Disclosure of Invention
It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a cabinet that can be assembled without any tools. This can be achieved by a cabinet according to the appended claims.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cabinet comprising two side panels, a top panel, a bottom panel and a back panel. The cabinet further comprises a rectangular front frame, wherein one side of the front frame faces the front edges of each of the two side panels, the top panel and the bottom panel. Each front edge includes an elongated protruding section that is integrally formed (e.g., formed as one piece with a corresponding panel). The rectangular front frame includes elongated channels, wherein each channel is configured for mechanical locking with one of the elongated protruding sections. Each elongate channel includes a longitudinal recess on one side thereof for receiving a flexible locking element. Furthermore, each protruding section comprises a longitudinal insertion recess for holding a flexible locking element.
The particular device disclosed above can be assembled without the use of tools and remain sufficiently stable without the use of glue/adhesive. The assembled cabinet is sufficiently stable when the cabinet is able to remain locked in response to reasonable forces to which it will be subjected during use.
According to an optional aspect of the disclosure, two of the four panels, the edges of which face the rectangular front frame, are connected to the front frame. Preferably, if the cross-sectional shape of the cabinet is not square, the longer two panel edges are connected to the front frame with a mechanical locking system of the type disclosed herein. In another alternative, three panel edges are connected to the front frame using a mechanical locking system of the type disclosed herein.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the top and bottom panels may be connected to the two side panels using a mechanical locking system of the type disclosed herein. Two side panels may be connected to the front frame and the back panel using a mechanical locking system of the type disclosed herein.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, the back panel is also arranged to mechanically lock with the two side panels, the top panel and the bottom panel.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the edge of the back panel has an elongated protruding section for mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves of the two side panels.
The side panels, top panels, bottom panels, back panels and rectangular front frame may comprise wood based materials such as chipboard, plywood, HDF board, MDF board and solid wood.
The flexible locking element may comprise a polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic.
The flexible locking element may be an injection molded or extruded part, which may comprise a polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the edges of the top and bottom panels have elongated protruding sections for mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves of the back panel.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the side panels, the back panel, and the front frame may each have an upper groove for connecting to the top panel, and the side panels, the back panel, and the front frame may each have a lower groove for connecting to the bottom panel. The upper and lower channels of the side, back and front frames are spaced from their respective edges by more than half the thickness of the top or bottom panel, as measured from the channel edge nearest the respective edge.
According to an optional aspect of the disclosure, the longitudinal recesses of the upper and lower channels in the side panels are located on the side of the channel closest to their respective edges. This allows for variations in panel thickness to minimize any potential gaps.
According to yet another optional aspect of the disclosure, the longitudinal recesses of the upper and lower channels in the back panel are located on the side of the channel closest to its respective edge.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the longitudinal recesses of the upper and lower channels in the front frame are located on the side of the channel closest to its respective edge.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the protruding section has an elongated indentation in one side of the panel with a longitudinal bevel between the indentation and the side of the panel. In addition, the groove may have an elongated bevel on one side, which generally corresponds to the longitudinal bevel of the corresponding panel with protruding sections, e.g. within 5 °. The longitudinal and elongate inclined surfaces may be parallel. This allows the panel thickness to be varied without gaps. According to a preferred aspect of this solution, the longitudinal recess of the groove is located on the same side of the groove as the chamfer.
Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent from a study of the appended claims and the following description. Those skilled in the art realize that different features of the present invention can be combined to create embodiments other than those described in the following, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Detailed Description
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and integrity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.
Referring to fig. 1A, the cabinet 1 includes two side panels 2, 3, a top panel 4, a bottom panel 5, and a back panel 6. The cabinet 1 further comprises a rectangular front frame 7, wherein one side 8 of the front frame 7 faces the front edges 9 of the two side panels 2, 3, the top panel 4 and the bottom panel 5, respectively. Each front edge 9 comprises an integrally formed elongate protruding section 11. In this embodiment, each front edge 9 comprises a protruding section 11 formed in one piece with the respective panel. The rectangular front frame 7 comprises elongated grooves 10, see fig. 2A and 2B, wherein each groove 10 is configured for mechanical locking with one of the elongated protruding sections 11. Each elongate channel 10 comprises a longitudinal recess 12 on one side of each channel 10, see fig. 3A, for receiving a flexible locking element 13. Each protruding section 11 comprises a longitudinal insertion recess 14 for holding a flexible locking element 13, see fig. 3A.
