EP1285605B1 - Height adjustable foot in particular for a refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The foot (13), with screwed rod, (11) is fitted with a screwed washer (19) whose rotation is controlled from a distance. Rotation of the washer is done by pulling a metallic or plastic wire (25) having one end fixed to and wound around the washer and the other accessible at the exterior of the refrigerator. The washer is contained in a housing (21) in the base of the refrigerator.

Description

The invention relates to a furniture foot, in particular a height-adjustable refrigerant, of the type comprising, associated with a support element on the ground, a threaded rod which cooperates with a member with complementary internal threading, being axially displaceable therein. the direction of the height of the furniture during a relative rotation between the rod and this body.

A height-adjustable foot is for example known from DE-A-196 04460.

Feet adjustable in height of this type are already known and used for furniture requiring after installation a support in their central part when their loading with food begins. The height adjustment of the feet in height is done to put them in contact with the ground.

To allow this adjustment, the furniture legs known have, in their part located outside the cabinet, an area for rotation of the rod with a key which must then be handled by the operator for perform the lighting.

This height adjustment operation by rotation of the rods using a key is difficult to achieve due to the lack of accessibility of the feet under the furniture structures, especially in the case of central feet, that is to say ie located in the central part of the furniture where the exchanger and the fans also prohibit access to the feet by the interior of the furniture.

The present invention aims to provide a foot structure adjustable in height, which overcomes the disadvantage that has just been stated and which is even more serious than the height adjustment during a setting linear refrigeration cabinet represents a significant time in volume of time, compared to the total time required for the installation of the furniture.

To achieve this purpose, a height-adjustable foot according to the invention is characterized in that it is provided with a remote control device for the relative rotation of the rod in the aforementioned member with internal thread.

According to a feature of the invention, this member is made in the form of a nut which is rotatably mounted in a fixed part of the furniture, but without being able to move axially, and in that the nut is provided with means of its implementation. in rotation at a distance.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the means for rotating the nut remotely are formed by a filiform flexible element, at least one end of which is accessible outside the furniture and which is wound by another part on the outer face of the nut so that a pulling force exerted on the accessible end causes the rotation of the nut about its axis.

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe transversale, schématique d'un meuble frigorifique équipé de pieds réglables en hauteur selon l'invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne II-II de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne III-III de la figure 2;
• la figure 4 est une vue en détail, à plus grande échelle, de la partie indiquée en IV de la figure 3, et
• la figure 5 est une vue en direction de la flèche V de la figure 4.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the explanatory description which follows, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating an embodiment of the invention. of the invention and in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of a refrigerating cabinet equipped with adjustable feet in height according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line III-III of Figure 2;
• FIG. 4 is a detailed view, on a larger scale, of the part indicated in IV of FIG. 3, and
• FIG. 5 is a view in the direction of arrow V of FIG. 4.

The invention will be described hereinafter in its application to a refrigerating cabinet as shown, schematically, in FIG. 1. This piece of furniture, of the vertical type, comprises, in a manner known per se, a rear wall structure 1, a roof 2, a tank 3 in which is arranged a cooling unit 4, as well as a plurality of trays or shelves 5 for displaying food (not shown) to be protected. These trays are supported by the rear wall structure 1. To protect the goods, the cabinet is provided with a cold air curtain established at the front of the cabinet between the roof 2 and the tray 3. The recovery of the curtain air is shown in 7. This piece of furniture of a size and weight so important is supported on the ground via a plurality of feet 9 which are adjustable in height.

Of course, a pair of legs is provided at each longitudinal end of the furniture. In addition, because of the size and weight of the furniture, at least one other pair of feet 9 is disposed between the two ends, if any in the central part of the furniture. A pair of such feet hardly or not at all accessible from the front of the furniture are shown in Figure 2 and shown in more detail in Figures 3 to 5.

Referring to these figures, it can be seen that an adjustable foot 9 according to the invention essentially comprises a threaded rod 11, one end of which carries a head portion 13 constituting the member bearing on the ground indicated at 15. The rod 11 is received inside the base 17 of the furniture. To the rod 11 there is a nut member 19 whose thread is complementary to the thread of the rod 10 so that a relative rotational movement of the rod in the nut 19 causes axial displacement of the rod and thus the support head 13 of the foot relative to the nut. This nut is disposed inside a cage 21 which is secured to a bottom plate 23 of the base 17 of the furniture. The cage 21 is configured to allow the rotation of the nut 19 but prevents any lateral movement in translation of the nut, that is to say in the direction of the axis of the rod, relative to the base 17.

According to an essential characteristic of the invention, the outer peripheral surface of the nut is configured as a winding surface 23 for winding on this surface a filamentary element, namely a metal or plastic wire 25. The portion wound 24 of the wire 25 is fixed at one end to the nut 19 while its other end is continued by a non-wound portion, shown in the figures as being rectilinear and designated by the reference 27 and which is brought to the front of the furniture and ends with a gripping portion 29 in the form of an eyelet.

It is easily understood that, by exerting a traction force in the direction of the arrow F, the wire 25 rotates the nut 19. Since it can not move axially in its cage 21, its rotational movement causes an axial displacement of the rod 11 and thus the support head 13, which changes the height position of the cabinet.

Thus, a foot 9 according to the invention is adjustable in height thanks to a remote actuating device remotely, preferably from the front of the furniture.

The adjustment device according to the invention allows after installation of the piece of furniture then resting on the ground by feet at the ends of the piece of furniture, when one begins to load it with the goods to "descend" the feet until they come into contact with the ground.

Of course, one could consider deporting to the front of the furniture both ends of the wire 25, which would allow a drive in rotation of the nut in both directions, provided of course to ensure that it does not. there is no slippage of the thread on the nut.

Claims (4)

1. Foot for cabinet, in particular for a refrigeration cabinet, adjustable in height, of the type including, associated with a supporting element resting on the ground, a threaded rod which co-operates with a body having complementary internal threading, by being axially displaceable therein in the direction of the height of the cabinet during a relative rotation between the rod and that body, and of a device for remote control of said relative rotation, said body being made in the form of a screw mounted rotationally in a fixed part of the cabinet and unable to move axially, and the screw being provided with means for this remote initiation of rotation, characterised in that the means for remotely causing rotation of the screw (19) is formed by a flexible and filiform element such as a wire of metal or of a plastic material (25), of which at least one extremity is accessible from the exterior of the cabinet and of which another part (24) is wound around the external face of the screw (19) in such a way that a tractive force exerted on the accessible extremity (29) leads to the rotation of the screw (19) around its axis.
2. Adjustable foot according to claim 1, characterised in that the wound end (24) is fixed by its extremity to the screw (21).
3. Adjustable foot according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the screw (19) is fitted on the inside of a fixed housing (21) and is unable to move axially in translation.
4. Adjustable foot according to either of claims 2 or 3, characterised in that the two extremities of the wire are accessible from the exterior and the wire is wound around the screw, without slipping on the surface of the latter, via an intermediate portion of wire in such a way as to allow the screw (19) to rotate in both directions.

Images