WO2006132499A1

WO2006132499A1 - Structure of knocked down furniture

Info

Publication number: WO2006132499A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/002185
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung-Soo Lee
Original assignee: Ecofun Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2005-06-10
Filing date: 2006-06-08
Publication date: 2006-12-14
Also published as: KR20060128499A; KR100683494B1

Abstract

The present invention relates a structure of knockdown furniture which can be assembled and disassembled. The structure of the knockdown furniture of the present invention includes an upper plate (10), which has guide grooves (11) in a lower surface thereof, a connection plate (20), which has coupling slots (21) at positions spaced apart from each other, and support plates (30), each of which has on an upper edge thereof a slide-coupling part (31) to be inserted into a corresponding guide groove (11). The structure of the knockdown furniture further includes a dovetail key (40), which is fitted into an end of the guide groove (11) after the upper plate, the support plates and the connection plate have been assembled together, thus maintaining the coupling between the upper plate, the connection plate and the support plates.

Description

Description STRUCTURE OF KNOCKED DOWN FURNITURE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to structures of knockdown furniture which can be assembled and disassembled and, more particularly, to a structure of knockdown furniture which can be easily assembled and disassembled at a site, thus making it easy to carry and store the furniture, and which ensures a good appearance when assembled, thus increasing marketability thereof. Background Art

[2] Generally, furniture, such as a desk, a wardrobe and a display case, is made of wood or plastic and has been widely used. Most furniture is assembled or manufactured in factories and is carried to and installed in desired places.

[3] However, because such furniture, which is assembled or manufactured in a factory, is not easily disassembled and has a relatively large volume, a relatively large space is required to store the furniture, and, when carrying the furniture, it is difficult to load several pieces of furniture into a vehicle. Therefore, logistics costs excessively increase.

[4] To overcome the above problems, knockdown furniture, which has a structure such that it can be easily assembled and installed, was disclosed. Typically, such knockdown furniture comprises a plurality of elements, and, when in a state of being disassembled, thanks to the reduced volume thereof, a lot of furniture can be loaded into a vehicle. Therefore, there is an advantage of reduced logistics costs.

[5] However, in the conventional knockdown furniture, which has an upper plate and a support plate for supporting the upper plate, a process of assembling the furniture is very complex and thus requires a lot of time. Thus, there is a disadvantage of reduced workability. Particularly, because the assembly process is very difficult, an exp erienced worker is necessary. Accordingly, for example, when moving, the knockdown furniture may have to be carried in an assembled state, because it is very difficult for a user, who is not an expert, to disassemble and assemble the knockdown furniture. In this case, the knockdown furniture requires a relatively large space, thus inconveniencing the user.

[6] In an effort to overcome the problems experienced with the conventional knockdown furniture, an assembly structure of knockdown furniture has been disclosed by the inventor of the present invention in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0363471 which discloses a process of assembling and disassembling an upper plate and a support plate such that the assembled knockdown furniture can maintain a state of being reliably coupled, so that anyone can easily assemble and disassemble the knockdown furniture, and the knockdown furniture can be conveniently stored and carried through simple assembly and disassembly processes.

[7] In detail, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the assembly structure of the knockdown furniture, which was disclosed by the inventor of the present invention, includes a pair of upper plates 110, each of which has therein an insertion hole 111 having a predetermined shape, and an inclined coupling groove 112, which is formed on an end of the insertion hole 111. The assembly structure of the knockdown furniture further includes a support plate 120, which has coupling protrusions 121 that protrude from the upper edge of the support plate 120. Each coupling protrusion 121 has an inclined lower surface at an end thereof and is inserted into the coupling groove 112 of each upper plate 110. The assembly structure of the knockdown furniture further includes a double dovetail key 130, which is inserted into the insertion holes 111 formed around the contact edges of the upper plates 110, after the coupling protrusions 121 have been inserted into the respective coupling grooves 112 by pushing the upper plates 110 inwards from the opposite edges of the support plate 120. To assemble the knockdown furniture having the above-mentioned assembly structure, the upper plates 110 are coupled to the support plate 120 and, thereafter, the double dovetail key 130 is inserted into the insertion holes 111, which are formed in the upper plates 110 at positions adjacent to the contact edges of the upper plates 110. As such, the assembly process can be easily conducted.

[8] However, in the conventional assembly structure, the coupling protrusions 121 of the support plate 120, which are inserted into the coupling grooves 112 of the upper plates 110, are exposed outside the surface of the upper plates 110. As such, because the coupling protrusions 121 are exposed outside the upper plates 110, the knockdown furniture has a poor appearance, thus the marketability thereof is reduced.

