US20200329865A1

US20200329865A1 - Extraction guide for drawers or the like provided with adjustment means

Info

Publication number: US20200329865A1
Application number: US16/097,670
Authority: US
Inventors: Luciano Salice
Original assignee: Arturo Salice SpA
Current assignee: Arturo Salice SpA
Priority date: 2016-05-12
Filing date: 2017-05-08
Publication date: 2020-10-22
Also published as: BR112018071396A2; TW201808166A; EP3454696A1; ITUA20163369A1; JP2019514611A; CN109152479A; WO2017194466A1

Abstract

An extraction guide for drawers or the like, comprising a fixed part that is adapted to be connected to a respective side wall of a piece of furniture, and a movable part that is adapted to be fixed to a drawer, the movable part of the guide having, at a front end, first fixing elements that can be engaged at the front part of the drawer and at a rear end, which lies opposite the first front end, second fixing elements that can be engaged at the rear part of the drawer; the second fixing elements comprise an elastically flexible part and the movable part of the guide comprises, at the rear end, vertical adjustment elements for the rear part of the drawer, which are separate from the second fixing elements.

Description

The present invention relates to an extraction guide for drawers or the like, for example extractable shelves or sliding parts of pieces of furniture, provided with adjustment means.
More particularly, the invention relates to an extraction guide for drawers or the like which is provided with rear adjustment means.
Even more particularly, the invention relates to an extraction guide for drawers or the like which is provided with adjustment means for adjusting the vertical position of the rear part of the drawer.
As is known, in the field of furniture it is known to provide pieces of furniture equipped with drawers, which in general are supported so that they can slide by virtue of extraction guides, each comprising a fixed guiding part, which can be connected to a respective side wall of the body of the piece of furniture, and a movable guiding part, which can be fixed to a corresponding side of the drawer.
For the anchoring of each side of the drawer to a respective extraction guide, there are suitable fixing means arranged both at the front and at the rear of the drawer.
Conventionally, the fixing means arranged at the front of the drawer are constituted by a clip device which connects a front end of the drawer to a respective front end of the movable part of the guide, while the fixing means arranged to the rear are constituted by a hook that protrudes longitudinally starting from the rear end of the movable part of the guide, so that it can be inserted in a respective engagement hole formed in the rear wall of the drawer.
In order to adjust the inclination of the front of the drawer, it has been proposed to provide suitable means for adjusting vertically the position of the rear hooks or, as an alternative, adapted devices that form an engagement hole for the hooks which can be adjusted vertically on the rear wall of the drawer, so as to be able to modify the height of the rear part of the drawer with respect to its front part, and therefore vary the angular position of the front of the drawer. In this manner it is possible to obtain an optimum mutual positioning of the fronts of the various drawers, thus achieving a more refined aesthetic aspect, with all the drawers mutually perfectly aligned.
Means for vertically adjusting the position of the hooks are known for example from EP1147725, in which the rear hook is a separate part which is supported so that it can move vertically by the movable part of the guide and there is an actuation knob for setting the vertical position of said hook.
However, the solution indicated above has an awkward actuation due to the position of the actuation knob, which is arranged behind the rear wall of the drawer and therefore is difficult to reach.
An example of a device that forms a vertically adjustable engagement hole for the hook is instead known from WO2009/056326, which is applied to the rear of the rear wall of the drawer and also has an actuation knob, which likewise is awkward to reach and operate.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an extraction guide for drawers or the like that allows to adjust vertically the rear part of the drawers with an adjustment device that is easily accessible.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an extraction guide for drawers or the like that allows to adjust the vertical position of the front of the drawer by acting on adjustment means which can be accessed easily at the bottom of said drawer.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an extraction guide for drawers or the like in which the adjustment means do not vary the conventional space occupation of the drawer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an extraction guide for drawers or the like that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and at competitive costs.
This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an extraction guide for drawers or the like, which comprises a fixed part adapted to be connected to a respective side wall of a piece of furniture, and a movable part adapted to be fixed to a drawer, said movable part of the guide having, at a front end, first fixing means that can be engaged at the front part of the drawer and at a rear end, which lies opposite said first front end, second fixing means that can be engaged at the rear part of the drawer, characterized in that said second fixing means comprise an elastically flexible part and in that said movable part of the guide comprises, at the rear end, vertical adjustment means for said rear part of the drawer, which are separate from said second fixing means.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the guide according to the present invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the movable part of the extraction guide according to the present invention, at the rear end thereof;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view, taken from the opposite side with respect to FIG. 1, of the guiding portion according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is another top perspective view of the extraction guide portion according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the extraction guide according to the invention applied to a drawer, in a vertically adjusted position;

FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a detail of the extraction guide shown in the configuration of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sliding extraction guide applied to a drawer in the “zero” position condition, in which the drawer rests on the movable part of the guide;

FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a detail of the extraction guide according to the invention, shown in FIG. 6.

