EP3918165B1 - Flap fitting for furniture - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a flap fitting for a piece of furniture, which has a lever mechanism with a plurality of levers for guiding a flap of the furniture, the lever mechanism being at least partially retracted into a housing of the flap fitting in a closed position.

Flap fittings are used in furniture, for example kitchen furniture and especially wall cupboards, in order to be able to close a furniture body that is usually open at the front with a guided flap. A flap differs from a door in the orientation of its pivot axis, which is vertical for doors and horizontal for flaps. The flap can be one piece or consist of several individual parts, such as a folding flap, in which different parts of the flaps move relative to one another in the course of movement.

To guide doors, door hinges are usually used, which are arranged on the side of the pivot axis between the furniture body and the door. A similar arrangement of hinges can in principle also be used for flaps. However, it is often desired to open the flaps with a combined pivoting and sliding movement in order to obtain the greatest possible access to the interior, for example in the case of a wall cabinet, without the flap having to be pivoted to a horizontal position in which it can be accessed by the user Closing cannot be reached or is difficult to access. For this reason, certain flap fittings have become established which are not arranged along the pivot axis between the furniture body and the flap, but are arranged laterally on (usually both) side areas of the furniture body.

From the publication DE 10 2017 104 169 A1 or the publication WO2018192819 A1 a furniture body with flap fittings is known, which are not placed on a side wall of the furniture body, but which are integrated into the side wall of the furniture body. The flap fittings are characterized, on the one hand, by a very compact, in particular very thin, design and, on the other hand, by the fact that the essentially entire lever mechanism of the flap fitting, which guides the mounted flap, is completely or almost completely inserted into a housing of the flap fitting when the flap fitting is closed enters. As In the context of this application, the closed state of the flap fitting is understood to mean a state in which the opening of the furniture body is closed by a mounted flap.

Such a flap fitting (or a furniture body in which the flap fitting is integrated) is delivered in its closed state. Because the lever mechanism is essentially completely retracted into an opening in the housing of the fitting, there is then the difficulty of moving the lever mechanism of the flap fitting out of the housing in order to be able to mount the flap. The flap fitting often also has an automatic closing mechanism, which pulls the lever mechanism into the closed position under spring force from a certain closing angle. The lever mechanism is then held in the housing with spring force when closed, which makes it even more difficult to move the lever mechanism out. In addition, there is a risk that the lever mechanism will be unintentionally moved out of the housing due to unintentional application of force to the lever mechanism or due to acceleration forces during transport or assembly of the flap fitting. If, in addition to an automatic closing mechanism, the flap fitting is also equipped with an automatic opening mechanism, which moves the lever mechanism into a fully open position when a certain opening angle is exceeded, unintentional extension of the lever mechanism can pose a risk of injury.

From the publication DE 20 2014 103 519 U1 A flap fitting with a locking pin is known, which can be inserted into a housing opening and prevents a lever from being unintentionally moved out. The locking pin itself is locked into the housing so that it does not fall out during transport. The locking pin can be released by manually moving the lever. However, such a securing mechanism is unsuitable for a flap fitting in which the lever mechanism essentially moves into an opening in the housing due to the described difficulty of manually pulling the lever mechanism out of the housing as long as no flap has yet been installed.

The publication GB 1 044 911 A shows a locking device that can be used together with door hinges to close a door guided by the hinges using spring force. The locking device has a pull chain which is attached to an anchor plate on the door. Around the anchor plate To make it easier to install on the door, a fork-like auxiliary tool is described that can be placed on a chain link and blocks the chain from being pulled in.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flap fitting of the type mentioned, the lever mechanism of which can easily be extended manually, even without the flap installed.

This task is solved by a flap fitting of the independent claim. Advantageous refinements and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

A flap fitting according to the invention of the type mentioned at the beginning is characterized in that an auxiliary element is present, which is releasably and pivotably attached to one of the levers of the lever mechanism with a connecting section in order to extend the lever mechanism from the opening by pulling on the auxiliary element.

