GB2536717A

GB2536717A - Skate for a kitchen unit

Info

Publication number: GB2536717A
Application number: GB1505307.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Appleton Nigel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-03-27
Filing date: 2015-03-27
Publication date: 2016-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-27
Also published as: GB2536717B; GB201505307D0

Abstract

A trolley 10 for a kitchen unit 8 comprising a body 16 and at least one wheel 18, the body 16 having a support surface 20 for supporting a kitchen unit base, and a hook 28 extending over one side of the support surface which, in use, engages an edge of the kitchen unit base, the at least one wheel being mounted to the body and spaced by substantially at least 100 mm from the support surface opposite the hook. The trolley may be rotatable between a loading configuration, where the support surface is substantially vertical and the wheel engages the ground, and an unloading configuration where the support surface is substantially horizontal and the wheel no longer engages the ground. The body may comprise a base surface 22 translated orthogonally from the support surface by at least 200mm. The wheel may extend further than the base surface, in part, at an angled surface (30,Fig.2B). There may be two wheels on a common axis parallel to the support surface. The body may comprise two identical end plates and a central portion, where the hook and support surface are disposed on the end plate.

Description

SKATE FOR A KITCHEN UNIT

The present invention relates to a skate and particularly to a skate for moving and positioning a kitchen unit.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Kitchen units are typically constructed from man-made board or timber as solid shells with open fronts. The board is typically covered in a plastics laminate, e.g. melamine, which provides a hard wearing water resistant surface, ideal for use in a kitchen. The shells usually have a base and sides provided by flat boards. Support members typically extend between the sides at the top of the cupboard to strengthen it, prior to the top of the cupboard being fitted, e.g. a work surface. Tall cupboards have fitted tops. To raise the base of each unit up from the floor, adjustable feet are typically screwed to the base of the unit. These are usually made from plastics in two parts, which are threaded together to provide the adjustability. Alternatively, metal threaded rods may be utilised with plastics feet attached. In this way, different cupboards can be positioned next to one-another, the bases aligned level at the same height and the sides and backs of the cupboards adjusted to lie vertically.

In the assembly of a cupboard, it is usually rested on the ground and feet are then screwed onto the base of the cupboard, which is accessible. Once the feet are attached, the cupboard can then be manoeuvred into position and placed or turned back onto its feet, ready for adjustment of its final position.

A problem with this is that in order to orient the cupboard in an upright position, it needs to be lifted away from the ground and rotated in the air, before lowering it onto its feet If it is simply levered or hinged to the upright position by lifting the upper edge of the cupboard and pivoting the cupboard about its rear legs, they tend to snap off This is particularly so with larger heavier cupboards, which may extend from the floor up to around two metres in height. These cupboards, known as tall base units, are extremely heavy and awkward to lift and require at least two kitchen fitters to lift safely without injury, with one on either side of the cupboard. Kitchen fitters often work alone and so lifting these cupboards without damaging the cupboard or themselves presents difficulty.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce or substantially obviate the aforementioned problems.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a skate for a kitchen unit comprising a body and at least one wheel, the body having a support surface for supporting a base of the kitchen unit, and a hook extending over one side of the support surface which, in use, engages around an edge of the base of the kitchen unit, the at least one wheel being mounted to the body and spaced by substantially at least 100 mm from the support surface to the other side of the support surface from the hook Advantageously, the skate enables a kitchen unit to be raised upright without applying a load to any of the feet or legs of the unit. By lifting at one end of the unit when the skate is attached, the unit is levered (i.e. pivoted) about the skate instead of any part of the unit itself, and a single fitter is able to re-orient the unit without assistance, as the unit need not be rotated in mid-air. Furthermore, the fitter doing the lifting does not have to bear the full weight of the unit whilst re-orienting it, reducing the likelihood of injury. The hook engages and retains the base of the unit during re-orientation of the unit, and prevents it from overbalancing when it reaches an upright position. The distance to the peripheral edge of the wheel outermost from the support surface accommodates the fully extended lengths of the legs or feet attached to the unit whilst lying down and transitioning to an upright position, allowing the unit to turn without the legs/feet catching on the ground.

