion plate 111. The width of each restraining recess 121a is approximately the same as the width of the rib 21b that protrudes from the flange portion 27 of the first base member 20 to form the opening 21a. The thickness of the tip of each restraining plate 121 is approximately the same as or smaller than the gap S (see Figure 4) between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27.

The opening correction jig 100 is attached to the first base member 20 near the screw holes 28 before the first base member 20 is fixed to the wall 90 with the screws 96. This attachment is performed by inserting the insertion portion 110 of the opening correction jig 100 into the opening 21a of the accommodation recess 21 of the first base member 20. When the insertion portion 110 is inserted to a predetermined position into the opening 21a of the accommodation recess 21, each rib 21b is inserted into the corresponding restraining recess 121a.

When the insertion portion 110 is inserted to a predetermined position into the opening 21a of the accommodation recess 21, the engagement recess 112a of the engagement plate 112 engages with the corresponding second protrusion 25, so the opening correction jig 100 can be maintained attached to the first base member 20 even without support from the operator. Furthermore, because the plate thickness of the insertion plate 111 is appropriately large at 10 to 30% of the regulated value L, the insertion force of the insertion plate 111 into the opening 21a is reduced while the posture of the insertion plate 111 when inserted into the opening 21a is stabilized, preventing the opening correction jig 100 from tipping over during insertion, improving workability.

Now, if the width of the opening 21a is smaller than the specified value L before the opening correction jig 100 is inserted, the width is corrected and widened to the specified value L by inserting the insertion plate 111. If the width of the opening 21a is larger than the specified value L before the opening correction jig 100 is inserted, the width is corrected and narrowed to the specified value L by inserting the corresponding rib 21b into each restraining recess 121a.

With the opening correction jig 100 attached, if the screws 96 are screwed into the flange portion 27 (screw holes 28) to secure the first base member 20 to the wall 90, the width of the opening 21a will be maintained at the specified value L even after the opening correction jig 100 is removed. By repeating this correction process near each corresponding pair of screw holes 28 using one opening correction jig 100, or by attaching a dedicated opening correction jig 100 to each corresponding pair of screw holes 28, the width of the opening 21a will not deviate from the specified value L overall in the longitudinal direction of the first base member 20.

If the correction work is to be performed using a single opening correction jig 100, the opening correction jig 100 may be slid in the longitudinal direction of the first base member 20 while remaining inserted in the first base member 20 until it approaches the next pair of screw holes 28. Because the plate thickness of the insertion plate 111 is appropriately increased to 10 to 30% of the regulated value L, the opening correction jig 100 will not tip over when it is slid to the next pair of screw holes 28, improving workability.

Here, as shown in Figure 16, when the opening correction jig 100 is attached, if the screw 96 is properly screwed into the flange portion 27 (screw hole 28) and the amount by which the screw 96 protrudes from the flange portion 27 is less than the thickness of the tip of the corresponding restraint plate 121, it can be determined in advance that the protruding portion of the screw 96 from the flange portion 27 will fit into the gap S between the cover main body 31 and the flange portion 27; in other words, it can be determined in advance that this protruding portion will not interfere with the assembly of the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20.

Conversely, although not shown, if the screw 96 is not sufficiently screwed into the flange portion 27 (screw hole 28) when the opening correction jig 100 is attached and the amount by which the screw 96 protrudes from the flange portion 27 is greater than the thickness of the tip of the corresponding restraint plate 121, it can be determined in advance that the protruding portion of the screw 96 from the flange portion 27 will not fit into the gap S between the cover main body 31 and the flange portion 27; in other words, this protruding portion will hinder the assembly of the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20.

- Figures 17 and 18 show a modified example of the opening correction jig 100. In this modified example of the opening correction jig 100, each restraining plate 121 is bent at a right angle near its tip rather than near the insertion plate 111, and a restraining recess 121a is formed by the bent portion and the end face of the insertion plate 111. The width of each restraining recess 121a is approximately the same as the sum of the width of the corresponding flange portion 27 and the width of the rib 21b.

When the insertion portion 110 is inserted to a predetermined position into the opening 21a of the accommodation recess 21, each flange portion 27 and each rib 21b is inserted into the corresponding restraining recess 121a. If the width of the opening 21a is larger than the specified value L before the opening correction jig 100 is inserted, the width is corrected and narrowed to the specified value L by inserting the corresponding flange portion 27 and rib 21b into each restraining recess 121a.

When the opening correction jig 100 is attached, a gap is formed between each restraint plate 121 and the corresponding flange portion 27. This gap is the same size as or smaller than the gap S between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18 , if the screw 96 is properly threaded into the flange portion 27 (threaded hole 28) and the amount by which the screw 96 protrudes from the flange portion 27 is less than the gap S between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27, then even if the opening correction jig 100 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the first base member 20, the movement will not be hindered by the portion of the screw 96 protruding from the flange portion 27. From this, it can be determined in advance that the portion of the screw 96 protruding from the flange portion 27 will fit within the gap S between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27; in other words, it can be determined in advance that the protruding portion will not hinder the assembly of the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20.

Conversely, although not shown, if the screw 96 is not sufficiently screwed into the flange portion 27 (threaded hole 28) and the amount by which the screw 96 protrudes from the flange portion 27 is greater than the gap S between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27, when the opening correction jig 100 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the first base member 20, the movement will be obstructed by the portion of the screw 96 protruding from the flange portion 27. From this, it can be determined in advance that the portion of the screw 96 protruding from the flange portion 27 will not fit into the gap S between the cover body 31 and the flange portion 27; in other words, that the protruding portion will obstruct the assembly of the first decorative cover 30 to the first base member 20.

(Additional Note)
The technical concept that can be understood from the above embodiment will be described.
(1) A base member including: an accommodation recess that is inserted into a slit formed in a wall, has an opening that opens toward the front side of the wall, and accommodates a piping member; and flange portions that are formed on both sides of the accommodation recess and are fixed to the wall in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall;
a flat decorative cover that is attached to the base member, covers the opening of the accommodating recess, and is overlaid on the flange portion,
Wall-mounted pipe cover.

With this configuration, the recessed portion of the base member that accommodates the piping member is inserted into a slit formed in the wall, and the flange portion is attached to the wall with the flange portion overlapping the surface of the wall. This allows the protrusion height of the piping cover from the surface of the wall to be kept small.

(2) The decorative cover has a cut surface,
A cut surface cover is provided to cover the cut surface of the decorative cover.
A wall-mounted piping cover according to the technical idea (1).

The lengths of the base member and decorative cover that make up the piping cover are determined according to the lengths of the piping components to be housed. At the installation site, workers cut the decorative cover of a fixed length to a length determined according to the lengths of the piping components. Therefore, if the cut surface of the decorative cover is exposed to the outside, the aesthetic appearance of the piping cover may be impaired.
In this regard, according to the above configuration, the cut surface of the decorative cover is covered by the cut surface cover, so that the cut surface is not exposed to the outside, thereby improving the appearance of the piping cover.

(3) The accommodating recess of the base member has a pair of opposing side walls,
Both outer surfaces of the side walls are planar and parallel to each other.
A wall-mounted pipe cover according to the technical idea (1) or the technical idea (2).

By fixing a pair of splints to the back surface of the wall on both sides of the slit along the direction of the slit, the periphery of the slit in the wall is reinforced. By fixing the flange of the base member to such a wall, the flange can be stably supported by the wall.
According to the above configuration, the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls that define the accommodating recess of the base member are planar and parallel to each other, so that the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls fit along the side surfaces of the pair of splints arranged on both sides of the slit. This allows the base member to be positioned relative to the wall. This improves the ease of installation when fixing the base member to the wall.

(4) The base member includes a first base member that accommodates a pipe as the piping member, and a second base member that accommodates a joint as the piping member,
the decorative cover includes a first decorative cover assembled to the first base member and a second decorative cover assembled to the second base member,
the first decorative cover has a cut surface,
The cut surface is covered by the second decorative cover.
A wall-mounted pipe cover according to any one of technical ideas (1) to (3).

With this configuration, when viewed from the front of the piping cover, the first decorative cover and the second decorative cover are continuous, and the cut surface of the first decorative cover is covered by the second decorative cover. Therefore, the appearance of the piping cover can be improved without providing a dedicated cover to cover the cut surface of the first decorative cover.

