JP2014500076A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention relates to a panel-shaped furniture item, in particular a front panel (4) of a drawer (5), which is detachably fixed to a further panel-shaped furniture item, in particular a side wall frame (8) of the drawer (5). It relates to (1). For this reason, the side wall frame (8) forms an angle, preferably a right angle. The coupling device comprises a carrier device (2). The carrier device (2) is provided with a contact portion that is detachably engaged with the lock device (3). This locking device has a feature that the mounting base portion (21) extends at right angles to the mounting surface (16), and the lock lever (22) loaded by the spring (28) is movable. It is articulated to the mounting base part, can move from the release position to the lock position under the spring force, and can return from the lock position to the release position against the spring force, and the lock lever has the hook part (23) And the hook part (23) is used for engagement with a corresponding contact part on the carrier device (2), preferably a pin (13), in the locked position. The lock lever (22) is articulated to the mounting base (21) using a pivot bearing (24). The above-described connector is characterized in that the arrangement (configuration) of the release lever with respect to the structure is improved.

Description

  The present invention provides a panel-shaped furniture item, in particular a panel-shaped furniture item, in particular a drawer front panel, arranged at an angle, preferably at a right angle, as described in the preamble of claim 1, In particular, the present invention relates to a connector for removably fixing the drawer side wall frame.

A general-purpose connector is known from European Patent Document EP0066893 B1. The exemplary coupling is configured compactly, and a fixed connection can be realized by attaching this coupling between two panel-shaped furniture items to be connected to each other, and a release integrated with the coupling The feature is that this connection can be easily released again by means of a lever. It is advantageous that the connection can be made automatically by sliding the corresponding support unit in the axial direction.
The spring characteristics of this mounting system are not considered very advantageous in the prior art. This is because the shock to the connection area is absorbed relatively inelastically, and in extreme cases, the furniture items connected to each other may be damaged.

Although equipped with an “automatic locking function” as described in European Patent EP0066893 B1, it is not necessary to use an integrated release lever for release, but to use a separate tool such as a screwdriver to restore the original state. A connecting device using a receiver in a lock lever that can be returned to is further known from European patent document EP 0470917 B1.
By inserting the screwdriver axially into the receiver during release, the locking member can be moved away from the locking lever and the dead center of the release path can be traversed only by applying a transverse force. In particular, it is a drawback to always have the tool in hand to release the front panel.

The object of the present invention is to further improve the universal connector described in European Patent Document EP0066893 B1.
This object is achieved by the present invention according to the subject matter of claims 1 and 11.
According to the characterizing portion of claim 1, the base part is attached or arranged to the frame adapter of the side frame, and the manually movable release lever is connected to the lock lever and the base part, and the user's hand. Extends into the free space in the frame adapter so that it can be moved in the free space.
According to the subject matter of claim 1, since the release lever is practically and compactly integrated in the frame structure, a tool such as a screwdriver for releasing the lock lever can be removed in a very advantageous way. it can.
As a result, the release lever can be operated simultaneously on both sides of the drawer, i.e., the frames on both sides, so that the user can release the front panel safely and without damage. Accordingly, the present invention further provides a drawer comprising two side frames, a front panel, and two connectors according to the invention described above.

According to the variant described in the dependent claims, further functions are integrated with the release lever, which improves the handling and safety characteristics of the coupling.
According to claim 2, the first coupling link is arranged on the mounting base part so as to overlap the second coupling link in the lock lever, and the pin penetrates both of these coupling links, It is movable on both link links. This feature allows an advantageous interaction between the locking lever and the components of the mounting base in a very simple manner.
According to claim 3, the first coupling link is an arc-shaped coupling link in the mounting base portion, and the second coupling link is a coupling link having an angle in the lock lever, and the pin is excessive. The dead center that can be pressed is formed by a connecting link having an angle. As a result, the mechanism required for the lock function of the lock lever can be actually constructed in a very simple and reliable manner.
It is preferred to place a pin in the release lever (preferably the opening), thereby including a release lever with simple structural means in the interaction of the locking lever coupling link and the mounting base coupling link It becomes possible.
It is further advantageous if the pin is provided with a head so that the lock lever is guided in the coupling link of the mounting base part when the lock lever moves between the open position and the lock position.

