Counter, and kitchen cabinet and furniture including the same

Abstract

To provide a counter board enabling reliable attachment of fastening members to a backing material and being easy to manufacture, and a kitchen cabinet and furniture including the counter board.SOLUTION: A counter board 3 comprises a top plate body 5, a backing material 6 provided on one surface of the top plate body 5, and a fixing member 9 provided to penetrate the backing material 6. The fixing member 9 includes a receiving part 10 whose one end is exposed on the surface side of the backing material 6, and a base part 11 connected to the opposite side of the one end of the receiving part 10 and sandwiched between the top plate body 5 and the backing material 6. A recess 15 for accommodating the base part 11 is provided on at least one of the surface of the backing material 6 in the top plate body 5 side and the surface of the top plate body 5 in the backing material 6 side, and a through-hole 16 in a thickness direction, allowing the receiving part 10 to penetrate therethrough, is formed in the backing material 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to a counter, a kitchen cabinet including the same, and furniture.

Background Art

[0002] Some counters used as the top plate of a kitchen cabinet or furniture have a two-layer structure including a top plate body and a backing material. The "kitchen counter" of Patent Document 1 is an example thereof. In a kitchen cabinet or furniture, it is necessary to fix the counter to other members. For this reason, it is required to drive a fastening member such as a screw into the "lining material". Therefore, in the technology of Patent Document 1, a female screw member is embedded in the lining material. As the female screw member, one having a claw portion that bites into the lining material, such as a ghost eye nut, is used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, the process of attaching the female screw member having a claw portion to the backing material is complicated. Also, the management during screw fixation is complicated.

[0005] An object of the disclosed technology is to provide a counter that enables reliable attachment of a fastening member to a backing material and is easy to manufacture, as well as a kitchen cabinet and furniture including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In one aspect of the disclosed technology, the counter includes a top plate body, a backing material provided on one side of the top plate body, and a fixing member provided through the backing material. The fixing member has a receiving portion with one end exposed on the surface side of the backing material, and a base portion that is connected to the opposite side of one end of the receiving portion and is sandwiched between the top plate body and the backing material. At least one of the top plate body and the backing material is provided with a recess for accommodating the base portion, and a through hole in the thickness direction for passing through the receiving portion is formed in the backing material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Fig. 1 shows an overall view of a kitchen cabinet 1 according to an embodiment embodying the disclosed technology. The kitchen cabinet 1 of this embodiment is generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. A sink 2 is provided at a position in the middle in the left-right direction at the upper part of the kitchen cabinet 1. In Fig. 1, the faucet, the water supply pipe therefor, and the front decorative panel or decorative door are omitted.

[0009] The kitchen cabinet 1 has a top plate 3 on its upper surface. The top plate 3 is a counter for the kitchen cabinet 1. Fig. 2 shows the top plate 3 in a single state. The top plate 3 is a plate-like member in which an opening 4 is formed. The opening 4 is a part for attaching the sink 2.

[0010] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3, the top plate 3 has a two-layer structure having a top plate body 5 and a backing material 6. The top plate body 5 is a layer disposed upward in the kitchen cabinet 1. What appears as the top plate 3 in Fig. 1 is actually the top plate body 5. The top plate body 5 is the layer that mainly faces the user in the kitchen cabinet 1 among the top plate 3. The backing material 6 is provided on one side of the top plate body 5. The backing material 6 is a layer disposed downward in the kitchen cabinet 1 among the top plate 3. The backing material 6 is a layer that cannot be seen by the user in the kitchen cabinet 1. Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the position of the edge of the opening 4. The top plate body 5 protrudes more than the backing material 6 toward the opening 4. For this reason, the surface 20 on the backing material 6 side of the top plate body 5 is partially exposed.

[0011] The materials of the top plate body 5 and the backing material 6 will be described. The top plate body 5 is made of a material having the hardness and appearance beauty required as the upper surface of the kitchen cabinet 1. A specific example of the material of the top plate body 5 can be ceramics. Stone, glass, metal or alloy can also be used as the material of the top plate body 5.

