CONSTRUCTION KIT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A FRAMELIKE BODY

Abstract

 A construction kit for construction of a framelike body (10) comprises a plurality of panels (21, 22, 23) for providing a top wall (11), bottom wall (12) and two opposite side walls (13) of the body and a plurality of corner connectors (25) for connecting the panels together to form the body. Each of the panels has a socket at each of its mutually opposite ends and each panel is dimensioned to have a thickness (C) smaller than its length (A) and width (B), the thickness being the same for all panels. Each corner connector (25) has two mutually orthogonal projections each engageable in a respective one of the sockets so as to connect the panel having that socket to the connector in a play-free manner. The panels (21 to 23) are connectible together by the connectors (25) so that the perimeter of the body (10) constructed by the kit contains sides of the panels having the panel length and width dimensions (A, B). The panels (21 to 23) and connectors (25) are dimensioned so that the body (10) is externally bounded by three mutually orthogonal pairs of spacedapart planar faces. The body (10) constructed by the kit is internally bounded by planar faces and the corner connectors (25) and panels (21 - 23) are formed with recesses (41, 42) for providing a continuous component mounting channel in the internally bounding planar faces in the vicinity of an intended front face of the framelike body formed by sides of the panels (21 - 23) having the length and thickness dimensions (A, C).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction kit for construction of a framelike body, to a body constructed from such a kit and to a cupboard incorporating such a body.

[0002] Construction kits based on a plug and socket principle exist in a wide variety of forms and are particularly popular in the field of toys as playthings or educational and motor-skill aids, especially for the creation of models or other miniature structures which can be assembled, disassembled and reconfigured. Kits of that kind generally consist of differently shaped co-operating components made of injection-moulded plastics material, which allows manufacture of a range of plug-and-socket shapes at low cost once appropriate moulds have been produced. Construction kits are also used to a lesser extent to construct utility items, generally of a smaller size and for specific tasks in areas such as domestic products, horticultural articles, electrical componentry, etc. In other areas, for example picture frames and furniture, utility items are more usually of wood or metal and, if assembled from individual components, are constructed with the use of fasteners, brackets and other connectors. Construction kits, particularly kits composed of plastics material or metal parts, are accordingly less in evidence in these areas, but offer scope for inexpensive creation of, for example, housings, carcasses and other bodies suitable for a range of uses in the field of utility objects.

[0003] A construction kit for constructing a storage cabinet and disclosed in KR 200473255Y1 is composed of a number of solid panels which can be connected together by plug connectors at the corners of a four-sided framelike body assembled from the panels. The panels have, at surfaces forming interior faces if the body, arrays of protruding ribs which disrupt those faces and effectively limits the body to use as a carcass to accommodates a storage box insert, drawers or a partitioning insert. The connectors plug into sockets in the panels and are retained by screws screwed into the solid material of the panels. The connectors also protrude into the interior of the body in similar manner to the ribs so that smooth interior faces of the body are provided exclusively by the insides of the inserted box, drawers or partitioning insert.

[0004] A modular shelving unit disclosed in KR 20210057407 can be constructed from a kit composed of panels which can be connected in various framelike arrangements by plug connectors insertable into sockets at the panel ends and retained by spring-loaded locating pins. The panels, but not the connectors, are provided with grooves for receiving edges of a backboard. Doors are mounted on the shelving unit by pivot pins evidently fitting in individual openings in the panel in specific positions.

[0005] Another such shelving or storage unit is disclosed in KR 200410531 Y1 and again discloses shelving panels which have sockets and which can be connected together by plug connectors secured to the panels by pegs. Some of the panels, but not the connectors, have slots which can locate edges of backboards. The slots are separate from one another.

[0006] A similar storage unit described in US 2010/0181881 A1 has casing panels connected by multi-part connectors with detent protrusions detentable in opening in the panels, the panels being connectible by these to form framelike bodies of diverse configurations. The bodies accept drawers or have pivoting drawer flaps, which are retained by pivot pins in individual holes.

[0007] Further, US 3901372 discloses a kit of panels that can be assembled to create a drawer, the panels being interconnected by plug connectors. One panel, namely that forming a front wall of the drawer, is different from the others. The panels, but not the connectors, have slots for receiving the edges of a drawer floor.

[0008] It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide a construction kit capable of constructing a framelike body able to be used as or to form part of a utility article for various purposes, especially a housing or enclosure such as in the field of furniture and fittings.

