Patent Description:
The device according to the present invention responds to the need, felt in the sector, for being able to provide furniture shelves with supporting devices that create a connection with the shoulders of an increasingly miniaturized piece of furniture, so as to minimize the aesthetic impact and possibly disappearing completely from sight when the shelf is assembled, while responding to the need for ensuring a safe and stable connection of the shelf, capable of supporting even extremely heavy loads.

The present invention provides a shelf bracket capable of optimizing the transfer of the loads created in normal use.

Devices of the type considered herein are commonly called shelf brackets in the field, and exert the function of allowing a horizontal element (shelf) of a piece of furniture to be stably but removably supported and fixed between two vertical elements commonly called the shoulders of a piece of furniture.

Said shelves and said shoulders are arranged perpendicular to each other.

Shelf brackets of this type are known from the state of the art, and in particular the Applicant itself is the holder of <CIT>and also <CIT>that illustrate devices with respect to which the present invention represents a further improvement. An example of a shelf-supporting device for the reversible connection of a shelf to the shoulders of a piece of furniture is disclosed in <CIT>.

More specifically, these known solutions generally respond to the need for creating a shelf-supporting device which has a minimum aesthetic impact once assembled in the shelf and which allows easy and fast assembly and disassembly of the shelf itself with respect to the shoulders of the furniture.

Purely by way of example, with reference to the attached <FIG>, an example of a known type of shelf bracket <NUM>' is shown which allows the reversible connection of a shelf to the shoulders of a piece of furniture.

The reversible connection between the shelf <NUM> and the shoulders <NUM> of the piece of furniture is obtained through a shelf-supporting device <NUM>' comprising a pin or plug <NUM> which is connected to movable engagement means <NUM> of said device suitable for moving said pin <NUM> with respect to the main body <NUM> of the device itself.

The main body <NUM> is configured for being inserted into said shelf, in particular into a housing formed within the thickness of the shelf, so that when the device is assembled on the shelf said pin or plug <NUM> can be moved between an operating position in which it protrudes from the edge B of said shelf <NUM> so as to be able to be inserted into a corresponding housing hole <NUM> formed on the shoulder <NUM> of the piece of furniture.

As already mentioned, this known type of shelf-supporting device <NUM>' comprises a main body <NUM> with respect to which movable engagement means <NUM> are slidingly associated in turn associated with the engagement pin <NUM>.

As the device <NUM>' is configured so that it can be inserted within the thickness of the shelf <NUM>, the main body <NUM> has a box-like shape, and is preferably formed by the coupling of two half-shells according to what can be seen for example in the exploded view of <FIG>.

The shelf-supporting devices of the type described so far are not, however, free from drawbacks.

One of these drawbacks is represented by the resistance to loads by the device itself, but also by the shelf + device complex.

The need, in fact, for providing a device with increasingly reduced dimensions in order to minimize the aesthetic impact of the device and housing seat to be created within the shelf, often involves an inadequate resistance to loads.

In particular, the miniaturization of the shelf-supporting device involves a greater concentration of the loads that are transferred to the shelf itself through the device as the contact surfaces between the device and the internal surfaces of the housing seat of the device within the thickness of the shelf, decrease.

By way of example, with reference to the attached <FIG>, the loads P acting on the shelf create a reaction force Rp on the pin of the device which, in turn, involves the transfer of a resultant Rr from the shelf bracket to the shelf.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the resultant Rr, which is transferred from the device to the shelf, acts specifically in correspondence with the section of the shelf having a smaller thickness, due to the presence of the housing seat of the device formed in said section.

This obviously implies that there are limits imposed by the resistance to loads in the possibility of miniaturizing the shelf-supporting device and reducing the thickness of the shelf itself.

In the light of what is specified above, the undertaking of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks affecting shelf-supporting devices known in the state of the art.

Within this undertaking, the objective of the present invention is to provide a shelf-supporting device for shelves and for supporting and fixing shelves to the shoulders of a piece of furniture, which further improves the mechanical resistance of the shelf bracket itself and of the shelf bracket + shelf complex, while remaining a device having reduced dimensions and with a reduced aesthetic impact.

An objective of the present invention is also to provide a shelf-supporting device that is more versatile, as it can be inserted into shelves having an extremely reduced thickness, so that it can used with multiple types of shelves and in furniture with a particularly refined aesthetic impact.

The above-mentioned undertaking, as also the above-mentioned objectives and others that will appear more evident hereunder, are achieved by a shelf-supporting device for the reversible connection of a shelf to the shoulders of a piece of furniture according to the enclosed claim <NUM>.

Further characteristics of the preferred embodiments of the device according to the present invention described in the present application are object of the dependent claims.

Further characteristics and advantages will become more evident from the description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the shelf bracket for the reversible connection of a shelf to the shoulders of a piece of furniture illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the attached drawings in which:.

With particular reference to the attached <FIG>, these illustrate an example of a shelf-supporting device <NUM>' of a known type for the reversible connection of a shelf <NUM>' to the opposite shoulders <NUM> of a piece of furniture, according to what is known from the above-mentioned patent applications in the name of same applicant.

The shelf-supporting device <NUM>' is of the type suitable for creating the connection by means of a pin <NUM> associated with the shelf <NUM> and configured for protruding from the transverse edge B of said shelf <NUM> and suitable for being inserted into a corresponding housing hole <NUM> formed on the shoulder <NUM> of a piece of furniture, and has a main body <NUM> with which movable engagement means <NUM> are slidingly associated which are produced integrally with the pin <NUM> or can be associated with the latter with a shape coupling or an interlocking or similar systems.

The device <NUM>' of the known type comprises a main body configured for being inserted into the thickness of the shelf.

When the device <NUM>' is in use, as shown for example in <FIG> and <FIG>, the loads acting on the pin <NUM> are those shown schematically in <FIG>.

For the sake of conciseness, reference will be made hereunder indifferently to the shelf-supporting device <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>", but it should be understood that the present invention also relates to a combination of a shelf-supporting device as described and its housing seat.

As shown in the attached <FIG>, the loads P acting on the shelf entail a reaction force Rp on the pin of the device which, in turn, involves the transfer of a resultant Rr from the shelf bracket to the shelf.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the resultant Rr, which is transferred from the known device <NUM>' to the shelf <NUM>, acts specifically in correspondence with the section of the shelf having a smaller thickness, due to the presence of the housing seat for the device formed in said section.

With particular reference to <FIG>, the shelf-supporting device <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" for the reversible connection of a shelf <NUM> to the shoulders <NUM> of a piece of furniture according to the present invention is configured for being inserted into a seat <NUM> formed within the thickness of the shelf <NUM> and, for this purpose, comprises a main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" which is slidingly associated with a connection pin <NUM> movable between a first operating position wherein said pin <NUM> protrudes from said shelf <NUM> so as to be able to be inserted into a housing seat <NUM> formed on one of said shoulders <NUM>, and a second retracted position wherein the pin <NUM> does not protrude from said shelf <NUM> or protrudes so as to be able to be in any case released from the housing seat <NUM> formed in the shoulder.

The shelf-supporting device according to the present invention advantageously comprises a main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" having a solid section in correspondence with its front area <NUM>.

With the expression "solid section", it should be understood, in this description and in the following claims, that the front area has a continuous wall interrupted only by the hole through which the pin <NUM> passes; the front area <NUM>, in fact, clearly visible for example in <FIG>, is the portion of the device close to the front surface 14a from which the pin <NUM> protrudes, and which faces the shoulder of the furniture when the device is assembled.

In a front transverse section, the area of the hole through which the pin <NUM> passes is about <NUM> times smaller than the continuous surface of the front area; this guarantees a high robustness.

As the main body <NUM>, <NUM>' internally comprises the means <NUM> for moving the pin <NUM>, and it is therefore internally shaped so as to provide a seat <NUM> for housing said movement means <NUM>, the shelf bracket according to the present invention provides that the main body <NUM>, <NUM>' has a front portion <NUM> not affected by the reduction in thickness of material consequent to the formation of this seat <NUM>. This front area <NUM> therefore has a section on a transverse plane with a full thickness, within which the seat <NUM>' which will be illustrated further on, is formed.

Furthermore, the main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" advantageously has a shaped profile so that at least a portion of the upper surface 12c, 12c', 12c" of the main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" does not come into contact the upper internal wall <NUM>' of the housing seat <NUM> of said main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" formed within said shelf <NUM> when the device is assembled to the shelf.

As can be seen for example from <FIG>, <FIG>, the housing seat <NUM> formed in the shelf <NUM> is advantageously obtained by milling and has, on a transverse plane, a substantially oval profile.

The transverse oval profile of the housing seat <NUM> can, as is known, be easily obtained by means of a milling operation and is therefore among the preferable forms together with the simple circular section of a cylindrical hole.

As can be seen in <FIG>, <FIG>, the shelf bracket <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" according to the present invention has, seen on a transverse plane, a bevel in correspondence with said at least a portion of its upper surface 12c, 12c', 12c" so that the latter does not come into contact with the upper internal surface <NUM>' of the housing seat <NUM>.

The flat profile of the upper portion of the device is also clearly visible in the perspective view of <FIG>.

Furthermore, the main body <NUM> of the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to the present invention advantageously comprises, on its outer surface, one or more projecting elements <NUM> which extend outwardly.

As can be seen in particular from the perspective view of <FIG>, from the view from above of <FIG>, and from the raised side views of <FIG>, the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to the present invention has a substantially box-like shape comprising an upper surface 12c, a lower surface 12d, a front area <NUM> from whose front surface 14a the pin <NUM> protrudes, and a pair of side surfaces 12e, and comprises said one or more projecting elements <NUM> which protrude outwardly from the side surfaces 12e of said box-like body <NUM>.

Said one or more projecting elements <NUM> advantageously protrude towards the outside of said side surfaces 12e at least in correspondence with said front area <NUM> of the box-like body <NUM>.

Said one or more projecting elements <NUM> preferably have a substantially triangular profile on a transverse plane so as to have a shape that facilitates the insertion of the shelf bracket <NUM> into the seat <NUM> formed in the shelf <NUM> by means of interference. The insertion of the device into the seat can be advantageously forced so that the projecting elements themselves create their own seat in the shelf, generally made of wood, as occurs with the insertion of a self-tapping screw.

For this purpose, said one or more projecting elements <NUM> can have a greater extension in a transverse direction in correspondence with the front area <NUM> of the box-like body <NUM>, and are tapered, reducing their overall dimensions, in a transverse direction towards the rear area of the device, opposite the front area <NUM>. In this way the insertion of the shelf bracket into the seat <NUM> and the creation of the seats for said projecting elements <NUM> are facilitated.

The shelf bracket <NUM> can therefore be firmly coupled with interference into the seat <NUM>.

In order to allow an optimal release of the forces, the dimensions of the projecting elements are preferably such as to have a certain extension with respect to the device; it is evident in fact that excessively small projecting elements would not allow an optimal discharge of the forces.

In this sense, in a front transverse section and considering a measurement along a measurement line starting from the centre of the pin and arriving at the end of the projecting element, the ratio between the dimension of the projecting element and the dimension of the body (both measured along said measurement line) preferably ranges from about <NUM> to <NUM> and from <NUM> to <NUM>; more preferably, if the transverse section of the device is round, the above-mentioned ratio is approximately equal to <NUM> to <NUM>, whereas if the transverse section is substantially oval, the above-mentioned ratio is approximately equal to <NUM> to <NUM>.

The box-like body <NUM> of the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention advantageously has a substantially symmetrical profile with respect to a horizontal symmetry plane and said one or more projecting elements <NUM> protrude outwardly from the side surfaces 12e of the box-like body <NUM> substantially in correspondence with said horizontal symmetry plane.

In this way, the forces that the pin <NUM> transfers to the shelf bracket <NUM> are discharged onto the shelf through these projecting elements <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> by the arrows Rr (shelf resultant), i.e. in an area of the shelf where the latter has a solid section, with a maximum thickness, and no longer in correspondence with the upper area of the seat <NUM> in which there is a reduced thickness of material, as occurs with known devices according to what is schematized in <FIG>.

In accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, visible for example in <FIG>, the shelf-supporting device <NUM>' can have said one or more projecting elements <NUM> which extend outwardly from the side surfaces 12e of the main body <NUM>' beneath an ideal horizontal symmetry plane.

Again, in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, visible for example in <FIG>, the shelf-supporting device <NUM>" can have a substantially cylindrical main body <NUM>", advantageously having said one or more projecting elements <NUM> which protrude outwardly laterally from said main body <NUM>".

Even more preferably, in order to better distribute the forces that are transferred from the shelf bracket to the shelf, said one or more projecting elements <NUM> extend along the whole length of the side surfaces 12e, 12e', 12e" of the main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>", preferably tapering, as already mentioned, from the front area towards the rear area of the device.

The shelf-supporting device <NUM>', <NUM>" according to the present invention advantageously has a main body <NUM>', <NUM>" having, on a transverse sectional plane, a substantially "flattened" oval profile, i.e. wherein the transverse sides have a straight section.

This configuration is, as mentioned, one of the preferred configurations as it allows insertion into a seat <NUM> formed in the shelf <NUM> by means of a simple milling operation.

The box-like body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" preferably comprises an upper surface 12c, 12c', 12c" which has a bevel, clearly visible for example in <FIG>, so that, in use, when the device is inserted in the seat <NUM> having a substantially oval section obtained by milling, said upper surface 12c, 12c', 12c" of the main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" does not come into contact with the upper internal wall <NUM>' of said housing seat <NUM>.

The result obtained when the device is inserted in the seat formed in the shelf can be seen in <FIG>, where the distance d created between the upper surface 12c, 12c', 12c" of the main body <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>" of the device <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>", and the upper internal surface <NUM>' of the housing seat <NUM> formed in the shelf <NUM>, can be seen.

According to what is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the attached figures, the main body <NUM> of the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to the present invention comprises a base body 12b which internally defines a seat <NUM> for housing actuation means <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the pin <NUM>, and a cover 12a suitable for closing said base body 12b from above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to the present invention illustrated in the attached figures, the box-like body <NUM> comprises, in correspondence with the front area <NUM> having a solid section, an open seat <NUM>' in correspondence with the lower surface 12d of the box-like body <NUM> and suitable for receiving a T-shaped nut <NUM>.

The nut <NUM> comprises a main body 18a provided with a pass-through hole 18d for the passage of the pin <NUM>, and a base portion 18b defining two flaps 18c projecting laterally with respect to said main body 18a.

When the device is assembled, the main body 18a of the nut <NUM> is inserted into said seat <NUM>', whereas the flaps 18c of said base portion <NUM> become abutted against said box-like body <NUM>.

The situation can be very clearly seen in <FIG>, where the resultants of the forces discharged through the nut <NUM> when the resultant force Rp is applied to the pin <NUM>, are represented by the arrows Rd.

As can be seen, thanks to the presence of the T-nut <NUM> and crossed by the pin <NUM>, the forces Rp which, when the device is in use, act on the pin <NUM>, are transferred to the box-like body <NUM> in correspondence with its front area <NUM> having a solid section.

The actuation means <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of said pin <NUM> advantageously comprise axial movement means <NUM> of the pin <NUM> which are movable along the longitudinal movement direction X of the pin <NUM>, and motion transformation means <NUM> suitable for transforming the movement rotation of an actuation tool in the translational movement of said axial movement means <NUM>.

Said axial movement means <NUM> of the pin <NUM> advantageously comprise a slide <NUM> connected or produced integrally with said pin <NUM>. In turn, the slide <NUM> comprises a longitudinal groove 15a and a shaped internal seat, and the motion transformation means comprise a rotating element <NUM> having a substantially cylindrical main body 16a and a cam-shaped element 16b connected to said main body 16a.

The cylindrical main body 16a of the rotating element <NUM> is rotatably inserted into said longitudinal groove 15a of said slide <NUM> and said cam-shaped element 16b interacts with the internal shaped seat of said slide <NUM> so that a rotation of the main body 16a of the rotating element <NUM>, imposed by the operator through a tool of the type shown in <FIG>, causes movement of the slide <NUM> in an axial direction X.

Said axial movement means <NUM> of the pin <NUM> preferably further comprise, associated with said slide <NUM>, elastic means, for example comprising a helical spring <NUM>, suitable for keeping said slide <NUM> in an advanced position and consequently said pin <NUM> in its operating position. In order to retract the slide, and consequently the pin, the action of the spring <NUM> must be overcome, whereas with a simple rotation of the rotating element <NUM> by means of a tool, the cam 16b can be released from the blocked condition of the device in the non-operating position, allowing the advancement of the slide <NUM> by the spring <NUM>.

In the shelf-supporting device <NUM> according to the present invention, the slide <NUM> and the pin <NUM> are advantageously connected to each other by means of a shape coupling.

Claim 1:
A shelf-supporting device (<NUM>,<NUM>',<NUM>") for the reversible connection of a shelf (<NUM>) to the shoulders (<NUM>) of a piece of furniture, said device being configured for being inserted inside a seat (<NUM>) formed within the thickness of said shelf (<NUM>) and comprising a main body (<NUM>,<NUM>',<NUM>") which is slidingly associated with a connection pin (<NUM>) movable between a first operating position in which said pin (<NUM>) protrudes from said shelf (<NUM>) so as to be able to be inserted into a housing seat (<NUM>) formed on one of said shoulders (<NUM>), and a second retracted position in which said pin (<NUM>) does not protrude from said shelf (<NUM>) or protrudes so as to be able to be in any case released from said housing seat (<NUM>), characterized in that said main body (<NUM>,<NUM>',<NUM>") has a solid section in correspondence with its front area (<NUM>) from whose surface (14a) said pin protrudes (<NUM>), wherein said box-like body (<NUM>, <NUM>') comprises in correspondence with said front area (<NUM>) having a solid section, a seat (<NUM>') open on the lower surface (12d, 12d') of the main body (<NUM>, <NUM>') and suitable for receiving a T-nut (<NUM>) which comprises a main body of the nut (18a) provided with a pass-through hole (18d) for the passage of the pin (<NUM>) and a base portion (18b) defining two flaps (18c) protruding laterally with respect to said main body of the nut (18a).