JP7786038B2 - Furniture System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to furniture for use in schools, offices, etc., a furniture system including such furniture and a furniture grounding device attached to the bottom surface of the furniture, and furniture for use in such a furniture system.

Conventionally, various ground contact devices such as rubber feet, adjusters, and casters are often attached to the bottom of furniture used in schools, offices, etc. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, conventionally, the shapes and other configurations of the joints between these various grounding bodies and the bottom surface of furniture vary. Therefore, the shape of the joints formed on the bottom surface of the furniture with the grounding body also needs to be changed for each type of grounding body. In other words, if an attempt is made to attach different types of grounding bodies to the bottom surface of a common piece of furniture as needed, multiple manufacturing lines would need to be prepared to accommodate differences in the shapes of the joints with the grounding bodies, resulting in a problem in which the standardization of parts and manufacturing lines expected from furniture standardization cannot be fully realized (Problem 1).

In addition, there are grounding bodies that need to be attached to furniture in a specific orientation. Conventionally, one method of preventing the grounding body from being attached in the wrong orientation has been to provide markers such as arrows on the grounding body and on the furniture where the grounding body is attached. However, such markers are not always visible during the assembly process, and there is a possibility that the grounding body may be attached to furniture in the wrong orientation (Problem 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-206472

The present invention aims to eliminate the problems caused by the various shapes and other configurations of the joint portion of the grounding body with the bottom surface of the furniture.

The first and fourth aspects of the present invention aim to prevent problems caused by attaching the grounding body to furniture in an incorrect orientation.

The invention of claim 1 is a furniture system comprising furniture and a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices attached to a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the furniture, wherein the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices have a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and different types of grounding bodies that come into contact with the floor surface, and any one of the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices can be selected and attached to the furniture, and the bottom surface of the furniture is provided with a plurality of recesses into which the housings can be fitted from below, and the shape of the bottom surface of the recesses is such that the furniture grounding devices can be attached only in a predetermined position. the shape of the top surface of the housing of the furniture grounding device corresponds to the bottom surface of the recess, the depth of the recess is made different at one end and the other end, the height dimension of the housing of the furniture grounding device is made different at one end and the other end in accordance with the depth of the recess, the housing of the furniture grounding device has bolt insertion holes that pass through vertically at both ends, and the furniture grounding device is fixed to the bottom surface of the furniture by bolts that pass through these bolt insertion holes, and the depth of the bolt insertion holes is made different at one end and the other end .

In this invention, the term "common housing" refers to any housing that has a common shape at least at the joint with the furniture, and the internal structure may or may not be common.

The invention described in claim 2 is a furniture system comprising furniture and multiple types of furniture grounding devices attached to multiple locations on the bottom surface of the furniture, wherein the multiple types of furniture grounding devices have a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and different types of grounding bodies that ground to the floor surface, and any one of the multiple types of furniture grounding devices can be selected and attached to the furniture, and one type of furniture grounding device has a rotating member that is supported on the housing so as to be rotatable up and down and has the grounding body on its underside, and an elastic member with viscoelasticity that is arranged within the housing and is compressed by the rotation of the rotating member .

The invention described in claim 3 is a furniture system comprising furniture and multiple types of furniture grounding devices attached to multiple locations on the bottom surface of the furniture, wherein the multiple types of furniture grounding devices have a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and different types of grounding bodies that ground to the floor surface, and any one of the multiple types of furniture grounding devices can be selected and attached to the furniture, the grounding body of the furniture grounding device is held within the housing by a lid attached to the underside of the housing, and this lid has a window for allowing the grounding body to protrude to the outside, the housing and the lid are fastened together to the furniture by a common bolt, and a temporary fastening element is provided between the housing and the lid to prevent the lid from falling off before it is fastened with the bolt .

The invention described in claim 4 is a furniture system comprising furniture and multiple types of furniture grounding devices attached to multiple locations on the bottom surface of the furniture, wherein the multiple types of furniture grounding devices are box-shaped and made as a single unit, and each type of furniture grounding device has a common housing that is detachable from the furniture, and different types of grounding bodies that are supported by the housing and ground to the floor surface, and any of the multiple types of furniture grounding devices can be selected and attached to the furniture, and the bottom surface of the furniture is provided with multiple recesses into which the housings can be fitted from below, and the shape of the top surface of the housing of the furniture grounding device corresponds to the bottom surface of the recesses, and the recesses have a larger opening than the bottom surface of the recesses.

