TAMBOUR-DOOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A tambour door has an elongated first slat, at least one elongated second slat extending parallel to and adjacent the first slot and a deformable connecting strip extending along the first and second slats. Interengageable anchor formations on the strip and on the slits coupling same together while permitting the slats to move limitedly transversely of themselves relative to one another.

Claims

1. A tambour door comprising: an elongated first slat; at least one elongated second slat extending parallel to and adjacent the first slot; a deformable connecting strip extending along the first and second slats; and interengageable anchor formations on the strip and on the slits coupling same together while permitting the slats to move limitedly transversely of themselves relative to one another.

2. The tambour door defined in claim 1, wherein the connecting strip extends longitudinally and is substantially longitudinally inextensible and incompressible.

3. The tambour door defined in claim 2, wherein the connecting strip is made of metal, plastic, a natural material, or a composite material.

4. The tambour door defined in claim 1 wherein the strip is formed by a pair of parallel and generally identical ribbons extending crosswise of the strips and juxtaposed with opposite ends of the strips.

5. The tambour door defined in claim 1, wherein the connecting strip is elastically bendable.

6. The tambour door defined in claim 4, wherein the connecting strip is of arcuate shape when unstressed.

7. The tambour door defined in claim 1, further comprising means for twisting each of the slats about a respective longitudinal axis relative to the strip.

8. The tambour door defined in claim 1, wherein the interengageable anchor formations are rivets projecting from the slats through the connecting strip.

9. The tambour door defined in claim 1, wherein each slat is provided with a decorative cover.

10. In combination with the tambour door defined in claim 1: a receptacle having an opening blockable by the tambour door.

11. The combination defined in claim 10, wherein the receptacle is formed at the opening with guides in which ends of the slats are slidable.

12. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein the slats are provided on the ends with outwardly extending projections engaged in the guides.

13. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein each end of each slat is provided with two of the projections.

14. In combination: a receptacle having an opening with opposite edges each carrying a respective guide; an array of parallel elongated slats each extending along a respective longitudinal axis and having ends engageable in the guides; a pair of transversely extending and longitudinally spaced connecting strips each extending along the slats adjacent a respective one of the ends at the guides, the strips each being flexible but generally inextensible and incompressible; and formations coupling the slats to the strips such that the slats can move between a closed position blocking the opening and an open position freeing the opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0029] The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the storage container, with a cover formed as a tambour door being in a closed position;

[0031] FIG. 2 like FIG. 1 shows the storage container with the tambour door being in an intermediate position between the closed position and an open position;

[0032] FIG. 3 like FIG. 2 shows the storage container with the tambour door in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, but more open than in FIG. 2;

[0033] FIG. 4 is a top view of the storage container with the tambour door in the position of FIG. 3;

[0034] FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V-V of FIG. 4;

[0035] FIG. 6a is a top view of just the tambour-door assembly;

[0036] FIG. 6b is a section taken along line VIb-VIb of FIG. 6a;

[0037] FIG. 6c is a section taken along line VIc-VIc of FIG. 6a;

[0038] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the tambour-door assembly;

[0039] FIG. 8a is a perspective view of the tambour door from above;

[0040] FIG. 8b is a perspective view of the tambour door from below; and

[0041] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the storage container and tambour-door assembly.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] A storage container is generally designated in the drawings at 10. The same references in the various figures designated analogous parts, even if lowercase letters are added or omitted.

[0043] According to FIG. 1, the storage container 10 comprises at least one receptacle 11 having an opening 14 coverable by a tambour door 12 slidable in a guide 13 for the tambour door 12. The receptacle 11 can comprise one or more compartments or other recipients, holders, etc. that are accessible through the opening 14 that can be closed by the tambour door 12. The tambour door 12 can be displaced between a closed position (see FIG. 1) and a maximally opened position (see FIG. 3), referred to below as the open position. Moreover, the tambour door 12 can assume intermediate positions. An intermediate position is shown for the sake of example in FIG. 2.

[0044] When in the closed position, the tambour door 12 is substantially on an upper side 15 of the storage receptacle 11, whereas, when it is in the open position, the tambour door 12 extends around a rear end 42 of the storage receptacle 11 and partially on a lower side 16 of the storage receptacle 11 (see FIGS. 2 to 5). Here, the receptacle 11 forms upwardly open compartments 44a and 44b. In the open position, it is possible to access the compartments 44a and 44b through the opening 14. In the closed position, the opening 14 is closed. Objects cannot get out of the storage receptacle 11, and there is no access to the compartments 44a and 44b of the receptacle 11.

[0045] The tambour door 12 is guided with the guide 13 for travel in directions w.sub.1 and w.sub.2 along which it can move between the open position and the closed position. The guide 13 comprises straight grooves 17a and 17b open toward each other in which engage oppositely outwardly directed slide projections 18a and 18b of the cover 12 projecting transversely to the directions w.sub.1 and w.sub.2 of the cover 12. The grooves 17a and 17b are generally horizontal and parallel to one another. They are associated with side panels 37a and 37b on side walls 43a and 43b of the receptacle 11. The grooves 17a and 17b comprise a linear region 47 as well as a curved region 50 (see FIG. 5).

