Prior-art pieces of furniture comprise at least one pair of modules arranged next to one another along walls that meet one another, e. g. walls arranged in such a way that they have planes that are perpendicular to one another.

In such an arrangement, one of the modules, e. g. the first one, partially occupies a front zone of the second module, which second module cannot therefore be provided with a door arranged in said zone because the opening of such a door would be prevented by the presence of the first module.

As a result, the part of the second module that corresponds to said front zone is difficult for a user to access.

In the prior art pieces of furniture furthermore exist that comprise a box casing to which a door lid is at the top associated hinged on it.

Said door lid oscillates between a closed position, wherein it is arranged to rest on lateral walls defining the box casing and has a substantially horizontal lie, and an open position, wherein it is raised in relation to said lateral walls to enable a user to access the internal region of the box casing.

At the bottom of the box casing a basket can be arranged to receive objects positioned inside the box casing.

If the box casing has a significant depth, pieces of furniture of this type can be rather uncomfortable; in such cases the user must in fact perform complex operations to position objects inside the pieces of furniture.

Similar difficulties are found when picking up said objects from inside the box casing.

To overcome the disadvantages described above supporting structures have been devised that can be positioned inside the pieces of furniture that are suitable for supporting the

shelves of the pieces of furniture on which the objects can be placed.

Said supporting structures run inside their pieces of furniture between a rest configuration in which they are located in a region that is far from the opening zone, and a pick-up configuration, wherein they are transferred to a further region facing the opening zone.

The pieces of furniture described above furthermore comprise moving apparatuses that are suitable for transferring the supporting structures between the rest configuration and the pick-up configuration and vice versa.

The moving apparatuses can be provided with mechanisms equipped with a plurality of levers controlled by a door, or hatch or lid of the piece of furniture.

In this way, when the door is taken from a closed to an open position, the supporting structure is transferred from the rest configuration to the pick-up configuration.

A drawback of the abovementioned pieces of furniture consists in the significant complexity of the moving apparatuses.

The mechanisms with which such apparatuses are provided in fact consist of a great number of mechanical components that must be assembled together with great precision, which requires the use of a specialised workforce.

As a result, the prior-art apparatuses, and therefore the pieces of furniture that are equipped with them, are rather expensive.

An object of this invention is to improve the apparatuses for moving the shelves supporting structures of the pieces of furniture.

A further object is to obtain apparatuses for moving the shelves supporting structures of the pieces of furniture that can be easily manufactured and installed.

Still another object of this invention is to make the entire internal space available to the user, in other words, when the door is open, to also make the shelves accessible which, when

the door is closed, are positioned in the most internal space of the piece of furniture.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for moving a shelves supporting structure of pieces of furniture wherein it is possible to access shelves applied to the door without moving the most internal shelves in order to make the opening of said door more rapid.

A further object is to obtain apparatuses for moving shelves supporting structures of pieces of furniture that are so formed that they can be indifferently associated with right- hand or left-hand doors, in other words doors made in such a way that they can be transferred from a closed to an open position by rotating clockwise or anticlockwise.

A further object is to obtain apparatuses that can be associated with pieces of furniture that can be provided with a door lid and which are suitable for transferring a basket holding objects, provided inside said pieces of furniture, to a position wherein the said basket holding objects can be easily reached by a user.

A still further object is to obtain a piece of furniture wherein a supporting structure of the shelves can be transferred from a pick-up configuration to a rest configuration and vice versa easily and without sticking.

In a first aspect of this invention, an apparatus is provided for moving a shelves supporting structure of a piece of furniture comprising articulated means suitable for transferring said supporting structure between a pick-up configuration, wherein it faces an opening means of said piece of furniture and a rest configuration, wherein it is far from said opening means.

In a preferred embodiment, articulated means comprises lever means connected to the supporting structure and that can be actuated by a door of the piece of furniture through frame means associated with said door.

