DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The present invention refers to a joining device adapted to be used for connecting a first panel of a furniture piece, such as a side wall or an internal partition wall, with at least a second furniture panel such as, in particular, the bottom panel, abutting them orthogonally. A joining device according to the present invention can also incorporate a support device adapted to allow the adjustment in the vertical direction of the side panel with respect to a support plane.

PRIOR ART

[002] In the prior art are known joining and support devices adapted for connecting a pair of panels of a furniture piece by abutting them orthogonally, such as for example panels forming sides or internal partition walls and panels forming the bottom.

[003] Italian patent IT 1385361 , whereon the preamble of the claim 1 of the present patent application is based, illustrates a joining and support device comprising a body provided with a first extension adapted to be inserted in a hole drilled into the bottom of the furniture and a second extension adapted to be inserted into a seat obtained on the side of the furniture at a level lower than said bottom.

[004] The body is formed by a pair of half-shells into which is inserted a pair of tapered gears having axes orthogonal to each other, made of metal, that reciprocally rotate, and a support element screwed into a bush integral with the body of the device. One of the two gears is provided with a threaded stem that protrudes from the device and is adapted to engage a seat formed into the side of the furniture, while the other gear is arranged coaxially to the support device, and is suitably hollow to allow that passage of a tool for adjusting said support device.

[005] Although said device is functional, it is rather complex and costly to make due to the presence of conical metal gears.

[006] Another type of prior-art joining device includes a traction element, such as a screw associable with a first end to a seat obtained into the side of the furniture piece, while the end of the screw, provided with an engaging head, is adapted to be contained in a seat formed at the front edge of the bottom of the panel forming the furniture.

[007] The engaging head is adapted to cooperate with an adjusting element, such as a cylindrical barrel having an internal cavity shaped to define a camshaft, which can be inserted through an operating opening formed on the bottom panel. In particular, the rotation of said barrel by means of a tool, draws the head of the screw into the camshaft, thus imposing a certain traction force on the two panels. However, the traction force obtainable with this device is rather limited and tends to decline in time.

[008] Furthermore, the drilling made at the head edge of the bottom panel can be problematic and may generally requires the use of precision machine tools.

[009] Another disadvantage of this device is that it does not allow the access with a tool to an underlying support device, thus making it necessary to provide a further and unattractive through hole in the bottom panel to allow the regulation of the position of the side.

[010] Finally, the spaces required to carry out the assembling of the two abutting panels are rather large, since it is necessary to insert the stem of the screw previously connected to the side into the head hole provided in the bottom panel, and this limits the possibility of using said device if the furniture is mounted in a recess.

[011] Document WO2017060298 illustrates a device joining a pair of panels forming a side and the shelf or the bottom of a furniture piece that are approached to each other in a direction such as to abut the head edge of a first panel against the surface of the other panel, said joining device being formed by a locking unit and a connecting unit, each inserted into a seat housed within the thickness of the respective panel.

[012] In particular, the locking unit, which is housed within the thickness of the panel forming the side of the furniture, has an axis of longitudinal extension perpendicular to the approaching direction, and can also comprise a support device adjustable by accessing the adjusting means with a tool through a hole formed on the surface of the side.

[013] This device requires however the provision of seats contained within the thickness of the panels, and is in effect not usable if the panels have limited thicknesses.

[014] Furthermore, as already seen with the preceding solution, the drilling of the butt edge of a panel is a very delicate operation, which requires a high degree of precision and thus relatively costly equipment, and which tends to weaken the structure of the furniture.

[015] Finally, the device just described also requires a large mounting space, thus preventing or complicating the mounting of the furniture in a recessed space.

[016] Therefore, it would be desirable, and in fact it is the main objective of the present invention to realize a joining device that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, making it possible to easily and quickly join a pair of orthogonally abutting panels, and in particular a first panel, arranged vertically, such as for example a side panel or an internal partition wall of a furniture piece, and at least a second panel, arranged horizontally, in particular a bottom panel.

[017] In the scope of the above objective, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a joining device for joining, possibly in a removable manner, a pair of orthogonally abutting panels, that is safe and reliable and that makes it possible to apply a certain traction force to the two panels, taking up any play between them.

[018] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a joining device for orthogonally abutting furniture panels that also incorporates a support device adapted to allow height adjustments of the furniture through a single hole formed in the bottom panel thus, also protecting the appearance of the furniture.

[019] One further purpose of the present invention is to provide a joining and support device that is simple to produce and to apply, that is made up of a limited number of components to manage in the step of assembling the furniture and that does not require complex or delicate operations to be carried out on the panels being joined.

