A SUPPORT FRAMEWORK ALLOWING STEPLESS ADJUSTMENT IN HEIGHT AND DEPTH OF THE UPPER AND LOWER CABINETS AND THE WORKTOP IN KITCHEN FURNITURE

Abstract: A support frame assembly allows stepless vertical and horizontal adjustment of the upper and lower cupboards and the worktop in kitchen furniture. The support frame assembly comprises two interconnected frameworks, the support framework (1) standing freely on the floor comprising a support framework (29) for the worktop assembly (14), the lower cupboards (15) and the upper cupboards (19) which is vertically movable by means of a ball bearing (5) or similar slide mechanism, the support framework having brackets (3) which are equipped with ball bearing (6) or similar slide mechanisms and which support the horizontally movable worktop assembly and the lower cupboards suspended from this. The support frame assembly comprises a pulley mechanism formed by grooved pulleys (7), cable wires (8) and counterweights (10).

Description: A support framework allowing stepless adjustment in height and depth of the upper and lower cabinets and the worktop in kitchen furniture. The invention relates to a support frame assembly in kitchen furniture, by means of which the worktop and the associated upper and lower cupboards are supported. The manually operated or automised shifting mechanisms and devices connected with the support frame assembly allow the worktop assembly and the cupboards to be steplessly adjusted in height and depth. Owing to the support frame assemblies in accordance with the invention, the same kitchen furniture is suitable for use by all the different users, such as families, the aged, the disabled and persons short of stature, single households or community purposes. The variable dimensioning yields kitchen furniture with optimal ergonomics and operational reliability. The users' needs may undergo unexpected changes, due for instance to impaired capability of moving caused by invalidity or gradual ageing over a long period of time. Different work steps also involve specific optimal working heights from an ergonomic point of view. Kitchen furniture whose dimensioning can be readily adjusted during use provides markedly enhanced comfort. As the users' capability to move deteriorates, existing private kitchens which are difficult to modify often must be replaced with new kitchen furniture suitable for the aged and the disabled, or else, by modifying the existing furniture, users will have to make do with a solution allowing the household tasks to be performed only reasonably well. For the reason above, facilities for individual dimensional variation in kitchen furniture is a necessary characteristic related to a person's living life cycle also in private kitchens, which have so far been principally manufactured as integral units. In this context, private kitchens stand for kitchens intended for other purposes than specifically for the aged or the disabled. The additional kitchen furniture cost incurred by such a feature of dimensional variation with a larger range of applications than specifically as kitchens for the disabled and the aged is a crucial factor. Compared with conventional support frame assemblies or similar support constructions for worktops and cupboards and the shifting mechanisms and devices required by these, the support frame assembly in accordance with the invention provides dimensional variation according to the user, which is an economical and handy solution offering optimal ergonomic conditions. In prior art kitchen furniture for the aged and the disabled and also those used in various communities, which require individual dimensional adjustment, the worktop and the upper cupboards are vertically adjusted either rarely by simple suspension mechanisms, or over short periods of time, e.g. during use, by means of support frame assemblies or similar support constructions equipped with various slide mechanisms and lifting and similar means. Various solutions and variations of these are described with the aid of the following examples: a. The lower cupboards, which are equipped with vertically adjustable support legs, form together with the worktop and the upper cupboards an integral unit standing freely on the floor, whose vertical position can be adjusted for instance with jacks. However, in this particular solution, the stationary position of the upper cupboards supported by the worktop will be too high for a person in a wheel-chair to reach the upper shelves, for instance, without a separately added shifting mechanism. b. The worktop is supported in stationary position by the lower cupboards, for instance at the height required for a person in a wheel-chair. The lower cupboards have gaps at some locations to provide the space required for the user's legs. The upper cupboards are suspended from adjusting rails supported on the back wall and allowing vertical adjustment, or they can be lowered or shifted towards the front edge of the worktop with a scissor or similar shifting mechanism fixed to the back wall. When the vertical position of the worktop and the movable upper cupboards suspended from adjusting rails or fixed to the back wall is changed, the kitchen furniture must be partly dismantled in this