CH642525A5 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FURNITURE WITH PROFILE ASSEMBLY AND FURNITURE OBTAINED. - Google Patents

Description

The subject of the invention is a method of manufacturing furniture for assembly by profiles, as well as the furniture produced according to the method.

It is known to manufacture furniture elements by bringing together two side panels by crosspieces supplemented by angle elements generally constituted by a panel or by side members arranged diagonally at the rear part of the furniture.

This arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring, for example, the use of such a bottom panel whose large dimension leads to the formation of a large package in the case where the furniture must be packaged for sale. Furthermore, it does not eliminate the need to provide separate elements for supporting the plates forming intermediate shelves nor the need to provide elements for stiffening said plates in the direction of their length.

The arrangement of beams forming diagonal crosses has similar drawbacks and, moreover, it is unsightly.

French Patent No. 2342685 describes construction elements intended for the manufacture of furniture by means of profiles which carry a groove disposed in a position completely external to said profiles of which it constitutes one of the vertices. The groove intended to receive a fixing screw on a panel is thus incapable of ensuring the close application, against this panel, of the polygon constituting the extreme edge of the profile which, moreover, has no wing external to the support polygon and intended to receive a tray by simple gravity.

Likewise, British Patent No. 991047 discloses a profile comprising a sort of groove disposed in a position completely external to the profile of which it constitutes one of the vertices; in addition, the profile does not have, there either, any wing which is external to it and intended to receive a tray.

The method according to the invention eliminates these drawbacks; it allows, by the implementation of profiles of particular section, forming cross member and squaring elements for the side panels and stiffening elements for the trays, the constitution of furniture in itself new in their structure and which can be easily joined side by side to form sets of two or more elementary pieces of furniture.

To this end, the method of manufacturing a piece of furniture with assembly by profiles is characterized in that two panels are formed intended to form the side panels of the carcass of the furniture, and at least four crosspieces * intended, two by two and at the same level, to join the panels by their front and rear parts, at least in the vicinity of the upper and lower angles, each of the crosspieces being in the form of a profile carrying, transversely to one of its faces, a wing intended to come opposite the wing of the other cross member of the same level in order to support a plate, each cross member being, with its wing, cut at each end in a plane perpendicular to the direction of its length so as to constitute, in this plane and with said wing, a support polygon on the corresponding panel and having at each end at least

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

3

642,525

an axial tubular element for a fixing screw; in that one cleans in each panel and at the same level, two by two, the holes intended to be crossed by the fixing screws, each support polygon coming, after tightening of said screws, carried against the corresponding panel of so as to achieve, by this single operation, the overall squaring and cohesion of the carcass of the piece of furniture and in that, finally, said carcass thus constituted being in vertical position, it is deposited, by simple gravity on the wings corresponding transverse facing, previously prepared trays, and intended at least to close the cabinet to its upper and lower parts.

The section of the profile is preferably close to that of a rectangle elongated in the direction transverse to the projecting wing, its ends being cut off at right angles to the direction of the extrusion; this arrangement allows, by simply tightening the bottom of two screws passing through corresponding openings formed respectively in two opposite panels and engaged in the two previously threaded ends of the tubular element, to achieve, by pressing the panels against the bearing polygon constituted by the end of the tubular body proper of the profile and of the wing which is transverse thereto, very good parallelism between said panels. The piece of furniture comprising at least four profiles of the type defined above, fixed in the same way in the vicinity of the four angles of each panel, it is thus formed a perfectly rigid parallelepiped piece of furniture.

Furthermore, the profiles can be arranged in such a way that the transverse wings are oriented in pairs towards one another and in the same plane, so as to support a plate in groups of two corresponding profiles.

The trays can, for example, be put in place after assembly of the carcass of the piece of furniture constituted, as has just been said, by the two panels joined by the profiles and, in this case, they are simply placed on the wings which face each other.

However, some of the plates may also have, on each of their longitudinal edges, a deep mortise intended to receive the wing of the corresponding profile. In such a case, the plate is put in place during the assembly of the carcass and is thus made permanently prisoner of the latter. This provision is particularly essential when it is desired to ensure an invariable distance between two trays which, themselves, must keep prisoners of the vertical elements of the piece of furniture such as partitions or rows of rigid wires intended to maintain, in a vertical position , for example recorded books or records.

Finally, two or more elementary pieces of furniture thus formed can be joined in juxtaposition with the addition of finishing profiles masking the joints between two pieces of furniture or end finishing panels.

