Seismically resistant furniture

Abstract

To provide furniture with excellent seismic resistance that is inherently unlikely to topple inward into a room during an earthquake.SOLUTION: The furniture comprises a frame body 12 and one or more shelves 14 provided within the frame body 12. The frame body 12 includes a front board 16 disposed substantially vertically on the room-facing side. One edge of each shelf 14 is cantilever-supported substantially perpendicularly to the front board 16, while the other edge of each shelf 14 is unsupported. When the frame body 12 is placed on the floor with its back facing a wall, the frame body 12 is in contact with the floor only at a lower end 16b of the front board 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to furniture with excellent earthquake resistance. [Background technology]

[0002] For the convenience of daily life, various pieces of furniture such as chests of drawers, closets, cupboards, bookshelves, etc. are placed in a home. Among these pieces of furniture, tall ones are more likely to fall over during an earthquake. In many cases, furniture is placed with its back to a wall so that it can be used widely in a home. Because it is placed with its back to a wall, if it falls over during an earthquake, it will fall over into the room.

[0003] People live inside the room. The furniture is generally made of wood or metal, and since it contains various items, it is quite heavy. If the furniture falls inside the room during an earthquake, the residents living inside the room are at risk of being hit by the falling furniture or being crushed, resulting in serious injury. If the residents are sleeping, they may even be at risk of being hit by the falling furniture or being crushed, resulting in death.

[0004] Therefore, various methods have been proposed to prevent furniture from falling over indoors during an earthquake.

[0005] For example, various types of anti-tipping devices have been proposed, such as anti-tipping devices that fix furniture to the wall to prevent it from falling into the room during an earthquake, anti-tipping devices that support the top of furniture from the ceiling to prevent the furniture from falling into the room, and anti-tipping devices that are attached to the bottom of furniture to make it less likely to fall into the room.

[0006] However, earthquakes occur with unexpected strength, and conventional fall prevention devices are not sufficient, so further fall prevention measures are required. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-152512 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-33140 [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 3113437 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is that conventional anti-tip devices attempt to physically prevent furniture from tipping over, but do not essentially make furniture less likely to tip over. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention comprises a frame that is placed on an indoor floor with its back against a wall, and one or more shelves that are provided approximately horizontally and at a specified interval above and below within the frame. Here, the frame refers to the minimum structural material (framework) that forms the basic shape of the furniture. The furniture may have other members than the frame and shelves, such as side panels, a back panel, a top panel, a bottom panel, doors, etc.

[0010] The frame has a front board. When the frame is placed on the floor with its back to the wall, the front board is located at the part of the frame facing the interior of the room. The front board is in a substantially vertical position, and the shelf is in a substantially horizontal position. One edge of the shelf (the interior side) is cantilevered at a substantially right angle to the front board, and the other edge of the shelf (the wall side) is in a free state without being supported by anything. The other edge of the shelf (the wall side) may be in contact with the wall, or there may be a gap between the shelf and the wall, but it is not in close contact with or fixed to the wall.

[0011] A metal fixture is attached to one edge (inside the room) of the shelf board at a substantially right angle (almost vertical). The metal fixture is made of a metal member with a U-shaped cross section. The opening width of the metal fixture is formed slightly wider than the thickness of the front board. The opening of the metal fixture slidably fits into the vertical edge of the front board. The shelf board is at a substantially right angle to the front board.

[0012] When the frame is placed on the floor with its back to a wall, the upper part of the frame on the wall side contacts the wall, and only the lower end of the front board of the lower part of the frame contacts the floor. A friction body may be attached to the upper part of the back of the frame, and a friction body may be attached to the lower end of the front board. In this way, there is no risk of the lower end of the front board sliding out toward the inside of the room in the event of an earthquake. Any material may be used as the friction body as long as it has a non-slip effect.

