EP1532338B1

EP1532338B1 - A profile section with a hinge with an assembly feature for furniture doors

Info

Publication number: EP1532338B1
Application number: EP03743093A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Arif Atla
Original assignee: Samet Kalip Ve Maden Esya San Ve Tic AS
Current assignee: Samet Kalip Ve Maden Esya San Ve Tic AS
Priority date: 2002-02-26
Filing date: 2003-02-06
Publication date: 2008-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-06
Also published as: SI1532338T1; UA79629C2; ES2304522T3; WO2003072901A1; DE60320262T2; AU2003210106A1; EA006834B1; EA200500332A1; EP1532338A1; TR200200499A2; ATE391825T1; PT1532338E; DE60320262D1

Abstract

The present invention is related to hinges of furniture, such as cupboards, wardrobes, étagíres, wherein furniture doors and fixed furniture-walls are attached to each other by such hinges and whereas more attention is paid to a hinge, which -without the use of an attachment means- can be attached and detached into/from the profile section embodied particularly on the surface of such doors.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to hinges of furniture, such as cupboards, wardrobes, étagères, wherein furniture doors and side walls a re attached to e ach other by such hinges and particularly this invention relates to a hinge, which -without the use of an attachment means- can be attached and detached into/from the profile section embodied on the surface of such a door.

BACKGROUND ART

A cupboard construction is essentially composed of doors that can be opened and dosed and that are attached to the walls of such construction by means of hinges. As hinges are functionally an interconnection means between the fixed cupboard walls and the cupboard doors with a capability to turn around such hinges, they are basically composed of two rigid mechanical components with a structural integrity in-between and of two interconnections containing a spring and preferably two pins to ensure a rotational movement between said mechanical components.
One component of said rigid mechanical component contains a hinge arm connected to the fixed cupboard-wall and a hinge plate providing bearing to this hinge arm. The other component that is attached to the mobile cupboard-door is a support piece, also called a zamac body.
As the furniture construction is an entire assembly-unit comprising several subcomponents such as doors, side walls, etc., operations including assembly, disassembly and transport of such subcomponents are becoming some of the significant burdens that the sectors of furniture, transport, etc. are being facing.
In the past, some suggestions have been brought to facilitate the aforementioned operations within the art. The patent EP 1 046 773 , for example, discloses a zamac body (support piece) that is assembled into the profile sections located on the surface of a cupboard-door. The embodiment provided by this EP patent ensures some facilities with regard to the hinge construction, but it cannot be stated that this embodiment overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages In the loss of effort and transport.
Likewise, the zamac body (support piece) that is described under the patent EP 1048 773 is slid in the profile section after being engaged from the open end- into said section that is embodied on the upper surface of a door, namely by being engaged through the axial direction of such profils, then it is fixed by means of a screw once it is located in the desired position within the profile section. Profile sections are united by means of a corner fitting in order to complement the assembly. Thus, once said profiles located on the upper surface of such doors are united by means of corner fittings, it becomes a necessity to disassemble the profiles in order to detach the zamac body (support piece) from the profile section. Therefore once the zamac body (support place) is assembled within the profile section before any transport event is performed, this circumstance leads to an unsystematic placement of the built furniture and to a useless and idle room within the transportation means.
It is also obvious that the embodiment suggested under the patent EP 1048 773 is not flexible enough, regarding especially an easy attachment-detachment procedure of such pieces, as such operations are one of the mostly faced drawbacks in this art. Placement and removal of the zamac body of a hinge in and from the profile section necessarily involves interconnected operational steps.
EP 0 412 436 discloses a self-locking coupling structure, acccording to the preamble of claim 1, comprising a body which defines a protrusion which can be inserted between opposite wings which delimit a seat on a profiled element, the protrusion having a curved surface which is delimited, on one side, by an engagement portion which can be inserted below one of the wings by means of a rotation about an axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal extension of the element and is suitable for generating a localized deformation of the wing substantially in the portion affected by the longitudinal extension of the protrusion and, on the other side, by a stop portion which can engage below the other one of the wings, the protrusion, in rocking position abutting against the bottom of the seat in at least two points which are mutually spaced In a transverse direction with respect to longitudinal extension of the proved element.
The engagement portion is generating localized deformation in the wing to which engages. This localized deformation is a plastic kind rendering irreversible material deformation of the wing.
In the light of the present status of the relevant art the need is obvious against a hinge embodiment, which can overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and is easily detached and attached without necessitating the operational steps of an assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to find an alternative solution to attach or detach hinges that connect together the furniture pieces such as the doors and walls of cupboards, for example, wherein the attachment or detachment does not necessitate any assembly steps.
Recesses and protrusions have been formed on said zamac body to provide a functional characteristic to the hinge structure so that said hinge developed under the present invention and as claimed in claim 1 realizes the aforementioned objective. Said recesses and protrusions engage with similar recessive and protrusive parts that are purpose-specifically formed on the profile sections, whereto said zamac body engages.
The zamac body under the present invention generally comprises a profile-retaining protrusion, a hinge-sliding surface, a hinge-fixation surface and hinge-fixation detents on the section attached to the profile. In the parts where said protrusion and recesses face on the profile section, matching geometric structures are formed, as shall be described hereunder.
As a result of the force applied into the profile (section) along its radial direction (rather than the axial direction), the hinge is made easily detached and attached by means of the geometric-based structure proposed under the present invention.
The term "cupboard", as used herein, is intended to cover any kind of furniture, such as wardrobes, cupboards, cabinets, etc., wherein the instant hinge mechanism is applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The present invention is to be considered together with the annexed figures as explained hereunder in order to best understand the present embodiment and the advantages brought thereby.

