GB2188006A

GB2188006A - Corner elements for furniture trim strips and handles

Info

Publication number: GB2188006A
Application number: GB08705316A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Howard Davidson Ryles
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-03-18
Filing date: 1987-03-06
Publication date: 1987-09-23
Also published as: GB8705316D0; GB8606612D0

Abstract

A furniture panel is square cut and peripherally grooved and has at each corner corner elements 17 located between two rectilinear extruded strips 12 on adjacent edges of a panel 10 in the form of a door but spaced apart at the corner of the panel, each corner element being formed by injection moulding of a relatively soft plastics material to render the corner element relatively compressible, whereby manufacturing tolerances in the extruded edge strips and corner element are accommodated and a non- injurious corner edge is provided for safety purposes. Each corner element 17 has a tongue 14 inserted in the peripheral groove in the corner edge surface of the panel to which the corner element is applied, and each extruded edge strip 12 has a tongue 14 engaged in the peripheral groove 11 in the panel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Furniture This invention relates to furniture and is concerned particularly with extrusions to finish off the edges, inter alia, of, for example, doors, shelves, table tops, trays and notice boards (hereinafter and in the claims for convenience called "panels").

It is an object of the present invention to provide a corner element which can accommodate manufacturing tolerances in the panel to which the corner element is applied, which is safe in use and which can be coloured to compliment the panel to which the corner element is applied.

According to the present invention there is provided a corner element for location and disposition between two rectilinear extruded strips on adjacent edges of a panel but spaced apart at the corner of the panel, the corner element being formed by injection moulding of a relatively soft plastics material to render the corner element relatively compressible, whereby manufacturing tolerances in the extruded edge strips and corner element are accommodated and a non-injurious corner edge is provided for safety purposes.

The corner element preferably comprises a tongue for insertion in a slot in the corner edge surface of the panel to which the corner element is applied.

The panel to which the corner element is secured is preferably cut square and peripherally grooved along its whole periphery, and to permit relatively exact fitment the corner element is correspondingly cut square on its inner surface while being radiussed on its outer surface.

The edge of the corner element external of the panel to which it is applied covers the edge of the panel but the corner element provides an internal square seating for the panel.

Preferably, the locating tongue is of single or double arrow-head configuration or barbed configuration.

Preferably, the corner element has on one edge a compressible projecting surface adapted to act as a buffer say if the corner element is applied to a door such, as for example, as a kitchen cupboard door.

The corner element preferably is employed in conjunction with extruded edge strips having a tongue for securement of the extruded strips into a panel to which they are to be applied and preferably having along one edge, i.e. that edge of a door for example which makes contact with a shelf in a cupboard, a compressible projecting surface adapted to act as a buffer. Such an extrusion is known as a dual hardness (hard/soft) extrusion.

The tongue of the extruded strip is also preferably of arrow-head or barbed configuration.

Also according to the present invention, therefore, is a furniture panel fittted with a corner element as hereinbefore defined.

Preferably the furniture panel is fitted with an extruded edge strip as hereinbefore defined.

Preferably, the furniture panel has at each corner and along each edge respectively a corner element and an extruded edge strip as hereinbefore defined.

A second aspect of the present invention is concerned with a handle for cupboard doors and/or drawers.

According to this aspect of the invetion the handle is formed in a rectangular configuration and is adapted to be secured to the cupboard door or drawer from the rear, the handle havinga hole which is preferably infilled from the rear by, for example, a square offcut possibly of the same material from which the cupboard door and/or drawer is made.

The handle preferably has a peripheral lip at the hand hole to conceal any break out in the infilling offcut.

Preferably, the handle is injection moulded from a plastics material which may be soft for safety purposes, and also to compensate for any reduction in tolerance of the square offcut.

The handle may be the same or a different colour from the door or drawer to which it is applied and the infilling offcut may be a different colour from the door or drawer irrespective of the colour of the handle.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a cupboard door showing the corner element according to the present invention and extruded strips or extrusions; Figure 2 is a section on the line ll-ll of Fig.

1 to an eniarged scale; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a handle according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3; and Figure 5 shows a kitchen cabinet with different handle locations shown for doors and drawers.

Reference is made to Figs. 1 and 2 where there is shown a cupboard door 10 of square configuration with a locating slot 11 along its peripheral edge.

