Securing member for a supporting arm movable within a vertical guide

Abstract

 The invention relates to an assembly having a vertical guide comprising a base part provided with spaced-apart holes, raised edge portions and legs turned towards each other on said edge portions, supporting arms movable within said vertical guide and securing members by which said supporting arms can be secured within the vertical guide. Said securing members can be placed in the holes with a stub and will come to bear against the inner side of the guide with their cams by rotation, in which a supporting arm will come to bear on said securing member through an obliquely extending contact surface.

Description

[0001] The present application relates to an assembly comprising a vertical guide, one or more supporting arms movable within the vertical guide and means by which a supporting arm can be secured in the vertical guide.

[0002] Such assemblies are known per se. UK-A-2 082 893 discloses a vertical guide in which a supporting arm having a dovetail guiding element fits. The dovetail element has a straight elongation extending into a recess in the supporting arm and can be pulled further into the supporting arm by a set screw. By this the arm is clamped, which, however does not give an actual guaranteed clamping. PCT application WO 92/09221 discloses a supporting arm in which a small flexible plastic block is mounted which can be pulled back by a screw in such a way that an expanding portion of it will contact the vertical guide. With this solution too, there is no secure clamping. In these known systems, the supporting arms are continuously adjustable, which leads to the important disadvantage, that movement after clamping is not exactly unreal.

[0003] Further, there are the known systems in which supporting arms provided with hook members can be suspended into verticale profile elements, to which end spaced slots or keyhole-shaped holes for the hook members have been made in the profile elements. With this type of systems, the position of a supporting arm, once it has been mounted at a certain height, will actually be guaranteed. A disadvantage of this type of systems is the hardly attractive appearance, as a consequence of which they are considered suitable for a limited number of applications only.

[0004] The object of the invention is to provide for an assembly which does not have said disadvantages, in which the supporting arms can take up guaranteed positions and in which the assembly has been arranged in such a way, that it will suit anywhere.

[0005] Accordingly, it is provided for that holes spaced at equal distances or otherwise, have been made in the vertical guide and that the means, by which a supporting arm can be secured in the vertical guide, consist of a securing member being provided with a projecting stub, intended to be stuck into one of the holes in the vertical guide, and with locking or clamping means by which the securing member can be locked or clamped in the vertical guide. According to a further elaboration it has further been provided for, that the vertical guide comprises a base part having the spaced-apart holes therein, said base part being provided with raised edge portions and said edge portions being provided with legs facing each other.

[0006] The solution according to the invention provides for a separate securing member which realizes guaranteed positions of the supporting arms with the help of the holes in the base part of the vertical guide. Given the fact that the holes are situated within the vertical guide, which can be blind round holes of a relatively limited diameter, one will obtain a system in which the appearance will not be hindered by the known slots or keyhole-shaped holes of other systems.

[0007] Further, additional measures have been provided for actually being able to hold or clamp a securing member in place in a hole once it has been fitted there. Firstly, to that end the securing member comprises a body being mounted transversely to an axis of the securing member, in which the projecting stub forms an extremity of the axis, and in which the width of the body is narrower than the distance between the legs facing each other and the length of the body is larger than the distance between the raised edge portions. Preferably, the length, and in particular the length in diagonal direction, of the body is larger than the distance between the raised edge portions.

[0008] Thus, one achieves that from the outside, the securing member can be mounted at any desired height in a hole in the base part of the vertical guide by the stub, and by rotating the securing member a quarter turn, in which the body with the longitudinal direction is brought from a vertical position to a horizontal position. Then the body will contact the raised edge portions and will have been locked in the vertical guide.

[0009] Preferably, it will further be provided for, that the body is provided with cams situated diagonally opposite each other, which are intended for contacting the sides facing the base part, of the legs projecting towards each other, on rotation of a securing member being stuck into a hole with the stub. In this way, the securing member can actually be fixedly received in the vertical guide. Instead of cams which will contact the bottom of the legs facing each other, cams which will contact the insides of the raised edge portion may also be provided.

[0010] Further, it is important how the supporting arm contact the securing member. It is possible, for example, to have supporting arm and securing member contacting each other according to a horizontal contact surface, however, this is not preferred. According to a first further measure it is provided for, that at the side of the cams, the body is at least partly divided in two planes sloping in opposite directions along the axis in longitudinal direction of the body. Then, according to a second further measure it is provided for that a supporting arm has one extremity provided with at least one guiding element, intended to be received into a vertical guide, which extends up to both sides of the supporting arm, in which said guiding element is provided with a bevel at the side pointed downwards. In this structure, the supporting arm will come to bear on a slanting surface of the body of the securing member with the bevelled plane, which, definitely in case of a loaded supporting arm will provide the securing member from being rotated and also provides for a further clamping of the securing member. In this way, an additional security is obtained with these further measures.
   Further, the lowermost part of the guiding element is forced towards the legs of the vertical guide facing each other, as a consequence of which tilting of the supporting arm around this point is impossible and an appropriate position of the supporting arm in relation to the vertical guide is guaranteed.

