Abstract:
A closure device for movable furniture parts is combined with a closure damping mechanism, which is formed by a fluid damper. The fluidic damper is either a rotational damper or a linear damper. When opening the drawer the closure device will move independently of the closure damping mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a closure device for movable furniture parts with a displaceable slide, acted upon by a spring, which can be detachably coupled via a catch member with a furniture part, and with a fluid damper which dampers movement of the slide towards the closed position.  
           [0002]    The invention further relates to a closure device for movable furniture parts with a displaceable catch device acted upon by a spring for movably coupling a furniture part and being moved by said spring in a closed position, a fluid damper being provided which dampers the movement of said catch device into said closed position.  
           [0003]    Such a closure and/or pull-in device is known, for example, from EP 1 120 066 A2. Therein, a drawer, freely displaceable over a major portion of its pull-out range, is engaged at its rearward pull-in region by a catch of the closure device and reliably pulled into a rearward end position, i.e. it is closed. The closure device is provided with a rotational damper by means of which a gentle closing process is attained. Such a closing device is also applyable to a door.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is an object of the invention to improve such a closure device to the extent that opening of the drawer at a high velocity will not result in fast movement of the damper. Such fast movement of the damper can result in a reduced service life of the closure device.  
           [0005]    The object according to the invention is met in that the fluid damper is separated from the slide and is provided with a stop which is abutted by the slide during its closing movement.  
           [0006]    A further example of the invention provides that said catch device is in the form of a toggle part, said toggle part abutting directly an activating part of said fluid damper without being connected thereto.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0007]    In the embodiments shown the closure device  1  is mounted on the support rail  2  of a pull-out guide assembly. The support rail  2  is to be mounted on the side wall of a cabinet. The pullout rail  3  of the pull-out guide assembly is provided with an arresting pin  6  which engages with a toggle part  12  of the closure device.  
         [0008]    The closure device  1  is provided with a housing  7  which is mounted on a horizontal flange of the support rail  2 .  
         [0009]    In the housing  7  of the closure device  1  a slide  8  is supported so as to be linearly displaceable. The toggle part  12 , which is the catch member of the closure device  1 , is mounted on the slide  8  by means of an axle  13 . The toggle part  12  is provided with a protrusion  4  which is situated in the housing  7 .  
         [0010]    Two springs  14  are mounted on a part  15  of the housing  7  and also on the slide  8 .  
         [0011]    In FIGS.  3  to  5  the slide  8  and the toggle part  12  are shown in their standby position. The toggle part  12  is tilted and held in its foremost position, by resting against a stop of the casing  7 . When the drawer is closed and the pull-out rail  3  is moved into the cabinet the arresting pin  6  is moved into the notch  16  of the toggle part  12 . By further movement of the arresting pin  6  the toggle part  12  is tilted and is moved out of its arrested position at the front of the casing  7  so that it can be pulled by the springs  14  to its rearward position. During this movement the projection  4  of the toggle part  12  engages in guiding means of the casing  7 . By movement of the slide  8  and the toggle part  12  the pull-out rail  3  and consequently the drawer are moved into their rearmost position.  
         [0012]    A fluid damper  9  is provided which is situated next to the housing  7  of the closure device  1 .  
         [0013]    In the embodiments of the FIGS.  1  to  9  the fluid damper  9  is a linear damper with a cylinder  10  in which a piston is linearly displaceable. The piston is provided with a piston rod  11 . The free end of the piston rod  11  is an abutment means for the slide  8  or the toggle part  12 .  
         [0014]    In the embodiments of FIGS.  1  to  6  the free end of the piston rod  11  abuts the slide  8 . The slide  8  is provided with a lateral projection  17  which during the damping movement is in direct contact with the free end of the piston rod  11 . In the standby position the free end of the piston rod  11  may abut projection  17  or may be at a small distance from this projection.  
         [0015]    It is essential that, when the drawer is opened and the slide  8  and the toggle part  12  are pulled into their forward position, the piston rod  11  will not be pulled by the slide  8 . The projection  17  of the slide  8  can be moved away from the free end of the piston rod  11  and the piston of the damper  9  can be moved forward independently of the movement of the slide  8  and the toggle part  12  for example by means of a spring situated within the cylinder  10 . As the piston of the damping device  9  moves much slower than the slide  8  with the toggle part  12  there is no danger that air will be sucked into the cylinder  10 .  
         [0016]    In the embodiment of FIGS.  7  to  9  the free end of the piston rod  11  abuts the toggle part  12 . FIG. 7 shows the situation when the toggle part  12  and the piston rod  11  are in the standby position. After the arresting pin  6  has engaged in the notch  16  of the toggle part  12 , the toggle part  12  is tilted into the position shown in FIG. 8. Now, the toggle part  12  is moved by action of the springs  14  into its rearmost position shown in FIG. 9. During this rearward movement the toggle part  12  pushes the piston rod  11  of the damper  9  into the cylinder  10  so that the movement of the toggle part  12  together with the movement of the drawer will be dampened.  
         [0017]    When the drawer is opened the toggle part  12  is moved away from the free end of the piston rod  11  and the piston rod  11  is free to move into its standby position at a speed which is independent from the speed of the toggle part  12 .  
         [0018]    In the embodiment of FIG. 10 the fluid damper  20  is a rotation damper. The damper  20  is provided with a pinion  18  which meshes with a rack  19 . When the slide  8  and the toggle part  12  are moved into their rearward position, that is the closed position for the drawer by means of the springs  14 , the lateral projection  17  of the slide  8  will abut the free end of the rack  19  and move the rack  19  rearwardly. By this rearward movement the pinion  18  is rotated and the movement of the closure device  1  is dampened by the damping device  20 .  
         [0019]    When the drawer is opened the lateral projection  17  of the slide  8  will be moved away from the rack  19  and the rack  19  is slowly brought into its standby position by means of the spring  21 .