DE102022106238B3 - Device for preventing furniture from shaking and use thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for providing a compensating height at a distance from a base in order to prevent a piece of furniture comprising at least four legs from wobbling, comprises a first shelf (3A) rising from a front edge (1) to a rear edge (2), and is characterized in that the first storage surface (3A) is arranged between two vertical cheeks (4A, 4B), which can be placed on the ground with their underside (5) located in one plane, the height (H1) of the front edge (1 ) is in the region of the height of the underside (5), whereas the likewise measured height (H2) of the rear edge (2) is at a distance from a top side (6) delimiting the cheeks (4A, 4B) at the top, and further the first Storage surface (3A) opposite a second storage surface (3B) is arranged, on which a leg of the piece of furniture can be parked when the device with its top (6) abgeste on the ground llt ist.The invention also relates to the use of such a device.

Description

introduction

The invention relates to the field of devices for preventing furniture from shaking. In particular, the invention relates to a device for preventing tables and chairs with at least four legs from wobbling.

State of the art and disadvantages

Four-legged furniture such as tables or chairs are only stable if all legs are in contact with the ground at the same time. If the furniture has at least one leg with a different length due to manufacturing tolerances, wear and tear or excessive stress, or if the substructure is not sufficiently level, this will cause the furniture to wobble.

By placing objects of a suitable height underneath, the difference in length can be compensated for so that the furniture stands firmly again.

In addition to misused objects such as beer mats or other flat objects, various devices for length compensation of the legs of furniture or for bridging a distance between the underside of a leg and the ground are known from the prior art.

For example, the publications disclose U.S. 4,830,320A , U.S.A. 4,135,335 and U.S. 881,665 p simple wedges with roughened surfaces.

A disadvantage of such simple solutions based on a single wedge lies in the coupling of wedge angle and wedge length to achieve an achievable height. In principle, any height compensation can be achieved with a wedge of any length and a sufficiently flat (and thus finely adjustable) wedge angle; in practice, however, there are limits to the length of the wedge. It is true that the wedge angle can always be increased; However, if the wedge angle is too steep, the wedge will slip under the weight-bearing leg; in addition, the fine adjustment is no longer given at angles that are too large.

A leveling equalizer for electric hotplates is from the reference DE 71 21 637 U known. This can include both one and two interacting wedges. However, for a given length, both proposed solutions can only compensate for a limited height.

pamphlet U.S. 421,374 p suggests stacking multiple wedges to get larger wedge angle. Other references suggesting stacking of individual wedges to increase overall height are from the references GB 2 363 978B and U.S. 2015/0 289 649 A1 known.

Such constructs are somewhat more complicated to handle because of their multiple parts; in addition, it must always be ensured that the wedges remain fixed to one another during use.

pamphlet U.S. 4,776,548 A finally proposes a ramp with a wedge-shaped object on which to place the leg, which object can be fixed at different heights of the ramp. It is true that such a construction permits the provision of a contact surface for the leg that is essentially parallel to the ground; However, here too it must be ensured that the object remains firmly connected to the ramp at all times during operation, which leads to a construction that is not very simple.

In addition, there is always the danger that a leg sliding sideways off the device will cause a certain amount of damage, for example due to objects placed on a table and falling over due to the sudden tilting.

Object of the invention and solution

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a device which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

Accordingly, the device should offer a large height range for setting up the leg with a limited length and should be constructed as simply as possible. In particular, even in the case of large compensation heights, the risk of the leg of a piece of furniture placed on the device sliding down undesirably should be reduced.

The object is achieved by a device according to claim 1 and the use of such a device according to claim 10. Advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims, the following description and the figures.

description

The device serves to provide a compensating height spaced from a subsurface for the purpose of avoiding wobbling of a piece of furniture comprising four legs. The under The reason can be a level floor, but also, for example, an uneven surface such as a terrace. The compensation height serves to bridge the distance between the lower end of the leg and the underlying ground. It is typically 0.5 to 5.0 cm, but can also be larger or smaller.

