Field of the Invention

This invention pertains in general to the field of supporting systems for furniture and the like. More particularly the invention relates to supporting systems for furniture to be mounted on a substantially vertical plane, such as kitchen shelving and the like. Specifically, this invention pertains to a support system for shelf panels, said system comprising a rail, a plurality of shelf panels and a plurality of two-part fittings for joining the panels and the rail.

Background of the Invention In the field of supporting systems for furniture it is often desirable to enable easy installation. This is especially important for wall hung kitchen furniture, where several furniture units typically has to be exactly aligned and positioned in order for the kitchen to be visually appealing and well functioning. Generally, the mounting of kitchen furniture is done by first assembling a furniture unit, i.e. a cupboard or the like, and then positioning the cupboard on the wall and hold it in place while fastening it to the wall. However, the mounting of furniture on a wall is accompanied by the problem of uneven alignment on uneven walls.

In this respect, US5718493 discloses a cabinet construction system comprising a rail member mountable to a fixed support surface. On the rail different furniture components may be mounted. However, the separate components have to be mounted separately, where after they are mounted on the rail, which mounting process is too time consuming and it is extremely tricky to mount big components in small spaces. US4928833 discloses a storage organizer system and method of installation in which the system is formed of a plurality of panels arranged parallel to each other and extend from a support wall. An elongated rail is mounted horizontally on said support wall and has a projection extending upwardly and away from said wall. Each of the panels have a cut out shaped to receive the rail projection whereby the panels are first hung on the rail and thereafter support elements are mounted between the panels. Preferably the end panels are mounted on the rail with one side abutting one of spaced walls extending perpendicular from the support wall so as to prevent the end walls from spreading whereby the support elements can be cut to exact length and wedged between the panels to provide a right-to-left tight fit.

US5222611 discloses a wall-unit hanging system for hanging shelves, cabinets, drawers or the like on a wall is described. The system includes a mounting rail and one or more vertical panels. Each vertical panel has a cutout portion and an associated bracket for securing the vertical panel to the mounting rail. The vertical panel is secured to the mounting rail by moving the panel perpendicularly with respect to the wall until the panel is flushed with the wall and the cutout portion has received the mounting rail. The mounting bracket engages a projection in the mounting rail in order to secure the vertical panels to the mounting rail. Similar systems are disclosed in US5964438, and US5050832.

US4928833, US5222611 , US5964438, and US5050832 disclose systems utilizing a horisontal upwardly angled rail, upon which vertical elements may be hung. Thus, the systems herein cannot be mounted flush with the ceiling of a room. Also screw members have to be used to ensure that no horizontal displacement of the vertical element is allowed. In earthquake prone countries it may be of high importance to ensure that furniture mounted on the wall not disengages from the mounting system, such as the upwardly angled rail. Also, the panels of these publications are limited to materials of high durability. Also, these systems does not allow the fittings to be pre-mounted to the panels at production of the panels, resulting in complicated assembly of the mounting system.

Thus, there is a need for a new system for wall mounting furniture units that does not require machining during assembly, that does not require measuring and careful positioning to be done simultaneously to handling various parts of the furniture units, that does not limit the mounting and positioning of furniture units to adjacent horisontal positions, that allows mounting of furniture units flush with a ceiling, and that limits horizontal and vertical displacement in mounted position.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solves at least the above- mentioned problems by providing a supporting system, comprising a male member providing a mounting plane transversal to the longitudinal direction of the rail, such that said male member is configured to be enclosed by a mating female member, said female member being located at a side piece of a furniture; said male member and female member, in use, having two vertical support surfaces and at least one horizontal support surface each, arranged such that relative longitudinal displacement of male member and female member is hindered, and the horizontal support surface of the male member supports the horizontal support surface of the female member, such that they allow horizontal mounting of the side piece on the rail; a side piece of a furniture comprising the female member adapted to enclose a male member on a rail; a slider for running at the rail, comprising the projecting male member, said male member providing a mounting plane transversal to the extension direction of said rail, such that said male member being configured to be enclosed by and interact with a mating female member located at a side piece of a furniture, for arranging said side piece in a plane transversal to the extension direction of said rail; and a method of mounting and assembling a furniture unit to a wall, comprising the steps of: mounting one or more rails to a wall, comprising at least one male member: and mounting a side piece of a furniture vertically onto said male member, said side piece comprising a female member on the short side of the side piece, by enclosing said male member in the female member.

Advantageous features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention is capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, disclosing how a female member may be located in a side piece. Description of embodiments

The following description focuses on an embodiment of the present invention applicable to a system for supporting furniture units and the like on a substantially vertical plane, such as a wall, and in particular to a system for supporting kitchen cupboards and the like on a wall.

With reference to Fig. 1 , the system according to one embodiment may comprise one or more longitudinal rails 100 and one or a plurality of male members 200. The system may also comprise locking means 300, for locking the male members 200 to the rail(s) 100, if the male members 200 is/are displaceable along the rail(s) 100. The rail 100 may have four sides and two ends. The rail 100 may preferably be of dimensions in the intervals of 5 to 10 mm wide, 10 to 40 mm high and 0,1 to 2,5 m long. The rail 100 may have a hollow profile. However, other dimensions are equally possible within the gist of the present invention. The rail may be manufactured of extruded aluminum, steel or plastics. The rail 100 has a first surface 103 on a first of said four sides, and a second surface 104 on a second of said four sides. The first surface 103 is a front surface, facing a furniture unit mounted on the system. The second surface 104 is a back surface, facing the substantially vertical plane, such as a wall, onto which the system is mounted. The rail 100 may be provided with first holes or dents 101 dispersed on a third and/or a fourth of said four sides, along the length of the rail 100. The first holes or dents 101 may be located in positions, preferably with equal distance in between, corresponding to the widths of standard side pieces of furniture. The first holes or dents 101 may provide locking positions for the male members 200. If an equal distance is used between the known positions, it is possible to use the system for furniture units of various standard widths and still attach the furniture units in any of the predetermined positions along the rail 100. The male member 200 may be secured to the rail 100 in positions determined by the first holes or dents 101.

The rail 100 is also provided with screw holes 102, through the rail 100 from the first to the second of said four sides, for attaching the rail 100 to a substantially vertical plane, such as a wall.

The first holes or dents 101 may be threaded so that locking means 300, may be screwed securely into position for locking the male member 200 to the rail 100, through holes or dents 101. Instead of securing threaded locking means 300 using a corresponding thread in the rail 100, the corresponding thread may be provided in the male member 200. If this is the case, the locking means 300 may be threaded over only the portion of the locking means 300 that is closest to a head of the locking means 300 in order to make it impossible to secure the male member 200 anywhere else but in the positions determined by holes or dents 101 in the rail 100, since any other position along the rail would make it impossible to get the thread on the locking means 300 to grip the thread in the male member 200. Also, a minimal amount of torque has to be applied, since a minimal amount of the locking means is threaded. Instead of securing the locking means 300 using threads, the locking means 300 may be secured using a circlip positioned either on the locking means 300 or in the first holes or dents 101. The first holes

101 may be provided at either of the four sides of the rail 100. The second holes

102 may be countersunk for making sure that any nail, screw or the like does not interfere with a male member 200.

In one embodiment, the male member 200 is designed to be slidable onto and along the rail 100. The male member 200 may in this embodiment be provided with hooks or flanges 201 for holding - i.e. prohibiting movement of - the male member 200 to the rail 100 in all directions, except along the longitudinal axis of the rail 100.

