Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F5/00—Show stands, hangers, or shelves characterised by their constructional features
  • A47F5/10—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands
  • A47F5/101—Display racks with slotted uprights
  • A47F5/103—Display shelving racks with the uprights aligned in only one plane
• • 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
  • A47B47/00—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements
  • A47B47/02—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements made of metal only
• • 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
  • A47B47/00—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements
  • A47B47/02—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements made of metal only
  • A47B47/021—Racks or shelf units
  • A47B47/022—Racks or shelf units with cantilever shelves
• • 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
  • A47B47/00—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements
  • A47B47/02—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements made of metal only
  • A47B47/021—Racks or shelf units
  • A47B47/028—Racks or shelf units with crossbars
• • 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
  • A47B96/14—Bars, uprights, struts, or like supports, for cabinets, brackets, or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F5/00—Show stands, hangers, or shelves characterised by their constructional features
  • A47F5/10—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands
  • A47F5/13—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands made of tubes or wire

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a frame structure as defined in the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for bracing a frame structure as disclosed in the preamble of claim 7.
• the present invention mainly concerns a frame structure standing freely on its own legs , which can be used as the frame of various pieces of furniture, such as e . g . shelf racks .
• the upright legs of the frame structure are generally made from furniture tube of square or rectangular cross-section, which is cut to an appropriate length .
• a frame structure consisting of two upright legs is traditionally stabilized by using horizontal bracing beams , a back plate or a fixed lattice structure, which is fastened e . g . with screws to the upright legs .
• the upright legs are perforated with various holes on different sides . Holes are made e . g.
• the required holes have to be made in several working stages, involving the problem that processing the furniture tube is slow and expensive .
• expensive tools are needed for the processing of furniture tubes .
• the obj ect of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks and to create a simple frame structure that is fast and economical to manufacture .
• a further obj ect is to create a frame structure solution made from sheetmetal by bending and via substantially few work stages that is easy and fast to assemble to form a rigid and steady frame for a piece of furniture .
• Yet another obj ect of the invention is to achieve a reliable, easy and fast method for bracing a frame structure .
• the frame structure of the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1.
• the method of the invention is correspondingly characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 7.
• Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims .
• the frame structure is economical in respect of material, and producing the frame structure does not require several work stages nor expensive tools .
• the upright leg can be completed in a single operation, including the required cutting, perforations and bending . Therefore, manufacture is facilitated and accelerated while the manufacturing costs are reduced .
• An additional advantage is that the frame structure can be easily braced in conjunction with its assembly. A simple and reliable cross-brace is sufficient to stiffen the frame structure so that no undesirable wobbling occurs .
• FIG. 1 presents an oblique top view of a frame structure according to the invention for a piece of furniture
• Fig . 2 presents a front view of the frame structure of the invention for a piece of furniture
• Fig . 3 presents a magnified view of the j oint between an upright leg of the furniture frame structure presented in Fig . 2 and a horizontal bracing beam, a cross-brace stabilizing the structure being also connected to this j oint .
• Figs . 1 and 2 present a frame structure 1 for a piece of furniture implementing the idea of the invention, e . g . a shelf rack intended for articles offered for sale or otherwise exposed, said frame structure standing freely on its own legs and comprising at least upright legs 2 , horizontal legs 3 secured to the lower ends of the upright legs , and an upper horizontal brace 4 and a lower horizontal brace 5 together with mounting flanges 8 and 9, said horizontal braces being mounted between the upright legs 2 to stabilize these, and cross-braces 6 fastened by their ends to the mounting flanges 8 and 9.
• the front sides of the upright legs are provided with mounting holes 7 at least for the attachment of shelves to the frame structure 1.
• the mutually opposite sides of the upright legs 2 are provided with mounting holes for the horizontal braces 4 and 5 , and a slot 12 extending through the entire height of the upright leg and preferably located symmetrically in the middle of the side .
• the upright legs 2 of the frame structure are made from sheetmetal bent to shape such that the upright leg 2 substantially has the shape of a rectangular parallelogram in cross-section, wherein one of the long sides is open throughout the length of the leg, forming a longitudinal slot 12.
• the cross-section is thus substantially the shape of a rectangular letter C .
• the bending to shape of the upright legs 2 and the perforations for the shelf mounting holes 7 and the mounting holes for the horizontal braces 4 , 5 as well as other required holes or notches are preferably performed in a single operation, in other words, producing the upright legs 2 requires , apart from the coating, at the minimum only one mechanical work stage .