The body may be rotatable between a loading configuration, where the support surface is substantially vertical, and an unloading configuration, where the support surface is substantially horizontal.

This prevents the legs or feet being damaged or broken during the transition to an upright position, as they cannot sustain the shearing forces experienced if the kitchen unit is pivoted through them. Instead, the skate advantageously allows the user to effect a 90 degree change of orientation on a kitchen unit. That is to say, a kitchen unit may be loaded onto the skate in a horizontal position, where its legs or feet cannot engage the ground, and pivoted about the skate to a vertical or upright position, where its legs or feet can engage the ground without significant further changes in the orientation of the unit, when unloaded from the skate.

The at least one wheel may be ground-engaging in the loading configuration and non-ground-engaging in the unloading configuration.

The wheel(s) are useful for manoeuvring the kitchen unit into position prior to achieving a fully upright position. Having them disengaged from the ground when the skate is in an unloading position, with the unit in the upright position, prevents the skate from manoeuvring further of its own accord when unloading the unit from the skate.

The body may include a base surface opposite the support surface. At least a portion of the base surface may run parallel to the support surface.

The base surface is substantially horizontal when engaging flat ground, as is typically found inside a kitchen. The support surface will therefore also be substantially horizontal, and a kitchen unit supported thereon in use will remain stable, i.e. it will not slide off the support surface. In use, the at least one wheel transfers the load of the kitchen unit to the base surface as the skate transitions to the unloading configuration, when lifting a kitchen unit upright. The base surface is a much more stable load-bearing platform on which to rest an upright kitchen unit, as opposed to a rotatable wheel or wheels.

The portion of the base surface parallel to the support surface may lie farther from the support surface than the periphery of the at least one wheel.

If the wheel extended beyond the base surface, the base would tend to engage the ground at an angle, and potentially cause the unit to slide off the skate. The risk of the unit falling over when loaded onto the skate is thus mitigated by the protrusion of the base surface beyond the peripheral edge of the wheel, avoiding damage to the unit or any person in the vicinity.

The body may include an angled surface adjacent to the base surface. The body may include a curved portion adjacent to the base surface. The angled surface may pass within the peripheral edge of the at least one wheel as the body transitions between the loading and unloading configurations.

The angled surface is essentially a cut-away from the main body of the skate, allowing the body to rotate without engaging the ground, which would impede or prevent reorientation of the kitchen unit. The angled (or chamfered) surface may be at any angle to the base surface. That said, an angle between the angled and base surfaces substantially in the range 1000 and 140° is preferred, to maximise the clearance of the angled surface from the ground when the body is rotated.

There may be two wheels disposed at either end of the body. Each wheel may be rotatably mounted about a common pivotal axis. Preferably, the pivotal axis runs parallel to the support surface.

Using two wheels increases the manoeuvrability of the skate when moving a kitchen unit into position, i.e. when the skate is between the loading and unloading positions, and the unit is wheeled via the skate. A pair of wheels also confers stability when mounted for rotation about the same axis.

The body may include two support members mounted about a central body portion. The support surface and hook may be provided by each of the members. The support surface may be discontinuous between the members, where the central body portion is recessed from the surfaces of the individual members. Alternatively, the central body portion may form part of the support surface where it is flush with the support surfaces of the individual members. Preferably, the support members are substantially identical in shape.

Advantageously, the support members can be spaced about the body portion to customise the width of the overall support surface provided by the individual support surfaces of each support member to the particular kitchen unit at hand. Similarly, the width of the overall hook can be varied in equivalent manner, to accommodate the width of the base of said kitchen unit. The use of identical support members simplifies the manufacture of the skate.

The central body portion may have a smaller cross-sectional area than either of the support members. This reduces the weight of the skate, improving the ease of carrying it when not in use with a kitchen unit. It also reduces the amount of material needed for manufacture.

The support members may each be substantially at least 200 mm in depth, from the top of the hook to the base surface The distance between the support surface and base surface may be substantially at least 150 mm in depth. This allows the legs or feet of the kitchen unit to remain substantially out of contact with the ground when the unit is moved into an upright position from a horizontal position, hence preventing the legs or feet being damaged or broken, even when fully extended (if extensible).