[0046] FIGS. 6a to 8b show the cover assembly. The tambour door 12 comprises a set of slats 19, namely (see FIG. 6b) a front slat 32, six middle slats 33, and two end slats 24 and 25. The front slat 32 is on a front end 31 of the tambour door 12 and is wider than the middle slats 33 and the end slat, because the latter moves only in the linear region 47 of the grooves 17a and 17b. The end slats 24 and 25 are at a rear end 30. The end slat 24 is taller and provided with a comb 45 that extends parallel to a respective longitudinal central axis m.sub.1 of the slat 19. The comb 45 pushes objects shifted into a channel 48 when the tambour door 12 moves into the open position back out of the stowage channel 48 when the tambour door 12 moves in the reverse direction w.sub.2 into the closed position.

[0047] According to FIG. 7, each slat 19 is fastened to two parallel but transversely spaced and substantially connecting strips 20a and 20b and is connected thereby to the other slats 19. The connecting strips 20a and 20b are each a ribbon. Each of the connecting strips 20a and 20b has a width that is a small fraction of to its length and a height that is a small fraction of its width. The connecting strips 20a and 20b can be deformed such that the cover 12 can be move along a curved trajectory. Here, the connecting strips 20a and 20b are formed by steel belts. Alternatively, however, another metal, a plastic, a textile, a natural material, or a composite material could also be used. However, the connecting strips 20a and 20b are substantially longitudinally inextensible and incompressible relative to respective longitudinal central axes m.sub.2.

[0048] The connecting strips 20a and 20b extending along the slats 19 form hinges in intermediate regions B between neighboring slats 19 so the tambour door 12 can be displaced out of the extended generally planar position of FIG. 6b into a position that is bent about an axis y parallel to the axes m.sub.1. The longitudinal axis 1 of the tambour door 12 is shown in FIG. 6b in a substantially flat and planar position. One theoretical arcuate position of the tambour door 12 is represented in FIG. 6b by a broken line r.

[0049] Here, the connecting strips 20a and 20b are made of spring steel of an arcuate shape in the direction of their longitudinal extension. When the tambour door 12 is located in the guide 13, the ribbons 20a and 20b are deformed against their return force and the projections 18a and 18b are held by this force against support faces of the grooves 17a and 17b. In this way, rattling as a result of play between the tambour door 12 and the grooves 17a and 17b is prevented.

[0050] According to an alternative embodiment (not illustrated), rattling could also be prevented by rotating each slat 19 slightly about the longitudinal central axis m.sub.1. It can be seen in FIG. 7 that each slat 19 is provided with two projections 18a and two projections 18b. A slight rotation about the longitudinal central axis m.sub.1 will cause one of the projections 18a of each slat to bear against a lower wall of the guide 17a and the other projection 18a to bear against an upper wall of the guide 17a, for example. The slats 19 can be tilted, for example, by having a cam mounted eccentrically relative to the longitudinal central axis m.sub.1 be supported on the connecting strip 20a and, optionally, having a second eccentric cam be supported on the connecting strip 20b such that the slat 19 is rotated slightly.

[0051] On the upper side 26 (see FIG. 6b), the front slat 32 is provided with two decorative covers 36, and each middle slat 33 is provided with a decorative cover 28. These can be attached by welding or by a complementary snap fit, such as by clipping or riveting, for example. A lower surface 29 of each decorative cover 28 and 36 rests against a support face 27 of the respective slat 19.

[0052] A support face 22a for the connecting strip 20a and a support face 22b for the connecting strip 20b are formed on an underside 21 of each slat 19 (see FIG. 6c). A pin 23 for fastening the connecting strip 20a and/or connecting strip 20b projects out of each support face 22a and 22b.

[0053] FIGS. 7 and 8b show how the pins 23a and 23b project through openings 34 in the connecting strips 20a and 20b. The pins 23a and 23b are headed like rivets on a side 35 of the ribbons 20a and 20b facing away from the slats 19 by brief fusion of the plastic, for example, so that the connecting strips 20a and 20b are securely connected to the slats 19.

[0054] According to an alternative, the pins 23a and 23b could also have a thickening that can be displaced through the opening 34 with elastic deformation and then deform back into the original shape, thus preventing the pins 23a and 23b from moving out of the respective openings 34.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows how each slat 19 is provided on the sides 51a and 51b of the cover 12 with the two projecting projections 18a and with the two projecting projections 18b that extend parallel to the longitudinal central axes m.sub.1 of the slats 19 in opposite directions away from the slat 19. The projections are part of the guide 13.

[0056] Assembly of the storage container 10 is described below (see FIG. 9):

[0057] The slats 19 are parallel to one another in the correct sequence in an unillustrated holder, and the connecting strips 20a and 20b are mounted such that the pins 23a engage through the openings 34 of the connecting strip 20a and the pins 23b engage through the openings 34 of the connecting strips 20b. The free end of each pin 23a and 23b is then fused and formed into a rivet head that rests on the side 35 against the connecting strip 20a or the connecting strip 20b. The decorative covers 28 and 36 are then installed. Each decorative cover 28 and 36 comprises one middle and two terminal ribs (not shown). The ribs engage in corresponding grooves of the slats 19 and are welded with the slats 19.

[0058] The side panel 37a with the groove 17a and the side panel 37b with the groove 17b are mounted on the storage receptacle 11. A protective element 38 is then mounted on the receptacle 11, and another protective element 39 is mounted on the rear ends of the side panels 37a and 37b. The protective elements 38 and 39 are connected to one another by hooking tabs 40 of the protector 39 into webs 41 of the protector 38. The projections 18a and 18b of the slats 19 are then inserted into the corresponding grooves 17a and 17b until the projections 18 of all of the slats 19 have been received in the groove 17a and the projections 18b have been received in the groove 17b.

[0059] A shield 46 is mounted on the front slat 32 in order to prevent access to the underside of the tambour door 12 and complete the exterior.