Joining device, particularly for joining a shelf to a wall of a piece of furniture

Abstract

A joining device, particularly for joining a shelf to a wall of a piece of furniture, includes a cylindrical body that can be associated in a first hole adapted to be provided transversely in the shelf and provided with a first axial seat for the rotatable coupling of the first stem of a screw provided with a first crown-shaped head that can be arranged rotatably within a second seat that is adjacent to the first seat. The cylindrical body is provided with a third seat, which is perpendicular and connected to the second seat, for the temporary coupling of a pinion, which interacts with the first crown-shaped head, which protrudes externally to the cylindrical body and is accommodated within a second hole.

Claims

1. A joining device, for joining a shelf to a wall of a piece of furniture, the joining device comprising: a cylindrical body that can be associated in a first hole adapted to be provided transversely in said shelf and provided with a first axial seat for the rotatable coupling of the first stem of a screw provided with a first crown-shaped head that can be arranged rotatably within a second seat adjacent to said first seat, wherein said cylindrical body is provided with a third seat, perpendicular and connected to said second seat, for the temporary coupling of a pinion, which interacts with said first crown-shaped head, which protrudes externally to said cylindrical body and is accommodated within a second hole adapted to be provided in said shelf, wherein said second stem of said pinion can be associated selectively and temporarily with said cylindrical body, said second stem being provided with an annular groove, which is provided proximate to its end, which interacts selectively with an annular ridge which protrudes proximate to the end of said third seat.

2. The joining device according to claim 1, wherein said third seat, open in a lower region, is provided in said cylindrical body, provided in a single shell or in first and second half-shells, at right angles to the axis of said first seat and therefore to the axis of said first stem, said first head of said screw not protruding beyond said cylindrical body, a second stem of said pinion being arrangeable temporarily in said third seat and being in turn provided with a second head that protrudes outside said cylindrical body and is adapted to couple kinematically to said first head accommodated in said second seat.

3. The joining device according to claim 2, wherein said second head of said pinion protrudes from an outer perimetric surface of said cylindrical body and is accommodated within a fourth seat constituted by said second hole adapted to be provided in said shelf, so as to be internally or substantially flush with an upper surface of said shelf, said shelf having a fourth hole adapted to be provided at the wall that lies opposite said upper surface, so as to be axially aligned with said third seat of said cylindrical body.

4. The joining device according to claim 2, wherein said second head of said pinion is adapted to provide motion to said first crown-shaped head and also has an extraction prevention or bolt function, locking said cylindrical body inside said shelf.

5. The joining device according to claim 2, wherein on a second upper end of said second head of said pinion there are means for the engagement of a pressure tool, said means being constituted by a fifth seat within which a tool can be arranged by pressing.

6. The joining device according to claim 2, wherein said cylindrical body is composed of said first and second half-shells, which can be mutually coupled axially with a front coupling, said first half-shell having a substantially cylindrical and internally hollow shape, so as to define said first axial seat for the rotatable coupling of said first stem, said first head of said screw being rotatably arrangeable within said second seat provided proximate to an end, which is cut according to a chord so as to define a flat portion of said second half-shell that is directed toward said first half-shell.

7. The joining device according to claim 6, wherein part of said first head of said screw protrudes from said second seat and lies below a first tab that protrudes from said first half-shell in the direction of said second half-shell, said first tab being extended along a circular arc until it surmounts said cut end of said second half-shell and therefore also said underlying first crown-shaped head, once it is associated with said second half-shell.

8. The joining device according to claim 7, wherein said second half-shell has, starting from said cut end, and so as to surround said opening provided on said front partition, a second tab that protrudes in the direction of said first half-shell so as to trace a circular arc that is concentric to said first seat so as to arrange itself, during the axial coupling of said first half-shell to said second half-shell, within said first seat and adjacent to its internal lateral surface, the first end of said first stem of said screw resting rotatably on said second tab and in turn protruding from said first crown-shaped head.

