US20220228617A1 - Quick fastening and/or connection system - Google Patents
Quick fastening and/or connection system Download PDFInfo
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- US20220228617A1 US20220228617A1 US17/715,139 US202217715139A US2022228617A1 US 20220228617 A1 US20220228617 A1 US 20220228617A1 US 202217715139 A US202217715139 A US 202217715139A US 2022228617 A1 US2022228617 A1 US 2022228617A1
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Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B21/00—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings
- F16B21/06—Releasable fastening devices with snap-action
- F16B21/07—Releasable fastening devices with snap-action in which the socket has a resilient part
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
- A47B96/00—Details of cabinets, racks or shelf units not covered by a single one of groups A47B43/00 - A47B95/00; General details of furniture
- A47B96/06—Brackets or similar supporting means for cabinets, racks or shelves
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B1/00—Knobs or handles for wings; Knobs, handles, or press buttons for locks or latches on wings
- E05B1/0038—Sliding handles, e.g. push buttons
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B17/00—Accessories in connection with locks
- E05B17/20—Means independent of the locking mechanism for preventing unauthorised opening, e.g. for securing the bolt in the fastening position
- E05B17/2007—Securing, deadlocking or "dogging" the bolt in the fastening position
- E05B17/2015—Securing, deadlocking or "dogging" the bolt in the fastening position with wedging action
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B47/00—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means
- E05B47/0001—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof
- E05B47/0002—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof with electromagnets
- E05B47/0006—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof with electromagnets having a non-movable core; with permanent magnet
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B65/00—Locks or fastenings for special use
- E05B65/46—Locks or fastenings for special use for drawers
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B65/00—Locks or fastenings for special use
- E05B65/52—Other locks for chests, boxes, trunks, baskets, travelling bags, or the like
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
- E05C1/00—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly
- E05C1/08—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly with latching action
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
- E05C1/00—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly
- E05C1/08—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly with latching action
- E05C1/12—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly with latching action with operating handle or equivalent member moving otherwise than rigidly with the latch
- E05C1/14—Fastening devices with bolts moving rectilinearly with latching action with operating handle or equivalent member moving otherwise than rigidly with the latch the handle or member moving essentially towards or away from the plane of the wing or frame
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
- E05C19/00—Other devices specially designed for securing wings, e.g. with suction cups
- E05C19/007—Latches with wedging action
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B1/00—Devices for securing together, or preventing relative movement between, constructional elements or machine parts
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B21/00—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings
- F16B21/10—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts
- F16B21/16—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts with grooves or notches in the pin or shaft
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B21/00—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings
- F16B21/10—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts
- F16B21/20—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts for bolts or shafts without holes, grooves, or notches for locking members
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
- B60B3/00—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body
- B60B3/14—Attaching disc body to hub ; Wheel adapters
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B63/00—Locks or fastenings with special structural characteristics
- E05B2063/0026—Elongated, e.g. stud-like, striker entering into an opening in which movable detent means engage the elongated striker
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D5/00—Construction of single parts, e.g. the parts for attachment
- E05D5/02—Parts for attachment, e.g. flaps
- E05D5/04—Flat flaps
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B21/00—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings
- F16B21/10—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts
- F16B21/16—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts with grooves or notches in the pin or shaft
- F16B21/165—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings by separate parts with grooves or notches in the pin or shaft with balls or rollers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
- F16B2200/00—Constructional details of connections not covered for in other groups of this subclass
- F16B2200/77—Use of a shape-memory material
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T403/00—Joints and connections
- Y10T403/60—Biased catch or latch
- Y10T403/602—Biased catch or latch by separate spring
Definitions
- the present invention concerns the field of quick connection and/or fastening systems suited to alternatively allow the mutual fastening and separation of two elements.
- the present invention concerns the technical field of quick connection and/or fastening systems suited to alternatively allow the fastening and separation of two elements, like for example the upright or the bearing structure and a shelf of a shelving system, as well as a frame (for example, of a piece of furniture) and a door panel of the same piece of furniture.
- the present invention concerns in particular a quick connection and/or fastening system suited to be used as a handle of doors and/or windows (for homes, cars, camper vans and vehicles in general), and/or even for doors of pieces of furniture for houses and not, like for example shelving systems, chests of drawers, wardrobes and/or even for replacing known fastening systems or means, like for example bolts and screws or nuts, for example for fixing the wheels of a vehicle.
- connection and/or coupling systems are known, by means of which two components are mutually fixed to each other.
- Examples of connecting systems are known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,698 A e CH 600 738 A5.
- systems are known, which allow the shelves to be fastened to the bearing structure of the shelving system as well as to be removed from the same.
- the most common systems comprise small metal parts, for example screws and anchors, as well as elements in predefined shapes and sizes suited to be fastened to the bearing structure and to the various shelves through said screws and/or said anchors.
- the assembly of a shelving system requires that the coupling or fastening elements that during the actual assembly will be coupled (engaged) with the coupling and/or fastening elements previously fixed to the shelves are arranged in advance on the shelving system.
- one of the typical drawbacks lies in that the actual anchorage elements must however be fixed in advance to the elements that must be mutually fastened to each other (for example, to the bearing structure and to the various shelves of a shelving system), using screws or similar means, and therefore in that it is not possible to reduce the overall assembly time by more than a certain amount of time.
- GB2297793 A Another examples of a connecting system is known from GB2297793 A. More particularly GB2297793 provides a device with a lever which is connected to a scoop to enable the scoop to be retracted against a spring and the ball is no connected with scoop. It has to be noted that in the mechanism of GB2297793 when the system is blocked, the ball is blocked between the ramp, the belt and the cover. So, when the lever connected to the scoop retracts the spring the scoop detaches from the ball, the ball remain blocked between the ramp and the belt. Furthermore in order to obtain the desired release action the system needs to act on the belt moving it down ( FIG. 4 ).
- the coupling systems of the known type in particular the actual coupling means, do not offer the necessary guarantees and the necessary reliability against any accidental disengagement or uncoupling, so that there is the risk that during use of the completed structure (for example, while a book is being taken from a shelf) a shelf may be accidentally separated from the bearing structure, with serious risks for the user and consequent loss of stability of the same structure.
- the handles of the classical type usually offer suitable guarantees regarding their functionality (which makes them the most appreciated and the preferred solution for use on doors, windows or door/window frames for homes in general) but are often characterized by considerable dimensions, which make them unsuitable for specific applications, for example on pieces of furniture or cabinets intended to be used especially in camper vans or in any case in reduced spaces.
- the solutions known and more suited to be used for different purposes like for example in the case of cabinets, are often characterized by a simple construction that reduces their size and makes them easy to assemble and to use but that often is to the detriment of reliability and functionality.
- a further object of the present invention to provide a quick connection and/or fastening system that, if used as a handle, offers suitable guarantees in terms of reliability (eliminating or drastically reducing the risk of accidental opening of the door or window), in terms of functionality (allowing the door or window to be opened by means of simple and immediate operations), in terms of construction simplicity (including a limited number of component parts that are simple and easy to manufacture), as well as in terms of ease of assembly and/or application to the corresponding panel or door, and that has reduced overall dimensions.
- the present invention can be specifically and conveniently applied in the field of construction of handles, for example for doors, windows and door/window frames in general, as well as for pieces of furniture, shelving systems, chests of drawers etc.
- handles for example for doors, windows and door/window frames in general, as well as for pieces of furniture, shelving systems, chests of drawers etc.
- the possible applications of the device according to the present invention are not limited to the specific case of handles.
- the present invention can be advantageously applied in all the cases where it is necessary to mutually fix two components in a quick and reliable manner (avoiding any accidental uncoupling), for example two components of a structure that may even be more complex, in particular a wheel (for example of a motor vehicle) to the corresponding hub or axle shaft.
- the present invention is based on the general consideration that the disadvantages or drawbacks that are typical of the solutions known in the art (in particular of the systems usable as handles) can be overcome or at least reduced to a minimum by providing a quick connection and/or fastening system comprising a first and a second component that are suited to be alternatively connected to and disconnected from each other, as well as to be respectively fixed to a first and a second element (for example, the frame of a door and the swinging panel of said door, or the structure of a wardrobe or cabinet and a swinging door panel or even the front panel of a drawer), in which the mutual connection of said two components takes place through the translation of a portion of said first component inside said second component, while disconnection takes place through the translation of said portion of said first component in a direction substantially opposite the coupling direction.
- a quick connection and/or fastening system comprising a first and a second component that are suited to be alternatively connected to and disconnected from each other, as well as to be respectively fixed to a first and
- the functionality of the device is considerably simplified as, for example in the case of a drawer, the user does not have to carry out special operations but in order to close the drawer and thus connect the two components of the handle he/she just needs to push the drawer in the closing direction, while to disconnect the two components of the handle (to open the drawer) he/she simply needs to pull the handle in the opening direction, substantially opposite the closing direction.
- a handle characterized by a reduced number of components, each one of which is simple to construct and thus easy to assemble, in a limited time and at reduced costs.
- the overall dimensions of the handle furthermore, are reduced, with evident advantages also from an aesthetic point of view.
- a further consideration on which the present invention is based concerns the fact that additional advantages can be obtained by providing the second component of the handle with means suited to counteract the translation of the portion of the first component in the uncoupling direction, said counteracting means being activated by the same translation of said portion of said first component. In this way, in fact, the handle is automatically activated against the accidental uncoupling of the two components.
- said deactivation means are constructed in such a way as to deactivate the counteracting means through the translation of said deactivation means in the same opening direction of the element to which the second component of the handle is applied, for example in the opening direction of a drawer.
- said intervention of the user to deactivate the counteracting means will allow the practically simultaneous opening of the drawer.
- a first embodiment of the present invention is a quick connection and/or fastening system suited to mutually connect and disconnect a first and a second element, said system comprising a first and a second component suited to be respectively fixed to said first and second component, as well as suited to be mutually connected and disconnected in such a way as to alternatively allow the mutual connection and disconnection of said first and second element, said second component being suited to house an end portion of said first component in such a way as to allow it to translate inside it, said second component comprising also counteracting means that are suited to counteract the translation of said end portion of said first component towards the outside of said second component.
- the subject of the present invention is a connection and/or fastening system in which said second component comprises a rotatable element that is set rotating in a first rotation direction by the translation of the end portion of the first component towards the inside of the second component and that is set rotating in a second rotation direction contrary to the first rotation direction by the translation of the end portion of the first component towards the outside of the second component.
- said counteracting means are suited to counteract the rotation of said rotatable element in said second rotation direction.
- said second component comprises a rigid portion that together with said end portion of said first component defines an inner space in which said rotatable element is housed and in which said rigid portion, said end portion and said rotatable element are shaped and mutually positioned so that said counteracting force is generated owing to the mutual action of said rigid portion and said end portion on said rotatable element.
- FIGS. 1 a , 1 b and 1 c show each a sectional view of a first embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position;
- FIGS. 1 d and 1 e show a first example of use of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c;
- FIGS. 1 f and 1 h show a second example of use of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c;
- FIGS. 2 a , 2 b and 2 c show each a sectional view of a second embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position;
- FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show each a sectional view of an illustrative example of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other;
- FIGS. 3 c and 3 d show an example of use of the system according to the illustrative example of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b;
- FIGS. 4 a , 4 b and 4 c show each a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in a position where they are going to be coupled with each other, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position;
- FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show each a sectional view of an illustrative example of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other;
- FIGS. 5 c , 5 d and 5 e show an example of use of the system according to the illustrative example of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b;
- FIGS. 6 a , 6 b , 6 c and 6 d concern a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show each a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other;
- Figures from 8 a to 8 c respectively show a front view and two sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- Figures from 9 a to 9 c respectively show a side view and two sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 d , 9 e and 9 f show details of three variants of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b;
- FIGS. 10 a and 10 b respectively show a front view and a plan view of some component parts of a further embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 11 a and 11 b respectively show a front view and a plan view of some component parts of a further embodiment of the present invention.
- Figures from 12 a to 12 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- Figures from 13 a to 13 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- Figures from 14 a to 14 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- Figures from 15 a to 15 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- FIG. 16 shows a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- FIGS. 17 a and from 17 b to 17 d show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- FIG. 18 shows a front view of component parts of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention.
- the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures from 1 a to 1 c comprises a first component 10 and a second component 20 that are suited to interact with each other as will be explained in greater detail below.
- the first component 10 is shaped as a small bar (for example in metal, plastic or another similar rigid material) and is suited to be rigidly fixed to a first element 100 , for example the bearing structure of a shelving system or a chest of drawers, or even a doorpost or a door/window frame in general.
- the second component 20 is made in the shape of a handle and therefore is suited to be rigidly fixed to a second element 200 , for example a revolving door or window, or even the front panel of a drawer.
- the second component 20 comprises a first portion suited to be housed in a proper seat in the element 200 and a second, so-called external portion 28 that serves as handle knob.
- the first component 10 then comprises an end portion 11 through which the first component is fixed to the element 100 , as well as a second end portion 12 , opposite the first end portion 11 and suited to be received and housed in a hollow seat 25 that has a complementary matching shape and is obtained completely in the second component 20 .
- Inside the second component 20 there is also a space 26 delimited on one side by a rigid portion 21 (for example, a metal strap) inclined with respect to the end portion 12 of the first component 10 .
- the end portion 12 is suited to translate inside the seat 25 so as to graze the space 26 on the opposite side with respect to the inclined portion 21 .
- the translation direction of the end portion 12 from left to right in FIG. 1 a -here below will be defined also as the translation direction towards the inside of the second component 20
- the translation direction of the end 12 from right to left in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b —will be defined also as the translation direction towards the outside of the second component 20 .
- the inclination of the portion 21 is such that the distance between it and the end portion 12 decreases when proceeding along the translation direction of the same end 12 towards the outside of the second component 20 , while it increases in the opposite direction, meaning the translation direction towards the inside of the component 20 .
- Inside the space 26 there is also a helical spring 23 fixed to or fitted on a rigid element 22 (for example, a small cylindrical bar) whose outer diameter will substantially coincide with the inner diameter of the helical spring 23 .
- a rotatable and translatable element 24 for example a small cylinder, a rod iron piece or even a ball, positioned at the level of the free end of the helical spring 23 so that the helical spring 23 exerts a thrusting action on said rotatable element 24 towards the end of the space 26 in which the distance between the rigid portion 21 and the end portion 12 decreases.
- a release element 27 suited to be translated inside the second component 20 in a direction substantially parallel to the translation direction of the end portion 12 and thus from left to right in FIG. 1 a (towards the inside of component 20 ) and from right to left in FIG.
- the release element 27 is particularly suited to be translated towards the inside of the component 20 through the action exerted by a user on the knob 28 (the release element 27 and the knob 28 thus being mutually connected through connection means not illustrated in the figures and, for example, also housed inside the component 20 ), and thus through the traction exerted by a user on the knob 28 from left to right in FIG. 1 a , the same release element 27 being also suited to be translated towards the outside of the component 20 through a thrusting action exerted by a user on the knob 28 in the direction opposite the traction direction, and thus from right to left in FIG. 1 a .