The support surface may be substantially at least 150 mm in length, in order to provide sufficient longitudinal stability for the kitchen unit when it is moved into an upright position from a horizontal position. The centre of mass of the unit typically lies outside a support surface of this length, but the force exerted by the hook on the base of the unit allows this minimal length of support surface to be effective, minimising the size of the overall skate. The length of support surface affects the moment exerted on the hook(s) by the kitchen unit, and the length of the support surface is therefore designed to limit the moment so applied to be within the tolerance of the hook(s) The body may be substantially at least 150 mm wide, in order to provide sufficient lateral stability for the kitchen unit when it is moved into an upright position from a horizontal position.

The hook may extend over one side of the support surface (and hence, in use, the base of the kitchen unit) by at least 10 mm to minimise the risk of the base disengaging from the hook in use The hook may be formed integrally with the body to strengthen the hook against ultimate failure in use.

Either or both of the support and base surfaces may have a high coefficient of friction. Either or both of the support and base surfaces may be made of or covered in a material with a high coefficient of friction. Either or both of the support and base surfaces may be rubberised to maximise grip. The support surface thus grips the base of the unit during re-orientation and transit (if the unit is wheeled to another location), ensuring it does not slide off the skate laterally or longitudinally. Similarly the base surface is unlikely to slip or slide on the ground when the skate is in the unloading configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows side perspective view of a skate of the invention positioned in proximity to a kitchen cupboard to be moved, with the cupboard lying on its front; Figure 2A shows a schematic side view of the skate of Figure 1; Figure 2B shows a schematic side view of a support member of the skate of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the skate attached to the kitchen cupboard of Figure 1, prior to the cupboard being moved; Figure 4 shows the skate attached to the kitchen cupboard of Figure 1, with the cupboard being supported by the wheels of the skate for movement of the cupboard, with the cupboard at an angle to the ground; and Figure 5 shows the cupboard having been moved and tilted into an upright position

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 2B, a skate for moving and positioning a kitchen unit 8 is indicated generally at 10. The skate 10 includes first and second support members or side panels 12, 14 and a central body portion (or body) 16. The first and second support members 12, 14 are spaced apart and connected together by the body 16. In Figures IA and 1B, the body 16 is not visible, but is indicated by the dashed outline.

The body 16 is cuboidal and mounted to the support members 12, 14 via screws or bolts (or equivalent means) through apertures 16a. The cross-sectional area of the body 16, as viewed from the side, is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of either support member 12, 14.

A pair of wheels 18, one of which is shown, are rotatably mounted to the outer sides of the skate 10, to the first and second support members 12, 14 respectively. The wheels 18 rotate about a common axis. The wheels 18 are mounted to the support members 12, 14 by holes 18a in the respective members 12, 14. Each wheel 18 has a 50 mm radius, including a tread portion for grip. It will be appreciated that larger or smaller wheels may be provided in alternate embodiments, to cope with passage over small steps for example.

The first and second support members 12, 14 are substantially planar members and have an identical peripheral shape. The periphery of each support member 12, 14 includes a flat support surface 20 for engaging against the base of the unit 8, a base surface 22 for resting on the ground, a front edge 24, a rear edge 26 and a hook region 28. The body 16 spans between and is substantially flush with the support members 12, 14 on one side, serving to form the support surface 20.

One end of the flat support surface 20 terminates at the front edge 24, which extends perpendicularly away therefrom. The front edge 24 curves into the base surface 22. The base surface 22 has a flat portion which is parallel, or substantially parallel, with the support surface 20. The base surface 22 is connected to the rear edge 26 by an angled (or chamfered) surface 30.

Taken perpendicularly from the support surface 20, a peripheral edge of each wheel 18 farthest from the support surface 20 does not extend beyond the base surface 22 In other words, the base surface 22 lies further from the support surface 20 than any part of the wheel 18. This allows the base surface 22 to engage the ground in place of the wheels 18 in the unloading configuration, as described later and depicted in Figure 5.

