The invention relates to a device for opening and closing a movable part of a piece of furniture, in particular a drawer, a furniture door, a shutter or the like.
Such devices serve the purpose of enabling the opening and closure of drawers, doors, shutters and any other movable parts of a piece of furniture which, by way of example, for aesthetic reasons have no handle. Opening and closing such movable parts of a piece of furniture, for example by lateral operation of the front panel or another accessible part, is impractical and does not allow reliable operation.
Fittings for opening drawers are known which are operated in that the drawer is pushed in by a predetermined length of travel and then moved out by a spring mechanism. This function is achieved in known manner through what are known as touch latch fittings.
Fittings based on the touch latch principle are disclosed, for example, in the specifications DE 100 08 350 A1, DE 198 21 014 A1 or DE 295 07 917 U1.
Similar closure mechanisms, as described, for example, in DE 197 53 319 A1, use a closure mechanism based on a curved or sliding guideway. These mechanisms are relatively costly to produce.
In the fittings known in the state of the art it is disadvantageous that to push in the drawer an increased resistance must be applied for tensioning the spring mechanism.
Furthermore, the devices need a relatively large trigger path and in particular cannot be triggered and locked from any desired pressure point on a drawer facing or a door, etc, with exactly the same short trigger paths and with the same forces.
The object of the present invention is to specify a device which allows the opening and closure of a movable part of a piece of furniture by manual actuation at any point of this part of a piece of furniture with low opening and closure pressure and a small trigger path.
This task is solved according to the invention by the characteristics specified in the independent Claim 1.
The device comprises according to the invention two trigger and drive units which each possess a trigger member controllable by external application of force and a drive member linked to the trigger member for moving the furniture part. There is at least one locking member for locking the furniture part in the closed position and releasing the furniture part as a function of the external application of force on at least one trigger member, wherein the two trigger/drive units are coupled to one another in synchronous manner substantially without play by path- and force-transmitting means.
Advantageous developments and refinements of the invention are specified in the subsidiary claims.
The two trigger and drive units are advantageously arranged at a distance from one another on opposite sides of the movable furniture part.
In a preferred development of the invention each trigger and drive unit comprises a disengaging lever mounted pivotably directly or indirectly on the movable furniture part and acted on by a spring which acting in conjunction with a limit stop arranged in fixed position on the carcass of the piece of furniture determines the closed and open position of the movable furniture part. In doing so in the closed state of the movable furniture part one end of the disengaging lever fits against the limit stop of the carcass of the piece of furniture.
To improve synchronous operation and the trigger and drive properties of the device it can be provided that the free end of the disengaging lever is of fork-like construction and acts in conjunction with a limit stop constructed in the form of a pin located in fixed position.
The force of the spring exerted on the disengaging lever, that is the initial tension in the spring, is preferably adjustable so that the desired travel of the drawer in opening can be determined as a function of the size of the drawer and the weight of the drawer.
The disengaging lever itself is preferably constructed as a guide bar having two legs whose first leg forms the trigger member and whose second leg is coupled via at least one path- and force-transmitting connecting member to the second leg of the respective other disengaging lever of the opposite trigger and drive member.
The locking member preferably comprises a spring-loaded latch temporarily actively connected to one of the two trigger/drive units which operates in the manner of a known touch latch locking mechanism. Two latches may also be provided which each act on one of the trigger and drive units.
In advantageous manner the trigger/drive unit and the locking member are arranged on a common assembly panel to be fastened to the movable furniture part which panel may be covered by a cover. The assembly panel and/or the cover is rigidly connected to the movable furniture part.
On the disengaging lever a setting device can be provided by means of which the position of the first leg can be altered relative to the position of the second leg. By this means fine adjustment of the limit stop position of the first leg of the disengaging lever relative to the limit stop on the carcass of the piece of furniture is possible.
In order to achieve a controlled and reproducible opening operation, means can be provided according to the invention for limiting the movement of the furniture part brought about by the drive member.
For the means for transmitting path and force between the disengaging levers of the two trigger and drive members mechanical, electromechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic means may be provided. For example, the mechanical connecting members can be constructed as rigid, inherently stiff members, as flexible members or as cable-like members depending on whether they must be put under load only by pulling or also by pushing.
The device according to the invention affords substantial advantages with respect to the devices known in the state of the art.
The movable furniture part opens and closes safely and reliably regardless of the point on the movable furniture part at which the opening and closing pressure is exerted.