[9] Therefore, knockdown furniture, which has a structure such that it can be assembled and disassembled at a site and is thus easy to carry or store and, as well, ensures a superior appearance of the furniture, has been required. To meet the above needs, the inventor of the present invention developed the present invention. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[10] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure of knockdown furniture which can be easily assembled and disassembled at a site, thus making it easy to carry and store the furniture, and which ensures a good appearance when assembled, thus increasing marketability thereof. Technical Solution

[11] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a structure of knockdown furniture, including: an upper plate, with a plurality of guide grooves formed in a lower surface of the upper plate in a transverse direction, a connection plate, which has a plurality of coupling slots extending inwards from a lower edge of the connection plate at positions spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals, a plurality of support plates, each of which has on an upper edge thereof a slide-coupling part to be coupled to each of the guide grooves of the upper plate and has a support slot that extends downwards from the upper edge of the support and engages with each of the coupling slots of the connection plate in a direction in which the support plate crosses the connection plate, and a dovetail key to be fitted into each end of the guide grooves in a state in which the support slots of the support plates engage with the respective coupling slots of the connection plate and the slide-coupling parts of the support plates are fitted into the respective guide grooves of the upper plate by sliding the upper plate along the support plates, thus maintaining the coupling among the upper plate, the connection plate and the support plates.

Advantageous Effects

[12] As described above, the knockdown furniture of the present invention, which includes an upper plate, a connection plate, support plates and dovetail keys, can be easily assembled and disassembled at a site and thus it is easy to carry and store the furniture. Furthermore, because the assembly means is not exposed outside, a good appearance of the furniture is ensured, thus increasing the marketability thereof. Brief Description of the Drawings

[13] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the structure of conventional knockdown furniture;

[14] Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the conventional knockdown furniture of Fig. 1 ;

[15] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of knockdown furniture, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[16] Fig. 4 is an assembled side view showing critical parts of the knockdown furniture of Fig. 3;

[17] Fig. 5 is an assembled sectional view showing critical parts of the knockdown furniture of Fig. 3;

[18] Fig. 6 is an assembled sectional view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[19] Fig. 7 is an assembled sectional view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and [20] Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[21] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[22] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of knockdown furniture, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is an assembled side view showing a critical part of the knockdown furniture of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an assembled sectional view showing a critical part of the knockdown furniture of Fig. 3.

[23] As shown in Figs. 3 through 5, the knockdown furniture of the present invention includes an upper plate 10, which has a plurality of guide grooves 11 in a lower surface thereof in transverse directions, and a connection plate 20, which has coupling slots 21, each of which extends inwards from a lower edge of the connection plate 20, at positions spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals. The knockdown furniture further includes a plurality of support plates 30. Each support plate 30 has on an upper edge thereof a slide-coupling part 31, which is slide-coupled into each guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10, and has a support slot 32, which extends downwards from the upper edge of the support plate 30 and engages with each coupling slot 21 of the connection plate 20 in the direction in which the support plate 30 crosses the connection plate 20. The knockdown furniture further includes a dovetail key 40, which is fitted into an end of each guide groove 11 in the state in which the support slots 32 of the support plates 30 engage with the respective coupling slots 21 of the connection plate 20 and the slide-coupling parts 31 of the support plates 30 are thereafter fitted into the respective guide grooves 11 of the upper plate 10 by sliding the upper plate 10 along the support plates 30, thus maintaining the coupling among the upper plate 10, the connection plate 20 and the support plates 30.

[24] The knockdown furniture of the present invention is characterized in that it can be easily assembled and disassembled at a site and the means for coupling the upper plate 10, the connection plate 20 and the support plates 30 to each other is not exposed outside the surface of the upper plate 10, thus ensuring a good appearance of the furniture, when assembled, thereby increasing marketability.

[25] In detail, the guide grooves 11 are formed in transverse directions in the lower surface of the upper plate 10. Here, the guide grooves 11 are grooves into which the slide-coupling parts 31 of the respective support plates 30 are slide-coupled. In addition, the number of guide grooves 11 corresponds to the number of support plates 30.

[26] Each guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10 may be open at opposite ends thereof. Alternatively, as shown in the drawings, a first end of each guide groove 11 may be closed, so that the slide-coupling part 31 is inserted into a second end of the guide groove 11 which is open and, thereafter, the dovetail key 40 is fitted into the second end of the guide groove 11. In this case, compared to the case in which the opposite ends of the guide groove 11 are open, the number of dovetail keys 40 can be reduced, and a process of assembling the furniture can be conducted more easily.

[27] Each guide groove 11 has a cross-section such that the support plate 30, which has been fitted into the guide groove 11, is prevented from being removed downwards from the guide groove 11. The cross-section of the guide groove 11 may have various shapes besides the upside-down trapezoidal shape shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the upper plate 10 may have various shapes depending on the intended purpose of the furniture.

[28] As such, in the present invention, because the guide grooves 11 are formed in the lower surface of the upper plate 10, the slide-coupling parts 31 of the support plates 30 are not exposed outside after the support plates 30 are coupled to the upper plate 10. Therefore, a good appearance of the assembled furniture is ensured, thus marketability thereof is increased.

