FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an assembly comprising two mutually connected panels of which the one first panel is inserted into a groove of the other second panel including a device for enhancing the stability of such assembly and to said device per se.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ready to assemble furniture has been known in the furniture industry for many years. This type of furniture construction provides a number of advantages to the manufacturer, to the retailer, and to the customer. For example, as to the manufacturer, there are significant cost savings in manufacturing unassembled furniture over conventional fully assembled furniture. Ready to assemble furniture can be supplied flat packed, thus requiring less storage space for both the manufacturer and the retailer. The customer ultimately benefits the lower cost of ready to assemble furniture as opposed to pre-assembled furniture and the ease of transport of flat packed ready to assemble furniture.

Unlike conventional fully or pre-assembled furniture, ready to assemble furniture, as the name implies, requires assembly by the customer. This furniture often requires the use of tools by the customer to enable the manipulation of specialized fittings to assemble and secure the various components of the furniture together. The customers may not have the necessary tools or skill level to assemble the furniture properly. The failure to do so may result in the furniture being unstable, and potentially collapsing during use. It is therefore desirable to provide ready to assemble furniture which can be assembled without the need for tools in a simple and efficient manner, while ensuring the integrity of the resulting assembled furniture.

One common feature of ready to assemble furniture is the provision of a rear panel to enclose a rear face of an article of furniture, such panel being made of a relatively thin sheet material and being mounted around its peripheral edge within receiving grooves formed in adjacent panels. Due to manufacturing tolerances, such rear panels are generally a relatively loose fit in said receiving grooves. However, this loose fit can lead to a general instability in the assembled article. Prior art attempts to alleviate this problem have required the use of wedges or additional fastening devices that are inserted into the receiving grooves to attempt to lock the rear panel in position within the receiving grooves. Examples of such devices are shown in US 2018/0291941 and US 2018/0283430. However, such known devices can be difficult to install and limit the ability of the article of furniture to be dismantled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An assembly comprising a first panel received within a groove in a second panel, the second panel including a bore intersecting said groove, a plug adapted to be at least partially inserted into said bore such that a surface of said plug acts against an edge of said first panel when said first panel is inserted into said groove to urge said first panel away from an inner end of said groove.

In one embodiment said surface of the plug acting against said edge of the first panel may comprise a cam surface, whereby rotation of said plug within said bore urges said first panel away from said inner end the groove. The plug may comprise a cylindrical outer portion and an inner portion, said inner portion comprising said cam surface defining an eccentric surface of varying radius adapted to engage said edge of the first panel when inserted in the groove of the second panel.

In an alternative embodiment said surface of the plug acting against said edge of the first panel may comprise a tapered surface, whereby insertion of said plug into said bore urges said first panel away from said inner end the groove.

In one embodiment the plug may be provided with an external thread such that the plug can be screwed into and/or out of the receiving bore.

The bore in the second panel may comprise a blind circular hole extending from a face of said second panel. One end of the plug may be provided with a recess or other formation adapted to be engaged by a suitable tool to facilitate insertion and rotation of the plug within the receiving bore.

In a preferred embodiment the first panel comprises a back panel of an article of furniture.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a plug adapted to be at least partially inserted into a bore intersecting a receiving groove of a first panel adapted to receive an edge of a second panel, wherein the plug has a surface adapted to engage the edge of the second panel and urge the second panel away from an inner end of said groove, thereby taking up any looseness of the rear panel in its mounting slots in the article of furniture.

The surface of the plug adapted to act against said edge of the first panel may comprise a cam surface, whereby rotation of said plug within said bore urges said first panel away from said inner end the groove. Alternatively, the surface of the plug adapted to act against said edge of the first panel may comprise a tapered surface, whereby insertion of said plug into said bore urges said first panel away from said inner end the groove.

