WO2022192851A1 - Ensemble meuble avec mécanisme d'amarrage qui empêche le basculement - Google Patents

Ensemble meuble avec mécanisme d'amarrage qui empêche le basculement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022192851A1
WO2022192851A1 PCT/US2022/070996 US2022070996W WO2022192851A1 WO 2022192851 A1 WO2022192851 A1 WO 2022192851A1 US 2022070996 W US2022070996 W US 2022070996W WO 2022192851 A1 WO2022192851 A1 WO 2022192851A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
strap
frame
bracket
connector
buckle
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2022/070996
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
David M. Stravitz
Steven G. Marton
Original Assignee
Thoughtful Furniture Company, Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US17/194,401 external-priority patent/US11103067B2/en
Application filed by Thoughtful Furniture Company, Llc filed Critical Thoughtful Furniture Company, Llc
Publication of WO2022192851A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022192851A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • 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
    • A47B97/00—Furniture or accessories for furniture, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • 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
    • A47B97/00—Furniture or accessories for furniture, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • A47B2097/008—Anti-tip devices

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to anti-tipping mechanisms for furniture that prevent the furniture from tipping over when, for example, a child is climbing on a drawer of the furniture or reaching the top to have it tip forward.
  • the anti-tipping mechanisms may be completely separate from the furniture or involve specific construction of the furniture.
  • the present invention also relates to a piece of furniture including or incorporating an anti-tipping mechanism, and a method for placing or installing a piece of furniture to provide anti-tipping properties.
  • the wall mounting was installed without the use of appropriate hardware such as mollies or lead plugs. If that were so, it would take little force for the tipping force exerted by the child or toddler to “rip” a wall-mounting bracket right off the wall thus allowing the dresser to continue its fall. Furthermore, if the frame is presswood, it would not take much force to “rip off’ the mounting screws securing the webbing or cable to the frame or back.
  • a dresser having an anti-tipping mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes a frame including the substantially planar wall section having front and rear surfaces defining a thickness therebetween and which forms at least part of a rear wall of the dresser.
  • the frame also includes an upper panel that defines an opening and an access door that controls access through the opening to a space under the upper panel in front of the rear wall.
  • the dresser also includes a bracket attachable to a vertical support, a first connector, such as a buckle, attached to the bracket, with an aperture in the wall section being dimensioned to enable passage of the first connector therethrough from an area rearward of said rear wall into the space under the upper panel.
  • a second connector such as a catch that mates with the buckle, is attached to the frame in a position to be in the space below the upper panel and that removably engages with the first connector when both are present in the space under the upper panel.
  • the first and/or second connector is length-adjustable relative to its supporting structure, i.e., relative to the bracket in the case of the first connector or relative to the frame in the case of the second connector to enable a distance between the frame and the bracket to be adjusted, particularly at least reduced.
  • a reduction in distance between the frame and the bracket, when the bracket is attached to the vertical support, and engagement between the first and second connectors prevents tipping of the dresser.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of an embodiment of a dresser in accordance with the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a view of the anti-tipping mechanism of the dresser shown in FIG. 1 in an intermediate state before final securing of the dresser to a wall;
  • FIG. 3 is a view of the anti-tipping mechanism of the dresser shown in FIG. 1 in a final state in which the dresser is secured to the wall.
  • One of the inventor’s ideas to address the tipping problem of furniture in the presence of toddlers and children is that it is advantageous, instead of addressing attachment of a dresser or other piece of furniture to the wall against which it is placed, to address stability and retention of support legs of the furniture by attaching extensions or boots at least partly under and to the support legs to provide superior anti-tipping characteristics (for toddlers, parents, even TV stands).
  • the extensions (having a form similar in appearance to a boot) provide a 16-18 inch deep dresser the ability to function as if it were 24-28 inches (depending on the length of the extensions).
  • Various boots or extensions are disclosed below.
  • a dresser including a plurality of drawers is often used as an example of a piece of furniture for which the anti-tipping mechanism may be used, and in which an anti-tipping mechanism may be integrated or incorporated.