[0009] Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a construction kit for construction of a framelike body, the kit comprising a plurality of panels for providing a top wall, a bottom wall and two opposite side walls of the framelike body and a plurality of corner connectors for connecting the panels together to form the framelike body, each of the panels defining a socket at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each being dimensioned to have a thickness which is smaller than a length and a width of the panel and which is the same for all of the panels and each of the corner connectors having two mutually orthogonal projections each engageable in a respective one of the sockets so as to connect the panel having that socket to the corner connector substantially free of play, wherein the panels are connectible together by the corner connectors so that the perimeter of the framelike body constructed by the kit contains sides of the panels having the length and width dimensions thereof, wherein the panels and corner connectors are dimensioned so that the framelike body is externally bounded by three mutually orthogonal pairs of spaced-apart planar faces, and wherein the framelike body constructed by the kit is internally bounded by planar faces and the corner connectors and panels are formed with recesses for providing a continuous component mounting channel in those internally bounding planar faces in the vicinity of an intended front face of the framelike body formed by sides of the panels having the panel thickness and length dimensions.

[0011] A construction kit embodying the present invention has the advantage that it utilises a convenient plug-together principle to enable quick and simple assembly of the kit components to realise a framelike body with a format appropriate to, especially, a housing or enclosure for a cupboard, cabinet or similar cupboard-like unit, the kit and thus the body being composed of panels and entirely separate corner connectors. Since the corner connectors are separate from the panels, the latter can be of different lengths to provide different heights and widths of the body, thus allowing creation of differently sized bodies for different applications or meeting different requirements. The kit assembles to construct a body with a perimeter defined by panel width and length dimensions greater than a panel thickness dimension, which is the same for all panels, so that the constructed body has a depth - as determined by panel width - suitable for a housing as distinct from merely a generally flat frame. Bounding of the framelike body by three pairs of mutually orthogonal closed planar faces results in a smooth, uninterrupted exterior appropriate to a quality utility article, for example a wall-mounted cupboard, without the protrusions, openings or other visual distractions that typically characterise construction kits used in other fields. Further, this specified configuration of the panels and connectors has the result that the body constructed by the kit has an encircling, thus continuous, internal channel suitable for location of hinges, brackets or other mounts suitable for attachment of doors or other closure elements to close off the framelike body and complete it as, for example, a cupboard. The mounts can thus be arranged wherever desired along the continuous channel and at a defined spacing from the front face of the body so that standardised mounts can be used and can be fitted in a consistent position. Attachment of closure elements such as doors is thus significantly simplified and the need for adjustment to achieve alignment may be largely or entirely eliminated, which reduces assembly time and ensures a factory appearance of the finished product.

[0012] It is advantageous if the recess in each of the panels has the form of a channel length with a base and with an entry opening which is opposite the base and which is edged by retaining lips extending longitudinally of the channel length and directed towards one another. The lips enable captive retention of a mount which may be inserted into the respective channel length before assembly of the framelike body and which is fixable in a defined position along the channel by, for example, a clamping or penetrating screw or similar. Additionally or alternatively, the lips can provide attachment points for clips, brackets or similar fittings otherwise located outside the channel or abutments for fittings inserted via the entry opening of the channel length.

[0013] A particularly simple and economic design of the panels may be achieved in the case of a kit in which each of the panels is hollow and its sockets are formed by opposite end sections of the panel interior space. Such a panel configuration is compatible with manufacture from metal, metal alloy or plastic by extrusion, moulding and/or casting, especially in the context of a kit in which the panels are aluminium alloy extrusions providing a desired degree of rigidity and the more intricately shaped corner connectors are of injection moulded-plastics material and produced with a suitable mould tool. A hollow panel construction in which the sockets are, in effect, end sections of an endless cavity has the advantage that the panels can be trimmed or cut to length, in order to vary the area dimensions of the framelike body, without any consequence on the presence and size of the sockets. The rigidity of such a panel configuration can be enhanced if each of the panels has at least one internal reinforcing web parallel to its two opposite sides with the thickness and length dimensions and if the projections of the corner connectors have slots respective to and receiving the webs of the panels when the panels are connected together by the corner connectors. The panel opposite sides with the width and length dimensions can thus be braced relative to one another by the webs so that the strength of the panel with respect to, in particular, bending in its length direction or compression in its thickness direction is increased, which is conducive to use of a lightweight construction and thus to material saving. For preference, the webs of each panel then extend over the full distance between the afore-mentioned mutually opposite ends of the panel and the slots of the projections of the corner connectors divide each projection into sections separate from one another. This configuration has the advantage of additionally ensuring particularly secure interlocking of panels and corner connectors when the projections are received in the sockets, each section of each projection effectively being located in an individual socket segment.