[0011] According to a further elaboration, a profile, e.g. a corrugation structure, can additionally be provided on at least one of the contact surfaces between securing member and supporting arm. Due to this, movement of a supporting arm in relation to a securing member can be completely prevented.

[0012] According to a further elaboration, it is further provided for that the guiding element has a recess in the middle, as a consequence of which said guiding element can fall partly around the axis of a securing member. Due to this, the maximum possible contact surface between supporting arm and securing member will be realized.

[0013] The invention is further explained by way of the example given in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows, partly in cross-section and in view, a vertical guide having supporting arms and securing members;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the assembly according to Fig. 1;

Figs. 3A-E show some views of a securing member;

Figs. 4A-C show some views of a supporting arm; and

Figs. 5A-B show a view of a further embodiment of a supporting arm and a detail thereof.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a vertical guide 1 having a base part 2, raised edge portions 3, 4 and legs 5, 6 turned towards each other. The base part 2 contains spaced-apart blind holes 7 intended for receiving stubs 9 of securing members 8. Further, supporting arms 10, 11 of different lengths have been mounted, their extremities projecting into the vertical guide being provided with a first and a second guiding element 12, 13. In the example, the supporting arms are provided with pairs of bearing surfaces 14, 15, said bearing surfaces being provided with holes for fastening means. Shelves 16, 17 have been mounted on the bearing surfaces 14, 15.

[0015] Figs. 3A-E show a number of views of securing member 8 substantially consisting of a pin 18 and a body 19 connecting to it, said pin 18 at one side ending in a stub 9 projecting from said body 19 and at the other side ending in an actuating member 20.

[0016] The body 19 is elongated in which the width of said body is smaller than the width of the opening between said legs 5, 6 turned towards each other of vertical guide 1. The length of said body 19 can chosen to be smaller, equal to or larger than the distance between the raised sides of the vertical guide, in which preferably at least the length according to the diagonal is larger. In the embodiment illustrated, a smaller length according to the axis and a larger length according to the diagonal were chosen, as a result of which the body can be situated approximately square to the axis of the vertical guide.

[0017] The contact surface of body 19, with which it will come to bear against the base part 2 of the vertical guide 1, is completely flat, just like the base part 2. In order to be able to turn said body 19 within the guide 1, two angle portions 21, 22 situated diagonally opposite one another are rounded off in such a way, that there the diagonal distance is smaller than the distance between the raised edge portions 3, 4.

[0018] In the example shown, cams 23, 24 are provided at the other corners, said cams are intended to bear against the inner sides of the legs 5, 6 turned to each other. However, it is equally possible to design the cams in such a way that they will come to bear against the raised edge portions 4, 5. The part of the top side of body 19 which is located between the cams 23, 24 is divided in two slanting surfaces 26, 27 along the axis 25 in longitudinal direction. Of said slanting surfaces 26, 27, always one surface will be the contact surface against which a guiding part 13 of a supporting arm 10, 11 will come to bear.

[0019] Figs. 4A-C illustrate a number of views of a supporting arm 11 in which particularly the guiding elements 12, 13 at the extremity of the supporting arm 11 are important. It would also be possible to choose an integral guiding element instead of two separate guiding elements. The lowermost guiding element has parts 28, 29 of which part 28 has a width which is larger than the opening between the legs 5, 6 turned to each other and slightly smaller than the distance between raised edge portions 3, 4 of the vertical guide 1. Part 29 has a width which is smaller than the distance between the cams 23, 24 of the securing member 8 and also smaller than the opening between the legs 5, 6 turned to each other. Further, part 29 has a bevel 30 at the back, which is the surface of contact with one of the surfaces 26, 27 of the securing member 8. The bevel 30 and the surfaces 26, 27 can be provided with a corrugated structure as a result of which they can properly engage. This prevents supporting arm 10, 11 and securing member 8 from being easily movable in relation to one another e.g. when the supporting arm is unintendedly hit from below.

[0020] In Fig. 1, the contact of surface 30 with one of the surfaces 27, 28 of said securing member 8 is indicated diagrammatically. Owing to this, guides 12, 13 will come to rest against the legs 5, 6 turned to each other and owing to the locking of guide 13 between securing member 8 and legs 5, 6 turned to each other, tilting of a loaded supporting arm is excluded. Furthermore, the securing member is additionally held within a chosen hole 7.

