GLASS-CERAMIC PLATE FOR A WORKTOP OR A PIECE OF FURNITURE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel glass-ceramic sheet intended in particular to be used as a surface of a furniture unit and/or as a worktop, and which comprises, in at least one of its faces, in particular its lower face, at least one connection element of a height less than 10 cm and of which the cross section is inscribed inside a circle of a diameter less than 3 cm, said connection element being made from a material able to withstand at least 70 C. and being bonded to said face by means of a thermosetting adhesive.

The present invention also relates to an item of furniture and/or household equipment, and in particular a worktop or a furniture unit incorporating said sheet.

Claims

1. A glass-ceramic sheet intended in particular to be used as a surface of a furniture unit and/or as a worktop, comprising: in at least one of its faces, in particular its lower face, at least one connection element of a height less than 10 cm and of which the cross section can be inscribed inside a circle of a diameter less than 3 cm, said connection element being made from a material able to withstand at least 70 C. and being bonded to said face by means of a thermosetting adhesive.

2. The glass ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adhesive also has an expansion coefficient less than 90010-7 K-1 between 40 and 80 C., and a shear strength greater than or equal to 10 N/mm2.

3. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection element has a height less than 6 cm, advantageously less than or equal to 4 cm, and a cross section that can be inscribed inside a circle of a diameter less than 2 cm.

4. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection element is made in one or more parts and has the external appearance of a cylindrical stud or pin, where appropriate comprising one or more hollowed parts and/or where appropriate equipped with one or more other external or internal constituent components.

5. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection element is formed, at least in part, of refractory and/or non-magnetic material(s).

6. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet comprises several connection elements positioned under the lower face of the sheet.

7. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection element or at least part of said connection elements are able to accept, advantageously removably, at least part of a support element that is to accept one or more accessories to be associated, or at least part of an accessory that is to be associated.

8. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one connection element comprises at least one system for fixing, advantageously removably, (an) element(s) to be added, the element or elements to be added being also each provided with at least one fixing means that complements the fixing system belonging to said connection element.

9. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the element(s) to be added, equipped with a complementary fixing means, are one or more support elements, in particular of the casing or plate type, intended to accept one or more accessories to be associated, in particular of the heating element(s), display system(s), electronic board(s), light source(s), control unit(s) or interface(s) or sensor(s) type.

10. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing system provided on one or more connection elements is formed of at least one means of immobilizing the fixing element of the element that is to be added once this element is in position in the connection element, this immobilizing means exerting a force, particularly in the direction of the glass ceramic sheet, the direction of insertion of the fixing means of the element that is to be added into the connection element being preferably different from, in particular perpendicular to, the direction of said force exerted by the immobilizing means.

11. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the immobilizing means is formed by the combination of a pressing element such as a spring, with a stop element, such as a pin, keeping the spring in compression once the fixing means of the added element has been introduced into the connection element.

12. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the immobilizing means is formed of a magnet.

13. The glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet is a monolithic sheet having a thickness of less than 15 mm, an expansion coefficient of less than 3010-7 K-1 between 20 C. and 400 C., and a surface area of greater than or equal to 0.7 m2.

14. An item of furniture and/or household equipment, particularly a worktop or furniture unit, comprising at least one glass-ceramic sheet as claimed in claim 1.

15. The item of furniture and/or household equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein said sheet occupies at least 50% or even all of one face of said item of furniture and/or household equipment, particularly the top face and is mounted, in particular horizontally, on one or more support elements so as to offer a continuous stable surface intended for various uses.

16. The item of furniture and/or household equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein said sheet is equipped with accessories or equipment of the heating element(s), light source(s), audible or vibrating component(s), display system(s), electronic board(s), control unit(s) or interface(s) or sensor(s) type.

Description

[0039] Other advantageous features and details of the invention will emerge below from the description of nonlimiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0040] FIG. 1a depicts a schematic view in perspective (viewed from above) of a sheet according to the invention according to a first exemplary embodiment;

[0041] FIG. 1b depicts a schematic cross section of said sheet along the axis of one of the connection elements depicted in FIG. 1a when a support element that is to accept one or more pieces of equipment or accessories that are to be associated is added and fixed to the sheet using the connection element;

[0042] FIG. 1c depicts a schematic cross section of an alternative form of FIG. 1b, this time when a support element previously fixed using a connection element is being removed;

[0043] FIG. 2a depicts a schematic view (from beneath) of an alternative form of the previous embodiment, with a support element (receiving one or more pieces of equipment or accessories, not depicted, that are to be associated) fixed to several connectors;

[0044] FIG. 2b depicts a view from beneath of the connection elements depicted in FIG. 2a with the support element fixed to said elements;

[0045] FIG. 3a depicts a schematic perspective view (view from above) of the sheet according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention, when a support element accepting one or more pieces of equipment or accessories (not depicted) to be associated (this support element where appropriate forming part of the sheet or of the connector on which it is mounted) is in a position for operational fitting of the equipment or accessories;

[0046] FIG. 3b depicts a schematic view as in FIG. 3a, this time with the support element in a position for possible removal of the equipment or accessories;

[0047] FIG. 4a depicts a schematic cross section of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a sheet according to the invention;

[0048] FIG. 4b depicts an alternative form of the embodiment of FIG. 4a.