Figure 1: gives a perspective view of the instant hinge mechanism assembled in the profile.
Figure 2: gives a perspective view of the instant zamac body of such hinge.
Figure 3: gives a side view of the instant zamac body of such hinge.
Figure 4: gives a front view of the instant zamac body of such hinge.
Figure 5: gives a side view of the instant profile section.
Figure 6: gives a side view of the instant hinge mechanism assembled in the profile.

REFERENCE NUMBERS OF THE PARTS IN FIGURES

1.: Hinge arm;
2.: Side wall of cupboard;
3.: Glass pane;
4.: Hinge plate;
5.: Corner connection of frame;
6.: Screw for the corner connection;
7.: zamac body;
8.: Profile;
9.: Glass pane-retaining seton;
10.: Profile retaining-protrusion;
11.: Hinge sliding-surface;
12.: Hinge fixation-surface;
13.: Hinge fixation-detents;
14.: Fixation tong;
15.: Orienting channel;
16.: Sliding surface;
17.: Profile suspending-piece;
18.: Profile fixation-surface;
19.: Glass pane seton channel;
20.: Pressure protrusion;
21.: Hinge spacer;
22.: Profile channel;
23.: Spacer protrusions;
24.: Rear profile channel;
25.: Circular formation;
26.: Vertical component;
27.: Horizontal component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Figure 1 gives a perspective view of the instant hinge mechanism assembled in the profile. Accordingly, the hinge arm (1) -as one of the components constituting the hinge- is fixed on the cupboard-side wall by means of the gaps formed thereon (the fixing process is not shown, since is it not covered by the present invention).
The hinge arm (1) performs a general planar motion between the hinge spacer (21) and the zamac body (7) in order to fulfill the function of the hinge. As seen from the Figure, the zamac body (7) is located within the profile (8) section constituting the upper surface of the door. As to the profiles (8), they are interconnected with the corner connections of the frame (5) to make up a closed profile formation. Said corner connections of the frame (5) are assembled to the profiles (8) by means of screws (6). As these processes are performed, the glass pane-retaining seton (9) is put into the glass pane seton channel (19) and the glass pane (3) is located into the glass pane retaining seton (9) to make up a door of glass pane with an aluminum frame, as seen from figures 5 and 6.
The perspective and side views of the zamac body (7) are given in figures 2 and 3, respectively. Accordingly, a front profile channel (22) is formed on the front part of the zamac body (7) and a profile-retaining protrusion (10) is constituted geometrically by this channel. Said front profile channel (22) and the protrusion (10) are opened along a horizontal axis of the zamac body (7).
Two spacer protrusions (23), which are symmetrical to each other, are located on the upper part of the zamac body (7). The function of these spacer protrusions (23) is to provide a mechanical connection between the hinge spacer (21) and the zamac body (7), by means of a pin, as shown in Figure 1.
As to the rear side of the zamac body (7), a rear profile channel (24) is opened along the horizontal axis of the zamac body. The radial oriented protrusion of this channel (24) forms a hinge fixation-surface (12). An upwardly extending pressure protrusion (20) is present so as to make a substantial right angle with this hinge-fixation surface (12).
After said hinge fixation surface (12) enters into the profile (8), it keeps the hinge from performing a rotational motion around the horizontal axis of the zamac body (7). Once the hinge is engaged to the profile, said pressure protrusion (20) can release said hinge from said profile, by means of a force applied on said protrusion (20) with a screwdriver, without necessitating to slide the zamac body in the profile section.
One of the most significant technical features of the instant invention is the hinge-sliding surface (11) that is formed right beneath the aforementioned hinge-fixation surface (12). Thanks to this surface (11), the zamac body (7) can be assembled in the profile (8) section, on a radial direction to the horizontal axis of the profile (8), thus avoiding the necessity to slide said body (7) along the profile's (8) axis. As seen especially from Figure 5, the hinge-sliding surface (11) made up rear the zamac body (7) is in contact with the sliding-surface (16) of the profile. By a radial force applied to the zamac body (7) at this moment, the hinge sliding-surface (11) moves over the profile sliding-surface (16) to make the zamac body (7) enter into the profile (8) in a radial direction.
