Patent Description:
Generally, the pieces of furniture are made of parallelepiped bodies formed, as known, by a pair of vertical and parallel sides, a top, a base and a back.

Wall cabinets, i.e. piece of furniture without support to the floor, which can be fixed to the wall using suitable support devices, commonly called "brackets", generally constrained to the sides of the piece of furniture using suitable fixing means, and provided with hooking means cooperating with a plate or section arranged on the wall, are very appreciated in the furnishing industry.

Usually, the hooking means of the support devices are adjustable, both vertically and horizontally, by means of special adjustment screws, accessible through special openings obtained on the back, so as to be able to correct the position of the piece of furniture even after fixing it to the wall. Document <CIT> or document <CIT> show some examples of such support devices.

The fixing of the wall cabinets to the wall is clearly very demanding in terms of resistance to the loads required of the support devices, since, besides its own weight, the weight of the piece of furniture at full load must also be taken into account. This is more accentuated when the pieces of furniture to be fixed to the wall are rather deep, such as for example bases for kitchens or bathrooms, and provided with drawers.

Under such conditions, actually there is a considerable moment generated on the support devices, and therefore on the sides of the piece of furniture, with the risk of undesired breakages which may lead to the accidental detachment of the cabinet from the wall.

In order to eliminate or at least limit this risk, angular support devices are known, i.e. support devices provided with a constraint plate extending parallel to the side of the piece of furniture and fixable to the inner surface thereof, so as to confer greater resistance to bending, also acting as a structural reinforcement for the piece of furniture.

Document <CIT> relates to an angular support device for wall cabinets comprising a first flat plate provided with an opening in which a hooking plate is inserted, and a second flat plate for mounting to the side of the piece of furniture, in which the first and second flat plate are made of a single body made of polymeric material and the hooking plate, whose edges are embedded into the polymeric material of the first flat plate, is made of metal.

A disadvantage found in angular support devices of the type described above lies in the fact that they are generally made of a single piece, being complex and expensive to produce.

The main task of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the devices of the prior art by obtaining an angular support device for wall cabinets that is easy and cost-effective to produce, while at the same time being robust and functional.

Within the scope of the aforementioned task, an object of the present invention is to provide an angular support device for wall cabinets that is easy to assemble and mount.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an angular support device for wall cabinets that is compact, i.e. having limited overall dimensions while being particularly stable and safe at the same time, adapted to bear even very high loads.

Lastly, another object of the present invention is to provide an angular support device for wall cabinets at competitive production costs, so that the use thereof is advantageous also from the economic point of view, and that can be obtained using the usual known systems, machinery and equipment.

The aforementioned task and objects, as well as others which will be more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by means of an angular support device for wall cabinets, as defined in claim <NUM>.

Characteristics and advantages of an angular support device for wall cabinets according to the present invention will become more evident from the following description of particular but non-exclusive embodiments, illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the following figures:.

With reference to the attached figures, in particular to <FIG>, there is represented an angular support device <NUM> according to the present invention, adapted to hang a furnishing accessory of various types, and in particular a wall cabinet, to a wall.

Specifically, said angular support device <NUM> is adapted to be constrained to the inner surface of the side of a piece of furniture, at a rear edge portion thereof, and it is provided with hooking means which, when the device is mounted to the piece of furniture, face the wall, being adapted to cooperate with a special engagement element fixed to the wall at the height at which the piece of furniture is to be mounted, to keep the latter suspended.

The description below relates to the angular support device <NUM> when in use: the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "high" and "low", as well as other directional terms, are therefore to be understood, both in the present description and in the claims, as relates to the position of the piece of furniture when mounted on the wall.

Said angular support device <NUM> comprises a mounting body <NUM> for attachment to the piece of furniture, which can be constrained to the inner surface of the side of a piece of furniture at a rear edge portion thereof, and supporting hooking means <NUM>, adapted to cooperate with an engagement element (not shown), such as for example a bracket or a suitably shaped bar, fixed to the wall at a height at which the piece of furniture is to be mounted.