The protruding section 11 may be formed in one piece with one of the two side panels 2,3, the top panel 4 and the bottom panel 5, respectively. The protruding section may be the entire front edge or may be a part of the front edge. The longitudinal insertion recess may extend along the entire front edge, or at least effectively along the entire front edge, except where there is an elongated channel for receiving the top or bottom panel. The longitudinal insertion recess may extend along only a portion of the front edge. For example, the longitudinal end of the longitudinal insertion recess may not extend to the longitudinal end of the front edge.
The protruding section 11 may be formed by mechanical cutting (e.g. milling).
The side panels 2, 3, top panel 4, bottom panel 5, back panel 6 and rectangular front frame 7 may consist of wood based materials such as particle board, plywood, HDF board, MDF board and solid wood.
The flexible locking element 13 may comprise a polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic.
The flexible locking element 13 may be an injection molded or extruded part, which may comprise a polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic.
It can also be seen that the back panel 6 can be arranged for mechanical locking with the two side panels 2, 3, the top panel 4 and the bottom panel 5. The side edges of the back panel 6 have elongated protruding sections 11 for said mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves 10 of the two side panels 2, 3.
The rear edges of the top and bottom panels 4, 5 may have elongated protruding sections 11 for mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves 10 of the back panel 6.
In one embodiment, the side panels may include one edge with protruding sections, i.e., a front edge, and three edges, i.e., a top edge, a bottom edge, and a back edge, each with an elongated channel. The top and bottom panels may each have four edges, each with protruding sections. The front frame may have four edges, each with an elongated channel. The back panel may include top and bottom edges each with an elongated channel, and side edges each with a protruding section.
Fig. 3B is a side view of the panels 2, 3 shown in fig. 3A, and fig. 3C shows a partial enlarged view of fig. 3B.
Turning to fig. 4A, the two panels are joined together such that the protruding section 11 of one panel 4, 5 is inserted into the groove 10 of the other panel 2, 3. As shown in fig. 4B (which is a partial enlarged view of fig. 4A), the longitudinal recess 12 is located closest to the edges of the panels 2, 3. The left side of the vertically arranged panels 4, 5 is flat, which means that any thickness variation of the horizontally arranged panels 2,3 does not create a gap between the panels that is visible from the inside of the cabinet.
In one embodiment, all connections of protruding sections and grooves in the cabinet are arranged such that the longitudinal recess faces away from the cabinet interior. This reduces the gap between the panels visible from the inside of the cabinet.
Furthermore, the upper and lower grooves of the side panels 2, 3, the back panel 6 and the front frame 7 may be at an edge distance 41 from their respective edges 43. The top panel 4 and/or the bottom panel 5 may have a panel thickness 42. The edge distance may be 0.2 to 5 times the panel thickness 42, e.g. 0.3 to 4 times the panel thickness 42, e.g. 0.4 to 3 times the panel thickness 42, e.g. 0.5 to 2 times the panel thickness 42. The edge distance may be measured from the outer groove surface to the outer edge surface 43.
The longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower channels 10 in the side panels 2, 3 may be located on the side of the channel 10 closest to its respective edge. Likewise, the longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower channels 10 in the back panel 6 may also be located on the side of the channel 10 closest to its respective edge, the principle of which is shown in fig. 3C.
The longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower channels 10 in the front frame 7 may be located on the side of the channel 10 closest to its respective edge.
As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, an embodiment is shown in which the protruding section 11 has an elongated indentation in one side of the panel with a longitudinal bevel 15 between the indentation and the side of the panel. In addition, the corresponding groove 10 may have an elongated bevel 16 on one side, which bevel 16 generally corresponds to the longitudinal bevel of the panel with protruding section 11, for example within 5 °. It can also be seen that the longitudinal recess 12 of the groove can be on the same side of the groove as the chamfer 16.
Fig. 6A shows an embodiment of a flexible locking element 13 in a sectional view, which is arranged in an embodiment of a longitudinal insertion recess 14.
Fig. 6B shows in a sectional view that an embodiment of the flexible locking element 13 can be pressed in the direction 32 towards the bottom surface 31 of an embodiment of the longitudinal insertion recess 14. The flexible locking element 13 may be pressed into a compressed state, wherein substantially the entire flexible locking element is located within the longitudinal insertion recess 14. The compressed state may facilitate assembly of the panel.
