EP3491971B1 - Drawer insert - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drawer insert.

Drawer inserts are known in various forms. They are used, for example, in fitted kitchens to store cutlery and other kitchen utensils in the drawers. For this reason, the term "cutlery insert" has become established for this type of drawer insert, although its use is not restricted to cutlery in the narrower sense. In the following, reference should only be made to a use for cutlery.

Drawer inserts that are made entirely of plastic are known. These should have a certain dimensional stability and are therefore made of relatively hard plastics, which has disadvantages in terms of ease of use. The cutlery parts cause unpleasant noises when inserted into such drawer inserts made of hard plastics, as well as when pulling out and pushing in the drawer, in which the inserted parts can slide around during use. The haptic appearance leaves something to be desired. In addition, a more attractive visual design of the drawer inserts is often desired than is possible with inserts that are made entirely of plastic.

Drawer inserts made of wood are therefore also known, which are optically more appealing, but in which the accommodated parts can slide around just as easily. In this case, the production also leaves only limited options with regard to the design of the inserts.

Also known are drawer inserts made of wood with an inner part made of plastic or other materials, which are intended to solve the above-mentioned problems through a specific shape, but are unsuccessful in this or are characterized by complex production.

The documents DE 195 35 328 A1 and DE 203 01 475 U1 show such inserts made of wood or plastics. Here, sliding around of the inserted parts continues to produce a collision with the side walls of the insert, which creates haptic and acoustic disadvantages.

A similar solution is disclosed DE 20 2012 003 483 U1 , in which an inner part is used in the insert. Here, too, there is no reduction in the noise level or simple manufacture of the insert. Another generic solution is out DE 35 35 332 A1 known.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drawer insert of the type mentioned at the outset, which is visually and haptically appealing, has advantages in use and also offers a wide range of design options.

This object is achieved by a drawer insert with the features of claim 1.

The drawer insert according to the invention comprises an outer frame, which is made of a wood material, and an inner part, which is inserted into the frame. The inner part comprises a trough-shaped receptacle for the objects to be accommodated, in particular cutlery. It consists of a flexible plastic material.

While the frame gives the drawer insert the necessary stability, the plastic material from which the inner part is made can be at least so soft and flexible that the objects lie in softly and do not cause any hard back or bumping noises when the drawer is moved. Flexible plastics also have the advantage of a more pleasant haptic appearance in use. The inner part can be designed in a variety of ways, while this criterion does not play a major role in the design of the outer frame. This can be assembled in a very simple manner from straight wooden strips in which the inner part is inserted.

The flexible plastic material is preferably a synthetic rubber.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the flexible plastic material is a thermoplastic elastomer.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the flexible plastic material is a thermoplastic polyurethane.

The wood material is more preferably solid wood.

According to the invention, the frame is rectangular and has vertical side walls, on the upper edges or inner sides of which the inner part is fastened with its outer edges.

According to the invention, the inner sides of the side walls are provided with grooves in which the outer edges of the inner part are inserted.

More preferably, the inner part is detachably inserted into the frame.

Fig. 1

ist eine Draufsicht auf eine Ausführungsform eines Schubladeneinsatzes;

Fig. 2

ist ein senkrechter nicht erfindungsgemäßer Querschnitt durch den Schubladeneinsatz aus Fig. 1; und

Fig. 3

ist ein senkrechter Teilschnitt durch eine Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Schubladeneinsatzes.

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1

is a top view of an embodiment of a drawer insert;

Fig. 2

is a vertical cross-section not according to the invention through the drawer insert Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 3

is a partial vertical section through an embodiment of a drawer insert according to the invention.

The drawer insert 10 in Fig. 1 comprises an outer frame 12 and an inner part 14 which has a trough-shaped receptacle 16 for objects, for example for cutlery parts, kitchen utensils or the like. The frame 12 and the inner part 14 consist of different materials, which are manufactured in separate work steps and then inserted into one another to form the drawer insert 10 shown.

