Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02433305 2003-06-25
DEVICE FOR FASTENING A GUIDE RAIL TO A WALL
[0001] The present invention relates to a device for fastening a guide rail to
a wall,
particularly a rear wall of a slide guide, according to the preamble of Claim
1.
[0002] From German Patent Document DE 38 32 701, a fastening arrangement for
a guide rail of a slide guide is known, in which a guide rail has a folded-
back lug at
the rearward end, which lug is provided with detent teeth at the lateral
edges. This
lug can be inserted into a holding fitting which can be fixed to the rear wall
of a
piece of furniture. The holding fitting has two web sections between which a
receiving opening is provided for inserting the lug. On the web sections,
detent
teeth are again provided which c:an be connected in a resilient manner with
the
detent teeth of the lug. It is a disadvantage of this known fastening
arrangement
that the precision of the guidance of the lug is limited, particularly since
also an
only step-by-step adjustment can be carried out by means of the detent teeth.
In
addition, the stability of the guide is limited as a result of the bendable
web
sections because only two guiding surfaces are present. Finally, it is also
disadvantageous that the lug is pulled out of the bendable body of the fitting
during
an adjusting movement out of the opening of the fitting.
[0003] It is therefore an object o~f the present invention to improve the
fastening of
a guide rail on a fitting in that an unintentional detachment of the guide
rail from
the fitting is avoided and the possibility of adjusting the position of the
guide rail
relative to the fitting is improved.
[0004] This object is achieved by means of a device for fastening a guide rail
on a
wall having the characteristics of Claim 1.
[0005] According to the invention, the fitting has a side wall spaced away
from the
guiding section, and the guide rail can be displaced continuously between a
first
end position, in which the guide rail rests laterally against the guiding
section of
the fitting, and a second end position, in which the guide rail rests against
the side
wall. As a result of the continuous adjustability, a finer adjustment of the
guide
rail on the fitting can be achieved. Furthermore, as a result of the side wall
situated
opposite the guiding section, it is prevented that the guide rail may
accidentally be
removed from the fitting, in which case the side wall represents a visual as
well as
a stable protection against a removal of the holding device from the fitting.
In this
CA 02433305 2003-06-25
case, the web-shaped holding device can be moved continuously between the two
end positions, in which case, greater forces can also be absorbed by the
mutually
connected walls of the fitting. In addition, as a result of the side wall, an
unintentional pulling-out of the guide rail is avoided.
[0006] According to a preferred embodiment, the web-shaped holding device is
held in a clamping manner in the elastic guiding section. In this case, the
clamping
can take place in the vertical as well as in the horizontal direction,
preferably an
edge-type clamping taking place which ensures a good guidance.
[0007] If the distance between l:he side wall and the guiding section of the
fitting is
smaller than the length of the web-shaped holding device of the guide rail,
the
guide rail can be removed from the fitting only by a combined swivelling and
displacing movement. However, in the case of a lateral adjustment, it is
prevented
that the guide rail is accidentally removed from the fitting, because the side
wall
serves as a stop.
[0008] The web-shaped holding device preferably has two webs which can be
inserted into one receiving device respectively formed on the guiding section.
As a
result of the construction of two webs, the surface on the fitting used for
the
guidance is enlarged because a clearance exists between the webs in which
guiding
elements of the fitting can engage. This improves the guidance of the web-
shaped
holding device and also prevents a rotation of the holding device within the
fitting.
In this case, the web-shaped holding device may be guided in the area of the
guiding section and adjacent to the guiding section essentially in a form-
locking
manner on the upper and lower side wall of the fitting. In addition, at least
one
web may be provided within the guiding section, which web rests on the web-
shaped holding device for the guidance and can also provide a certain
clamping.
By means of such webs, the holding device can be guided along several edges,
so
that a particularly precisely fitting movement is permitted within the
receiving
device. A profiling is preferably provided on the web-shaped holding device,
at
least one web resting by means of two edges or sides against the profiling, so
that a
guidance can take place into a predetermined moving direction.
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[0009] Preferably plugs are shaped onto the rear wall of the fitting, which
plugs
can be hung into openings at a wall. As a result, the fitting can be mounted
in a
simple manner on a piece of furniture. For a secure fastening, the plugs have
a
flange section, in which case a wall can be inserted between the flange
section and
the rear wall of the fitting.
[00010] In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail by
means
of an embodiment with reference to the attached drawings.
[00011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fitting parts of a slide guide
with an
embodiment of a fastening device according to the invention;
[00012] Figures 2A, 2B and 2C are perspective views of the fastening device of
Figure 1 during the mounting;
[00013] Figures 3A, 3B and 3C are sectional top views of the fastening device
of
Figure 1 id different mounting positions;
[00014] Figures 4A, 4B and 4C are perspective views of the fastening device of
Figure 1 during the mounting on a wall;
[00015] Figures SA, SB and SC are sectional top views of the fastening device
during the mounting similar to Figures 4A, 4B and 4C;
[00016] Figures 6A, 6B are two views of the fitting of the fastening device
according to the invention; and
[00017] Figure 7 is an enlarged frontal view of the fastening device in the
mounted
condition.
[00018] A wall 1, for example, a rear wall of a piece of furniture, is used
for
fastening a guide rail 3 which is held by a fitting 2. The guide rail 3 is
fastened in
a lateral area to a wall, which is not shown, or to the front of a piece of
furniture, or
to a front-side frame 5 of a piece of furniture, and therefore has a
stationary
construction. Another rail 4, which carries a drawer, which is not shown, is
movably arranged on the guide rail 3.
