Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02270810 1999-OS-OS
BOX-TYPE OR SHELF-TYPE FURNITURE
BACFCGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to pieces of furniture and the
like.
Pieces of furniture, such as boxes or shelves, are
conventionally constructed of floor, side and ceiling elements
which are connected with one another. These connections may be
fixed or detachable depending upon whether the piece of furniture
is to be transported. In addition, such closed pieces of
furniture have doors which are fastened, for example, to swivel
mountings with the stationary pieces of furniture or are slidable
in guides.
Such pieces of furniture are conventionally frequently made
of wood as the building material which is easy to work and for
which a large number of connection elements exist. when other
materials, such as metal, plastic or glass are used, however, the
pieces of furniture must conventionally be redesigned because,
as a rule, specific connection devices must be used for each
material.
2 0 SU1~IARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide pieces of
furniture which are easy to produce and can be constructed
without basic changes with virtually any material.
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According to the invention, this object has been achieved
by providing a piece of furniture in which a supporting structure
having a ceiling profile, floor profile with three arms leading
into a first node and arranged in a plane, straight support which
each project vertically upward on free ends of the arms and which
lead into the ceiling profile which has three arms leading into
a second node and arranged in a plane.
The construction of the pieces of furniture with a universal
supporting structure has the significant advantage that, with
respect to the material, the covering elements of the piece of
furniture can be constructed virtually arbitrarily without any
changes on the furniture construction. The covering elements
can, for example, be side walls, ceiling parts and floor parts
or door elements. As a result, a furniture group of identical
functionality can be advantageously created and have an identical
effect with respect to the shaping, and can also easily be
adapted to the individual requirements according to the quality
of the covering material. Moreover, because of the identical
supporting structure, the manufacturing process can take place
at reasonable expenditures, i.e. lower cost.
The supporting structure suggested according to the present
invention allows a large variation in the shaping of the
furniture with few basic elements. Thus, cubical or cylindrical
pieces of furniture with a rectangular, round or preferably
trochoidal basic cross-section can be manufactured in a simple
manner. Because of the supporting structure, for example,
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depositing surfaces or shelf surfaces can be simply and easily
arranged virtually in any position in the piece of furniture.
The covering parts can advantageously be connected in a
simple manner with the supporting structure preferably by band-
s shaped fastening elements. The fastening elements constructed
to form swivel hinges allow the doors for closed box-type pieces
of furniture also to be implemented in a simple manner which, in
addition to the simple manufacturing and high functionality, also
exhibit an aesthetically advantageous effect.
Preferably, the supporting structure according to the
present invention may also be provided only with an upper
covering which is constructed as a depositing surface and
therefore forms, for example, a table-type piece of furniture
which harmonically blends into the series of box-type and/or
shelf-type pieces of furniture.
The currently preferred design of the profiles of the
supporting structure, on one hand, exhibits very good static
characteristics and, on the other hand, also meets high aesthetic
demands. The suggested supporting structure is advantageously
suitable for building display cabinets, in the case of which the
covering consists completely or partially of transparent
materials, such as glass.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention when considered in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box-type piece of
furniture which has a rectangular base according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of another box-type piece of
furniture which has a rectangular base according to the present
invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of another box-type piece of
furniture which has a round base in a cylindrical construction
according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of yet another box-type piece
of furniture which has a trochoidal base according to the present
invention;
Figure 5 is a top view of the piece of furniture shown in
Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a top view of the piece of furniture shown in
Figure 2 with covering elements made of sheet metal;
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. Figure 7 is a top view of the piece of furniture shown in
Figure 3;
Figure 8 is a top view of the piece of furniture shown in
Figure 4;
Figure 9 is a detailed view of a floor profile of the piece
of furniture shown in Figure 1;
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a swivel profile for
wood or plastic coverings;
Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a swivel profile for
sheet metal coverings;
Figure 12 is a combined partial view and partial top view
of an area of the ceiling profile of the piece of furniture shown
in Figure 1; and
Figure 13 is an enlarged top view of the cross-section of
the supporting profile.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In Figure 1, a box-type piece of furniture or of a
container-type piece of furniture is designated generally by
numeral 1. A supporting structure is formed by a floor profile
2, three supports 3, 4 and 5 projecting upward therefrom, and a
ceiling profile 2. The supporting structure is enclosed by a
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. casing consisting of side parts 7, 8, a ceiling plate 10 as well
as two door elements 11, 12. Because of their L-shaped
horizontal projection, the side parts 7, 8 simultaneously also
form the rear wall of the container-type piece of furniture 1.