- the release element 27 During its translation towards the inside of the second component 20 , the release element 27 will come to rest against the rotatable element 24 thus pushing it towards the inside of the component 20 against the action of the spring 23 , and thus pushing it towards that portion of the inner space 26 in which the distance between the rigid portion 21 and the end portion 12 of the first component 10 increases.
- connection system (the handle) according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c can be summed up as follows.
- the mutual connection of the first component 10 and the second component 20 is obtained by translating or sliding the end portion 12 of the first component 10 towards the inside of the second component 20 .
- the surface of the end 12 facing towards the portion 21 comes into contact with the external surface of the rotatable element 24 that thus is first set rotating clockwise and successively set translating thanks to the friction generated between the end portion 12 and the rotatable element 24 , said rotatable element 24 being in contact also with the surface of the portion 21 facing towards the end portion 12 of the first component 10 .
- the rotatable element 24 During its clockwise rotation and its successive translation, the rotatable element 24 thus moves against the action of the spring (from left to right in FIG. 1 a ) and thus towards that part or portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the rigid portion 21 and the end portion 12 of the first component 10 increases.
- the rotatable and translatable element 24 therefore, does not hinder the translation of the end portion 12 towards the inside of the component 20 , so that the end portion 12 is able to reach its final position inside the component 20 as shown in FIG. 1 a , final position that is thus defined as a mutual locking position between the first component 10 and the second component 20 , in such a way as to mutually lock the two elements 100 and 200 in a predefined position.
- a user who wants to open, for example, a door or a drawer (the element 200 ) by acting directly on said door or drawer so as to exclude the component 20 (without exerting any action on the knob 28 ) will not be able to obtain the mutual release of the component 20 and the component 10 , and thus will not be able to open said door or drawer.
- the mutual release of the two components 10 and 20 (and thus the opening of the door or drawer) will on the other hand be possible by pulling the knob 28 from left to right as shown in FIG. 1 b , and thus in such a way as to translate the release element 27 towards the inside of the component 20 .
- the release element 27 pushes the rotatable and translatable element 24 towards the inside of the component 20 and thus towards the portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the portion 21 and the end 12 increases. In this way, therefore, the opposing action (friction) between the external surface of the rotatable and translatable element 24 and the surface of the end portion 12 facing towards the rigid portion 21 decreases (even to the extent of being completely eliminated in the position in which the rotatable and translatable element 24 is not in contact with the end portion 12 any longer).
- a user will be able to open said drawer 200 by simply pulling the knob 28 in the same opening direction of the drawer, so that a single traction operation exerted on the knob 28 will first allow the mutual release of the two components 20 and 10 of the system and also the opening of the drawer itself. On the contrary, any attempt to open the drawer 200 without exerting any action on the knob 28 will lead to the mutual locking of the two components 20 and 10 of the system.
- FIGS. 1 d and 1 e schematically show a first example of use or application of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention previously described.
- the first component 10 is rigidly fixed to the bearing structure 100 of a chest of drawers or cabinet 300
- the second component 20 is applied to the front panel of a drawer 200 so that the knob 28 of the system projects from the front panel 200 towards the outside of the cabinet 300 .
- the opening and closing of the drawer will thus be achieved by proceeding as previously described, through a pulling or pushing action exerted on the knob 28 .
- FIGS. 1 f and 1 h A second example of application or use of the embodiment of the system according to the present invention as previously described is shown in FIGS. 1 f and 1 h .
- the element 100 is constituted by a vertical wall while the element 200 is constituted by a shelf.
- Two components 10 are rigidly fixed to the vertical wall 100 and two components 20 are fixed to the shelf 200 , on the edge of the same that is intended to be facing towards the vertical wall 100 .
- the assembly of the shelving system shown in FIGS. 1 f and 1 h will thus be obtained by previously fixing the components 10 to the vertical wall 100 and the components 20 to the shelf 200 in corresponding positions.
- pushing the shelf 200 towards the vertical wall 100 leads to the mutual locking of the components 10 and 20 and thus to the fastening of the shelf 200 to the vertical wall 100 .
- To remove the shelf it will thus be necessary to act only on the components 10 and/or 20 as described above and then to move the shelf 200 away from the vertical wall 100 .
- FIG. 2 a it is possible to observe a first component 10 with a first end 11 through which said first component 10 is fixed to a first element 100 , and a second end 12 housed in a seat 25 obtained inside the second component 20 so that it can slide and be translated inside said second component 20 .
- a space 26 is obtained also in this case inside the component 20 so that said inner space 26 is in contact with the seat 25 where the end 12 is housed and slides.
- the inner space 26 is defined by a rigid portion 21 that is inclined with respect to the sliding direction of the end 12 so that the distance between the portion 21 and the end portion 12 decreases towards the outside of the component 20 .
- a supporting element 22 extends inside said space 26 and is provided with a helical spring 23 engaged therein, which pushes towards the outside of the component 20 (and thus towards that portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the portion 21 and the end portion 12 is shorter) a rotatable and translatable element 24 (for example a small cylinder, a pawl or even a ball) that is housed inside the space 26 , too.
- the main difference between this embodiment and the embodiment previously described lies in that, in this case, the hand grip or knob of the previous embodiment is replaced by a hollow body or casing 28 through which the second component 20 is fixed to the element 200 , in particular to the side of the element 200 facing towards the first component 10 and the element 100 .
- the hollow body 28 slides on the main body of the second component 20 from left to right and from right to left as shown in the figures (and thus along a direction substantially parallel to the sliding direction of the end 12 ), a second helical spring 30 being housed in a suitable seat created between the main body of the second component 20 and the hollow body 28 .
- a release element 27 is suited to be driven by the hollow body 28 towards the inside of the second component 20 during the translation of the hollow body 28 from left to right.
- the release element 27 pushes the rotatable and translatable element 24 towards the portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the portion 21 and the end portion 12 of the first component 10 is greater, thus allowing the translation of the end portion 12 towards the outside of the second component 20 and thus the mutual release of the first component 10 and of the second component 20 (with the result that the element 100 is released from the element 200 ).
- the mutual locking of the first component 10 and of the second component 20 therefore, also in this case is achieved through the insertion of the end portion 12 in the second component 20 . In this case, however, the mutual release is obtained by simply acting on the element 200 so as to move it away from the element 100 .
- the release element 27 is provided with a suitable seat 29 intended to house the end of the portion 21 facing towards the outside of the component 20 (in this regard, see FIG. 2 b ).
- the first component 10 is quite similar to the one present in the embodiments previously described and is thus suited to be fixed to a first element 100 (for example a shelf) with one of its ends, while a second end portion is suited to be slidingly housed inside the second component 20 .
- Said second component 20 comprises in this case a lower part I and an upper part S, with a truncated cone-shaped or funnel-shaped seat created in said lower part I in such a way as to define an inner space 26 in which balls 24 are housed so that they can rotate and are arranged in a circle around a centre pin of said truncated cone-shaped seat, elastic thrusting means 23 being interposed between the centre pin and the balls so as to thrust the balls towards the outside of the truncated cone-shaped seat and thus towards the shallower portion of said truncated cone-shaped seat.
- the upper part S is positioned above the lower part I at a predefined distance, in such a way as to define an air space 25 inside which the end portion 12 of the first component 10 can slide or translate.
- the lower surface of the truncated cone-shaped seat thus corresponds to the inclined portion 21 that is present in the embodiments described above, so that the mutual action between the balls 24 , the lower surface 21 of the truncated cone-shaped seat and the end portion 12 is quite similar to the action that is generated in the embodiments described above, so that the insertion of the end portion 12 of the first component towards the inside of the second component 20 takes place in a way that is almost equal to that described for the previous embodiments.
- the special feature of this illustrative example lies in that the mutual distance between the upper part S and the lower part I can be changed (in particular, increased) by rotating a knob 28 as indicated by the arrow in FIG.
- the end 12 during its translation towards the outside of the second component 20 , does not cause the rotation of one or more of the balls 24 so that the same are not driven towards the external part of the truncated cone-shaped seat 26 and no friction or opposing action is generated between the balls 24 and said end 12 , so that the same end 12 will be free to exit from the second component 20 .
- FIGS. 3 c and 3 d show an example of application and/or use of the illustrative example just described above.
- the first component 10 is fixed to a shelf 100 while the second component 20 is inserted in a post 200 , for example a bearing column.
- the first element 100 is thus fastened to the bearing column 200 by inserting the end of the first component 10 in the air space 25 between the upper part S and the lower part I of the second component 20 while said first element 100 and second element 200 can be released from each other by releasing the two components 10 and 20 of the system proceeding as described above.
- One of the advantages offered by this illustrative example lies in that several elements 100 can be fastened to the support 200 using a single component 20 and arranging said first elements along the circumference of said single component 20 .
- the first component 10 of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 4 a to 4 c is fixed to the main body 100 of the container 300 while the second component 20 is housed in a suitable seat in the door 200 of said container, said door 200 being constrained to the main body 100 of the container 300 through a revolving constraint 201 like, for example, a hinge.
- a lever 44 (which, as can be clearly understood from the following description, serves the same function as the knob 28 previously described) is arranged so that a portion of the same is slidingly housed inside the component 20 and is in communication with the release element 27 (not illustrated in the figures for the sake of clarity) while a second portion of the lever 44 is arranged so that its free end is at the level of the opening of the V-shaped seat 43 facing towards the outside of the container 300 .
- a second rocking lever 40 is revolvingly constrained to the component 20 through a revolving constraint 41 like for example a hinge, so that an end portion of the lever 40 is at the level of the opening of the seat 43 facing towards the inside of the container 300 , while the opposite end of the lever 41 is positioned at the level of the release element 27 .
- acting on the door 200 so as to rotate it in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 4 a means obtaining first the at least partial rotation of the entire container 300 in the same rotation direction (anticlockwise), the first component 10 and the second component 20 being constrained to each other.
- the small sphere 42 move by gravity inside the seat 43 towards the opening in the seat 43 facing towards the inside of the container and thus hit against the end of the rocking lever 40 positioned at the level of said opening.
- FIGS. 5 a and 5 b An illustrative example of the system according to the present invention is described here below with reference to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b.
- the first component 10 of the system has the shape of a hollow tubular element suited to be inserted and partially housed in a proper seat 101 in a first element 100 .
- the second component 20 is constituted by a hollow body suited to house the end portion 12 of the first component 10 , end that in this case extends on one side of the first element 100 (on the right in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b ).
- a portion of said end 12 defining a truncated-cone shaped surface 22 whose diameter decreases towards the first element 100 extends from the external surface of the end 12 of the first component 10 .
- the second component 20 comprises a truncated-cone shaped portion 21 that defines a truncated-cone shaped surface opposite the truncated-cone shaped surface 22 , so as to form an air space 26 .
- the first component 10 also comprises a radial seat 55 in which a dowel 50 is engaged, said dowel 50 being provided with an external thread that in turn engages with the internal thread of an engagement seat of the dowel, said seat being obtained in the second component 20 .
- a second dowel 51 is screwed into a threaded engagement seat of the second component 20 so that the end of said dowel 51 projecting towards the inside of the second component 20 becomes engaged in a sliding seat 52 obtained on the external surface of the first component 10 .
- a helical spring 23 is interposed between the first component 10 and the second component 20 as shown in FIG. 5 b , and in particular in such a way as to thrust the second component 20 towards the first element 100 , and thus from right to left in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b .
- the sliding movement of the second component 20 with respect to the first component 10 in the opposite direction (release), and thus in the direction in which the second component 20 would move away from the element 100 is prevented also by the dowel 50 that, as previously explained, becomes engaged in a seat obtained in the first component 10 .
- the dowel 50 In order to obtain the mutual release of the first component 10 and of the second component 20 , and thus to move the second component 20 away from the element 100 , it is necessary to act on the dowel 50 so as to make it exit from the engagement seat 55 . (The dowel thus serves a further safety function against any accidental release). At this point, the component 20 can be moved away from the element 100 (translating it from left to right as shown in FIGS.
- the dowel 50 becoming engaged in the engagement seat 55 with its end, serves the further function of exerting a compression force on the external surface of the first component 10 , avoiding troublesome slacks and/or mutual movements between said first component 10 and said second component 20 .
- FIGS. 5 c and 5 d schematically show one of the possible uses of the illustrative example just described, in particular the use of the system according to said illustrative example of the present invention for fixing, for example, a shelf 200 to a supporting wall 100 .
- two first components 10 of the system can be fixed to the wall 100 so that they project from the same, while two components 20 can be fixed to the edge of the shelf (but even under the shelf) facing towards the wall 100 in such corresponding positions that moving the shelf 200 towards the wall 100 inserts each one of the two first components 10 in a corresponding component 20 until they reach the mutual position shown in FIG. 5 a , where it is fixed by acting on the dowel 50 .
- FIG. 5 e A second use of the illustrative example of the system according to the present invention just described is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5 e , in which a hinge intended to revolvingly constrain a door or window to a frame is made up of two elements 100 and 200 , a first component 10 of the system being fixed to the first element 100 so that it projects from the same, while a second element 20 of the system is revolvingly fixed to a second element 200 in turn intended to be fixed to said frame.
- the two components of the system are then positioned on the two opposite faces of the door/window panel 400 at the level of a suitable opening 500 with the first component 10 that extends through said opening 500 , and then fixed and constrained to each other through the insertion of the first component 10 in the second component 20 .
- the element 200 can be fixed to the frame (for example through screws or similar fastening means). Therefore, as the second component 20 is revolvingly fixed to the element 200 (for example, through a hinge), the door/window panel 400 is revolvingly constrained to the frame.
- the system according to the present invention is carried out in the form of a handle comprising a sliding bolt, a hand grip or knob P and a portion M intended to be fixed to a door or window, for example to be housed in a suitable seat provided in said door or window.
- the sliding bolt is made with the first component 10 of the system, a first end of said first component 10 being suited to be engaged in a groove in a doorpost St, the opposite end of said first component 10 being slidingly housed (from left to right and vice versa in the figures) inside the second component 20 .
- the bolt or first component 10 is maintained in an extended position by the second component 20 , any sliding movement of the bolt or first component 10 towards the inside of the second component 20 being prevented by the counteracting action exerted on the external surface of said first component or bolt 10 by a rotatable and/or translatable element 24 housed in a seat 26 defined by said external surface of said bolt or first component 10 and an inclined or tapered surface 21 defined by the second component 20 (as it occurs in the case of the other embodiments).
- the helical spring 23 pushes the rotatable element (small cylinder, pawl, ball etc.) in the sliding direction of the bolt 10 towards the inside of the second component 20 , and thus towards that portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the external surface of the bolt 10 and the inclined or tapered surface 21 decreases.
- the rotatable element small cylinder, pawl, ball etc.
- the knob P is connected to a portion Pi slidingly housed inside the second component 20 , said portion comprising a groove Sc (V-shaped if seen from above) that comprises in particular two counteracting surfaces Sc 2 and Sc 1 , perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6 d , which when the knob P is moved in a predefined direction (respectively moving it away from or moving it near the door) strike against the element 24 and move (thrust) it towards that portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the inclined surface 21 and the external surface of the bolt 10 is greater.
