Abstract
An arrangement includes two locking devices which are arranged on either side of a movable furniture part for locking the movable furniture part with respect to a furniture body in a locking position. Each locking device has a blocking device which prevents the locking position from being reached in a blocking position. Each locking device has a releasing device by means of which the blocking position of the blocking device associated with the other locking device can be cancelled.
Claims
1. An arrangement comprising: a synchronization bar having a pair of connecting elements each located on a respective end of said synchronization bar; and two locking devices configured to be arranged on opposing sides of a moveable furniture part for locking the moveable furniture part in a locking position with respect to a furniture carcass, each of said two locking devices including: a blocking device configured to be movable into a blocking position to prevent the moveable furniture part from being placed into the locking position, and said blocking device configured to be in the blocking position during a closing movement of the moveable furniture part, said blocking device including a guide path for guiding travel of a respective one of said connecting elements of said synchronization bar, said guide path being configured to block further travel of said respective one of said connecting elements through said guide path in a closing direction to prevent the moveable furniture part from moving past a blocked position in the closing direction and being placed into the locking position if said synchronization bar is oriented at an angle during the closing movement of the moveable furniture part; and a release device configured to cancel the blocking position of said blocking device associated with one of said two locking devices located at the opposing side of the moveable furniture part from said respective release device to thereby allow the moveable furniture part to move past the blocked position in the closing direction and into the locking position.
2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein each release device is configured to cancel only the blocking position of said blocking device associated with said one of said two locking devices located at the opposing side of the moveable furniture part from said respective release device.
3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of said connecting elements includes a radially-projecting extension, and said guide path has an end abutment arranged to contact said radially-projecting extension if said synchronization bar is oriented at an angle during the closing movement of the moveable furniture part so as to prevent the moveable furniture part from moving past the blocked position in the closing direction.
4. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said synchronization bar connects said release device of a first one of said two locking devices with said release device of a second one of said two locking devices, and said respective release devices of said two locking devices are configured to simultaneously cancel the blocking position of said blocking device of said first one of said two locking devices and the blocking position of said blocking device of said second one of said two locking devices.
5. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said blocking device of each of said two locking devices is configured to prevent rotation of said synchronization bar when in the blocking position.
6. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a housing, wherein each of said two locking devices has a respective slider displaceable with respect to said housing between a locking position and an open position; wherein each of said two sliders has said guide path in which said respective one of said connecting elements is displaceable to an end abutment, said respective one of said connecting elements having radially-projecting extensions bearing against an inner surface wall of said respective guide path, and said respective one of said connecting elements is configured to be rotatably guided based on a position of said radially-projecting extensions, said connecting elements are coupled in a synchronized movement relationship by said synchronization bar; wherein said respective blocking device of each of said two locking devices is formed of: an end abutment of said guide path of at least one of said two sliders; a narrow portion of said guide path of at least one of said two sliders; and at least one radially-projecting extension of at least one of said connecting elements; wherein said respective release device of each of said two locking devices is formed of: a wide portion of said guide path of both of said two sliders; said synchronization bar having said connecting elements associated with said two sliders; wherein said blocking device is configured such that, in the blocking position, said at least one radially-projecting extension of said of at least one of said connecting elements bears against said narrow portion to prevent rotary movement of said synchronization bar; and wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position, radially-projecting extensions of said respective one of said connecting elements associated with said two sliders are arranged in the wide portion of said respective guide path so that said connecting elements are rotatable together with said synchronization bar.
7. The arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of said two locking devices further includes a control lever, a sliding guide path, and a control pin, said respective slider is lockable in the locking position in said respective sliding guide path provided in said housing by said respective control pin arranged on said respective control lever.
8. The arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said blocking device is configured such that, in the blocking position, said at least one radially-projecting extension of said of at least one of said connecting elements limits displacement travel of the slider by bearing against said end abutment of said respective guide path to prevent locking of said respective one of said two sliders in the locking position; and wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position, said at least one radially-projecting extension of said of at least one of said connecting elements is moveable away from said end abutment of said respective guide path to allow displacement travel of said respective one of said two sliders and allow locking of said respective one of said two sliders is in the locking position.
9. The arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position, said at least one radially-projecting extension of said of at least one of said connecting elements is rotatable away from said end abutment of said respective guide path.
