The present invention relates to a storage furniture assembly.
Storage furniture are generally adapted for the type of items to be stored. However, buildings and rooms may have different layouts, people are different, and people may have different storage needs. Hence, there is a need for different types of storage furniture.
It is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least mitigate, parts or all of the above mentioned problems. To this end, according to a first aspect, there is provided a storage furniture assembly comprising a set of furniture frame panels configured to be connected in fixed relationship to each other to define a storage compartment comprising a storage compartment access opening, wherein the set of furniture frame panels comprises a first furniture frame panel extending in a first frame panel plane, a second furniture frame panel configured to be connected in a fixed relationship to the first furniture frame panel to extend in a second frame panel plane at an angle to the first frame panel plane, and a furniture foot assembly comprising a set of furniture feet, wherein said first furniture frame panel is provided with a first set of furniture foot attachment interfaces for attaching said set of furniture feet, wherein said second furniture frame panel is provided with a second set of furniture foot attachment interfaces for attaching said set of furniture feet, thereby enabling the furniture feet to be attached to either of the first furniture frame panel and the second furniture frame panel. Such a storage furniture assembly facilitates positioning the storage furniture on its feet in two different orientations. Thereby, the 25 storage furniture may be adapted for different needs. By way of example, the first furniture frame panel may have a size and/or shape which is different from the size and/or shape of the second furniture frame panel, such that the storage furniture may assume a different footprint on the floor, or a different height, or a different direction of an opening through which the interior of the storage furniture can be accessed, 30 depending on the orientation. Alternatively or additionally, the storage compartment may be provided with an internal shelf or other storage arrangement, the function or storage space layout of which may change depending on the orientation. The storage furniture assembly may be configured to define a stand-alone storage furniture. According to embodiments, the first and second furniture frame panels may be rectangular. In such an embodiment, the furniture foot attachment interfaces of each set of furniture foot attachment interfaces may optionally be positioned adjacent to the four corners of the respective furniture frame panel. Clearly, a rectangle may be quadratic, i.e. square, or oblong. According to some embodiments, the first furniture frame panel, or the second furniture frame panel, or both of the first and the second furniture frame panels may have the shape of a respective oblong rectangle. According to embodiments, any oblong rectangular shape of the first and/or second furniture frame panel may have a non-integer aspect ratio. Thereby, a high degree of flexibility of the shape of the storage space, depending on the orientation of the storage furniture, may be obtained. According to some embodiments, such an oblong rectangle may have an aspect ratio exceeding 1,3, and preferably, an aspect ratio between 1,5 and 2,4. The rectangular shapes of the first and second panels may have different aspect ratios. For example, according to embodiments, the first furniture frame panel may have an aspect ratio of more than 1,3, in combination with the second furniture frame panel having an aspect ratio of less than 1,2. Preferably, the set of furniture feet comprises fewer furniture feet than required to provide all furniture foot attachment interfaces of both sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces with respective furniture feet; clearly, the set of furniture feet need only comprise enough furniture feet to provide one of the sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces with respective furniture feet. Typically, the set of furniture feet may comprise three or four furniture feet, wherein four may be the most typical. Similarly, each set of furniture foot attachment interfaces may typically comprise a corresponding number of three or four furniture foot attachment interfaces, wherein four may be the most typical. The feet may typically have a height of at least 20 mm, to separate the respective panel from the floor by a corresponding distance. According to some embodiments, the feet may have a height of between 40 mm and 250 mm, which should be sufficient for reaching underneath the storage furniture for cleaning. According to other embodiments, the feet may have a height of between 60 mm and 150 mm. The first and second furniture frame panels may be configured to be connected in a fixed relationship to each other either directly, using a set of connectors of the storage furniture assembly, e.g. screws and/or plugs, or indirectly via e.g. any intermediate brackets that may be included in the storage furniture assembly. The connectors may be configured to penetrate into at least one of the first and second furniture frame panels in a penetration direction along the panel plane of the respective furniture frame panel, and to be anchored therein.