solution. c. The worktop and the upper cupboards are suspended from adjusting rails supported by the back wall and allowing vertical adjustment or from a backplate and related brackets. In this context, adjusting rails imply for instance perforated metal bars, from which the upper cupboards or the brackets supporting the worktop assembly are suspended at the desired height by means of hooks or the like. The vertical positions of the worktop and the upper cupboards is but seldom varied, because such adjustment would require the kitchen furniture to be partly dismantled. d. The vertical position of the upper cupboards and the worktop is adjusted by means of their own, separately provided support structures supported by the back wall or standing freely on the floor and equipped with slide mechanisms and their own means for vertical adjustment. The worktop can be supported e.g. by nested vertical tubes, allowing its vertical position to be adjusted mechanically with a crank or with electric or pneumatic cylinders inserted in the vertical tubes. The upper cupboards can then move separately or simultaneously along with the worktop. e. The worktop assembly and the upper cupboards are supported by a continuous backplate or the like, which is supported by the back wall and is movable with an electric, pneumatic or similar hoisting device and is equipped with brackets. Due to the great overall weight of the structure to be lifted, it cannot be vertically adjusted by hand with the aid of a crank mechanism during use. A lower cupboard sliding in the longitudinal direction has been suspended below the worktop. The upper cupboards or shelf cassettes placed in these are lowered during use to the worktop level by means of a scissor mechanism or a similar shifting mechanism, or is shifted towards the front edge of the worktop during use. Costly upper cupboards moving e.g. with a scissor mechanism as those described above are mainly used in renovations, when the kitchen furniture does not have to be totally renewed. In terms of their operational principle and structural strength, conventional support frame assemblies or similar support structures in vertically adjustable kitchen furniture are intended for kitchen furniture solutions with a standard 60 cm frame depth. In connection with these, lower cupboards moving on wheels are most frequently used, or less frequently, lower cupboards suspended from the worktop assembly, which thus increase the load on the support frame or a similar support construction. In order to allow for reasonable use of the facilities for adjusting the worktop assembly height of the invention in conventional support frame and similar support structures in kitchen furniture, this furniture ought to have lower cupboards with a frame depth above the standard 60 cm, and thus also worktop support brackets and an actual support frame assembly with higher structural strength, and also provide more effective use of the leg space as a storage space. Conventional support frame assemblies and similar support structures in kitchen furniture do not provide facilities for adjusting the worktop depth similar to those of the support frame assembly of the invention. Office desks have been provided with facilities for individual variation in height and depth. Yet the load exerted on their support frame structure is considerably smaller compared to kitchen furniture. Office desks are not either connected with upper cupboards which cause increased load and perhaps require additional shifting mechanisms. The sets of drawers are primarily supported by wheels, or are solidly suspended from the lower face of the desk. There is a reduced amount of such drawer space, because office desks do not require the same storage capacity as kitchens, and on the other hand, they require sufficient leg space. Their vertical adjustment uses similar shifting mechanisms and lifting devices as in kitchen furniture, however, with a lighter construction and lower power, respectively. Conventional vertically adjustable kitchen furniture whose worktop assembly and upper cupboards can be vertically adapted manually and rapidly by the user is expensive. In some solutions, their support frame assembly or similar support constructions and shifting mechanisms restrict the use of optional standard-sized furniture components and larger-sized household appliances. Due to the high additional cost incurred by individual dimensioning, one often has to sacrifice the other quality aspects of the kitchen furniture or compromise over the number and performances of household appliances and similar equipment. Also in vertically adjustable kitchen furniture, the reaching of the upper cupboards involves a central problem in terms of work safety. The upper cupboards are often located so high that e.g. a person who is sitting in a wheel-chair or who is unable to lift his/her hands high enough cannot reach the upper shelves. Then the storage capacity within reach of the user will be reduced, because the lower cupboard volume is also small in kitchens for the aged and the disabled due to the required leg space. For users short of stature, the depth position of the upper cupboards relative to the front edge of the worktop may also cause