The auxiliary element thus represents a tool with which the lever mechanism can be easily pulled out of the housing of the flap fitting. By attaching the auxiliary element to one of the levers, preferably the outer lever, a pull can be applied directly to the lever mechanism without the risk of slipping, which exists, for example, if an attempt is made to grab the lever mechanism with pliers or the like . The auxiliary element, as well as the lever mechanism, is preferably arranged within the housing in the delivery state in such a way that it does not protrude beyond the edges of the housing in order not to interfere with installation or transport of the flap fitting. However, due to the pivotable connection to the lever mechanism, the auxiliary element can be easily moved out of the housing in this case - unlike the lever mechanism itself, which is usually subjected to spring force by a locking mechanism. The auxiliary element can be removed due to the releasable connection of the auxiliary element to the lever mechanism as soon as the lever mechanism has been pulled out of the housing and the auxiliary element has fulfilled its function.

It is noted that within the scope of the application, each element surrounding the lever mechanism in the closed state is to be viewed as a housing of the flap fitting. For example, side plates of the flap fitting that are spaced apart and arranged parallel to one another can form its housing. If the flap fitting is integrated into a furniture panel in such a way that its lever mechanism extends from a front opening in the furniture panel, the furniture panel also represents a housing of the flap fitting or is part of the housing of the flap fitting.

In an advantageous embodiment of the flap fitting, the auxiliary element has a locking section which blocks movement of the lever relative to the housing in a locking position. In this way, the auxiliary element takes on additional functions in addition to its function as a pull-out aid Another safety function to prevent the lever mechanism from unintentionally extending. Since the auxiliary element, unlike the securing elements known from the prior art, is not attached to the housing, but is conversely attached to the lever itself, it can block a movement of the lever relative to the housing with a locking section. Unlike the known securing elements, there is the advantage that after the locking relative to the housing has been manually released, the auxiliary element itself, which is then still attached to the lever, can be used as a pull-out aid for the lever and thus the lever mechanism.

In one embodiment, the connecting section can be connected to the locking section in an articulated manner. Preferably, the connecting section and the locking section are aligned substantially parallel to one another in a locking position, with the locking section engaging behind a section of the housing. If the lock is then released, the connecting section and the locking section are aligned transversely to one another in a removal position in which the lever mechanism on the auxiliary element can be extended out of the housing. The connecting section and the locking section preferably lock together in the locking position. This prevents accidental unlocking. For latching purposes, the connecting section or the locking section has a latching mechanism which, for example, comprises a resilient tab with a latching lug.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the flap fitting, there is an unlocking opening for inserting a tool in order to release the locking mechanism. The unlocking opening can, for example, be adjacent to the resilient tab in order to use the tool to move the tab away from a locking partner. Because a tool has to be used, the risk of unintentional unlocking is particularly low. The entire auxiliary element including the locking mechanism can be arranged within the housing by providing the unlocking opening. As an alternative to the unlocking opening into which the tool is inserted, the resilient tab can also be positioned in such a way that the locking can be released directly or indirectly without tools, for example by applying pressure with a finger.

In a further embodiment of the flap fitting, the connecting section has a fork head with which the auxiliary element is converted into a pin-like fastening element is hooked to the lever chain for fastening in the closed position. Such a fastening element is often present on the lever chain in order to hook or snap into a mounting plate on which the flap to be guided is mounted. This fastening element is well suited for pivotally connecting the auxiliary element to the lever chain. The fork head is then preferably designed in such a way that it can be detached from the fastening element by a rotary movement. The twisting motion is different from the pulling motion used to pull the lever chain out of the housing, so there is no risk of the auxiliary member coming loose while the pull is being applied.

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht eines Klappenbeschlags mit einem Hilfselement in einem Auslieferungszustand;

Fig. 2a-2i

eine Darstellung des Klappenbeschlags mit Hilfselement analog zu Fig. 1 in verschiedenen Stadien eines Vorgangs zum Entsichern und Ausfahren des Hebelwerks;

Fig. 3

eine Darstellung des Klappenbeschlags mit Hilfselement analog zu Fig. 1 bei einem Entsichern mit eingefahrenem Hebelwerk;

Fig. 4a

eine isometrische Darstellung eines Hilfselements für einen Klappenbeschlag in einem verriegelten Zustand; und

