Front panel for a furniture body

Abstract

A front panel for a furniture body allows an end face of movable furniture parts provided with a handle bar or strip to be gripped from behind. The front panel has a chamber accommodating a lighting device. The one-piece front panel has a base plate, in front of which a wall with multiple curvatures is connected. A first end portion of the wall extends from the movable furniture part in the direction of the body interior as far as the base plate. After a change of direction, a second end portion of the wall supports the chamber for accommodating the lighting device at a distance from the base plate. The chamber remains visible when the furniture body is viewed from the front. The wall forms a rear wall of the chamber and the rear wall faces the furniture body. A furniture piece with a front panel is also provided.

Claims

1. A one-piece front panel for a furniture body including movable furniture parts having an end face with a handle bar, permitting the end face to be gripped from behind, the front panel comprising: a chamber for receiving a lighting device; a base plate; a wall connected in front of said base plate, said wall having multiple curvatures and forming a back bone of the one-piece front panel, said wall including a first end portion and a second end portion; said first end portion extending to said base plate in a direction toward said base plate; said second end portion extending away from said base plate and carrying said chamber at a spacing from said base plate; said chamber remaining in front of said base plate, said chamber having a light outlet opening for passing light of the lighting device onto said wall; said wall forming, with said second end portion, a rear wall of said chamber facing said base plate; and an upper part, standing perpendicularly relative to said base plate connected to an upper edge of said base plate and covering said wall and said chamber.

2. The front panel according to claim 1, wherein said wall and said base plate have portions formed in common.

3. The front panel according to claim 1, which further comprises locking or spacing elements protruding from a back of said base plate for fastening to the furniture body.

4. The front panel according to claim 1, which further comprises: said upper part having an end; said chamber having a front wall extended to said end of said upper part or beyond said upper part to an underside of a cover plate of the furniture body.

5. The front panel according to claim 1, wherein said first end portion lies opposite said chamber, said first end portion having an S-shaped curve.

6. The front panel according to claim 1, wherein a floor part is attached between said first end portion and said base plate.

7. The front panel according to claim 1, which further comprises a strip of a transparent material, said strip closing said light outlet opening of said chamber oriented perpendicularly to said wall.

8. The front panel according to claim 1, wherein: said chamber has mutually opposite walls with grooves formed therein; and at least one of a strip of a transparent material oriented perpendicularly to said wall or an LED band is held in said grooves.

9. The front panel according to claim 1, wherein: said chamber has mutually opposite walls; and lugs protrude from said mutually opposite walls and engage in grooves formed in at least one of a strip of a transparent material oriented perpendicularly to said wall or an LED band.

10. A furniture piece, comprising: the front panel according to claim 1; and the handle bar being made of a solid profile having: a grip recess inserted in a rectangular corner cutout in the end face of the movable furniture part, a lug extending over the end face, and an underside locking element engaging in the furniture part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a first embodiment of a front panel,

(2) FIG. 2 shows a view onto the end face,

(3) FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the installation situation of the first exemplary embodiment,

(4) FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the installation situation of the second exemplary embodiment,

(5) FIG. 5 shows an isometric illustration of the second exemplary embodiment of a front panel,

(6) FIG. 6 shows an end view of the second exemplary embodiment of a front panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) The one-piece front panel 1 illustrated in the drawing in FIGS. 1 to 3 is set back relative to a front side 2 of a furniture body 3 so far as to allow gripping from behind of a movable furniture part 5, such as a door, drawer or similar, which is provided with a handle bar 4 for actuation thereof, see FIG. 3.

(8) The front panel 1 has a wall 6 with multiple curvature forming a spine, in front of a rear base plate 15, and a first end portion 7 thereof runs away from the movable furniture part 5 in the direction of the body interior.

(9) After a direction change at the site of its connection to the base plate 15, the wall 6 carries, on its second end portion 8, a chamber 9 which remains visible in a front view of the furniture body 3 and receives a lighting means 10.

(10) The rear wall 11 of the chamber 9 is formed by the wall 6, whereby the chamber 9 is held at a distance from the base plate 15 of the front panel 1.

(11) The walls of the chamber 9 are opaque and leave a light outlet opening 12 which is closed by a strip 13 of a transparent material.

(12) Thus the light from the lighting means 10 passes exclusively through the transparent strip 13 onto the wall 6, and illuminates the intermediate space between the handle bar 4 and the wall 6. Thus in front view, a light band appears over the length of the front panel 1. The end portion 7 prevents light incidence into the furniture body 3 or backlighting of the movable furniture part 5.

(13) In the chamber 9, the strip 13 is held in grooves in the opposite walls 11, 14. The same applies to the LED band carrying the lighting means 10 at the end of the chamber 9 lying opposite the light outlet opening 12.

(14) An upper part 16, which stands perpendicularly on the base plate 15, is connected to the upper edge of the base plate 15 and is dimensioned so that the wall 6 and chamber 9 are covered. The front wall 14 of the chamber 9 is extended to the end of the upper part 16, so that there a smooth front side of the front panel is formed.

(15) In order to fasten the front panel 1 to the furniture body 3, L-shaped and T-shaped locking or spacer elements 18, 19 protrude from the back side 17 of the base plate 15 and can be pressed into corresponding grooves in a cross-piece of such a furniture body, in some cases into a separately formed fixing plate.

(16) FIG. 3 furthermore shows a handle bar 4 made of a solid profile having a grip recess 26. The handle bar 4 is set into a rectangular corner cutout facing the furniture body in an end face of the movable furniture part 5, and has a lug 27 which engages over the end face of the furniture part 5. On the underside, a locking element 28 protrudes beyond the handle bar 4 and engages in the furniture part 5, e.g. in the form of a feather with sawtooth profile, which engages securely in an end face groove in the furniture part 5.

(17) A further exemplary embodiment of a front panel 30 according to the invention is explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The front panel 30 shown there, like the exemplary embodiment presented above, has a wall 31 in front of a base plate 49, the end portion 33 of which pointing away from the furniture body 32 carries a chamber 34 with lighting means 35. In the front panel 30, the front wall 36 of the chamber 34 is extended beyond an upper part 37 which, formed flat, extends from the base plate 49 up to the wall 31, as far as the underside 38 of a cover plate 39 of the furniture body 32, so that a space 40 is formed between the upper part 37 and the inside 38 of the cover plate 39. This space 40 allows the routing of cables, the creation of cutouts for ventilation of cooktops, ovens or similar.

(18) The light outlet opening 45 of the chamber 34 is closed by a transparent strip 46 with a triangular cross-section, the tip of which is directed towards lighting means 35. This geometry of the strip 46 also forms a light guide which ensures a very even light radiation onto the wall 31.

(19) At the side of the wall 31, the strip 46 is held with a protrusion in a groove. The other side of the strip however has a groove in which a lug of the front wall 36 engages. This fastening allows simple clip-mounting of the strip 46.

(20) The second end portion 47 of the wall 31 has an S-shaped curve, whereby this end portion 47 gains stability. This is further increased by a floor 48 which extends between the end of the end portion 47 and the lower end of the base plate 49.