problems. Stepless adjustment of the vertical position of the worktop and the upper cupboards alone is not enough to achieve optimal individual dimensional adaptation of kitchen furniture. Owing to the means for adjusting the distance between the front edge of the worktop and the upper cupboards, it is feasible, however. In conventional kitchen furniture applications, the corresponding means for depth variation has been provided by allowing the upper cupboards to be lowered or approached to the user with the aid of a costly and slow scissor or similar shift mechanism. Nonetheless, such upper cupboards are awkward to use, because the worktop must be cleared of objects at the corresponding locations. A corresponding feature for facilitating the use of the upper cupboards is achieved with the facilities for adjusting the worktop depth provided by the support frame assembly of the invention, which is more economic and easier to use. The worktop assembly does not need to be shifted in depth during use if the distance between the front edge of the worktop and the upper cupboards has been adapted to the user in advance. The use of the upper cupboards can be made even easier by using prior art pull-out shelves and the like. The support frame assembly comprises two steel frameworks connected with a slide mechanism. The support frame assembly material can also be made of e.g. aluminium or wood. A stationary support framework standing freely on the floor is connected with a framework with brackets which is vertically movable with ball bearings or a similar slide mechanism. A worktop assembly from which lower cupboards have been suspended in stationary position or horizontally movable with slide mechanisms is supported on ball rolls in the brackets or similar slide mechanisms. The worktop assembly can be shifted in its horizontal direction, the horizontal distance between its front edge and the upper cupboards being thus adaptable to the individual range of the user. The upper cupboards are suspended from the upper beam of the movable framework. The upper and the lower cupboards and the worktop assembly move simultaneously in the vertical direction, and as a result of this, the frame resists heavy loads and is straightforward in design, and requires a small number of shift mechanisms and devices compared to conventional support frame assemblies or similar support constructions in kitchen furniture providing corresponding individual dimensional adaptation. In the height and depth adjustment of the support frame assembly, and thus also of the actual kitchen furniture, optional standard lifting and similar shifting gear with mechanical, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuation can be used. With the use of a pulley mechanism equipped with counterweights, the load on the shifting mechanisms and devices for vertical adjustment can be notably reduced. The counterweights are adapted to the dead weight of e.g. the movable support frame assembly and the worktop assembly supported by this, and that of the upper and lower cupboards. Pulley mechanisms have been used in many other connections, but not connected with support frame assemblies or support constructions of kitchen furniture as in the invention. Vertical adjustment of the worktop assembly and the lower cupboards suspended from this, along with the upper cupboards, can be performed simultaneously e.g. by mechanical means such as a crank mechanism, because the force required will be small enough owing to the pulley mechanism. In conjunction with conventional support frame or similar support constructions, the worktop and the upper cupboards must be equipped with separate crank mechanisms. The worktop assembly and the upper and lower cupboards and the related household appliances may be common standard dimension components supported by the support frame assembly of the invention. The support frame assembly of the invention, which has a simple design and function and an economic price, allows kitchen furniture dimensioning to be globally adapted the needs of all different users, and also optional, existing standard lifting and shifting mechanisms to be utilised. The lifting and similar shifting mechanisms to be used can be selected according to the needs and the economic resources prevailing in each case, either on the basis of less frequent adjustment or automatic adjustment performed over a short period of time. Compared to manually operated crank and similar lifting mechanisms, the supplementary cost incurred by automatic adjustment actuated by operating switches or the like and related electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or similar lifting gear is relatively small in connection with the support frame assembly of the invention. Whenever necessary, the shifting mechanisms and devices and their automation can be readily increased or adapted to any needs arising in the course of a person's living life cycle. By means of a pulley mechanism which can be carried out at low cost, the load exerted on the lifting mechanisms of the support frame assembly can be substantially diminished and lifting and similar shifting means with lower power can be used, and also their numbers can be reduced compared to