The device comprises a first storage surface that rises from a front edge to a rear edge. This is basically comparable to the (upward-facing) shelf of a known wedge; its upper side also rises from a front to a rear edge and serves to accommodate the lower end of the leg.

In the present case, “front” refers to that peripheral side of the device on which the storage area is arranged closer to the ground; "Rear" means the opposite side. "Below" means the downward side of the device when placed on the ground such that the shelf is closer to the ground; "Top" means the opposite side.

The device according to the invention is now characterized in that the first storage surface is arranged between two vertical cheeks, which can be placed on the ground with their underside located in one plane. It is conceivable that the underside has full-area contact with the subsurface, or only at several selected points, for example in the corners of the underside.

The height of the leading edge measured from the underside is in the range of the height of the underside; that is, this height is zero or close to zero, that is, the leading edge is approximately at the lower front edge of the cheeks, or slightly above (higher).

In contrast, the height of the rear edge, which is also measured (ie also from the underside), is at a distance from the upper side of the device, which delimits the cheeks at the top. In other words, said rear edge does not end approximately at the height of the upper rear ends of the cheeks, but is clearly spaced from the upper side in the plane of which these upper rear ends lie.

According to the invention, the plane of the upper side is parallel to the plane of the underside.

Furthermore, a second shelf is arranged opposite the first shelf. One leg of the piece of furniture can be parked on this when the device is parked with its upper side on the ground, ie upside down.

The construction described can therefore be placed either with its underside or with its top on the ground. Since the storage surface, which can be used on both sides, is asymmetrically offset in the direction of the underside in relation to the horizontal center plane of the device, this means that when the device is used in the position first described above (underside points downwards), the compensation height provided has a range of approx. 0 cm covers up to the rear edge of the first shelf; if the device is used upside down, the compensation height starts at about the height of the rear edge of the second shelf, and continues up to the total height of the device. In this way, a large height difference can be bridged with a comparatively short overall length of the device.

Depending on the configuration of the cheeks, these provide protection on both sides of the shelf against unwanted lateral sliding down of the leg, comparable to a small wall. It is clear that the width of the shelves, i.e. the distance between the typically parallel cheeks, must be at least slightly larger than the width of the leg of the piece of furniture so that it can also accommodate the leg.

The invention thus avoids the disadvantages known from the prior art.

The invention offers a large height range for setting up the leg with a limited length. It has a very simple structure, since it only consists of a single part and does not include any moving or movable parts. In particular, even with large compensation heights, the device reduces the risk of an undesired lateral sliding down of the leg of a piece of furniture placed on the device.

Various embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below.

The first shelf and the second shelf are preferably parallel to one another. This means that the shelves are provided by the two sides of a plate that is essentially of the same thickness and is 1 mm to 5 mm, for example. If the device, and in particular the plate, is made of plastic or metal, such a thickness is usually sufficient in terms of the stability that can be achieved.

The plate can also have a different thickness in the area of the front edge and/or the rear edge exhibit than in the middle range. In this way, the minimum compensation height in particular can be reduced to almost zero, while the thicker middle area still ensures good stability.

The plate can also be designed in a stepped manner, and in this way have a plurality of adjoining “pedestals” that are essentially parallel to the base and are at different distances from the top and bottom. This can help prevent the leg from slipping down. It is even conceivable that the steps have a sawtooth profile, in which the front edge of a step is slightly higher than its rear edge, which is then followed by the next higher step.

According to the invention, the height of the front edge measured from the underside is between 0 cm and 0.5 cm. This means that even very small height differences between the leg and the ground can be compensated. This height is particularly preferably as close to zero as possible, insofar as this is structurally possible. The front edge can also be beveled for this purpose.

Preferably the height of the trailing edge is spaced between 40% and 60% of the overall height of the device; it is particularly preferably 50%. This means that the trailing edge is located approximately in the horizontal center plane of the device. If it is lower, there will be a "gap" in the level of compensation that can be covered, which is undesirable. If it is above that, there is an "overlap" of the compensation height, which is more advantageous.