[0012] The backsheet member 6 is a layer that reinforces the top plate 3. As the material of the backsheet member 6, a material with a lower hardness than the top plate body 5 is used. This is to allow the fixture 7, which will be described later, to bite in. Specific examples of the material of the backsheet member 6 include expanded polystyrene and other foamed resins. The backsheet member 6 also has the advantage of reducing the weight of the top plate 3 compared to the case where the entire thickness of the top plate 3 is made of the same material as the top plate body 5.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the top plate 3 is provided with an insertion portion 8 for inserting the fixture 7 into the top plate 3. The fixture 7 is a fastening member for fixing other members to the insertion portion 8. The insertion portion 8 is provided on the surface of the top plate 3 on the side of the backsheet member 6. In the insertion portion 8, a fixing member 9 is embedded in the backsheet member 6. The fixing member 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 5 shows the fixing member 9 in a state of being cut at the A-A position in FIG. 4.

[0014] The fixing member 9 has a receiving portion 10 and a base portion 11. The receiving portion 10 is a cylindrical portion for receiving the fixture 7. In FIG. 3, one end 12 of the receiving portion 10 is arranged so as to be exposed on the side of the surface 22 of the backsheet member 6. The receiving portion 10 is an internal threaded portion in which a hole portion 13 is formed. The hole portion 13 is a bottomed hole that does not penetrate. It is not necessary for the screw thread to be cut on the wall surface 14 of the hole portion 13. In this embodiment, the wall surface 14 is a cylindrical surface, and the fixture 7 is a tapping screw.

[0015] The base portion 11 is a plate-like portion connected to the opposite side of the one end 12 of the receiving portion 10. The shape of the base portion 11 in a plane parallel to the plate surface of the top plate body 5 is a non-circular shape having a longitudinal direction L and a short direction W. The shape of the base portion 11 in this embodiment is a rectangle. The receiving portion 10 is provided connected to the center of the longitudinal direction L and the center of the short direction W of the base portion 11.

[0016] The backsheet member 6 is formed with a shape for accommodating the fixing member 9. As shown in FIG. 6, the backsheet member 6 is formed with a recess 15 and a through-hole 16. The recess 15 is a recess formed in the surface 17 on the top plate body 5 side of the backsheet member 6. The through-hole 16 is a hole penetrating the backsheet member 6 in the thickness direction. The position where the through-hole 16 is provided is a position within the region of the recess 15.

[0017] The recess 15 is shaped to accommodate the base portion 11. The through-hole 16 is shaped to accommodate the receiving portion 10. FIG. 3 depicts a situation where the fixing member 9 is accommodated in the recess 15 and the through-hole 16 on the top plate 3. The cross-section of the fixing member 9 shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-section parallel to the short side direction W.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 7, on the top plate 3, the base portion 11 is sandwiched between the top plate body 5 and the backsheet member 6. More specifically, the portion of the base portion 11 outside the receiving portion 10 is sandwiched between the surface 20 on the backsheet member 6 side of the top plate body 5 and the bottom surface 21 of the recess 15. The cross-section of the fixing member 9 shown in FIG. 7 is a cross-section parallel to the longitudinal direction L. As shown in FIG. 7, the thickness T of the base portion 11 is substantially the same as the depth of the recess 15. The thickness T of the base portion 11 is preferably 2.5 mm or more.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 8, the in-plane shape of the recess 15 is a non-circular shape having a longitudinal direction L and a short side direction W. This is the same as the in-plane shape of the base portion 11 in this regard. The widths in the short side direction W of the base portion 11 and the recess 15 are substantially the same. For this reason, on the long side of the base portion 11, the side surface 18 of the base portion 11 is in close contact with the wall surface 19 of the recess 15. This prevents the fixing member 9 attached to the backsheet member 6 from rotating around the axis of the receiving portion 10. The fact that the base portion 11 has a certain thickness T as described above also contributes to preventing the rotation of the fixing member 9.

[0020] In FIG. 8, both ends of the recess 15 in the longitudinal direction L are not linear but arc-shaped. For this reason, there is a gap between the side surface 18 of the base portion 11 and the wall surface 19 of the recess 15 at the short side of the base portion 11. This is due to the convenience in processing for forming the recess 15 and is not an essential matter.

[0021] The top plate 3 having the insertion portion 8 as described above is manufactured by the following procedure. The recess 15 and the through hole 16 are formed in the backing material 6 in advance. The recess 15 and the through hole 16 are formed at all locations where the insertion portion 8 is provided in the backing material 6.