With reference to the figures, the extraction guide according to the invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 1, comprises a fixed part 2 of the guide that is adapted to be connected to a respective side wall of a piece of furniture (not shown), and a movable part 3 of the guide that can be fixed to a drawer 4. The movable part 3 of the guide has, at a front end, first fixing means which can be engaged at the front part of the drawer and, at an opposite rear end, second fixing means which can be engaged at the rear part of the drawer.
Conveniently, the second fixing means comprise engagement means 5 which are adapted to be engaged in a hole 6 that is conveniently provided at a rear wall 20 of the drawer 4.
Advantageously, the second fixing means comprise a portion 7 that can flex elastically in a vertical direction, i.e., can flex elastically along a direction that is parallel to the rear wall 5 of the drawer 4.
The elastically flexible portion is conveniently formed as a separate component which is applied to the engagement means 5 and is constituted by a body 7 a from which an elastic portion or flexible tab 7 b protrudes which can flex elastically at least in a vertical direction.
The body or portion 7 a is conveniently arranged parallel to the movable part 3 of the guide.
The elastically flexible portion 7 is coupled to the engagement means 5 and is extended in a direction that is parallel with respect to the movable part 3 of the guide.
The guide according to the invention further comprises means for vertical adjustment of the rear part of the drawer 4, which are separate from the second fixing means 5.
The adjustment means, designated by the reference numeral 10, conveniently comprise wedge means which are adapted to be inserted between the movable part 3 of the guide and the bottom 11 of the drawer, at the rear part 20 of the drawer.
The wedge means, designated by the reference numeral 12, are conveniently actuated by actuation means, for example a lever 13 connected to them, and are adapted to allow the movement of the wedge means 12 along an inclined plane 14 and are provided with a set of teeth 15 along which the lever 13 can move by snap action.
Preferentially, the actuation lever 13 protrudes laterally with respect to the movable part 3 of the extraction guide in order to be actuatable easily from the sides of the drawer.
FIG. 4 is view of the guide according to the invention applied to a drawer 4 in a vertically adjusted position, i.e., with the drawer raised from the guide due to the interposition of the wedge means 12 of the adjustment means 10 between the movable part 3 of the guide and the bottom 11 of the drawer.
It should be noted that the elastically flexible element 7 is accommodated within the hole 6 of the rear wall 20 of the drawer 4 with the flexible tab 7 b deformed elastically due to the lifting of the lower wall of the hole 6.
FIG. 5 is a view of a detail of what has been described above.
Vice versa, FIG. 6 shows the “zero” adjustment position, i.e., the position in which the drawer rests on the movable part 3 of the guide, with the wedge means 12 of the rear adjustment means 10 no longer inserted between the movable part 3 of the guide and the bottom 11 of the drawer.
The detail of what has been described above is shown in FIG. 7.
In practice it has been found that the extraction guide for drawers or the like according to the present invention achieves fully the intended aim and objects, since it allows to adjust the vertical position of the drawer, passing from a “zero” configuration position thereof to a position thereof that is inclined forward, simply by acting on the rear adjustment means, which are adapted to be arranged laterally and below the drawer and therefore can be accessed easily, the user being able to perform this adjustment simply by acting on the lever of said rear adjustment means.
The extraction guide according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
It is not excluded, for example, that the elastically flexible portion is not a component that is separate from the engagement means 5 but is constituted by a section of the engagement means 5 that is formed in an elastically flexible manner.
The wedge means 12 can move rotatably or can slide in a linear manner.
The elastically flexible part of the second fixing means and the vertical adjustment means are preferentially shaped so that they can be applied, even at a later time, to standard or adapted guides, for example by virtue of adapted means for snap coupling or shape engagement between said components and the guides.
It is not excluded, moreover, that the extraction guide might comprise a movable part that is intermediate between the fixed part and said movable part in order to allow complete extraction of the drawer.
All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102016000048584 (UA2016A003369) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. An extraction guide for drawers or the like, comprising a fixed part that is adapted to be connected to a respective side wall of a piece of furniture, and a movable part that is adapted to be fixed to a drawer, said movable part of the guide having, at a front end, first fixing means that can be engaged at the front part of the drawer and at a rear end, which lies opposite said first front end, second fixing means that can be engaged at the rear part of the drawer, wherein said second fixing means comprise an elastically flexible part and in that said movable part of the guide comprises, at the rear end, vertical adjustment means for said rear part of the drawer, which are separate from said second fixing means.

14. The extraction guide for drawers or the like according to claim 13, wherein said second fixing means comprise a part that can flex elastically in a vertical direction with respect to the longitudinal extension of said drawer.

15. The extraction guide according to claim 13, wherein said second fixing means comprise engagement means adapted to be engaged in a hole formed in a rear wall of said drawer.

16. The extraction guide according to claim 13, wherein the elastically flexible part comprises a portion that is extended parallel to said movable part of the guide and an elastic portion that is connected thereto.

17. The extraction guide according to claim 15, wherein the elastically flexible part is a section of said engagement means that is shaped in an elastically flexible manner.

18. The guide according to claim 13, wherein said means for the vertical adjustment of the rear part of the drawer comprise wedge means adapted to be inserted between said movable part of the guide and a bottom of said drawer, at the rear part of said drawer.

19. The guide according to claim 18, wherein said wedge means are associated with actuation means adapted to move said wedge means along an inclined plane.

20. The guide according to claim 19, wherein said actuation means protrude laterally with respect to the movable part of the extraction guide in order to be actuatable from the sides of the drawer.

21. The guide according to claim 19, wherein said adjustment means are provided with a set of teeth adapted to allow a snap movement of said actuation means connected to said wedge means.

22. The guide according to claim 19, wherein said actuation means comprise a lever adapted to be actuated by a user.

23. The guide according to claim 18, wherein said wedge means can move by rotating or sliding in a linear manner.

24. The guide according to claim 13, wherein said elastically flexible part of said second fixing means and said vertical adjustment means can be applied to standard or adapted guides.