Improved system for wall mounting a cantilevering piece of furniture

Abstract: A system for wall mounting a cantilevering piece of furniture comprises, in combination: a structural shape (18) suitable for being fastened to the wall (11) and an anchoring device (24) suitable for being fastened to said piece of furniture, and for being stably interconnected with said structural shape. According to the present invention, said anchoring device consists of a box-like body from which an anchoring element juts out, which ends which a contoured head (26). The anchoring element is linked to said body in a freely swinging way, and with the possibility of being rotated and translated relatively to its own axis by means of respective first and second drive means. In this way, said anchoring element can be rotated between a first position in which said contoured head can be disengaged from said structural shape, and a second position in which said contoured head is constrained to said structural shape, with said constraint being rendered stable by means of the above said second drive means, which cause said anchoring element to translate.

Description: The present invention relates to an improved system for wall mounting a cantilevering piece of furniture, in particular, but not exclusively, a piece of furniture for kitchen fitting. European patent application No. 246,687 relates to a mount arrangement for pieces of furniture in which at least one base piece of furniture, destined to be positioned against a wall, is supported on the floor only by means of a set of legs mounted in its rear region, off barycentre, at a certain distance from said wall, and is fastened to the same wall, in order to prevent it from turning over, by means of freely releasable anchoring means, which can be adjusted in position. Said anchoring means comprise adjustable hooking means fastened to the piece of furniture which by means of pegs are constrained, with the possibility of being freely disengaged, to a beam fastened to said wall. Said beam has a "C"-shaped cross-section, the mutually opposite flanges of which are provided with a plurality of pairs of lined-up bores, suitable for receiving, each of them, one peg passing through the hook of a relevant hooking device. The invention which constitutes the subject-matter of European patent application No. 246,687 achieves the purpose of providing a piece of furniture, in particular a piece of furniture for kitchen fitting, which, although having the same aesthetical appearance as of a wall-hanging piece of furniture, is capable of withstanding very heavy loads without any problems. DE-A-3017940 relates to an anchoring means suitable for the mount arrangement of EP-A-246687. A further achieved purpose of European patent application No. 246,687 is of providing a mount arrangement for pieces of furniture which provides a comfortable room for the passage of service ducts and cables (water, town-gas, electrical energy). The general purpose of the present invention is of improving the mount arrangement of European patent application No. 246,687, and the anchoring means of DE-A 3017940, from the viewpoint of the easiness of mounting and of removal of the piece of furniture, as well as of the stability and reliability of the anchoring to the wall. Such a purpose is achieved by a system according to the annexed claims. The structural and functional characteristics of the present invention and its advantages as compared to the prior art will be understood still more clearly from the following disclosure, made with reference to the hereto attached schematic drawings, which show a system accomplished according to an example of practical embodiment of the same invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cantilevering piece of furniture mounted by means of the system according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded view illustrating all of the components of the mounting system of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a front elevation view illustrating the structural shape fastened to the wall, to which the piece of furniture is anchored; Figure 4 shows a plan view illustrating the anchoring device in its non-operating position, in which the anchoring element can be inserted between the flanges of the structural shape of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a view according to the arrow F of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows the same plan view as of Figure 4, but illustrating the anchoring device in its operating position in which the anchoring element is inserted and locked between the flanges of the structural shape of Figure 3; Figure 7 shows a view according to arrow F1 of Figure 6; Figure 8 shows a view according to arrow F2 of Figure 5; Figure 9 shows a view according to arrow F3 of Figure 6; Figure 10 shows a sectional view of the anchoring device; Figure 11 shows the same view as of Figure 7, but showing the anchoring element in a different operating position, as a function of the height of leveling of the piece of furniture; Figure 12 shows a sectional view according to arrow F4 of Figure 10, in which the screw anchoring "U"-shaped piece is shown spaced apart; Figure 13 shows a magnified detail, illustrating the mounting system of the invention in a non-operating position thereof; Figure 14 shows the same view as of Figure 13, but illustrating the mounting system of the invention in the operating position thereof; and Figure 15 shows an exploded detail of the anchoring element. Referring to the drawings, in particular to Figure 1, by the reference numeral 10 a so-said base piece of furniture is schematically shown, which, e.g., is a part of a kitchen fitted with modular pieces of furniture, which base piece of furniture is mounted against a wall 11, only resting on a set of rear feet 12 (therefore, off barycentre), fastened onto the bottom 13 of the base piece of furniture in such as position as to define between them and the wall 11 a free chamber 14 suitable for housing service ducts and cable (water, town-gas, electrical energy). The free chamber 14 can be closed by applying to the feet 12 a customary wainscot 15 which is provided, for that purpose, with elements 16 of known type, by means it can be hooked to the same feet 12. The feet 12 will be such as to secure the base piece of furniture 10 to stably rest on the floor 17, so that such a base piece of furniture is capable of supporting considerable working loads, deriving, e.g., from the application of a worktop, of a sink, and anyway from the containment of heavy things, or of pieces of furniture of column type with built-in electrical household appliances. The base piece of furniture 10 is prevented from overturning by being anchored to the wall 11 by means of the anchoring system according to the present invention, which comprises, in combination, a perforated bar or beam 18 fastened to the wall 11 in the nearby of the top plane of the same piece of furniture 10, to which beam anchoring devices 19 are constrained, which can be registered in position, and are generally fixed in correspondence of the shoulders of the piece of furniture 10. As Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings clearly show, the beam 18 has a generally "C"-shaped cross-section, and from its flanges 20 lips 21 jut out, which converge towards the interior of the beam; the purpose of said lips 21 will result clearly from the following. The anchoring device 19 is structurally formed by a box-like body made from plastic material 22 which has a generally parallelepipedal shape. From a longitudinal side wall of said body, pegs 23 extend for the purpose of achieving a pressure-fastening inside complementary bores provided in the shoulder of the piece of furniture 10. Said box-like body 22 houses a rod-shaped anchoring element 24, a portion of which juts out from the open front side 25 of the same body 22 and ends with a lobe-shaped head 26. More precisely, the anchoring element 24 is structurally formed by a sleeve 27 through which a rod 28, adjustable in length, runs; for that purpose, the rod 28 is fastened to a fork 29, in different positions (see Figure 15). As one can clearly see from the drawings, to the end of the fork 29 opposite to the head end 26, a screw 30 is screwed down, the head 31 of which is loosely housed inside a suitable seat 32 provided inside the box-like body 22 and is constrained inside said seat by means of a "U"-piece 33 which enters purposely provided guide slots 40. In such a way, the head 31 of the screw constitutes an articulation member for the anchoring element 24, which can both swing in the directions as shown by arrow 34 (Figures 7, 10 and 11), and rotate around its own axis in the directions as indicated by the arrow 35, between the two positions as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Furthermore, by acting on the screw 30, the anchoring element 24 can be also driven to translate in the directions as indicated by the arrow 36 (Figure 10). The rotation of the anchoring element 24 between the two positions as shown in Figures 8 and 9 is driven by means of a tang 37 integral with the sleeve 27. As one can clearly see from the drawings, said tang 37 extends radially from the sleeve 27 and is suitable for passing through an arcuate slot 38 provided in the box-like body 22. More precisely, when the anchoring element 24 is in its non-operating position (not in its hooking position) shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8, the tang 37 extends outwards from the box-like body 22, passing through the arcuate slot 38; when, on the contrary, the anchoring element 24 is in its operating position as shown in Figures 7, 9 and 11, the tang 37 is partially or totally contained inside the same complementary arcuate slot 38, anyway coplanar with the wall of the box-like body 22. As a consequence, in both said positions of the anchoring element 24, the sleeve 27 is constrained to the box-like body 22 as regards the translation, but not as regards the rotation. In other terms, the anchoring element 24 and the sleeve 27 are integral with each other as regards their swinging around the theoretical centre "C" in the directions as shown by the arrow 34 and as regards their rotation around their own axis in the directions as shown by the arrow 35, but not as regards the translation: in fact, the anchoring element 24 driven by the screw 30 can freely translate in the directions as shown by the arrow 36 by sliding inside the interior of the sleeve 27. One should finally observe that the sleeve 27 has a cross-section of polygonal shape with rounded edges, so that its sides 39 cooperate with the inner walls of the box-like body 22 in order to positively determine the two positions as depicted in Figures 8 and 9; such positions are spring-wise determined thanks to the characteristics of elastic yielding of the opposite walls of the box-like body 22, preferably made from plastic material. The operating way of the mount system according to the present invention clearly appears from the above with reference to the figures, and, shortly, is as follows. The piece of furniture 10, resting on its feet 12 (with said feet being preferably provided with a plate 41 of adequate size) and provided with a plurality of devices 19, is approached to the wall 11 on which the beam 18 is already fixed (by means of screw anchors and/or screws), at a height approximately corresponding to the height of the devices 19. During this mounting stage, the devices 19 are prearranged with the anchoring element 24 being in its non-operating position as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8, so that the head 26 can be inserted into the interior of the structural shape 18 in the position as shown in Figure 13. To that end, through the side wall 42 of the piece of furniture, a slot 43 can be provided in advance. Now, it is just necessary to rotate, by means of the tang 37, the anchoring element 24 into its vertical operating condition as shown in Figures 7, 9, 10, 11 and 14, in order to prevent the head 26 from being prone to be slid out from the lips 21 of the structural shape 18. Then, by acting on the tie-screw 30, the piece of furniture 10 is perfectly aligned to the wall 11, thus securing a perfect stability of the same piece of furniture 10. Finally, by acting on the feet adjustable in height 12, a perfect levelling of the piece of furniture 10 can be achieved thanks to the anchoring element 24, which by freely swinging around the point "C" perfectly matches the new end position of the piece of furniture. Achieving this result is also made possible by the purposely provided lobe-shaped contour of the head 26, which secures uniform oscillations with anchorage to take place in each position relatively to the beam 18. Whenever so desired, by simply moving the anchoring element 24 back into its position as shown in Figure 13, and causing the sleeve 27 to trip - in this position - by acting on the tang 37 - which tang 37 is accessible from the interior of the piece of furniture 10 -, the same piece of furniture can be removed from the wall 11. One should observe that the length of the anchoring element 24 can be adjusted in advance as a function of the distance of the device 19 from the wall 11. Of course, the system according to the present invention can be applied as well to pieces of furniture of column type or of any other types, however without departing from the scope of the same invention. One should finally observe that the fastening of the anchoring device to the piece of furniture can be also achieved by means of additional screws besides the pegs 23, or by means of screws only; for that end, in the box-like body 22, seats 44 are provided. Furthermore, the system according to the present invention could be practiced as well without the sleeve 27 and the relevant drive tang 37. In fact, the functions of translation and rotation of the anchoring element respectively performed by the screw 30 and by the tang 37 might be combined in one single drive means. Thus, the purpose stated in the foreword to the disclosure is achieved.

Claims: System for wall mounting a cantilevering piece of furniture (10) of the type which comprises, in combination: a structural shape (18) suitable for being fastened to the wall (11) and an anchoring device (19) suitable for being fastened to said piece of furniture (10), and for being stably interconnected with said structural shape (18), said anchoring device (19) consisting of a box-like body (22) from which an anchoring element (24) juts out, which ends in a shaped head (26), and which has the possibility of being translated relatively to its longitudinal axis by means of drive means, characterised in that the anchoring element (24) is constrained to said body (22) in a freely swinging way, and has the possibility of also being rotated relatively to its longitudinal axis by means of drive means (37), so that said anchoring element (24) can be rotated between a first position in which said shaped head (26) can be disengaged from said structural shape (18), and a second position in which said shaped head (26) is constrained to said structural shape (18), with said constraint being rendered stable by causing said anchoring element (24) to translate. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the translation of said anchoring element (24) is driven by means of first drive means (30), whilst its rotation around its own axis is driven by means of second drive means (37). Mounting system according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said anchoring element (24) is structurally formed by a sleeve (27) through which a rod (28) runs, with said rod (28) ending with said shaped head (26), with said sleeve (27) being integrally constrained to said rod (28) as regards the rotation but not the translation, and with said second drive means (37) being integral with said sleeve (27). System according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer skirt of said sleeve (27) is given such a contoured shape (39), as to cooperate with the mutually opposite walls of the box-like body (22) in order to positively, spring-wise determine both of above said positions of the anchoring element. System according to claim 2, characterized in that said second drive means are constituted by a tang (37) laterally extending outwards through a slot (38) provided in said box-like body (22). System according to claim 1, characterized in that said first drive means are constituted by a screw (30) screwed down on the end of said anchoring element (24) opposite to said shaped head (26), with the drive head (31) of said screw (30) being loosely retained inside a chamber (32) provided at the end of said box-like body (22) which is opposite to the end from which said anchoring element (24) juts out, whereby said screw (30) constitutes a pivot member for said anchoring element (24). System according to claim 1, characterized in that said anchoring element (24) is a variable-length element. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said structural shape (18) has a substantially "C"-shaped cross-section, from whose flanges (20) lips (21) extend which converge towards the interior of said structural shape, on which lips (21) said shaped head (26) of said anchoring element gets engaged in said second position thereof. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said head (26) is given a substantially lobe-shaped contour, so that it can simultaneously freely swing and be engaged inside the interior of the structural shape (18).

Inventors: CATTANEO CARLO, CATTANEO, CARLO
Applicants: CAMAR SPA, CAMAR S.P.A.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A47B96
IPC codes: A47B77, A47B95