[29] Meanwhile, the coupling slots 21, which extend inwards from the lower edge of the connection plate 20, are formed in the connection plate 20 at predetermined intervals. The connection plate 20 serves to prevent the support plates 30 from undesirably moving and to subsidiarily support the upper plate 10. The coupling slots 21 are used for coupling between the connection plate 20 and the support plates 30. The number of coupling slots 21 formed in the connection plate 20 corresponds to the number of support plates 30. Each support plate 30 is placed such that the support slot 32 thereof faces each coupling slot 21 of the connection plate 20 and, thereafter, the support plate 32 and the connection plate 20 are pushed in directions approaching each other. Then, the support plate 30 and the connection plate 20 cross and engage with each other. As well as the shape shown in the drawings, the connection plate 20 may be manufactured to have various shapes.

[30] Each support plate 30 has on the upper edge thereof the slide-coupling part 31, which is fitted into each guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10 in a sliding manner. Furthermore, the support slot 32, which extends downwards from the upper edge, is formed in each support plate 30. The support slot 32 of each support plate 30 engages with the associated coupling slot 21 of the connection plate 20 in the direction in which the support plate 30 crosses the connection plate 20. Each slide-coupling part 31 is formed in a shape corresponding to that of the guide groove 11. The support slot 32 is used for coupling the support plate 30 to the connection plate 20. After the support plate 30 is placed in a direction crossing the connection plate 20 so that the support slot 32 of the support plate 30 and the related coupling slot 21 of the connection plate 20 face each other, the support plate 32 and the connection plate 20 are pushed in directions approaching each other. Then, the support plate 32 and the connection plate 20 become securely coupled to each other. Here, in the drawings, the support slot 32 is formed at an intermediate position in the support plate 30, but the position at which the support slot 32 is formed in the support plate 30 may be changed depending on the intended purpose of the furniture. Furthermore, the support plate 30 may have various shapes besides the shape shown in the drawings.

[31] The dovetail key 40 is fitted into each end of the guide groove 11 in the state in which the support slots 32 of the support plates 30 engage with the respective coupling slots 21 of the connection plate 20, and the slide-coupling parts 31 of the support plates 30 are thereafter fitted into the respective guide grooves 11 of the upper plate 10 by sliding the upper plate 10 along the support plates 30, thus maintaining the coupling between the upper plate 10, the connection plate 20 and the support plates 30.

[32] Preferably, as shown in the drawings, the dovetail key 40 includes an insertion part

41, which is inserted into the guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10, and a handle part

42, which is provided under the lower end of the insertion part 41. The insertion part 41 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the guide groove 11. Thanks to the insertion part 41 inserted into the guide groove 11, the support plate 30, which has been fitted into the guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10 in a sliding manner in a direction from an edge of the upper plate 10 towards the center, is prevented from being undesirably removed from the guide groove 11 of the upper plate 10 in a transverse direction. The handle part 42 facilitates insertion or removal of the insertion part 41 into or from the guide groove 11.

[33] Here, the handle part 42 may be provided under an end of a lower surface of the insertion part 41 or, alternatively, may be provided under the entire lower surface of the insertion part 41. Furthermore, the handle part 42 may have various shapes depending on the intended purpose.

[34] To assemble the knockdown furniture having the above-mentioned structure, the support slot 32 of each support plate 30 is engaged with each coupling slot 21 of the connection plate 20 by crossing the support plate 30 and the connection plate 20 with each other and by pushing them in directions approaching each other. Thereafter, the upper plate 10 is coupled to the support plates 30 by sliding the support plates 30 along the guide slots 11 of the upper plate 10 in a transverse direction. Subsequently, the dovetail key 40 is inserted into the end of each guide slot 11 of the upper plate 10, thus easily completing the process of assembling the furniture. To disassemble the furniture, the dovetail keys 40 are removed and, thereafter, the above-mentioned processes are conducted in the reverse order. Hence, the furniture can also be easily disassembled.

[35] As such, the knockdown furniture of the present invention can be rapidly and easily assembled and disassembled, and the assembled knockdown furniture maintains a state of being reliably coupled, thus anyone can easily assemble and disassemble the knockdown furniture. Particularly, the means for coupling the upper plate 10, the connection plate 20 and the support plates 30 to each other is not exposed outside, so that a good appearance of the assembled furniture is ensured, thus marketability thereof is increased. Here, the furniture may be various products including the upper plate 10, the support plates 30, the connection plate 20 and the dovetail keys 40. As required, additional elements may be provided, which will be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art. Mode for the Invention

[36] Fig. 6 is an assembled sectional view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, a receiving seat 33, into which an insertion part 41 and a handle part 42 of a dovetail key 40 are inserted, is formed in each of opposite edges of each support plate 30. Here, the outer surface of the handle part 42 may be aligned with the edge of the support plate 30 or, alternatively, may protrude from the edge of the support plate 30. This is determined depending on the case.