The hook region 28 of each support member 12, 14 extends outwardly from the rear edge 26 of the relevant member, and then extends over the support surface 20 by 17 mm in this embodiment. Hence there are two hooks 28 to engage the base of the kitchen unit 8. The width of the hook 28 extends to the width of the relevant support member, which is 19 mm in this embodiment. The thickness of the hook is 30 mm. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a wider and/or thicker hook may be used in conjunction with particularly heavy kitchen units, or that a hook made of a suitable material could be thinner and narrower whilst still having the necessary strength.

The angled surface 30 is effectively a cutaway of the corner of the support members 12, 14 that allows the members to rotate without abutting the ground, when the wheels 18 are attached the respective members 12, 14. The turning circle of the angled surface allows it to have ground clearance during rotation of the skate 10. The angled surface 30 and the base surface 22 meet at an internal angle 0. In this embodiment 0 = 114°, but alternate angles may be considered to be suitable depending on the size and shape of the wheels and support members, and the value of 0 is not to be construed as limited to the value in this embodiment.

The kitchen unit 8 has four extensible legs 8a directed perpendicularly outward from its base. Each leg is positioned near a corner of the base. The length of each leg 8a is independently adjustable via a conventional mechanism. The length of each fully extended leg 8a is 150 mm on the example unit, measured from the base of the unit 8.

Referring also to Figures 3 to 5, the unit 8 is a kitchen cupboard to be lifted upright from a horizontal position, i.e. turned through 90°. The legs 8a have been extended to bear the weight of the cupboard when in the upright orientation. The unit 8 is lying face-down, i.e. the front of the unit 8 is against the ground. The skate 10 is located near the unit 8 in a loading configuration. The loading configuration has the rear edge 26 and hook region 28 in proximity to the ground, and the support and base surfaces 20, 22 approximately vertical. The skate 10 is engaged with the unit 8 by hooking the hooks 28 onto an inner portion of the front of the base of the unit 8, as in Figure 3.

The unit 8 may need to be lifted slightly in order to engage the hooks 28 with the base of the unit. When the skate 10 is engaged, the support surface 20 lies substantially against an outer portion (i.e. the underside) of the base of the unit 8. Note that the hooks 28 engage over a front lip of the base of the unit 8, as doors, drawers or other frontal elements are not attached until after the unit 8 is upright.

As the base surface 22 is spaced from the support surface by a distance of 160 mm, the legs 8a can be fully extended to 150 mm (in this embodiment) without overlapping the base surface 22 when loaded onto the skate 10. In other words, when rotating kitchen unit 8, the turning circle of the fully extended legs 8a will still lie within the base surface 22 and thus the legs 8a will not meet the ground as the unit 8 is turned.

The unit 8 is now used as a lever, with the pivot being the skate 10 and a kitchen fitter (or another relevant person) providing a lifting force at the far end of the unit 8 to generate a moment. As the fitter grips the unit 8 and applies a moment, the unit 8 pivots about the skate 10, transitioning from the loading configuration to the unloading configuration. The transitional stage is depicted in Figure 4, where the angled surface 30 may be somewhat parallel to the ground. In this orientation, the unit 8 may be wheeled (i.e. translated) into another location. Only the wheels 18 engage the ground in this orientation.

The purpose of the angled surface 30 is to allow the rear edge 26 to rotate away from the ground freely, and to allow the base surface 22 to rotate towards the ground freely until it engages by virtue of extending beyond the wheels 18. The angled surface 30 thus passes within the peripheral edge of each wheel 18 when the body transitions between the loading and unloading configurations. In other words, cutting out a portion of the members 12, 14 prevents them from extending towards the ground to a greater extent than the wheels 18, allowing substantially free rotation of the skate 10.

As the skate 10 is at the front of the unit 8, the unit 8 can be unloaded in close proximity to a wall whilst still being able to remove the skate 10. When positioned correctly, the unit 8 is levered fully upright from a partially upright position, i.e. into the position shown in Figure 5. As the skate 10 enters the unloading configuration, the base surface 22 begins to engage the ground and becomes the pivot point in place of the wheels 18. This transfers the weight of the unit 8 to the base surface. As the unit 8 transitions in the unloading configuration more completely, the flat portion of the base surface 22 is fully engaged with the ground and substantially horizontal (on relatively level ground). The wheels 18 cease to engage the ground in this orientation, as the pivotal axis is disposed above the base surface 22 by an extent greater than the radii of the wheels 18.

