GB1604814A - Interconnection of components especially for drawers - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO DRAWERS AND DRAWER COMPONENTS (71) We, L.B. (PLASTICS) Limited, a British Company, of Firs Works, Nether Heage, Belper, Derby 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: The invention relates to components for use in the construction of drawers.

Drawer constructions are known in which at least the side and back walls of the drawer are formed from extruded plastic panels of hollow profile interconnected at right angles to one another by corner pieces having spigot portions which project therefrom in two directions at right angles and engage within the hollow open ends of the panels. The spigots may be retained in position in the ends of the panels by means of adhesive or by projecting detents which snap into holes formed adjacent to the ends of the panels.

In draw constructions of this kind it frequently happens that the corner pieces are capable of being inserted or partially inserted into the ends of the panels in an inverted position resulting in incorrect assembly of the drawer and it is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby incorrect assembly of this kind may be avoided.

The invention provides a drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by separate connecting members having projecting spigots for engagement in said cavities, the connecting members being provided with interference projections positioned and dimensioned to prevent incorrect engagement of the connecting members with the panels.

The invention also provides a drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by connecting members having projecting spigots extending in two directions at right angles to one another in the cavities, at least one of said spigots being provided with an interference projection extending laterally therefrom at tbe outer free end thereof whereby to increase the width of the spigot to an extent which prevents it from being inserted into the end of the associated panel in an inverted position.

The interference projection may be provided at the outer end of the spigot only, but preferably extends along the full length of the spigot.

The invention also provides a drawer having a back and sides formed from extruded hollow plastics panels having internal webs extending across the panels at intervals to strengthen same, the panels being interconnected by connecting members each comprising a corner post and spigots projecting therefrom in two directions at right angles for engagement in the ends of the panels, interference projections being positioned at appropriate locations on said corner piece and/or one or more of said spigots to interfere with one or more of said internal webs and prevent complete engagement of the parts in the event of the corner pieces being incorrectly presented to the panels during assembly.

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 drawer side wall panel; Fig. 2 and 3 are enlarged perspective views of a corner connector for interconnecting drawer wall panels of the kind shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of a front connector for use in connecting drawer side wall panels to a drawer front; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of corner connector with a wall panel member adjacent thereto.

The drawer components shown in the drawings form drawers of so called "knockdown" construction, the sides and back comprising identical extruded hollow panels interconnected at right angles to one another by corner pieces. The forward ends of the Fide panels are connected to the drawer front by means of front connectors, and inwardly directed slots are provided adjacent the lower edges of the panels to receive the edges of a drawer bottom.

Referring to the drawings, the drawer side wall panel 5 shown in Fig. 1 comprises upper, intermediate and lower hollow sections 6A, 6B and 6C separated by internal webs 7.

An inwardly directed recess 8 is formed adjacent the lower longitudinal edge of the panel to accommodate an edge of a drawer bottom (not shown). The hollow section 6C of the panel incorporates a longitudinal channel 9 which constitutes an integral runner track designed to accommodate a guide and bearing assembly mounted on a drawer runner (not shown).

The side wall panels are connected to the back wall panel by connecting members or corner pieces 3 one of which is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The corner piece 3 comprises an upstanding corner post 30 having spigot members 31 projecting therefrom at right angles and spaced and dimensioned so as to form a tight push fit in the upper, intermediate and lower cavities of the associated wall panel. Detents 32 are provided on the projections 31 and engage in holes 33 formed in the outer face of the wall panel adjcent to the end thereof.

The side wall panels are connected to the drawer front by front connecting members 4 one of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Each of the front connecting members comprises a face plate 40 provided with spigot members 41, similar to the spigots or projections 31 formed on the corner connectors 3, and adapted for engagement in the hollow end of the associated side wall panel 5.

Prior to insertion of the front connectors into the respective wall panels the front connectors are secured to a suitable front panel by screws passed through holes 42 in the face plates 40, whereupon the assembly comprising the front panel and the two front connectors is engaged with the open forward ends of the side wall panels, the drawer bottom having been inserted in the meantime.

A raised rim 40A is provided round the peripheral edge of the face plate 40. This provides a slight clearance between the surface of the face plate and the surface of the drawer front to which it is attached so that the face plate contacts the drawer front at all points on its periphery despite any slight surface irregularities on the drawer front.

The clearance provided at the central region of the face plate also accommodates material displaced from the drawer front in the region of the screw holes when the front connecting member is secured in position.