As can be seen from both figures 2 and 3, the profile retaining-protrusion (10) and the hinge sliding-surface (11) are united by a circular formation (25) from beneath the zamac body (7). As a result of this circular formation, said profile retaining-protrusion (10) is embodied so that it makes a certain angle with the radial axis of the zamac body (7). This circular formation (25) is positioned by its far bottom with the hinge fixation-detents (13), as seen in figures 3 and 4.
The benefit of said hinge fixation-detents (13), which are embodied on the lowest site of the zamac body (7) under the present invention, is another most significant feature of the instant invention. Once the zamac body (7) is assembled in the profile (8), said fixation-detents (13) contact with the surface of the profile suspending-piece (17) (Figure 5), thus ensure the position-fixation of the zamac body (7), thereby the hinge in the profile (8) section, without necessitating any screwing operation. Also the fixation tong (14) made up in-between the spacer protrusions (23), indicates a reference axis for the hinge, as seen in Figure 2.
Figure 5 gives a side view of the profile (8). Accordingly, the geometric recesses and protrusions formed on the profile (8) section are embodied so that to provide an adaptive assembly with the geometric recesses and protrusions of the zamac body (7). As seen from the Figure, the profile (8) contains coupled vertical (26) and horizontal components (27). The sliding surface (16) formed on the upper site of the vertical component (26) is in contact with the hinge sliding-surface (11) embodied rear the zamac body (7), as pointed out above. By means of the force applied on a radial direction to the zamac body (7) during assembly, the hinge sliding-surface (11) slides over the sloped profile sliding-surface (16) to pass to the profile fixation-surface (18). Thus the hinge fixation-surface (12) of the zamac body (7) comes in contact with the profile fixation-surface (18).
The hinge fixation-detents (13) embodied under the circular formation (25) of the zamac body (7) are in contact with the profile suspending-piece (17) located on the horizontal component (27) of the profile (8). As seen from the Figure, the profile suspending-piece (17) is also embodied with a circular formation to provide a mechanic unity with the circular formation of the zamac body.
During assembly, the profile retaining-protrusion (10) embodied on the front side of the zamac body (7) engages to the orienting channel (15) that is formed with a certain radius as an extension of the profile suspending-piece (17) on the horizontal component (27) of the profile (8). Also in order to support the glass pane (3) in the profile (8), said pane being assembled to the door from the rear of the horizontal component (27), a glass pane channel (19) is realized wherein the glass pane retaining-seton (9) is positioned.
Figure 6 gives a side view, when the hinge mechanism in assembled to the profile. Accordingly, the hinge arm (1) is fixed to the side wall (2) of the cupboard, by means of a hinge basis (4). This part, referred to as the cupboard door within the description, is symbolically shown as a glass pane with reference number (3) within this Figure. There is no profile between the cupboard's side wall (2) and the glass pane (3), whereas the hinge enters into the profile (8) section of the zamac body (7).

Claims

A profile section (8) with a hinge means for a furniture unit for connecting a door to side walls of the furniture unit, said hinge means comprising a zamac body (7) forming a support piece having, on one side, a profile retaining-protrusion (10) having an angle with respect to the radial axis of the zamac body (7) and being engaged to an orienting channel (15) of the profile (8), and, on the other side, a hinge fixation-surface (12) engaged to a profile fixation-surface (18) of the profile (8), a circular formation (25) extending between the profile retaining-protrusion (10) embodied on the extraverted site of a front profile channel (22) opened on the front of said zamac body (7) and a hinge sliding-surface (11) made up on the outer side of the hinge fixation-surface (12) embodied on the extraverted site of a rear profile channel (24) opened on the rear of said zamac body (7), and the hinge sliding-surface (11) being slided during assembly over a sliding-surface (16) of the profile (8) for engaging the hinge fixation-surface (12) to the profile fixation-surface (18) of the profile (8), and wherein a profile suspending-piece (17) is provided to the profile (8) for fixation of position of the zamac body (7) characterized in that the hinge fixation-surface (12) is formed by radial orientation of the rear profile channel (24), and in that the sliding surface (16) of the profile is sloped so that the hinge sliding-surface (11) is slided thereover during assembly, and in that hinge fixation-detents (13) embodied at the lowest site of the circular formation (25) are in contact with the profile suspending-piece (17).