Fig. 4b

eine isometrische Darstellung eines Hilfselements für einen Klappenbeschlag in einem entriegelten Zustand.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with the help of figures. The figures show:

Fig. 1

a side view of a flap fitting with an auxiliary element in a delivery state;

Figs. 2a-2i

a representation of the flap fitting with auxiliary element analogous to Fig. 1 at various stages of a process for unlocking and extending the lever mechanism;

Fig. 3

a representation of the flap fitting with auxiliary element analogous to Fig. 1 when unlocking with the lever mechanism retracted;

Fig. 4a

an isometric view of an auxiliary element for a flap fitting in a locked state; and

Fig. 4b

an isometric representation of an auxiliary element for a flap fitting in an unlocked state.

In Fig. 1 an embodiment of a flap fitting 10 according to the application is shown in a side view.

In the description, terms such as above, below, left, right, behind or in front refer exclusively to the exemplary representation chosen in the respective figures. The terms front and back usually refer to an opening movement of a guided flap. The front side is a side facing the user.

The flap fitting 10 has a housing 11 with a front opening 12. The housing 11 of the flap fitting 10 is essentially cuboid, with a thickness of the housing in the viewing direction Fig. 1 small compared to the visible dimensions in the drawing plane Fig. 1 is. In this respect, the housing 11 has more of the geometry of a flat plate. In the exemplary embodiment shown, three of the four are in the Fig. 1 visible corners of the housing 11 are rounded and the fourth corner is additionally flattened. This difference serves, among other things, to make it easier to see the orientation of the flap fitting 10 during its manufacture or assembly.

The housing 11 of the flap fitting 10 is here formed from two side plates 13, which are spaced apart from one another by a partially circumferential frame 14 and aligned parallel to one another. The side plates 13 and the frame 14 can be held together, for example, by rivets or screws, not shown here. In the Fig. 1 Invisible components of the flap fitting 10 can also be mounted to the side panels and/or the frame 14 using rivets or other fasteners. Rivets or bolts that pass through both side plates 13 can serve both to hold the housing 11 together and also function as fasteners or axes of rotation for the other components of the flap fitting 10. The side plates 13 are preferably metal sheets and the frame 14 is a plastic injection molded part. However, other material combinations are also possible.

The flap fitting 10 has a lever mechanism 16 which is positioned completely in the housing 11, ie between the side plates 13, in the closed state of the flap fitting 10 shown. The lever mechanism 16 is shown in the illustration Fig. 1 only an outer lever 17 can be partially recognized, in that the side plate 13 facing the viewer is shown partially broken away.

The flap fitting 10 is preferably integrated into a furniture panel, with the front opening 12 of the housing 11 being accessible through a front opening in the furniture panel.

The flap guided by the flap fitting 10 is arranged on the illustrated outer lever 17 of the lever mechanism 16, usually via a mounting plate. When the flap is opened, the lever mechanism 16 moves in a combined manner Sliding and pivoting movement from the housing 11 of the flap fitting 10 in order to guide the flap into an opening state. Analogous to the closed state, the position of the lever mechanism 16 in which an attached flap is completely open is referred to below as the opening state of the flap fitting.

When the flap fitting 10 is delivered, an auxiliary element 20 is connected to the outer lever 17. The auxiliary element 20 is used in connection with the 4a and 4b presented in more detail below. It is constructed in several parts and has a connecting section 21 and a locking section 22, which are pivotally connected to one another about an axis of rotation 23. The axis of rotation 23 lies in an end region of the connecting section 21 and a central region of the locking section 22.

In the operational situation of the auxiliary element 20 in the delivery state of the flap fitting 10, the connecting section 21 and the locking section 22 run essentially parallel to one another, so that the auxiliary element 20 assumes an elongated geometry. In this arrangement of the two sections 21, 22 relative to one another, the auxiliary element 20 is locked by a latching mechanism 221 which is formed at an end region of the locking section 22. It locks with the connecting section 21. An opposite, free end of the locking section 22 extends to the frame 14, specifically the locking section 22 engages behind an undercut 15 of the frame 14.

