Abstract
A furniture drive can move a furniture part movably supported relative to a furniture carcass. The furniture drive includes a housing configured to be at least partially received within a recess of a furniture panel of the furniture carcass in a mounted condition, and an actuating arm arrangement for moving the movable furniture part. A cover is provided on the housing of the furniture drive, and the cover has at least one laterally protruding, substantially hoop-shaped flange.
Claims
1. An item of furniture comprising: a furniture carcass having a pair of furniture panels arranged at opposite lateral sides of the furniture carcass, each of the pair of furniture panels having opposite sidewall surfaces with a recess therebetween; a movable furniture part movably mounted to the furniture carcass; and a furniture drive interchangeably integrated into the recess of either one of the furniture panels, the furniture drive being configured to move the movable furniture part relative to the furniture carcass, the furniture drive including: a housing entirely received within the recess of either one of the furniture panels in a mounted condition; an actuating arm arrangement including actuating arm mounted within the housing for moving the movable furniture part; a horizontal adjustment element arranged within the housing and set back from an opening of the housing, the horizontal adjustment element being configured to allow adjustment of a force acting on the actuating arm; and a cover on the opening of the housing of the furniture drive, the cover having an opening and an L-shaped cross-sectional configuration including: a limb extending into the recess and securely fixed to a wall of the housing, and a laterally protruding, rectangular-shaped flange connected to the limb and surrounding both the opening of the cover and the opening of the housing, the flange resting directly against a front surface of the one of the furniture panels such that a rear side of the flange of the cover forms a depth-stop for the housing, wherein the actuating arm of the actuating arm arrangement protrudes through the opening of the cover and the opening of the housing, and wherein the furniture drive is configured to allow access to the adjustment element within the housing via the opening of the housing and the opening of the cover when the movable furniture part is in an open position to thereby allow adjustment of the force acting on the actuating arm.
2. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the housing is a first housing wall, and the housing further including a second housing wall, at least a portion of the second housing wall being spaced apart from the first housing wall.
3. The item of furniture according to claim 2, wherein the opening of the housing is formed between the first housing wall and the second housing wall, and the cover is arranged at the opening of the housing.
4. The item of furniture according to claim 3, wherein the actuating arm is a movably-supported actuating arm protruding through the opening of the housing.
5. The item of furniture according to claim 3, wherein the cover and the flange entirely surround the opening of the housing.
6. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the cover is substantially rectangular-shaped when viewing the furniture carcass from a front side of the item of furniture.
7. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein a front face of the one of the furniture panels has a rabbet therein surrounding the recess, the flange of the cover bearing against the rabbet inset into the front face of the furniture panel so that a front side of the flange is flush with the front face of the furniture panel.
8. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein a material of the cover is different than a material of the housing.
9. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the laterally protruding flange of the cover is configured to cover a gap between the housing and an inner wall of the recess.
10. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the laterally protruding flange of the cover is configured to cover an edge of the furniture panel, the edge being arranged between a front face of the furniture panel and an inner wall of the recess.
11. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the cover is nickel-plated.
12. The item of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment element is located below a mounting position of the actuating arm within the housing.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further details and advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following description of figures, in which:
(2) FIGS. 1a, 1b show an item of furniture comprising a movable furniture part in a perspective view and in an exploded view,
(3) FIGS. 2a, 2b show a furniture drive having a first housing wall and a second housing wall in perspective views,
(4) FIG. 3 shows the furniture drive in an exploded view, and
(5) FIGS. 4a, 4b show two different embodiments of the furniture drive arranged on the furniture panel in a horizontal cross-sectional view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(6) FIG. 1a shows a perspective view of an item of furniture 1 comprising a furniture carcass 2, a furniture part 3 movably supported relative to the furniture carcass 2, and at least one furniture drive 4 for moving the movable furniture part 3. The item of furniture 1 includes furniture panels 6 in the form of sidewalls, a top panel 7 and a bottom panel 8. In the shown embodiment, the furniture drive 4 is at least partially, preferably substantially entirely, integrated into the sidewall formed by a furniture panel 6. The movable furniture part 3 is movably supported relative to the furniture carcass 2 between a closed position in which the furniture carcass 2 is covered, and an elevated open position. Of course, it is also possible to integrate the furniture drive 4 into a horizontally extending furniture panel, thus, for example, into the top panel 7, into the bottom panel 8 and/or into a shelf arranged between the top panel 7 and the bottom panel 8. In such a case, the movable furniture part 3 is pivotally supported relative to the furniture carcass 2 about a vertically extending axis in the mounted position. The furniture drive 4 includes an actuating arm arrangement 5 for moving the movable furniture part 3 and at least one force storage member 10 (FIG. 1b) for applying a force to the actuating arm arrangement 5.
(7) FIG. 1b shows the item of furniture 1 in an exploded view. Two furniture drives 4, preferably identical in construction, are provided for moving the movable furniture part 3. Each of the furniture drives 4 includes a housing 9 which, in the mounted condition, is at least partially, preferably substantially entirely, received within a recess 11 of the sidewalls formed by the furniture panels 6. In a mounted condition, the housing 9 is arranged substantially flush with a front face 6a of the furniture panel 6. The recess 11 can be configured, for example, as a blind hole. The housing 9 is configured to be inserted, when mounted, from the front (that is to say from the narrow front face 6a of the furniture panel 6) into the pocket-shaped recess 11. In the housing 9, at least one force storage member 10 (for example one or a plurality of compression springs) is arranged for applying a force to the actuating arm arrangement 5. A cover 12 is provided on the front-end region of the housing 9, and at least one movably-supported actuating arm 5a, 5b, 5c (FIG. 2a) of the actuating arm arrangement 5, in a relative position, can be guided through the cover 12.
