Pull-out for an upper cabinet area - in the form of a rail assembly, to facilitate reachability of the content

Abstract

The invention relates to a rail arrangement for cabinets with a drawer to facilitate access to the drawer contents. The rail arrangement comprises: • at least one horizontal guide element (3a) for attachment to the cabinet, • at least one vertical guide element (3b) for attachment to the drawer (1), and • an elongated direction-change element (4) for sliding along the two guide elements (3a, 3b), which has a bend (5) that divides the direction-change element (4) into a horizontal section (4a) and a vertical section (4b), so that the horizontal section of the direction-change element (4a) can slide along the horizontal guide element (3a) and the vertical section of the direction-change element (4b) can slide along the vertical guide element (3b).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rail assembly for cabinets with one drawer. This can be installed, for example, in household cabinets.

[0002] Horizontal rail arrangements in cabinets for pulling out internal cabinet parts, such as drawers, have been known for a long time, as described, for example, in WO8501195A1.

[0003] EP 2 526 818 B1 discloses a fitting for a disabled-accessible cupboard and a corresponding cupboard.

[0004] DE 10 2009 016 777 A1 describes a mobile drawer for tall cabinets.

[0005] US 2 341 434 A discloses shop and warehouse equipment, in particular improved means by which goods or products stored on shelves above the reach of the warehouse operator can be raised to any desired height and then returned to their original position on these raised shelves.

[0006] In many cases, modern cabinet drawers (also called drawers, e.g., kitchen slides or kitchen cabinet interiors) are mounted at a great height, making their contents difficult or impossible to reach. It is therefore helpful to move the drawer to a more accessible position when the cabinet is open.

[0007] Systems are known that use a type of pivoting mechanism to pivot the interior of the cabinet (corresponding to the drawer) from "top" to "bottom-front." The disadvantage of these systems is that an upward impulse is required to pivot the interior. This requires the entire weight of the cabinet interior, including its contents, to be moved upwards, meaning it requires a relatively large amount of force and is also difficult to achieve for those of limited stature.

[0008] Other solutions only allow for forward and backward movement. For example, see FR 2 692 119 A1, US 2012 / 313 494 A1, or DE 20 2010 011 601 U1.

[0009] The task is to provide a solution that overcomes the disadvantages of the current state of the art. In particular, it should provide a way to easily access the contents of the upper cabinet, even for those of limited stature. Pulling out the cabinet drawer should be easy and require no noticeable effort. In particular, the required effort should be independent of the contents of the drawer.

[0010] When the rail assembly is extended, the drawer should not only be lower down but also slightly closer to the operator.

[0011] The invention should be versatile and adaptable to cabinets of different sizes. It should also be possible to install it in or modify existing cabinets. This should be simple enough for even laypeople to retrofit it.

[0012] The problem is solved by the features of the independent patent claims. Preferred embodiments are described in the dependent subclaims.

[0013] The subject of the invention is a rail arrangement for cabinets with a drawer to facilitate the accessibility of the drawer contents, comprising at least 1 horizontal guide element, for attachment to the cabinet, at least 1 vertical guide element, for attachment to the drawer, and an elongated direction change element, for sliding along (ie with / on / at) the two guide elements, which has a bend which divides the direction change element into a horizontal section and a vertical section (where the length of the direction change element is the sum of the lengths of the two sections), wherein the vertical guide element (3b) is designed as a pull-out rail, and this is fastened to the vertical section of the direction change element (4b), characterized in that the bend (5) of the direction change element has an acute angle in the range of 60° to <90°, so that the horizontal section of the direction change element can slide along the horizontal guide element and the vertical section of the direction change element can slide along the vertical guide element.

[0014] The rail assembly is used for attachment between the cabinet and the drawer—ideally, it is attached to a horizontal cabinet floor, which is located below the drawer when retracted. The vertical guide element is logically attached to the rear of the drawer, i.e., the side facing the cabinet back panel.

[0015] The invention is based on the concept of opening a cabinet drawer by means of To open the drawer, pull it out horizontally and pull it down diagonally vertically. After pulling it out and down, the drawer is at a lower height than when closed.

[0016] After installation in a cabinet with a drawer, the invention concerns the sliding of the rail arrangement; or, more specifically, the sliding of the direction-changing element along (with / on / at) a horizontal and a vertical guide element. The sliding can, for example, take place within the guide elements. However, as will become apparent in particular for preferred embodiments further down in the document, the sliding can also take place together with the guide elements by connecting the direction-changing element (i.e., the direction-changing element) to the guide element (i.e., the vertical guide element). In the latter case, the vertical guide element itself is then expediently a telescopic rail, and the "sliding" according to the invention then relates to the movement between the vertical section of the direction-changing element and a part of the telescopic rail.

[0017] "Horizontal" (corresponds to horizontal) and "vertical" (means in the vertical area) refers to the direction after installation in a cabinet, as for example in Fig. 1 "Horizontal" is the direction in which conventional drawers are pulled out of a cabinet, such as a standard cutlery tray. "Vertical" is the direction between the floor and ceiling.

[0018] The direction-changing element can be constructed in one or more parts. According to the invention, it has a bend that forms an acute angle (i.e., <90°C) between the horizontal and vertical sections of the direction-changing element.

[0019] The invention furthermore also relates to a cabinet with easier accessibility of a drawer content, comprising at least one rail arrangement according to the invention, and a drawer, whereby the horizontal guide element is attached to a horizontal surface of the cabinet (preferably a cabinet base, as there are several of these in every cabinet) and the vertical guide element is attached to the back of the drawer, so that the rail arrangement extends between the back of the drawer, the underside of the drawer and the horizontal surface of the cabinet (and is of course limited on one side by the cabinet back wall).

[0020] The rear of the drawer is slightly slanted. This angle also corresponds to the acute angle created by the bend in the direction-changing element. This is preferably achieved by a slanted drawer back panel or by a second back panel and a slanted spacer, e.g., a wedge (between the drawer back panel and the second back panel), as shown schematically in Fig. 1so that the second back panel is slanted, allowing the vertical guide element to be attached to this second back panel. In the case of a drawer that itself has slanted side panels (as is also the case with laundry baskets, for example), such a slanted spacer may be unnecessary.

[0021] Finally, the invention also relates to a set comprising at least two rail assemblies according to the invention. Typically, two such rail assemblies are installed per drawer that is to be provided with the advantages of the invention.

[0022] The invention also relates to the use of the rail arrangement according to the invention for installation in a cabinet.

[0023] The advantage of the invention is that the vertical movement of the vertical guide element (or on it) makes it easier and more convenient to access items in the cupboard. For example, spices, tea, soups, or similar light items in the kitchen cupboard can be reached more easily. In the bedroom cupboard, for example, socks or washcloths could be stored in the upper section, which would still be easier to reach. In the living room cupboard, napkins or other light items could be stored in the upper section.

[0024] The advantage is that people of smaller stature in particular can more easily access the contents of the drawer.

[0025] The rail assembly can be retrofitted into any cabinet. This makes retrofitting existing cabinets easy. The effort is minimal, and the retrofitting can be performed by non-professionals.

[0026] Another advantage is that pulling out the cabinet drawer is easy and requires no noticeable effort.

[0027] Even in a wide wall cabinet, several systems (i.e., the rail arrangements according to the invention) can be installed side by side. The size of the rail arrangement can be variably adjusted to the width and depth of each cabinet.

[0028] This means the rail arrangement can be used for various cabinet and drawer sizes. It can be easily adjusted to the width by adjusting its position and number within the cabinet. It can be adapted to the cabinet depth, for example, by shortening the horizontal guide element. Preferred embodiments

[0029] The drawer in which the rail arrangement according to the invention is used is preferably a plastic drawer. The invention is particularly suitable for lightweight drawers, such as those made of plastic.

[0030] In a likewise preferred embodiment of the invention, the horizontal section of the direction-changing element is a maximum of 6 cm long, in particular a maximum of 5 cm long, or even 3-5 cm, or 4-5 cm. The advantage is that this minimizes the dead space behind the drawer without limiting the full functionality of the invention. Particularly advantageous is the combination with an embodiment described below, in which the vertical section of the direction-changing element is a maximum of 25 cm long, or 20-25 cm long, and the acute angle is 87°±2°.

[0031] According to the invention, the bend of the direction-changing element forms an acute angle in the range of 60° to <90°, particularly preferably 80° to <90°, most preferably 87°±2°, or even 87±1°. The advantage of this is that when the rail assembly is extended, the drawer not only arrives lower, but also somewhat closer to the operator, which further improves accessibility to the drawer contents.

[0032] In a further preferred embodiment of the rail arrangement, the vertical section of the direction-changing element is a maximum of 25 cm long, particularly preferably 10-25 cm, or 15-25 cm, or even 20-25 cm. The advantage of this rail arrangement is that it is suitable for standard cabinets and drawers. The ratio between the required cabinet compartment height and the achieved drawer lowering by the invention is thus optimal and universal for various cabinets.

[0033] The combination of the three embodiments of the length of the vertical section of the direction change element, the angle and the length of the horizontal section of the direction change element is particularly preferred.

[0034] In a likewise preferred embodiment of the invention, the direction-changing element is made of metal and / or has a material thickness of 0.5-2 mm (preferably >1 mm). Material thickness describes the thickness of the elongated direction-changing element. The metal or the stated material thickness is advantageously sufficient to achieve sufficient stability for the application according to the invention, namely for drawers of greater height, which naturally only store light / lightweight items. However, metal is particularly suitable in combination with the stated material thickness.

[0035] In an advantageous embodiment, (at least) one stopper is fixedly arranged on the rail arrangement according to the invention at one end of the horizontal guide element, which stopper is suitable for stopping the direction change element (i.e. when the drawer is pulled out horizontally from the cabinet). Suitable stoppers include bolt-shaped stoppers or projections, as explained further below. Advantageously, when used on a drawer, when the drawer is pulled out of the cabinet, the stop is stopped at the end of the horizontal pulling out process before the drawer can begin to move downwards, thus ensuring that the drawer has free movement downwards before it begins to lower, but at the same time preventing it from falling out forwards. In addition to the stopper, releasable locking devices are also conceivable, such as e.g.Fasten clips to prevent the drawer from sliding back horizontally on its own, as otherwise the drawer could hit something when lowered.

[0036] It is also preferred in the invention if the horizontal guide element comprises two limiting elements each, wherein both horizontal limiting elements have a projection as a stopper which is suitable for stopping the direction change element, and wherein the direction change element accordingly has a widening on the horizontal section which can abut against the projections.

[0037] The two limiting elements hold the direction change element sliding between them and keep it in its path (e.g. when sliding while pulling out a drawer) so that the direction change element can slide horizontally between the two limiting elements.

[0038] "Widening" in the sense of the invention means that from one end of the direction change element in the vertical direction to the bend, after the bend (i.e. on the horizontal section of the direction change element) there is a projection / widening (as in Fig. 2 clearly visible), which hits the stopper when the drawer is pulled out horizontally.

[0039] The widening is preferably located (looking from one end of the direction change element in the vertical direction to the bend) 0.5-1.2 cm after the bend, has an angle of almost 90° so that the widening is suitable for stopping and the widening can usefully be a widening of the width of the direction change element by 0.4-1 cm.

[0040] "Stopping" refers to pulling the drawer horizontally out of the cabinet.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the horizontal guide element comprises two limiting elements, and a portion of each of the two limiting elements covers the direction-changing element such that the direction-changing element is held between the limiting elements without being able to detach upwards. This preferably applies to the horizontal part, i.e., two limiting elements of the horizontal guide element and the horizontal section of the direction-changing element.

[0042] Particularly preferred is the combination of the last two embodiments, ie the cover and the projection with widening.

[0043] According to the invention, the vertical guide element is designed as a pull-out rail (such as a U-shaped, semi-open rail or a telescopic rail). This is attached to the vertical section of the direction-changing element.

[0044] The pull-out rail is ideally constructed in two or more parts. This design advantageously increases the vertical travel when pulling the drawer out of the cabinet, making the drawer contents even easier to reach. Commercially available telescopic rails (drawer rails) are suitable for this purpose.

[0045] Particularly preferably, the pull-out rail is ball-bearing mounted (i.e. at least two balls are provided within the U-shaped, half-open rail) and / or made of metal.

[0046] In this design with pull-out rail, the vertical guide element itself is made up of several parts because it can be pulled out.

[0047] Particularly preferred is a ball-bearing U-shaped, semi-open rail.

[0048] The fastening between the half-open rail and the vertical section of the direction change element is preferably carried out by means of screwing or gluing.

[0049] It is also sensible, and in one embodiment of the invention preferred, to facilitate the movement between the horizontal section of the direction-changing element and the horizontal guide element using ball bearings or rollers. This would facilitate the extension of a drawer. In particular, the horizontal guide element could comprise balls or rollers, on which the horizontal section of the direction-changing element could then move.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the direction-changing element is a one-piece, metal-made element. The metal can be selected from aluminum and stainless steel. Particularly in an aluminum version, the direction-changing element is advantageously lightweight while maintaining sufficient strength.

[0051] In a preferred design, the horizontal guide element is made of wood. This allows the user to easily shorten it for installation in cabinets of different depths. This makes the rail assembly universally applicable.

[0052] In an embodiment of the invention in which the direction change element slides in the vertical guide element, the vertical guide element and the vertical section of the direction change element are preferably connected with a spring or pneumatically in such a way that the sliding is slowed down during vertical sliding downwards.

[0053] Preferably, the cabinet or set according to the invention comprises two rail arrangements according to the invention.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, all parts of the rail arrangement according to the invention are flat, i.e. a maximum of 10 mm thick (the bend of the direction change element is of course excluded - but bolt-shaped stoppers, if present, do not protrude beyond this height), better a maximum of 8 mm.

[0055] In a preferred embodiment, the direction change element (perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) is a maximum of 5 cm wide, particularly preferably 3-4 cm. Fig. 1 shows a sketch of an exemplary embodiment of the rail arrangement according to the invention. Fig. 2Shows a top view (left) and a cross view (right) of a preferred design of the slide assembly with drawer (detail), in which the direction-changing element is constructed from a single piece of metal. The vertical guide element is attached to the vertical section of the direction-changing element with screws. The direction-changing element has a widened section on the horizontal section before the bend to stop it sliding in the horizontal guide element. Fig. 3 . shows a section of a version without a vertical guide element in a side view. Fig. 4 shows (from left to right) a preferred embodiment of the rail arrangement in the retracted state corresponding to installation in a cabinet with a lockable door (a)) as well as after horizontal extension of the drawer (b)) and subsequent vertical lowering (c)). Fig. 5 shows a one-piece direction change element (similar to the one from Fig. 2, but without widening on the horizontal section of the direction change element). Fig. 6 shows a version (section) with two vertical guide elements each consisting of two limiting elements with bolt-shaped stoppers. Fig. 7 shows a version (section) with stoppers in the form of a projection on the horizontal limiting elements. Fig. 8 shows a design (section) of the horizontal guide element consisting of 2 limiting elements, whereby a part of each limiting element (partially) covers the direction change element in such a way that the direction change element is held between them and cannot come loose upwards (in the sense of a rail that is partially closed at the top).

[0056] It is advisable to combine the different embodiments with each other, unless otherwise stated.

[0057] The invention will be explained in more detail below using several preferred embodiments. These are not intended to limit the invention. Examples of implementation Embodiment 1 according to Fig. 4:

[0058] In the example according to Fig. 4 The direction change element 4 is made of wood and consists of several parts, with a wedge for attaching the horizontal section 4a and the vertical section 4b of the direction change element at an angle of 87°. A commercially available telescopic rail serves as the vertical guide element 3b.

[0059] The horizontal guide element 3a is constructed from two wooden slats (limiting elements 10), which cover the direction change element (on the horizontal section 4a) in such a way that it is "kept in the track" and cannot come loose upwards. Embodiment 2 according to Fig. 1:

[0060] In an embodiment according to Fig. 1The direction change element 4 is made of one piece from perforated strip. Embodiment 3 according to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3

[0061] In this embodiment, the direction-change element 4 is constructed as a single piece from metal. A telescopic rail serves as the vertical guide element 3b. The angle at the bend 5 of the direction-change element 4 is 87°. The vertical section of the direction-change element 4b and the vertical guide element 3b are each connected with two screws.

[0062] The horizontal section of the direction change element 4a has a widening 12 for stopping the horizontal extension of the drawer 1 by stopping on the projections (stopper 11) of the horizontal guide element 3a.

[0063] A similar design of the direction change element 4, but without widening 12 for stopping, is shown in Fig. 5 . Reference symbol

[0064] 1Drawer 2Rail arrangement 3Horizontal guide element 3Vertical guide element 4Direction change element 4aHorizontal section (of the direction change element) 4bVertical section (of the direction change element) 5Kink (of the direction change element) 10 Limiting elements (horizontal guide elements) 11Stopper (on the horizontal guide element) 12Widening of the direction change element

Claims

1. Rail assembly (2) for cabinets with a drawer (1) to facilitate access to the contents of the drawer, comprising • at least one horizontal guide element (3a) for fastening to the cabinet, • at least one vertical guide element (3b) for fastening to the drawer (1), and • an elongated direction-changing element (4) for sliding along the two guide elements (3a, 3b), which has a bend (5) that divides the direction-changing element (4) into a horizontal section (4a) and a vertical section (4b), wherein the vertical guide element (3b) is designed as a pull-out rail and is fastened to the vertical section of the direction-changing element (4b) characterised in that the bend (5) of the direction-changing element has an acute angle in the range of 60° to <90°, so that the horizontal section of the direction-changing element (4a) can slide along the horizontal guide element (3a) and the vertical section of the direction-changing element (4b) can slide along the vertical guide element (3b).

2. Rail assembly according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal section of the direction-changing element (4a) is a maximum of 5 cm long.

3. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the vertical section of the direction-changing element (4b) is a maximum of 25 cm long.

4. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 or 3, wherein the acute angle (5) is 87°± 1°.

5. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the direction-changing element (4) is made of metal and has a material thickness of 0.5-2 mm.

6. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein a stopper (11) is fixedly arranged at one end of the horizontal guide element (3a) and is suitable for stopping the direction-changing element (4).

7. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 to 6, • wherein the horizontal guide element (3a) comprises two limiting elements (10) each, • wherein both horizontal limiting elements as stoppers (11) have a projection which is suitable for stopping the direction-changing element (4), and • wherein the direction-changing element (4) accordingly has a widening at the horizontal section (4a) which can abut against the projections.

8. Rail assembly according to claim 7, wherein a part of the two limiting elements (10) covers the direction-changing element (4) in such a way that the direction-changing element is held between the limiting elements.

9. Rail assembly according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the direction-changing element (4) is one-piece and made of metal.

10. Cabinet with facilitated access to the contents of a drawer, comprising at least one rail assembly (2) according to any of claims 1 to 9, and a drawer (1), wherein the horizontal guide element (3a) is fastened to a horizontal surface of the cabinet and the vertical guide element (3b) is fastened to the rear side of the drawer (1), such that the rail assembly extends between the rear side of the drawer, the underside of the drawer and the horizontal surface of the cabinet.

11. Set comprising at least two rail assemblies (2) according to any of claims 1 to 9.

12. Use of a rail assembly (2) according to any of claims 1 to 9 for installation in a cabinet.

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