In the interior of the container-type piece of furniture 1,
vertically arranged trays 13 are also provided which bound
against the supporting structure or are supported thereby.
The floor profile 2 is composed of three arms 14, 15 and 16
which are arranged in a plane and lead into a node 17 at one end
and engage into the supports 3, 4 and 5 at the other ends. In
the illustrated cubical shape of the container-type piece of
furniture 1, the floor profile has a T-shaped design; i.e., two
arms 14, 15 are aligned in a straight line and the third arm 16
leads into the node 17 perpendicular to this line.
The lower ends of the supports 3 , 4 and 5 may advantageously
be used as bases of the container-type piece of furniture 1, in
which case additional foot elements may exist, such as vertically
adjustable supporting elements. As the result of this three-
point support of the container-type piece of furniture 1, a
secure and stable base is advantageously obtained. Analogously
to the floor profile 2, the ceiling profile 6 is also formed of
three arms 18, 19 and 20 and leads into the upper ends of the
three supports 3, 4 and 5.
Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of a container-type
piece of furniture 21 according to the invention which also has
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a cubical shape with an almost square horizontal projection. The
construction of this container-type piece of furniture 21
corresponds to the construction of the container-type piece of
furniture 1 illustrated in Figure 1. Here, the arms 14, 15 of
the floor profile 2, which are arranged in a line, and the arms
18, 19 of the ceiling profile 6 are shorter. That is, they are
constructed to be approximately half as long as the arms 16, 20
of the floor profile and ceiling profile. Pull-out drawers 22
are also provided, in addition to the trays 13. The pull-out
drawers 22 can be arranged in the container-type piece of
furniture 21 as an alternative whereby the guides of the pull-out
mounting can also be connected with the supporting structure.
Figure 3 is a view of another currently preferred embodiment
of a container-type piece of furniture 23 in a cylindrical
configuration with a circular horizontal projection. The
supporting structure is again formed by the floor profile 2, the
ceiling profile 6 and the three vertically arranged supports 3,
4 and 5 which connect these profiles. The arms 14, 15 and 16 of
the floor profile 2 and 18, 19 and 20 of the ceiling profile 6
are preferably arranged in a star-shaped manner with respect to
the node 27, preferably at regular distances, and all have the
same length. The casing can be formed by two curved side parts
24, 25 of an angle of curvature of 120° as well as a circular
ceiling part 26. The door parts 27, 28 are also curved and each
have an angle of curvature of 60°. The trays 13 also have a
circular construction here.
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Figure 4 illustrates another preferred embodiment of a
container-type piece of furniture 29 according to the present
invention which has a trochoidal horizontal projection. The
supporting structure has a construction identical to that of the
cylindrical container-type furniture piece 23. The side parts
30, 31 as well as the door parts 32, 33 are constructed here as
corner parts of the trochoidal horizontal projection.
Figure 5 is a top view of the container-type furniture piece
21 shown in Figure 2 without the ceiling plate. The doors 11,
12 are indicated by solid lines in the closed position and by
broken lines 11' , 12' in the partially opened position. The side
parts 7, 8 and the doors 11, 12 are, for example, made of wood
and have a homogeneous thickness.
Figure 6 is a top view of an identical container-type
furniture piece 21, with the side walls 7, 8 and the doors 11,
12 being metal. The edge areas of these parts have a slightly
bent construction. In the two embodiments, whether made of wood
or of metal, the supporting structure is advantageously
identical. Also in Figure 6, the partially opened doors 11' , 12'
are illustrated by a broken line.
