Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to knock down fittings for
use in items of furniture. In particular, the invention
provides fittings which enable kitchen units and the like
cabinets to be quickly assembled either in the factory or,
in the case where the unit is supplied in kit form, by the
buyer.
Known corner fittings which are used in the construction
of items of furniture such as cabinets to join adjacent side
walls thereof are either integral with the side walls e.g.
as projections on one member which are glued or pinned in
recesses in the other member (dovetail joints) or in the
form of brackets which have to be secured to the side walls
generally by gluing or with screws or bolts.
Such known corner fittings are disadvantageous in that
the jointing of two side walls with the corner fittings
requires a considerable number of operations e.g. in cutting
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; dovetail joints or drilling holes for the screws or bolts
for a bracket. In addition, unless glued such joints tend to
work loose in time and as will be appreciated gluing the
joints generally requires that the side walls be clamped
together until the glue has set, thus considerably increasing
assembly time.
Furthermore, such jointing techniques are applicable
only to factory assembled furniture and are not suitable
for kits intended to be assembled by the purchaser.
An object of the invention is to provide a corner
fitting which overcomes the above disadvantages.
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~ According to the present invention, there is provided
--1 a knockdown fitting for securely connecting elements of a
. 30 piece of furniture together, said fitting comprising a pair
of interlocking male and female members and means for
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securing these members to respective elements of said furni-
ture, said male member being comprised of a laterally extending
platform defined by a first distal surface and a first proximal
surface, and a pair of spaced resilient projections extending
i~ in a longitudinal inwardly converging direction generally
perpendicular to said first proximate surface from a location
intermediate the ends of said first proximal surface, said
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projections being flexible and including intermediate their
ends an outwardly extending barb having a second proximal
10 surface thereby defining an inwardly extending cavity between
the first proximal surface of said platform and second proximal
~: surface of said barbs and wherein said projections each
terminate in a respective second distal surface, said female
member being comprised of a block means having a third
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proximal laterally extending surface and a third distal
surface and, intermediate the ends of said third proximal
surface, an inwardly converging channel e~tending longitudinally
.; from the third proximal surface through the third distal
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~:. surface in a generally perpendicular direction to the third
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v . 20 proximal and third distal surfaces, said channel being pro-
vided at a location intermediate its ends and on adjacent
sides thereof, with a pair of opposing outwardly extending
-. steps having a fourth proximal surface thereby defining a
:~ spaced inwardly extending protrusion between the third
, : proximal and fourth proximal surfaces, said inwardly
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extending protrusion being of a similar configuration as
the ca~ity of the male member but of slightly less longi-
tudinal dimension, the lateral width from barb to barb being
greater than the lateral width from step to step such that
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~ 30 upon insertion of the projections of the male member into
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the channel of the female member said barbs snap fit onto said
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steps thereby to retain said protrusion securely within said
cavity, retain said first proximal surface in contact with
said third proximal surface and retain the second proximal
surface in contact with the fourth proximal surface and whereby
when said male member is fit into said female member there is
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open access to the second distal surface sufficient to allow
the projections to be inwardly flexed for removal of the male
; member from the female member.
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; The advantage of corner fittings according to the pre-
10 sent invention lies in the simple snap-fitting manner in ~-
;~ which the elements engage, pinning or gluing not being
required.
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The invention will be described further, by way of
example, with reference to the drawings, in which~
Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a first em-
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~ bodiment of the invention;
- Fig. la is a section on the line A-A of Fig. l; and
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Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of
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~j the invention, partially broken away. -~
Fig. 1 illustrates a knock down fitting which comprises
two elements generally designated 10 and 12 respectively.
The element 10 comprises a plate 14 having an upper surface
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~ 16 and a lower surface 18, the element 10 is intended to be -
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- secured to àn inner surface of a wall of a kitchen cabinet or .
other item of panel constructed furniture (not shown) adjacent
an edge of the wall, with the surface 16 in contact with the ~ -
wall. A hole 20 is provided in the plate 14 to enable the
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element 10 to be screwed or bolted to the wall of the cabinet,
or secured by moulded pegs.
From the face 18 of the element 10 there projects a
pair of legs 22 each of which has a barb-like projection 24.
The element 10 is made of a resiliently deformable material,
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such as high density nylon so that the legs 22 may be flexed
;; towards and away from one another.
The other element 12 comprises a plate 30 having a
face 32 in which there is formed a channel 34 having the same
depth as the width of the legs 22 of the element 10. The
element 12 is intended to be secured adjacent an edge of
another wall of the kitchen cabinet or other item of panel
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~ constructed furniture with the surface 32 thereof in contact
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with the inner surface of the wall. Again, the element 12
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r 10 is provided with holes 36 for receiving screws or bolts by
means of which the element may be secured to the wall of the
unit.
The side walls of the channel 34 are stepped as illustrated
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to provide shoulders or steps which cooperate with the barb-
- like projections 24 as hereinafter described.
The walls of the units can be assembled with their two
; aforementioned edges adjacent by first screwing the elements
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,~ 12 and 10 to the respective walls. The walls can then be
~ assembled by introducing the legs 22 into the channel 34 in
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i 20 the direction of the arrow of Fig. 1. The outer surfaces of
~'J the legs 22 slide over the side walls of the channel 34 at
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the same time flexing inwards. The corresponding positions of
the barb-like projections 24 and the steps of the side walls,
and the separation of the legs 22 are such that when the barb-
like projections 24 clear the steps in the side walls of the
channel 34, the legs 22 reside, engaging the barb-like
projections 24 with the steps to firmly engage the two ele-
, ments together substantially without play and prevent move-
. ',e~ ment between the two walls of the unit. It is thus seen that
- 30 the fitting operates in a manner analogous to a pawl and
- ratchet with the barb-lik~ portion 24 serving as a resiliently
deformable pawl and the stepped side wall of the channel 34
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serving as the ratchet.
The elements 10,12 may be cored out as shown in dotted
lines to reduce the quantity of material used per e!lement.
Alternatively the channel 34 is resiliently displaceable to
' accommodate the element 10.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment
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similar to that of Fig. 1.
I Studs 70 are optionally provided on the two elements,
preferably moulded integral therewith, to enable the
elements to be secured to the respective walls by inserting
the studs into previously drilled holes of a slightly smaller
diameter than the studs. The studs are shown having annular
, barbs 72 which deform on insertion of the plugs into the
holes and firmly secure the elements in position.
, The embodiment of Fig. 1 can also be provided with studs
70.
All the elements of the described embodiments are pre-
ferably made of a resiliently deformable material such as
high density nylon. -- -
. 20 It will be understood that though the invention has
been described with reference to fittings intended to maintain
walls in mutually perpendicular plane this is not an essential
;~ feature of the invention since the walls may if required be
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fixed in planes bearing obtuse or acute angles to one
another.
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