[00019] As illustrated in Figure 2A, the connection of the guide rail 3 with
the
fitting 2 takes place by way of a web-shaped holding device 6 which is shaped
to
the face of the guide rail 3. The guide rail 3 has a C-shaped construction and
comprises a center section 30 on which an upper leg 31 with a frontal edge 32
as
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well as a lower leg 33 are constructed. In a known manner, roll bodies may be
provided on the guide rail 30. The web-shaped holding device 6 is shaped to
the
center section 30 and has an upper web 7 and a lower web 8. A recess 9 is
constructed between the webs 7 and 8.
[00020] The fitting 2 has an essentially box-shaped construction and comprises
a
rearward wall 22, which is arranged between an upper wall 20 and a lower wall
21.
The terms "rearward" and "forward" refer to the installing situation
illustrated in
Figure 1 in the case of a slide guidance. In addition, a forward wall 23 is
provided
in the area of the guiding section 26, which forward wall 23 connects the
upper
side wall 20 with the lower side wall 21.
[00021] On the forward wall 23, inwardly oriented webs 25 are provided which
project into the guiding section 26.
[00022] In addition, the fitting 2 comprises a flange section 27 which extends
the
rearward wall 22. A plug 29 is molded to the flange section 27, which plug 29
has
a holding section 18 on a forward area. A wall 1 can be inserted between the
holding section 18 and the flange section 27. The flange section 27 is
reinforced
by way of a rib 28 connected with the upper side wall 20.
[00023] For mounting the guide rail 3 on the fitting, the web-shaped holding
device
is first pushed diagonally into the guiding section 26, if this is at all
possible
because of the diagonal position of the web-shaped holding device 6 (Figure
2B).
As soon as the holding device 6 is locked inside the guiding section 26, the
holding
device with the guide rail must be swivelled past the side wall 24, so that
the web-
shaped holding device 6 is aligned parallel with respect to the rearward wall
22 and
the forward wall 23. In this case, the webs 7 and 8 engage in the guiding
section
26.
[00024] As illustrated in Figures 3A to 3C, the mounted guide rail can be
displaced
in the horizontal direction between a first end position, in which the guide
rail 3
impacts by means of a leg on thE: forward wall 23 (Figure 3C), to a second end
position, in which the center section 30 of the guide rail 3 rests on the side
wall 24
(Figure 3A). In the second end position, the forward section of the holding
device
6 is still arranged inside the guiding section 26, so that a movement of the
guide
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rail 3 in the longitudinal direction is prevented. The guide rail 3 is without
any
swivelling movement captively held on the fitting 2.
[00025] So that the insertion of the guide rail 3 can take place in a somewhat
more
smoothly running manner, the rearward wall 22 does not have a continuous
construction, so that a recess 19 exists between the side wall 24 and the
rearward
wall 22. As a result, the side wall 24 has a somewhat more flexible
construction
and, during the mounting, can also be pressed slightly toward the rear, so
that the
web-shaped holding device 6 can be inserted more easily into the guiding
section
26.
[00026] Figures 4A to 4C as well as 5A to SC show the mounting of the fitting
2 on
a wall 1. The guide rail 3 is cormected with fitting 2 already during the
mounting.
It is also possible to mount the fitting 2 on the wall 1 beforehand and only
then
fasten the web-shaped holding device 6 on the fitting 2.
[00027] The plug 29 is fitted with the flange section 18 into an upper opening
10,
and a lower plug 29 is fitted into an opening 11 in the wall 1 and is
subsequently
swivelled, so that the rearward wall 22 rests against the wall 1. In this
position, the
wall 1 is held between the flange section 18 and the wall 22, and the plug 29
cannot be moved by a pulling movement in the direction of the longitudinal
axis of
the guide rail 3. The wall 1 shown in Figures 4A to SC is of a narrow
thickness.
When walls of a larger thickness are used, the length of the plug 29 and
possibly
the construction of the holding section 18 or the diameter of the openings 10,
I 1
have to be adapted correspondingly in order to fit the plugs 29 into the
openings
10, 11.
[00028] Figures 6A and 6B show the fitting 2 before the mounting. The guiding
section 26 is divided into individual chambers by means of the webs 25, the
webs
25 not extending to the rearward wall 22. In addition, the guiding section is
bounded by the side walls 20 and 21 as well as by the rearward wall 22 and the
forward wall 23.
[00029] As illustrated in Figure T, the guiding section 26 is designed for a
largely
form-locking guidance of the webs 7 and 8 of the web-shaped holding device 6.
The webs 7 and 8 each have a profiling 17 which, in the cross-sectional view,
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represents a curvatures pointing to the forward wall 23. Adjacent to the
profiling
17, the web 7 and 8, in each case, has a flat construction and rests against
the
rearward wall 22. On the opposite side, a portion of the web 7 and 8 rests
against
the face 25 and prevents that the webs 7 or 8 are moved in the direction of
the axis
of the guide rail 3. Ft,~rthermore, it is achieved by means of the profiling
17 that
the movement of the webs 7 and 8 is in each case limited toward the center of
the
guiding section 26, the webs 25 resting on the profiling 17 by means of an
edge.
As a result of this limitation by means of the webs 25, it is also avoided
that the
web-shaped holding device 6 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the
sheet
plane of Figure 7.
[00030] In the illustrated embodiment, the web-shaped holding device 6 has two
webs 7 and 8. Naturally, it is also possible to provide only one web or more
than
two webs.
[00031] The profiling 17 is also used for reinforcing the web-shaped holding
device
6. Should the profiling 17 be eliminated, it would make sense to also
eliminate the
recess 9 and to modify the webs 7 and 8, so that the holding device 6 receives
the
required stability. Then, it may also be expedient to change the position and
shape
of the webs 25 in order to achieve the above-described purpose.
100032] The fitting 2 consists of .a plastic material, and the guide rail 3
with the
web-shaped holding device 6 is made of metal. However, other materials may
also
be used.
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