FR2492641A1 - Modular steel profiles for making chilled work benches - pref. double-walled and infilled with polyurethane or other insulating foam - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular furniture component comprises a large U- or C- section profile strong enough for structural walls and providing good thermal insulation where the profile pref. has twin pressed metal shells nested one within the other, the interface being filled with an insulating matl. such as polyurethane foam. Esp. suitable for making a 'baker's bench', i.e. a bench with a chilled work top and integral cool storage compartments controlled by an integral chiller. Opt. the compartment doors are derived from the pieces cut from the wall of the profile to make the door openings.

Description

The present invention relates to a thermally insulated modular furniture and its manufacturing process. Although not limited to a particular application, it is particularly suitable for the production of a pastry work table or the like, generally called in the profession "pastry lathe".

The known pastry towers consist of an elongated chest surmounted by a horizontal work platform. The front face of the trunk has a plurality of access doors inside it and there is provided cooling means capable of cooling the interior of said trunk and, consequently, the work tray. . Thus, the pastry chef can work his pastries on a cooled work table and, once the pastries are prepared, introduce them inside said trunk to keep them cool.

In these known towers, the trunk is made in one piece, in carpentry, so that its cost remains high and that the standard dimensions provided by their manufacturers do not necessarily adapt, nor to the location. available from the pastry chef, or to his exact needs.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks. It relates more particularly to a thermally insulated furniture structure allowing a lower manufacturing cost and an exact adaptation to the location available to the user and to his needs.

To this end, according to the invention, the thermally insulated modular core is remarkable in that it is made up in part of at least one module which can be assembled with other modules of identical shape and which consists of a element in one piece comprising three fa-ces giving said element a rectangular U-shaped or C-shaped section, respectively intended to form at least partially walls of said piece of furniture.

Advantageously, each modular element with a rectangular U-shaped or C-shaped cross-section can consist of a one-piece outer tdle, in the form of a U or C, a one-piece inner tble, also in the form of U or C and arranged inside said outer sheet so that the walls of these two sheets are two at dZz parallel and spaced from each other, and with a highly insulating lining of U or of C interposed between said exterior and interior sheets.

Preferably, to produce such a modular element, one begins by cutting and folding said outer and inner sheets and they are placed, in an injection mold, in their desired relative position for the finished modular element, then injected between them a synthetic foam of a thermally insulating material, such as a polyurethane, so as to form said lining. This therefore further ensures in this case the joining of said sheets.

In the case where the furniture according to the invention must include access doors in at least one face of one of its modular elements, it is advantageous, when preparing said external and internal sheets, to form in the corresponding faces of these, precut lines which delimit openings and which will be located opposite one another, to correspond to an access opening inside said piece of furniture. Thus, after injection of the thermally insulating lining, it is easy to pierce said access openings by eliminating, by complete cutting, the portions of the elements delimited by these precut lines. These cut portions, which therefore have a structure composed of a portion of inner sheet and a portion of outer sheet joined by a portion of thermally insulating lining, can be used for the production of door panels.

Preferably, for the assembly of the modules together, provision is made for fastening members in the end edges of said modular elements in order to allow the online assembly of said modules.

At its ends, the in-line assembly of said modular elements can be closed off by flat end panels.

 I1 is advantageous that the end panels have a structure identical to that of said door panels, that is to say consisting of an inner sheet and an outer sheet joined to one another by a gasket thermally insulating.

Preferably, the fastening members provided in the end edges of the modular elements, for assembling them between themselves or with the end panels, are of the type of rapid locking members described in the French patent application no. 77 35936.

In the case of the embodiment according to the invention, of a pastry tower consisting of a chest, elongated and surmounted by a horizontal working plate, the front face of the chest comprising access doors inside that -ci and means of refrigeration being provided to cool the interior of said chest and said work tray, this pastry turn is remarkable in that said chest is produced by a series of modules which can be assembled together and in that each module is cons formed by a one-piece element comprising three faces, one of which is intended to form the bottom and the other two, respectively, the front and rear walls of said element, so that the latter has a U-shaped section rectangular, fastening members being provided in the end edges of said modular elements in order to allow them to be assembled in line and to obtain a trough in the shape of a trough, while panels are also provided end assem blable to the two extreme modular elements to close off the ends of said trough.