Fig. 6C shows an embodiment of the flexible locking element 13 in a 3D view. The flexible locking element 13 may comprise a bendable portion 34, such as a first bendable portion and a second bendable portion. The flexible tongue 33 may comprise a recess 36 at each of said bendable portions 34. An advantage of this embodiment of the flexible tongue is that a larger spring force can be obtained, providing a stronger locking effect.
The flexible locking element 13 may comprise an outer edge having a chamfer or rounded shape.
The flexible locking element 13 may comprise protruding friction elements 107 on the first and/or second bendable portion 34.
Fig. 6D shows an enlarged end portion of one embodiment of the side panels 2, 3 in a cross-sectional view.
Fig. 6E shows an enlarged end portion of one embodiment of the top panel 4 or the bottom panel 5 in a cross-sectional view.
Fig. 6F shows in a cross-sectional view an enlarged end portion of the embodiment of the side panels 2,3 shown in fig. 6D, which is connected to an enlarged end portion of the embodiment of the top panel 4 or the bottom panel 5 shown in fig. 6E.
Further embodiments are described below:
1. A cabinet 1 comprising two side panels 2, 3, a top panel 4, a bottom panel 5, a back panel 6 and a rectangular front frame 7, wherein a side 8 of the front frame 7 faces a front edge 9 of each of the two side panels 2, 3, top panel 4 and bottom panel 5, each front edge 9 comprising an integrally formed elongated protruding section 11, the rectangular front frame 7 comprising elongated grooves 10, each elongated groove 10 being configured for mechanical locking with one of the elongated protruding sections 11, and wherein each elongated groove 10 is provided with a longitudinal recess 12 at one side of each groove 10 for receiving a flexible locking element 13, wherein each of the elongated protruding sections 11 comprises a longitudinal insertion recess 14 for holding a flexible locking element 13.
2. The cabinet 1 according to embodiment 1, wherein the back panel 6 is arranged to mechanically lock with the two side panels 2,3, the top panel 4 and the bottom panel 5.
3. Cabinet 1 according to embodiment 2, wherein the side edges of the back panel 6 have elongated protruding sections 11 for mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves 10 of the two side panels 2, 3.
4. A cabinet 1 according to any one of embodiments 2 and 3, wherein the rear edges of the top and bottom panels 4, 5 have elongated protruding sections 11 for mechanical locking with corresponding elongated grooves 10 of the back panel 6.
5. Cabinet 1 according to any of the previous embodiments, wherein the distance of the side panels 2, 3, the back panel 6 and the upper elongated groove 10 and/or the lower elongated groove 10 of the front frame 7 from their respective edges is greater than half the thickness of the top panel 4 or the bottom panel 5.
6. Cabinet 1 according to any of the previous embodiments, wherein the longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower elongated channels 10 in the side panels 2,3 are located at the side of the channel 10 closest to their respective edges, respectively.
7. The cabinet 1 according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower elongated channels 10 in the back panel 6 are each located on a side of the channel 10 closest to its respective edge.
8. Cabinet 1 according to any of the previous embodiments, wherein the longitudinal recesses 12 of the upper and lower elongated channels 10 in the front frame 7 are each located at the side of the channel 10 closest to its respective edge.
9. Cabinet 1 according to any of the previous embodiments, wherein one or more of the protruding sections 11 comprises an elongated indentation at one side of the panel with a longitudinal bevel 15 between the indentation and the side of the panel, wherein one or more elongated grooves 10 have an elongated bevel 16 at one side thereof corresponding to the longitudinal bevel 15 of the protruding section 11, wherein the longitudinal bevel 15 and the elongated bevel 16 are optionally parallel.
10. The cabinet 1 of embodiment 9, wherein the longitudinal recess 12 of the channel 10 is located on the same side of the channel as the elongated ramp 16.
11. Cabinet 1 according to any of the previous embodiments, wherein the side panels 2, 3, the top panel 4, the bottom panel 5, the back panel 6 and the rectangular front frame 7 comprise wood based materials such as chipboard, plywood, HDF board, MDF board and solid wood.
The invention has been described above in connection with specific embodiments. However, other embodiments than the above described are equally possible within the scope of the invention. The different features of the invention can be combined in other combinations than those described. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.
The indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used in this specification and the claims should be understood to mean "at least one" unless explicitly stated otherwise. The phrase "and/or" as used in the specification and claims should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements in question, i.e., the elements are present in some cases simultaneously, and in other cases separately.