(5) The base member and the decorative cover are provided above a baseboard provided at the bottom of the wall or below a molding provided at the top of the wall,
a protruding height of the decorative cover from the surface of the wall is equal to or less than a protruding height of the baseboard or molding from the surface of the wall;
A wall-mounted pipe cover according to any one of technical ideas (1) to (4).

With this configuration, the decorative cover does not protrude forward beyond the baseboard, so the decorative cover does not get in the way when placing a washing machine or other appliance close to the wall. This means that the washing machine or other appliance can be placed with a small gap between the wall.

(6) A method for installing a wall-embedded pipe cover according to any one of the technical concepts (1) to (5),
forming a slit in the wall, the slit extending along a predetermined direction;
a step of fixing a splint to the rear surface of the wall along the extension direction of the slit;
a step of inserting the receiving recess of the base member into the slit and fixing the flange portion to the wall in a manner that the wall is sandwiched between the receiving recess and the splint;
and assembling the decorative cover to the base member.
How to install a wall-mounted pipe cover.

With this method, the splint is fixed to the back surface of the wall in the direction in which the slit extends, reinforcing the periphery of the slit in the wall. By fixing the flange portion of the base member to this wall, the flange portion can be stably supported by the wall.

(7) In the wall-embedded pipe cover described in any one of technical ideas (1) to (5), an opening correction jig is used in the process of fixing the flange portion of the base member to the wall with screws to correct the width of the opening of the storage recess, and the opening correction jig is equipped with a judgment means for judging whether the amount of protrusion of the screw from the flange portion is appropriate when attached to the base member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Piping cover 20...First base member 21...Accommodating recess 21a...Opening 21b...Rib 22...Bottom wall 23...Side wall 24...First ridge 25...Second ridge 26...Third ridge 27...Flange portion 28...Threaded hole 29...Protrusion 30...First decorative cover 31...Cover body 31a...Cut surface 32...Protrusion 33...Engaging claw 40...Second base member 41...Accommodating recess 41a...Opening 42...Bottom wall 42a...Recess 43...Side wall 44...Extending portion 45...Threaded hole 46...Engaging portion 47...Flange portion 48...Threaded hole 49...Engaging hole 50...Second decorative cover 51...Cover body 51a...Edge 51b...Edge 51c...Insertion hole 52...Engaging claw 60...Support member DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 61...Base plate 61a...Elongated hole 61b, 61c...Corner portion 61d...Fitting projection 62...Regulating projection 63...Support portion 70...Cutting surface cover 80...Piping member 81...Pipe 82...Joint 82a...First connection port 82b...Second connection port 83A, 83B...Mounting seat 83a...Insertion portion 90...Wall 90a...Hole 91...Slit 92...Splinter 93...Baseboard 94, 95, 96, 97...Screw 100...Opening correction jig 110...Insertion portion 111...Insertion plate 112...Engaging plate 112a...Engaging recess 120...Restraining portion 121...Restraining plate 121a...Restraining recess

Claims (3)

a base member including: an accommodating recess having an opening that opens toward the front side of the wall and accommodates a piping member; and flange portions formed on both sides of the accommodating recess and fixed to the wall in a state where they are superimposed on the surface of the wall;
a decorative cover attached to the base member and covering the opening of the accommodation recess;
an opening correction tool that is used to correct the width of the opening of the accommodating recess in the step of fixing the flange portion of the base member to the wall, and that is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the base member when attached to the base member;
Wall-mounted pipe cover. the base member has a rib that forms the opening of the accommodating recess, the opening correction jig has an insertion portion that prevents the width of the opening of the accommodating recess from becoming less than a specified value, and a restraint portion that prevents the width of the opening of the accommodating recess from exceeding the specified value, and the insertion portion is inserted into the opening of the accommodating recess to correct the width of the opening,
a restraining recess formed in the restraining portion, and the rib of the base member is inserted into the restraining recess to correct the width of the opening;
The wall-mounted pipe cover according to claim 1. The flange portion is fixed to the wall with a screw,
a width of the opening correction jig is smaller than a distance between the screws that fix the flange portions on both sides of the accommodating recess, with the accommodating recess sandwiched therebetween;
The wall-mounted pipe cover according to claim 1 or 2.