CROSSMEMBER, CROSSMEMBER SET, AND FURNITURE KIT

Abstract

A crossmember (3) comprises an elongate rod portion (31) and two latching claws (32). The rod portion (31) has a central longitudinal axis, a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end substantially opposite the first longitudinal end. The first latching claw (32) is arranged at the first longitudinal end of the rod portion (31) and the second latching claw (32) is arranged at the second longitudinal end of the rod portion (31). The first latching claw (32) and the second latching claw (32) each comprise a gripping portion (321) shaped to correspond to a rod-shaped element (22, 31, 52) and are designed to be mounted on the rod-shaped element (22, 31, 52) without tools. The gripping portion (321) of the first latching claw (32) is offset from the gripping portion (321) of the second latching claw (32) with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the rod portion (31).

Claims

1. A crossmember comprising: a longitudinal rod portion, wherein the rod portion has a central longitudinal axis, a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end substantially opposite the first longitudinal end, wherein the crossmember comprises a first latching claw and a second latching claw, wherein the first latching claw is arranged at the first longitudinal end of the rod portion and the second latching claw is arranged at the second longitudinal end of the rod portion, wherein the first latching claw and the second latching claw each include a gripping portion shaped to correspond to a rod-shaped element and are configured to be mounted on the rod-shaped element without tools, and the gripping portion of the first latching claw is offset from the gripping portion of the second latching claw with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the rod portion.

2. The crossmember of claim 1, wherein the first latching claw and the second latching claw are each equipped with a spring element and a slider, the slider is movable between a locked position and an open position, and the spring element presses the slider into the locked position.

3. The crossmember of claim 2, wherein the slider of the first latching claw is offset from the slider of the second latching claw with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the rod portion.

4. The crossmember of claim 2, wherein the sliders of the first latching claw and the second latching claw each have an actuating surface which presses against the rod-shaped element when the latching claw is mounted on the rod-shaped element, so that the slider is moved into the open position against the pressing action of the spring element.

5. The crossmember of claim 4, wherein the gripping portions of the first latching claw and the second latching claw each define a mounting direction in which they are to be moved for mounting on the rod-shaped element, and the actuating surfaces of the sliders of the first latching claw and the second latching claw are designed to lie inclined to the mounting direction.

6. The crossmember of claim 1, wherein the gripping portions of the first latching claw and the second latching claw are each designed to grip the rod-shaped element by more than a quarter and at most by half.

7. The crossmember of claim 1, wherein the gripping portions of the first latching claw and the second latching claw each have two spaced-apart gripping fingers.

8. A crossmember set comprising: at least two crossmembers of claim 1, wherein the at least two crossmembers are configured to be mounted on a single rod-shaped element in such a way that the central longitudinal axes of the rod portions of the two crossmembers lie on a straight line.

9. The crossmember set of claim 8, wherein the gripping portions of the first latching claw and the second latching claw of each of the at least two crossmembers each have two spaced-apart gripping fingers which lie adjacent to each other when the at least two crossmembers are mounted on the single rod-shaped element.

10. A furniture kit comprising: a set of floor ladders which each comprise two vertical supports which are interconnected via an upper rung as an upper tubular element and a lower rung as a lower tubular element, the two vertical supports each being equipped with a foot for placement on a floor, a crossmember set according to claim, and a set of longitudinal wind braces which are each equipped at their longitudinal ends with a clamp which is designed to be mounted on one of the rungs of one of the floor ladders by gripping one of the rungs, wherein the latching claws of the at least two crossmembers of the crossmember set each being designed in such a way that one of the rungs of the floor ladders or one of the rod portions of the at least two crossmembers of the crossmember set is the rod-shaped element.

11. The furniture kit of claim 10, in which the rod portions of the at least two crossmembers are each shaped in such a way that the latching claws of the at least two crossmembers can be mounted thereon without tools.

12. A furniture kit comprising: a set of floor ladders which each comprise two vertical supports which are interconnected via an upper rung as an upper tubular element and a lower rung as a lower tubular element, the two vertical supports each being equipped with a foot for placement on a floor, a crossmember set according to claim 9, and a set of longitudinal wind braces which are each equipped at their longitudinal ends with a clamp which is designed to be mounted on one of the rungs of one of the floor ladders by gripping one of the rungs, wherein the latching claws of the at least two crossmembers of the crossmember set each being designed in such a way that one of the rungs of the floor ladders or one of the rod portions of the at least two crossmembers of the crossmember set is the rod-shaped element.