[020] A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a joining and support device for panels of furniture pieces that requires very limited spaces for connecting the panels, allowing in this manner the assembling of the furniture in recessed spaces.

[021] One not least important purpose of the present invention is to provide a joining device that achieves the above objectives and purposes at competitive production costs, so that its use is also advantageous from the economic point of view, and that can be obtained with the usual well-known plants, machines and equipment.

[022] The above objectives and purposes, and others that will be more apparent below, will be achieved by means of a joining and support device as defined in claim 1 and by a process of abutting orthogonally a pair of panels as defined in claim 10. Further advantageous characteristics of the joining device according to the present invention are also defined in the subsequent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[023] Advantages and characteristics of the invention will be evident from the description which follows, given by way of example and without limitations, with reference to the enclosed figures, wherein:

- figure 1 illustrates, in a perspective view, two elements of a joining and support device according to the present invention;

- figure 2 illustrates, in an exploded view, a first element of a joining and support device according to the present invention;

- figure 3 illustrates, in a perspective view from below, a second element of a joining and support device according to the present invention;

- figure 4A illustrates, in a perspective view, the first element of a joining and support device according to the present invention when it is mounted to the respective panel, in a preliminary step of the process of abutting two panels;

- figure 4B illustrates, in a perspective view, the second element of a joining and support device according to the present invention when it is mounted to the respective panel, in a preliminary step of the process of abutting two panels;

- figure 5A illustrates, in a lateral cross-section view, a joining and support device according to the present invention with the component elements mounted on the respective panels of a furniture piece during the initial step of abutment of the two panels;

- figure 5B illustrates, in a view from above, the joining and support device according to the present invention in the step of figure 5A, with the bottom panel of the furniture removed;

- figure 6A illustrates, in a lateral cross-section view, a joining and support device according to the present invention with the component elements mounted on the respective panels of a furniture during a conclusive step of abutment between the two panels;

- figure 6B illustrates, in a view from above, the joining and support device according to the present invention in the step of figure 6A, with the bottom panel on the furniture removed;

- figure 7 illustrates, in a lateral cross-section view, joining and support device according to the present invention with the component elements mounted on the respective panels of fs furniture piece, in a step of adjustment of the position of the side of the furniture with respect to a support plane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[024] A joining device 1 according to the present invention is adapted to connect a pair of panels of a furniture piece, abutting orthogonally to each other in a stable manner. In particular, a joining device 1 according to the present invention is adapted to removably connect a first panel F, such as a side wall or an internal partition wall of the furniture, adapted to be arranged vertically with respect to a support plane, such as the floor, and a second panel B adapted to be orthogonally abutting with respect to said first panel F, and therefore substantially parallel to said support plane to form preferably the bottom of a furniture piece.

[025] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, as will be explained later in greater detail, a joining device 1 according to the present invention can integrate an adjustable support device 5 adapted to allow the adjustment in height of the position of the side F of the furniture with respect to the support place.

[026] In the description which follows, terms such as “over”, “under”, “higher”, “lower”, “high”, “low” or similar ones refer to a joining device 1 in its normal operating trim, that is, in use, as shown in the enclosed figures.

[027] As shown in figure 1 , said device 1 comprises a body element 2, adapted to be joined to said first panel F of the furniture piece, extending alongside the surface of the latter, preferably near the lower end thereof, and a coupling element 10 adapted instead to be associated with the surface of said second panel B, said body element 2 and said coupling element 10 being made in distinct and separate pieces, previously mounted on the respective panels F, B and configured to slidably cooperate along a mounting direction A to connect said panels B, F, abutting them orthogonally to one another.

[028] Advantageously, said body element 2 also comprises a locking means 3, movable along a first axis Y-Y, vertical in use, and in particular preferably drivable in rotation around said axis Y-Y between a neutral, or disengaging position, wherein it allows, that is, it does not interfere with, the sliding movement of the coupling element 10 with respect to said body element 2, and an engaging position wherein it cooperates with engaging means 14 provided on said coupling element 10 to lock its reverse movement and thus prevent the decoupling with said body element 2, making it possible to fixedly maintain the connection between the two panels F, B.

[029] Advantageously, said locking means 3 and said engaging means 14 are configured to have counter-inclined contact surfaces to tighten and impose a certain “traction force” between said panels F, B, and make it possible to take up the play between them and achieve a robust and structural connection.

[030] In particular, as shown in figure 2, said body element 2 defines an internal cavity 20 extending long said first axis Y-Y that includes at least a first housing seat 23, essentially cylindrical and advantageously internally threaded, wherein said locking means 3 is axially housed.

