[0001] The invention relates to a rotation and pull-out fitting for a shelf in a corner
cabinet, comprising a carrier that is supported in the corner cabinet to be pivotable
about a vertical axis, an intermediate carrier that is rotatable relative to the carrier
about an axis that is parallel with but offset from the axis of the carrier, and a
pull-out guide on which the shelf can be displaced relative to the intermediate carrier.
[0002] A fitting of this type has been described in
EP 1 857 019 A2. The fitting is specifically intended for use in kitchen corner cabinets wherein
only one half of the front is accessible through a door whereas the other half of
the front is blocked by another furniture body. When the shelf is to be drawn-out,
the entire structure comprising the carrier, the intermediate carrier and the shelf
is at first pivoted about the axis of the carrier. After an initial phase of this
movement, the intermediate carrier engages a guide contour that is fixed relative
to the cabinet body and enforces an additional rotation of the intermediate carrier
relative to the carrier. In a terminal phase of the movement, the shelf can only be
drawn-out of the door opening relative to the intermediate carrier. In this system,
the sequence of movements is controlled such that the shelf can be brought into a
position in which it projects relatively far out of the door opening and is thus readily
accessible and that the shelf may have a useable surface area as large as possible
so as to fully exploit the available space in the corner cabinet without the shelf
interfering with the body of the corner cabinet in the course of the rotation and
pull-out movement.
[0003] In the drawn-out position, the intermediate carrier and the carrier are blocked,
so that, when the shelf is pushed back into the cabinet, only a linear movement of
the shelf may initially take place, before the pivotal movements of the intermediate
carrier and the carrier set in.
[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide a fitting of this type which provides
a smoother motion sequence.
[0005] According to the invention, this object is achieved by the feature that the pivotal
movement of the intermediate carrier relative to the carrier is positively guided
by a guide member during the entire motion sequence, said guide member being stationary
relative to the corner cabinet.
[0006] As a result, a well-defined position of the intermediate carrier is associated with
each angular position of the carrier, so that the intermediate carrier does not have
any additional degrees of freedom of movement. This offers the possibility to have
the pivotal movement of the intermediate carrier relative to the carrier set in very
smoothly, without any sensible change in the resistance to be overcome. Moreover,
this construction improves the overall stability of the support of the shelf, so that
the stability requirements can be fulfilled with reduced material usage and at reduced
costs.
[0007] Useful embodiments and further developments of the invention are indicated in the
dependent claims.
[0008] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the shelf is directly coupled to the carrier
by means of an additional guide structure. As a result, the shelf may move only on
a well-defined trajectory throughout the entire motion sequence and has no additional
degrees of freedom of movement. More particularly, it is possible in this way to achieve
a forcible coupling between the linear pull-out movement of the shelf relative to
the intermediate carrier and the rotation of the intermediate carrier relative to
the carrier. Then, the rotation of the intermediate carrier and the moment of inertia
thereof may already be used for enforcing the start of the linear displacement of
the shelf, so that the transition from the pivotal movement to the linear displacement
of the shelf will be smooth and almost imperceptible for the user.
[0009] An embodiment example will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
- Fig. 1
- is a schematic plan view of a cabinet body having a shelf and a fitting according
to the invention;
- Fig. 2
- shows the same plan view as Fig. 1, but with other parts of the fitting being highlighted;
- Figs. 3 and 4
- show a condition of the fitting after an initial phase of a pi- votal movement;
- Fig. 5
- shows the condition of the fitting in the further course of the pivotal movement;
- Fig. 6
- shows the condition of the fitting in the further course of the pivotal movement,
with simultaneous start of a linear pull-out movement of the shelf; and
- Fig. 7
- shows the fitting with the shelf being drawn-out completely.
[0010] Fig. 1 shows a horizontal cross-section of a body of a kitchen corner cabinet 10
having side walls 12, a rear wall 14 and a centre post 16 which defines, together
with the right side wall 12, a door opening 18, whereas the left half of the front
of the cabinet is blocked by another furniture body which has not been shown. An approximately
semi-circular shelf 20 is accommodated inside the cabinet. By means of a fitting 22
of which only the contour has been shown in phantom lines, the shelf 20 is held in
the cabinet in such a way that it can be pivoted out of the door opening 18 and can
then be pulled-out further.
