Patent Publication Number: US-10772421-B2

Title: Drawer wall

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a drawer wall, comprising an opening arranged on a shell surface of the drawer wall, a movably-supported cover portion which closes the opening in a closed position and unblocks the opening in an open position, and a spring element by which the cover portion is pre-stressed in an operating direction of the spring element in a direction of the closed position. The cover portion is arranged so as to be stationary in a direction parallel to the shell surface, and is movably supported in a direction approximately perpendicular to the shell surface against the operating direction of the spring element. 
     The invention further concerns an arrangement comprising a drawer wall of the type to be described and a wall element which is set onto the drawer wall in the mounted position. 
     The invention further refers to a drawer comprising at least one of such a drawer wall or an arrangement of the aforementioned type. 
     EP 1 632 151 A1 shows a drawer wall configured as a hollow-chamber profile having an opening arranged on a shell surface. A screwdriver can be introduced through the opening in order for holding or adjustment devices to be actuated. The opening can be closed by a movably-supported cover portion which can be pushed by a spring device into a position in which the opening is closed. 
     WO 2010/045782 A1, in the embodiment according to  FIG. 14 , shows a drawer side wall having an opening arranged on a front-end region, and the opening allows access to a locking device for releasably locking the drawer side wall to a front panel. For closing the opening, a cover portion made of a flexible material is provided. A first fastening end of the cover portion is pivotally mounted on the side wall on the one hand, and a second fastening end of the cover portion can be snapped by a protrusion into a hole of the drawer side wall. A drawback is the fact that the cover portion, in an open position, protrudes transversely from the drawer side wall in an outward direction. As a result, additional installation space has to be provided. Moreover, there is the danger that the cover portion can be sheared off or can be broken off by objects and is therefore no longer available for closing the opening. 
     DE 20 2010 002 617 U1 shows according to  FIGS. 3-5  a drawer side wall having a recess, and an actuating lever is pivotally mounted about a vertically extending axis in the mounted position. The actuating lever is provided for locking the front panel with the aid of a force of a spring element, so that a holding force for the front panel can be provided. For locking purposes, the actuating lever needs to be moved against the force of the spring element in a position in which the recess is covered. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to propose a more compact drawer wall of the type mentioned in the introductory part, thereby avoiding the drawbacks as discussed above. 
     According to the invention, an entirety of the cover portion is arranged within the shell of the drawer wall in all operating positions. This also includes the measure that the cover portion can be arranged at least partially within a wall thickness of the drawer wall. 
     The drawer wall includes a shell with at least one opening arranged on a shell surface, and a cover portion for closing the opening. The cover portion covers the opening in the closed position and can be moved, in a direction against the resilient action of the spring element, in a direction perpendicular to the opening plane into the interior of the drawer wall. 
     The opening in the shell surface can be provided, for example, to enable an introduction of a screwdriver for rotating adjustment devices of the drawer wall and/or for introducing a fastening element of a second drawer wall and/or for introducing a holding device for drawer components. The second drawer wall can be formed either by a bent metal profile portion, or, alternatively, by a decorative plate, for example made of glass, wood, plastic, stone or ceramics. 
     The spring element can be formed by a helical spring, for example a compression spring. Alternatively, it is also possible that the spring element is formed by a material elasticity of a plastic portion. In this connection, it can be advantageous if the cover portion, together with the spring element, has a one-piece configuration. In this way, an easy construction and an economic production can be realized. 
     The spring element can be arranged on a base body so as to be bendable or tiltable. The spring element can have a free end portion, and the cover portion is formed by the free end portion of the spring element. The base body can be formed in one piece by an injection molding with plastic and can be accommodated within a cavity of the drawer wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further details and advantages of the present invention result from the embodiments shown in the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1 a , 1 b    are perspective views of an item of furniture with displaceable drawers, and a drawer wall with an attached wall element, 
         FIG. 2 a , 2 b    show the drawer wall in a perspective view, and an enlarged detail view thereof, 
         FIG. 3 a -3 d    show the drawer wall with the wall element to be attached thereon in a perspective view from the front, and the introduction of a hook portion of the wall element into the opening of the drawer wall in temporal sequences, 
         FIG. 4  shows a carrier rail of the wall element in a perspective view. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1 a    shows a perspective view of an item of furniture  1  with drawers  3 , the drawers  3  being configured to be displaceable relative to a furniture carcass  2  by drawer pull-out guides (not shown). Each of the drawers  3  has a drawer bottom  7 , a drawer wall  4  and a wall element  5  set onto the drawer wall  4 . Each of the drawer wall  4  and the wall element  5  are connected to a front panel  6 . 
       FIG. 1 b    shows the drawer wall  4  with the attached wall element  5  in a perspective view. The drawer wall  4  has a shell  13  which can be formed by a bent metal profile, preferably an extruded metallic profile or a steel sheet. A holding portion  9  is to be fixed to the front panel  6 , and the holding portion  9  includes two dowels  9   a  spaced from each other in a height direction. The holding portion  9  pre-mounted to the front panel  6  is configured to be releasably locked with a locking device  16  ( FIG. 4 ) arranged in the shell  13  of the drawer wall  4 . The drawer wall  4  further includes a support limb  4   a  for supporting the drawer bottom  7 , and a fastening adaptor  8  for fastening a drawer rear wall. The wall element  5  can also be formed by a bent hollow-chamber profile. 
       FIG. 2 a    shows a perspective view of the drawer wall  4  in which the shell  13  is configured as a hollow-chamber profile, and the shell  13  with the hollow chamber profile has an inner profiled shell wall  13   a  and an outer profiled shell wall  13   b . The inner profiled shell wall  13   a  and the outer profiled shell wall  13   b  are connected to one another by a, preferably flat-shaped, upper shell wall  13   c . A detachable closing portion  12  is arranged on the inner profiled shell wall  13   a , the closing portion  12  covers a recess of the profiled wall  13   a , and the recess being provided for the passage of a tool. On a shell surface of the drawer wall  4  (thus on the inner profiled shell wall  13   a , the outer profiled shell wall  13   b , and/or on the upper shell wall  13   c ), an opening  10  is provided. The opening  10  can be provided for the passage of a screwdriver and/or for fastening the wall element  5  shown in  FIG. 1 b    and/or for fastening a holding device for drawer components. 
       FIG. 2 b    shows the framed region of  FIG. 2 a    in an enlarged view. The opening  10 , which has, for example, a rectangular shape, of the drawer wall  4  is closed by a movably supported cover portion  11  when not in use. The cover portion  11  is arranged so as to be stationary in a direction parallel to the upper shell wall  13   c , and is movably mounted in a direction approximately perpendicular to the upper shell wall  13   c  against an operating direction of a spring element  18  ( FIG. 4 ). The entire cover portion  11 , in all operating positions, is arranged within the shell  13  of the drawer wall  4 . According to an embodiment, the cover portion  11  can also include a protrusion  19  ( FIG. 4 ) configured to be flush with the outer surface of the upper shell wall  13   c  of the drawer wall  4 , so that no steps or recesses are formed between the outer surface of the upper shell wall  13   c  and the cover portion  11 . 
       FIG. 3 a    shows the drawer wall  4  with the wall element  5  to be set thereon in a perspective view from the front. In the shown embodiment, the opening  10  is arranged on a front-end region of the upper shell wall  13   c  of the drawer wall  4 . However, the opening  10  may also be arranged on a rear end of the drawer wall  4  and/or on one of the two profiled (inner and outer) shell walls  13   a ,  13   b . The wall element  5  includes a hook portion  14  configured to be introducible in the opening  10  of the drawer wall  4 . The cover portion  11 , upon introducing the hook portion  14  into the opening  10 , can be moved against the resilient action of the spring element  18  from a closed position, in which the opening  10  is covered, into an open position, in which the opening  10  is unblocked. For the case in which the wall element  5  includes a massive decorative plate (for example made of glass), the hook portion  14  is to be arranged on an adaptor portion configured to be connectable to the decorative plate. 
       FIG. 3 b    shows the encircled region of  FIG. 3 a    in an enlarged view, in which the hook portion  14  of the wall element  5  is visible, and the hook portion  14  is to be introduced into the opening  10 . The cover portion  11  is thereby located in the closed position in which the opening  10  is covered. In  FIG. 3 c   , the hook portion  14  contacts the cover portion  11 . Upon a continued movement of the hook portion  14  in a downward direction, the hook portion  14  pushes the cover portion  11  against the resilient action of the spring element  18  in an open position in which the opening  10  is unblocked, as shown in  FIG. 3 d   . Accordingly, the hook portion  14  of the wall element  5 , in the mounted position, engages into the opening  10  of the drawer wall  4 , so that a lateral and/or a vertical displacement of the wall element  5  relative to the drawer wall  4  is prevented or limited. The wall element  4  can also include a fastening device (not shown) for the hook portion  14 , and the hook portion  14  can be fixed relative to the drawer wall  4  by the fastening device in a form-locking or in a force-locking manner. Upon removing the hook portion  14  from the opening  10 , the cover portion  11  automatically snaps back into the closed position by the action of the spring element  18 , and the opening  10  can be closed by the cover portion  11 . Thus, it can be understood that an entirety of the cover portion  11  is located within the shell  13  of the drawer wall  4  (i.e, within a space defined by inner shell wall  13   a , outer shell wall  13   b , and upper shell wall  13   c ) in all operating positions of the cover portion  11 . In this way, a neat aesthetic appearance is provided on the one hand, and the ingress of dirt into the interior of the drawer wall  4  can be prevented on the other hand. 
       FIG. 4  shows a carrier rail  15  of the drawer wall  4  in a perspective view, and the carrier rail  15  is connected, preferably welded, to the profiled shell walls  13   a ,  13   b  ( FIG. 2 b   ) in the mounted position. The carrier rail  15 , in a cross-sectional view, includes a U-shaped profiled portion in which an extendable rail of a drawer pull-out guide can be arranged. The supporting limb  4   a  extending horizontally in the mounting position, together with the carrier rail  15 , can have a one-piece configuration. In the front-end region of the carrier rail  15 , a locking device  16  is provided for fastening the holding portion  9  to be mounted to the front panel  6 . The holding portion  9  is configured to be automatically locked to the locking device  16  by the action of an energy storage member  17 . A base body  20  is visible, and a spring element  18  for applying a force to the cover portion  11  in a direction of the closed position is configured to be bendable or tiltable about an axis (X) on the base body  20 . The spring element  18  is movable in a direction approximately perpendicular the upper shell wall  13   c  of the drawer wall  4  in a direction of the arrow  21  against the operating direction of the spring element  18 . The spring element  18  includes a base end portion on the base body  20  and a free end portion, and the cover portion  11  is formed by the free end portion of the spring element  18 . Accordingly, in the shown embodiment, the cover portion  11 , together with the spring element  18 , has a one-piece configuration, and the spring element  18  is formed by a material elasticity of a plastic portion. The cover portion  11  can also include a protrusion  19  by which the opening  10  of the drawer wall  4  can be closed in a form-locking manner, so that the cover portion  11  is arranged flush with the surface of the upper shell wall  13   c  of the drawer wall  4 . In this way, an elegant closure of the opening  10  can be realized, without steps or recesses being formed between the upper shell wall  13   c  outer surface and the cover portion  11 . Moreover, the base body  20  includes at least one abutment element  22  by which, in the shown figure, a movement of the cover portion  11  in an upward direction, i.e. in a direction opposite the depicted arrow  21 , can be limited. In this way, the cover portion  11  adopts a defined end position in a rest position in which the cover portion  11  covers the opening  10  of the drawer side wall  4 . 
     In contrast to the shown figures, the cover portion  11  may also include a displaceably supported cylindrical pin which is pre-stressed by a helical spring in a direction of the closed position. The cylindrical pin closes a circular-shaped opening  10  of the wall element  4  in the closed position, and is movably supported in a direction against the operating direction of the helical spring, for example in or along a guide.