EP0172111A1 - Angle-bar supporting shelves, panels or the like, and furniture incorporating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

This angle is profiled so that the lateral strip of each of its wings is folded inwards (at 25, 26) and has perforations (12) distributed over the length of this folded strip so as to fasteners (50 ) a square (48) or a plate (40) are invisible from the outside. The angle iron is also curved inwards to form a flat surface (34) in the same plane as the folded strip or slightly offset relative to the latter and other perforations (36) are formed in this surface (34), which allows the support of additional external or internal members and provides a housing for the fixing members.

Description

It is currently common to use perforated angles to support shelves, trays or the like and thus form removable and adaptable storage furniture. These angles have on each of their wings a series of perforations regularly distributed over their length which can be crossed by fasteners. The assembly of the elements to be supported is thus extremely easy and the fixing members remain accessible at all times for disassembly or the like. Unfortunately, the fasteners protrude from the surface of the angle iron and thus present a certain danger during use.

For this reason, the support angles described in DE-C-801 ₈₁ comprise at the end of each of their wings a lateral band folded inwards in which the line of perforations is made. The heads of the fastening elements introduced into these perforations are thus housed between the folded strip and the solid part opposite the wing and no longer risk forming protrusions capable of being hooked. Unfortunately the holes are not accessible from the inside of the angle which considerably limits the _body's mounting possibilities on the latter.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by providing a support angle which while eliminating the risks of snagging due to the fixing members, allows mounting and easy disassembly of very diverse elements.

The subject of this invention is, in fact, an angle iron of the above type, which is profiled and has a flat central part between two wings having two curvatures in opposite directions and each terminated by a flat strip folded inwards and provided with perforations. .

The angle iron comprises two parallel perforated flat faces also recessed with respect to its outer face.

This angle iron can therefore support on the one hand the members hung in its internal face on the folded strip, and on the other hand external members fixed in perforations of the second planar face in withdrawal.

The invention also extends to furniture or the like, the uprights of which are formed by angles which support at least one plate fixed directly to these angles or by means of angle supports hooked simultaneously in perforations belonging to the two wings.

Such furniture can also support shelves, baskets or other exteriors.

The description below of embodiments given by way of nonlimiting example and represented in the appended drawings, will moreover highlight the advantages and characteristics of the invention.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en perspective éclatée de l'assemblage formé par une cornière profilée selon l'invention et différents organes de support;
• - la figure 2 est une vue en coupe tran- versale d'un autre assemblage d'une cornière profilée avec divers organes de support ;
• - la figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'un support d'angle ;
• - la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure ₃ d'un autre support d'angle ;
• - la figure 5 est une vue en perspective montrant l'assemblage de plusieurs cornières bout à bout ;
• - la figure 6 montre en perspective un embout de fermeture de l'extrémité d'une cornière avant son emboitement dans celle-ci ;
• - la figure 7 est une vue en perspective d'un meuble de rangement réalisé au moyen de cornières selon l'invention.

In these drawings:

• - Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly formed by a profiled angle iron according to the invention and various support members;
• - Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view versal of another assembly of a profiled angle iron with various support members;
• - Figure 3 is a perspective view of a corner support;
• - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure ₃ of another angle support;
• - Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the assembly of several angles end to end;
• - Figure 6 shows in perspective a tip for closing the end of an angle iron before it fits therein;
• - Figure 7 is a perspective view of a storage unit produced by angles according to the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1, an angle iron for the support of trays, shelves, baskets or the like is profiled, for example on a roller machine, to comprise a flat central part 24 from which two wings respectively 21 and 22 which each have a double curvature section, substantially S-shaped, and are both terminated by a band folded inwards, respectively 25 and 26, provided with a series of perforations 12. The bands 25 and 26 thus each delimit with the corresponding wing 21 or 22 a space or housing 8 closed on one side by a wall 10 and 11 and open in the direction of the junction between the two wings of the angle iron.

The perforations 12 may have a square shape as shown in FIG. 1 or any other shape suitable for receiving staples, bolts, hooks or other fasteners for a plate, a square or another support element. They may even have a round shape and be integral with a nut fixed inside the housing 8. Whatever the type of members used, their hooking end will be housed in the space 8. Consequently, it will be not only invisible from the outside, but will not present any projection on the external face of the wings _{21 and} 22 so that no risk of snagging by the user or any object can arise.

On the other hand, the position of the perforations 12 on the folded side strips 25 and 26 makes them perfectly accessible. The edge 27 and 28 opposite the strip 25 and 26 of each wing 21, 22 is curved outwardly to be tightly applied to the inner face of the central flat panel 24. Thus, each wing 21, 22 has externally a groove 30 which extends behind the plate 24 and is delimited laterally on the one hand by the rib formed jointly by the edge 28 and the corresponding edge of the panel 24 and on the other hand by a shoulder 32. The bottom of this groove 30 consists by a flat surface 34 which preferably has a series of perforations 36 distributed over its length. The perforations 36 may have the same shape as the perforations 12 or a different shape as shown in FIG. 1.