  • the anti-tipping mechanisms of the invention can be used on other types of furniture in addition to dressers and are not limited to use with only dressers.
  • the dressers may include one or more drawers in any of the sections therein.
  • a securing, anti tipping mechanism 102 that functions to prevent tipping of the dresser 100 by securing the dresser 100 to a fixed structure behind the dresser 100, typically a vertical wall 104 but any other fixed structure may be used in the invention.
  • Dresser 100 and its anti-tipping mechanism 102 constitute a furniture assembly.
  • a furniture assembly in accordance with the invention also includes the anti-tipping mechanism and other pieces of furniture other than a dresser, with the anti-tipping mechanism being in or with the other pieces of furniture.
  • the anti-tipping mechanism 102 includes a first connector assembly 106 attached to the wall 104 and a second, mating connector assembly 108 attached to the dresser 100.
  • the first connector assembly 106 includes a bracket 110 fixed to the wall 104 by, for example screws 112, and a strap 114 extending from the bracket 110, and which is connected at one end region to the bracket 110. An opposite end region of the strap 114 is passed through a buckle 116 to provide the strap 114 with a free end 118.
  • a strap retainer 128 is shown to connect the end region of the strap 114 to a front surface of the bracket 110, but this strap retainer 128 is not required and the end region of the strap 114 can be connected directly to the bracket 110, e.g., by looping through slots of a planar portion of the bracket 110.
  • the distance of the buckle 116 from the bracket 110 is adjusted by pulling the free end of the strap 114, this would shorten the distance between the buckle 116 and the bracket 110 (and thus the wall 104), and the buckle 116 can be pulled in a direction away from the bracket 110 to lengthen the distance between the buckle 116 and the bracket 110 (the wall 104).
  • the combination of the strap 114 and buckle 116 is considered a connector. This connector is thus considered length-adjustable.
  • the second connector assembly 108 includes a bracket 120 fixed to a panel 122 of the dresser 100 by, for example screws, and a strap 124 extending from the bracket 120, and which is connected at one end region to the bracket 120.
  • An opposite end region of the strap 124 is terminated by a catch 126, e.g., a planar piece of material that is configured to engage with the buckle 116 to provide a secure connection between the catch 126 and the buckle 116. It is possible to avoid use of the bracket 120 and attach the strap 124 directly to the panel 122 of the dresser 100, e.g., looping the strap 124 through slots in the panel 122 of the dresser 100.
  • the combination of the strap 124 and the catch 126 is considered a connector.
  • This connector may be length-adjustable.
  • the buckle 116 and mating catch 126 are an example of any type of mating, two-part connection structure that may be used in the invention. Any other known connection structure which has one part that removably engages with another part, and preferably can be disengaged from that part, may be used in the invention. Also, although both connector assemblies are shown including straps, which are flexible, it is possible to attach one or both of the buckle 116 and catch 126 directly to the bracket 110 or panel 122 of the dresser 100, respectively, via a rigid or length-invariable connection.
  • the other mating connection structure is manipulated, since it is flexible by virtue of the presence of the strap 124, to mate with it.
  • the other mating connection structure is manipulated, since it is flexible by virtue of the presence of the strap 114, to mate with it.
  • two fixed-distance (length-invariable) mating connection structures may be provided, this is not preferred since it is desired to have some flexibility and length adjustability in the attachment technique for the dresser 100.
  • an upper panel 150 of the dresser 100 is provided with an opening 152 into which an access door 154 fits.
  • Panel 150 is above panel 122 as shown.
  • Access door 154 is pivotally connected to the upper panel 150 by a hinge to enable opening and closing of the access door 154 in order to access the space 156 underneath the upper panel 150 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
  • the access door 154 When the access door 154 is in the closed state, it may be flush with the remaining portion of the upper surface of the upper panel 150.
  • the access door 154 thus pivots between a position out of the opening 152 (FIG. 1) and a position in the opening (FIG. 3).
  • This space 156 is formed by appropriately dimensioning the depth of an upper drawer 158 of the dresser 100, e.g., to be slightly less than the depth of the lower drawers in the dresser 100 (see FIG. 1). This lesser drawer depth enables the anti-tipping mechanism 102 to avoid interfering with drawer operation. If multiple drawers are provided at the top of the dresser 100, then only those drawers that will be in front of the anti-tipping mechanism 102 may be made with the lesser depth.
  • Upper drawer 158 is that drawer that is immediately below the upper panel 150, and has a depth such that when present fully inside the dresser 100 and almost entirely below the upper panel 150, the space 156 is behind and not obstructed by the upper drawer 158.
  • a utility tray (not shown) may be provided to insert into the space 156 and obstructs viewing of the space 156 when the access door 154 is open.