Said angular support body <NUM> advantageously consists of a support plate <NUM>, adapted to support said hooking means <NUM>, and a mounting plate <NUM>, adapted to constrain said mounting body <NUM> to the piece of furniture, both preferably made of metal.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, said support plate <NUM> and said mounting plate <NUM> are made of distinct and separate pieces, which can be connected during assembly so as to lie along mutually orthogonal planes, so as to define - between them - a corner <NUM> (indicated in <FIG> and <FIG>), so that said mounting body <NUM> is essentially dihedral shaped in use.

In particular, as explained in greater detail below, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in <FIG>, the coupling between said support plate <NUM> and said mounting plate <NUM> is carried out by means of a sliding movement along a coupling direction, advantageously guided by guide means <NUM> provided on the latter. Furthermore, the coupling position between said support plate <NUM> and said mounting plate <NUM> is advantageously maintained through retaining means <NUM>, which are rotatably movable preferably by means of plastic deformation between a neutral position and a retaining position.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the various component elements of a support device <NUM> according to the present invention will be described below.

Specifically, said angular support device <NUM> comprises an essentially rigid and two-dimensional support plate <NUM>, preferably rectangular-shaped, wherein a through opening <NUM> is obtained, extending longitudinally in an area, preferably central with respect to the extension thereof, so as to allow the housing of hooking means <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, said hooking means <NUM> may for example be formed by a block <NUM>, made of metal, and a hooking element <NUM> which typically has a circular or mushroom-shaped hooking head 31A, adapted to engage with a suitable seat obtained in the engagement element provided on the wall.

Advantageously, said hooking means <NUM> comprise means for adjusting the hooking position of the piece of furniture: in particular, said hooking element <NUM> has a threaded shank 31B adapted to be engaged in a corresponding threaded hole obtained in the block <NUM>, so as to pass through it according to a transversal, and preferably orthogonal direction.

The end of the threaded shank 31B opposite the head 31A has a transverse seat 31C in which a special tool, such as a screwdriver, can be engaged so as to axially rotate the shank 31B and thus adjust the projection of the head 31A from the block <NUM> and thus improve the engagement with the wall engagement element in depth.

Furthermore, said hooking means <NUM> preferably comprise a first grub screw <NUM> screwed onto a second threaded hole obtained in proximity of the upper edge of the block <NUM> and extending along an axis preferably inclined with respect to the latter, adapted to allow vertical adjustment of the hooking of the piece of furniture.

Lastly, a second grub screw <NUM> is preferably screwed into a third threaded hole obtained beneath said hooking element <NUM> and preferably in proximity of the lower edge of the block <NUM>: advantageously, said second grub screw <NUM> extends along a direction preferably orthogonal to the block <NUM>, and it is provided with a head 33A adapted to be engaged in a suitable seat provided for in the wall-engagement element with the anti-release safety function.

Similarly to what is provided for the hooking element <NUM>, the adjustment of said grub screws <NUM>, <NUM> is carried out by acting with a special tool on a respective engagement seat 32B, 33B accessible through the opposite face of the block <NUM> with respect to the one where the respective heads 32A, 33A project.

In order to facilitate the assembly of said hooking means <NUM> on said support plate <NUM>, said opening <NUM> has an outlet 11A at a lower edge, which allows the slidable insertion of the block <NUM> along the direction indicated by the arrow A illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

Should the hooking means <NUM> be of the type shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, said support plate <NUM> further comprises a hood-shaped abutment element <NUM> projecting with respect to the surface of the support plate <NUM>, preferably obtained at the upper margin of the opening <NUM>; said abutment element <NUM> is adapted to cooperate with said first grub screw <NUM> to allow the adjustment of the vertical position of the block <NUM> with respect to the support plate <NUM>.

Two pairs of engagement fins <NUM> are advantageously obtained symmetrically projecting from said support plate <NUM>, preferably at or in proximity of the vertices thereof, to facilitate the slidable coupling of said support plate <NUM> with said mounting plate <NUM>, advantageously guided by guide means <NUM> as explained in greater detail below.

