Abstract
Height-adjustable work table, preferably kitchen table comprising at least one cabinet on top of which a table top is located. The cabinet(s) is located on a number of electrically driven height-adjustable platforms. In that the platforms are mutually retained by at least one connection rail these appear as stable both during the assembly of the work table and of the assembled table. Between a surface, typically a floor on which the platform is located, and an underside of the cabinet a toe kick is placed. This toe kick is telescopic in height such that the toe kick regardless of the adjusted height of the kitchen table shuts off access under the cabinet. The connection rail may constitute an element of the telescopic toe kick.
Claims
1. A height-adjustable platform for a work table, the platform comprising: a housing; a spindle unit at each end of the housing, each spindle unit comprising a tube section with a first spindle nut at a top and a foot at a bottom thereof; a tubular spindle with external thread which cooperates with the first spindle nut in the tube section; a first gear wheel at the top of the tubular spindle; a second spindle nut arranged at a top of the tubular spindle; a solid spindle with external thread which cooperates with the second spindle nut in the tubular spindle; an electric motor with a worm gear comprising a worm and a worm wheel; and a gear train driven by the electric motor through the worm gear, the gear train being in mesh with the gear wheel of the respective spindle unit for extending and retracting the respective spindle unit.
2. The height-adjustable platform according to claim 1, including an upper plate element fixed to upper ends of the solid spindles.
3. The height adjustable platform according to claim 1, including at least one adjusting screw for leveling the housing.
4. The height-adjustable platform according to claim 1, including a lower plate element beneath the spindle units.
5. A platform assembly for a work table comprising a plurality of height-adjustable platforms according to claim 1 positioned in a row, and including a connection rail which extends along a front of the row of platforms.
6. The platform assembly according to claim 5, including a connection rail which extends along a rear of the row of platforms for interconnecting the platforms.
7. The platform assembly according to claim 5, wherein a front side of each housing has a longitudinal groove and the connection rail has at least one flap which can be pressed into the groove in each of the housings.
8. The platform assembly according to claim 7, wherein the connection rail has a U-shaped cross section with flaps that are equipped with snap-locking means such that they may be snapped fixedly around a protruding portion of each of the housings.
9. The platform assembly according to claim 5, including a toe kick which is telescopic in height attached to an end of the housings.
10. The platform assembly according to claim 9, wherein the toe kick comprises three mutually telescopic elements.
11. The platform assembly according to claim 10, wherein one element of the toe kick is secured to each of the housings.
12. The platform assembly according to claim 10, wherein an intermediate telescopic element of the toe kick is secured to each of the housings.
13. The platform assembly according to claim 10, wherein the connection rail has a groove and the intermediate element of the toe kick for securing to the connection rail is equipped with a folded flap which can be pressed into the groove in the connection rail.
14. The platform assembly according to claim 10, wherein the connection rail further constitutes an intermediate element of the toe kick.
15. The platform assembly according to claim 9, wherein a lowermost telescopic element of the telescopic toe kick likewise is secured to the housings.
16. The platform assembly according to claim 9, wherein a topmost telescopic element of the telescopic toe kick likewise is secured to the housings.
17. The height-adjustable platform according to claim 1, wherein the motor is located in a horizontal position in the housing between the two spindle units.
18. The height-adjustable platform according to claim 1, wherein the gear train includes a second gear wheel which is connected to the worm wheel and extends to the first gear wheel of a first spindle unit, and a third gear wheel which is connected to the worm wheel and extends to the first ear wheel of a second spindle unit.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a work table in the form of the kitchen table shown from the end,
(2) FIG. 2 shows a section at the bottom of the front side of the kitchen table with a first embodiment of a toe kick,
(3) FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the toe kick,
(4) FIG. 5 shows a work table comprising four cabinets,
(5) FIG. 6 shows a slightly different embodiment than shown in FIG. 5, as the platforms here are narrow,
(6) FIG. 7 shows a layout, where the platforms have the same width or approximately the same width as the cabinets,
(7) FIG. 8 shows a layout, where the platforms are narrow,
(8) FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a narrow platform,
(9) FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the intermediate element of a toe kick, alternatively a connection rail for the platforms, and
(10) FIG. 11 shows a cross section through an embodiment of a platform.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(11) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a work table in the form of a kitchen table placed against a wall. The work table consists of a number of base cabinets 1 placed on top of a number of height-adjustable platforms 2. On top of the cabinets 1 is mounted a table top 3.
(12) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a section at the bottom of the front side of the kitchen table, where under the cabinets 1 at a short distance from the front side is mounted a toe kick 4 which is telescopic in height. The toe kick 4 comprises three elements, i.e., a topmost element 4a, an intermediate element 4b and a lowermost element 4c. The elements 4a-c are in the form of planks, where the topmost element 4a is secured to the underside of the cabinets by means of screws while the intermediate member 4b is secured to the height-adjustable platforms, not shown in the figure, while the lowermost element 4c is secured to the floor by means of angle brackets and screws.
