EP0048225B1

EP0048225B1 - An assembly for fixing an article of furniture to adjacent wooden panels on a wall

Info

Publication number: EP0048225B1
Application number: EP81830160A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Natalino Vigano
Original assignee: MOVI SNC
Current assignee: MOVI S.R.L. TE AROSIO, ITALIE.
Priority date: 1980-09-17
Filing date: 1981-09-16
Publication date: 1984-12-12
Also published as: IT8024706A0; IT1132852B; ES260365Y; DE3167728D1; EP0048225A3; ES260365U; EP0048225A2

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly in accordance with the pre-characterising part of claim 1. The article of furniture can be of various types, such as for example a bracket, shelf, piece of furniture, hanger or similar. The adjacent panels preferably extend vertically.
An assembly in accordance with the pre-characterising part of claim 1 is known from CH-A-528245. This citation discloses an assembly for fixing an article of furniture to adjacent wooden panels with a slit therebetween, the panels being sandwiched between coplanar wings of the assembly behind the panels and parts of the assembly in front of the panels.
It is known from DE-A-2218915 to fix a bracket to a vertical pillar by means of a rectangular-plate-headed screw located in a slot in the pillar behind adjacent front faces of the pillar, the bracket being located in front of said front faces. This connection is very complicated.
The assembly of the invention is characterised by the features in the characterising part of claim 1.
An example of the assembly of the invention, not at all limitative of the possible embodiments, is presented in the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically a wood covering used for walls, with panels spaced one from the other so as to generate a slit of predetermined width between one panel and the following;
Figure 2 shows the block of the present invention in an isometric view;
Figure 3 shows the block of the present invention already assembled, coupled with a complementary element forming a single hanger;
Figure 4 shows, in an isometric view, the assembly of the block of Figure 2 with a complementary element suitable to support a bracket or a shelf;
Figure 5 is an axial section of a shelf assembled using the block and complementary element of Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows a third type of complementary element suitable to support furniture brackets;
Figure 7 shows, in a sectional view, a possible way of using the element of Figure 6.
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a wood covering used for vertical walls, on which it is possible to apply the assembly of the invention. To a wall 1 are fixed several wood panels 2, extending vertically with straight longitudinal borders, so that the correct positioning of two adjacent panels generates a slit 3 of predetermined width. These wood panels may be applied to the vertical wall in any suitable way.

As can be seen in the same figure 1, the aim of the invention is that of applying on the wood covering, in a simple and rapid manner so that no particular working experience is need, furniture articles such as, for example, a shelf 4, a piece of furniture 5, which can be made of any shape and dimensions, and a single hanger 6: naturally other articles may be assembled without for this reason departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
The block 7 is shown in Figure 2.
Its front part has a substantially parallelepiped shape, extending vertically and with a transversal width only slightly inferior to the slit formed between two panels, as specifically presented with reference to Figure 1. This block 7, which may be obtained by molding a suitable plastics material, is shaped so as to form in the rear part two opposing coplanar wings 8 and 9, protruding laterally, so as to make the block T-shaped in cross section. It presents in the middle of the front part, the opening of a threaded hole 10, above and below which two projections 11 and 12 are provided. The threaded hole 10, as is more precisely shown in Figure 7, may be constituted by a metallic ring 13 inserted during the molding in the plastics material of the block 7: annular grooves 14 are provided in order to be included in the plastics material and thus to constitute a constraint which prevents the axial slipping of the ring itself.
This block 7 is so made as to combine with a complementary element having any shape and purpose but being matchable to the device in such a way as to be connectable thereto by a screw engaging in the threaded hole 10; having a flat wall suitable to press against the external surface of the covering panels and to clamp the panels between itself and the rear wings 8 and 9, so that the whole system remains locked steadily on the panels; and by having two notches, or seats, suitable to receive the projections 11 and 12, thus constituting a coupling which, beside setting exactly the position of one part with respect to the other, serves to prevent their relative rotation.
A first example of the coupling between the block and a complementary element is shown in Figure 3, in which the latter is made of a single hanger 15 constituted, for example, by a metallic plate shaped so that inferiorly it presents a flat wall 16 suitable to rest against the external surfaces of the two adjacent panels: thus the thickness of each panel 2 is contained between the rear wings 8 and 9 of the block and the flat wall 16. In this case the screw 17 is represented by a suitably shaped external pin 18 which forms a part of the hanger and continues rearwardly with the screw 17 so that the tightening can be performed manually.
The wall 16 is provided in the rear part thereof with a vertical groove 19 having width equal to the horizontal width of the projection 12, so. as to receive these projections and to constitute a mutual constraint which hinders the relative rotation of the hanger 15 with respect to the block. It is evident that the wall 16 and the wings 8 and 9 constitute a clamp capable of tightening the panels' thickness by means of the screw 17.
Figure 4, which shows the relative positions of two panels and the way of applying the block 7 in the slit 3 generated between these panels, relates to the use of a complementary element 20 suitable to support a shelf. This complementary element is composed of a stirrup 21 having a rectangular shape in plan, obtained from a band, or a tape, sheared and suitably shaped; the ends of the two arms of this stirrup are completed by a crossbar 22 forming a flat wall, intended- to rest against the external surfaces of the panels 2. Axially the stirrup presents a turnable stem 23, which on one end protrudes through a hole from the front part 24 of the stirrup and there it presents a slot 25 for the use of a screw-driver, and on the other end it includes a shoulder 26 which, once the stirrup is applied, rests against the crossbar 22. On the other side of the crossbar 22, the stem 23 extends with a screw 27, passing through a relevant hole of the crossbar 22. Above and below the stem 23, the crossbar 22 presents two notches 28 and 29, suitably shaped and designed to receive exactly the projections 11 and 12 of the block.
The assembly is made by applying the crossbar 22 against the panels 2 in such a way that the projections 11 and 12 fit in the corresponding notches 28 and 29 and the screw 27 engages coaxially with the hole 10, so that rotating the stem 23 manually, at least initially, the screw 27 penetrates into the hole 10; finally the screwing can be completed using a screw- driver engaged in the slot 25, thus tightening the panels 2 between the wings 8 and 9 and the crossbar 22.
The assembling is completed, as shown in Figure 5, using a wood panel 30 presenting a cavity in which the stirrup 21 and the crossbar 22 fit exactly: other elements, not shown in Figure 5, can be provided between this panel 2 and the stirrup 21, in order to hinder the slipping.
A further example is given by the complementary element 31 (shown in Figures 6 and 7), capable of supporting the shelf of a piece of furniture. This element 31 is characterized by having a horizontal wall 32 which extends forward by means of two spaced arms between which a middle wall 33 rises vertically. The element is provided in the rear part with a flat vertical surface-34 which presents, on the upper and lower borders, the corresponding notches 35 and 36 intended to receive the projections 11 and 12 of the block 7, and a middle hole through which a screw 37 can penetrate and engage in the threaded hole 10.
As can be easily seen, the surface 34 is employed to tighten, between itself and the wings 8 and 9 of the device, the thickness of the panels 2 as soon as the locking of the screw 37 takes place. Once the element 31 is assembled, the piece of furniture is applied to it: this piece is usually lacking the back wall, allowing the upstanding wall 33 to penetrate in the cavity 38 provided in the shelf 39 of the furniture so that this shelf may rest on the horizontal wall 32. Suitable holes 40 provided on the above- mentioned wall 32 are needed for the engagement of screws, perhaps self-threading, fixing the shelf 39 to the element 31. In this case it is possible that the piece of furniture be supported by more than one element 31 assembled with the same numbers of blocks 7, and this both in the horizontal direction to support' only one shelf, and in the vertical direction to support several horizontal shelves.

