Patent Publication Number: US-2009229076-A1

Title: Absorption mechanism for furniture doors

Description:
The invention relates to a damping device for furniture door leaves comprising a damping housing that accommodates a damping cylinder, with the housing being connected to a damping carrier that is fastened to a front frame of a piece of furniture. 
     Such damping devices dampen the closing motion of furniture door leaves to prevent sudden, forceful contact of the door leaf with the body of the piece of furniture or its front frame. It is known to connect door hinges of the door leaves with the damping devices. However, this design does not allow for retrofitting door hinges that initially do not have any damping devices. Furthermore, this design requires that all door hinges be equipped with damping devices regardless of whether or not damping devices are needed. If it is necessary to subsequently retrofit a door leaf with a damping device, the entire door hinge must be replaced. 
     To avoid these disadvantages, it is known to fasten the damping devices so that they can be removed from door hinges or so that the door hinges can be retrofitted with them. To this end, however, it is necessary to install the required fastening elements for a damping device to the door hinges (U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,454 B2). If door hinges are not designed in this manner for retrofitting purposes for a damping device, it is not possible to retrofit the hinge. 
     The object of the invention therefore is to provide a damping device as described in the introduction that can be attached independent of the door hinges that are used. 
     The object of the invention is attained according to the invention in that the damping carrier accommodates the edge of the front frame between an outside retaining leg and an inside clamping leg and in that the clamping leg is clamped against the front frame by way of a clamping device. 
     The resulting clamping connection between the damping carrier of the damping device and the front frame of the furniture piece makes it possible to easily install the damping device either during the initial assembly of the furniture piece or as part of a retrofit without requiring any bores or screws. 
     Clamp fitting the damping carrier to the front frame of the furniture piece results in a stable connection that is suitable for transferring even high damping forces. The damping device can be removed from the furniture piece again without leaving any screw holes or other damage. 
     The damping device can easily be retrofitted to furniture pieces with any kind of door hinge. It also is possible to subsequently remove or move damping devices. 
     The simple fastening manner of this damping device also allows for an adjustment to different damping requirements of a furniture piece. For example, it is possible to use multiple damping devices for large and heavy furniture door leaves, while a single damping device suffices for light and small furniture door leaves. For cost saving reasons or for adjusting to different uses, it is possible to remove the originally installed damping devices from individual furniture door leaves, or to not install them at all. 
     According to one embodiment of the inventive thought the clamping device has an eccentric that is fastened in a pivoting manner to the damping carrier and that acts on the clamping leg. This eccentric provides a clamping device with a simple design that is easy to operate and that only requires that the clamping leg be ductile, preferably elastic. 
     The eccentric can be connected to a pivoting lever that allows for an easy horizontal sweep of the eccentric. 
     It also is possible to make the damping housing pivot relative to the damping carrier and to connect it in a rigid manner to the eccentric by means of a connecting piece. In this case the pivoting damping housing forms the actuating lever of the eccentric. The pivoting motion of the damping housing up to its end position on the damping carrier operates the clamp fitting of the damping device on the front frame of the furniture piece. 
     No tools are required for fastening or removing the damping device. 
     Additional advantageous embodiments of the inventive thought are the subject of additional sub-claims. 
    
    
     
       The invention is explained in more detail based on exemplary embodiments that are shown in the drawing. The following is shown. 
         FIG. 1  shows a cross-section of a damping device that is placed on but not yet clamped onto a furniture piece, 
         FIG. 2  shows the damping device according to  FIG. 1  after it is clamped on, 
         FIG. 3  shows a cross-section of a modified arrangement of the damping cylinder in the damping housing, 
         FIG. 4  shows a presentation according to  FIG. 1  of a modified embodiment of a damping device with a pivoting damping housing that is not yet clamped, 
         FIG. 5  shows the damping device according to  FIG. 4  in the clamped position on the front frame,  FIG. 6  shows an extended presentation and a partial cross-section of the damping carrier and the damping housing of the damping device according to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  from a lateral view, 
         FIG. 7  shows a front view of the parts according to  FIG. 6 , 
         FIG. 8  shows a modified embodiment of a damping device in a presentation that corresponds to  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 9  shows a top view in the direction of arrow IX in  FIG. 8  in a position prior to clamping the damping device to the front frame, 
         FIG. 10  shows a top view according to  FIG. 9  onto the damping carrier prior to inserting the damping cylinder, and 
         FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  show the cross-section of another modified embodiment of a damping device. 
     
    
    
     The damping device shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is used to dampen the closing motion of a door leaf  1  that is arranged in a pivoting manner to a front frame  3  of a furniture piece  4  by way of a door hinge  2 . 
     A damping cylinder  5 , comprising a damping piston and a piston rod  6 , is inserted into a location hole  7  of a damping housing  8  so it can be longitudinally displaced. The cylinder end  9  that extends from the location hole  7  on the side of the door constitutes a stop for the door leaf  1 . 
     Shortly before the end of its closing motion, the door leaf  1  preferably meets the cylinder end  9  that extends from the location hole  7  with a metal piece  2   a  of the furniture hinge that preferably is fastened to the door leaf  1  and moves the damping cylinder  5  towards the end of the location hole  7  that is closed towards the front, with the damping cylinder  5  resting on a face wall  10  of the damping housing  8  by way of its piston rod  6 . In doing so the damping force, which is determined by speed, counteracts the closing motion of the door leaf  1 . 
     The damping housing  8  is fastened to a bridge plate  11  of a damping carrier  12  that can be made of tin, for example. The damping carrier  12  comprises a retaining leg  13  that rests on the outside of the front frame  3  and a clamping leg  14  that rests on the inside of the front frame  7 . 
     An eccentric  16  is arranged in a pivoting manner in a pivoting axis  17  between lateral cheeks  15  of the damping carrier  12 . The eccentric  16  is connected in a single piece with a pivoting lever  18  that extends into the inside of the body of a piece of furniture. 
     When the eccentric  16  is pivoted counterclockwise in  FIG. 1  into the clamping position shown in  FIG. 2  using the pivoting lever  18 , the eccentric  16  pushes the elastic clamping leg  14  against the inside of the front frame  3  so that the damping carrier  11  rest against the front frame  3  together with the damping housing  8  that is fastened to the carrier by means of a connecting pin  19 , for example. 
     If the damping device is to be loosened, for example removed or moved, from the front frame  3 , it is sufficient to loosen the eccentric  16  using a pivoting motion of the pivoting lever  18  in clockwise direction. The edge of the front frame  3  is released in the damping carrier  12  in the process. 
     Deviating from the longitudinal arrangement of the damping cylinder  5  in the location hole  7  shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3  shows that the damping cylinder  5  is fastened at the end of the bore in the location hole  7  of the damping housing  8 . The piston rod head  20  of the piston rod  6  extends from the location hole  7  and provides the stop for the door leaf  1 . 
     The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4-7  is different from the embodiment according to  FIGS. 1-3  in that the damping housing  8 ′ pivots relative to the damping carrier  12 . The damping housing  8 ′ is connected to the eccentric  16  in a rigid manner by way of a connecting piece  21 . 
     In this embodiment the damping housing  8 ′ that is connected in a rigid manner with the eccentric  16  represents the pivoting lever, with which the eccentric  16  is pivoted from its released position shown in  FIG. 4  into the clamping position according to  FIG. 5 . 
     The damping housing  8 ′ has a latching device  23  each on two lateral brackets  22  that latch into the clamping position ( FIG. 5 ) on lateral bores  24  of the damping carrier  12 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment according to  FIGS. 4 and 5  the damping housing  8 ′ is arranged in a pivoting manner around a pivoting axis  25  on the damping carrier  12  that extends parallel to the edge  3   a  of the front frame  3  that accommodates the damping carrier  12 . The pivoting axis  25  thus also runs parallel to the pivoting axis of the door leaf  1 . 
