GB1587722A

GB1587722A - Drawers

Info

Publication number: GB1587722A
Application number: GB14675/76A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MacKenzie King Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: MacKenzie King Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 1976-04-09
Filing date: 1976-04-09
Publication date: 1981-04-08
Also published as: ZA771850B; BE853271A

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DRAWERS (71) We, MACKENZIE KING HOLDINGS LIMITED, a British Company, of North Works, Guilden Sutton, Nr. Chester, CH3 7EX, England, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to drawers.

In general, known drawers have either been made of solid back and side panel members which are connected together by mitred or dove-tailed joints, or have been made of back and side panel members which are extruded hollow sections of plastics material connected together by connecting members having spigots which fit into the hollow ends of the panel members. These connecting members have not hitherto been suitable for interconnecting solid drawer wall panels but solid wall panels are preferred by some users for cost, aesthetic or other reasons. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drawer construction which may be readily assembled from a set of parts using either solid or hollow wall panels.

According to the invention there is provided a drawer comprising four walls and a base and formed from a set of parts including first and second panel members and connecting means connecting said panel members together at an angle to one another, to form adjacent walls of the drawer, the connecting means defining a first socket which receives an end portion of said first panel member and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of said end portion, and retention means at least one element of which is resilient, retaining said end portion within said socket.

The invention also provides a set of drawer parts including wall panels, a base and connecting means adapted when assembled to form a drawer according to the preceding paragraph.

There may be provided within said socket of the connecting means an end stop wall which is engaged by said end portion of the associated panel member to limit the extent to which said end portion extends into the socket.

Said retention means may comprise at least one interengageable projection and recess, a part of the connecting means being resilient allowing said projection and recess to be snap-fitted into engagement with one another as the end portion of the panel member is entered into said socket. A recess may be provided within said socket, said projection being provided on said end portion of the panel member, or vice versa.

The projection preferably has a chamfer facing the direction of engagement between the associated panel member and the socket in the connecting means.

The socket may be defined by walls on the connecting means, at least one of said socket walls being formed with a slot which is openended at the mouth of the socket to permit resilient deformation of said wall as the associated end portion of the panel member is entered in said socket.

The connecting means may also define a second socket set at an angle to said first socket and which receives an end portion of said second panel member and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of said end portion, there being retention means retaining said end portion within said second socket.

The drawer may include second connecting means, similar to the first said connecting means, connecting said second panel member at an angle to a third panel member forming the third wall of the drawer. Third and fourth connecting means may also be provided connecting a fourth panel member forming the fourth wall of the drawer at an angle to said first and third panel members respectively.

Preferably each of said first and third panel members is provided, on that surface thereof which faces externally of the assembled drawer, with a slot for receiving a runner for the drawer, and each of said connecting means is also provided with a slot for receiving said runner.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connecting device for connecting a side panel member of a drawer to a back panel member; Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the connecting device of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of connecting devices for connecting side panel members of a drawer to a front panel member; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of parts for use in forming a drawer and comprising the devices shown in Figs. 1 to 4 together with drawer side, back, front and floor members before assembly; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of the parts of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative form of connecting device for connecting a side panel member of a drawer to a back panel member; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a further form of connecting means.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the connecting device 10 comprises side walls 11 and 12, a top wall 13, and a bottom wall 14 which define a generally hollow structure, the ends of the walls 11 to 14 defining two sockets 15 and 1 5a set at right angles to one another.

Each socket also has an end stop wall 16.

The connecting device 10 is rounded through 90" between the two sockets 15 and 15a.

As will be described later, the connecting device 10 is used for connecting together at right angles to one another, two panel members of a drawer, each panel member having end portions of substantially similar external cross-section in order that an end portion of one panel member may be received within each socket, in a manner to be described.

The side wall 11 of the device 10, which in use will face inwardly of the drawer, is provided near its lower edge with a slot 17 for receiving a drawer bottom panel 42 (Fig. 5), and the side wall 12, which in use will face outwardly of the drawer, is divided by a central lateral slot 18. The portions of the wall 12 above and below the slot 18 are interrupted at 19 so that the wall 12 comprises four portions 20 each of which defines part of one of the sockets 15, 15a. The top wall 13 and bottom wall 14 are formed, internally of the sockets 15 and 15a respectively, with projections 22 which snap into corresponding circular recesses in the drawer panel members, in a manner to be described, to retain the ends of the panel members in the sockets. Alternatively, the projections 22 may be formed, internally of the sockets 15, 15a, on the side walls 11 or 12 thereof.Each projection 22 is formed with a chamfer facing in the direction of engagement between the panel member and socket, so as to facilitate engagement of the projection into the corresponding recess in the panel member.