The sides and top of the door are finished by extrusions 12 of a plastics material such for example as PVC (dual hardness). These extrusions have a bead formation 13 which is presented to the front of the door and a locating and securing tongue 14 of barbed configuration adapted to be driven into the slot 11 where it may be retained if necessary by glueing.

At the edge of the strip opposed to the bead 13 is a buffer 15 of softer plastics ma terial or a softer grade of PVC which prevents damage to the shelf against which the extrusion 12 is located when the door is in the closed position. High steps 16 are provided in the extrusion to ensure the extrusion 12 bottoms.

The corner element 17 is injection moulded (e.g. PVC) and again has a bead configuration 18 to match the bead configuration 13 of the extrusions 12 and again it has a central barbed tongue 19 for insertion into the slot 11 at the corner of the door.

At each end of the corner element 17 is a projection 20 and this is adapted to be compressed by abutment against an adjacent extrusion 12 to take up manufacturing tolerances in these sealing strips the extrusions 12 and corner elements 17 and to provide a relatively soft, non-injurious door corner.

It is to be noted that the door is square cut and grooved around its whole periphery and that the corner elements 17 are square cut internally to match the door periphery while being of radiussed configuration externally.

A buffer configuration 21 to match the buffer configurations 15 on the extrusions 12 is also provided in the corner element 17.

The corner element 17 can be the same or different colour to the extrusions 12 and/or door and the extrusions 12 may be the same or a different colour to the door 10.

A handle of extruded plastics is illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5. This handle is designated by the reference 21 and different locations and dispositions of the handle 21 in the drawers 22 and doors 23 of a kitchen cabinet 24 are illustrated in Fig. 5. The handle is provided with a hole 26 with a surrounding facing bead 27 which is lipped internally at 27A and is adapted to be secured from the rear of the drawer 22 or door 23 by screws 28.

The handle 21 is infilled from the rear by a square offcut 29 of the material from which the kitchen cabinet is made for example, the lipping 27A serving to conceal any breakouts in the infill offcut 29.

Tapped holes 30 are provided in the handle to receive the screws 28.

It is to be noted that the corner elements 17 are not handed and are common to all corners.

Claims

1. A corner element for location and disposition between two rectilinear extruded strips on adjacent edges of a panel but spaced apart at the corner of the panel, the corner element being formed by injection moulding of a relatively soft plastics material to render the corner element relatively compressible, whereby manufacturing tolerances in the extruded edge strips and corner element are accommodated and a non-injurious corner edge is provided for safety purposes.

2. A corner element as claimed in claim 1, comprising a tongue for insertion in a slot in the corner edge surface of the panel to which the corner element is applied.

3. A corner element as claimed in claim 2, in which the locating tongue is of single or double arrow-head configuration or barbed configuration.

4. A corner element as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 having on one edge a compressible projecting surface adapted to act as a buffer say if the corner element is applied to a door such, for example, as a kitchen cupboard door.

5. A corner element as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the edge of the corner element external of a panel to which it is applied covers the edge of the panel and provides an internal square seating for the corner edge of the panel.

6. A corner element for a furniture panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A furniture panel square cut and fitted with a corner element as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 and an extruded edge strip having a tongue for securing the edge strip to a panel edge, the tongues engaging in peripheral grooves in the panel.

8. A furniture panel as claimed in claim 7, in which the tongue of the extruded strip is of arrow-head or barbed configuration.

9. A furniture panel as claimed in claim 7 or 8, in which the extruded edge strip has a compressible projecting surface adapted to act as a buffer when the panel constitutes a door.

10. A furniture panel as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9 having at each corner and along each edge respectively a corner element and an extruded edge strip.

11. A furniture panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A handle for a cupboard door and/or drawer, the handle being formed in a rectangular configuration and being adapted to be secured to the cupboard door or drawer from the rear the handle having a hole which is preferably infilled from the rear by, for example, a square offcut possibly of the same material from which the cupboard door and/or drawer is made.

13. A handle as claimed in claim 12 having a peripheral lip at the hand hole to conceal any break out in the infilling offcut.

14. A handle as claimed in claim 12 or 13, in which the handle is injection moulded from a plastics material which is preferably soft for safety purposes, and also to compensate for any reduction in tolerance of the square offcut.

15. A handle as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, in which the handle is the same or a different colour from the door or drawer to which it is applied and the infilling offcut is preferably a different colour from the door or drawer irrespective of the colour of the handle.

16. A handle for a cupboard door or drawer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.