In the state shown, the stretched auxiliary element 20 represents an extension of the outer lever 17 of the lever mechanism 16. The outer lever 17 has a pin-like fastening element 18 for a mounting element of the flap to be attached. For example, it can be provided that the mounting element is hooked into the fastening element 18 or locked on it. The auxiliary element 20 is also attached to the pin-like fastening element 18, in the present case with a slotted fork head 211 (cf. e.g 4a and 4b ).

By reaching behind the undercut 15, a swinging out movement of the outer lever 17 and thus the lever mechanism 16 is prevented. An unintentional swinging out of the lever mechanism 16 during transport and/or during Mounting, for example due to high acceleration forces, is prevented by the auxiliary element 20 used.

In the Fig. 2a to 2i an unlocking and extension sequence is shown, with which the flap fitting 10 is unlocked and its lever mechanism 16 is extended. The individual partial images of the sequence are each in the type Fig. 1 , i.e. designed as a side view of the partially broken flap fitting 10. For the sake of clarity, the flap fitting 10 is only partially shown. In the Figs. 2a and 2b The auxiliary element 20 is also shown in section in order to make the unlocking process more transparent.

To unlock the auxiliary element 20, first, as in Fig. 2a is shown, a tool 1 is inserted with its tip 2 into an unlocking opening 222 of the locking section 22. In the example shown, a multi-tooth screwdriver is used as tool 1, i.e. a commonly available tool, not a special tool. Other tools with a comparable tip 2, such as a hex wrench, can also be used.

How Fig. 2b shows, the locking mechanism 221 is then released by a tilting movement of the tool 1 and thus also the fixation of the auxiliary element 20 in the stretched geometry. The auxiliary element 20 can then be angled out of the stretched orientation on the axis of rotation 23, as shown in FIG Fig. 2c is shown. From this moment on, tool 1 is no longer needed. Due to the angled position of the locking section 22 relative to the connecting section 21, the end of the locking section 22 is moved out of the area of the undercut 15, whereby the securing of the lever mechanism 16 is removed. This is in the Fig. 2d and 2e shown.

From the in Fig. 2e In the position shown, the lever mechanism 16 can be pulled out of the housing 11 by pulling on the locking section 22, which is now free and outside the side plates 13. When applying a tensile force in the direction of the connecting section 21 in the Fig. 2e the auxiliary element 20 remains connected to the outer lever 17. This is due to the design of a slotted fork head 211 on the connecting section 21 and the pin-like fastening element 18 on the outer lever 17.

How out Fig. 2f As can be seen, unintentional loosening of the connection between the connecting section 21 and the outer lever 17 is not possible in the orientation of the connecting section 21 relative to the outer lever 17 shown. Accordingly, the lever mechanism 16 can be operated safely and safely with the aid of the auxiliary element 20, even against the tensile forces of an automatic closing mechanism of the lever mechanism 16, via a partially open position ( Fig. 2g ) to the fully open position ( Fig. 2h ) can be pulled out. In the Figs. 2g and 2h In addition to the outer lever 17, other levers 19 of the lever mechanism 16 are also visible. Finally, as in Fig. 2i is shown, the auxiliary element 20 can be removed by turning it counterclockwise.

Fig. 3 shows that the auxiliary element 20 can be removed even after unlocking, without first extending the lever mechanism 16 using the auxiliary element 20. To do this, the unlocking sequence is first carried out Fig. 2a to 2e run through. Starting from the in Fig. 2e In the state shown, the auxiliary element 20 is rotated counterclockwise until the fork head 211 can be removed from the pin-like fastening element 18. So that this is possible with the given geometry of the outer lever 17 in the area of the fastening element 18, the fork head 211 is provided with a flattening 213 at a suitable location.

In the 4a and 4b the auxiliary element 20 is shown separately in more detail in an isometric view. Fig. 4a represents the auxiliary element 20 in the stretched, locked geometry. Fig. 4b shows the auxiliary element 20 in the unfolded position, in which the lever mechanism 16 can be extended using the auxiliary element 20.