13. The furniture kit of claim 12, in which the rod portions of the at least two crossmembers are each shaped in such a way that the latching claws of the at least two crossmembers can be mounted thereon without tools.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the following description of embodiments of the invention with the aid of the schematic drawings. In particular, the crossmember according to the invention, the crossmember set according to the invention and the furniture kit according to the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings on the basis of embodiments.

[0045] FIG. 1 is a front view of a floor ladder of an embodiment of a furniture kit according to the invention, which includes an embodiment of a crossmember set according to the invention with an embodiment of a crossmember according to the invention.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a front view of an assembly ladder of the furniture kit of FIG. 1 with a tube connector of the tube connection structure of FIG. 1.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a top view of a crossmember of the furniture kit of FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a side view of a latching claw of the crossmember of FIG. 3 in a locked position or a closed state.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a side view of the latching claw of FIG. 4 in an open position or an open state.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a top view of the latching claw of FIG. 4 in the locked position.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the latching claw of FIG. 4 in the locked position.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a front view of a wind brace of the furniture kit of FIG. 1.

[0053] FIG. 9 is a top view of the wind brace of FIG. 5.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a clamp of the wind brace of FIG. 5.

[0055] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a frame construction assembled from the furniture kit of FIG. 1.

[0056] FIG. 12 is a view of a detail of the frame construction of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0057] Certain terms are used in the following description for practical reasons and are not meant to be limiting. The words “right,” “left,” “below” and “above” indicate directions in the drawing to which reference is made. The terms “inward,” “outward” “below,” “above,” “left,” “right” or similar are used to describe the arrangement of designated parts relative to each other, the movement of designated parts relative to each other and the directions towards or away from the geometric center of the invention and designated parts thereof as shown in the figures. This relative spatial information also includes positions and orientations other than those shown in the figures. For example, if a part shown in the figures is turned over, elements or features that are described as “below” are then “above.” The terminology includes the words expressly mentioned above, derivatives of the same, and words of similar meaning.

[0058] In order to avoid repetitions in the figures and the associated description of the different aspects and embodiments, certain features are to be understood as common for different aspects and embodiments. The omission of an aspect in the description or a figure does not suggest that this aspect is missing in the associated embodiment. Rather, such an omission can be used for clarity and to prevent repetitions. In this context, the following stipulation applies to the entire further description: If reference signs are included in a figure for the sake of clarity in the drawing, but are not mentioned in the directly associated description text, reference is made to their explanation in the preceding description of the figures. If reference signs are also mentioned in the description text belonging directly to a figure, but are not contained in the associated figure, reference is made to the preceding and following figures. Similar reference signs in two or more figures stand for similar or identical elements.

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a floor ladder 2 of a set of floor ladders 2 of an embodiment of a furniture kit 1 according to the invention. The floor ladder 2 is designed as the first component of an embodiment of a tube connection structure according to the invention. It consists of two parallel vertical supports 21 which are interconnected by two horizontal rungs 22. The rungs 22 are designed as straight tubes having a circular cross section. They are at right angles to the vertical supports 21 and are rigidly connected, for example welded, thereto. The vertical supports 21 are also designed for the most part as straight tubes having a circular cross section and each merge downward into a tapering foot 23. The two feet 23 are each equipped with a glider 24 which is arranged for placement of the floor ladder 2 on the floor.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows a one-rung assembly ladder 5 of a set of assembly ladders 5 of the furniture kit 1. The assembly ladder 5 is designed as a second component of an embodiment of a tube connection structure according to the invention. It comprises two tubular vertical supports 51 which are rigidly interconnected via a tubular rung 52. Together, the vertical supports 51 and the rung 52 are almost U-shaped. The rungs 52 of the assembly ladder have the same dimensions as the rungs 22 of the floor ladder 2 of FIG. 1, so that the assembly ladder 5 fits the floor ladder 2.

[0061] A tube connector 7 of the tube connection structure extends vertically downward from the lower ends of the vertical supports 51 of the assembly ladder 5. The tube connectors 7 are designed in such a way that they can be inserted into the vertical supports 21 of the floor ladder 2 or into vertical supports 51 of a further assembly ladder 5 and the connected vertical supports 21, 51 are fixed to one another by actuation.

[0062] In addition to the assembly ladder 5, as shown in FIG. 2, the set of assembly ladders 5 of the furniture kit 1 comprises further assembly ladders with vertical supports connected via two parallel rungs. These assembly ladders are designed to be longer or higher in comparison with the one-rung embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a crossmember 3 of a set of crossmembers 3 of the furniture kit 1. The crossmember 3 is formed from an elongate rod portion 31 and latching claws 32 extending outward from the longitudinal ends of the rod portion 31 on the left and right. The rod portion 31 is formed from a tube having a circular diameter corresponding to the diameter of the rungs 52 of the assembly ladder 5 and the rungs 22 of the floor ladder 2. On its upper side, the rod portion 31 is provided with a bore 311 as a female plug part close to its longitudinal ends. The latching claws 32 each comprise a rung receptacle 321 as a gripping portion.

[0064] The rod portion 31 of the crossmember 3 has a central longitudinal axis 33 which extends through the center of the circular cross section of the rod portion 31. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the rung receptacle 321 of the left latching claw 32 is offset from the rung receptacle 321 of the right latching claw 32 with respect to the central longitudinal axis 33 of the rod portion 31. In particular, in FIG. 3 the rung receptacle 321 of the left latching claw 32 is offset upward with respect to the central longitudinal axis 33 and the rung receptacle 321 of the right latching claw 32 is offset downward with respect to the central longitudinal axis 33.

[0065] In FIG. 4, the left of the two latching claws 32 of the crossmember 3 of FIG. 3 is shown enlarged by way of example. It can be seen that the latching claw 32 has an upper rung receptacle 321 integrally formed with a base 325 and a lower slider 322. The rung receptacle 321 has an almost semi-circular or semi-annular inner surface, which is substantially shaped to match the rungs 22, 52 of the floor and assembly ladders 2, 5. In an analogous manner, the slider 322 is provided with an approximately quarter-circular or quarter-annular inner surface, which is also substantially shaped to match the rungs 22, 52 of the floor and assembly ladders 2, 5. On the inner surfaces of the rung receptacle 321 and the slider 322, three contact bulges 324 are evenly distributed along the circumference.

[0066] The slider 322 extends through a guide slot 326 in the base 325 so that it can be slid to the left and right of the base 325 by a predefined amount. Inside the base 325, the latching claw 32 is equipped with a spring which pushes the slider 322 to the maximum leftward position shown in FIG. 4. In this locked position, the latching claw 32 is latched onto a rung 22, 52 or a rod portion 31 of another crossmember 3 when the rung receptacle 321 and the slider 322 receive said rung or portion. The crossmember 3 is then mounted on the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31. In particular, the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 abuts the three contact bulges 324 in terms of a three-point connection, so that the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 is held securely and tilting can be prevented.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5, in order to release the latching claw 32, the slider 322 is pushed to the right along the guide slot 326, for example manually, against the spring force. As a result, the latching claw 32 is opened and the crossmember 3 can be removed upward from the rung 22, 52 in a dismantling direction 327′. In particular, the latching claw 32 is in an open position in the state shown in FIG. 5. In this way, the crossmember 3 can be dismantled efficiently without tools and a piece of furniture created from the furniture kit 1 can be dismantled or converted.

[0068] To mount the crossmember 3 on a rung 22, 52 or on a rod portion 31 of another crossmember 3, the latching claw 32 is pressed from above onto the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 in an almost vertical mounting direction 327. The beveled or angled underside of the slider 322, which is designed as an actuating surface 323, pushes the slider to the right against the spring force, so that the rung receptacle 321 can receive the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31. Driven by the spring, the slider 322 then snaps back underneath the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31, so that secure fastening is achieved.

[0069] When mounting the crossmember 3, the latching claw 32, as shown in FIG. 4, is thus pressed onto the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 in the mounting direction 327. As a result, the slider 322 is pushed to the right until it is in the open position shown in FIG. 5. If the latching claw 32 is moved further in the mounting direction 327, the slider 322 below the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 is again pressed to the left by the spring until the latching claw 322 is again in the locked position shown in FIG. 4.

[0070] FIG. 6 shows the latching claw 322 from above. It can be seen here that the rung receptacle 321 has a first gripping finger 3211 and a second gripping finger 3212. The second gripping finger 3212 lies partially above the slider 322.

[0071] FIG. 7 shows the latching claw 322 from below. The first and second gripping fingers 3211, 3212 each have a width such that their inner surfaces provide sufficient support on the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31. The actuating surface 323 is also sufficiently large to be able to absorb pressure from the rung 22, 52 or the rod portion 31 during mounting and thereby push the slider 322 to the right.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows a wind brace 4 of a set of wind braces 4 of the furniture kit 1. The wind brace 4 has a rod portion 41 which merges into a clamp 42 at each of its longitudinal ends. As can be seen together with FIG. 9, the rod portion 41 is designed as a solid square rod having a rectangular cross section. Due to the solid design, the wind brace can be particularly robust and designed to absorb comparatively large forces.

[0073] FIG. 10 shows one of the clamps 42 of the wind brace 4 in an open position. The clamp 42 is provided with a base 423, an upper gripping portion 421 and a lower gripping portion 422 in the manner of a handcuff The lower gripping part 422 is pivotally mounted on the upper gripping part 421 via a hinge joint. A locking means is located in the base 423 which fixes the lower gripping portion 422 when the clamp 42 is closed so that it grips a rung 22,52. In particular, the lower gripping part 422 is equipped with a latching lug that engages behind a spring-loaded bolt of the locking means. The rung 22, 52 is thus held firmly and loosening of the buckle 42 without actuation of the locking means can be avoided.

[0074] FIG. 11 shows a frame construction as a three-dimensional supporting tubular structure assembled from the furniture kit 1. The frame construction comprises four ladders which are each formed by a floor ladder 2 and two assembly ladders 5 vertically attached thereto, each with two rungs 52. The rungs 52 of the assembly ladders 5, which are at the same height, are each interconnected via two crossmembers 3. For this purpose, the latching claws 32 of the crossmembers 3 are mounted on the rungs 52 so as to adjoin the vertical supports 51 of the assembly ladders 5. At the same time, multiple wind braces 4 are connected diagonally or at an angle to rungs 52 at two different heights.

[0075] By providing the crossmembers 3 together with the wind braces 4 on the ladders 2, 5, the frame construction is extremely robust and rigid. In particular, it can absorb comparatively large loads in this way. The upper ends of the tube portions 51 of the uppermost assembly ladders 5 are covered and closed with covers 6.

[0076] FIG. 12 shows a different connection of the crossmembers 3 as provided in the frame construction shown in FIG. 11. Two crossmembers 3 are mounted in a line on the uppermost rung 52 of the uppermost ladder 5 close its vertical support 51. The latching claws 32 engage in one another. In particular, the second gripping fingers 3212 of the latching claws 32 lie between the first and the second gripping fingers 3211, 3212 of the other latching claw 32. Since the gripping portions 321 are offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis 33 of the rod portion 31, it is possible to orient the mounted crossmembers 3 in a line.

[0077] Although the invention is illustrated and described in detail by means of the figures and the associated description, this illustration and this detailed description are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary and not as limiting the invention. In order not to transfigure the invention, in certain cases well-known structures and techniques cannot be shown and described in detail. It is understood that those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features that may differ from the combinations of features explicitly described.

[0078] The present disclosure also includes embodiments with any combination of features mentioned or shown above or below for various embodiments. It also includes individual features in the figures, even if they are shown there in connection with other features and/or are not mentioned above or below. The alternatives of embodiments and individual alternatives of their features that are described in the figures and the description can also be excluded from the subject matter of the invention or from the disclosed items. The disclosure includes embodiments that only include the features described in the claims or in the embodiments and also those that include additional different features.

[0079] Furthermore, the term “comprise” and derivatives thereof do not exclude other elements or steps. Likewise, the indefinite article “a” or “an” and derivatives thereof do not exclude a plurality. The functions of a plurality of features listed in the claims can be fulfilled by one unit or one step. The terms “substantially,” “about,” “approximately” and the like in connection with a property or a value in particular also define exactly the property or exactly the value. The terms “about” and “approximately” in connection with a given numerical value or range can refer to a value or range which lies within 20%, within 10%, within 5% or within 2% of the given value or range.