[0022] The first step is the attachment of the fixing member 9 to the locations of each recess 15 and through hole 16. The fixing member 9 is attached so that the receiving portion 10 is inserted into the through hole 16 from the surface 17 of the backing material 6 on the side where the recess 15 is provided. The receiving portion 10 is received in the through hole 16, and the base portion 11 is received in the recess 15. The content of the work in this attachment step is to apply the fixing member 9 to the concave-shaped portion of the backing material 6 that has been formed in advance. The work of biting into the protruding portion of the backing material 6 is not included. Therefore, the manufacture of the top plate 3 is easy.

[0023] The next step is the attachment of the top plate body 5 to the backing material 6. The top plate body 5 is attached to the surface 17 of the backing material 6 on the side where the recess 15 is provided. Thereby, the top plate 3 is manufactured. In the manufactured top plate 3, one end 12 of the fixing member 9 is exposed on the surface 22 of the backing material 6 without protruding. After the attachment of the top plate body 5, the fixing member 9 cannot be taken out from the insertion portion 8. In this state, the movement of the fixing member 9 is restricted by the top plate body 5 and the backing material 6. Therefore, the position of the fixing member 9 is stable.

[0024] When attaching the backsheet member 6 to the top plate body 5, an adhesive may be used. Even in such a case, the adhesive does not enter the hole portion 13 of the fixing member 9. This is because the hole portion 13 is a bottomed hole that does not penetrate. Therefore, the cured adhesive does not interfere with the insertion of the fixture 7 into the hole portion 13. The fixture 7 inserted into the hole portion 13 is not fixed to the wall surface 14 by the adhesive and does not become difficult to remove later.

[0025] The insertion portion 8 configured as described above is a portion for connecting the top plate 3 and other members in the kitchen cabinet 1. An example of such a connection will be described. As an example of a place where the top plate 3 and other members are connected, the edge of the opening 4 in FIG. 2 can be cited. At the edge of the opening 4, the top plate 3 and the sink 2 are connected.

[0026] An example of the connection at the edge of the opening 4 is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, in addition to what is shown in FIG. 3, the edge 96 of the sink 2, the fixing bracket 97, and the plate-like member 98 appear. The fixing bracket 97 and the plate-like member 98 are auxiliary parts for connecting the top plate 3 and the sink 2 using the insertion portion 8. Through holes 99 and 81 for passing the fixture 7 are formed in the fixing bracket 97 and the plate-like member 98, respectively.

[0027] In FIG. 9, the edge 96 is pressed against the lower surface 20 of the top plate body 5 from below. The tip 82 of the fixing bracket 97 presses the edge 96 against the top plate body 5. The through hole 99 of the fixing bracket 97 and the through hole 81 of the plate-like member 98 are overlapped at a position overlapping the receiving portion 10. The fixture 7 passes through the fixing bracket 97 and the plate-like member 98 and is inserted into the receiving portion 10.

[0028] The working procedure leading to the situation of Fig. 9 is as follows. First, the operator sets the edge 96, the fixing fitting 97, and the plate-shaped member 98 in the positional relationship shown in Fig. 9. Specifically, the edge 96 of the sink 2 is brought into contact with the lower surface 20 of the top plate body 5 while facing the end surface of the backing material 6. The plate-shaped member 98 is pressed against the surface 22 of the backing material 6 while aligning the position of the hole 13 and the position of the through-hole 81. The fixing fitting 97 is applied so as to straddle the edge 96 and the plate-shaped member 98. In that state, the operator screws the fixture 7 into the through-holes 99 and 81 from below. The screw portion 83 of the fixture 7 penetrates the through-holes 99 and 81 and enters the hole 13. By tightening the fixture 7, which is a tapping screw, to the fixing member 9, the fixing fitting 97 is fastened to the receiving portion 10. Thereby, the mounting situation shown in Fig. 9 is fixed.

[0029] In the situation of Fig. 9, the fixture 7 has entered the hole 13 of the fixing member 9 and is not screwed into the backing material 6 itself. However, the screw portion 83 of the fixture 7 has entered within the thickness range of the backing material 6. For this reason, in this specification, it is said that the fixture 7 is attached to the backing material 6. The insertion portion 8 is a configuration that enables such attachment of the fixture 7 to the backing material 6. By performing the above fixing at a plurality of locations on the edge of the opening 4 as shown by the arrow P in Fig. 2, for example, the sink 2 can be attached to the kitchen cabinet 1.

