ITCO20130006U1 - IMPROVED SLIDING GROUP OF A FURNITURE OF A MOBILE AND MOBILE DOOR THAT USES IT - Google Patents

Description

IMPROVED GROUP OF SLIDING OF A DOOR OF A CABINET AND CABINET THAT USES IT

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an improved sliding unit for a furniture door and to a piece of furniture that uses this unit.

Many wooden and metal furniture have doors that can be moved; in general, the movement of the doors serves to first allow access to an internal compartment of the cabinet (doors open) and then the closure of the compartment itself (doors closed).

Basically, the movement of the doors with respect to the furniture structure is either rotary or translational. The present invention finds application in the case of furniture with translating or sliding doors.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution for the sliding of furniture doors according to which the doors are perfectly coplanar when closed and which is improved with respect to the solution object of the Italian patent application n ° CO201 1A000048 filed on October 18. 2011 and published on April 18, 2013.

This object is achieved thanks to the sliding assembly having the technical characteristics set out in the appended claims which form an integral part of the present description.

At the basis of the present invention there is a mechanism which allows the door to move forward in the direction of the user (i.e. the direction perpendicular to the front surface of the piece of furniture which typically corresponds to a horizontal direction when the piece of furniture is in place) keeping it parallel with respect to its position in closed condition (preferably always perfectly parallel) and then to slide the door in a direction transversal to the door itself; the advancement is small (typically from 1 to 4 cm) in particular sufficient to exceed (for example by 0.5 to 1.5 cm) the thickness of the door itself, which corresponds to the thickness of the doors that are next to the door itself.

In fact, there are solutions that perform a "parallel displacement", but not a "parallel translation". As known, the term "displacement" refers to the difference between the initial position and the final position of an object, while the term translation refers to the movement of the object; therefore, a "parallel displacement" that is a displacement according to which the initial position and the final position are parallel to each other, it can be obtained, for example, by means of two rotations (or more complex movements), instead of by means of a simple translation.

The present invention provides a return spring and a shock absorber; these two elements serve to improve the closing movement of the door; in fact, the spring serves to facilitate the closing of the door by reducing the force that the user must exert on it and the shock absorber serves to prevent the door from banging after it has been accelerated by the spring.

Typically and advantageously, in a piece of furniture, only one group according to the present invention is used for each door and this group is located at the upper or lower side of the door.

Typically and advantageously, in a piece of furniture equipped with several doors, a single track is used for all the doors side by side; the sliding group of each of these doors slides along this single track; in this case, in order to obtain a considerable opening of the doors it is necessary to choose in a suitable way the area where to fix the unit according to the present invention to the respective door.

Very advantageously, the unit according to the present invention also includes a guide device designed to guide the door when it slides and to prevent the door from retracting in the direction of the furniture body when the door is not in correspondence with the cabinet compartment.

The solution according to the present solution is rather simple, but very effective.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use with rectangular or square doors of small dimensions (for example having a height of 40-60 cm and a width of 40-60 cm).

According to a further aspect, the present invention also relates to a cabinet with doors in which at least one of the doors is fixed to such a sliding assembly.

The technical characteristics of the present invention as well as its advantages will become clearer from the following description to be considered in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows, according to a perspective view, a sliding assembly according to the present invention in partially closed condition (or better with the support partially approached to the trolley) - in this figure some specific components of the present invention are not shown;

Fig.2 shows, according to a perspective view, the sliding assembly of Fig.1 in a totally open condition (or better with the support totally removed from the carriage) - in this figure some specific components of the present invention are not shown;

Fig.3 shows three orthogonal projections of the set of two sliding groups of Fig.1 and of a track common to both groups;

Fig.4A shows the cross-sectional view of the sliding assembly of Fig.1 in a totally open condition (or better with the support completely removed from the carriage) - you can also see a double "C" -shaped track in which it is completely inserted the group trolley;

Fig.4B shows the cross-sectional view of the sliding assembly of Fig. 1 in a totally closed condition (or better with the support totally approached by the trolley) - you can also see a double "C" -shaped track in which it is completely inserted the group trolley;

Fig. 5 shows the perspective view of a guide device which is advantageously used in combination with the device of Fig.1;

Fig.6A shows a cross-sectional view of the device of Fig.5 when the support of the group is totally removed from the trolley of the group (ie when the furniture door is moved away from the body of the furniture); Fig.6B shows a cross-sectional view of the device of Fig.5 when the support of the assembly is partially away from (and also partially approached to) the trolley of the assembly;

Fig.6C shows a cross-sectional view of the device of Fig.5 when the support of the group is totally close to the trolley of the group (i.e. when the furniture door is approached to the furniture body and therefore completely closes a compartment of the furniture) ;

Fig.7A shows a door of a piece of furniture adapted to cooperate with the device of Fig.5;