The male member 200 provides means for mounting a side piece of furniture part in the transverse plane to the extension direction of the rail 100, for supporting a furniture part, such as a furniture panel P. In this respect the male member 200 may be flat and square or rectangular shaped, constituting a mounting plane in the transverse plane to the extension direction of the rail. The male member 200 is provided with a groove or through channel 202 for providing a well defined position to insert clip-ins, screws, or other fastening means, so that a furniture panel P can be securely attached to the male member 200 in a well defined position. The design of the male member 200 may be any desirable design, as long as horizontal and vertical movement of the panel mounted thereon is minimized, such as substantially prohibited. When the male member 200 is provided with a through channel 202, said through channel 202 may be a through hole or a through slit or slot. Said through slit or slot may then extend from a distal end towards a proximal end of the male member 200, said through slot being open in said distal end. Thus, the system according to the present invention at least allows for mounting side pieces of wall hung furniture vertically, in between which side pieces horizontally aligned furniture pieces, such as shelves etc., may be mounted, such that the mounting of the furniture may be performed while simultaneously arranging the furniture in the intended position, without requiring undue machining, without requiring measuring or careful positioning has to be done during simultaneous handling of various parts of the furniture units (Instead, all positioning can be made before the parts of the furniture units has to be handled), only a minimum of measurements have to be taken (mainly only to position the rails 100 correctly), and that furniture units may be positioned adjacent a ceiling. A snap-in function may be provided in said slit or slot, extending from a distal end towards a proximal end of the male member 200, such that a corresponding snap-in function in the panel P may interlock the panel P to the male member 200, and thus also the rail 100.

The male member 200 may be provided with recesses 203 in close proximity to the proximal end of the male member 200. 'The recesses 203 extend in the longitudinal direction of the rail 100, through the male member 200. The recesses 203 may be provided at the upper and/or lower end of the male member 200, and being adapted to the thickness of a back panel 500 of a furniture unit. Thus, the back panel 500 may be mounted in the vertical/sagittal plane to the extension direction of rail 100, i.e. the longitudinal axis, to interactively fit with the recesses 203 of the male members 200, to prevent the back panel 500 from accidentally slipping off the male member 200 during assembly of the furniture unit using the support system.

The male member 200 fits with a corresponding female member 400 attached to, or integrated with, the furniture panel P. The female member 400 fits with the male member 200, so that at least a part of the male member 200 may be inserted into the female member 400. In one embodiment a substantial part of the male member 200 may be inserted into the female member 400. Thus, the female member 400 encloses or at least partly encloses the male member 200.

The male member 200 supports and guides the female member 400, and thus also the side piece, such as a panel P, in the longitudinal direction of the rail 100, and in the vertical direction. This is due to the fact that the insertion of the male member 200 into the female member 400 locks their relative position in the longitudinal direction of the rail 100, and in the vertical direction.

The female member 400 may have two vertical support surfaces and at two horizontal support surfaces, when attached to, or integrated with, the panel P, when the panel P is aligned in a vertical plane. Thus, the female member 400 forms a cavity in the back short side of the panel P. Interaction between the male member 200 and the female member 400 may thus be a male/female or patrix/matrix interaction. The male member 200 then constitutes a male part or patrix, while the female member 400 constitutes a female part or matrix, respectively. When the male member 200, attached to, or integrated with the rail 100, is interacting with the female member 400, attached to, or integrated with, the furniture panel P, the furniture panel P is hindered from vertical and horizontal displacement, because movement of vertical sides of the male member 200 are hindered by vertical sides of the female member 400, and horizontal sides of the male member 200 are hindered by horizontal sides of the female member 400.

The female member 400 may be formed by applying a plate on the side of the panel P. Then, the side of the plate applied against the panel P may be provided with a countersink, such that a space or cavity is formed in between the plate and the panel P. This embodiment provides the positive technical effect that there is no need to perform precise manufacturing steps within the panel P, on the back short side thereof. The panel P may be prepared for receiving the plate, by drilling or cutting out a countersink, open in the back short side, corresponding to the width and size of the plate, such that the outer side of the plate coincides with the side of the panel P, while still providing the female member 400 in between panel P and the plate. Thus, the plate does not substantially extend beyond the outer limits of the panel P.

The female member 400 may also be provided as an integral feature of a furniture panel P formed by at least milling a compartment directly into the back short side of the furniture panel P. A female member 400 may then be sunk into the compartment in back short side of the panel P.

