GB2265431A

GB2265431A - Breakaway mounting for a fitting

Info

Publication number: GB2265431A
Application number: GB9304277A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gavin Rex Willis
Original assignee: FURNITURE TECH SYST
Current assignee: FURNITURE TECH SYST
Priority date: 1992-03-03
Filing date: 1993-03-03
Publication date: 1993-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2013-03-03
Also published as: GB2265431B; GB9304277D0; GB9204627D0

Abstract

A breakaway mounting for locating a hinge fitting on a cupboard pane (11) comprises a bracket (20) having two upstanding integral sockets (21) lockingly engaged in apertures (23) in the panel, and a base (25) for receiving the fitting, which base (25) is located against the bracket (20) and has elastomeric projections (27) engaged in and held by the sockets (21) on the bracket (20) against extraction unless a predetermined force is exceeded. Thus the mounting of the fitting base (25) to the bracket (20) is arranged to fail before the panel (11). The sockets (21) may be barbed externally and be received in blind holes in a thick panel. The projection (27) may be a headed sleeve which is expanded within the socket (21) by rotation of the bolt (28). <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO FITTING MOUNTS This invention relates to fitting mounts for locating fittings on panels/walls. The invention is particularly although not exclusively applicable to hinge mounts for cupboard doors for mounting on walls of a carcass of a cupboard.

This invention provides a fitting mount for locating a fitting on a panel/wall comprising a bracket to receive the fitting, the bracket having at least one upstanding socket formed integrally therewith and adapted to engage and lock in an aperture in the panel/wall, and a base for a fitting located against the bracket and having a projection engaged in and held by the socket against extraction unless a predetermined force is exceeded whereby the locking of the fitting base to the bracket may be arranged to fail before the wall/panel on which the bracket is mounted if an excessive load is applied by the fitting to the wall/panel.

In a preferred embodiment the bracket may have two spaced upstanding sockets formed integrally therewith to engage in spaced apertures in the wall/panel and the fitting base may have two spaced projections engaging in and held in the respective sockets.

More specifically the socket may be tapered internally towards its open end at the bracket to receive the projection and the projection may be correspondingly tapered to resist extraction of the projection from the socket, the projection being formed to contract when an excess load is applied to the mount to allow release of the projection.

For example the projection may be formed from a compressible material to allow it to contract when overloaded to release from the socket. More specifically the projection may be formed from elastomeric material. In a preferred embodiment the projection is formed from a block of elastomeric material.

In a particular construction according to the invention the socket may be tapered internally from a location part-way along the socket towards both ends of the socket and the projection may be tapered similarly to engage in the socket.

In any of the above arrangements the socket may be formed with longitudinal slits extending into the socket from the free end thereof remote from the base to create a plurality of radially flexible fingers engageable with the opening in the wall/panel in which the socket is to be engaged.

In a further arrangement the socket may be adapted to engage in a blind hole in a wall and may be formed with a plurality of encircling barb-shaped ribs to bite into the surface of the hole in which the socket is engaged to retain the socket in the hole.

Preferably, the fitting is secured to the mount by attachment means engaged in the projection or projections, the attachment means being in the form of a bolt or screw.

In any of the above arrangements the fitting may form one part of a hinge for hinging a cupboard door for mounting on a side wall of a covered carcass to allow the fitting to be released from the base when the hinge is subjected to an excessive force which would otherwise damage the wall of the carcass.

The following is a description of some specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a respective view of a cupboard carcass; Figure 2 is an exploded view of a hinge mounting for locating a door hinge on the side wall of the carcass; Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views showing the fitting mount on a relatively thin plastics wall of a cupboard carcass and a relatively thick "M.D.F." wall respectively; and Figures 5 and 6 show a further construction.

Reference is made first to Figure 1 of the drawings in which a cupboard carcass as indicated generally at 10 comprising a one piece plastics moulding having side walls 11, 12, top and bottom walls 13 and 14, a back wall 15 and an open front 16 to receive a door not shown.

One side wall 11 has a spaced pair of hinge mounts indicated at 17 located on the inside of the wall adjacent the front edge thereof to receive concealed door hinges (not shown).

One of the hinge mounts 17 is shown in greater detail in Figure 2 of the drawings to which reference is now made. The hinge mount comprises a T-shaped mounting bracket 20 having a pair of integral upstanding sockets 21 each having four equi-spaced slots 22 extending from the free ends thereof to create four similar flexible finger elements.

The sockets 21 are engageable in spaced apertures 23 formed in the side wall 11 of the carcass and are formed with enlarged head portions 24 at the ends remote from the bracket 20. The enlarged head portions engage the outer face of side wall 11 around the aperture 23 and thereby lock the bracket 20 to the wall as illustrated in Figure 3.

The hinge mount is completed by a base 25 also of T-shaped configuration and having an upstanding rib 26 with a threaded socket 26a to receive one part of a concealed hinge (not shown). The other part of the hinge is secured to the door. The base 25 carries two spaced generally barrel shaped elastomeric projections 27 connected to the mounting by bolts 28 extending through the mounting and through the projections. The bolts have countersunk heads 29 engaged in countersunk holes 30 in the mounting 25 and receive nuts 31 located in recesses 32 at the free ends of the resilient projections 27 as best seen in Figure 3. The recesses 32 are of hexagonal form to prevent the nuts 31 from turning as the bolts are tighted. The bolts also secured one part of a concealed door hinge (not shown) to the base.Other forms of fastenings may of course be used instead of the bolts 28 such as self-tapping screws.

Each socket 21 has a cavity 33 to receive the projection 27 which is tapered from a maximum diameter at a location 34 part-way towards both ends of the socket to provide convergent portions 34a and 34b.

Each projection 27 is similarly tapered from a point part-way along the projection to form the barrel shape referred to above to engage in the socket.

The hinge mounting is assembled on the wall 11 of the carcass by first engaging the pair of sockets 21 on the bracket 20 in the apertures 23 in the wall with the heads 21 of the socket snapped behind the apertures to lock the sockets in place as shown in Figure 3. The base 25 is then offered up to the bracket 20 and the projections 27 are pressed into the sockets 22 until the base 25 lies in engagement with the bracket.

It will be appreciated that any force acting in a direction to detach the base from the bracket will be resisted by the action of the convergent cavities 34a in the sockets 21 on the projections. The degree of convergence of the sockets and the compressibility of the projections are selected so that normal forces imposed on the base are resisted. However the projections are arranged to be extracted from the sockets when an excessive force is applied to the hinge which would otherwise damage the wall of the carcass such as when the door is open beyond its normal permissible extent allowed by the hinges.

Figure 4 of the drawings shows a further arrangement in which the sockets 21 on the bracket 20 are adapted to engage in a thick wall of a carcass formed from a material such as wood or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard). In this case the sockets 21 are not split and have a cylindrical outer profile formed with upstanding barb section ribs 40. The wall 11 of the carcass is formed with blind holes 41 to receive the sockets and the barb shaped ribs bear against and engage the walls of the holes 41 to lock the socket in the walls. The arrangement is otherwise similar to that described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 above.

A further arrangement is shown in Figures 5 and 6 in wich the socket 21 has a part-spherical cavity 21a and the projection 27 is in the form of a headed sleeve through which the bolt extends. The sleeve has a head 27a at one end to engage in a recess in the outer side of the socket and the other end of the sleeve has a portion 27b in which the threaded bolt engages to compress the sleeve longitudinally with rotation of the bolt to expand the sleeve radially into the cavity in the socket to lock the sleeve in the socket as shown in Figure 6.

Claims

1. A fitting mount for locating a fitting on a panel/wall comprising a bracket to receive the fitting, the bracket having at least one upstanding socket formed integrally therewith and adapted to engage and lock in an aperture in the panel/wall, and a base for the fitting located against the bracket and having a projection engaged in and held by the socket on the bracket against extraction unless a predetermined force is exceeded whereby the locking of the fitting base to the bracket may be arranged to fail before the wall/panel on which the bracket is mounted if an excessive load is applied by the fitting to the wall/panel.

2. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bracket has two spaced upstanding sockets formed integrally therewith to engage in spaced apertures in the wall/panel and the base has two spaced projections engaging in and held in the respective sockets.

3. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the socket is tapered internally towards its open end at the bracket to receive the projection and the projection is correspondingly tapered to resist extraction of the projection from the socket, the projection being formed to contract when an excess load is applied to the mount to allow release of the projection.

4. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the projection is formed from a compressible material to allow it to contract when overloaded to release from the socket.

5. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the projection is formed from elastomeric material.

6. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the projection is formed from a block of elastomeric material.

7. A fitting mount as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the socket is tapered internally from a location part-way along the socket towards both ends of the socket and the projection is tapered similarly to engage in the socket.

8. A fitting mount as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the socket is formed with longitudinal slits extending into the socket from the free end thereof remote from the bracket to create a plurality of radially flexible fingers engageable with the opening in the wall/panel in which the socket is to be engaged.

9. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the socket is formed with an encircling shoulder at its free end remote from the base to engage around the perimeter of an aperture in a wall or panel through which the socket is inserted, the bracket engaging one face of the wall and the shoulder engaging the other face of the wall.

10. A fitting mount as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the socket is adapted to engage in a blind hole in a wall and is formed with a plurality of encircling barb-shaped ribs to bite into the surface of the hole in which the socket is engaged to retain the socket in the hole.

11. A fitting mount as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the fitting is secured to the mount by attachment means engaged in the projection or projections.

12. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the fitting is secured to the or each projection by a bolt or screw engaging in the projection.

13. A fitting mount as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the socket has a part spherical cavity and the projection comprises a sleeve extending through the socket and means engaging in the sleeve to compress the sleeve longitudinally to expand the sleeve radially in the cavity and lock in the cavity.

14. A fitting mount as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the sleeve engaging means comprise a bolt extending through and engaging in the sleeve to compress the sleeve longitudinally, the bolt also serving to secure the fitting to the mount.

15. A fitting mount as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the fitting is one part of a hinge for hinging a cupboard door for mounting on a side wall of a covered carcass to allow the fitting to be released from the base when the hinge is subjected to an excessive force which would otherwise damage the wall of the carcass.

16. A fitting mount substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A fitting mount substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.