In another preferred embodiment, between the lever means and the frame means connecting lever means is interposed; in this case the lever means, the connecting lever means, the frame means and the piece of furniture are connected together so as to form an articulated quadrilateral.

In a further preferred embodiment, the connecting lever means comprises a first intermediate lever hinged on a second intermediate lever.

In this case, the lever means, the first intermediate lever, the second intermediate lever and the frame means define an articulated system that enables the shifting of the supporting structure from the rest configuration to the pick-up configuration to be obtained only when the door of the piece of furniture is rotated by an angle amplitude that is greater than 90°.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain an apparatus for moving shelves supporting structure of a piece of furniture that is simple to obtain and install.

In particular, the apparatus according to the invention comprises articulated means provided with a limited number of mechanical components.

In a still further preferred embodiment, the lever means is "T"-shaped, wherein the hinging point of the lever means to the frame means which is integral with said piece of furniture is identified as the point at which the vertical arm of the "T"meets the horizontal arm of said"T".

The point at which the frame means is hinged to the lever means is located at one of the ends of the horizontal arm of the"T".

Alternatively, the point at which the frame means is hinged to the lever means can be arranged at a further end of the horizontal arm of the"T", opposite said end.

The end of the arm of the"T"at which the frame means is hinged is selected so as the apparatus according to the invention can be used both in combination with door means that

can be opened clockwise and with door means that can be opened anticlockwise.

In this way, the apparatus according to the invention is rather versatile, inasmuch as right-hand and left-hand embodiments thereof do not need to be made.

In a still further preferred embodiment, the vertical arm of the"T"defines an appendage of the lever means that is suitable for interacting with the supporting structure.

Again in a further preferred embodiment, at an end of said appendage, farther from the horizontal arm of the"T", actuating means is provided suitable for interconnecting the lever means and the supporting structure, to enable moving of the supporting structure.

In a further preferred embodiment, the actuating means comprises small-wheel means supported in a neutral rotating manner on the lever means, said small-wheel means running in groove means created in a zone of the supporting structure facing the lever means.

In a second aspect of the invention, a piece of furniture is provided comprising mover means of a shelves supporting structure of said piece of furniture, said mover means comprising articulated means suitable for transferring said supporting structure between a pick-up configuration, wherein it faces opening means of said piece of furniture, and a rest configuration, wherein it is far from said opening means.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, a piece of furniture can be obtained that is provided with mover means of shelves supporting structure of the piece of furniture that is easy to make and install.

In a preferred embodiment, the mover means comprises first mover means associated with a bottom portion of the piece of furniture.

In another preferred embodiment, the mover means comprises further mover means associated with a top portion of the piece of furniture.

The presence of the first mover means and of the further mover means enables the transfer of the supporting structure from the rest configuration to the pick-up configuration, and vice versa to be controlled, thereby avoiding oscillations and stickings of the supporting structure.

In a further preferred embodiment, the piece of furniture furthermore comprises locking means arranged to interact with the supporting structure to maintain it in the pick-up configuration.

Said locking means advantageously comprises a spring consisting of a curved elastic lamina which is formed in such a way as to identify a recess inside which a portion of the supporting structure can be accommodated and held in place.

In a third aspect of the invention, a piece of furniture is provided comprising a shelves supporting structure of said piece of furniture, which supporting structure is suitable for being transferred between a pick-up configuration, wherein it faces opening means of said piece of furniture and a rest configuration, wherein it is far from said opening means, and guide means that is suitable for guiding said supporting structure, characterised in that it further comprises adjustable connecting means suitable for connecting said supporting structure with said guide means.

In a preferred embodiment, said adjustable connecting means comprises telescopic means.

Advantageously, the guide means comprises a plurality of pairs of wheels rotationally supported on a bracket connected to the supporting structure.

Each pair of wheels comprises a first wheel associated with the face of a profile projecting from the top of the piece of furniture towards the interior of said piece of furniture and a second wheel associated with a further face of the profile opposite said face.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, a piece of furniture can be obtained wherein a shelves supporting structure of the

piece of furniture can be associated with guide means, suitable for favouring the transfer of the supporting structure, which guide means is fixed to internal regions of the piece of furniture in any vertical position.