[0014] In an extended and developed kit composition, each of the panels for providing the top wall and the bottom wall is divided into at least two panel sections and the kit further comprises panel-section connectors for connecting the panel sections together to form the top wall and the bottom wall. This kit composition imparts an additional level of flexibility by providing scope for increasing the size of a framelike body without the use of overly long panels or for realising an oblong body shape with use of panels of identical length. The method of joining the panel sections and panel-section connectors can mirror that employed for connecting the panels to the corner connectors, in which case each of the panel sections preferably defines a socket at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each of the panel-section connectors then has two mutually oppositely directed projections each engageable in a respective socket of a panel section to connect that panel section to the panel-section connector substantially free of play. The panel sections can thus be joined by way of essentially the same plug-and-socket procedure to achieve quick and simple assembly. The panel-section connectors can have, in similar manner to the corner connectors, recesses to define parts of the channel.

[0015] When the kit includes such panel sections and panel-section connectors it can then have, as an additional feature, at least one further panel for providing an internal partition wall of the framelike body to extend parallel to the opposite side walls of the body, the or each further panel being connectible to a respective panel-section connector of each of the top wall and the bottom wall. The internal partition wall may impart extra rigidity to a constructed framelike body by resisting any tendency to lozenge, but primarily serves to divide the body interior space into compartments to enhance the utility of an article, for example a cupboard, incorporating the body. The method of connecting the or each further panel to a panel-section connector can again reflect that employed for connecting the panels to the corner connectors and also for joining the panel sections and panel-section connectors, for which purpose the or each further panel can define a socket at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each of the panel-section connectors can have a further projection orthogonal to its two mutually opposite projections and engageable in a respective socket of the further panel or a respective one of the further panels so as to connect the further panel having that socket to the panel-section connector substantially free of play. Each panel-section connector, which may also have recesses to form parts of the channel or in this case channels respective to the compartments, then has a dual function of joining panel sections to form a top wall or bottom wall and connecting a further panel, which serves as an internal partition wall, to that top or bottom wall. This dual function is again realised by simple plug-and-socket coupling of the components concerned.

[0016] In a kit format suitable for construction of a framelike body for specific purposes each of the panels for providing the top wall and the bottom wall may be divided into three of the mentioned panel sections, a centre one of the panel sections for the bottom wall having an aperture to provide a passage between the interior and the exterior of a framelike body constructed by the kit. The passage can serve as, for example, a dispenser product outlet in the case of a washroom cabinet incorporating a framelike body constructed by the kit.

[0017] Creation of a cupboard from a framelike body constructed by the kit may be facilitated if each of the panels for providing the top and bottom walls has attachment flanges adjacent to an intended back face of the framelike body formed by sides of the panels having the thickness and length dimensions thereof. The flanges, preferably as integral parts of the panels, provide a convenient means of attaching a closure element or closure elements such as a sheet, plate or panel to form a rear wall of the body. Additionally or alternatively, the flanges provide fixing points for attaching the framelike body to a wall surface or similar.

[0018] For preference, the projections are an interference or friction fit in the sockets, each projection being formed with ribs which extend in a direction of insertion of the projection into a socket and are frictionally engageable with walls of that socket to resist withdrawal of the projection from the socket. The ribs need have only a small depth in order to usefully contribute to the overall firmness of the projection and socket interengagement and, especially, to enhance resistance to unintended separation of the connected panels and connectors. However, separation may remain possible through application of a separating force above a threshold value.

[0019] The invention also embraces, in a second aspect, a construction kit for construction of a cupboard, the construction kit comprising a kit according to the first aspect of the invention and supplementary components for supplementing a framelike body constructed by that kit to create a cupboard, wherein the supplementary components comprise closure elements for closing the framelike body at intended front and back faces thereof formed by sides of the panels having the thickness and length dimensions. The construction kit accordingly provides a knocked-down cupboard and in that state can be stored in space-saving manner and transported in more compact form than in the case of a fully constructed cupboard. Depending on the intended use of the cupboard, the closure elements for closing the framelike body at the intended front face can be doors, especially swing doors, which in the case of, for example, a washroom cabinet or vanity unit may be fitted with mirror glass.