  • the utility tray optionally has a depth that is dimensioned to avoid interfering with the upper drawer 158 and rests on one or more flanges formed on surfaces defining the opening 152.
  • the sliding access door would be provided by mounting sliding tracks on the dresser 100 and the access door 152.
  • the sliding access door would readily ascertain how to install such sliding doors in view of the disclosure herein.
  • installation of the dresser 100 into a secure state with anti-tipping characteristics entails manipulating the anti-tipping mechanism 102 by first placing the dresser 100 against the wall 104, opening the access door 154, removing the utility tray if present and then grasping and pulling the buckle 116 through an aperture 130 in a substantially planar wall section or vertical rear wall or panel 132 of the dresser 100 (assuming the bracket 110 is already attached to the wall 104 via bracket 110).
  • the catch 126 is then inserted into or otherwise engaged with the buckle 116 to provide the state shown in FIG. 2.
  • the dresser 100 is then positioned against the wall 104 with the bracket 110 either being partly against the rear panel 132 (as shown) or entirely within the aperture 130 in the rear panel 132.
  • the free end of the strap 114 is then grasped and pulled to tighten the strap 114 by reducing the slack in the strap 114 until the straps 114, 124 are both tight and the dresser 100 is against the wall
  • Moving the dresser 100 requires opening the access door 154 and lifting the buckle 116 to enable disengagement of the catch 126 therefrom, or otherwise manually disengaging the buckle 116 from the catch 126 or vice versa.
  • the buckle 116 is passed through the aperture 130 and the dresser 100 can be freely moved away from the wall 104.
  • the bracket 110 is removed from the wall 104.
  • FIG. 1 Another way to view the invention is as a piece of furniture, not necessarily as a dresser, which includes a frame 138 including the substantially planar wall section 132 having front and rear surfaces 134, 136 defining a thickness therebetween and which forms at least part of a rear wall of the piece of furniture 100.
  • the frame 138 also includes the upper panel 150 that defines the opening 152 and the access door 154 that controls access to the opening 152 in the upper panel 150 to enable selective access to the space 156 under the upper panel 150.
  • the piece of furniture also includes the bracket 110 attachable to a vertical support (wall 104), a first connector (combined 114, 116) attached to the bracket 110, with the aperture 130 in the wall section 132 being dimensioned to enable passage of the first connector therethrough into the space 156 under the upper panel 150.
  • a second connector (124, 126) is attached to the frame 138 in a position to be in the space 156 below the upper panel 150 and that removably engages with the first connector (catch 126 engages with buckle 116) when present in the space 156 under the upper panel 150.
  • the first and/or second connector is length-adjustable relative to its supporting structure, i.e., relative to the bracket 110 in the case of the first connector 114, 116 or relative to the frame 138 in the case of the second connector 124, 126 to enable a distance between the frame 138 and the vertical support to be reduced.
  • the first connector includes elongate strap 114 connected at one end region to the bracket 110 and the buckle 116 through which the strap 114 passes.
  • the buckle 116 is movable along the strap 114 to vary a distance between the buckle 116 and the bracket 110 and thereby provide length adjustability to the first connector. Pulling a free end of the strap 114 relative to the buckle 116 causes a distance of the strap 114 between the buckle 116 and the bracket 110 to be reduced and by pulling the buckle 116 relative to the bracket 110 in a direction away from the bracket 110, a distance of the strap 114 between the buckle 116 and the bracket 110 is increased.
  • the second connector includes the elongate strap 124 connected at one end region to the frame 138, namely to the bracket 120 which in turn is fixed to the panel 122 which is part of the frame 138, and the catch 126 connected to a second end region of the strap 124 opposite the first end region of the strap 124.
  • the dresser 100 may include one or more additional drawers 140 below the upper drawer 158 and that each could have a larger depth than the depth of the upper drawer 158.
  • Each additional drawer 140 like the upper drawer 158, has a first position fully inserted into the frame 138 (and possibly in the frame 138) and a second position at least partly out of the frame 138 and is movable outward from a front of the frame 138 into the second position while coupled to the frame 138.
  • Each drawer 158, 140 has a front face forming a front face of the dresser 100. It is possible, and considered as part of the invention, that the dresser 100 does not include any drawers, but may be configured as a different piece of furniture, e.g., with swinging doors opening to shelves.
  • a space would be formed at the upper rear region of the piece of furniture to define the space 156 and the remaining features of the dresser 100 would be provided, except for an upper drawer 158. While these embodiments are directed to the serious, often fatal, accidents involving toddlers, they address all anti-tipping furniture issues that may arise, involving both toddlers and adults.