[0030] In the screwing of the fixture 7 during the above-mentioned attachment work, there are several advantages based on the configuration of the insertion portion 8. First, the fixing member 9 does not rotate around the axis. This is due to the close contact between the side surface 18 of the base portion 11 and the wall surface 19 of the concave portion 15. Furthermore, this is because the base portion 11 has a certain thickness T. Therefore, the screwing of the fixture 7 can be performed smoothly. Second, the fixing member 9 does not tilt. This is because the position of the receiving portion 10 is at the center of the longitudinal direction L and the center of the short-side direction W in the base portion 11. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the fixture 7 with respect to the receiving portion 10 at the start of screwing does not need to be very strict. Thus, in this embodiment, strict management is not required when fixing the fixture 7 to the insertion portion 8.

[0031] Third, the insertion portion 8 can be arranged close to the edge of the backing material 6. In particular, the receiving portion 10 can be arranged close to the edge of the backing material 6. This is because the shapes of the base portion 11 and the concave portion 15 are as described above, having the longitudinal direction L and the short-side direction W. By arranging the longitudinal direction L parallel to the edge of the backing material 6, the center position of the receiving portion 10 can be arranged at a position not too far from the edge of the backing material 6. This means that the above-mentioned fixing bracket 97 can be of a small size.

[0032] The member to be coupled to the top plate 3 using the insertion portion 8 is not limited to the sink 2. Even for side plates and other outer plates in the kitchen cabinet 1, if they are not movable, they can be coupled to the top plate 3 using the insertion portion 8. An example thereof is shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 depicts a situation where the side plate 84 is coupled to the top plate 3 using the insertion portion 8. The coupling structure in FIG. 10 also has a common feature with the coupling structure in FIG. 9 in that the insertion portion 8 and the fixture 7 are used. However, the fixing bracket 97 in FIG. 10 has a different shape from that in FIG. 9. The fixing bracket 97 in FIG. 10 is pre-fixed to the side plate 84. By performing the fixing as shown in FIG. 10, for example, at a plurality of locations on the edge of the top plate 3 as indicated by the arrow Q in FIG. 2, the top plate 3 and the side plate 84 can be attached. In FIG. 2, the arrow Q is attached to a total of 4 locations, namely, the upper and lower portions near the left and right short sides of the top plate 3. The left and right short sides in FIG. 2 are the butting positions between the top plate 3 and the side plate 84. The upper portion near the user in the figure is the back side and the lower portion near the user is the front side.

[0033] The usefulness of using the above top plate 3 as a counter is not limited to the kitchen cabinet 1. For example, it may be a washstand. Even for a washstand, the insertion portion 8 can be used for the coupling between the top plate 3 and the bowl 86 or for the coupling between the top plate 3 and the side plate 84. In short, the disclosed technology can be applied to any furniture in which a counter mainly facing the user is arranged at the upper part.

[0034] As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the fixing member 9 is embedded in the backsheet 6 in the top plate 3 having a two-layer structure of the top plate body 5 and the backsheet 6. The top plate 3 and other members are fixed by inserting the fixture 7 into the fixing member 9. Thereby, a reliable attachment of the fastening member to the backsheet 6 is possible, and a counter that is easy to manufacture, a kitchen cabinet, and furniture including the same are realized.

[0035] This embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the disclosed technology in any way. Therefore, the disclosed technology can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its gist. For example, the kitchen cabinet 1 to which the disclosed technology is applied is not limited to those equipped with the sink 2. It may be equipped with a cooking appliance, or the entire top plate 3 may be a cooking table. They may also be composite cabinets.

[0036] Instead of providing the recess 15 in the backsheet 6, as shown in FIG. 11, a recess 23 may be provided in the surface 20 on the backsheet 6 side of the top plate body 5. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, recesses 23 may be provided in both the backsheet 6 and the top plate body 5 so that the base portion 11 can be accommodated therein.