[37] Fig. 7 is an assembled sectional view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture according to a further embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7, a handle part 42 of a dovetail key 40 is coupled to an edge of a support plate 30 by screw coupling 43 using a bolt or a locking piece. Then, the dovetail key 40 can be coupled to the support plate 30 more reliably. In this case, to disassemble the knockdown furniture, after the bolts or the locking pieces are loosened to release the screw coupling 43, the dovetail keys 40 are removed. Thereafter, an upper plate 10 is removed from the support plates 30, and the support plates 30 and a connection plate are disassembled.

[38] Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing critical parts of knockdown furniture, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 8, an upper plate 10 comprises a left upper plate 10a and a right upper plate 10b. Guide grooves 11a and 1 Ib, which are respectively formed in the lower surfaces of the left and right upper plates 10a and 10b, are open at opposite ends thereof. The left upper plates 10a and the right upper plates 1 Ib are coupled to respective opposite sides of slide-coupling parts 31 of support plates 30 by inserting the opposite sides of the slide-coupling parts 31 of the support plates 30 into respective guide grooves 11a and 1 Ib of the left and right upper plates 10a and 10b. Thereafter, a dovetail key 40 is fitted into each of the ends of the guide grooves l la and 1 Ib.

[39] This embodiment is constructed such that the upper plate 10 is divided into left and right upper plates 10a and 10b, which are assembled through separate processes. In the case where the upper plate 10 is too large to be carried or stored, this embodiment can be conveniently used.

[40] Furthermore, preferably, a plurality of coupling depressions 12 is formed in lower surfaces of contact edges of the left and right upper plates 10a and 10b, and a plurality of coupling protrusions 22 is provided on the connection plate 20, so that the coupling protrusions 22 are inserted into the coupling depressions 12.

[41] As such, in this embodiment, the coupling depressions 12 are formed in the left and right upper plates, the coupling protrusions 22 are provided on the connection plate 20, and the coupling depressions 12 and the coupling protrusions 22 are coupled to each other. Therefore, the connection plate 20 is prevented from undesirably moving to the left or right. Here, each coupling depression 12 may have various shapes besides the shape shown in the drawing. Each coupling protrusion 22 has a shape corresponding to that of the coupling depression 12.

[42] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been explained with reference to the attached drawings, theses are only illustrative examples. Therefore, the present invention must be analyzed in light of the accompanying claims, as including various modifications, additions and substitutions that can be easily deduced by those skilled in the art.

Claims

[1] A structure of knockdown furniture, comprising: an upper plate, with a plurality of guide grooves formed in a lower surface of the upper plate in a transverse direction, a connection plate, with a plurality of coupling slots extending inwards from a lower edge of the connection plate at positions spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals, a plurality of support plates, each of which has on an upper edge thereof a slide- coupling part to be coupled to each of the guide grooves of the upper plate and has a support slot that extends downwards from the upper edge of the support and engages with each of the coupling slots of the connection plate in a direction in which the support plate crosses the connection plate, and a dovetail key to be fitted into each end of the guide grooves in a state in which the support slots of the support plates engage with the respective coupling slots of the connection plate and the slide-coupling parts of the support plates are fitted into the respective guide grooves of the upper plate by sliding the upper plate along the support plates, thus maintaining the coupling among the upper plate, the connection plate and the support plates.

[2] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to claim 1, wherein each of the guide grooves of the upper plate is closed at a first end thereof, so that the slide-coupling part of each of the support plates is inserted into an open second end of the guide groove, and the dovetail key is fitted into the open second end of the guide groove.

[3] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate is divided into a left upper plate and a right upper plate, and guide grooves, which are formed in a lower surface of each of the left and right upper plates, are open at opposite ends thereof, so that the left upper plates and the right upper plates are coupled to respective opposite sides of the slide-coupling parts of support plates, and a dovetail key is fitted into each of ends of the guide grooves.

[4] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to claim 3, wherein a coupling depression is formed in each of lower surfaces of opposite ends of contact edges of the left and right upper plates, and a coupling protrusion to be inserted into the coupling depressions is provided on each of opposite ends of an upper edge of the connection plate.

[5] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein each of the dovetail keys comprises: an insertion part to be inserted into an associated guide groove of the upper plate, and a handle part provided under the insertion part. [6] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to claim 5, wherein a receiving seat is formed in each of opposite edges of the support plates, so that the insertion part and the handle part of the dovetail key are seated into the receiving seat. [7] The structure of the knockdown furniture according to claim 5, wherein an outer surface of the handle part of the dovetail key is coupled to an edge of the support plate using a screw.