Finally, Figures 7 and 8 are top views of the container-type
furniture pieces 23, 29, respectively with a circular and
trochoidal horizontal projection. In contrast to Figures 3 and
4, however, the door parts are not shown in two parts but as a
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construction variation in only one part shown, also by a broken
line in the partially opened position.
It is clear that, instead of the illustrated container-type
furniture pieces 1, 21, 23 and 29, shelves can also be
constructed which may either be completely unencased, or may be
constructed only of the supporting structure and trays mounted
thereon, or may be partially encased.
Figure 9 is a more detailed top view of an area of a floor
profile 2 of a container-type piece of furniture 1 with a
rectangular horizontal projection. The corresponding ceiling
profile 6 has an identical construction. The arms 15, 16 of the
floor profile 2 in the area of the transition to the respective
supports 3, 4 are widened in a trapezoidal manner in the top
view. The supports 3, 4 preferably have an essentially H-shaped
cross-sectional profile, in which, corresponding to the
trapezoidal widening of the supports 3 , 4 , also the side surfaces
3', 4' are constructed to be slightly trapezoidal. By way of a
ridge 15', 16', the arms 15 and 16 engage in one groove 34 of the
supports 3, 4 are connected therewith, for example, by screws 41.
A fastening element 35 preferably engages in the other
groove 34' of the support 4. The fastening element 35
advantageously has a band-shaped design, preferably in each case
of the same length as the height of the side elements 7, 8
connected therewith. The cross-strut 35' of the fastening
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element 35 having a T-shaped profile cross-section engages in the
groove 34 which preferably has retaining projections.
On the ridge of the fastening element 35 projecting toward
the outside, encasing elements 7, 8 can now be mounted on one
side or, as illustrated, on both sides. Corresponding to the
particular material selected, these elements can, for example,
be glued together, screwed together or otherwise suitably
connected. The fastening element 35 can preferably be
constructed in two parts, which in particularly has an
advantageous effect on a screwed connection with the encasing
elements 7, 8.
In addition, the fastening element may preferably be
constructed as a joint element or hinge element 36 which here
engages in the support 3. The cross-sectional shape of the hinge
element 36 corresponds essentially to the cross-sectional shape
of the fastening element 35. The axis of rotation 37 of the
hinge element 36 is preferably arranged on the exterior side .
The side element, for example, made of wood (illustrated by solid
lines) is mounted on outwardly projecting stationary ridge
surfaces of the hinge element 36. A broken line shows, for
example, the fastening of a side element 8' made of metal with
a significantly thinner wall thickness, which is connected by way
of an inwardly bent beveled surface, as described above, with the
hinge element 36. The door element 12, in turn, is connected
with the movable ridge surface of the hinge element 36.
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. Figure 10 is a detailed top view of the hinge element 36
with side parts 8 and door elements 12 fastened thereto by screws
37, which side parts 8 and door elements 12 consist here, for
example, of wood or plastic. Figure 11 is also a detailed top
view of the hinge element 36, with side parts 8 and door elements
12 made of a material of a thin wall thickness, such as metal or
plastic, fastened thereto also by screws 38.
Finally, Figure 12 is a combined side and top view of the
connection area of the ceiling profile 6 with the support 3. The
arm 19 has an essentially upright rectangular cross-section and
is connected with the support 3 by two screws 42 arranged above
one another. The ceiling plate 10 is supported on the upper end
of the support 3 and, depending on the use, is only placed on it
or, for example, is screwed to it. At the top, the side parts
8 and the door elements 12 are constructed such that they close
off flush with the upper surface of the ceiling plate.
Enlarged Figure 13 is again the top view of the connection
area of the support 3 with the arm 15 and the hinge element 36
illustrated in Figure 9. The two channels 39, 40 are also shown
here which are preferably arranged in the groove 34 of the
support 3 and which form a connection between the top side of the
arm 15 and its underside, and may be utilized, for example, as
a cable passage or as a cable channel. This can particularly be
advantageous if the groove 34 between the arm 15 or tray holder
(not shown) is covered by a lid and, for example, electric cables
can be invisibly laid in the thus formed channel.
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The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to
illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting.
Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating
the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons
skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include
everything within the scope of the appended claims and
equivalents thereof.
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