9. The joining device according to claim 2, wherein said second seat is provided along a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of arrangement of said first seat, has a substantially semicircular shape, and acts between two partitions, of which the front one, directed toward said first half-shell, is provided with a semicircular opening for the placement and passage of said first stem, along the same axis as said first seat.

10. The joining device according to claim 1, wherein a third hole is provided transversely in said wall for the interconnection of a third end of said first stem of said screw, said first stem being provided with a thread for chipboard or being associable with a bushing arranged within said third hole.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the disclosure will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment of the joining device according to the present disclosure, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a joining device with the cylindrical body constituted by two half-shells;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the joining device;

(4) FIG. 3 is a view of a detail according to the FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the cylindrical body;

(6) FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cylindrical body without the pinion and the screw with crown-shaped head;

(7) FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1, with the cylindrical body composed of a single component; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2, with the cylindrical body constituted by a single component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(9) In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

(10) Moreover, it is 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.

(11) With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a joining device, particularly for joining a shelf 2 to a wall 3 of a piece of furniture.

(12) The joining device 1 is constituted by a cylindrical body 4, which can be associated within a complementarily shaped first hole 5 that is adapted to be provided transversely in the shelf 2 through part of its thickness.

(13) The cylindrical body 4 can be composed of a single shell 6 or of a first half-shell and a second half-shell 7a, 7b which can be mutually coupled axially with front coupling.

(14) In this last case, the first half-shell 7a has a substantially cylindrical and internally hollow shape, so as to define a first axial seat 8 for the rotary coupling of a first stem 9 of a screw 10 provided with a first crown-shaped head 11.

(15) The first head 11 of the screw 10 can be arranged rotatably within a second seat 12 provided proximate to the end 13, cut along a chord so as to define a flat portion 14, of said second half-shell 7b that is directed toward said first half-shell 7a.

(16) Such second seat 12 is obtained along a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of arrangement of the first seat 8, has a substantially semicircular shape and lies between two partitions 15a, 15b, of which the front one 15a, directed towards the first half-shell 7a, has a semicircular opening 16 for the placement and passage of the first stem 9, along the same axis as the first seat 8.

(17) Part of the first head 11 of the screw 10 therefore protrudes from the second seat 12 and lies below a first tab 17 that protrudes from the first half-shell 7a in the direction of the second half-shell 7b.

(18) The first tab 17 is extended along a circular arc until it surmounts the cut end 13 of the second half-shell 7b and therefore also the underlying first crown-shaped head 11 of the screw 10, once it is associated with said second half-shell 7b.

(19) A third seat 18 is provided on the second half-shell 7b, at right angles to the axis of the first seat 8 and therefore to the axis of the first stem 9 and starting from the flat portion 14, and is open in a downward region and not connected to the adjacent second seat 12.

(20) The distance between the flat portion 14 and the outer perimetric surface 19a, 19b of the first and second half-shells 7a, 7b is substantially equal to the height of the first head 11 of the screw 10, which thus does not protrude beyond the cylindrical body 4.

(21) It is possible to arrange temporarily in the third seat 18 a second stem 20 of a pinion 21 provided with a second head 22 that protrudes outside the cylindrical body 4 and is adapted to couple kinematically with the first head 11 accommodated in the second seat 12.

(22) The temporary interconnection of the second stem 20 occurs by way of the presence of an annular groove 23, which is provided proximate to its end and interacts selectively with an annular ridge 24 that protrudes proximate to the end of the third seat 18.

(23) A stable temporary coupling of the pinion 21 to the cylindrical body 4 is thus achieved.

(24) The second half-shell 7b has, starting from the cut end 13, and so as to surround the opening 16 provided on the front partition 15a, a second tab 25 that protrudes in the direction of the first half-shell 7a so as to trace a circular arc that is concentric to the first seat 8, so as to arrange itself, during the axial coupling of the first half-shell 7a to the second half-shell 7b, within the first seat 8 and adjacent to its internal lateral surface.

