Abstract:
A carrier element can be attached to a furniture body of a piece of furniture, in which a current consumer is disposed in or on a furniture part movable in the piece of furniture, particularly a drawer. At least one power supply unit for the current consumer is disposed—preferably releaseably—on the carrier element.

Description:
This application is a Continuation of International Application No. PCT/AT2009/000282, filed Jul. 17, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns an article of furniture with a furniture carcass, a carrier element which can be mounted to the furniture carcass, and a movable furniture portion, in particular a drawer. A current consumer is arranged in or on the movable furniture portion. 
     Carrier elements for articles of furniture or furniture portions are already known, and supplying current to the current consumer occurs as a serious problem in production and use of such articles of furniture. For that purpose, EP 1 260 158 A2 already discloses a furniture drawer having a chargeable current storage device which is arranged on the drawer and which can be charged up by way of a transfer device arranged on the furniture carcass. A problem which arises in that respect, however, is mounting the power supply unit to the furniture carcass, which mounting has to be fixedly planned for the furniture carcass to correspond to the arrangement of the drawers. In addition, the power supply units have in part complicated cables arranged along or in the furniture carcass. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a simpler and improved power supply for current consumers in drawers. 
     According to the invention, that object is attained in that at least one power supply unit for the current consumer is arranged—preferably releasably—on the carrier element. It is admittedly known for such a carrier element to be mounted to the furniture carcass, but that carrier element serves only for holding the ejector for the drawer (see in that respect WO 2006/017865). The power supply unit can be releasably mounted or snap-fitted on such a carrier element for example by way of a clamping stirrup. 
     In a preferred embodiment, arranged in or on the carrier element is an electric line which is connected to an external power source and which can be connected to the power supply unit. The electric lines can extend in such a carrier element, while the power supply unit can also be contacted with such a line. When the power supply unit is mounted to the carrier element, electrical contact can be automatically effected with the line. In accordance with a further embodiment, the power supply unit can contact the electric line with piercing pins. Alternatively, it is also possible for the electric line to be guided in or on the furniture carcass, in which case, when mounting the power supply unit to the carrier element, automatic contact can be made between the power supply unit and the electric line arranged in or on the furniture carcass, for example by way of a plug. 
     Preferably, the current consumer can be a lighting device, wherein the lighting device lights up the internal space of the drawer preferably entirely. For example, the lighting device can be arranged on the rear wall of the drawer. The current supply for displays or other current consumers in any region of the drawer can be effected by the present invention. 
     To be able to guarantee the constant current supply, a chargeable current storage means can be arranged in or on the movable furniture portion, and the power supply unit charges up the current storage means by way of contact locations in the closed position of the movable furniture portion. In that respect, it is advantageous if the power supply unit charges up the current storage means only in the closed position and the electrical connection between the power supply unit and the current storage means is separated when the movable furniture portion is opened. Preferably, the current storage means is connected to the current consumer and supplies the current consumer with current in the opened position of the movable furniture portion. 
     As already indicated, a preferred variant can provide that the movable furniture portion is movable by a spring-loaded and/or electrically driven ejector device which is mounted to the carrier element. In that case, when the ejector device is mounted to the carrier element, electrical contact with respect to the line can automatically be effected. Once again, it can advantageously be provided that when the ejector device is mounted to the carrier element, electrical contact is effected automatically with the line, in which case the ejector device contacts the electric line with piercing pins. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the carrier device carries at least an ejector device and a power supply unit and the ejector device and the power supply unit are associated with the same movable furniture portion. Alternatively, the carrier element can carry at least a power supply unit and an ejector device which correspond to different movable furniture portions. 
     The carrier element is preferably arranged in a vertical orientation at the rear region of the inside of the furniture carcass. That, however, is not intended to exclude other orientations and ways of mounting the carrier element in the region of the article of furniture being possible. In addition, it is also possible to provide for adjustability of the carrier element from and to the furniture carcass. 
     The basic idea of the present invention is using a carrier element which is already known (also) for the current supply for a current consumer arranged in or on a drawer. What is advantageous in that respect is in particular the modular option of using the carrier element for the power supply unit, the ejector and so forth which correspond to the respectively desired drawers and which can be brought without using a tool into current-conducting contact with an electric line which is preferably integrated in the carrier element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further details and advantages of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter by the specific description and with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a carrier element from the state of the art, 
         FIGS. 2 through 4  show views of power supply units, 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  show views of the carrier element with ejector devices and power supply units, 
         FIGS. 7 through 10  show views of a current storage means, 
         FIGS. 11 through 13  show various views and sections of a lighting device, 
         FIGS. 14 through 15  show views and sections of a movable furniture portion with current storage means and current consumer, 
         FIGS. 16 through 19  show various views of the movable furniture portion arranged in the furniture carcass, 
         FIG. 20  shows a sectional view of the contact region between a drawer with a current storage means and the power supply unit mounted to the carrier element, 
         FIGS. 21 and 22  show views of the carrier element with mounted ejectors and power supply units in conjunction with the current storage means and the current consumer, and 
         FIG. 23  shows a diagrammatic view of a rear side of an article of furniture according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows the inside of the rear wall of an article of furniture in accordance with the state of the art, wherein ejector devices  13  and a transformer  14  are mounted to the carrier element  5 . The carrier element  5  is mounted in a vertical orientation to the furniture carcass  2 . 
       FIGS. 2 through 4  show power supply units  6  having a clamping stirrup  7  by way of which the power supply units  6  are mounted to a carrier element  5  (not shown here). Upon mounting, the piercing pins  10  afford a current-conducting connection to an electric line. In that respect,  FIG. 3  shows the contact locations  12  which involve a current storage means  11  described hereinafter, and a current-conducting connection can thus charge up the current storage device  11 . 
       FIG. 5  shows how the power supply units  6  and the only diagrammatically illustrated ejector devices  13  are mounted or clamped to the carrier element  5 . In this case, the carrier element  5  has a floor holder  15  and a head side  22  which facilitate mounting to the actual furniture carcass  2 .  FIG. 6  shows the rear side of the carrier element  5  shown in  FIG. 5 . The carrier element  5  does not have to be made in one piece. It may also only comprise, for example, two independent profile rails suited for mounting a power supply unit  6 . 
       FIGS. 7 through 10  show various views of a current storage device  11 , and the contact locations  12  (in the form of contact hoops  12   a ) which correspond to the contact locations  12  on the power supply unit  6 . In addition, the current storage device  11  has clamping elements  16  which facilitate mounting to the movable furniture portion, in particular when at least the mounting region of the furniture portion  3  is in the form of an extruded profile member. 
       FIGS. 11 through 13  show the current consumer  4  which is in the form of a lighting device  4   a . The lighting device  4   a  can also be mounted to or suspended from the furniture portion  3  (see, in that respect, the holding bar  17 ), in which case a current-conducting connection can be provided, for example, by way of a cable with the current storage device  11 . The cut-out portion A in  FIG. 13  shows a cross-section of the lighting device  4   a , wherein an LED bar  19  with an LED  20  mounted thereon is arranged in the holding bar  17  (in the form of an extruded profile member), covered by the preferably transparent or translucent cover cap  18 . 
       FIG. 14  shows a drawer  3   a  in which the current storage device  11  and the current consumer  4  are arranged on the rear wall  21 . The cut-out portion A in  FIG. 15  shows the rear wall  21  of the drawer  3   a  in detail, to which both the holding bar  17  together with the LED bar  19  and the cover cap  18  and also the current storage device  11  is suspended or clipped in position with the clamping elements.  FIG. 16  shows the drawer  3   a  mounted displaceably in the furniture carcass  2  in the article of furniture.  FIG. 17  shows a further view of the drawer  3   a  with a lighting device  4   a  which is arranged in a furniture carcass  2 , and a carrier element  5 , power supply units  6 , and ejector devices  13  in the furniture carcass  2  of the article of furniture.  FIG. 18  shows a detail view of  FIG. 17 . 
     In  FIG. 19  the drawer  3   a  is closed.  FIG. 20  shows a cross-section through the rear side of the closed movable furniture portion  3  with carrier element  5 . The Figure shows, on the one hand, at the drawer side how the current storage device  11  is suspended from or mounted to the rear wall  21  of the movable furniture portion  3 , and the holding bar  17  holds the LED bar  19  with the LED  20  and the cover cap  18  on the rear wall  21 . On the other hand, mounted to the carrier element  5  are the power supply unit  6  together with clamping stirrup  7  and contact location  12  and the ejector device  13 . In that closed condition of the drawer  3   a , the contact locations  12  and  12   a  respectively of the power supply unit  6  and the current storage device  11  are in contact (electrically engaged). This Figure does not show the current-conducting contact between the current storage device  11  and the current consumer  4 , in which respect that can be implemented by contact locations, cables, sliding contacts or similar. 
       FIGS. 21 and 22  show a front view and a rear view, respectively, of a carrier element  5  with power supply units  6  and ejector devices  13  mounted thereto, without the furniture carcass. The current storage device  11  and the lighting devices  4   a  are also shown, without the movable furniture portion  3 . These Figures only serve for illustrative purposes. Specific configurations are meaningful only in conjunction with a furniture portion  3  and a furniture carcass  2 . 
       FIG. 23  diagrammatically shows the flow of current between the current source  9  and the current consumer  4  and various modular options in respect of mounting power supply units  6  and ejector devices  13  to the carrier element  5 . 
     The flow of current will be illustrated hereinafter using the example of the lowermost drawer  3 . The current passes out of a current source  9  by an electric supply line  8  into a line of the carrier element  5 . Such an electric supply line  8  can be, for example, in the form of a two-pole line which is indicated in the carrier element. By way of the piercing pins  10 , the ejector device  13  and the power supply unit  6  are automatically in contact with the electric supply line  8  in the carrier element  5  when the ejector device  13  and power supply unit  6  are mounted to the carrier element  5  (other contacting options are also readily conceivable). As, for example, in  FIG. 20 , the power supply unit  6  contacts the current storage device  11  arranged in or on the movable furniture portion  3 . The current storage device  11  is, in turn, connected to the current consumer  4  in the movable furniture portion. It is advantageously provided that each drawer  3  corresponds both to a power supply unit  6  and also to an ejector  13 . Alternatively, however, it is also possible to provide different variants as the other drawers in  FIG. 23  show. That additionally emphasises the modular versatility and at the same time uncomplicated and simple mounting for the current supply for drawers afforded by the present invention.