DRAWER

Abstract

 Drawer (10), comprising a mobile front panel (13) and a fixed support structure (53), inside which at least one extractable shelf (14) is housed, provided with a support plane (P) and connected by means of a roto-translation unit (15) to the front panel (13); the roto-translation unit (15) is configured to allow at least a rotatory motion of the front panel (13) that determines at least a motion of extraction or insertion of the extractable shelf (14) into or from the support structure (53) in a determinate direction (D) of translation; the extractable shelf (14) is configured to slide along guides (28) positioned in the support structure (53) in the direction (D) of translation and the front panel (13) is positioned, at least at the end of the rotatory motion in a direction of extraction of the extractable shelf (14) from the support structure (53) in the direction (D) of translation, at a height equal to or less than the height at which the support plane (P) of the extractable shelf (14) is positioned, so as not to interfere with the support plane (P); the roto-translation unit (15) comprises at least one lever (49) hinged on one side to the front panel (13) and on the other side to at least one cam (36), associated to the extractable shelf (14) and configured to allow at least a first step of said rotatory motion of the front panel (13), during which the latter moves away from or nearer to the extractable shelf (14) substantially stationary in position, and at least a subsequent step of the rotatory motion of the front panel (13), during which the latter determines a movement of traction or thrust of the extractable shelf (14) with respect to the support structure (53).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention concerns drawers, usable in any field and to contain objects of various types. One possible application of the drawer can be, for example, inside display windows of shops, where the objects have to be displayed and treated with the greatest care.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] It is known that normal drawers generally comprise an extractable shelf inserted inside a support structure and rigidly constrained at the front to a panel, which may or may not be equipped with gripping handles. The drawer is normally opened and closed by pulling or pushing the front panel and is normally provided with sliding guides or blocks along its lateral walls.

[0003] The front panel normally has an upper edge at a greater height than the support plane of the objects inside the drawer, and therefore is an obstacle for handling and removing the objects, when the drawer is partly or completely open.

[0004] It is also known that, in certain shops, for example jewelry shops or suchlike, windows are used to display or sell objects, normally comprising a transparent upper plane from which the objects can be seen, resting on an extractable shelf of a drawer, and therefore with the function that the goods on display can be removed.

[0005] In the case for example of these display windows, known drawers are often very bulky and inconvenient for removing and handling the goods on display, since there has to be a considerable free space in the area behind the window, to allow the operator to open the drawers and remove the goods.

[0006] Therefore, in general, the traditional opening and closing movement of the drawers, and the production of the drawers themselves, not only requires a considerable free maneuvering space to open and close them, but can also have serious limits in the maneuvering and handling of the objects contained in the drawers, as in the case of the front panel of the drawer which, even with the drawer partly or totally open, in any case remains in front of and above the support plane for the objects, interfering with the support plane.

[0007] Another constraint for handling and removing objects from a traditional drawer can be the excessive height of the lateral walls of the drawer.

[0008] One purpose of the present invention is therefore to obtain a drawer in which the extraction and insertion of the extractable shelf can be carried out quickly and effectively and that does not have constraints to the handling of the objects once the drawer has been opened.

[0009] Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a drawer in which, once the extractable shelf has been extracted, the work plane on which the objects rest is without any constraint whatsoever, both frontally and laterally, at least as far as the part of the extractable shelf actually extracted is concerned.

[0010] Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a drawer which can effectively be used in the display windows in shops, for example jewelry shops, cake shops or suchlike, where the objects have to be displayed and treated with the greatest care.

[0011] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0013] In accordance with the above purposes, a drawer according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a mobile front panel and a support structure, inside which at least one extractable shelf is housed; the extractable shelf is provided with a support plane and is connected by means of a roto-translation unit to the front panel; the roto-translation unit is configured to allow at least a rotatory motion of the front panel that determines at least a translation motion of extraction or insertion of the extractable shelf into or from the support structure in a determinate direction of translation; the extractable shelf is configured to slide along guides positioned in the support structure in the direction of translation and the front panel is positioned, at least at the end of the rotatory motion which determines the extraction of the extractable shelf from the support structure in the direction of translation, at a height equal to or less than the height at which the support plane of the extractable shelf is positioned, so as not to interfere with the support plane.