The legs 8a of the unit 8 are substantially vertical in the unloading configuration, which is their ideal load-bearing orientation The unit 8 can be carefully released from manual grip, and the weight of the unit 8 will pivot it further forward by a few degrees until it partially supports itself on its rear legs 8a (those furthest from the skate 10). This causes the skate 10 to tilt forwards slightly onto part of the curved region connecting the base surface 22 to front edge 24. The fitter can then gently raise and balance the unit 8 as needed in order to unload the skate 10 and remove it from the front of the unit 8, before carefully lowering the unit 8 onto all four legs 8a. The legs 8a are very unlikely to be damaged during the slight tilting required to remove the skate 10, as only a limited moment is applied to separate the unit 8 and skate 10.

The skate 10 thus provides a pivot and wheel system, which can be used to move a kitchen unit 8 to a standing position without snapping off its support legs 8a. It also enables wheeling of the unit 8 to a desired position safely and with ease Other embodiments are also envisaged within the scope of the claims. A single wheel or roller may be used rather than a pair of wheels. The angled surface may, in other alternative embodiments, be a cutaway portion of an alternative shape -a rectangular cut-out, for example -rather than the single flat surface shown. Another embodiment may have a curved 'angled surface', i.e. the base surface may curve into the rear edge in a similar but not necessarily equivalent manner to the way it curves into the front edge. The support surface may be shaped to engage a non-flat base of a kitchen unit. Multiple hooks or segments of support surfaces may be provided in alternate embodiments For embodiments where the extensible legs of a kitchen unit can extend to greater than 150 mm, the separation between base and support surfaces will be at least as large as the maximum extended leg length in the skate of said embodiment.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and various changes and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1 A skate for a kitchen unit comprising a body and at least one wheel, the body having a support surface for supporting a base of the kitchen unit, and a hook extending over one side of the support surface which, in use, engages around an edge of the base of the kitchen unit, the at least one wheel being mounted to the body and spaced by substantially at least 100 mm from the support surface to the other side of the support surface from the hook.
2. A skate as claimed in claim 1, in which the body is rotatable between a loading configuration, where the support surface is substantially vertical, and an unloading configuration, where the support surface is substantially horizontal.
3 A skate as claimed in claim 2, in which the at least one wheel is ground-engaging in the loading configuration and non-wound-engaging in the unloading configuration.
4. A skate as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the body includes a base surface opposite the support surface, at least a portion of the base surface running parallel to the support surface A skate as claimed in claim 4, in which said portion of the base surface lies farther from the support surface than said part of the periphery of the at least one wheel.6 A skate as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the body includes an angled surface adjacent to the base surface.7. A skate as claimed in claim 6, when dependent on claim 2, in which the angled surface passes within a peripheral edge of the at least one wheel as the body transitions between the loading and unloading configurations 8. A skate as claimed in any preceding claim, in which there are two wheels each rotatably mounted about a common pivotal axis.9. A skate as claimed in claim 8, in which the pivotal axis runs parallel to the support surface.A skate as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the body includes two support members mounted about a central body portion, the support surface and hook being provided by each of the members.11. A skate as claimed in claim 10, in which the support members are substantially identical in shape.12 A skate as claimed in claim 10 or 11, in which the central body portion has a smaller cross-sectional area than either of the support members 13. A skate as claimed in any of claims 10 to 12, in which each support member is substantially at least 200 mm in depth.14. A skate as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the support surface is substantially at least 150 mm in length.15. A skate as claimed in any preceding claim in which the body is substantially at least 150 mm wide.16. A skate as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the hook extends over one side of the support surface by at least 10 mm 17. A skate as claimed in any preceding claim, in which either or both of the support and base surfaces are rubberised.18. A skate for a kitchen unit substantially as described herein, with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings