GB2129903A - Construction system - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular system of furniture construction is disclosed, comprising a plurality of straight elements (12) having elongate channels (17, 18) formed therein for receiving panels and having shaped ends for receiving connector elements (11) holding the straight elements (12) together at their ends to constitute corners of the assembly. The connector elements (11) also include channels so that in a completed frame a channel extends continuously around the inner periphery of a frame whereby to retain the whole of the periphery of a panel. A connection between elements 11 and 12 may be made permanent by adhesives, welding, screws, rivets, or snap engaging detents. Straight elements having hinges provided and straight elements without channels, for use as legs, may also be provided so that from a basic kit of components different items of furniture such as cupboards, tables and the like can be constructed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A construction system The present invention relates to a construction system for three dimensional objects such as items of furniture or the like.

In recent times many items of furniture have been made on the "knock-down" principle, which involves manufacturing the units in component parts which are each provided with fixing means by which the parts can quickly and easily be secured together once the furniture unit has been assembled. Such techniques have been particularly applied to the manufacture of cupboards, chest of drawers and the like where panels of such units have been provided with inset fixings connectable to brackets in order to secure the panels together to make the finished item. One major disadvantage of such "knock-down" furniture resides in the material from which the panels are made. Usually such panels are composed of reconstituted wood chips, the so-called "chipboard" faced with a plastics coating on one or both faces to increase cohesion and rigidity.

Such panels do not have very great shear strength although their rigidity and strength to weight ratio is quite satisfactory. Consequently the fixings which have been embedded into the material of the panels can tend in time to work loose, pulling free from the material and allowing the item of furniture to start falling apart. At the very least the furniture becomes wobbly and unsafe against any improsed loads which, particularly in the case of cupboards for kitchen use the upper surfaces of which are used for food preparation, is both inconvenient and dangerous.

On the other hand, panels of a different nature cannot always be employed in the "knock-down" furniture systems known in the prior art. For this reason it is not possible to use glass panels, and hinges for doors have to be of a complex and expensive construction in order to spread the load into the panel without prematurely tearing the fixings from the furniture.

The present invention seeks, therefore, to provide a construction system for three dimensional objects such as items of furniture or the like in which panels of a relatively weak material such as chipboard can be incorporated without risk of damage due to imposed loads, thereby allowing a wider range of different furniture items to be made using the same basic system. For example, it is now possible to make beds and tables using the same basic construction system, as well as cupboards, chest of drawers and the like.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore a construction system for three dimensional objects such as items of furniture and the like, has one or more panels surrounded, or at least partly surrounded, by a reinforcing frame of substantially rigid elements, the elements being shaped to interconnect with one another to form the frame and having elongate channels therein for receiving the edges of one or more panels.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the frame elements have a hollow section which may be empty or which may be filled with a foam material. The channels preferably formed as recesses in the frame elements constituted by "folds" in the walls of the section.

Furniture items can thus be made to different patterns from a set of modular frame elements comprising a plurality of substantially straight elements having one or more channels in faces lying at predetermined angles with respect to each other such as orthogonally such straight elements being provided in a plurality of predetermined lengths, and a plurality of corner connecting elements shaped to interconnect with the straight elements to provide a rigid coupling. A frame formed thereby would have a channel extending around the inner periphery, each element having a channel section which is aligned with corresponding channel sections in the adjacent elements.

The modular system of the present invention may also be made incorporating frame elements which do not have channel sections for use for example, as the legs of a table. In addition, special purpose frame elements may be provided in order to make it possible for furniture items of a wide range of shapes and sizes to be made. The basic corner element need only be L-shaped with two limbs for connecting to the ends of two adjacent straight frame elements. However, for forming a right-angled corner of a furniture item three mutually perpendicular limbs are required whereas at intermediate points of a complex structure, such as a cupboard with drawers, the limbs of a corner element may be T-shaped or cruciform as will be described in more detail below.

In addition, some straight elements preliminarily provided with hinges for attachment to doors and the like, and likewise for the provision of shelf supports or drawer runners certain straight elements may have a row of holes for receiving such items.