Furthermore, the flat bottom 34 of the groove 30 being practically aligned with the folded strip 25 or 26 of the corresponding wing, the perforations 12 and 36 can optionally be used for fixing the same support member such as the bracket 38 or the tray 40 shown in Figure 1. _s One of the branches 39 of the bracket 38 has in fact a series of perforations 42 whose spacing corresponds to the distance which separates the perforations 12 and 36 from the angle iron, while its other branch 41 comprises perforations 44 whose spacing corresponds to that of the perforations 12 or 36 between them. This bracket 38 can therefore be fixed to the angle iron by fixing members passing through both the perforations 12 and the perforations 36. For example, it will be fixed by means of a bolt 46 passing through a perforation 36 and the perforation 42 placed in its angle, as well as another bolt or similar member, not shown, passing through a perforation 12a as well as the perforation 42a adjacent to the perforation 42 traversed by the bolt 46. Another fixing member can also be placed in one of the perforations 44 and pass through the corresponding perforation 36 to reinforce the fixing of the angle iron 38 while the other perforations 42 or 44 will be used to maintain the member to be supported, for example a shelf, a tray or the like.

The bracket 38 could also be supported only by the folded strip 25 of the wing 21 in the same manner as the bracket 48 mounted on the folded strip 26. This bracket is in fact retained by two bolt and nut systems 50 passing through the perforations of its vertical branch 49. The perforations 42 of its horizontal branch are thus available for assembling the member to be supported.

It is clear that the fixing members 46 or 50 of the brackets 38 and 48 never constitute outside the angle of the dangerous projections. Indeed, the bolt heads which pass through the perforations 12 or 12a are sheltered behind the folded strip 25 or 26 and hidden by the solid part of the corresponding wing. Fasteners tra pouring the lights 36 protrude inside the groove 30 but over a distance which is always less than the width of the shoulder 32 so that they never extend outside of this groove.

The same is true of the fixing members, whether staples, hooks, bolts or the like which ensure the fixing of the plate 40 by successively passing through perforations of this plate and perforations 12 and or 36 of the angle iron.

Of course, the perforations 36 can have various shapes and possibly be used to hang support members outside the angle.

According to another variant shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 5, the grooves 52 formed on the outside of the angle iron have a depth less than that of the housing 8 formed by the folded strip 25 or 26. Consequently, the bottoms 54 of these grooves are no longer in the extension of the folded bands 25 and 26, but recessed with respect to them, so that there is always a free space between them and the member hung on the folded bands 25 and 26, whether this member is a panel, a square, a plate or the like. The space thus left free can easily be used to accommodate the fixing head of an external member. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 2, a shelf support bracket 56 provided with hooks 58 can be mounted by means of its hooks in two perforations 36 in the bottom 54 and thus protrude outside, while that another member is mounted inside the angle iron by means of members _a - pouring the perforations 12 located at the same level as the hooks 58. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the member assembled inside is a corner support 60 comprising two divergent arms 62 and 64 joined together by a pl-in bottom 66. The arms 62 and 64 form an angle between them equal to that which separates the folded bands 25 and 26 from the angle iron and they each carry two external hooking lugs 68 which are substantially parallel to the plane of symmetry of the support 60 and are thus capable of penetrating simultaneously into perforations 12 of the two edges 25 and 26 when the support 60 is fitted into the angle iron by a translation parallel to its plane of symmetry.

Each of the arms 62 and 64 is further extended upwards at its end by a tongue 70 provided with a perforation 72 and intended to fit into a slot corresponding to a plate or the like which is not shown. The fixing of the support 60 can be completed by means of a bolt or the like screwed into a hole 74, tapped or fitted with a nut, from the bottom 66, and passing through a corresponding hole 76 in the flat panel 24 of the angle iron. The head of this bolt or a nut fixed on the latter is covered or concealed by a trim bead 78 threaded onto the panel 24 and fitted onto the lateral ribs which delimit the grooves 52.

According to the variant shown in Figure 4, the arms 62 and 64 of the angle support are interconnected by a bracket 80 whose bottom 82 is pierced with a hole 81 for passage of a fixing member which also passes through a hole 76 of panel 24. The dimension of the bracket 80 is such that the bottom 82 is practically in contact with the panel 24, which strengthens the fixation of the whole. Preferably, the panel 24 has holes or perforations 76 distributed over its entire length.

The angles according to the invention are very particularly suitable for constituting the uprights or feet of a piece of furniture or the like intended to support parts or tools in a workshop and consequently to be dismantled or transformed as required.

