CN117396106A - Adjustable support device for furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an adjustable support device (1) for furniture, suitable for being associated with a plate forming a side (F) of a piece of furniture for adjusting the position of the piece of furniture along an adjustment axis (Y-Y) substantially vertical with respect to a support surface. The device (1) comprises a mounting element (2) which can be fixed to an inner surface (F1) of said side portion (F) of the piece of furniture by means of at least one pair of fixing screws (13), said mounting element (2) comprising a central body (20) defining a through seat (20A) extending along said adjustment axis (Y-Y) and provided with an internal thread (20B), and an adjustment device (3) provided with a threaded rod (31) extending along said adjustment axis (Y-Y) and adapted to engage with said through seat (20A) of said mounting element (2), said adjustment device (3) being adapted to rest a first end (32) on said support surface and to operate in an axially rotatable manner to adjust, in use, the position of said side portion (F) with respect to said support surface. In particular, the device (1) further comprises a support insert (7) coupled with said mounting element (2) and defining at least one pair of housing seats (70) having an extension substantially orthogonal in use with respect to the inner surface (F1) of said side (F), each of said housing seats (70) supporting a respective one of said previously arranged fixing screws (13) in a pre-mounted position.

Description

Adjustable support device for furniture

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an adjustable support device for furniture, such as in particular a support foot adapted to be associated with a plate forming a side of a piece of furniture, for adjusting the vertical position of the furniture with respect to a substantially horizontal support surface, such as a floor.

Background

The support foot is adapted to adjust the vertical position of a furniture piece arranged on a support surface, the purpose of which is to compensate for possible irregularities of the support surface, as is well known in the industry. In particular, the support foot generally comprises two members, one inserted into the other, which can be axially slid relative to each other by means of an adjustment mechanism, which can be actuated using a suitable operating tool; the mutual movement between the two members allows the height of the furniture piece to be adjusted.

Typically, one of the members is integrally joined to the support surface, while the other member is adapted to engage a portion of the furniture piece, typically the side and/or bottom panels, and to restrain the other member thereto by suitable securing means.

To restrain a support device of the above type to the side of a piece of furniture, it is generally necessary to bring the device close to the inner surface of the side and in the vicinity of the lower edge, and then to insert them at the lower edge surface of the thickness portion, either by using reference pins or by press-fitting appropriate reference teeth in the thickness portion of the plate, so as to achieve the desired fitting position.

This is then accomplished by using one or more set screws which are inserted into suitable openings formed in the body of the device, with the screws being arranged in a direction substantially transverse to the inner surface of the side portions, and then screwed directly into the plate forming the side portions, in order to ensure the stability of the foot, in particular when the furniture piece is under load.

In this case, however, the assembly technician needs to choose the type and size of the screws used to secure the support feet to the sides of the furniture piece. Furthermore, the assembly technician may insert the screw into the plate in an incorrect direction.

Disclosure of Invention

The main task of the subject of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a practical and functional adjustable support device for furniture allowing the support device to be conveniently and quickly constrained to the side of a piece of furniture at a desired position.

Within the scope of the above task, the object of the present invention is to obtain an adjustable support device for furniture that is extremely simple to assemble.

Last but not least, the aim is to provide an adjustable support device for furniture which achieves the above-mentioned tasks and aims by using standard and known facilities, machines and equipment.

Drawings

The above task and objects, as well as other tasks and objects that will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a support device according to claim 1. The following claims define further characteristics of the support device according to the invention, which will be better illustrated in the description of specific but non-exclusive embodiments, and by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1A and 1B show an adjustable support device according to the invention in front and rear exploded views, respectively;

fig. 2A and 2B show an adjustable support device according to the invention in front and rear view, respectively, when assembled;

figure 3A shows in plan view an assembled adjustable support device according to the invention;

figure 3B shows a support device according to the invention, taken along the plane A-A of figure 3A; and

figure 4 shows in perspective view an adjustable support device according to the invention fitted in use on a piece of furniture.

Detailed Description

Referring to the above figures, there is shown an adjustable support device 1 according to the invention, suitable for being associated with a plate forming a side F of a furniture piece for supporting the furniture piece on a substantially flat and horizontal support surface, such as for example a floor, so as to allow adjustment of the vertical position of the furniture piece, i.e. along an adjustment axis Y-Y substantially perpendicular to said support surface.

In the following description, expressions such as "above", "below", "upper", "lower", "high", "low", "horizontal", "vertical", and the like will be used; those skilled in the art will readily understand that these expressions relate to the orientation of the support device 1 in the normal operating configuration, i.e. in use, as shown in the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B, said device 1 comprises a mounting element 2 which can be fixed to the inner surface F1 of the side F of the piece of furniture by means of fixing means 13, the mounting element 2 being provided with a central body 20, the central body 20 defining a through seat 20A extending along said adjustment axis Y-Y, substantially vertical in use, and the through seat 20A being advantageously provided with an internal thread 20B adapted to engage with an adjustment device 3 provided with a threaded rod 31, the end of which rests on said support surface and is adapted to operate in an axially rotatable manner, so as to adjust the position of said side F with respect to the support surface.

Advantageously, said adjustment means 3 have, at a first end of said threaded rod 31, a head 32 which, in use, is substantially directed towards the support surface, which head is preferably flat and enlarged, and can be associated by snap-coupling with a support base 4 configured to expand the surface area of the support means 1 on the support surface as much as possible, in order to unload the weight of the furniture piece in an optimal way.

At the opposite end of the rod 31, said adjustment means 3 preferably comprise a shaped seating 33A, which can engage with the tip of a suitable tool, suitable for applying an axial rotation to the rod 31 in the screwing/unscrewing direction, so as to adjust the position of the side F in the direction defined by said axis Y-Y.

Alternatively, advantageously, inside said shaped seat 33A, an engagement element 5 can be arranged, configured to receive the tip of an adjustment tool and transfer the rotation transmitted by the adjustment tool to the rod 31 of the adjustment device 3.

Said internal thread 20B, suitably of opposite shape to the thread of said rod 31, can be formed directly in the through seat 20A, so that, in use of the device 1, the rotation transmitted to the adjustment device 3 will cause the sliding of the mounting element 2 along the thread of said rod 31 and thus the adjustment of the position of the side F of the piece of furniture integrally joined to the mounting element along said adjustment axis Y-Y.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said device 1 comprises connection means 6 adapted to operatively connect said adjustment means 3 and said mounting element 2.

Advantageously, said connection means 6 define a through cavity 60A extending, in use, along said axis Y-Y, on which said internal thread 20B can be formed, so as to form a nut screw for said adjustment screw 3.

The connecting means 6 are therefore suitable for being mounted in advance on the rod 31 of the adjusting means 3 and for being seated in the through seat 20A of the mounting element 2, suitable for being integrally joined with the mounting element 2 by means of first coupling means 61, the first coupling means 61 being formed, for example, by pairs of elastically deformable wings which project from the connecting means 6 and respectively have, at the respective free ends, engagement teeth suitable for being inserted in a snap-fit manner into suitable engagement holes 26 provided on the mounting element 2.

Advantageously, said connection means 6 are formed by pairs of half-shells 6A, 6B, respectively carrying respective portions of said internal thread 20B, which can be mutually coupled by means of second coupling means 62 when the device 1 is assembled in a direction orthogonal to the axis Y-Y, for example, the second coupling means 62 being formed by a pair of wings projecting from one of the half-shells and adapted to be snap-fitted with opposite engagement seats 63 formed on the other half-shell, so as to form a closed and compact shell in which said through cavity 60A is defined.

In this way, advantageously, the connection means 6 can be associated with the threaded rod 31 of the adjustment means 3 without screwing, simply by positioning the first half-shell along the rod 31 and then snap-coupling the other half-shell.

Advantageously, the internal thread 20B of the through cavity 60A has an interruption at the upper end portion, so as to create an end of stroke which prevents the complete unscrewing of the adjustment device 3 by the mounting element 2.

In this way, by using a suitable tool to engage the shaped seat 33A or by means of the engagement element 5, a rotation in the screwing/unscrewing direction applied to the adjustment device 3 will cause the connection device 6 to slide along the threaded rod 31 of the adjustment device 3 and thus the mounting element 2, which mounting element 2 is mounted in use in an integrally joined manner with the side F, so that a desired adjustment of the piece of furniture along the Y-Y axis can be obtained with respect to the supporting surface of the piece of furniture.

Advantageously, said support device 1 can be fixed to the inner surface F1 of the side F of the piece of furniture, preferably the support device 1 is fixed to the inner surface F1 of the side F of the piece of furniture in the vicinity of the lower edge of the side, which is close to the floor in use. For this purpose, said mounting element 2 is advantageously fitted with a coupling flange 21 lying on the first plane P1 and adapted to be arranged, in use, to rest against said inner surface F1 of said side portion F.

Preferably, the coupling flange 21 is formed by a separate pair of flat portions, advantageously formed as a single piece with said central body 20, separated from the opposite sides of the central body and configured such that, in use, it lies on said first plane P1, substantially vertical, so as to rest against the inner surface F1 of said sides F.

Furthermore, said coupling flange 21 is advantageously provided with suitable through fixing holes 21A, in which fixing means 13, such as screws, can be inserted, so as to allow the device 1 to be stably fixed to the side F of the piece of furniture. Preferably, the pair of parts forming the coupling flange 21 each have at least one fixing hole 21A.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device further comprises a support insert 7, preferably made of polymeric material, which can be associated with the mounting element 2 and is configured to define at least one pair of housing seats 70, the housing seats 70 having, in use, an extension substantially orthogonal with respect to the first plane P1 and therefore with respect to the inner surface F1 of the side portion F, on which the portion forming the coupling flange 21 is located, each housing seat 70 being adapted to house and support a respective fixing screw 13 in the assembled position.

In other words, said support insert 7 allows to provide the support device 1 with fixing screws 13 more suitable for the particular use, which are advantageously arranged in advance in suitable pre-installation positions, in order to facilitate and rapidly fix the support device to the side F of the furniture piece.

Preferably, said housing seats 70 are each substantially formed with a channel 72, which channel 72 is open at one end in order to allow the insertion of the respective screw 13, and is closed at the opposite end with a bottom wall 71 lying on a substantially vertical plane, on which bottom wall 71A pre-mounted through hole 71A is formed.

The insert 7 further comprises a connecting portion 73 adapted to connect a pair of said housing seats 70 with a guiding and retaining means 74, such as for example a pair of preferably slightly inclined surfaces arranged and configured to cooperate with opposite inclined surfaces formed on the mounting element 2 to guide the coupling in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first plane P1 and to retain the coupling position achieved by interference.

Advantageously, when the insert 7 is associated with the mounting element 2, the connecting portion 73 extends around the central body 20 of the mounting element 2, so that the seats 70 are arranged in parallel and at opposite sides of the connecting portion, wherein the bottom wall 71 substantially abuts the coupling flange 21 and the pre-mounting holes 71A are substantially aligned with the fixing holes 21A.

Advantageously, the support device 1 further comprises reference means 8 adapted to allow a correct positioning and orientation of the mounting element 2 and to temporarily hold it in place before fixing it to the side F.

Preferably, said reference means 8 comprise a support flange 22, which support flange 22 is preferably formed by a pair of flat portions protruding from the lower edges of the pair of said portions forming said coupling flange 21 and lying on the same second substantially horizontal plane P2.

The support flange 22 is adapted to be inserted under a plate forming a side F of a furniture piece and cooperates to abut against a lower edge surface F2 of the side, thus forming an assembly reference and advantageously improving the load-bearing capacity of the device 1.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention, each of the portions forming the support flange 22 has at least one reference tooth 23, preferably in pairs, at the end free edge, projecting substantially orthogonally with respect to the relative portion and adapted to be press-fitted into the thickness of the plate forming the side of the piece of furniture, inserted from the lower edge surface F2 of this side, in order to firmly hold the mounting element 2 in place before it is stably fixed to the side F using the screw 13.

Preferably, as can be better seen from fig. 3A and 3B, said reference tooth 23 is arranged in a substantially mirror-image manner with respect to a plane of symmetry substantially orthogonal to said first plane P1, and the reference tooth 23 is located on a third plane P3, advantageously inclined with respect to said first plane P1 by an angle α, preferably comprised between 30 ° and 60 °.

In this way, advantageously, when the reference tooth is inserted from the lower edge surface F2 of the side portion F and said reference tooth 23 is press-fitted into the thickness portion of the side portion F, the reference tooth 23 is oriented along a plane inclined with respect to the inner and outer surfaces of the side portion F, preventing the inner and outer surfaces from deviating, in particular when the piece of furniture is under load, thus limiting the risk of breakage of the plate.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown in the figures, said reference means 8 may comprise at least one pin protruding from said mounting element 2, and preferably a pair of pins protruding from said coupling flange 21, which pins may be inserted into corresponding engagement seats suitably arranged on the inner surface F1 of the side portion F, so as to define a correct positioning of the mounting element before fixing the mounting element 2.

Thus, the support device 1 has been assembled when provided to the user, in particular wherein the insert 7 is firmly coupled to the mounting element 2, and wherein the set screws 13 have been previously positioned within the respective receiving seats 70, and preferably the set screws 13 have been partially screwed into the pre-mounting holes 71A, in order to arrange these components and hold them in the correct pre-mounting position.

The support device 1 can be fixed to the side F of the furniture piece by using said reference means 8, in particular by bringing said coupling flange 21 close to the inner surface F1 of the furniture piece near its lower edge, and positioning said support flange 22 at the lower edge surface F2.

Subsequently, pre-mounting of the device 1 on the side portion F is achieved by introducing reference teeth from the lower edge surface F2, said reference teeth 23 being press-fitted into the thickness portion of the side portion F until said support flange 22 substantially abuts the side portion.

At this time, the support device 1 can be fixed to the side F by inserting the screws 13 into the corresponding fixing holes 21A provided on the coupling flange 21 and passing them through them until they are completely screwed into the side F, which screws are advantageously arranged in advance at the pre-installation positions inside the respective housing seats 70 of the insert 7.

As shown in fig. 4, after the support device 1 is stably fixed to the side F of the furniture piece, a horizontal plate B, which forms the bottom of the furniture piece, may be arranged above the support device, which is preferably provided with a hole adapted to be formed through the thickness of the horizontal plate, to allow access to the adjustment device 3 using a tool, so that the desired adjustment can be made.

In summary, the support device 1 according to the invention clearly achieves the aims and advantages initially proposed. In particular, an adjustable support device for furniture resting on the ground has been obtained which allows an adjustment in height of the position of the furniture piece and provides a plurality of solutions making it absolutely practical and powerful.

In particular, the presence of the insert 7 allows to provide the support device 1 with a fixing device most suitable for the particular application, which advantageously has been pre-assembled in place in order to facilitate and rapidly fix the support device to the side F of the piece of furniture.

Furthermore, in this way, the assembly technician can be encouraged to use the provided fixing means, avoiding assembly errors that could damage the sides of the furniture piece and affect the durability of the support means.

Furthermore, the presence of the connection means 6 is advantageously formed in two separate half-shells, each provided with an associated threaded portion, to allow the connection means 6 to be adapted to be mounted on the rod 31 without screwing, simply by positioning the first half-shell along the rod 31 and then positioning the other half-shell to the rod 31. This allows to form an interruption of the thread 20B in the upper end portion of the connecting means 6, defining an end of stroke suitable for preventing the complete unscrewing of said adjustment means 3 from the mounting element 2.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variants can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of protection of the invention as defined in any one of the appended claims.

In addition, the materials used in the practice of the present invention, as well as the shapes and sizes of the various components, may be selected as desired.

Claims (10)

1. An adjustable support device (1) for furniture, the support device (1) being adapted to be associated with a plate forming a side (F) of a piece of furniture for adjusting the position of the piece of furniture along an adjustment axis (Y-Y), the adjustment axis (Y-Y) being substantially vertical with respect to a support surface, the device (1) comprising:

-a mounting element (2), the mounting element (2) being fixable to an inner surface (F1) of the side portion (F) of the piece of furniture by means of at least one pair of fixing screws (13), the mounting element (2) comprising a central body (20), the central body (20) defining a through seat (20A), the through seat (20A) extending along the adjustment axis (Y-Y) and being provided with an internal thread (20B),

-an adjustment device (3), the adjustment device (3) being fitted with a threaded rod (31), the threaded rod (31) extending along the adjustment axis (Y-Y) and being adapted to engage with the through seat (20A) of the mounting element (2), the adjustment device (3) being adapted to have a first end (32) resting on the support surface, and the adjustment device (3) being adapted to operate in an axially rotatable manner to adjust, in use, the position of the side (F) with respect to the support surface,

characterized in that the support device (1) further comprises a support insert (7), the support insert (7) being associated with the mounting element (2) and the support insert (7) defining at least one pair of housing seats (70), the housing seats (70) having an extension substantially orthogonal with respect to the inner surface (F1) of the side portion (F) in use, each of the housing seats (70) being preloaded with a respective screw of the set screw (13) to support the respective screw in a pre-mounted position.

2. Support device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the housing seats (70) are formed by channels open at one end (72) and closed at the opposite end by corresponding bottom walls (71), the bottom walls (71) lying on a substantially vertical same plane, each bottom wall (71) being provided with a pre-mounted through hole (71A), the through holes (71A) being adapted to allow pre-loading of the corresponding fixing screws (13) in the housing seats (70).

3. The support device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving seats (70) extend in parallel to each other and at opposite sides of the central body (20) in use, the insert (7) further comprising a connecting portion (73), the connecting portion (73) being configured to connect the receiving seats (70) and the connecting portion (73) extending around the central body (20).

4. Support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert (7) comprises guiding and retaining means (74), the guiding and retaining means (74) comprising a pair of surfaces arranged and configured to cooperate with corresponding surfaces formed on the mounting element (2) so as to guide the coupling in a direction substantially orthogonal to the inner surface (F1) of the side portion (F) and to retain the insert (7) on the mounting element (2) by interference.

5. The support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising connection means (6), said connection means (6) being adapted to operatively connect said adjustment means (3) and said mounting element (2), said connection means (6) being housed in said through seat (20A) of said central body (20), and said connection means (6) defining a through cavity (60A), on said through cavity (60A) being formed said internal thread (20B) adapted to cooperate with said threaded rod (31).

6. Support device (1) according to claim 5, wherein said connection means (6) are formed by a pair of half-shells (6A, 6B) each carrying a respective portion of said internal thread (20B), said half-shells (6A, 6B) being adapted to be mutually coupled in a direction orthogonal to said adjustment axis (Y-Y).

7. Support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting element (2) is provided with a coupling flange (21), the coupling flange (21) being located on a first plane (P1) and the coupling flange (21) being adapted to be arranged in use on the inner surface (F1) of the side portion (F), the coupling flange (21) being provided with a through fixing hole (21A), the through fixing hole (21A) being provided to engage with a corresponding screw of the fixing screw (13) for fixing the mounting element (2) to the inner surface (F1) of the side portion (F).

8. Support device (1) according to claim 7, further comprising a reference device (8), the reference device (8) comprising a support flange (22), the support flange (22) protruding from a lower edge of the coupling flange (21), and the support flange (22) lying in use on a second substantially horizontal plane (P2), the support flange (22) being adapted to be arranged against a lower edge surface (F2) of the side portion (F).

9. Support device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the reference device (8) further comprises at least one reference tooth (23), the reference tooth (23) protruding from the support flange (22), and the reference tooth (23) being adapted to be press-fitted into the thickness portion of the side portion (F) by insertion from the lower edge surface (F2) of the side portion (F).

10. Piece of furniture comprising at least one side (F) and an adjustable support device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.