Patent Publication Number: US-9833070-B2

Title: Drawer front connection unit

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP2014/078175 filed Dec. 17, 2014, which designated the United States, and claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(a)-(d) of German Application No. 20 2013 011 421.5 filed Dec. 20, 2013, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a drawer front connection unit, a drawer wall element, and a furniture item. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For the connection of a drawer, in particular a drawer wall element having a drawer front, drawer front connection units are known in a wide variety of designs within the field of furniture making. 
     The object of the present invention is to improve a drawer front connection unit for a flexible furniture production. 
     The present invention is based on a drawer front connection unit for a drawer wall element of a drawer, on which drawer wall element a marginal portion of a drawer bottom is insertable in order to form a drawer side wall adjoining the drawer bottom. The drawer wall element here comprises a wall profile part and a bottom-receiving profile part, wherein on the drawer wall element is provided a support surface, present on the bottom-receiving profile, for providing underside support to a drawer bottom insertable on the drawer wall element. The wall profile part here comprises a chamber portion having an inner wall sheet portion and an outer wall sheet portion, which are spaced apart, one opposite the other, by a width dimension of the drawer wall element and are connected by a bent-over section. 
     The essence of the present invention lies in the fact that the drawer front connection unit is designed for fitting in the chamber portion of the drawer wall element and extends over a height dimension of the chamber portion, wherein the drawer front connection unit has front-fastening elements for fitting of a drawer front. The drawer front connection unit can advantageously be accommodated in a protected manner within the chamber portion and, at the same time, can be barely or not at all apparent. As a result of the extent over a height dimension of the chamber portion, the drawer front connection unit can be fixed in the chamber portion at fastening positions which offer the advantage of a secure and stable fitting. The drawer front connection unit can here be latched in place, for example by snap-locking, or can be fitted, for example by welding or, for example, by means of screwing or riveting or by a combination of different fastening methods—detachably or non-detachably—in the chamber portion. 
     The front-fastening elements are preferably configured in a lower region and in an upper region of the drawer front connection unit, whereby, in particular on drawers having a comparatively deep storage space, connecting forces between the drawer front and the drawer wall element can advantageously be distributed, preferably evenly, amongst several connecting points. 
     If, for different drawer fronts within an appropriate range, respectively different connection methods are necessary, a first of the front-fastening elements can be fitted detachably to the drawer front connection unit in order to be able, where necessary, to exchange the front-fastening element. 
     For a stable connection of a drawer front to a drawer wall element, it is advantageous if a second of the front-fastening elements is fastened in a permanent, in particular non-detachable manner, to the drawer front connection unit. 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention lies in the fact that a first of the front-fastening elements can be arranged with the drawer front connection unit in such a way in the chamber region that the first front-fastening element is positionable within the wall profile part such that it bears against a top edge. As a result, the first front-fastening element can be positioned comparatively remote from the, for example, second front-fastening element in order to achieve an advantageously high leverage through the connection to a drawer front. 
     The front-fastening elements can be connected to each other via an assembly body, which can advantageously be tailored to a shape of the chamber region. 
     Preferably, at least one of the two front-fastening elements is arranged in such a way on the assembly body that a flat end face of the front-fastening element can be arranged in a plane of an end face of the drawer wall element. In this case, the drawer front connection unit can advantageously reinforce the appropriate end face of the drawer wall element. 
     Furthermore, it is preferred that one of the front-fastening elements comprises a removable plug element, which is intended to be fastened to the front panel in order to enable a rational production. In particular, as a counterpart thereto, one of the front-fastening elements, preferably the same one, can comprise a socket, which can be fitted to the assembly body. 
     The socket can be provided with a tension device, with which a tensile force applied to the plugged-in plug element is adjustable for the fastening of the drawer front in order to connect a drawer front with a predefined force to the drawer wall element. In the tension device, a wedge-shaped bolt, which in particular is configured to back-grip the plug element, can be adjustably mounted in order to wedge the plug element under tensile stress in the tension device. To this end, the plug element preferably has a widened plug head. 
     The assembly body can be configured in the form of a flat, preferably rigid plate, whereby the drawer front connection unit, if need be, can be inserted in chamber portions of different drawer wall elements. 
     Preferably, to the assembly body can be fitted a filling element, with which the assembly body can be supported against a surface portion on an inner side of the wall profile part, whereby a stability of the drawer wall element can additionally be advantageously increased. 
     A further aspect of the present invention relates to a drawer wall element for a drawer, on which drawer wall element a marginal portion of a drawer bottom is insertable in order to form a drawer side wall adjoining the drawer bottom, wherein the drawer wall element has a wall profile part and a bottom-receiving profile part, which are respectively designed as separate and mutually coordinated components made of a sheet metal material and are connectable to each other in mutual alignment to form the drawer wall element, so that on the created drawer wall element can be provided a support surface, present on the bottom-receiving profile part, for providing underside support to a drawer bottom insertable on the drawer wall element. It is here essential that to an end-face end of the wall profile part is fitted a drawer front connection unit according to the invention, which is configured according to one or more of the embodiments described above. 
