Technical Field

The present invention relates to a spacing device and method, to a kit of parts, and to installed furniture. Embodiments of the present invention relate to spacing devices and methods for improving the ease and accuracy with which fitted furniture can be installed, and to reducing the weight, cost and materials required in an installed furniture unit.

Background

The satisfactory installation of fitted furniture units, such as kitchen and bathroom storage cabinets, typically requires that each furniture unit be accurately positioned and aligned before being secured in place by fixing it to a wall. Failure to accurately position and align a furniture unit can lead to uneven alignment with adjacent furniture units which along with being unsightly may lead to sloping and/or poorly supported work surfaces and reduced structural integrity.

Installation of furniture units can be difficult since each unit is typically secured to an internal or external wall via fixings at the rear of the unit which are difficult to access. Fixing holes cannot be drilled into the wall to which the furniture unit is to be attached until the unit is correctly positioned and aligned. However, drilling the fixing holes whilst the unit is still in place is either awkward or impossible due to a lack of space and access to the rear of the unit. Accordingly, it is usually necessary to align the furniture unit, mark the wall to which the furniture is to be attached indicating its aligned position, move the furniture unit away from the surface and then drill the necessary fixing holes. The unit must then be replaced at its original position to ensure alignment with the drilled fixing holes, and fixed to the wall using suitable fixings and drilled fixing holes.

This process requires the furniture unit to be aligned twice: once so that the wall can be marked and again after the fixing holes have been drilled. This is time consuming. Moreover, the surface must be marked with a high degree of accuracy as errors in the position of the fixing holes can lead to the misalignment of the furniture unit when it is secured in place.

To improve on this conventional technique, the Applicant previously proposed the use of a variable-length spacing device in WO2012035356. This described a method of securing fitted furniture to a target surface (such as a wall) using such a variable length spacing device. In particular, the spacing device has a first end for contacting one of a fixing surface of the furniture (for example a cross-brace) and the target surface, a second end for contacting the other of the fixing surface and the target surface and a bore dimensioned to receive a fixing means for fixing the fixing surface and the target surface together. The spacing device is extendable along an axis of the bore to set a spacing between the fixing surface and the target surface. The method comprises positioning the furniture with respect to the target surface so that a spacing is provided between the target surface and the fixing surface, positioning the spacing device in the spacing between the fixing surface and the target surface while the furniture is in position with respect to the target surface, extending the spacing device to substantially match the spacing between the target surface and the fixing surface, passing the fixing means through the fixing surface and the bore of the spacing device and into the target surface, and tightening the fixing means to secure the furniture to the target surface.

This method of installing a unit of furniture enables the positioning and aligning of the furniture unit to be performed at the same time as securing the furniture unit to the wall. The device may remove or at least reduce the requirement to perform the positioning and aligning steps more than once thereby improving the speed and accuracy with which furniture units can be installed. An advantage of this method of securing fitted furniture using the spacing device is that a fitted furniture unit can be individually removed without disturbing adjacent furniture units, because the furniture unit can be fixed only to the wall or similar surface to the rear of the unit rather than being fixed off to an adjacent furniture unit, or to a portion of a wall which interferes with an adjacent furniture unit.

It will be appreciated that this device and method enables improved installation of fitted furniture. However, it does not provide any improvement in the furniture itself. The present invention is intended to address at least some of the limitations of prior art furniture such as fitted (kitchen or bathroom) units.

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provide a method of securing fitted furniture to a target surface using one or more spacing devices, each spacing device having a first end for engagement with the fitted furniture and a second end for contacting the target surface, comprising the steps of: mounting one or more fixed length spacing devices to the rear of a unit of fitted furniture; positioning the furniture with respect to the target surface using the one or more mounted fixed length spacing devices; and fixing the furniture to the target surface.