- a groove Sc V-shaped if seen from above
- Sc 2 and Sc 1 perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6 d
- FIGS. 7 a and 7 b A further embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b , said embodiment comprising a rocking lever 40 easily constrained to the second component 20 through a revolving constraint (for example, a hinge) 41 , a first end 48 of the rocking lever 40 being positioned at the level of an electrically powered solenoid 60 , the end 49 of the rocking lever 40 opposite the end 48 being positioned at the level of the release element 27 .
- the action of the solenoid consists in moving the rocking lever, in particular in rotating it in a first rotation direction (anticlockwise with respect to FIGS.
- the solenoid 60 can be operated or powered electrically, so as to obtain the rotation of the rocking lever 40 in the opposite direction (clockwise with respect to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b ) and thus to translate the release element 27 towards the outside of the component 20 , finally obtaining the mutual locking of the component 10 and the component 20 .
- the actuator element constituted by the solenoid 60
- the actuator element can be replaced by any other actuator system suited to perform a similar function, like for example a piston, a compressed air jet, a mechanical moving mechanism with a motor or any electrical or automated mechanism.
- FIG. 8 a to 8 c A further example of application of the locking and/or fastening system according to the present invention is illustrated in Figures from 8 a to 8 c , in which, as usual, component parts and/or characteristics of the system already described above with reference to other figures are identified by the same reference numbers.
- the reference numbers 100 and 200 identify respectively the supporting disc of a wheel (for example, of a car) and the rim of the wheel. Threaded bolts usually project from the supporting disc and are suited to be housed in a corresponding hole in the rim, the fastening of the wheel being achieved through the engagement of a corresponding threaded nut in each one of the bolts.
- the embodiment of the system according to the present invention illustrated in Figures from 8 a to 8 c is proposed as an alternative to the fastening of the wheel with bolts and nuts.
- first components 10 are fixed to a first element 100 (corresponding to the wheel's supporting disc), each one of said first components 10 being partially housed in a housing seat of said first element 100 , so that an end portion 12 of each first component 10 projects from said first element 100 , in particular on the side of the element 100 to which the second element or rim 200 will be applied.
- the second element 200 is fixed to said first element 100 by engaging in each first component 10 a second component 20 (which thus replaces the classical nut known in the art) proceeding as described below.
- the description provided below concerns a first component 10 and a corresponding second component 20 , as well as their mutual locking and release, the following description being applicable to each one of the first and second components 10 and 20 shown in the figures.
- the projecting end portion 12 of the first component 10 has a slightly truncated cone-shaped longitudinal section, with the diameter of the cross section decreasing towards the first element 100 , said end portion being suited to be housed and translated inside a space 26 defined by the second component 20 .
- said inner space 26 has a truncated cone-shaped longitudinal section, the inner diameter of said space 26 decreasing towards the first element 100 , too, and thus from right to left in FIGS. 8 b and 8 c .
- an air space is thus defined between the external truncated cone-shaped surface 22 of the end 12 of the first component 10 and the internal truncated cone-shaped surface 21 of the space 26 of the second component 20 .
- the inner space 26 partially houses, on the opposite side with respect to the end 12 of the first component 10 , a hollow body 28 , which in turn partially houses the end 12 of the first component 10 .
- said hollow body is suited to slide inside the space 26 and on the end 12 of the first component 10 .
- On the external surface of the hollow body 28 (in particular, on the external surface of the portion of the hollow body 28 housed inside the space 26 ) there is a circumferential groove housing a plurality of balls 24 that are thus arranged so as to form a crown outside the hollow body 28 .
- a helical spring 23 is arranged outside the hollow body 28 , said helical spring 23 being in particular housed between the external surface of the hollow body 28 and the internal surface 21 of the second component 20 that defines the space 26 .
- a first end of the spring (facing towards the first element 100 ) is arranged so that it strikes against an external annular projection of the hollow body 28
- a second end of the spring 23 is arranged so that it strikes against an annular projection of the second component 20 .
- the function of the helical spring 23 is thus to maintain the hollow body 28 pushed towards the first element 10 (towards the left in FIG. 8 c ), and therefore with the balls 24 pushed towards that portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the internal surface 21 and the external surface 22 decreases.
- the assembly position of the rim 200 on the supporting disc 100 , as well as the mutual locking position of the first components 10 and the second components 20 is the one shown in FIG. 8 b . It can in fact be inferred from this figure that the rim 200 has been applied to the disc 100 in such a way that each one of the first components 10 is received and housed in a corresponding through hole in the rim 200 . Furthermore, a Belleville washer Mt (whose function is explained below) has been inserted between the rim 200 and the disc 100 at the level of each one of the first components 10 , which means that the end 12 of each component 10 will be partially housed in the through hole of a corresponding Belleville washer Mt interposed between the disc and the second component 20 . In the mutual position shown in FIG.
- the second component 20 and the first component 10 are rigidly constrained to each other, and thus the rim 200 is rigidly fixed to the supporting disc 100 .
- the helical spring maintains the balls 24 in the portion of the space 26 in which the distance between the surfaces 21 and 22 is shorter.
- any attempt to remove the second component 20 from the corresponding first component 10 would be nullified by the counteracting action mutually exerted by the balls 24 and the surfaces 21 and 22 , as the balls 24 , becoming engaged between said two surfaces, would prevent any translation movement to the right of the second component 20 (in a way similar to the case of the previous embodiments) which thus could be neither moved away from the rim 200 nor removed from the first component 10 .
- the release of the second component 20 from the first component 10 is also possible through an action exerted on the hollow body 28 in the following way.
- each Belleville washer Mt acts on the corresponding second component 20 so as to push it in the direction in which the same would move away from the corresponding first component 10 ; as just explained, however, any thrusting action in this direction (without acting on the hollow body 28 by pulling it as just described) has only the effect of engaging and fixing the balls 24 between the surfaces 21 and 22 even more firmly, preventing any further translation of the second component 20 and eliminating even the slightest slack that may hypothetically be present.
- FIGS. 9 a to 9 c show a first and a second portion of a pipe 100 and 200 (here below respectively defined also as first and second element). Said first and said second element are connected to each other by means of the embodiment of the system according to the present invention illustrated in Figures from 9 a to 9 c , in such a way as to obtain a continuous pipe, that is, in such a way as to make the inner flow sections of said first and second element 100 and 200 coincide.
- a first component 10 is fixed to a free end of the first element 100
- a second component 20 is fixed to a free end of the second element 200
- both the first component 10 and the second component 20 comprise a tubular end suited to be inserted in the end portion respectively of said first and said second element 100 and 200 and fixed to it, for example by means of clamps or similar fastening means.
- the first component 10 is provided with a first duct 12 t and comprises one end 12 (opposite said end fixed to the component 100 ) that is substantially spherical in shape;
- the second component 20 is provided with a second duct 20 t and comprises one end (opposite the end fixed to the element 200 ) that is substantially cylindrical and is suited to house said spherical end 12 of said first component 10 .
- a sealing element (suited to prevent fluid leakages) that defines a substantially spherical inner space 26 suited to house said substantially spherical end 12 of said first component 10 .
- said second component 20 comprises also a hollow body 28 that is fitted on the cylindrical end of the component 20 opposite the element 200 and is suited to slide on said cylindrical end of the component 20 in the longitudinal direction (from top to bottom and vice versa in the figures).
- the hollow body 28 comprises an external wall suited to slide on the external surface of the cylindrical end of the component 20 and an internal wall suited to slide on the internal wall of the cylindrical end of the component 10 , as well as a transversal wall connecting said internal and external walls of the hollow body 28 .
- This means that the end of the cylindrical wall of the component 20 is housed in a U-shaped seat in said hollow body, defined by its external, internal and transversal walls.
- helical springs 23 (in a number as desired) suited to exert a thrusting action on said transversal wall of said hollow body 28 in a direction parallel to the translation direction of the hollow body 28 with respect to the second component 20 (towards the bottom in the figures).
- balls 24 in a number as desired and substantially arranged in a circle around said spherical portion 12 of said first component 10 .
- the mutual locking position of the first component 10 and the second component 20 is the one shown in FIG. 9 b .
- the spherical end 12 of the first component is housed inside the seat 26 .
- the hollow body is maintained in the position of maximum extension (pushed downwards in FIG. 9 b ) with respect to the component 20 (its hollow main body), a position in which the balls 24 are positioned beyond the portion with maximum diameter of the spherical end 12 of the first component 10 .
- any attempt to extract the spherical end 12 from the hollow seat 26 would only result in thrusting the balls 24 towards the outside; however, in this way the balls would be moved towards the outside of the hollow seat 26 , along the tapered surface 21 , and thus the balls would get fixed between the spherical end 12 and said tapered surface 21 , thus preventing any further translation of the end 12 towards the outside of the hollow seat 26 .
- it is sufficient to intervene on the hollow body 28 as shown in FIG. 9 c , thus thrusting it towards the main body of the second component 20 opposing the action of the springs 23 .
- the balls 24 are thrust by the internal wall of the hollow body 28 and moved by the same wall between the external surface of the end 12 and the tapered surface 21 towards that portion of the internal space of the component 20 in which the distance between the tapered surface 21 and the external surface of the end 20 is longer, that is, in such a way that the balls can move beyond the portion of the spherical end 12 with maximum diameter.
- the spherical end 12 of the first component 10 is pulled in the extraction direction, said spherical end does not meet any longer the resistance generated by the opposition between the balls 24 , the tapered surface 21 and its external surface but it is free to move out of the hollow seat 26 .
- the angle of inclination of the portion 21 (of its upper surface in contact with the rotatable and translatable element 24 , be it flat or truncated cone-shaped etc.) can be selected according to the needs and/or circumstances. Tests carried out using the system that is the subject of the invention have given the following results, depending on the different angles. With an angle included between 1° and 8° (see FIG. 9 d ) a safe locking is obtained, of the conical clamping type; on the other hand, in this case the release operation becomes more difficult. This angle, therefore, is particularly convenient in case of use of the system of the invention on the hub of a wheel. With angles included between 8° and 16° (preferably 12°, see FIG.
- angles are thus particularly suitable for the application of the system according to the present invention to doors or door/window panels, in particular those which need a predetermined thrust in order to be opened.
- the selection of the angle (and thus of the force that maintains the rotatable and translatable element pushed) thus depends on the type of constraint to be obtained between the two components 10 and 20 .
- the portion 21 is characterized in that it comprises a convex upper surface (the one in contact with the rotatable and/or translatable element 24 ), that is, defined by a lowered portion of said upper surface.
- the convex upper surface is defined by two flat and adjacent surfaces P 1 and P 2 that converge in a common vertex and are inclined by a predefined angle with respect to a horizontal reference surface (the same angle or even two different angles).
- the depth of the lowered portion varies along the length of the portion 21 , in particular it decreases towards the end of the portion 21 that faces (in the complete system) towards the first component 10 . Therefore, when the end 12 of the component 10 translates towards the outside of the second component 20 as described with reference to other embodiments, the rotatable and translatable element 24 is moved (thanks to the friction between the end 12 of the first component 10 , the element 24 and the convex upper surface of the portion 21 ) towards the outside of the second component 20 , too (from bottom to top in FIG. 10 b ) and thus “ascending” along the convex surface, until stopping along its path, thus preventing any further translation of the end 12 of the first component 10 , so that the first component 10 cannot be extracted from the second component 20 .
- FIGS. 11 a and 11 b A further variant embodiment of this solution is illustrated in FIGS. 11 a and 11 b and differs from the solution just described with reference to FIGS. 10 a and 10 b in that in this solution it is not the depth of the lowered portion of the upper surface of the portion 21 that varies over the length of the portion 21 but rather the mutual distance (in the horizontal direction in FIGS. 11 a and 11 b ) between the adjacent and opposing inclined surfaces P 1 and P 2 ; in particular, the distance between said surfaces P 1 and P 2 decreases towards the external end of the second component 20 and thus in the direction of extraction of the first component 10 from the second component 20 .
- the counteracting element 24 when pulled by the end portion 12 of the first component 10 towards the outside of the second component 20 (from bottom to top in FIG.
- portions 21 according to the two solutions just described above, respectively with reference to FIGS. 10 a , 10 b and 11 a , 11 b can be used as an alternative to the inclined portions 21 of the embodiments previously described, as well as of the further embodiments that are described below. It is also obvious that the two solutions just described can be used also in combination with the inclined portion 21 of both the previous embodiments and those described below; in this case, the portion 21 is both inclined and provided with an upper surface with a convex lowered portion having variable depth and/or width.
- said release element 27 is L-shaped and has a first end portion positioned at the level of the seat 26 (so that it can be housed at least partially inside said seat 26 during the movement of the element 27 itself) and a second portion that extends from said first end portion.
- An elastic counteracting element (for example, a helical spring) 71 acts on said second portion of the release element 27 so as to maintain it in a rest position (shown in FIG. 12 a ), in which the release element is maintained at a given distance from the second component 20 , with the first end portion of the release element 27 far from (and not in contact with) the rotatable and translatable element 24 .
- the elastic element 71 thus exerts a thrusting action from right to left in the figures.
- the release of the system is thus obtained by exerting a thrusting action on the element 27 , opposing the thrusting action exerted by the element 71 (from left to right in the figures).
- the first end portion of the release element 27 strikes against the rotatable and translatable element 24 , thus thrusting it towards the inside of the component 20 opposing the action of the spring 23 , and thus towards that portion of the internal space 26 in which the translatable element has more “slack” and is thus substantially “loose” between the end 12 of the component 10 and the portion 21 , be it inclined and/or provided with an upper surface with a convex and/or tapered lowered portion.
- the end portion 12 of the first component 10 can be extracted from the second component 20 (translated from right to left in the figures) as in the case of the other embodiments.
- the elastic element 71 is fitted on and kept in position by an element or pin 70 (with variable cross section depending on the needs and/or circumstances) that can be translated inside a corresponding housing seat obtained in the component 20 .
- Said magnet 72 comprises in particular two portions having the same polarity (positive as indicated in the figures, or negative, depending on the cases), of which a first portion is firmly fixed to the translatable element 24 , while a second portion is firmly fixed to the second component 20 .
- the magnetic force generated between the two portions will thus tend to push towards the outside of the component 20 (from right to left in the figures) the portion of the magnet 72 that is firmly fixed to the element 24 , and thus the same element 24 in the same direction towards the outside of the component 20 .
- the release element 27 is characterized in that its first end portion 27 m (the one intended to rest against the rotatable and translatable element 24 ) is made of a material (for example, a metal alloy) of the so-called “memory form” type, that is, such a material that the volume of said first end portion 27 m varies depending on whether said end portion is placed under voltage or not.
- a material for example, a metal alloy
- the first end portion 27 m of the element 27 can be electrically powered. Owing to the power supply, the first end portion 27 m of the element 27 is placed under voltage and thus its volume increases so that the same comes into contact with the rotatable and translatable element 24 , thrusting it towards the inside of the component 20 , so that it is possible to extract the component 10 from the component 20 .