By turning the device over, you can switch from a first area of the compensation height to a second area. The two areas should merge into one another as seamlessly as possible, although they may have a slight overlap.

Preferably the overall height of the device is 7 cm ± 1.5 cm. With this total height, most of the compensation heights that are required in practice can be provided. It is clear that other overall heights can also make sense, depending on the nature of the furniture and the underground.

The wedge angle of the shelf is preferably 10° ± 3°. Tests have shown that such an angle leads to good self-locking between the leg and the shelf (especially if the same is roughened) and, with a reasonable length of the shelf (e.g. 4 cm to 8 cm), to a sufficient (partial) compensation height of several centimeters, which can be doubled again by turning the device over.

In the case of a stepped shelf, the step height can preferably be in steps of 1.0 to 3.0 mm. The length of a step should be adjusted to the width of the leg and be at least 50% of its width so that it still stands securely on the "pedestal". In the case of a sawtooth profile, the leading edge of a step may be 0.1 to 1.0 mm higher than its trailing edge.

The overall width of the device is preferably 5 cm ± 2 cm. With this width, most of the legs available in practice can be placed on the shelves.

The width of the cheeks, on the other hand, is preferably 1.0 cm±0.5 cm in each case. Even thinner stringers can damage the substrate (e.g. wood) or sink into it (earth) and lead to high buckling loads in the stringers. Thicker cheeks may unfavorably increase the overall width of the device.

The shelves and/or the top and bottom are preferably roughened. This reduces the risk of the leg slipping off the device or the device slipping on slippery surfaces.

According to one embodiment, the components "cheeks" and "storage surfaces" are manufactured in an integrated manner or at least permanently connected to one another.

According to another embodiment, the components are detachable from one another. This can be achieved in a simple manner in that the plate that provides the storage space can be inserted into a suitable slot in the respective cheek. If the cheeks are sufficiently wide (e.g. 1 cm) and the tolerances are sufficiently narrow, the device can initially be easily transported and stowed away in the form of plate-shaped bodies, and then, if required, can be set up in a few simple steps and possibly without tools by means of plugging into one another. Since the length of the shelves roughly corresponds to the length of the cheeks, the overhang is small. In addition, the width of the shelves can correspond approximately to the height of the device, and the thicknesses of the cheeks and the shelf plate can be similar or even identical, so that the device can be produced from three essentially identical semi-finished products.

The invention also relates to the use of a device as described above for compensating for a wobble of a piece of furniture leading distance between the underside of a leg of the furniture and the ground.

For this purpose, the device is first positioned in a position with its underside facing the ground with the front edge of its first shelf between the leg and the ground and pushed in the direction of the leg until the leg and the first shelf touch. Since the first shelf is rising, the feed movement, which can be generated either by hand or, due to the simplicity and robustness of the device, also by the foot of a user, will come to a standstill when said contact has taken place. In this case, the distance between the leg and the ground is bridged and wobbling is prevented.

However, if there is no contact because the distance between the leg and the ground is still too large, which is indicated by the leg passing the rear edge, then the device is turned over, ie now placed with its upper side on the ground. Then it is pushed in the direction of the leg again, but now with the rear edge of the second shelf, until the leg and second shelf touch, which in turn prevents further wobbling, provided that the distance is not greater than the maximum achievable compensation height of the device is.

If the maximum compensation height achieved is not sufficient, a flat object can be placed on the floor and the device placed on it.

character list

• 1 eine perspektivische Darstellung einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung mit nach unten orientierter Unterseite;
• 2 die Vorrichtung mit nach oben orientierter Unterseite;
• 3 eine Schnittansicht der Vorrichtung nach 1;
• 4 eine Schnittansicht der Vorrichtung nach 2.

The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to figures. while showing

• 1 a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention with the underside oriented downward;
• 2 the device with the bottom oriented upwards;
• 3 a sectional view of the device 1 ;
• 4 a sectional view of the device 2 .

In the 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention with the underside oriented downwards.