The invention will be clearly understood on reading the description which follows of some embodiments, made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

fig. 1 to 6 are cross sections of six different embodiments of profiles according to the invention,

fig. 7 is a section, with cutouts and approximations, parallel to the side panels of a piece of furniture assembled by profiles according to the invention,

fig. 8 is a variant of FIG. 7,

fig. 9 is a section through IX-IX of FIG. 8, and fig. 10 is a top view of two pieces of furniture joined in juxtaposition of finishing profiles and fitting of an end finishing panel.

In fig. 1, the section A is made of a light aluminum alloy and has been obtained, in known manner, by extruding the metal through a suitable die; he introduces:

a main tubular body 2 of elongated section having the small planar walls 4 and 6 perpendicular to a planar wall 3 of greater width, while the fourth wall 5, which corresponds to the wall 3, is concave,

- a partition 9 connecting the opposite internal faces of the profile 3, 5

and which carries a tubular element 7, of substantially circular internal section and having, for reasons of ease of manufacture relating to the constitution of the extrusion die, a longitudinal slot 8,

- A wing 10 carried by the wall 3 and extending projecting transversely to the external face of the latter.

The tubular element 7 is tapped at each of its ends so as to receive screws 11 for assembling the side panels of the cabinet.

The wing 10 is intended to receive and support one of the longitudinal edges of a shelf or tray 12 whose opposite edge will be carried by the wing of a similar profile and of reverse orientation arranged in the same way between the two side panels of the piece of furniture constituted as it was said in the introduction.

In addition, the wing contributes, by its end edge, to constitute the support polygon of the profile on the corresponding panel and thus to increase the stability or cohesion of the assembly in the direction corresponding to the short sides 4, 6 main body 2.

In fig. 2, the profile B has a tubular main body 2 of constitution similar to the profile A, which also carries on the internal faces of its walls a tubular element 7. However the profile B differs from the profile A in that the wing 10b, functionally counterpart of the wing 10 is, here, carried in the middle of the height of the wall 3b.

This arrangement allows to have on the wing 10b a plate 12b, of suitable thickness so that it comes to be located, by its upper face, in the immediate vicinity of the upper face 6 of the section B. This arrangement, which is also that of fig. 5, would also allow, as shown in this last figure, to support a plate 12e, in which a deep longitudinal mortise 13e has been formed, of dimensions such that the wing 10b or 10e can be engaged there, possibly by force.

In fig. 3, the section C which carries the wing 10c at its base is of proportionally greater height than the section A; it therefore carries two longitudinal tabular elements 7c symmetrically distributed on either side of the central part of the section considered in section. Such a profile has the advantage of being able to constitute, for example at the level of the upper plate and on the front of the piece of furniture, a border making it possible to hide the lower part which it is desired to conceal from an apparatus such as a reading table. for microgroove discs.

In fig. 4, the profile D has a proportionally reduced tubular main body 2d, the wall 4d of which corresponds functionally to the wall 4 of FIG. 1, directly carries the longitudinal tubular element 7d. In this embodiment, the large walls 3d, 5d are extended, beyond the small wall 4d, so as to constitute two walls 14d, 15d, which define, with a middle wall 16d carried by the wall 5d in the middle , and with the same orientation and extension as the first two, two grooves 17d intended to receive, as will be seen in FIG. 7, either each a sliding door element, or, for one of them, a panel element constituting the bottom of the cabinet.

It should be noted that the internal faces of said walls are parallel to each other and with the median wall 16d while the external face of the wall 14d, which extends the wall 5d, has a concave curve extending that of said face. It is thus formed, in the vicinity of the extreme edge of the wall I4d, a reinforcing edge 18d of thickness greater than that of its base located at the level of the wall 4d while externally maintaining the same appearance as that of the external face of the wall 5 of FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the wing 10d is carried at the base of the extension 15d of the wall 3d in a similar manner to the wing 10 of the profile A (fig. 1).

In fig. 5, the profile E is of construction similar to the profile D, but it differs in that the wing 10e is carried by the wall 3e in the middle of the total height of said wall and its extension 15th, as in profile B of fig. 2 and for the same purpose.

In fig. 6, the main body 2f of the profile F is reduced to a height corresponding approximately to the outside diameter of

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

642,525

4

the tubular element 7f and it carries, on either side and transverse to the wing lOf, respectively two groups of extended walls 14f, 15f and two median walls 16f of the same constitution as the walls 14d, 15d, 16d of the fig. 4.

It is clear that the play of the six profiles which have just been described authorizes the constitution of a very large number of combinations, some of which will be briefly described below.