[031 ] Preferably, said body element 2 is formed by two half shells 21 , 22 that are coupled upon assembling after having properly arranged said locking means 3 in the first housing seat 23, through coupling means 24 formed for example by a pair of tabs projecting from one of the two half shells and adapted to cooperate by snapping shut on appropriate seats formed on the other half shell to form a closed and compact shell.

[032] First fixing means 6, preferably comprising at least one pair of screws, make it possible to fix said body element 2 to the side F of the furniture, so that the same extends alongside the surface F1 of the latter.

[033] Moreover, reference means 7 are advantageously provided to allow the correct positioning and orientation of the body element 2, preventing the rotation thereof, before fixing the same to the panel F; for example, as shown in figure 2, said reference means 7 can be formed by at least one reference bush 71 , projecting from one of said half shells 21 , 22, and adapted to be inserted into one housing seat 70 formed on the internal surface of said side F, and from one reference tooth 72 adapted to be inserted between the bottom head edge of the side F of the furniture and the support plane of the same. As an alternative, said reference means 7 can be formed by a pair of pins that can be inserted into corresponding seats on the side F of the furniture.

[034] Said locking means 3 is advantageously formed by a pin comprising a cylindrical body 31 , preferably hollow and threaded externally, provided with an engaging head 32 having substantially the shape of a truncated cone provided with a top engaging head 32A appropriately shaped to be engaged with a tool, connected to the cylindrical body 31 through a conical surface 32B.

[035] Said first housing seat 23 leads at the top to an upper surface 26 of said body element 2, lying on a transversal plane with respect to said first axis Y-Y, said pin 3 being advantageously housed in the first housing seat 23, so that when the latter is in a neutral position, said engaging end 32 is retracted inside said housing seat 23, and projects with respect to said upper surface 26 when said pin 3 is in said engaging position.

[036] Said upper surface 26 is also advantageously delimited laterally by at least one pair of facing guiding shoulders adapted to be arranged, in use, parallel to said mounting direction A.

[037] In particular, preferably, a first pair of guiding shoulders 26A, parallel to and facing each other, adapted to be arranged, in use, distal from the surface of the side F of the furniture, and a second pair of guiding shoulders 26B, adjacent to said first pair of guiding edges 26A, that are also parallel and facing each other, and arranged at a smaller distance with respect to said first pair of guiding shoulders 26A, and adapted to be positioned, in use near the surface of the side F of the furniture.

[038] In other words, said second pair of guiding shoulders 26B determines essentially a narrowing in the cross section of the upper surface 26, preferably obtained at or near a plane that cuts diametrically the outlet opening of said first housing seat 23.

[039] Advantageously, said guiding shoulders 26A, 26B have a transversal cross section essentially in the shape of a C, thus displaying retaining tabs 27 projecting toward the center of the upper surface 26 of the body element 2.

[040] As shown in particular in figures 1 and 3, said coupling element 10 comprises instead a coupling plate 11 , essentially flat, provided with sliding tabs advantageously lowered with respect to the lying plane of said coupling plate 11 , which project laterally from opposite sides and are adapted to slidingly cooperate with said guiding shoulders 26A, 26B to guide the coupling movement of said coupling element 10 and said body element 2 along said mounting direction A.

[041] Preferably, said coupling plate 11 is substantially shaped as a “T”, that is, it is formed by a first portion 11 A, laterally provided with a first pair of sliding tabs 12A, and a second portion 11 B having a greater transversal extension, and provided laterally with a second pair of sliding tabs 12B.

[042] Said coupling element 10 also comprises a mounting bush 13, substantially formed by a hollow cylindrical body, extending along a second axis C-C, vertical in use, arranged essentially at the point of connection between said first and said second portion 11 A, 11 B, adapted to be inserted by pressure inside a mounting hole 30, preferably formed on said bottom panel B in proximity of the head edge of the latter to be abutted against said first panel F, and advantageously obtained therethrough, so as to cross through the thickness thereof, placing into communication an upper surface B1 with a lower surface B2.

[043] Second fixing means 8, preferably comprising at least one pair of screws, are provided to fixedly constrain said coupling element 10 to said lower surface B2 of the second panel B, so that said coupling plate 11 is in abutment against the same, preventing any movements and/or rotations during the mounting process. As an alternative, it is possible to fix said coupling element 10 to the lower surface B2 of the bottom panel B in any other manner, for example by glueing said coupling plate 11 thereon.