Accordingly, the device comprises a first storage area 3A rising from a front edge 1 to a rear edge 2 . This is arranged between two vertical cheeks 4A, 4B of height H0, which is also the height of the device. The cheeks 4, 4B can be placed on the ground (not shown) with their underside 5 located in one plane. The leg of a piece of furniture can be placed (not shown) on the storage surface 3A.

The height H1 of the front edge 1 measured from the underside 5 is in the range of the height (position) of the underside 5; here they are arranged in the same plane, H1 is approximately zero. Thus, even very small distances between the leg and the ground can be compensated.

In contrast, the height H2 of the rear edge 2 is at a distance from an upper side 6 delimiting the cheeks 4A, 4B at the top, ie not zero. The maximum compensation height that can be used at an in 1 shown alignment of the device can be achieved is the difference between H0 and H2 (residual height H3).

How out 2 can be seen who the device is made of 1 shows in the inverted position, the first shelf 3A opposite a second shelf 3B is arranged. The top 6 points down here, the bottom 5 up. A leg (not shown) can also be placed on the storage area 3B. The minimum height achievable in the position shown is H2. The maximum compensation height that can be achieved is the total height H0 of the device.

The leading edge 1 is beveled, which is also from the 3 and 4 it can be seen, the sectional views of the 1 or. 2 show. It can also be seen here that the two storage areas 3A, 3B are essentially parallel to one another. Height H2 corresponds to approx. 50% of the total height H0. In fact, it is slightly smaller than the residual height H3. This is in comparison of the side by side 3 and 4 recognizable. As a result, there is a small overlapping area between the achievable leveling heights of both layers, and a "gap" is avoided in this way. In 3 the wedge angle W is drawn in, which is approx. 10°.

reference list

1

leading edge

2

trailing edge

3A

first shelf

3B

second shelf

4A,4B

cheek

5

bottom

6

top

H0

overall height

H1

Height of the front edge

H2

trailing edge height

H3

residual height

B0

overall width of the device

B1

width of the cheek

W

wedge angle

Claims (10)

Device for providing a compensating height at a distance from a subsurface in order to avoid wobbling of a piece of furniture comprising at least four legs, comprising a first shelf (3A) rising from a front edge (1) to a rear edge (2), characterized in that the first shelf ( 3A) is arranged between two vertical cheeks (4A, 4B), which can be placed on the ground with their underside (5) located in one plane, the height (H1) of the front edge (1) measured from the underside (5) being im The range is between 0 cm and 0.5 cm, whereas the likewise measured height (H2) of the rear edge (2) from a plane of an upper side ( 6) is spaced apart, and further the first storage surface (3A) opposite a second storage surface (3B) is arranged, on which a leg of the piece of furniture can also be placed when the device ung is parked with its top (6) on the ground. device after claim 1 , wherein the first shelf (3A) and the second shelf (3B) are parallel to each other. Device according to one of Claims 1 until 2 , the height (H2) being between 40% and 60% of the overall height (H0) of the device. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the overall height (H0) is 7 cm ± 1.5 cm. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the wedge angle (W) of the shelf (3) is 10° ± 3°. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the overall width (B0) of the device is 5 cm ± 2 cm. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the width (B1) of the cheeks is 1.0 cm ± 0.5 cm in each case. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the shelves (3A, 3B) and/or the bottom and top (1, 2) are roughened. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the same is made from three identical semi-finished products which can be plugged into one another. Use of a device according to one of the preceding claims for compensating for a distance between the underside of a leg of the piece of furniture and the ground, which leads to wobbling of a piece of furniture, by the device in a position with its underside (5) pointing to the ground, first with the front edge (1) its first shelf (3A) between the leg and the ground and is pushed in the direction of the leg until the leg and the first shelf (3A) touch, or until the leg passes the rear edge (3B), whereupon the device is then turned over and with its The top (6) is placed on the ground and the rear edge (2) of the second shelf (3B) is pushed in the direction of the leg until the leg and second shelf (3B) touch.

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