Patent Application
20240298796
The invention concerns a front panel for a furniture body, which front panel allows gripping from behind of an end face, provided with a handle bar, of movable furniture parts such as doors, drawers or similar, and has a chamber for receiving a lighting means.
For many years, handles on furniture have been used not only as handles for actuating drawers, doors, flaps or similar, but also as a styling means for visual enhancement of a furniture front. The appearance of a furniture front is today often improved by the use of handle bars which extend in particular over the entire width of such a movable furniture part.
As well as handles which are directly connected to movable furniture parts such as doors, drawers or similar for actuation thereof, illuminated front panels have become known which are set back from the front side of the furniture body and allow gripping from behind of an end face of these movable furniture parts equipped with a handle bar.
The invention provides a device of the type described initially for actuation of movable furniture parts, wherein according to claim 1 it is provided that the one-piece front panel has a base plate, in front of which a wall with multiple curvature is connected, a first end portion of which extends from the movable furniture part in the direction of the body interior as far as the base plate and which, after a direction change, carries on its second end portion, spaced from the base plate, the chamber which receives the lighting means and remains visible when the furniture body is viewed from the front, and that the wall forms a rear wall of the chamber facing the furniture body.
The one-piece design of the front panel allows low-cost production in unlimited lengths e.g. of a plastic, in some cases however also of a metal e.g. of high quality aluminum.
The light from the lighting means incident on the front side of the wall creates a light band which extends in particular over the entire width of the furniture part, in particular also over an entire furniture piece. Since the front panel is at least partially set back relative to the furniture front, the end portion of the wall, running initially from the movable furniture part in the direction of the body interior, largely prevents a light incidence into the interior of the furniture or backlighting of the movable furniture part, while the base plate closes the interior of the furniture body and prevents light incidence.
Thanks to the curved wall, the light passing through the light outlet opening of the chamber for receiving the lighting means is also guided along the wall up to the handle bar, and safely illuminates the space between the handle bar of the movable furniture part and the wall.
The provision of the base plate stabilizes the front panel according to the invention. If such a base plate is also made sufficiently stable, it may be considered to make the preferably extending horizontally front panel self-supporting, merely resting on the end faces of corner recesses in the side parts of the furniture body.
It may be provided that the wall and the base plate are formed in common in portions.
Structurally, it is furthermore advantageous if the wall forms a rear wall of the chamber facing the furniture body.
To fasten the front panel to the furniture body, normal connecting techniques such as screwing, gluing or similar are quite suitable. Suitably, locking or spacing elements for fastening to the furniture body protrude from the back of the base plate.
Suitably, locking or spacer elements with L-shaped and/or T-shaped cross-section protrude from the base plate for fastening to the furniture body. Such locking, e.g. by pressing into corresponding grooves of the furniture part, in some cases of one or more mounting plates, ensures not only a secure but also an invisible fastening. Configured as spacer elements, these elements define the position of the front panel e.g. in a groove in the body. In addition, such locking or spacer elements with L-shaped and/or T-shaped cross-section act as a bead to reinforce the base plate.
It has furthermore proved suitable if the chamber is covered by an upper part connected to an edge of the base plate, and a front wall of the chamber is extended up to a free end of the upper part or beyond the upper part to the underside of a cover plate of the furniture body.
Such measures provide a closed front appearance and achieve a high mechanical stability.
If furthermore the wall is extended beyond the upper part up to the underside of a cover plate of the furniture body, a space is created between the upper part and the underside of the cover plate, which may be used for example for cutouts for ventilation of cook tops, ovens or similar.
In the structural design, it may be provided that the end portion of the wall lying opposite the chamber has an S-shaped curve. This gives the end portion of the wall substantial stiffness and allows a floor part to be attached between this end portion of the wall and the base plate.
The light guidance along the wall is further improved if a light outlet opening of the chamber, standing perpendicularly on the wall, is closed by a strip of a transparent material which has a triangular cross-section.
The strip of transparent material protects the lighting means from dirt and is however easy to clean, for example when used in a kitchen area, in order to guarantee optimal light output. Because of the triangular cross-section, furthermore the strip acts as a light guide for bundling incident light.
Structurally, it may be provided that the strip and/or an LED band is/are held in grooves in opposite walls of the chamber, and/or that lugs protrude from the opposite walls and engage in grooves of the strip and/or LED band.
Even if LED bands, which have a comparatively long life, are used as lighting means, nonetheless replacement is easily possible via the end faces of the front panel according to the invention, perhaps after removing a cover cap.
The same applies to the strip of transparent material, for example after scratching or denting. Also, a color change is easily possible by replacing the LED band and/or the strip.
Such measures provide a closed front appearance and achieve a high mechanical stability.
The resulting furniture piece with a front panel according to the invention, having a handle bar made of a solid profile which has a grip recess and is inserted in a rectangular corner cutout in an end face of the movable furniture part, and which furthermore has a lug extending over the end face and engages with an underside locking element in the furniture part, meets the highest requirements.
The device according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing which shows merely exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:
The one-piece front panel 1 illustrated in the drawing in
The front panel 1 has a wall 6 with multiple curvature forming a spine, in front of a rear base plate 15, and a first end portion 7 thereof runs away from the movable furniture part 5 in the direction of the body interior.
After a direction change at the site of its connection to the base plate 15, the wall 6 carries, on its second end portion 8, a chamber 9 which remains visible in a front view of the furniture body 3 and receives a lighting means 10.
The rear wall 11 of the chamber 9 is formed by the wall 6, whereby the chamber 9 is held at a distance from the base plate 15 of the front panel 1.
The walls of the chamber 9 are opaque and leave a light outlet opening 12 which is closed by a strip 13 of a transparent material.
Thus the light from the lighting means 10 passes exclusively through the transparent strip 13 onto the wall 6, and illuminates the intermediate space between the handle bar 4 and the wall 6. Thus in front view, a light band appears over the length of the front panel 1. The end portion 7 prevents light incidence into the furniture body 3 or backlighting of the movable furniture part 5.
In the chamber 9, the strip 13 is held in grooves in the opposite walls 11, 14. The same applies to the LED band carrying the lighting means 10 at the end of the chamber 9 lying opposite the light outlet opening 12.
An upper part 16, which stands perpendicularly on the base plate 15, is connected to the upper edge of the base plate 15 and is dimensioned so that the wall 6 and chamber 9 are covered. The front wall 14 of the chamber 9 is extended to the end of the upper part 16, so that there a smooth front side of the front panel is formed.
In order to fasten the front panel 1 to the furniture body 3, L-shaped and T-shaped locking or spacer elements 18, 19 protrude from the back side 17 of the base plate 15 and can be pressed into corresponding grooves in a cross-piece of such a furniture body, in some cases into a separately formed fixing plate.
A further exemplary embodiment of a front panel 30 according to the invention is explained with reference to
The light outlet opening 45 of the chamber 34 is closed by a transparent strip 46 with a triangular cross-section, the tip of which is directed towards lighting means 35. This geometry of the strip 46 also forms a light guide which ensures a very even light radiation onto the wall 31.
At the side of the wall 31, the strip 46 is held with a protrusion in a groove. The other side of the strip however has a groove in which a lug of the front wall 36 engages. This fastening allows simple clip-mounting of the strip 46.
The second end portion 47 of the wall 31 has an S-shaped curve, whereby this end portion 47 gains stability. This is further increased by a floor 48 which extends between the end of the end portion 47 and the lower end of the base plate 49.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 003 238.1 | Jun 2021 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2022/000071 | 6/22/2022 | WO |
