The invention concerns a device for fixing profile elements of walk-in closets and furniture in general to a support wall, in particular for walk-in closets of the kind with panels between the profile elements.

In the furnishing sector, walk-in closets or, more generally, furniture structures are variously proposed comprising a plurality of profiled elements that are fixed vertically on walls or support structures inside homes or shop; support brackets are then fixed to the profile elements for the assembly of shelves, drawers and other furniture elements, thus allowing to build a walk-in closet or a highly customized piece of furniture according to the needs of containment and support of objects and/or clothes.

There are two types of these walk-in closets and furniture structures, in particular a first type comprising panels arranged between the profile elements to cover the wall or support structure for aesthetic purposes, and a second type without panels in which the wall or support structure remains visible together with the profile elements.

The profile elements are generally fixed to the support wall by means of fixing devices which conventionally comprise a base body and a connecting member adjustably connectable to said base body, for example by screw means; the base body is fixable to the support wall by means of screws while the connecting member can be slidably engaged in opposed grooves arranged longitudinally on a rear side of the profile element in such a way that each fixing device can be appropriately positioned along the profile element.

The conventional fixing devices, with particular reference to the first type of walk-in closet mentioned above, however, involve difficulties during the assembly of the walk-in closet because, when the profile elements are placed in a vertical position for fixing to the support wall, the fixing devices do not maintain the appropriate position along the profile element but they can slide downwards, with the need to manually reposition the fixing devices along the profile element before fixing them with screws to the support wall. In addition, fixing devices can rotate with respect to the profile elements, further leading to the need to manually orient them appropriately in order to make accessible the holes provided in the base body for the fixing screws. This rotation prevents the translation of these elements with respect to the profile when these elements are not fixed to the wall. To perform an adjustment, it is first necessary to fix the elements to the wall and then act on the adjustment screws. When assembling the closet it is often necessary to set the compensation (distance of the fixing device from the profile element) before fixing the fixing device to the wall. In the present systems it is theoretically possible to do so, but it would be necessary to manually hold each individual fixing device preventing it from rotating and sliding along the profile during the assembly. This is actually impossible as it would require several fitters each of them holding the fixing device in place before fixing it to the wall.

There is therefore a need to have a fixing device that allows to simplify the assembly of walk-in closets, with particular reference to the correct positioning and orientation of said fixing devices on the profile elements.

The main object of this invention is therefore to provide a device for fixing profile elements of walk-in closets and furniture in general to a support wall, that can be stably positioned along the profile elements, simplifying the fixing of said profile elements to the support wall.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for fixing profile elements of the kind in question, which maintains the correct orientation once connected to said profile elements.

The above can be achieved by means of a device for fixing profile elements of walk-in closets and furniture in general to a support wall, the fixing device comprising:

- a base body fixable to a support wall, and

- a connecting member adjustably fixed to said base body, the connecting member being connectable to a profile element of a walk-in closet, characterized by comprising a retaining device conformed and arranged to retain the fixing device along the profile element. Further characteristics of this invention are also defined in the subsequent claims.

The characteristics and advantages of this invention will be more evident from the subsequent description of two preferential but not exclusive embodiments of the fixing device, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a walk-in closet assembled with fixing devices according to a first embodiment of the invention, not visible as they are hidden by covering panels provided between the profile elements;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fixing device according to the first embodiment of the invention, mounted on a profile element;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fixing device of Fig. 2 per se;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device in Figure 2 according to line 4-4;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fixing device according to a second embodiment of the invention, mounted on a profile element; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the fixing device in Fig. 5 per se.

Figures 1 to 4 illustrate the fixing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which allows the fixing of profile elements of walk-in closets and furniture in general to a support wall.

The fixing device according to the invention is in particular suitable for the assembly of walk-in closets provided with covering panels between the profile elements, as for example shown in figure 1 , where the support wall remains hidden from view; however, it is not excluded that the fixing device can also be used for other types of walk-in closets or furniture.

This type of walk-in closet, indicated as a whole with the reference number 10, generally includes a plurality of profile elements 11 which are fixed vertically on a wall or support structure 12 inside homes or shops by means of fixing devices according to the invention, as explained below, in which each profile element 11 is fixed to the support wall 12 by means of at least two fixing devices; support brackets 13 for the assembly of shelves 14, drawers and other furniture elements are then fixed to the profile elements 11 , in order to create a highly customized walk-in closet according to the needs of containment and support of objects and/or clothes.

As better illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the fixing device according to the first embodiment of the invention, indicated as a whole by the reference number 15, comprises a base body 16 fixable to a support wall 12 and a connecting member 17 adjustably fixed to said base body 16 and engageable with a profile element 11 of the walk-in closet 10.

For the purposes of the engagement of the connecting member 17 with the profile element 11 , the connecting member 17 preferentially has an enlarged head 17' slidingly engageable between two opposed grooves 18 obtained on a rear side of said profile element 11 ; in particular, the head 17' is engageable between the opposed grooves 18 starting from one end of the profile element 11 and then it is slid along said profile element 11 until the head 17' and therefore the fixing device 15 as a whole are positioned in the desired longitudinal position.

Preferentially, the connecting member 17 is adjustably connected to the base body 16 by respective threaded means; for example, the connecting member 17 preferentially comprises a threaded shank 17" extending from the head 17' and it is adjustably engageable in a threaded hole 19 provided in the base body 16.