(13) FIGS. 3-4 show a corresponding embodiment where the elements of the toe kick are made from metal profiles.
(14) FIG. 5 shows a work table comprising four cabinets 1a-1d arranged on top of a height-adjustable platform 2a-2d each. On top of the cabinets is mounted a table top 3, while under the cabinets 1a-1d and in front of the platforms 2a-2d is mounted a telescopic toe kick 4. The platforms comprise two telescopic box-shaped units 5,6 arranged inside each other. At each corner is mounted a spindle unit 7 driven through a toothed belt 8 by a centrally located electric motor 9.
(15) FIG. 6 shows a slightly different embodiment where the platforms 2a-2e are narrow, where a platform 2a, 2e is arranged at each end and otherwise distributed between these. In case of individual joined cabinets 1a-1d, the platforms 2b-2d are expediently placed where the cabinets meet.
(16) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a layout of the placement of the platforms. The layout shown in FIG. 7 relates to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, where the platforms 2a-2d are of the same or approximately the same width as the cabinets 1a-1d. The other layout, shown in FIG. 8 relates to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, where the platforms 2a-2e are narrow. The layouts further illustrate that there with the invention may be used cabinets with different widths. The difference between the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is that the platforms in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 have individual widths adapted to the individual cabinets while platforms of the same width may be used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, i.e. the platforms may be standardized to one width.
(17) In FIG. 9 is shown a narrow platform 2a, where it can be seen that the front side of the platform is equipped with two longitudinal grooves 10, 11. The platforms are equipped with an adjusting screw 12,13 in each corner in order to be able to compensate for unevenness and slanting of the floor so that the platforms may be leveled. The platforms may be connected by means of a connection rail 14 as shown in FIG. 10, such that the platforms will be mutually locked, which eases the assembly work. The connection rail 14 has two flaps 15 and 16, which are pressed into the grooves 10, 11 in the platforms. The connection rail can per se constitute the intermediate element of the toe kick. Alternatively, the intermediate element of the toe kick may be secured to the connection rail 14 cf. FIGS. 3 and 4. The intermediate element 4b of the toe kick can with a folded flap 15a be pressed into a groove 17 on the connection rail.
(18) FIG. 11 shows a cross section through an embodiment of a platform 2. This comprises a housing with a spindle unit 18 at each end. The spindle unit 18 is with its lower end mounted to a plate 19 resting on the floor. The upper end of the spindle unit 18 is likewise furnished with a plate 20 on which the cabinets 1 are arranged. The spindle units 18 are driven by an electric motor 21 through a gear train 22, where the motor comprises a worm gear 25. Two gear wheels 26,27 are secured to the worm gear, which drives the gear wheels 28 to the spindle unit 18a to the left in the drawing and the gear wheels 29 which drives the spindle unit 18b to the right in the drawing, respectively. Alternatively, the spindle units 18 may be driven through a toothed belt or a chain. The spindle units 18 comprise a tube section 30 which at the bottom is equipped with a foot 31 for securing to the plate 19 and at the top has a spindle nut 32. The spindle units 18 further comprise a tubular spindle 33 with external thread which cooperates with the spindle nut 32 in the tube section 30. At the top of the tubular spindle 33 a gear wheel 34 is mounted, which meshes with the gear train 29 from the motor. The top of the tubular spindle 33 is furnished with a spindle nut 35. Finally, there is a massive spindle 36 with external thread which cooperates with the spindle nut 35 in the tubular spindle 33. The upper end of the massive spindle 36 is fixed to the plate piece 20 on which the cabinet 1 rests. When the motor is started up, the hollow spindle 33 is rotated through the worm gear 25 and the gear train 29. The hollow spindle will thus screw itself up the fixed tube section 30 while the hollow spindle 33 screws itself down the massive spindle 36 corresponding to that the massive spindle is elevated. Thereby, the cabinet 1 is lifted. The two spindle units 18a, 18b run synchronously due to the gear trains 28,29.
(19) Both at the front and rear the individual platforms 2 are mutually connected by means of connection rails 14a and 14b. Unlike the embodiment in FIGS. 9 and 10, the connection rails here have a U-shaped cross section, the legs have snap-locking means so that they may be snapped fixedly around a protruding portion 23 of the platform housing 24 intended for that purpose. Otherwise a toe kick 4 is mounted in front of the platforms as shown above in FIGS. 3-4.
(20) The invention thus provides a solution for a stable and horizontal support of the work table both during the assembly work and of the assembled table. It is essential that the height-adjustable platforms can be adjusted, such that they are level despite unevenness and slanting of the floor. When using more platforms it is also important that these are placed correctly i.e. that they provide an appropriate support for the cabinets.
