IT201900014343A1 - A lighting system for a furniture drawer, preferably kitchen furniture - Google Patents

Description

Description accompanying the patent application for industrial invention entitled:

A LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR A FURNITURE DRAWER,

PREFERABLY A KITCHEN FURNITURE

Scope of the invention

The present invention relates to the technical sector relating to the manufacture of furniture.

In particular, the invention refers to a lighting system for a drawer of a furniture, preferably a furniture for kitchens or kitchen environments.

Brief notes on the known art

As is well known, in the field of kitchens the furniture can include the so-called "cabinet" or "module" which is nothing more than a piece of furniture, for example of a parallelepiped shape, which forms a support or work surface called "top" and supplied at the top. under said work surface of drawers and / or doors for the formation of shelves.

The "top" can be in brushed steel, marble or any composite material.

The drawers define spaces for containing kitchen items such as cutlery and so on, while the doors delimit other spaces, for example for pantry use or intended for other uses such as the positioning of pots.

The drawer is a box-like container, open at the top, which is slidably inserted into a seat of the piece of furniture so that it can be extracted to pick up / store objects and cutlery in general inside and to be retracted in a closed position.

A technical problem may relate to the fact that inside the drawer the view is not always optimal also because the passage of light is more difficult. Then, if the furniture is placed in an area away from the light source of the room, it could happen that the environment delimited by the drawer is always badly lit, especially the innermost parts of the same.

This obviously involves great difficulty not only in seeing the contents of the drawer but also in its correct use.

Any use of lighting placed inside the drawer complicates the structure of the drawer, its assembly and maintenance.

Summary of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new type of lighting structure for a drawer, preferably intended for kitchen furniture, which at least partially solves the aforementioned technical drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an illumination structure for a drawer such that, in use, the drawer is well illuminated, thus allowing it to be used easily without structurally complicating the original structure of the drawer.

It is also the purpose of the present invention to provide furniture that includes this type of structure.

These and other objects are therefore achieved with the present lighting structure adapted to illuminate a drawer (4, 20) belonging to a piece of furniture, preferably a kitchen piece of furniture, in accordance with claim 1.

This structure includes:

- A support bar (10) configured to be able to electrically connect one or more light sources to it.

The said bar, therefore, can provide one or more seats for fixing the light sources where the electrical contacts are arranged for electrically powering the light sources when these are fixed to the said bar.

- A light-reflecting sheet (15) is then provided, for example chromed;

And in which the said plate (15) is arranged with respect to the said support bar in such a way as to reflect at least a part of the light rays emitted by the light sources.

In this way all the aforementioned technical drawbacks are easily solved.

The support bar, which is well known per se, provides, as said, fixing seats for the light sources. The fixing seats can be with snap or screw lock. In any case, the light sources can be purchased and applied to the bar when they burn out if necessary and it is necessary to replace them.

The bar therefore allows you to support the light sources which when activated produce light.

Once the bar is fixed in position together with a convenient position of the reflective foil, the light radiated by the bar is reflected by the reflective foil which can be positioned in such a way as to illuminate the drawer and / or other parts.

The bar, as well as the sheet, can be conveniently fixed for example to a dedicated wall which is part of the furniture, for example under the "top", or the sheet can be fixed to the bar and the bar to the surface of the furniture (for example example below the top), or vice versa.

In any case, this structure can be easily applied outside the drawer, leaving the original structure of the drawer unaltered and allowing its functional lighting.

In this way, by appropriately adjusting the position of the foil, the generally dark areas are now well illuminated with lighting that also creates a valuable aesthetic effect.

The use of the reflective foil, which can also be integrated into the bar as an appendix extending from the bar, allows the light to be irradiated by illuminating areas that would otherwise not be illuminated except by seeking rather complex bar positioning.

The use of a reflective element is therefore important because it allows you to adjust a lighting area regardless of the positioning given to the support bar.

In this way, the bar does not necessarily have to be placed exactly in a certain position above the drawer but could be placed in more displaced and convenient positions for assembly with the light that is "transmitted" through the reflective element in use.

Advantageously, a channel for housing the said bar (10) can be provided, said channel being delimited at the top by a surface (2) and laterally by a vertical surface (5) which branches downwards so that said vertical surface (5 ) obscure, at least in part, said bar (10) from the front.

Preferably the vertical surface (5) is a continuation of the upper surface (2) which is a work surface or a "top" and therefore obtained by folding the horizontal surface 2.

Advantageously, this vertical surface (5) has a length such as to extend beyond the bar (10) in such a way as to completely obscure it.

Advantageously, this reflecting plate can be arranged on the side opposite the vertical surface (5).

Advantageously, said reflecting plate can be connected abutment against a side of the bar (10) and / or against the surface (2) delimiting said channel at the top.

Advantageously, said reflective sheet (15) can be metallic and / or coated with reflective material, preferably a chromed sheet.

