The present invention relates to an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions by use of sliding hinge. The parts or portions are to be used or utilized in furniture and/or human necessity products, such as e.g. different types of chairs, sofas, wheelchairs, etc.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,842 it is well known to use Velcro™ to fasten, in a wheelchair, two furniture parts together. In the wheelchair described in this patent publication a cushion is fastened to a seat portion by means of a pair of overlapping flexible supports having Velcro™ material thereon for joining the supports of varying degrees of overlap.
JP 2003153764 A relates to a cushion providing for retaining a sitting position of a wheelchair that does not give pain to the waist of a person sitting on the wheelchair and prevents the person from falling sideways and stabilizes the sitting position of the person. The cushion for retaining the sitting position is mounted to the backrest and the side plate portions of the wheelchair that can be provided with a chair cover. The cushion is made up of a waist pad removably mounted to the backrest portion, butting and retaining the waist of the sitting person, and a pair of side pads removably mounted to the side plates, butting and retaining the sides of the sitting person. The waist pad is stored in a cover, and Velcro™ fasteners, provided in the cover, are connected to corresponding Velcro™ fasteners provided in the backrest portion of the wheelchair, wherein the waist pad is mounted on the backrest portion. The side pads are stored in covers, and Velcro™ fasteners, provided in the covers, are connected to corresponding Velcro™ fasteners provided in the side plates of the wheelchair, wherein the side pads are mounted on the side plates.
WO 2009/031875 A1 teaches a mufti-functional system of blocks in a mufti-functional furniture product comprising a plurality of structural components or parts provided with strips of Velcro™ and thus enabling the same to be easily converted to produce different furniture configurations.
In other alternatives for connecting of two parts bolts, nuts, screws, clips, clamps, telescopic or ordinary arm elements, plywood plates, brackets, globe or toggle joints, or the like, are being used. If some of them could be adjusted, usually tools are required or needed.
Most of the known fixation or locking means for two parts or portions have several disadvantages, wherein some do not allow to be adjusted in relation to each other, others that are adjustable do not have a firm and good grasp or fixation in relation to each other and can easily be loosened up or be disconnected from each other or be movable in connected or fixed position, and another group thereof can easily break. Of course there are also some having any possible combination of the above-mentioned disadvantages and problems.
The present inventions solved these disadvantages and problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions, producing or creating a non-stepwise and/or progressively adjustable regulation of said two parts or portions in relation to each other.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions, providing for a good and firm connection when the two parts or portions are in one of many fixed or connected positions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions, providing for a substantially rigid and solid connection when the two parts or portions are in one of many fixed or connected positions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions, that is easy to adjust without any need for tools or other parts.
The present invention concerns also two framings or frame arrangements for the adjustable fixation or locking means and adapted to be used for the two parts or portions.
This is obtained by the independent claims according to the present invention.
Additional features of the invention are given in the dependent claims.
The present invention relates to an adjustable fixation or locking means for two parts or portions by use of sliding hinge means.
The fixation or locking means has three positions: a locked (shown e.g. in
According to one embodiment of the invention, as in
According to the above-mentioned embodiment of the invention, as in
It is possible for the longitudinal plate parts or sections 13, 23 of the longitudinal profiles 1, 2, that are facing each other, to have arranged on their ends that are opposite to the sliding hinge means 50, a recessed part or section 14, 24 providing for sufficient room or space 15, 25 for rooming an additional fastening means 30 that is being easily fastened or unfastened, preferably without the necessity of any tool or tools. The additional fastening means 30 can be, and is not limited only thereto, at least one of: Velcro™, zipper, clamps, clips, or the like. What is important with the additional fastening means 30 is the function to facilitate easy fastening and/or unfastening of the two parts or portions 111, 222, preferably without the necessity of any tool or tools. Of course screws, bolts and nuts could be used, but then in this embodiment it is most possible that tool(s) will be needed or necessary in order to change to different positions of the adjustable part 222 in relation to the base part 111.
