A DAMPING OR RETURN DEVICE FOR SLIDING DOOR LEAVES OR FOR DRAWERS

Abstract

A damping or return device for sliding door leaves or drawers, particularly for furniture, is provided. The device has a first trolley, which is associated with a door leaf and is slideable with respect to an item of furniture, by a diametrically differently-polarized magnet, which is associated with the first trolley or with the item of furniture, and by at least one steel plate, which is associated with the item of furniture or with the first trolley. The first trolley interacts selectively with at least one elastically compressible element which abuts, in opening and in closing, with an abutment element which is associated with and protrudes from the item of furniture.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A damping or return device for sliding door leaves, particularly for furniture or for drawers, comprising: a first trolley, which is associated with a door leaf and is slideable with respect to an item of furniture, a diametrically differently-polarized magnet comprising mutually coupled first and second portions having opposing polarities, associated with the first trolley or with the item of furniture, at least one steel plate, associated with the item of furniture or with the first trolley, the first trolley interacting selectively with at least one elastically compressible element which abuts, in opening and in closing, with an abutment element which is associated with and protrudes from the item of furniture.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the first trolley is constituted by a central body, substantially parallelepiped in shape, at the longitudinal central plane of the central body a diametrically differently-polarized magnet being associated therewith which, from the magnetic point of view, is divided into a first half-magnet and a second half-magnet, which are coupled together and are mutually identical, being polygonal in cross-section and having opposing polarities.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising two steel plates, which are associated, at a top of the item of furniture at a central region, with sliding guides or rails for two pairs of wheels, the two plates being arranged in axial alignment with the diametrically differently-polarized magnet, the two plates being substitutable by a further magnet with polarities which may or may not be opposite to that of the magnet.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein one of the two steel plates is arranged proximate to a lateral wall of the item of furniture and another proximate to a first abutment element which protrudes from the top in an area that corresponds to a condition in which the door leaf is open.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the two plates have a length substantially equal to that of the diametrically differently-polarized magnet.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first trolley interacts selectively with a pair of elastically compressible elements which abut, in opening and in closing, respectively with the lateral wall of the item of furniture and with the first abutment element.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein each one of the elastically compressible elements is constituted by a spring that lies partially within a seat which is provided axially to the central body in a region that lies above the diametrically differently-polarized magnet.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein free ends of each one of the elastically compressible elements protruding externally from the central body are associated with a plug which abuts with the first abutment element or with the lateral wall of the item of furniture or with a second abutment element arranged against the lateral wall.

18. The device according to claim 10, wherein the diametrically differently-polarized magnet is associated with a fixed part of a drawer or with a moveable part of the drawer and in that the at least one steel plate is associated with a moveable part of the drawer or a fixed part of the drawer.

Description

[0036] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular, but not exclusive, embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device applied to an item of furniture with the door leaf closed;

[0038] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device applied to an item of furniture with the door leaf open;

[0039] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2;

[0041] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 3.

[0042] In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be interchanged with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

[0043] Moreover, it should be noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

[0044] With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a damping or return device for sliding door leaves 2, particularly of the type associated with furniture 3 and the like, or for drawers (not shown).

[0045] The device 1 comprises a first trolley 4a which is constituted by a central body 5, substantially parallelepiped in shape, with which two pins 6, 7 are transversely associated, which are arranged mutually parallel proximate to the ends of the central body, and which are rotatably associated with two pairs of wheels 8, 9, which are idle.

[0046] The wheels slide on adapted guides or rails 10, 11 which are associated with and protrude from the top 12 of the item of furniture 3 proximate to the perimetric edge 13 thereof adjacent to the door leaf 2.

[0047] The first trolley 4a is arranged, with the door leaf closed, proximate to a first lateral end of the door leaf 2.

[0048] At the upper surface 14 of the central body 5 a first wing 15 of an L-shaped plate 16 is associated therewith, the second wing 17 of which is associated with the facing internal lateral surface 18 of the door leaf 2.

[0049] There is a second carriage 4b, which is similar to the previous one and arranged proximate to a second lateral end of the door leaf 2.

[0050] The door leaf 2 is therefore supported by and can slide with respect to the item of furniture 3.

[0051] At the longitudinal central plane of the central body 5 of the first trolley 4a, a magnet 19 is associated therewith which is diametrically polarized differently; it is therefore, from the magnetic point of view, divided into a first half-magnet 20a and a second half-magnet 20b, which are coupled together and are mutually identical, are polygonal, preferably rectangular, in cross-section, and have opposing polarities.

[0052] For example the first half-magnet 20a has a north polarity N and the second half-magnet 20b has a south polarity S.

[0053] The device is further constituted by two steel plates 21a, 21b, which are associated, at the top 12 of the item of furniture 3 at a central region, with the guides or rails 10, 11 so as to be in axial alignment with the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19.

[0054] One of the two plates 21a, 21b is arranged proximate to a lateral wall 22 of the item of furniture 3 and the other proximate to a first abutment element 23 which protrudes from the top 12 in an area that corresponds to the condition in which the door leaf is open.

[0055] The plates 21 have a length substantially equal to that of the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19.

[0056] As an alternative to using the two plates 21a, 21b, as a technically equivalent solution, a further magnet can be used with polarities which may or may not be opposite to that of the magnet 19.

[0057] The first trolley 4a interacts selectively with a pair of elastically compressible elements 24a, 24b which abut, in opening and in closing, respectively with the lateral wall 22 of the item of furniture 3 and with the first abutment element 23.

[0058] Each one of the elastically compressible elements 24a, 24b is constituted by a spring that lies partially within a seat 25a, 25b which is provided axially to the central body 5 in a region that lies above the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19.

[0059] The free ends of each one of the elastically compressible elements 24a, 24b protruding externally from the central body 5 are associated with a plug 26a, 26b which abuts with the first abutment element 23 or with the lateral wall 22 of the item of furniture 3 or with a second abutment element 27 arranged against the lateral wall 22.

[0060] In operation, in the final stage of opening or closing a door leaf, with which the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19 is associated, the elastically compressible elements 24a, 24b come to interact with the lateral wall 22 of the item of furniture 3 or with the first or second abutment element 23, 27 and furthermore the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19 begins to affect, by overlapping, one of the steel plates 21a, 21b.

[0061] Thus a force is generated which contrasts the movement to open or close the door leaf thus making the movement gentle.

[0062] In practice it has been found that the invention has fully achieved the intended aim and objects, a device being obtained that can be applied to sliding doors or door leaves, including existing doors or door leaves, and is provided with a simple structure that, partly thanks to the use of the diametrically differently-polarized magnet 19, is free from sticking, thus making it possible to achieve the optimal and gentle closing and opening of the door or of the door leaf, while preventing the same from slamming on the wall of the piece of furniture.

[0063] Furthermore, the weight and dimensions and cost of the device are contained, while at the same time making it possible to contain the friction and elements of play in the various movements, so as to optimize the movement and the sliding of the door leaf or of the drawer.

[0064] Obviously protection is also requested for the version in which two diametrically differently-polarized magnets 19 are used, which are associated with the item of furniture 3 in the areas previously affected by the two plates 21a, 21b, and in which a single steel plate is used, which is associated with the first trolley 4a.

[0065] Obviously the materials used as well as the dimensions of the individual components of the invention may be more relevant according to specific requirements.

[0066] The various means of achieving certain different functions certainly need not coexist only in the embodiment shown, but may be present in many embodiments, even if they are not shown.

[0067] The characteristics indicated above as advantageous, convenient or the like, may also be missing or be substituted by equivalent characteristics.

[0068] The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI2014U000368 (202014902311658) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0069] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.