WO2005103424A1

WO2005103424A1 - Cabinet module

Info

Publication number: WO2005103424A1
Application number: PCT/CH2005/000229
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Müller
Original assignee: Lista Europe Holding Ag
Priority date: 2004-04-26
Filing date: 2005-04-22
Publication date: 2005-11-03
Also published as: EP1743078A1

Abstract

A cabinet module for storing goods, in particular tools, operating material and the like, has a housing (7) with multiple walls, at least one wall being designed as an abutting surface in the region of which another cabinet module can be joined. A plurality of receptacles are arranged in the housing, at least some of the receptacles being lockable or made accessible by means of a release device (4) arranged at least in part within the housing, and at least one receptacle being designed as a drawer (5, 5') that can be pulled out of the housing. In order to make the storage volume easy to extend while retaining the functionality of the cabinet module for the extended storage volume, a stop for the release device (4) is provided which makes it possible to mechanically transmit to at least one mechanical coupling (26) accessible from outside the housing (7) a switching state of the stop relative to another cabinet (1, 2) which results from drawing out at least one drawer (5, 5') from the housing (7) or from pushing in at least one drawer (5, 5') into the housing (7).

Description

cabinet module

The invention relates to a cabinet module, in particular for storing tools, equipment and the like, comprising a housing which has a plurality of wall surfaces, at least one wall surface being provided as an abutting surface, in the area of which a further cabinet module can be attached, a plurality of receptacles arranged in the housing, of to which at least some of the receptacles can be closed or accessed by means of a release device, at least one receptacle being designed as a drawer that can be pulled out of the housing.

Cupboards and cupboard systems are used in many areas of industry, trade and craft for the storage of tools and equipment. The invention relates here to any stored goods, including to those cabinets and cabinet systems that are suitable and intended for the storage of heavy goods, such as metallic tools, clamping devices and other manufacturing equipment.

Such cabinets for the storage of operating and production equipment therefore usually have a housing in which several drawers or other receptacles for the stored goods are arranged. The cabinets are usually designed as so-called "stand alone" solutions, which allow and provide for the use of the cabinet independently of other cabinets. In most cases, users of such cabinets wish to expand the storage volume at the lowest possible cost To achieve this, it has so far been customary to procure a further cabinet and to arrange it next to the existing cabinet. For reasons of stability and the risk of tipping over, such cabinets have generally not been arranged one above the other.

In order to increase the tilt resistance of a single cabinet, for example when several drawers are pulled out at the same time, it is known To screw cabinets together on their abutting side surfaces. However, an increased storage volume in this way is comparatively expensive. In addition, the extent of the expandability is limited by the size of the available space.

EP 1 035 285 A1 also proposes to connect a plurality of cabinets to one another via data lines and a higher-level controller. This makes it possible to grant access authorization to open several cabinets at the same time. This solution has no advantages over other known solutions in terms of the achievable storage volume. In particular for simple use cases in which access authorization is not required, this solution is associated with additional costs which are not required per se.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a possibility with which the storage volume of a cabinet can be expanded in the simplest and cheapest possible way. The expansion should also be possible for the expanded storage volume while maintaining at least part of the functionality of the cabinet module.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a cabinet module of the type mentioned at the outset, which is provided with a pull-out protection of the release device in which a switching state of the pull-out protection resulting from the pulling out of at least one drawer from the housing or the insertion of at least one drawer into the housing for mechanical

Forwarding of the switching state to another cabinet module can be passed on to at least one connection of the cabinet module, the connection of the cabinet module should be accessible from outside the housing. Thus, according to the invention, a switching state of the release device should be changeable both from outside the housing and one that is generated on the cabinet module itself

Switching state can be mechanically brought out of the housing for transmission to another cabinet module. Such cabinet modules can be used form advantageous modular cabinet system according to the invention, as set out in claim 11.

This structural design of cabinets according to the invention makes it possible to easily transfer the functionality of a cabinet module to other cabinets in a network as a cabinet module system. The transmission particularly affects the switching status of the pull-out protection, which is intended to prevent too many drawers from being pulled out at the same time. For this purpose, the pull-out protection has means which, after a predetermined number of drawers of the cabinet module have been pulled out, the other drawers of the same cabinet module against one another

Pull-out locks to prevent the cabinet from tipping over. The insertion of at least one of the drawers actuates the pull-out protection and releases this as well as the other drawers of the cabinet module for a pull-out.