The invention described in claim 5 is a furniture system described in claim 4, in which the depth of the recess is different at one end and the other end, and the height dimension of the housing of the furniture grounding device is different at one end and the other end to correspond to the depth of the recess .

According to the present invention, multiple types of furniture grounding devices each have a common housing that can be attached and detached to furniture, so the shape of the attachment portion of the furniture grounding device on the furniture can also be standardized, thereby eliminating the problems caused by the various shapes and other configurations of the attachment portion of various conventional grounding bodies to the bottom surface of furniture.

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 4 , the furniture grounding device can be attached to furniture in a predetermined orientation, thereby preventing the occurrence of problems such as the grounding body being attached to furniture in an incorrect orientation.

1 is a perspective view of a desk equipped with a first furniture grounding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a left side view of a desk equipped with the first furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing how each furniture grounding device according to the embodiment is attached to a desk. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a leg base to which the first furniture grounding device according to the embodiment is attached. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view taken along the arrow α in FIG. 6 . 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an installation mode of the first furniture grounding device according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first furniture grounding device according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a side view of the second furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. 11 is a view taken along the arrow β in FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a side view of the third furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. 13 is a view taken along the arrow γ in FIG. 12 . 10 is an exploded perspective view showing how each furniture grounding device according to another embodiment of the present invention is attached to a desk. FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view of the fourth furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. 16 is a view taken along the arrows ββ in FIG. 15 . FIG. 10 is a side view of the fifth furniture grounding device according to the embodiment. 18 is a view taken along the arrows γγ in FIG. 17 .

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

This embodiment is a furniture system S that includes a school desk D and multiple types of furniture grounding devices, namely first to third furniture grounding devices A4 to C4, that are attached to multiple locations on the underside of the desk D. As shown in Figure 3, these furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 include a common housing 5 that is detachable from the desk D and different types of grounding bodies A62 to C62 that ground to the floor F. Any one of these furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 can be selected and attached to the desk D.

<Desk D>
First, desk D will be described.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, desk D is a desk for students to use that is placed on the classroom floor F. It consists of left and right legs 1 supporting a tabletop 2, with a back panel 3 extending between the left and right legs 1 near their upper ends.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, each of the left and right leg bodies 1 has a leg support 12 erected from the inside rear end of the leg base 11.

One of the first to third furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 can be selectively attached to multiple locations on the bottom surface of this desk D, more specifically, to recesses 11a provided near the front and rear ends of the leg base 11.

<First furniture grounding device A4>
The first furniture grounding device A4 will now be described.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5-9, this furniture grounding device A4 comprises a housing 5 that is detachably attached to the bottom of a desk D, a rotating member A6 that is supported by the housing 5 so that it can rotate up and down and has a grounding body A62 on its underside that contacts the floor F, and a viscoelastic elastic member 7 that is disposed within the housing 5 and is compressed by the upward rotation of the rotating member A6. Here, this furniture grounding device A4 can only be attached to the desk D in a predetermined position. That is, as shown in Figures 3-5, the bottom surface of the desk D, i.e., the bottom surface of the leg base 11, is provided with multiple recesses 11a into which the housing 5 can be fitted from below, and the shape of the bottom surface 11b of these recesses 11a is such that the furniture grounding device A4 can only be attached in a predetermined position.