In order that the invention may be clearly and completely disclosed, reference will now be made, by way of examples that do not limit the scope of the invention, to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piece of furniture equipped with an apparatus according to the invention, disclosing a door of said piece of furniture in the open position; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the piece of furniture in Figure 1, showing the door of said piece of furniture in the closed position; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a chassis suitable for being associated with a bottom wall of the piece of furniture in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a shelves supporting structure, which is associated with the piece of furniture in Figure 1 ; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a frame applied to the door of the piece of furniture in Figure 1 ; Figure 6,7, 8 depict three plan views of the moving phases of the apparatus according to the invention, respectively with completely closed door, with door opened at 90° and with door opened by more than 90° ; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the piece of furniture with door open by more than 90° and with internal shelves pulled out ; Figure 10 is a perspective view, partially interrupted, of a piece of furniture equipped with a pair of apparatuses for the moving of a shelves supporting structure according to the invention;

Figure 11 is a plan view of a first apparatus of the pair of apparatuses in Figure 10, which first apparatus is disclosed in a rest configuration corresponding to a closed position of the door of said piece of furniture, said apparatus being suitable for being associated with a bottom zone of the piece of furniture; Figure 12 is a view like the one in Figure 11 that discloses the first apparatus in a pick-up configuration corresponding to an open position of the door; Figure 13 is a view like the one in Figure 12 depicting a second apparatus of the pair of apparatuses in Figure 10, said second apparatus being suitable for being associated with a top portion of the piece of furniture; Figure 14 is a partially sectional side view of guide means of a shelves supporting structure of the piece of furniture.

Referring to Figures from 1 to 9, a corner piece of furniture 1, comprising a door 9 that can be opened, is provided at its base or bottom wall 8 with a fixed horizontal chassis 7 on which a vertical supporting structure 3 runs longitudinally, which supporting structure 3 preferably occupies half of the internal space of the piece of furniture and supports part of the shelves, constituted by the pull-out drawers 125, depicted for the sake of descriptive simplicity only in Figure 9.

A vertical frame 11 is applied to the door 9, which is connected by hinges 17 to the piece of furniture 1, the frame 11 supporting containers or baskets 16 which are projected outside the piece of furniture 1, when the door 9 is arranged in an open position X.

The frame 11 is on one side supported by a first pivot 12 and by a second pivot 13 applied to a side wall 110 of a piece of furniture whilst on the other side it runs within seat or guide means 15, applied to the door 9.

The connection between the fixed horizontal chassis 7 and the movable frame 11 is achieved by a connecting crank mechanism 2 hinged on a hub 113 that is welded on a crosspiece 114 of said

chassis 7.

In detail, the crank mechanism 2 comprises a first lever mechanism 115, consisting of the lever arms 116,117 and 118, which, reciprocally hinged, connect the hub 113 to a support bracket 119, welded at the bottom to the frame 11.

The hub 113 is coupled in a rotating manner to a gusset 122 projecting from an end region 126 of the chassis 7.

In said embodiment the crank mechanism associated with the hub 113 is suitable for being commanded by a door arranged at the end region 126 and which can be opened anticlockwise.

The chassis 7 furthermore comprises in a further end region 127, a further gusset 128, to which can be coupled by rotation a further hub of a further crank mechanism 2 that is suitable for being commanded by a door arranged at the further end region 127 and which can be opened clockwise.

The crank mechanism 2 is completed by a second lever mechanism 120 comprising the lever arm 121 welded onto the hub 113 and equipped at the end with wheel or small-wheel means 32, running within a bottom crosspiece 123 of the supporting structure 3, suitably shaped as an upturned"C"so as to constitute a sliding track for the wheel means 32.

Operationally, as a comparison of Figures 1 and 2 shows, by rotating the door from a closed position Y to the open position X a towing'movement of the supporting structure 3 is produced.