[0013] A non-slip device may be inserted into the lower end of the front board. The non-slip device is composed of a main board, a fitting portion provided on one surface (upper surface) of the main board, and a friction body provided on the other surface (lower surface) of the main board. The lower end of the front board fits into the fitting portion. The friction body provided on the other surface of the main board is in contact with the floor. Since the friction body of the non-slip device is in contact with the floor over a wide surface, the non-slip device is extremely slippery, and even if a large force toward the inside of the room is applied to the lower end of the front board during an earthquake, the furniture is unlikely to slide into the room. In addition, since the lower end of the front board does not directly contact the floor, the floor will not be scratched or dented by the lower end of the front board. Effect of the Invention

[0014] With the present invention, only the part of the frame body facing the interior (the lower end of the front board) is in contact with the floor, and the other parts of the bottom of the frame body are separated from the floor, so that the center of gravity of the furniture is significantly biased toward the wall, and even if the furniture shakes violently in an earthquake, it is extremely difficult for the center of gravity of the furniture to move beyond the position of the front board and come inside the room, thereby having the effect of making it extremely difficult for the furniture to tip over inside the room during an earthquake.

[0015] In addition, with the present invention, one edge of the shelf (the room side) is cantilevered at approximately a right angle to the front board, and the other edge of the shelf (the wall side) is not in contact with or fixed to the wall, i.e., is not supported by anything. Therefore, every time an item is placed on the shelf, the center of gravity of the furniture shifts toward the wall, which has the effect of making the furniture even less likely to tip over toward the room in the event of an earthquake.

[0016] In addition, in the present invention, because one edge of the shelf board (the room side) is supported as a cantilever, the wall side part is likely to fall down due to the weight of the stored items. Because the wall side part of the shelf board is likely to fall down, the stored items move toward the wall side during an earthquake, and the center of gravity of the furniture moves toward the wall side due to the moved stored items. This has the effect of making the furniture even less likely to fall over due to the shaking of an earthquake.

[0017] In addition, the present invention has a front board on the interior side of the shelf board and the items stored on the shelf board are shielded by the front board, so that the items stored on the shelf board will not fly out into the room during an earthquake, and therefore there is no risk of items flying out of the furniture colliding with the resident and causing injury to the resident.

[0018] In addition, the present invention has an advantage that a friction body is attached to the lower end of the front board and to the upper part of the back side of the frame body to prevent the furniture from slipping between the floor and the wall, so that there is no risk of the lower part of the furniture sliding out towards the inside of the room due to shaking during an earthquake and the furniture colliding with a resident inside the room and causing injury to the resident inside the room.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that heavy items such as emergency water can be stored on the lowest shelf, and when heavy items such as emergency water are stored on the lowest shelf, the center of gravity of the furniture can be lowered further downward, thereby making it even more difficult for the furniture to tip over in the event of an earthquake.

[0020] Furthermore, the furniture according to the present invention has a highly decorative front panel made of wood, and can be used to decorate with interior items such as clocks. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of furniture according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing metal fittings fitted to the front board from the front side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing metal fitting in the released state from the side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing metal fitting in the locked state from the side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the anti-slip device for preventing the bottom end of the front board from slipping. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining earthquake resistance of the furniture according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of furniture according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view of the second embodiment of the furniture according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the inside of the furniture of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] To provide furniture that is excellent in earthquake resistance and is essentially difficult to fall over, with a simple structure and without impairing the interior design value of the furniture. EXAMPLES

[0023] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of furniture according to the present invention. In the figure, 10 denotes a piece of furniture, which is made up of a frame 12 and a shelf board 14 provided inside the frame 12. The frame 12 maintains the basic shape and structure of the furniture 10. The frame 12 includes a front board 16 and a top board 18. In order to maintain the basic shape of the furniture 10, the frame 12 includes not only the front board 16 and the top board 18, but also structural materials (not shown) as necessary.

[0024] When the frame 12 is placed on the floor 22 with its back to the wall 20, the front board 16 stands approximately vertically on the floor 22 on the indoor side with a specified distance between it and the wall 20. An upper plate 18 is provided approximately horizontally between the upper end 16a of the front board 16 and the wall 20. The upper plate 18 is attached approximately at a right angle to the upper end 16a of the front board 16. The front board 16 is coated with oil stain rather than painted to prevent scratches.

[0025] The edge 18a of the upper board 18 abuts against the wall 20 via a friction body 24. The lower end 16b of the front board 16 abuts against the floor 22 via a friction body 26. A durable sheet-like material having anti-slip properties can be used as the material for the friction bodies 24, 26. An example of such a material is an elastomer having a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm, but other materials may be used as long as they have anti-slip and durable properties.

[0026] The shelves 14 are arranged in multiple tiers, one above the other, at a predetermined interval inside the frame 12. The shelves 14 are attached to the front board 16 via fixing brackets 28. The fixing brackets 28 are made of a bent metal plate and comprise a back portion 28a and a pair of side portions 28b, 28b extending from both edges of the back portion 28a in a direction approximately perpendicular to the rear portion 28a. The fixing brackets 28 have a roughly U-shaped cross section and a rectangular parallelepiped appearance.

[0027] The metal plate forming the fixing bracket 28 has a strength that does not easily deform, and has a thickness necessary to provide such strength. The opening width of the fixing bracket 28 is formed slightly wider than the thickness of the front board 16. The fixing bracket 28 is slidably fitted to the vertical edge portion 16c of the front board 16.

[0028] A side portion 28b of the fixing bracket 28 is attached to one edge 14a (on the room side) of the shelf board 14 at a substantially right angle to the shelf board 14. When the frame 12 is placed on the floor 22 with its back to the wall 20, the shelf board 14 becomes substantially horizontal. The other edge 14b (on the wall side) of the shelf board 14 is free and is not supported by anything. The other edge 14b (on the wall side) of the shelf board 14 may be in contact with the wall, or there may be a gap between it and the wall, but it is not in close contact with or fixed to the wall.

[0029] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing bracket fitted to the front board from the front side, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing bracket in the released state from the side, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the fixing bracket in the locked state from the side.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the fixing bracket 28 is fitted into the vertical edge 16c of the front board 16. As shown in Fig. 3, when the shelf board 14 is lifted slightly in the direction indicated by arrow A and tilted, the fixing bracket 28 also tilts, the fixing bracket 28 is released from the lock of the fixing bracket 28 relative to the front board 16, the fixing bracket 28 becomes slidable, and the shelf board 14 can be moved continuously up and down.

[0031] After moving shelf 14 up or down to the desired height position in the state shown in Figure 3, hands are released from shelf 14 and shelf 14 is returned to horizontal position as shown in Figure 4, whereupon fixing bracket 28 also returns to its original tilt, and fixing bracket 28 is locked at that height position relative to front board 16.

[0032] A lower plate 30 is attached approximately horizontally to the lower part of the front board 16. The lower plate 30 is attached below the lowest shelf board 14 and at a height above the floor 22. The lower plate 30 is provided between the front board 16 and the wall 20. An edge 30a of the lower plate 30 facing the interior of the room is attached to the front board 16 in a cantilevered state, while an edge 30b of the lower plate 30 facing the wall is not supported by anything and is in a free state.

[0033] 5, a non-slip device 32 may be inserted between the lower end portion 16b of the front board 16 and the floor 22. The non-slip device 32 comprises a main body plate 34, an inset portion 36 provided on one surface (upper surface) of the main body plate 34, and a friction body 38 provided on the other surface (lower surface) of the main body plate 34. The inset portion 36 may be provided integrally with the main body plate 34, or may be provided separately and connected integrally to the main body plate 34.

[0034] The lower end 16b of the front board 16 fits into the fitting portion 36. A friction body 38 provided on the other surface of the main body plate 34 contacts the floor 22. The friction body 38 is made of a durable sheet-like material that has anti-slip properties. An elastomer sheet with a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm can be used as such a sheet-like material. Since the friction body 38 of the anti-slip device 32 contacts the floor 22 over a wide surface, it strongly prevents the lower end 16b of the front board 16 from slipping toward the inside of the room.

[0035] Next, the earthquake resistance of the above-mentioned furniture will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, in the above-mentioned furniture 10, only the lower end 16b of the front board 16 is in contact with the floor 22, and the other parts of the bottom of the furniture 10 are separated from the floor 22. Therefore, even if the furniture 10 shakes violently in an earthquake as shown by the arrows B and C, the center of gravity M of the furniture 10 does not move. 1 Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the furniture 10 to fall into the room during an earthquake.

[0037] In addition, in the above-described furniture 10, the edge of the shelf board 14 facing the interior is supported by a cantilever at a substantially right angle on the front board 16, and the edge of the shelf board 14 facing the wall is not supported by anything. Therefore, when items are placed on the shelf board 14, the center of gravity M of the furniture 10 1 However, every time I put something in, 1 →M 2 →M 3 Thus, the furniture 10 is less likely to tip over inside the room during an earthquake.

[0038] The above-mentioned furniture 10 is supported on the floor only by the lower end 16b of the front board 16. The center of gravity of the furniture 10 is biased toward the wall from the position of the lower end 16b of the front board 16. A rotational moment that tends to rotate the furniture 10 toward the wall around the lower end 16b of the front board 16, i.e., a moment in a direction that prevents the furniture 10 from falling over, is always acting on the furniture 10. When storage items are placed on the shelf 14, the rotational moment around the lower end 16b of the front board 16 is further increased. The more storage items are placed on the furniture 10, the less likely it is that the furniture 10 will fall into the room.

[0039] In addition, the above-mentioned furniture 10 has a front board 16 on the indoor side of the shelf board 14, and the stored items on the shelf board 14 are shielded by the front board 16, so that the stored items on the shelf board will not fly out into the room during an earthquake. Therefore, the stored items that fly out of the furniture will not collide with the resident and cause injury to the resident, making the furniture extremely safe.

[0040] In addition, the above-mentioned furniture 10 has a friction body 24 attached to the lower end of the front board 16 and a friction body 26 attached to the upper part of the back side of the frame body 12, so that the furniture 10 does not slip between the floor or the wall. Therefore, there is no risk that the lower part of the furniture 10 will slide toward the inside of the room due to shaking during an earthquake and the furniture 10 will collide with a resident inside the room, causing injury.

[0041] In addition, since the sides of the furniture of the first embodiment are not closed by side panels but are open, items can be stored inside from the side. The furniture 10 described above can store heavy items such as emergency water on the lowest shelf, and when heavy items such as emergency water are stored on the lowest lower panel 30, the center of gravity of the furniture 10 can be lowered downward, making the furniture even more unlikely to tip over in the event of an earthquake. EXAMPLES

[0042] The basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the furniture according to the present invention, Fig. 8 is a side view of the second embodiment of the furniture according to the present invention, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the inside of the second embodiment of the furniture. In these figures, reference numerals 10 to 38 are the same as those of the first embodiment of the furniture. The second embodiment of the furniture further comprises a door 40, a side panel 42, a back panel 44, and a bottom panel 46 in addition to the components of the first embodiment of the furniture, and has the appearance of a normal piece of furniture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Furniture 12 Frame 14 Shelf 16 Front Board 16a Upper end 16b Bottom end 16c vertical edge 18 Upper plate 18a Edge 20. Wall 22 beds 24 Friction body 26 Friction body 28 Fixing bracket 28a Back part 28b Side part 30 Lower plate 30a Edge 30b Edge 32 Anti-slip device 34 Main Board 36 Fitting 38 Friction body 40 Door 42 Side Panel 44 Back plate 46 Bottom plate

Claims

1. A type of furniture with excellent earthquake resistance, which comprises a frame body to be placed on an indoor floor with its back against a wall, and one or more shelves provided within the frame body, the frame body having a front board, when the frame body is placed on the floor with its back against a wall, the front board is located on the indoor side, when the frame body is placed on the floor with its back against a wall, the front board is approximately vertical and the shelves are approximately horizontal, when the frame body is placed on the floor with its back against a wall, the upper part of the frame body on the wall side contacts the wall, and only the lower end part of the front board of the frame body contacts the floor.

2. 2. The furniture of claim 1, wherein one edge of the shelf is cantilevered at a substantially right angle to the front board and the other edge of the shelf is spaced from the wall.

3. 2. The furniture according to claim 1, wherein a friction body is attached to the lower end of the front board.

4. 2. The furniture according to claim 1, wherein a friction body is attached to the upper part of the back portion of the frame.

5. 2. The furniture according to claim 1, wherein the shelf is attached to the front board by a fixing metal fitting so that the vertical position can be adjusted.

6. Furniture as described in claim 1, characterized in that it has an anti-slip device for fixing the lower end of the front board, the anti-slip device consisting of a main plate, an insertion portion provided on one side of the main plate, and a friction body provided on the other side of the main plate, the insertion portion being recessed so that the lower end of the support body can fit into it.

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