Claims

1. A assembly for fixing an article of furniture (4, 5, 6, 30, 39) to adjacent wooden panels (2) fixed on a wall (1) with a slit (3) between the adjacent panels, the panels being sandwiched between coplanar wings (8, 9) of the assembly behind the panels and parts of the assembly in front of the panels, characterised in that the assembly comprises:

(i) a screw (17, 27, 37);

(ii) a block (7) which is preferably of plastics and has a front part which is substantially parallelepipedal with a width less than the width of the slit between the adjacent panels, the two coplanar wings (8, 9) extending sideways from the rear of the front part thus making the block T-shaped in cross-section, a threaded hole (10) extending rearwardly from the front face of the block and into which the screw is threaded, and two projections (11, 12) extending forwardly from said front face respectively above and below the hole; and

(iii) a complementary element (15, 20, 31) additional to or part of the article of furniture, having a hole through which the screw passes, and a rear face with at least one notch (28, 29, 35, 36) or seat (19) therein;

the assembly being mounted to the panels with the wings of the block behind the panels, the front part of the block in the slit between the panels and the complementary element in front of the panels, tightening the screw causing clamping of the panels between the wings of the block and the rear face of the complementary element, the projections on the block engaging at least one notch or seat on the complementary element to prevent relative rotation and movement between the block and the complementary element.

2. An assembly as in claim 1, in which the complementary element is a single hanger (1 5), obtained from a suitably shaped metallic plate, the seat being provided by a vertical groove (19) and the screw (17) constituting the axial extension of a pin element (18) forming a part of a hanger.

3. An assembly as in claim 1, in which the complementary element is a rectangular stirrup (21) positioned in a horizontal plane, having the ends of the two arms linked by a crossbar (22) forming said rear face, this face presenting on its upper and lower edges said notches (28, 29); a sturnable stem (23), positioned along the middle plane of the stirrup and supported between the rear face and the opposite end of the stirrup itself, presenting on the front side of the rear face the screw (27) intended to engage in the threaded hole of the block, the stem being rotated using a screwdriver; said complementary element being intended to support a shelf composed of a wood panel from whose rear edge a cavity capable of receiving such stirrup is opened.

4. As assembly as in claim 1, in which the complementary element (31) is capable of supporting the shelf (39) of a piece of furniture, and is constituted by a horizontal wall on which the shelf is intended to rest and by a vertical flat wall (34) providing said rear face, this vertical wall presenting, above and below, said notches (35, 36) and in the middle thereof said hole, this element being also provided with an upstanding vertical wall (33) penetrating in a cavity opening (38) in the lower part of the shelf to be supported.

5. A device as in claim 1, in which the threaded hole is represented by a metallic ring inserted in the plastics material of the block itself; this ring being so constrained that its axial slipping is prevented.