     The drawer front connection unit can here be arranged on the drawer wall element above the bottom-receiving profile part, wherein the drawer front connection unit and the bottom-receiving profile part can be connected to each other, in particular fixedly. 
     Furniture items having a drawer front connection unit according to the present invention can be able to be produced comparatively rationally, with increased load bearing capacity. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is explained below on the basis of an illustrative embodiment and with the aid of drawings. The reference symbols are used uniformly in all figures in order to denote consistent features. 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic perspective view of a drawer wall element; 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic side view of a drawer front connection unit; 
         FIG. 3 a    shows a schematic perspective view of a drawer front connection unit; 
         FIG. 3 b    shows a schematic perspective view of a drawer front connection unit; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic perspective view of a front-fastening element in exploded representation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIG. 1  is shown a drawer wall element  1  having a drawer front connection unit  2 . The drawer front connection unit  2  is fitted in a chamber portion  3  of the drawer wall element  1  to an end-face end  1   a  of the drawer wall element  1 . 
     The drawer wall element  1  comprises a wall profile part  4 , which is divided by bending edges  5   a  and  5   b  into an inner wall sheet portion  6 , an outer wall sheet portion  7 , and a top edge sheet portion  8 . The chamber region  3  is defined by a space enclosed by the three sheet portions  6 ,  7  and  8 . In the chamber region  3  is arranged, moreover, a filling element  9 , with which the inner wall sheet portion  6  and the outer wall sheet portion  7  are held at a distance apart of a width dimension B. As a result of the filling element  9 , the inner wall sheet portion  6  and the outer wall sheet portion  7 , at least in the region of the filling element  9 , cannot be compressed, so that advantageously the drawer wall element is stabilized in its shape. 
     On a rear end face  1   b , the drawer wall element  1  has a rear wall connector  10 , with which a rear wall can be fitted to the drawer wall element  1 . 
     On a bottom side of the drawer wall element  1 , the outer wall sheet element  7  protrudes downward beyond a bottom edge of the inner wall sheet portion  6 . In this case, on a bottom edge  6   a  of the inner wall sheet portion  6 , a plurality of bottom-receiving profile parts  11  are fitted to the drawer wall element  1 , which are intended to fit a drawer bottom (not shown) on the bottom edge  6   a  of the inner wall sheet part  6 . 
     In  FIG. 2 , the drawer front connection unit  2  is represented with further details. To a mounting plate  12  is fitted in an upper region, for example adjoining a top edge  12   a  of the mounting plate  12 , a first front-fastening element  13 . A second front-fastening element  14  is fastened in a lower region of the mounting plate  12 . 
     A height F of the mounting plate  12  is tailored to a height dimension H of the chamber portion  3  and tallies, in particular, with the height dimension H. The front-fastening elements  13  and  14  are arranged on the same side face  12   b  at a comparatively large distance apart on the mounting plate  12 . As a result, a large part of the height dimension H of the chamber portion  3  can be utilized as the lever length in order to absorb, for example, lateral force effects transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer wall element. Such force effects can arise, for example, if a comparatively tall article, for example a drinks bottle, tips over and falls against, for example, the bending edge  5   a.    
     To the mounting plate  12  can be fitted a filling element  15 , which extends over the width dimension B and bears in the chamber portion  3  against the inner wall sheet portion  6  and against the outer wall sheet portion  7 . 
     The front-fastening element  13  is fitted with holding clamps  16   a ,  16   b  and  16   c  to the mounting plate. The holding clamps  16   a ,  16   b  and  16   c  protrude on the side face  12   b  from the mounting plate  12  and are shaped into right-angled U-profiles. Preferably, the holding clamps  16   a - 16   c  are punched out of the mounting plate  12  in such a way that they are connected on one side to the mounting plate  12  and are bent out of the mounting plate. The surface of the front-fastening element  13  and the holding clamps  16   a - 16   c  can be mutually coordinated in such a way that the holding clamps  16   a - 16   c  on the front-fastening element  13 , which, in a position shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3   a , is fitted to the mounting plate  12 , are latched in place for a positive connection. For another drawer wall element (not shown), there can be provided, instead of the front-fastening element  13 , no front-fastening element at all, as shown in  FIG. 3 b   . In particular for a warehousing of the drawer front connection unit  2  as a component for furniture production or as a spare part, it is an advantage if the holding clamps  16   a - 16   c  are configured as detachable fitting means for the front-fastening element  13 . 
     The front-fastening element  14  is preferably connected in a fixed and non-detachable manner to the mounting plate  12 . On that embodiment of the drawer front connection unit  2  which is shown in  FIGS. 1-3   b , the front-fastening element  14  is different from the front-fastening element  13 . The front-fastening element  14  has a main body  18 , which is non-detachably fastened to the mounting plate  12 . To the main body  18  is fitted a shaft body  19 , the position of which is displaceable and adjustable in the vertical direction with a set screw  20 . The shaft element  19  is configured to receive a plug element  21  and comprises a latching device (not shown), with which the plug element  21  can be secured in a plugged-in position in the shaft element  19 . The main body  18  and the shaft element  19  together form a socket for the plug element  21 . 
     In an opening  22  is arranged an unlocking element  23 , which can be moved in order to release the latched-in plug element  21  in the opening  22 , for example with a suitable screwdriver (not shown). Furthermore, the shaft element  19  has a set screw  24 , with which a horizontal position of the plug element  21  in the shaft element  19  is adjustable. For an assembly, on the plug element  21  are configured two dowel pins  25 , which are intended to be hammered into corresponding bores (not shown) on an inner side of a drawer front (not shown). The plug element  21  of the other front-fastening element  14  can thus be fitted to the drawer front (not shown) and afterwards plugged into the shaft element  19  for a latching connection. By means of the adjusting elements  20  and  24 , following latching of the plug element  21 , a positioning of the drawer wall element  1 , and here of a drawer bottom (not shown) inserted on the bottom-receiving profile parts, on a drawer front (not shown) is advantageously possible. For the just described adjustment possibilities, the inner wall sheet part  6  can be breached and open at appropriate places in order that the adjusting elements  20  and  24 , for the purpose of the adjustment, are accessible by a user. 
     In  FIG. 4 , the front-fastening element  13  is represented in detail. A cuboid main body  26  has a cylindrical recess  27 , in which a hollow-cylindrical bearing journal  28  is arranged such that it protrudes centrally. Into the cylindrical recess  27  is inserted a hollow cylinder body  29 , which is mounted rotatably on the bearing journal  28 . The cylinder body  29  is fitted to the main body  26  with a holding pin  30 , which is rotatably engaged within the bearing journal  28 . The holding pin  30  here engages positively in a central square opening  40  on the cylinder body  29 . Into the holding pin  30  can be inserted, for example, a Phillips screwdriver (not shown), with which the holding pin  30  and, via this, the cylinder body  29 , can be turned in and counter to the direction of the arrow D. 
     On the main body  26  is configured a funnel-shaped shaft opening  36 , which has an inwardly converging, rectangular cross section. Through the shaft opening  36 , the cylindrical recess  27 , and thus the cylinder body  29 , are reachable from an end face  26   a.    
     The front-fastening element  13  comprises a plug element  32  having a, for example, cylindrical pin  34 , which on a free end has a spherical thickening  35 . If a mark  38  on the cylinder body  29  and a mark  39  on the main body  26  are arranged in close proximity to each other, the thickening  35  of the plug element  13  can be introduced through the shaft opening  36  into a slot opening  31  on a cylinder casing wall  37  of the cylinder body  29 . Counter to the arrow direction D, the slot opening is of narrowing configuration, wherein the slot opening has in the axial direction of the cylinder body a width which corresponds to a diameter of the cylindrical pin. The cylinder casing wall  37  can here back-grip the plug element  13  at the thickening  35 , whereby the plug element  13  can be jointly locked on the main body  26  by rotation of the cylinder body  29  in the arrow direction D. 
     On that end of the pin  34  which lies opposite the thickening  35  is configured a dowel portion  33 , with which the plug element  13 , can be hammered into a corresponding bore (not shown) on a drawer front (not shown) for fastening purposes. 
     REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST 
     
         
           1  drawer wall element 
           1   a  end face 
           1   b  end face 
           2  drawer front connection unit 
           3  chamber portion 
           4  wall profile part 
           5   a  bending edge 
           5   b  bending edge 
           6  inner wall sheet portion 
           6   a  bottom edge 
           7  outer wall sheet portion 
           7   a  bottom edge 
           8  top edge sheet portion 
           9  filling element 
           10  rear wall connector 
           11  bottom-receiving profile part 
           12  mounting plate 
           12   a  top edge 
           12   b  side face 
           13  front-fastening element 
           14  front-fastening element 
           15  filling element 
           16   a  holding clamp 
           16   b  holding clamp 
           16   c  holding clamp 
           18  main body 
           19  shaft element 
           20  set screw 
           21  plug element 
           22  opening 
           23  unlocking element 
           24  set screw 
           25  dowel pin 
           26  main body 
           26   a  end face 
           27  recess 
           28  bearing journal 
           29  cylinder body 
           30  holding pin 
           31  slot opening 
           32  plug element 
           33  dowel portion 
           34  pin 
           35  thickening 
           36  shaft opening 
           37  cylinder casing wall 
           38  mark 
           39  mark 
           40  opening