JP2024057133A - Structure of furniture with top board - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the rigidity and durability as furniture with a top board.SOLUTION: A leg 3 includes: a leg post 31 vertically stretching; a bracket 32 which is fixed to an upper end part of the leg post 31, extends along a downward surface of a corner part of a top plate body 2, is bonded to the downward surface, and has an open hole 322 bored therein; and a nut part 35 fixed to be located on the upper end part of the leg post 31 or inside the leg post 31 in a plan view of the bracket 32. The top plate body 2 is provided with: insertion holes 211, 241, 221 bored to go through a part of the corner part right above the upper end part of the leg post 31; and nut holes 222, 242 formed at a part of the downward surface of the corner part where they overlap the through hole 322 of the bracket 32. A machine screw or a bolt 5 is screwed into the nut holes 222, 242 from below via the through hole 322 and fastened, and a machine screw or a bolt 4 is screwed into the nut part 35 from above via the insertion holes 211, 241, 221 and fastened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to the structure of furniture with a top, such as a table, desk, etc.

Most furniture with a top, such as tables and desks, has the top supported by multiple legs. For a user who sits in front of it to work or perform some task, the more space for the lower legs, i.e. the space below the top and between the legs, the better (the legs do not get in the way). In order to expand the space for the lower legs, it is desirable to position the leg supports as close as possible to the outside of the top, i.e., to the corners of the top.

The structure for rigidly connecting the legs to the tabletop is generally such that a bracket that extends horizontally is fixed to the upper end of the leg support that extends vertically by welding, the upward facing surface of the bracket is abutted against the downward facing surface of the tabletop, and the bracket is joined to the tabletop by screwing or bolting it from below (for example, see the prior art documents listed below).

Specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-069799 (particularly, tabletop (A), legs (B), leg support (leg body b1), bracket (connecting portion b2), screw or bolt (screw v1))

In the above-mentioned structure, the leg brackets protrude further inward than the leg supports. If an extremely heavy object is placed on the tabletop and an unexpectedly strong stress is applied, there is a possibility that the brackets on the leg side will be pulled away from the downward surface of the tabletop (in other words, the brackets will be flipped over).

The intended purpose of this invention is to further increase the rigidity and durability of furniture with a tabletop.

In the present invention, a structure for fastening legs that support a tabletop to a tabletop body of furniture with a tabletop is provided, in which the legs include a leg support extending vertically, a bracket fixed to the upper end of the leg support, which extends along the downward surface of the corner of the tabletop body and is joined to the downward surface and has a through hole, and a nut portion fixed to the upper end of the leg support or to the inside of the leg support in a plan view of the bracket, and the tabletop body includes an insertion hole drilled to penetrate a portion of the corner directly above the upper end of the leg support, and a nut hole formed in a portion of the downward surface of the corner that overlaps with the through hole of the bracket, and a structure for furniture with a tabletop is provided in which a screw or bolt is screwed from below through the through hole of the bracket of the leg into the nut hole on the downward surface of the corner of the tabletop body, and a screw or bolt is screwed from above through the insertion hole of the corner of the tabletop body into the upper end of the leg support or the nut portion of the bracket.

In many cases, the upper end of the leg support is cylindrical. It is considered that the nut portion is fixed inside the cylindrical portion.

By covering the tabletop with a decorative panel to conceal the insertion holes of the tabletop so that they cannot be seen from above, the aesthetic and elegant appearance of the furniture can be improved. In addition, since the insertion holes are not visible on the surface of the tabletop, the convenience of the furniture with a tabletop is improved for users.

The decorative panel has a top wall that covers the upward facing surface of the tabletop from above, and one side wall that hangs down from the edge of the top wall and covers the side surface of the tabletop from the outside, and if the lower edge of the side wall is at a height position roughly equal to or lower than the downward facing surface of the bracket, the decorative panel will conceal the presence of the bracket on the leg side from the side, further enhancing the aesthetic and elegant appearance of the furniture.

The decorative panel has a top wall that covers the upward facing surface of the tabletop from above, one side wall that hangs down from one side of the top wall and covers one side of the tabletop from the outside, the other side wall that hangs down from the other side of the top wall and covers the other side of the tabletop from the outside, and a corner wall that hangs down from the edge of a corner that is continuous with one side and the other side of the top wall and covers the side of a corner that is connected to one side and the other side of the tabletop from the outside and is connected to or very close to both the one side wall and the other side wall, and if the lower edges of the side wall and the corner wall are at a height position approximately equal to or lower than the downward facing surface of the bracket, the decorative panel will cover the presence of the bracket on the leg side, including the corner, from the side, further enhancing the beauty and elegance of the furniture.

According to the present invention, the rigidity and durability of furniture with a tabletop can be further improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a furniture with a tabletop according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the furniture with a tabletop as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the furniture with a tabletop, seen from below. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a tabletop body, which is an element of the furniture with a tabletop. FIG. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a modified example of the furniture with a tabletop. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the decorative panel, which is an element of the furniture with a tabletop, unfolded. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the decorative panel seen from below, illustrating a method for forming the corners of the decorative panel, which is an element of the furniture with a tabletop. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the furniture with a tabletop viewed from below. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a retaining part which is an element of the furniture with a tabletop. FIG. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a modified example of the furniture with a tabletop.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 3 show an overview of the furniture with a tabletop according to this embodiment. This furniture with a tabletop comprises tabletops 1 and 2 and a number of legs 3 that support them. In the illustrated example, the tabletops 1 and 2 are rectangular in plan view, and a total of four legs 3 are fixed to the corners of the tabletops 1 and 2.

Casters 33 are attached to the lower ends of the two legs 3 on one side of this furniture with a top. Conversely, adjusters 34 are attached to the lower ends of the two legs 3 on the other side instead of casters 33. A user who wishes to move this furniture with a top can lift the other side off the floor and use the casters 33 on one side to transport the furniture with a top.

As shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 14, the top panels 1 and 2 are made by covering the top panel body 2, which is the main body (or base), from above with the decorative plate 1. As will be described in more detail later, the decorative plate 1 is made by bending a single sheet of metal material.

As shown in Figure 6, the tabletop body 2 is constructed by constructing a frame on all four sides using frames 23, placing blocks 24 at the corners, and joining these together by welding or the like, and then joining the top plate 21 from above and the bottom plate 22 from below, also by welding or the like. Both the frame 23 and the blocks 24 are made from, for example, sheet metal. It is preferable to place a reinforcing material such as a paper honeycomb core in the hollow portions 25 between the frames 23.

In the four corners of the top plate 2, there are through holes 211, 241, 221 that vertically penetrate the top plate 21, block 24, and bottom plate 22 that make up the top plate 2. In addition, in places other than the four corners of the top plate 2, there are multiple nut holes 222, 242 that penetrate the bottom plate 22 and block 24 from below. The inner circumference of the nut hole 242 in the block 24 is female-threaded.

As shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8 and 12, the leg 3 is fixed by welding or the like to the upper end of the leg support 31 extending in the vertical direction, and the plate-like bracket 32 extending in the horizontal direction. The leg support 31 is cylindrical, particularly a cylindrical shape with a relatively small diameter. In the bracket 32, a through hole 321 is drilled in the location directly above the leg support 31, which penetrates the bracket 32 from top to bottom. The through hole 321 is connected to the inner space of the leg support 31 in a plan view, and is located in a position overlapping the insertion holes 211, 241, and 221 in a plan view. In addition, a plurality of through holes 322 are drilled in the bracket 32 in the vertical direction at locations other than directly above the leg support 31. The through hole 322 is located in a position overlapping the nut holes 222 and 242 in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 7, a nut portion 35 is provided inside the upper end of the leg support 31. The nut portion 35 is formed by inserting a nut member having a female threaded hole into the cylindrical leg support 31 and fixing it by welding or the like. However, as a modified example, as shown in FIG. 8, a nut portion 35 having a female threaded hole may be formed on the bracket 32 at a location directly above the leg support 31. In this modified example, the nut portion 35 replaces the through hole 321.

When fixing the leg 3 to the tabletop 2, as shown in Fig. 7 or 8, the upward surface of the bracket 32 is abutted against the downward surface of the tabletop 2 (the lower plate 22) from below, and a screw or bolt 4 is inserted into the insertion holes 211, 241, 221 from above the tabletop 2, and the male thread of the shaft is screwed into the female thread of the nut portion 35 on the leg 3 side to tighten it. This screw or bolt 4 is located directly above the leg support 31 and screws the leg support 31 directly (not indirectly via the bracket 32) to the tabletop 2.

At the same time, multiple screws or bolts (flat head screws) 5 are inserted into the through holes 322 from below the bracket 32, and the male threads of the shafts are screwed into the female threads of the nut holes 242 on the top plate 2 side to tighten them. The screws or bolts 5 securely screw the bracket 32 to the top plate 2 over a wide area.

As already mentioned, the decorative panel 1 is made by bending a single sheet metal material. As shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 to 12, and 14, the decorative panel 1 has a top wall 11 that is the upper surface of the tops 1 and 2 of this furniture with a tabletop, side walls 12 that bend downward and hang down from the four sides of the top wall 11, a protrusion 13 that bends and protrudes from the lower edge of the side wall 12 toward the inside of the furniture with a tabletop, an end piece 15 that bends upward and stands up from the inner edge of the protrusion 13, a corner wall 16 that bends and hangs down from the gap between the side walls 12 at the four corners, i.e., the corners of the top wall 11, and a protrusion 17 that bends and protrudes from the lower edge of the corner wall 16 toward the inside of the furniture with a tabletop. The protrusions 13 and 17 are located below the top wall 11 and face the top wall 11 approximately parallel to it.