When the furniture to be mounted comprises two side pieces, in between which shelves or the like may be mounted, a first side piece may be mounted on a first male member 200, which first male member 200 may be secured/fixed to the rail 100 by locking means 300, while the other side piece is mounted on a second male member 200, which is not secured/fixed to the rail 100 by a locking means 300. The second male member 200 may thus be positioned on the rail 100 in a position corresponding to the width of the furniture, even if the furniture not is of a standardized width. Of course, the panel P may be mounted on more than one rail 100, and consequently more than one male member 200. Then, the multiple rails 100 are aligned in parallel on the substantially vertical plane, onto which the panel P is to be mounted. According to one embodiment the female member 400 may be provided with a interlocking means for hindering movement of the female member 400 outwardly perpendicular to the rail 100 in the horizontal direction, i.e. in sagittal/horizontal direction. This interlocking means may be a snap-in interlocking means. A snap-in interlocking means may constitute a flexible tab 401, arranged along, or comprised in, one of the vertical support surfaces of the female member 400. The flexible tab 401 is then flexible in the longitudinal direction of the rail 100. The flexible tab 401 may be provided with a locking protrusion 402. The locking protrusion 402 may be a vertical protrusion. The locking protrusion 402 is adapted to fit into a corresponding locking groove at the male member 200 when the flexible tab 401 is located on the female member 400. The locking protrusion 402 may then provide a snap-in interlocking attachment between the male member 200 and female member 400, when the female member 400 is horizontally slid onto the male member 200. The contact surfaces between the locking groove and the locking protrusion 402 may be steep angled. In this way it may be secured that the attachment can only be released by first deflecting the tab 401, so that the locking protrusion 402 at least partly retracts from the locking groove, and then pulling the male member 200 and female member 400 apart.

Naturally, the positioning of the locking protrusion and the locking groove may be reversed, such that the locking groove is located on the female member 400 and the locking protrusion is located on the male member 200, and the positioning of the tab 401 may also be reversed, such that the tab 401 is positioned on the male member 200.

When a snap-in interlocking means is used to hindering movement of the female member 400 outwardly perpendicular to the rail 100 in the horizontal direction, i.e. in sagittal/horizontal direction, the correct position of the side piece in relation to the rail 100 may be assured, since there is no torque forces or screw hole/screw member gap jeopardizing the angle of attachment or position - in relation to the longitudinal axis of the rail 100. Thus, the relative positioning of adjacent side pieces on a first and a second male member 200, respectively, may be guaranteed, whereby other furniture elements safely may be arranged in between these two side pieces in predetermined positions, without undue subsequent correction of position of the side pieces. The negative effect of said torque forces could also be doubled if screw members are screwed from opposite directions on adjacent panels, which often would be the case, since the skilled person would seek to hide the screw holes on the inside of the furniture unit. Also, freedom of play is substantially prohibited. When the tab constitutes one of the vertical supporting surfaces of the female member 400, and simultaneously constitutes a part of the side wall of the side piece on the other side, the release of the male member 200 from the female member 400, and vice versa, may be simplified from the outside of the side piece.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, if the female member 400 is integrated into a furniture part, possibly hidden behind veneer or the like, it may be hard to reach the tab 401. This can however be solved by providing a hole in the furniture panel P through which hole the tab 401 may be reached and deflected. The same naturally applies if the flexible tab 401 is located on male member 200.

The attachment between the furniture panel P and the male member 200 may also be provided by a screw through the furniture panel P and/or the female member 400, through the through channel 203 of the male member 200, and into the panel P and/or the female member 400.