The pull-out lock can preferably be designed as a single pull-out lock, in which pulling out only one drawer changes the switching state of the pull-out lock. Single pull-out locks for individual cabinets are known per se. However, the invention enables the switching state of a first cabinet module to be passed on to a second cabinet module with very little design effort. This can be prevented with little effort that several drawers of different cabinet modules can be pulled out of interconnected cabinet modules at the same time. These drawers, which were pulled out at the same time, could generate such a large tilting moment that all of the interconnected cabinet modules tilt.

In preferred embodiments, the at least one mechanical connection can be led out or accessible from the cabinet on a side wall and / or a top wall and a bottom wall (in each case butt surface) of the housing. Likewise, several such connections can be provided per cabinet, which are preferably accessible on different walls of the cabinet module. The at least one connection enables the cabinet to be mechanically coupled to one or more other cabinet modules. This creates the possibility of transferring one or more specific functions of the one cabinet module to the at least one further cabinet module, for example in order to also pass on the switching status of a locking device to the further cabinet module. As a result, in the case of the cabinet modules which supplement the storage volume, further locks and coupling elements between the further locks previously required and the part of the locking device which actually block or release the receptacles can be omitted. This saves a considerable part of the structural effort previously required for generic cabinets, since the elements mentioned are only required for one, or for a few, cabinet modules of a cabinet module system. The cabinet modules that supplement the storage volume can thus be designed to be significantly less complex.

In connection with the present invention, a

Locking device to be understood as a device that allows blocking of individual or all recordings of the respective cabinet module, regardless of whether recordings are open or pulled out, as is the case with a single pull-out protection. A locking device must generally be operated by a user to close or release the recordings. In contrast to this arises when a single pull-out protection, the respective switching state of the cabinet due to the fact alone by itself, that a recording or ^■ drawer is opened (pulled out) or closed (retracted).

In an expedient development, a locking device with a separate housing can be provided, which is attached to the housing by at least one cabinet module. In the housings of the cabinet modules themselves, the elements that were previously required to actuate the locking device by a user can then be omitted. As a result, the

Locking device arranged in different places and thus their position can be adapted to the respective needs. On the other hand, this is a constructive one Particularly inexpensive solution, so that each cabinet module does not have to be provided with its own complete locking device, each of which would have to have an actuatable lock or a receiver for a contactless actuation of the locking device.

In a particularly expedient development, it is possible with the separate locking housing to pass on the same switching state of the locking device and, if appropriate, also the individual pull-out protection to at least two different points of the locking device. This enables the locking device with its locking housing to be arranged between at least two cabinet modules according to the invention and to transmit its switching state to the at least two adjacent cabinets. Particularly in the case of manually operated locking devices, this always makes it possible for the locking device to be in an ergonomically favorable position in a simple manner.

In the cabinet module system according to the invention, individual cabinet modules can be stacked one above the other. The at least one connection of the release device can in principle be accessible from the outside through the housing at various points on the housing. In preferred embodiments, two connections can be accessible from the outside in the area of two opposite side walls. Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that a connection in the area of a ceiling wall and a further connection on an underside of the cabinet module are also accessible. This allows, in a particularly simple manner, to arrange cabinet modules next to one another and / or two or more cabinet modules also one above the other and to transmit switching states from one cabinet module to the other. In particular, cabinet module towers with three or more cabinet modules arranged one above the other can thus be created, in which the switching states can be passed on mechanically from the bottom to the top cabinet module via the cabinet modules located in between. The same applies to appropriately designed rows of cabinet modules. Likewise, in the case of cabinet module systems with a matrix structure, with several Rows and several towers the switching states of any one of the cabinets are passed on to each of the other cabinets in the manner described.