Fig.7B shows a detail of the leaf of Fig.7A, in particular the cross section of the profile fixed on the leaf and also a part (i.e. two wheels and part of an arm) of the device of Fig.5 adapted to cooperate with the profiled; Fig.8 shows the perspective view of a cabinet with two compartments on which a device like that of Fig.5 and (below) a device like that of Fig.1 is mounted (on the central shoulder); it should be noted that this figure also shows the two profiles to be fixed to the door, but not the door; the fixing of the device of Fig.5 to the central shoulder is shown in detail on the right; And

Fig.9 shows, according to a perspective view, a sliding assembly according to the present invention very similar to that of Fig.1 and Fig.2 - in this figure some specific components of the present invention are highlighted.

Both the following description and the annexed drawings are to be considered for illustrative purposes only and therefore not limitative; therefore, the present invention can be implemented according to other and different embodiments.

In general and with reference to the example of realization of the figures, the sliding group of a door 100 of a piece of furniture 300 includes:

- a trolley 1 equipped with wheels 2 able to slide along a track 9 according to a first direction D1,

- a support 3 attached to said carriage 1 and able to support said wing 100, e

- means 6 suitable for allowing the guided translation of said support 3 with respect to said carriage 1 in a second direction D2 perpendicular to said first direction D1.

Furthermore, said support 3 comprises first and second racks 4 parallel to said second direction D2, and said carriage 1 comprises first and second rotatable toothed wheels 51 and 52 which are connected by means of a rotatable bar 50 (which acts as a shaft) parallel to said first direction D1 and which mesh respectively on said first and second racks 4.

It follows that a (perfect) parallelism is maintained between said carriage 1 and said support 3 regardless of the reciprocal position. In Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2, for better visibility of some components, neither a return spring nor a shock absorber are shown which serve to improve the closing movement of the sliding group, i.e. bringing the support 3 closer to the carriage 1, which corresponds to the closing movement of the leaf when a leaf is fixed to the support 3.

In Fig. 9, both a return spring 901 and a shock absorber 902 are shown but, for better visibility of these two components and other related components, neither the racks 4 nor the crosspiece 5 are shown (combination of elements 50, 51 and 52) nor a translation wheel (73) for the support 3 with the relative bracket.

The displacement is limited, in particular from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 4 cm, and is advantageously with adjustable stroke (start and end) so that it can be fixed and adapted to each specific piece of furniture.

The support 3 is a section with a substantially L-shaped profile; the support comprises a first substantially flat plate 31 able to stay in a horizontal position when the assembly is mounted on a piece of furniture 300 and a second plate 32 (smaller than the first) substantially flat able to remain in a vertical position when the assembly is mounted on a mobile 300; a device 33 for mounting and adjusting the door 100 of the cabinet 300 is fixed to the second plate.

The sliding assembly comprises two guide-slider pairs 6 fixed to the carriage 1 and to the support 3 to guide the translation of the support with respect to the carriage.

In particular, the two guide-slider pairs 6 are respectively placed in correspondence with two extreme areas of the carriage 1 and of the support 3.

In a simplified embodiment, the support comprises a single rack, the carriage comprises a single toothed wheel which meshes with the rack, and this pair of rack-toothed wheel is adapted to maintain a (good) parallelism between the carriage and the support independently of the their mutual position.

In the best embodiment, said first toothed wheel 51 and said second toothed wheel 51 are respectively at the ends of said bar 50.

According to the example of embodiment of the figures, said carriage 1 is equipped with a first pair of wheels 2 associated with a first axle 11 (in the figures one can see its external box) parallel to said second direction D2 and with a second pair of wheels 2 associated with a second axle 12 (its outer box is shown in the figures) parallel to said second direction D2; said first axle 11 and said second axle 12 are fixed to two cross members so as to keep them spaced apart: a first cross member 13 fixed and parallel to said first direction D1 and a second cross member 5 (constituted in particular by the assembly of the bar 50 and the wheels toothed wheels 51 and 52) rotatable and parallel to said first direction D1.

The fixed crosspiece 13 is in correspondence with the ends of the axles 11 and 12, ie in correspondence with two of the wheels 2, those adapted to be further away from the leaf 100; the rotatable cross member 5 is in correspondence with an intermediate region of the axles 11 and 12 to allow the travel of the support 3.

According to the example of embodiment of the figures, said first toothed wheel 51 is adjacent to said first axle 11 and said second toothed wheel 52 is adjacent to said second axle 12 and are located on the respective internal and facing sides of the axles. Furthermore, the unit comprises a first and a second guide-slider pairs 6; said first guide-slider pair 6 is adjacent to said first axle 11 on its outer side and said second guide-slider pair 6 is adjacent to said second axle 12 on its outer side; the first plate 31 of the support 3 therefore preferably has a width just greater than the wheelbase of the carriage 1.