By utilising fixed length spacing devices to position the fitted furniture with respect to the target surface (for example the wall), the side panels of the unit of fitted furniture do not need to extend back to contact the wall (because this function is carried out by the fixed length spacing devices), but can instead be shortened in the rearward direction, for example terminating at or near a cross-brace or rear/back wall of the unit of fitted furniture. This reduces the size of the side panels (without affecting the internal volume of the furniture unit), thus reducing the amount of materials, weight and cost of the unit of fitted furniture.

While the fixed length spacing devices may be removed after positioning the unit and before the unit is fixed to the wall (since a variable length spacing device, discussed elsewhere, may preserve the position of the furniture unit without the fixed length spacing devices remaining present - that is the fixed length spacing devices may be used simply to initially position the furniture unit), preferably, the step of positioning positions the furniture such that at least one of the spacing devices is in contact with the target surface, and the step of fixing is carried out while the spacing devices are mounted to the furniture. The furniture and the fixed length spacing devices are preferably provided with mutually engageable mounting formations, and the mounting step of the method comprises (for each spacing device) engaging the mounting formation of a spacing device with the corresponding mounting formation on the furniture. Other methods of mounting the fixed length spacing device(s) onto the furniture are also envisaged, such as adhesives (applied as a liquid, or using adhesive pads). Where mutually engageable mounting formations are used, the mutually engageable mounting formations may comprise screw threading (for example external screw-threading on the spacing devices and internal screw-threading on the furniture, or vice versa).

Preferably, the mounting step (of the spacing device) is carried out before the positioning step (of the furniture).

While the present technique may be beneficial in other situations, preferably a variable length spacing device is used in the fixing of the furniture to the target surface, in which case the step of fixing the furniture to the target surface comprises using a variable length spacing device.

In this case, the method may further comprise a step of positioning a variable length spacing device between a fixing surface of the furniture and the target surface, and adjusting a length of the variable length spacing device to substantially match a distance between the fixing surface and the target surface. These steps are carried out following the positioning of the furniture unit against the target surface (using the fixed length spacing devices). Then, the method may comprise extending a fixing through the fixing surface and the variable length spacing device and into the target surface, and tightening the fixing to clamp the variable length spacing device between the fixing surface and the target surface.

Preferably, the target surface is a wall, although it may instead be another furniture unit.

The fixing surface may be a cross-brace of the furniture, or it may instead be a back wall of the furniture, or a dedicated fixing point on the furniture. In some cases, for example if the wall is not uniform, one or more of the one or more spacing devices may be at least partially removed prior to the fixing step.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts comprising an item of furniture and one or more fixed length spacing devices for mounting to the item of fitted furniture, wherein the spacing devices when mounted define contact points for spacing the furniture away from a target surface to which it is to be fixed.

The fitted furniture and the spacing devices may comprise mutually engaging mounting formations to attach the spacing devices to the furniture.

The kit of parts may further include a variable length spacing device through which the fixing surface is fixed to the target surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an item of installed furniture, installed in accordance with the method or the kit of parts described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a fixed length spacing device for the method described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings where like parts are provided with corresponding reference numerals and in which:

Figures 1 A and 1 B schematically illustrate the installation of a conventional item of fitted furniture using the variable length spacing device and technique described in WO201 2035356;

Figures 2A and 2B schematically illustrate the installation of a modified article of furniture using a kit of fixed and variable length spacing devices;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a variable length spacing device; Figures 4A to 4C schematically illustrate several implementations of a fixed length spacing device, while Figure 4D schematically illustrates a mounting point on the modified furniture in which the fixed length spacing device is received, and Figure 4E schematically illustrates the spacing device being partially removed from the furniture;

Figure 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a method of installing fitted furniture using the fixed and variable length spacing devices; and