[0020] Further, the invention provides in accordance with a third aspect and a fourth aspect thereof, respectively, a framelike body constructed by a kit according to the first aspect of the invention and a cupboard constructed by a kit according to the second aspect of the invention. In the latter case, the closure elements for closing the framelike body at the intended front face are preferably mounted by mounts fitted in the channel. Similarly, in a case where the framelike body of the cupboard is constructed by a kit providing the afore-mentioned panel section with an aperture the cupboard may include mounting means for mounting a towel dispenser for dispensing towels via the aperture.

[0021] A preferred embodiment of a kit for constructing a framelike body will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1

is a schematic perspective view of a framelike body which is constructed from a kit embodying the invention and which is composed of panels and panel connectors, the body including optional internal partitions shown in dashed lines;

Fig. 2

is a diagrammatic perspective view, to reduced scale by comparison with Fig. 1, of the kit (excluding partitions) from which the framelike body of Fig. 1 has been constructed, but which is shown here in a separated component state equating with an exploded view of the body, the kit being extended by supplementary parts, namely doors and back plates, for construction of a cupboard incorporating the framelike body;

Fig. 3

is a perspective view, to enlarged scale by comparison with Fig. 1, of components of the kit of Fig. 2 present at a bottom lefthand corner of the framelike body;

Fig. 4

is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3, but of components of the kit of Fig. 2 present at a bottom side of the framelike body;

Fig. 5

is a schematic sectional view of detail of a cupboard constructed by the extended kit of Fig. 2, in particular a horizontal section through one of the doors and one of the side panels and showing hinge mounting of the door on the framelike body; and

Fig. 6

is a schematic sectional view of a further detail of a cupboard constructed by the extended kit of Fig. 2, in particular a vertical section through one of the doors and the bottom panel and showing releasable retention of the door in a closed state at the framelike body.

[0022] Referring now to the drawings there is shown In Fig. 1 a framelike body 10 constructed from a kit 20, which is illustrated in Fig. 2 in a separated state of its basic components and with supplementary parts. For ease of understanding, the basic kit components are shown in Fig. 2 in a relationship equating with an exploded view of the body. For storage or delivery the components may be grouped or packed compactly together. Construction of the body 10 is achieved by assembly of the kit components as described further below. It may be the case that if more than one such body 10 is to be constructed on the same occasion, use is made of components drawn randomly from a larger stock and therefore representing, in number, elements of several kits 20.

[0023] The composition of the kit 20, i.e. the specific number and form of its components, is determined by reference to the shape and size of the framelike body 10 to be constructed from the kit. The body 10 has a square or oblong format with a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12 and two side walls 13, the designations top, bottom and side referring to an intended use orientation of the body, especially as the carcass of a wall-mounted cupboard. As such, the length A and width B of each of the walls are much greater than the thickness C of that wall, for example a wall width B about ten times the wall thickness C and a wall length A up to about forty times the wall thickness C; however, these are merely exemplifying dimensional relationships and actual dimensions can be selected as desired. The body 10 may optionally also include at least one internal partition wall 14 parallel to the side walls 13. In the case of the body shown in Fig. 1, two partition walls 14, indicated by dashed lines, are present.

[0024] The kit 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2 and intended to construct the framelike body 10 of Fig. 1 in a basic form, comprises a top panel 21 for providing the top wall 11, a bottom panel 22 for providing the bottom wall 12 and two side panels 23 for providing the two side walls 13. If the body 10 includes the partition walls 24, the kit also includes two further partition panels 24 (not shown in Fig. 2, but part of one shown in Fig. 4) for providing the partition walls, in which case the top panel 21 and bottom panel 22 are each composed of three length sections 21a or 22a (cf. Fig. 4) as described further below. The kit further comprises four corner connectors 25 for connecting the top, bottom and side wall panels together in an oblong format to create the body 10 of Fig. 1. If the kit 20 includes the partition panels 24 and if the top and bottom panels 21 and 22 are each composed of three panel sections 21a or 22a, respectively, the kit also includes four panel-section connectors 26 (cf. Fig. 4) for connecting, firstly, the panel sections together to form the top and bottom panels and, secondly, the partition panels 24 to the top and bottom panels, as evident from Fig. 1.

[0025] The lengths and widths of the panels 21 to 23 can be selected in accordance with the dimensions of the walls 11 to 13 of the body 10 to be constructed, subject to the provisos that the widths are the same, that the top and bottom panels 21, 22 have the same length as one another and that similarly the two side panels 23 have the same length as one another. Further, the panel thickness is the same for all panels and considerably smaller than the panel length and panel width, in particular with a proportionality commensurate with the wall thickness C to wall length A and width B relationships mentioned above in connection with the body 10. The panels 21 to 23 are thus connectible together by the corner connectors 25 so that the perimeter of the framelike body 10 constructed by the kit is formed by sides of the panels having the panel length and panel width dimensions A and B.