According to the subject matter of claim 11, which can be considered as a further development of claims 1 to 10 but also as an independent invention, the lock lever of the drawer mechanism moves elastically in the region of its pivot bearing The possibility of damaging the front panel and possibly the drawer mechanism due to the impact on the front panel is greatly reduced.
The elastic coupling can further adjust the angle of the front panel (if it is each rotatable) to a further panel-shaped furniture item without having to release the connection during adjustment. This is because the pivot bearing can compensate for or cope with each movement of the front panel. This is not possible if the pivot bearing is practically arranged as a fixed bearing, which is considered by the person skilled in the art as “free of play”.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.
It is a side view which shows the coupling tool provided with the 1st coupling part comprised as a locking device, and is arrange | positioned on the frame adapter, and the 2nd coupling part comprised as a carrier device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the locking device of FIG. 1 except a 2nd coupling part. It is a perspective view which shows the furniture provided with several drawers in the closed state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the furniture of FIG. 3 with the drawer in an open state. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing one of the drawers of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 shows the drawer of FIG. 5 with the connector having a locking device and a carrier device, excluding the front panel. FIG. 6 shows the drawer of FIG. 5 without the front panel, with the locking device but without the carrier device. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a portion of a frame comprising a locking device and a carrier device with the frame wall partially hidden. It is a rear view which shows the structure of FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of FIG. 1 at the time of the insertion start of a carrier part. FIG. 2 is one of the side views showing the connector of FIG. 1 without the frame adapter when the carrier device is inserted, by presenting one of a series of snapshots taken over time, The movement sequence when mounting the part on the lock part is shown. FIG. 2 is one of the side views showing the connector of FIG. 1 without the frame adapter when the carrier device is inserted, by presenting one of a series of snapshots taken over time, The movement sequence when mounting the part on the lock part is shown. FIG. 2 is one of the side views showing the connector of FIG. 1 without the frame adapter when the carrier device is inserted, by presenting one of a series of snapshots taken over time, The movement sequence when mounting the part on the lock part is shown. FIG. 2 is one of the side views showing the connector of FIG. 1 without the frame adapter when the carrier device is inserted, by presenting one of a series of snapshots taken over time, The movement sequence when mounting the part on the lock part is shown. FIG. 5 shows the locking device in the release position with the carrier device removed. It is a rear view which shows the coupling tool of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, every connector 1 can be detachably engaged with two corresponding functional units that can be engaged with each other, namely a carrier device 2 and this carrier device 2. The lock device 3 is provided.
The carrier device 2 is preferably configured as a front panel 4 of the drawer 5 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) and is fastened to a first panel-shaped furniture item. The drawer 5 can be inserted into the furniture body 6 of the furniture 7. The drawer 5 can be pulled out from the furniture body 6 to the open position and can be pushed from the open position to the closed position (see FIGS. 3 and 4). It can be guided to be movable.
On the other hand, the locking device 3 (see FIGS. 2, 6, 7, 8) is fixed to a second panel-shaped furniture item which is preferably configured as a side frame 8 of the drawer 5. It is configured. In this case, the panel shape of the side frame is realized by the metal double wall cover 9. The metal double wall cover 9 is placed on one or more frame adapters 10 and attached to the one or more frame adapters 10 in a known manner, such as screws, latching means, etc. It can be fixed by means. Further, the frame adapter 10 has a rail structure for receiving the bottom portion 11 (FIG. 6) of the drawer on the irregularly shaped portion 12 for mounting (FIG. 2) and for guiding the drawer movably on the furniture body. Used to place (not shown).

Preferably, each drawer comprises two frames 8 and two couplings 1 so that the front panel 4 via two carrier devices 2 has a locking device on the two side frames 8 corresponding thereto. 3, in an attached (mounted) state, connection is possible or connected in two areas.
The configuration of the carrier device 2 is substantially free within the scope of the present invention. However, the carrier device 2 must be fixable to at least a first panel-shaped furniture item (for example the front panel 4) and a contact element extending horizontally in the installation position, for example a suitable recess or Must have pins 13.
The locking device 3 comprises a base unit (see also FIG. 2), preferably a base corner member 14. The legs (leg portions 15a and 15b) of the base corner member 14 are fixed to the mounting surface 16 of the frame adapter 10 which is the upper surface at the installation position, for example, by welding. The fixing may be realized by other connecting means such as screws. Further, the base unit may be integrally formed with the frame adapter 10 (both of which are not shown here).

Importantly, the terms “upper” and “lower” are not to be understood as having general limitations. Rather, these terms are for a conventional furniture installation and structural location, as shown in FIG.
Here, the legs (FIG. 2) are subdivided into two leg portions 15a and 15b. Between the two legs 15a, 15b there is a free space, which is a further functional element that allows the receiving of the deformed member (not described in detail here).
The attachment surface 16 has an opening 17 in a front side portion, that is, a portion on the carrier device 2 side. The functional elements of the locking device 3 project through the opening 17 into the frame adapter 10. This functional element is described in further detail below.
The frame adapter 10 has a substantially U-shaped cross section when viewed along a direction perpendicular to the plane of the front panel. Preferably, the frame adapter 10 is formed by bending a metal sheet, and the mounting surface 16 is formed from a U-shaped short leg. In addition, the irregularly shaped part 12 for mounting projects from the frame adapter 10 toward the bottom part 11 of the drawer. A free space 20 is formed between the two long legs 18 and 19. Said free space 20 is dimensioned so that the user can engage his / her finger from below into it.

The leg portions 15 a and 15 b include an attachment base portion 21 that extends at a right angle to the attachment surface 16. A lock lever 22 is movably linked to the mounting base portion 21, and the lock lever 22 is movable from the release position to the lock position.
Preferably, the locking lever 22 is always completely located in the frame and no part of the locking device 3 extends into the front panel 4.
The lock lever 22 has a hook portion 23, which is used for engaging the corresponding contact portion on the carrier device 2, preferably the pin 13, from the back side. The lock lever 22 is configured as a lever to which one side is attached. A pivot bearing 24 is provided on the one side, which is located away from the front panel 4. Preferably, the opening 45 of the lock lever 22 in this region is penetrated by a pin 25 which preferably penetrates the elongated opening 26 of the mounting base 21.

In any case, the opening 26 has a dimension that is much larger in the X direction than the diameter of the pin 25 so that the pin 25 can penetrate the opening 26 with play.
The irregular shaped portions 27 and 49 for attachment are formed like hooks on the attachment base portion 21 and the lock lever 22, and the irregularly shaped portions 27 and 49 for attachment include end portions of springs (in this case, coil springs 28). Can be mounted to form a mounting arc. The coil spring 28 is arranged almost horizontally. One end of both ends of the coil spring 28 is fixed at the mounting position of the recessed portion 46 of the mounting base portion 21, preferably at the portion above the opening 26, and the other end is preferably hooked with the pin 25. It arrange | positions in the middle in between part 23.
In this manner, the coil spring 28 pulls the lock lever 22 to the upper lock position. In this upper locking position (when the hook-shaped part engages the carrier part or the contact part of the carrier device 2 from the back side), one flat plate-shaped component is fixed to the other flat plate-shaped component. That is, in this case, the front panel 4 is fixed to one side frame 8.
In the opening 26, the pin 25 is supported with play on the rear inner surface of the slot-shaped opening 26, so that the end of the lock lever 22 on the pin side is particularly a side surface in the opening 26. It can be moved slightly in a direction parallel to the frame 8 or in a direction perpendicular to the front panel 4.