- said first end portion 27 m of the release element 27 returns to its initial or rest volume, and therefore it does not exert a thrusting action any longer on the rotatable and translatable element that, if driven towards the outside of the component 20 by the component 10 (by its end portion 12 ), is locked between the end 12 and the portion 21 , thus preventing the mutual release of the two components 10 and 20 .
- the further embodiment according to the present invention shown in Figures from 15 a to 15 c is similar to the one just described; the difference between the two embodiments lies in that the release element 27 (its second portion that extends from the first end portion) is constrained to the component 20 through a constraint element 27 mi , as well as in that, in this case, it is said constraint element 27 mi that is made of a memory form material.
- the special feature is represented by the shape of the component 10 that is characterized by such a longitudinal section that its thickness (or at least the thickness of its end portion 12 intended to be inserted in the component 20 ) varies along its length, in particular increases towards said end 12 .
- the seat 25 assumes different shapes.
- the seat 25 in the embodiment of FIG. 17 a the seat 25 is a through seat, meaning that it is such as to place in communication the side of the component 20 facing towards the component 10 with its opposite side.
- the inner dimensions of the seat 25 can be both constant (as in the case of FIG. 17 a ) and variable (as in the case of FIG. 17 d ), meaning that the inner dimensions of the seat 25 increase towards the side of the component 20 opposite the one facing towards the component 10 .
- the seat 25 can be blind and also in these cases its internal dimensions can be both variable and constant.
- FIG. 18 finally shows a special embodiment of the system according to the present invention, in which both the rotatable and translatable element 24 (shown in the figure between the portion 21 and the component 10 ) and the portion 21 assume special shapes.
- the element 24 shown in FIG. 18 is in fact substantially cylindrical (defined by a substantially cylindrical main external surface) but it comprises two circumferential grooves 24 g (extending along the entire circumference), each defined by a convex surface.
- the portion 21 in turn comprises two corresponding projections (with cross section in the shape of a pyramid or truncated pyramid) that extend from the upper surface of the portion 21 in contact with the element 24 .
- the projections extend in the direction of the length of the portion 21 (at right angles to the plane of FIG.
- the height of the projections 21 s may vary along their length (and thus along a direction that is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 18 ) and the portion 21 can be inclined or not.
- the function of the projections 21 s is thus to increase the opposing action between the element 24 and the portion 21 , in a way that is very similar to the case of the lowered portions of the portion 21 according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 10 a , 10 b and 11 a , 11 b .
- This embodiment makes it possible to increase the contact surface between the element 24 and the portion 21 , thus making the mutual constraint between the component 10 and the component 20 of the system safer and more reliable (with deactivated release element).
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Drawers Of Furniture (AREA)
- Clamps And Clips (AREA)
- Connection Of Plates (AREA)
- Vehicle Step Arrangements And Article Storage (AREA)
- Joining Of Building Structures In Genera (AREA)
Abstract
A quick connection and/or fastening system suited to mutually connect and disconnect a first and a second element is disclosed, the system including a first and a second component that are suited to be rigidly fixed to the first and second elements, respectively, the first component and the second component being also suited to be mutually connected and disconnected, the second component being suited to house an end portion of the first component in such a way as to allow its translation inside the second component, the second component comprising also counteracting elements suited to counteract the translation of the end portion of the first component towards the outside of the second component.
Description
- This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/984,268 filed on May 18, 2018, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/386,779, which is the US national phase of PCT application no. PCT/IB2012/002011 filed on Oct. 10, 2012, which claims priority from Italian patent application no. VI2012A000071 filed on Mar. 28, 2012.
- The present invention concerns the field of quick connection and/or fastening systems suited to alternatively allow the mutual fastening and separation of two elements.
- In particular, the present invention concerns the technical field of quick connection and/or fastening systems suited to alternatively allow the fastening and separation of two elements, like for example the upright or the bearing structure and a shelf of a shelving system, as well as a frame (for example, of a piece of furniture) and a door panel of the same piece of furniture.
- The present invention, thus, concerns in particular a quick connection and/or fastening system suited to be used as a handle of doors and/or windows (for homes, cars, camper vans and vehicles in general), and/or even for doors of pieces of furniture for houses and not, like for example shelving systems, chests of drawers, wardrobes and/or even for replacing known fastening systems or means, like for example bolts and screws or nuts, for example for fixing the wheels of a vehicle.
- In the state of the art connection and/or coupling systems are known, by means of which two components are mutually fixed to each other. Examples of connecting systems are known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,698 A e CH 600 738 A5. For example, in the case of construction of shelving systems and/or similar structures, systems are known, which allow the shelves to be fastened to the bearing structure of the shelving system as well as to be removed from the same. The most common systems comprise small metal parts, for example screws and anchors, as well as elements in predefined shapes and sizes suited to be fastened to the bearing structure and to the various shelves through said screws and/or said anchors. The assembly of a shelving system, for example, requires that the coupling or fastening elements that during the actual assembly will be coupled (engaged) with the coupling and/or fastening elements previously fixed to the shelves are arranged in advance on the shelving system.
- If on the one hand the advantages offered by the most recent solutions can be recognized, it should however be noted that said solutions are not without drawbacks.
- In particular, one of the typical drawbacks lies in that the actual anchorage elements must however be fixed in advance to the elements that must be mutually fastened to each other (for example, to the bearing structure and to the various shelves of a shelving system), using screws or similar means, and therefore in that it is not possible to reduce the overall assembly time by more than a certain amount of time.
- Furthermore, in the case of modern shelving systems there is a tendency to avoid the use of screws or similar means due to their unpleasant appearance and due to the risk of damaging the component parts of a shelving system (for example, with scratches or similar types of damage).
- Another examples of a connecting system is known from GB2297793 A. More particularly GB2297793 provides a device with a lever which is connected to a scoop to enable the scoop to be retracted against a spring and the ball is no connected with scoop. It has to be noted that in the mechanism of GB2297793 when the system is blocked, the ball is blocked between the ramp, the belt and the cover. So, when the lever connected to the scoop retracts the spring the scoop detaches from the ball, the ball remain blocked between the ramp and the belt. Furthermore in order to obtain the desired release action the system needs to act on the belt moving it down (
FIG. 4 ). - Finally, the coupling systems of the known type, in particular the actual coupling means, do not offer the necessary guarantees and the necessary reliability against any accidental disengagement or uncoupling, so that there is the risk that during use of the completed structure (for example, while a book is being taken from a shelf) a shelf may be accidentally separated from the bearing structure, with serious risks for the user and consequent loss of stability of the same structure.
- Regarding, furthermore, the quick connection and/or fastening systems suited to be used as a handle for door and/or window panels (for homes, cars, camper vans and vehicles in general), and/or for doors of pieces of furniture to be used in homes or even in other environments, like for example shelving systems, chests of drawers, wardrobes etc., also in this case it should be noted that many different solutions have been recently proposed. However, very often said solutions have been proposed to meet different needs, in such a way as to privilege, in some cases, the need for functionality and reliability, while in other cases the intention was to meet aesthetic or dimensional needs and in other cases the focus was on ease of assembly and installation.
- Thus, none of the known solutions actually meets all the needs mentioned above.
- For example, the handles of the classical type (rotating handles, handles with rack mechanism or the like) usually offer suitable guarantees regarding their functionality (which makes them the most appreciated and the preferred solution for use on doors, windows or door/window frames for homes in general) but are often characterized by considerable dimensions, which make them unsuitable for specific applications, for example on pieces of furniture or cabinets intended to be used especially in camper vans or in any case in reduced spaces. In the same way, the solutions known and more suited to be used for different purposes, like for example in the case of cabinets, are often characterized by a simple construction that reduces their size and makes them easy to assemble and to use but that often is to the detriment of reliability and functionality.
- It is thus one of the objects of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above and present in the solutions known in the state of the art.
- In particular, the objects and aims of the present invention can be summed up as follows.
- It is a first object of the invention to provide a solution that can be used as an alternative to the handles of door leaves, doors, windows and door/window frames of the known type in general, as an alternative to the connection and/or fastening systems used and known in the art for the quick assembly of structures like for example shelving systems and/or similar structures, and finally also as an alternative to fixing means like bolts, nuts etc.
- It is thus, in particular, a further object of the present invention to provide a quick connection and/or fastening system that, if used as a handle, offers suitable guarantees in terms of reliability (eliminating or drastically reducing the risk of accidental opening of the door or window), in terms of functionality (allowing the door or window to be opened by means of simple and immediate operations), in terms of construction simplicity (including a limited number of component parts that are simple and easy to manufacture), as well as in terms of ease of assembly and/or application to the corresponding panel or door, and that has reduced overall dimensions.
- In greater detail, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a quick connection and/or fastening system that, if used for the mutual fastening of two rigid elements (for example, for assembling shelving systems and/or similar structures), offers suitable guarantees against the risk of accidental uncoupling of the parts mutually fixed to each other by means of said system, said system being furthermore easy to assemble, suited to be constructed with simple operations as quickly as possible, as well as suited to be applied in a simple and immediate way and in a short time to the parts to be mutually fastened and/or connected, and having an appearance that is not antiaesthetic and a reduced size.
- The present invention can be specifically and conveniently applied in the field of construction of handles, for example for doors, windows and door/window frames in general, as well as for pieces of furniture, shelving systems, chests of drawers etc. Thus, this is the reason why most of the examples of application of the device according to the present invention that are described below refer to the specific case of the handles normally used, in fact, on the doors of pieces of furniture, on chests of drawers etc., as well as on common doors and/or windows.
- It should however be noted that the possible applications of the device according to the present invention are not limited to the specific case of handles. On the contrary, the present invention can be advantageously applied in all the cases where it is necessary to mutually fix two components in a quick and reliable manner (avoiding any accidental uncoupling), for example two components of a structure that may even be more complex, in particular a wheel (for example of a motor vehicle) to the corresponding hub or axle shaft.
- The present invention is based on the general consideration that the disadvantages or drawbacks that are typical of the solutions known in the art (in particular of the systems usable as handles) can be overcome or at least reduced to a minimum by providing a quick connection and/or fastening system comprising a first and a second component that are suited to be alternatively connected to and disconnected from each other, as well as to be respectively fixed to a first and a second element (for example, the frame of a door and the swinging panel of said door, or the structure of a wardrobe or cabinet and a swinging door panel or even the front panel of a drawer), in which the mutual connection of said two components takes place through the translation of a portion of said first component inside said second component, while disconnection takes place through the translation of said portion of said first component in a direction substantially opposite the coupling direction. In this way, the functionality of the device (the handle) is considerably simplified as, for example in the case of a drawer, the user does not have to carry out special operations but in order to close the drawer and thus connect the two components of the handle he/she just needs to push the drawer in the closing direction, while to disconnect the two components of the handle (to open the drawer) he/she simply needs to pull the handle in the opening direction, substantially opposite the closing direction. Furthermore, in this way it is possible to obtain a handle characterized by a reduced number of components, each one of which is simple to construct and thus easy to assemble, in a limited time and at reduced costs. The overall dimensions of the handle, furthermore, are reduced, with evident advantages also from an aesthetic point of view.
- A further consideration on which the present invention is based concerns the fact that additional advantages can be obtained by providing the second component of the handle with means suited to counteract the translation of the portion of the first component in the uncoupling direction, said counteracting means being activated by the same translation of said portion of said first component. In this way, in fact, the handle is automatically activated against the accidental uncoupling of the two components.
- Additional advantages are obtained by providing counteracting means that are such that the force exerted by them against the translation of the end portion of the first component in the uncoupling direction increases along the translation direction of said end portion, until causing said end portion to become locked inside said second component.
- Moreover, further advantages will be obtained by providing the second component with means suited to deactivate said counteracting means, in such a way as to be able to obtain the mutual disconnection of said first and second component every time and only when this is necessary.
- Considerable advantages can be finally obtained when said deactivation means are constructed in such a way as to deactivate the counteracting means through the translation of said deactivation means in the same opening direction of the element to which the second component of the handle is applied, for example in the opening direction of a drawer. In this way, in fact, the intervention of the user to deactivate the counteracting means will allow the practically simultaneous opening of the drawer.
- A first embodiment of the present invention is a quick connection and/or fastening system suited to mutually connect and disconnect a first and a second element, said system comprising a first and a second component suited to be respectively fixed to said first and second component, as well as suited to be mutually connected and disconnected in such a way as to alternatively allow the mutual connection and disconnection of said first and second element, said second component being suited to house an end portion of said first component in such a way as to allow it to translate inside it, said second component comprising also counteracting means that are suited to counteract the translation of said end portion of said first component towards the outside of said second component.
- According a further embodiment of the invention, the subject of the present invention is a connection and/or fastening system in which said second component comprises a rotatable element that is set rotating in a first rotation direction by the translation of the end portion of the first component towards the inside of the second component and that is set rotating in a second rotation direction contrary to the first rotation direction by the translation of the end portion of the first component towards the outside of the second component. Furthermore, said counteracting means are suited to counteract the rotation of said rotatable element in said second rotation direction.
- According to a further embodiment of the invention, said second component comprises a rigid portion that together with said end portion of said first component defines an inner space in which said rotatable element is housed and in which said rigid portion, said end portion and said rotatable element are shaped and mutually positioned so that said counteracting force is generated owing to the mutual action of said rigid portion and said end portion on said rotatable element.
- Further advantages are guaranteed by the additional embodiments of the system according to the present invention that are defined in the further dependent claims.
