FURNITURE SHELVES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shel f-supporting device for supporting furniture shelves for the reversible and easily removable connection of a shel f to the opposite shoulders of a piece of furniture .

The device according to the present invention responds to the need, felt in the sector, for being able to provide furniture shelves with supporting devices that create a simple and ef fective connection with the shoulders of a piece o f furniture , that are miniaturi zed so as to reduce the aesthetic impact to the minimum and possibly disappearing completely from sight when the shel f is assembled, but at the same time of fering a safe connection of the shel f to the shoulders of the furniture , preventing undesired accidental disengagements .

STATE OF THE ART

Devices of this type are commonly called shel f brackets in the field, and exert the function of stably but removably supporting and f ixing a hori zontal element ( shel f ) of a piece of furniture between two vertical elements commonly called shoulders . Said shelves and said shoulders are arranged perpendicular to each other .

Said shelves and said shoulders are arranged perpendicular to each other . Shel f brackets of this type , configured for being inserted into a housing seat formed within the thickness of a shel f from which only the pin generally protrudes , are known from the state of the art .

Some of these known shel f-supporting devices comprise means for moving the pin which are kept in the operating position by opposing means , such as for example a spring, and can be actuated manually by the user in the retraction movement of the pin which allows the pin to be released from the housing seat of the pin provided in the shoulder of the furniture .

Other devices , on the other hand, provide that the pin be released from the housing seat of the pin provided in the shoulder of the furniture with an action whereby the operator simply pushes the shel f upwards .

An example of this type of shel f bracket is the device illustrated in Italian patent application nr . 102019000020124 , in the name of the same Applicant , which relates to a shel fsupporting device of which a possible preferred embodiment is shown in Figure 1 .

This known type shel f-supporting device 100 allows the reversible connection of a shel f to the opposite shoulders of a piece of furniture and comprises a main body 120 which houses a pin 110 in its interior, movable along a longitudinal axis X .

The pin 110 can be translated along said axis X against the action of opposing means composed, in the example , of the helical spring M, between a retracted non-operating position in which the pin does not protrude from the main body 120 or protrudes for a short distance , and an operating position in which the free end or tip P of the pin 110 protrudes from said shel f for a distance suf ficiently long for it to be inserted into the housing seat of said pin formed on one of said shoulders and provide a stable coupling, even i f reversible between the shel f and the shoulders .

In order to make the coupling with the shoulder of the furniture reversible , the device of the known type provides that the tip P of the pin 110 ends with a tilted surface or tilted plane Pa suitable for cooperating with the entry edge of said seat so that , when said shel f is pushed upwards , the pin 110 be comes disengaged from said seat , overcoming the action of the opposing means , in the example consisting of the spring M, allowing the shel f to be removed from the piece of furniture .

This solution, which is excellent when used with assembled furniture , has proved however to be not without drawbacks .

One of the drawbacks , in fact , af fecting the shel fsupporting devices of the type known from the state of the art described above consists in the fact that they are subj ect to accidental disengagement .

More speci fically, the shel f-supporting devices of the type described above can be easily released by pushing upwards , and this can lead to the accidental release of the shel f , for example during the transportation of the furniture itsel f .

The furniture is in fact generally transported with the shelves assembled to the shoulders , but , during the transportation phase of the furniture , it is easily and frequently overturned with respect to its position of normal use . In this case , the weight of the shelves equipped with the shel f brackets of the known type described so far is suf ficient for ensuring that the pins of the shel f brackets become disengaged from their respective seats provided in the shoulders of the furniture , exactly as what happens when the operator deliberately pushes the shelf upwards to remove it from the shoulders of the furniture .

A further drawback af fecting the shel f-supporting devices of the known type , including that described above , relates to the fact that they are generally designed for being assembled inside the shel f in a predetermined way, forcing the operator to assemble the shel f to the shoulders of the piece of furniture according to a predetermined, non-modi f iable movement . As already mentioned, for example , the shel fsupporting device of the type known from Italian patent application nr . 102019000020124 in the name of the same Applicant requires that the shel f be assembled on the furniture by inserting it from above with a vertical movement , the same vertical movement , this time upwards , which allows the release of the shel f brackets and the disengagement of the shel f from the shoulders .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above , the undertaking of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks af fecting shel f-supporting devices of the type known from the state of the art .

In particular, the undertaking of the present invention is to provide a shel f-supporting device capable of completely eliminating the risk of accidental disengagement of the shel f from the shoulders of the furniture .

Within this undertaking, the obj ective of the present invention is to provide a shel f- supporting device which avoids the accidental release of the shel f from the shoulders of the furniture due to the weight of the shel f itsel f , for example when the furniture is overturned, as often occurs in the transportation phase of the furniture itsel f .

A further obj ective of the present invention is to provide a shel f bracket that is more versatile , as it can be assembled in the shel f so as to allow the operator to decide whether to proceed with the assembly from the top or the front of the shel f to the shoulders of the furniture .

Yet another obj ective of the present invention is to provide a shel f bracket that is both versatile and easy to use , capable of minimi zing, i f not completely eliminating, the aesthetic impact , proving to be invisible both when used with shelves destined for being seen from above by the user, and also when used with shelves destined for being seen from below, allowing any trace of the presence of the device and in particular the presence of manoeuvring holes , to be completely eliminated from sight , and which can be easily associated with the shoulders of a piece of furniture and easily removable from the same , in order to allow a simple , fast and immediate assembly and/or disassembly of the shel f without the use of any manoeuvring tool .

The above-mentioned undertaking, as also the above- mentioned obj ectives and others that will appear more evident further on, are achieved by a shel f-supporting device for the reversible connection of a shel f to the shoulders of a piece of furniture according to the enclosed claim 1 ; the invention also relates to the combination of this type of shel f bracket and a tool for its assembly, according to the respective enclosed claim .

Further characteristics of the preferred embodiments of the device according to the present invention described in the present patent application are subj ect of the dependent claims . LIST OF FIGURES

Further characteristics and advantages will become more evident from the description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the supporting device for furniture shelves for the reversible connection of a shel f to the shoulders of a piece of furniture illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the attached drawings in which : figure 1 is an exploded view of a shel f-supporting device of the type known from the state of the art ; figure 2 shows a perspective view of the components of the shel f-supporting device according to the present invention and of the seat formed within the thickness of a shel f ; figures 3 and 3A are two sectional views respectively illustrating the device in the unblocking and blocking positions of the shel f with respect to the furniture ; figure 4 illustrates a shel f bracket condition according to the present invention inserted in a shel f and arranged according to a first operating position; figure 5 illustrates the rotation operation of the main body of the shel f-supporting device according to the invention with respect to the relative fixed bush inserted in the shel f , said rotation being ef fected by means of a tool at least partially shaped as a thin foil ; figure 6 illustrates the shel f bracket of figure 4 inserted in a shel f and arranged according to a second blocking position due to the rotation of the main body of the device with respect to its bush according to the directions indicated by the arrow Fl of figure 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With particular reference to the attached figures 2 to 6 , a shel f-supporting device 30 is described for the reversible connection of a shel f 200 to the opposite shoulders 300 of a piece of furniture , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention .

The shel f-supporting device 30 according to the present invention is of the type suitable for creating the connection by means of a pin 11 associated with the shel f 200 and configured for protruding from the transverse edge 201 of said shel f 200 and suitable for being inserted into a corresponding housing hole or seat 301 formed on the shoulder 300 of a piece of furniture .

The shel f-supporting device 30 according to the present invention is of the type suitable for being inserted into a seat 201 formed within the thickness of said shel f 200 and for this purpose comprises a main body 12 with which a substantially longitudinal pin 11 is slidingly associated, preferably but not exclusively substantially cylindrical , movable along a longitudinal axial direction X against the action of oppos ing means M between an advanced operating position in which said pin 11 protrudes from said main body 12 and, when the device is assembled in a shel f , from said shel f 200 so as to be able to be inserted into a housing seat 301 formed on one of said shoulders 300 , and a retracted nonoperating position in which said pin 11 does not protrude from said main body 12 , and consequently does not protrude from said shel f 200 when the device is associated with a shel f or protrudes so as to be able to be in any case released from said housing seat 301 of said shoulder 300 .

The pin 11 advantageously ends with a free end or tip P comprising a tilted surface Pa suitable for cooperating with the entry edge of said seat 301 , as will be described in more detail hereunder .

The shel f-supporting device 30 according to the invention is characteri zed in that it further comprises a bush 20 which can be fixedly inserted into said seat 201 formed within the thickness of said shel f 200 , so that the main body 12 is in turn inserted into the axial cavity 22 of said bush 20 rotatably with respect to the same between a f irst operating position A which allows the engagement and release of the shel f 200 to the shoulders 300 of the furniture , and a second blocking position B suitable for avoiding the accidental release of the shel f from the shoulders .

The shel f-supporting device 30 according to the present invention is advantageously configured so that when the main body 12 is coupled with the bush 20 in said first operating position A, the tilted surface Pa of said pin 11 faces upwards , wherein the expression "upwards" means facing the upper surface of the shel f , i . e . the surface destined for facing upwards when the shel f is assembled to the furniture , and the furniture is correctly positioned on the ground .

In this way, the tilted surface Pa cooperates with the upper edge 301' for the entry of the seat 301 when the shelf bracket 30 is positioned in correspondence with the housing seat 301, to allow the release of the shelf 200 from the shoulders 300 simply due to an upward thrust.

When the shelf 200 is pushed upwards, in fact, the pin 11 withdraws due to the interaction between the tilted surface Pa and the upper edge 301' of said seat 301.

Vice versa, when the main body 12 of the device 30 is rotated into said second blocking position B, the tilted surface Pa of the pin 11 is no longer facing upwards, it can be rotated by 10°, or 20°, or by 45°, preferably about 90° with respect to the vertical direction corresponding to the operating position A, and is therefore unable to cooperate with the upper entry edge 301' of the seat 301 when said shelf 200 is pushed upwards (figure 3A) .

In this way, even when the furniture is overturned accidentally, as often happens when transporting the furniture with the shelves assembled, and the weight of the shelf itself exerts a direct push upwards, the shelf will not be released from the shoulders. For this purpose, it is not necessary that all four shelf-supporting devices usually present on the shelf itself be rotated to the blocking position B, as it is sufficient for at least one, preferably two, of said shelfsupporting devices to be rotated into the blocking position for preventing the accidental disengagement of the shelf from the shoulders of the furniture .

In said second blocking position B, the tilted surface Pa of said pin 11 is preferably tilted by approximately 90 ° with respect to the first operating position A, so as to be able to cooperate with the side entry edge 301" of said seat 301 and allow the release of the shel f 200 from the shoulder 300 when said shel f 200 is moved hori zontally .

Hori zontal direction refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial advancement direction X of the pin, and relates to the position of the shel f with respect to the shoulders , which is hori zontal when the piece of furniture is correctly positioned on the ground .

In this circumstance , the pin 11 withdraws due to the interaction between the tilted surface Pa and the side edge 301" of the seat 301 when the shel f is moved hori zontally .

Said bush 20 and said main body 12 advantageously comprise positioning means for said main body 12 suitable for allowing the stable but reversible positioning of said main body 12 in said first operating position A.

Said positioning means 23, 13 are suitable for preventing the rotation of said main body 12 with respect to said bush 20 when the main body is in said first operating position A.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the attached figures , said positioning means comprise an engagement tooth 13 positioned on the outer surface of said main body 12 , and a corresponding engagement seat 23 formed on the internal surface of said axial cavity 22 of said bush, said engagement tooth 13 being configured for being inserted into said engagement seat 23.

In this way, the main body 12 of the device can be rotated with respect to the bush 20 , which, on the other hand, is inserted fixed inside the seat 201 formed within the thickness of the shel f 200 , preferably by means of a tool 40 configured for gripping said tip P of said pin 11 , due to the fact that the main body 12 and the bush 20 of the device are generally assembled in the seat 201 flush with the edge of the shel f 202 , without protruding from the same .

Said tool 40 can advantageously comprise at least a portion configured as a thin foil 41 in which a seat 42 for housing said tip P of the pin 11 is formed, the thin foil 41 having a thickness suitable for allowing its insertion between the edge 202 of said shel f 200 from which the pin 11 of the shel fsupporting device 30 protrudes , and the shoulder 300 of the piece of furniture so as to be able to rotate said main body 12 with respect to said bush 20 even after said pin 11 has been inserted into said housing seat 301 formed in the shoulder 300 due to the thrust exerted by the opposing means M.

The present invention therefore also relates to a method for connecting a shel f 200 to the shoulders 300 of a piece of furniture , wherein said shel f 200 is equipped with a plurality of shel f-supporting devices 30 according to what has been described so far .

The method according to the invention provides for positioning said plurality of shel f-supporting devices 30 arranged according to said first operating position A wherein said tilted surface Pa of said pin 11 faces upwards , i . e . towards the upper surface of the shel f .

By moving said shel f 200 with respect to said shoulder 300 so as to position each of said pins 11 of said shel f-supporting devices 30 in correspondence with the corresponding housing seat 301 formed in the shoulder 300 of the piece of furniture , so that said opposing means M push the pin 11 into the seat 301 . When the pin 11 is inserted in the corresponding housing seat 301 formed in the shoulder 300 , by rotating the main body 12 of at least one of said plurality of devices 30 with respect to its bush 20 , the respective pin 11 is brought into said second blocking position B .

As indicated by the arrow Fl visible in figure 5 , the blocking position B can indi f ferently correspond to the pin rotated towards the front of the furniture , and in this case the shel f can be removed from the furniture with a hori zontal movement , or towards the inside of the furniture , and in this case the shel f is completely irremovable .

In order to prevent the undesired disengagement of the shelf from the shoulders, for example due to the weight of the shelf itself when, as often happens during transportation operations, the furniture with the shelves assembled is overturned, it is sufficient to bring a device 30 into the blocking position B, the operator however can decide to block more than one device.

The step of the method which provides for the rotation of the main body 12 of said at least one shelf-supporting device 30 with respect to its bush 20, can advantageously be carried out by means of the tool 40 described above, so that it can be effected with the shelf assembled.

As is evident from the description provided above, the shelf-supporting device 30 according to the present invention allows numerous advantages to be obtained.

If, in fact, the operator positions all the shelfsupporting devices according to the present invention present on the same shelf in the operating position A, the shelf can be associated with the shoulders of a piece of furniture and can be removed from them simply with an upward movement of the shelf itself.

If, on the other hand, one or more of the shelf-supporting devices according to the present invention present on the same shelf are positioned in the operating position A while at least one of the other devices acting on the same shelf is positioned in the blocking position B, the shelf cannot be removed from the shoulders of the furniture either through an upward thrust or through a horizontal extraction movement of the shelf from the furniture.

If, on the other hand, all of the shelf-supporting devices according to the present invention present on the same shelf are arranged in the second blocking position B, by rotating them by 90° with respect to the operating position A towards the front of the furniture, the shelf can be removed from the furniture by means of a horizontal extraction movement of the shelf from the furniture, without the need for further interventions on the devices by the operator.

Similarly, if all of the shelf-supporting devices according to the present invention present on the same shelf are arranged in the second blocking position B, by rotating them by 45° with respect to the operating position A, the shelf can be removed by tilting it at 45°, and so forth.

If, on the other hand, all of the shelf-supporting devices are arranged in the second blocking position B, by rotating them by 90° or 45° or another angle, with respect to the operating position A towards the bottom of the furniture, and the furniture is provided with a bottom or lining or is leaning against a wall, the shelf cannot be removed from the furniture even if all the shelf-supporting devices have all been rotated by the same angle.

The objectives mentioned in the preamble of the present description have thus been achieved, namely for producing a reversible shel f bracket , practically invisible from the outside , which can be safely associated with the piece of furniture and capable of preventing accidental releases .

The present invention has been described, for illustrative but non-limiting purposes , with reference to various preferred embodiments ; it should be understood however that variations and/or modi fications can be applied by a skilled person in the field without thereby departing from the relative protection scope , as defined in the enclosed claims .