Specifically, as disclosed in the sequence of Figures 6 to 9, with the rotation of the door 2 the crank mechanism 2 is moved, i. e. the lever mechanism 11 is folded, which lever mechanism 11, by means of the lever arm 116, rotates the hub 113 and, as a result, also rotates the lever mechanism 120, by the same angle value, in such a way that the rotation of the lever arm 121 forces the supporting structure 3 to run along the chassis 7, which chassis 7 in this way shifts from the internal part of the piece of furniture 1 to the most external part, that is made accessible by the opening of the door 9.

As Figures 6 to 8 also disclose, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention provides that, during the first opening phase of the door 9, i. e. up to 90° and therefore up to the complete exit of the containers 16 from the piece of furniture, the shelves supporting structure 3 remains stationary and the shift of the supporting structure 3 occurs and is completed only with the subsequent opening beyond 90° (e. g. from 90° to 120°) of the door 9.

This is made possible because the lever mechanism 115 is jointed and therefore enables the lever arms 116,117 and 118 of an appropriate length to first extend without rotating the hub 113 (see Figure 7) and only after a 90°-opening of the door (see Figure 8) to also rotate said hub 113 to transfer the supporting structure 3 from a rest configuration B (see Figure 6) to a pick-up configuration A (see Figure 8).

This constructional solution thus enables the door to be open/closed and the containers 16, that are frequently used, to be accessed without each time having to also shift the innermost drawers 125, on which even heavy objects can be placed or which are not often used.

Similarly, when the door rotates from the open position X to the closed position Y the crank mechanism 2 is moved and this causes reverse folding of the lever mechanism 115, which, assisted by the plate 124 that is welded to the bottom of the frame 11 and which interacts with the lever arm 118, causes the hub 113 to rotate and consequently also causes the lever mechanism 120 to rotate by an equal angle value, in such a way that the angle rotation of the lever arm 121 forces the entire supporting structure 3 to run along the chassis 7 and therefore to return inside the piece of furniture 1.

Figure 9 discloses a constructional solution for the apparatus according to the invention that enables the partial and/or total extraction of each single drawer 125 fitted to the supporting structure 3 in such a way that when it is extracted

it is perpendicular to the piece of furniture and can therefore be easily accessed by the user.

Figures 10 to 12 show a further embodiment of the piece of furniture 1, equipped with an apparatus 2 for moving a supporting structure 3 for shelves that are suitable for being received resting on ledges 4 obtained on the supporting structure 3.

The apparatus 2 is suitable for being associated with a bottom portion of the piece of furniture 1.

The supporting structure 3 moves between the pick-up configuration A, wherein the supporting structure 3 faces an opening 5 of the piece of furniture 1 to enable a user to position objects on the shelves and/or to pick up objects from said shelves, and a rest configuration B, wherein the supporting structure 3 is far from the opening 5.

The supporting structure 3 is provided with turning means running on guides 6 made in the chassis 7 fixed to the bottom wall 8 of the piece of furniture 1.

The door 9 oscillating between an open position X and a closed position is associated with the opening 5 of the piece of furniture 1.

The frame 11 that is rotationally supported by the piece of furniture 1 at the first pivot 12 and the second pivot 13 is associated with an internal wall 10 of the door 9.

The frame 11 is provided with a pair of projecting elements 14 extending from end zones of the frame 11 and which are suitable for being received with play in appropriate seat means 15 that is integral with the internal wall 10, said projecting elements 14 being suitable for running inside the seat means 15 when the door 9 is rotated to move from the open position X to the closed position, and vice versa.

Containers 16, that project from the internal wall 10 and are suitable for being received in the portion of the piece of furniture 1 adjacent to the opening 5 when the door 9 is in the closed position, are associated with the frame 11.

The piece of furniture 1 is provided with hinges 17 that enable rotation of the door 9 by an angle that is advantageously considerably greater than 90°.

