Furniture mudguard

Abstract

Protective plate (10) for furniture, in the form of a sheet metal plate (12) which has at least two parallel edges bent fastening flanges (14, 18), characterized in that the sheet metal is weakened by slots (22) on the bending lines so that the bending can be carried out by hand.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a protective plate for furniture, in the form of a sheet metal plate which has bent mounting flanges on at least two parallel edges.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to a protective plate below a cooktop in a kitchen base cabinet. Cooktops with a low profile are increasingly used in kitchens, and the controls are integrated into the cooktop or its edge, so that no space needs to be reserved for controls on the front of the kitchen base cabinet. This frees up additional space in the kitchen base cabinet below the cooktop, which can be used, for example, for a drawer.

[0003] However, there is a risk that a user might reach into the drawer with their hand open and touch the underside of the cooktop, potentially causing injury. Furthermore, protruding items in the drawer could damage the cooktop. For the same reason, the drawer could also become jammed.

[0004] A rectangular sheet metal plate with angled mounting flanges is often used as a protective cover. These flanges can be screwed to the left and right side panels of the cabinet. This allows the protective cover to be installed directly below the cooktop within the cabinet, preferably leaving a gap of a height specified by the cooktop manufacturer between the cooktop and the protective cover. This gap can be ventilated through a recess in the back panel of the cabinet.

[0005] A mudguard of this type is known from DE 20 2009 009 949 U1. The mudguard is manufactured by stamping a blank from sheet metal and then forming it in a press to create the mounting flanges. These manufacturing steps are currently carried out in a metalworking plant, from where the mudguards are then individually packaged and transported in large quantities to the furniture manufacturer. Because the bent mounting flanges extend at right angles to the main plane of the panel, the finished mudguards cannot be stacked compactly, thus requiring considerable space for transport and storage.

[0006] The object of the invention is to create a mudguard that can be stored and transported in a more space-saving manner before installation.

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by weakening the sheet metal by making slits at the bending lines so that the bending can be carried out by hand.

[0008] According to the invention, the final processing step is thus shifted into the hands of the installer. This has the advantage that the protective plates, in the form of flat, unbent blanks, can be compactly stacked and transported to the furniture manufacturer and / or end customer. Since no press is required for bending, the bending can be done by hand immediately before the protective plate is installed in the furniture body.

[0009] The following section explains an exemplary embodiment in more detail with reference to the drawing.

[0010] They show: Fig. 1 a mudguard according to the invention; and Fig. 2. Cut out a piece for the mudguard according to Fig. 1.

[0011] The Fig. The mudguard 10 shown is mainly formed by a rectangular sheet metal plate 12, which has mounting flanges 14 angled at right angles in the same direction at its shorter edges. Screw holes 16 in the mounting flanges allow the mudguard to be attached to the side walls of a furniture carcass.

[0012] A further mounting flange 18 is provided on one longer edge of the plate 12 for attaching the protective plate to a rear panel of the furniture carcass. This mounting flange 18 is also bent in the same direction as the mounting flanges 14. A cover flange 20 is provided on the opposite long edge of the plate 12, which is bent in the opposite direction.

[0013] Fig. Figure 1 shows the mudguard 10 in its ready-to-install state. The bend lines where the mounting flanges 14, 18 and the cover flange 20 transition into the main part of the plate 12 are weakened by a series of slots 22 such that the flanges can be bent by hand, yet are still stable enough to maintain their orientation perpendicular to the plane of the plate 12 during installation. At each bend line, the successive slots 22 are separated from each other by gaps 24. The bending stiffness at the bend line can be adjusted as required by appropriately selecting the length ratio between slots 22 and gaps 24.

[0014] Fig. Figure 2 shows the mudguard 10 in the state in which it is delivered to the furniture manufacturer / end customer. In this state, the mudguard has the form of a flat stamped part that can be stacked with similar mudguards to save space. In a stamping press in a metalworking plant, the stamped part is formed with the Fig. The outline shown in 2 and the slots 22, which form the pre-weakened bend lines, are cut. In the Fig. In the state shown in Figure 2, the mudguards 10 can be stacked compactly and transported to the furniture manufacturer or end customer. At the furniture manufacturer's facility or at the end customer's premises, the fastening and connecting flanges 14, 18, 20 are then manually inserted into the Fig. 1. The shape shown is bent before the mudguard is installed in a furniture body. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2009 009 949 U1

[0005]

Claims

[] Protective sheet (10) for furniture, in the form of a plate (12) made of sheet metal, which has bent fastening flanges (14, 18) on at least two parallel edges, characterized by that the sheet is weakened by slots (22) on the bending lines so that the bending can be carried out by hand.

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