AU2011278470B2

AU2011278470B2 - Drawer having two side panels and a rear wall

Info

Publication number: AU2011278470B2
Application number: AU2011278470A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Guido Babucke-Runte; Thomas Franke; Roman Herzog; Andreas Kathler; Guido Limberg; Rolf Mertes; Bernd Meyer; Helmut Meyer; Dennis Michelswirth; Nils Rosentreter; Anke Rothe-Wesemann; Andreas Stuffel
Original assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2010-07-16
Filing date: 2011-07-08
Publication date: 2015-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2031-07-08
Also published as: KR20130097726A; JP2013535243A; WO2012007371A1; AU2011278470A1; CN103025202A; EP2592965A1; JP5810454B2; RU2013105666A; CN103025202B; ES2533360T3; EP2592965B1; RU2540884C2; DE102010036461A1; KR101810053B1; TW201208609A

Abstract

A drawer (1) having two side panels (5) and a rear wall (4), wherein the rear wall (4) is fixed in relation to the side panels (5) by latching means and can be moved to a latching position only by being shifted in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer (1), is formed such that the latching means comprise spring-loaded latching pegs (6), which are arranged in pairs on the side panels (5) and run parallel to the rear wall (4), and also latching notches (7, 7a), which receive the latching pegs (6), in boundary webs (8) of the rear wall (4) which run parallel to the side panels (5), wherein each pair of latching pegs (6) is spring-loaded transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawer (1) and the boundary webs (8) are provided with guide sections (9) by means of which the latching pegs (6) can be moved into the latching notches (7, 7a) against the spring force.

