Connecting device and drawer having a connecting device

Abstract

The invention proposes a device for connecting wall elements of a drawer, wherein the wall elements, in the connected state, form at least part of a wall of the drawer, and wherein the drawer wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall and/or at least one side wall. According to the invention, a plate-like connecting adapter with engagement means is provided for connecting the wall elements which are to be connected, the engagement means interacting, for connecting purposes, both with an end side of a first wall element which is to be connected and with a main side of a second wall element which is to be connected, wherein the connecting adapter, in its main direction of extent, butts against the end side and the main side.

Claims

1. A drawer wall element connecting device comprising: a substantially plate shaped connecting adapter configured to connect drawer wall elements comprising: a base plate comprising at least a front surface and an opposing back surface; engagement means on the back surface of the base plate configured to connect the base plate to the drawer wall elements which are to be connected, the back surface of the base plate in a main direction of extent is configured to abut against and be directly connected to an end surface of a side drawer wall element and an outer main surface of one of a front wall and a rear wall of the drawer in a single plane; and an adjustment mechanism attached to the front surface of the base plate so as to be fixed in a lateral direction and displaceable in at least one of a transverse direction and a vertical direction relative to the base plate of the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter; wherein the adjustment mechanism further comprises a mount on a bottom portion of the adjustment mechanism that is configured to engage a movement rail; and wherein the engagement means extend from the back surface of the base plate in a direction perpendicular to the main direction of extent of the back surface of the base plate.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism adjusts a position of the drawer relative to a guide unit in a state in which the drawer is accommodated on a basic structure in a movable manner via the guide unit.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter is designed for connecting the drawer wall elements consisting of profile material.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter is designed for connecting the drawer wall elements in a drawer corner region formed by the drawer wall elements which are to be connected.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engagement means are accommodated on the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter in a shiftable manner in order for it to be possible to fix the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter in different fitting positions on the drawer wall elements which are to be connected.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engagement means comprise plug-on means for loosely retaining the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter on counterpart portions of the drawer wall elements which are to be connected.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substantially plate shaped connecting adapter is configured as a separate part and the adjustment mechanism further comprises an actuator, which can be moved linearly on the base plate.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the adjustment mechanism has an eccentric arrangement by means of which different adjustment positions of the adjustment mechanism can be established.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism further comprises an actuator that is adjusted by manually actuating a movably mounted actuating element.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein manually actuating the movably mounted actuating element does not use any tools.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism further comprises a self-locking mechanism for securing an adjusted position of the actuator.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a prepared anchoring portion with an engagement portion, in which the engagement means can be anchored, is present in each case on the drawer wall elements which are to be connected, wherein, with the drawer wall elements oriented correctly for connection, the engagement portions extend in a common direction.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the back surface of the base plate further comprises at least one abutment crosspiece that extends one of along an edge of the back surface and across a portion of the back surface of the base plate.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front surface of the base plate further comprises at least one accommodating crosspiece for attaching the adjustment mechanism to the base plate.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the base plate further comprises a slot extending through the base plate that is positioned to enable a pin of the adjustment mechanism to pass through when the adjustment mechanism is attached to the at least one accommodating crosspiece, the pin being secured in the slot by a locking device on the back surface of the base plate to secure the adjustment mechanism to the front surface of the base plate.

16. The drawer wall element connecting device in claim 15, wherein the base plate further comprises a plurality of double holes at positions offset from one another to enable the connecting device to be adjusted in the vertical direction when connected to the wall elements.

17. The drawer wall element connecting device in claim 15, wherein the pin secured in the slot enables the connecting device to be adjustable in a horizontal direction when connected to the wall element.

18. The drawer wall element connecting device in claim 16, wherein each screw inserted into one of the plurality of double holes engages in an anchoring portion on one of the connected wall elements.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and features of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment according to the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective front view of a base plate of a connecting adapter according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the connecting adapter from FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective front view of the base plate according to FIGS. 1 and 2 with an actuator arranged thereon;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective partial view of a corner region of a drawer according to the invention, the corner region being connected via a connecting adapter according to the invention; and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a further perspective view of the arrangement according to FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) A connecting adapter according to the invention designed as an adjustment adapter 1 serves for connecting a side wall 18 to a rear wall 19 of a drawer.

(9) FIGS. 3 and 4 show perspective front and rear views solely of the adjustment adapter 1. The adjustment adapter 1, here consisting of plastics material, comprises a base plate 2 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) with a front side 2a and a rear side 2b, which, with the adjustment adapter 1 in the fitted state, is directed toward the wall elements 18, 19 which are to be connected. The rear side 2b of the adjustment adapter 1 is provided, for lightweight construction and/or for stiffening purposes, with abutment crosspieces 2c, which are present along the peripheries and are guided inward in some places.

(10) On the front side 2a of the base plate 2, an adjustment part 3 is accommodated in a displaceable manner, for example for displacement by the extent a or by a few millimeters, in this case by about 5 millimeters in accordance with double arrow P1 (FIG. 3), the adjustment part serving to adjust a position of a drawer relative to a guide unit (not shown), via which the drawer can be fastened on a basic furniture structure.