- The present invention is illustrated here below through the description of some embodiments of the same illustrated in the attached drawings. It should however be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings; on the contrary, the field of application and the scope of the present invention include all those variants and changes to the embodiments shown and described herein that appear to be clear, obvious and immediately understandable to any person skilled in the art. In particular, in the attached drawings:
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FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c show each a sectional view of a first embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position; -
FIGS. 1d and 1e show a first example of use of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c; -
FIGS. 1f and 1h show a second example of use of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c; -
FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c show each a sectional view of a second embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position; -
FIGS. 3a and 3b show each a sectional view of an illustrative example of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other; -
FIGS. 3c and 3d show an example of use of the system according to the illustrative example of the present invention illustrated inFIGS. 3a and 3 b; -
FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c show each a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in a position where they are going to be coupled with each other, in a position where they are going to be released from each other and in the released position; -
FIGS. 5a and 5b show each a sectional view of an illustrative example of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other; -
FIGS. 5c, 5d and 5e show an example of use of the system according to the illustrative example of the present invention illustrated inFIGS. 5a and 5 b; -
FIGS. 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d concern a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention; -
FIGS. 7a and 7b show each a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention with the first and the second component of said system respectively in the coupling position and in a position where they are going to be released from each other; - Figures from 8 a to 8 c respectively show a front view and two sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
- Figures from 9 a to 9 c respectively show a side view and two sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
-
FIGS. 9d, 9e and 9f show details of three variants of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 7a and 7 b; -
FIGS. 10a and 10b respectively show a front view and a plan view of some component parts of a further embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 11a and 11b respectively show a front view and a plan view of some component parts of a further embodiment of the present invention; - Figures from 12 a to 12 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
- Figures from 13 a to 13 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
- Figures from 14 a to 14 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
- Figures from 15 a to 15 c show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention;
-
FIG. 16 shows a sectional view of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention; -
FIGS. 17a and from 17 b to 17 d show a corresponding number of sectional views of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention; -
FIG. 18 shows a front view of component parts of a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention. - The first embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures from 1 a to 1 c comprises a
first component 10 and asecond component 20 that are suited to interact with each other as will be explained in greater detail below. Thefirst component 10 is shaped as a small bar (for example in metal, plastic or another similar rigid material) and is suited to be rigidly fixed to afirst element 100, for example the bearing structure of a shelving system or a chest of drawers, or even a doorpost or a door/window frame in general. Thesecond component 20 is made in the shape of a handle and therefore is suited to be rigidly fixed to asecond element 200, for example a revolving door or window, or even the front panel of a drawer. For this purpose, thesecond component 20 comprises a first portion suited to be housed in a proper seat in theelement 200 and a second, so-calledexternal portion 28 that serves as handle knob. Thefirst component 10 then comprises anend portion 11 through which the first component is fixed to theelement 100, as well as asecond end portion 12, opposite thefirst end portion 11 and suited to be received and housed in ahollow seat 25 that has a complementary matching shape and is obtained completely in thesecond component 20. Inside thesecond component 20 there is also aspace 26 delimited on one side by a rigid portion 21 (for example, a metal strap) inclined with respect to theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10. In particular, theend portion 12 is suited to translate inside theseat 25 so as to graze thespace 26 on the opposite side with respect to theinclined portion 21. For the sake of clarity, the translation direction of theend portion 12—from left to right inFIG. 1a -here below will be defined also as the translation direction towards the inside of thesecond component 20, while the translation direction of theend 12—from right to left inFIGS. 1a and 1b —will be defined also as the translation direction towards the outside of thesecond component 20. The inclination of theportion 21 is such that the distance between it and theend portion 12 decreases when proceeding along the translation direction of thesame end 12 towards the outside of thesecond component 20, while it increases in the opposite direction, meaning the translation direction towards the inside of thecomponent 20. Inside thespace 26 there is also ahelical spring 23 fixed to or fitted on a rigid element 22 (for example, a small cylindrical bar) whose outer diameter will substantially coincide with the inner diameter of thehelical spring 23. Always inside thespace 26 there is a rotatable andtranslatable element 24, for example a small cylinder, a rod iron piece or even a ball, positioned at the level of the free end of thehelical spring 23 so that thehelical spring 23 exerts a thrusting action on saidrotatable element 24 towards the end of thespace 26 in which the distance between therigid portion 21 and theend portion 12 decreases. Inside thesecond component 20 there is also (in a proper seat with a matching shape) arelease element 27 suited to be translated inside thesecond component 20 in a direction substantially parallel to the translation direction of theend portion 12 and thus from left to right inFIG. 1a (towards the inside of component 20) and from right to left inFIG. 1a (towards the outside of component 20). Therelease element 27 is particularly suited to be translated towards the inside of thecomponent 20 through the action exerted by a user on the knob 28 (therelease element 27 and theknob 28 thus being mutually connected through connection means not illustrated in the figures and, for example, also housed inside the component 20), and thus through the traction exerted by a user on theknob 28 from left to right inFIG. 1a , thesame release element 27 being also suited to be translated towards the outside of thecomponent 20 through a thrusting action exerted by a user on theknob 28 in the direction opposite the traction direction, and thus from right to left inFIG. 1a . During its translation towards the inside of thesecond component 20, therelease element 27 will come to rest against therotatable element 24 thus pushing it towards the inside of thecomponent 20 against the action of thespring 23, and thus pushing it towards that portion of theinner space 26 in which the distance between therigid portion 21 and theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 increases. - The operation of the connection system (the handle) according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c can be summed up as follows. The mutual connection of the
first component 10 and thesecond component 20 is obtained by translating or sliding theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 towards the inside of thesecond component 20. During the translation movement of theend portion 12 towards the inside of thecomponent 20, the surface of theend 12 facing towards theportion 21 comes into contact with the external surface of therotatable element 24 that thus is first set rotating clockwise and successively set translating thanks to the friction generated between theend portion 12 and therotatable element 24, saidrotatable element 24 being in contact also with the surface of theportion 21 facing towards theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10. During its clockwise rotation and its successive translation, therotatable element 24 thus moves against the action of the spring (from left to right inFIG. 1a ) and thus towards that part or portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between therigid portion 21 and theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 increases. The rotatable andtranslatable element 24, therefore, does not hinder the translation of theend portion 12 towards the inside of thecomponent 20, so that theend portion 12 is able to reach its final position inside thecomponent 20 as shown inFIG. 1a , final position that is thus defined as a mutual locking position between thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20, in such a way as to mutually lock the twoelements - The accidental release of the
first component 10 and of the second component 20 (and thus, for example, the accidental opening of a drawer or of a door or window) is therefore impossible, since in the locking condition illustrated inFIG. 1a any accidental translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside of thecomponent 20 is impossible. In fact, during the translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside of thecomponent 20, therotatable element 24 is set rotating anticlockwise, and if necessary is even set translating (thanks to the friction between theend portion 12 and therotatable element 24 itself) and thus moved towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between therigid portion 21 and theend portion 12 decreases. The movement of therotatable element 24 towards said portion of the space 26 (and thus substantially towards the outside of the component 20) leads therotatable element 24 to become engaged between theend portion 12 and theportion 21, so that at a certain point neither a further anticlockwise rotation of theelement 21 nor a further translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside of thecomponent 20 will be possible. In other words, at a certain point during its anticlockwise rotation, and thus at a certain point during the translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside, therotatable element 24 will become engaged between theend portion 12 and therigid portion 21 so as to lock even theend portion 12. Therefore, a user who wants to open, for example, a door or a drawer (the element 200) by acting directly on said door or drawer so as to exclude the component 20 (without exerting any action on the knob 28) will not be able to obtain the mutual release of thecomponent 20 and thecomponent 10, and thus will not be able to open said door or drawer. The mutual release of the twocomponents 10 and 20 (and thus the opening of the door or drawer) will on the other hand be possible by pulling theknob 28 from left to right as shown inFIG. 1b , and thus in such a way as to translate therelease element 27 towards the inside of thecomponent 20. In fact, during its translation towards the inside of thecomponent 20, therelease element 27, as already explained above, pushes the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 towards the inside of thecomponent 20 and thus towards the portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theportion 21 and theend 12 increases. In this way, therefore, the opposing action (friction) between the external surface of the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 and the surface of theend portion 12 facing towards therigid portion 21 decreases (even to the extent of being completely eliminated in the position in which the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 is not in contact with theend portion 12 any longer). Therefore, in these conditions, a translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside of thecomponent 20 leads neither to an anticlockwise rotation of therotatable element 24 nor to its movement or shift towards the outside (towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theend 12 and theportion 21 decreases), so that theend 12 is free to translate until moving completely out of thecomponent 20, as shown inFIG. 1c . It can thus be understood from the above that, for example in the case of adrawer 200 withdrawable from a chest of drawers from left to right as shown inFIG. 1a , a user will be able to open saiddrawer 200 by simply pulling theknob 28 in the same opening direction of the drawer, so that a single traction operation exerted on theknob 28 will first allow the mutual release of the twocomponents drawer 200 without exerting any action on theknob 28 will lead to the mutual locking of the twocomponents -
FIGS. 1d and 1e schematically show a first example of use or application of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention previously described. In this case, in fact, thefirst component 10 is rigidly fixed to thebearing structure 100 of a chest of drawers orcabinet 300, while thesecond component 20 is applied to the front panel of adrawer 200 so that theknob 28 of the system projects from thefront panel 200 towards the outside of thecabinet 300. The opening and closing of the drawer will thus be achieved by proceeding as previously described, through a pulling or pushing action exerted on theknob 28. - A second example of application or use of the embodiment of the system according to the present invention as previously described is shown in
FIGS. 1f and 1h . In this case, theelement 100 is constituted by a vertical wall while theelement 200 is constituted by a shelf. Twocomponents 10 are rigidly fixed to thevertical wall 100 and twocomponents 20 are fixed to theshelf 200, on the edge of the same that is intended to be facing towards thevertical wall 100. The assembly of the shelving system shown inFIGS. 1f and 1h will thus be obtained by previously fixing thecomponents 10 to thevertical wall 100 and thecomponents 20 to theshelf 200 in corresponding positions. Finally, pushing theshelf 200 towards thevertical wall 100 leads to the mutual locking of thecomponents shelf 200 to thevertical wall 100. To remove the shelf it will thus be necessary to act only on thecomponents 10 and/or 20 as described above and then to move theshelf 200 away from thevertical wall 100. - A further embodiment of the system according to the present invention is described here below with reference to Figures from 2 a to 2 c; in the Figures from 2 a to 2 c those component parts or characteristics of the system according to the present invention already described above are identified by the same reference numbers.
- The embodiment shown in Figures from 2 a to 2 c comprises many of the component parts that are present in the embodiment described above with reference to Figures from 1 a to 1 c. In fact, in
FIG. 2a it is possible to observe afirst component 10 with afirst end 11 through which saidfirst component 10 is fixed to afirst element 100, and asecond end 12 housed in aseat 25 obtained inside thesecond component 20 so that it can slide and be translated inside saidsecond component 20. Aspace 26 is obtained also in this case inside thecomponent 20 so that saidinner space 26 is in contact with theseat 25 where theend 12 is housed and slides. Also in this case theinner space 26 is defined by arigid portion 21 that is inclined with respect to the sliding direction of theend 12 so that the distance between theportion 21 and theend portion 12 decreases towards the outside of thecomponent 20. A supportingelement 22 extends inside saidspace 26 and is provided with ahelical spring 23 engaged therein, which pushes towards the outside of the component 20 (and thus towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theportion 21 and theend portion 12 is shorter) a rotatable and translatable element 24 (for example a small cylinder, a pawl or even a ball) that is housed inside thespace 26, too. The main difference between this embodiment and the embodiment previously described lies in that, in this case, the hand grip or knob of the previous embodiment is replaced by a hollow body or casing 28 through which thesecond component 20 is fixed to theelement 200, in particular to the side of theelement 200 facing towards thefirst component 10 and theelement 100. Thehollow body 28 slides on the main body of thesecond component 20 from left to right and from right to left as shown in the figures (and thus along a direction substantially parallel to the sliding direction of the end 12), a secondhelical spring 30 being housed in a suitable seat created between the main body of thesecond component 20 and thehollow body 28. It can thus be understood that thehelical spring 30 pushes thehollow body 28 from right to left in the figures, and thus that the sliding movement of thehollow body 28 from left to right takes place opposing the action of thehelical spring 30. Arelease element 27 is suited to be driven by thehollow body 28 towards the inside of thesecond component 20 during the translation of thehollow body 28 from left to right. - As in the case of the embodiment described above, during its translation towards the inside of the
component 20 therelease element 27 pushes the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 towards the portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theportion 21 and theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 is greater, thus allowing the translation of theend portion 12 towards the outside of thesecond component 20 and thus the mutual release of thefirst component 10 and of the second component 20 (with the result that theelement 100 is released from the element 200). The mutual locking of thefirst component 10 and of thesecond component 20, therefore, also in this case is achieved through the insertion of theend portion 12 in thesecond component 20. In this case, however, the mutual release is obtained by simply acting on theelement 200 so as to move it away from theelement 100. In fact, in this way, since at the beginning the first and the second element are in a position of mutual locking and are thus constrained to each other, acting on theelement 200 so as to move it away from theelement 100 first makes thecasing 28 slide on the second component 20 (against the action of the spring 30) and then drives therelease element 27 that thus pushes the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 towards the portion of theinner space 26 in which the distance between theportion 21 and theend 12 is greater, until the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 reaches a position in which its external surface is not any longer or is only slightly in contact with theend portion 12, or at least on which the friction between the external surface of the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 and theend portion 12 is minimal. In this way, the counteracting action exerted by theelement 24 on theend portion 12 is eliminated and thus continuous action on theelement 200 to move it away from theelement 100 makes theend portion 12 come out of thecomponent 20 and thus releases the twocomponents elements portion 21 from hindering or blocking the translation of therelease element 27 towards the inside of thecomponent 20, therelease element 27 is provided with asuitable seat 29 intended to house the end of theportion 21 facing towards the outside of the component 20 (in this regard, seeFIG. 2b ). - In the illustrative example of the system according to the present invention illustrated in
