The present invention concerns a device for positioning a door, in particular doors of cupboards and the like.

In particular, the invention concerns a device for positioning a door which makes it possible, while the door concerned is being closed, to perfectly position the latter in relation to the door opening or door case.

It is known that a cupboard is generally provided with one or several doors which are hinge-mounted to the door case of the cupboard.

Intensive use, wear or an unwanted impact may be the cause of play, deformations or shifting of the connecting means, in particular the hinges, which has for a consequence that the door will not perfectly present itself in front of the door case of the cupboard when being closed, which may result in the door not closing well.

The above-mentioned play, deformation or the like of the hinges also results in that co-operating locking means, parts of which are connected to the door and other parts to the cupboard, do no longer optimally co-operate or even not at all.

It is also known that also doors can sag as such, so that when being closed, they will not position exactly in front of the door case either.

Also, the present invention aims a device for positioning a door which makes sure that, irrespective of the above- mentioned play or the like in the hinges and irrespective of a possible sagging of the door, the door concerned will always be precisely positioned in relation to the door case.

The device for positioning a door preferably has a cam which is connected to the door case or to the door in a rotating manner, as a result of which is obtained that, by means of a simple lever effect, the aimed door positioning is obtained.

According to another embodiment, the above-mentioned cam is connected in a rotating manner to the door handle, so that by turning the latter a precise positioning of the door in relation to the door case is first of all obtained, after which the door is locked.

The device according to the invention for positioning a door in relation to its door case, having the above- mentioned characteristics, consists of at least one rabbet and at least one cam, provided on the door case on the one hand and on the door on the other hand, or vice versa.

In order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiments are

described as an example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 represents a cupboard in perspective to which is applied a device for positioning a door according to the invention; figures 2,3 and 4 represent sections to a larger scale, in three characteristic positions, according to line II-II in figure 1 ; figures 5 and 6 represent sections which correspond to the sections according to figures 2 and 4, but for a variant of the embodiment; figure 7 represents a view according to arrow F7 in figure 6 to a larger scale; figure 8 is a view in perspective of figure 7.

Figures 1 to 4 represent a cupboard 1 which consists of a door case 2 onto which has been hung a door 3 by means of hinges which are not represented in the drawing.

According to the present invention, the door 3 is provided with a cam 4 which is formed of a lath, which is freely hinge-mounted around a pivot 5, whereby a spring 6 is provided between said cam 4 and the door 3 which keeps trying to push the cam 4 away from the door 3.

In the given example, the cam 4 is bevelled at the bottom and has a width B which is somewhat smaller then the depth A of the door 3, but according to a variant this cam 4 can also be embodied differently.

On the door case 2 is provided a rabbet 7 in the shape of a little block, whose positioning surface 8 has been placed at a height H, in relation to the lower edge of the door case 2. This height H corresponds to the height of the contact line 9, situated on the lower end of the cam 4, in relation to the lower edge of the door 3, when the cam 4 is directed entirely downward, in particular when the door 3 is closed.

It is clear that, if the cam 4, as represented, would not be bevelled, the contact line 9 becomes the imaginary line which is situated closest to the rabbet 7, and that this imaginary contact line 9 would move as the cam 4 turns around the pivot 5.

As represented in figures 2,3 and 4, the door 3 is provided with a door handle 10 and the usual locking means, such as locking bars 11 which may possibly have hooks 12 at their free ends, as represented. The lower edge and the top edge of the door case 2 are provided with a collar 13.

The working of the above-described device for positioning a door according to the invention is very simple and as follows.

When the door 3, for any reason whatsoever, would hang somewhat, for example over a distance D, as represented in figure 2, the contact line 9 of the cam 4 will be moved above the rabbet 7 when the door 3 is closed. When the door 3 is further closed, the cam 4 will rest on said

rabbet 7 with its contact line 9, such that the cam 4 will turn against the action of the spring 6, as in figure 3, as a result of which the door 3 will be gradually moved up, until the cam 4 has covered its maximum course, whereby the door 3 is precisely positioned in relation to the door case 2 in this position, as represented in figure 4.

At that moment, the door 3 can be locked by turning the door handle 10. By turning the door handle 10, the lower and upper locking bar 11 with the hooks 12 connected onto them are simultaneously moved, such that the hooks 12 are placed behind the collars 13.

