EP2709488B1

EP2709488B1 - Piece of furniture composed of panels that can be assembled by means of connecting strips

Info

Publication number: EP2709488B1
Application number: EP11728950.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Massimo Berloni
Original assignee: Iterby Italiana Mobili SpA
Current assignee: Iterby Italiana Mobili SpA
Priority date: 2011-05-17
Filing date: 2011-05-17
Publication date: 2015-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 2031-05-17
Also published as: WO2012156781A1; EA201391715A1; ES2541555T3; EP2709488A1

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a piece of furniture composed of panels that can be assembled by means of connecting strips adapted for the application of supporting feet, hangers, studs and the like. Hereinafter, for reasons of simplicity of description, the expression piece of furniture is used to identify more generally all types of furniture comprising one or more compartments, having a rectangular prism-like shape, such as lockers, cabinets and the like.

Background art

As is known, to connect at right angles two panels of a piece of furniture to each other one uses adapted pins in which one end is retained through the edge of a first panel and the opposite end is mushroom-shaped so as to be engaged by a coupling element, which is accommodated in an adapted seat of the wall of a second panel perpendicular to the first one.
For mutual connection of two panels, joints are also known which are constituted by strips which are arranged between the edges of the panels and to which the ends of the pins are coupled.
CH 692 689 A5 discloses a piece of furniture having a combination of elements as defined in the pre-characterizing portion of the appended claim 1.

Disclosure of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to propose a piece of furniture in which, in addition to an ingenious assembly of the panels that compose it, it is possible to provide the piece of furniture with applications that increase its practicality in use.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a piece of furniture that is conceived to make its placement on a surface and its hanging on a wall more functional.
Another object of the invention is to provide a piece of furniture equipped with means that allow the application of accessories adapted to make the piece of furniture comply with various furnishing purposes, such as tools for use in the kitchen or shelves for resting decorative items for various spaces and so forth.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a piece of furniture as defined in the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of some embodiments, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piece of furniture according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the piece of furniture of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a view of a corner detail of the piece of furniture;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the piece of furniture hung on a wall;
Figure 5 is a view of an element used to hang the piece of furniture on the wall;
Figure 6 is a sectional view of the element of Figure 4;
Figure 7 is a view of a corner detail of the piece of furniture provided with feet for resting on the ground;
Figure 8 is an exploded view of the lower panel of the piece of furniture of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of Figure 8;
Figure 10 is an exploded view of a lower panel of a piece of furniture equipped with an element for supporting tools.