As shown in Figure 5, the housing 5 has a space 5s formed by curving the ceiling surface 5a to correspond to the rotation trajectory A6k of the rotating member A6, and the elastic member 7 is housed in this space 5s in a curved position along the ceiling surface 5a. One end 7a of the elastic member 7 abuts against the upper surface A6a of the rotating member A6, and the other end 7b abuts against the upright surface 5b of the housing 5 that intersects with the end of the ceiling surface 5a. The housing 5 is box-shaped and made integrally from, for example, synthetic resin, and has bolt insertion holes 5c1 and 5c2 that penetrate vertically at both ends, as well as the aforementioned space 5s in the middle region. The space 5s is open downward, and its ceiling surface 5a is formed outside the rotation locus A6k of the rotating member A6 and approximating the rotation locus A6k. Specifically, the ceiling surface 5a comprises an upstanding flat surface 5a1 at one end, a cylindrical surface 5a2 continuing from the flat surface 5a1, and a horizontal flat surface 5a3 at the other end continuing from the cylindrical surface 5a2. The terminal end of the flat surface 5a3 is perpendicular to the vertical upstanding surface 5b. As shown in Figures 5 and 9, a protrusion 5d1 is formed on the lower surface, i.e., bottom surface 5d, of the housing 5 so as to surround the opening edge of the space 5s. An engaging protrusion 52 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 5d1 so as to be elastically engageable with an engaging recess 8d of the cover 8, which will be described later. 8, the shape of the top surface 5f of the housing 5 corresponds to the bottom surface 11b of the recessed portion 11a of the desk D so that the furniture grounding device A4 can only be attached in a predetermined position. That is, when the furniture grounding device A4 is attached in a predetermined position, one end 5f1 of the top surface 5f of the housing 5 can abut one end 11b1 of the bottom surface 11b of the recessed portion 11a, and the other end 5f2 of the top surface 5f of the housing 5 can abut the other end 11b2 of the bottom surface 11b of the recessed portion 11a. In other words, the height dimension h1 of one end of the housing 5 of the furniture grounding device A4 and the height dimension h2 of the other end are made different to correspond to the depths d11 and d12 of the one and other ends of the recessed portion 11a of the desk D. That is, the depths d21 and d22 of the bolt insertion hole 5c1 on one end and the bolt insertion hole 5c2 on the other end are different. The rotating member A6 is housed in the bottom of the housing 5 so that it can rotate up and down. The rotating member A6 is then held within the housing 5 by a lid 8 attached to the bottom surface 5d of the housing 5.

As shown in Figure 9, the rotating member A6 has a support shaft A61a protruding from both sides of its base end. The support shafts A61a are pivotally supported in pivot grooves 5x formed in both side walls 51 of the housing 5, and are disposed in the lower opening of the space 5s. More specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, the rotating member A6 comprises a member main body A61 having a support shaft A61a at its base end and a grounding member A62 protruding from the underside of the member main body A61, and is integrally formed from, for example, synthetic resin. Pivot grooves 5x are formed on both inner surfaces 5e of the housing 5 that form the space 5s, rotatably supporting the support shafts A61a of the rotating member A6. The lower ends of both pivot grooves 5x are open to the bottom surface 5d of the housing 5, and the rotating member A6 can be attached to the housing 5 by engaging the support shafts A61a with the pivot grooves 5x from below. The grounding member A62 hangs down from the member body A61, and its underside is formed with a grounding cam surface A62a, whose contact position with the floor F changes as the rotating member A6 rotates. In this embodiment, the grounding member A62 gradually narrows toward its bottom end. The rotating member A6 is held within the housing 5 by a cover 8 attached to the bottom surface 5d of the housing 5, and the cover 8 has a window 8a through which the grounding member 62 of the rotating member A6 protrudes to the outside. As shown in FIG. 9 , the housing 5 and the cover 8 are plate-shaped and fastened together to the leg base 11 of the desk D with a common bolt 9. A temporary fastening element K is provided between the housing 5 and the cover 8 to prevent the cover 8 from falling off the housing 5 before fastening with the bolt 9. In this embodiment, the temporary fastening element K is formed by elastically engaging an engaging protrusion 52 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 5d1 of the housing 5 with an engaging recess 8d provided in the cover 8. As shown in Figures 7 and 9, the cover 8 is a rectangular, flat plate with screw holes 8c at both ends that align with the bolt holes 5c1 and 5c2 of the housing 5, the window 8a described above in the middle, and the engagement recess 8d described above. In this embodiment, the engagement recess 8d is a through-hole that penetrates the cover 8 in the thickness direction. The height of the cover 8 is uniform throughout. A6c is the rotation center of the rotating member A6.

The elastic member 7 is made of, for example, low-resilience urethane, and is accommodated in the space 5s of the housing 5 by bending and deforming a rectangular block along the ceiling surface 5a of the housing 5, as shown in Figures 5 and 9. The elastic member 7 may also be manufactured by punching out a thick plate. In that case, the initial shape will be the curved shape shown in the example. More specifically, in the accommodated state, the elastic member 7 is accommodated in the space 5s of the housing 5 with one end 7a abutting against the upper surface A6a of the rotating end side of the rotating member A6 and the other end 7b abutting against the upright surface 5b of the housing 5.