Modular elements of different lengths can be provided: for example, a modular element comprising a single door and a modular element comprising two doors can be produced. Thus, by assembling modular elements of similar or different dimensions, it is possible to produce a trunk whose length is as close as possible to a desired length.

The work table could also be made up of modular elements that can be assembled. However, it is preferable to make it in one piece, covering the mounted trunk. In known manner, this work plate can be constituted by a sheet, for example of stainless steel, by a marble plate, etc.
In the pastry tower, according to the invention, the refrigeration means can be either internal or external to said trunk.

In the case of the embodiment according to the invention, of a cabinet-type piece of furniture, comprising a lower wall, a rear wall and an upper wall, this piece of furniture is remarkable in that it is constituted by a series of similar aces between them and in that each module consists of a single-piece element comprising three faces respectively intended to form the lower wall, the rear wall and the upper wall of said element, so that the latter has a shaped section of rectangular C, fastening members being provided in the end edges of said modular elements in order to allow them to be assembled in line and to obtain a piece of furniture with a rectangular C section, while provision is made for plus side end panels and at least one front panel, assembled to the modular elements.

If a door must be provided in a front or side panel, it is pre-cut in this panel as described above for a pastry turn. Thus, the central part of said panel is used for the production of the door, while its peripheral part is used for the production of the door frame.

The figures of the appended drawing will make it clear how the invention can be implemented.

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a pastry tower according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows, in perspective and one above the other, the internal and external sheets for the production of a modular element of the pastry turn of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows, in perspective and at a later stage of its manufacture, the modular element incorporating the internal and external sheets of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the production of a modular piece of furniture of the cupboard type according to the invention.

In these figures, similar elements have identical references.

The pastry machine according to the invention, shown diagrammatically from the front in FIG. 1, comprises a chest 1 surmounted by a plate 2, in one piece.

The trunk is composed by the assembly, end to end, of a first modular element 3, with a single door 4, and of a second modular element 5, with two doors 6 and 7. The modular elements 3 and 5 are assembled to each other along a transverse junction plane 8. As will be seen below, each of these modular elements 3 and 5 is formed by three walls in one piece,) 'a horizontal forming the bottom of the element and the other two verticals respectively forming the front face and a rear face of said elements. On the outside of said horizontal walls are feet 9 for the pastry turn. In addition, at its two ends, the trunk 1 is closed by transverse walls 10, assembled respectively at the outer ends of the modular elements 3 and 5.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate more particularly the structure and construction of the modular element 5, but it goes without saying that the structure and construction of the odular element 3 are similar.

To make the modular element 5, one begins by cutting and bending two sheets 11 and 12, the length of which corresponds to that of said element 5. Each of these sheets has the shape of a rectangular U-shaped trough, with an intermediate face 13 or 14, a rear face 15 or 16 and a front face 17 or 18. The edges of the sheets 11 and 12, or some of these edges may have edges 19 or 20. In addition, in the faces 17 or 18 are provided for precut lines 21 or 22 respectively, in future correspondence with doors 6 and 7.

The section of the sheet 11 is smaller than that of the sheet 12, so that the sheet 11 can be placed inside the sheet 12 by ensuring that the faces 13, 15 and 17 of the sheet 11 are respectively parallel to the corresponding faces 14, 16 and 18 of the sheet 12, while being spaced therefrom.

In this relative position of the sheets 11 and 12, which is for example adjusted in an injection mold (not shown), the panels 23, 24 and 25, 26 delimited respectively by the precut lines 21 and 22 are two to two facing each other. It is then possible to inject between the sheets 11 and 12 a thermally insulating foam material 27 which ensures the joining of said sheets, as well as the fixing of quick-locking members 98, into the edges of the double-walled modular element 5, thus obtained. .

Thanks to the precut lines 21 and 22, it is then possible to separate composite panels 29 and 30 from the rest of the modular element 5, these composite panels being respectively composed of panels of t5- the 23, 25 and 24, 26 linked by the foam material 27. Each of the composite panels 29 and 30 is then used for the production of a door 6 or 7.

The element 3 being produced in a similar manner, the modular elements 3 and 5 can, after finishing, be assembled together along the plane 8, thanks to the cooperation of the locking members 28 carried by each. of them.

The end panels 10 may have a sandwich structure similar to that of the composite panels 29 and 30 and be assembled to the elements 3 and 5 by means of locking members 28 or by means of other fixing means.