According to embodiments, each of the furniture foot attachment interfaces of the first and second sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces may comprise a respective foot-attachment through-hole through the respective furniture frame panel, the foot-attachment through-hole being accessible from both faces of the respective furniture frame panel for attaching the respective furniture foot. Alternatively or additionally, the furniture foot attachment interfaces of each of the first and second sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces may be positioned at a distance from a panel joint interface between the first and second furniture frame panels. The furniture feet of the set of furniture feet may be configured to be attached to respective ones of the furniture foot attachment interfaces of the first set of furniture foot attachment interfaces to extend in a direction transversal, e.g. perpendicular, to the first frame panel plane, and/or to respective ones of the furniture foot attachment interfaces of the second set of furniture foot attachment interfaces to extend in a direction transversal, e.g. perpendicular, to the second frame panel plane.
Each of the first and second furniture frame panels may have a respective inside face, which is configured to face the interior of the storage compartment, and an opposite, outer face which is configured to face away from the interior of the storage compartment. According to embodiments, each respective outer face of the first and second furniture frame panels is planar, i.e. it defines an even surface covering substantially the entire area of the outer face. The respective sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces may be provided at least on the respective outer faces. Alternatively or additionally, each respective inside face of the first and second furniture frame panels may also be planar.
According to embodiments, the furniture feet may be configured to be releasably attached to the furniture foot attachment interfaces, to enable moving the furniture feet between different sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces. Thereby, the furniture assembly may be re-configured between different configurations for different purposes, as the storage needs change.
According to embodiments, said first furniture frame panel may be configured to define a bottom wall of the storage compartment, the bottom wall being located opposite to the storage compartment access opening. Thereby, by attaching the furniture feet to the bottom wall, the storage furniture may be used as a storage tray with the storage compartment access opening facing upwards. By attaching the furniture feet to the second furniture frame panel, the storage furniture may be used as a storage cabinet or shelf having the storage compartment access opening on a lateral side. Here, the term “bottom wall” is merely used to designate the innermost wall of the storage compartment, and does not necessarily imply any particular orientation in space. According to embodiments, said bottom wall has a thickness of 8-35 mm, and more preferably 12-25 mm. The bottom wall may comprise a piece of board material, for example wood and/or cellulose based board, such as particle board, MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), HDF (High Density Fibreboard), solid wood board, wood plastic composite board, and hollow-board, such as honeycomb cardboard core board.
According to embodiments, the first and second frame panel planes may be mutually orthogonal.
According to embodiments, said set of furniture frame panels may further comprise a third furniture frame panel configured to be connected in a fixed relationship to the first and second furniture frame panels to extend in a third frame panel plane at an angle to each of the first and second frame panel planes, wherein said third furniture frame panel is provided with a third set of furniture foot attachment interfaces for attaching said set of furniture feet, thereby enabling the furniture feet to be attached to either of the first furniture frame panel, the second furniture frame panel, and the third furniture frame panel. Thereby, the storage furniture may be adapted to even further different needs. The third furniture frame panel may have a size and/or shape which is different from the size and/or shape of the second furniture frame panel. Alternatively or additionally, the third furniture frame panel may have a size and/or shape which is different from the size and/or shape of the first furniture frame panel. According to embodiments, also the third furniture frame panel may be rectangular; by way of example, it may be oblong, and optionally, have an aspect ratio exceeding 1,3, and even more preferred, an aspect ratio between 1,5 and 2,4. According to embodiments, each respective set of furniture foot attachment interfaces of said first, second and third sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces has no more and no less than four respective furniture foot attachment interfaces.
According to embodiments, the first, second and third frame panel planes may be mutually orthogonal. Thereby, the storage furniture assembly may be configured to assume the general shape of a cuboid, preferably an oblong rectangular cuboid. The rectangular shapes of said first, second and third furniture frame panels may all have mutually different aspect ratios. The aspect-ratios may be non-integer. The respective furniture foot attachment interfaces of the first, second and third sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces may be located at the four corners of the respective furniture frame panels. Thereby, the furniture foot attachment interfaces of each respective set of furniture foot attachment interface may be arranged in a respective oblong rectangular pattern. Also the respective oblong rectangular patterns of the furniture foot attachment interfaces may have non-integer aspect ratios.