It is clear that, in this manner, a very simple device for positioning a door is obtained.

In the embodiment according to figures 5 and 6, the door 3 is provided with two cams 4, which are each freely hinge- mounted on a pivot 5 which is fixed to the door 3, whereby the cams 4 are connected to a door handle 10 in a rotating manner by means of locking bars 11.

At the bottom, the rabbet 7 is formed of an upward folded lower edge of the door case 2 in this embodiment, which forms a collar 13 with a height G in relation to the lower edge of the door case 2.

The height G of the collar 13 corresponds to the shortest distance between the lower edge of the door 3 and the edge 14 of the cam 4, when the cam 4 is directed entirely downward.

At the top, the door case 2 is also provided with a collar 13 whose lower side forms the rabbet 7.

The cams 4 are mainly disc-shaped, and the lower part is formed of a bent edge 14. In particular, the edge 14 is circular-shaped, whereby the centre of the radius R of the edge 14 is situated under the centre of the pivot 5 of the cam 4, as will become clear from figures 7 and 8. The distance S is the maximum distance between the centre of the pivot 5 and the edge 14.

The pivots 15 are fixed to the door 3 at a height 1 in relation to the edge of the door 3, which height 1 corresponds to the sum of the height G of the collar 13 and the distance S.

In this embodiment, the cams 4, as represented in figures 5,6 and 8, are provided with a protrusion or lip 15 whose side directed towards the door 3 is rounded. In the given example, the distance C between the side of the lip 15 directed towards the door 3 and the outer side of the door 3 corresponds to the sum of the width F of the collar 13 and the width E of the door 3. According to non- represented variants, this can also be done differently, for example when the door or the cupboard is equipped with a sealing.

Further, the cams 4 are equipped with hinged connecting means 16, with which the locking bars 11 are eccentrically connected on one far end, and whereby the second far end of

these locking bars 11 is eccentrically connected to the door handle 10.

The working of the device for positioning the door according to the embodiment of figures 5 to 8 is as follows.

When the door 3 is closed and the door handle 10 is in the open position, the cams 4 and the respective lips 15 are free from the collar 13. For the lips 15 have been turned away from the collar 13, and the distance between the contact line 9, i. e. an imaginary line on the edge 14 of the cam 4 which is situated closest to the rabbet 7, and the pivot 5 is minimal.

When the door 3 would hang somewhat, for example over a distance D, the cam 4 situated on the lower part of the door 3, when the door handle 10 is turned, will make contact with the positioning surface 8, i. e. in this case the top edge of the collar 13, and the door 3 will be gradually moved up until the cam 4 has been brought in its farthest position, whereby the door 3 is precisely positioned in relation to the door cam 2.

It is clear that the above-mentioned imaginary contact line 9, while the cam 4 is being turned around the pivot 5, will move over the above-mentioned edge 14.

If the deviation D is directed upward, the cam 4 situated at the top part of the door 3, will push the door down.

This pushing up or down of the door 3 always results in a precise positioning of the door 3 in relation to the door case.

In the final part of the revolving movement of the door handle 10, the lip 15 is brought behind the collar 13, such that the door is locked.

The collar 13 may have a thickening with a springing, as represented in figures 7 and 8, such that the lip 15 not only locks the door 3, but also presses it down while the door handle 10 is being turned.

It is clear that the positioning of the door 3 may partly or entirely coincide with the locking of the door 3.

Although the device for positioning a door according to the invention is particularly meant for cupboards, it is clear that such a device for positioning a door can be applied to any other door whatsoever or the like, such as doors for closing off living and working spaces, doors for closing off domestic and industrial appliances such as fridges and freezing chambers, doors of window-frames, etc.

It is clear that, according to the invention, by a cam is understood any form of a moving element which can work in conjunction with a rabbet or a rabbet-forming part, and which allows to position a door in relation to the case when being closed, in particular in relation to the cupboard to which the door has been provided, or in other

words any form of a moving element with which a door can be lifted when being closed, should this be necessary.

The invention is by no means limited to the above-described embodiments given as an example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a device for positioning a door according to the invention can be made in different shapes and dimensions while still remaining within the scope of the invention.