The furniture grounding devices A4 described above are attached to the rear and front ends of the left and right legs 1 of the desk D, respectively. Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the leg base 11 of each leg 1 is formed with a recess 11a into which the housing 5 can be fitted from below. The housing 5 fitted into these recesses 11a is fastened together with the cover 8 to the leg base 11 with a common bolt 9. In this embodiment, the furniture grounding device A4 attached to the rear end of the leg base 11 is configured so that the rotating end of the rotating member A6 faces backward, while the furniture grounding device A4 attached to the front end of the leg base 11 is configured so that the rotating end of the rotating member A6 faces forward. This is because, due to the extension and contraction that accompanies rotation, the installation point of the irregular cam-shaped grounding body A62 moves slightly during extension and contraction. Therefore, if all the grounding devices A4 were rotated in the same direction, the desk D would move as the furniture grounding devices A4 extended and retracted. To stop this movement, it is appropriate to rotate the ground contact device A4 in the opposite direction and install it so that the movements cancel each other out, and it is necessary to determine the installation direction of A4 in this way.In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the recesses 11a near the rear and front ends of the leg base 11 are symmetrical from front to back, with the side of the recess 11a closest to the corresponding end of the leg base 11 being one end and the opposite end being the other end.

When the rotating member A6 contacts the ground and rotates, one end 7a of the elastic member 7 is pressed against the upper surface A6a of the rotating end of the rotating member A6, and the other end 7b is compressed between the abutting upright surface 5b. At this time, the elastic member 7 partially expands due to elastic deformation, but because there is expansion allowance above the rotation center A6c in Figure 5 and the distance between the side walls 51 of the housing 5 is greater than the thickness of the elastic member 7 in an unloaded state, there is also expansion allowance on both sides of the elastic member 7 in the thickness direction, the rotating member A6 can rotate widely while receiving appropriate resistance from the elastic member 7.

Here, Figure 1 is an overall perspective view from the bottom rear of a desk D with the first furniture grounding device A4 attached. Figure 2 is a left side view of the same desk D. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing how the first to third furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 of the furniture system S of this embodiment are attached to the desk D. Figure 4 is a bottom view of the leg base 11 with the first furniture grounding device A4 attached. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 4, showing an enlarged view of the areas near both ends with the longitudinal middle portion omitted. Figure 6 is a side view of the first furniture grounding device A4. Figure 7 is a view taken from the arrow α in Figure 6. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing how the first furniture grounding device A4 is attached to the desk D, showing an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 5 of a key part of the leg base 11. A cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 5 of the furniture grounding device A4 separated from the leg base 11 is shown in solid lines, and the furniture grounding device A4 attached to the leg base 11 is shown in phantom lines. Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the first furniture grounding device A4.

<Second furniture grounding device B4>
Next, the second furniture grounding device B4 will be described.

As shown in Figures 3, 10, and 11, this furniture grounding device B4 comprises a housing 5 that is detachably attached to the bottom of a desk D, and an adjuster B6 that is supported by the housing 5 and has a grounding body B62 on its underside that contacts the floor F. The device can only be attached to the desk D, or more specifically, to the recessed portion 11a of the leg base 11, in a specific orientation.

The housing 5 is the same as that in the first furniture grounding device A4 described above, so corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

The adjuster B6 comprises a grounding body B62 that contacts the floor surface F, a screw shaft B61 that extends upward from the top surface of the grounding body B62, and an adjuster base B63 that has a nut B63b with an internal thread that screws onto the screw shaft B61, the longitudinal center of which is housed within the space 5s of the housing 5, and which has a screw insertion hole B63a through which a bolt 9 can pass to fasten the adjuster B66 to the leg base 11 of the desk D.

This furniture grounding device B4 has an adjuster B6 supported in the same housing 5 as the first furniture grounding device A4. As with the first furniture grounding device A4, the top surface 5f of the housing 5 forms the top surface of the furniture grounding device B4, and its shape corresponds to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 11a of the desk D.

Note that Figure 10 is a side view showing the second furniture grounding device B4. Figure 11 is a view taken along the arrow β in Figure 10.

<Third Furniture Grounding Device C4>
Next, the third furniture grounding device C4 will be described.

As shown in Figures 3, 12, and 13, this furniture grounding device C4 comprises a housing C5 that is detachably attached to the bottom of the desk D, and a caster C6 that is supported by the housing C5 and has wheels C62 on the underside that serve as grounding bodies that contact the floor F. The furniture grounding device C4 can only be attached to the desk D, or more specifically, to the recessed portion 11a of the leg base 11, in a specific position.