Landscapes

  • Tables And Desks Characterized By Structural Shape (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une commode (100) comprenant un cadre (138) présentant une section de paroi formant une paroi arrière (132), et un panneau supérieur (150) qui recouvre un espace accessible (156). Une attache (110) est conçue pour être fixée à un support vertical (104), un premier connecteur tel qu'une boucle (116) est fixé au support (110), un second connecteur tel qu'un cliquet (126) est fixé au cadre (138) dans une position devant être dans l'espace (156) et vient en prise de manière amovible avec le premier connecteur (116) lorsqu'il est présent dans l'espace (156) sous le panneau supérieur (150). Le premier et/ou le second connecteur (116, 126) est/sont réglables en longueur par rapport à leur structure de support, c'est-à-dire, par rapport à l'attache (110) dans le cas du premier connecteur (116) ou par rapport au cadre (138) dans le cas du second connecteur (126) pour permettre de réduire une distance entre le cadre (138) et le support vertical (104). Une réduction de la distance entre le cadre (138) et le support vertical (104) et la mise en prise entre les premier et second connecteurs (116, 126) empêchent le basculement de la commode (100).
PCT/US2022/070996 2021-03-08 2022-03-07 Ensemble meuble avec mécanisme d'amarrage qui empêche le basculement WO2022192851A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US17/194,401 2021-03-08
US17/194,401 US11103067B2 (en) 2019-12-06 2021-03-08 Furniture with anti-tipping features

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2022192851A1 true WO2022192851A1 (fr) 2022-09-15

Family

ID=83228402

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2022/070996 WO2022192851A1 (fr) 2021-03-08 2022-03-07 Ensemble meuble avec mécanisme d'amarrage qui empêche le basculement

Country Status (1)

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WO (1) WO2022192851A1 (fr)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7325281B1 (en) * 2006-07-25 2008-02-05 George Lee Willems Security strap
US20110169387A1 (en) * 2008-01-11 2011-07-14 Fc Brown (Steel Equipment) Limited Furniture
US20130087675A1 (en) * 2011-10-06 2013-04-11 Dennis D. Miller Furniture or appliance tipping restraint
US10856659B1 (en) * 2019-12-06 2020-12-08 Dooli Products, LLC Furniture with anti-tipping mechanism
US10912384B2 (en) * 2016-04-14 2021-02-09 Bengt Lager Furniture tip over prevention system

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7325281B1 (en) * 2006-07-25 2008-02-05 George Lee Willems Security strap
US20110169387A1 (en) * 2008-01-11 2011-07-14 Fc Brown (Steel Equipment) Limited Furniture
US20130087675A1 (en) * 2011-10-06 2013-04-11 Dennis D. Miller Furniture or appliance tipping restraint
US10912384B2 (en) * 2016-04-14 2021-02-09 Bengt Lager Furniture tip over prevention system
US10856659B1 (en) * 2019-12-06 2020-12-08 Dooli Products, LLC Furniture with anti-tipping mechanism

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