[0011] The fitting 22 comprises a rigid, arcuate carrier 24 that is pivotable about a vertical
axis 26 that is stationary relative to the cabinet body. The axis 22 is arranged on
the side of the centre post 16 facing away from the door opening and is rotatably
supported in a bracket 28 that is rigidly mounted to the cabinet body. As can be seen
more clearly in Fig. 2, an intermediate carrier 30 is supported on the distal end
of the carrier 24 and is pivotable relative to the carrier 24 about another vertical
axis 32. On the side that is closer to the centre post, the intermediate carrier 30
has an arm 34 which carriers a guided member 36 at its free end. The guided member
engages in a guide slot 38 formed in a cantilever of the bracket 28.
[0012] Moreover, the intermediate carrier 30 carries on its top side a pair of parallel
guide rails 40 (shown in dot-dashed lines in the drawing), which co-operate with runners
42 arranged on the bottom side of the shelf 20.
[0013] Moreover, two arcuate guide slots 44 are formed in a mirror-image configuration in
the bottom side of the shelf 20, and only the left one of these guide slots is used
in the given example. The other guide slot is provided for use of the shelf in a cabinet
body having the door opening 18 on the opposite side. The guide slots 44 may for example
be formed directly in the shelf when the latter is moulded from plastics.
[0014] As can be seen most clearly in Fig. 2, an arm 46 projects from the carrier 24 and
is formed at its free end with a guided member 48 engaged in the guide slot 44 of
the shelf.
[0015] In the condition shown in Fig, 1, the intermediate carrier 30 is locked by the guided
member 36 and the guide slot 38 against rotation relative to the carrier 24, so that
the carrier and the intermediate carrier behave like a rigid unit. Further, the shelf
20 is locked against displacement along the runners 42 because the part of the guide
slot 44 accommodating the guided member 48 is inclined relative to the runners 42.
[0016] When, now, the user wants to rotate the shelf 20 out of the door opening, he clasps
with his hand the edge of the shelf through the door opening and pulls the shelf forward.
As a result, the shelf 20 and the fitting 22 rotate as a rigid unit about the axis
26. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the leftmost terminal portion of the guide slot 38 is
shaped as a circular arc around the axis 26, so that, in the course of the rotation,
the guided member 36 may move in the guide slot 38 while continuing to block the intermediate
carrier 30 against rotation relative to the carrier 24.
[0017] Only when the condition shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has been reached, the guided member
36 enters into a portion of guide slot 38 which gradually retreats from the axis 26.
Consequently, an additional pivotal movement of the intermediate carrier 30 and the
shelf 20 about the axis 32 is enforced in the further course of the rotation of the
carrier.
[0018] Fig. 5 shows a somewhat later stage of the motion sequence. The carrier 24 has been
pivoted clock-wise about the axis 26, and the intermediate carrier 30 has started
with its pivotal movement about the axis 32, also in clock sense. As a result of this
pivotal movement relative to the carrier 24, the lower edge of the guide slot 44 in
Fig. 4 runs onto the guided member 48 that is rigidly held at the carrier 24, as has
been symbolised by an arrow A in Fig. 5. The resulting force which the guided member
48 exerts onto the guide slot 44 is directed orthogonally to the guide slot and has
a component in parallel with the runners 42 and thus enforces the start of the linear
displacement of the shelf 20 along the guide rails. This displacement is assisted
by the user pulling the shelf with his hand. In this way, the pivotal movement of
the fitting is superposed by a pull-out movement, which gradually sets in, of the
shelf 20.
[0019] Fig 6 shows yet a later stage of the motion sequence. The carrier 24 and the intermediate
carrier 30 have continued their pivotal movements, and the guided member 48 has travelled
a considerable distance in the inclined branch of the slot 44, so that the shelf 20
with its runners 42 has moved a corresponding distance along the guide rails 40.
[0020] In Fig. 7, the final stage of the movement has finally been reached. The carrier
24 has been rotated into its end position in which the end carrying the axis 32 is
located already outside of the door opening. Since the intermediate carrier 30 and,
eventually, the shelf 20 are supported by the carrier 24 at the location of the axis
32, the shelf can bear a high load even in the completely puled-out position.