[0049] The same references are used throughout the figures to denote the same types of element.

[0050] In each of the aforementioned figures, the sheet (1) according to the invention is a monolithic sheet of glass-ceramic (for example a sheet of the kind marketed by the Eurokera company under the reference KeraBlack+), this sheet having an upper face and a lower face which are smooth, and having for example a thickness of 6 mm and a surface area of 0.78 m.sup.2, and being in particular obtained by a procedure like that of patent WO 2012156444, reducing the speed of passage through the ceramization lehr by 50% in order to obtain said large-sized sheet without any flatness defects.

[0051] In each embodiment illustrated, the glass-ceramic sheets (1), in particular intended to act as the surfaces of units or as large worktops, are equipped, on their lower face (1), with several connection elements (2, 2) each one comprising at least one shell or cylindrical body (3), which in particular is hollow or semi-hollow, each connection element being bonded under the underside (or the face that is lowermost in the position of use) of the sheet by means of a thermosetting adhesive (4) (not visible/not depicted in FIGS. 2a and 2b but present at the base of the connectors between the connectors and the sheet) that has a coefficient of expansion of less than 90010.sup.7 K.sup.1 between 40 et 80 C. and a shear strength greater than 10 N/mm.sup.2, such as an epoxy-type adhesive marketed by the Henkel company under the reference Loctite EA 9492, or a cyanoacrylate-type adhesive marketed by the Henkel company under the reference Loctite 480.

[0052] In the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1a to 1c, the sheet is equipped with several identical or similar connection elements (2) (two of these are depicted in FIG. 1a, it being possible for these elements to be situated at any point under the sheet, it being possible for the outlines of the sheet to extend beyond those depicted schematically in FIG. 1a), each one formed of at least a cylindrical body (3) with a diameter of 10 mm and a height of 4 cm, for example made from a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, and at least one spring (5), for example made of stainless steel, having, for example, a free length of 34 mm and a maximum force of 48 N, fixed to said cylindrical body (for example fixed on the outside or the inside of the cylindrical body or on a base (6) likewise fixed, permanently or removably, on the cylindrical body). The cylindrical body has a transverse opening (7), for example through-opening, approximately 3 mm from the lower face of the sheet, so that a part (8, 8) of a support element (9), of suitable dimensions for being able to be housed in this opening, can be inserted therein.

[0053] The support element (9) takes, for example, the form of a rectangular aluminum or plastic casing measuring 1926 cm and with a (side wall) thickness of 12 mm, and is intended to accept one or more pieces of equipment or accessories such as induction coils, an electronic unit, etc. The part (8, 8) of said support element constitutes a complementary fixing means of the fixing system provided in each connection element, said fixing system being for example formed by the combination of the spring (5) and of the opening (7) in the embodiment of FIG. 1b (it also being possible for the base to form part of this fixing system), or being formed by the combination of the spring (5), of the opening (7), of a pin (10) and of a transverse second through-opening (11) toward the lower end of the connection element in the embodiment of FIG. 1c.

[0054] Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 1b, when the support element bearing the equipment or accessories is being fitted, the particular shape of the end (12) of this part (8) (or fixing means (8)) of the support element (9) allows it to be introduced (in the direction of the arrow) into the opening (7) of the connector (2) while at the same time progressively compressing the spring (5) as far as a position in which the spring immobilizes said part by exerting a force on said part, perpendicular to the direction of insertion and in the direction of the sheet. If the equipment needs to be removed or changed, the support element can be removed by pulling in the opposite direction to the direction of insertion, thus releasing the spring and the support element.

[0055] In the alternative form illustrated in FIG. 1c, which also depicts one mode of removable fixing, when the support element bearing the equipment or accessories is being fitted, the part (8) (or fixing means (8)) of the support element (9) is introduced into the opening (7) of the connector (2), and then a pin (10) is introduced into the opening (11) at the bottom of the connector, compressing the spring (5) so that the spring immobilizes the part (8) of the support element while exerting a force on said part, perpendicular to the direction of insertion of this part and in the direction of the sheet. If the equipment needs to be removed or changed, the support element can be removed by pulling on the pin (in the direction indicated by the arrow), thus releasing the spring and the support element which can be removed.