Although the drawings show a pastry tower comprising an element with one door and an element with two doors, it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to this combination. On the one hand, modular elements can be produced with more than two doors and, on the other hand, the pastry tower can be made up of any number of elements.

Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 4, the invention can be implemented for the production of a modular piece of furniture different from a pastry tower.

In this FIG. 4, an embodiment of a cabinet-type piece of furniture has been illustrated, comprising at least one modular element 31 produced (except for doors 25 and 26) in the same manner as modular elements 3 or 5. The elements 31 are arranged upright so that their three faces can respectively constitute after assembly of said elements 31, the lower wall, the rear wall and the upper wall of the piece of furniture to be produced.

 Lateralzzent, the element or elements 31 are closed by panels 32 having a structure identical to that of the panels 10. On the front side, the piece of furniture of FIG. 4 can be closed by one or more panels 33 similar to the panels 32, in which are cut out, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 3, the door panels 34. The rest 35 of the panels 33 serves as a frame for said doors. The assemblies of the various elements 31, 32 and 33 are produced by means of rusting means 28.

Claims (10)

R E V E N D I C A T I O N S 1- Modular thermally insulated piece of furniture, characterized in that it consists in part of at least one module which can be assembled with other modules of identical shape and which consists of a single-piece element comprising three sides giving said element a U-shaped or C-shaped section which is respectively intended to form at least partially walls of said piece of furniture. 2- Furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said modular elements with U-section or C rectangular may consist of a one-piece outer sheet in the form of ae u or C, a one-piece inner sheet, also in the form of U or C and arranged inside said outer sheet so that the walls of these two sheets are two to two pa parallel and spaced from each other, and a thermally insulating lining in the form of a U or C interposed between said outer and inner sheets. 3- Furniture according to one of claims 1 or 2, intended to form a pastry tower consisting of a chest, elongated and surmounted by a horizontal working tray, the front face of the chest comprising access doors to the inside thereof and refrigeration means being provided for cooling the interior of said trunk and said work plate, characterized in that said trunk is produced by a series of modules which can be assembled together and in that each module is consisting of a single piece element comprising three faces, one of which is intended to form the bottom and the other two, respectively, the front and rear walls of said element, so that the latter has a shaped section of rectangular U, fastening members being provided in the end edges of said modular elements in order to allow the assembly in line thereof and obtain a trunk-shaped trunk, while provision is also made for panels end, assemblabl es to the two extreme modular elements for sealing the ends of said trough. 4- Furniture according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it consists of modular elements of different lengths. 5- Furniture according to one of claims 1 or 2, having the shape of a cabinet provided with a lower wall, a rear wall and an upper wall, characterized in that it is constituted by a series modules as similar to each other and in that each module consists of a one-piece element comprising three faces respectively intended to form the bottom wall, the rear wall and the top wall of said element, so that it has a rectangular C-shaped section, fastening members being provided in the end edges of said modular elements in order to allow them to be assembled in line and to obtain a piece of furniture with a rectangular C-shaped section, while the 'There are also provided side end panels and at least one front panel, which can be assembled with modular elements. 6- Furniture according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising access doors in at least one side of one of its modular elements, characterized in that said doors are pre-cut in said element. 7- modular element for the production of a piece of furniture according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it consists of an outer sheet of a single piece in the form of U or C, of an inner sheet of a single piece, also in the shape of a U or C, and arranged inside said outer sheet so that the walls of these two sheets are two by two parallel and spaced one of the 'other, and a thermally insulating lining in the form of a U or C interposed between said outer and inner sheets. 8- modular element according to claim 7 intended for a pastry tower, characterized in that its length corresponds to one or more doors of the cabinet. 9- A method for producing a modular element according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that one begins by making, in known manner, by cutting and folding, said outer and inner sheets and they are arranged , in an injection mold, in their desired relative position for the finished modular element, then a synthetic foam of a thermally insulating material, such as polyurethane, is injected between them, so as to form said lining . 10- A method according to claim 9, characterized in that, at the time of preparation of the outer and inner sheets, there are formed in the faces thereof which will constitute the front face of the trunk, precut lines which delimit openings and which will be located opposite one another, to correspond to an access opening inside said trunk, so that, after injection of the thermally insulating lining, it is easy to pierce said openings d access by eliminating by cutting plots the front face portions of the elements delimited by these precut lines, these front face portions then being used for the production of the door panels.