10. The arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position and with a first one of said two sliders locked in the locking position, a second one of said two sliders associated with the other of said two locking devices is moveable into the locking position.
11. The arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position, radially-projecting extensions of both connecting elements are moveable away from said end abutment of said respective guide path to allow displacement travel of both of said two sliders and allow synchronous locking of said two sliders is in the locking position.
12. The arrangement as set forth in claim 11, wherein said release device is configured such that, in the cancelled blocking position, radially-projecting extensions of both connecting elements are rotatable away from said end abutment of said respective guide path.
13. An article of furniture comprising: a furniture carcass; a moveable furniture part moveable relative to said furniture carcass; and a lockable ejection device for moving and locking said moveable furniture part relative to said furniture carcass, said lockable ejection device including said arrangement as set forth in claim 1.
14. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 13, wherein said moveable furniture part is a drawer.
15. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 13, wherein said moveable furniture part is mounted displaceably to the furniture carcass by an extension rail including a drawer rail connected to said moveable furniture part, and a carcass rail connected to said furniture carcass, said lockable ejection device being arranged at one of said drawer rail or said moveable furniture part, and said lockable ejection element being connected in a closed position of said moveable furniture part to an entrainment member on one of said furniture carcass or said carcass rail.
16. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 15, wherein said extension rail further includes a central rail between said drawer rail and said carcass rail.
17. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 15, wherein said lockable ejection element is connected in the closed position of said moveable furniture part to said entrainment member in a positively locking relationship.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further details and advantages of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter by means of the specific description with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings in which:
(2) FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows an article of furniture with closed and opened drawer,
(3) FIG. 2 is a view of a drawer extension guide with drawer side wall and furniture carcass,
(4) FIG. 3 shows a part of the drawer side wall with extension guide,
(5) FIG. 4 shows FIG. 3 with fitted ejection device,
(6) FIGS. 5 through 7 show different positions of the moveable furniture part relative to the carcass rail,
(7) FIGS. 8 through 12 show a side view of the ejection device in different positions,
(8) FIG. 13 shows the ejection device in the form of a structural unit,
(9) FIGS. 14 and 15 are exploded views of the ejection device from two different sides,
(10) FIGS. 16 through 22 are diagrammatic views of an arrangement with locking devices, blocking devices and release means,
(11) FIGS. 23 through 28b are sectional views and 3D views of a first embodiment of a locking device according to the invention in different positions, and
(12) FIGS. 29 through 33 are 3D views of a second embodiment of a locking device according to the invention in different positions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(13) In principle, it should be noted that FIGS. 1 through 13 are identical to the Figures in above-mentioned Austrian application No A 614/2011. This means that all functions shown therein are in principle also provided in the invention here. Only the configuration of the connecting element 23, the synchronization teeth 26 and the guidance for the connecting element 23 in the slider 11 differ from the structure which is already known.
(14) Accordingly, FIG. 1 shows an article of furniture 15 including a furniture carcass 16 and two moveable furniture parts 2. In this case, the upper moveable furniture part 2 is disposed in the closed position SS, the control pin 4 being held in the locking position VS in the sliding guide path 3. The control pin 4 is connected by way of a control lever 12 to a slider 11 displaceable in the housing 10 (only diagrammatically indicated here). The slider 11 is connected to the housing 10 by way of an ejection spring 8, the ejection spring 8 (tension spring) being stressed in that locking position. That ejection device 1 is mounted to the drawer rail 17, the drawer rail 17 being locked, that is to say not displaceable, relative to the carcass rail 18, as the drawer rail 17 is held by way of the ejection device 1 and its diagrammatically illustrated ejection element 13 (with locking hooks) to the entrainment member 19 (also shown diagrammatically) of the carcass rail 18.
(15) If now—as shown in the case of the lower moveable furniture part 2 in FIG. 1—triggering is effected (both by over-pressing and also by pulling on the moveable furniture part 2), then the control pin 4 passes outside the locking portion of the sliding guide path 3. As then the slider 11 is no longer locked in the sliding guide path 3 the ejection spring 8 can contract, whereby the housing 10 of the ejection device 1 together with the moveable furniture part 2 mounted thereon is moved in the opening direction OR. As the slider 11 itself is still connected in positively locking relationship to the entrainment member 19 by way of the ejection element 13, displacement of the housing 10 occurs with respect to the slider 11 and the moveable furniture part 2 passes into the open position OS.