(11) In order for the adjustment part 3 to be fitted correctly, and retained, on the base plate 2, the latter has, provided on its front side, two accommodating crosspieces 4 and 5, between which the adjustment part 3 is fixed in the lateral direction and can be displaced transversely thereto and upward and downward relative to the base plate 2 in accordance with the double arrow P1. On the adjustment adapter 1, a pin 6 of the adjustment part 3 engages through a slot 7 in the base plate 2. The pin 6 is secured on the rear side 2b, via a locking washer 8, against slipping out of the slot 7. Via the pin 6, an adjustment lever 9 is mounted on the base plate 2 such that it can be rotated eccentrically through 180 degrees. The adjustment lever 9 has a ribbed gripping contour 10 with three curved portions for manual operation of the adjustment lever 9, and therefore the adjustment lever 9 can be pivoted in relation to the base plate 2 in accordance with the double arrow P2 (FIG. 3). The pivoting movement is coupled to an adjustment of the adjustment part 3 in accordance with the double arrow P1, which takes place with the displacement of the pin 6 along the slot 7. FIG. 3 shows the adjustment part 3 in the position in which it has been displaced upward as far as possible.

(12) A bearing support 11 and, above it, an opening 3a are present on the adjustment part 3, it being possible for a bent-over retaining nose at a rear end of a movement rail of the guide unit (not illustrated) to engage in the opening in order to connect the movement rail on the drawer. If the adjustment part 3 is displaced, for example, downward, by virtue of the adjustment lever 9 being pivoted in the counterclockwise direction out of the position shown, it is possible for the relevant drawer to be raised relative to the movement rail. The movement rail here has a downwardly open U-shaped groove of a mount 12 at the bottom of the adjustment part 3 engaging over it at the top and laterally in each case.

(13) In order to secure the adjustment lever 9 or the adjustment part 3 in an adjusted position, a somewhat resiliently movable latching nose (not visible) on the adjustment lever 9 engages in one of a plurality of identical spaced-apart latching-in depressions of a latching profile 3b on the adjustment part 3.

(14) In order to fix the base plate 2 or the adjustment adapter 1 on the wall elements which are to be connected, double holes 13 to 17 are provided on the adjustment adapter 1. Engagement or fixing means, not illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, for example screws, can be guided through the double holes 13 to 17 from the front side 2a and anchored in the wall elements. The double holes 13 to 17 each allow two plug-in positions for the engagement means, these positions being offset slightly in the direction of a heightwise dimension of the wall elements.

(15) FIGS. 5 and 6 show the adjustment adapter 1 according to FIGS. 3 and 4 in the connecting state, fitted on the side wall 18 and the rear wall 19. Also illustrated here are the engagement means, which comprise recessed-head screws 20 to 24 for fixing and connecting the wall elements 18 and 19.

(16) The adjustment adapter 1, on the rear side 2b, also has fixed, projecting engagement means which are oriented perpendicularly to the rear side and have plug-in noses 25, 26 and 27, 28. Further engagement means above and beneath the plug-in noses 25 to 28 will not be explained in any more detail, but likewise serve for arranging the adjustment adapter 1 correctly on the wall elements which are to be connected or, in the example shown, on the wall element 19. The plug-in noses 25 to 28 engage in an anchoring portion 29 which is designed to match the plug-in noses 25 to 28 and extends in the longitudinal direction on the rear side of the rear wall 19.

(17) Further anchoring portions 30 and 31 are located further up the rear side of the rear wall 19, and run along the rear wall 19 approximately centrally and at the upper periphery.

(18) All the anchoring portions 29 to 31 have, over the entire width of the rear wall 19, at least one continuous or uninterrupted U-shaped groove and two parallel portions projecting in a crosspiece-like manner. The anchoring portion 29 comprises three crosspiece-like protrusions with a relatively narrow U-shaped groove with ribbing, which, in particular, is also suitable for allowing anchoring by virtue of a screw being screwed in, and with a further, wider U-shaped groove present therebeneath.

(19) In the connected state according to FIGS. 5 and 6, the recessed-head screw 20 engages in the anchoring portion 29, the recessed-head screw 23 engages in the anchoring portion 30 and the recessed-head screw 24 engages in the anchoring portion 31 in the rear wall 19, in each case in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the anchoring portions 29, 30 and 31.

(20) The recessed-head screws 21 and 22 engage in corresponding anchoring portions 32 and 33 (FIG. 5) in the side wall 18, but in the direction of a longitudinal extent of the anchoring portions 32 and 33.

(21) A base element 34 of the drawer is also provided, the base element butting against a right-angled shoulder 35 of the rear wall 19. Connecting elements or connecting screws for fixing the base element 34 on the rear wall 19 are not illustrated. Such fastening screws engage through the base element into a further anchoring portion 36 on the rear wall 19. The anchoring portion 36 is likewise designed as a U-shaped groove with two parallel crosspieces over the entire width of the rear wall 19. The U-shaped groove of the anchoring portion 36, however, is oriented differently to the anchoring portions 29 to 31, in this case being rotated downward through 90 degrees or being open in the downward direction.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

(22) 1 Adjustment adapter 2 Base plate 2a Front side 2b Rear side 2c Abutment crosspiece 3 Adjustment part 3a Opening 3b Latching profile 4 Accommodating crosspiece 5 Accommodating crosspiece 6 Pin 7 Slot 8 Locking washer 9 Adjustment lever 10 Engagement contour 11 Bearing support 12 Mount 13-17 Double hole 18 Side wall 19 Rear wall 20-24 Recessed-head screw 25,26 Plug-in nose 27,28 Plug-in nose 29-33 Anchoring portion 34 Base element 35 Shoulder 36 Anchoring portion