According to the example of embodiment of the figures, the unit further comprises three wheels 71, 72 and 73 whose rotation axes (all parallel to each other) are perpendicular both to said first direction D1 and to said second direction D2 and vertical when the unit It is mounted. The first wheel 71 is rotatably mounted on the housing of the first axle 11 of the carriage 1; the second wheel 72 is rotatably mounted on the box of the second axle 12 of the carriage 1; the third wheel 73 is rotatably mounted on the support 3, in particular on the first plate 31 through a small bracket. The wheels 71 and 62 are able to slide in a rectilinear guide 91 of the track 9. The wheel 73 is able to slide in a shaped guide 92 of the track 9; due to the shape of the guide, the wheel 73 causes the support 3 to translate with respect to the carriage 1; a spring can be provided to facilitate the perfect approach of the support 3, in particular of the second plate 32, to the carriage 1.

The sliding assembly further and advantageously comprises a device 8 adapted to guide the leaf 100 when the carriage 1 slides and to avoid the guided displacement of the support 3 when the device 8 is in one or more operating conditions (this occurs with reference to the figures when the door 100 is not in correspondence with the compartment of the piece of furniture 300).

The device 8 typically comprises:

- at least one profile 81 fixed to door 100,

- at least one pair of wheels 82 and 83 mounted on a movable arm 84 and able to roll along the section 81 on opposite sides of the section;

the movable arm 84 is adapted to be rotatably mounted on a shoulder 200 of the furniture 300, typically at one end thereof, or in an equivalent position.

At least one of the two motes could be replaced, in a substantially equivalent way, with a sliding cursor.

In particular, the device 8 has a first and a second stable operating conditions; in the first stable operating condition (Fig.6C) one of the wheels of the pair (i.e. the wheel 82) is trapped in the section 81 and the other of the wheels of the pair (i.e. the wheel 83) is released from the section 81 and the arm 84 can rotate with respect to section 81; in the second stable operating condition (Fig.6A) one of the wheels of the pair (i.e. the wheel 82) is trapped in the section 81 and the other of the wheels of the pair (i.e. the wheel 83) is constrained to the section 81 and the arm 84 it cannot rotate with respect to profile 81.

In particular, the device 8 comprises two sections and two pairs of wheels (see Fig.7A and Fig.7B); the two rotating arms 84 of the two pairs of wheels are rigidly mounted at the ends of the same shaft 80 (see Fig.5).

Typically, the two sections are respectively placed in correspondence with two extreme areas of the door 100 (see Fig.7A).

In Fig.9, it can be seen that the carriage 1 and the support 3 are linked together by means of a return spring 901 and by means of a shock absorber 902; the spring 901 is fixed to the carriage 1 and to the support 3 in such a way as to exert a force which brings them towards each other; the shock absorber 902 is fixed to the carriage 1 and to the support 3 in such a way as to brake movements of reciprocal approach. A first end of the spring 901 and a first end of the shock absorber 902 are fixed to the same element 34 integral with the support 3, in particular mounted on the plate 31. A second end of the spring 901 and a second end of the shock absorber 902 are fixed to the carriage 1, in particular to the rear crosspiece 13, but in different points.

The shock absorber 902 is a sliding piston hydraulic shock absorber; in particular, the shock absorber 902, which is rod-shaped, is arranged according to an inclined direction intermediate between the first direction D1 (see Fig. 1 and Fig.2) and the second direction D2 (see Fig.1 and Fig.2) ) to avoid interfering with the wheel 73 and its bracket (see Fig. 1 and Fig.2 since these two elements are not shown in Fig.9).

The return spring 901 is a foldable helical spring (in Fig. 9, it is bent at 90 °). In particular, the return spring 901 of the example of Fig.9 is folded and placed, in a central area, on a rotating wheel 903; when the support 3 moves with respect to the carriage 1, the spring 901 lengthens or shortens and the wheel 903 rotates in one direction or the other.

Advantageously, the sliding assembly of Fig.9 comprises means for adjusting the force exerted by the return spring; in this way it is possible to adapt the operation of the sliding unit to doors of different weight. In particular, these

adjustment means include:

- a roller 903 (rotating) on which a central area of the bent return spring 901 rests,

- a slide 904 on which the roller 903 is mounted and adapted to modify the tension of the return spring 901 as its position varies.

In Fig.9, only two pins of the slide 904 are visible; in fact, the plate of the slide 904 is located under the plate 31 of the support 3; the two pins of the slide 904 slide inside two corresponding slots made in the plate 31 and the plate of the slide 904 can translate accordingly; in particular, the translation direction of the slide 904 corresponds to the first direction D1 (see Fig.1 and Fig.2).

The position of the slide 904 is determined by the screwing state of a manually adjustable screw 905; when screw 905 is screwed, the slide 904 moves to the right and with it also the roller 903; in this way, since the ends of the spring 901 remain fixed, the spring 901 elongates and the force exerted increases; when the screw 905 is unscrewed, the slide 904 moves to the left and with it also the roller 903; in this way, since the ends of the spring 901 remain fixed, the spring 901 shortens and the force exerted decreases.

Claims (20)

CLAIMS 1. Sliding assembly of a door (100) of a piece of furniture (300) comprising: - a trolley (1) equipped with wheels (2) able to slide along a track (9) in a first direction (D1), - a support (3) attached to said carriage (1) and able to support said wing (100), e - means (6) adapted to allow the guided translation of said support (3) with respect to said carriage (1) in a second direction (D2) perpendicular to said first direction (D1); characterized in that said carriage (1) and said support (3) are linked together by means of a return spring (901) and by means of a shock absorber (902), said return spring (901) being fixed to said carriage (1) and said support (3) in such a way as to exert a force which approaches them reciprocally, said shock absorber (902) being fixed to said carriage (1) and said support (3) in such a way as to brake movements of reciprocal approach. Sliding assembly according to claim 1, wherein said damper (902) is a sliding piston hydraulic damper. Slide assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said return spring (901) is a foldable helical spring. 4. Sliding assembly according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, comprising means (903, 904) for adjusting the force exerted by said return spring (901). 5. Sliding assembly according to claims 3 and 4, wherein said adjustment means comprise: - a small wheel (903) on which a central area of said return spring (901) is bent, - a slide (904) on which said roller (903) is mounted and adapted to modify the tension of said return spring (901) as its position varies. 6. Sliding assembly according to claim 5, wherein the position of said slide (904) is determined by the screwing state of a screw (905). 7. Sliding assembly according to claim 1, wherein said support (3) comprises first and second racks (4) parallel to said second direction (D2), and wherein said carriage (1) comprises first and second revolving toothed wheels (51, 52) which are connected by means of a rotating bar (50) parallel to said first direction (D1) and which mesh respectively on said first and second racks (4), whereby a parallelism is maintained between said carriage ( 1) and said support (3) regardless of the reciprocal position. 8. Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said displacement is of a limited extent, in particular from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 4 cm, and advantageously has an adjustable stroke. 9. Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said support (3) is a section with a substantially "L" shaped profile. 10. Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising two guide-slider pairs (6) fixed to said carriage (1) and to said support (3) to guide said translation. Slide assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first and second toothed wheels (51, 52) are respectively at the ends of said bar (50). Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said carriage (1) is equipped with a first pair of wheels (2) associated with a first axle (11) parallel to said second direction (D2) and with a second pair of wheels (2) associated with a second axle (12) parallel to said second direction (D2), and in which said first toothed wheel (51) is adjacent to said first axle (11) and said second toothed wheel (52) it is adjacent to said second axle (12). Sliding assembly according to claim 12, wherein said carriage (1) comprises a fixed crosspiece (13) parallel to said first direction (D1) and fixed to said first and second axles (11, 12) so as to keep them spaced apart . Sliding assembly according to claim 12 or 13, comprising a first and a second guide-slider pairs (6), in which said first guide-slider pair (6) is adjacent to said first axle (11) and said second pair guide-slider (6) is adjacent to said second axle (12). Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said support (3) comprises a wheel (73) adapted to slide in a shaped guide (92) of said track (9) and to cause the translation of said support ( 3) with respect to said carriage (1). Sliding assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a device (8) adapted to guide said wing (100) when said carriage (1) slides and to avoid said guided movement of said support (3) when said device ( 8) is in one or more operating conditions. Sliding assembly according to claim 16, wherein said device (8) comprises: - at least one section bar (81) fixed to said door (100), - at least one pair of wheels (82, 83) mounted on a movable arm (84) and able to roll along said section (81) on opposite sides of said section (81); in which said movable arm (84) is adapted to be rotatably mounted on a shoulder (200) of said movable (300). 18. Sliding assembly according to claim 17, wherein said device (8) has first and second stable operating conditions, wherein in said first stable operating condition (Fig.6C) one (82) of the wheels of said pair is trapped in said section (81) and the other (83) of the wheels of said pair is released from said section (81) and said arm (84) can rotate with respect to said section (81), in which in said second operating condition stable (Fig.6A) one (82) of the wheels of said pair is trapped in said section (81) and the other (83) of the wheels of said pair is constrained to said section (81) and said arm (84) is not it can rotate with respect to said profile (81). 19. Sliding assembly according to claim 17 or 18, in which said device (8) comprises two sections and two pairs of wheels, and in which the two rotating arms (84) of said two pairs of wheels are rigidly mounted at the ends of one and the same tree (80). Furniture (300) comprising at least one door sliding unit according to any one of the preceding claims.