This is very beneficial. This is because, by using the described method, it is possible to avoid that a strong impact on the front panel is directly transmitted to the side frame 8 with the maximum force. More precisely, the interaction between the bearing play and the spring 28 will subtract kinetic energy from the impulse impulse. Thus, by using the connector 1 according to the present invention, damage is caused to the side frame structure and to the fixing of the front panel 4 by the pin portions 42 and 43 of the carrier device 2 of the connector 1. It is possible to easily reduce the possibility of being lost.
The play in the pivot bearing 24 is in the range from 0.3 to 3 mm, particularly preferably in the range from 0.5 to 2 mm, in at least one direction, preferably in the mounting direction, ie in this case the “X direction” (FIG. 1). Advantageously. This play can be formed in the opening 26 and / or in the connection area between the pin 25 and the lock lever 22.
A release lever 29 integrated in the locking device 3 is used to release the locking lever 22 from the connected position, as shown in FIG.

The release lever 29 is preferably L-shaped when viewed from the side. The release lever 29 has a lever arm 30 and a release arm 31 that is positioned at an angle with respect to the lever arm 30, in this case at a substantially right angle. Furthermore, in this case, the release arm 31 has a non-linear configuration when viewed along a direction perpendicular to the side view. The control surface 51 is disposed between the lever arm 30 and the release arm 31 at an angle surrounded by the lever arm 30 and the release arm 31, and the control surface 51 is almost perpendicular to the opening position of the lock device 3. Is arranged.
Advantageously, the end of the lever arm 30 is attached to the pin 32 at the mounting base 21, preferably near the front panel 4 or near the portion of the carrier device 2 near the hook 23. The base portion 21 and the release lever 29 are linked by passing through the respective openings 34 and 36. An arc-shaped coupling link 44 is disposed on the mounting base portion 21, and the arc-shaped coupling link 44 overlaps the coupling link 50 having an angle formed on the lock lever 22. These coupling links 44, 50 overlap such that the pin 33 passes through both coupling links 44, 50 and is movable a distance from the center of rotation formed by the bearings in the openings 34, 36. (In this case, advantageously, the movable distance coincides with the region where the material of the member 21 is doubled and stabilizes this arrangement). A dead center that can be climbed over is formed by the connecting link 50 having an angle, and the pin 33 is disposed in the opening 35 of the release lever 29. Further, since the pin 33 is provided with a head 38, when the lock lever 22 moves between the open position and the lock position, the lock lever 22 is safely guided within the coupling link 44 of the mounting base portion 21. The
The release arm 31 protrudes downward into the free space through the opening 17 and can be grasped with a finger in this free space.

When latching, that is, when inserting the carrier device 2, the control surface 51 of the release lever 29 is affected by the pin 13, so that the pin 33 is positioned at the dead center position of the connecting link 50 having an angle. Get over and move. As a result, the lock lever 22 is released, rotated upward by the force of the coil spring 28, and the pin 13 is engaged from the back side.
FIG. 7 shows that the frame cover 9 may have a side opening 48 to allow side access to the panel adjustment device of the carrier device 2.
When the release arm 31 is pulled toward the carrier device 2 or the front panel 4, the lock lever 22 is pulled from the locked position or the upper position to the open position or the lower position against the force of the spring 28.
Preferably, the lock lever 22 is rotatable to such an extent that the pin 33 on the release lever 29 can get past the dead center of the angled coupling link 5 so that the lock lever 22 is in this situation. After moving, it can stay in the open position. This facilitates final assembly. This is because the carrier device 2 of the front panel 4 can first be brought to the lock device mounting position. When a force in the direction opposite to the X direction applied to the front panel 4 is sufficiently large, the carrier device 2 moves the release lever 29 by the pin 13 on the control surface 51, so that the pin 33 makes an angle. As a result, the lock lever 22 is pulled to the lock position by the spring 28, and the hook portion 23 is connected to the contact portion (in this case, the pin 13) of the carrier device 2. It comes to engage from the back side.
An elastic and automatically recoverable plastic shoe 39 can be attached to the free lower end of the release lever 29 (ie the release arm 31), in this case the offset portion of the release lever 29. This plastic shoe makes the feeling when the release lever 29 is gripped more comfortable. Preferably, the plastic shoe 39 has a further function.