[0014] The roto-translation unit comprises at least one lever hinged on one side to the front panel and on the other side to at least one cam associated to the extractable shelf and configured to allow at least a first step of the rotatory motion of the front panel, during which the latter moves away from or nearer to the extractable shelf stationary in position, and at least a subsequent step of the rotatory motion of the front panel, during which the latter determines a movement of traction or thrust of the extractable shelf with respect to the support structure.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, the support structure is a display window of a shop, or at least part of it, in which even several drawers can be positioned adjacent to each other, each with its own extractable shelf and its own front panel for extracting and inserting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

• fig. 1 is an exploded view of a movement unit of a drawer according to the present invention;
• figs. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are three-dimensional views of some steps of the opening sequence of the present drawer, in which the extractable panel of the drawer has been removed to allow to show the movement unit;
• figs. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are side views of the steps described in figs. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d with the extractable panel shown.

[0017] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0018] With reference to the attached drawings, in particular figs. 1 and 2a, the reference number 10 denotes a drawer that comprises a support structure 53 comprising a base 11. The support structure 53 will also comprise a bottom wall 12 and two lateral walls 16 and can be identified as at least part of a display window of a shop, or as a box-like structure of a drawer for furnishing elements such as dressers, bedside cabinets or suchlike, or again as the fixed part of furnishing elements into which the drawer is inserted.

[0019] The drawer 10 also comprises a front panel 13 and an extractable shelf 14 which is constrained to the front panel 13 by means of a roto-translation unit 15, by means of which, by driving the front panel 13, the extractable shelf 14 can be extracted or inserted through translation from/into the drawer 10.

[0020] The front panel 13 is constrained not only to the roto-translation unit 15 but also in correspondence with its lower edge to the base 11 of the drawer 10 by means of rotation hinges 52, for example a pair of rotation hinges 52 located at both the lower edges of the front panel 13. The rotation hinges 52 are aligned along a substantially horizontal axis of rotation A of the front panel 13.

[0021] The front panel 13 can also be constrained, by means of the rotation hinges 52, to a part of the support structure 53 different from the base 11.

[0022] The front panel 13 can also comprise a handle 54 to facilitate gripping.

[0023] The extractable shelf 14 is supported by a frame 17, for example quadrangular in shape and provided on two opposite sides 18 with a pair of racks 19.

[0024] The racks 19 are preferably identical, parallel to and facing each other.

[0025] The extractable shelf 14 can be attached for example removably to the frame 17 by any known means suitable for the purpose, for example by screws or suchlike, insertable in holes 27 made at the tops of the frame 17.

[0026] Holes 20 are also made on the sides 18 of the frame 17, and are able to allow the attachment of a series of first sliding blocks 21, by any suitable known attachment mean, for example screws, bolts or suchlike.

[0027] Each of the racks 19 is configured to engage with a first toothed wheel 22 of a motion transmission gear 23, in particular a motion multiplying gear 23. The gear 23 also comprises a second toothed wheel 24, with a smaller diameter than that of the first toothed wheel 22.

[0028] The two gears 23 shown are preferably identical and are each provided with a central hole 25 able to engage in a corresponding pin 26 which rises from the base 11.

[0029] A pair of first guides 28 are attached on the base 11, suitably shaped, on which the first blocks 21, connectable to the support frame 17 of the extractable shelf 14, are positioned and can slide in one direction or the other.

[0030] The base 11 also comprises second guides 29, also suitably shaped and able to house second blocks 30 and third blocks 31. The second blocks 30 and third blocks 31 can slide in one direction or the other on the second guides 29.

[0031] The second blocks 30 are able to be attached near the ends of two opposite sides 32 of a slider 33, configured to support a pantograph device 37.

[0032] The pantograph device 37 substantially determines the position of the extractable shelf 14 in relation to the degree of rotation of the front panel 13.

[0033] In a central zone with respect to the attachment zones of the racks 30 and on the two opposite sides 32, the slider 33 comprises a pair of racks 34, each of which is configured to engage in one of the second toothed wheels 24 of the gear 23.

[0034] The racks 34 therefore face toward the outside of the slider 33, and are preferably identical and parallel to each other.

