[0001] The present invention relates to a door for commercial furniture.
[0002] Conventional doors for commercial furniture, such as refrigerators for bars and restaurants,
are currently available.
[0003] Typically, such doors are made of sheet metal.
[0004] More specifically, they are usually composed of two metal sheets, for example made
of stainless steel, which are blanked, bent, and mutually joined so as to form a box-like
structure which, in the case of use in refrigerators or in pieces of furniture requiring
particular heat insulation features, is filled with foamed insulating material, such
as polyurethane or the like.
[0005] Conventional doors, besides having handle-like elements, which are provided to the
user for closing and opening and are obtained either by pressing the front metal sheet
or by welding separate parts prior to assembly, also have elements for rotatable coupling
to the pieces of furniture for which they are intended.
[0006] These rotatable coupling elements typically constitute the male or female component
of a hinge associated with the corresponding component, which is fixed to the piece
of furniture, when the door is assembled.
[0007] Substantially two different embodiments for these hinge components related to the
door are currently known.
[0008] A first embodiment entails, in a back region of the door, the application of an internal
reinforcement plate for each hinge element to be applied, said plate being perforated
together with the back of the door, thus connecting the male or female hinge element
externally to said door by means of screws or other threaded elements.
[0009] A second embodiment entails the formation, at the transverse edges of the door, of
seats providing the female components of the hinges, or the fixing of pivots providing
the male components of said hinges.
[0010] The above described conventional embodiments, despite achieving their purpose, are
not free from drawbacks.
[0011] In particular, the first embodiment is rather complicated from the point of view
of production, since it is necessary to fix the plate, usually by welding, perforate
said plate, and apply the hinge element, which is a separate part, prior to assembly.
[0012] Furthermore, in this embodiment, with prolonged use, plays may form in the threaded
couplings, consequently causing poor operation of the door.
[0013] The second embodiment has the main drawback that, in order to achieve door closure
and opening, it must provide for chamfering of the corner of the piece of furniture
that corresponds to the hinges; its opening kinematics would in fact unavoidably make
it interfere with said corner, as experience has shown.
[0014] Furthermore, although both embodiments are reversible, that is to say, doors manufactured
as described above can be fitted equally to the right side or to the left side of
the piece of furniture, the formation of handles by pressing the front metal sheet
or the application of said separately provided handles eliminates the above mentioned
reversibility, and this requires not only greater skill on the part of the assembly
personnel but also separate production lines.
[0015] Finally, both embodiments have systems for hinging to the piece of furniture that
are clearly visible and therefore certainly do not have an optimum aesthetic effect.
[0016] A principal aim of the present invention is to provide a door that solves the drawbacks
of the conventional types pointed out above, in particular by offering complete reversibility,
as well as an opening and closing kinematics that never makes it interfere with the
piece of furniture.
[0017] In relation to this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a door
that is constructively very simple and is obtained while preserving, if not improving,
good structural strength features.
[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a door having a pleasant aesthetics
and in which the handles are concealed adequately for this purpose.
[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide a door that allows easy cleaning
and does not have regions where dirt accumulates, with a high bacteriological risk.
[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a door that can be manufactured
with conventional technologies and the costs whereof are competitive with those of
currently commercially available doors.
[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide a door that is ergonomically
competitive with conventional models.
[0022] This aim, these objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved
by a door for commercial furniture, according to the invention, characterized in that
it comprises the following combination of elements:
-- a folded metallic front plate;
-- a folded metallic rear plate;
-- a frame made of plastics;
said front and rear plates constituting, in association with said frame, the box-like
body of said door, which can be filled with thermally insulating material such as
foamed polyurethane or the like; respective lugs extending monolithically from two
corner regions of said frame that are arranged at the ends of a common edge, each
lug forming the male or female component of an external back hinge.
[0023] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the detailed description of an embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of
non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
figure 1 is an axonometric front view of a door according to the invention;
figure 2 is an axonometric rear view of the door according to the invention;
figure 3 is an axonometric view of a detail of the door according to the invention;
figure 4 is an axonometric exploded view of two details related to a door according
to the invention;
figure 5 is a partially sectional front view of details, upon assembly, of the door
according to the invention;
figure 6 is an axonometric view of another detail of the door according to the invention;
figure 7 is a transverse sectional view of a further detail of the door according
to the invention.
[0024] With reference to figures 1 to 7, a door for commercial furniture, according to the
invention, is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
[0025] The door 10 is constituted by a box-like body 11 formed by associating a front metal
plate 12, a rear metal plate 13, two tubular uprights 14, and two likewise tubular
cross-members 15.
[0026] In particular, the front plate 12 and the rear plate 13 are both folded and made,
in this case, of plastic-coated sheet metal, whereas the two uprights 14 and the two
cross-members 15 are constituted by an extruded element made of plastics.
[0027] Furthermore, the two cross-members 15 are identical one another and are substantially
L-shaped, so that each one forms a concealed handle, their concave portions being
directed towards the piece of furniture (not shown in the figures) on which the door
10 will be mounted.
[0028] The association between the front plate 12, the rear plate 13, the uprights 14, and
the cross-members 15 occurs by mutual interlocking.