[044] Advantageously, said engaging means 14 are formed in the mounting bush 13 and are essentially formed by an internal channel, that extends coaxially thereto, adapted to be engaged by said locking pin 3 when the latter is in the engaging position, to prevent the uncoupling between said coupling element 10 and said body element 2.

[045] Advantageously, said engaging channel 14 includes a first section, flared, that is laterally delimited by a conical wall, adapted to cooperate with the inclined surface 32B of said pin 3 to impose the “traction force” to the two panels F, B as explained later in greater detail, and a second section 14B, jointed to the first section 14A, preferably delimited by a cylindrical surface, and adapted to extend up to near the operating opening 30A of said mounting hole 30, made on the upper surface B1 , in use, of the second panel B.

[046] According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, said joining device 1 can also integrate a support device 5, such as a foot, adapted to support the side F of the furniture in an adjustable manner with respect to the support plane.

[047] In particular, as shown in figure 2, advantageously, said support device 5 comprises a threaded stem 51 , provided at a first end with a support head 52, in use adapted to rest on a support surface, and at the opposite end being provided with an operating seat 53 configured to be engaged by the tip of a tool, so as to be able to rotate said support device 5.

[048] Said support device 5 is adapted to be housed in a second housing seat 25 present in the cavity 20 defined by said body element 2 so as to be coaxial with said locking pin 3, extending along said first axis Y-Y.

[049] Advantageously, said pin 3 has an axial hole that makes it possible to access the operating end 53 of the support device 5 with an appropriate tool, penetrating through the operating opening 30A prearranged on the surface B1 of said second panel B.

[050] If necessary, for greater compactness said locking pin 3 can be provided with an internal cavity into which can be inserted a stem portion 51 proximate to said operating end 53.

[051] Said second housing seat 25 is advantageously internally threaded to cooperate with the thread of the stem of the support device 5 so as to vary the projection of the support head 52 with respect to a lower surface 29 of said body element 2 and thus adjust the position in height of the side F.

[052] In this manner, the movement of the support device 5 in the screwing/unscrewing direction, imposed thereon by engaging the operating end 53 with a relative tool, translate into corresponding translations of the body element 2 along said first axis Y-Y, consequently making it possible to modify the vertical position of the side F of the furniture. [053] The process for abutting the panel forming the bottom B of a furniture piece and the panel F forming the side of the furniture through a joining device 1 according to the present invention will now be described.

[054] The body element 2, whose pair of half-shells 21 , 22 was previously assembled by incorporating therewith said locking pin 3 preferably arranged in neutral position, is constrained to the internal surface F1 of the side F, using advantageously said reference means 7 to position and correctly orient the body element 2, fixing it then firmly to the side F through said first fixing means 6 (figure 4A),

[055] Said coupling element 10 is associated to the bottom B, by inserting by pressure the mounting bushing 13 into the mounting hole 30 previously formed transversely to the bottom panel B of the furniture piece, advantageously in proximity of the edge to abut to the side F, so that the coupling plate 11 thereof positions itself in abutment against the lower surface B2 of the bottom B; said coupling element 10 is then advantageously maintained firmly in position by means of said fixing means 8, facilitating in this manner the subsequent mounting operations (figure 4B).

[056] At this point it is possible to proceed with the coupling of the coupling element 10 and the body element 2 to abut the bottom B of the furniture piece against the side F: as shown in figures 5A and 5B, the process proceeds by abutting the bottom B, to which the coupling element 10 is associated, against the side F to which the body element 2 is fixed, by bringing said coupling plate 11 near the edge of the upper surface 26 of the body element 2 and moving the bottom panel B in the mounting direction A, essentially orthogonal in use to the side F.

[057] The sliding of the coupling plate 11 in the mounting direction A is advantageously guided by the sliding engagement of the first pair of sliding tabs 12A against the second pair of guiding shoulders 26B, and of the second pair of sliding tabs 12B against the first pair of guiding shoulders 26A, which also prevents the movement of the coupling element 10 in a horizontal direction transversal to the mounting direction A.

[058] Moreover, said sliding tabs 12A, 12B glide under the retaining tabs 27 of the guiding shoulders 26A, 26B, which also prevent the extraction of the coupling element 10 with respect to the body element 2 along said first axis Y-Y.

[059] During the sliding coupling of said coupling element 10 and said body element 2 in the mounting direction A, the mounting bush 13 places itself essentially at the first housing seat 23, wherein the pin 3 is screwed; however, as shown in figures 6A and 6B, at this point of the connection the cavity 20 of the body element 2, which extends along said first axis Y-Y, is misaligned with respect to the extension of the channel 14 defined by the coupling element 10, which extends along a second axis C-C.