Figure 9 shows an exploded view of the sheet metal material that is the material for the decorative panel 1. When making the decorative panel 1, the sheet metal material is folded along the fold ridge line shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 9. In particular, the corners of the tabletops 1 and 2 have a partially arcuate outer contour in plan view. In other words, the tabletops 1 and 2 are rounded and chamfered in plan view. In order to cover the rounded corners from the outside with the decorative panel 1, the corner walls 16 and protrusions 17 that cover the corners are formed by drawing or the like, as shown in Figures 10 (A) and (B).

After that, in order to close the gap 18 between the corner wall 16 and the side wall 12 adjacent to or very close to it, as shown in FIG. 10(C), the decorative panel 1 including the corner wall 16, the side wall 12, and the top wall 11 is painted 19 from the outer side. Note that prior to painting 19, the gap 18 between the corner wall 16 and the side wall 12 (and further the gap between the protrusion 17 and the protrusion 13) may be joined by laser welding or the like. This painting 19 can effectively conceal the gap 18 between the corner wall 16 and the side wall 12.

As shown in Figures 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, the top wall 11 of the decorative panel 1 covers and conceals the insertion holes 211, 241, 221 of the tabletop body 2 and the screws or bolts 4, 5 that secure the legs 3 to the tabletop body 2 from above, so that they cannot be seen from above. This not only enhances the aesthetic and elegance of the furniture, but also improves convenience for users of the tabletop-equipped furniture, as the insertion holes 211, etc. are not visible on the tabletop surface.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, 7, 8, 10 and 12, the lower edges of the side walls 12 and corner walls 16 of the decorative board 1 all extend to a height position approximately equal to or lower than the downward surface of the bracket 32 of the leg 3 (joined to the downward surface of the tabletop body 2). In the illustrated example, the lower edges of the side walls 12 and corner walls 16 and the protruding pieces 13, 17 are at a height position approximately equal to the downward surface of the bracket 32, that is, they are lower than the downward surface of the tabletop body 2 by the thickness of the bracket 32. As a result, not only the tabletop body 2 but also the bracket 32 are suitably concealed from the sides by the side walls 12 and corner walls 16 of the decorative board 1, and the furniture equipped with tabletops 1 and 2 that are thin in thickness from top to bottom can have a dignified and beautiful appearance.

11 to 14, the decorative board 1 covering the tabletop body 2 is held in place by using a number of holding parts 6. Unlike the screws or bolts 4 and 5, the holding parts 6 can be attached to the tabletop body 2 and the decorative board 1 by hand, or removed from the tabletop body 2 and the decorative board, without using tools such as a screwdriver. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the holding parts 6 have an insert part 61 that is inserted just above the protruding piece 14 of the decorative board 1, an upright part 64 that stands adjacent to the inside of the insert part 61, a contact part 62 that extends inward from the lower end of the upright part 64, and an engagement claw 63 that protrudes upward from the contact part 62. The holding parts 6 are made, for example, by integral molding using hard resin. The insert part 61 can be displaced to some extent in the inward and outward directions (directions connecting the inside and outside) of the furniture with a tabletop through elastic deformation.

As shown in Figures 5, 9, 11, 12 and 14, the decorative panel 1 has notches 15 formed in advance in multiple locations. The notches 15 are formed by cutting out at least a portion of the protruding piece 13 from the inside to the outside of the furniture with a tabletop, and also by removing the standing piece 14. When the decorative panel 1 is attached to the tabletop body 2, the protruding piece 13 protrudes toward the outside surface of the tabletop body 2, and the standing piece 14 abuts or is very close to the outside surface of the tabletop body 2. However, the notches 15 penetrate them, leaving a gap between the side wall 12 of the decorative panel 1 and the outside surface of the tabletop body 2 open downward.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the position of the notch 15 in the decorative panel 1 is offset from the bracket 32 of the bottom leg 3 along the front-to-back (depth) direction or along the left-to-right (width) direction of the furniture with the tabletop. Also, as shown in Figures 7, 8, 11, 12, and 14, the side wall 12 of the decorative panel 1 and the outer surface of the tabletop body 2 are somewhat spaced apart in the front-to-back or left-to-right direction.

