PUSH DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING A PUSH DEVICE

Abstract

A pushing device for furniture or household appliances includes a first pull-out guide and a second pull-out guide, wherein each of the two pull-out guides comprises a stationary guide rail and at least one running rail which is movable relative to the guide rail and a front holder and a rear holder being fixed to each running rail, a base resting on all four holders and being secured against displacement by stops on the holders. A method for assembling a pushing device includes mounting the holders on the running rails and placing a base on each of the holders.

Description

The present invention relates to a pushing device for furniture or household appliances, with a first pull-out guide and a second pull-out guide, wherein each of the two pull=out guides comprises a stationary guide rail and at least one running rail movable relative to the guide rail, and a front holder and a rear holder is fixed to each running rail, and a method for assembling a pushing device.

AT 11 720 U2 discloses a drawer with an adapter for establishing a snap-in connection between a pull-out guide and a drawer. This facilitates the assembly of the drawer on the movable rail of the pull-out guide. The drawer forms a preassembled unit with base, rear panel, front panel and side panels, which are fixed to each other by fastening means. The fasteners are adapted to the geometry of the individual elements of the drawer, and the production of such a drawer is therefore complex and requires a large number of components that are adapted to the respective drawer.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pushing device for furniture or household appliances which is simple in design and easy to assemble. This object is achieved with a pushing device having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 13.

In the pushing device according to the invention, holders are fixed to two pull-out guides, namely one front holder and one rear holder. The pushing device comprises a base that rests on all four holders and is secured against displacement by stops on the holders. Because of this, the base can be mounted easily by placing it loosely on the four holders. Further fastening means for a force-locking fixation are not necessary, so that the base can be placed on the four holders after mounting the pull-out guides. For example, the base can be made of wood, plastic, glass or other materials. The bottom can also be formed as a grate or grid.

Preferably, each holder angularly surrounds a corner of the bottom at the edge. In this way, the floor can be secured against displacement at each corner by one of the holders, whereby the upwardly projecting angular walls on each holder can be arranged with clearance to the edge of the floor in order to compensate for tolerances. In the area of the corner, each holder can optionally be rounded. Further protection against displacement can be provided by the fact that the support on each holder for the floor is made of an elastic or rubberised material.

In a preferred embodiment, a groove-shaped receptacle is formed on each holder for inserting a lower end section of a side wall. This allows the two side panels to be easily assembled by inserting them into a groove-shaped receptacle on the front holder and into a groove-shaped receptacle on the rear holder. Furthermore, each holder may have a further groove-shaped receptacle, preferably aligned at right angles thereto, for insertion of a lower end portion of a rear wall or a front panel. This allows fixing to each holder by inserting plate-shaped wall elements, such as a side wall, a rear wall and/or a front panel. The depth of the groove-shaped receptacles can be the same or different, for example, a deeper groove-shaped receptacle can be formed for the side walls, which extends at least partially adjacent to the running rail.

For an effective manufacture, the holders can be manufactured as moulded parts made of plastic so that they can be easily mounted on the movable track and then form a support for the base. To fix a holder, a plug can be provided which is inserted into a hollow chamber on the running rail. The plug can be positively or non-positively fixed to the rail. Alternatively or additionally, a hook can protrude from each track to fix one of the holders. The holder can then be placed on the hook in order to be fixed in a clamping or form-fitting manner.

In a preferred embodiment, the pushing device comprises two side walls, a rear wall and a front panel, which surround the floor in a frame-like manner. A rear end of a side wall and an end of a rear wall can be fixed to each rear holder, while an end of a front panel and a front end of the side wall are fixed to each front holder. The side walls, the rear wall and/or the front panel can be made of a plate-shaped material. Various materials are conceivable, such as transparent or non-transparent plastic, glass, wood or composite materials, but also bent aluminium or steel sheet. Different materials or colours can also be combined in a pushing element. It is also easy to equip the drawer unit with light, for example an LED strip, lettering or decorations. In this way, a very individual push element can be realised. A box-shaped drawer element with transparent surface elements is particularly suitable for household appliances, such as refrigerators, as the contents of the drawer can then be viewed from the outside. An arrangement of corresponding drawer elements in a piece of furniture, also behind a pull-out with a high front panel, as an internal drawer or behind hinged doors can also be a preferred application.

In order to increase stability when forming a drawer, the side walls can be connected to the front panel by means of an upper corner element which is pushed on from above so that an upper end of the side wall and an upper end of the front panel are held in an angular groove-shaped receptacle of the corner element. Similarly, a corner element can also be fixed in the rear area between the rear panel and a side panel by plugging it on, which fixes the position of the rear panel to the side panel. This upper corner element can further have a surface element extending to the lower holder, which preferably covers the gap between the front and the side wall, or the rear and side wall.