In order to control the rotation and therefore the adjustment of the connecting member 17, the head 17' has a shaped hole 20 in which a tool can be inserted for rotating said connecting member 17; in mounting condition, for the purpose of inserting the tool, it is possible to have access to the head 17' through a front slot 21 of the profile element 11 and further through a series of holes 22 arranged longitudinally spaced apart each other in the profile element 11 between the front slot 21 and the opposed grooves 18 obtained on a rear side of the profile element 11 . According to the present invention, the fixing device 15 also comprises a retaining device conformed and arranged for holding the fixing device along the profile element.

Preferentially the retaining device comprises at least a movable retaining element biased to be engageable with a part of the profile element 11 .

In the first embodiment illustrated, the retaining device comprises a retaining element which is movable since it is elastically yieldable, conformed as a leaf spring 23, of metal or other suitable material, arranged on a side of the base body 16 in order to be facing towards the profile element 11 , in such a way that, in mounting conditions, it is interposed between the base body 16 and said profile element 11 .

Preferentially the leaf spring 23 comprises a central part 23’ fixable to the base body 16 and at least a movable elastic arm 23”, preferentially two movable elastic arms 23” extending on opposite sides from the central part 23’ to be arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis along which the profile element 11 extends.

The fixing of the leaf spring 23 to the base body 16 is preferentially done by means of the connecting member 17; in particular, the central part 23' has a hole 24 through which the threaded shank 17" of the connecting member 17 passes, in such a way that the leaf spring 23 is held by means of the head 17' of the connecting member 17.

When each fixing device 15 is connected to a profile element 11 , the elastic arms 23" of leaf spring 23, which as mentioned is interposed between the base body 16 of the device 15 and the profile element 11 , are pushed and elastically deformed against the rear surface 25 of the profile element 11 , in order to generate a retaining force by friction so as to keep the fixing device 15 in the predetermined position along the profile element 11 ; in this case, therefore, the elastic arms 23" of the retaining element 23 are biased to be engaged with the profile element 11 due to the elastic yielding of the same arms 23". Preferentially, the leaf spring 23 has an Omega shape with the arms 23" extending towards the profile element 11 so as to come into contact with the rear surface of profile element 11 ; however, it is not excluded that the leaf spring may have a different shape, for example a II shape.

Preferentially, the fixing device 15 also comprises at least an antirotation guide element 26 extending from the base body 16 for moving and/or sliding longitudinally along opposite side walls 27 of the profile element 11 , in such a way as to prevent the rotation of the fixing device 15 in relation to the profile element 11 ; preferentially, the fixing device 15 comprises two guide elements 26 which extend parallel and spaced apart each other from the base body 16 in such a way as to embrace the side walls 27 of the profile element 11 . If there were no guide elements 26, the base body 16 would rotate together with the screw 17 and therefore there would be no relative translation along the screw axis between the device 15 and the profile element 11 .

For the purpose of fastening the fixing device 15 to the support wall 12, the base body 16 preferentially comprises a plurality of flanges 28 extending laterally from the base body 16, each having a hole 29 conformed as a slot for adjustably inserting a respective screw 30 engageable in the support wall 12.

Figures 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the fixing device according to the invention, in which the same reference numbers were used to indicate similar or equivalent parts.

Also in this case the fixing device 15 comprises a base body 16 fixable to a support wall 12 and a connecting member 17 adjustably fixed to the base body 16 and engageable with a profile element 11 of the walk-in closet 10.

The connecting member 17 preferentially has an enlarged head 17' slidingly engageable between two opposite grooves 18 obtained on a rear side of said profile element 11 .

The fixing device 15 also comprises a retaining device conformed and arranged for holding the fixing device along the profile element, in which the retaining device preferentially comprises at least an elastically yieldable retaining element engageable with a part of the profile element 11 . In this second embodiment, the retaining device preferentially comprises at least a first and a second elastically yielding retaining element 31 , 32, extending substantially parallel and spaced apart each other from the base body 16 for engaging with and/or embracing opposite side walls 27 of the profile element 11 .

The retaining elements 31 , 32 are, for example, conformed as elastic arms made of elastically yielding metal or plastic material, in which the elastic arms 31 , 32 extend from a central body 33 of the retaining device fixable to the base body 16 of the fixing device 15, for example by hooking means.

In this embodiment too, the fixing device 15 also preferentially comprises at least one anti-rotation guide element 26, for example two guide elements 26, extending from the base body 16 for moving and/or sliding longitudinally along opposite side walls 27 of the profile element 11 , in such a way as to prevent the rotation of the fixing device 15 in relation to the profile element 11 .

In general, it is not excluded that alternatively the retaining device may comprise at least one retaining element movably connected to the base body of the fixing device and biased by separate elastic or magnetic biasing means in such a way as to engage or act on the profile element; for example, at least one retaining element can be conformed as a slider slidingly supported or an arm swingably supported by the base body and pushed by the biasing means against the profile element in order to hold the fixing device.

From the above it is evident that the fixing device according to the invention achieves the aforementioned purposes, as, once arranged in the desired position along a profile element, it maintains its position stably even when the profile element is arranged vertically for the assembly of the walk-in closet, thus allowing to simplify the fixing of said profile elements to the support wall.

In addition, the fixing device according to the invention also maintains the correct orientation once connected to said profile elements.

The fixing device according to the invention is however susceptible to modifications and variants falling within the scope of the inventive concept; in addition, the construction details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements.