Patent Publication Number: US-2015069896-A1

Title: Piece Of Furniture With At Least One Drawer Or The Like

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a piece of furniture provided with at least one drawer or the like, in which are provided closing means and locking means for the drawer itself against undesired opening, for example for use on vehicles and means of transport in general. 
     STATE OF THE ART 
     In the furnishing sector, the manufacture is known of pieces of furniture with drawers for use in the sphere of vehicles or the like, such as for example campers, caravans, boats and ships, where the furniture itself is subjected to movements and oscillations of such a size that undesired openings of the drawers are possible, with the risk of accidents to the occupants of the vehicles, or breakages of the drawers themselves with the objects contained in them falling. 
     In order to obviate this problem, various proposals have been made for the attachment of locking means suitably configured for releasably locking the drawers in the closing position. 
     In particular, in the field of pieces of furniture with drawers having pull-out guides provided with closing devices, currently called “self-closing” devices, configured, if fitted, for bringing the drawer towards a position of complete closure gently and without impacts by the use of deceleration devices, the application is known of separate locking devices having one or more hooking elements to anchor a part of the drawer, for example the front, to the body of the piece of furniture or to the fixed part of the pull-out guides; in this solution, the hooking elements are in general disengageable by means of the manual operation of a suitable control, for example a button or a knob, provided on the front of the drawer. 
     These separate locking devices, however, entail the need to carry out additional machining for fitting them to the piece of furniture and, because of the presence of the aforementioned disengagement controls, also imply aesthetic modifications to the front of the drawers. 
     There is also a different specific sphere of furniture having drawers without handles or similar gripping means, in which, for the purposes of opening the drawer, devices are provided, currently called of the “push” type, comprising at least one expeller and suitably configured releasable locking means; in this case, to open the drawer, the user must exert a brief thrust on the closed drawer to release the locking means and thus permit the expeller to generate a movement of the drawer in the opening direction by a first section sufficient for the user to grip the drawer and then open it completely. 
     To close the drawer again, on the other hand, the user must obligatorily push the drawer manually until it is brought into the complete closing position, in such a way as to reload the expeller and recouple the locking means. 
     The “push” type locking means provided on these pieces of furniture, however, because of their specific configuration, are not suitable for use on furniture with drawers having pull-out guides with the above-mentioned “self-closing” type devices, unless more complex solutions are provided in which the expeller is reloaded during part of the opening or closing movement of the drawer, allowing the self-closing device the possibility of subsequently coming into operation. 
     There is therefore a need to have available a piece of furniture with at least one drawer or the like for use on vehicles and means of transport, in which pull-out guides of “self-closing” type are provided for drawers, which will permit the normal use of automatic opening and closing when the means of transport is stationary, and in which locking means are provided capable of resolving the above-mentioned disadvantages when the means of transport is in movement. 
     Patent application US2006/82266 describes a self-closing device which comprises a stop for the sole purpose of preventing the guide recoiling when the drawer reaches the closing position. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a piece of furniture with at least one drawer or the like for use on vehicles and means of transport, in which pull-out guides of “self-closing” type are provided for the drawers and wherein locking means are provided, suitable for this type of application and operable by choice or by necessity, which do not require additional machining to be carried out on the piece of furniture, having at the same time great constructional simplicity and reduced cost. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The above object is achievable by means of a piece of furniture provided with at least one drawer or the like which can be pulled out with respect to the body of the piece of furniture, the piece of furniture comprising:
         a first and a second side walls,   a first and a second pull-out guides for each drawer, each of said pull-out guides having a fixed guide part connected to a respective side wall of the piece of furniture and a movable guide part fixable to the drawer,   a closing device for the drawer associated with each pull-out guide, each closing device comprising a base body connected to one of the fixed or movable parts of the guide, the base body having a sliding track for a slider operatively engageable with the other of said fixed or movable parts of the guide and stressed in the closing direction of the drawer by elastic means,
 
characterised by comprising:
   stopping means conformed and arranged to stop the drawer in a first closing position in which the drawer is spaced apart at a preset distance from the body of the piece of furniture, said stopping means being elastically yielding and/or overcomable by pressure on the drawer in the closing direction up to a second closing position in which the drawer is more adjacent to the body of the piece of furniture, and   locking means conformed and arranged to releasably lock the drawer in said second closing position, said locking means being releasable by pulling the drawer in its opening direction and being selectively operable by said pressure on the drawer in the closing direction which causes the movement of the drawer from said first to said second closing position.       

     Further characteristics of the present invention are further defined in the subsequent claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following description of preferential but not exclusive embodiments of the piece of furniture with drawer or the like, with reference to the attached figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the piece of furniture according to the present invention, with the drawer in the first closing position in which it is arranged a short distance away from the body of the piece of furniture; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the piece of furniture of  FIG. 1 , with the drawer in the second closing position in which the drawer is more adjacent to the body of the piece of furniture; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial plan view of the piece of furniture of  FIG. 1 , which illustrates the stopping means and locking means according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the closing device for the drawer provided with the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 3 , at the first closing position of the drawer; 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged partial view of the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the closing device for the drawer provided with the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 3 , at the second closing position of the drawer; 
         FIG. 5A  is an enlarged partial view of the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of a variant of the closing device of  FIG. 3 , configured for mounting a separate body provided with the stopping means and locking means according to the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the separate body provided with the stopping means and locking means according to the invention, attachable to the device of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of the closing device of  FIG. 6  with the separate body attached, provided with the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a plan view of the closing device for the drawer provided with the stopping means and locking means according to a further embodiment of the invention, at the first closing position of the drawer; 
         FIG. 9A  is an enlarged partial view of the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view of the closing device for the drawer provided with the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 9 , at the second closing position of the drawer; and 
         FIG. 10A  is an enlarged partial view of the stopping means and locking means of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a piece of furniture is illustrated with drawer or the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention, comprehensively indicated with the reference number  10 , which piece of furniture  10  features a body comprising a first and a second side walls, of which only one  11  is illustrated in the figure, the walls being arranged at the sides of the drawer  12  and provided respectively with a first and a second pull-out guides for the drawer  12  itself, of which only one  13  is visible in  FIG. 3 . For sake of clarity, the drawer  12  is illustrated in phantom with a dotted line, so as to make visible the guide  13  with the closing device and stopping means and locking means according to the invention, as explained below. 
     Each pull-out guide  13  features a fixed guide part  14  connected to the respective side wall  11  of the piece of furniture, a movable guide part  15  fixable to the drawer  12  and, if fitted, an intermediate part, not illustrated, in the case of guides allowing complete pulling-out, which extend according to a pull-out direction of the drawer. The piece of furniture  10  also comprises a closing device  16  for the drawer  12  attached to or associated with each pull-out guide  13 ; as better illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , each closing device  16  comprises in turn a base body  17  fixed or connected directly or indirectly to one of the fixed  14  or movable  15  parts of the guide  13 , in the case illustrated to the fixed part  14 , which base body  17  has a sliding track  18  for a slider  19  operatively engageable with the other of the fixed  14  or movable  15  parts of the guide  13 , in the case illustrated with the movable part  15  by means of a pin  20  integral therewith. 
     The slider  19  is stressed in the closing direction of the drawer  12  by elastic means, in the form for example of a traction spring  21 , as explained below. 
     The closing device  16  also features a fluid-type linear decelerator  22  fixed or connected directly or indirectly to one of the fixed  14  or movable  15  parts of the guide  13 , which is operable by the slider  19  or by an opposing element integral with the other part  14 ,  15  of the guide  13 , as explained below. 
     Preferentially, the linear decelerator  22 , for example of air or oil type, comprises a cylindrical body  23  fixed to an end of the base body  17  of the closing device  16 , the cylindrical body  23  forming a chamber for a piston, not illustrated, whose rod is stressed or for example connected in articulated manner to the slider  19  of the closing device  16  to allow the slider  19  itself an oscillating movement with respect to the piston rod. 
     In fact, for the purposes of the selective engagement and disengagement of the slider  19  with the pin  20  which is integral with the movable part  15  of the guide  13 , the sliding track  18  for the slider  19  features a first rectilinear section  18 ′ which extends according to the longitudinal direction in which the drawer is pulled out, wherein the slider  19  is engaged with the pin  20  to bring the drawer  12  to closure, and a second transverse section  18 ″ which branches off from the first section  18 ′ at a front end thereof facing towards the front  12 ′ of the drawer  12 , in which the slider  19  by means of an oscillation movement releases the pin  20  to permit the completion of the opening movement of the drawer by the user. 
     The spring  21  extends and is fixed in a preloaded traction condition between a part fixed to the piece of furniture, for example the rear end of the cylindrical body  23  of the decelerator, and the slider  19 . 
     According to the present invention, the piece of furniture  10  comprises also stopping means  24 ′ conformed and arranged to stop the drawer  12  in a first closing position, illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  4 A, in which the drawer  12  is spaced apart at a preset distance from the body  11  of the piece of furniture, for example of 2-4 mm, said stopping means  24 ′ being elastically yielding or overcomable by pressure on the drawer  12  in the closing direction up to a second closing position, illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  5  and  5 A, in which the drawer  12  is more adjacent to the body  11  of the piece of furniture. 
     Furthermore, the piece of furniture  10  according to the invention comprises locking means  24 ″ conformed and arranged for releasably locking the drawer  12  in the aforesaid second closing position, said locking means  24 ″ being releasable by means of traction on the drawer  12  in the opening direction thereof. 
     In the first preferential embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 5A , the stopping means  24 ′ and the locking means  24 ″ are conformed and arranged for stopping and respectively locking the slider  19 , specifically a pin  19 ′ which projects from the slider  19  itself, and consequently the drawer  12  which is integral with the slider  19  in the two above-mentioned closing positions. 
     In this embodiment, the stopping means  24 ′ and the locking means  24 ″ are formed spaced apart in a longitudinal direction respectively on a front side and on a rear side of a first and a second protruding elements or teeth  24 , which project, transversely opposed to each other, from the opposite longitudinal edges of the sliding track  18  for the slider  19  at the rear end of the sliding track  18 , in a position spaced apart from the rear end itself. 
     Preferentially each protruding element  24  has a triangular section having a first inclined front surface  24 ′ and a second inclined rear surface  24 ″ converging towards each other, which form respectively the stopping means  24 ′ and the locking means  24 ″ for the pin  19  and therefore for the drawer  12  which is integral therewith. 
     The operation of the piece of furniture  10  according to the invention is as follows: starting from the opening position of the drawer  12 , a user who wants to close the drawer  12  must impose on the latter a movement in the closing direction; in this way, when the drawer  12  approaches the first closing position, for example at a distance of about 5 cm from said position, the pin  20  which is integral with the movable guide  15  on each side of the drawer  12  engages with the respective slider  19  causing it to oscillate as necessary to disengage it from the second transverse section  18 ″ of the sliding track  18 . 
     At this point, the slider  19  is free to move longitudinally and therefore, under the traction action of the spring, brings the drawer  12  to the closing position with a movement suitably decelerated by the fluid decelerator  22  until it stops in the first closing position when the pin  19 ′ integral with the slider  19  comes into contact with the stop surfaces  24 ′ of the protruding elements  24  which project along the sliding track  18  for the slider  19  itself. 
     In this position, the drawer  12  can be easily opened again by the user and thus has an operation completely analogous to drawers equipped with conventional decelerated closing devices known from the state of the art. 
     In the event that there is a need to prevent accidental opening of the drawer  12  due to external actions, such as for example the forces which are generated during the movement of a vehicle or a means of transport on which the piece of furniture is mounted, according to the present invention, the user must exert a thrust or pressure on the front  12 ′ of the drawer  12  in the closing direction in such a way as to cause an elastic yielding and therefore an overcoming of the projecting elements  24  forming the stop surfaces  24 ′ by the pin  19 ′ integral with the slider  19 , until the drawer  12  is brought into the second closing position in which the drawer  12  is more adjacent to the body  11  of the piece of furniture. 
     In this position, in which the pin  19 ′ is held by the locking surfaces  24 ″ provided at the rear to the projecting elements  24 , the drawer  12  remains locked until the user exerts a traction action on the drawer  12  in the opening direction of the latter to release the pin  19 ′ from the locking surfaces  24 ″ by means of elastic yielding of the projecting elements  24 , in such a way as to bring the pin  19 ′ again forward of the projecting elements  24  themselves and thus permit normal opening operation of the drawer  12 . 
     The elastic yielding of the projecting elements  24  is brought about principally by deformation or stretching of the longitudinal edges of the sliding track  18  by the slider  19 ; in order to facilitate such stretching, the sliding track  18  is prolonged rearwards of the projecting elements  24  for a certain section. 
     As an alternative to the triangular section, the projecting elements  24  can have any other shape, for example rounded, suitable for forming a front stop surface and a rear locking surface for the slider or a part thereof. 
     It cannot be excluded furthermore that the closing device  16  for the drawer  12  may have a different configuration or that it may be attached to the side wall  11  of the piece of furniture or to the drawer  12 , together with or separately from the stopping means and the locking means according to the invention. 
     Furthermore, the stopping means and the locking means can alternatively be configured in the form of additional elements attachable to the piece of furniture, in particular between the side wall  11  of the piece of furniture and the drawer  12 , providing for example a component integral with the drawer that is stoppable and lockable by stopping means and respectively by locking means integral with the side walls, without prejudice to the characteristics and modes of operation thereof. In  FIGS. 6 to 8  a variant of the closing device of  FIGS. 3 and 4  is illustrated, in which the same reference numbers have been used to indicate similar or equivalent parts; in this variant, the stopping means and locking means are no longer formed in a single piece with the base body  17  as in the device of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , but are formed on a separate body  25 , for example in the form of a flat fork, attachable to a base body  17  of the device suitably configured for mounting the separate body  25  itself. 
     In particular, with respect to the base body  17  of a closing device of known type, at a rear end of the sliding track  18  suitable fixing means must be provided, for example of snap-type comprising engagement housings  26  and/or teeth  27 , couplable with complementary fixing means and/or with a part of the separate body  25 . 
     This variant presents advantages in production and cost terms, because a single base body  17  is stamped to which may or may not be attached the separate body  25  having the stopping and locking means, depending on the type of use and operation required of the piece of furniture. 
     In  FIGS. 9 to 10A  a further embodiment of the closing device for the drawer is illustrated, provided with stopping means and locking means according to the invention, in which the same reference numbers have been used to indicate similar or equivalent parts. 
     In this embodiment, the stopping means are made up of an elastically yielding tooth  28  which projects into the sliding track  18  for the slider  19 , formed from a strip  29  located on one side in proximity to the rear end of the track  18  itself. 
     This tooth  28 , similarly to the stopping of the previous embodiment, is conformed and arranged for stopping the pin  19 ′ which is integral with the slider  19  and therefore the drawer  12  at the first closing position. 
     The locking means however in this case are of magnetic type and comprise for example a permanent magnet  30  arranged at the rear end of the sliding track  18  to lock the pin  19 ′, suitably made of ferromagnetic material, of the slider  19  at the second closing position of the drawer  12  once the user, by exerting pressure on the front  12 ′ of the drawer, has caused the elastic tooth  28  to be overcome by the pin  19 ′ itself. 
     As regards the operation of the piece of furniture, please refer to what was said with reference to the first embodiment. 
     As is evident from the above, thanks to the suitable configuration and arrangement of the stopping means and locking means according to the present invention, suitable for being connected to pull-out guides of “self-closing” type for the drawers themselves, undesired openings of the drawers are avoided, for example in the case of use of the furniture on vehicles and means of transport, with a solution that is constructionally simple, inexpensive and easily-assembled, without requiring additional machining of the piece of furniture itself. 
     The piece of furniture with drawer according to the invention is however subject to modifications and variations falling within the scope of the inventive concept; further, the constructional details are replaceable by technically equivalent elements.