Ways of carrying out the invention

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 designates a piece of furniture according to the invention, which is composed of four panels 2, 3, 4, 5, made for example of wood or particlewood, which are assembled so as to form a rectangular prism. Assembly is performed by means of four strips 6, which join the panels in pairs, forming a right angle.
The strips 6 (see Figure 3) have a square cross-section, with faces whose height is equal to the thickness of the panels 2, 3, 4, 5. Advantageously, the strips 6 are constituted by a profile made of metal (for example aluminum) comprising a central tube 7 which defines a channel which has a square cross-section and from the edges of which four longitudinal wings 8 protrude outward along diagonal planes. The ends of the wings 8 are each provided with a pair of ribs 9 arranged at right angles and parallel to the faces of the central tube 7. The wings 8 lie along the bisecting line of the right angle formed by the ribs 9, which thus define the four outer faces of the strips 6 which are planar and parallel with respect to the faces of the inner tube 7. The ribs 9 that form each face of the strips have such a width as to remain mutually separated by a slit 10, which runs longitudinally along the centerline planes of the strip. In this manner, the wings 8, the tube 7 and the ribs 9 form four slots 11 which have a T-shaped trapezoidal cross-section and in which the ends of cylindrical pins 12 can engage. As shown more clearly in Figure 9, each pin 12 has an end 13 that is mushroom-shaped and has a profile complementary to the cross-section of the grooves 11, so as to be able to slide in them and allow the placement of the pins 12 at the desired distance. The opposite ends of the pins 12 also are mushroom-shaped, so as to form a head 14 which can be inserted in holes 15 (see Figures 2, 8, 9) provided in the thickness of the panels. The number of pins and therefore of the respective holes 15 is selected as a function of the size of the panels and of the requirements on strength with which the parts that compose the piece of furniture must be assembled. Each hole 15 (see Figure 8) leads into a cylindrical cavity 16, which forms a receptacle for accommodating a locking element of a known type. The length of the holes 15 is such that when the pin 12 is inserted in the hole its head 14 protrudes into the cavity 16.
The locking element is constituted by a hollow cylindrical body 17, which is of a known type and therefore not described in detail. The hollow body 17 has the same diameter as the cavity 16 and a slot which is provided circumferentially around it and through which the head 14 of the pin can be inserted. The cylindrical body 17 is further provided with a cross-shaped notch 18 (see Figure 3), which can be engaged by a tool, for example a screwdriver, and by means of which it is possible, by rotating the cylindrical body 17, to pull the pin 12 and thus lock the panel against the strip.
The assembly of the piece of furniture 1 can be intuited easily from the above description. In particular, it is noted that the pins 12 are not integral with the strip 6, and this makes it possible to adapt their distance to the distance of the holes 15.
A fundamental prerogative of the present invention resides in the presence of the tube 7, which makes it possible to make the installation of the piece of furniture more versatile. Figures 4, 5, 6 illustrate a first embodiment, which allows hanging the piece of furniture on a wall P (see Figure 4) so as to provide a wall-mounted cabinet. For this purpose there is an accessory, for example a hanger 19 composed of a disk 20, eccentrically to which a cylindrical pin 21 is integral which has such a diameter that it can be accommodated with adequate forcing in the channel of the tube 7 of the upper strips of the piece of furniture. The disk 20 is provided with a flange 22 which is concentric therewith and which, when the pin 21 is fully inserted in the tube 7, forms with the front of the strip 10 an annular slot 23, by means of which it is possible to engage and thus hang the piece of furniture 1 from a bar 24 which is fixed by means of screws 25 to the supporting wall P. Advantageously, the bar 24 is constituted by a flat strip which has a flat central region 26 and an edge 27 folded so as to be spaced from the wall P to allow engagement in the annular slot 23 and be retained by the flange 22. The eccentricity of the disk 20 with respect to the axis of the pin 21 makes it possible to adjust the horizontal leveling of the piece of furniture. For this purpose, a polygonal recess 28 is provided at the end of the pin 21 that lies opposite the disk 20 and can be accessed by an Allen wrench 29, which can be inserted in the tube 7 from the opposite end with respect to the one in which the hanger 19 is arranged. Once the piece of furniture has been fastened to the bar 24, by inserting the Allen wrench 29 in the tube 7 until engagement in the recess 28 of the pin 21 occurs, it is possible to turn the eccentric disk 20 and thus lift or lower the piece of furniture 1 to a horizontal level.
A further variation of the invention is shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9 and consists of feet 30 for supporting the piece of furniture on the ground, which are arranged at the corners of the base panel of the piece of furniture. The feet 30 are constituted by cylinders from the top of which a threaded stem 31 protrudes which passes through a plate 32 which is substantially shaped like a circular sector centered on the stem 31 and has an angular extension of approximately 90°.
The feet 30 are locked under the piece of furniture by screwing the stem 31 into a nut 33 which is located in the lower slot 11 of the strip 6, so as to fasten the plate 32 against the face of the lower panel.
Three holes 34 are provided along the circular peripheral region of the plate and are offset so that the central one is offset by approximately 45° with respect to the ones that are lateral thereto. If the feet must support a single piece of furniture, the plates are oriented and fixed by means of screws driven through the holes 34 so that they do not protrude laterally from the side walls of the piece of furniture. On the other hand, if the feet must support two pieces of furniture which are associated side by side on the same plane, the plates are oriented so as to protrude laterally below both pieces of furniture (see Figure 7) and are fixed so as to support both pieces of furniture.