For example, the piece of furniture shown in FIG. 7 has four uprights 84 which each consist of two superimposed angles 86, 88 so as to obtain the desired height. The angles 86 and 88 are assembled together by a connecting member 90 which appears clearly in FIG. 5. This member is in fact constituted by a profile which hugs the internal surface of the angle and is thus capable of fitting exactly the interior of the two successive angles. The central part 92 of the connecting profile has tapped holes 94 whose spacing corresponds to that of the holes 76 of the panel 24 of the angle iron or preferably to a multiple of the distance which separates these holes. The connecting member 90 is thus fixed by bolts 96 on each of the superimposed angles which are rigidly connected together without the perforations 12 being blocked.

The uprights 84 are joined together at their lower part by a plate 98 mounted for example in the same way as the plate 40 in FIG. ₁ . The upper part of the cabinet is closed on the one hand by side and bottom panels 100 which have lateral perforations and are assembled to the angles in the same manner as the brackets 38 and 48 of FIG. 1, and on the other hand by a tray upper 102 and a shelf 104 which according to their embodiment are assembled directly to the angles or carried by angle supports 60. Drawers 105 can of course be mounted under the shelf 101, while a closure element of the type curtain or the like 106 closes the space delimited by the side panels, the upper plate and the shelf 104. A basket 107 is also hung in the perforations of the four angles constituting the uprights 84. However, none of the fixing members used protrudes outside the cabinet. On the other hand, linings 78 provide a pleasant appearance to the latter.

At the upper end of each of the uprights 84, the angle iron is closed by a nozzle 108 fitted onto it. As shown more particularly in Figure 6, the tip 108 has a flat base 110 on which rises a rib 112 having the general shape of a V, each of the wings of which has two parts respectively 114 and 115 which are offset and form between them a shoulder 116. The rib 112 thus easily fits onto the profile of the angle iron, the parts 114 of the two wings resting on the walls 54 of the bottom of the grooves 52, while the parts 115 fit into the interior of the housing 8 delimited by the folded bands 25 and 26. Preferably, the rib 112 is terminated at each of its ends by a lip 118 blocking against the folded band, on the one hand, and external contact pins 120 with the angle iron on the other hand. Of course, the uprights 84 can be closed by end caps 108 at each of their ends. In the embodiment shown in Figure ₇ . however, the amounts 84 receive in their part lower end caps, recessed, supporting casters 122 which allow the furniture to be moved. Of course, such tips could receive other supports such as jacks or the like.

It is clear that the piece of furniture thus produced can be dismantled at any time, the fixing members remaining always accessible. It can also be completed, for example, by attaching brackets 56 in the perforations 36 which remain clear despite the presence of the linings 78. Similarly, the uprights 84 can at any time be extended above the plate 102, for example to receive a tool suspension panel or the like.

There is therefore a piece of furniture or the like which has a pleasant appearance and has neither protrusions nor asperities which are likely to hang or injure. In addition, this piece of furniture is easy to assemble and can be transformed and adapted at any time if necessary.

Claims (11)

1.- Support angle for trays, panels or others, each wing of which has a lateral band folded outwards in which a line of perforations is made intended for receiving fasteners and distributed practically over its entire length, characterized in that it is profiled and comprises on either side of a flattened central part (24) two wings (21, 22) whose cross section has a double curvature substantially in the shape of an S and which are each terminated by the flat band folded inwards (25, 26) and provided with perforations (12). 2. An angle according to claim 1, characterized in that each of its wings has an outer groove (30, 52) whose flat bottom (34, 54) has a series of perforations (36) distributed over its length. 3. An angle according to claim 2, characterized in that the bottom (34) of the groove (30) is in the same plane as the folded strip (25, 26) of the wing. 4. An angle according to claim 2, characterized in that the bottom (54) of the groove (52) of the wing is parallel to the folded strip (25, 26) thereof, but offset from it . 5.- angle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the edge (27, 28) of the wing which is opposite to the folded strip (25, 26) is curved outward parallel to the panel flat (24) and fixed on the latter. 6.- angle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed by profiling a strip or sheet and made in one piece. 7. Furniture for supporting tools or the like, characterized in that it comprises four uprights (84) formed by angles according to one of the preceding claims, which are interconnected by at least one plate (102, 98 ). 8.- Furniture according to claim 11, characterized in that the angles (86, 88) which form the uprights (84) are closed at least at one of their ends by a nozzle (108) comprising a base plate ( 110) on which protrudes a rib (114) matching the internal shape of the angle iron and fitting into the latter. 9. Furniture according to one of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that each upright (84) is formed by several angles (86, 88) assembled together by a connecting profile (90) whose shape exactly matches the internal surface of the angle iron and which is crossed by fixing members passing through holes (76) drilled in the planar central part (24) of the latter. 10.- Furniture according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that it comprises at least one plate (102, 104, 98) assembled to each angle (84, 86) via a support d 'angle (60) having two divergent arms (62 and 64) provided with lugs (68) for hooking in the slots (12) of the folded bands (25 and 26) of the angle. 11.- Furniture according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that it comprises external brackets (56) hung in perforations (36) of the bottom (34, 54) of the groove (30, 52) of the angle.

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