(16) FIG. 2 shows a side wall of the moveable furniture part 2 and the container rail 20 which is held to the drawer rail 17 (barely visible here). The ejection device 1 is fixed under that drawer rail 17 or under the container rail 20.
(17) The drawer side wall 21 is shown in FIG. 3. The entrainment member 19 is fixed to the carcass rail 18 by way of a mounting element 22.
(18) FIG. 4 shows the drawer side wall 21 together with the ejection device 1 mounted to the drawer rail 17. The connecting element 23 for synchronization with a second ejection device associated with another drawer side wall (not shown) and a depth adjusting device 14 can be seen here.
(19) In FIG. 5, the housing cover 10c has been removed from the ejection device 1, thereby giving a view into the ejection device 1. It will be seen therein that the ejection element 13 (locking hook) is connected to the entrainment member 19 in a positively locking relationship. That ejection element 13 moves in the guide path 24. The ejection spring 8 and the spring 9 (locking spring) for the locking element 7 are also shown.
(20) In FIG. 6 the moveable furniture part 2 with drawer side wall 21 has been moved further in the opening direction OR, wherein the ejection element 13 has moved into the inclined end region of the guide path 24 and is thereby pivoted with respect to the slider 11 and releases the entrainment member 19. From that moment or from that position, the moveable furniture part 2 can be moved freely in the opening direction OR (see also FIG. 7).
(21) FIG. 8 shows a view of the ejection device 1 from the center of the furniture part. In this case, the housing cover 10c has been entirely removed. In addition, a part of the displaceable part 10a is also cut away, thereby giving a view on to the sliding guide path 3 in the displaceable part 10a. In FIG. 8, the control pin 4 is in the locking position VS and bears in the latching recess 5 against the locking element 7.
(22) FIG. 9 shows the control pin 4 in the over-pressed position U and goes from the locking portion 3b into the opening portion 3c (see also FIG. 18).
(23) In FIG. 10, the action of the ejection spring 8 has already started, whereby the mounting part 10b of the housing 10 is moved in the opening direction OR with respect to the slider 11 as the slider 11 itself is held by the ejection element 13 (with locking hook) to the entrainment member 19 and thus to the furniture carcass 16. The control pin 4 is shown shortly before passing over the branching element 25, the control pin 4 urging that spring-loaded branching element 25 downwardly, which after the passing movement goes back into the starting position again. When the control pin 4 subsequently moves in the closing direction SR, that means that the control pin 4 does not pass into the opening portion 3c but into the closing portion 3a or is deflected in that way.
(24) In FIG. 11, the ejection spring 8 has been completely unloaded (that is to say contracted) and the slider 11 has moved the ejection element 13 into the inclined end portion of the guide path 24 so that the ejection element 13 pivots and the positively locking connection between the ejection element 13 and the entrainment member 19 is released.
(25) In FIG. 12 the ejection device 1 is no longer held to the entrainment member 19 so that the entire moveable furniture part 2 is freely moveable.
(26) FIG. 13 shows the narrow elongate ejection device 1 is the assembled condition.
(27) FIGS. 14 and 15 show an exploded view of the ejection device 1 from different sides. As large components, that ejection device 1 has a housing 10 comprising the mounting part 10b, the housing cover 10c, and the displaceable part 10a. The ejection device 1 is connected to the moveable furniture part 2 or to the drawer rail 17 by way of the mounting part 10b. The housing cover 10c is fixedly connected to the mounting part 10b by way of conventional connecting means. The displaceable part 10a is arranged between those two parts, wherein displacement and thus the depth of the locking position of the entire drawer 2 can be adjusted by way of the depth adjusting device 14. At its underside, that rotatable depth adjusting device 14 has a spiral worm 14b corresponding to latching means 14a provided on the displaceable part 10a. The sliding guide path 3 is provided in the displaceable part 10a, wherein the latching recess 5 of the sliding guide path 3 is formed by the locking element 7. That locking element 7 is mounted displaceably and is acted upon by the force of the spring 9 (compression locking spring). The slider 11 is mounted slideably or displaceably with respect to the entire housing 10. The control lever 12 is pivotably mounted to that slider 11 and at one end has the control pin 4 which engages into the sliding guide path 3. In addition, the ejection element 13 is mounted pivotably at one end of the slider 11. The slider 11 has a guide path 41 for a connecting element 23 on which a synchronization bar 46 can provide connection to a further ejection device provided in substantially mirror-symmetrical relationship at the other side of the drawer. In addition, the ejection device 1 has an ejection spring 8 held between the spring holder 27 on the housing cover 10c and the spring holder 28 on the slider 11.
(28) It will also be seen from FIGS. 14 and 15 that the guide path 41 has a narrow portion 42—with respect to a direction transverse relative to the longitudinal extent of the slider 11—and a wide portion 43. In addition, those two Figures show the essential components of the locking device, namely the blocking device 40 and the release device 45. In this arrangement, the blocking device 40 includes the extensions 44 on the connecting element 23, the narrow portion 42 of the guide path 41, and the end abutment 47 of the guide path 41. In comparison, the synchronization bar 46, the connecting elements 23 on both sides of the synchronization bar 46, and the wide portions 43 of the guide paths 41 of both locking devices form the release device 45.
(29) In general these exploded views in FIGS. 14 and 15 show the embodiment which is the same as that of FIGS. 29 through 33, wherein a holding element 48 in the form of a rocker lever is mounted on the slider 11 in the wide portion 43 of the guide path 41.
(30) FIGS. 16 through 18 show in entirely diagrammatic and simplified form a fundamental variant of the present invention. In comparison, the diagrammatic views in
(31) FIGS. 19 through 22 show another variant.
(32) Referring to FIG. 16, the drawer 2 which is in the inclined position is displaced with the control pin 4 in the closing direction SR relative to the sliding guide path 3.
(33) If now as shown in FIG. 17 the left-hand control pin 4 passes almost to the locking portion of the sliding guide path 3, then the blocking device 40 blocks and prevents further movement of the control pin 4, and the control pin 4 can then not be locked in the sliding guide path 3. At the same time, however, the blocking device 40 on the right-hand side is already released.
(34) As soon as now in FIG. 18 the right-hand side also follows on by being further pushed in, then—if the control pins 4 are at the same height—the left-hand blocking device 40 is also released and both control pins 4 can be locked in their respective sliding guide path 3. The diagrammatic lines shown in crossed configuration form the release device 45 which for example can be formed by sensors and electric signals.
(35) Referring to FIG. 19 the inclined drawer 2 is displaced as in FIG. 16 in the closing direction SR.
(36) In FIG. 20 the left-hand control pin 4 (in specific terms the connecting element 23) comes into a condition of abutment with the end abutment 41 of the blocking device 40 whereby the control pin 4 cannot yet lock in the locking portion of the sliding guide path 3.
(37) However, as shown in FIG. 21, as soon as the right-hand control pin 4 also reaches the same height, cancellation of the blocking position BS of the blocking device 40 is effected at the same time on both sides by way of the synchronization bar 46 of the release device 45 and the blocking device 40 moves into the cancelled blocking position AB. As a result, the arrangement can then reach the locking position VS shown in FIG. 22.
(38) FIG. 23 is a partial view in section showing the right-hand side of an ejection device 1 with a locking device. It should be noted in that respect here that, for reasons of clarity, the description of this application always refers to the right-hand and the left-hand side, even though this always depends on the viewing location, in the case of a specific design configuration. The detail view of FIG. 23a and the 3D view of FIG. 23b also correspond to FIG. 23. In those three Figures, the connecting element 23 and its extensions 44 are already disposed almost at the end of the guide path 41 in the slider 11, wherein an extension 44 bears against the end abutment 47 of the guide path 41. In that respect, it can be seen in particular in FIG. 23a that the extension 44 is already disposed in the wide portion 43b of the guide path 41. As shown in FIGS. 23, 23a and 23b the blocking device 40 is still in the blocking position BS.
(39) That is to be attributed to the fact that, on the left-hand side of the ejection device 1 (see FIGS. 24, 24a and 24b), the left-hand connecting element connected to the right-hand connecting element 23 by way of the synchronization bar 46 is still in the narrow portion 42 of the guide path 41. As the extensions 44 of the left-hand connecting element 23 bear at both sides against the surface of the guide path 41, there cannot be any rotation of the synchronization bar 46 together with the connecting elements 23. In the views in FIGS. 23 and 24, the moveable furniture part is in the inclined position, wherein the right-hand side is still remote from the locking position VS by the spacing X (see FIG. 25a), while the left-hand locking device is still remote from the locking position VS by the spacing Y (see FIG. 24a).
