BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIGS. 1 show a connection system according to the invention.
FIGS. 2 show the process of locking a connection element according to the invention.
FIG. 3 shows desk legs and longitudinal supports of the substructure of a modular furniture desk according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The figures of the drawings show the object according to the invention in a schematic manner and are not to scale. The individual components of the object according to the invention are shown such that their design is clearly evident.
FIGS. 1 show a connection system 1 according to the invention with two connection elements 2, 3 according to the invention, the connection elements 2, 3 being arranged so as to be symmetrical relative to a mid-plane of a vertical element. In each case, a horizontal element 7, 8 is installed on the vertical element via one of the connection elements 2, 3. FIG. 1a shows a section view of the connection system 1 according to the invention which is perpendicular to the mid-plane of the vertical element. Thus, only part of the outside wall 10 and a contact body 11 of the vertical element is shown. FIG. 1b shows a top view of an adapter plate 15, welded to the free ends of the horizontal elements 7, 8. Such adapter plates 15 form top and bottom projections 17, 18 on the free ends of the horizontal elements 7, 8. The adapter plate 15 is a metal plate. In each case the connection elements 2, 3 have a hooking-in aperture 20, designed as a gap, for accommodating the top projections 18 of an adapter plate 15. In each case, these gaps are formed by a space between an outside wall 10 of the vertical element and the contact body 11, arranged in the vertical element, for horizontally contacting (contact surface) the adapter plates 15 which are welded to the free ends of the horizontal elements 7, 8 to be installed. In this arrangement, the gap width corresponds to the thickness of the adapter plates 15. The contact body 11 shown forms a corresponding contact surface for both connection elements 2, 3, i.e. the contact bodies of the two connection elements are designed as a single component. For vertical support of each bottom projection 17 formed by the adapter plates 15 of the horizontal elements 7, 8, a bottom end of the contact body 11 forms a horizontal projection 25 so that the bottom ends are L-shaped. By means of a clamping element 30, the bottom projections 17 of the horizontal elements 7, 8 are secured against horizontal displacement in their vertically supported position. By means of locking means 32 that comprise a cam lever 31, the clamping element 30 is fixed such that the elements of the connection elements 2, 3 are secured relative to each other without any play. The clamping element 30 is also symmetrical in design so that it serves as a clamping element of both the connection elements 2, 3 of the connection system 1 shown. In this arrangement, the locking means 32 of the connection elements 2, 3 are designed as a sole tie bolt 35 with a cam lever 31, wherein the tie bolt 35 is inserted through the contact body 11 in a hole that extends perpendicularly along the mid-perpendicular of the contact body 11. The cam lever 31 is coupled to the tie bolt 35 by way of a securing stud 36 and is lockable from above. By moving the cam lever 31 over, the clamping element 30 is pulled upwards by means of the tie bolt 35 and is pushed against the bottom projections 17 of the horizontal elements 7, 8. The process of moving the cam lever 31 over is indicated in the figure by a curved double arrow. The process of drawing upward the clamping element 30 is shown in the figure by a double arrow in the tie bolt. For this purpose, the bottom projections 17 of the horizontal elements 7, 8 and the clamping element 30 comprise contact surfaces 40 that extend at an incline in relation to the horizontal. The bottom projections 17 thus taper off in a conical manner. When the cam lever 31 is moved over for horizontal securing of the horizontal elements 7, 8, the associated contact surfaces 40 are pushed against each other into a play-free position via the inclined contact surfaces 40. If a contact plate 15 is swiveled onto the contact body 11 (outside wall 10, projection 25), a positive locking connection is created which is also torsionally rigid. In the adapter plate 15 shown in FIG. 1b the contact surfaces appear hatched in the drawing. After installation (activation of the clamping element) of a horizontal element 7, 8 on a vertical element, these contact surfaces generate a non-positive connection with the vertical element. The projections 17, 18, which in FIG. 1b are shown so as to be delimited from the remaining adapter plate by means of dashed lines, can form edge lines with cut-outs as shown. The hooking-in apertures 20 and the shape of the bottom projections 25 on the vertical element are then formed correspondingly. In this way, further positioning of the horizontal elements 7, 8 on the vertical element can be defined.
FIGS. 2 show the process of locking a connection element according to the invention during installation of a horizontal element 8 to a vertical element. First, as shown in FIG. 2a, the top projection 18 of the adapter plate 15 which is attached to a free end of the horizontal element 8 is hooked into the hooking-in aperture 20 on the vertical element, which in FIG. 2a is indicated by an arrow. Subsequently the horizontal element 8 is lowered, i.e. swiveled in, on the hooking-in aperture 20 as the center of rotation, until the adapter plate 15 rests against the contact body 11 of the vertical element, which in FIG. 2b is indicated by an arrow. In order to facilitate rotation, in the region of the hooking-in aperture 20, the contact body 11 is designed so as to be set back in relation to the outside wall 10 of the vertical element. As shown in FIG. 2b after the lowering process, the bottom projection 17 of the adapter plate 15 rests against the horizontal projection 25 formed by the bottom end of the contact body. As shown in FIG. 2c by means of an arrow, the clamping element 30 is subsequently pulled upwards by locking means (not shown). The inclined contact surfaces 40 of the clamping element 30 and of the bottom projection 17 are pushed against each other in this way, which results in securing the bottom projection 17 of the horizontal element 8 without any play.
FIG. 3 shows a sequence of desk legs and longitudinal supports of a modular furniture element 50, namely of a substructure, of modular furniture desks according to the invention. A connection system 1 according to the invention is provided on each of the vertical elements 56, which are designed as desk legs with desktop supports 53 and base parts 54, and is indicated in the figure by a dot-dash rectangle. At their free ends, each of the horizontal elements 7, 8, which are designed as longitudinal supports, comprises an adapter plate 15 by means of which they are attached to the desk legs by way of connection elements according to the invention. An engaged cam lever 31 is shown on each surface of the desk legs or their desktop supports 53, whose surface is provided for supporting a desktop.
A connection element 2, 3 for attaching a horizontal element 7, 8 to a vertical element is proposed. In this arrangement, the free end of the horizontal element 7, 8 comprises at least one top projection 18 and at least one bottom projection 17, while on the vertical element 56 at least one hooking-in aperture 20 for accommodating the top projection 18 of the horizontal element 7, 8 and at least one horizontal projection 25 for vertically supporting the bottom projection 17 of the horizontal element 7, 8 are provided, wherein a clamping element 30 with locking means 32 for horizontal securing of the bottom projection 17 of the horizontal element 7, 8 is provided.
The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments stated above. Instead, a number of variants are imaginable, which make use of the features of the invention, even in designs that are fundamentally different.
Patent Application
20080050173