In a preferred embodiment, the cabinet module system has several types of cabinet modules that have different sizes. The sizes of the cabinet modules preferably vary with respect to at least one, preferably in two, extension directions (side edges) and thus form a modular system in which the cabinet sizes are constructed according to a certain system. All of the cabinet modules of the modular system can preferably be mechanically coupled to one another. It has proven to be advantageous if at least one cabinet module with a square cross-sectional area is provided in the modular system.

Further preferred embodiments of the invention result from the claims, the description and the drawing.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown purely schematically in the figures, in which:

1 shows a perspective, exploded view of two drawer cabinets according to the invention arranged one above the other and a locking device arranged between them, the housings of which are shown partially broken;

FIG. 2 shows a detail from FIG. 1;

3 shows a further exemplary embodiment according to the invention in a representation according to FIG. 1; FIG. 4 shows a detail from FIG. 3; Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which cabinet modules are arranged side by side.

Since the two cabinet modules (drawer cabinets) 1, 2 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 are identical, their construction is essentially only explained below with reference to the lower cabinet module 1. For the same components of the two cabinet modules 1, 2, the reference symbols are supplemented with a dash in the upper cabinet modules 2.

Between the two cabinet modules 1, 2 there is a locking device 3 which is functionally related to both cabinet modules 1, 2. The locking device 3 is part of a release device 4, which will be explained in more detail below, with which it is predetermined whether or not drawers 5 can be pulled out of the lower and the upper cabinet module 1, 2.

The lower cabinet module 1 has a housing 7 which is closed on all sides except for a front side 6 and in which drawers 5 arranged one above the other can be drawn in and out from the front side 6. At the front 6, the inserted drawers essentially form an essentially closed wall surface of the housing. Both the housing 7 and the drawers can preferably be made from sheet steel. Such drawer cabinets, including the pull-in and pull-out mechanisms for the drawers, are widely known, which is why they are not discussed in detail here.

In the area of the inside of a rear wall 8 of the housing, close to one of the

Sidewalls 9, 10, a locking device 12 belonging to the release device 4 is arranged. The locking device 12 has a vertically extending rotary rod 14, which is provided with a plurality of rigidly connected pivot rails. The swivel rails are arranged approximately Z-shaped with respect to one another in cross-section and are held in an upper and a lower bearing point 15, 16 which can be swiveled about a common vertical swivel axis 17. The size of the pivoting movement of the bearing points 15, 16 is limited by guides 20. Different switching states of the rotary rod 14 can be achieved by means of a pivoting movement of the bearing points 15, 16. In addition, pivoting movements of the rotary rod 14 generated by the bearing points can be transmitted to the bearing points 15, 16 in a different manner.

The rotary rod 14 interacts with switching tongues 21 (FIG. 3) attached to the rear of the drawers, which can produce different switching states of the rotary rod 14. A drawer 5 pulled out of the housing pivots the rotary rod 14 from a first pivoting position, in which all drawers 5 are released for pull-out, into a second pivoting position, in which the switching tongues 21 of the remaining (inserted) drawers engage behind the rotary rod 14. These remaining drawers are then locked against being pulled out of the housing 7. If one drawer is pushed back into the housing, its tongue 21 actuates the rotary rod 14 in this case. The rotary rod 14 is hereby returned to its first pivot position. All drawers 5 are now released for a pull-out. However, only a single drawer can be used at a time, since the tongue 21 of this one drawer always transfers the rotary rod 14 into its second pivot position. Regardless of the particular design solution, this function is usually referred to as a single pull-out protection.

However, the lock can also be used to lock the cabinet module 1, 2 and thus lock all the drawers 5 against being pulled out. In this case, a drawer that is still pulled out will be locked as soon as it has been pushed in completely. The blocking can be generated in a manner to be explained in more detail below via the locking device 3.

A release device with individual pull-out protection is also known in principle from EP 1 035 285 A1. However, the release device shown there differs in construction from the release device according to FIGS. 1 and 2, but it is an alternative to the release device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 usable. The disclosure content of the publication is fully incorporated by reference with regard to the function and structural design of the release device.

