Patent Description:
Patent number <CIT> discloses a drawer. A front panel of the drawer is arranged with a drawer bar comprising a longitudinal arm and two shorter arms extending downwards at right angles. Each of two ends of the drawer bar is provided with a first wall element. Two claw elements are respectively provided on the first wall elements. The claw element is configured to lock a locking element in a form of a planar clamping arm. Thereby, the shorter arms can be clamped between a rear surface of the first wall element and the locking element. Similar furniture assemblies are known for example from <CIT> or <CIT>.

However, in order to meet diverse requirements of the market, it is important to develop various products.

This in mind, the present invention aims at providing a furniture assembly having at least one auxiliary device to be installed according to user's requirements.

This is achieved by a furniture assembly according to independent claim <NUM>. The dependent claims pertain to corresponding further developments and improvements.

As shown in <FIG> (not showing all features of claim <NUM>), a furniture system <NUM> includes a first side wall <NUM>, a second side wall <NUM>, a bottom plate <NUM>, a first panel <NUM> and a second panel <NUM>. In the present example, the furniture system <NUM> is a drawer, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first side wall <NUM> and the second side wall <NUM> are arranged at a left side and a right side of the bottom plate <NUM> respectively. The left and right sides are only for illustration to facilitate understanding of relative positions, that is, the left and right sides are interchangeable, and are not intended to limit the specific positions. On the other hand, the first panel <NUM> and the second panel <NUM> are arranged at a front side and a rear side of the bottom plate <NUM> respectively. For example, the first panel <NUM> is a front panel, and the second panel <NUM> is a rear panel (or back panel), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first side wall <NUM>, the second side wall <NUM>, the bottom plate <NUM>, the first panel <NUM> and the second panel <NUM> together define an accommodating space for accommodating objects.

In the present example, the X-axis is a length direction of the furniture system <NUM>, the Y-axis is a width direction of the furniture system <NUM>, and the Z-axis is a height direction of the furniture system <NUM>. The length direction, the width direction and the height direction are perpendicular to each other. In addition, left and right sides of the furniture system <NUM> have substantially identical structural arrangement. In response to user requirements, the left side and the right side of the furniture system <NUM> can be respectively arranged with a first elevated member <NUM> and a second elevated member <NUM> to increase heights of the left and right sides of the furniture system <NUM>, so as to match heights of the first panel <NUM> and the second panel <NUM>.

Preferably, the first panel <NUM> can be mounted to a first corresponding part <NUM> of the first side wall <NUM> through a first mounting member <NUM>, and/or the first panel <NUM> can be mounted to a second corresponding part <NUM> of the second side wall <NUM> through a second mounting member <NUM>. Such configuration is well known to those skilled in the art, for simplification, no further illustration is provided.

Please refer to <FIG> and <FIG>. The first elevated member <NUM> and the second elevated member <NUM> are omitted in <FIG>.

Furthermore, the first panel <NUM> has a first side S1 and a second side S2 opposite to the first side S1. The furniture system <NUM> further comprises a first connecting member <NUM> arranged adjacent to the first side S1 of the first panel <NUM>. The first connecting member <NUM> comprises a first part <NUM> and a second part <NUM>. The first part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is configured to be connected to the first side S1 of the first panel <NUM>. For example, the first part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is connected (such as fixed) to the first side S1 of the first panel <NUM> through at least one fastening member <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>). Similarly, the furniture system <NUM> further comprises a second connecting member <NUM> arranged adjacent to the second side S2 of the first panel <NUM>. The second connecting member <NUM> comprises a first part (not shown in <FIG> due to viewing angle) and a second part <NUM>. The first part of the second connecting member <NUM> is configured to be connected to the second side S2 of the first panel <NUM>.

The furniture system <NUM> further comprises an auxiliary device <NUM> configured to be mounted to the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and/or the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM>. In the present example, the auxiliary device <NUM> is configured to be mounted to the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM>.

The first panel <NUM>, the first connecting member <NUM> and the auxiliary device <NUM> together form a furniture assembly. The auxiliary device <NUM> is configured to increase a height of the furniture assembly above the first panel <NUM>.

Preferably, the auxiliary device <NUM> is detachably mounted to the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and/or the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM>.

The first panel <NUM> comprises a bottom part <NUM> and a top part <NUM>, and a first predetermined height H1 is defined between the top part <NUM> and the bottom part <NUM> of the first panel <NUM>. When the auxiliary device <NUM> is mounted to the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM>, a second predetermined height H2 is defined between a top part <NUM> of the auxiliary device <NUM> and the bottom part <NUM> of the first panel <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), and the second predetermined height H2 is higher than the first predetermined height H1.

Preferably, the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is extended from the first part <NUM>. In the present example, the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is substantially perpendicularly connected to the first part <NUM>, and the second part <NUM> of the first connecting <NUM> is extended beyond the top part <NUM> of the first panel <NUM> by a predetermined distance K (as shown in <FIG>). The second connecting member <NUM> has substantially identical structural configuration as the first connecting member <NUM>, for simplification, no further illustration is provided.

The auxiliary device <NUM> comprises a first fitting member <NUM>, a second fitting member <NUM> and an extension member <NUM> arranged between the first fitting member <NUM> and the second fitting member <NUM>. The extension member <NUM> is connected between the first fitting member <NUM> and the second fitting member <NUM>.