The strips 6 according to the invention have further innovative prerogatives. In particular, it is possible to cover frontally the strip 6 with a sort of quadrangular stud 35 (see Figure 3), which has a quadrangular shank 36 shaped complementary to the channel of the tube 7 in which it is to be inserted. To ensure firm retention of the stud 35, the shank 36 has such dimensions as to be inserted with suitable forcing in the tube 7. Advantageously, in the stud 35 there is a hole 37 that extends into the shank 16 and in which it is possible to insert a plug 38 which, in addition to acting as an aesthetic improvement, is capable of producing an expansion of the shank 36 and of ensuring a safer anchoring of the stud.
The particular shape of the strips allows the provision of additional variations in application. Figure 10 illustrates a solution that relates to the possibility of equipping a small piece of furniture, having for example the function of a hanging cabinet, with a bar 39 for supporting various tools, for example ladles, pasta strainers, carving forks, and the like. The bar 39 passes through a pair of posts 40, at the top of which there are threaded holes 41 in which threaded pins 42 are screwed or driven. The bar is hung from the two lateral strips 6 of the base of the wall-mounted unit by screwing the pins 42 of the posts 40 into nuts 33 which are accommodated and fastened in the lower slot 11 of the strips.
In the practical embodiment of the invention, the shapes and dimensions, as well as the materials used, may be any according to the requirements without thereby abandoning the protective scope of the appended claims.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A piece of furniture composed of panels (2, 3, 4, 5) that can be assembled at right angles and in a mutually coplanar manner by means of strips (6) having a rectangular cross-section, which are provided with longitudinal slots (11) on their four faces and have a substantially T-shaped cross-section, and of means for coupling said panels to said strip, which are constituted by pins (12) in which one end (14) is contoured to be retained in said slots and the opposite end is coupled to coupling elements (17) which are accommodated in seats (16) of the panels associated with said strip, coupling elements (31, 33; 42, 43) for means for various uses being arranged in the slots (7) of said strips (6), said strips (61) being provided with a central tube (7) for accommodating hangers (19) for hanging said piece of furniture on a wall, characterized in that each one of said hangers (19) is composed of a disk (20), eccentrically to which a cylindrical pin (21) is integral which has such a diameter that it can be accommodated with adequate forcing in the channel of the tube (7), said disk (20) being provided with a flange (22) which is concentric thereto and which, when the pin (21) is fully inserted in the tube (7), forms, with the front of the strip (10), an annular slot (23), by means of which it is possible to fasten the piece of furniture (1) to a bar (24) which is fixed by means of screws (25) to the supporting wall (P) of the piece of furniture.
The piece of furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that said bar (24) is constituted by a strip which has a central flat region (26) and an edge (27) which is folded so as to be spaced from the wall (P) in order to allow it to engage the annular slot (23) and remain retained on the bar by said flange (22).
The piece of furniture according to claim 2, characterized in that at the end of the pin (21) that lies opposite said eccentric disk (20) there is a polygonal recess (28), which is accessible by means of an Allen wrench (29) driven through said tube (7) from the opposite end with respect to the one in which said hanger (19) is arranged and can be engaged in said recess of the pin (21) so as to rotate said eccentric disk (20) and adjust said piece of furniture to bring it to a horizontal level.
The piece of furniture according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises feet (30) for supporting the piece of furniture on the ground, which are arranged at the corners of the base panel (5) of the piece of furniture, said feet (30) being constituted by cylinders from the top of which a threaded stem (31) protrudes which is driven through a plate (32), and can be screwed into a nut (33) which is arranged in the lower slot (11) of the lower strip (6) of the piece of furniture.
The piece of furniture according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a plate (32), which is centered on said threaded stem (31) and is adapted to be fastened between the top of said foot (30) and the lower face of the lower panel of the piece of furniture.
The piece of furniture according to claim 5, characterized in that said plate (32) is shaped like a circular sector which is centered on said stem (31) and has an angular extension of substantially 90°, along the circular peripheral region of the plate (32) there being holes (34) which can be engaged by screws and are adapted to allow the orientation of the plate between a position in which it remains below the piece of furniture and a position in which it protrudes laterally so as to support an adjacent piece of furniture.
The piece of furniture according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in order to cover frontally the strips (6) there is a sort of stud (35) provided with a shank (36) which can be inserted in the channel of the tube (7), said stud being provided with a hole (37) which extends into said shank (36) and in which it is possible to insert a plug (38) to produce an expansion adapted to block said shank in said channel (7).
The piece of furniture according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a bar (39) which is adapted to support various tools and is supported by a pair of posts (40) provided at the top with respective threaded pins (41) which can be screwed into nuts (43) which are accommodated and fastened in the lower slot of the strips.