The frame elements may be secured together by adhesive, by suitable fixing elements such as screws or rivets, or may be provided with plug and socket connections which are held together by friction, the manufacturing tolerances being sufficiently close to allow a firm fit between frame elements to be established. Alternatively, corresponding plug and socket parts of the coupling between frame elements may incorporate corresponding parts of a snapengaging detent, particularly if the frame elements are made from plastics material although plastics material inserts constituting such detents may also be provided.

The overall cross section of the frame elements may be square, round or any regular or irregular polygon depending on the finished design concept of the furniture which is to be constructed thereby.

As mentioned above, the frame elements may be made of plastics or from any other material which is castable or extrudable such as steel or aluminium. A mixture of materials may also be employed, for example straight steel tubes with extruded or cast aluminium corner pieces and plastics detent inserts. The panels may be made of any suitable material such as reconstituted board, fibreboard, chipboard or glass, perspex or the like and may be flat or shaped with a curvature commensurate with the design criteria of the furniture being manufactured. Morever, the corner elements need not necessarily be right-angles but may include acute and oblique angles to provide for surfaces which are inclined to one another at an angle other than 900.Such may be useful for a sloping desk top, the inclined fronts of kitchen wall units, or for fitting the furniture into irregular shaped corners in houses which are not square.

The invention may be put into practice in various different ways, but one construction system embodying the principles of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a corner element and the ends of two straight frame elements constituting part of the system of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an assembly of frame elements put together to constitute a table in accordance with the principles of the present invention; Figure 3 is a partly exploded perspective view of a part of a cupboard formed from a construction system according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of another part of the cupboard illustrated in Figure 3;; Figure 5 is a perspective view of various frame elements useful in making furniture units in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly of components for making a container in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Referring first to Figure 1 , the assembly shown comprises a corner element generally indicated 11 and the ends of two otherwise identical straight frame elements both identified with the reference numeral 12. Each straight frame element 12 has a generally square hollow extruded profile section constituted by fourflat walls 13, 14, 15, 16. In two of the walls, namely the walls 13 and 1 6, there are formed respective channels 1 7, 18, each constituted by a pair of flat parallel walls orthogonal to the channel-bearing wall, and identified by the reference numerals 1 7a, 1 7b in the case of the channel 17, and 1 8a, 1 8b in the case of the channel 18. The two channels have flat bottom walls 1 7c, 1 8C respectively.At the ends of each straight section 12 there is a plug portion of length a which is of reduced transverse dimensions with respect to the major walls 13, 14, 15, 16, the reduction in width being equal to twice the wall thickness of the material from which the element is made. Such element may be extruded from a suitable material such as aluminium and it will be appreciated that the channels 17, 1 8 are formed by "folds" in the skin of the section (although a folding operation as such is not involved).

The corner element 11 is composed of an integrally moulded unit having three limbs 19, 20, 21 extending orthogonally with respect to one another and each having a cross sectional shape identical with that of the straight frame elements 12. Again, the limbs 19, 20, 21 are open at the ends and the reduction in dimensions of the plug portion of length a at the end of each straight element 12 means that this can be fitted closely within the open ends of the limbs 20, 21 or 1 9.

The interconnection may be made permanent by adhesive, welding or transverse fixing elements such as screws or rivets, or a snap-engaging detent of any convenient type may be provided, for example in the form of a lip at the open end of the limbs 19, 20,21 for engagement with a transverse notch formed in the plug portion at the ends of the straight limbs 1 2.

This basic interlocking of straight frame elements with shaped corner pieces is the basis of the construction system of the present invention and by utilising the number of variations of this basic unit many different types of furniture element can be manufactured. It will be appreciated that the corner element 11 is adapted to secure three straight frame elements 1 2 at a corner between three mutually orthogonal panels (not illustrated). Such panels being received in the slots 1 7, 1 8 of the straight elements and the corresponding slots in the corner element which are aligned therewith and have substantially flush surfaces.Such panel elements may be of the same thickness as the slots 1 7, 18 so that the frame elements stand slightly proud around the edges, or may have suitable rebated flanges to be received in the slots 1 7, 18 so that the front face of a panel is flush with the wall 1 5 of the frame elements 12 or the wall 14 in the case of the channel 17 (and likewise the corresponding faces of the corner element 11).