The housing C5 has the following configuration. Specifically, the housing C5 is capable of accommodating a portion of the caster C6. The housing C5 also includes a bearing C5x with a roughly semi-cylindrical surface for supporting the shaft C61 of the caster C6 (described below). The lid C8 is attached to its bottom surface C5d. The lid C8 has a bearing C8x with a roughly semi-cylindrical surface in a position corresponding to the bearing C5x. These bearings C5x and C8x support the shaft C61 for supporting the wheel C62, and the wheel C62 is exposed through a window C8a in the lid C8. The housing C5 and the lid C8 are fastened together with a bolt 9. Similar to the housing 5 of the first furniture grounding device A4 described above, the housing C5 has bolt insertion holes C5c1 and C5c2, through which the bolt 9 is inserted. As with the first furniture grounding device A4, the top surface C5f of the housing C5 forms the top surface of the furniture grounding device C4, and its shape corresponds to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 11a of the desk D.

Caster C6 is equipped with the aforementioned wheel C62 and axle C61 for supporting this wheel C62, and as described above, the axle C61 is supported by bearings C5x and C8x.

Note that Figure 12 is a side view showing the third furniture grounding device C4. Figure 13 is a view taken along the arrow γ in Figure 12.

<Effects of this embodiment>
As described above, according to this embodiment, the first to third furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 have housings 5, C5 with a common shape for the joint portion with the furniture, i.e., the top surface 5f, C5f, and these housings 5, C5 are detachably attached to the furniture, i.e., the desk D. This makes it possible to easily provide a group of products with different functions and performance without changing the shape of the recessed portion 11a where the housings 5, C5 are attached on the desk D. Specifically, by attaching any of the first to third furniture grounding devices A4 to C4 to the bottom surface of the desk D, more specifically to the recessed portion 11a of the leg base 11, in order to accommodate various usage patterns, it is possible to provide products with different functions and performance. This eliminates the inconvenience that has conventionally existed when preparing various grounding bodies, due to the various shapes and other configurations of the joint portion of the grounding body with respect to the furniture.

In addition, the bottom surface of the desk D is provided with multiple recesses 11a, specifically one near the front end and one near the rear end, into which the housings 5, C5 can be fitted from below. The shape of the bottom surface of the recesses 11a allows the furniture grounding devices A4-C4 to be attached only in a specific orientation, and the shape of the top surfaces 5f, C5f of the housings 5, C5 of the furniture grounding devices A4-C4 corresponds to the bottom surface of the recesses 11a. This prevents the furniture grounding devices A4-C4 with the grounding bodies A62, B62, C62 from being attached to the furniture (desk D) in an incorrect orientation.

In particular, the depth of the recess 11a is different at one end and the other end, and the height dimensions of the housings 5, C5 of the furniture grounding devices A4-C4 are different at one end and the other end to correspond to the depth of the recess 11a. In addition, the depths of the bolt insertion holes 5c1, 5c2, C5c1, and C5c2 in the housing 5 are different at one end and the other end, so the installation position of the furniture grounding devices A4-C4 can be limited to a specific position with a simple configuration.

In addition, the first furniture grounding device A4 comprises a rotating member A6 supported on the housing 5 so that it can rotate up and down and has a grounding body A62 on its underside, and a viscoelastic elastic member 7 disposed within the housing 5 that is compressed by the rotation of the rotating member A6. The elastic repulsive force of the viscoelastic elastic member 7 causes the grounding body A62 to protrude and sink into the floor surface F, eliminating the risk of oil leaks and ensuring greater durability than hydraulic damper-type grounding devices.

Furthermore, instead of a grounding body that moves vertically, the elastic member 7 is compressed by a grounding body A62 that rotates, so the compression direction of the elastic member 7 can be made non-linear by corresponding to the rotation trajectory A6k of the rotating member A6. As a result, even if the effective length dimension of the elastic member 7 in the compression direction is large, the increase in the height dimension of the entire furniture grounding device can be suppressed, which is advantageous when it is housed within the leg base 11, as in this embodiment, for example.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, the furniture that makes up the furniture system of the present invention is not limited to desks, but can also include a variety of other items such as tables, shelves, counters, screens, telephone stands, etc.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the most important effect of the present invention can be achieved if the multiple housings have a common shape at least at the joints with the furniture; the internal structure of the multiple housings may or may not be common.