The slot 18 is provided for receiving a runner on which the assembled drawer is to slide and a strengthening rib 24 extends between the portions 20 above the slot 18.

In some forms of drawer construction the slots 18 and 17 may not be required, and in this case the walls defining the sockets 15 and 1 5a will be continuous and will surround the entire cross-section of each of the panel members.

The connecting devices 30 shown in Figures 3 and 4 are for connecting the side panel members of a drawer to a drawer front panel member and have a portion generally indicated by 31 of the same general form as in the connecting device 10, having side wall sections 20, slots 17 and 18, a socket defined by side walls 11 and 12, top wall 13, bottom wall 14, and end wall 16, and projections 22 within the socket. The devices 30 also each have a portion generally indicated by 32 extending at right angles to the portion 31, but in this case the portion 32 simply comprises a single wall portion 33 providing a surface which is to abut the front panel member. The end wall 16 has holes 34 for receiving screws. As can be seen from Figures 3 and 4 the portion 32 extends from portion 31 only above the slot 17 and the outward facing corner is a right angle and the inward facing corner is rounded.

The set of parts shown in Figure 5 comprises a drawer back panel member 40, two side panel members 41 (only a part of one of which is shown), the drawer bottom panel 42, the front panel member 43, two connecting devices 10, and two connecting devices 30.

Only parts of the panel members 21 and 43, and bottom panel 42, are shown.

In the upper and lower edges of each of the drawer side and back panel members there are provided circular recesses 44 to receive the projections 22 respectively within the sockets on the connecting devices 10 and 30.

The drawer side, front and back panel members are further each provided, on their inwardly facing surfaces, with a groove 45, aligned with the slots 17, for receiving the edges of the drawer bottom panel 42. The outwardly facing surfaces of the drawer side panel members are each provided with grooves 46, aligned with the slots 18, for receiving the runners on which the assembled drawer is to slide.

The parts illustrated in Figure 5 are assembled by first screwing the front connecting devices 30 to the drawer front panel member 43 through the holes 34, followed by insertion of the end portions of the drawer side and back panel members 41 and 40 in the sockets 15, 1 5a of the back connecting devices 10 where they are retained by the resilient engagement of the projections 22 within the recesses 44. The drawer bottom panel is then inserted in the slots 17 and grooves 45 of the assembled drawer panel members. The assembly is then fastened to the drawer front panel member 43 by insertion of the front end portions of the drawer side panel members 41 in the sockets of the front connecting devices 30, where they are retained by the resilient engagement of the projections 22 within the recesses 44.

In the alternative and preferred embodiment shown in Figure 6, the drawer components are generally similar to those described with reference to Figures 1 to 5, but in this case rectangular holes 51 are provided in the top and bottom walls, or in the side walls, of the connecting devices, and rectangular projections 52 are provided in the top and bottom edge faces of the drawer panel members, or (not shown) in the side faces thereof, for fastening the connecting devices to the drawer panel members. In addition slots 53 are provided in the side walls of the connecting devices to allow the top and bottom walls thereof to deflect more freely.

Each projection 52 comprises a separately formed plug having a chamfered rectangular head and inserted in a hole in the upper or lower edge of the panel member so that the head of the plug projects from the surface of the panel member edge with the chamfer on the head facing the end of the panel member.

The connecting devices are then fastened to the drawer panel members by pushing the end portions of the drawer panel members into the sockets of the connecting devices so that the projecting chamfered heads of the plugs first deflect the top and bottom walls (or the side walls if the holes are so positioned) of the connecting devices and then snap-fit into the holes 51 of the connecting devices.

The plugs 52 and holes 51 are preferably so disposed that they snap into engagement at the point where the end face of the panel member abuts the stop wall 16 of the socket.

Instead of the heads of the plugs 52 being chamfered to facilitate entry of the ends of the panel members into the sockets, the heads may be flat and the mouth of each socket may be chamfered at the point where the head of a plug 52 will pass into the socket.

