GB2109502A

GB2109502A - A sheet metal blank for making a bracket

Info

Publication number: GB2109502A
Application number: GB08229209A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Claude Vattier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-10-15
Filing date: 1982-10-13
Publication date: 1983-06-02
Also published as: BE894541A; DE3237949A1; FR2514623A1; JPS5883911A

Abstract

A sheet metal blank 9 is shaped to exhibit (a) a recess 4 within the intersection area of four reference lines 6A, 7B (one parallel pair) and 6B, 7A (another) and, (b) tabs 11A and 11B each wholly within such a pair of lines but outside the outer line of the other pair. On folding downwards at 6A, 6B, and folding the tabs inwards at 7A, 7B a bracket is formed. A leg of a piece of furniture can be assembled into recess 4, and tabs 11A, 11B can be then fixed to the leg. Triangular zones 5A, 5B are a natural reinforcement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A sheet metal blank for making a bracket suitable in furniture assembly, and the bracket and assembly made therefrom The present invention relates to a sheet metal blank and to a fixing bracket for use in constructing furniture, and especially furniture with metal legs or supports. The invention likewise relates to such a bracket, and to furniture including one or more such brackets. The bracket of the invention is particularly valuable for providing rigid fixing for each corner of a shelf to a leg or vehicle support.

Fixing brackets for furniture are known, from, for example, French Patent No. 74 27400, filed August 7, 1974, published as Patent No.

2 281 075 and completed by the Certificate of Addition No. 7443115, filed on December 27, 1974 and published as Patent No. 2 295 714. The bracket shown therein is useful in the construction of metal furniture, in particular metal tables made up of legs and shelves having each corner fixed to a leg.

Nevertheless the use of such prior art brackets in particular in metal tables for bearing relatively heavy weights, has certain disadvantages. The stability of a table of this kind and in particular the reliable fixing of a shelf corner to a leg depends on the rigidity with which a supporting edge of the lateral rectangular part of the bracket is held against the adjacent face of the leg. In order to join each such supporting edge intimately to its leg, welding (e.g. arc-welding) may be necessary as disclosed in French Patent No. 74 27400.

However, this operation is relatively expensive and delicate, especially with elements made of lightweight alloys or of stainless steel, and has the particular disadvantage of locally affecting the surface appearance of these elements and of destroying any anti-corrosive protection (either of the initial priming coat or of the finishing coat) which then must be reapplied.

An alternative procedure is to anchor these supporting edges of the lateral elements of the bracket against the leg in a permanent manner by a tightening screw, the head of which is anchored in an auxiliary plate fixed by weiding to the lateral element of the bracket, and to the upper triangular plate thereof (as disclosed in the Certificate of Addition No. 7443115). However, this auxiliary plate is a relatively expensive additional element and the need to weld it to the lateral elements of the bracket and to the triangular plate thereof is an extremely great practical disadvantage.Furthermore, experience has shown that the long-term support of these supporting edges of the lateral elements of the bracket against the leg may cause local damage to the leg itself (or to its covering surface) and may thus begin to affect the rigidity of the furniture, especially when the leg is made of a lightweight metal, or is attached to furniture subjected to intermittent strain and to relatively intense jolting such as a table on casters which bears a relative heavy weight.

In one aspect the invention consists in a sheet metal blank for folding into a fixing bracket for furniture the shape of which, in relation to four notational references lines arranged as a first parallel pair of a forward and a rearward line and a second parallel pair of a forward and a rearward line, intersecting the first pair at right angles to define at the intersection a rectangular space within both pairs is (a) such as to define a recess within the rectangular space, shaped at the two rearward lines as the transverse contour of a leg of the furniture and (b) such as to define generally forward of the recess two fixing tabs each lying wholly within a parallel pair of lines and outside the forward line of the other pair: whereby the blank can be folded downwards about the forward lines and the tabs folded inwards about the rearward lines to provide a fixing bracket for the attachment of a corner of a shelf or the like, by means of the fixing tabs, to a furniture leg or like support.

In a useful practical embodiment of the above general shape, the invention consists in a sheet metal blank capable of being folded into a fixing bracket for furniture, having a straight rearward edge, and two straight sides each extending forwards at an angle greater than 450, there being a first parallel pair of a forward and rearward notional reference line and a second parallel pair of a forward and rearward notional reference line intersecting the first pair at right-angles to define at the intersection a rectangular space within both pairs, the forward reference lines extending one from each end of the straight rearward edge at 450, and the blank possessing a recess within and defined by the said rectangular space and fixing tabs wholly within, and defined by, the space between the reference lines of either pair, the forward reference line of the other pair, and the side of the blank; whereby the blank can be folded downwards about the forward lines to define triangular side support pieces, and the tabs folded inwards about the rearward lines to provide attachment means to a furniture leg or the like located in the recess.

Usually, there will be perforations in the tabs, or main section (behind the rearward lines) or both, to facilitate subsequent assembly.

The bracket made by so folding such a blank, the folds taking place in either order, is of course another aspect of the invention.

Moreover, the invention extends to the assembly of such a bracket with a furniture leg or like support attached to the tabs and a shelf or the like attached at right angles to the upper portion of the bracket by suitable fixing means. Such an assembly can be improved by the provision of a reinforcing cover member L-shaped in horizontal section placed over both tabs and assembled jointly therewith.

The invention further extends to furniture comprising one or more such assemblies.

It will be apparent therefore that the two connecting tabs can be applied for tightening against the leg in a simple and rigid manner with the aid of fixing elements of some convenient type, for example, two screws passing respectively through holes provided for this purpose each connecting tab and cooperating with two capped holes provided in the leg in a corresponding fashion. Both the rigidity and the durability of the bracket and of the metal furniture thus assembled are thereby assured, without requiring any expensive additional piece or any delicate soldering operation which may impair the good appearance of the piece of furniture in question.

One preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a cut-out sheet-metal blank for making a bracket according to the invention; Figure 2 shows in part horizontal section and in partial plane view a bracket made from the blank shown in Figure 1 on an enlarged scale and shown in use attached to a tubular metal leg; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view, of the bracket shown in Figure 2 and of a supplementary reinforcing corner, in relation to the tubular leg.

A bracket in accordance with the invention may be made in a single pressing operation from a blank 9 as shown in Figure 1. This blank possesses a generally triangular portion 3, with fixing holes e.g. 3A, 3B provided as desired. To each side of the portion 3, beyond notional "forward" lines 6A and 6B are triangular side portions 5A and 5B respectively. At the forward edge of these triangular side portiOns, forward of notional "rearward" lines 7A and 7B are rectangular tabs 11 A and 11 B each provided with two fixing holes 1 4A and 148. 78 is parallel to 6A and 7A is parallel to 6B. The tabs, and an indentation in triangular portion 3, jointly define a recess 4, within the intersection area of the two sets of parallel lines.

For use, as shown in Figure 2 and 3, the blank is folded ar right-angles downwards along notional lines 6A and 6B, and inward at right-angles (i.e. in the same direction of folding) along notional lines 7A and 7B. These folding operations can take place in either order. The resulting folded bracket can be used as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

These Figures show that the edges 1 2A and 12B of the recess 4 in the original blank can fit snugly against adjacent walls of square-tubular metal leg 2. Moreover, tabs 11 A and 11 B, folded into alignment under these edges, contact the same square-tubular walls over the whole of their lengths and can be securely affixed thereto by e.g.

by self-tapping screws or rivets passing through holes 1 4A, 148 in the tabs and 20A, 208 in the legs. The triangular side portions 5A and 5B are integral with the respective tabs 1 lA and 11 B, and folded at right-angles thereto. They thus exert a rigidifying and stabilising effect when the bracket is assembed to the square-tubular leg.

Optionally, a further element 15, L-shaped in horizontal cross-section, can be used as an additional fixing element, bridging the tabs 1 lA and 1 1B as shown in Figure 2 and with its holes 17A, 17B in suitable alignment to accommodate the screws or rivets 1 8.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described by way of example above, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, if furniture including a plurality of shelves supported on brackets 1 and joined to legs such as legs 2 is intended for assembly by the customer, the end use of tubular expansion rivets 1 8 which require a specialised tool is not recommended and screws are preferable to cooperate with the holes 14A, of the legs 2.

Furthermore, instead of a leg comprising a square metal tube such as that shown in Figures 2 and 3, the console accoridng to the invention may be associated with some other type of leg, for instance one having a circular section and made of a metal tube. In that case, the indentation provided at the apex of the plate of the console, analogously to the indentation 4 of Figures 1 and 2, can have a rounded shape for mating with the shape of the leg, and the connecting tabs analogous to the connecting tabs 11 A, 11 B (Figures 2 and 3) can be adapted to the tubular shapes.

Claims

1. A sheet metal blank for folding into a fixing bracket for furniture the shape of which, in relation to four notional reference lines arranged as a first parallel pair of a forward and a rearward line and second parallel pair of a forward and a rearward line, intersecting the first pair at right-angles to define at the intersection a rectangular space within both pairs, is (a) such as to define a recess within the rectangular space, shaped at the two rearward lines as the transverse contour of a leg of the furniture and (b) such as to define generally forward of the recess two fixing tabs each lying wholly within a parallel pair of lines and outside the forward line of the other pair: whereby the blank can be folded downwards about the forward lines and the tabs folded inwards about the rearward lines to provide a fixing bracket for the attachment of a corner of a shelf or the like, by means of the fixing tabs, to a furniture leg or like support.

2. A sheet metal blank capable of being folded into a fixing bracket for furniture, having a straight rearward edge, and two straight sides each extending forwards at an angle greater than 450, there being a first parallel pair of a forward and rearward notional reference line and a second parallel pair of a forward and rearward notional reference line intersecting the first pair at rightangles to define at the intersection a rectangular space within both pairs, the forward reference lines extending one from each end of the straight rearward edge at 450, and the blank possessing a recess within and defined by, the said rectangular space and fixing tabs wholly within, and defined by, the space between the reference lines of either pair, the forward reference line of the other pair, and the side of the blank; whereby the blank can be folded downwards about the forward lines to define triangular side support pieces, and the tabs folded inwards about the rearward lines to provide attachment means to a furniture leg or the like located in the recess.

3. A sheet metal blank as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 having perforations in the fixing tabs and/or perforations in the main section, behind the reward reference lines, to facilitate assembly to a furniture leg or shelf respectively.

4. A fixing bracket made by folding the blank as claimed in any one preceding claim both downwards at right angles about the forward reference lines and inwards at right-angles, at the tabs about the rearward reference lines, in either order.

5. The assembly of a fixing bracket as claimed in claim 4 with a furniture leg or like support attached to the tabs and a shelf or the like attached at right-angles to the upper portion of the bracket by suitable fixing means.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a reinforcing cover member L-shaped in horizontal section placed over both tabs and assembled jointly therewith.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6 in which the fixing means are screws.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6 in which the fixing means are rivets.

9. The assembly as claimed 5 or 6 in which the fixing means are bolts.

1 0. Furniture comprising one or more assemblies as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9.

11. A sheet metal blank, a fixing bracket folded therefrom, an assembly thereof in furniture, or furniture comprising such an assembly, substantialiy as herein described with reference to and as iliustrated in the accompanying drawings.