For example, instead of the second and third furniture grounding devices of the illustrated embodiment described above, a furniture system SS can be considered that uses fourth and fifth furniture grounding devices BB4 and CC4, respectively, as described below with reference to Figures 14 to 18.

The fourth furniture grounding device BB4 is as shown below. That is, as shown in Figures 14 to 16, the housing BB5 of this furniture grounding device BB4 has a shape similar to that of the housing 5 of the previously described illustrated embodiment, but it also has an integral portion corresponding to the adjuster base B63. In other words, the shape of the top surface BB5f of this housing BB5 is similar to that of the top surface 5f of the housing 5 of the previously described illustrated embodiment, and it has an internal threaded hole BB64 into which the screw shaft BB61 extending upward from the top surface of the grounding body BB62 of the adjuster BB6 can be threaded. The housing BB5 also has screw insertion holes BB5c1 and BB5c2 for screwing into the recessed portion 11a of the furniture (desk D), and the depths of these screw insertion holes BB5c1 and BB5c2 are different from each other. That is, the fourth furniture grounding device BB4 comprises a housing BB5 and an adjuster BB6 that can be threadedly moved forward and backward relative to the housing BB5. This adjuster BB6 comprises the aforementioned grounding body BB62 and screw shaft BB61.

The fifth furniture grounding device CC4 has the following configuration. Specifically, as shown in Figures 14, 17, and 18, the housing CC5 of this furniture grounding device CC4 comprises a housing CC5 and a caster CC6 attached to the underside of the housing CC5. The top surface CC5f of the housing CC5 has a shape similar to the top surface 5f of the housing 5 of the first furniture grounding device A4 in the illustrated embodiment, and has screw insertion holes CC5c1 and CC5c2 inside. The caster CC6 comprises a wheel CC62, which serves as a grounding body, and a bracket C61 attached to the underside of the housing CC5 while supporting the wheel CC62. The bracket CC61 has a channel shape that is open downward, and comprises an axle CC61a that pivots around the wheel CC62, and a screw insertion hole CC61b. This furniture grounding device CC4 is fastened to the leg base 11 of the desk D at one end by a bolt 9 that passes through screw holes CC61b and CC5c1 in that order. It is also fastened to the leg base 11 of the desk D at the other end by a bolt 9 that passes through screw holes CC61b and CC5c2 in that order.

Here, Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view showing how the first, fourth, and fifth furniture grounding devices A4, BB4, and CC4 of the furniture system SS described above are attached to desk D. Figure 15 is a side view showing the fourth furniture grounding device BB4. Figure 16 is a view taken along the ββ arrows in Figure 15. Figure 17 is a side view showing the fifth furniture grounding device CC4. Figure 18 is a view taken along the γγ arrows in Figure 17.

Even in the furniture system SS described above, the housings 5, BB5, and CC5 have the same shape, and these housings 5, BB5, and CC5 are designed to be attached and detached to the furniture, i.e., the desk D. Therefore, it is possible to easily provide a range of products with different functions and performance without changing the shape of the recessed portion 11a on the desk D side where the housings 5, BB5, and CC5 are attached.

Meanwhile, in the first furniture grounding device of the illustrated embodiment described above, the housing has an internal space with a curved ceiling surface that corresponds to the rotational trajectory of the rotating member, and the elastic member is housed within the housing space in a curved position along the ceiling surface, but the elastic member retention structure is not necessarily limited to this. However, with this configuration, the elastic member can be inserted and retained within the housing in a position suitable for compression, which simplifies the structure and minimizes assembly man-hours.

The elastic member is not limited to that shown in the illustrated embodiment and may be made of, for example, urethane gel or elastomer.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rotating member has a support shaft protruding from both sides of its base end, and the support shafts are pivotally supported on both side walls of the housing and positioned at the lower opening of the space, but the pivot structure of the rotating member is of course not limited to this. However, adopting a configuration like the illustrated embodiment makes it possible to easily attach the rotating member to the housing and also reduces the number of parts compared to using separate support shafts.

The holding structure for the rotating member is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, but if used as in the illustrated example, the rotating member can be attached at the same time as the underside of the housing is sealed, thereby simplifying the configuration. In particular, if the housing and lid are fastened together to the desk furniture using a common bolt, as in the illustrated embodiment, it is possible to prevent the structure from becoming too complicated and reduce the number of parts. Furthermore, if a temporary fastening element is provided between the housing and the lid to prevent the lid from falling off before it is fastened with the bolt, as in the illustrated embodiment, it becomes easier to manage the parts before assembly and also simplifies the process of assembling the furniture grounding device to the desk.

