GB2189388A - Furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

Furniture, particularly office furniture such as filing cabinets, pedestal drawer units, etc. is provided with at least one coloured strip 42. The strip is removable so that it may be exchanged for a similar strip of a different colour. It may be detachably fixed to the upper edge of a front panel 40 and be provided with projections 50 which co-operate with apertures defined by the panel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Furniture This invention relates to furniture and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with office furniture such as filing cabinets, pedestal drawer units, etc.

Office furniture is manufactured in a wide variety of styles and designs from materials such as steel or wood and is often finished by painting or varnishing. Office furniture is usually chosen with a finish which blends with or matches the existing furniture and decor in the office in which it is to be located.

It is well known to finish office furniture in a twotone effect by painting some portions thereof in a neutral colour and other portions in a contrasting colour chosen to blend with or match the existing decor of the office. For example, to co-ordinate with an office which is predominately decorated in brown, a filing cabinet might be chosen having a coffee-coloured frame and cream-coloured drawers.

Such two-tone office furniture is very popular but furniture painted in this way has several disadvantages for both the furniture manufacturer and the purchaser. Firstly the manufacturer is required to produce a wide range of furniture painted in assorted colour schemes to match possible existing office decor. This involves additional expense and increases the cost of the furniture.

Additionally, permanent two-tone finishes are inflexible and may become inappropriate as a result of office redecoration or removal to other premises.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages outlined above by providing furniture which is adaptable to match alternative office environments, and which is inexpensive to manufacture. A further object is to provide a means of readily colour-coding office storage units such as filing cabinet drawers.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an item of furniture which includes at least one coloured strip. The strip is preferably removable so that it may be exchanged for a similar strip of a different colour.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a furniture drawer including a front panel, and a coloured strip fitted to the top edge of said front panel.

The strip is preferably of a contrasting colour to the remainder of the drawer, and may be formed from a self-coloured plastics extrusion.

Alternatively, the strip may be formed from a metal, and may be painted.

The strip may include an elongate lip which is adapted to engage with the top edge of said front panel.

The lip may extend downwardly to engage a rearward portion of said front panel. Preferably, the strip is formed with a channel cross section.

The strip may include a first retention means which cooperates with further retention means on the drawer. The first retentions means may comprise projections which cooperate with opposed aperaturs in a forward portion of the front panel.

The strip may be adapted to support and display a card bearing information.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the front of a filing cabinet in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section through a coloured plastics strip for use in the invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the front panel of a filing cabinet in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through a painted metal strip for use in the invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the front panel of an alternative filing cabinet in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the front panel of a further alternative filing cabinet in accordance with the invention, and Fig. 7 is a cross-section through the front panel shown in Fig. 6 on line A-A.

The filing cabinet 10 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a frame 12 supporting drawers 13, 14, 15. Drawer 14 only will be described in detail as the drawers 13 and 15 have corresponding similar features.

shown). The drawer 14 can be pulled out from the frame 12 by a handle 20 which includes a recess 22 partially overlapped by an elongate grippable flange 24 which also forms the top edge of the panel 15.

A strip 26 is mounted on the flange 24, and has a lip 27 which engages the upper surface of the flange. The strip 26 is formed from a self-coloured plastics extrusion, and has a distinctive colour which is chosen to match the decor of the office in which the filing cabinet is to be placed. The remainder of the filing cabinet is finished in a neutral colour such as grey. The strip 26 is clipped to the flange 24 by lip 27 but may be glued to the flange if desired. It is preferable that the strip 26 is readily removable so that alternative strips may be attached to suit different office decors.

Fig. 2 illustrates the cross-sectional profile of the strip 26 and its lip 27.

The front panel 30, of a filing cabinet, shown in Fig.3supports a painted metal strip 32 which fits on the top edge 34 of the front panel 30.

The cross-sectional profile of the painted metal strip 32 of Fig. 3 is shown in Fig. 4.

Afront panel 36 of an alternative filing cabinet is shown in Fig. and includes a moulded plastics handle 38 let into an aperture 40 in the front panel. A painted metal strip 42, is fitted to the top edge 44 of the front panel 36.

painted metal strip 42, is fitted to the top edge 44 of the front panel 36.

A front panel 40 of a further alternative filing cabinet is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and supports a channel-section resilient metal strip 42 which fits on the top edge 44, and forward and rearward upper portions 46 and 48, of the front panel.

The strip has 42 two protrusions 50 which cooperably engage opposed apertures 52, formed in the forward upper portion 46 of the front panel of the drawer as shown in Fig. 7, to locate the strip in position on the panel.

The strip 42 is readily detachable so that alternative strips may be attached to suit different office decors.

It is envisaged that furniture in accordance with the invention may be supplied painted in a neutral colour together with a stock of differently coloured strips which can be fixed to the furniture by the purchaser or furniture retailer, to suit different office decors.

It is also envisaged thatthe purchaser may fix the strips to the furniture to colour code the drawers, to indicate to the user the contents of the drawers.

Furthermore, the strips may be adapted to support and display a card bearing information about the contents of the drawers.

Claims (16)

1. An item of furniture which includes at least one detachably fixed coloured strip.

2. An item of furniture according to Claim 1 in which the strip is of a contrasting colour to another portion of the furniture.

3. An item of furniture according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 which comprises a front panel having an upper edge.

4. An item of furniture according to Claim 3 in which the strip is detachably fixed to the upper edge of the front panel.

5. An item of furniture according to any preceding Claim in which the strip has an elongate lip which extends transverse to the remainder of the strip.

6. An item of furniture according to Claim 5 in which the lip is adapted to engage the upper edge of the front panel.

7. An item of furniture according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 in which the strip has a substantially Lshaped cross-section.

8. An item of furniture according to Claim 7 in which the strip is made from a plastics material.

9. An item of furniture according to Claim 5 in which the lip extends downwardly to engage a rearward portion of the front panel.

10. An item of furniture according to Claim 9 in which the strip comprises two parallel spaced elongate portions which engage forward and rearward portions of the front panel.

11.An item of furniture according to Claim 10 in which the strip has a substantially U-shaped crosssection.

12. An item of furniture according to any preceding Claim in which the strip has a first retention means which co-operates with further retention means on the furniture.

13. An item of furniture according to Claim 12 in which the first retention means comprises projections which co-operate with apertures defined by the panel.

14. A strip according to Claim 13 in which the apertures are defined by a forward portion of the panel.

15. An item of furniture according to any preceding Claim which is a furniture drawer.

16. An item of furniture substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying Figures 1 to7.