U.S. patent application number 11/575427 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-13 for furniture drawer.
Invention is credited to Horst Lautenschlager.
Application Number | 20080061665 11/575427 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35276536 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080061665 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lautenschlager; Horst |
March 13, 2008 |
Furniture Drawer
Abstract
A furniture drawer has two lateral walls, a back wall and a
base, and includes a front plate connecting the front ends of the
lateral walls and a front trim, fixed thereto. Each lateral wall
includes a metal running track, fixed to the back wall and the
front plate. The running track is arranged in a lateral wall
cladding, held between the back wall and the front trim as a
support strut. The front plate is screwed to the front trim with
horizontal tensioning. The lateral wall cladding is open to the
bottom and engages with interlocking over the running track. The
lateral wall cladding houses a longitudinal edge of the base in a
groove at the lower edge of the inner wall thereof.
Inventors: |
Lautenschlager; Horst;
(Reinheim, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WRB-IP LLP
1217 KING STREET
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
35276536 |
Appl. No.: |
11/575427 |
Filed: |
September 8, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
September 8, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP05/09644 |
371 Date: |
March 16, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/333 ;
312/334.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 88/941 20170101;
A47B 88/944 20170101; A47B 88/931 20170101; A47B 2210/02
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/333 ;
312/334.7 |
International
Class: |
A47B 88/00 20060101
A47B088/00; A47B 88/04 20060101 A47B088/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 30, 2004 |
DE |
102004047557.1 |
Claims
1. Furniture drawer with two lateral walls, a back wall, a base, a
front plate connecting front ends of the lateral walls, and a front
trim fixed thereto, wherein each lateral wall comprises a metal
running track, the metal running track being fixed to the back wall
and the front plate, the running track being arranged in a lateral
wall cladding, held between the back wall and the front trim as a
support strut, and the front plate is screwed to the front trim
with horizontal tensioning.
2. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the lateral wall
cladding is open to the bottom and engages over the running
track.
3. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the lateral wall
cladding houses a longitudinal edge of the base in a groove at a
lower edge of an inner wall of the lateral wall cladding.
4. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the lateral wall
cladding is made of at least one of wood material, plastic, and a
composite material.
5. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein back ends of the
running track comprise tabs that are beveled inward and to a front
of the running track, the tabs extending into location holes of the
back wall from a back of the drawer.
6. Furniture drawer according to claim 5, wherein the location
holes are through bores and the tabs protrude from a front of the
back wall and rest against an inside of an inner wall of the
lateral wall cladding.
7. Furniture drawer according to claim 6, wherein one of the tabs
protruding from the back wall is located at a lower edge of a
groove in the lateral wall cladding that houses a longitudinal edge
of the base.
8. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the front plate
is a metal track and comprises lateral hook tabs that are hooked
into receptacle slots of the running tracks.
9. Furniture drawer according to claim 8, wherein a locking device
secures the front plate in a hooked position in the running
track.
10. Furniture drawer according to claim 9, wherein the locking
device is disposed on both ends of the front plate and comprises a
locking bolt that can be moved in longitudinal direction and having
a lateral locking projecting part that can be pushed into a recess
of the running track.
11. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the front plate
is a metal track and is covered by a cover profile.
12. Furniture drawer according to claim 11, wherein the cover
profile has a downward-facing edge strip engaged between the front
trim and the front plate.
13. Furniture drawer according to claim 11, wherein the cover
profile has two ends that rest against an inside of the lateral
wall cladding.
14. Furniture drawer according to claim 11, wherein the cover
profile has two lower, outer corners and is located in front of a
rail that protrudes from inside of the lateral wall cladding.
15. Furniture drawer according to claim 10, wherein a stop area
arranged on the cover profile secures the locking bolt in a locked
position.
16. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein an upper flange
of the running track is housed in a longitudinal groove of the
lateral wall cladding.
17. Furniture drawer according to claim 1, wherein the front plate
is comprised of at least one of wood and wood material, and a front
end of the running rack has tabs that are beveled inward and
backward and that extend into location holes of the front plate
from a front of the drawer.
18. Furniture drawer according to claim 11, wherein a stop area
arranged on the cover profile secures the locking bolt in a locked
position.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0001] The invention relates to a furniture drawer with two lateral
walls, a back wall, a base, a front plate that connects the two
front ends of the lateral walls, and a front trim fixed
thereto.
[0002] The manufacture of furniture drawers increasingly calls for
a simplified assembly process. If furniture drawers are
manufactured in factories, simplification of the assembly process
results in considerable cost savings. However, increasingly
furniture drawers in the form of assembly kits are made available
to customers who then assemble the furniture and therefore also the
drawers. This system does not allow any significant demands on the
ability of the customers or the availability of special assembly
tools.
[0003] Despite the desired assembly simplification, one must
ensure, however, that the assembled furniture drawer is stable and
remains so after long-term and frequent use.
[0004] Significant requirements are associated with the load
bearing capacity of furniture drawers as well, because excessive
loads are possible.
[0005] In a known furniture drawer, as mentioned in the
introduction (U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,091), the two lateral walls are
comprised of metal. There is no additional tensioning of the
furniture drawer. The metal lateral walls are not clad. The back
wall and the front plate are inserted into or screwed to angled
flanges at the ends of the lateral walls. The stability of the
furniture drawing is determined solely by the stability of the
respective corner connections.
[0006] It is desirable to provide a design of a furniture drawer as
mentioned in the introduction that allows for easy assembly and
provides stability and high load bearing capacity.
[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, each
lateral wall comprises a metal running track fixed to the back wall
and the front plate, in that the running track is arranged in a
lateral wall cladding held between the back wall and the front trim
as a support strut, and in that the front plate is screwed to the
front trim with horizontal tensioning.
[0008] Compared to customary designs of furniture drawers in which
the corners of the drawer only have a simple connection of the
walls that meet there, for example by way of a screwed connection
or an insert connection, the furniture drawer according to the
invention is especially advantageous in that there is tensioning
between the back wall and the front plate that carries the front
trim because the metal track arranged there, which can be connected
to a telescope pullout, for example, acts as a running track to
brace the back wall against the lateral wall cladding that acts as
a support strut.
[0009] The lateral wall cladding preferably is open to the bottom
and engages with interlocking over the running track. It provides
cladding for the metal running track with regard to the inside
space of the drawer, and to the outside it provides cladding for
the space outside the metal running track that houses the guide
elements for the drawer, for example a telescopic pullout
track.
[0010] The interaction of the running track and the lateral wall
cladding that acts as a support strut in both lateral walls of the
furniture drawer ensures that said drawer has a high degree of
stiffness and shape stability.
[0011] The tensioning between the running track and the support
strut is accomplished easily by screwing the front plate to the
front trim with horizontal tensioning, with the front trim pushing
against the lateral wall cladding from the front so that the latter
functions as a support strut. No special assembly measures are
required because the front trim is usually screwed to the front
plate anyway.
[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
lateral wall cladding comprises a groove at the lower edge of the
inner wall with said groove housing a longitudinal edge of the
base. This means that it is not necessary for the metal lateral
wall to have a bearing bridge for the base. The height of the metal
lateral running tracks can be lower than the height of the drawer,
because the overlapping lateral wall cladding provides the lateral
inside area of the drawer across the entire height. This not only
saves material for the running track, it also reduces the overall
weight.
[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
front plate is a metal track and is covered by a cover profile.
This allows for the selection of a metal front plate, which is
especially suited for the transfer of the existing forces with said
metal front plate not being visible when the drawer is opened
because it is covered by the cover profile.
[0014] When the two ends of the cover profile rest against the
inside of the lateral wall cladding, the front end of the lateral
wall profile is supported with regard to the inside space of the
drawer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The invention is explained in more detail based on the
exemplary embodiments that are shown in the drawing. The following
is shown:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a spatial, extended view of a kit for a
furniture drawer with one of the lateral walls missing;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a horizontal longitudinal section through a
lateral wall of the furniture drawer;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a view in direction of arrow III in FIG. 2,
with section line II-II in FIG. 2 being indicated here;
[0019] FIG. 4 shows a section along line IV-IV in FIG. 2;
[0020] FIG. 5 shows a section along line V-V in FIG. 2;
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a section along line VI-VI in FIG. 2; and
[0022] FIG. 7 shows a view similar to that in FIG. 1 of a modified
embodiment of a furniture drawer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The furniture drawer shown in FIGS. 1-6 comprises two
lateral walls 1 (one of which is not shown in FIG. 1), a back wall
2, a base 3, and a front plate 4 to which a front trim 5 is
screwed.
[0024] Each of the two lateral walls 1 comprises a metal running
track 6 that is engaged with interlocking by a lateral wall
cladding 7 that is open to the bottom. In the example that is
shown, the lateral wall cladding 7 is comprised of wood material.
It can also be made of plastic, a wood-plastic composite, or
aluminum.
[0025] On its upper and lower edge, the running track 6 comprises
flanges 8, 9 that are beveled off to the outside, between which a
telescopic pullout track 10 is arranged as indicated in dash-dotted
lines in FIG. 3.
[0026] The lateral wall cladding 7 comprises a longitudinal groove
7a above the running track 6 in which the upper flange 8 of the
running track 6 is arranged. This keeps the running track 6 in its
position in the lateral wall cladding 7. This is important so as to
have sufficient free space 10a for a pullout system within the
lateral wall cladding 7 lateral next to the running track 6.