[0035] The third blocks 31, on the contrary, are able to be connected to a support slider 35 of a cam 36, able to cooperate with the pantograph device 37.

[0036] The cam 36 is associated to the extractable shelf 14 and is able to cooperate with it during the functioning of the drawer.

[0037] The pantograph device 37 comprises a pair of arms 38 that cross at a central point where a through hole 39 is made. In the through hole 39, which also passes through a through hole made on the cam 36, a pin or screw 40 can be inserted, which will at the end be inserted in order to attach in a corresponding seating 41 made on the base 11.

[0038] Each of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 comprises a pair of first ends 42 able to be inserted along a pair of first through grooves 43 made on the cam 36 and along a pair of second through grooves 44, also made on the cam 36 and in succession to the first through grooves 43.

[0039] The first through grooves 43 are parallel to each other and parallel to a direction D of extraction and insertion of the frame 17 and hence of the extractable shelf 14 of the drawer 10.

[0040] As we said, the second through grooves 44 are made in succession to the first through grooves 43, therefore without a break in continuity, and converge toward a plate 45 of the pantograph device 37.

[0041] The plate 45 is integral with the support slider 33 of the pantograph device 37 and comprises a pair of through grooves 46, preferably aligned in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction D of extraction and insertion of the frame 17 of the extractable shelf 14.

[0042] A pair of second ends 47 of the crossed arms 38 engage in the through grooves 46. The second ends 47 are opposite the first ends 42 and can slide in one direction or the other in the through grooves 46.

[0043] The cam 36 is connectable, on the opposite side with respect to the side where the plate 45 of the pantograph device 37 is provided, by means of a first rotation hinge 48, to one end of a lever 49 which, at the other end, is connected by means of a second rotation hinge 50 to a support 51 able to be attached to the internal surface of the front panel 13.

[0044] By means of the roto-translation unit 15, following a rotation of the front panel 13 downward or upward and around the hinges 52 positioned along the substantially horizontal axis A, a translation of the extractable shelf 14 is determined toward the outside or toward the inside.

[0045] Figs. 2a and 3a show the drawer 10 in the closed position. In this case the front panel 13 is in a substantially vertical position and perpendicular to the extractable shelf 14 and to the support plane P of the objects or goods.

[0046] To proceed with opening the drawer 10, first of all it is necessary to grip the front panel 13 and rotate it downward and toward the outside of the drawer, see figs. 2b and 3b in particular.

[0047] The rotation of the front panel 13 in the direction of the arrow R shown in fig. 3b, hence substantially tilting around the horizontal axis A, moves the front panel 13 away from the extractable shelf 14.

[0048] In this phase, the rotation of the front panel 13 drives the lever 49 so that it translates the cam 36, sliding by means of the blocks 31 along the second guides 29, toward the outside of the drawer. Therefore, thanks to the lever 49 connected on one side to the cam 36 by means of the rotation hinge 48 and on the other side to the front panel 13 by means of the rotation hinge 50, the rotational motion of the front panel 13 determines a translation of the cam 36, which is constrained and sliding along the second guides 29 thanks to the third blocks 31.

[0049] The first through grooves 43 of the cam 36 slide with respect to the first ends 42 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37. The first through grooves 43 are parallel and direct in the direction of extraction D of the extractable shelf 14 therefore, during this step, the frame 17 and the extractable shelf 14 connected to it remain stationary.

[0050] The rotation of the front panel 13 with respect to the extractable shelf 14 allows the front panel 13 to move away from the extractable shelf 14, so that the latter has the necessary translation space for the subsequent extraction.

[0051] The angle of rotation α of the front panel 13 with respect to a vertical plane V, before the extractable shelf 14 begins to translate, can vary for example from about 40° to about 50°, for example about 45°, so as to guarantee an adequate free space between the edge of the extractable shelf 14 and the internal surface of the front panel 13.

[0052] Continuing to rotate the front panel 13 in direction R, see figs. 2c and 3c, the lever 49 pulls the cam 36 until the first ends 42 of the pantograph device 37 engage with the second through grooves 44 of the cam 36, which converge toward the center thereof. As soon as the first ends 42 of the pantograph device 37 engage in the second through grooves 44 of the cam 36, the extractable shelf 14 translates toward the outside of the drawer 10 and hence toward the front panel 13. The translation is generated by the fact that the cam 36 causes convergence of the first ends 42 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 along the second through grooves 44. The pantograph device 37 is pivoted in the pin 40, therefore the narrowing of the arms 38 also causes the displacement of the second ends 47 of the arms 38 along the through grooves 46 of the plate 45.