Advantageously, said light sources can be operated through one of the following devices of choice:

- With ON / OFF switch;

- With Dimmer;

- Through a sensor that places the light sources in the ON condition when the opening of the drawer is detected and places said light sources in the OFF condition when the closed position of the drawer is detected.

Advantageously, said light sources are LEDs.

Also described here is also a kitchen cabinet comprising:

- A front part (3, 4) equipped with at least one drawer (4) and / or a door (3);

- An anchoring surface (2);

- A support bar (10) anchored to said anchoring surface (2) and to which one or more light sources (11) can be electrically fixed, the bar being placed above said drawer;

- A light reflecting foil (15);

- And in which said reflecting plate (15) is arranged with respect to said support bar in such a way as to reflect at least a part of the light rays emitted by the light sources when in use they are connected to said bar.

- Advantageously, the anchoring surface can be the "top", that is the upper surface 2 of the piece of furniture in question.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention, in one or more of its embodiments, will be detailed below in accordance with the following drawings:

- Figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a piece of furniture on which the present invention can be applied;

- Figure 2 shows, in an axonometric detail view, the LED support bar and its housing above the drawer;

- Figures 3 to 5 show the support bar with the LED and their connection to the power supply and control of the same;

- Figure 6 shows a schematic section of the LED bar covered by the front part of the "top" which folds up like a C and with the reflective sheet at the rear that reflects the light rays downwards and / or in lateral directions towards the drawer (4, 20).

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 schematises a kitchen cabinet 1 on which the present invention can be applied.

For example, it can provide a support surface 2, technically also called "top", which can have multiple uses, also depending on the material in which it is made.

The support surface 2 therefore forms an upper base with multiple uses (object / food support, food cutting, etc.).

The piece of furniture in question can for example provide side walls and a base to which support feet are connected to lift it from the ground.

As always schematized in figure 1, the cabinet then provides a rear part and, at the front, can provide a front surface comprising any number of doors 3 and therefore of doors that give access to the interior of the cabinet to arrange what is necessary.

Below the support surface 2, one or more drawers 4 can then be provided which are illuminated thanks to a lighting system immediately described below in detail and specific object of the present invention.

With reference to Figure 2, a support bar 10 is therefore provided which is adapted to support a predetermined number of electric light sources, preferably in the form of LEDs.

The bar is schematized in Figure 3 in an axonometric view and can have a generally parallelepiped shape of predetermined length.

As shown in the schematic of Figure 4, said bar supports a predetermined number of light sources 11, preferably in the form of LEDs.

Any number of lights can be provided (one or more than one) and the support bar can consequently have any length.

The light sources are obviously connected to an electrical wiring schematized in thin dashed line in Figure 5 and which refer to a controllable power supply, for example through a switch to power the lighting.

Basically, the light sources can for example turn on and off with the normal ON / OFF switch.

Alternatively, a "Dimmer" (per se well known and commercially available) can be provided, the rotation knob of which can be arranged for example on surface 2. In this way, by rotating the dimmer knob it is possible to adjust the intensity luminous to the desired value.

In a further alternative, as will also be clearer from the following description, a sensor may be provided that detects the position of the open or closed drawer and commands the switching on / off of the lights according to the condition found.

For example, in the case of a closed drawer, the sensor sends a relative signal which implies that the lights are switched off. Otherwise, the open drawer condition is interpreted as a condition for the lights to be switched on.

As always schematized in figure 2, the bar is arranged above the drawer.

The bar has a certain number of seats where the light sources can be fixed interchangeably and in fact constitutes an electrical connection for the lights.

Again with reference to Figure 2, the preferred solution therefore provides for the creation of a suitable recess in which the bar 10 is fixed, which can be fixed to the top in conventional ways, for example brackets and fixing screws or fixed with glue.

The recess is obtained through an extension of the plane 2 with a vertical portion 5 and a further horizontal portion 6 which forms a flap that goes towards the bar 10.

For example, the entire "top", for example in steel, can be worked in such a way as to fold the side into a C and thus form the vertical portion 5 and the vertical portion 6 which thus form the receiving channel for the bar.

In this way, the terminal part of the top is therefore folded into a C shape, thus forming said housing channel with a front wall 5 which obscures the bar, thus hiding it from view at least in part, preferably totally.

Alternatively, the vertical portion can join the horizontal one 2.

The axonometric view of figure 2 enlarges the detail A present in figure 1 and for this purpose shows a part of the upper surface 2 which forms the support surface and whose perimeter side connects to a vertical portion 5 which is placed in front of the bar, darkening it.

The side view of figure 6 shows precisely this C or L-shaped portion with the front part obscuring the bar 10.

In accordance with the invention, as schematized in Figure 2 and Figure 6, a strip or sheet made of light-reflecting material is then provided, for example a metal strip suitably coated with a reflecting material, preferably a chromed metal strip such as steel chromed.