conventional solutions comprising similar adjustment features. The number of shifting mechanisms or devices needed or their power are not affected by the greater length of the worktop assembly, nor by the consequently larger number of upper and lower cupboards and the greater load exerted by these on the support frame assembly. The pulley mechanism provides a vital safety mechanism at the same time. Kitchen furniture equipped with a pulley mechanism is prevented from being lowered with the total force generated by its weight. Owing to the support frame assembly standing freely on the floor, the material, strength or position of the kitchen furniture back wall have no impact. Compared to conventional vertically adjustable support frame assemblies and similar support mechanisms in kitchen furniture, the support frame assembly of the invention as a whole is more straightforward, because, owing to the worktop assembly being adjustable in depth, the upper cupboards and the worktop assembly may move simultaneously in the vertical direction supported by the same support frame assembly. The free area of the worktop can be adjusted as desired with respect to the lower space provided under the upper cupboards and the horizontal distance between the front edge of the worktop assembly and, on the other hand, the upper cupboards can be adapted to the user's range of reach. Thus the height of the space between the upper cupboards and the worktop surface can be constant, and smaller than in kitchen furniture based on conventional support frame assemblies and similar support mechanisms. The upper cupboards are easy to use, because their upper shelves can be reached without having to be lowered during use. The overall cost of the support frame assembly of the invention and the related shifting mechanisms and devices is substantially lower than that of conventional kitchen furniture comprising similar stepless individual adjustment facilities. Owing to the fact that optional existing standard shifting mechanisms and devices can be used by fitting them in a simple manner in the support frame assembly and to the fact that standard dimensioned components supported by the support frame assembly of the invention can be used in the actual kitchen furniture, the kitchen unit will have a competitive price/quality ratio. The drawbacks of conventional support frame assemblies and similar support constructions in kitchen furniture described above are eliminated and the objectives and advantages of the invention defined above are achieved with the support frame assembly of the invention, which is characterised by the features defined in the characterising part of the claim. Figure la shows the support frame assembly in cross-section. Figure lb shows a front view of the support frame assembly in longitudinal section. Figure lc shows the support frame assembly in horizontal section. Figures 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e and 2f show details of the support frame assembly of figures la, lb and lc. Figure 3 a shows the connection of the worktop assembly, the lower cupboards and the upper cupboards to the support frame assembly. Figure 3b is a schematic view of mechanical vertical adjustment of the support frame assembly by means of a crank mechanism. Figure 3 c is a schematic view of mechanical horizontal adjustment of the worktop assembly by means of a crank mechanism. Figure 4 shows a mechanism for vertical adjustment of the support frame assembly by means of a pulley mechanism and an electric motor. Figures 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are schematic views of how the support frame assembly allows the height and the depth of kitchen furniture to be adapted to different users. The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures la, lb and lc show the basic concept of the support frame assembly. The stationary support framework 1 standing freely on the floor is connected by means of ball bearings 5 to a vertically moving framework 2 comprising brackets 3. The brackets have ball rolls 6, which serve to support the framework. The grooved pulleys 7, the cable wire 8 and the counterweight 9 attached to the stationary support framework 1 and to the movable support framework 2 form a pulley mechanism for vertical adjustment of the support frame assembly. Instead of the counterweight of the pulley mechanism, an electric motor 10 can be mounted, or the movable support framework can be vertically adjusted with the aid of a mechanical, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic jack 11 or a similar lifting mechanism. Vertically adjustable blocks 12 are connected to the stationary support framework 1 to allow the support frame assembly to be adjusted into the correct position relative to the floor surface. After the vertical adjustment, the movable support framework is locked into position either with separate fast-locking clamps placed in interlocking vertical bars in the movable and the stationary support frameworks, or the locking can be incorporated e.g. in the lifting gear used. Figures 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e show by means of details a, b, c, d and e marked in figures la, lb and lc the position of the ball bearings 5 in the support frame assembly. The ball bearings have been attached to the upper and lower ends of vertical L bars provided in groups of three each at both ends of the movable support framework 2. The L bars and the associated ball bearings in combination with the vertical U bars of the stationary support framework form a ball bearing slide mechanism for vertical adjustment. The interlocking vertical tubes of the support frameworks may be tubular beams and they may be connected by standard slide rails. However, such a solution is considerably more expensive than a design carried out with the U and L bars of figure 2e and the connected ball bearings, which are inexpensive and easy to fit. Figure 2f shows with the aid of a detail f marked in figure lb the bracket 3 of the movable support framework 2 in elevational section. The worktop assembly is supported by ball rolls 6 embedded in the bracket. A steel plate 13 has been attached to the lower surface of the worktop plate in order to prevent the ball roll from causing depression of the lower surface of the worktop plate. The steel plate has been provided with fixed ball bearings 5, which control the movement of the worktop assembly 14 during the adjustment of its horizontal direction. The worktop assembly has an encapsulated design, in which the cooker plane, the sinks and similar appliances have been embedded and which incorporates the brackets of the movable support framework, the support rails 16 and shift mechanisms of the movable lower cupboards 15, and the shifting mechanisms and devices for horizontal adjustment of the worktop assembly. The L-shaped steel bar shown in the figure leaves more space for the support rails of the lower cupboards, various shift mechanisms and similar located within the worktop assembly than would a rectangular tubular beam bracket. Figure 2g shows by means of detail g marked in figure la the movable support framework 2 in cross-section at the bracket 2. The grooved pulleys 7 of the block mechanism are attached to a horizontal beam 17 made of flat steel in the stationary support framework 1, and by means of L-shaped bars 18 to the lower horizontal beam of the movable support framework 2. Figure 3 a shows the connection of the worktop assembly 14, the upper cupboards 19 and lower cupboards 15 to the support frame assembly. The plate 20 in the front face of the encapsulated worktop assembly can accommodate the operating switches of the household appliances and of the devices for dimensional adjustment, and a railing 21 can be attached to the plate. The support framework length is equal to the length of the continuous worktop assembly required in each case. The kitchen cupboards are located at its ends as separate structural units. The counterweights of the pulley mechanism can be placed in the space provided between the cupboards and the back wall. The worktop assembly comprises a backplate 22 and an opalescent glass 23 supported by the backplate above this. A lighting fixture 24 fixed at the rear edge of the upper cupboard illuminates the worktop surface. The actual main lighting 25 of the worktop is located at the upper edge of the upper cupboard. Because the distance between the worktop surface and the lower surface of the upper cupboards is constant, the worktop backplate and the related opalescent glass will always form a continuous background for the worktop surface when the worktop assembly is adjusted in the horizontal direction. The backplate 22 acts simultaneously as a beam which stiffens the worktop assembly, and then two brackets 3 in the movable support framework will principally give sufficient support to the worktop assembly. The drain and water pipes 26 are located in the space between the support frame assembly and the back wall surface. Figure 3b shows an optional location of the mechanical screw jack 28 operated by means of the crank mechanism 27 for vertical adjustment. When the crank is located on the front surface of the worktop assembly, the lower cupboards do not have to be removed during the vertical adjustment operation. The crank mechanism comprises a telescopic shaft. Figure 3 c shows the principal solution for horizontal adjustment of the worktop assembly by means of the crank mechanism 27, and also an optional location of the mechanical screw jack 28. The lower cupboard must be removed during the vertical adjustment operation. Figure 4 shows the principle of the pulley mechanism of the support frame assembly and of the vertical adjustment mechanism actuated by the electric motor 10. With the number of grooved pulleys 7 illustrated in the figure, the load of the movable support framework 2 and the worktop assembly and cupboards supported by this which the electric motor actuates will be 1/8 of the total weight of these furniture elements. The locking of the movable support framework can be performed e.g. by means of standard electromagnetic clamps. Figure 5 a is a schematic view of the vertical and the horizontal position of the worktop assembly and the cupboards of the kitchen furniture supported by the support frame assembly of the invention, used for instance as a private kitchen or a kitchen for elderly people. Figure 5b is a schematic view of the vertical and