FIGS. 3a and 3b (in which as usual component parts and/or characteristics already described above are identified by the same reference numbers) thefirst component 10 is quite similar to the one present in the embodiments previously described and is thus suited to be fixed to a first element 100 (for example a shelf) with one of its ends, while a second end portion is suited to be slidingly housed inside thesecond component 20. Saidsecond component 20 comprises in this case a lower part I and an upper part S, with a truncated cone-shaped or funnel-shaped seat created in said lower part I in such a way as to define aninner space 26 in whichballs 24 are housed so that they can rotate and are arranged in a circle around a centre pin of said truncated cone-shaped seat, elastic thrustingmeans 23 being interposed between the centre pin and the balls so as to thrust the balls towards the outside of the truncated cone-shaped seat and thus towards the shallower portion of said truncated cone-shaped seat. The upper part S is positioned above the lower part I at a predefined distance, in such a way as to define anair space 25 inside which theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 can slide or translate. The lower surface of the truncated cone-shaped seat thus corresponds to theinclined portion 21 that is present in the embodiments described above, so that the mutual action between theballs 24, thelower surface 21 of the truncated cone-shaped seat and theend portion 12 is quite similar to the action that is generated in the embodiments described above, so that the insertion of theend portion 12 of the first component towards the inside of thesecond component 20 takes place in a way that is almost equal to that described for the previous embodiments. The special feature of this illustrative example, however, lies in that the mutual distance between the upper part S and the lower part I can be changed (in particular, increased) by rotating aknob 28 as indicated by the arrow inFIG. 3b and thus in such a way as to increase the cross section of theseat 25 where theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 slides. The release of thefirst component 10 from thesecond component 20, and thus of thefirst element 100 from thesecond element 200, is obtained by acting on theknob 28 in such a way as to move the upper part S from the position shown inFIG. 3a to that shown inFIG. 3b . With the upper part S in the position shown inFIG. 3b , theend 12, during its translation towards the outside of thesecond component 20, does not cause the rotation of one or more of theballs 24 so that the same are not driven towards the external part of the truncated cone-shapedseat 26 and no friction or opposing action is generated between theballs 24 and saidend 12, so that thesame end 12 will be free to exit from thesecond component 20. -
FIGS. 3c and 3d show an example of application and/or use of the illustrative example just described above. In the example of application illustrated above, thefirst component 10 is fixed to ashelf 100 while thesecond component 20 is inserted in apost 200, for example a bearing column. Thefirst element 100 is thus fastened to thebearing column 200 by inserting the end of thefirst component 10 in theair space 25 between the upper part S and the lower part I of thesecond component 20 while saidfirst element 100 andsecond element 200 can be released from each other by releasing the twocomponents several elements 100 can be fastened to thesupport 200 using asingle component 20 and arranging said first elements along the circumference of saidsingle component 20. - The embodiment of the system according to the present invention illustrated in Figures from 4 a to 4 c (in which, as usual, component parts and/or characteristics already described above with reference to other figures are identified by the same reference numbers) can be quite conveniently applied to a
container 300, for example a waste container as illustrated in the figures. The same embodiment of the present invention can however be applied, as conveniently as in the former instance, for example, to dumpers or heavy vehicles, agricultural machines and/or building machines etc. In particular, thefirst component 10 of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figures from 4 a to 4 c is fixed to themain body 100 of thecontainer 300 while thesecond component 20 is housed in a suitable seat in thedoor 200 of said container, saiddoor 200 being constrained to themain body 100 of thecontainer 300 through a revolvingconstraint 201 like, for example, a hinge. While on the one hand it is necessary to refer to the previous description (in particular, to the description of the first embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures from 1 a to 1 c) regarding the mutual interaction between the end of thefirst component 10 and the components housed inside the second component 20 (rotatable and/or translatable element and spring housed in an inner space defined by an inclined surface etc.), since the arrangement of said component parts is substantially identical to that provided in said embodiment previously described, it should be noted that a specific feature of the present embodiment is represented by the fact that inside thesecond component 20 there is a V-shaped seat 43 that communicates with the inside and the outside of thesecond component 20 and therefore in particular with the inside and the outside of thecontainer 300. Inside said seat 43 there is a small sphere 42 that is free to move inside the seat 43. In particular, the movement of the small sphere 42 inside the seat 43 takes place thanks to the action of the force of gravity when the user acts on thecontainer 300 and/or thedoor 200, for example rotating them as indicated by the arrows A and B in the figures. A lever 44 (which, as can be clearly understood from the following description, serves the same function as theknob 28 previously described) is arranged so that a portion of the same is slidingly housed inside thecomponent 20 and is in communication with the release element 27 (not illustrated in the figures for the sake of clarity) while a second portion of the lever 44 is arranged so that its free end is at the level of the opening of the V-shaped seat 43 facing towards the outside of thecontainer 300. On the opposite side of thecomponent 20 with respect to the lever 44, a second rocking lever 40 is revolvingly constrained to thecomponent 20 through a revolvingconstraint 41 like for example a hinge, so that an end portion of the lever 40 is at the level of the opening of the seat 43 facing towards the inside of thecontainer 300, while the opposite end of thelever 41 is positioned at the level of therelease element 27. - The mutual release of the two
components door 200, can therefore be summed up as follows. - Rotating the container in the direction of the arrow B as shown in
FIG. 4b (and thus clockwise) makes the small sphere 42 slide inside the seat 43 towards the external opening of said seat 43 until it hits against the lever 44 that thus is thrust and translated towards the outside of thecontainer 300 and of thesecond component 20, so that the portion of the lever 44 housed inside thecomponent 20 brings with itself therelease element 27 that at this point acts on the rotatable element until this reaches the position in which the friction, and therefore the opposing action generated between the rotatable element and theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10, is eliminated or at least reduced, thus allowing the mutual release of thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20 from each other. In this way, therefore, always thanks to the action of the force of gravity, the door opens automatically as shown inFIG. 4c , allowing the container to be emptied. - In the same way, acting on the
door 200 so as to rotate it in the direction of the arrow A inFIG. 4a means obtaining first the at least partial rotation of theentire container 300 in the same rotation direction (anticlockwise), thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20 being constrained to each other. Continued rotation of the door 200 (and/or of the entire container) in the same rotation direction makes the small sphere 42 move by gravity inside the seat 43 towards the opening in the seat 43 facing towards the inside of the container and thus hit against the end of the rocking lever 40 positioned at the level of said opening. The impact of the small sphere 42 against the end of the rocking lever 40 causes the latter to rotate around theconstraint 41 so that the second end of the rocking lever is pushed towards the inside of thecomponent 20 bringing therelease element 27 with itself in its pushing movement. At this point the first and thesecond component door 200. It appears evident from the above that a considerable advantage offered by this embodiment lies in that the mutual release of thecomponents door 200 from the main body of the container 100) is obtained by acting directly either on the door or on the container, and therefore with no need for any direct action on one of the two components of the system. - An illustrative example of the system according to the present invention is described here below with reference to
FIGS. 5a and 5 b. - In this illustrative example, the
first component 10 of the system has the shape of a hollow tubular element suited to be inserted and partially housed in aproper seat 101 in afirst element 100. Thesecond component 20 is constituted by a hollow body suited to house theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10, end that in this case extends on one side of the first element 100 (on the right inFIGS. 5a and 5b ). A portion of saidend 12 defining a truncated-cone shapedsurface 22 whose diameter decreases towards thefirst element 100 extends from the external surface of theend 12 of thefirst component 10. In the same way, thesecond component 20 comprises a truncated-cone shapedportion 21 that defines a truncated-cone shaped surface opposite the truncated-cone shapedsurface 22, so as to form anair space 26. On the truncated cone-shaped surface defined by the truncated cone-shapedportion 22 there is a circumferential groove housing rotatable elements like balls or similar elements. Thefirst component 10 also comprises a radial seat 55 in which a dowel 50 is engaged, said dowel 50 being provided with an external thread that in turn engages with the internal thread of an engagement seat of the dowel, said seat being obtained in thesecond component 20. A second dowel 51 is screwed into a threaded engagement seat of thesecond component 20 so that the end of said dowel 51 projecting towards the inside of thesecond component 20 becomes engaged in a sliding seat 52 obtained on the external surface of thefirst component 10. Ahelical spring 23 is interposed between thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20 as shown inFIG. 5b , and in particular in such a way as to thrust thesecond component 20 towards thefirst element 100, and thus from right to left inFIGS. 5a and 5b . The function of thespheres 24, of the truncated cone-shapedsurfaces 21 etc. is similar to that of the corresponding parts provided in the embodiments previously described, therefore the detailed description of said function is omitted for the sake of brevity, simply specifying that the mutual locking of thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20 takes place thanks to the counteracting action between the balls and the corresponding truncated cone-shaped surfaces, in such a way as to prevent thefirst component 10 from withdrawing from thesecond component 20 sliding towards the outside of thesecond component 20, in particular from right to left inFIGS. 5a and 5b . In the case of this embodiment, the sliding movement of thesecond component 20 with respect to thefirst component 10 in the opposite direction (release), and thus in the direction in which thesecond component 20 would move away from theelement 100, is prevented also by the dowel 50 that, as previously explained, becomes engaged in a seat obtained in thefirst component 10. In order to obtain the mutual release of thefirst component 10 and of thesecond component 20, and thus to move thesecond component 20 away from theelement 100, it is necessary to act on the dowel 50 so as to make it exit from the engagement seat 55. (The dowel thus serves a further safety function against any accidental release). At this point, thecomponent 20 can be moved away from the element 100 (translating it from left to right as shown inFIGS. 5a and 5b ) until reaching the final position defined by the engagement of the second dowel 51 in the engagement seat 52 obtained on the external surface of theend 12 of thefirst component 10. With thesecond component 20 in this final position, the space between the two truncated cone-shaped surfaces will increase, as shown inFIG. 5b , and thus the friction and the opposing action between theballs 24 and the external surface of theend portion 12 are eliminated, so that saidend portion 12 can be withdrawn from thecomponent 20 from right to left as shown inFIGS. 5a and 5b , so as to obtain the mutual release of the twocomponents first component 10, avoiding troublesome slacks and/or mutual movements between saidfirst component 10 and saidsecond component 20. -
FIGS. 5c and 5d schematically show one of the possible uses of the illustrative example just described, in particular the use of the system according to said illustrative example of the present invention for fixing, for example, ashelf 200 to a supportingwall 100. In fact, it can be observed in particular inFIG. 5d that twofirst components 10 of the system can be fixed to thewall 100 so that they project from the same, while twocomponents 20 can be fixed to the edge of the shelf (but even under the shelf) facing towards thewall 100 in such corresponding positions that moving theshelf 200 towards thewall 100 inserts each one of the twofirst components 10 in acorresponding component 20 until they reach the mutual position shown inFIG. 5a , where it is fixed by acting on the dowel 50. - A second use of the illustrative example of the system according to the present invention just described is schematically illustrated in
FIG. 5e , in which a hinge intended to revolvingly constrain a door or window to a frame is made up of twoelements first component 10 of the system being fixed to thefirst element 100 so that it projects from the same, while asecond element 20 of the system is revolvingly fixed to asecond element 200 in turn intended to be fixed to said frame. The two components of the system are then positioned on the two opposite faces of the door/window panel 400 at the level of asuitable opening 500 with thefirst component 10 that extends through saidopening 500, and then fixed and constrained to each other through the insertion of thefirst component 10 in thesecond component 20. With the first and thesecond component window panel 400 as just described, theelement 200 can be fixed to the frame (for example through screws or similar fastening means). Therefore, as thesecond component 20 is revolvingly fixed to the element 200 (for example, through a hinge), the door/window panel 400 is revolvingly constrained to the frame. - In the embodiment shown in Figures from 6 a to 6 d, the system according to the present invention is carried out in the form of a handle comprising a sliding bolt, a hand grip or knob P and a portion M intended to be fixed to a door or window, for example to be housed in a suitable seat provided in said door or window. In particular, the sliding bolt is made with the
first component 10 of the system, a first end of saidfirst component 10 being suited to be engaged in a groove in a doorpost St, the opposite end of saidfirst component 10 being slidingly housed (from left to right and vice versa in the figures) inside thesecond component 20. In particular, thanks to the action of a helical spring E, the bolt orfirst component 10 is maintained in an extended position by thesecond component 20, any sliding movement of the bolt orfirst component 10 towards the inside of thesecond component 20 being prevented by the counteracting action exerted on the external surface of said first component or bolt 10 by a rotatable and/ortranslatable element 24 housed in aseat 26 defined by said external surface of said bolt orfirst component 10 and an inclined or taperedsurface 21 defined by the second component 20 (as it occurs in the case of the other embodiments). As already explained, thehelical spring 23 pushes the rotatable element (small cylinder, pawl, ball etc.) in the sliding direction of thebolt 10 towards the inside of thesecond component 20, and thus towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between the external surface of thebolt 10 and the inclined or taperedsurface 21 decreases. In the locking position shown inFIG. 6b , in which the bolt is locked with respect to thesecond component 20, the sliding movement of thebolt 10 towards the inside of thesecond component 20 is prevented as thebolt 10, being translated towards the inside, would set therotatable element 24 rotating and/or translating by moving it towards the inside of thesecond component 20 and thus towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between thesurface 21 and the external surface of thebolt 10 decreases, thus originating that counteracting force that prevents the translation towards the inside of thebolt 10, in a way almost equal to that described with reference to the previous embodiments. In the position in which thebolt 10 is locked with respect to thecomponent 20, as the external end of thebolt 10 is housed inside the housing or engagement seat of the doorpost St, any mutual movement of the system (and thus of the door panel) with respect to the doorpost is impossible, so that the door/window panel is locked in the closed position. The door/window can thus be opened only by releasing thebolt 10 so that the same can slide towards the inside of thesecond component 20, wherein the release of thebolt 10 can be summed up as follows. It can be seen inFIG. 6d that the knob P is connected to a portion Pi slidingly housed inside thesecond component 20, said portion comprising a groove Sc (V-shaped if seen from above) that comprises in particular two counteracting surfaces Sc2 and Sc1, perpendicular to the plane ofFIG. 6d , which when the knob P is moved in a predefined direction (respectively moving it away from or moving it near the door) strike against theelement 24 and move (thrust) it towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theinclined surface 21 and the external surface of thebolt 10 is greater. In this way, during the translation of thebolt 10 towards the inside of thecomponent 20, therotatable element 24 is no more thrust or moved towards that “narrow” part of thespace 26 in which the distance between thesurface 21 and the external surface of thebolt 10 decreases and cannot become engaged between thesurface 21 and the external surface of thebolt 10, so that no counteracting action against the translation of thebolt 10 towards the inside of thecomponent 20 is generated, said counteracting action, instead, being generated when the groove Sc is in the position shown inFIG. 6b . Thus, moving the knob P away from the door/window (or even moving it near the latter) releases thebolt 10 from thesecond component 20, so that the end of thebolt 10, during the rotation of the door/window (or the translation, for example, of a drawer) strikes against the internal wall of the groove provided in the doorpost, and thus is pushed towards the inside of thecomponent 20, thus allowing the door/window panel to be released from the doorpost St and thus allowing the door/window to be opened. It can thus be inferred from the above description that, even in the case of this embodiment of the system according to the present invention, the two elements (in this case the doorpost and the door/window panel), constrained to each other by means of the system according to the present invention, can be released through the same operation by means of which it is possible to obtain the mutual release of thefirst component 10 and of thesecond component 20 of the system itself. - In other words, both pulling and pushing the knob P in the opening direction of the door/window achieve the release of the two components of the system (handle) and thus practically at the same time the opening of the window/door.
- A further embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in
FIGS. 7a and 7b , said embodiment comprising a rocking lever 40 easily constrained to thesecond component 20 through a revolving constraint (for example, a hinge) 41, a first end 48 of the rocking lever 40 being positioned at the level of an electrically powered solenoid 60, the end 49 of the rocking lever 40 opposite the end 48 being positioned at the level of therelease element 27. The action of the solenoid consists in moving the rocking lever, in particular in rotating it in a first rotation direction (anticlockwise with respect toFIGS. 7a and 7b ) so that the end 49 becomes engaged with therelease element 27 pushing it towards the inside of thesecond component 20 in such a way as to mutually release the first component 10 (its end housed inside the second component 20) and thefirst component 20. In the same way, the solenoid 60 can be operated or powered electrically, so as to obtain the rotation of the rocking lever 40 in the opposite direction (clockwise with respect toFIGS. 7a and 7b ) and thus to translate therelease element 27 towards the outside of thecomponent 20, finally obtaining the mutual locking of thecomponent 10 and thecomponent 20. - In other embodiments, not described herein for the sake of brevity, the actuator element, constituted by the solenoid 60, can be replaced by any other actuator system suited to perform a similar function, like for example a piston, a compressed air jet, a mechanical moving mechanism with a motor or any electrical or automated mechanism.
- A further example of application of the locking and/or fastening system according to the present invention is illustrated in Figures from 8 a to 8 c, in which, as usual, component parts and/or characteristics of the system already described above with reference to other figures are identified by the same reference numbers.