Said essentially rigid, two-dimensional and preferably rectangular or square-shaped mounting plate <NUM> can be positioned with an outer face 20A on the inner surface of the side of the piece of furniture, advantageously at a rear edge portion, and anchorable therein for example by inserting special fixing means, such as for example screws, in a plurality of first through openings <NUM> advantageously obtained thereon.

Alternatively, or additionally, as shown in <FIG>, in order to allow the mounting plate <NUM> to be mounted on the inner side of the piece of furniture, the latter may be provided with a plurality of coupling pins <NUM>', projecting from said outer face 20A and adapted to be inserted into a corresponding plurality of holes suitably made in the side of the piece of furniture.

Said mounting plate <NUM> is also advantageously provided with a plurality of second through openings <NUM>, preferably slot-shaped and elongated preferably in the horizontal direction, adapted to allow the fixing of a covering element <NUM> once the angular support device <NUM> has been anchored to the piece of furniture as explained in greater detail below.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, said mounting plate <NUM> is provided with guide means <NUM> adapted to allow the slidable coupling with said support plate <NUM>. In particular, preferably, said guide means <NUM> substantially comprise a pair of first guide fins <NUM>, advantageously parallel, which project perpendicularly with respect to the plane defined by the mounting plate <NUM>, departing at corner portions of an inner face 20B of said mounting plate <NUM>, opposite to the outer face 20A of contact with the surface of the side of the piece of furniture.

Advantageously, said first guide fins <NUM> are not directly connected to the inner face 20B of the mounting plate <NUM> but they are continuously connected to a pair of edge portions <NUM> lying on planes orthogonal to the lying plane of the mounting plate <NUM> and extending at opposite lateral edges thereof, to form corner recesses.

Said guide means <NUM> further comprise a pair of second guide fins <NUM> and a pair of third guide fins <NUM>; in particular, in the embodiment shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, said second guide fins <NUM> and said third guide fins <NUM> are obtained projecting perpendicularly from the first guide fins <NUM>, respectively laterally and at the end thereof, so as to form, together with the respective first guide fin <NUM>, a track for the slidable insertion along a coupling direction B orthogonal to the mounting plate <NUM> of opposite edge portions of said support plate <NUM>, whereon said pairs of engagement fins <NUM> are advantageously formed.

According to the present invention, said mounting plate <NUM> further comprises retaining means <NUM>, for example formed by at least one tooth, and preferably a pair of teeth <NUM> projecting coplanar from said second guide fins <NUM>, extending beyond the extension of the respective first guide fin <NUM>, and they are movable between a neutral position, in which they allow the slidable coupling of said support plate <NUM> and said mounting plate <NUM>, and a retaining position, in which they firmly maintain the achieved coupling position, preventing the two plates <NUM>, <NUM> from slipping out.

In particular, preferably, when the support plate <NUM> has been slidably associated with the mounting plate <NUM>, said retaining teeth <NUM> are plastically folded by means of a rotation around an axis X-X, advantageously orthogonal to the coupling direction B and, in use, vertical, thus completing the assembly of the mounting body <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the hooking means <NUM> are inserted into the through opening <NUM> obtained on the support plate <NUM> in order to proceed with the assembly of the angular support device <NUM>, preferably carried out before fixing it to the side of the piece of furniture. Such operation may be advantageously carried out by translating said block <NUM>, on which the hooking element <NUM> and the adjustment grub screws <NUM>, <NUM> are screwed, along the direction indicated by the arrow A of <FIG>, so that the latter is positioned in the through opening <NUM>, accessing thereinto through the outlet 11A and being guided by the lateral margins of the opening <NUM>.

The block <NUM> is then arranged in the opening <NUM> of the support plate <NUM> so that the head 32A of the first grub screw <NUM> abuts against the inner surface of the abutment element <NUM> obtained on the support plate <NUM>, and that the hooking head 31A of the hooking element <NUM> projects in the same direction.

Subsequently, the support plate <NUM> supporting the hooking means <NUM> is coupled to the mounting plate <NUM>, so as to form the dihedral-shaped mounting body <NUM>.

Such coupling is advantageously carried out through a sliding movement of the support plate <NUM> along a coupling direction indicated by the arrow B in <FIG>, orthogonal to the inner face 20B of the mounting plate <NUM>, said sliding being guided by said guide means <NUM>.

Upon completing the slidable coupling between the support plate <NUM> and the mounting plate <NUM>, which is determined by the abutment of a lateral edge of the support plate <NUM> against the inner face 20B of the mounting plate <NUM> and the ensuing formation of said edge <NUM>, said retaining teeth <NUM> are advantageously folded plastically, as indicated by the arrows C of <FIG>, by means of a rotation around an axis X-X essentially orthogonal to the coupling direction B and vertical - in use - thus preventing a backward sliding movement which would entail decoupling of the two plates <NUM>, <NUM>.

Clearly, said coupling means <NUM> may also be of a different type with respect to what has been described above, provided that they are suitable for the purpose; for example, as shown in <FIG>, said hooking means <NUM> may comprise a hooking arm <NUM>', provided at the upper end with a hooking element 31A' adapted to cooperate with the wall-fixed engagement element, and pivoted with the opposite end on said block <NUM>.

In this case, said hooking means <NUM> may also be provided with means <NUM>', <NUM>' for adjusting the position of the known and conventional type, for example formed by screw and nut mechanisms which allow to vary the position of the hooking arm <NUM>' respectively depth and vertical-wise and therefore to adjust the hooking of the piece of furniture to the wall.

For example, said means for adjusting the depth position <NUM>' may be advantageously formed by a first screw which is screwed into a seat provided for in said block <NUM> and whose head 32A' is engaged in a vertical slotted opening provided for on said hooking arm <NUM>', so that rotations of said screw <NUM>' allow to vary the inclination of the hooking arm <NUM>' with respect to the block <NUM>.

Said means for adjusting the vertical position <NUM>' may instead be formed by a second vertically arranged screw which is screwed into nut screw integrally joined with the hooking arm <NUM>', so that rotations of said second screw <NUM>' entail the vertical movement of the latter.

The process for mounting support means <NUM> - according to this variant embodiment on said support plate <NUM> - is substantially similar to the one described above, with the difference that the latter is without said abutment element <NUM>.

Advantageously, when the angular support device <NUM> is associated with the piece of furniture, it is possible to affix the covering element <NUM> shown in <FIG> on the surface of the mounting body <NUM> facing toward the inner cavity of the piece of furniture.

In particular, said covering element <NUM> has a shape essentially conjugated with that of the mounting body <NUM>, and it can be fixed thereto by slidably inserting a plurality of coupling pins <NUM>, obtained projecting from the inner face thereof, in the corresponding plurality of second slotted openings <NUM> provided for on the mounting plate <NUM> and described above.

As observable from <FIG>, said covering element <NUM> is actually positioned on the mounting body <NUM>, when the latter has already been assembled and anchored to the piece of furniture to be suspended, by inserting said coupling pins <NUM> into the corresponding slotted openings <NUM> obtained on said mounting plate <NUM>, and in particular at an edge portion thereof which is distal from the support plate <NUM>.

Subsequently, the position of the covering element <NUM> with respect to the mounting body <NUM> can be adjusted easily by translating said coupling pins <NUM> to the corresponding slotted openings <NUM>; as shown in <FIG>, the final position is advantageously reached when said covering element <NUM> abuts against the back of the piece of furniture to which the mounting body <NUM> is associated, irrespective of the thickness of the back itself and the distance of the latter from the suspension wall of the piece of furniture.

<FIG> and <FIG> show respective assembly steps of an angular support device according to a first variant embodiment of the present invention, in which the guide means <NUM> and the retaining means <NUM> are shaped in a manner such that the coupling between said support plate <NUM> and said mounting plate <NUM> occurs by means of a slidable movement of the latter along a coupling direction parallel to the plane defined by the mounting plate <NUM>, and - in use - perpendicular to the wall for mounting the piece of furniture, indicated by arrow B' in <FIG>.

Similarly to what has been described for the previous embodiment, the guide means <NUM> substantially comprise a pair of first advantageously parallel guide fins <NUM> which project perpendicularly with respect to the plane defined by the mounting plate <NUM>, departing at corner portions of the inner face 20B. A pair of second guide fins <NUM> is also provided for projecting orthogonally from said first guide fins <NUM>, preferably for the entire extension thereof.

Advantageously, said first guide fins <NUM> are not directly connected to the inner face 20B of the mounting plate <NUM> but they are continuously connected to a pair of edge portions <NUM> lying on planes orthogonal to the lying plane of the mounting plate <NUM> and extending at opposite lateral edges thereof.

However, in this first variant embodiment of the mounting plate <NUM>, said third guide fins <NUM> are obtained at the ends of said second guide fins <NUM>, lying on a plane orthogonal thereto and parallel to the inner face 20B of the mounting plate <NUM>.

Said retaining teeth <NUM>, on the other hand, extend coplanar with the ends of said first guide fins <NUM> and they are adapted to be plastically folded into the retaining position by means of a rotation C' around a rotation axis Y-Y essentially parallel to the coupling direction B', as indicated in <FIG>.

The coupling between the support plate <NUM>, supporting the hooking means <NUM>, and the mounting plate <NUM> is therefore advantageously carried out through a slidable movement of the support plate <NUM> along the coupling direction B' guided by said guide means <NUM>, and in particular by said third guide fins <NUM> assisted by the first guide fins <NUM>.

Furthermore, said support plate <NUM> is advantageously provided with an engagement element <NUM> adapted to be inserted, during assembly, into a corresponding cavity <NUM> provided on said mounting plate <NUM>.

The slidable coupling between the support plate <NUM> and the mounting plate <NUM> ends when the support plate <NUM> abuts against said second pair of guide fins <NUM>, causing the ensuing formation of said edge <NUM>.

At this point, as shown in <FIG>, the retaining teeth <NUM> are advantageously folded plastically, as indicated by the arrows C', by means of a rotation around a rotation axis Y-Y essentially parallel to the coupling direction B', thus being arranged at the rear of the outermost pair of engagement fins <NUM> of the support plate <NUM>, and said engagement element <NUM> is plastically folded into the cavity <NUM> to prevent the support plate <NUM> from accidentally de-coupling from the mounting plate <NUM> with a backward movement.

<FIG> shows a step for assembling an angular support device <NUM> according to an example not forming part of the invention. Unlike the embodiments described above, in this variant embodiment the coupling between the support plate <NUM> and the mounting plate <NUM> occurs by means of at least one rotation around a vertical axis V-V.

In particular, in order to obtain the assembly of the mounting body <NUM>, the support plate <NUM> is approached to the mounting plate <NUM> so that a pair of engagement fins <NUM> provided for on the side of the latter arranged proximal to the mounting plate <NUM> is inserted into corresponding corner recesses.

Subsequently, the support plate <NUM> is rotated around a vertical axis V-V passing essentially through the inner edge of the dihedron, as indicated by the arrow D, and said retaining teeth <NUM> are plastically folded, by means of a rotation C' around a rotation axis Y-Y parallel to the plane defined by the mounting plate <NUM>, and - in use - perpendicular to the wall for mounting the piece of furniture.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a further example not forming part of the invention, in which the coupling between the support plate <NUM> and the mounting plate <NUM> occurs by means of at least one rotation around a horizontal axis O-O, as indicated by the arrow D', substantially defined by one of the first guide fins <NUM>.

To this end, a pair of engagement fins <NUM> provided for on said support plate <NUM> is advantageously obtained projecting vertically, to allow insertion in a corresponding pair of corner recesses provided for on the mounting plate <NUM>.

Similarly to the previous variant embodiment, the coupling between said plates <NUM>, <NUM> is completed by plastically folding the retention teeth <NUM> by means of a rotation C' around a rotation axis Y-Y parallel to the plane defined by the mounting plate <NUM>, and - in use - perpendicular to the wall on which the piece of furniture is mounted.

The process for producing an angular support device <NUM> according to the present invention therefore generally comprises the following steps:.

<FIG> shows the flat development of a mounting plate <NUM> according to the present invention. As a matter of fact, at least said mounting plate <NUM> can be advantageously obtained from a flat metal sheet, wherein some portions of sheet are folded, simultaneously or in subsequent steps, along appropriately provided weakening portions, to obtain the pairs of fins <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> forming the guide means <NUM>, and the retaining means <NUM>.

Advantageously, also said support plate <NUM> can be obtained according to a similar production process, starting from a flat metal sheet.

In the light of the above, it is therefore clear that the present invention achieves the objects and advantages set forth initially. As a matter of fact, an angular support device for wall cabinets that is easy and cost-effective to produce and at the same time very robust and functional, has been conceived.

This is mainly due to the fact that the mounting body <NUM> is made of two distinct and separate elements, which can be subsequently assembled by means of simple sliding or rotation movements.

Furthermore, the coupling between said mounting plate <NUM> and said support plate <NUM> is advantageously guided by guide means suitably shaped according to the selected coupling movement and then stably maintained by retaining means movable from the neutral position to the retaining position in a simple and immediate manner.

However, it will be apparent to the man skilled in the art that an angular support device according to the present invention is compact, i.e. having limited overall dimensions, but at the same time particularly stable and safe, adapted to bear even very high loads, a characteristic that makes it particularly suitable for fixing rather deep furniture, such as bases for kitchens or bathrooms, equipped with drawers, to the wall.

Naturally, the present invention is susceptible of numerous applications, modifications or variations without departing from the scope of protection, as defined by the attached claims.

Claim 1:
Angular support device (<NUM>) adapted to support a wall cabinet on a wall, said device (<NUM>) comprising:
- hooking means (<NUM>) adapted to cooperate with engagement means wall-fixed to support the piece of furniture, and
- a dihedral-shaped mounting body (<NUM>) comprising a support plate (<NUM>) whereon said hooking means (<NUM>) can be mounted, and a mounting plate (<NUM>) comprising a plate member defining an outer face (20A) which can be integrally constrained to the inner surface of the side of a piece of furniture, said support plate (<NUM>) and said mounting plate (<NUM>) being arranged, in use, on mutually perpendicular planes so as to define, in use, a rigid corner piece,
said support plate (<NUM>) and said mounting plate (<NUM>) are made of respectively distinct and separate pieces, said mounting plate (<NUM>) further comprising guide means (<NUM>) to allow the sliding coupling with said support plate (<NUM>) along a coupling direction (B, B') during assembly, wherein
said guide means (<NUM>) comprising
- a pair of first guide fins (<NUM>) projecting perpendicularly at corner portions of an inner face (20B) of said plate member of said mounting plate (<NUM>) opposite to said outer face (20A),
- a pair of second guide fins (<NUM>) projecting perpendicularly from said first guide fins (<NUM>), and
- a pair of third guide fins (<NUM>) either projecting perpendicularly from the ends of said first guide fins (<NUM>) so as to form, together with the respective first and second guide fins (<NUM>, <NUM>), a track for slidably inserting said support plate (<NUM>) along a first coupling direction (B) orthogonal to said plate member of said mounting plate (<NUM>), or projecting perpendicularly from the ends of said second guide fins (<NUM>), lying on a plane parallel to said plate member of said mounting plate (<NUM>) so as to form, with the respective first guide fin (<NUM>), a guide for slidably inserting said support plate (<NUM>) along a second coupling direction (B') parallel to said plate member of said mounting plate (<NUM>),
said mounting plate (<NUM>) further comprising retaining means (<NUM>) moved from a neutral position to a retaining position during assembly for maintaining the assembly of said mounting body (<NUM>), preventing a backward sliding movement of said support plate (<NUM>).