[0026] The panels 21 to 23 are connectible together by the corner connectors 25 in a plug-and-socket principle, for which purpose and as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 each of the panels defines a socket 27 at each of its two ends and each of the corner connectors (Fig. 3) comprises an elongate square-section block 28 with two mutually orthogonal projections 29 each engageable in a respective one of the sockets 27 so as to connect the panel having that socket to the connector. The sockets and projections are dimensioned so that the connection is free of play, in particular so that the projections have an interference fit in the sockets. This fit is promoted by formation on each projection 29 of integral ribs 30 which extend in the direction of insertion of the projection into a socket and which frictionally engage walls of that socket to resist withdrawal of the projection from the socket. The ribs 30 are preferably present on each projection surface which, when the projection is inserted into a socket, comes into contact with or into close proximity to a panel surface within the socket.

[0027] A significant aspect of the components of the kit 20 is that the panels 21, 22 and 23 and the corner connectors 25 are dimensioned so that the framelike body 10 constructed by the kit is externally bounded by three mutually orthogonal pairs of spaced-apart planar faces, thus a first pair of faces formed at the body by the two mutually remote surfaces of the top and bottom panels 21 and 22 and by respectively adjoining longitudinal sides of the corner connectors 25, a second pair of faces formed at the body by the two mutually remote surfaces of the side panels 23 and by respectively adjoining longitudinal sides of the corner connectors 25, and a third pair of faces formed at the body by the two mutually remote thickness/length-dimension surfaces of the panels and associated end surfaces of the blocks 28 of the corner connectors. This dimensioning of the panels and corner connectors arises on the one hand from the conforming width and thickness dimensions B and C of the panels 21 to 23 and on the other hand by a shaping of each corner connector 25 so that external surfaces of its block 28 flushly align with adjoining external surfaces of connected ones of the panels forming walls of the body 10. The alignment is achieved by rebating of the projections 29 relative to the block 28 by an amount equal to a given wall thickness of the panel sockets, in particular a thickness which is the same for all panels. When the projections are engaged in the sockets the rebates at the projections are occupied by the socket walls so that the side and end surfaces of the blocks 28 are aligned with and provide stepless transitions to or continuations of respectively adjoining surfaces of the panels. As a consequence, the perimeter and the front and rear sides of the constructed framelike body 10 are bounded by planar surfaces and thus have a smooth profile in all directions in correspondence with, for example, a cupboard carcass constructed from mitred boards, which imparts the appearance of a quality product not obviously assembled from a kit. The kit 10 is distinguishable on that basis from construction kits in which the presence of components remains obvious due to surface disruptions at the component transitions.

[0028] With respect to materials, in the described embodiment the panels 21 to 23 are hollow aluminium alloy extrusions, in which case the sockets 27 are formed by opposite end sections of the interior space or cavity of the extrusion. The extrusions can be cut to length to provide required panel dimensions for a specific kit and if required can be adapted in the field, in particular shortened, to accommodate site conditions. The presence of the sockets 27 is unaffected by such a change in length of an extrusion. The corner connectors 25 are, by contrast, injection-moulded components of plastics material, which allows integral formation of the block 28, projections 29 and ribs 30 in simple manner, together with the mentioned rebates and other shapings referred to further below.

[0029] As evident in Fig. 4, the rigidity of each of the panels 21 to 23 is enhanced by provision of internal reinforcing webs 31, in the illustrated embodiment three, parallel to the two panel sides with the panel length and thickness dimensions A and C, the webs thus extending between and being connected with the two panel sides having the panel length and width dimensions A and B. As a consequence of the webs 31, each projection 29 of each corner connector 25 has three slots 32 which each receive a respective one of the webs of a panel 21, 22 or 23 when the projection is inserted into the socket 27 of that panel. Since the webs of a panel extend over its full length, the slots 32 of a projection 29 divide the projection into three mutually separate sections 29a, which nevertheless constitute and function as a single projection in the context of a plug-and-socket connection. For reasons explained later, an end one of the sections 29a is rebated at one side to greater extent and consequently narrower than the other two sections 29a.