A sliding surface 52 is arranged in the corner area between the handle surface 53 of the plastic shoe and the safety surface 40. When the release arm 31 is pulled, this sliding surface first strikes the corner area 41 of the lock lever 22 and only when a clearly perceptible and sufficiently high force is applied, ie the plastic shoe 39 opposes the spring force. Only when rotating, the corner area 41 can be slipped over.
Since the rotation of the plastic shoe 39 is necessary to get over the corner area 41, when the user does not operate the release lever 29, for example, the lock lever 22 is not accidentally released from the locked position only by the impact load on the front panel 4. A further safety device is realized. In this safety device, the plastic shoe 39, in this case the safety surface 40 hits the lower edge of the release lever 22, so that the release lever in the coupled state releases the pin 13 of the carrier device 2 from the hook portion 23. The release lever 29 cannot be rotated to such an extent that it can.
This connection is particularly evident from FIGS. 10 to 15 and FIG. These figures are side views showing the connector of FIG. 1 with a frame adapter (FIGS. 10, 1) and without a frame adapter (FIGS. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). A series of movements when the carrier part 2 is attached to the lock part 3 in the X direction (see FIG. 1) is a series of snapshots (FIGS. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 14, and 1). 15), in particular, a view of the plastic shoe 39 being prevented from coming off in the corner area 41 is shown.
Note that the carrier part 2 can be secured to the opening of the front panel 4 in this case by one of a plurality of pin-like pins 42, 43 (by clamping and / or gluing). Alternatively, the carrier part 2 can be fixed to the front panel 4 by other methods, for example by screws (not shown here). This connection is considerably reduced in load by the device according to the invention described above. Thus, the functional life of the furniture is extended.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Carrier device 3 Lock device 4 Front panel 5 Drawer 6 Furniture main body 7 Furniture 8 Side frame 9 Double wall cover 10 Frame adapter 11 Drawer bottom part 12 Deformed shape part 13 Pin 14 Base corner member 15a, 15b Leg part 16 Mounting surface 17 Opening portion 18, 19 Leg 20 Free space 21 Mounting base portion 22 Locking lever 23 Hook portion 24 Pivot bearing 25 Pin 26 Opening portion 27 Mounting deformed shape portion 28 Coil spring 29 Release lever 30 Lever arm 31 Release arm 32, 33 Pins 34 to 37 Opening portion 38 Head 39 Plastic shoe 40 Safety surface 41 Corner region 42, 43 Pin portion 44 Connecting link 45 Opening portion 46 Recessed portion 47, 48 Opening portion 49 Attached deformed shape portion 50 Connecting link 51 Control surface 52 Surface 53 Handle surface

Claims (22)