The auxiliary device <NUM> is configured to be mounted to the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> through the first fitting member <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the first fitting member <NUM> is configured to sleeve the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> (as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>). For example, one of the first fitting member <NUM> and the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is formed with a mounting space <NUM> (such as a groove), and the other one of the first fitting member <NUM> and the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> is configured to be inserted into the mounting space <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), such that the first fitting member <NUM> and the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> can be connected to each other. Similarly, the second fitting member <NUM> is configured to sleeve the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM>, such that the second fitting member <NUM> and the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM> can be connected to each other. For simplification, no further illustration is provided.

As shown in <FIG>, the furniture system <NUM> further comprises a first fixing member <NUM> configured to fixedly connect the first fitting member <NUM> with the first connecting member <NUM> to each other. Similarly, the furniture system <NUM> further comprises a second fixing member <NUM> configured to fixedly connect the second fitting member <NUM> with the second connecting member <NUM>.

Preferably, the first fixing member <NUM> is configured to be mounted to a first corresponding feature <NUM> of the first elevated member <NUM>, and the second fixing member <NUM> is configured to be mounted to a second corresponding feature <NUM> of the second elevated member <NUM> (please refer to <FIG> and <FIG>).

The first panel <NUM> comprises a predetermined portion <NUM>. At least one of the first fitting member <NUM> and the second fitting member <NUM> is arranged with a hook configured to engage with the predetermined portion <NUM> of the first panel <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the first fitting member <NUM> is arranged with a first hook <NUM>, and the second fitting member <NUM> is arranged with a second hook <NUM>.

Preferably, the first hook <NUM> and the second hook <NUM> are elastic. For example, the first hook <NUM> and the second hook <NUM> are made of plastic; in other alternative embodiment, the first hook <NUM> and the second hook <NUM> are made of metal, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Preferably, the extension member <NUM> is a rod, and the extension member <NUM>, the first fitting member <NUM>, the second fitting member <NUM>, and the top part <NUM> of the first panel <NUM> together define a predetermined space M (as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>).

Preferably, the furniture system <NUM> further comprises a first side cover <NUM>, and the first fitting member <NUM> comprises a first side part <NUM>. The first side cover <NUM> is configured to cover the first side part <NUM> of the first fitting member <NUM> and the first side S1 of the first panel <NUM>. Similarly, the furniture system <NUM> further comprises a second side cover <NUM>, and the second fitting member <NUM> comprises a second side part <NUM>. The second side cover <NUM> is configured to cover the second side part <NUM> of the second fitting member <NUM> and the second side S2 of the first panel <NUM>.

Preferably, one of the first side cover <NUM> and the first side part <NUM> of the first fitting member <NUM> has at least one first connecting feature <NUM>, such as a protrusion or an auxiliary hook, configured to connect the other one of the first side cover <NUM> and the first side part <NUM> of the first fitting member <NUM>, such that the first side cover <NUM> and the first side part <NUM> of the first fitting member <NUM> are pressed against each other or buckled together. Similarly, one of the second side cover <NUM> and the second side part <NUM> of the second fitting member <NUM> has at least one second connecting feature <NUM>, such as a protrusion or an auxiliary hook, configured to connect the other one of the second side cover <NUM> and the second side part <NUM> of the second fitting member <NUM>, such that the second side cover <NUM> and the second side part <NUM> of the second fitting member <NUM> are pressed against each other or buckled together.

As shown in <FIG>, a user can put his hand into the predetermined space M, and hold the auxiliary device <NUM> (the extension member <NUM> of the auxiliary device <NUM>) to apply a force F to open the furniture system <NUM> relative to a cabinet (not shown in figures) along a predetermined direction (such as an opening direction). Through engaging the first hook <NUM> of the first fitting member <NUM> (and/or the second hook <NUM> of the second fitting member <NUM>) with the first panel <NUM> (the predetermined position <NUM> of the first panel <NUM>), the auxiliary device <NUM> (with the second part <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and/or the second part <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM>) can be prevented from being tilted or deformed relative to the first panel <NUM> due to unexpected movement of the auxiliary device <NUM> in order to improve structural strength and reliability of the auxiliary device <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A furniture assembly, comprising:
a first panel (<NUM>) having a first side and a second side;
a connecting member (<NUM>, <NUM>) arranged adjacent to one of the first side and the second side of the first panel (<NUM>), the connecting member (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprising a first part (<NUM>) and a second part (<NUM>, <NUM>), the first part (<NUM>) being configured to be connected to the first panel (<NUM>); and
an auxiliary device (<NUM>) configured to be mounted to the second part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the connecting member (<NUM>, <NUM>), in order to increase a height of the furniture assembly above the first panel (<NUM>);
wherein the first panel (<NUM>) comprises a bottom part (<NUM>) and a top part (<NUM>), and a first predetermined height is defined between the top part (<NUM>) and the bottom part (<NUM>) of the first panel (<NUM>) ; wherein when the auxiliary device (<NUM>) is mounted to the second part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the connecting member (<NUM>, <NUM>), a second predetermined height is defined between a top part (<NUM>) of the auxiliary device (<NUM>) and the bottom part (<NUM>) of the first panel (<NUM>), and the second predetermined height is higher than the first predetermined height;
wherein the auxiliary device (<NUM>) comprises a first fitting member (<NUM>), a second fitting member (<NUM>) and an extension member (<NUM>) arranged between the first fitting member (<NUM>) and the second fitting member (<NUM>);
wherein the auxiliary device (<NUM>) is mounted to the second part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the connecting member (<NUM>, <NUM>) through the first fitting member (<NUM>);
characterized in that the first panel (<NUM>) comprises a predetermined portion (<NUM>), and one of the first fitting member (<NUM>) and the second fitting member (<NUM>) is arranged with a hook (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured to engage with the predetermined portion (<NUM>) of the first panel (<NUM>).