In fig. 7, the side panels 20 are interconnected by profiles of this kind, which are screwed into the elements 7 to 7f by screws such as 11 which pass through milled openings suitably provided in said panels. We note at the base two profiles 21, 22, both of type E which support, by their wings 10e, the lower plate 23. Above the plate 23 and at some distance from it, a plate 24 is maintained, on the front face, by a profile 25 of type E inverted with respect to profile 21 while, on the rear face, it is maintained by a profile 26 of type F. The wings 10e, lOf, facing profiles 25 , 26, are engaged in mortises such as 13e, of corresponding dimensions formed in the longitudinal edges of the plate. A bottom panel 27 is engaged in the facing grooves 17d of the profiles 22 and 26 with prior placement of a shim 28 consisting for example of a suitable profiled element. In the front part of the cabinet are engaged in the same way, in the corresponding grooves 17d of the sections 21, 25 respectively, sliding door elements 29, 30 which also rest on shims of thickness identical to the shims 28.

There is thus constituted a lower compartment opening at the front of the sliding doors 29, 30 between the plates 23, 24 the reciprocal distance of which is fixed due to the use, for the support of the lower plate, of profiles of type E and F whose support wings 10e and lOf are engaged in the longitudinal mortises such as 13e, 13f. This arrangement allows the establishment and maintenance in blind holes 31, 32 formed in the thickness of the two facing plates, rows of metal wires such as 33 which are put in place by simple bending or are kept in this position by simple gravity, the blind holes 32 then being of a depth such that the said wires can be introduced therein slightly at an angle, then brought to rest by gravity on the bottom of the blind holes 31.

Above the plate 24 is arranged the plate 33 held by the profile 34 of type C and the profile 35 of type D. The bottom wall 36 is put in place and maintained in the same way as the wall 27 while elements with pivot 37 pass pivotally through the lower and upper walls opposite profiles 25 and 34 and each comprise a gutter secured to the pivot and in which is fixed, by a screw 38, a pivoting door element 39.

In fig. 8 and 9 is shown a simplified piece of furniture similar to the piece of furniture in FIG. 7, in which the profiles 41 to 44 hold the two side panels facing each other 40 and support the plates 45, 46. The piece of furniture rests on the ground by means of orientable rollers 47 which are pivotally mounted in their axes 48 in shoes 49 secured to the base of the panels 40.

Fig. 9 highlights in particular the way in which the fixing screw 11 passes through the panel 40 and is screwed into the tubular element 7, the corresponding profile 2 of type A having undergone an axial cut on its straight part to highlight this arrangement.

Fig. 10 shows, in top view, a set of two pieces of furniture according to the invention, the one on the right is only partially shown. It should be understood that these pieces of furniture are of a constitution similar to that of FIG. 7, with or without the installation of doors such as 29, 30, 39 and use of profiles of type C shown in FIG. 3, possibly modified in that they may include one or two wings such as 10c arranged not at the lower part of the inner wall of the profile, but on intermediate generatrices of said wall.

The cabinet on the left 50 has the side panels 53 and 65 and the cabinet on the right 51 has the panel 52 and the corresponding panel which faces it and is not visible in the drawing. These side panels are joined in pairs by the profiles forming crosspieces such as 69 which have the transverse wings such as 71 which support the plates 70 of which only the upper plate is visible in the drawing.

The profiles 69 are fixed to the side panels on the tapped screws 72 whose heads 72a are embedded in the thickness of said panels.

The two pieces of furniture 50, 51 are joined by the screws 62, here constituted by simple threaded rods which cooperate with the blind nuts 63 and pass through the holes 66 made in the panels.

With a view, in particular, to concealing the joint 60 existing between the panels 52, 53, two profiles 56, 57 have been provided, in the general shape of a T, the median wing 54, 55 of which is engaged between the two panels before tightening the nuts 63, while the transverse wing 58, 59 has a width substantially equal to the thickness of the assembly of the two adjacent panels 52, 53, increased by that of the median wing 54, 55, so as to mask the all of the anterior and posterior (and possibly upper) sections of the panels for a better aesthetic effect. In the drawing, and by convention, the left-hand T-sections are shown in hatching, which will be discussed below, in order to better highlight the outline.

It is clear that, after tightening the screws and nuts 62, 63, the profiles 56, 57 are firmly held in place by the clamping pressure which is exerted on their median wing by means of the side panels 52, 53.

It should be noted that, in order to avoid possible deformation of said side panels, under the tightening pressure of the screws and nuts 62, 63, the holes 66 are drilled so that they come to tangent the extreme edge of the median wings 54, 55 of the profiles.