Figure 6 schematically illustrates the mounting of units where inconsistencies in the wall inhibit use of the fixed length spacing devices.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figures 1 A and 1 B, a method of installing fitted furniture using the technique and spacing device describe in WO2012035356 is shown. Figure 1A is a plan (top down) view, while Figure 1 B is a side view. Both views show an item of fitted furniture 1 mounted to a wall 2. Figure 1 B shows the furniture 1 to be stood on a floor 3. The furniture 1 comprises side panels 4, 5, a cross-brace 6 and a base 7. A front portion 8 of the furniture 1 may be an open aperture, over which a door (not shown) may be mounted (generally after the furniture 1 has been installed). The side panels 4, 5 both extend back to contact the wall 2, with a first portion 4a of the side panel 4 and a first portion 5a of the side panel 5 being to one side of (forward of, extending away from the wall 2) the cross-brace 6, and a second portion 4b of the side panel 4 and a second portion 5b of the side panel 5 being to the other side of (rear of, extending towards the wall 2) the cross-brace 6.

To fix the furniture 1 to the wall 2, the furniture 1 is positioned against the wall, with the rear of each side panel 4, 5 being brought into contact with the wall 2, and a hole (not shown) is drilled in the cross-brace 6 (multiple holes may be made if required). A variable length spacing device 9 is then positioned between the cross-brace 6 and the wall 2 about the hole in the cross-brace 6, and a fixing 10 (for example a screw) is passed through the hole in the cross-brace 6, through a central bore of the spacing device 9, and into the wall 2. Prior to tightening the fixing 10, the spacing device 9 is adjusted to match the distance between the cross-brace 6 and the wall 2, such that tightening the fixing 9 will not distort the cross-brace 6 towards the wall 2. While Figures 1 A and 1 B have described element 6 as a cross-brace, this may instead (and equivalently) be a rear wall of the furniture item 1.

It has now been recognised that the use of the variable length spacing device 9, in conjunction with a plurality of fixed length spacing devices to be described subsequently, makes it possible to modify the furniture 1 , departing from the longstanding structure shown in Figures 1 A and 1 B. This is partly because the variable length spacing device 9 removes any requirement to fix to the wall at the side panels 4, 5, and partly because the variable length spacing device 9 prevents, or at least reduces, the rear of the side panels 4, 5 being pressed tightly against the wall 2. In other words, with the variable length spacing device 9, the side panels are used only for positioning the furniture 1 prior to it being fixed via the variable length spacing device.

The modified structure is shown in Figures 2A and 2B. Figure 2A is a plan (top down) view, while Figure 2B is a side view. Both views show an item of fitted furniture 11 mounted to a wall 12. Figure 2B shows the furniture 11 to be stood on a floor 13. The furniture 11 comprises side panels 14, 15, a cross-brace 16 and a base 17. A front portion 18 of the furniture 11 may be an open aperture, over which a door (not shown) may be mounted (generally after the furniture 11 has been installed). Unlike the conventional unit 1 shown in Figures 1A and 1 B, side panels 14, 15 of the furniture unit 11 do not extend back to contact the wall 12, but instead terminate at, or near, the cross-brace 16 (or in the alternative, the rear wall of the furniture unit). In other words, the second portions 4b, 5b of Figures 1 A and 1 B are not present in the modified unit 11 of Figures 2A and 2B. Instead, fixed spacers 21 , 22 are used to set the furniture unit 11 away from the wall 12 by an equivalent (or otherwise desired) distance to that achieved by the second portions 4b, 5b of the side walls 4, 5 in the furniture unit 1 of Figures 1 A and 1 B.

The fixed spacers 21 , 22 are separate components from the furniture item 11 , and may be mounted onto the furniture unit 11 for the purpose of aiding with positioning the furniture unit 11 and/or fixing the furniture unit 11 to the wall 12. In some implementations, the fixed spacers 21 , 22 may be removed from the furniture unit 11 once the furniture unit 11 has been fixed to the wall, or after it has been positioned with respect to the wall but before it is fixed to the wall. In other implementations the fixed spacers 21 , 22 are left in place permanently. In alternative implementations the fixed spacers 21 , 22 may be integral, or otherwise permanent, parts of the furniture unit 11. In Figures 2A and 2B, two fixed length spacing devices 21 , 22 are shown, both located towards the top of the item of fitted furniture 11 , and towards each of its two sides. However, in alternative embodiments, it may be adequate to utilise only a single fixed-length spacing device (for example when the unit of furniture 11 is being positioned adjacent, and attached to, another previously installed unit of furniture), or a greater number of fixed length spacing devices (for example two additional spacing devices disposed towards the bottom of the unit of furniture 11 ).