The construction of the corner pieces 3 and front connecting members 4 is such that they cannot be wrongly inserted in the ends of the wall parcels. For this purpose flangelike extensions 31A are provided on the upper and central spigot members of the corner pieces 3 and similar extensions 41A are provided on the central spigot member of the front connecting member 4. These extensions interfere with the internal webs 7 of the wall panels 5 if the corner pieces or front connecting members are offered to the wall panels in an inverted or reversed position.

Incorrect assembly is also prevented in some cases by interference between the spigot members and the recesses 8 in the panels.

Referring now to Fig. 6 there is shown a modified form of corner connector which comprises a corner post 5 of square shape in plan from which two series of three spigots 6A, 6B, 6C and 7A, 7B, 7C project at right angles to one another. Each spigot is of generally U-form in cross-section and the outer surface of the base 8 of the U carries an outwardly projecting detent 10. The post comprises upper and lower portions 5A, 5B interconnected by a link member 5C of reduced section the position of the link member coinciding with the positions in the drawer back and sides of longitudinal recesses which, in the case of the drawer sides receive the runners on which the drawer is mounted in use.

Fig. 6 also shows a drawer panel 15 of extruded plastics construction comprising two hollow sections, the larger one 15A of which receives the two spigots 7A, 7B carried by the upper portion 5A of the corner post 5 and is divided internally by a transverse web 16. The smaller hollow section 15B receives the third spigot 7C and is separated from the larger section by a web member 17 defining a longitudinal recess 1 8A in the panel which, in the case of the drawer side panels, engages with the drawer runner.

The smaller section 15B also incorporates an inwardly directed longitudinal recess or slot 18B which receives and retains an edge of the drawer bottom (not shown).

Three holes 19 are provided adjacent the end of the panel 15 and receive the detents 10 carried on the respective spigots to retain the spigots in position in the ends of the panels.

By depressing these detents after assembly it is possible to separate the components and this is assisted, particularly in the case of the spigots carried on the lower portion of corner post, by chamfering the outer corners of the side walls of each spigot as shown at 20.

In order to prevent the corner piece from being fitted to the panel in an inverted position, in which event the link member 5C would not be positioned in alignment with the runner recesses 1 8A in the panel, the the base 8 of each of the upper spigots 6A and 7A is extended beyond the lower side wall 8A to form a projecting flange 21 which renders the overall wi dth of the spigot greater than that of the cavity 15B in which the lower spigot 7C is intended to fit. Thus, if the corner piece is presented to the panel in an inverted condition it cannot be inserted since neither of the upper spigots 6A or 7A (which are then in the lowermost position) will fit into the lower cavity 15B of the panel.The user must therefore invert the corner piece and, since the spigot 6C will not fit into the cavity 15B due to interference with the slot 18B, is thus prevented from fitting the corner piece incorrectly.

It will be appreciated that in order to achieve its function the projection 21 need only be present at the outer end of the spigot, but it is preferred for reasons of strength and simplicity in moulding that the projection should extend along the entire length of the spigot.

It should also be appreciated that the number and construction of the spigots may vary considerably as may the cavities in the panel into which they require to fit.

The nature and number of projections required to prevent incorrect fitting will therefore vary considerably dependent on the nature of the components. Moreover while in the embodiment described the spigots are retained in the ends of the panel members by means of detents engaging in holes in the panels, the spigots could be retained in some other manner, for example by means of adhesive.

Certain features of the drawer constructions described above form the subject matter of our copending Application No. 29261/76 (Serial No. 1 604 811).

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by separate connecting members having projecting spigots for engagement in said cavities, the connecting members being provided with interference projections positioned and dimensioned to prevent incorrect engagement of the connecting members with the panels.

2. A drawer according to claim 1 wherein said interference projections are arranged to permit partial insertion of said connecting members into said cavities but to prevent complete engagement.

3. A drawer according to claim 1 wherein said interference projections are arranged to prevent partial insertion of said connecting members into said cavities.

4. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein each connecting member comprises a corner post from which said spigots project in two directions at right angles to one another, at least some of said interference projections being carried by said corner post.

5. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein at least some of said interference projections are carried by said spigots.

6. A drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by connecting members having projecting spigots extending in two directions at right angles to one another for engagement in the cavities, at least one of said spigots being provided with an interference projection extending laterally therefrom at the outer free end thereof whereby to increase the width of the spigot to an extent which prevents it from being inserted into the end of the associated panel in an inverted position.

7. A drawer according to claim 6 wherein said interference projection is provided at the outer end of the spigot only.

8. A drawer according to claim 6 wherein said interference projection extends along the full length of the spigot.

9. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein said panels are provided with internal webs extending across said cavities at intervals to strengthen same, at least some of said projections being arranged to interfere with said webs.