[0030] Fig. 4 shows in detail a panel-section connector 26 for connecting together the three panel sections 21a of the top panel 21 for the top wall 11 or, in the specific case of Fig. 4, the three panel sections 22a of the bottom panel 22 for the bottom wall 12. In analogous manner to the corner connector 25, the panel-section connector 26 comprises a block 33 similar to the block 28 of the corner connector and two projections 34 for engagement, in similar manner to the projections 29 of the corner connector, in sockets 27 of the panel sections 21a or 22a to provide a play-free connection, the panel sections each having a basic construction identical with that of an integral panel, for example a side panel 23. The projections 34, however, extend in mutually opposite directions from the block 33 rather than orthogonally as in the case of the projections 29 of the corner connector 25. Each of the projections 34 has the same construction as each of the projections 29 and consequently has ribs 35, which correspond with the ribs 30 and exercise the same function as the latter, and slots 36, which correspond with the slots 32 and, in similar manner to the latter, divide each projection 34 into three mutually separate sections 34a similar to the sections 29a of a projection 29.

[0031] Also shown in Fig. 4 is part of one of two partition wall panels 24 which will be present in the kit 20 when intended to construct the framelike body 10 with the two partition walls 14 shown in dashed lines in Fig. 1; inclusion of the two partition wall panels depends on the size and intended use of the body. The partition wall panels 24 can be generally the same as the side panels 23 - inclusive of the sockets 27 at mutually opposite ends of each panel 24 - apart from the specific difference mentioned further below. The partition wall panels 24 accordingly serve to provide, in the body 10, the internal partition walls 14 extending parallel to the side walls 13 of the body and are each connectible to a respective panel-section connector 26 of each of the top wall 11 and bottom wall 12 of the body. For that purpose, each panel-section connector 26 has a further projection 37 orthogonal to its two mutually opposite projections 34 and engageable in a respective socket 27 of a partition wall panel 24 so as to connect that panel to the panel-section connector 26 in play-free manner. The configuration of the further projection 37 of each connector 26 generally corresponds with that of each the oppositely directed projections 34 of the connector and thus has ribs 38 corresponding with the ribs 35 and slots 39 corresponding with the slots 36. The slots 39 accordingly divide the further projection 37 into three sections 37a analogously to the division of the projections 34. However, the projection 37 differs from each of the projections 34 in that, for the reasons explained further below, the smaller end one of the sections 37a is rebated at both sides of the block 33 to greater extent and consequently is narrower than the other two sections 37a.

[0032] Although the three panel sections 21a or 22a making up the panel 21 or 22, respectively, can be identical apart from, as shown in Fig. 1, a shorter length of the centre panel section, the centre panel section of the bottom panel 22 can optionally be formed with an aperture 40 to provide a passage between the interior and the exterior of the framelike body 10 constructed by the kit 20. The aperture 40, which indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 1, allows dispensing of a product or an article from within a cupboard incorporating such a body 10, for example a dispenser mounted in a central zone of the body 10 between the two partition walls 14.

[0033] A significant feature of the kit 20 and a framelike body constructed therefrom is an integrated mounting facility for mounting further components on the body, in particular a body which is internally bounded by planar faces as will be the case when constructed from the kit comprising panels and corner connectors as shown in the drawings. In order to realise this facility the panels 21 to 23 are formed with recesses 41 and the corner connectors 25 with recesses 42 for providing a continuous component mounting channel (see Fig. 1) in the internally bounding planar faces of the framelike body in the vicinity of an intended front face of the body, namely a face formed by sides of the panels 21 to 23 having the panel length and thickness dimensions A and C. The interiors of recesses 41 are spaced from the intended front face of the body by the thickness, which is constant, of the panel extrusion material, i.e. the webs of the extrusion from which the panel is formed. As shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, the recess 41 in each of the panels has the form of a channel length with a base and with an entry opening which is opposite the base and which is edged by retaining lips 43 extending longitudinally of the channel length and directed towards one another. Similar recesses for providing continuous component mounting channels of the same kind are formed in the partition wall panels 24 and the panel-section connectors 26, but with the difference that the recesses are provided on two opposite sides of each partition wall panel 24 and panel-section connector 26. This is evident from Fig. 4 in the case of the connector 26; in the case of the panel 24, the recess on the far side of the panel is not visible. Provision of the recesses 41 on the two opposite sides has the above-mentioned result that the shorter end section 37a of the projection 37 of the panel-section connector 26 is narrower than the shorter end section 29a of each projection 29 of the same connector as well as narrower than its counterpart in the corner connector 25. This narrowness also applies to the associated receiving socket in each partition wall panel 24.