To fix the furniture 11 to the wall 12, the spacing devices 21 , 22 are attached/mounted to the rear of the furniture 11 , and the furniture 11 is then positioned against the wall with the spacing devices 21 , 22 being in contact therewith. This correctly positions the furniture unit with respect to the wall. It will be appreciated that the extent (surface area) of contact between the spacing devices and the wall is much smaller than the extent (surface area) of contact between the rear of the side panels 4, 5 and the wall in the conventional arrangement of Figures 1 A and 1 B. this is beneficial because if the wall is sloped, or otherwise warped, the likelihood of a projecting part of the wall interfering with the unit is significantly reduced.

A hole (not shown) is then drilled in the cross-brace 16 (multiple holes may be made if required, and it will be appreciated that the hole(s) could be pre-formed in some implementations), a variable length spacing device 19 is positioned between the cross-brace 16 and the wall 12 about the hole in the cross-brace 16, and a fixing 20 (for example a screw) is passed through the hole in the cross-brace 16, through a central bore of the spacing device 19, and into the wall 12. Prior to tightening the fixing 20, the spacing device 19 is adjusted to match the distance between the crossbrace 16 and the wall 12, such that tightening the fixing 19 will not distort the crossbrace 16 towards the wall 12. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a variable length spacing device 301 for use (as the variable length spacer 19) with the modified furniture 11 and fixed length spacing devices 21 , 22. The variable length spacing device 301 includes a first cylindrical portion 302 which receives a second cylindrical portion 303. The second cylindrical portion 303 includes a screw thread 304 which corresponds to and engages with a threaded cutting within the first cylindrical portion 302 (not shown) which allows the second cylindrical portion 303 to be retracted into and extended from the first cylindrical portion 302 by rotating the first and second cylindrical portions relative to each other. Both the first and second cylindrical portions are hollow forming an axial through bore 305 running through the spacing device 301 which permits a fixing member such as a screw or bolt to be passed through the spacing device 301 . As will be appreciated, the screw thread 304 of the second cylindrical portion 303 and the threaded cutting of the first cylindrical portion are such that when the second cylindrical portion 303 is extended out of the first cylindrical portion 302, the spacing device 301 is resistant to a force acting to contract the spacing device 301 along the axis of the axial bore 305.

The spacing device 301 illustrated in Figure 3 also includes a first end face plate 306 connected to a distal end of the first cylindrical portion 302 and a second end face plate 307 connected to a distal end of the second cylindrical portion 303. While the face end plates are shown as circular in the Figures, it will be appreciated that any shape could be used. When in use the spacing device 301 performs both a bracing function and a spacing function between an external rear wall and a cross brace of a cabinet. The spacing device 301 allows the positioning and aligning of the cabinet to be performed at the same time as fastening it to an external wall and reduces the requirement to perform the positioning and aligning steps more than once. Furthermore, the requirement to operate within the small service area at the rear of the cabinet is reduced, with only the insertion of a wall plug into the external wall, and the placing and manipulation of the spacing device being conducted in the service area.

In one example, each of the first and second cylindrical portions is approximately 40mm long, allowing a space of approximately 40mm to 65mm to be bridged by the spacing device. Larger spaces could be bridged using a plurality of spacing devices, or by a single larger spacing device for example. Each of the first and second cylindrical portions may have a bore of approximately 8mm in diameter to allow a fixing to be passed through the spacing device. It will be appreciated that different bore diameters could be provided depending on the type and size of fixing which the spacing device is intended to receive. The first and second end face plates (splayed ends of the cylinders) may have a diameter of approximated 24mm to spread the load on the fixing surface and target surface when the spacing device is under compression.

