Patent Grant
11674539
This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/SE2019/050835, filed 5 Sep. 2019, which claims benefit of Serial No. 1851077-6, filed 12 Sep. 2018 in Sweden and which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.
The invention relates to a connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part to a second furniture part. The invention also relates to a connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part. The invention also relates to a dowel configured to be attached to a tubular furniture part, which may be said second furniture part. The invention also relates to a connection arrangement for connecting the third furniture part to the second furniture part using the dowel. The invention also relates to a furniture comprising a first furniture part, a second furniture part and a third furniture part, the furniture parts being connected to each other using said connection arrangements.
Within the field of furniture assembly, it is often desired to connect furniture parts to each other. Furniture parts may be connected by fastening means, such as screws or nails. A problem with such fastening means is the need for tools, and sometimes specific tools, in order to apply them. They are often also sensitive to incorrect positioning; for instance, incorrectly hammering a nail may lead to bending of the nail and/or damages to the furniture part, or even personal injury. The tools may also be difficult to use, especially for the disabled or elderly. Furthermore, the fastening means themselves may be prone to be lost, or dangerous for small children. Furniture parts may also be connected with different kinds of locks. However, these may also require many parts, and may not present strong connections when subjected to wear over time.
For at least the reasons described above, a need exists for better ways to connect furniture parts.
It is an object of the invention to at least mitigate some of the problems mentioned in the background.
This object has been achieved by a connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part to a second furniture part,
wherein the first furniture part comprises:
a dowel extending from the first furniture part along a longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, the dowel having at least one neck portion, and
one or more abutment surfaces,
wherein the second furniture part comprises:
a through-going opening extending through a wall of said second furniture part, and
one or more abutment surfaces on a first side of the wall, the first side facing in a direction opposite the longitudinal direction, the one or more abutment surfaces extending at least partially circumferentially around or being distributed at least partially circumferentially around the through-going opening,
wherein the connection arrangement further comprises a connection member having a recess, the recess having a locking portion being configured to receive the dowel by a relative motion between the connection member and the first furniture part in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and being configured to interact with the neck portion of the dowel to counteract removal of the dowel from the locking portion along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first furniture part and the second furniture part are configured to be connected to each other by
inserting the dowel through the through-going opening from the first side in an insertion direction along the longitudinal direction and bringing said abutment surfaces of the first and second furniture parts into contact with each other, and
positioning the connection member on a second side, opposite the first side, of the wall and moving the connection member relative to the dowel in a travel direction along the transverse direction such that the dowel slides into the locking portion,
wherein abutment surfaces of the first furniture part have an extension in the longitudinal direction along a portion of the dowel and extending at least partially circumferentially around or being distributed at least partially circumferentially around the dowel,
wherein the abutment surfaces of the second furniture part extend from the first side of the wall in a direction opposite the longitudinal direction and extend at least partially circumferentially around or is at least partially circumferentially distributed around the through-going opening, and
wherein the one or more abutment surfaces of the first furniture part and the one or more abutment surfaces of the second furniture part are positioned on the respective furniture part such that, as the dowel is inserted into the through-going opening, the one or more abutment surfaces of the first furniture part abut the one or more abutment surfaces of the second furniture part and counteract relative movement between the first and second furniture parts along a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, preferably all directions being transverse, to the longitudinal direction.
The second furniture part will thereby be correctly positioned and oriented relative to the first furniture part and the connection member may be moved with ease and still provide a strong and stable connection between the first and second furniture part.
It may be noted that the wordings first, second and third are merely labels. The same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims. This may result in that in a specific part of the description related to a specific connection arrangement there may be referred to a second and a third furniture part although there is in that context no mention of any first furniture part. However, it may be noted that since the wordings first, second and third are merely labels, it is conceivable to relabel the furniture parts in the different parts of the description and in the different claims such that the labels first, second and third are introduced e.g. in the order of appearance of that specific claim and in the associated description. However, since a single furniture may comprise a first, a second and a third furniture part and include two or more of the different connection arrangements disclosed herein, the same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims rather than relabelling them in relation to the different connection arrangements.