(25) The first end 26 of the first stem 9 of the screw 10, which in turn protrudes from the first crown-shaped head 11, rests rotatably on the second tab 25.

(26) The second head 22 of the pinion 21 protrudes from the flat portion 14 and is accommodated within a fourth seat 27 constituted by a second hole 28 that is adapted to be provided in the shelf 2, so as to be internal or substantially flush with the upper surface 29 of said shelf 2.

(27) In this manner, the second head 22 of the pinion 21, in addition to providing motion to the first crown-shaped head 11 of the screw 10, also has the extraction-prevention or bolt function, in that it locks the cylindrical body 4 within the shelf 2.

(28) Means for the engagement of a pressure tool are provided on the second upper end 30 of the second head 22 of the pinion 21 and are constituted by a fifth seat 31 within which it is possible to arrange by pressing a tool such as a screwdriver or a specific tool that operates by pressure.

(29) A third hole 32 is provided transversely in the wall 3 and an internally threaded bushing 33 for interconnection of the third end 34 of the first stem 9 of the screw 10 can be arranged or screwed therein.

(30) The interconnection can also be achieved in a different manner; for example, the first stem 9 can have a thread for chipboard.

(31) A fourth hole 35, axially aligned with the third seat 18, is provided in the lower surface of the shelf 2 that lies opposites the upper surface 29.

(32) In its use, the disclosure is therefore constituted by a joining device 1 of the concealed type, in that it is entirely accommodated both in the shelf 2 and in the wall 3, only the second hole 28 being visible.

(33) When the first and second half-shells 7a, 7b are axially mutually assembled in order to obtain the closed cylindrical body 4 with the screw 10 inside it, the cylindrical body 4 is inserted in the first hole 5.

(34) Then the pinion 21 is inserted in the second seat 18, through the is second hole 28 adapted to be provided in the shelf 2, so as to be locked temporarily to the cylindrical body 4 so as to allow kinematic interaction between the second head 22 and the first head 11.

(35) The rotation imparted to the pinion 21 through the second hole 28 thus allows to screw the first screw 10 to the threaded bushing 33 associated with the wall 3.

(36) It has thus been found that the disclosure has achieved the intended advantages by providing a joining device 1 which is structurally compact, can be assembled rapidly and simply, can also be used on low-thickness panels and requires, for its installation, limited machining on the panel, so as to maximize the utilization of the space generated by the machining on the panel to provide the disclosure, also avoiding spoiling it.

(37) Furthermore, it has a scarce impact on the panel due to its concealed insertion, since the joining device 1 is accommodated entirely both in the shelf 2 and in the wall 3, only the second hole 28 being visible.

(38) Furthermore, it has been observed that the activation of the pinion 21 is simple and effective over time regardless of the machining tolerances both in the panel and in the components of the device; the simple rotation imparted to the pinion 21 through the second hole 28 in fact allows to screw the first screw 10 into the threaded bushing 33 associated with the wall 3.

(39) Furthermore, it has been found that the second head 22 of the pinion 21 also performs the extraction-prevention or bolt function, thanks to the fact that the pinion 21 protrudes outside the cylindrical body 4 and is accommodated within the second hole 28 adapted to be provided in the shelf 2, so as to be internally or substantially flush with the upper surface 29 of the shelf 2, thus allowing to lock the cylindrical body 4 within the shelf 2.

(40) Finally, it has been observed that maintenance of the pinion 21 can occur rapidly and easily, since it is simply removable from the cylindrical body 4 through the second hole 28 in which it is accommodated, without having to extract the cylindrical body 4 from the shelf 2 and being equally is simply replaceable.

(41) Obviously the disclosure is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations. The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the disclosure, may of course be more pertinent according to the specific requirements.

(42) The characteristics indicated as advantageous, convenient or the like may also be omitted or be replaced with equivalents.

(43) The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102015000028413 (UB2015A001736) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.