The Figure 2 illustrates a table construction where a plurality of corner elements such as the element 11, identified in this embodiment as 11 a, 11 b, 1 C and 1 dare interconnected by four identical straight elements 12, again identified as 1 2a, 1 2b, 1 2c and 1 2d. A flat panel 23, which is conveniently made of glass is received in the channels 1 8 whilst the channels 1 7 are left empty.

The downwardly projecting limb 21 of each corner element 11 is free from channels and receives a square section socketted straight element 24, constituting a leg of the table, again each leg is identified with the corresponding subscript a, b, C, d.

In Figure 3 there is shown an assembly of component parts constituting part of a cupboard, in this case the left hand part of a cupboard having a single hinged door (not shown). The upper panel of the cupboard is constituted by four threelimbed corner elements 11 (only one of which is shown in Figure 3) which are identical to those illustrated in Figure 1 ,joined together by four straight frame elements 12 again identical with those illustrated in Figure 1, and the channels of which receive a flat panel 26 of suitable material, which may by plywood, chipboard, glass or plastics or metal.A similar lower horizontal frame constituted by the same frame elements, and identified in Figure 3 with the subscript e forms the floor of the cupboard and a side wall 27 is received in the slots in the frame elements which are orthogonally oriented with respect to the slots receiving the panels 26, 26e. An upright side limb 28, similar to the limbs 12 constituting the horizontal rails of the assembly, is integrally formed with two hinges 29 for receiving a door (not shown) to close the front of the cupboard.

The rear part of the cupboard assembly illustrated in Figure 3 is shown in Figure 4, this including the same component parts for the upper and lower horizontal panels 26, 26e, and the horizontal rails 12, 1 2e but the rear upright 30 is provided with a plurality of holes 31 for receiving shelf supports or drawer runners as desired.

Figure 5 illustrates a number of different frame parts which can be employed in constructing furniture units according to the present invention.

These include a four-limb corner unit 32 having limbs 33, 34, 35, 36 three of which, namely the limbs 33, 35, 36 lie in the same plane with the limb 35 orthogonal to the limbs 33, 36 which are aligned with one another, and the limb 34 extends perpendicularly with respect to the plane defined by the other three limbs. The limbs 34, 35 have but a single channel 37, 38 facing inwardly for reception of a horizontal panel, and the limbs 33, 36 have no channels.Such a corner element may be used, for example, for forming a plurality of stacked horizontal shelves with open front and sides in combination with straight elements such as the element 39 also illustrated in Figure 5, having but a single channel 40 which can be aligned with the channel 37 in the element 32 upon insertion of recessed plug ends of the straight element 39 into the open ends of the limb 34 or 35.

For making a picture frame, a corner element such as that illustrated immediately below the element 32, and identified with the reference numeral 41 may be employed. This has two limbs 42, 43 each having but a single channel 44 for reception of a single panel when used with a straight element 39 identical with that described above. The front face of the corner element 41 and the straight element 39 may be inclined at an angle so as not to be parallel with the plane defined by the slot 44, 40 corresponding to the "bevel" of a mirror or picture frame, or such faces may be shaped with a plurality of grooves like a picture frame moulding.

A further straight element 45 is also illustrated, this having two grooves 46, 47 on opposite parallel faces and at the same distance from the common face. Such an element is useful in forming a connection between two adjacent coplanar shelves. A suitable intermediate connector element is identified with the reference numeral 48, this having four limbs 49, 50, 51, 52 all lying in the same plane and mutually orthogonal with respect to one another and a fifth limb 53 extending perpendicularly with respect to the plane defined by the other four. The limbs 52, 50 are provided with slots 46, 47 in positions corresponding to the correspondingly numbered slots in the straight element 45, as is the limb 53 to allow formation of a frame structure incorporating two parallel but separate coplanar panels.As illustrated the limbs 49 and 51 have no slots although obviously for a construction incorporating front and/or side panels as well as the horizontal panels of the structure illustrated, suitable channels may be provided.