[0034] Utilisation of the channels formed by, specifically, the recesses 41 is illustrated in Fig. 5, which is a horizontal (referred to the orientation of the body 10 in Fig. 1) section through one of the side panels 23 and shows a door hinge 44 fixed by screws (not shown) and located in the channel length associated with that panel, and in Fig. 6, which is a vertical (referred to the same orientation of the body 10) section through the bottom panel 22 or one of the sections 22a of that panel and shows a door-retaining spring clip 45 mounted in the channel length associated with that panel or panel section. The clip 45 is shaped to be engageable around one of the retaining lips 43 and to be connectible by screws (one indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 6) to the bottom panel 22 or section 22a thereof.

[0035] Additional details of the functions of the hinge and clip are given further below.

[0036] A further feature of the kit 20 is that each of the panels 21 and 22 for providing the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 has integral attachment mounting flanges 46 (Fig. 2) adjacent to an intended back face of the framelike body 10 formed by sides of the panels 21, 22 having the length and thickness dimensions A and C, thus opposite to the panel sides which are adjacent to the recesses 41. The flanges 46 provide convenient fixing points for attaching closure elements such as sheets or plates to form a rear wall of the body 10 or for attaching the framelike body 10 itself to a wall or other support surface.

[0037] As mentioned further above in connection with the composition of the kit 20 in Fig. 2, the kit may include supplementary components for supplementing a framelike body constructed by that kit to create a cupboard, especially supplementary components in the nature of closure elements for closing the body at its intended front and back faces formed by the sides of the panels 21 to 23 having the length and thickness dimensions A and C. In the illustrated embodiment the closure elements consist of doors 47 for closing the body at its intended front face and back plates 48 for closing the body at its intended back face, in which case the extended kit enables creation of a cupboard, especially a wall-mounted cupboard suitable for a variety of purposes, for example a washroom vanity unit. Depending on the cupboard use, the doors 47 can be fitted with mirror glass. The doors 47 are mounted by hinges, such as the hinges 44 referred to in connection with Fig. 5, and releasably retained in closed positions by clips, such as the clips 45 referred to in connection with Fig. 6, for releasable reception of and resilient engagement with a tongue 49 secured to an intended inside face of the door 47. It is particularly advantageous that the hinges, clips and any other such fixing component can be mounted in simple and convenient manner anywhere in the mounting channel formed by the recesses 41 and 42, whereby the components can be securely located in defined positions which are consistent with one another and at a constant spacing from the intended front face of the framelike body. The lips 43 provide locating abutments for the hinges 44 and attachment points for the clips 45, but the channel with its lips can be used in a variety of ways for component mounting. An integrated mounting facility of that kind is entirely absent from prior art construction kits. The back plates 48 are conveniently attached by securing to the flanges 46, which are also usable, as indicated further above, for fixing the cupboard unit to a wall or other support surface.

[0038] If a thus-constructed cupboard is intended to serve as a vanity unit, especially in a washroom intended for multiple users, the cupboard may additionally include mounting means for mounting a towel dispenser (not shown) for dispensing towels via the aperture 40 in the centre of the bottom wall 12 of the body 10. A soap dispenser (also not shown) for dispensing soap via the same aperture could be provided instead of a towel dispenser. In either case, such a dispenser is readily accessible, for restocking or replenishing, via the doors 47.

[0039] A construction kit embodying the invention enables quick and simple construction of a framelike body or a cupboard incorporating such a body, in particular a body which is adaptable in size and shape and which results in a securely assembled unit with smooth and uninterrupted exterior surfaces associated with a quality factory product produced by more expensive construction methods. The kit has the further advantage of including a component mounting arrangement which significantly enhances the utility of the kit and a body constructed therefrom.

Claims

1. A construction kit (20) for construction of a framelike body (10), the kit comprising

a plurality of panels (21 - 23) for providing a top wall (11), a bottom wall (12) and two opposite side walls (13) of the framelike body (10)

and a plurality of corner connectors (25) for connecting the panels together to form the framelike body,

each of the panels (21 - 23) defining a socket (25) at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each being dimensioned to have a thickness (C) which is smaller than a length (A) and a width (B) of the panel and which is the same for all of the panels

and each of the corner connectors (25) having two mutually orthogonal projections (29) each engageable in a respective one of the sockets (27) so as to connect the panel having that socket (27) to the corner connector (25) substantially free of play,

wherein the panels (21 - 23) are connectible together by the corner connectors (25) so that the perimeter of the framelike body (10) constructed by the kit (20) contains sides of the panels having the length and width dimensions (A, B) thereof and

wherein the panels (21 - 23) and corner connectors (25) are dimensioned so that the framelike body (10) is externally bounded by three mutually orthogonal pairs of spaced-apart planar faces,

characterised in that the framelike body (10) constructed by the kit (20) is internally bounded by planar faces and the corner connectors (25) and panels (21 - 23) are formed with recesses (41, 42) for providing a continuous component mounting channel in said internally bounding planar faces in the vicinity of an intended front face of the framelike body formed by sides of the panels (21 - 23) having the length and thickness dimensions (A, C) thereof.