It may be noted that the expression furniture part may relate to different kinds of furniture. It may e.g. relate to separate free standing furniture, such as shelves, book shelves, TV-benches, side boards, tables, cupboards, etc. It may also relate to built-in cabinets or shelves, such as wall-hanged kitchen cabinets, wall-hanged kitchen shelves, etc. It may also relate to semi-built-in cabinets or shelves, such as wall hanged TV-benches, etc. Irrespective of it is built-in or free standing it may not only relate to furniture designed for storage, such as cabinets and shelves, but may also relate to furniture parts for furniture for other kinds of use. It may e.g. relate to furniture for sitting, such as sofas, benches, chairs, etc.
By providing such a connection arrangement with the dowel, the through-going opening, the abutment surfaces of the first and second furniture part, and the connection member formed to interact with the dowel and the second side of the second furniture part, it is possible to provide a strong connection between the first and second furniture parts with a connection arrangement that may be assembled into a locking engagement without the use of any tools.
The design with the abutments surfaces and their positioning around the through-going opening and around the dowel provides a strong yet compact design. The design of the connection arrangement is especially useful for connecting tubular furniture parts to each other, where especially the tubular shape of the first furniture part may be used as the abutment surfaces of the first part and may be used to cover the connection arrangement.
Moreover, the connection member may e.g. be inserted through an open end of the second furniture part and may as such also be used to provide an end cover to the open end.
The one or more abutment surfaces of the first furniture part may comprise a tubular section extending along the longitudinal direction and extending circumferentially around a base portion of the dowel. Such a design provides a strong abutment surface, makes the abutment surface easy to manufacture and makes it possible to cover the connection arrangement inside the tubular section. There is preferably a circumferentially extending gap between the base portion and the abutment surface formed by the tubular section.
The one or more abutment surfaces of the second furniture part are configured to be arranged inside and abut one or more abutments surfaces on an inside of the tubular section. Such a design provides a strong abutment surface, makes the abutment surface easy to manufacture and makes it possible to cover the connection arrangement inside the tubular section.
The one or more abutment surfaces of the second furniture part comprises a tubular section extending from the first side of the wall in the direction opposite the longitudinal direction and extending circumferentially around the through-going opening. Such a design provides a strong abutment surface and makes the abutment surface easy to manufacture.
The dowel of the first furniture part may comprise a base portion having an abutment surface adapted to, when the dowel is inserted through the through-going opening of the wall, abut an inner surface of said through-going opening. This may be used to provide a strong and distinct positioning of the first furniture part relative to the second furniture part. If the base portion fits snugly into the through-going opening, the first and second furniture parts will be positioned with precision in any direction in the plane of the wall of the second furniture part.
The recess has an entrance opening in a first surface forming a corner together with a second surface, the first surface being intended to face in the travel direction and the second surface being intended to face the wall of the second furniture part. Such a recess may be said to be an open ended recess. Designing the connection member with such a recess makes it easy to use; the user can position the first and second furniture parts in their intended position and then in a straight-forward motion push the connection member over the dowel such that the first and second furniture parts becomes interconnected. Such a design also facilitates manufacture of the connection member. The connection member may e.g. be injection moulded in a single step process since the entrance opening may be used as an extraction way for a removable core in an injection moulding tool with the core having the shape of the recess.
The recess has a depth as seen from the second surface along a depth direction extending along the longitudinal direction and may, as seen along the depth direction, be provided with at least one neck section configured to interact with the neck portion of the dowel. The neck section may be formed by two oppositely arranged internal ridges extending along the second surface and facing each other. Such a design provides a strong connection and is easy to manufacture. The design is especially suitable in combination with an open ended recess since the ridges extending along the second surface allows for the extraction of a removable core in an injection moulding tool. In a preferred embodiment, there is provided two neck sections one after the other as seen along the depth direction.
The first furniture part may be a tubular member having a main extension along the longitudinal direction, wherein the dowel is positioned partly into an open end of the tubular member such that it partly extends inside the tubular member and partly extends past the tubular member along the longitudinal direction. As mentioned above, there is preferably a circumferentially extending gap between the base portion and the abutment surface formed by the tubular section.
The dowel may be a separate element being attached to the first furniture part. The dowel may e.g. be attached to the first furniture part by an attachment portion being positioned further into the tubular member than the base portion.
The second furniture part may be a tubular member having an open end facing in a direction opposite the travel direction of the connection member and having a main extension along the transverse direction. This is advantageous in that the connection member may be inserted into the tubular member and be moved along the travel direction to the locking position in a single straight-forward motion.
The above mentioned object has also been achieved by a furniture comprising a second furniture part and a third furniture part, wherein the first and second furniture parts are connected to each other by a connection arrangement as introduced above and as disclosed in more detail with reference to the detailed description and the appended drawings,
wherein the third furniture part is tubular, has an open end facing in a longitudinal direction and has a main extension along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part comprises or is configured to receive a dowel extending from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, wherein the dowel has at least one ridge followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction, by at least one valley,
wherein the second and third furniture parts are connected to each other by a connection arrangement which comprises:
a connection member having a recess and being configured to be inserted through the open end and into the third furniture part,
wherein the recess has a locking portion being configured to receive the dowel by a relative motion between the third furniture part and the connection member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and being configured to interact with the valley of the dowel to counteract removal of the dowel from the locking portion along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part and the third furniture part are configured to be connected to each other by
inserting the connection member at least partly into the third furniture part, and
moving the third furniture part with the connection member relative to the dowel in a travel direction along the transverse direction such that the dowel slides into the locking portion of the connection member.
By using a connection member with such a designed recess and at least partly inserting it into the third furniture part in combination with the use of such a designed dowel it is possible to provide a strong connection of a tubular furniture part to a second furniture part and it is possible to provide a connection arrangement being covered by the tubular furniture part and a cover plate on the dowel.
As mentioned above, it may be noted that the wordings first, second and third are merely labels. The same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims. This result in that in this specific part of the description related to this specific connection arrangement there is referred to a second and a third furniture part although there is in this context no mention of any first furniture part. However, it may be noted that since the wordings first, second and third are merely labels, it is conceivable to relabel the furniture parts in the different parts of the description and in the different claims such that the labels first, second and third are introduced e.g. in the order of appearance of that specific claim and in the associated description. However, since a single furniture may comprise a first, a second and a third furniture part and include the initially disclosed connection arrangement and also this immediately above disclosed connection arrangement, the same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims rather than relabelling them in relation to the different connection arrangements.
The dowel may be configured to be attached to a tubular furniture part and to provide a part of a connection arrangement between the tubular furniture part and a third furniture part, whereby the dowel may comprise a connection portion having at least one ridge followed, as seen along
a longitudinal direction, by at least one valley, wherein the connection portion is configured to extend from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, and
an attachment portion having a neck portion followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction by a head portion, the head portion having in a first transverse direction an extension being greater than an extension of the neck portion in said first transverse direction and being greater than an extension of the head portion and an extension of the neck portion in a second transverse direction being orthogonal to the first transverse direction,
wherein the dowel is configured to be attached to the tubular furniture part by
inserting the attachment portion in an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, wherein the dowel is during the insertion oriented with the first transverse direction being aligned with, or at least having a major component along, a longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going opening such that the head portion passes through the elongated through-going opening, and thereafter
rotating the dowel in a first direction about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction such that the head portion interacts with an inside of the wall such that the head is prevented from being pulled out of the through-going opening.
A dowel of this kind is easy to attach to a tubular furniture part and it is capable of providing a strong connection arrangement by being securely attached to the tubular furniture part and by presenting a connecting portion capable of providing a strong connection with a recess having internal ridges interacting with the ridge and valley of the connection portion.
At least one end, preferably both ends, as seen along the first transverse direction, of the neck portion, may have
a rotation blocking corner configured to interact with an edge of the elongated opening to thereby prevent rotation of the dowel in a second direction, opposite the first direction, about the axis, and
a rotation allowing corner configured to pass along an edge of the elongated opening to thereby allowing rotation of the dowel in the first direction about the axis.
Thereby the dowel may be rotated from the orientation it has when being inserted to an intended orientation in which the dowel is stopped from further rotation.
