GB2064051A - Interlocking corner joint for drawers - Google Patents

Abstract

An interlocking corner joint for connecting e.g. side panels 4, 6 or 8 of a drawer comprises two parts each projecting from a base e.g. 34 of a width equal to that of the panels 4, 6 8, one of said projecting parts having an outer laterally offset portion 42 or 32 forming a locking nose located within said base width, while the other projecting part 36 has a side opening of a width smaller than the total width of the locking nose and having an undercut edge portion 40 enabling the locking nose to be introduced into the opening and then rotated in the direction of arrow 48 to form a right- angled joint with the nose portion 32, 42 of the first part engaged beneath undercut edge 40. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Corner joint The invention relates to corner joint elements particularly though not exclusively to corner joint elements for use when forming drawers and similar box-shaped members from prefabricated profiles e.g. in the form of drawer or box side elements.

For the time being several systems are available for do-it-yourself people when making box-shaped things, e.g. drawers, bookshelves, flower pots, etc. Most of these do-it-yourself systems are also used more professionally by furniture manufacturers whereby is achieved to simplify the assembling e.g. of drawers or similar box-shaped furniture members. The most important advantage is the possibility of individual adjustment of such box-shaped members by using prefabricated standard profiles as side elements which prior to the assembling just need to be cut into individual lengths which then are assembled by means of particular corner joints elements having parts adapted to be connected to the profiles by just inserting these parts into the open ends of the side profiles.

However, these known corner joint elements are formed as firm corner elements provided with connection parts at two sides forming a right angle and adapted to be inserted in the open ends of two side profiles which are to be mutually connected in a right angle. The fact that these corner joint elements in this way are "firm" elements means that such corner elements are not suited to be connected to the side profiles prior to the assembling or prior to the dispatching thereof since the profiles in such case may simply be unsuitable to pack. Consequently, drawer elements for such a type of "do-it-yourself" drawer are packed as loose parts comprising e.g.

one rear end profile length, two side profile lengths, two corner joint elements, two particular front joint elements and a front side element, of which the two corner and front joint elements are mutually unlike regarding their placement at left and right side of the drawer, respectively.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a new and improved type of corner joint elements for use when forming box-shaped members such as drawers from prefabricated profiles and by means of which the assembling operation may even be further simplified and the professional use of such corner joints may be consolidated.

According to the invention there is provided a corner joint comprising two separate corner joint elements each of which being provided with connection means adapted to be connected in advance with end portions of profiled side elements e.g. of a drawer preferably by inserting said connection means into end openings of said profiled side elements, each corner joint element being further provided with individually shaped connection parts adapted to allow the corner joint elements to be mutually connected in such a way that said connection means adapted to be inserted into the end openings of the profiled side elements form a right angle therebetween.Hereby is obtained at least two important advantages compared to that of said known "firm" corner joint elements, namely the possibility of providing individual lengths of side profiles eig. for a certain size of drawer with suitable corner joint elements whereby the assembling of the drawer may be considerably simplified and the possibility of forming a suitable packing without projecting parts of corner joint elements mounted in advance. Furthermore the corner joint according to the invention is universal which means that the corner joint may be used for both left and right corner joints.

Preferably said individual connection parts of each corner joint elements are formed respectively as one or more side openings being provided with internal projections and as one or more hook portions being adapted to cooperate with said internal projections in such a way that the hook portions are easy to insert in said side openings of the cooperative corner joint element in which the hook portions engage said internal projections for mutual interconnection of the corner joint elements when these are swung against each other to form a right angle.

The invention is described in more detail in the following, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the type of drawer referred to, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a drawer corner joint according to the invention, Fig. 3 a perspective view showing in more detail one portion of the corner joint shown in Fig. 2, Figs. 4a-4c are sectional side views illustrating step by step the use of the corner joint elements according to the invention, Figs. 5-8 are detailed views of the corner joint element shown in Fig. 3, Figs. 9-14 are detailed views of the corner joint element shown in Fig. 2, Figs. 14-17 are detailed views of a modified corner joint element corresponding to that shown in Figs. 5-S, and Figs. 18-22 are detailed views of a modified corner joint element corresponding to that shown in Figs. 9-13.

Preferably the corner joint according to the invention is adapted for use as a drawer corner joint of drawers of the type shown in Fig. 1. This drawer 2 is made of profiled side elements (Fig. 3) of which a rear side element is designated 4 while a left side element and a right side element are designated with 6 and 8, respectively. A front side element is designated 10 and a bottom plate element is designated 12. The side elements 6 and 8 are interconnected by means of the rear side element 4 and two corner joints 14 of which the right corner joint is shown in Fig. 2. Here the external configuration of the rear side and right side elements 4 and 8 are also shown. The profiling of the side elements 4, 6, and 8 are uniformed and the profiling thereof appears from Fig. 3 in which an end portion of a left side element 6 shows the cross section of the side elements.The profiling comprises at the external side thereof a central, longitudinal groove 1 6 adapted to cooperate with external guiding rails for the drawer 2 and at the internal side thereof a lower groove 18 adapted to support the edge portions of the bottom plate element 12 (Fig. 1) which may be inserted from the front side of the drawer side elements 6 and 8 after the assembling of these elements to the respective end portions of the rear side element 4 by means of two corner joints 14. Furthermore the profiling of the side element 6 shown comprises horizontal internal partitions 20, the purpose of which serves to act as reinforcements of the side elements 4, 6, and 8.

In the right-hand side of Fig. 3 is shown a corner joint element 22 adapted to be connected to the side element 6 (or 8) by inserting connection portions 24 and 26 thereof into the corresponding end openings 28 and 30 of the side element 6. The corner joint element 22 is also shown in Figs. 5-8 from which the configuration of the connection portions 24 and 26 can be seen more clearly as the corner joint element 22 is adapted to be used in connection with both the left side element 6 and the right side element 8 and for this purpose the connection portions 26 at the opposed ends of the corner joint element 22 are invertedly uniform so as to allow the connection portions 26 and 24 thereof to be inserted also in an inverted position in the opposed end of the side element when acting as a right side element 8 irrespective of the placement of the groove 18 for the bottom plate element 12.

The corner joint element 22 is provided with hookshaped connection parts 32 projecting from a base plate portion 34 as also shown in Figs. 5-8.

The counter part to the corner joint element 22 is shown in Fig. 2 and in Figs. 9-13 and this corner joint element is designated 36. The corner joint element 36 is provided with longitudinal side openings 38 adapted to receive the hook-shaped connection parts 32 of the corner joint element 22 as shown in Fig. 4a (although the cross section of the hook-shaped connection part 42 shown in Figs. 4a-4c refers to the modified embodiment of the corner joint element shown in Figs.

11 7). The sidewards insertion of the hook shaped connection part in the side openings 38 (Fig. 4a) causes no troubles since the outer end portion of the hook-shaped connection part as shown in both Figs. 5-8 and Figs. 14-1 7 is somehow tapering in two directions.At the outer front side of the side openings 38 is provided a generaliy triangular thickening 40 forming said interval projection cooperating with the hookshaped connection part 42 (Figs. 4a-4c). The assembling of the corner joint elements 36 and 22 or 44 as indicated takes place after the connection thereof to the respective side elements 4 and 6 or 8 and preferably the rear side element 4 is provided with corner joint elements 36 or 46 at the respective ends positioned in such a way that the side openings 38 are facing the inner or the front side surface of the rear side element 4 which may be supported in the positions shown in Figs. 4a-4c e.g. on a table.Then the side elements 6 and 8 being already provided with corner joint elements 22 or 44 are connected to the rear side element 4 or rather to the corner joint elements 36 or 46 thereof by the method illustrated step by step in Figs. 4a-4c.