[0053] The plate 45 is constrained to the support slider 33, which will translate in a direction T, opposite to the extraction direction D of the extractable shelf 14, following the motion of the second ends 47 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 along the through grooves 46 of the plate 45 so as to move closer to each other. The translation of the support slider 33 takes place due to the sliding of the second blocks 30 along the second guides 29.

[0054] The translation of the support slider 33 in direction T, opposite to the extraction direction D of the extractable shelf 14 as shown in fig. 2c, causes a rotation of the second toothed wheels 24 of the gears 23, thanks to the action of the two racks 34 made on the opposite sides of the support slider 33.

[0055] The rotation of the second toothed wheels 24 causes the rotation of the first toothed wheels 22, which have a bigger diameter, of the two gears 23.

[0056] The first toothed wheels 22 of the gears 23 engage in the two racks 19 of the frame 17, therefore the rotation of the first toothed wheels 22 causes the translation in direction D of the frame 17 and hence of the extractable shelf 14 constrained thereto. The frame 17 slides along the first guides 28 by means of the first blocks 21 to which it is connected.

[0057] Since the diameter of the first toothed wheels 22 of the gears 23 is bigger than that of the second toothed wheels 24, given the same size of the teeth and pitch between one tooth and the other, a multiplication of the motion is advantageously obtained and therefore the extraction of the frame 17, and hence of the extractable shelf 14, in direction D, is concluded effectively, even for a minimum travel of the slider 33 in the opposite direction T.

[0058] When the rotation of the front panel 13 in direction R is completed, the situation will be that shown in figs. 2d and 3d, that is, the frame 17 and hence the extractable shelf 14 are completely extracted.

[0059] As can be seen, the first ends 42 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 are at the ends of the second through grooves 44 of the cam 36, while the second ends 47 of the arms 38 are at the inner and closest ends of the two through grooves 46 made in the plate 45. The pantograph device 37 is substantially in its position of maximum extension and the support slider 33 is in a retracted, end-of-travel position.

[0060] Advantageously, as can be seen in particular from fig. 3d, when the drawer 10 is completely open, the upper edge of the front panel 13 where the handle 54 is substantially located is positioned at a lower height than the work plane P of the extractable shelf 14, on which the goods or objects to be displayed and possibly handled will rest.

[0061] The support or work plane P is therefore perfectly free on the front side of the drawer 10.

[0062] To close the drawer 10, the operations described above are performed in the opposite order, that is to say, starting from the situation shown in fig. 3d, the front panel 13 is rotated upward so that, thanks to the action of the lever 49, the cam 36 is thrust toward the inside of the drawer 10. The two first ends 42 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 will be translated by the cam 36 along its second through grooves 44, so that the first ends 42 are distanced from each other. At the same time, the second ends 47 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 will translate toward the outside of the through grooves 46 of the plate 45, substantially causing the movement of the slider 33 in the direction of the front panel 13 and the movement of the frame 17 in the direction of the bottom wall 12 of the drawer 10. The pantograph device 37 then returns to the position shown in fig. 2a. Also in the closing movement, when the first through grooves 43 of the cam 36 engage the first ends 42 of the pantograph device 37, the only effect is the closing rotation of the front panel 13. In fact, the frame 17, as seen in the opening sequence of the drawer 10, remains motionless when the first ends 42 of the arms 38 of the pantograph device 37 are engaged by the first through grooves 43 of the cam 36.

[0063] The drawer 10 according to the present invention, as described above, can be used in any field and can contain objects of various types. For example, the drawer 10 can be put to optimum use inside a display window, where the objects must be displayed effectively and treated with the greatest care, for example in a jewelry shop or a cake shop where, if the goods are not treated carefully, they risk deteriorating and getting ruined.

[0064] Thanks to the fact that, once open, it has its work or support plane P perfectly free of front and preferably lateral constraints, the drawer 10 allows excellent maneuverability of the objects contained therein, as if they were in fact resting on a table.