19. A drawer having a back and sides formed from extruded hollow plastics panels having internal webs extending across the panels at intervals to strengthen same, the panels being interconnected by connecting members each comprising a corner post and spigots projecting therefrom in two direb tions at right angles for engagement in the ends of the panels, interference projections being positioned at appropriate locations on said corner piece and/or one or more of said spigots to interfere with one or more of said internal webs and prevent complete engagement of the parts in the event of the corner pieces being incorrectly presented to the panels during assembly.

11. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein the wall panels forming the drawer sides have longitudinal slots or recesses in opposed faces thereof for engagement with a drawer runner and for supporting a drawer bottom respectively.

12. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein said spigots are retained in said cavities by detents which project from said spigots and engage in holes in the associated panels.

13. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 11 wherein said spigots are retained in said cavities by means of adhesive.

14. A drawer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A drawer assembly substantially as

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

Claims (16)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. renders the overall wi dth of the spigot greater than that of the cavity 15B in which the lower spigot 7C is intended to fit. Thus, if the corner piece is presented to the panel in an inverted condition it cannot be inserted since neither of the upper spigots 6A or 7A (which are then in the lowermost position) will fit into the lower cavity 15B of the panel. The user must therefore invert the corner piece and, since the spigot 6C will not fit into the cavity 15B due to interference with the slot 18B, is thus prevented from fitting the corner piece incorrectly. It will be appreciated that in order to achieve its function the projection 21 need only be present at the outer end of the spigot, but it is preferred for reasons of strength and simplicity in moulding that the projection should extend along the entire length of the spigot. It should also be appreciated that the number and construction of the spigots may vary considerably as may the cavities in the panel into which they require to fit. The nature and number of projections required to prevent incorrect fitting will therefore vary considerably dependent on the nature of the components. Moreover while in the embodiment described the spigots are retained in the ends of the panel members by means of detents engaging in holes in the panels, the spigots could be retained in some other manner, for example by means of adhesive. Certain features of the drawer constructions described above form the subject matter of our copending Application No. 29261/76 (Serial No. 1 604 811). WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by separate connecting members having projecting spigots for engagement in said cavities, the connecting members being provided with interference projections positioned and dimensioned to prevent incorrect engagement of the connecting members with the panels.

2. A drawer according to claim 1 wherein said interference projections are arranged to permit partial insertion of said connecting members into said cavities but to prevent complete engagement.

3. A drawer according to claim 1 wherein said interference projections are arranged to prevent partial insertion of said connecting members into said cavities.

4. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein each connecting member comprises a corner post from which said spigots project in two directions at right angles to one another, at least some of said interference projections being carried by said corner post.

5. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein at least some of said interference projections are carried by said spigots.

6. A drawer incorporating wall panels having cavities in their ends and connected to adjacent wall panels by connecting members having projecting spigots extending in two directions at right angles to one another for engagement in the cavities, at least one of said spigots being provided with an interference projection extending laterally therefrom at the outer free end thereof whereby to increase the width of the spigot to an extent which prevents it from being inserted into the end of the associated panel in an inverted position.

7. A drawer according to claim 6 wherein said interference projection is provided at the outer end of the spigot only.

8. A drawer according to claim 6 wherein said interference projection extends along the full length of the spigot.

9. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein said panels are provided with internal webs extending across said cavities at intervals to strengthen same, at least some of said projections being arranged to interfere with said webs.

19. A drawer having a back and sides formed from extruded hollow plastics panels having internal webs extending across the panels at intervals to strengthen same, the panels being interconnected by connecting members each comprising a corner post and spigots projecting therefrom in two direb tions at right angles for engagement in the ends of the panels, interference projections being positioned at appropriate locations on said corner piece and/or one or more of said spigots to interfere with one or more of said internal webs and prevent complete engagement of the parts in the event of the corner pieces being incorrectly presented to the panels during assembly.

11. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein the wall panels forming the drawer sides have longitudinal slots or recesses in opposed faces thereof for engagement with a drawer runner and for supporting a drawer bottom respectively.

12. A drawer according to any preceding claim wherein said spigots are retained in said cavities by detents which project from said spigots and engage in holes in the associated panels.

13. A drawer according to any of claims 1 to 11 wherein said spigots are retained in said cavities by means of adhesive.

14. A drawer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A drawer assembly substantially as

hereinbefore described with reference to Fig.

6 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A set of components which, when assembled, form a drawer according to any preceding claim.