According to embodiments, said set of furniture frame panels may comprise four furniture frame panels configured to be connected in fixed relationship to each other to define a rectangular storage furniture frame enclosing the storage compartment, the rectangular storage furniture frame being defined by a first pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels and a second pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels of said four furniture frame panels. The first pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels may comprise said second furniture frame panel and a fourth furniture frame panel, the second pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels may comprise said third furniture frame panel and a fifth furniture frame panel, and proximal edges of the second, third, fourth and fifth furniture frame panels may be configured to be connected in a fixed relationship to the first furniture frame panel such that distal edges of the second, third, fourth and fifth furniture frame panels, opposite to the respective proximal edges, define the storage compartment access opening. According to embodiments, one or both of said fourth and fifth furniture frame panels may be free from furniture foot attachment interfaces. Thereby, an attractive exterior of the storage furniture may be conveniently obtained.
According to embodiments, the storage furniture assembly may further comprise a storage space divider assembly comprising a first storage space divider panel configured to be attached to respective divider connection interfaces of mutually opposing inside faces of a first divider carrier panel and a second divider carrier panel of said set of furniture frame panels, to divide the storage space defined by the storage compartment into a first storage subspace and a second storage subspace. The first storage space divider panel may be positioned in such a manner that it will extend along differently oriented planes depending on the orientation of the storage furniture. Thereby, depending on the orientation of the storage furniture, said first storage space divider panel may operate as e.g. a shelf, a book support on a shelf, or a tray divider. The first and second divider carrier panels may be defined by the second pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels described hereinabove. The divider connection interfaces may be positioned at a distance from any furniture foot attachment interfaces of the first and/or second divider carrier panels. For example, it may be beneficial to arrange any furniture foot attachment interfaces of the first and/or second divider carrier panels adjacent to the respective corners of the first and second divider carrier panels, whereas it may be beneficial to have any divider connection interfaces positioned on the divider carrier panels such that the first storage space divider panel divides the storage space of the storage compartment into the first and second storage subspaces in respective storage volumes of the same order of magnitude. Hence, according to embodiments, a storage volume of the first storage subspace may be of the same order of magnitude as a storage volume of the second storage subspace.
According to embodiments, a storage volume of the first storage subspace is different from a storage volume of the second storage subspace. This increases the versatility of the storage furniture.
The first storage space divider panel may extend along a first divider panel plane. According to embodiments, the divider connection interfaces of the first and second divider carrier panels may be configured to lock the first storage space divider panel against movement perpendicular to the first divider panel plane. Thereby, the storage furniture may be re-oriented without re-positioning or loss of the first storage space divider panel.
According to embodiments, the storage space divider assembly may further comprise a second storage space divider panel configured to be attached to respective divider connection interfaces of mutually opposing faces of the first storage space divider panel and a third divider carrier panel of said set of furniture frame panels, to divide the second storage subspace into a third storage subspace and a fourth storage subspace. The first storage space divider panel may extend along a first divider panel plane, and the second storage space divider panel may extend along a second divider panel plane at an angle to the first storage space divider plane. By way of example, the second storage space divider plane may be perpendicular to the first storage space divider plane. The third divider carrier panel may be defined by a furniture frame panel of the first pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels described hereinabove. According to embodiments, the divider connection interfaces of the first storage space divider panel and the third divider carrier panel may be configured to lock the second storage space divider panel against movement perpendicular to the second divider panel plane. Thereby, the storage furniture may be re-oriented without re-positioning or loss of the second storage space divider panel.
According to embodiments, each of said divider connection interfaces may comprise a respective storage space divider guide configured to guidingly engage with a respective edge of the respective storage space divider panel. For example, each respective storage space divider guide may be configured as a storage space divider guide rail protruding from the respective panel face, the storage space divider guide rail being configured to guidingly engage with a respective guide track along an edge of the respective storage space divider panel. A pair of opposite edges of the first storage space divider panel may be provided with respective guide tracks extending along the first divider panel plane and configured to guidedly engage with the respective storage space divider guide rails extending from the mutually opposing inside faces of said first and second divider carrier panels. The storage space divider guide rails may extend along the storage space divider plane of the respective storage space divider panel. Similarly, a pair of opposite edges of the second storage space divider panel may be provided with respective guide tracks extending along the second divider panel plane and configured to guidedly engage with the respective storage space divider guide rails extending from said mutually opposing faces of the first storage space divider panel and the third divider carrier panel.
According to embodiments, each of said storage space divider guide rails may be configured as a rigid metal wire guide having two free ends, the free ends being insertable with tight fit in a mating hole pattern in the respective panel face.
According to embodiments, the furniture foot assembly may comprise a set of threaded elements for attaching the furniture feet to the respective furniture foot attachment interfaces. According to embodiments, said set of threaded elements may comprise a set of foot attachment screws. Each of the furniture foot attachment interfaces may comprise a foot-attachment through-hole through the respective furniture frame panel, each foot-attachment through-hole being configured to receive a respective foot attachment screw. Alternatively or additionally, each of said foot attachment screws may be configured to engage with a respective threaded insert embedded in the respective furniture frame panel. The foot attachment screws may be attached to the respective furniture feet, to engage with a mating nut or inner thread of the respective furniture foot attachment interface. Alternatively or additionally, the foot attachment screws may be configured to be screwed to the furniture feet via respective foot-attachment through-holes through the respective furniture frame panel.
According to embodiments, said set of foot attachment screws may be configured to threadedly engage with respective screw holes of the furniture feet, wherein each of said furniture foot attachment interfaces comprises a foot-attachment through-hole through the respective furniture frame panel, the foot-attachment through-hole being configured to receive a respective foot attachment screw. A typical width of the foot-attachment through-hole, along the plane of the respective furniture frame panel, may be e.g. 5 mm-50 mm. An even more preferred range may be 8mm-25 mm. According to some embodiments, the respective foot-attachment through-holes may be threaded to engage with the thread of the foot attachment screw; according to other embodiments, the respective foot-attachment through-holes may be shaped to allow inserting the respective foot-attachment screws without engaging with a thread.
According to embodiments, said furniture foot assembly may further comprise, for each foot attachment screw, a respective foot support sleeve configured to receive the respective foot attachment screw, said foot support sleeve having an outer mantle face coinciding with an inner face of a foot attachment screw hole. Thereby, a higher strength of the foot attachment may be obtained. This may be of particular benefit if the furniture frame panels are made of a relatively soft material, such as particle board, and/or if the foot attachment screws have a threaded screw body of relatively small diameter, such as less than 12 mm. Even higher strength may be obtained if outer threads of the foot attachment screws are configured to engage with mating inner threads of the respective foot support sleeves. Each foot support sleeve may comprise a support collar configured to form an axial support of the respective screw against the respective furniture frame panel.
According to embodiments, the storage furniture assembly may further comprise a set of furniture foot attachment interface covers, each of said furniture foot attachment interface covers comprising a respective panel connection interface mating with a furniture foot attachment interface of said sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces, and a cover trim configured to cover an outside face of the respective furniture foot attachment interface. The cover trim may be sufficiently small to leave the main part of the outer face of the respective furniture frame panel exposed. The respective panel connection interfaces of the furniture foot attachment interface covers may, for example, each comprise an insert body configured to be inserted in a mating manner in a foot-attachment through-hole of the respective furniture foot attachment interface, wherein a connector, such as a screw, may be configured to be attached to the insert body from an inside face of the respective furniture panel, via the foot-attachment through-hole.
According to embodiments, the storage furniture assembly may further comprise a hanger comprising a panel connection interface mating with a furniture foot attachment interface of said sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces, and a hanger knob which, when the hanger is attached to the furniture foot attachment interface, is spaced from an outer face of the respective furniture frame panel. Thereby, one or several of the furniture foot attachment interfaces which are not used for furniture feet may be used for attaching respective hangers, which may e.g. extend from a lateral side of the storage furniture when positioned on its furniture feet. Again, the panel connection interface may comprise an insert body configured to be inserted with a tight fit in a foot-attachment through-hole of the respective furniture foot attachment interface, and a connector, such as a screw, configured to be attached to the insert body from an inside face of the respective furniture panel, via the foot-attachment through-hole.
According to embodiments, each furniture frame panel of said set of furniture frame panels may comprise a respective piece of board material having a thickness of 8-35 mm, more preferably 12-25 mm. Such furniture frame panels provide an attractive balance between cost, ease of assembly, and structural strength. Examples of board materials suitable for the purpose are wood and/or cellulose based board, such as particle board, MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), HDF (High Density Fibreboard), solid wood board, wood plastic composite board, and hollow-board, such as honeycomb cardboard core board. According to embodiments, also any storage space divider panels, as the case may be, may each comprise a respective piece of board material having a thickness of 8-35 mm, more preferably 12-25 mm. In other embodiments, the furniture frame panels and/or any storage divider panels may be made of sheet metal or plastic.
According to a second aspect, parts or all of the above mentioned problems are solved, or at least mitigated, by a storage furniture assembly comprising a set of furniture frame panels comprising four furniture frame panels configured to be connected in fixed relationship to each other to define a rectangular storage furniture frame enclosing a storage compartment, the rectangular storage furniture frame being defined by a first pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels and a second pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels of said four furniture frame panels; and a storage space divider assembly comprising a first pair of storage space divider guide rails comprising a first storage space divider guide rail and a second storage space divider guide rail configured to be connected to mutually opposing inside faces of said second pair of mutually parallel furniture frame panels, a first storage space divider panel extending in a first divider panel plane, and comprising a pair of opposite edges provided with respective guide tracks extending along said first divider panel plane, the guide tracks of said first storage space divider panel being configured to guidedly engage with said first pair of storage space divider guide rails to enable sliding the first storage divider into a position inside the storage compartment at which position the first storage space divider panel divides the storage compartment into a first storage subspace and a second storage subspace, wherein the storage furniture assembly further comprises a second pair of storage space divider guide rails comprising a third storage space divider guide rail and a fourth storage space divider guide rail, the third storage space divider guide rail being configured to be connected to an inside face of a furniture frame panel of said first pair of furniture frame panels, and the fourth storage space divider guide rail being configured to be connected to a divider connection face of the first storage space divider panel, the divider connection face of the first storage space divider panel opposing said inside face of a furniture frame panel of said first pair of furniture frame panels, and a second storage space divider panel extending in a second divider panel plane, and comprising a pair of opposite edges provided with respective guide tracks extending along said second divider panel plane, the guide tracks of said second storage space divider panel being configured to guidedly engage with said second pair of storage space divider guide rails to enable sliding the second storage divider into a position inside the second storage subspace at which position the second storage space divider panel divides the second storage subspace into a third storage subspace and a fourth storage subspace. Such a storage furniture assembly enables easy assembly of a storage furniture comprising a mix of e.g. shelves and book supports, or any other internal storage space layout involving differently oriented divider panels. The storage furniture assembly may be combined with any of the features described hereinabove with reference to the storage furniture assembly according to the first aspect. For example, according to embodiments, each of said storage space divider guide rails may be configured as a rigid metal wire guide having two free ends, the free ends being insertable with tight fit in a mating hole pattern in the respective panel face.
It is noted that embodiments of the invention may be embodied by all possible combinations of features recited in the claims. Further, it will be appreciated that the various embodiments described for the first aspect are all combinable with the various embodiments described for the second aspect of the present invention, and vice versa.
The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein:
All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the embodiments, wherein other parts may be omitted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
The first furniture frame panel 10a has a first width W1 and a second width W2, and an aspect ratio W1/W2 of about 2, whereas the third furniture frame panel 10c has a first width W3 and a second width W4, and an aspect ratio W3/W4 of about 1,7. The aspect ratio of the second furniture frame panel 10b is W4/W2, and is about 1,18. Typical dimensions of W1 and W3 may be between 500 mm and 1800 mm, whereas typical dimensions of W2 and W4 may be between 300 mm and 800 mm, for example. The fourth panel 10d has similar dimensions as the second panel 10b, and the fifth panel 10e has similar dimensions as the third panel 10c.
Each of the first, second and third panels 10a-c is also provided which a respective set of furniture foot attachment interfaces 15, 16, 17 for attaching a set of furniture feet (not illustrated). Each set of furniture foot attachment interfaces 15, 16, 17 comprises four respective furniture foot attachment interfaces which are positioned adjacent to the four corners of the respective rectangular furniture frame panel 10a, 10b, 10c. For clarity of illustration, all four furniture foot attachment interfaces 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d are pointed out with arrows only in relation to the third set of furniture foot attachment interfaces 17, and the third furniture frame panel 10c.
Turning now to
A first end 30a of the illustrated foot attachment screw 30 is configured to threadedly engage with a respective screw hole 32 in an upper face of the respective furniture foot 26, and a second end 30b of the foot attachment screw 30 is configured to be received in the sleeve body 28a of the respective foot support sleeve 28, and threadedly engage with an internal thread (not illustrated) within the sleeve body 28a.
The storage furniture assembly further comprises a set of four storage space divider guide rails 34, only one of which is again illustrated, which guide rails 34 are configured as rigid metal wire guides each having two free ends 33, 35 bent to face in the same direction.
The storage furniture assembly further comprises a set of seven furniture foot attachment interface covers 36, the function of which will be elucidated further below. Again, only one single furniture foot attachment interface cover 36 is illustrated, and it will be appreciated that the remaining six may be identical. Each furniture foot attachment interface cover 36 comprises a respective panel connection interface 36b configured to be connected to a furniture foot attachment interface 15, 16, 17 of the first, second and third furniture frame panels 10a-c, and a respective cover trim 36a configured to cover an outside face of the respective furniture foot attachment interface 15, 16, 17.
The storage furniture assembly further comprises a hanger 38, wherein the hanger 38 comprises a hanger knob 38a, a panel connection interface 38b similar to 25 the panel connection interfaces 36b of the furniture foot attachment interface covers 36, and a knob shaft 38c extending between the hanger knob 38a and the panel connection interface 38b. The storage furniture assembly also comprises eight screw connectors 40 configured to be attached to the panel connection interfaces 36b, 38b of the furniture foot attachment interface covers 36 and the hanger 38.
Proximal edges 46b, 46d (
Now with reference to
After having attached the first storage space divider panel 18a within the storage space 42, and as illustrated in the view of
Also the third and fourth storage space divider guide rails 34c, 34d are of the type illustrated with reference sign 34 in
The storage furniture 60 thus assembled has sets of furniture foot attachment interfaces 15, 16, 17 (
Starting with
Now referring to
The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims. For example, the furniture frame panels need not be rectangular; they can have any other suitable shape. Moreover, the furniture frame panels do not need to be connected to each other at right angles; they can be connected to each other at acute or obtuse angles alike. Hence, the storage furniture need not be cuboidal; the teachings herein are applicable also to storage furniture of other shapes, such as triangular, rhomboidal, tetrahedral, etc. The furniture foot attachment interfaces do not need to be configured as through-holes; alternatively, they can be configured as e.g. threaded blind-holes accessible from the outside of the respective panels.
In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2150196-0 | Feb 2021 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/SE2022/050168 | 2/15/2022 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20240130521 A1 | Apr 2024 | US |