(40) FIGS. 25, 25a and 25b correspond to FIGS. 23, 23a and 23b. In FIGS. 26, 26a and 26b, in comparison with FIGS. 24, 24a and 24b, the left-hand side of the locking device has moved further in the closing direction SR, whereby an extension 44 of the left-hand connecting element also bears against the end abutment 47. If now in that position the drawer is moved still further in the closing direction SR then the synchronization bar 46 begins to rotate by virtue of the extensions 44 sliding into the wide portion 43, and it passes into the position shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. By virtue of that approximately quarter turn in the direction of the arrow D, the blocking position BS is cancelled and the two sliders 11 can move by the distance X with respect to the connecting elements 23 together with the synchronization bar 46, whereby the control pin 4 is locked in the sliding guide path 3 (see FIG. 27a).
(41) Thus, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23 through 28 guarantees that the locking device locks at the same time on both sides and thus there cannot be any locking in respect of an inclinedly positioned drawer.
(42) In comparison, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 29 through 33, one-sided locking can very well occur.
(43) In that respect, FIG. 29 shows the right-hand side of a locking device in which an extension 44 of a connecting element 23 already bears against the end abutment 47 of the guide path 41. Thus the connecting element 23 is already in the region of the wide portion 43 of the guide path 41, in which basically rotation of the connecting element 23 together with the synchronization bar 46 would be possible. By virtue of the left-hand side of the locking device as shown in FIG. 30, however, that is prevented, whereby the connecting element 23 there together with the extension 44 is still in the narrow region 42 of the guide path 41 and thus the blocking device 40 is in the blocking position BS.
(44) If now, however, the connecting element 23 is further displaced in the guide path 41 in the direction of the end abutment 47 by virtue of the left-hand side of the moveable furniture part 2 being further pushed in, the connecting element passes into the wide portion 43 of the guide path (see FIG. 31). As a result the synchronization bar 46 can rotate in the direction of the arrow D. The cancelled blocking position AB is thus reached and the right-hand locking device can move away from the end abutment 47 as shown in FIG. 32 or can escape into the wide portion 43 so that the locking position VS—in which the control pin 4 latches in the locking portion of the sliding guide path 3 (see for example also FIG. 27a)—is reached on the right-hand side. During that, however, the connecting element 23 is not yet entirely at the end of the guide path 41 in the left-hand locking device in FIG. 31 so that the left-hand locking device is not yet locked. If the moveable furniture part 2 has adopted such an inclined position as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 in the state of the art it was not possible for the left-hand side to be further pushed in, by virtue of rotation of the synchronization teeth being no longer further possible. In the state of the art, therefore, the inclined positioning has to be tolerated. The advantage of the present invention, however, is now that the locking position VS can nonetheless be reached from that inclined position on the left-hand side as shown in FIG. 31, by being further pushed in. Starting from FIG. 31 the connecting element 23 is moved in direction of the end abutment 47 by a further closing movement and in so doing urges the elastically bending holding element 48 which is in the form of a rocking arm rearwardly (out of the guide path 41) and finally attains the position shown in FIG. 33 in which the extension 44 is held between the holding element 48 which is moving forwardly again, and the end abutment 47. The locking position VS is also reached on the left-hand side in that condition, without damage occurring.
(45) Thus, the present invention provides an arrangement with locking devices disposed at both sides of a moveable furniture part, in which damage-free locking is guaranteed on both sides of the drawer—in spite of the drawer being pushed in inclinedly.
(46) In general it should be pointed out that the synchronization bar 46 is only shown in one view. Naturally such a synchronization bar 46 can also be mounted as is known per se between the connecting elements 23 and is not shown in the other Figures only for reasons of drawing clarity. In the installed condition, the synchronization bar 46 is connected to the connecting elements 23 in positively locking and non-rotational relationship. The synchronization bar 46 can be made from aluminum in an extrusion process. The geometrical configuration of the extensions 44 projecting from the connecting element 23 can be any desired configuration. It is only necessary to guarantee that a rotary movement of the connecting elements 23 together with synchronization bar 46 is allowed only in a last portion of the closing travel (corresponds to the length of the wide portion 43).