- In the figures, the
reference numbers - For this purpose, four first components 10 (but the number may vary depending on the needs and/or circumstances) are fixed to a first element 100 (corresponding to the wheel's supporting disc), each one of said
first components 10 being partially housed in a housing seat of saidfirst element 100, so that anend portion 12 of eachfirst component 10 projects from saidfirst element 100, in particular on the side of theelement 100 to which the second element orrim 200 will be applied. In particular, thesecond element 200 is fixed to saidfirst element 100 by engaging in each first component 10 a second component 20 (which thus replaces the classical nut known in the art) proceeding as described below. For the sake of brevity, the description provided below concerns afirst component 10 and a correspondingsecond component 20, as well as their mutual locking and release, the following description being applicable to each one of the first andsecond components - The projecting
end portion 12 of thefirst component 10 has a slightly truncated cone-shaped longitudinal section, with the diameter of the cross section decreasing towards thefirst element 100, said end portion being suited to be housed and translated inside aspace 26 defined by thesecond component 20. In particular, also saidinner space 26 has a truncated cone-shaped longitudinal section, the inner diameter of saidspace 26 decreasing towards thefirst element 100, too, and thus from right to left inFIGS. 8b and 8c . Once again, an air space is thus defined between the external truncated cone-shapedsurface 22 of theend 12 of thefirst component 10 and the internal truncated cone-shapedsurface 21 of thespace 26 of thesecond component 20. - Furthermore, the
inner space 26 partially houses, on the opposite side with respect to theend 12 of thefirst component 10, ahollow body 28, which in turn partially houses theend 12 of thefirst component 10. In particular, said hollow body is suited to slide inside thespace 26 and on theend 12 of thefirst component 10. On the external surface of the hollow body 28 (in particular, on the external surface of the portion of thehollow body 28 housed inside the space 26) there is a circumferential groove housing a plurality ofballs 24 that are thus arranged so as to form a crown outside thehollow body 28. Ahelical spring 23 is arranged outside thehollow body 28, saidhelical spring 23 being in particular housed between the external surface of thehollow body 28 and theinternal surface 21 of thesecond component 20 that defines thespace 26. In particular, a first end of the spring (facing towards the first element 100) is arranged so that it strikes against an external annular projection of thehollow body 28, while a second end of thespring 23, opposite said first end, is arranged so that it strikes against an annular projection of thesecond component 20. The function of thehelical spring 23 is thus to maintain thehollow body 28 pushed towards the first element 10 (towards the left inFIG. 8c ), and therefore with theballs 24 pushed towards that portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between theinternal surface 21 and theexternal surface 22 decreases. - The assembly position of the
rim 200 on the supportingdisc 100, as well as the mutual locking position of thefirst components 10 and thesecond components 20 is the one shown inFIG. 8b . It can in fact be inferred from this figure that therim 200 has been applied to thedisc 100 in such a way that each one of thefirst components 10 is received and housed in a corresponding through hole in therim 200. Furthermore, a Belleville washer Mt (whose function is explained below) has been inserted between therim 200 and thedisc 100 at the level of each one of thefirst components 10, which means that theend 12 of eachcomponent 10 will be partially housed in the through hole of a corresponding Belleville washer Mt interposed between the disc and thesecond component 20. In the mutual position shown inFIG. 8b , thesecond component 20 and thefirst component 10 are rigidly constrained to each other, and thus therim 200 is rigidly fixed to the supportingdisc 100. In fact, in the position shown inFIG. 8b , the helical spring maintains theballs 24 in the portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between thesurfaces - Therefore, any attempt to remove the
second component 20 from the corresponding first component 10 (pulling it to the right as shown inFIG. 8b so as to withdraw it from the first component 10) would be nullified by the counteracting action mutually exerted by theballs 24 and thesurfaces balls 24, becoming engaged between said two surfaces, would prevent any translation movement to the right of the second component 20 (in a way similar to the case of the previous embodiments) which thus could be neither moved away from therim 200 nor removed from thefirst component 10. The release of thesecond component 20 from thefirst component 10 is also possible through an action exerted on thehollow body 28 in the following way. Pulling thehollow body 28 towards the outside of the second component 20 (of the space 26) in the direction left-right indicated by the arrow inFIG. 8c in such a way as to compress thehelical spring 23 as shown in the figure repositions theballs 24 in a portion of thespace 26 in which the distance between thesurfaces surfaces balls 24. This also eliminates the counteracting force that opposes the sliding movement of thecomponent 20 on thecomponent 10 from left to right in the figures. Thecomponent 20 can thus be withdrawn from thecomponent 10 as shown in particular inFIG. 8 c. - Withdrawing each
component 20 as just described above from the correspondingcomponent 10 makes it possible to finally release and remove therim 200 from the supportingdisc 100. The function of the Belleville washers Mt is thus to favour the reinforcement of the mutual constraint between thesecond component 20 and thefirst component 10. In fact, each Belleville washer Mt acts on the correspondingsecond component 20 so as to push it in the direction in which the same would move away from the correspondingfirst component 10; as just explained, however, any thrusting action in this direction (without acting on thehollow body 28 by pulling it as just described) has only the effect of engaging and fixing theballs 24 between thesurfaces second component 20 and eliminating even the slightest slack that may hypothetically be present. - A further embodiment and a further example of application of the system according to the present invention are described below with reference to Figures from 9 a to 9 c.
- The same Figures from 9 a to 9 c show a first and a second portion of a
pipe 100 and 200 (here below respectively defined also as first and second element). Said first and said second element are connected to each other by means of the embodiment of the system according to the present invention illustrated in Figures from 9 a to 9 c, in such a way as to obtain a continuous pipe, that is, in such a way as to make the inner flow sections of said first andsecond element first component 10 is fixed to a free end of thefirst element 100, while asecond component 20 is fixed to a free end of thesecond element 200, so that the mutual fastening of said first and saidsecond element second component first component 10 and thesecond component 20 comprise a tubular end suited to be inserted in the end portion respectively of said first and saidsecond element - In particular, the
first component 10 is provided with a first duct 12 t and comprises one end 12 (opposite said end fixed to the component 100) that is substantially spherical in shape; in turn, thesecond component 20 is provided with a second duct 20 t and comprises one end (opposite the end fixed to the element 200) that is substantially cylindrical and is suited to house saidspherical end 12 of saidfirst component 10. In greater detail, inside the cylindrical end of thesecond component 20 there is a sealing element (suited to prevent fluid leakages) that defines a substantially sphericalinner space 26 suited to house said substantiallyspherical end 12 of saidfirst component 10. Furthermore, saidsecond component 20 comprises also ahollow body 28 that is fitted on the cylindrical end of thecomponent 20 opposite theelement 200 and is suited to slide on said cylindrical end of thecomponent 20 in the longitudinal direction (from top to bottom and vice versa in the figures). In particular, thehollow body 28 comprises an external wall suited to slide on the external surface of the cylindrical end of thecomponent 20 and an internal wall suited to slide on the internal wall of the cylindrical end of thecomponent 10, as well as a transversal wall connecting said internal and external walls of thehollow body 28. This means that the end of the cylindrical wall of thecomponent 20 is housed in a U-shaped seat in said hollow body, defined by its external, internal and transversal walls. Between thehollow body 28 and the cylindrical end of thecomponent 20 there are helical springs 23 (in a number as desired) suited to exert a thrusting action on said transversal wall of saidhollow body 28 in a direction parallel to the translation direction of thehollow body 28 with respect to the second component 20 (towards the bottom in the figures). Furthermore, inside thecomponent 20, in particular between its internal surface (comprising a tapered or truncated cone-shapedportion 21, the one in lower position inFIG. 9b ) and the external surface of theend 12 of thecomponent 10, as well as above the internal wall of thehollow body 28, there areballs 24 in a number as desired and substantially arranged in a circle around saidspherical portion 12 of saidfirst component 10. The mutual locking position of thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20 is the one shown inFIG. 9b . In this position, in fact, thespherical end 12 of the first component is housed inside theseat 26. Furthermore, thanks to the action of thesprings 23, the hollow body is maintained in the position of maximum extension (pushed downwards inFIG. 9b ) with respect to the component 20 (its hollow main body), a position in which theballs 24 are positioned beyond the portion with maximum diameter of thespherical end 12 of thefirst component 10. In this position, any attempt to extract thespherical end 12 from thehollow seat 26 would only result in thrusting theballs 24 towards the outside; however, in this way the balls would be moved towards the outside of thehollow seat 26, along the taperedsurface 21, and thus the balls would get fixed between thespherical end 12 and said taperedsurface 21, thus preventing any further translation of theend 12 towards the outside of thehollow seat 26. To obtain the mutual release of thefirst component 10 and thesecond component 20, however, it is sufficient to intervene on thehollow body 28, as shown inFIG. 9c , thus thrusting it towards the main body of thesecond component 20 opposing the action of thesprings 23. In this way, theballs 24 are thrust by the internal wall of thehollow body 28 and moved by the same wall between the external surface of theend 12 and the taperedsurface 21 towards that portion of the internal space of thecomponent 20 in which the distance between thetapered surface 21 and the external surface of theend 20 is longer, that is, in such a way that the balls can move beyond the portion of thespherical end 12 with maximum diameter. At this point, if thespherical end 12 of thefirst component 10 is pulled in the extraction direction, said spherical end does not meet any longer the resistance generated by the opposition between theballs 24, the taperedsurface 21 and its external surface but it is free to move out of thehollow seat 26. - It should be underlined that the articulated spherical shape shown in the example ensures safe fastening, although allowing movement and rotation in more than one direction in an articulated manner.
- It should be specified that in the embodiments of the invention previously described the angle of inclination of the portion 21 (of its upper surface in contact with the rotatable and
translatable element 24, be it flat or truncated cone-shaped etc.) can be selected according to the needs and/or circumstances. Tests carried out using the system that is the subject of the invention have given the following results, depending on the different angles. With an angle included between 1° and 8° (seeFIG. 9d ) a safe locking is obtained, of the conical clamping type; on the other hand, in this case the release operation becomes more difficult. This angle, therefore, is particularly convenient in case of use of the system of the invention on the hub of a wheel. With angles included between 8° and 16° (preferably 12°, seeFIG. 9e ) an optimal (safe) locking result can be obtained but the release is facilitated, in fact it is sufficient to exert a limited (if not even negligible) force on the release component. These angles are thus particularly suitable for handles, for example the handles of standard doors. Choosing an angle included between 16° and 45° (FIG. 90 it is possible to set a holding force (threshold) between the twocomponents components - Obviously, the angle values mentioned above with reference to Figures from 9 d to 9 f can be applied to all the embodiments of the present invention described in the present patent application, as well as to all the variants of the same that appear obvious to any expert in the art.
- Here below, further embodiments of the present invention and/or component parts of the same are described with reference to Figures from 10 a and 10 b to 18, in which, once again, component parts and/or characteristics of the system according to the present invention already described above with reference to other figures are identified by the same reference numbers.
- The special feature of the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 10a and 10b lies in the shape of theportion 21. In fact, it can be inferred from the figures that in this case theportion 21 is characterized in that it comprises a convex upper surface (the one in contact with the rotatable and/or translatable element 24), that is, defined by a lowered portion of said upper surface. In particular, the convex upper surface is defined by two flat and adjacent surfaces P1 and P2 that converge in a common vertex and are inclined by a predefined angle with respect to a horizontal reference surface (the same angle or even two different angles). Furthermore, the depth of the lowered portion varies along the length of theportion 21, in particular it decreases towards the end of theportion 21 that faces (in the complete system) towards thefirst component 10. Therefore, when theend 12 of thecomponent 10 translates towards the outside of thesecond component 20 as described with reference to other embodiments, the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 is moved (thanks to the friction between theend 12 of thefirst component 10, theelement 24 and the convex upper surface of the portion 21) towards the outside of thesecond component 20, too (from bottom to top inFIG. 10b ) and thus “ascending” along the convex surface, until stopping along its path, thus preventing any further translation of theend 12 of thefirst component 10, so that thefirst component 10 cannot be extracted from thesecond component 20. - A further variant embodiment of this solution is illustrated in
FIGS. 11a and 11b and differs from the solution just described with reference toFIGS. 10a and 10b in that in this solution it is not the depth of the lowered portion of the upper surface of theportion 21 that varies over the length of theportion 21 but rather the mutual distance (in the horizontal direction inFIGS. 11a and 11b ) between the adjacent and opposing inclined surfaces P1 and P2; in particular, the distance between said surfaces P1 and P2 decreases towards the external end of thesecond component 20 and thus in the direction of extraction of thefirst component 10 from thesecond component 20. The counteractingelement 24, when pulled by theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 towards the outside of the second component 20 (from bottom to top inFIG. 11b ) is pushed increasingly upwards (against theend 12 of the component 10) and thus increases the opposing action between theend 12 of thecomponent 10, theelement 24 and theportion 21, until causing the mutual locking of said three component parts, thus preventing any further translation of thefirst component 10 towards the outside of the second component 20 (mutual locking of thefirst component 10 and second component 20). - It is obvious that the
portions 21 according to the two solutions just described above, respectively with reference toFIGS. 10a, 10b and 11a, 11b , can be used as an alternative to theinclined portions 21 of the embodiments previously described, as well as of the further embodiments that are described below. It is also obvious that the two solutions just described can be used also in combination with theinclined portion 21 of both the previous embodiments and those described below; in this case, theportion 21 is both inclined and provided with an upper surface with a convex lowered portion having variable depth and/or width. - The special feature of the further embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures from 12 a to 12 c (which show the system respectively open, locked and released) is represented, instead, by the shape and operation of the
release element 27. In this case, in fact, saidrelease element 27 is L-shaped and has a first end portion positioned at the level of the seat 26 (so that it can be housed at least partially inside saidseat 26 during the movement of theelement 27 itself) and a second portion that extends from said first end portion. - An elastic counteracting element (for example, a helical spring) 71 acts on said second portion of the
release element 27 so as to maintain it in a rest position (shown inFIG. 12a ), in which the release element is maintained at a given distance from thesecond component 20, with the first end portion of therelease element 27 far from (and not in contact with) the rotatable andtranslatable element 24. Theelastic element 71 thus exerts a thrusting action from right to left in the figures. The release of the system is thus obtained by exerting a thrusting action on theelement 27, opposing the thrusting action exerted by the element 71 (from left to right in the figures). In this way, the first end portion of therelease element 27 strikes against the rotatable andtranslatable element 24, thus thrusting it towards the inside of thecomponent 20 opposing the action of thespring 23, and thus towards that portion of theinternal space 26 in which the translatable element has more “slack” and is thus substantially “loose” between theend 12 of thecomponent 10 and theportion 21, be it inclined and/or provided with an upper surface with a convex and/or tapered lowered portion. In this way, theend portion 12 of thefirst component 10 can be extracted from the second component 20 (translated from right to left in the figures) as in the case of the other embodiments. It should also be added that theelastic element 71 is fitted on and kept in position by an element or pin 70 (with variable cross section depending on the needs and/or circumstances) that can be translated inside a corresponding housing seat obtained in thecomponent 20. - The further embodiment shown in Figures from 13 a to 13 c is quite similar to the one just described with reference to Figures from 12 a to 12 c but differs from it (and from those described above and below) in that, in this further embodiment, the elastic element or
spring 23 is replaced by amagnet 72. - Said