[0021] Further, Fig. 4A indicates a recess 32 providing sufficient space for bringing actuating member 20 in the appropriate position.

[0022] The example according to Figs. 5A-B illustrates an embodiment in which the lowermost part 29 of the guiding element 33 has a bevel 30 downwards continuing in a connecting, straight part 34. There, the extremity is provided with a further bevel 36. Through this, it is achieved that when a supporting arm 11 is lowered onto a securing member 8, it will slide across a surface 26, 27 of said securing member 8 with the surface 36, and subsequently with straight part 34 across the centre line 25, whereupon said supporting arm 11 will come to bear on a surface 26, 27 of said securing member with the bevelled surface 30. Here, the transition 35 ends approximately on the centre line 25.

[0023] This provides a proper locking between supporting arm 11 and securing member 8 as a result of which it is not easily possible to move said support arm in upward direction in relation to said securing member in case of e.g. unintended exertion of a force onto the bottom of said supporting arm.

[0024] Finally, a rib 37 is provided on guiding element 33, which rib, in case of a supporting arm placed in a vertical guide 1, will come to rest between the legs 5, 6 turned towards each other and fittingly connect to them. This rib further contributes to a stable locking of a supporting arm 11 within a vertical guide 1, in which in particular lateral movement of the supporting arm is prevented.

Claims

1. Assembly comprising a vertical guide, one or more supporting arms movable within the vertical guide and means by which a supporting arm can be secured in the vertical guide, characterized in that holes spaced at equal distances or otherwise, have been made in the vertical guide and that the means, by which a supporting arm can be secured in the vertical guide, consist of a securing member being provided with a projecting stub, intended to be stuck into one of the holes in the vertical guide, and with locking or clamping means by which the securing member can be locked or clamped in the vertical guide.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical guide comprises a base part having the spaced-apart holes therein, said base part being provided with raised edge portions and said edge portions being provided with legs facing each other.

3. Assembly according to claims 1-2, characterized in that the securing member comprises a body being mounted transversely to an axis of the securing member, in which the projecting stub forms an extremity of the axis, and in which the width of the body is narrower than the distance between the legs facing each other and the length of the body is larger than the distance between the raised edge portions.

4. Assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the length according to the diagonal of the body is larger than the distance between the raised edge portions of the vertical guide.

5. Assembly according to claims 3-4, characterized in that the body is provided with cams situated diagonally opposite each other, which are intended for contacting the sides facing the base part, of the legs projecting towards each other, on rotation of a securing member being stuck into a hole with the stub.

6. Assembly according to claims 3-4, characterized in that body is provided with cams situated diagonally opposite each other, which are intended for contacting the raised edge portions on rotation of a securing member being stuck into a hole with the stub.

7. Assembly according to claims 5-6, characterized in that that the body is rounded at the other diagonally opposite angles than where the cams are provided.

8. Assembly according to claims 3-7, characterized in that at the side of the cams, the body is at least partly divided in two planes sloping in opposite directions along the axis in longitudinal direction of the body.

9. Assembly according to claims 3-8, characterized in that at its extremity located opposite the stub, the shaft is provided with an actuating member which in case of a clamped securing member preferably extends parallel to the axis of the vertical guide.

10. Assembly according to claims 1-9, characterized in that a supporting arm has one extremity provided with at least one guiding element, intended to be received in a vertical guide extending up to both sides of the supporting arm, said guiding element having been provided with a bevel at the side facing downwards.

11. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the bevel of said guiding element extends across a predetermined distance and continues into a connecting part which is approximately parallel to the guiding element for said bevel.

12. Assembly according to claim 11, characterized in that the transition between the bevel and the connecting further part on engagement of supporting arm and securing member ends approximately at the axis of the body of the securing member.

13. Assembly according to claims 10- 11, characterized in that said guiding element is provided with a recess in the centre, as a result of whicht said guiding element can fall partly around the central pin of a securing member.

14. Assembly according to claims 10- 13, characterized in that the supporting arm contains a recess for partly receiving an actuating member therein in case of a secured securing member.

15. Assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 - 14, characterized in that the supporting arm and/or the guiding element are/is provided with a rib which, when a supporting arm is mounted in a vertical guide, will end between the legs turned towards each other and connect to their outer sides.

16. Assembly according to one or more of the claims 1 - 15, characterized in that the contact surfaces between supporting arm and securing arm are provided with a corrugated structure.

17. Guide for an assembly according to one or more of the claims 1 - 16, characterized in that the guide comprises a base part in which the spaced-apart holes have been provided, in which said base part is provided with raised edge portions and said edge portions are provided with legs turned towards each other.

Drawing