The opening movement may be triggered at any point on the movable furniture part with an almost constant, very short trigger path. Jamming or one-sided opening or locking of the movable furniture part does not occur.
Furthermore, due to the device according to the invention the transfer of the momentum of the movable furniture part, ie the jolt when the mass of the furniture part encounters the carcass of the piece of furniture in the closing position, is absorbed without damage to the carcass of the piece of furniture, the movable furniture part or the mechanism. At the same time it is also prevented that the engagement between the latch and the disengaging lever is not inadvertently released due to the impact and the resultant change in direction of the movable furniture part (rebound).
Other advantages of the device are:
When used in drawers the best mode of operation of the device according to the invention is in association with what is known as a draw-in device which is present in almost all draw-out guides in modern drawers and is, accordingly, not described in more detail. The disengaging force of the disengaging lever is chosen to be greater than the draw-in force of the draw-in device.
Due to the force of the draw-in device the sensor ends of the disengaging levers when the touch latch is engaged are pulled against the limit stops on both sides of the carcass of the piece of furniture and by this means the drawer is held securely in the closed position.
A plurality of exemplified embodiments of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the figures in the drawing. The exemplified embodiments provide further features, advantages and possible applications of the invention.
The drawing shows:
The embodiments described relate exclusively to a movable furniture part in the form of a drawer which is arranged to be pulled out in known manner in the carcass of a piece of furniture. The exemplified embodiments can, of course, be transferred in the same or modified form to other movable furniture parts such as by way of example furniture doors, shutters, etc.
According to the invention trigger and drive members 6 are arranged on the side edges of the bottom 4 of the drawer close to the front 5 of the drawer. The trigger and drive members 6 comprise an assembly panel 7 on which an approximately T-shaped disengaging lever 8 is arranged pivotably in a pivot bearing 9. In the region of the pivot bearing 9 a torsion spring 10 is arranged which exerts an elastic force on the disengaging lever 8 so that its leg 11 forming a trigger member rests by its sensor roller 12 against a limit stop 2 of the furniture carcass 1. Furthermore, on the leg 11 a catch projection 13 is provided in which a spring-loaded, pivotable latch 17 engages which as a single member forms a known touch latch fitting and holds the disengaging lever 8 in a tensioned position. On the ends of the leg 14 of the disengaging lever 8 articulated connecting members are fitted. The connecting members 16 connect the leg 14 in each case to the leg 14 of the disengaging lever 8 of the other trigger and drive unit 6 opposite. This means that the two opposite disengaging levers 8 are connected to one another synchronously and without play so that the movement of one disengaging lever 8 is transmitted in the same way to the other disengaging lever 8.
Proceeding from the initial state shown in
On closing the drawer the sensor rollers 12 of the disengaging levers 8 encounter the limit stops 2 on the furniture carcass 1. On further movement of the drawer the disengaging levers 8 are swivelled in and the spring 10 is put under tension. In the trigger position, that is in the position of being almost completely pushed in, the latch 17 captures one disengaging lever 8 and arrest it whereupon via the connecting members 6 the other disengaging lever 8 is arrested. In this position the drawer is preferably held closed by the known draw-in devices (not illustrated) in the draw-out guides.
The development in
Furthermore, in
In
In
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
101 57 754 | Nov 2001 | DE | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1842998 | Rebischke et al. | Jan 1932 | A |
2271431 | Hauser et al. | Jan 1942 | A |
2343977 | Jones et al. | Mar 1944 | A |
2455182 | La Vallee | Nov 1948 | A |
2556612 | Buntin | Jun 1951 | A |
2882112 | Jarvi | Apr 1959 | A |
2885251 | Howard | May 1959 | A |
2992031 | Krause et al. | Jul 1961 | A |
3222115 | Urbank | Dec 1965 | A |
3245744 | Olson | Apr 1966 | A |
3854785 | Manner et al. | Dec 1974 | A |
4056699 | Jordan | Nov 1977 | A |
4123631 | Lewis | Oct 1978 | A |
4159153 | Yoshikawa | Jun 1979 | A |
5020868 | Brunnert | Jun 1991 | A |
5158347 | Warren et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
5170108 | Peterson et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
5564228 | Geringer et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
6378916 | Huang | Apr 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
29507917 | Sep 1995 | DE |
19753319 | Jul 1998 | DE |
19821014 | Nov 1999 | DE |
10008350 | Sep 2001 | DE |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20030117048 A1 | Jun 2003 | US |