Finally, with reference to Figure 6 there is illustrated a container construction incorporating a plurality of straight elements 12 identical with those illustrated in Figure 1, a plurality of corner elements 11 identical with those illustrated in Figure 1 assembled to form the frame for a rectangular box. Straight frame elements 39 such as are illustrated in Figure 5 and three limb corner elements 56 having limbs 57, 58, 59, one of which 57 has two channels and the other of which, 58, 59, have only one channel, are used to form an open side of the container, which may be a front face as in the drawing illustrated, or may be the top or bottom face as required.Suitable panels are received in the channels of all the elements to form a rigid container structure which may be used as a crate or case, or as a unit in a modular furniture structure.

Although not specifically illustrated, the construction of the present invention may also be employed to make other furniture elements such as beds, chairs and the like by suitable interconnection of the modular elements, perhaps with the addition of special purpose elements as well.

Although the straight elements 1 2 have been referred to hereinabove simply as rectilinear members, other shapes may be employed for the frame elements. For example, a curved, part circular frame element 12 may be employed to build the frame part of a circular table. Such arcuate frame members may be formed in a modular manner such that the ends subtend any convenient angle at the centre such as 900, 600, 300 etc., in dependence on the number of frame elements intended to complete a circular frame. If the arcuate frame members subtended 900 at the centre, for example, each would constitute a quadrant of a circle.

Rectilinear, but cranked frame elements may also be provided to accommodate specialist shapes, and the connecting elements may be inclined at suitable angles at the interconnecting points to give any polygonal outline, such as a pentagon, hexagon, octagon or even an irregular outline if such were required.

Claims (22)

1. A construction system for three dimensional objects such as items of furniture or the like having one or more panels surrounded, or at least partly surrounded, by a reinforcing frame of substantially rigid elements, the elements being shaped to interconnect with one another to form the frame and having elongate channels therein for receiving the edges of one or more panels.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, in which the frame elements have a hollow cross section.

3. A system as claimed in Claim 2, in which the hollow section frame elements are filled with a foam material.

4. A system as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the channels are formed as recesses in the frame elements.

5. A system as claimed in Claim 4, in which the channels are constituted by bent or folded portions of the wall section.

6. A system as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the cross sectional shape of each frame element, apart from the channels formed therein, is generally square.

7. A system as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the cross sectional shape of each frame element, apart from the channels formed therein, is generally circular.

8. A system as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the cross sectional shape of each frame element, apart from the channels formed therein, is that of a regular or irregular polygon.

9. A modular system of frame elements for constructing units of furniture, comprising a plurality of substantially straight elements having one or more channels in faces lying at predetermined angles with respect to one another, and a plurality of corner-connecting elements shaped to interconnect with the straight elements to provide a rigid coupling with channels in adjacent straight elements being interconnected by corresponding channels in the coupling elements.

10. A modular system as claimed in Claim 9, in which each element of the system has a portion with a channel which can be aligned with corresponding channel sections in the other elements when such elements are fitted together.

11. A modular system as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, further including elements having three mutually perpendicular limbs, each limb having a channel therein and means for connecting with the ends of straight elements.

12. A modular system as claimed in Claim 9, 10 or 11, in which there are further provided Tshape and/or cruciform shape elements.

13. A modular system as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 12, in which some of the elements are preliminarily provided with hinges for attachment to doors or the like.

14. A modular system as claimed in Claim 9 to Claim 13, in which at least some of the elements are provided with shelf supports and/or drawer runners and/or have one or more rows of holes for receiving such items.

1 5. A modular system as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 14, in which the frame elements are adapted to be secured together by adhesive or by other fixing elements such as screws, rivets or the like.

16. A modular system as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 15, in which the frame elements are provided with plug and socket connections which are frictionally retained together.

17. A modular system as claimed in Claim 16, in which the plug and socket connections include corresponding component parts of a snapengaging detent for retaining the frame elements together in an assembled frame.

18. A modular system as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the frame elements are made of plastics material.

1 9. A modular system as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 17, in which the flame elements are made from steel or aluminium, or which include such material.

20. An item of furniture made from a modular system as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 19, in which the panels supported within the channels in the frame elements are made from reconstituted board, fibre board, chip board, glass or perspex.

21. A modular system as claimed in any preceding Claim and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

22. An item of furniture made from a modular system as claimed in any preceding Claim and as hereinbefore shown and described.