Alternatively, each plug may have a flat head and be inserted in the panel member at an angle, so that the flat head is inclined towards the end of the panel member thereby facilitating entry of the end of the panel member into the socket.

In the above examples the slots 18 in the connecting devices are of substantially the same width as the grooves 46 in the side panel members 41. As a result of this, it will be apparent that each connecting device can only be used with a side panel member having a groove the position of which coincides exactly with the slot in the connecting device.

In the examples the slots and grooves are positioned centrally of the height of the panels and connecting devices but in practice drawers for different purposes may have the grooves in different locations. This means, therefore, that for each drawer side panel member having its slot or groove in a different position it is necessary to manufacture a different connecting device having its slot 18 in a corresponding position. This may be inconvenient and expensive.

Figs. 7 and 8 show modified forms of connector which may be used with a variety of drawer side panel members having their grooves in different positions.

The connecting device 60 shown in Fig. 7 comprises side walls 61 and 62, a top wall 63, and a bottom wall 64, which define a generally hollow structure, the ends of the walls 61, 62, 63, 64 defining sockets 65 and 65a, set at right angles to each other, which receive respectively the end portions of the drawer side panel member 41 and the drawer back panel member 40, both indicated in chain lines. The side wall 61 which, in use, will face inwardly of the drawer, is provided with a slot 67 extending all the way round the wall near the bottom of the device for receiving the drawer bottom panel 42. The side wall 62 which, in use, will face outwardly of the drawer, is divided by a central lateral slot 68 for receiving the runners on which the assembled drawer will slide.At the top and bottom edge of the slot 68 there are provided generally square strengthening ribs 66 connecting the side walls 61 and 62.

The outwardly facing side wall 62 is formed with square holes 69 on opposite sides of the slot 68 for receiving projections (not shown) provided on the panel members or for receiving pins to assist in securing the connecting device to the drawer wall members in the case where other projections and recesses (also not shown) are provided in similar fashion to the projections and recesses of Figure 5 or Figure 6. The holes 69 could also be round or of any other suitable shape.

As in the arrangements of Figure 5 and 6 the drawer side panel member 41 is formed with an outwardly facing groove 46 into which a runner, on which the drawer is to slide will project. As will be seen from Figure 7, the slot 68 in the connecting device is, in this case, considerably wider than the groove 46 so that the groove will be unobstructed by the connecting device despite variations in the location of the groove 46 in different side panel members. Thus the same connecting device is suitable for use with a variety of side panel members. Although the device can be of any required overall height, this will in practice generally be in a range of 85 mm to 180 mm. Within this range the upper and lower portions may each have a constant height of 33 mm regardless of the overal height of the device.

In the alternative construction shown in Figure 8, the connector is formed in two separate parts and may be regarded as being similar to the one-piece device of Figure 7, but with a central portion of the inner wall 61 removed opposite the slot 68 in the outer wall 62. The spacing apart of the two parts when fitted to a drawer side panel member, is greater than the width of the groove 46 so that, again, the groove will be unobstructed by the connecting means despite variations in the location of the groove 46 in different side panel members. In the arrangement of Figure 8, the interengaging projections and recesses for retaining the ends of the panel members in the sockets of the connector are provided on the side faces of the panel members and sockets.

Instead of the two parts of the connecting device being completely separate, as shown in Figure 8, they may be connected by a bridging element, not shown, which maintains the parts in a fixed spaced relationship. It will be appreciated that the bridging element must not obscure any part of the groove 46 in the side panel member of the drawer when the device is in use. The bridging element may be permanently connected to the two parts of the device or may be arranged to be detachable therefrom.

In the above described embodiments, the connecting devices may be mouldings of thermoplastics material and the drawer panel members may be solid chipboard covered with a thin coating of P.V.C. The embodiments thus give the advantages that the drawer panel members are cheap to manufacture and a robust assembly is provided which has no weak points at which the drawer panel members and connecting devices can break before, during or after assembly. n alternative constructions, the drawer panel members may be of wood or entirely of plastics material, for example they may comprise hollow extrusions of plastics material, The connecting devices may be of material other than plastics, for example they may be formed from metal.However, whatever materials are used, the arrangement must be such as to permit resilient inter-engagement of the projections and recesses which retain the parts together.