The insertion portion 61 and the rising portion 64 of the retaining part 6 are inserted into the gap between the side wall 12 of the decorative board 1 and the outer surface of the tabletop body 2 through the notch 15. As shown in FIG. 14, the insertion portion 61 abuts or comes very close to the upward surface of the protruding piece 13 of the decorative board 1 from above. The rising portion 64 abuts or comes very close to the outer surface of the tabletop body 2 from the outside. And the abutting portion 62 abuts or comes very close to the downward surface of the outer edge of the tabletop body 2 facing the protruding piece 13 from below. The downward surface of the abutting portion 62 is located at a position approximately equal to or higher than the lower edge of the side wall 12 and the corner wall 16 of the decorative board 1. Thus, like the bracket 32 of the tabletop body 2 and the leg 3, the retaining part 6 is also suitably hidden from the side by the side wall 12 and the corner wall 16 of the decorative board 1.

Furthermore, the retaining part 6 is securely connected to both the decorative plate 1 and the tabletop 2 by inserting the engaging claw 63 of the retaining part 6 from below into the engaging hole 23 (which penetrates the lower panel 22 from top to bottom) that has been drilled in advance on the downward surface of the tabletop 2 and engaging it. This retaining part 6 can prevent the decorative plate 1 from detaching upward from the tabletop 2.

The retaining parts 6 can be attached and detached from the tabletop 2 and the decorative panel 1 without using tools such as a screwdriver, making for high work efficiency. It is also efficient when replacing the decorative panel 1.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above in detail. In the above embodiment, the side wall 12 of the decorative board 1 hangs down from the top plate body 2 and covers the side of the top plate body 2 from the outside. However, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the decorative board 1 may be placed on the top plate body 2, in other words, the side wall of the decorative board 1 may not hang down below the top plate body 2. Even in this modified example, the retaining part 6 still abuts or is very close to both the upward surface of the protruding piece 13 of the decorative board 1 and the downward surface of the top plate body 2 facing the protruding piece 13. In addition, the retaining part 6 is located inward from the outer periphery of the decorative board 1 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions in a plan view or bottom view, and does not protrude outward from the outer piece of the decorative board 1 and is not noticeable.

In addition, the specific configuration of each part can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1: Decorative plate 11: Top wall 12: Side wall 13: Projection piece 15: Notch 16: Corner wall 19: Paint 2: Top plate body 21: Upper surface plate 22: Lower surface plate 211, 241, 221: Through holes 222, 242: Nut holes 223: Engagement holes 3: Leg 31: Leg support 32: Bracket 322: Through hole 35: Nut portion 4: Screw or bolt 5: Screw or bolt 6: Retaining part 61: Insertion portion 62: Contact portion 63: Engagement claw 64: Standing portion

Claims (5)

A structure for fastening legs supporting a tabletop to a tabletop body of furniture with a tabletop,
The leg includes a leg support extending vertically, a bracket fixed to the upper end of the leg support, extending along a downward surface of the corner of the tabletop body and joined to the downward surface and having a through hole, and a nut portion fixed to the upper end of the leg support or to the inside of the leg support in a plan view of the bracket,
the top plate body has an insertion hole drilled so as to penetrate a portion of the corner portion directly above the upper end of the leg support, and a nut hole formed in a portion of the downward surface of the corner portion that overlaps with the through hole of the bracket,
A structure of furniture with a tabletop in which a screw or bolt is fastened from below by screwing it into a nut hole on the downward surface of the corner part of the tabletop body through a through hole in the bracket of the leg, and also a screw or bolt is fastened from above by screwing it into the upper end of the leg support or the nut part of the bracket through an insertion hole in the corner part of the tabletop body. The structure of furniture with a tabletop according to claim 1, in which the upper end of the leg support is cylindrical and the nut portion is fixed inside it. The structure of furniture with a tabletop according to claim 1, in which the insertion hole of the tabletop is shielded so that it cannot be seen from above by a decorative plate that covers the tabletop. The decorative plate has a top wall covering the upward surface of the top plate from above, and one side wall hanging down from an edge of the top wall and covering a side surface of the top plate from the outside,
4. A furniture structure with a tabletop according to claim 3, wherein the lower edge of said side wall is located at a height substantially equal to or lower than the downward surface of said bracket. the decorative panel has a top wall covering the upward facing surface of the tabletop body from above, one side wall hanging down from one side of the top wall and covering one side of the tabletop body from the outside, the other side wall hanging down from the other side of the top wall and covering the other side of the tabletop body from the outside, and a corner wall hanging down from an edge of a corner continuing to one side and the other side of the top wall, covering from the outside a side of a corner portion continuing to one side and the other side of the tabletop body, and connecting to or being very close to both the one side wall and the other side wall,
4. A furniture structure with a tabletop according to claim 3, wherein the lower edges of said side walls and said corner walls are located at a height substantially equal to or lower than the downward facing surface of said bracket.

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