In a further embodiment of the pushing device, a projection is formed on the front or rear holder, which can be brought into engagement with a movable driver of, for example, a self-closing device or a damper or an ejector or a combination thereof. Thus, in addition to forming a support for the floor and a possible support for a side wall, a rear wall and/or a front panel, a holder can also be used to couple the movable running rail with a stationary self-closing device or damper or, for example, to bias or decelerate or lock the movable running rail in the closing direction shortly before reaching the closed position.

In a method of assembling a pushing device according to the invention, a front holder is first mounted on a front end of a movable track of a first pull-out guide and a rear holder is mounted on the rear end of the track of the first pull-out guide. Further, a front holder and a rear holder are mounted to the movable track of a second drawer runner. The two pull-out guides are then fixed to a body of a piece of furniture or household appliance, and then a base is placed on the four holders at the mounted pull-out guides. The base is then supported on the four holders and can be covered with objects.

To form a drawer, a side panel can then be inserted into an upwardly open, groove-shaped receptacle on each holder, and in addition a rear wall or a front panel can be inserted into a further upwardly open receptacle. This frame-shaped structure with the front panel, the two side panels and the rear wall can then be secured by corner elements, each of which is fitted in a corner area from above onto a side wall and a rear wall or front panel. This allows a drawer to be made with only a few components.

In a preferred embodiment, the two runners can be locked in an extended position to allow simplified assembly of the base, side walls, front and rear walls.

The invention is explained in more detail below by means of several embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

FIG. 1 A perspective view of a household appliance with pushers;

FIGS. 2A to 2D Several views during the assembly of a thrust device according to the invention;

FIG. 3 A perspective view of an extension guide for a thrust device;

FIG. 4 A view of the mounting of a holder on the pull-out guide of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5A and 5B Two detailed views of a pull-out guide in the area of the rear holder;

FIGS. 6A to 6C Several detailed views of a pull-out guide in the area of a front holder;

FIG. 7A sectional view through a holder with a side wall;

FIG. 8A perspective view of a modified thruster;

FIGS. 9A and 9B Two views of a holder of the pusher of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 10A perspective view of a piece of furniture with pushers.

A household appliance 1, in particular a refrigerator, comprises a body 2 on which a door 3 is pivotably mounted. A plurality of pushing devices 4 are arranged in an interior space of the body 2, which can be pulled out from a position inside the body 2 into a projecting position.

The pushing device 4 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2A to 2D. Each pushing device 4 comprises two pull-out guides 5, which have a stationary guide rail 6 that can be fixed to the body 2 via elbows 8. A movable running rail 7 is held on the stationary guide rail 6, which can be moved completely or partially in front of the body 2.

A front holder 9 and a rear holder 10 are fixed to each movable running rail 7 of the two pull-out guides 5.

The pushing device 4 further comprises a base 11, two side walls 12, a front panel 13 and a rear wall 14, which are designed in the shape of a plate and consist for example of a transparent material, in particular plastic. It is also possible to make only the front panel 13 transparent, so that when the door 3 is opened the contents of the drawer 4 are visible. Other materials such as glass, wood or composite materials for the front panel 13, rear wall 14 or side walls 12 are also conceivable, whereby different materials can also be combined in a drawer.

For the assembly of the pushing device 4, the ends of a side panel 12 on a rear holder 10 and a front holder 9 are inserted into a receptacle open towards the top. Furthermore, the two front holders 9 are connected to each other via the front panel 13 and the two rear holders 10 via the rear wall 14, preferably by inserting the front panel 13 and the rear wall 14 from above (see FIG. 2B). Furthermore, the base 11 is placed on the two front holders 9 and the two rear holders 10 on a support so that the position shown in FIG. 2C is obtained. In this position, the pushing device 4 comprises a box-shaped receptacle and objects can be placed on the base 11. In order to increase the stability of the side walls 12, the front panel 13 and the rear wall 14, additional corner elements 15 can be fitted, which are angular in shape and are each fitted from above onto a corner area between the side walls 12 and the rear wall 14 or the side panels and the front panel 13. The drawer formed in this way can be made with few components and assembly steps. The height and material of the side walls 12, the rear wall 14 and the front panel 13 can be selected flexibly.

FIG. 3 shows one of the two pull-out guides 5 with the front holder 9 and the rear holder 10. The other pull-out guide 5 is a mirror image and is fixed to the opposite side wall of the body 2.

The pull-out guide 5 comprises the stationary guide rail 6, the movable running rail 7 and a pull-out-extending middle rail 60 disposed between the guide rail 6 and the running rail 7. The front holder 9 and the rear holder 10 each form a support 16 formed by a ribbed structure, a plate or other shape for supporting a corner portion of the base 11. A surface of the support 16 may also be rubberised or provided with a resilient material to make it difficult for the base 11 to move.

The rear holder 10 comprises a groove-shaped receptacle 17 which extends in the longitudinal direction parallel to the running rail 7 and serves to receive a lower, rear end of a side wall 12. Another groove-shaped receptacle 18 is arranged at an angle to this and is used for inserting one end of a rear wall 14. The depths of the groove-shaped receptacles 17 and 18 can be different, in particular the groove-shaped receptacle 17 for the side wall 12 can be designed deeper than the groove-shaped receptacle 18 for receiving the rear wall 14. The respective outer groove walls on the groove-shaped receptacle 17 and the groove-shaped receptacle 18 are designed higher than the shelf 16 and can thus limit pivoting of the side wall 12 and the rear wall 14 and optionally also limit displacement of the base 11 in the horizontal direction if the holders 9 and 10 are mounted without side walls 12, front panel 13 and rear wall 14.

The front holder 9 comprises a groove-shaped receptacle 19 extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the running rail 7 for inserting an end of the front panel 13. A further groove-shaped receptacle 17 is also formed on the front holder 9 for inserting a front end of the side wall 12.

A self-closing device 20 is also provided on the pull-out guide 5 in the area of the front holder 9, which comprises a housing 21 fixed to the guide rail 6, on which a movable driver 22 can be moved along a guide rail. The driver 22 is biased into a closed position via a spring and optionally also a damper within a cartridge 23. The driver 22 is thereby engaged in a closing area in front of the closing position with a projection 24, which is integrally formed with the holder 9, but can also be fixed thereto by fastening means. When the running rail 7 is moved in the opening direction, the driver 22 is moved along the guide track until it swivels and thus releases the projection 24, so that the running rail 7 can be moved independently of the self-closing device 20.

FIG. 4 shows the rear holder 10 in a dismantled position. It can be seen that a hook 70 protruding upwards is formed on the running rail 7, which serves to fix the rear holder 10.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the rear holder 10 in detail. The upwardly projecting hook 70 engages over a web 71 of the rear holder 10 so that the latter is clamped or positively fixed between an upper side of the track 7 and the hook 70. The hook 70 is also received between two webs 72 which limit lateral movement of the holder 10 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the running rail 7. This allows the holder 10 to be slid onto the hook 70 on the track 7 in a rearward direction.

FIGS. 6A to 6C show the front holder 9 and its assembly. The front holder 9 is fixed at a front end to the running rail 7 and comprises a plug 30 which is inserted into a hollow chamber of the running rail 7. The plug 30 can be fixed in a clamping or form-fitting manner via a web 31 in order to make it more difficult to dismantle the holder 9. Optionally, the front holder 9 can be additionally fixed to the running rail 7 via a screw 32.

In FIG. 6C the projection 24 is shown with an angled bar-shaped activator 25 which engages in a receptacle on the driver 22 and is thus movable together with the latter: the driver 22 is movable along a guide track 26 on the housing 21 of the self-closing device 20.

FIG. 7 shows a section through a side wall 12 which is fixed to a groove-shaped receptacle 17. The width of the groove-shaped receptacle 17 can be approximately the same as the thickness of the side wall 12. Optionally, it is also possible to insert an elastic element 40 into the groove-shaped receptacle 17, which surrounds a lower edge of the side wall 12 in a U-shape. This allows the side wall 12 to be clamped in the groove-shaped receptacle 17.

FIG. 8 shows a modified pushing device in which two pull-out guides 5 are provided, which are designed essentially as in the previous embodiment and to which a front holder 9′ and a rear holder 10′ are respectively fixed to the movable running rail 7. The pushing device comprises a modified base 11′ which is not plate-shaped, but is formed as a grid, for example for inserting wine bottles or for storing other objects. This modified base 11′ rests in the corner area on one of the holders 9′ and 10′ respectively and is secured against horizontal displacement by the holders 9′ and 10′.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a front holder 9′, whereby the rear holder 10′ can optionally be of identical design. The front holder 9′ comprises a groove-shaped receptacle 19 for fixing a front panel and a further groove-shaped receptacle 17 aligned at an angle thereto for inserting a side wall 12. Furthermore, a horizontal support 16′ is provided on the holder 9′ for supporting a corner region of the base 11′. The support 16′ is arranged slightly lower, so that the walls of the groove-shaped receptacles 17 and 19 are arranged higher than the support 16′ and thus limit a displacement of the base 11′ in the horizontal plane. The front holder 9′ further comprises a downwardly projecting fastening part 50 on which fastening means 51 are mounted to fix the holder 9′ to the running rail 7.

In the embodiment example shown, the holders 9, 9′, 10, 10′ are manufactured as moulded parts made of plastic, which can optionally also comprise two different plastic materials. The attachment of the holders 9, 9′, 10, 10′ to the movable running rail 7 can be varied. For example, the front holder 9 can also be fixed to the running rail 7 by means of a hook 70 or the rear holder 10 is mounted by means of a plug which is inserted into a hollow chamber of the running rail 7. In addition, the design of the bottom 11 and 11′ can be varied depending on which objects are to be stored on the push device 4.

The supports 16 and 16′ on the holders 9, 9′, 10, 10′ can be arranged above the upper side of the running rail 7 as well as on an inner side of the running rail 7 and below the upper side.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a piece of furniture 100 or household appliance with a body 200 and a drawer 300 with a high front panel 301. Above the drawer 300, several pushing devices 4 according to the invention are mounted, which are designed, for example, as internal drawers.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

• • 1 Household appliance
  • 2 Body
  • 3 Door
  • 4 Pushing device
  • 5 Pull-out guide
  • 6 Guide rail
  • 7 Running rail
  • 8 Elbow
  • 9, 9′ Holder
  • 10′ Holder
  • 11, 11′ Base
  • 12 Side wall
  • 13 Front panel
  • 14 Rear wall
  • 15 Corner element
  • 16, 16′ Shelf
  • 17 Receptable
  • 18 Receptable
  • 19 Receptable
  • 20 Self closing device
  • 21 Housing
  • 22 Driver
  • 23 Cartridge
  • 24 Projection
  • 25 Activator
  • 26 Guide track
  • 30 Plugs
  • 31 Web
  • 32 Screw
  • 40 Elastic element
  • 50 Fixing part
  • 51 Fixing means
  • 60 Middle rail
  • 70 Hook
  • 71 Web
  • 72 Web
  • 100 Furniture
  • 200 Body
  • 300 Drawer
  • 301 Front panel

Claims

1. A pushing device (4) for furniture (100) or household appliances (1), comprising a first pull-out guide (5) and a second pull-out guide (5), wherein each of the first and second pull-out guides (5) comprises a stationary guide rail (6) and at least one running rail (7) which is configured to be moved relative to the guide rail (6), and a front holder (9, 9′) and a rear holder (10, 10′) being fixed to each running rail (7), wherein a base (11, 11′) rests on all of the front and rear holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′) and is secured against displacement by stops on the holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′).

2. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein each holder (9, 9′, 10, 10′) surrounds a corner of the base (11, 11′) at an edge in an angular manner.

3. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein a groove-shaped receptacle (17) is formed on each holder (9, 9′, 10, 10′) for the insertion of a lower end portion of a side wall (12).

4. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein a groove-shaped receptacle (18, 19) is provided on each holder (9, 9′, 10, 10′) and is configured for the insertion of a lower end portion of a rear wall (14) or a front panel (13).

5. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein the holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′) are produced as moulded parts from plastic.

6. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein each front and/or rear holder (9, 9′, 10, 10′) comprises a plug (30) inserted into a hollow chamber on the running rail (7).

7. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein a hook (70) projects from each running rail (7), to which one of the front and/or rear holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′) is fixed.

8. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein a rear end of a side wall (12) and an end portion of a rear wall (14) are fixed to each rear holder (10, 10′) and/or a front end of a side wall (12) and an end of a front panel (13) are fixed to each front holder (9, 9′).

9. The pushing device according to claim 8, wherein the side walls (12), the rear wall (14) and/or the front panel (13) are made of a transparent plate-shaped material.

10. The pushing device according to claim 8, wherein each side wall (12) is connected to a front panel (13) via a corner element (15) which is fitted from above.

11. The pushing device according to claim 8, wherein each side wall (12) is connected to a rear wall (14) via a corner element (15) fitted from above.

12. The pushing device according to claim 1, wherein a projection (24) is formed on one of the front or rear holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′), which projection is configured to be brought into engagement with a movable driver (22) of a self-closing device (20).

13. A method of assembling a pushing device (4) comprising the following steps:

a) Mounting of a front holder (9, 9′) on a front end of a movable runner (7) of a first pull-out guide (5);

b) Mounting of a rear holder (10, 10′) on a rear end of a movable runner (7) of the first pull-out guide (5);

c) Repeating steps a) and b) for a second pull-out guide (5);

d) Mounting the two pull-out guides (5) on a carcass (2) of a piece of furniture or a household appliance (1), and

e) Placing a base (11, 11′) on the four holders (9, 9′, 10, 10′).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein on each holder (9, 10) a side wall (12) is inserted into an upwardly open groove-shaped receptacle (17) and on each rear holder (10) a rear wall (14) and on each front holder (9) a front panel (13) is inserted into an upwardly open groove-shaped receptacle (18, 19).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a corner element (15) is plugged onto each corner of a unit formed by side walls (12), the rear wall (14) and the front panel (13).