This enables full advantage to be taken of the space inside the piece of furniture 1 inasmuch in the open position X of the door 9 all the objects positioned in the containers 16 and all the objects arranged on the shelves resting on the ledges 4 can be easily reached whilst in the closed position of the door 9 the containers 16 are received inside the piece of furniture 1 without interfering with the supporting structure 3.

Furthermore, as the weight of the frame 11 and of the containers 16 fixed to it is discharged on the piece of furniture 1 by means of the first pivot 12 and the second pivot 13, the hinges 17 are little stressed and therefore have a long working life.

The apparatus 2 comprises articulated means 18 that is actuated by the door 9 and is suitable for transferring the supporting structure 3 from the pick-up configuration A to the rest configuration B, and vice versa.

The articulated means 18 comprises a first lever 19, a second lever 20 and a third lever 21 that are mutually interconnected and cooperate with the piece of furniture 1 to define an articulated quadrilateral.

The first lever 19 has a first end 52, hinged at a point Q on the chassis 7 fixed to the piece of furniture 1, and is integral with the frame 11 that can be associated with the door 9, in the manner described above.

The first lever 19 is furthermore provided with a second end 53 coupled rotationally with an end of the third lever 21.

The second lever 20 comprises a head 22 from which an appendage 23 divides.

The head 22 and the appendage 23 together confer on the second lever 20 a"T"shape, the head 22 constituting the horizontal

arm of the"T"and the appendage 23 defining the vertical arm of the"T".

The second lever 20 is hinged on a crosspiece 24 of the chassis 7, to a further point P thereof substantially corresponding to the point of intersection of the vertical arm of the"T"with the horizontal arm of the"T".

The second lever 20 is rotationally coupled with the third lever 21 by a pin 25 engaging in a hole 26 obtained at an end 27 of the head 22, in other words at one end of the horizontal arm of the"T".

The head 22 is provided with a further hole 28 arranged at a further end 29 thereof, in other words at the other end of the arm of the"T".

During assembly, the pin 25 can be inserted into the hole 26 or into the further hole 28 in such a way as to enable the apparatus 2 to function in combination with doors with clockwise and anticlockwise opening.

In this way, a general-purpose apparatus 2 can be made, i. e. one that is suitable for being associated with either right- hand or left-hand doors that requires only simple final adjustment operations during installation phase.

In a zone 30 of the appendage 23 that is more distant from the further point P actuating means 31 is arranged to interact with the supporting structure 3.

The actuating means 31 comprises small-wheel means 32 supported in a neutral rotating manner on the appendage 23, the small-wheel means 32 running in a groove 33 obtained in a region 34 of the supporting structure 3 facing the second lever means 20.

Advantageously, the groove 33 is substantially perpendicular to the guides 6.

During working, when the door 9 is transferred from the closed position Y to the open position X, the frame 11 associated with the door 9 rotates on the first pivot 12 and on the second pivot 13 rotationally dragging the first lever 19 that

is integral with it around point Q in the direction indicated by arrow R.

The first lever 19, by means of the third lever 21, causes the second lever 20 to rotate around the further point P in the direction indicated by the arrow S.

In particular, the appendage 23 describes a circumference arc the centre of which is the further point P, in such a way that its zone 30 faces the opening 5 at the end of said rotation.

During rotation of the appendage 23, the small-wheel means 32 runs inside the groove 33 in the direction of arrow F causing the shift of the supporting structure 3, as indicated by the arrow Fl, from rest configuration B to pick-up configuration A.

The apparatus functions in a similar manner and in an opposite manner to the manner described above, when the door 9 is transferred from the open position to the closed position.

Figure 13 discloses a second apparatus 2a that can be associated with a top portion of the piece of furniture 1.

The second apparatus 2a is made in a similar way as the first apparatus 2, described previously. It is therefore in particular provided with articulated means 18a comprising first lever means 19a, second lever means 20a and third lever means 21a, which are interconnected together and work with a support plate 39 to define an articulated quadrilateral, said support plate 39 being suitable for being fixed to a top wall 43 of the piece of furniture 1.