Referring to Figures 4A to 4C, three separate designs of fixed length spacer are shown. In Figure 4A, a fixed spacer 410 takes the form of a collared peg having an end (terminal) contact point 412 for contacting the target surface (wall), an engagement part 416 for engaging with (and generally being received within) the furniture item 11 , a collar 414 which rests against the furniture item 11 when the engagement part 416 is received within, and a main body 418 extending from the collar 414 to the contact point 412, for defining a spacing distance for the furniture item 11 away from the wall 12. In one implementation, the total length of the space 410 may be 65mm, with the engagement part being 15mm in length, the collar having a thickness of 3mm, and the main body being 47mm in length. The peg may have a diameter/thickness of 5mm.

In Figure 4B, a fixed spacer 420 takes the form of a hollow tube having an end (terminal) contact point 422 for contacting the target surface (wall), an engagement part 426 for engaging with (and generally being received within) the furniture item 11 , a shoulder or stop 424 which rests against the furniture item 11 when the engagement part 426 is received within, and a main body 428 defining a hollow tube extending from the shoulder/stop 424 to the contact point 422, for defining a spacing distance for the furniture item 11 away from the wall 12. In one implementation, the total length of the space 420 may be 65mm, with the engagement part being 15mm in length and the main body being 50mm in length. The engagement part 426 may have a diameter/thickness of 5mm. With the fixed spacers 410, 420, the engagement part 416, 426 is shaped and dimensioned to be received as a close fit within a corresponding aperture on the furniture item 11 . The engagement parts 416, 426 may for example have a cylindrical shape to match a cylindrical aperture/recess of the furniture item 11 .

In Figure 4C, a fixed spacer 430 takes the form of a cone which tapers to an end (terminal) contact point 432 for contacting the target surface (wall), an engagement part 436 for engaging with (and generally being received within) the furniture item 11 , a shoulder or stop 434 which rests against the furniture item 11 when the engagement part 426 is received within, and a main body 438 defining a cone extending from the shoulder/stop 434 (as its widest point) to the contact point 432, for defining a spacing distance for the furniture item 11 away from the wall 12. In one implementation, the total length of the space 430 may be 65mm, with the engagement part being 15mm in length and the main body being 50mm in length. The engagement part 436 may have a diameter/thickness of 5mm, and external screw threading. With the fixed spacer 430, the engagement part 436 carries an external screw-threading which can be screwed into an internally screw-threaded aperture in the furniture item 11 .

In Figure 4D, a portion of the furniture item 11 is shown, with an opening 111 for receiving the engagement part 416, 426, 436 of the fixed spacers 410, 420, 430. The opening may have smooth internal walls which match the size and shape of the engagement parts 416, 426, or may have internal ly-screw threaded internal walls which generally match the size and shape of the engagement part 436, and for which the internal screw threading is dimensioned to match the external screw threading of the engagement part 436. The spacer 410 can be seen to be engaged with the opening 111.

It will be appreciated that, together, the opening 111 and the engagement parts 416 (or 426 or 436) define mutually cooperating, complementary or mutually engageable parts/formations which permit secure attachment (and preferably detachment) of the fixed spacers 410, 420, 430 with the furniture item 11. In Figures 4A to 4D, the spacers 410, 420, 430 provide a male engagement formation to be received in the opening 111 as a female formation. However, in alternative implementations a male formation may be provided on the furniture 11 (for example as an externally screw- threaded projection), while the corresponding female formation may be provided on the spacing devices 410, 420, 430. Moreover, other mutually engaging formations may be used instead, or alternative methods of attachment such as adhesives. The engagement or attachment may be permanent (for example adhesive) or removable (for example screw-threading).