The locking mechanism 221 can be seen in more detail in the figures. It is formed by a resilient tab 223, at the free end of which a locking lug 224 is formed. In the in Fig. 4a In the stretched and locked state shown, the locking lug 224 matures over a part of the connecting section 21. The locking section 22 is preferably made in one piece from a plastic injection molded part. The resilient tab 223 can be integrally formed. Likewise, the axis of rotation 23 can be formed by projections that are also integrally formed.

The connecting section 21 is preferably made from a sheet metal in a punching and bending process. Its basic structure is U-shaped with a Base and legs, the two legs being perpendicular to the axis of rotation 23. In the stretched and locked state of the auxiliary element 20, the U-shaped connecting section 21 partially surrounds the locking section 22. The locking lug 224 of the locking section 22 engages over an edge of the base of the U-shaped connecting section 21. The clevis 211 is formed in both parallel legs of the connecting section 21. The reference number 212 indicates the already mentioned slots in the fork head 211 4a and 4b marked.

At the end of the locking section 22 opposite the locking mechanism 221, a latch 225 is formed, with which the locking section 22 is positioned behind the undercut 15 of the flap fitting 10 for locking the lever mechanism 16. In order to be able to grip the locking section 22 easily when pulling out the lever mechanism 16, recessed grips 226 are also formed on the back of the locking section 22.

Reference symbols

1

Tool

2

Great

10

Flap fitting

11

Housing

12

front opening

13

Side plate

14

Frame

15

Undercut

16

Lever mechanism

17

external lever

18

fastener

19

another lever

20

Auxiliary element

21

connection section

211

Clevis

212

slot

213

flattening

22

Locking section

221

Latching mechanism

222

Release opening

223

tab

224

detent nose

225

bars

226

recessed grip

23

Axis of rotation

Claims (14)

1. Flap fitting (10) for a piece of furniture, having a lever mechanism (16) comprising a plurality of levers (17, 19) for guiding a flap of the piece of furniture, wherein the lever mechanism (16) is at least partially retracted into a housing (11) of the flap fitting (10) in a closed position, and the lever mechanism (16) of the flap fitting (10) is accessible through a front opening (12) of the housing (11) in the assembled state, characterized in that an auxiliary element (20) is available, which is releasably and pivotably attached to one of the levers (17, 19) of the lever mechanism (16) with a connecting section (21), in which the auxiliary element (20) resembles a tool for extending the lever mechanism (16) out of the opening (12) in a simple manner by pulling the auxiliary element (20).
2. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 1, in which the auxiliary element (20) comprises a locking section (22) that blocks movement of the lever (17, 19) relative to the housing (11) in a locked position.
3. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 2, in which the connecting section (21) is hingedly connected to the locking section (22).
4. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 3, in which the connecting section (21) and the locking section (22) are aligned substantially parallel to each other in a locked position, wherein the locking section (22) engages behind a section of the housing (11).
5. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 3 or 4, in which the connecting section (21) and the locking section (22) are aligned transversely with respect to each other in a removal position in which the lever mechanism (16) on the auxiliary element (20) can be extended from the housing (11).
6. Flap fitting (10) according to one of claims 2 to 5, in which the connecting section (21) and the locking section (22) latch together in the locked position.
7. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 6, in which for latching, the connecting section (21) or the locking section (22) comprises a latching mechanism (221).
8. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 7, in which the latching mechanism (221) comprises a resilient tab (223) having a latching lug (224).
9. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 7 or 8, in which a release opening (222) is provided for insertion of a tool (1) to release the latching.
10. Flap fitting (10) according to claims 8 and 9, in which the release opening (222) is adjacent the resilient tab (223) to move the tab (223) away from a latching partner with the tool (1).
11. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 8, in which the resilient tab (223) is positioned to allow the latching to be released directly or indirectly without the use of a tool.
12. Flap fitting (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11, in which the connecting section (21) comprises a fork head (211) by which the auxiliary element (20) is engaged with a pin-like fastening element (18) on a lever chain of the lever mechanism (16) for fastening in the closed position.
13. Flap fitting (10) according to claim 12, in which the fork head (211) is configured such that it can be disengaged from the fastening element (18) by a rotational movement.
14. Flap fitting (10) according to one of claims 1 to 13, in which the lever to which the auxiliary element (20) is attached is the outer lever (17) of the lever chain (16).

Images