[060] If the tip of a tool is then inserted through said channel 14, penetrating through the operating opening 30A located on the upper surface B1 of the bottom B, it is possible to reach the top seat 32A of said screw 3 and to rotate the latter around said first axis Y-Y, so that its threaded cylindrical body 31 slides along the internal counter-thread of the first housing seat 23.

[061] In this manner, the pin 3 is moved toward the engaging position, wherein the engaging end 32 projects with respect to the upper surface 26 of the body element 2, progressively inserting itself inside the channel 14 of the coupling element 10, thereby locking its backward sliding with respect to the body element 2.

[062] At the same time, the conical surface 32B of the engaging end 32 of the pin 3 cooperates advantageously with the inclined surface of the first section 14A of the engaging channel 14, generating thereby a push that tends to further recall the coupling element 10 in the mounting direction A, approaching thereby said second axis C-C to said first axis Y-Y, imposing a “traction force” to the coupling between the panels B, F.

[063] Clearly, the rotations of the locking pin 3 in a direction opposite to the mounting direction entails its return from the engaging position to the neutral position through a translation along said first axis Y-Y, and thus the progressive decoupling of the channel 14, until the coupling element 10 is deployed from the body element 2 through a reverse horizontal translation to consequently disconnect the two panels F, B.

[064] Once the coupling between said coupling element 10 and said body element 2 has been completed, it is possible to proceed to the adjustment in height of the side F of the furniture, through the support device 5 integrated into the body element 2.

[065] The operating end 53 of the threaded stem 51 is then engaged with the tip of a relative tool, accessing it through the control opening 30A provided on the top surface B1 of the bottom B and penetrating through the channel 33 defined by the pin 3, so as to apply a rotation of the support device around said first axis Y-Y.

[066] This movement enables the thread of the stem 51 to slide with respect to the counter-threading provided on the internal surface of the second housing seat 25 of the body element 2, consequently adjusting the projection of the support head 52 with respect to the lower surface 29 of the same and therefore the vertical position of the side F (figure 7).

[067] Summing up the mounting process of a pair of panels F, B of a furniture piece orthogonally abuttable to each other through a joining device 1 according to the present invention, comprises at least the following steps: a) fixing said body element 2 to a surface F1 of a first panel F to be arranged vertically; b) associating said coupling element 10 to a second panel B, to be arranged horizontally; c) coupling said coupling element 10 to said body element 2 with a sliding movement along a mounting direction A perpendicular to said first axis Y-Y; d) operating said locking means 3 along said first axis Y-Y from a disengaging position to an engaging position to lock the coupling between said coupling element 10 and said body element 2 and obtaining the connection of said panels F, B.

[068] From the above, it is thus evident that the present invention achieves the initially foreseen purposes and advantages: in fact, a joining device has been devised that makes it possible to simply and rapidly connect a pair of orthogonally abuttable panels, and in particular a first panel, arranged vertically, like for example a side and an internal partition wall of a furniture piece, and at least a second panel, arranged horizontally, in particular a bottom element.

[069] In particular, a joining device according to the present invention allows the removable joining of two orthogonally abutting panels, also imposing a certain traction force to the two panels to take up any play between them.

[070] In addition, a joining device according to the present invention can integrate a support device suitable to allow adjustments in height of the position of the furniture; advantageously, both the tightening of the two panels and the adjustment of the support device are carried out thanks to the provision of a single hole in the bottom panel, thus also conserving the appearance of the furniture.

[071] A joining device according to the present invention is also simple and economic to achieve, being formed by a limited number of component elements, and it is easy and intuitive to use in the step of assembling the furniture: the body element 2 is in fact advantageously provided by the user already pre-assembled, with the locking pin 3 and the support device already screwed into the respective housing seat 23, 25.

[072] Another undoubted advantage consists of the fact that the joining device according to the present invention does not require drilling any hole on the head edges of the panels to be connected: consequently, this also makes it possible to use said joining device to abut panels of limited thickness, and it does not weaken its structure. Moreover, to prearrange the holes required for assembling the component elements of the joining device to the panels of the furniture, it is not necessary to use equipment of particular precision.

[073] Finally, it is evident how a joining device according to the present invention requires very limited spaces for connecting the panels, thus allowing the assembling of the furniture in a recessed space.

[074] Naturally, the present invention is amenable to many applications, modifications or variants without thereby departing from the scope of patent protection, as defined by the enclosed claims, and also the shapes and dimensions of the individual components can be the most appropriate according to the specific requirements.