GB2081571A

GB2081571A - Ornamenting furniture

Info

Publication number: GB2081571A
Application number: GB8010037A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rodney Ward
Original assignee: SCHREIBER FURNITURE Ltd
Current assignee: SCHREIBER FURNITURE Ltd
Priority date: 1980-03-25
Filing date: 1980-03-25
Publication date: 1982-02-24

Abstract

A cornice assembly for an article of furniture, comprising one or more cornice rails of similar, selected ornamental cross-section, and one or more jointing members, the or each jointing member each having a substantially flat web adapted to locate between the end faces of adjacent cornice rails, and having flanges integral with the web and shaped to overlie the outer profiled faces of the adjacent cornice rails to hide any gap therebetween. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to furniture The present invention relates generally to articles offurniture such as bedroom or kitchen cabinets and in particular to such cabinets produced in a form suitable for packaging and subsequent assembly by the purchaser in his home without the need for special skills or equipment.

This type of furniture has become popular in recent years but the general tendency has been for such cabinets to present a very plain box-like appearance which could be improved by the provision of a traditional cornice around at least a portion of the top of the cabinet. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cornice assembly in a form which enables the cornice to be readily fitted by an unskilled person to any cabinet so as to improve the appearance and finish of the cabinet.

According to one aspect of the present invention we therefore provide a cornice assembly for an article of furniture, comprising one or more cornice rails of similar, selected ornamental cross-section, the or each having an outer profiled face and a rearwardly extending portion adapted to overlie a surface of the article of furniture for fixing thereto and one or more jointing members, the or each jointing member each having a substantially flat web adapted to locate between the end faces of adjacent cornice rails and flanges integral with the web and shaped to overlie the outer profiled faces of the adjacent cornice rails to hide any gap therebetween.

According to a further aspect of the present invention we also provide an article of furniture having a cornice formed from a cornice assembly as defined in the preceding paragraph wherein the rearwardly extending portions of the cornice rails overlie and are attached to a part of the article of furniture to form a cornice therefor and a jointing member is located between the end faces of adjacent cornice rails with the flanges overlying the outer profiled faces ofthe adjacent cornice rails to hide any gap therebetween.

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an array of wall cabinets; Figure 2 is a plan view of the wall cabinets shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the wall cabinets of Figure 1 and 2 showing the cornice partially assembled; Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the jointing members of the cornice assembly; Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative jointing member; and Figure 6 is a plan view of a detail of a cornice assembly incorporating the jointing member of Figure 5.

In Figures 1 and 2 an array 10 of wall cabinets 11 is shown mounted on wall surfaces 12 and 13 to form a corner array of cabinets. The cabinets 11 are of the type which are suitable for packaging in the factory and subsequently assembly and mounting by the purchaser in his home without the need for any special skills or equipment.

The cabinets 11 are spaced from the ceiling of the room and the upper edge of the cabinets 11 is given a finished appearance by the provision of a cornice 14. The cornice 14 is made from a cornice assembly of factory made components comprising straight cornice rails 15 and 16, external right-angled cornice rails 17 and 18 and an internal right-angle cornice rail piece 19. The cornice rails 15 to 19 are of similar cross-section and profile which will be described in greater detail below and the joints between adjacent ends of the cornice rails are closed by similar jointing members 20.

Each cornice rail 15 to 19 has an outer profiled face 21, a rearwardly extending portion 22 and a bottom lip 23. As shown in Figure 3, the rearwardly extending portion 22 of each cornice rail is adapted to overlie the top panel 24 of a cabinet with the lip 23 abutting the front face of the cabinet. Self tapping screws 25 and fastening members 26 are then inserted through the top panel 24 and through the rearwardly extending portion of the cornice rail to secure the cornice rail to the cabinet, in a manner described in greater detail below.

Each jointing member 20 which is located between the ends of adjacent cornice rails comprises a substantially flat web 27 and oppositely and outwardly extending flanges 28 and 29 having an outer profiled face similar to the outer profiled faces of the cornice rails. In use, the web 27 is located between the ends of adjacent cornice rails and the flanges overlie the outer profiled faces of the cornice rails to hide any gap therebetween.

The jointing member 20 is also provided with outwardly and oppositely extending lower lugs 30 and 31 integral with the web 27 and adapted to locate in use between the top panel 24 of the cabinet and the rearwardly extending portions 22 of the cornice rails and with outwardly and oppositely extending upper lugs 32 and 33 adapted to locate above and overlie the rearwardly extending portions 22 of the cornice rails. The web 27 is also provided with apertures 34 to receive dowel pegs.

In order to make the cornice assembly 14, the right-angle cornice rail 17 is located in position on the top panel 24 of the cabinet 11, the self tapping screw 25 is tightened home and the fastening ele ment 26 is partially tightened. Ajointing member 20 is then butted against the end of the cornice rail 17 with the flange 30 located between the rearwardly extending portion 22 of the rail and the upper surface of the top panel 24. This is pdssible so long as the fastening element 26 is only partially tightened so as to leave sufficent movement of the end of the rail 17. In this position, the flange 28 of the jointing member 20 overlies the outer profiled face 21 of the rail 17.The fastening member 26 is then tightened home to secure the rail 17 to the cabinet 11 and clamp the lug 30 securely between the rearwardly extending portion 22 of the rail 17 and the top panel 24.

The straight cornice rail 15 is then butted up to the jointing member 20 so that the lug 31 is located bet ween the rearwardly extending portion 22 of the rail 15 and the top panel 24 and any gap between the ends of the rails 17 and 15is hidden by the flanges 28 and 29. The rail 15 is then secured to the cabinet by screwing home a self tapping screw25a adjacent the jointing member and partially tightening a fastening element 26 at the other end ofthe rail 15. The operation is then repeated to secure the cornice rails 19,16 and 18 to the top panels 24 ofthe cabinets with jointing members 20 located between the cornice rails.

The component parts of the cornice assembly will be provided in knock down form with the cabinets together with instructions for assembly thereby enabl ing the purchaserto assembly and mount the cabinets and the cornice in his home withoutthe need for any special skills or equipment.

It is envisaged that the cornice rails and jointing members maybe made from timber, resin bonded fibres or plastics materials. It is also envisaged that dowel pins may be provided to securely locate and attach the jointing member between the ends of the adjacent cornice rails. For this purpose the jointing members are provided with the dowel holes 34 and dowel holes will also be formed in the factory in the ends of the cornice rails.

It is further envisaged that, instead ofthe purchaser being provided with separate jointing members which he locates in position, a jointing member may be attached in the factory to an end of each cornice rail. Alternatively, it .s envisaged that each cornice rail may be manufactured with a jointing member permanently formed, for instance by injection moulding, at one end of the rail.

In the cornice assembly shown in Figures 1 to 4, the corners of the cornice are formed by right angled cornice rails but it is envisaged that the corners of a cornice assembly may be formed by mitreing the ends of straight cornice rails and providing a rightangled jointing member to close the gap between the mitred ends of the rails, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

In Figures 5 and 6 cornice rails are indicated at40 and 41 having mitred ends 42 and 43 forming an external right-angled corner. Ajointing member 44 is located between the mitred ends of the rails 40 and 41 to close and hide any gap formed therebet ween. The jointing member44issimilartothejoint- ing member 20 insofar as it is provided with a substantially flat web 45, profiled flanges 46 and 47 and lower and upper lugs 48,49 and 50,51, respectively.

It differs, howeVer, from the jointing member 20 in that the flanges 46 and 47 are angled to one another to form a 90C corner so as to overlie, in use, the outer profiled faces of the cornice rails 40 and 41 when located between the mitred endsofthe rails. Twill be appreciated that a jointing member may also be provided, similar to the jointing member 44, to form and cover an internal right angled joint between mitred cornice rails. In all other respects, the jointing member 44, whether adapted to form an external right-angled joint or an internal right-angled joint is similar to the jointing member 20 and may be made from the same materials. It is also envisaged that the jointing member 44 may be permanently attached or formed as an integral part of one of the cornice rails.

Claims

1. A cornice assembly for an article of furniture, comprising one or more cornice rails of similar, selected ornamental cross-section, the or each having an outer profiled face and a rearwardly extend ingportion adapted to overlie a surface of the article of furniture for fixing thereto and one or more joint ing members each having a substantiallyflatweb adapted to locate between the end faces of adjacent cornice rails and flanges integral with the web and shaped to overlie the outer profiled faces of the adjacent comice rails to hide any gap therebetween.

2. A cornice assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the jointing members are shaped to locate between mitred ends of adjacent cornice rails to form an internal right angle joint therebetween

3. A cornice assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least some of the cornice rails are shaped to form intemal or external corner pieces.

4. A cornice assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each jointing member has oppositely and outwardly directed lower lugs integral with the web and adapted to locate beneath the rearwardly extending portion of adjacent cornice rails.

5. A comice assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each jointing member has oppositely and outwardly directed upper lugs integral with the web and adapted to locate above the rearwardly extending portions of adjacent cornice rails.

6. A cornice assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the web of each jointing member is formed with one or more apertures adapted to receive fastening members therethrough.

7. A cornice assembly as claimed in any preceding claiin, wherein at least one of the jointing members is permanently attached to an end of a cornice rail.

8. A cornice assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6wherein at least one of the jointing members is formed as an integral part of a comice rail.

9.. An article of furniture having a cornice formed from a cornice assembly as claimed in any preceding clairn,wherein the rearwardly extending portions of the cornice rails overlie and are attached to a part of the article offurniture to form a cornice therefor and ajointing member is located between the end faces of adjacent cornice rails with the flanges overlying the outer profiled faces ofthe adjacent comice rails to hide any gap therebetween.

10. A cornice assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

11. An article offurniture substantially as described herein with reference to the accompany ing diagrammatic drawings.