CN210383278U - Shelf for a furniture element and furniture element comprising such a shelf - Google Patents

Abstract

A shelf (14) for a furniture element (12) includes at least one visible peripheral surface (28). Furthermore, the shelf (14) comprises a main body (30) made of metal or polymer material; and at least one peripheral element (36) adapted to be connected to said body (30), defining the at least one visible peripheral surface (28).

Description

Shelf for a furniture element and furniture element comprising such a shelf

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shelf for a furniture element and a furniture element comprising such a shelf.

Background

In the present description, the expression furniture element is meant to denote a furniture element, for example for use in a bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom or other similar room.

In particular, reference will be made to a type of furniture element which provides a structure comprising two side shoulders between which at least one shelf is arranged. However, this is mentioned only for illustrative purposes, since the technical solutions that will be described hereinafter are also applicable to different types of structures, in a manner that will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

It is known that in the most common solutions, the support of the shelves takes place at their side edges which rest or engage on pins in holes made on the side shoulders of the furniture element before screwing or insertion.

For example, the shelf may simply rest on a pin extending from the side shoulder. In this case, the shelf is thus not locked in position, but rests on a pin which may have a flat support surface to promote stability of the shelf.

In other solutions, the shelf is more stable than the side shoulders, since it is designed with a groove on the lower surface for each plug. Typically, the slots formed in the shelves have an inverse shape with respect to the plugs, so that there is no gap between the shelves and the side shoulders. In this technical solution, once the plug has been arranged on the lateral shoulder, the shelf is made to slide inside the lateral shoulder until the plug is housed in the corresponding cavity.

Alternatively, it is known to provide a support similar to a small shelf, wherein the support surface of the shelf is substantially flat. In some cases, the shelf may be locked with screws that are inserted into corresponding slots in the support and screwed onto the lower surface of the shelf.

It is well known that if a shelf is not sufficiently rigid and precisely because it is supported only along its outer periphery, in particular on two opposite sides, it may be subject to deformations due to loads of even moderate nature. Typically, the scaffold is folded in the central region such that the degree of arching visible to the naked eye rises.

This problem is particularly pronounced in the case of shelves having a considerable width, for example greater than 90 cm.

Moreover, in the case of wooden furniture elements for the mass market, both the shoulders and the shelves are made of a material of not too high quality, such as chipboard with veneer sheets, which ensures lower costs, but in the case of reduced thickness, which does not guarantee sufficient rigidity.

Even if higher quality materials are used, such as for example solid wood shelves, it is necessary in some applications to use a thickness suitable for the purpose.

In certain types of furniture elements, it is also known to use very rigid shelves made of metal or glass. Typically, metal shelves are used in applications where aesthetic effects are not particularly sought. On the other hand, glass shelves are commonly used in furniture elements for bathrooms or for display cases, where the search for aesthetic value is particularly welcome, even at the expense of the possible fragility of the shelf.

For these reasons, although the shelves thus manufactured are particularly rigid, they are not suitable for use in furniture elements where special aesthetic effects are valued, but must be functional in any case, for example for kitchen or bathroom furniture.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Therefore, a need is felt to solve the drawbacks and limitations mentioned with reference to the prior art.

Thus, a need is felt for a rack having a satisfactory appearance and at the same time being suitable for withstanding the expected loads without deforming.

Moreover, the need is felt to have a relatively small thickness compared to the structure of the furniture element, while allowing a shelf supporting higher loads with respect to the shelves of equal thickness and size of the prior art.

Furthermore, a need is felt for a stable shelf that can be simply mounted and locked in place.

This need is met by the shelf for furniture elements and the furniture element of the present application.

A shelf for a furniture element according to the present application comprising at least one visible perimeter surface, the shelf comprising: a body made of a metal or polymer material; and at least one perimeter element adapted to be connected to the body, defining at least one visible perimeter surface.

Further, the main body comprises an upper plate and a lower plate, the upper plate and the lower plate facing each other, between which at least one first connection element is arranged, rigidly connected to the upper plate and the lower plate.

Further, the upper plate and the lower plate have a substantially parallel position.

Further, the upper plate and the lower plate have a thickness between 1.2mm and 2.0 mm.

Further, at least one of the upper and lower plates has an end portion which is bent towards the outside of the shelf to serve as a support surface for the shelf to a wall or to a part of a furniture element.

Further, the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is between 5.0mm and 25.0 mm.