According to another embodiment of the invention the each other facing plate parts or sections 13, 23 (possibly 14, 24) can be all shaped or arranged in such a way that the additional fastening means 30 (e.g. Velcro™) can be arranged along the entire longitudinal direction for each respective profile 1, 2 or part/portion 111, 222 and at least onto some or onto the entire radial width of the respective each other facing plate part or section 13, 23 (possibly 14, 24). In this case parts 14, 24 can be regarded just as extensions of parts 13, 23, in other words parts 13 and 14, respectively parts 23, 24, will be just one longer part.
According to yet another embodiments of the invention, shown in
According to a further embodiment of the invention the base part or portion 111 can be supplied with two or more longitudinal base profiles 1, so that two or more adjustable parts or portions 222 can be mounted or arranged onto one base part or portion 111 (see
According to yet another further embodiment of the invention the female and male longitudinal profiles 1, 2 can be switched in relation to the base and the adjustable parts or portions 111, 222, so that the female longitudinal profile 1 comprising the female locking part or section 12 can be arranged on(to) the adjustable part or portion 222, and the male longitudinal profile 2 comprising the male locking part or section 22 can be arranged on(to) the base part or portion 111.
In addition, at least one of the longitudinal profiles 1, 2 can further comprise at least one stress-resisting or reinforcement portion d1, d2, d3 arranged in the connection area between the locking part or section 12, 22 and the longitudinal plate part or section 11, 13, 23, wherein said at least one stress-resisting or reinforcement portion d1, d2, d3 is having a raised area or portion d1, d2, d3 on at least one side of the longitudinal plate part or section 11, 13, 23, thus providing for the stability and rigidness of the longitudinal profiles 1, 2. As shown in
As shown in
In the adjustable fixation or locking means 70, the locked position, shown in
According to one embodiment of the invention, the male locking part or section 22 can be made slightly smaller than the female locking part or section 12 with a negative thickness margin of between about 0.1 and about 0.3 mm, thus facilitating good and easy longitudinal slidability or movability of the adjustable longitudinal profile 2 in relation to the base longitudinal profile 1, thus providing for good and easy non-stepwise and/or progressively adjustable regulation of said two parts or portions 111, 222 in relation to each other.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the top or end part, i, of the male locking part or section 22 can be made slightly higher than the corresponding top bottom part, a, of the female locking part or section 12 with a positive margin of between about 0.1 and about 0.3 mm, thus providing for the firm connection between the longitudinal profiles 1, 2 when in locked position (see
The longitudinal profiles 1, 2 can be arranged into or onto said two parts or portions 111, 222 e.g. by embedding or casting or moulding or stapling or gluing or screwing or the like, so that with regard to the longitudinal base profile 1 only one face or surface of said at least one longitudinal plate part or section 11, 13 and at least the entry of the longitudinal female locking part or section 12 will be visible; and with regard to the adjustable longitudinal profile 2 only one face or surface of the longitudinal plate part or section 23 and the longitudinal male locking part or section 22 will be visible. See for example
The two parts or portions 111, 222 can be different furniture and/or human necessity (e.g. for wheelchairs) elements of such latter products. According to one embodiment of the invention the base part or portion 111 can be a back part or backrest and the adjustable part or portion 222 can be a side support or cushion part, e.g. for an arm or a shoulder of a person or a patient. The profiles 1, 2 for the fixation or locking means 70 of the two parts or portions 111, 222 can be made of e.g. extruded semi-hard PVC. What is important here is that the profiles 1, 2 should have suitable elastic properties allowing for sufficient elasticity or flexibility of the female 12 and male 22 locking parts or sections, so that they will not break easily. The elements of the profiles 1, 2 should also have a sufficient hardness, providing for the firm connection between the two parts or portions 111, 222. Additional suitable materials providing for the desired flexibility and/or hardness can also be used, e.g. other plastic materials. The material of the base profile 1 can be the same as the material of the adjustable profile 2. Alternatively, different materials can be used for each profile. The profiles 1, 2 can be integrated or incorporated onto or into the two parts or portions 111, 222, respectively, wherein the two parts or portions 111, 222 can be made of e.g. polyurethane foam plastic. Other suitable materials for the two parts or portions 111, 222 can also be used.
As shown in
It should be noted that alternative embodiments, not mentioned herein but falling within the range of the patent claims, are also to be considered as part of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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12155875.3 | Feb 2012 | EP | regional |