• the upright leg 2 is thus manufactured e . g .
• the upper horizontal brace 4 and the lower horizontal brace 5 can also be made from bent sheetmetal .
• the frame structure 1 has two horizontal legs 3 to keep it upright .
• the upright legs 2 are placed opposite to each other so that the open sides of the cross-sectional C-profile face towards each other .
• the ends of the upper horizontal brace 4 and the lower horizontal brace 5 are provided with mounting flanges 8 and 9 , and the horizontal braces are fastened with screws to the upright legs 2 by these mounting flanges 8 , 9.
• the cross-brace 6 is e . g . a steel wire causing a tension and having hook-like ends 11.
• the first end of the steel wire is placed in a hole 10 provided in the mounting flange 8 of the upper horizontal brace 8 , while its second end is placed in a hole 10 provided in the mounting flange 9 of the lower horizontal brace 5.
• the hook-like ends 11 keep the cross-brace 6 firmly secured to both the upper horizontal brace 4 and the lower horizontal brace 5.
• the cross-braces 6 are so dimensioned relative to the lengths and positions of the horizontal braces 4 and 5 that, when the upper horizontal brace 4 and the lower horizontal brace 5 are fastened in their final tightness to the upright legs 2 , the cross-braces 6 undergo a tension substantially in the longitudinal direction of the cross- braces 6, which produces in the frame structure 1 a diagonal tension that prevents wobbling of the frame structure, thus stabilizing the structure .
• Fig . 3 presents a magnified view of the j oint between the upright leg 2 and the lower horizontal brace 5.
• the j oint between the upright leg 2 and the upper horizontal brace 4 is substantially identical to this and symmetrical with respect to the horizontal plane .
• Fig . 3 shows how the hook-like end 11 of the cross-brace 6 is placed in the mounting hole 10 located at the upper edge of the mounting flange 9 of the lower horizontal brace 5 and substantially at the middle of the flange .
• the mounting flange 8 of the upper horizontal brace 4 has at the middle of its lower edge a similar mounting hole for the upper end of the cross- brace 6.
• the substantially freestanding frame structure 1 is braced e . g . as follows :
• the first ends of the cross-braces 6 are placed in the holes 10 provided in the mounting flanges 8 of the upper horizontal brace 4.
• the upper horizontal brace 4 is fastened with screws by its mounting flanges 8 to the upright legs 2 so that the hook-like upper ends 11 of the cross-braces 6 remain in the slots 12 in the mutually opposite side faces of the upright legs 2 , the width of the slot being suitably larger than the thickness of the hook-like end 11 of the cross-brace .
• the second hook-like ends 11 of the cross-braces 6 are placed in the holes 10 provided in the mounting flanges 9 of the lower horizontal brace 5 , the lower horizontal brace 5 now hanging from the cross-braces 6 at a position somewhat higher than its final mounting position .
• the length of the cross-braces 6 in relation to the length and mounting position of the horizontal braces 4 and 5 has been so designed that the lower horizontal brace 5 has to be pulled downwards so as to produce a tension in the cross-braces 6 before the lower horizontal brace 5 can be secured to the upright legs 2.
• the lower horizontal brace 5 is pulled downwards until the mounting holes in its mounting flanges 9 are aligned with the corresponding mounting holes in the upright legs 2.
• the lower horizontal brace 5 is fastened with screws by its mounting flanges 9 to the upright legs 2 in the same way as the upper horizontal brace, i . e . so that the hook-like lower ends 11 of the cross-braces 6 remain in the slots 12 in the mutually opposite side faces of the upright legs 2.
• the cross-braces are subj ect to a tension acting in the longitudinal direction of the cross-braces , stabilizing the frame structure and preventing wobbling of the frame structure .
• the cross-braces 6 may be made of some other material causing a tension in the cross-braces .
• cross- braces 6 can be provided with separate tension springs that produce the required tension .
• One cross-brace may thus be e . g . a two-part cross-brace provided with a separate spring, in which case the lower part of the cross-brace is secured to the lower horizontal brace 5 and the upper part of the cross-brace is secured to the upper horizontal brace 4 , and the free ends of the two cross-braces are connected to each other with a tension spring producing the required tension .
• the horizontal braces 4 and 5 can be fastened to the upright legs 2 in many other ways besides using screws .
• the fastening can be implemented e . g . mechanically by shape- locking, by spring force or by other appropriate methods .
• the frame structure 1 can be assembled in many different ways besides that described above . Therefore, for example, the order of the above-mentioned stages of the method may vary and the stages may be different in function and number .
• the essential point is to produce a frame structure provided with upright legs bent from sheetmetal or equivalent, which stands freely on its own legs and is braced and stiffened by means of cross- braces, in which a tension acting in their longitudinal direction is arranged to be created when the cross-braces are being mounted .

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• Assembled Shelves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34224183

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (1)

Citations (9)

• 2005
  • 2005-02-07 FI FI20050143A patent/FI20050143A/sv not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2006
  • 2006-01-25 WO PCT/FI2006/050042 patent/WO2006082283A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (9)

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