[0021] The guided member 36 has reached the end of the guide slot 38, so that the movement
of the intermediate carrier 30 has stopped as well. The guided member 48 mounted on
the carrier 24 has reached the end of the guide slot 44 after having passed through
a straight portion of this guide slot that extends in parallel with the runners 42.
In this phase, the only movement that has taken place was the linear displacement
of the shelf relative to the intermediate carrier. As a result of the curved shape
of the guide slot 44, the pivotal movement of the intermediate carrier relative to
the carrier has been braked smoothly when the guided member 48 has travelled through
the guide slot, and the superposed rotation and linear displacement has smoothly merged
into a pure linear displacement. Moreover, in the position shown in Fig. 7, the carrier
24 cannot be pivoted about the axis 26, not even in counter-clock sense in Fig. 7.
As long as the guided member 48 is located in the straight branch of the guide slot
44 that extends in parallel with the runners 42, the intermediate carrier 30 cannot
be pivoted relative to the carrier 24 about the axis 32, so that the carrier 24 and
the intermediate carrier 30 behave again like a rigid unit. If one attempts to rotate
this unit about the axis 26, then the guided member 36 mounted on the intermediate
carrier would have to move on a circular trajectory about the axis 26. This, however,
is prevented by the shape of the guide slot 38.
[0022] The same effect prevents the shelf 20 from abutting at the side wall 12 of the cabinet
body when the shelf 20 is pushed back into the door opening. In the further course
of the push-in and rotary movement, the forcibly guided movements that have been described
about are performed in opposite sequence, until the condition shown in Figs. 1 and
2 has been reached again.
1. A rotation and pull-out fitting for a shelf (20) in a corner cabinet (10), comprising
a carrier (24) supported in the corner cabinet to be pivotable about a vertical axis
(26), an intermediate carrier (30) rotatable relative to the carrier (24) about an
axis (32) that is parallel with but offset from the axis of rotation of the carrier
(24), and a pull-out guide (40, 42) on which the shelf (20) can be displaced relative
to the intermediate carrier (30), characterised in that the rotary movement of the intermediate carrier (30) relative to the carrier (24)
is positively guided by a guide member (38) throughout the entire sequence of movement,
said guide member (38) being stationary relative to the corner cabinet.
2. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the guide member (38) is a guide slot formed
in a bracket (28) that supports the axis (26) of the carrier (24), a guided member
(36) that is mounted on the intermediate carrier (30) being engaged in the guide slot.
3. The fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide member (38) is shaped such
that it prevents the intermediate carrier (30) from being rotated relative to the
carrier (24) in an initial phase of a pivotal movement of the shelf (20) outwardly
of the corner cabinet.
4. The fitting according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shelf (20) is guided
directly at the carrier (24) by guide means (44, 48).
5. The fitting according to claims 3 and 4, wherein the guide means (44, 48) are shaped
such that they block a displacement of the shelf (20) relative to the intermediate
carrier (30) and the carrier (24) in an initial phase of the rotary movement.
6. The fitting according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the guide means (44, 48) are shaped
such that they permit only a displacement of the shelf (20) relative to the intermediate
carrier (30) and block the intermediate carrier (30) against rotation relative to
the carrier (20) in a terminal phase of the movement of the shelf (20) after the latter
has been rotated out of the corner cabinet.
7. The fitting according to claim 6, wherein the guide member (38) is shaped such that
it prevents the unit formed by the intermediate carrier (30) and the carrier (20)
from rotating about the axis (26) of the carrier in said terminal phase.
8. The fitting according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the guide means (44, 48) are shaped
such that, before the terminal phase is reached, they enforce a gradual setting-in
of the displacement of the shelf (20) relative to the intermediate carrier (30) as
a result of the rotation of the intermediate carrier relative to the carrier (24)
and then a smooth breaking of the rotary movement of the intermediate carrier (30)
relative to the carrier (24).
9. The fitting according to any of the claims 4 to 8, wherein the guide means are formed
by a guide slot (44) formed on the bottom side of the shelf (20) and a guided member
(48) mounted on the carrier (24).
10. The fitting according to claim 9, wherein the shelf (20) is an injection moulded plastic
member and two guide slots (44) are formed symmetrically in the bottom side of the
shelf.