In Figure 4E, the spacing device 410 can be seen to have been partially removed from the furniture, in this case by being broken off outside of the opening 111 , leaving the remainder of the spacing device 410 in place. In this way, it is possible to permit the furniture 11 to be positioned closer to the wall than permitted by the spacer, which may be beneficial if the wall is imperfect, for example including bumps or being at an angle.

Referring to Figure 5, an example method of installing furniture using the abovedescribed kit of parts comprising a (modified) furniture unit 11 , variable length spacing device 19 and fixed length spacing device 21 , 22 is shown. First, at a step S1 , one or more fixed length spacers 21 , 22 are attached (mounted) to the rear of the furniture unit 11 as described above. Then, at a step S2, the furniture item 11 is positioned with respect to the target surface, with the contact points of the one or more fixed length spacers being brought into contact with the wall 12 to locate the furniture item 11 at a fixed distance from the wall 12. Then, at a step S3, the variable length spacer 19 is positioned between the wall 12 (as a target surface) and the cross-brace of the furniture item 11 (as a fixing surface), in the vicinity of a hole in the cross-brace (which may have been drilled in advance). At a step S4, the length of the variable length spacer is adjusted to bridge (match) the gap between the fixing surface (cross-brace) and the target surface (wall). At a step S5, a fixing 20 (for example a screw or bolt) is inserted through the hole in the cross-brace, through the variable length spacer 19, and into the wall 12. At a step S6, the fixing 20 is tightened to secure the fixing surface and the target surface together via the variable length spacer 19. As the fixing 20 is tightened, it will bring the cross-brace into close contact with one end 306 of the variable length fixing 19, and the wall into close contact with the other end 307 of the variable length fixing 19, but the variable length fixing 19 will prevent (or at least inhibit the cross-brace being drawn any closer to the wall than permitted by the adjusted length of the variable length spacer 19, and thus avoid the furniture item being pulled away from its set position towards the wall. Optionally, the fixed length spacers 20, 21 may then be removed, and utilised for another furniture item.

It will be appreciated that some of the above steps may be carried out in a different order, or partly in parallel. For example, while generally the mounting step is carried out before the positioning step, the furniture item could be positioned first, and the mounting step be carried out after the positioning step to confirm that the position with respect to the wall is correct. The positioning step may be carried out in part before the mounting step, and in part after the mounting step (for example to move the furniture item into a rough position proximate the wall without the fixed length spacers being mounted, then the fixed length spacers mounted, then the furniture item moved into its final, more precise location. Similarly, the step of positioning the variable length spacing device between the fixing surface and the target surface, and adjusting a length of the variable length spacing device to substantially match a distance between the fixing surface and the target surface, may be carried out in either order, although generally it is more convenient to carry out the positioning step before the length adjusting step.

It will be appreciated that a kit of parts may include fixed length spacing devices of different lengths, in order to enable the furniture item to be installed at different distances with respect to a wall.

Referring to Figure 6, two adjacent furniture units are shown to be installed against a wall. It can be seen that part of the wall is sloped with respect to the rear line of the adjacent furniture units. While the variable length spacers can readily adapt to this due to their adjustable nature, the same is not true of the fixed length spacing devices. Accordingly, if when a furniture unit is being fitted one or more spacing devices is inhibiting proper positioning of the furniture unit with respect to an adjacent furniture unit, that or those spacing devices can be removed, either fully, or partially (by being broken off). Permitting the spacing devices to be broken off rather than requiring them to be fully removed may be beneficial since this can be carried out without moving the unit away from the wall, which would otherwise disrupt the installation process. In order to facilitate this, part of the spacing device (for example at or to either side of the collar in Figure 4A, or adjacent the shoulder in either Figure 4B or 4C, may be weakened, or frangible, to permit the spacing device to be snapped off with pressure (by hand) or impact (for example using a hammer) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spacing device.