As shown schematically in Figure 6, the strip is placed behind the bar 10 on the opposite side to the vertical portion 5.

In substance, the bar 10 is comprised between this reflecting strip 15 of the light and the vertical portion 5 of the top which obscures the bar from the front.

It obviously extends vertically beyond the maximum height of the bar 10.

In this way, looking at the cabinet from the front, the bar 10 is not visible because it is hidden by the vertical portion 5 but instead the foil and the relative irradiation effect of the light that illuminates the surrounding environment is visible.

The foil could however be an extension part, therefore an appendage, of the same bar 10 for example by covering it with reflective material rather than being a separate element placed behind the bar 10.

As always shown in Figure 6, therefore, it is clear how the light (luminous rays drawn in a thin dotted line) impact against the reflecting plate 15 and are directed at least in part towards the underlying drawer.

Obviously, the selected inclination of the reflecting bar (not necessarily orthogonal to the surface 2) and its conformation (not necessarily flat but also wavy) allows you to adjust the light reflection by directing the light rays not only towards the underlying drawer 20 but also laterally so that by radiating light rays that come out of the channel which receives the bar 10 and delimited by the surface 2, by the vertical portion 5 and at the rear by the remaining part of the structure.

The reflective strip can be arranged close to the bar 10 behind it (as in figure 6) or it could be arranged just like a vertical appendage of the same bar 10 and in any case in a suitable position to optimize the light reflection effect according to tastes. and the pleasures.

The bar can be fixed according to conventional ways, such as screws, inserts and / or glue material or it can be integral with the bar itself.

Figure 5 schematises a controller that controls the switching on and off of the lights.

Therefore, for what has been said above, the operation could be as follows.

If a dimmer is used, the dimmer adjustment is sent to the controller that controls the intensity of the LED lighting. In this case, for example, you can adjust a lighting as desired and keep it constant, for example during the night. In this way, if necessary, the drawer will always be illuminated and, moreover, the lighting will radiate from the cabinet itself in various directions, creating a valuable aesthetic effect and being useful during the night. It is as if a beam of light came out of the channel of the bar.

Alternatively, as mentioned, a simple ON / OFF switch can command its opening or shutdown or the use of sensors can detect an open position of the drawer by activating the lighting and a closing condition of the drawer to interrupt the power supply of the lights. .

Favorite lights (one or more than one) can be LEDs. However normal incandescent lights can be used as well as a combination of both (led and incandescent).

The bar can be single or bar sections can be provided in succession to each other.

The same applies to the reflective light bar.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. A lighting structure adapted to illuminate a drawer (4, 20) belonging to a piece of furniture, preferably a kitchen piece of furniture, and comprising: - A support bar (10) configured to be able to electrically connect one or more light sources to it; - A light reflecting foil (15); And in which said lamina (15) is arranged with respect to said support bar in such a way as to reflect at least a part of the light rays emitted by the light sources in one or more directions. 2. The structure, according to claim 1, in which a channel for housing the said bar (10) is provided, said channel being delimited at the top by a surface (2) and laterally by a vertical surface (5) which branches out towards the low so that said vertical surface (5) obscures, at least in part, said bar (10) from the front. The structure, according to claim 2, wherein said vertical surface (5) has a length such as to extend beyond the bar (10) in such a way as to completely obscure it. The structure, according to claim 1, in which said reflecting plate is arranged on the side opposite the vertical surface (5). 5. The structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the said reflecting plate is connected abutment against a side of the bar (10) and / or against the surface (2) delimiting said channel from the top. The structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said reflective sheet (15) is metallic and / or coated with reflective material, preferably a chromed sheet. 7. The structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said light sources are operable through one of the following devices of your choice: - With ON / OFF switch; - With Dimmer; - Through a sensor that places the light sources in the ON condition when the opening of the drawer is detected and places said light sources in the OFF condition when the closed position of the drawer is detected. 8. The structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said light sources are LEDs. 9. A kitchen cabinet comprising: - A front part (3, 4) equipped with at least one drawer (4, 20); - An anchoring surface (2); - A support bar (10) anchored to said anchoring surface (2) and to which one or more light sources (11) can be electrically fixed, the bar being placed above said drawer; - A light reflecting foil (15); And in which said lamina (15) is arranged with respect to said support bar in such a way as to reflect at least a part of the light rays emitted by the light sources when in use they are connected to said bar. 10. The piece of furniture, according to claim 9, in which a channel for housing the said bar (10) is provided, said channel being delimited at the top by said anchoring surface (2) and laterally by a vertical surface (5) which branches from the perimeter side of said surface (2) downwards in such a way that said vertical surface (5) obscures, at least in part, said bar (10) frontally, the reflecting plate being placed on the side opposite to said vertical surface.