Further, the first connecting member is positioned in parallel with the front edges of the upper and lower plates.

Further, the first connection element is arranged near the front of the body.

Further, the body comprises a second connection element.

Further, the body is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

Further, the main body comprises a seat for a peripheral element suitable for being connected to the main body.

Further, the seat is a slot having a length substantially corresponding to the width of the main body, and thus substantially corresponding to the width of the shelf.

Further, the peripheral element comprises connection means adapted to connect the peripheral element to the main body.

Further, the connecting means may comprise two wings projecting from a surface opposite to the visible perimetral surface of the perimetral element, the two wings being positioned substantially parallel to each other and adapted to engage corresponding seats of the main body.

Further, both wings may comprise ridges that project towards the outside of the wings themselves.

Further, the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is between 6.0mm and 20.0 mm.

According to another aspect of the application, a furniture element is disclosed, comprising the aforementioned shelf.

Further, the furniture element comprises at least one shoulder adapted to support at least one shelf; providing support means on at least one shoulder, the support means extending from the shoulder for at least one shelf; the body comprises coupling means coupled with the support means.

Further, the main body comprises an upper plate and a lower plate, the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate forming coupling means at the ends of the shelf.

Further, the first connecting member serves as an abutting portion of the front supporting device.

Further, the first connection element is arranged with at least one fixation hole for locking the position of the shelf relative to the support means by means of the fixation element.

Further, the coupling means is a slit.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following description of preferred and non-limiting embodiments of the invention, in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a furniture element according to the invention;

fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a component of a furniture element according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the side end of the component of FIG. 2;

fig. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the furniture element in fig. 1;

fig. 5 shows a schematic top view of the furniture element in fig. 1;

fig. 6 shows a schematic side sectional view of the furniture element in fig. 1;

fig. 7 shows a schematic exploded view of some components of a furniture element according to the invention; and is

Fig. 8 shows a schematic partial perspective view of a component of a furniture element according to the invention.

Elements or parts of elements common to the embodiments described below are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a rack for furniture elements 12 according to the invention, indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 14.

The shelf 14 includes an upper surface 142, a lower surface 144, at least one invisible peripheral surface 146, and at least one visible peripheral surface 28.

The non-visible perimeter surface 146 represents a perimeter surface of the shelf that is not visible when the shelf is installed. Basically, with reference to fig. 1, it is shown that the furniture element 12 comprises two shoulders 16, 18 and a bottom 38, these being the surfaces of the shelf 14 facing the shoulders 16, 18 or the bottom 38 of the furniture element 12. In different types of furniture elements, the invisible peripheral surface may for example face a wall.

Conversely, the visible perimeter surface 28 represents the perimeter surface of the shelf 14 that is visible in use. Generally, the visible perimeter surface may be a front perimeter surface of the shelf 14. In some applications (not shown in the drawings), the visible peripheral surface 28 may be temporarily covered with one or more doors, for example.

The shelves 14 can be integrated in the furniture element 12 in different ways, for example depending on the type of furniture element 12.

In the case of a rack 14 for furniture elements 12 such as bookcases, shelves, wardrobes, the rack may be supported at two non-adjacent ends 40, 42 of the rack 14.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5, the furniture element 12 may include two shoulders 16, 18 and a base 38. In the present description, reference will be made to a furniture element 12 of this type, it being understood that, as mentioned above, this reference is for illustrative purposes only, as the principles of the invention are also applicable to different types of structures.

The furniture element 12 comprises a support means 20, 22, 24, 26 arranged on at least one shoulder 16, 18. In this regard, referring also to fig. 7, the shelves may include respective coupling devices 32, 34 located at both ends 40, 42.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the support means 20, 22, 24, 26 may be projecting pins which can be screwed or fixed to the respective shoulder 16, 18. Advantageously, for each shoulder 16, 18, two of said support means 20, 22, 24, 26 can be arranged in mutual position.

The respective coupling means 32, 34 may comprise, for example, slots (not shown) having an inverse shape with respect to said support means 20, 22, 24, 26. Thus, once the shelf 14 has been positioned such that the support means are within the respective slots, the shelf cannot move in a horizontal direction or even move downwardly.

According to one possible alternative embodiment of the invention, the coupling means 32, 34 may be grooves arranged on two invisible peripheral surfaces 146. As shown in the enlarged detail in fig. 2 and 3, the coupling means 32, 34, in this case the slots, may have a length substantially corresponding to the depth of the shelf 14 and may be arranged on the peripheral surface 146 on both sides not exposed to the exposed peripheral surface 28.

Advantageously, the groove arranged on the invisible side surface 146 may extend all the way to the end opposite the visible side surface 28. This embodiment is shown in fig. 3.

In this case, to position the shelf sufficiently to grasp it, the rear of the slot is positioned so that the front support means 22, 26 are contained within the slot itself. Once the front support means are in the respective slots, the shelves slide towards the inside of the furniture element 12, so that the rear support means 20, 24 are also received in the slots. The shelf must then be slid further until it contacts the bottom of the furniture element (if present) or until the desired position is reached.

The shelf 14 includes a body 30 made of metal or of a polymeric material.

Advantageously, the body may be made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy.

Referring to the enlarged portions of fig. 2 and 3, the body 30 may include an upper plate 44 and a lower plate 46 facing each other. Advantageously, upper plate 44 and lower plate 46 may have a substantially parallel position.

The upper and lower plates 44, 46 may have a thickness of between 1.2mm and 2.0mm, preferably between 1.5mm and 2.0 mm.

According to one possible embodiment, the distance between the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 46 may be between 5.0mm and 25.0mm, preferably between 6.0mm and 20.0 mm.

The distance between the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 46 may form the coupling devices 32, 34 at the ends 40, 42 of the shelf 14. Essentially, the distance between the two plates defines a gap which acts as a coupling means.

Between the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 46 at least one first connecting element 48 is provided, which is rigidly connected to the upper plate and the lower plate. The connecting element 48 may be an element having a similar thickness as the upper and lower plates 44, 46. Advantageously, the connecting elements 48 are positioned substantially perpendicular to the position of the upper and lower plates 44, 46.

In particular, the connecting element 48 may be positioned parallel to the exposed peripheral surface 28. Advantageously, the connecting elements 48 may also be positioned parallel to the front edges of the upper and lower plates 44, 46.

Advantageously, the connecting element 48 may have a transverse extension substantially coinciding with the width of the shelf 14.

The first connection element 48 may have a height of between 5.0mm and 25.0mm high, preferably between 6.0mm and 20.0 mm.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the connecting element 48 is disposed near the front 54 of the body 30. Advantageously, the connecting element 48 may serve as a stop for the support device 22, 26 when the shelf is arranged in a furniture element.

Referring again to the possible embodiment shown in fig. 3, the connecting element is arranged with at least one fixing hole 56, 58 for locking the position of the shelf 14 relative to the support means 26, 22 by means of the fixing elements 562, 582. In a possible embodiment, shown for example in fig. 6 and 7, the fixing elements 562, 582 may be screws suitable for cooperating with respective seats provided on the support means 26, 22. In alternative embodiments not shown in the drawings, the securing element may be a pin, interlocking fastener, or the like.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the body 30 includes a second connection element 50.

The second connecting element 50 may have a height substantially corresponding to the height of the first connecting element 48. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the second connecting member 50 may be arranged substantially parallel to the position of the first connecting member 48.

According to one possible embodiment of the invention, the transverse width of the second connecting element 50 can be smaller than the transverse width of the main body 30, and therefore smaller than the transverse width of the shelf 14.

The function of the connecting element is to stiffen the body of the shelf. In essence, in addition to enabling the connection and mutual spacing of the upper and lower plates, the connecting elements allow to make the body more robust while trying to contain the weight of the body itself.

In alternative embodiments not shown in the drawings, the connecting elements may be more than two. Moreover, the skilled person will be able to determine its positioning according to specific needs.

In a possible embodiment, such as that shown in fig. 2, at least one of the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 46 has an end 47 curved towards the outside of the shelf 14, to act as a bearing surface for said shelf 14 against a wall or against a part of the furniture element 12.

According to one possible embodiment of the invention, the body 30 can be made by drawing (drawing). Advantageously, the drawing direction may be parallel to the front portion 54 of the body 30. In this way, it is possible to manufacture the body 30 comprising the upper plate 44, the lower plate 46 and the at least one connecting element 48, 50 directly by drawing. In this case, the upper plate 44, the lower plate 46 and the at least one connecting element 48, 50 are integral and do not require further operations, such as welding.

The shelf further includes at least one peripheral member 36 adapted to be coupled to the body 30 defining the at least one visible peripheral surface 28.

The main body 30 may comprise a seat 52 for the peripheral element 36 adapted to be connected to the main body 30.