The plug may be provided with an external thread such that the plug can be screwed into and/or out of said bore. One end of the plug may be provided with a recess or other formation adapted to be engaged by a suitable tool to facilitate insertion and rotation of the plug within the receiving bore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An assembly of two mutually connected panels of which the one first panel is inserted into a groove of the other second panel including a device for enhancing the stability of such assembly in accordance with several embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a rear view of part of a ready to assemble article of furniture incorporating an assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is sectional view on line A-A of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a top view of the assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a detailed view of region C of the assembly shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the assembly of Figure 1 with part of the second panel removed for clarity;

Figure 6 is a detailed view of region E of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front view of the plug of the assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 8 is a view from below of the plug of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a view from above of the plug of Figure 7;

Figures 10 and 11 are side views of the plug of Figure 7;

Figures 12 and 13 are perspective views of the plug of Figure 7;

Figures 14 and 15 are perspective views of a plug of an assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 16 and 17 are side views of the plug of Figure 14;

Figures 18 and 19 are end views of the plug of Figure 14;

Figure 20 is a sectional view of an assembly incorporating the plug of Figure 14; Figures 21 and 22 are perspective views of a of a plug of an assembly in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 23 and 24 are side views of the plug of Figure 21 ;

Figures 25 and 26 are end views of the plug of Figure 21 ;

Figures 27 and 28 are perspective views of a plug of an assembly in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 29 is a side view of the plug of Figure 27;

Figures 30 and 31 are end views of the plug of Figure 27;

Figure 32 is a sectional view of an assembly incorporating the plug of Figure 27;

Figures 33 to 36 are perspective views of a plug of an assembly in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 37 to 38 are respective side views of the plug of Figures 33 to 36;

Figures 40 to 44 illustrate the use of the plug of Figures 33 to 36;

Figure 45 is a side view of a plug of an assembly in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 46 is a perspective view of the plug of Figure 45;

Figure 47 is a further side view of the plug of Figure 45;

Figure 48 is a further perspective view of the plug of Figure 45;

Figure 49 is an end view of the plug of Figure 45; Figure 50 is a further side view of the plug of Figure 45;

Figure 51 is a further end view of the plug of Figure 45; and Figure 52 is a further perspective view of the plug of Figure 45.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 6, an assembly for a ready to assemble article of furniture in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a first panel 2, typically a back panel of the article of furniture, received within a rebated receiving groove 6 in second panel 4. The second panel 4 may comprise an upper portion of the back of the article of furniture in the example shown. Typically the first panel will be received within respective rebated receiving grooves in adjacent panels around all four sides of the first panel.

A blind circular bore 8 extends into the second panel 4 to intersect the receiving groove 6, the bore 8 extending from a first (typically rear) face of the second panel 4 (in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6) in a direction transverse to the groove 6.

A plug 10 is insertable into the bore 8, whereby a side surface of the plug 10 acts against an edge of the first panel 2 when the first panel 2 is inserted into the groove 6 of the second panel 4, wherein said side surface of the plug 10 is adapted to urge the first panel 2 away from an inner end of the groove 6 to displace the first and second panels away from each other and thereby enhance the stability of the article of furniture.

In the embodiment shown in figures 7 to 13, the plug 10 comprises a cylindrical outer portion 12 and an inner portion 14 defining an eccentric or offset cam surface 16, preferably of varying radius, whereby rotation of the plug 10 once inserted into the receiving bore 8 in the second panel 4 causes the cam surface 16 of the plug 10 to act against an edge of the first panel 2 to urge the first panel 2 away from an inner end of the receiving groove 6 in the second panel 4. The cam surface 16 may be different shapes, for example, hexagonal, round (with an offset axis) or parabolic.

An inner end 18 of the plug may incorporate a cut out portion 20 corresponding to and aligned with a base or minimum radius portion of the cam surface 16 to facilitate insertion of the plug 10 into the receiving bore 8, even after the first panel 2 has been inserted into the receiving groove 6 of the second panel 4. The remaining portion of the inner end 18 of the plug 10 may define a semi-circular wall adapted to engage a rear face of the first panel 2 as the plug 10 is rotated in the bore 8, with the edge of the first panel 2 being located in the gap between the outer portion 12 and inner end 18 of the plug 10 in engagement with and acting upon the cam surface 16. As best illustrated in Figure 13, a leading edge 19 of said inner end 18 of the plug 10 may be tapered to facilitate engagement of the first panel 2 between the outer portion 12 and inner end 18 of the plug 10 as it is rotated in the bore 8.