horizontal position of the worktop assembly and the cupboards in kitchen furniture used by a person in a wheel-chair. Figure 5c is a schematic view of the vertical and horizontal position of the worktop assembly and the cupboards in kitchen furniture which is used by a person sitting on a chair. Figure 5d is a schematic view of the vertical and horizontal position of the worktop assembly and the cupboards in kitchen furniture which is used by persons short of stature. In cases where it is known that the kitchen furniture will not have to be vertically adjusted at any time, for instance in wheel-chair use, single households or the like, the support frame construction can be simplified by combining the support framework standing on the floor and the otherwise vertically movable support framework into a simplified stationary support frame assembly. This will naturally eliminate the ball bearing or similar slide mechanisms for vertical adjustment and the lifting and similar shifting mechanisms for the movable support framework. The brackets supporting the worktop assembly and thus also the worktop surface are positioned at the desired fixed height. Yet the other functional properties of the kitchen furniture, such as the horizontal adjustment feature of the worktop assembly, utilisation of the leg space by means of lower cupboards which move supported by slide mechanisms, and similar properties, will still be maintained. If the feature of horizontal adjustment of the worktop assembly is not carried out, the worktop assembly is conventionally solidly attached to the support frame assembly brackets, for instance in solutions comprising a standard frame depth of 60 cm in the lower cupboards. In an L-shaped worktop assembly, the vertical and horizontal adjustment feature of the invention can be implemented by providing a support frame assembly consisting of two stationary support frameworks of the invention placed freely in a mutual angle on the floor and of support frameworks moving simultaneously in their vertical direction. The movable support frameworks are connected in the same way as the stationary support framework standing freely on the floor, so as to form an integral L-shaped support frame assembly. The same principle can be implemented in connection with U-shaped worktop assemblies as well. The feature of horizontal adjustment of the worktop is easiest to carry out in a continuous, straight kitchen worktop assembly. In the case of an L-shaped worktop, the feature of horizontal adjustment of the worktop assembly can be carried out in two different ways. The worktop assembly is divided into two distinct parts at the corner of the L shape. Then the means for horizontal adjustment can be provided only in one leg of the L shape, so that this worktop part is horizontally movable supported by the slide mechanisms in the brackets, in the same way as in a straight worktop assembly, while the other part is mounted in stationary position on the brackets. This arrangement results in a movement joint in the worktop assembly. The feature of horizontal adjustment can be optionally applied to an L-shaped worktop assembly in an inverse manner, so that the integral L-shaped worktop assembly is supported solidly by the brackets of the L-shaped support frame assembly. The upper cupboards are suspended from brackets which are horizontally supported by upper beams in the vertically movable support frameworks and are equipped with telescopic rails or the like. The upper cupboards can be shifted horizontally towards the front edge of the worktop. In conjunction with the support frame assembly of the invention, there will be no need for moving them separately in the vertical direction. Compared with a straight support frame assembly, an L-shaped support frame assembly is naturally more expensive. However, with the use of a pulley mechanism, the number of lifting devices and the like required for vertical adjustment does not grow in direct proportion to the support frame assembly. The invention is not limited merely to the examples described above, but may vary within the scope of the following claim.

Claims: Claims 1. A support frame assembly which allows stepless vertical and horizontal adjustment of the upper and lower cupboards and the worktop in kitchen furniture, characterised in that the support frame assembly comprises two interconnected frameworks, the support framework (1) standing freely on the floor comprising a support framework (2) for the worktop assembly (14), the lower cupboards (15) and the upper cupboards (19) which is vertically movable by means of a ball bearing (5) or similar slide mechanism, the support framework having brackets (3) which are equipped with ball bearing (6) or similar slide mechanisms and which support the horizontally movable worktop assembly and the lower cupboards suspended from this. 2. A support frame assembly as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the support frame assembly comprises a pulley mechanism formed by grooved pulleys (7), cable wires (8) and counterweights (10).

Inventors: LEHTO JUHA, LEHTO, JUHA
Applicants: LEHTO JUHA, LEHTO, JUHA
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A47B77
IPC codes: A47B46, A47B51, A47B77