Abstract:
A furniture part functional element for decoration or information display, such as for logos or the like, includes: a planar information section and a fastening section equipped with a fastener configured to fasten to the furniture part. The fastener of the fastening section comprises a sliding guide element, via which sliding on a guide section of the furniture part is enabled, and a clamping element, via which the slid-on functional element is held clamped to the guide section.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) to Application No. DE 202015000619.1 filed on Jan. 28, 2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a furniture part functional element for decoration or information display, in particular in the form of logos or company labels or the like, with a planar information section and a fastening section of the furniture part functional element equipped with a fastener configured to fasten to the furniture part. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Furniture part functional elements are generally known in the furniture industry. Using these functional elements, furniture parts, e.g., the frame of a drawer or a drawer guide are provided with information, a logo of the manufacturer or of the installer or generally as a design element. 
         [0004]    Since there are, e.g., different types of frame variants on the market, the functional elements are sometimes fastened as simple adhesive elements or as an imprint on a visible area of the outer surface. It is also known that a depression is milled into the outer surface, in which a badge can be fastened, e.g., glued in, locked in or inserted. Dismantling the badge or removing an adhesive element or imprint is virtually impossible. Often the surface is damaged in this regard or it is no longer closed or covered, e.g., in the case of milling. Furthermore, a tool is required both for assembly and also for dismantling, which is sometimes only available to the manufacturer. Lastly, the dismantling is often associated with the destruction of the badge. Missing badges can often no longer be obtained or can only be obtained with great difficulty. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The object underlying the invention is thus to provide a furniture part functional element, which is assemblable and dismantlable without tools and for which the furniture part does not require any particular arrangements on the visible surface. In addition, the functional element with the information or the logo should be able to be exchanged for other functional elements without problems. If it is desired, the functional element should also be completely removable, without this being noticed on the furniture part as damage or as a defect. 
         [0006]    The object is achieved according to the invention in the case of a furniture part functional element of the type mentioned in the introduction in that the fastener of the fastening section comprise a sliding guide element, via which sliding onto a guide section of the furniture part is enabled, and a clamping element, via which the slid-on functional element is held clamped to the guide section. 
         [0007]    The furniture part functional element according to the invention thus comprises a fastener, which has two components, namely, on the one hand a sliding guide element, via which the functional element can be slid or guided in the longitudinal direction, e.g., to a side panel of a drawer or a guide rail. The functional element thus performs an exact movement and comes to lie at the desired location on the furniture part. On the other hand, the clamping element serves to hold the slid-on guide element in the desired position such that it is not slid out of this position or does not go missing. The sliding guide element and the clamping element can be designed as separate component elements, thus independent of each other in the functions thereof, wherein the sliding guide element initially brings the functional element into the desired position and then the clamping element fixedly holds the functional element in this position. 
         [0008]    In the case of a refinement of the invention, the sliding guide element comprises a guide groove open in the direction of at least one front side of the furniture part, via which the furniture part is slidable from the front side in question onto the sliding guide element and/or is slidable into the guide groove. The guide groove is thus located between the information section and the fastener. The guide groove is, in this regard, designed such that it bears the guide section of the furniture part or such that the guide section comes to lie in the guide groove and slides in the guide groove virtually in the form of a rail. The front wall of the furniture part normally points downwards such that the sliding guide element and the clamping element cannot be seen in the use position of the furniture part, but only the information section. 
         [0009]    The guide groove preferably comprises two opposing groove walls, of which one is formed by a rear side of the information section and the other by the fastening section, and a groove base, which is formed by a base section connecting the information section and the fastening section to each other. The base section reaches under the guide section of the furniture part and reaches from the area of the front side wall thereof (visible wall) into the area of the rear side wall thereof (rear or inner wall). The two groove walls and the groove base form, in the widest sense, a U-rail open in the direction of the guide section of the furniture part to be received. 
         [0010]    In the case of a refinement of the invention it is provided for the clamping element to comprise at least one, in particular a plurality of elastically flexible clamping fingers, which are elastically retractable for the sliding on of the functional element and subsequently lie in a clamping position in clamping engagement with the guide section. When the functional element is slid on, the clamping fingers are elastically pivoted such that they either lie at a distance to the furniture part or only touch the latter, however, they do not penetrate or lock into the latter. The functional element is thus freely displaceable with respect to the guide section. 
         [0011]    In the case of a preferred embodiment, a plurality of clamping fingers are provided in the longitudinal direction of the functional element arranged in series one behind the other. Using this plurality of clamping fingers, different positions of the functional element can be adopted, depending on which clamping finger penetrates into which fixing seat on the furniture part in the end position. A plurality of clamping fingers can also penetrate into one or a plurality of fixing seats in the end position. 
         [0012]    According to the invention, the at least one clamping finger comprises a pivot bearing section, which is, in particular, integrally attached to the base section of the guide groove. The clamping force and the elastic capacity of the clamping finger are set via the pivot bearing section. In this regard, the base section remains largely undeformed when the functional element is slid on. 
         [0013]    In the case of a variant according to the invention, it is provided for the at least one clamping finger to comprise a central section, which is arranged substantially parallel to the rear side of the information section in the clamping position. The clamping force and the elastic capacity of the clamping finger can also be set over the length, alignment and inclination of the central section. In addition, the functional element only slightly enlarges the thickness of the furniture part. 
         [0014]    With particular preference, the clamping finger comprises a clamping section, which lies in engagement with the guide section of the furniture part in the clamping position. In this regard, at least one clamping lug protruding inwards towards the information section is arranged on the clamping section. This clamping lug serves as a lock element and automatically locks to the guide section when the functional element adopts the end position thereof. 
         [0015]    A feature according to the invention makes provision for a position fixing element to be provided to fix the position of the functional element in the slid-on position in and counter to a sliding direction or perpendicular thereto. This position fixing element can also be formed by the clamping lug, which lock into the guide section. In another variant, the position fixing element comprises one or a plurality of separate elements, which are also provided on the clamping element and are also manually actuatable, as appropriate. 
         [0016]    In this regard, in the case of a refinement of the invention according to the invention, the position fixing element can comprise at least one clamping lug, in particular designed on the at least one clamping finger, which penetrate into a fixing seat on the guide section of the furniture part in the slid-on state and in the desired position of the functional element. The position of the fixing seat is, in this regard, selected such that they are not visible even after the dismantling of the functional element and do not change or destroy the visible surface of the furniture part. 
         [0017]    Preferred embodiments according to the invention make provision for the information section to comprise a flat, in particular planar, deepened or raised front side, which is, in particular provided with a print reproducing information and/or an image. In this regard, the manufacturer or installer, serial numbers, a logo, braille script or a colored surface can be printed on and/or the information can consist of another material or the visible surface can comprise a complete or partial, i.e. partial different structuring. 
         [0018]    Configurations of the furniture part functional element according to the invention make provision for them to consist of metal and/or plastic, in particular in the form of a plastic injection molded part, pressure die-casting, stamped part, sheet metal part or a metal buckle. Functional elements of this type can be adapted not only to the desired design, but also to the high level of quality of the furniture part. In addition, functional elements of this type allow simple manufacturing and the trouble-free assembly thereof on the furniture part. 
         [0019]    The invention also relates to a furniture part, with a furniture part functional element, which comprises a planar information section and a fastening section equipped with a fastener, via which it is fastened to the furniture part, wherein the furniture part functional element comprises the previously mentioned and following features, which are implemented either in any desired combination or also individually on the functional element. 
         [0020]    In this regard, the furniture part can be designed, e.g., as a door, drawer, pull-out or cover. The functional element is preferably mounted on a movable furniture part and on a visible surface. 
         [0021]    Further advantages, features and properties of the invention emerge from the following description, in which two exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawing. In this regard, the features mentioned in the drawing as well as in the claims and the description are each implemented individually per se or in any combination on the functional element. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]    In the drawings, it is shown: 
           [0023]      FIG. 1  a perspective view of a section of a pull-out with a side panel; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  a perspective view of the inside of a section of the side panel according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  an enlarged reproduction of the section III according to  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  a longitudinal section IV-IV through the section according to  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 5  a perspective view of the rear side of the functional element according to the invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 6  a perspective view of the inside of a section of the side panel according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  an enlarged reproduction of the cut out VII-VII according to  FIG. 6 ; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 8  a longitudinal section VIII-VIII through the cut out according to  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0031]      FIG. 1  shows a section of a furniture part  12  designed as a pull-out  10 , from which a front plate  14  as well as a side panel  16  are visible. A functional element  18  is located on the visible side surface of the side panel  16 , which can be used as an information carrier and/or design element. 
         [0032]    The inside of the side panel  16  is depicted in an enlarged reproduction in  FIG. 2 , wherein it can be recognized that the latter consists of a sheet metal part and comprises an outer side wall  20  as well as an inner side wall  22 . The lower end of the outer side wall  20  is bent inwards and turned in the direction of the inner side wall  22  and forms a guide section  24 , to which reference is made in more detail in  FIG. 3 . In addition, the functional element  18  can be recognized, which comprises an information section  26  lying on the visible outer side wall  20  as well as a fastening section  28  resting on the inner side wall  22 . The fastening section  28  extends starting from the lower end of the vertical information section  26  around the lower end of the side panel  16  and upwards along the functional section  24 . In this regard, it can be recognized that the fastening section  28  comprises a substantially horizontal base section  30 , a pivot bearing section  32  adjoined thereto, a central section  34  as well as a clamping section  36 . 
         [0033]    The fastening section  28  is formed substantially by a sliding guide element  38  as well as a fastener  40 . The base section  30  extends in this sliding guide element  38 , wherein fastener  40  are formed by the pivot bearing section  32  and central section  34 . Lastly, the fastener  40  pass in the form of clamping fingers  41  into clamping element  42  as well as position fixing element  44 , in which the clamping section  36  is located. 
         [0034]    It can be recognized that the clamping element  42  comprise a clamping lug  46 , which penetrates into a fixing seat  48  provided on the guide section  24 . The fixing seat  48  is formed by a rectangular cut out, which is, however, only provided on the rear side of the side panel  16 , i.e. on the guide section  24  and thus the outer side wall  20  is not damaged and is not visible from outside. 
         [0035]    In order to be able to position the functional element  18  accurately, the fastening section  28  comprises the sliding guide element  38 , in which a guide groove  50  is located. This guide groove  50  is formed on the inside of the information section  26  by a first groove wall  52 , a groove base  54  as well as a second groove wall  56 , which is provided on the inside of the pivot bearing section  32 . The guide section  24  now sits in this guide groove  50  such that the functional element  18  can be slid orthogonally to the drawing plane or onto the latter from below. As soon as the clamping lugs  46  align with the fixing seat  48 , these lock in and fix the functional element  18 . 
         [0036]    Dismantling of the functional element  18  takes place manually in that the clamping lugs  46  are removed from the fixing seat  48  by bending the fastener  40  at the position fixing element  44 . The functional element  18  is either a sheet metal part or an injection molded part and thus elastic. 
         [0037]    The rear side of the functional element  18  is depicted in  FIG. 5  in a perspective position and the individual components are clearly recognizable. In particular the position fixing element  44 , which can be gripped with one or two fingers, are recognizable such that the clamping lugs  46  can be removed from the fixing seat  48 . Both the guide groove  50  and the central section  34  serve to guide the functional element  18  during the sliding onto the side panel  16  of the furniture part  12  and subsequent positioning on the furniture part  12 . 
         [0038]      FIGS. 6 to 8  show the functional element  18  on a second side panel  16 , which consists of a pressure die-cast element, e.g., of an aluminum alloy. In particular a guide strip  58  is formed on the rear side of the outer side wall  20  of the side panel  16 . This guide strip  58  serves, e.g., for receiving the edge of a base of the pull-out  10  and can also receive, e.g., parts of a rail or telescopic rail. Seats  60  are provided on the upper side of the guide strip  58 , into which the position fixing element  44  of the functional element  18  penetrate. The two clamping lugs  46  of the clamping element  42  only rest on the inner surface of the outer side wall  20 , however they do not engage through the latter. 
         [0039]    It should still be emphasized that the lower end of the outer side wall  20  is provided with a foot  62  protruding inwards, which penetrates into the guide groove  50  of the fastening section  28  and is overlapped by the sliding guide element  38  on the upper side. In this way, the functional element  18  is prevented from being pulled downwards. The sliding guide element  38  only allow sliding of the functional element  18  onto the lower end of the outer side wall  20  of the side panel  16  of the furniture part  12  in the direction orthogonal to the plane of  FIG. 8 . 
         [0040]    Functional elements  18  of this type can thus be mounted trouble-free without tools on a side panel  16  and dismounted again or even exchanged, without the visible surface of the side panel  16  being damaged thereby.