According to a possible embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 3, the seat 52 can be arranged on a front portion 54 of the main body 30.

Also, the seat 52 may be a slot having a length that substantially coincides with the width of the main body 30 and thus the width of the shelf 14.

In the embodiment best seen in fig. 2 and 3, the slot may be defined by the distance between the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 46.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown in the drawings, the seat 52 may be of a different type, for example at least one hole suitable for coupling with at least one pin arranged on the peripheral element. Moreover, the seats 52, if more than one, may advantageously be distributed in the front portion of the main body 30.

The shelf 14 further includes at least one peripheral member 36 adapted to be coupled to the main body 30 to define the at least one visible peripheral surface 28.

Referring to fig. 8, the peripheral element 36 includes attachment means 60 adapted to attach the peripheral element 36 to the body 30.

In a possible embodiment, the connection means 60 can comprise two wings 62, 64, which project from the surface of the peripheral element 36, are arranged in a position substantially parallel to each other, suitable to engage the corresponding seats 52 of the main body 30.

Thus, the two wings 62, 64 may extend along the perimeter element and thus have substantially the same length.

The two wings 62, 64 may be disposed on a surface opposite the exposed peripheral surface 28. Advantageously, the two wings 62, 64 may have a position substantially perpendicular to the exposed peripheral surface 28.

The two wings 62, 64 may include ridges 66, 68, 70, 72 that project outward of the wings themselves.

In one possible embodiment, the ridges 66, 68, 70, 72 may be made of rubber and arranged on the wings 62, 64 in a manner known per se.

In order to connect the main body 30 and the peripheral element 36, it is therefore sufficient to position the wings 62, 64 in the seat 52 and to apply pressure on the peripheral element 36 towards the main body 30. Advantageously, the amount of pressure to be applied can be adjusted during the design of the perimeter element 36 by determining the stiffness of the wings 62, 64.

The peripheral element 36 is prevented from being pulled out due to the friction between the outer portions of the wings 62, 64 and the inner surface of the seat 52.

Obviously, this friction can be increased by creating suitable projections on the inner surface of the seat and/or on the outer surface of the wings 62, 64.

In particular, the connection between the body 30 and the peripheral element 36 may be of the snap-fit type, in which one or both parts undergo elastic deformation to couple and stabilize the connection, but are reversible.

According to an alternative embodiment, not shown in the figures, the seat 52 may be a hole formed in the front portion of the body 30, recessed with respect to the edge of the body 30. In this case, the connecting means 60 may be, for example, a nail with an elastically deformable head which can be inserted into the hole and prevented from being subsequently extracted. Relative movement between the body 30 and the peripheral elements may be prevented by allowing the peripheral elements to be at least partially contained within the space created by the recessed front portion relative to the front edge of the body.

Thus, the advantages that can be achieved by the present invention are apparent.

First of all, the shelf according to the invention allows to minimize the thickness for the same load to be supported, with respect to the shelves of the prior art.

It is for instance possible to manufacture wooden furniture elements and to use shelves according to the invention, which are made of metal or polymer material.

Furthermore, it is also possible to customize the shelf to provide the perimeter element with a surface texture similar to the surface texture of the structure of the furniture element. This may be achieved by a wooden insert placed on the visible surface of the perimeter element, or for example by an adhesive having a predetermined design.

Furthermore, it is possible to make the peripheral element at least partly of wood. In this case, the surface may be made of wood similar to that of the rest of the furniture element, and the connecting elements 60 are made of a polymer material, fixed to each other in a manner known per se.

Another advantage that can be achieved by the shelf according to the invention is that it allows simple assembly of the shelf itself on specially designed furniture elements as well as on existing furniture elements.

In fact, during a possible assembly process in the case of furniture elements, comprising for example two shoulders, once the support means 20, 22, 24, 26, for example pins, have been mounted, the body 30 is positioned so that the support means 20, 22, 24, 26 are inserted into the respective coupling means 40, 42, for example slots. Insertion continues until the device 22, 26 is located on the first connection element, or the invisible peripheral surface 146, opposite the visible peripheral surface 28, is located on the bottom of the furniture element, or on the wall if no bottom is provided. Subsequently, the body can be fixed on the first connection element 48 by coupling the fixing means 562, 582 and the front support means 22, 26 through the respective fixing holes 56, 58. However, this step may not be considered or necessary.

The peripheral element 36 is then positioned as described above.

The positioning is thus simple, immediate and in particular stable.

Furthermore, in aesthetically pleasing applications, it is possible to use metal shelves, since the perimeter elements may be customized, for example with a color and/or texture and/or vein similar to the rest of the structure of the furniture element.

Further, it is also possible to coat the upper surface 142 and/or the lower surface 144 with an adhesive coating. This adhesive coating may have a color and/or texture and/or vein similar to the remaining structure of the furniture element.

A person skilled in the art may make several changes and/or substitutions of elements having equivalent elements to those described in the above embodiments to meet specific needs without departing from the scope of the present application.

For example, these solutions are possible, where the rack is not locked in place, but merely inserted.

Moreover, solutions are also possible in which the connecting elements between two material plates are more than two and are arranged in different ways, for example perpendicular to each other.

These solutions are possible, in which more than one peripheral surface 28 is visible, and therefore the presence of a plurality of peripheral elements 36 can be provided.

Moreover, the same principles of the invention may be advantageously applied to furniture elements not mentioned in this description, such as tables, where shelves may be compared with support surfaces.

Finally, in the present description, a shelf having a rectangular surface and comprising four side edges has been mentioned, however, the invention is also applicable to shelves having different shapes, for example in the case of a support surface having a triangular shape with three side edges.

Claims (22)

1. Shelf for furniture elements, said shelf (14) for furniture elements (12) comprising at least one visible perimeter surface (28), characterized in that it comprises:

a body (30) made of a metal or polymer material; and at least one peripheral element (36) adapted to be connected to the body (30), defining said at least one visible peripheral surface (28).

2. The stand according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body (30) comprises an upper plate (44) and a lower plate (46), the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) facing each other, at least one first connecting element (48) being provided between the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) rigidly connected thereto.

3. The stand according to claim 2, wherein the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) have a substantially parallel position.

4. The rack according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) have a thickness between 1.2mm and 2.0 mm.

5. The stand according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) has an end portion which is bent towards the outside of the stand (14) to serve as a bearing surface for the stand (14) against a wall or against a part of the furniture element (12).

6. The rack according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) is between 5.0mm and 25.0 mm.

7. The stand according to claim 2, wherein the first connecting element (48) is positioned parallel to the front edges of the upper and lower plates (44, 46).

8. The stand according to claim 2, wherein the first connection element (48) is arranged near a front portion (54) of the main body (30).

9. The stand according to claim 2, wherein the main body (30) comprises a second connection element (50).

10. The stand according to claim 1, wherein the main body (30) is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

11. The stand according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body (30) comprises a seat (52) for the peripheral element (36) adapted to be connected to the main body (30).

12. The stand according to claim 11, characterized in that the seat (52) is a slot having a length substantially coinciding with the width of the main body (30) and thus with the width of the stand (14).

13. The stand according to claim 11, wherein the peripheral element (36) comprises connection means (60) adapted to connect the peripheral element (36) to the main body (30).

14. The stand according to claim 13, wherein the connecting means (60) can comprise two wings (62, 64) projecting from a surface opposite to the visible perimeter surface (28) of the perimeter element (36), positioned substantially parallel to each other, suitable to engage corresponding seats (52) of the main body (30).

15. The stand according to claim 14, characterized in that the two wings (62, 64) comprise ridges (66, 68; 70, 72) which project towards the outside of the wings themselves.

16. The rack according to claim 6, wherein the distance between the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) is between 6.0mm and 20.0 mm.

17. Furniture element, characterized in that the furniture element (12) comprises at least one shelf according to any of the preceding claims.

18. -furniture element according to claim 17, characterized in that the furniture element (12) comprises at least one shoulder (16, 18) adapted to support at least one of the shelves (14); -providing support means on said at least one shoulder (16, 18), said support means protruding from said shoulder (16, 18) for at least one of said shelves (14); the body (30) comprises coupling means (32, 34) to which the support means are coupled.

19. -furniture element according to claim 18, characterized in that the main body (30) comprises an upper plate (44) and a lower plate (46), the distance between the upper plate (44) and the lower plate (46) forming coupling means (32, 34) at the ends of the shelf (14).

20. The furniture element according to any of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the first connection element (48) serves as an abutment for the front support.

21. Furniture element according to claim 20, characterized in that the first connection element is arranged with at least one fixing hole (56, 58) for locking the position of the shelf (14) relative to the support device by means of a fixing element (562, 582).

22. The furniture element according to claim 19, characterized in that the coupling means are slits.

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