[0065] If the drawer 10 is used in a display window of a cake shop, for example, it is possible to display the goods effectively and elegantly, and possibly to remove them from the display window, even in the case of cakes for example, without them running the risk of deteriorating or of dirtying the display window.

[0066] If the drawer 10 is used in a display window, moreover, it is possible to provide a plurality of drawers 10 adjacent to each other and each provided with its own extractable shelf 14 and corresponding front panel 13.

[0067] It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the drawer as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

[0068] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of drawer, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Drawer, characterized in that it comprises a mobile front panel (13) constrained, by means of rotation hinges (52), to a fixed support structure (53), inside which at least one extractable shelf (14) is housed, said extractable shelf (14) being provided with a support plane (P) and connected by means of a roto-translation unit (15) to said front panel (13), said roto-translation unit (15) being configured to allow at least a rotatory motion of the front panel (13) that determines at least a motion of extraction or insertion of the extractable shelf (14) into or from said support structure (53) in a determinate direction (D) of translation, said extractable shelf (14) being configured to slide along guides (28) positioned in the support structure (53) in said direction (D) of translation and said front panel (13) being positioned, at least at the end of said rotatory motion which determines the extraction of the extractable shelf (14) from the support structure (53) in said direction (D) of translation, at a height equal to or less than the height at which the support plane (P) of said extractable shelf (14) is positioned, so as not to interfere with said support plane (P); said roto-translation unit (15) comprising at least one lever (49) hinged on one side to the front panel (13) and on the other side to at least one cam (36), associated to said extractable shelf (14) and configured to allow at least a first step of said rotatory motion of the front panel (13), during which the latter moves away from or nearer to the extractable shelf (14) substantially stationary in position, and at least a subsequent step of said rotatory motion of the front panel (13), during which the latter determines a movement of traction or thrust of the extractable shelf (14) with respect to the support structure (53).

2. Drawer as in claim 1, characterized in that said cam (36) is configured to translate with respect to said support structure (53) in the same direction (D) of translation of said extractable shelf (14), and said roto-translation unit (15) comprises at least a pantograph device (37) driven by said cam (36) and supported by a slider (33), which is configured to translate with respect to said support structure (53) in a direction (T) opposite to the direction (D) of translation of the extractable shelf (14) and of said cam (36), said slider (33) cooperating by means of motion transmission gears (23) with a support frame (17) of the extractable shelf (14).

3. Drawer as in claim 2, characterized in that said motion transmission gears (23) are provided on both sides of said slider (33) and comprise first toothed wheels (22) configured to engage in racks (19) positioned at the sides of said support frame (17) of the extractable shelf (14) and second toothed wheels (24) configured to engage in racks (34) made on opposite sides (32) of said support slider (33) of the pantograph device (37).

4. Drawer as in claim 2, characterized in that said gears (23) are motion multiplying gears, able to amplify the translation motion of the frame (17) with respect to the motion of the slider (33).

5. Drawer as in claim 2, characterized in that said pantograph device (37) comprises at least a pair of crossed arms (38) provided with first ends (42) inserted along through grooves (43, 44) made in said cam (36), and second ends (47) inserted in through grooves (46) made on a plate (45) integrated with said slider (33), said first and second ends (42, 47) being configured to move inside said through grooves (43, 44) made in the cam (36) and inside said through grooves (46) made in the plate (45) integrated with the slider (33).

6. Drawer as in claim 1, characterized in that said support structure (53) comprises more guides (29) on which said cam (36) and said support slider (33) of the pantograph device (37) slide in opposite directions.

7. Drawer as in claim 2, characterized in that said cam (36) comprises at least two first through grooves (43) facing in the extraction and insertion direction (D) of the drawer and at least two second through grooves (44) converging toward the center of the drawer (10), said first and second through grooves (43, 44) being able to house said first ends (42) of the arms (38) of the pantograph device (37).

8. Drawer as in claim 5, characterized in that said plate (45) of the support slider (33) comprises at least a pair of through grooves (46) aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extraction or insertion direction (D) of the extractable shelf (14) and able to house said second ends (47) of the pantograph device (37).

9. Drawer as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said support structure (53) is a display window of a shop or at least part thereof.

Drawing