EP0063396B1

EP0063396B1 - Structural elements for realizing modular furniture

Info

Publication number: EP0063396B1
Application number: EP82200422A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ampelio Piarotto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-04-16
Filing date: 1982-04-05
Publication date: 1986-09-10
Also published as: IT1147290B; EP0063396A3; DE3273105D1; ATE21997T1; EP0063396A2; IT8184117A0

Abstract

The complex of structural elements for realizing composable furniture, comprising stiles, shelves and plugging panels, is characterized in that every stile has a substantially rectangular section and it comprises, on each face, grooves (2,8) for the insertion of pins (4, 4 min ) engaging horizontal panels and for the housing of vertical panels or seals.

Description

The present invention relates to a combination of structural elements for realizing modular furniture.
Structural elements for realizing modular furniture essentially comprising stiles, shelves, panels and members for the reciprocal jointed, fixed or movable connection of said elements are well known.
US-A-4 146 140 discloses a sturdy vertical beam having slotted sides with slotted rails into which shelves, cabinets and the like can be hung by means of carrier hooks.
FR-A-2.461.140 discloses a combination of modular elements suitable for realizing exposition or office stands, comprising square beams provided with vertical grooves with which transverse panels engage.
FR-A-2 370 452 discloses a combination of shelves having their faces provided with a multiple drilling into which supporting elements for horizontal panels engage.
FR-A-2 064 728 discloses a combination of structural elements for realizing furniture comprising a U cross section beam extending in a T portion and provided on its major faces with a keyhole shaped multiple drilling for the engagement of elements supporting the shelves.
The elements described in the cited Patents are generally realized with the height corresponding to the height of traditional rooms, and with the width and depth corresponding to standardized values allowing the manufacturer and the seller to limit the range of products to be stored at the warehouse.
Moreover some of these structural elements still present some drawbacks and in particular:

- extreme difficulty and laboriousness in engaging the shelves with the stiles,
- the impossibility to fit the furniture exactly to certain rooms of unusual dimensions,
- the need to disassemble wholly or partially an already realized piece of furniture in order to alter its configuration or in order to enlarge it,
- the need however to store elements of various sizes corresponding to different standardized measurements.

The object of the invention is to eliminate such drawbacks and to realize a combination of structural elements for the formation of furniture of any height and with functional features, variable according to their arrangement and utilization.
Another object of the invention is to realize a combination of semifinished and pre-varnished structural elements ready for use.
These objects are achieved according to the invention with a combination of structural elements for realizing modular furniture comprising stiles, horizontal panels and fixed or movable vertical panels, each stile having a substantially rectangular cross-section and a conformation symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane parallel to the major faces, characterized in that each stile comprises:

- at least a first mortise groove for side panels on one of the two minor vertical faces,
- a second groove for housing the vertical fixed panels or seals on each major face,
- a third longitudinal groove on each major face which is provided with multiple blind holes and has an inner portion which is wider than the opening;

and in that substantially cylindrical pins support the horizontal panels, each pin having an end portion and, adjacent thereto, radially projecting protrusions which are narrower in one plane than and wider in a plane perpendicular to the one plane than the opening of the third groove; the end portion and the radially projecting protrusions of the pin being passed through the opening of the respective third groove so that the end portion enters one of the blind holes, the pin then being turned about its longitudinal axis through 90° so that the radially projecting protrusions engage the walls of the inner portion of the third groove, thus preventing withdrawal of the pin.
The invention is hereinafter further clarified in a preferred embodiment with reference to the enclosed drawings in which:

the Fig. 1 shows in partial exploded perspective view a part of a stile of the combination according to the invention,
the Fig. 2 shows partially in plan view a part of a piece of furniture realized by the combination of elements according to the invention,
the Fig. 3 shows partially the stile according to the longitudinal section III-III of Fig. 2, and
the Fig. 4 shows in section view a stile in another embodiment of a stile.

As shown in the drawings, the combination of structural elements according to the invention comprises a stile or post 1 constituted by a board of length compatible with the machines for its formation and with the space for its storing; it is preferably realized in pre-varnished wood, and it presents a longitudinal dove-tailed groove 2 on each major face.
On the bottom of groove 2 a number of blind holes 3 are provided with fixed pitch, for the bayonet-engagement of a pin 4, 4' provided at one end with' flare-shaped extension 5 having an outline corresponding to the outline of the cross section of the groove 2.
At the opposite end each pin 4 is provided with an orthogonally projecting portion 6, while each pin 4' is provided with a conical niche 7; the function of the projecting portion 6 and of the niche 7 will be clarified later on.
Furthermore on each major face of the stile 1 a further substantially rectangular groove 8 is provided for insertion of back panels 9 or for the housing of seals 10 with doors 11.
Near the groove 2, the stile 1 is moreover provided with a further rectangular groove 12 for the insertion of the side panel 13 of the piece of furniture. The edges of the end face nearest to the groove 8 have a part-cylindrical shape 14 for the eventual partial housing of hinges 15 of articulation of the doors 11.
Further, the invention comprises a number of panels constituting respectively, as well as the already indicated side panels 13 and the back panels 9, boards making up partitions 16, shelves 17, the top piece and the bottom piece 18 of the piece of furniture. In particular the top piece and the bottom piece 18 of the piece of furniture are provided near each shorter side with a cylindrical hole 19 orthogonal to the side itself and complementary to the pin 4'.
The said hole communicates with respectively the lower surface of the top piece or with the upper surface of the bottom piece 18, through a further cylindrical hole 20 housing an internally threaded bushing 21. The distance between the side of the top piece or of the bottom piece 18 and the axis of the threaded bushing corresponds exactly to the distance between the face of the stile and the axis of the conical niche 7 of the pin 4'. A screw 22 with a conical tip complementary to the conical niche 7 is screwed into each threaded bushing 21.
In order to realize a piece of wall furniture according to the invention one may proceed in the following way:

the boards 1, cut to the predetermined length, are placed at the corners of the piece of furniture to be assembled. With the elements pre-arranged in such a manner, the pins 4,4' are engaged rather in the manner of a bayonet engagement in the blind holes 3 of the dove-tailed groove 2 according to the configuration of the piece of furniture.