As is indicated in particular in the detailed representations of FIGS. 2 and 4, each bearing point has a recess 24, 25 which is rectangular in cross section and faces the top wall 22 and bottom wall 23 of the housing 7. Each of the recesses 24, 25 is a component of a respective connection 26 of the release device of the cabinet, into which a connection counterpart 27 can engage from outside the housing of the cabinet. Both recesses 24, 25 of the cabinet are aligned with the pivot axis 17, so that the recesses also rotate about the pivot axis 17 when the rotary rod 14 moves. Conversely, a rotary movement initiated by one of the recesses 24, 25 can thus be transmitted to the rotary rod 14.

A locking housing 30 of a locking device 31 is placed on the housing of the cabinet module, projection surfaces of the two housings being identical in terms of size and shape. Thus, the two housings 7, 30 - apart from a circumferential joint - can be perceived as one molding unit.

On a front side of the lock housing 30 there is a lock 32, the closed state of which is transferred by means of a rotatable rod 33 into the area of the rear wall of the lock housing 30. The rod 33 is rotatable about its essentially horizontal longitudinal axis 34. In the area of the rear wall, the rod 33 is operatively connected to a cylindrical rotating piece 35, which has rectangular recesses on its two end faces for engagement by a square 37 provided as a connecting piece. A longitudinal axis of the rotating piece 35, which simultaneously represents its axis of rotation, is aligned with the pivot axis 17 of the cabinet module and is accordingly aligned vertically. The axes of rotation of the rod 33 and of the rotating piece 35 are at least approximately perpendicular to one another. The square 37 can be detachably inserted both in the recess of the rotary piece 35 and in the recess of the connection 26. He engages here from the lock housing 30 through the housing 7 in the cabinet module 1. Due to the engagement of the square 37 in the rectangular recess of the bearing point 16, the lock 32 and the rotary rod 14 are mechanically connected to one another. It is thus possible to transfer a change in the closed state initiated by the lock 32 to the rotary rod 14. An actuation of the lock 32 leads to the closure or release of all drawers of the drawer cabinet.

The same applies to the second cabinet module 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and arranged above the lock housing. Here, too, a square 37 ′ provided as a connector engages in an upper recess of the rotating piece 35. The square 37 'is also arranged in the recess of the lower bearing point 15 ^' and thus connects the rotating piece 35 to the bearing point 15 'and thus the rotating rod 14' of the upper cabinet module 2. A closing movement of the lock 32 is thus simultaneously on the lower as well transfer the upper cabinet module 1, 2.

However, the invention now also allows the upper and the lower cabinet modules 1, 2 to be combined to form a functionally uniform storage unit insofar as the two cabinet modules 1, 2 are also operatively connected to one another independently of the lock 32. As will be explained in more detail below, this enables the two cabinet modules to be provided and used with a common single pull-out protection.

If, for example, a drawer 5 is pulled out of the housing in the lower cabinet module 1, this leads to a change in the swivel position of the rotary rod 14 or the swivel rails. As previously explained, this blocks the inserted drawers 5 remaining in the housing against being pulled out. The change in the pivoting position also leads to a rotary movement of the bearing point 16, which then moves this movement via the square to the rotating piece 35 and the further square 37 ^' to the lower bearing point 15' of the upper cabinet module 2 passes. The movement of the latter bearing pivots the rotary rod 14 'of the upper cabinet module into the same pivot position in which the rotary rod 14 of the lower cabinet module is located. The pivot rod 14 'of the upper cabinet module 14' is thereby also engaged by the tongues of the drawers 5 ^'of the upper cabinet module 2. This also blocks the drawers 5 ^'of the upper cabinet module 2 from being pulled out. If the pulled-out drawer 5 is pushed in again, all the drawers 5 and 5 ^'of both cabinet modules 1, 2 are thereby released for being pulled out. As soon as one of the drawers 5, 5 ^'is pulled out, the remaining drawers of both cabinet modules 1, 2 are blocked again.

The two cabinet modules 1, 2 act in relation to the individual pull-out protection and the closing via the lock 32 as just a cabinet with a loading capacity of the two cabinet modules 1, 2.

A further cabinet module, not shown, can be arranged on the upper cabinet module 2. These two cabinet modules can be operatively connected via the lower bearing of one and the upper bearing of the other cabinet module by means of a further square. All three cabinet modules are thus coupled to one another with regard to the locking and locking device. In principle, any number of cabinet modules can be stacked on top of one another and functionally connected to one another in the manner described.