As illustrated in Figures 7 to 13, thread formations 22 may be provided on the periphery of an outer surface of at least the outer portion 12 of the plug 10, said thread formations 22 being shaped engage the inner wall of the bore 8 and to cause the plug 10 to be drawn into the receiving bore 8 as it is rotated therein, causing an inner face of the circular outer portion 12 of the plug 10 to engage an adjacent face of the first panel 2, to further stabilise and tighten the first panel 2 within the receiving groove 6 and/or to allow the plug 10 to be unscrewed and removed from the bore 8. The thread formations may be formed to be flexible and angled towards an outer end of the plug 10 such that the plug 10 can be pushed into the bore 8 but resists being pulled out without being unscrewed. Thread formations may also be formed in the cam surface of the plug 10 to ensure that the first panel is fully positioned properly against a forward facing face of the groove, giving a perfect fitting of the first panel of the article of furniture when viewed in use. Alternatively barbs or fir tree formations or other similar retaining formations may be provided on an outer surface of the outer portion 12 of the plug to retain the plug 10 within the bore 8.

An outer face of the outer portion 12 of the plug 10 may be provided with a recess or other formation adapted to be engaged by a suitable tool to facilitate insertion and rotation of the plug within the receiving bore. As best shown in Figure 13, this recess may comprise a slot 24 adapted to receive the edge of a coin. In the embodiment shown a hexagonally shaped bore 26 is provided through the centre of the plug 10 of suitable diameter for receiving an Allen key or similar tool. Numerous other shapes of recesses to suit different tools are envisaged, such as a slot or cross shaped aperture for receiving the blade of a cooperating screw driver.

The first panel 2 may comprise a back panel of a rear portion of an article of furniture and the second panel 4 may comprise an upper panel of the rear portion of the article of furniture. Insertion of the plug or plugs 10 may urge the second panel 4 upwardly into locking engagement with a top panel of the article of furniture. Equally the second panel may comprise a side panel or base panel of an article of furniture.

An assembly for a ready to assemble article of furniture in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 14 to 20. This second embodiment is particularly suitable where the first and second panels 2,4 are arranged perpendicular to one another, with the receiving groove 6 in the second panel 4 being provided in a side face of the first panel 2. Flere the receiving bore 8 for the plug 10 extends from an edge of the second panel 4 and therefore the diameter of the bore 8 is limited by the thickness of the second panel 4. In such embodiment, a plug 10 of smaller diameter is required and the design of the plug may be modified accordingly. Such arrangement may be used to secure a back panel of an article of furniture to an end panel or other panel extending perpendicular to the first panel.

As shown in Figures 14 to 19, in this second embodiment of the invention, the plug 10 comprises a cylindrical outer portion 12 having a tool receiving recess 24 in an outer end thereof, an inner portion 14 extending from an inner end of the outer portion having an outer surface defining an eccentric or axially offset cam surface 16 adapted to cooperate with the edge of the first panel 2 when inserted into the groove 6 in the second panel 4, as shown in Figure 20. The second panel 4 in this example may comprise a gable end of an article of furniture. The shape of the cam surface 16 of the plug 10 of this embodiment is best illustrated in Figure 19. As can be seen, rotation of the plug 10 in the receiving bore 8 in the second panel 4 will cause the edge of the first panel 2 to ride up the increasing radius cam surface 16 of the inner portion 14 of the plug 10 to urge the first panel 2 away from the inner end of the groove 6 in the second panel 4. The cam surface 16 may alternatively be cylindrical, having an axis offset from the axis of the remainder of the plug 10.

As with the first embodiment, the outer surface of the outer portion 12 of the plug 10 is provided with thread formations 22 thereon adapted to engage the inner surface of the bore 8 in the second panel as the plug 10 is inserted to enable the plug 10 to be screwed into the bore 8 and/or unscrewed, as required. The thread formation may also facilitate engagement of an inner face of the outer portion 12 of the plug 10 with a side face of the first panel 2 to further stabilise the first panel 2 within the groove 6 in the second panel 4 as the plug 10 is screwed into the bore 8. The thread formations may comprise spiral fir tree formations to allow the plug 10 to be pushed into the bore 8.

In a modified embodiment, illustrated in Figures 21 to 26, the thread formations 22 may be adapted to provide an improved self-tapping function as the plug 10 is screwed into the receiving bore 8 in the edge of the second panel 4, by providing gaps or discontinuities in the thread and/or to provide enhanced flexibility to allow the plug 10 to be pushed into the bore 8 while permitting the plug 10 to be unscrewed from the bore 8 to facilitate removal.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the inner portion 14 of the plug 10 may comprise a cylindrical body of reduced diameter arranged axially offset from the outer portion 12.

In a further embodiment, illustrated in Figures 27 to 32, the surface of the plug 10 acting against the edge of the first panel 2 may comprise a tapered tip 30 having a tapered outer surface narrowing towards a distal point, whereby the depth of insertion of the plug 10 into the receiving bore 8 of the second panel 4 determines the displacement of the first panel 2 out of the groove 6 in the second panel 4 by the action of the tapered surface of the tip 30 of the plug 10 against the edge of the first panel 2.

In this embodiment, the plug 10 comprises a cylindrical outer portion 12 having a formation 24 in an outer end thereof, such as a cross shaped recess or slot, adapted to receive a tool, such as a screwdriver, and an inner portion 14 extending from said outer portion 12, said inner portion 14 defining said tapered tip 30. Thread formations 22 are formed on the outer surface of the outer portion 12 of the plug 10 to engage the inner surface of the receiving bore 8 and enable the plug 10 to be screwed into and out of the bore 8 such that the tapered tip 30 engages the edge of the first panel 2 when inserted into the groove 6 of the second panel 4, as best shown in Figure 32. The thread formations 22 may comprise spiral fir tree formations to allow the plug 10 to be pushed into the bore 8.

In a modified embodiment, illustrated in Figures 33 to 39, the plug 10 comprises a cylindrical outer portion 12 having a tool receiving recess 24 in an outer end thereof, an inner portion 14 extending from an inner end of the outer portion having an outer surface defining an eccentric or axially offset cam surface 16 adapted to cooperate with the edge of the first panel 2 when inserted into the groove 6 in the second panel 4. The outer portion 12 of the plug 10 is provided with axially extending retaining projections 50 adapted to retain the plug 10 in position within the receiving bore 8 when pushed fully into the receiving bore. In this embodiment an inner end 18 of the inner portion 14 comprises an enlarged part assisting to stabilise the plug 10 within the receiving bore 8. The inner end 18 of the plug may incorporate a cut out portion 20 corresponding to and aligned with a base or minimum radius portion of the cam surface 16 to facilitate insertion of the plug 10 into the receiving bore 8, even after the first panel 2 has been inserted into the receiving groove 6 of the second panel 4.

In use, as illustrated in Figures 40 to 44, the plug 10 may be used to stabilise an article of furniture where a first panel 2, such as a back panel, is received within a rebated receiving groove 6 in a second panel 4. The plug 10 is first partially inserted into the receiving bore 8 in the second panel 4 until the inner end 18 of the plug 10 is located at a depth greater than the position of the groove 6 where the groove intersects the receiving bore 8 with the axially extending retaining projections 50 of the plug 10 located outside of the receiving bore 8, as shown in Figure 41. The plug 10 is then rotated by means of a suitable tool, such as a coin or screw driver, engaged with the tool receiving recess 24, or by hand, such that the cam surface 16 of the plug 10 acts against an edge of the first panel 2 to urge the first panel 2 away from an inner end of the receiving groove. The plug 10 may then be subsequently pushed fully into the receiving bore 8, as shown in Figure 43, the axially extending retaining projections 50 acting against the inner walls of the receiving bore 8 to retain the plug 10 in position. Because the plug 10 is adapted to be rotated before it is fully and finally inserted into the receiving bore 8, rotation of the plug 10 can be carried out by hand, allowing for insertion and operation of the plugs 10 without the use of tools.