Furthermore, this provides for a more stable unit comprised of
running track 6 and lateral wall cladding 7.
[0027] At its back end, the lateral track 6 comprises tabs 11, 12
that are beveled to the front and that extend into the location
holes 13 of the back wall 2 from the back of the drawer.
[0028] The location holes 13 are through bores. The tabs 11, 12
protrude on the front side of the back wall 2 and rest against the
inside of the inner wall 14 of the lateral wall cladding 7.
[0029] Two rails 15, 16 protrude from the lower edge of the inner
wall 14 of the lateral wall cladding 7 that limit a groove 17
between them in which a longitudinal edge 18 of the base 3 is
housed.
[0030] The lower tab 11 that protrudes from the back wall 2 lies at
the lower edge of the groove 17 that houses the longitudinal edge
18 of the base 3. The upper tab 12 that extends from the back wall
2 also rests against the inside of the inner wall 14 of the lateral
wall cladding 7. This is how the inner wall 14 of the lateral wall
cladding is fastened at its back end. The lower tab 11 that
protrudes from the back wall 2 is located at the lower edge of the
groove 17 that houses the longitudinal edge 18 of the base 3.
[0031] The front plate 4 is a metal track and comprises lateral
hook tabs 19 that are hooked into receptacle slots 20 of the
running tracks 6. A locking mechanism keeps the front plate 4 in
its hooked in position on the running track 6.
[0032] In the exemplary embodiment that is shown, an additional
locking mechanism on both ends of the front plate 4 comprises a
locking bolt 21 that can be moved in longitudinal direction and
whose lateral locking projecting part 22 can be pushed into a
recess 23 of the running track 6. The locking bolt 21 is arranged
in a mobile manner between the edge flanges 24 of the front plate 4
with said flanges being beveled towards the inside.
[0033] Similar to the inner walls 14, the inside of the back wall 2
comprises a groove 25 along the lower edge that accommodates the
back edge 26 of the base 3.
[0034] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1-6, the
front plate 4 is a metal track and is covered by a cover profile 30
made of plastic, for example. With a downward-facing edge strip 31,
the cover profile 30 engages on its upper, front edge between the
front trim 5 and the front plate 4 where it is clamped.
[0035] The two ends 32 of the cover profile 30 rest against the
inside of the inner wall 14 of the lateral wall cladding 7 and thus
support the front end of this lateral wall 14 and keep it from
shifting inward.
[0036] With its two lower, outer corners 32a, the cover profile 30
is located on the front in front of a rail 15 that protrudes from
inside on the lateral wall cladding 7. This ensures that the front
ends of the rails 15 keep and secure the cover profile 30 in its
position.
[0037] A horizontal rail 33 arranged along the inside of the cover
profile 30 forms a stop area 34 at each of its ends that rests
against a catch 35 that protrudes from the locking bolt 21 and thus
secures the locking bolt 21 in its lock position.
[0038] For the assembly of the furniture drawer in the embodiment
according to FIGS. 1-6, the two tabs 11, 12 are pushed into the
location holes 13 from the back. The front ends of the running
tracks 6 are connected to the front plate 4. The two lateral wall
claddings 7 then are placed over the two running tracks 6 and
pushed back until they rest against the back wall 2. After the base
3 is inserted from the front, the front trim 5 is screwed to the
front plate 4 and secures the base 3 in its position.
[0039] FIG. 2 shows that a face 27 of the lateral wall cladding 7
extends over the face 28 of the front plate 4. When the front plate
4 is screwed to the front trim 5 with screws 29, the front trim 5
exerts pressure on the lateral wall cladding 7 due to the tension
produced by the screwed connection, so that the back end of the
lateral wall cladding, which rests against the back wall 2, acts as
a support strut. At the same time, this also exerts tension on the
running track 6.
[0040] Deviating from the exemplary embodiment that is shown in
FIGS. 1-6, the front plate 4' in the exemplary embodiment according
to FIG. 7 is comprised of wood or wood material. The front end of
the running track 6' has tabs 36 that are beveled inward and
backward and extend into the location bores 37 of the front plate
4' from the front of the drawer. In this manner, a fixed connection
between the running track 6' and the front plate 4' or the back
wall 2, respectively, is provided on the front of the drawer that
is similar to that described for the back of the drawer, with the
lateral wall cladding 7 providing the support strut in this case as
well, which transmits a pressure force from the front trim 5 to the
back wall 2.
[0041] Apart from a screwdriver for the screw 29, no additional
tools are needed for the assembly of the furniture drawer.
* * * * *