3 and 4 show the two cabinet modules, which are already shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In contrast to the representations of the first exemplary embodiment, however, a locking device 103 is provided here, which enables a contactless release of the lock instead of a lock that can be mechanically actuated by means of a key. For example, via radio, IR radiation or another non-contact signal transmission, a request code can be sent to a control of the locking device 103, which is not shown in any more detail, and is then compared with authorization codes in the control of the locking device. Essentially at the same time, a Signal for opening or closing the cabinet module (s) 1, 2 sent. If the request code matches one of the stored authorization codes, an actuating element (not shown in more detail) actuates a swivel lever 133, which in turn actuates the rotating piece 35. Such contactless locking systems are known in principle and per se, for example from EP 1 035 285 A1, the disclosure content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The pivoting movement of the pivoting lever 133, which runs in a horizontal plane, leads to a displacement movement of a fork-shaped element 134, which in this case can actuate one leg 36 of the rotating piece 35. Depending on whether there is a signal to close or to open, the fork-shaped element 134 moves in one or the other direction according to the double arrow in FIG. 4. As a result, the rotating piece 35 rotates about its longitudinal axis and carries out the release or locking of the drawers 5, 5 ^'of the two cabinet modules already described in connection with the first exemplary embodiment.

A further configuration of a plurality of cabinet modules 1, 2 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 5. In this case, at least two cabinet modules 1, 2 with side walls are arranged next to one another and connected to one another via a common locking device 203, which has a locking housing 230 extending over both cabinets. For the sake of clarity only, the closing housing 230 is shown in the form of an exploded view at a distance from the housings of the cabinet modules 1, 2 and the latter is shown without drawers. The lock 32 arranged in the lock housing 230 above the right-hand cabinet module is operatively connected to the rotating piece 35 of the right-hand cabinet module 1 in the same way as has already been explained in connection with the first exemplary embodiment. For this purpose, the rotating piece 35 is located in the locking housing 230 and engages via a square 37 in the housing of the cabinet module.

Furthermore, a push rod 231 is attached to the leg of the rotating piece 35 and is also arranged on the leg of the one above the left drawer cabinet 2 second pivot 35 is articulated. The second rotating piece 35 is also connected to the latter by means of a square, which engages through the housing 7 of the cabinet module 2 in the upper bearing point 16. A rotary movement of the one rotary piece 35 leads to a rotary movement of the respective other rotary piece 35 which is identical with respect to the angle of rotation and the direction of rotation.

As in the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 4, the two cabinet modules 1, 2 are thus connected to one another as if they were arranged in only one housing, both with regard to the individual pull-out protection and the locking or unlocking of all the drawers of both cabinet modules 1, 2 would. The cabinet module system shown in FIG. 5 can also be expanded on both sides of the cabinet modules with any number of additional cabinet modules, all of which can be operatively connected to the adjacent drawer cabinet in the manner shown by means of push rods or in another suitable manner. Instead of the locking device 203 provided with a mechanical lock 32, a non-contact locking device, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, can also be used.

In a configuration not shown, it can also be provided that cabinet modules of the exemplary embodiments shown are arranged next to one another and also one above the other and are operatively connected. One also not shown

A further development of the cabinet module system can provide that the cabinet modules of FIGS. 1 to 5 are basic modules which, according to the invention, are larger

Cabinet modules can be added. The outside dimensions of the larger cabinet modules can be a multiple of the mass of both in width and depth

Basic module. Preferably in such a cabinet module system

Cabinet modules available, the respective external dimensions A (width and / or depth) of the housing are graded according to a certain system. For example, it can be provided that the external dimensions are graded according to the function A = G + (N x S), where G corresponds to the smallest external dimension (height or width). Here N is an integer and S is a fixed basic measure, around the one