     The exemplary embodiment according to  FIGS. 8-10  substantially is different from this, in that the pivoting axis  26 , around which the damping housing  8 ″ on the damping carrier  12  pivots, extends parallel to the plane of the front frame  3  and at a right angle to the edge  3   a  of the front frame  3  that accommodates the damping carrier  12 . 
     The damping housing  8 ″ is connected in a rigid manner to the eccentric  16  by way of a pivoting shaft  27 , which in turn is arranged in a rotating manner in the damping carrier  12 . 
     To this end the pivoting shaft  27  extends through an upper opening  28  and a lower opening  29  of the damping carrier  12 . The upper opening  28  is shaped like a keyhole. The pivoting shaft  27  has a collar  27   a  that can be inserted through the wider section of the opening  28  and engages the edge of the narrower section of the opening  28  when mounted ( FIG. 8 ). 
     The damping housing  8 ″ can be pivoted into the retaining position according to  FIG. 8  with a pivoting motion that is indicated with an arrow  30  in  FIG. 9 , in which a retaining projection  31  on the bottom side of the damping housing  8 ″ engages with a retaining edge  32  on the upper side of the damping carrier  12 . 
     This keeps the damping housing  8 ′ in its retaining position according to  FIG. 8 , while the section of the pivoting axis  27  arranged between the collar  27   a  and the damping housing  8 ″ is housed in a rotating manner in the narrower section of the opening  28  (right side in  FIGS. 8-10 ). Simultaneously the engagement between the retaining projection  31  and the retaining edge  32  prevents the damping housing  8 ″ from lifting from the damping carrier  12 . 
     In the embodiment according to  FIGS. 8-10  the eccentric  16 , similar to the embodiment according to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , pushes onto the clamping leg  14 , so that the frame  3  is clamped between the retaining leg  13  and the clamping leg  14 . To release the damping device, it suffices to turn in counter direction of arrow  30  in  FIG. 9 . The eccentric  16  releases the clamping leg  14 , so that the damping retainer [sic]  12  can be removed from the front frame  3 . 
     The embodiment of a damping device shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12  represents a cross section that corresponds to  FIG. 1  and primarily is different from the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  in that the engagement area  16   a  of the eccentric  16  is on the elastic clamping leg  14  in the clamped state ( FIG. 12 ) at a distance from the contact point  33  of the clamping leg  14  with the front frame  3 . The result is that an elastic section of the overall elastic clamping leg  14  remains between the engagement area  16   a  and the contact point  33  while in the clamped state ( FIG. 12 ). The resulting elastic contact of the clamping leg  14  on the back  3   a  of the front frame  3  causes a compensation of thickness tolerances of the front frame  3 . 
     The clamping leg  14  and/or the retaining leg  13  comprises at least one protruding retaining tooth  34  or  35  on the inside surface  14   a  or  13   a,  respectively, that faces the front frame  3  that penetrates the back side  3   a  or the front side  3   b  of the front frame  3 , when in the clamped state ( FIG. 12 ) and thus provides a positive connection between the damping carrier  12  and the front frame  3  in addition to the clamping. 
     The damping housing  8  is connected in a rigid manner with a bent support bracket  36 , for example as a single piece, that partially rests against the outside  13   a  of the retaining leg  13 . This results in the retaining leg  13 , which preferably is made as a single piece from the same elastic tin material as the clamping leg  14 , not being substantially deformed due to the forces during the damping process. 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  show that the damping housing  8  comprises a connecting pin  37  that extends from the bottom side of the damping housing  8  that faces the damping carrier  12  and is fastened in a bore  38  of the damping carrier by way of wobble riveting. This provides a secure connection which is favorable for production between the damping housing  8  and the damping carrier  12 .