The frame 12 consists of a wood material, namely solid wood in the present case. In detail, the frame is composed of straight strips 18, 20, 22, 24, which in the embodiment shown here are mitred at their ends and glued together. Other connection options are also conceivable which are known per se to the person skilled in the art and therefore should not be explained in more detail here. It is very common, for example, to connect the ends of the strips 18, 20, 22, 24 by tooth galvanizing with interlocking teeth. Since the parts of the frame, namely the strips 18, 20, 22, 24 are very simple and easy to manufacture, they can be made from them easily build a rectangular frame 12, which gives the drawer insert 10 the necessary dimensional stability.

The inner part 14 consists of a flexible plastic material, such as, for example, a synthetic rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer, in particular a thermoplastic polyurethane. Since the outer dimensional stability of the drawer insert 10 is ensured by the frame 12, the inner part 14 can be deformable in itself and also have a certain elasticity. The flexibility of the plastic material also results in a softer appearance, which leads to a more pleasant feel. In addition, there are advantages in use, since the parts lying in the trough-shaped receptacle 16 no longer cause loud and unpleasant noises when sliding within the receptacle 16, as is often the case with conventional drawer inserts made of hard materials.

In the vertical section not according to the invention in Fig. 2 it can be seen that the frame 12 is delimited by vertical outer side walls which are formed by the strips 20, 24. In the present form, the strips 20, 24 are profiled on their upper edges 26, namely with a step-like inner milling, into which the inner part 14 is inserted with its peripheral outer edge 28. The sizes of the frame 12 and the inner part 14 can also be coordinated with one another in such a way that the inner part 14 has to be pressed slightly into the frame 12 from above in order to form the drawer insert 10. In this way, the frame 12 and the inner part 14 form a unit which does not easily separate from one another when the drawer insert 10 is used. However, it is conceivable that the inner part 14 can be detached from the frame 12 by applying slight pressure from below, for example it can be exchanged for a differently designed inner part. The drawer insert 10 thus represents a modular solution with a replaceable inner part 14.

According to a further embodiment, not shown here, the edge 28 of the inner part 14 can also be profiled for engagement in the upper edges 26 of the frame 12. For example, the configuration of the edge 28 of the inner part 14 with a Harpoon bridge or the like, which is pressed into a corresponding groove on the upper edge 26 of the frame 12.

Fig. 3 shows a partial section through an embodiment of the drawer insert 100 according to the invention, in which the frame 112 is composed of strips 120 which on their inner sides in the vicinity of their upper edges 126 have grooves 130 which run parallel to the upper edges 126. These grooves 130 receive the edge 128 of the inner part 114. Due to the flexibility of the material of the inner part 114, its edge 128 can be easily pressed into the grooves 130 and can also be detached therefrom for exchanging the inner part 114.

Claims (6)

1. Drawer insert (10) with a frame (12, 112) made of a wood-based material and an inner part (14, 114) with a trough-shaped compartment (16) for objects, which is inserted into frame (12, 112) and is made from a flexible plastic material, with frame (12, 112) being rectangular and having vertical side walls (18, 20, 22, 24; 120), with the inner part (14, 114) being attached to the inner sides of the side walls (18, 20, 22, 24; 120) by its outer edges (28, 128) and with the inner sides of the side walls (120) being provided in the vicinity of their top edges (126) with grooves (130) running parallel to the top edges, into which the outer edges (128) of the inner part (114) are inserted.
2. Drawer insert according to claim 1, characterised in that the flexible plastic material is a synthetic rubber.
3. Drawer insert according to claim 1, characterised in that the flexible plastic material is a thermoplastic elastomer.
4. Drawer insert according to claim 3, characterised in that the flexible plastic material is a thermoplastic polyurethane.
5. Drawer insert according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the wood-based material is solid wood.
6. Drawer insert of one of the previous claims, characterised in that the inner part (14, 114) is removably inserted in the frame (12, 112).

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