The first lever means 19a, the second lever means 20a and the third lever means 21a of the second apparatus 2a are substantially the same in shape and dimensions as the corresponding first lever means 19, second lever means 20 and third lever means 21 of the first apparatus 2.

Furthermore, the first lever means 19a, the second lever means 20a and the third lever means 21a of the second apparatus 2a are associated together in such a way as to reproduce the same

kinematic motion of the articulated means 18 of the first apparatus 2.

The first lever means 19a and the second lever means 20a of the second apparatus 2a are hinged to the support plate 39, at a point Q1 and a further point PI respectively.

The first apparatus 2 and the second apparatus 2a are associated with the piece of furniture 1 in such a way that point Q and point Ql are on the same straight line, said straight line constituting a substantially vertical lie.

Similarly, the further point P is aligned on the further point P1.

Similarly to what is described with reference to the first apparatus 2, the second apparatus 2a is provided, in a zone 30a at an end of the second lever means 20a, with actuating means 31a arranged to interact with the supporting structure 3.

The actuating means 31a comprises small-wheel means 32a supported in a neutral rotating manner on the second lever means 20a, said small-wheel means 32a running in a groove that is not represented and is provided in the top region of the supporting structure 3.

Using a first apparatus 2 and a second apparatus 2a enables the transfer of the supporting structure 3 from the pick-up configuration A to the rest configuration B, and vice versa to be controlled.

As disclosed in Figure 14, the piece of furniture 1 is furthermore provided with guide means 40 arranged to further control the transfer of the supporting structure 3.

The guide means 40 comprises an"L"-shaped profile 41, a first section 42 of which is fixed to the top wall 43 of the piece of furniture 1 and a second section 44 projecting from the top wall 43 to inside the piece of furniture 1.

A plurality of pairs of wheels 54 is associated with the second section 44, each one of said pairs comprising a first wheel 45 and a second wheel 46.

Each first wheel 45 is coupled in a sliding manner with a wall 47 of the second section 44, whilst each second wheel 46 is coupled in a sliding manner with a further wall 48 of the second section 44 opposite the wall 47.

Said plurality of pairs of wheels 54 is rotationally supported on a ledge 49 connected to rods 50 in a sliding manner in the inside of the tubular elements 51 associated with the supporting structure 3.

The rods 50 can be partially received inside the tubular elements 51 and can slide in the inside of them in a telescopic manner.

This enables guide means 40 to be created that has standardised shapes and dimensions that can be associated with pieces of furniture 1 of different heights by simply varying the length of the portion of the rods 50 that protrudes from the tubular elements 51.

The piece of furniture 1 is furthermore provided with said locking means 35 arranged to maintain the supporting structure 3 in the pick-up configuration A during use.

Said locking means 35 comprises curved laminas 36 arranged near point Q and point Q1.

Each curved lamina 36 is shaped in such a way as to define a chamber 37 wherein a portion 38 of the supporting structure 3 can be received and held in place.

Said locking means 35 is particularly useful in the case of shelves shaped in such a way that they can be made to run along the ledges 4 to partially protrude from the opening 5 when the supporting structure 3 is in the pick-up configuration A.

In this case in fact a sudden and undesirable transfer of the door 9 from the open position to the closed position would cause a shift of the supporting structure 3 in the opposite direction to the one indicated by arrow F1.

As a result, the shelves would be induced to knock against the fixed part of the piece of furniture 1 with the risk of damage

to the parts of the piece of furniture 1 and to any objects that may be placed on said shelves.

The apparatus according to the invention is also suitable for being used in pieces of furniture comprising a box container provided with a top opening above which a lid is associated that oscillates around hinge means with a substantially horizontal axis.

In this case, the apparatus is suitable for transferring a basket, provided inside the piece of furniture, between a lowered rest position, wherein the basket is located near the bottom of the box container, and a raised pick-up position, wherein the basket is arranged near said opening, which is therefore easily accessible to a user.