In the example of fig. 10, in order, on the one hand, to conceal the numerous fixing screw heads 72a, which appear on the panel 65 and, on the other hand, to give the furniture a balanced appearance, an end panel has been provided or finishing panel 64 of the same thickness as the panel 65 and which covers the latter with the interposition of two T-sections, as has been said above. However, the screws 62 here have a countersunk head 62a, embedded in the thickness of the finishing panel. The screws 62 for fixing to said finishing panel may be four in number, distributed at the corners of the panels; however, in the case of tall furniture, it is obvious that other intermediate screws could be provided.

The T sections 57, which interest the rear part of the furniture assembly, have a transverse wing 59 which constitutes one of the wings of a U-shaped gutter, the two end wings 59, 59a of which have two ribs 73 facing each other. one from the other. These ribs are intended for fixing, for example, electrical connection elements such as 67, intended for the supply of electronic devices housed on the shelves of the furniture assembly. The fixing is ensured by pinching the ribs 73 by screws 74 cooperating with square nuts 75 which bear, by one of their sides, against the wings 59, 59a.

For the rest, said U-shaped gutters constitute passage and guide elements for the conducting cables such as 68 which lead to the electrical connection elements 67.

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

R

4 sheets of drawings

Claims (7)

642,525 1. A method of manufacturing a piece of furniture assembly by profiles, characterized in that one constitutes two panels (20, 40) intended to form the side panels of the carcass of the furniture, and at least four cross members intended, two to two and at the same level, to join the panels by their front and rear parts, at least in the vicinity of the upper and lower angles, each of the crosspieces being in the form of a profile (21, 22, 25, 26, 34, 35, 41 to 44) carrying, transversely to one of its faces, a wing (10 to 10) intended to come opposite the wing of the other cross member of the same level in order to support a plate (12, 23, 24, 33, 45,46), each cross member being, with its wing, cut at each end along a plane perpendicular to the direction of its length so as to constitute, in this plane and with said wing, a polygon of support on the corresponding panel and having at each end at least one axial tubular element (7) for a fixing screw (11), in that there are holes in each panel and at the same level, two by two, holes intended to be crossed by the fixing screws, each support polygon coming, after tightening of said screws, carried against the corresponding panel so as to achieve, by this single operation, the overall squaring and cohesion of the carcass of the piece of furniture and in that, finally, said carcass thus formed being in the vertical position, is deposited, by simple gravity on the corresponding transverse wings opposite, the plates previously prepared, and intended at least to close the furniture to its upper and lower parts. 2. Extradited profile for implementing the method according to claim 1, having a tubular main body and at least one longitudinal tubular element of circular interior section substantially C-shaped, characterized in that the tubular element is carried substantially in the axis of a partition (9) connecting two opposite walls (3, 5) of the profile, and intended to receive at each end a screw (11) for fixing on the carcass panels and in that the main body of the profile carries at least one wing (10) projecting transversely to one of its walls (3) and intended to support by gravity a plate, the tubular element and the wing also coming from extrusion with the profile itself even which is cut with said wing at each of its ends in a plane perpendicular to the direction of its length so as to constitute in this plane a support polygon on the corresponding panel. 2 3. Profile according to claim 2, characterized in that the tubular element (7) is disposed substantially in the central part of the cross section of the profile for optimal maintenance of the panel in position perpendicular to the profile. 4. Profile according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of tubular elements (7c) also distributed on either side of the central part of the cross section of the profile. 5. Profile according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that at least one (4d) of the walls transverse to that which carries the support wing (10 to 10) carries at least one groove (17d) coming from extrusion, opening oriented transversely to the support wing and intended to receive, optionally slidingly, a vertical panel element (27) of the cabinet or sliding door (29, 30). 6. Profile according to claim 5, characterized in that the walls (3d, 5d) of the profile (C) are substantially parallel to each other and each constitute one of the walls (14d, 15d) of the groove. '' 7. Furniture obtained by the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two panels (20, 40) forming the side panels of a furniture carcass, at least four sleepers joining the panels, two by two and at same level, by their front and rear parts, at least in the vicinity of the upper and lower corners of the panels, each cross member being in the form of a profile (21,22, 25, 26, 34, 35,41 to 44) bearing, transversely to one of its faces, a wing (10 to 10) facing the wing of the other cross member of the same level, each cross member being, with its wing, cut at each end in a plane perpendicular to the direction of its length and thus constituting, in this plane and with said wing, a support polygon on the corresponding panel and having, at each end, at least one tubular element of axial direction (7) which receives a fixing screw (11) passing through a corresponding hole made in each panel, each support polygon coming, after tightening the screws, carried against the face of the corresponding panels, and a number of plates (23, 24, 33, 45, 46) corresponding to each pair of profiles of the same level, each resting on the corresponding wings of the profiles so as, at least, to close the cabinet to its upper and lower parts respectively.