(8) FIG. 2a shows the furniture drive 4 in a perspective view. The housing 9 includes at least one, preferably flat-shaped, housing wall 9a. A bearing portion 14 pivotable about an axis 13 is arranged on the housing wall 9a, and the force storage member 10 can be supported with a first end region on the bearing portion 14. The force storage member 10 can include at least one helical spring, preferably at least one compression spring. A second end region of the force storage member 10 acts onto a pressure portion 20. The pressure portion 20 is hingedly connected to an intermediate lever 16 via an engagement location 18, the intermediate lever 16 being pivotable about the hinge axis 15. Upon a rotation of an adjustment element 19, a position of the engagement location 18 can be adjusted along a threaded spindle 17, thereby adjusting a force of the force storage member 10 acting onto the actuating arm arrangement 5. The actuating arm arrangement 5 includes at least one, preferably a plurality, of actuating arm(s) 5a, 5b, 5c for moving the movable furniture part 3. A fitting portion 21 is configured to be fixed to the movable furniture part 3, the fitting portion 21 having at least one or a plurality of fastening locations 22 and being configured to be releasably locked to the actuating arm arrangement 5. In FIG. 2a, the locked condition between the actuating arm arrangement 5 and the fitting portion 21 is shown.
(9) A cover 12 is provided on the front-end of the housing wall 9a, the cover 12 having at least one laterally protruding flange 12a. In the shown embodiment, the flange 12a is substantially ring-shaped (i.e., hoop-shaped to surround an area) and forms a depth-stop for the housing 9, the depth-stop being configured to bear against the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6.
(10) FIG. 2b shows the furniture drive 4 according to FIG. 2a, in which the housing 9 is closed by a second housing wall 9b. Each of the first housing wall 9a and the second housing wall 9b is configured to be flat and jointly form a substantially cuboidal housing 9. The housing walls 9a, 9b are mutually spaced from one another in a parallel relationship, and a front-sided opening 23 is formed between the housing walls 9a, 9b, and the cover 12 is arranged in a region of that opening 23 so that the flange 12a surrounds the opening 23, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. At least one actuating arm 5a, 5b, 5c of the actuating arm arrangement 5 protrudes through the opening 23 of the housing 9 and through the cover 12 in at least one relative position. Preferably, the at least one relative position is a position in which the movable furniture part 3 is in a fully open condition.
(11) FIG. 3 shows the furniture drive 4 in an exploded view. As best shown in FIG. 2a, cover 12 and the housing 9 (at least housing wall 9a) can be formed together to have an integral one-piece configuration. Alternatively, as shown in the exploded view of FIG. 3, the cover 12 can be configured as a component separate from the housing 9. According to an embodiment, the cover 12 can be formed by a material differing from the material of the housing walls 9a, 9b, whereby the aesthetical overall impression can be improved. The cover 12 can also be configured to be releasably fixed to the housing 9. This can be accomplished, for example, by at least one snap-connection device.
(12) FIG. 4a shows a horizontal perspective view of the housing 9 arranged on the furniture panel 6. A recess 11, preferably a blind hole, for receiving the housing 9 is arranged in the furniture panel 6. A rear side 28 of the laterally protruding flange 12a of the cover 12 forms a depth-stop for the housing 9 of the furniture drive 4, the depth-stop being configured to bear against a front face 6a of the furniture panel 6. In this way, the housing 9 of the furniture drive 4 can achieve a defined depth position in relation to the furniture panel 6 in a mounted condition. The laterally protruding flange 12a of the cover 12, in a mounted condition, is configured to cover a gap 25 formed between the housing 9 and an inner wall 11a of the recess 11. As a result, the gap 25 no longer comes into view from a furniture user's point of view. The laterally protruding flange 12a of the cover 12, in a mounted condition of the furniture drive 4, can be configured to cover an edge 26 of the furniture panel 6, the edge 26 being arranged between the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6 and an inner wall 11a of the recess 11. As a result, a laborious post-treatment of that edge 26 can be omitted, in particular when the edge 26 is somewhat frayed.
(13) The cover 12 can have an L-shaped cross section at least in a portion of the cover 12. Thereby, a first limb 24a of the portion of the cover 12 with the L-shaped cross section, in a mounted condition of the furniture drive 4, is configured to bear against the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6. A second limb 24b of the L-shaped cross section, on the contrary, is configured to extend into the interior of the furniture panel 6 in a mounted condition of the furniture drive 4.
(14) FIG. 4b shows a horizontal sectional view of the housing 9 arranged on the furniture panel 6, in which a rabbet 27 retreating from (inset within) the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6 is provided. With this embodiment, the first limb 24a of the cover 12, in a mounted condition of the furniture drive 4, bears against the rabbet 27 inset within the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6, so that a front side 29 of the L-shaped portion is flush with the front face 6a of the furniture panel 6. This provides the particular advantage that the housing 9, in relation to the recess 11, can be positioned both in a depth direction and in a lateral direction. With a ring-shaped flange 12a, the housing 9 can also positioned in a height direction with a defined stop.