magnet 72 comprises in particular two portions having the same polarity (positive as indicated in the figures, or negative, depending on the cases), of which a first portion is firmly fixed to thetranslatable element 24, while a second portion is firmly fixed to thesecond component 20. The magnetic force generated between the two portions will thus tend to push towards the outside of the component 20 (from right to left in the figures) the portion of themagnet 72 that is firmly fixed to theelement 24, and thus thesame element 24 in the same direction towards the outside of thecomponent 20. Therefore, when a thrusting action is exerted on therelease element 27 in such a way as to move its first end portion until it strikes against the rotatable and translatable element, said thrusting action is exerted against the action of the magnetic force instead of against the action of an elastic element as in the embodiments described above. - In the further embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 14a and 14b , which respectively show, as in the previous cases, the conditions of the system according to the present invention in which the twocomponents release element 27 is characterized in that itsfirst end portion 27 m (the one intended to rest against the rotatable and translatable element 24) is made of a material (for example, a metal alloy) of the so-called “memory form” type, that is, such a material that the volume of saidfirst end portion 27 m varies depending on whether said end portion is placed under voltage or not. In the figures, in fact, it is possible to observe the schematic representation of two electric wires by means of which thefirst end portion 27 m of theelement 27 can be electrically powered. Owing to the power supply, thefirst end portion 27 m of theelement 27 is placed under voltage and thus its volume increases so that the same comes into contact with the rotatable andtranslatable element 24, thrusting it towards the inside of thecomponent 20, so that it is possible to extract thecomponent 10 from thecomponent 20. On the contrary, if the power supply is eliminated, saidfirst end portion 27 m of therelease element 27 returns to its initial or rest volume, and therefore it does not exert a thrusting action any longer on the rotatable and translatable element that, if driven towards the outside of thecomponent 20 by the component 10 (by its end portion 12), is locked between theend 12 and theportion 21, thus preventing the mutual release of the twocomponents - The further embodiment according to the present invention shown in Figures from 15 a to 15 c is similar to the one just described; the difference between the two embodiments lies in that the release element 27 (its second portion that extends from the first end portion) is constrained to the
component 20 through aconstraint element 27 mi, as well as in that, in this case, it is saidconstraint element 27 mi that is made of a memory form material. Therefore, alternatively supplying and taking voltage to/from theconstraint element 27 mi (through theelectric wires 27 c) alternatively increases the volume of the constraint element and returns the latter to the “rest” volume, so that therelease element 27 is alternatively removed from and moved near thecomponent 20, and the rotatable andtranslatable element 24 is alternatively pushed towards the inside of the component 20 (from left to right in the figures) and released from the first end portion of therelease element 27. - In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 16 the special feature is represented by the shape of thecomponent 10 that is characterized by such a longitudinal section that its thickness (or at least the thickness of itsend portion 12 intended to be inserted in the component 20) varies along its length, in particular increases towards saidend 12. This solution, suited to be adopted in each one of the other embodiments, in particular independently of the shape and/or inclined or not inclined orientation of theportion 21, makes it possible to increase the friction between theend portion 12 and the rotatable andtranslatable element 24, in particular the mutual opposition between theend 12 of thecomponent 10, theelement 24 and theportion 21 during the translation of thecomponent 10 towards the outside of the component 20 (obviously, with the release element deactivated and thus, for example, in the position shown inFIG. 15a ), thus making the mutual constraint between the twocomponents - In the further embodiments shown respectively in
FIGS. 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d , theseat 25 assumes different shapes. For example, in the embodiment ofFIG. 17a theseat 25 is a through seat, meaning that it is such as to place in communication the side of thecomponent 20 facing towards thecomponent 10 with its opposite side. In this case, the inner dimensions of theseat 25 can be both constant (as in the case ofFIG. 17a ) and variable (as in the case ofFIG. 17d ), meaning that the inner dimensions of theseat 25 increase towards the side of thecomponent 20 opposite the one facing towards thecomponent 10. Furthermore (as in the cases shown inFIGS. 17b and 17c ), theseat 25 can be blind and also in these cases its internal dimensions can be both variable and constant. -
FIG. 18 finally shows a special embodiment of the system according to the present invention, in which both the rotatable and translatable element 24 (shown in the figure between theportion 21 and the component 10) and theportion 21 assume special shapes. Theelement 24 shown inFIG. 18 is in fact substantially cylindrical (defined by a substantially cylindrical main external surface) but it comprises two circumferential grooves 24 g (extending along the entire circumference), each defined by a convex surface. Theportion 21 in turn comprises two corresponding projections (with cross section in the shape of a pyramid or truncated pyramid) that extend from the upper surface of theportion 21 in contact with theelement 24. The projections extend in the direction of the length of the portion 21 (at right angles to the plane ofFIG. 18 ) and thus each of them is engaged in a corresponding groove 24 g. Furthermore, the height of theprojections 21 s may vary along their length (and thus along a direction that is perpendicular to the plane ofFIG. 18 ) and theportion 21 can be inclined or not. The function of theprojections 21 s is thus to increase the opposing action between theelement 24 and theportion 21, in a way that is very similar to the case of the lowered portions of theportion 21 according to the embodiment described above with reference toFIGS. 10a, 10b and 11a, 11b . This embodiment makes it possible to increase the contact surface between theelement 24 and theportion 21, thus making the mutual constraint between thecomponent 10 and thecomponent 20 of the system safer and more reliable (with deactivated release element). - Certain preferred embodiments of this invention may be summarized as follows:
-
- 1. Quick connecting and/or fastening system suited to mutually connect and disconnect a first and a second element (100, 200), said system comprising a first and a second component (10, 20) suited to be rigidly fixed to said first and second element (100, 200), respectively, said first and said second component (10, 20) being furthermore suited to be mutually connected and disconnected so as to allow said first and second element (100, 200) to be alternatively connected and disconnected to/from each other, said second component (20) being suited to accommodate an end portion (12) of said first component (10) so as to allow the translation of same inside said second component, said second component (20) comprising furthermore counteracting means suited to counteract the translation of said end portion (12) of said first component (10) towards the outside of said second component (20), said system further comprising a rotatable element (24) that is housed inside said second component (20) and suited to be set rotating in a first rotation direction following the translation of the end portion (12) of the first component (10) towards the inside of the second component (20), and suited to be set rotating in a second rotation direction contrary to the first rotation direction following the translation of the end portion (12) of the first component (10) towards the outside of the second component (20), said counteracting means being suited to counteract the rotation of said rotatable element (24) in said second rotation direction, said system being characterized in that said second component (20) comprises release means (27, 28, 40, 44) that during their motion along a first predetermined direction they come into contact with said rotatable element (24) so as to move said rotatable element (24) towards the inside of said second component (20) and therefore so as to cause the decrease of the counteracting force between said rotatable element (24), said end portion (12) and said counteracting means.
- 2. System according to paragraph 1, characterized in that said second component (20) comprises a rigid portion that together with said end portion (12) of said first component (10) defines an internal space, in that said rotatable element (24) is housed in said space, and in that said end portion (12) of said first component (10), said rigid portion and said rotatable element (24) are mutually arranged and shaped so that said counteracting force is generated due to the mutual action of said rigid portion and said end portion (12) on said rotatable element (24).
- 3. System according to
paragraph 1 or 2, characterized in that said end portion, said rigid portion and said rotatable element (24) are mutually arranged and shaped so that said counteracting force contrary to the translation of said end portion towards the outside of said second component (20) and to the rotation of said rotatable element (24) in said second rotation direction increases during the translation of said end portion towards the outside of said second component (20) while it decreases during the translation of said end portion (12) towards the inside of said second component (20). - 4. System according to
paragraph 3, characterized in that said end portion, said rigid portion (21) and said rotatable element (24) are mutually arranged and shaped so that said counteracting force contrary to the translation of said end portion (12) towards the outside of said second component (20) and to the rotation of said rotatable element (24) in said second rotation direction increases during the translation of said end portion towards the outside of said second component (20) to the extent that it prevents any further translation of said end portion towards the outside of said second component (20) and any further rotation of said rotatable element (24) in said second rotation direction and therefore until causing the mutual locking of said end portion and said rotatable element (24) in a predetermined mutual position. - 5. System according to any of paragraphs 1 to 4, characterized in that said rigid portion (21) of said second component (20) is oriented with respect to said first component (10) and/or shaped so that said rotatable element (24) is pushed towards said end portion (12) of said first component (10) during the rotation of said rotatable element (24) in said first rotation direction.
- 6. System according to paragraph 5, characterized in that the mutual distance between the contact point of said rotatable element (24) with said rigid portion (21) and said end portion of said second component (20) increases along the direction of translation of said end portion (12) towards the inside of said second component (20) while said mutual distance decreases along the direction of translation of said end portion (12) towards the outside of said second component (20).
- 7. System according to paragraph 6, characterized in that said rotatable element (24) is in contact with both said end portion (12) and said rigid portion (21) so that the translation of said end portion (12) towards the inside of said second component (20) is transformed into an at least partial translation of said rotatable element (24) towards the inside of said second component (20) while a translation of said end portion (12) towards the outside of said second component (20) is transformed into an at least partial translation of said rotatable element (24) towards the outside of said second component (20).
- 8. System according to any of the paragraphs 1 to 7, characterized in that first thrusting means are housed inside said second component (20) and exert a thrusting action on said rotatable element (24) towards the internal space defined by said end portion (12) and said rigid portion (21).
- 9. System according to
paragraph 8, characterized in that said first thrusting means comprise elastic means (23). - 10. System according to
paragraph 8, characterized in that said first thrusting means comprise magnetic and/or electromagnetic means (72 a, 72 b). - 11. System according to any of paragraphs 1 to 10, characterized in that said second component (20) comprises second thrusting means that exert a thrusting action against said release means along a second direction contrary to said first direction of motion of said release means.
- 12. System according to
paragraph 11, characterized in that said second thrusting means comprise elastic means (71). - 13. System according to
paragraph 11, characterized in that said second thrusting means comprise electromagnetic means (60). - 14. System according to any of paragraphs 1 to 13, characterized in that said second component (20) comprises actuator means coupled with said release means which allow said release means to be moved along said first predetermined direction and therefore against the thrusting action exerted by said second thrusting means.
- 15. System according to paragraph 14, characterized in that said actuator means comprise electromagnetic means (60).
- 16. System according to paragraph 14, characterized in that said actuator means comprise at least one portion made of a memory form material.
- It is important to note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the figures. On the contrary, all the variants and the changes to the embodiments described and illustrated herein that are clear for the persons skilled in the art fall within the scope of the present invention. The objects and the scope of the present invention are defined in the claims expressed below.
Claims (6)
1. A system comprising
a first component (10) having a first end and a second end distal from the first end;
a second component (20) having a first seat and a second seat transverse to the first seat; and
a release component (Pi) slideably engaged with the second seat,
wherein
the first component is slideably engaged with the first seat and extends beyond the second component;
the second component (20) further comprises:
(a) an inner space (26) in communication with the first seat and the second seat,
(b) a rotatable element (24) located in the inner space (26) having a size which is capable of engaging in translatable rotatable contact with the second end of the first component (10) and the release component (Pi),
(c) a first compressible spring (23) having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first compressible spring (23) is engaged with the second component (20) and the second end of the first compressible spring is engaged with the rotatable element (24) for applying pressure against the rotatable element (24) in a translation direction toward the second end of the first component, and
(d) a second compressible spring (E) engaged with the second end of the first component (10) and the second component (20) for applying outward pressure between the first component (10) and the second component (20), and
the release component (Pi) further comprises a groove comprising an inclined and/or tapered surface (21) facing the rotatable element (24) flanked by a first counteracting surface (Sc1) and/or a second counteracting surface (Sc2),
wherein
(a) the inclined and/or tapered surface (21) has a gap between the inclined and/or tapered surface and the second end of the first component, wherein the gap gradually decreases from a maximum gap to a minimum gap in a direction from the first end of the first component (10) to the second end of the first component (10), wherein the maximum gap is greater than the size of the rotatable element (24) and the minimum gap is less than the size of the rotatable element (24), and
(b) the first counteracting surface (Sc1) and/or second counteracting surface (Sc2) face(s) the inner space (26) and the rotatable element (24) at an oblique angle relative to the translation direction, wherein the first counteracting surface (Sc1) and/or second counteracting surface (Sc2) is/are capable of applying a force on the rotatable element (24) to compress the first compressible spring for releasing the first component (10) when the release component (Pi) is displaced within the seat from a first position to a second position.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein both the first counteracting surface (Sc1) and the second counteracting surface (Sc2) are present in the release component (Pi).
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the release component (Pi) comprises a knob for displacing the release component (Pi) relative to the second component (20).
4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the release component (Pi) comprises a knob for displacing the release component (Pi) relative to the second component (20), wherein displacement of the knob either toward or away from the second component (20) is capable of releasing the first component (10).
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first end of the first component (10) extends beyond the second component (20).
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the system further comprises a latch (St), wherein the latch (St) is capable of engaging with the first end of the first component (10).
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US17/715,139 US20220228617A1 (en) | 2012-03-28 | 2022-04-07 | Quick fastening and/or connection system |
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US17/715,139 Pending US20220228617A1 (en) | 2012-03-28 | 2022-04-07 | Quick fastening and/or connection system |
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SE536506C2 (en) * | 2012-06-19 | 2014-01-07 | Elfa Int Ab | Device for facilitating the installation of furniture and the like |
ITVI20130239A1 (en) * | 2013-09-30 | 2015-03-31 | Giancarlo Brun | RAPID CONNECTION AND / OR FISSAGGO SYSTEM FOR DOORS, DOORS OR THE LIKE AND DOORS PROVIDED WITH THIS SYSTEM. |
US20170167520A1 (en) * | 2014-02-07 | 2017-06-15 | Giancarlo Brun | Quick connection and/or fastening system |
CN106640869B (en) * | 2016-10-11 | 2018-12-14 | 深圳市兆威机电股份有限公司 | Locking device |
CN108729761B (en) * | 2018-07-10 | 2024-04-26 | 宜兴启明星物联技术有限公司 | Emergency unlocking structure for intelligent cabinet |
CN108798298B (en) * | 2018-08-07 | 2023-10-03 | 郑州市豪诺焊接材料有限公司 | Novel intelligent cabinet electronic lock |
CN110353411A (en) * | 2019-08-05 | 2019-10-22 | 图森木业有限公司 | Household cloakroom cabinet body |
TWI821987B (en) * | 2021-04-09 | 2023-11-11 | 伍隆國際有限公司 | Electrically driven fastener structure and its application method |
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- 2012-10-10 JP JP2015502466A patent/JP6158909B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2012-10-10 WO PCT/IB2012/002011 patent/WO2013144675A1/en active Application Filing
- 2012-10-10 ES ES12797967.2T patent/ES2615054T3/en active Active
- 2012-10-10 EP EP12797967.2A patent/EP2831431B1/en active Active
- 2012-10-10 KR KR1020147028983A patent/KR20140136998A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN104321541A (en) | 2015-01-28 |
US11300148B2 (en) | 2022-04-12 |
KR20140136998A (en) | 2014-12-01 |
US20180266466A1 (en) | 2018-09-20 |
JP2015516548A (en) | 2015-06-11 |
WO2013144675A1 (en) | 2013-10-03 |
CN104321541B (en) | 2016-04-06 |
EP2831431A1 (en) | 2015-02-04 |
EP2831431B1 (en) | 2016-11-02 |
ES2615054T3 (en) | 2017-06-05 |
US20150078814A1 (en) | 2015-03-19 |
ITVI20120071A1 (en) | 2013-09-29 |
JP6158909B2 (en) | 2017-07-05 |
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