2. A kit (20) according to claim 1, wherein the recess (41) in each of the panels (21-23) has the form of a channel length with a base and with an entry opening which is opposite the base and which is edged by retaining lips (43) extending longitudinally of the channel length and directed towards one another.

3. A kit (20) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the panels (21 - 23) is hollow and its sockets (27) are formed by opposite end sections of the interior space thereof and wherein each of the panels (21 - 23) has at least one internal reinforcing web (31) parallel to sides thereof having the length and thickness dimensions (A, C) and the projections (29) of the corner connectors (25) have slots (32) respective to and receiving the webs (31) of the panels (21 - 23) when the panels are connected together by the corner connectors, the webs (31) of each panel (21 -23) preferably extending over the full distance between said mutually opposite ends of the panel and the slots (32) of the projections (29) of the corner connectors (25) preferably dividing each projection into sections (29a) separate from one another.

4. A kit (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the panels (21, 22) for providing the top wall (11) and the bottom wall (12) is divided into at least two panel sections (21a, 22a) and the kit (20) further comprises panel-section connectors (26) for connecting the panel sections (21a, 22a) together to form the top wall (11) and the bottom wall (12).

5. A kit (20) according to claim 4, wherein each of the panel sections (21a, 22a) defines a socket (27) at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each of the panel-section connectors (26) has two mutually oppositely directed projections (34) each engageable in a respective socket (27) of a panel section (21a or 22a) to connect that panel section to the panel-section connector (26) substantially free of play.

6. A kit (20) according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the kit (20) further comprises at least one further panel (24) for providing an internal partition wall (14) of the framelike body (10) to extend parallel to the opposite side walls of the body, the or each further panel (24) being connectible to a respective panel-section connector (26) of each of the top wall (11) and the bottom wall (12).

7. A kit (20) according to claim 6 when dependent on claim 5, wherein the or each further panel (24) defines a socket (27) at each of two mutually opposite ends thereof and each of the panel-section connectors (26) has a further projection (37) orthogonal to its two mutually opposite projections (34) and engageable in a respective socket (27) of the further panel (24) or a respective one of the further panels (24) so as to connect the further panel having that socket to the panel-section connector (26) substantially free of play.

8. A kit (20) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein each of the panels (21, 22) for providing the top wall (11) and the bottom wall (12) is divided into three such panel sections (21a, 22a), a centre one of the panel sections for the bottom wall (12) having an aperture (40) to provide a passage between the interior and the exterior of a framelike body (10) constructed by the kit (20).

9. A kit (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the panels (21, 22) for providing the top and bottom walls (11, 12) has attachment flanges (46) adjacent to an intended back face of the framelike body (10) formed by sides of the panels (21 - 23) having the length and thickness dimensions (A, C) thereof.

10. A kit (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the projections (29, 34, 37) are an interference or friction fit in the sockets (27), each projection (29, 34, 37) preferably being formed with ribs (30, 35, 38) which extend in a direction of insertion of the projection into a socket (27) and are frictionally engageable with walls of that socket to resist withdrawal of the projection from the socket.

11. A construction kit for construction of a cupboard, comprising a kit (20) according to any one of the preceding claims and supplementary components for supplementing a framelike body constructed by that kit to create a cupboard, the supplementary components comprising closure elements (47, 48) for closing the framelike body (10) at intended front and back faces thereof formed by sides of the panels (21 -23) having the length and thickness (A, C) dimensions, the closure elements (47, 48) for closing the framelike body (10) at the intended front face preferably being doors (47).

12. A framelike body constructed by a kit according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A cupboard constructed by a kit according to claim 11.

14. A cupboard according to claim 13, wherein the closure elements (47) for closing the framelike body at the intended front face are mounted by mounts (44) fitted in the channel.

15. A cupboard according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the framelike body (10) of the cupboard is constructed by a kit (20) according to claim 8 and the cupboard includes mounting means for mounting a towel dispenser for dispensing towels via the aperture.

Drawing