Additional fastening between the connecting devices and drawer panel members may be provided by screws, nails, staples or the like, or by an adhesive.

The projections on the panel members or within the sockets on the connecting devices may be of any suitable shape and may be provided by various means. Where the panel members or connecting devices are formed from plastics material, the projections may be integrally moulded therewith, or may be formed subsequently by deforming the plastics material. Alternatively the projections may be separate elements secured to the panel members or sockets by any suitable means such as by welding or by an adhesive, depending on the materials used. When the projections are provided on the panel members they may also be attached to the panel members by screws or pins, or they may be wedged in holes in the panel members, as described earlier. For example, each projection may comprise a head having an integral spike which is driven into the surface of the panel member.

In an alternative construction to those described earlier, the front panel member may be similar to the back panel member and connected to the side panel members by connecting devices similar to the devices 10, instead of by the connecting devices 30.

In addition the corners of the connecting devices may be angular rather than rounded and the ends of the drawer panel members to be received by the sockets in the connecting devices may be haunched by the thickness of the socket-defining walls of the devices, so that the connecting devices do not project beyond the surfaces of the drawer panel members.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A drawer comprising four walls and a base formed from a set of parts including first and second panel members and connecting means connecting said panel members together at an angle to one another to form adjacent walls of the drawer, the connecting means defining a first socket which receives an end portion of said first panel member and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of said end portion, and retention means at least one element of which is resilient, retaining said end portion within said socket.

2. A drawer according to claim 1 wherein there is provided within said socket of the connecting means an end stop wall which is engaged by said end portion of the associated panel member to limit the extent to which said end portion extends into the socket.

3. A drawer according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said retention means com prise at least one inter-engageable projection and recess, a part of the connecting means being resilient allowing said projection and recess to be snap-fitted into engagement with one another as the end portion of the panel member is entered into said socket.

4. A drawer according to claim 3 wherein a recess is provided within said socket and said projection is provided on said end portion of the panel member.

5. A drawer according to claim 4 wherein said recess comprises a hole formed through a part of the connecting means which defines said socket.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. height of 33 mm regardless of the overal height of the device. In the alternative construction shown in Figure 8, the connector is formed in two separate parts and may be regarded as being similar to the one-piece device of Figure 7, but with a central portion of the inner wall 61 removed opposite the slot 68 in the outer wall 62. The spacing apart of the two parts when fitted to a drawer side panel member, is greater than the width of the groove 46 so that, again, the groove will be unobstructed by the connecting means despite variations in the location of the groove 46 in different side panel members. In the arrangement of Figure 8, the interengaging projections and recesses for retaining the ends of the panel members in the sockets of the connector are provided on the side faces of the panel members and sockets. Instead of the two parts of the connecting device being completely separate, as shown in Figure 8, they may be connected by a bridging element, not shown, which maintains the parts in a fixed spaced relationship. It will be appreciated that the bridging element must not obscure any part of the groove 46 in the side panel member of the drawer when the device is in use. The bridging element may be permanently connected to the two parts of the device or may be arranged to be detachable therefrom. In the above described embodiments, the connecting devices may be mouldings of thermoplastics material and the drawer panel members may be solid chipboard covered with a thin coating of P.V.C. The embodiments thus give the advantages that the drawer panel members are cheap to manufacture and a robust assembly is provided which has no weak points at which the drawer panel members and connecting devices can break before, during or after assembly. n alternative constructions, the drawer panel members may be of wood or entirely of plastics material, for example they may comprise hollow extrusions of plastics material, The connecting devices may be of material other than plastics, for example they may be formed from metal.However, whatever materials are used, the arrangement must be such as to permit resilient inter-engagement of the projections and recesses which retain the parts together. Additional fastening between the connecting devices and drawer panel members may be provided by screws, nails, staples or the like, or by an adhesive. The projections on the panel members or within the sockets on the connecting devices may be of any suitable shape and may be provided by various means. Where the panel members or connecting devices are formed from plastics material, the projections may be integrally moulded therewith, or may be formed subsequently by deforming the plastics material. Alternatively the projections may be separate elements secured to the panel members or sockets by any suitable means such as by welding or by an adhesive, depending on the materials used. When the projections are provided on the panel members they may also be attached to the panel members by screws or pins, or they may be wedged in holes in the panel members, as described earlier. For example, each projection may comprise a head having an integral spike which is driven into the surface of the panel member. In an alternative construction to those described earlier, the front panel member may be similar to the back panel member and connected to the side panel members by connecting devices similar to the devices 10, instead of by the connecting devices 30. In addition the corners of the connecting devices may be angular rather than rounded and the ends of the drawer panel members to be received by the sockets in the connecting devices may be haunched by the thickness of the socket-defining walls of the devices, so that the connecting devices do not project beyond the surfaces of the drawer panel members. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A drawer comprising four walls and a base formed from a set of parts including first and second panel members and connecting means connecting said panel members together at an angle to one another to form adjacent walls of the drawer, the connecting means defining a first socket which receives an end portion of said first panel member and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of said end portion, and retention means at least one element of which is resilient, retaining said end portion within said socket.