In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in Figures 45 to 54, the plug 10 may be formed in two parts, a first part 60, defining a cylindrical outer portion 12 of the plug 10 and an inner portion 14 extending from an inner end of the outer portion 12 having an outer surface defining an eccentric or axially offset cam surface 16 adapted to cooperate with the edge of a first panel 2 when inserted into the groove 6 in a second panel 4 when the plug is inserted into a receiving bore 8 in the second panel 4, said receiving bore 8 intersecting said groove 6, and a second part, defining an inner end of the plug 10, the second part 62 being at least partially insertable into an opposite end of the receiving bore 8 to the first part 60 from a second face of the second panel 4, and being adapted to be coupled with the first part 60 to retain the plug 10 within the receiving bore 8.

As shown in Figures 45 to 52, and with reference to Figure 54, the first part 60 of the plug 10 may incorporate a retaining spigot 64 receivable within a portion of the second part 62 of the plug 10 to couple the first and second parts 60,62 of the plug 10 together. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the retaining spigot 64 of the first part 60 and a cooperating receiving aperture in the second part 62 may be provided with cooperating threads so that the first part 60 can be screwed into the second part 62. As illustrated in Figure 53, in an alternative embodiment, the second part 62 of the plug 10 may serve as a spacer adapted to abut an adjacent surface, such as a wall, or be attachable to such a spacer, to ensure correct spacing of the assembled article of furniture from said surface and/or to facilitate attachment of the article of furniture to such surface. The length of the spacer may be adjustable, for example by forming the spacer from two mutually extendable parts. The spacer may be attachable to said surface, for example to facilitate attachment of the panel to a wall, to assist in prevention of tipping of the article of furniture.

The assembly and device in accordance with the present invention can be used to lock and stabilise an article of furniture, in particular to lock and stabilise a back panel of the article of furniture.

Typically the first panel, which may comprise a back board of the article of furniture, is cut smaller than needed to fit into the receiving groove in the second panel or panels to which the first panel is to be attached, with a gap all around the first panel and a base of the cooperating receiving groove or grooves. Insertion/rotation of the or each plug takes up this gap and stabilises the article of furniture. The second panels may comprise sides, top or bottom panels of the article of furniture and/or may comprise further portions of the back panel, for example upper portions of the back panel, such that operation of the plugs serve to push the second panels upwardly into engagement with a top panel to lock and stabilise the article of furniture.

The size and dimensions of the plug and number of plugs used can vary depending upon the size of the article of furniture and the forces required to hold the first/back panel in place and stabilise the assembly.

The plug or plugs can be inserted at the end of the furniture assembly process and does not need to pre-inserted before the first/back panel is inserted into its receiving groove in the or each second panel. This is an advantage in that the article does not have to be dismantled if the plug or plugs are mistakenly not added before the first and second panels are assembled. A single plug may be centre mounted in a second panel forming the back of an article of furniture, particularly in the case of the assembly shown in the first embodiment described above, or a series of plugs may be provided at spaced locations along the length of the second panel.

The or each plug can act to force the first and second panels defining the back portion of the article of furniture into place and stabilising but also‘locking’ the complete article of furniture together as the or each plug acts to push the back portion of the article of furniture up, down or sideways and into an adjacent part of the article. This means that an article of furniture that can be otherwise easily dismantled can be maintained in a permanent manner while assembled. The or each plug may also push the first/rear panel vertically downwards away from the second panel. The or each plug is preferably formed with an external thread on its outer surface so that it pulls itself inwards into its receiving bore and so as not to slip out in normal function and/or may comprise fir tree formations to allow the or each plug to be pushed into its receiving bore. The or each plug may be turned by hand or various other means. The use of the plugs in an assembly in accordance with the present invention can ensure stability and squareness of the resulting article of furniture.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.