In the above-described embodiment, the underside of the furniture (desk) is provided with multiple recesses that allow the furniture grounding device to be attached only in a specific position. However, even if only grounding bodies that can be attached in any position are used, if multiple types of furniture grounding devices are prepared in which various grounding bodies are supported on a common housing, and a furniture system is created in which one of the multiple types of furniture grounding devices can be selected and attached to the furniture, the most important effect of the present invention, namely, the ability to eliminate problems caused by different shapes and other configurations of the attachment points of the grounding body to the furniture, can be achieved.

The ground contact bodies of the furniture system of the present invention are not limited to the elastically liftable ones, adjustable ground contact bodies, or caster wheels mentioned in the above-mentioned embodiments, and various other types may be used.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

S...Furniture system D...Furniture (desk)
11a...recessed portion A4...(first) furniture grounding device B4...(second) furniture grounding device C4...(third) furniture grounding device 5...housing 5c...bolt insertion hole 5f...upper surface of housing 6...rotating member A62...grounding body B62...grounding body C62...grounding body (wheel)
7...Elastic member 8...Cover body 8a...Window 9...Bolt K...Temporary fastening element h1...Height dimension of one end of the housing h2...Height dimension of the other end of the housing d11...Depth dimension of one end of the recess d12...Depth dimension of the other end of the recess d21...Depth dimension of the bolt insertion hole on one end of the housing d22...Depth dimension of the bolt insertion hole on the other end of the housing F...Floor surface

Claims (5)

A furniture system including furniture and a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices attached to a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the furniture,
the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices each having a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and a grounding body that is grounded to a floor surface in a different manner;
The furniture grounding device can be attached to the furniture by selecting one of a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices,
a plurality of recesses into which the housing can be fitted from below are provided on the bottom surface of the furniture, the shape of the bottom surfaces of the recesses is such that the furniture grounding device can be attached only in a predetermined position, and the shape of the top surface of the housing of the furniture grounding device corresponds to the shape of the bottom surfaces of the recesses;
the depth of the recessed portion is made different at one end side and the other end side, and the height dimension of the housing of the furniture grounding device is made different at one end side and the other end side in accordance with the depth of the recessed portion,
The furniture system has a housing for the furniture grounding device that has bolt insertion holes that penetrate vertically at both ends, and the furniture grounding device is fixed to the bottom surface of the furniture by bolts that pass through the bolt insertion holes, and the depth of the bolt insertion holes is different on one end side and the other end side. A furniture system including furniture and a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices attached to a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the furniture,
the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices each having a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and a grounding body that is grounded to a floor surface in a different manner;
The furniture grounding device can be attached to the furniture by selecting one of a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices,
One type of furniture grounding device is a furniture system that includes a rotating member that is supported on the housing so that it can rotate up and down and has the grounding body on its underside, and an elastic member with viscoelasticity that is arranged within the housing and is compressed by the rotation of the rotating member. A furniture system including furniture and a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices attached to a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the furniture,
the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices each having a common housing that is detachable from the furniture and a grounding body that is grounded to a floor surface in a different manner;
The furniture grounding device can be attached to the furniture by selecting one of a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices,
The grounding body of the furniture grounding device is held within the housing by a lid attached to the underside of the housing, and the lid is provided with a window for allowing the grounding body to project outward,
The housing and the lid are fastened together to the furniture with a common bolt, and a temporary fastening element is provided between the housing and the lid to prevent the lid from falling off before being fastened with the bolt. A furniture system including furniture and a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices attached to a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the furniture,
the plurality of types of furniture grounding devices are each provided with a common housing that is an integrally formed box-shaped device and is detachable from the furniture, and a grounding body of each type that is supported by the housing and grounds on the floor surface,
The furniture grounding device can be attached to the furniture by selecting one of a plurality of types of furniture grounding devices,
a plurality of recesses into which the housing can be fitted from below are provided on the bottom surface of the furniture, and the shape of the top surface of the housing of the furniture grounding device corresponds to the bottom surface of the recesses;
A furniture system in which the recessed portion has an opening larger than the bottom surface of the recessed portion. The furniture system of claim 4, wherein the depth of the recess is different at one end and the other end, and the height dimension of the housing of the furniture grounding device is different at one end and the other end in accordance with the depth of the recess.