6. A drawer according to claim 3 wherein

said projection is provided on said connecting means, projecting inwardly of said socket, and said recess is provided on said end portion of the associated panel member.

7. A drawer according to any of claims 3 to 6 wherein said projection is provided by a separately formed element.

8. A drawer according to any of claims 3 to 7 wherein the projection has a chamfer facing the direction of engagement between the associated panel member and the socket in the connecting means.

9. A drawer according to any of claims 3 to 5 in which the projection is provided on said end portion of the associated panel member, and wherein the mouth of said socket includes a chamfer facing the direction of engagement between the associated panel member and the socket for facilitating interengagement between the projection on the panel member and the recess within the socket.

10. A drawer according to any of claims 3 to 9 wherein said socket is defined by walls on the connecting means, and wherein at least one of said socket walls is formed with a slot which is open-ended at the mouth of the socket to permit resilient deformation of said wall as the associated end portion of the panel member is entered in said socket.

11. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 10 wherein the connecting means also defines a second socket set at an angle to said first socket and which receives an end portion of said second panel member and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of said end portion, there being retention means retaining said end portion within said second socket.

12. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 11, and further comprising second connecting means, similar to the first said connecting means, connecting said second panel members at an angle to a third panel member forming the third wall of the drawer.

13. A drawer according to claim 12 and further comprising third and fourth connecting means connecting a fourth panel member forming the fourth wall of the drawer at an angle to said first and third panel members respectively.

14. A drawer according to claim 13 wherein said third and fourth connecting means each comprise a socket which receives an end portion of said first or third panel member respectively and embraces the upper and lower edges and at least a part of each side of the end portion thereof, there being retention means retaining said end portions within the respective sockets, and each of said third and fourth connecting means also having a surface disposed at an angle to an axis normal to the mouth of the associated socket and attached to said fourth panel member.

15. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 10 wherein said connecting means has a surface disposed at an angle to an axis normal to the mouth of the socket and attached to said second panel member.

16. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 15 wherein each connecting means is arranged to secure said panel members together at right angles to one another.

17. A drawer according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein each of said first and third panel members is provided, on that surface thereof which faces externally of the assembled drawer, with a slot for receiving a runner for the drawer, and each of said connecting means is also provided with a slot for receiving said runner.

18. A drawer according to claim 17 wherein the slot in each connecting means is wider than the slot in each of said first and third panel members.

19. A drawer according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein each of said first and second connecting means comprises two separate elements which co-operate to define two sockets set at right angles to one another, each element forming a portion of each socket.

20. A drawer according to claim 19, wherein each of said first and third panel members is provided, on that surface which faces externally of the assembled drawer, with a slot for receiving a runner for the drawer, and wherein said two separate elements of each of said first and second connecting means are so dimensioned that, when co-operating to define said sockets, they are spaced apart by a distance greater than the slot in each panel member.

21. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 20 wherein each panel member is provided, on that surface which faces internally of the assembled drawer, with a groove which receives an edge of the drawer base, each connecting means also being provided with a slot which receives a corner of said base.

22. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 21 wherein each connecting means is formed from plastics material.

23. A drawer formed from a set of parts substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, of Fig. 6, or with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, or Fig. 6 modified according to Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings.

24. A set of drawer parts including wall panels, a base and connecting means adapted when assembled to form a drawer according to any of claims 1 to 23.