This operation is carried out turning each pin in such a way that the flare-shaped extension 5 is at 90° to what is shown in Figure 1 and then putting it in the prefixed blind hole 3. Subsequently the pins are turned through 90° again to bring the flare-shaped extension to the orientation shown in Figure 1.
The pins 4' are introduced into the holes 19 of the panels constituting the top piece and the bottom piece 18 and one tightens the screws 22 which, by penetrating with their conical tips into the corresponding conical niches 7 of the pins 4', fasten such panels to their corresponding stiles.
Afterwards one fits the shelves 17 which, fastened to the pins 4, are sustained by these and, in their turn, act by means of these as pull-rods between the couples of facing stiles. Hence one inserts the side panels 13 and any partitions 16 inside the appropriate grooves 12 foreseen in the boards themselves. In such an embodiment it is preferable to use as side panels, boards having a thickness equal to the width of stile 1 and provided with vertical ribs 23 which are inserted into the grooves 12, whilst as partitions 16 it is preferable to use panels having a thickness equal to the width of the grooves 12 themselves.
Subsequently the back panels 9 are fitted, which are housed in the corresponding grooves 8, and the doors 11 are fitted, which are engaged with stiles 1 by hinges 15 jointed near the grooves 14.
Finally seals 10 are applied to the vertical grooves near the openings that must be shut.
In order to realize double faced furniture, one operates in the same way, except that the fitting of the backs 9 should possibly be limited to only the openings with access to only one of the two faces.
From all that has been said above, it results that the combination of structural elements according to the invention presents numerous advantages and in particular:

-the possibility to adaptthefurniture exactly to the dimensions of the room and in any case to choose any height,
- the possibility to realize wall-furniture and double faced furniture,
- the possibility to enlarge pre-existing furniture without affecting the already assembled parts,
- the possibility for the manufacturer to store pre-varnished stiles ready for use and to be cut to measure according to requirements, as well as the possibility to store large sized sheets from which the panels with predetermined dimensions can be cut,
- the possibility to assemble side and back panels without having to trim their borders,
- the possibility to utilize interchangeable accessories of different type in orderto vary use of the furniture,
- a perfect dust-seal owing to the presence of the blind drilling.

In another embodiment the longitudinal groove 2' has a cross-like conformation (cf. Fig. 4).

Claims

1. Combination of structural elements for realizing modular furniture comprising stiles-(1), horizontal panels (17,18) and fixed or movable vertical panels (9, 11), each stile (1) having a substantially rectangular cross-section and a conformation symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane parallel to the major faces, characterized in that each stile comprises:

- at least a first mortise groove (12) for side panels (13) on one of the two minor vertical faces,

- a second groove (8) for housing the vertical fixed panels (9) or seals (10) on each major face,

- a third longitudinal groove (2, 2') on each major face which is provided with multiple blind holes (3) and has an inner portion which is wider than the opening;

and in that substantially cylindrical pins (4, 4') support the horizontal panels (17, 18), each pin having an end portion and, adjacent thereto, radially projecting protrusions (5) which are narrower in one plane than and wider in a plane perpendicularto the one plane than the opening of the third groove; the end portion and the radially projecting protrusions of the pin being passed through the opening of the respective third groove (2, 2') so that the end portion enters one of the blind holes (3), the pin then being turned about its longitudinal axis through 90° so that the radially projecting protrusions engage the walls of the inner portion of the third groove, thus preventing withdrawal of the pin.

2. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that the third groove (2, 2') has a flare shape and the shape of the radially projecting protrusions (5) substantially corresponds to the cross section of this groove.

3. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that the groove (2') has a T-shape.

4. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that each pin (4) is provided at the other end with an orthogonal projecting portion (6) engaging itself removably into a corresponding hole provided in the horizontal panels.

5. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that each pin (4') is provided with a conical niche (7) at the other end.

6. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that the horizontal panels constituting the top pice and the bottom piece (18) of the piece of furniture to be assembled are provided near each shorter side with a cylindrical hole (19) orthogonal to the side itself and complementary to the pin (4').

7. Combination according to claim 6 characterized in that the cylindrical hole (19) communicates with the lower surface of the top piece or the upper surface of the bottom piece (18) of the piece of furniture respectively, through a further cylindrical hole (20) orthogonal to the previous one housing an internally threaded bushing (21).

8. Combination according to claims 1, 5 and 7 characterized in that a conical-tipped screw (22) complementary to the conical niche (7) engages itself into each threaded bushing (21).

9. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that the multiple drilling (3) has a fixed pitch.

10. Combination according to claim 1 characterized in that the front edges of each stile are provided with part-cylindrical grooves (14).