Description

- 1 A DRAWER WITH TWO SIDE PANELS AND A REAR WALL The present invention relates to a drawer with two side panels and a rear wall, with the rear wall being fixed in relation to the side panels by latching means and being 5 movable to a latching position only by a displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer. Drawers of this kind are known. 10 The present invention seeks to provide such a drawer which is characterized by a simple device for latching the rear wall which can be produced at low cost, which also especially includes the possibility to optionally enable the detachment of the rear wall from the drawer again. 15 This may be achieved in accordance with embodiments of the invention wherein latching means comprises spring-loaded latching pins which are arranged in pairs on the side panels and extend parallel to the rear wall, and latching notches which receive the latching pins and are disposed in boundary webs of the rear wall which extend parallel to the side panels, with each pair of latching pins being spring-loaded 20 transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer and the boundary webs being provided with guide sections by means of which the latching pins can be transferred to the latching notches against the spring action. Thus, in a first aspect there is provided a drawer with two side panels and at least 25 one rear wall, with the rear wall being fixed in relation to the side panels by latching means and being movable to a latching position only by displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer, wherein the latching means comprises spring loaded latching pins which are arranged in pairs on the side panels and extend parallel to the rear wall, and latching notches which receive the latching pins and are 30 disposed in boundary webs of the rear wall which extend parallel to the side panels, with each pair of latching pins being spring-loaded transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer and the boundary webs being provided with guide sections by 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -2 means of which the latching pins can be transferred to the latching notches against the action of the spring. The latching means may consist of simple components that can be produced at low 5 cost, which nevertheless ensure smooth and secure latching of the rear wall relative to the drawer by simple displacement of the rear wall in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer. Furthermore, the rear wall can easily be removed from the drawer again, such that the latching pins are moved out of the latching notches by means of a respective apparatus for example and thereafter the rear wall 10 can be removed from the drawer. Further features of embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of dependent claims. 15 Embodiments of the invention are shown in the enclosed drawings and will be described below in closer detail, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a partial view of the rear end of a side panel of a drawer in accordance with an embodiment of the invention with a rear wall that has not yet been 20 incidentally connected with the drawer; Fig. 2 shows a partial view corresponding to Fig. 1 in respect of a rear wall incidentally connected with the drawer; 25 Fig. 3 shows a perspective partial view of the rear end region of a drawer as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a drawer with a rear wall according to Figs. 1 to 3; 30 Fig. 5 shows a partial view corresponding to Fig. 1 according to a further embodiment of the invention; 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -3 Fig. 6 shows a partial view corresponding to Fig. 5 in a rear wall incidentally connected with the drawer; Fig. 7 shows a perspective partial view of the rear end region of a drawer shown in 5 Figs. 5 and 6; Fig. 8 shows a partial view of the rear end of a side panel of a drawer with a rear wall not yet incidentally connected with the drawer, according to a further embodiment of the invention; 10 Fig. 9 shows a partial view corresponding to Fig. 8 in respect of a rear wall incidentally connected with the drawer; Fig. 10 shows a perspective partial view of the rear end region of a drawer as shown 15 in Figs. 8 and 9; The drawer which is shown in Fig. 4 and designated in its entirety with reference numeral 1 comprises in the known manner a base 2, a front panel 3, a rear wall 4 and two side panels 5. 20 As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the rear wall 4 is connected with the side panels 5 of the drawer 1 by latching means, the configuration and functionality of which will be described below in closer detail. The essential criterion is that the connection between the rear wall 4 and the side panels 5 of the drawer 1 is only possible by 25 displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer 1. The latching means consist in detail of spring-loaded latching pins 6 which are arranged in pairs on the side panels 5 and extend parallel to the rear wall 4, and of latching notches 7 which are disposed in boundary webs 8 of the rear wall 4 which 30 extend parallel to the side panels 5. The latching pins 6 are spring-loaded transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer 1 and facing one another. The boundary webs 8 are provided with guide 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -4 sections 9 which taper conically towards the front side of the drawer 1, and by means of which the spring-loaded latching pins 6 can be spread apart against spring action during the displacement of the rear wall 4 in the direction of the front side of the drawer 1 and can be transferred into the latching notches 7. 5 As is shown especially in Fig. 3, the free ends of the latching pins 6 protrude beyond the boundary webs 8, so that the possibility is provided to also spread the latching pins 6 apart again against the spring action which provides a load onto said pins and to incidentally enable the severing of the rear wall 4 from the drawer 1. 10 An especially advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the latching pins 6 are arranged on the free ends of a shaped spring 10, with said shaped spring 10 having an approximately V-shaped configuration, as is shown in particular detail in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. 15 The shaped springs 10 on the two side panels 5 are captively fixed by means of bearing parts 11 to the side panels 5. The embodiment of the invention according to Figs. 5 to 7 substantially differs from 20 the embodiment as described above in such a way that the latching pins 6 engage in latching notches 7 which are arranged in an inclined manner in relation to the rear wall 4, which is shown in particular detail in Fig. 5. The latching notches 7 are delimited by obliquely extending flanks 7a as seen towards the side of the side panel 5, said flanks 7a respectively extending in an inclined manner in relation to the rear 25 wall 4 in such a way that the distance of said flanks 7a as seen towards the rear wall 4 will increase with increasing depth of the latching notches 7. The latching pins 6 resting on the flanks 7a can therefore tightly pull the rear wall 4 towards the side panels 5 in the mounted state by overcoming production tolerances. 30 There is a further difference of the embodiment according to Figs. 5 to 7 from the embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 4 in that the latching pins 6 rest on a shoulder 12 of a stepped guide groove 13 in a pre-mounting position and assume a position in 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -5 which they can securely be grasped by the beveled activator surfaces 14. Sections 9 do not come into contact with the spring ends of the shaped spring 10. The oblique progression of the latching notches 7 provides good tolerance 5 compensation when tightly pulling the rear wall 4 in the direction of the lateral panels 5, so that a play-free contact of the rear wall 4 in the fixing position is ensured in virtually every case. In the constructions according to Figs. 1 to 7, the shaped spring 10 is arranged in 10 such a way that the latching pins 6 are loaded by forces when facing each other. Deviating from this configuration, a shaped spring 10 is chosen in the embodiment according to Figs. 8 to 10 by means of which the latching pins 6 are spring-loaded to strive apart. As a result, the guide sections 9 of the boundary webs 8 are provided 15 with a configuration that expands conically in the direction of the front side of the drawer 1, so that the latching pins 6 can be compressed by said guide sections 9 and can be transferred into the latching notches 7 which also extend obliquely in this case too. The latching pins 6 will then rest on the side flanks 7a which delimit the latching notches 7 as seen towards the side panels 5 and are able to pull the rear 20 wall 4 tightly towards the lateral panels 5, with optimal tolerance compensation being enabled. As is shown in particular detail in Fig. 8, the latching pins 6 rest in a non-mounting position on a shoulder 12 of guide grooves 13 and are secured in such a non 25 mounting position or transport position against inadvertently reaching into the guide grooves 13. The latching pins 6 will be compressed further only by the contact of the latching pins 6 with the guide sections 9 of the boundary webs 8 and transferred to the latching notches 7. 30 In the embodiment according to Figs. 8 to 10, the guide grooves 13 for the latching pins 6 are provided with groove sections 13a which extend in an inclined fashion in relation to the horizontal and into which the latching pins 6 will reach during mounting of the shaped spring 10. If there are large production tolerances, they will be 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -6 compensated by the movement of the latching pins 6 into the guide grooves 13 which is supported by spring action. As a result, a further tractive force can be achieved on the rear wall 4 within the terms of play-free fastening. 5 All embodiments in accordance with the invention offer the advantage of convenient and easy mounting during connection of a rear wall with the side panels 5 of a drawer, wherein mounting can be performed both manually and by machine. In the case of mounting by machine, very low cycle times can be achieved which has a favorable effect on the economic viability of the entire mounting. 10 A modification of the constructions as described above can be that the latching pins 6 can be loaded individually by a separate spring. The shaped springs 10 are preferably made of spring steel. 15 In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not 20 to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the 25 common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -7 List of reference numerals 1 Drawer 5 2 Base 3 Front panel 4 Rear wall 5 Side panel 6 Latching pin 10 7 Latching notch 7a Flank 8 Boundary web 9 Section 10 Shaped spring 15 11 Bearing part 12 Shoulder 13 Guide groove 13a Groove section 14 Activator surface 20 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP

Claims

1. A drawer with two side panels and at least one rear wall, with the rear wall 5 being fixed in relation to the side panels by latching means and being movable to a latching position only by displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drawer, wherein the latching means comprises spring-loaded latching pins which are arranged in pairs on the side panels and extend parallel to the rear wall, and latching notches which receive the latching pins and are disposed in boundary webs of the 10 rear wall which extend parallel to the side panels, with each pair of latching pins being spring-loaded transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer and the boundary webs being provided with guide sections by means of which the latching pins can be transferred to the latching notches against the action of the spring. 15

2. A drawer according to claim 1, wherein the latching pins comprises bent-off ends of an integral shaped spring.

3. A drawer according to claim 2, wherein the shaped springs are captively connected to the side panels by means of bearing parts. 20

4. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latching pins protrude laterally beyond the boundary webs of the rear wall.

5. A drawer according to claim 1, wherein each latching pin is loaded by a 25 separate spring.

6. A drawer according to claim 2, wherein the shaped springs are made of spring steel. 30

7. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the boundary webs are provided with conically tapering guide sections. 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP -9

8. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each pair of the latching pins is spring-loaded transversely and facing one another transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drawer. 5

9. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latching pins can be spread apart against the action of the spring.

10. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latching notches, into which the latching pins engage, are arranged to extend obliquely in 10 relation to the rear wall, so that the rear wall can always be tightly pulled towards the side panels by bridging production tolerances.

11. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in a pre mounting position of the side panels the latching pins are respectively supported on 15 a shoulder of guide grooves arranged in the manner of steps.

12. A drawer according to claim 11, wherein the guide grooves are provided in the end regions facing away from the shoulders with guide sections extending in an oblique or inclined manner in relation to the horizontal line. 20

13. A drawer substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 5965540_1 (GHMatters) P92259.AU MCAMP