Preferably are both ends each provided with a rotation blocking corner and a rotation allowing corner wherein the two rotation blocking corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other and the two rotation allowing corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other.
The head portion may be asymmetric in its design and the elongated opening may be asymmetric in its design such that the head of the dowel is only insertable with the first transverse direction in one of two opposing orientations in which the first transverse direction is aligned with or has a major component along the longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going hold.
Thereby it may be controlled that the dowel is only insertable in the orientation that will, in combination with the rotation blocking and rotation allowing corners result in the intended orientation of the dowel.
In the above disclosed connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part, the second furniture part may be a tubular furniture part provided with an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, and the dowel may be designed in accordance with the disclosure above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments of the dowel.
The elongated through-going opening preferably has a width along a transverse direction of the elongated through-going opening being greater than the extension of the head portion and neck portion along the second transverse direction and being smaller than the extension of the head portion along the first transverse direction.
In one preferred embodiment, the inventive concept is realised in a furniture comprising a first furniture part, a second furniture part and a third furniture part, wherein the first and second furniture parts are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part to a second furniture part as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments, and wherein the first and third furniture parts are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a second furniture part to a second furniture part as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments.
The above mentioned object has also been achieved by a connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part,
wherein the third furniture part is tubular, has an open end facing in a longitudinal direction and has a main extension along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part comprises or is configured to receive a dowel extending from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, wherein the dowel has at least one ridge followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction, by at least one valley,
wherein the connection arrangement further comprises:
a connection member having a recess and being configured to be inserted through the open end and into the third furniture part,
wherein the recess has a locking portion being configured to receive the dowel by a relative motion between the third furniture part and the connection member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and being configured to interact with the valley of the dowel to counteract removal of the dowel from the locking portion along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part and the third furniture part are configured to be connected to each other by
inserting the connection member at least partly into the third furniture part, and
moving the third furniture part with the connection member relative to the dowel in a travel direction along the transverse direction such that the dowel slides into the locking portion of the connection member.
By using a connection member with such a designed recess and at least partly inserting it into the third furniture part in combination with the use of such a designed dowel it is possible to provide a strong connection of a tubular furniture part to a second furniture part and it is possible to provide a connection arrangement being covered by the tubular furniture part and a cover plate on the dowel.
As mentioned above, it may be noted that the wordings first, second and third are merely labels. The same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims. This result in that in this specific part of the description related to this specific connection arrangement there is referred to a second and a third furniture part although there is in this context no mention of any first furniture part. However, it may be noted that since the wordings first, second and third are merely labels, it is conceivable to relabel the furniture parts in the different parts of the description and in the different claims such that the labels first, second and third are introduced e.g. in the order of appearance of that specific claim and in the associated description. However, since a single furniture may comprise a first, a second and a third furniture part and include the initially disclosed connection arrangement and also this immediately above disclosed connection arrangement, the same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims rather than relabelling them in relation to the different connection arrangements.
The above mentioned object has also been achieved by a dowel configured to be attached to a tubular furniture part and to provide a part of a connection arrangement between the tubular furniture part and a third furniture part, the dowel comprising
a connection portion having at least one ridge followed, as seen along a longitudinal direction, by at least one valley, wherein the connection portion is configured to extend from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, and
an attachment portion having a neck portion followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction by a head portion, the head portion having in a first transverse direction an extension being greater than an extension of the neck portion in said first transverse direction and being greater than an extension of the head portion and an extension of the neck portion in a second transverse direction being orthogonal to the first transverse direction,
wherein the dowel is configured to be attached to the tubular furniture part by
inserting the attachment portion in an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, wherein the dowel is during the insertion oriented with the first transverse direction being aligned with, or at least having a major component along, a longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going opening such that the head portion passes through the elongated through-going opening, and thereafter
rotating the dowel in a first direction about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction such that the head portion interacts with an inside of the wall such that the head is prevented from being pulled out of the through-going opening.
A dowel of this kind is easy to attach to a tubular furniture part and it is capable of providing a strong connection arrangement by being securely attached to the tubular furniture part and by presenting a connecting portion capable of providing a strong connection with a recess having internal ridges interacting with the ridge and valley of the connection portion.
At least one end, preferably both ends, as seen along the first transverse direction, of the neck portion, may have
a rotation blocking corner configured to interact with an edge of the elongated opening to thereby prevent rotation of the dowel in a second direction, opposite the first direction, about the axis, and
a rotation allowing corner configured to pass along an edge of the elongated opening to thereby allowing rotation of the dowel in the first direction about the axis.
Thereby the dowel may be rotated from the orientation it has when being inserted to an intended orientation in which the dowel 51 is stopped from further rotation.
Preferably are both ends each provided with a rotation blocking corner and a rotation allowing corner wherein the two rotation blocking corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other and the two rotation allowing corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other.
The head portion may be asymmetric in its design and the elongated opening may be asymmetric in its design such that the head of the dowel is only insertable with the first transverse direction in one of two opposing orientations in which the first transverse direction is aligned with or has a major component along the longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going hold.
Thereby it may be controlled that the dowel is only insertable in the orientation that will, in combination with the rotation blocking and rotation allowing corners result in the intended orientation of the dowel.
In the above disclosed connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part, the second furniture part may be a tubular furniture part provided with an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, and the dowel may be designed in accordance with the disclosure above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments of the dowel.
The elongated through-going opening preferably has a width along a transverse direction of the elongated through-going opening being greater than the extension of the head portion and neck portion along the second transverse direction and being smaller than the extension of the head portion along the first transverse direction.
The above mentioned object has also been achieved by a connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part,
wherein the third furniture part is tubular, has an open end facing in a longitudinal direction and has a main extension along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part comprises or is configured to receive a dowel extending from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, wherein the dowel has at least one ridge followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction, by at least one valley,
wherein the connection arrangement further comprises:
a connection member having a recess and being configured to be inserted through the open end and into the third furniture part,
wherein the recess has a locking portion being configured to receive the dowel by a relative motion between the third furniture part and the connection member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and being configured to interact with the valley of the dowel to counteract removal of the dowel from the locking portion along the longitudinal direction,
wherein the second furniture part and the third furniture part are configured to be connected to each other by
inserting the connection member at least partly into the third furniture part, and
moving the third furniture part with the connection member relative to the dowel in a travel direction along the transverse direction such that the dowel slides into the locking portion of the connection member.
By using a connection member with such a designed recess and at least partly inserting it into the third furniture part in combination with the use of such a designed dowel it is possible to provide a strong connection of a tubular furniture part to a second furniture part and it is possible to provide a connection arrangement being covered by the tubular furniture part and a cover plate on the dowel.
As mentioned above, it may be noted that the wordings first, second and third are merely labels. The same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims. This result in that in this specific part of the description related to this specific connection arrangement there is referred to a second and a third furniture part although there is in this context no mention of any first furniture part. However, it may be noted that since the wordings first, second and third are merely labels, it is conceivable to relabel the furniture parts in the different parts of the description and in the different claims such that the labels first, second and third are introduced e.g. in the order of appearance of that specific claim and in the associated description. However, since a single furniture may comprise a first, a second and a third furniture part and include the initially disclosed connection arrangement and also this immediately above disclosed connection arrangement, the same label is used for the same part through-out the description and the claims rather than relabelling them in relation to the different connection arrangements.
The above mentioned object has also been achieved by a dowel configured to be attached to a tubular furniture part and to provide a part of a connection arrangement between the tubular furniture part and a third furniture part, the dowel comprising
a connection portion having at least one ridge followed, as seen along a longitudinal direction, by at least one valley, wherein the connection portion is configured to extend from the second furniture part along a direction opposite the longitudinal direction towards a free end of the dowel, and
an attachment portion having a neck portion followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction by a head portion, the head portion having in a first transverse direction an extension being greater than an extension of the neck portion in said first transverse direction and being greater than an extension of the head portion and an extension of the neck portion in a second transverse direction being orthogonal to the first transverse direction,
wherein the dowel is configured to be attached to the tubular furniture part by
inserting the attachment portion in an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, wherein the dowel is during the insertion oriented with the first transverse direction being aligned with, or at least having a major component along, a longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going opening such that the head portion passes through the elongated through-going opening, and thereafter
rotating the dowel in a first direction about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction such that the head portion interacts with an inside of the wall such that the head is prevented from being pulled out of the through-going opening.