Cabinet module and the next largest cabinet module either in height and / or varied in width. In this way, cabinet modules can be present in a modular cabinet module system in which one side edge of the next largest cabinet module is half larger than the side edge (with respect to the same direction of extension in width, depth or height) of its size next smaller cabinet module. For example, cupboards with a width of 0.5 m, 0.75 m, 1 m, 1, 5 m and 2 m can be provided. A cabinet with a depth of 0.5, 0.75 m, 1 m, 1, 5 m and 2 m can also be available for each of these widths. Of course, other dimensions and gradations are also possible.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Cabinet module 23 bottom wall cabinet module 24 recess locking device 25 recess release device 26 connection drawer 27 connection counterpart ^' drawer 30 locking housing front 31 locking device housing 32 lock rear wall 33 rod side wall 34 longitudinal axis0 side wall 35 rotating piece2 locking device 36 leg4 rotating rod 37 square 4' rotating rod 37 'square5 bearing point 103 locking device5 ^' bearing point 133 pivot lever6 bearing point 203 locking device7 pivot axis 230 locking housing0 guide 231 push rod1 switching tongue2 ceiling wall

Claims

claims

1. Cabinet module for storing stored goods, in particular tools, equipment and the like, comprising a housing (7) which has a plurality of walls, at least one wall being provided as an impact surface, in the area of which a further cabinet module can be attached, several in the housing Arranged receptacles, of which at least some of the receptacles can be locked or accessed by means of an at least partially arranged release device (4), at least one receptacle being designed as a drawer (5, 5 ^' ) which can be pulled out of the housing, characterized by a Pull-out safety device for the release device (4), in which there is a result of a pull-out of at least one drawer (5, 5 ') from the housing (7) or an insertion of at least one drawer (5, 5') into the housing (7) Show state of the pull-out protection for the mechanical forwarding of the switching state to another cabinet module (1, 2) to at least e a mechanical connection (26) can be passed on, which is accessible from outside the housing (7).

2. Cabinet module according to claim 1, characterized in that the pull-out lock is designed as a single pull-out lock, in which pulling out only one drawer causes a change in the switching state of the pull-out lock.

3. Cabinet module according to one or both of the preceding claims, characterized in that the release device (4) has at least one mechanical connection with which a switching state of the Release device (4) can be mechanically introduced into the housing (7) from outside the housing (7).

4. Cabinet module according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one connection of the release device (4) is located in the region of the abutting surface.

5. Cabinet module according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the abutting surface has a passage through the housing (7) as access to the mechanical connection.

6. cabinet module according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by at least two connections (26) which are located in the region of two opposite walls of the housing (7).

7. cabinet module according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by a locking device (3, 103, 203), by means of which all receptacles of the cabinet module can be released or closed overall and that the locking device (3, 103, 203) is part of the release device (4th ) is.

8. Cabinet module according to claim 7, characterized in that the locking device (3, 103, 203) has a locking housing (30, 230) which can be attached to the housing (7) of the cabinet module.

9. cabinet module according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pull-out lock can be actuated by means of the mechanical connection.

10. Cabinet module according to claim 7 and 9, that both the switching state of the pull-out protection and the locking device can be changed by means of the mechanical connection.

11. cabinet module system with several cabinet modules, characterized in that at least one cabinet module is designed according to one or more of claims 1 to 10.

12. cabinet module system according to connection 11, characterized in that at least two of the cabinet modules can be mechanically connected to one another by means of their connections, as a result of which a switching state of one cabinet module can be passed on to the other cabinet module.

13. Cabinet module system according to claim 12, characterized in that the switching states of the at least two cabinet modules can be synchronized with one another by means of their connections.

14. cabinet module system according to one or more of the preceding claims 11 to 13, characterized in that by means of only one locking device (3, 103, 203) by mechanical coupling of connections several of the cabinet modules (1, 2) can be jointly closed and released.

15. cabinet module system according to one or more of the preceding claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the switching state of a pull-out protection from a first cabinet module (1, 2) to at least a second cabinet module (1, 2) and thereby the switching state of the individual pull-out protection for both Cabinet modules (1, 2) can be synchronized.

16. cabinet module system according to one or more of claims 11 to 15, characterized by several cabinet modules with different external dimensions.

17. Cabinet module system according to at least one of the preceding claims 1 1 to 16, characterized in that two or more cabinet modules (1, 2) arranged one above the other and / or side by side and switching states of release devices (4) of these cabinet modules are mechanically connected to one another.