In one embodiment the male member 200 may be provided with a through slot extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the male member, said through slot being open in said distal end. Thus, a cut-out is formed in the male member 200. The side piece, such as the panel P, comprising the female member 400 may then may be provided with a pre-arranged screw hole crossing the female member 400. The screw hole may have an upper section, between the female member 400 and the mouth of the screw hole in the panel P or solely in the female member 400, and a lower section, between the receiving cavity - for receiving the male member 200 - of female member 400 and the bottom of the screw hole. The upper section may be adapted for receiving a screw member head, having a larger diameter than the threaded part of the screw member, while the lower section may be adapted for receiving the threaded part of said screw member in an interactive and fixating way. Thus, the upper section may have a larger diameter than the lower section. The through channel of the male member 200 is adapted to receive the threaded part of a screw member there through. Since the through channel may be open in said distal end the screw member may be partly screwed into the side piece before the side piece is arranged on the rail 100. Partly screwed is in this context intended to be interpreted as if the threaded part of the screw member is screwed partly into the lower section of the screw hole, such that the screw member is attached to the side piece. When the side piece then is arranged on the male member 200 on the rail 100, the screw member arranged in the screw hole may enter the open distal end of the male member 200. When the side piece is in the desired position, the screw member is fully screwed into the screw hole, whereby the screw member head or a resilient screw member seat of the female member 400 interacts with runners formed on each side of the through slot of the male member 200. In this way the runners may act as screw member seat for the screw member, whereby the side piece may be fixed to the wall, due to the male member 200 attached to the rail 100, which in turn is attached to the wall. Thus, the cumbersome work of screwing a loose screw member into a side piece, while simultaneously holding the side piece in place, may be overcome. Also, a side piece may be adjusted due to irregularities in the wall structure, while the side piece still may be fixed to said wall. Furthermore, the problem of being restricted to perfectly aligned fasteners, such as male members, and chambers, such as female members, implying a problem when arranging the system to walls only allowing for fastening of fasteners to studs, whereby fasteners only may be arranged at specified positions on the wall, is solved.

In a further embodiment the side piece may have a void on the short side of the shelf within an outer side surface of the side piece. The female member 400 thus runs into the void. Said void is adapted to house the end part of the rail 100. In this way the outer side surface of the side piece may be closingly fitted against the wall, such that the system is substantially invisible from the outside, when the system is in a mounted state.

In one embodiment, the rail 100 may be designed as a plate profile 10OA. A rail IOOA according to this embodiment may be manufactured in a high-speed process and requires only a minimum of material.

In one embodiment, the male member 200 may be integrated with the rail 100 to provide fix positions for supporting furniture panels P. The male member 200 may be made by bending parts of the rail 100 to form male members 200, extending in the transverse plane to the longitudinal axis of the rail 100. The male members 200 may also be made by welding, riveting, screwing or in other ways attaching protruding parts to the rail 100.

Further, according to one embodiment, the present invention also relates to a method of assembling a furniture unit using the above-disclosed system for supporting furniture units.

In this respect a method is also disclosed, wherein a furniture unit may be mounted and assembled to a substantially vertical plane, such as a wall, comprising the steps of: mounting one or more rails 100 to a substantially vertical plane, said rail 100 comprising a male member 200; and mounting a side piece of a furniture, such as a panel P, vertically onto said male member 200, said side piece comprising a female member 400 on the back short side of the side piece, in between an inner side surface and an outer side surface of said side piece, by inserting said male member 200 into the female member 400, such that said male member 200 is comprised within the vertically arranged inner side surface and outer side surface. The side piece P may then be fixated to the male member 200. The fixating may be accomplished by a snap-in means or screwing means, according to the disclosures above. Thereafter, parts of the furniture unit may be arranged horizontally in between said side piece and another side piece. Then, a back panel 500 may be slid in between said two side pieces, such that said back panel interacts with said side pieces, and with recesses 203 in close proximity to the proximal end of the male member 200.

According to another embodiment a supporting system for furniture is provided. Said supporting system comprises a rail 100, according to the embodiments above, adapted to be mounted on a substantially vertical plane. The supporting system further comprises a projecting male member, connected to the rail 100, said male member projecting distally of said rail 100. The male member provides a horizontal mounting plane, such that said male member is configured to be enclosed by a mating female member being located at a piece of a furniture intended to be mounted in a horizontal plane. The male member according to this embodiment may provide a horizontal mounting plane in the same way as the male members according to the embodiments above provided a transversal mounting plane with regard to the rail 100. The male member and female member may have two vertical support surfaces and two horizontal support surface each, arranged such that relative longitudinal and vertical displacement of male member and female member is hindered. The female member and male member interlock with a snap-in means, such as a snap in means described above, when said female member encloses said male member, such that relative horizontal displacement of male member and female member is hindered.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the accompanying claims and, other embodiments than the specific above are equally possible within the scope of these appended claims.

In the claims, the term "comprises/comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms "a", "an",

"first", "second" etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting for the scope of the claims in any way.