A dowel of this kind is easy to attach to a tubular furniture part and it is capable of providing a strong connection arrangement by being securely attached to the tubular furniture part and by presenting a connecting portion capable of providing a strong connection with a recess having internal ridges interacting with the ridge and valley of the connection portion.
At least one end, preferably both ends, as seen along the first transverse direction, of the neck portion, may have
a rotation blocking corner configured to interact with an edge of the elongated opening to thereby prevent rotation of the dowel in a second direction, opposite the first direction, about the axis, and
a rotation allowing corner configured to pass along an edge of the elongated opening to thereby allowing rotation of the dowel in the first direction about the axis.
Thereby the dowel may be rotated from the orientation it has when being inserted to an intended orientation in which the dowel 51 is stopped from further rotation.
Preferably are both ends each provided with a rotation blocking corner and a rotation allowing corner wherein the two rotation blocking corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other and the two rotation allowing corners are arranged diagonally relative to each other.
The head portion may be asymmetric in its design and the elongated opening may be asymmetric in its design such that the head of the dowel is only insertable with the first transverse direction in one of two opposing orientations in which the first transverse direction is aligned with or has a major component along the longitudinal direction of the elongated through-going hold.
Thereby it may be controlled that the dowel is only insertable in the orientation that will, in combination with the rotation blocking and rotation allowing corners result in the intended orientation of the dowel.
In the above disclosed connection arrangement for connecting a third furniture part to a second furniture part, the second furniture part may be a tubular furniture part provided with an elongated through-going opening extending through a first wall of the tubular furniture part, and the dowel may be designed in accordance with the disclosure above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments of the dowel.
The elongated through-going opening preferably has a width along a transverse direction of the elongated through-going opening being greater than the extension of the head portion and neck portion along the second transverse direction and being smaller than the extension of the head portion along the first transverse direction.
In one preferred embodiment, the inventive concept is realised in a furniture comprising a first furniture part, a second furniture part and a third furniture part, wherein the first and second furniture parts are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part to a second furniture part as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments, and wherein the first and third furniture parts are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a second furniture part to a second furniture part as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments.
The invention may also in short be said to relate to a connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part to a second furniture part, wherein the first furniture part comprises: a dowel and one or more abutment surfaces extending circumferentially around or being distributed circumferentially around the dowel, wherein the second furniture part comprises: a through-going opening extending through a wall and one or more abutment surfaces extending circumferentially around or being distributed circumferentially around the through-going opening, wherein the connection arrangement further comprises a connection member having a recess, the recess having a locking portion being configured to receive the dowel by a relative motion between the connection member and the first furniture part in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and being configured to interact with the neck portion of the dowel to counteract removal of the dowel from the locking portion along the longitudinal direction.
The invention will by way of example be described in more detail with reference to the appended schematic drawings, which shows a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.
With reference initially to
As shown in
The second furniture part 20 is tubular and comprises a through-going opening 22 and an abutment surface 23. The through-going opening 22 extends through a wall 21 of said second furniture part 20. The abutment surfaces 23 is formed of a tubular section 23′ extending from a first side 21a of the wall 21 in a direction L′ opposite the longitudinal direction L. The abutment surface 23 also extends circumferentially C around the through-going opening 22. The second furniture part 20 has a main extension along a transverse direction T being transverse to the longitudinal direction L.
It may be noted that in the preferred embodiment, the first furniture part 10 is formed of from a square or rectangular tube and the abutment surface 13 extending around the dowel 11 is a continuous surface formed of the four sides of the cross-section of the square or rectangular tube.
As shown in
As indicated in
As shown in
The recess 21 has a depth d31 as seen from the second surface 32b along a depth direction D extending along the longitudinal direction L. The recess is, as seen along the depth direction D, provided with two neck sections 31c, 31c′ configured to interact with the respective neck portion 11b of the dowel 10. The two neck sections 31c, 31c′ are arranged one after the other as seen along the depth direction D. Alternatively, it may be said that the neck sections 31c, 31c′ are provided at different depths of the recess 31. Each neck section 31c, 31c′ is be formed by two oppositely arranged internal ridges 33a, 33b extending along the second surface 32b and facing each other.
As shown in
As indicated in
inserting as shown in
positioning the connection member 30 on a second side 21b, opposite the first side 21a, of the wall 21 as indicated in
The connection member 30 is positioned on the second side 21b by being inserted through an open end 20c in the second furniture part 20, the open end 20c facing in a direction B′ opposite the travel direction B of the connection member 30.
As shown in
As shown in
The dowel 11 is a separate element being attached to the first furniture part 10. The dowel 11 may e.g. as disclosed in
In this embodiment, the base portion 11a may form an abutment surface which, when the dowel 11 is inserted through the through-going opening 22 of the wall 21, abuts an inner surface 22a of the through-going opening 22.
In
The dowel 11 is formed of a sheet metal piece being shaped basically into a longitudinally extending member having a U-shaped cross-section. It is oriented with its continuous curved bottom end facing the connection member 30. The legs of the U-shaped cross-section extend in parallel with the insertion direction B by which the connection member 30 is inserted into the second furniture part 20. The dowel 11 has as seen along the longitudinal direction L an attachment portion 11d, a base portion 11a, and a plurality of alternatingly arranged ridges 11c and valleys 11b. The attachment portion 11d is inserted into the tubular member 10 and is attached, such as by welding, to the inside of the tubular member 10.
As may be noted from
With reference to
The third furniture part 40 is tubular and has a main extension along the longitudinal direction L. The third furniture part 40 has an open end 41 facing in the longitudinal direction L as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The second furniture part 20 and the third furniture part 40 are configured to be connected to each other by:
inserting the connection member 60 at least partly into the third furniture part 40 as shown in
moving the third furniture part 40 with the connection member 60 relative to the dowel 51 in a travel direction B along the transverse direction T such that the dowel 51 slides into the locking portion 31b of the connection member 60 as shown in
In
The dowel 51 will in the following be disclosed in more detail with reference mainly to
The connection portion 51′ has the above mentioned two ridges 51b each followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction L, by a valley 51c. The connection portion 51′ is configured to extend from the second furniture part 20 along the direction L′ opposite the longitudinal direction L towards the free end 51c of the dowel 51.
The attachment portion 51″ has a neck portion 52 followed, as seen along the longitudinal direction L, by a head portion 53. The head portion 53 has in a first transverse direction T′ an extension being greater than an extension of the neck portion 52 in said first transverse direction T′ and being greater than an extension of the head portion 53 and an extension of the neck portion 52 in a second transverse direction T″ being orthogonal to the first transverse direction T′.
As shown in
The dowel 51 is configured to be attached to the tubular furniture part 20 by
inserting F the attachment portion 51″ in the elongated through-going opening 25 with the dowel 51, during the insertion, being oriented with the first transverse direction T′ being aligned with, or at least having a major component along, a longitudinal direction L25 of the elongated through-going opening 25 such that the head portion 53 passes through the elongated through-going opening 25, and thereafter
rotating as shown in
The dowel 51 is shown in its attached position in
As shown in the cross-section A-A of
a rotation blocking corner 52a′ configured to interact with an edge of the elongated opening 25 to thereby prevent rotation of the dowel 51 in a second direction, opposite the first direction H, about the axis G, and
a rotation allowing corner 52a″ configured to pass along an edge of the elongated opening 25 to thereby allowing rotation of the dowel 51 in the first direction H about the axis G.
Thereby the dowel 51 may be rotated from the orientation it has when being inserted to an intended orientation in which the dowel 51 is stopped from further rotation.
The two rotation blocking corners 52a′, 52b′ are arranged diagonally relative to each other and the two rotation allowing corners 52a″, 52b″ are arranged diagonally relative to each other.
The head portion 53 may be asymmetric in its design and the elongated opening 25 may be asymmetric in its design such that the head 53 of the dowel 51 is only insertable with the first transverse direction T′ in one of two opposing orientations in which the first transverse direction T′ is aligned with or has a major component along the longitudinal direction L25 of the elongated through-going hold 25.
In
Thereby it may be controlled that the dowel 51 is only insertable in the orientation that will, in combination with the rotation blocking 52a′, 52b′ and rotation allowing corners 52a″, 52b″ result in the intended orientation of the dowel 51.
In an alternative embodiment shown in
In one preferred embodiment, the inventive concept is realised in a furniture comprising a first furniture part 10, a second furniture part 20 and a third furniture part 40, wherein the first and second furniture parts 10, 20 are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a first furniture part 10 to a second furniture part 20 as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments, and wherein the first and third furniture parts 10, 40 are connected to each other by the connection arrangement for connecting a second furniture part 10 to a second furniture part 20 as disclosed above in its most generic terms or in the preferred embodiments.
In
It is also conceivable to combine the connection arrangement of
It may be noted that the furniture shown in the various figures as ending with a connection arrangement as shown in
It is contemplated that there are numerous modifications of the embodiments described herein, which are still within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The one or more abutment surfaces 13 may for instance be a plurality of separate abutment surfaces each extending from a first side 21a of the wall 21 in a direction L′ opposite the longitudinal direction L and being distributed relative to each other circumferentially C around the dowel 11.
The one or more abutment surfaces 23 may for instance be a plurality of separate abutment surfaces each extending from a first side 21a of the wall 21 in a direction L′ opposite the longitudinal direction L and being distributed relative to each other circumferentially C around the through-going opening 22,
It may be noted that in the preferred embodiment, the various furniture parts 10, 20, 40 are formed of from a square or rectangular tube. However, the furniture parts do not have to be formed from tubes. They may be solid parts provided with recesses or openings providing the spaces or cavities necessary to receive the dowels, connecting members, etc., which spaces or cavities are provided by the interior of the tubes of the preferred embodiments. It may also be noted that the shapes, of the tubular parts or solid parts, need not be square or rectangular. Other shapes, such as other kinds of polygons, circles, ovals, ellipsoids, are also conceivable.
As mentioned above, it may be noted that the expression furniture part may relate to different kinds of furniture. It may e.g. relate to separate free standing furniture, such as shelves, book shelves, TV-benches, side boards, tables, cupboards, etc. It may also relate to built-in cabinets or shelves, such as wall-hanged kitchen cabinets, wall-hanged kitchen shelves, etc. It may also relate to semi-built-in cabinets or shelves, such as wall hanged TV-benches, etc. Irrespective of it is built-in or free standing it may not only relate to furniture designed for storage, such as cabinets and shelves, but may also relate to furniture parts for furniture for other kinds of use. It may e.g. relate to furniture for sitting, such as sofas, benches, chairs, etc.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851077-6 | Sep 2018 | SE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SE2019/050835 | 9/5/2019 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020/055307 | 3/19/2020 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3159440 | Courtwright | Dec 1964 | A |
| 4770560 | Ott | Sep 1988 | A |
| 6347592 | Gessert | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6711865 | Chaudoreille | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 20100307995 | Davison, III et al. | Dec 2010 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 677183 | Jul 1966 | BE |
| 1425097 | Jun 2003 | CN |
| 10190611 | Dec 2010 | CN |
| 106337863 | Jan 2017 | CN |
| 2546751 | Apr 1977 | DE |
| 102007058662 | Jun 2009 | DE |
| 2177773 | Apr 2010 | EP |
| PN20110012 | Aug 2012 | IT |
| S6019806 | Feb 1985 | JP |
| 1551662 | Jul 2017 | SE |
| 03059120 | Jul 2003 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/SE2019/050835 dated Oct. 24, 2019 (4 pages). |
| Extended European Search Report for EP Application No. 19860303.7 dated May 2, 2022 (8 pages). |
| Chinese Office Action for CN Application No. 201980059532 dated Jun. 14, 2022 (18 pages, with English Translation). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220049734 A1 | Feb 2022 | US |