Removable panel-shaped furniture items, in particular the front panel (4), to a further panel-shaped furniture item, in particular the side wall frame (8) of the drawer (5), which is aligned at an angle, preferably at right angles to it. A coupling device (1) for fixing, the coupling device having a carrier device (2) provided with a contact portion detachably engaged with the locking device (3), wherein the locking device is ,
a) the mounting base portion (21) extends perpendicular to the mounting surface (16);
b) A lock lever (22) loaded by a spring (28) is movably linked to the mounting base (21) and is movable from a release position to a lock position under a spring force; A point that is movable from the lock position to the release position against the spring force;
c) the locking lever further comprises a hook part (23), which in the locked position, on the carrier device (2) in the corresponding contact part, preferably the pin (13) on the back side Used to engage from,
d) the lock lever (22) is linked to the mounting base (21) by a pivot bearing (24);
e) In a connector (1) characterized by the fact that it is provided with a release lever (29) that can be moved manually,
f) The release lever (29) which is attached or arranged on the frame adapter (10) of the side frame (10) and can be moved manually is connected to the lock lever (22) and the attachment. Linked to the base part (21) and extended into the free space (20) in the frame adapter (10) so that it can be moved by the user's hand in the free space (20). A connector characterized by being made.   A first coupling link (44) is disposed on the mounting base (21) and overlaps a second coupling link (50) in the lock lever (22), and the pin (33) is both 2. The coupling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the coupling link (44, 50) passes through and is movable in both the coupling links (44, 50).   The first coupling link is an arc-shaped coupling link (44) in the mounting base portion (21), and the second coupling link has an angle in the lock lever (22) (50). The connection according to claim 2, characterized in that the dead point to which the pin (53) can be pressed excessively is formed by a connecting link (50) having the angle. Ingredients.   4. A coupling device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the pin (33) is arranged in the release lever (29), preferably in the opening (35).   When the lock lever (22) moves between the open position and the lock position, the lock lever (22) is guided in the coupling link (4) of the mounting base portion (21). 5. The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein a head (38) is formed on the pin (33).   The lock device (3) has a base corner member (14) as the base unit, and the base corner member (14) is mounted on a mounting surface (16) of a leg of the frame adapter (10) by a mounting leg, The mounting surface is the upper surface at the installation position, and the release lever (29) passes through the opening (17) in the mounting surface (16) and the free space (20) in the frame adapter (10). The connecting tool according to claim 1, wherein the connecting tool extends to the inside.   The release arm (31) passes through the free space (20) into the opening (17) so that the release arm (31) can be grasped with a finger, preferably from below the mounting position. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connector is configured to protrude to the right.   The release lever (29) has a lever arm (30) and a release arm (31), the release arm (31) being at an angle with respect to the lever arm (30), in this case substantially perpendicular. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connector is positioned in a position.   The control surface (51) is arranged between the lever arm (30) and the release arm (31) forming the included angle, according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Connector.   One end portion of the lever arm (30) is located near the front panel (4) or near the hook portion (23) of the carrier device (2). The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the connector is linked to the connector.   The pivot bearing (24) has play, the play being such that the locking lever (22) is at least one in the pivot bearing (22) of the locking device (3) under a spring force. 11. A size that is movable in a direction, in particular towards or parallel to the mounting direction (−X) for mounting on the carrier device (2). A coupling device according to any of claims 1 or according to features a) to d) of claim 1.   12. A coupling device according to claim 11, wherein the movable distance, i.e. the play, is at least 0.2 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm.   The lock lever (22) is a lever mounted on one side, and the pivot bearing (24) is provided at an end of the lock lever (22) opposite to the carrier device (2). The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein:   The lock lever (22) is penetrated by a pin (25) for forming the pivot bearing (24), which in any case has a play in one direction, in particular the mounting direction (-X). 2. Further through a window-shaped opening (26) in the mounting base (21) having a diameter of 0.3 to 3 mm, preferably 0.5 to 2 mm. The connector as described in any one of thru | or 13.   15. A coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening (26) is provided as a rectangular hole.   16. The device according to claim 1, wherein, in the mounting position, the entire locking device, in particular the locking lever (22), is always positioned completely in the frame cover (9). The connector according to any one of the above.   The mounting base portion (21) and the lock lever (22) are formed with mounting deformed shape portions (27, 49), and the spring (28) is fixed to the mounting deformed shape portions. The coupling tool according to any one of claims 1 to 16.   The spring (28) is arranged to form an angle with respect to the lock lever (22) and is arranged to pull the lock lever (22) to a locked position. The coupler as described in any one of 1 thru | or 17.   19. A coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking lever (22) is configured to be movable beyond the dead center to an open position.   At the mounting position, one end of the spring (28) is fixed above the opening (26), and the other end is between the pivot bearing (24) and the hook (23). The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the connector is located at a substantially central portion.   In preparation for an unexpected release of the lock lever, the release arm (31) and the lock are arranged such that a further safety device works during the movement of the lock lever (22) from the lock position to the release position. 21. A coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lever (22) is configured to cooperate.   A shoe, preferably a plastic shoe (39), is attached to the release arm (31) of the release lever (29), and a sliding surface (52) is connected to the handle surface (53) and the safety in the shoe. Arranged in the corner area between the surface (40) and when pulling the release arm (31), the sliding surface first hits the corner area (41) of the lock lever (22) and is clearly perceived Only when a possible and sufficiently high operating force is applied, that is, when the plastic shoe 39 rotates against the spring force, it is configured to slide on the corner region (41). The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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