[0056] If appropriate, the base (6) in FIG. 1b may also act as a removable pin and form part of the fixing system of the connector.

[0057] In the embodiment or alternative form illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the sheet is equipped with identical or similar connection elements (2) which are associated in groups of three, each being formed as in the previous embodiment of a cylindrical body (3) and of a spring (5) (for example made from the same material and having the same dimensions as before) fixed to said cylindrical body.

[0058] The support element (9) for example takes the form of a round casing 21.5 cm in diameter, made of polycarbonate, and is intended to accept one or more pieces of equipment or accessories such as induction coils, an electronic unit, etc. This casing is provided with three external hooks (13) constituting fixing means that complement the fixing systems provided in the connection elements, each of said fixing systems being formed for example of the combination of the spring (5), of a pin (10) and of a transverse through-opening (11) toward the lower end of the connection element.

[0059] Thus, when the support element (9) bearing the equipment or accessories is being fitted, said support element is brought in from underneath between the connectors (2), with the hooks positioned between the connectors, then the support element is pivoted so that each hook simultaneously fits around one of the connectors. A pin (10) is then introduced into each of the connectors into the opening (11) provided at the bottom of each of the connectors, compressing the associated spring (5) so that the spring locks the relevant hook by exerting on said hook a force in the direction of the sheet thus immobilizing the support element in its position. If the equipment needs to be removed or changed, the support element can be removed by pulling on the pins, thus releasing the springs and by performing the reverse (rotational and translational) movements.

[0060] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, which likewise depict a mode of fixing that is (at least in part) removable, the sheet is equipped with two types of connection element, associated in pairs, a first type of element (2), which elements are fixed (and distributed) at the periphery, each one formed of a cylindrical body (3) (for example made from the same material and with the same dimensions as before) and each comprising a slot or cavity (14), and a second type of element (2), each element fixed some distance away from the first type of element with which it is associated, and each one formed of a cylindrical body (3) (for example made from the same material and with the same dimensions as before) and comprising a rotary part (15) or a rotary or pivoting pin or of the sliding pivot type.

The support element (9) for example takes the form of a round plate 60 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick made of stainless steel, and is intended to accept one or more pieces of equipment or accessories such as induction coils, an electronic unit, etc. This plate is fixed (permanently, thus forming part of the sheet and/or of the connection element, or alternatively removably) on the rotary part or the pin of the second type of element (2) and is able to fit or plug or clip at its periphery into the slot (14) of the first type of element when it is made to pivot or turn about the axis of rotation or the axis of pivoting of the element (2). When the plate is pushed in (FIG. 3a) the equipment items and/or accessories are able to operate in combination with the sheet, and when the plate is turned (in the direction of the arrow) and extracted from the sheet, the equipment items and/or accessories may be accessible and repaired or changed. The slot (14) at the periphery of the plate (at least the part that becomes housed in the slot) for example have complementing shapes (this periphery of the plate forming the fixing means complementary to the fixing system formed at least by the slot) and/or the coupling of these two parts may be achieved using other means, for example by providing a magnet inside the slot, the associated part at the periphery of the plate then being ferromagnetic. Means of immobilizing the plate may also be provided when this plate is in the immobilized position.
In the fourth embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b which likewise depict one mode of removable fixing, the sheet (1) is equipped with several identical or similar connection elements (2), each one formed of at least one cylindrical body (3), hollow at its base, 2 mm in diameter and 10 mm in height, for example made of a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, and of at least one magnet (16) fixed (for example by adhesive bonding or insetting) in the cavity (17) at the base of the connector (2).

[0061] The support element intended to accept one or more pieces of equipment or accessories takes for example the form of a casing or housing made of aluminum or of plastic and has a part (8) with an end (18) able to become housed in the cavity (17) of the connector, this end being formed for example of, or coated with, a ferromagnetic material and forming a fixing means complementing the fixing system provided in each connection element, said fixing system being formed for example by the combination of the cavity and of the magnet.

[0062] In the embodiment of FIG. 4b, when the support element bearing the equipment items or accessories is being fitted, the end (18) of the support element is introduced into the cavity (17) at the connector (2) where it is attracted by the magnet with a force exerted in the direction of the plate. If equipment needs removing or changing, the support element can be removed by exerting a force in the opposite direction. In the alternative form in FIG. 4b, the magnet is this time positioned in such a way that the force exerted between the magnet and the end (17) is perpendicular to the direction of insertion.

[0063] The sheet according to the invention may in particular be used to advantage to produce a new range of cooking devices or (furniture) units.