EP0451113A1

EP0451113A1 - Device for coupling a front finishing element to drawers of furniture pieces

Info

Publication number: EP0451113A1
Application number: EP91830075A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe C/O Caimi Export S.P.A Caimi
Original assignee: CAIMI EXPORT SpA
Current assignee: CAIMI EXPORT SpA
Priority date: 1990-03-26
Filing date: 1991-03-06
Publication date: 1991-10-09
Also published as: IT9020896V0; IT219343Z2; KR910016297A; CA2037612A1; IT9020896U1; JPH04221511A

Abstract

A device for coupling a front finishing element (13) to a drawer of a furniture piece comprises a body (1) holding a coupling spike (10) which can be engaged with a hook element (12) associated with a drawer front finishing element (13), the spike element (10) being adapted to be driven so as to connect the hook element (12) to the drawer.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for coupling a front finishing element to drawers of furniture pieces.
There are already commercially known drawers, made of aluminium extruded section members, forming the side walls of the drawers and which are so shaped as to allow a drawer bottom to be properly supported.
To these drawers a front element is usually applied which, in addition to closing at the front the drawer, also provides the drawer with a finishing aesthetic aspect which fits the aspect of the furniture piece to which the drawer will be coupled.
Prior methods and devices for coupling the mentioned front elements, however, are affected by a lot of drawbacks which involve very complex and long assembling operations.
Moreover, prior devices for coupling the mentioned front element to a drawer are very complex construction-wise and require tedious and long operations for properly arranging the front element.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the main object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a device for locating and coupling a front finishing element to side-walls of drawers for furniture pieces in general which allows said front element to be coupled in a very easy and quick way and allows moreover said front finishing element to be easily adjusted in its space position.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a device which can be easily restrained in the inside of a cavity of the type usually provided in an aluminium section element and which can be driven from the outside of the side-walls of the drawer so as to perform very simple and quick assembling operations.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a device which comprises a very reduced number of component elements, susceptible to be easily and quickly assembled and which, moreover, is very reliable in operation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a device which can be made starting from easily available elements and materials and which, moreover, is very competitive from a mere economic standpoint.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a device for coupling a front finishing element to drawers of furniture pieces and the like, according to the main claim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the device according to the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not excluxive, embodiment thereof, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a drawer provided with a related finishing front element;
Figure 2 shows the device according to the invention restrained in a wall of a drawer;
Figure 3 is a top plan view illustrating the body of the subject device;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, substantially taken along the section line IV-IV of Figure 3;
Figures 5 and 6 show a spike element, included in the device according to the invention, and respectively represented by a side elevation view and a top plan view;
Figure 7 is another elevation view and top plan view showing a hook element included in the device according to the invention; and
Figure 8 is a schematic view illustrating a possible method for coupling the above mentioned spike and hook elements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, the device for coupling a front finishing element to drawers of furniture pieces and the like according to the present invention, essentially comprises a holding body, overally indicated at the reference number 1, which can be introduced into a cavity of the section member 2 defining the side-walls of a drawer,overally indicated at the reference number 3.
To the mentioned holding body 1, a spike element, overally indicated at the reference number 10, can be coupled, said spike element beinb provided, at its free end portion, with a hook portion 11 adapted to engage with a hook element 12 affixed to the front element 13 to be applied to the drawer sidewalls.
More specifically, the holding body 1 has a flat shape, including a plurality of holes 20 for arranging said holding body inside the extruded or section member defining the drawer side-walls, and is moreover provided with a recess 21 in which the spike element 10 can be restrained.
In particular, the recessed seat 21 is provided with a first substantially circular recess, indicated at 23, which has a conic configuration and is arranged at the swinging end portion 24 of the spike element 10; an ellipsoidal further recess 25 being moreover provided, also having a substantially conical shape, and arranged near the front portion of the spike element 10.
At the swinging end portion of the spike element, and at the portion thereof near the hook portion, there are provided adjusting dowels 26 which, by engaging with the slanted walls of the recesses, operate to lock the spike element so as to properly adjust its position in two directions, thereby causing said spike element to be properly coupled to the hook portion and pulled toward the side walls.
As shown, from the spike element a tooth portion 30 extends, which engages in a seat 31 formed on the holding body 1, where a pushing spring 32 resiliently pushes said tooth portion.
The holding body 1 is moreover provided with a slanted portion 35, at the end portion of the recessed seat 21, which operates as an abutment for the hook portion.
The hook element, in turn, is provided, at its latching region, with an adjusting dowel 40 allowing the left-right displacement of the front finishing element to be properly adjusted with respect to the side-walls of the drawer.
The spike element restraining dowels can be accessed through accessing holes 50 formed through the drawer side-walls, so that, after having engaged the holding body inside the section element defining the drawer side-walls, it will be possible to operate from the outside in order to properly adjust the position of the spike element so as to lock the front finishing element in a proper position on the drawer.
From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.
In particular, it should be pointed out that the disclosed arrangement of the coupling device according to the invention allows all of the assembling operations to be easily and quickly performed, by simply properly arranging the spike element in its locking position; this can be quickly and easily obtained owing to the provision of the conical recesses which operate as centering elements and provide a desired push force for clamping the front finishing element.
While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A device for coupling a front finishing element to drawers of furniture pieces, characterized in that said device comprises a body holding a coupling spike element adapted to be inserted into a side-wall of a drawer, said spike element being further adapted to be engaged with a hook element associated with said front finishing element, locating means being moreover provided for affixing said hook element on said drawer.
A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said holding body is provided with a plurality of throughgoing holes for affixing said holding body on a side-wall of said drawer, said holding body being further provided with a recess for engaging said spike element therein.
A device according to Claim 2, characterized in that said recess includes a first and second recessed portions having respectively a circular and ellipsoidal base line, and of substantially conical shape, said recessed portions being adapted to be abut engaged with dowel elements correspondingly engaging with said spike element.
A device according to Claim 3, characterized in that said dowel elements are restrained on said spike element respectively at an end portion thereof opposite to said hook portion and near said hook portion.
A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said spike element is provided with a tooth element which can be engaged in a seat adjoining said recess, said tooth element being biassed by a pushing spring restrained on said holding body.
A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that at one end of said recess there is provided a slanted portion adapted to operate as a locating and abutment element for said hook element.
A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said device comprises, on at least a side wall, registering holes for accessing said dowel elements
A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said hook element is provided with adjusting dowel elements for adjusting the position of said front finishing element on said drawer.