In Fig. 4a the hook-shaped connection part 42 has been inserted through the side opening 38 of the corner joint element 36 and the hook portion engages the inner surface of the triangular thickening 40. By further swinging of the corner joint element 44 in the direction indicated with an arrow 48 the connection part reaches the position shown in Fig. 4b in which the hook corner portion engages an inner edge portion 50 of the thickening 40 while opposite surface portions 52 (Figs.14 and 17) have reached a position just outside the rear side edge of the opening 38.By still further swinging of the corner joint element 44 towards the direction of the arrow 48 the assembling will be momentally completed due to some elasticity of the corner joint elements 36 and 44 whereby the corner joint will pass the dead point position shown in Fig. 4b and reach the complete position shown in Fig. 4c in which the corner joint elements 36 and 44 are mutually interlocked forming a right angle therebetween.

Preferably the connection portions 24 and 26 of the corner joint element 22 are not connected to the side profiles by application of glue to the connection portions 24 and 26 prior to the insertion thereof in the end openings 28 and 30 of the profiles 6 as is the case with known corner joints of the said "firm" type. The corner joint elements according to the invention are provided with locking dowels 54 projecting sidewards from the connection portions 26 and being adapted to cooperate with locking holes 56 provided in the outer wall of the end portions of the profiled side elements 6 and 8.

The corner joint element 36 is provided with corresponding locking dowels 58 projecting sidewards from connection portions 60 and the profiled rear side element 4 is provided with corresponding locking holes 62 in the outer wall of the end portions thereof. The locking dowels 54 and 58 and the locking holes 56 and 62 of the respective parts are as illustrated in Fig. 2 mutually offset in order to prevent the possibility of incorrect mounting of the respective corner joint elements, as they are adapted to be used as both right and left corner joints.

The modified embodiments of the corner joint elements 44 and 46 shown in Figs. 14-22 are provided with particular connection portions 64 adapted to be inserted endwise in the profile opening 66 (Fig. 2) behind the guiding groove 16 of the side elements. The corner joint elements 36 and 46 adapted to be used in connection with the rear side element 4 are furthermore provided with stop members 68 and 70 adapted to cooperate with corresponding stop members of the guiding rail for the drawer in order to prevent the drawer to be pulled entirely out by mistake.

In principle the connection portions of the corner joint elements may have any convenient configuration in accordance with the actual shape of the profiling of the drawer side element used, and as mentioned preparatorily the corner joint according to the invention may be used for assembling any other box-shaped members.

The corner joint shown and described may of course within the scope of the invention be further modified since the main aspect is to provide a corner joint, the individual elements of which are usable to be preconnected to profiled side elements which then are interconnectable to form box-shaped members like drawers, or the individual side elements may be provided with connection portions according to the invention as integrated end portions of the side elements themselves.

Claims (5)

1. A corner joining system for interlocking two separate construction elements such as wall elements of a drawer, characterized in comprising respective cooperating engagement parts each projecting from a base member or base area of a base width representative of the cross sectional width of the respective construction element and each having an overall width smaller than or not substantially exceeding said base width, one of said projecting parts having an outer laterally offset portion so as to constitute a locking nose located within said base width, while the other projecting part has a side opening of a width smaller than the total width of the locking nose and having an undercut edge portion enabling the locking nose to be introduced into the opening by a turning insertion movement resulting in the nose portion of the first part being non-retractable from the side opening of the other part when the parts assume their final mutual positions.

2. A corner joining system according to claim 1, in which the engagement parts are provided on separate joining members adapted to be endwise secured to respective construction elements, and in which the joining member provided with the said locking nose has a base member which in the joined condition of the two parts is abutting the outside of the material portion of the other part in which said side opening is provided.

3. A corner joining system according to claim 1 or 2, in which the undercut edge portion of the nose receiving opening of said other part is located adjacent the outermost end or side of the opening so as to condition a joining of the two construction elements by a folding movement from an initial mutual angular position of more than 900 back to a rectangular relationship.

4. A corner joining system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the rear edge of the nose portion as opposed to the outer offset end thereof is shaped so as to engage, in the joined position of the parts, the edge of the opening of the other part opposite to said undercut edge thereof, while the opposite edge of the nose portion, whether of the outer offset portion or the inner stem portion thereof, engages a wall or edge portion of the other part adjacent the opposite edge or end of said opening therein.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 28.1.81 Superseded claims: NONE New or amended claims

5. A corner jointing system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.