[0029] In particular, both the uprights 14 and the cross-members 15 have, in outer edge
regions 16 and along their entire length, two flexible flaps 17 and 18 having respective
facing free ends; the flap 17 accommodates by abutment, in its inner part, the folded
portion of the front metal plate 12, whereas the flap 18 provides a stop element ensuring
the fixing of said plate.
[0030] The rear plate 13 is fixed to the uprights 14 and to the cross-members 15 by insertion
in slots 19 formed therein and in which its folded portion produces slight interference.
[0031] The uprights 14 and the cross-members 15 substantially produce a perimetric frame
for the front plate 12 and for the rear plate 13; said frame is fixed further by four
corner elements designated by the reference numerals 20 to 23 in the figures.
[0032] In particular, the corner elements 20 and 21 are identical one another, and each
one is constituted by a shaped body 24 preferably made of injection-molded plastics
and from which two substantially prism-shaped mutually perpendicular pins, not shown
in the figures, protrude; each one of said pins fits respectively inside the cavities
of a corresponding upright 14 and of a corresponding cross-member 15.
[0033] The corner elements 22 and 23 are identical one another, and each one is constituted
by a body 25 preferably made of injection-molded plastics, from which two substantially
prism-shaped and mutually perpendicular pins 26 and 27 protrude together with a substantially
prism-shaped lug 28 that remains substantially on the plane of arrangement of said
body 11.
[0034] In particular, each one of the pins 26 and 27 fits, upon assembly, in a corresponding
cross-member 15 and upright 14.
[0035] The lug 28, in this case, is perforated so as to form a blind hole 29, inside which
a pivot 30 is inserted; said pivot forms, in association with the lug 28, the male
component of an external back hinge the female component whereof is rigidly coupled
to the piece of furniture which, as mentioned, is not illustrated in the figures.
[0036] Furthermore, it should be noted that in a region of the body 25 that substantially
corresponds to a corner of the door 10 after assembly has occurred, there is a radiused
raised trimming portion 31 that constitutes a stop element and a register for the
edge of the front plate 12.
[0037] Finally, there is a per se known magnetic closure, generally designated by the reference
numeral 32. The body 11, once assembled, is filled with thermally insulating material,
such as foamed polyurethane or the like.
[0038] In practice, it has been observed that the intended aim and objects have been achieved;
in particular, it should be noted that the door according to the invention, in addition
to considerable constructive simplicity, has considerable overall compactness and
full reversibility, since substantially identical handles are provided at the cross-members.
[0039] It should also be noted that the hinge components related to the door, executed according
to the invention, have considerable constructive simplicity, with a saving in production
steps with respect to conventional types; they in fact require only assembly by simple
insertion in the uprights and in the cross-members after being produced by injection-molding
plastics or by virtue of another production process.
[0040] The hinge components according to the invention furthermore produce a door movement
by virtue whereof said door never interferes with the piece of furniture on which
it is mounted.
[0041] The particular formal execution of the hinge components furthermore causes them to
be fully uniform from the visual point of view with the door, and this provides a
pleasant aesthetic effect.
[0042] It should also be noted that the shape of the door according to the invention, being
without regions that are particularly difficult to reach for cleaning after assembly,
accordingly allows assured and effective hygiene.
[0043] Furthermore, the radiused lines, as well as the frame of tubular elements made of
plastics, give the operator assurance of safe use without danger of cuts or other
hazards.
[0044] The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all
of which are within the scope of the inventive concept; thus, for example, instead
of inserting the pivot in the lug, it is possible to leave the hole therein, thus
constituting the female component of the hinge, and the pivot can be provided monolithically
with the lug.
[0045] Furthermore, all the details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
[0046] In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according
to the requirements.
[0047] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs,
those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility
of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect
on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference
signs.
1. Door for commercial furniture, characterized in that it comprises the following combination
of elements:
-- a folded metallic front plate;
-- a folded metallic rear plate;
-- a frame made of plastics;
said front and rear plates constituting, in association with said frame, the box-like
body of said door, which can be filled with thermally insulating material such as
foamed polyurethane or the like; respective lugs extending monolithically from two
corner regions of said frame that are arranged at the ends of a common edge, each
lug forming the male or female component of an external back hinge.
2. Door according to claim 1, characterized in that its perimetric profile is shaped
so as to form at least one handle that is concealed from sight by said front metal
plate.
3. Door according to claim 1, characterized in that said frame comprises two tubular
uprights, two tubular cross-members, and four corner elements, two of said corner
elements, which upon assembly are arranged at the ends of a common upright or of a
common cross-member, extending so that each one monolithically forms said lug that
forms the male or female component of an external back hinge.
4. Door according to claim 3, characterized in that each one of said corner elements
has two mutually substantially perpendicular pins that are inserted, upon assembly,
in said cross-members and said uprights to provide a frame for said front metal plate
and said rear metal plate.
5. Door according to claim 3, characterized in that said cross-members are substantially
L-shaped, with a concave portion that is directed towards the piece of furniture on
which said door is mounted, so as to form handles that are concealed externally by
said front metal plate.
6. Door according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said
lugs that form components of respective hinges remain substantially on the plane of
arrangement of said box-like body.
7. Door according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said
front metal plate and said rear metal plate are connected to said uprights and to
said cross-members by interlocking.