[0037] Since the top plate body 5 is much harder than the backsheet 6, the formation of the recess 23 places a greater burden on the process compared to the formation of the substrate portion recess 15. In this regard, the aforementioned embodiment of providing the recess 15 in the backsheet 6 is more advantageous. When the recess 23 is provided in the top plate body 5, it is advantageous from the viewpoint of preventing the rotation of the fixing member 9. This is because the top plate body 5 is hard. Therefore, when the recess 23 is provided in the top plate body 5, the thickness of the base portion 11 is not very important.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 13, a reinforcing layer 85 may be provided on the front and back surfaces of the backsheet 6. The reinforcing layer 85 is, for example, a layer made of glass fiber and an adhesive. The reinforcing layer 85 may be provided on both the front and back surfaces of the backsheet 6. Alternatively, it may be provided on either one of the front and back surfaces of the backsheet 6. The reinforcing layer 85 is also cut away at the locations where the recess 15 and the through hole 16 are formed.

[0039] In the foregoing embodiment, the wall surface 14 of the hole portion 13 is a cylindrical surface without threads, and the fixture 7 is a tapping screw. However, this is not essential, and a nail may be used as the fixture 7. Threads may be cut in the wall surface 14 in advance and a bolt may be used as the fixture 7. Alternatively, the receiving portion 10 may be in the form of a stud bolt, and a nut may be used as the fixture 7. In that case, the stud bolt-shaped receiving portion 10 desirably has a length that protrudes from the surface 22 of the backing material 6.

[0040] In the foregoing embodiment, the in-plane shape of the base portion 11 is rectangular. However, this is not essential, and other shapes may be used. In particular, when the insertion portion 8 is provided at a location away from the edge of the backing material 6, it is not essential that the shape has a longitudinal direction L and a lateral direction W. Even if the shape is square or the like, rotation prevention of the fixing member 9 is possible if there is an adhesion section between the side surface 18 of the base portion 11 and the wall surface 19 of the concave portion 15. The shape of the concave portion 15 only needs to be capable of accommodating the base portion 11 and have a certain adhesion section between the side surface 18 and the wall surface 19.

[0041] In all of the cross-sectional views such as FIG. 3, the top plate 3 is depicted as having a shape in which the top plate body 5 protrudes beyond the edge of the backing material 6. This is not essential either. Depending on the relationship with other members to which the top plate 3 is coupled by the insertion portion 8, a cross-sectional shape in which the edge of the top plate body 5 and the edge of the backing material 6 substantially coincide may also be used.

[0042] [Sub-Claim 1] The counter according to claim 5, wherein the receiving portion is connected to a position at the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the lateral direction in the base portion.

[0043] [Sub-Claim 2] The counter according to claims 4 to 6 and sub-claim 1, wherein the thickness of the base portion is 2.5 mm or more.

[0044] [Sub-Claim 3] A part of the surface of the top plate body on the backing material side is exposed, The fastening member attached to the receiving portion, and a fixing fitting fastened to the receiving portion by the fastening member, The fixing fitting presses a sink against the exposed surface on the backsheet side of the top plate body. The counter according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

[0045] [Auxiliary Claim 4] A kitchen cabinet having the counter according to auxiliary claim 3.

[0046] [Auxiliary Claim 5] Furniture having the counter according to any one of claims 4 to 7, auxiliary claim 1, and auxiliary claim 2.

Explanation of Signs

[0047] 1... Kitchen cabinet, 2... Sink, 3... Top plate, 4... Opening, 5... Top plate body, 6... Backsheet, 7... Fixture, 8... Insertion portion, 9... Fixing member, 10... Receiving portion, 11... Base portion, 12... One end, 13... Hole portion, 14... Wall surface, 15... Concave portion, 16... Through hole, 20... Surface, 23... Concave portion, 97... Fixing fitting

Claims

1. A top plate body, a backing material provided on one side of the top plate body, and a fixing member provided through the backing material, wherein the fixing member has a receiving portion with one end exposed on the surface side of the backing material, and a base portion connected to the opposite side of the one end in the receiving portion and sandwiched between the top plate body and the backing material, and a counter having a recess for accommodating the base portion provided in at least one of the top plate body and the backing material.

2. The counter according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion is cylindrical and a bottomed hole portion is formed.

3. The counter according to claim 2, wherein the wall surface of the hole portion is a cylindrical surface.

4. The counter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shape of the base portion in a plane parallel to the plate surface of the top plate body is a non-circular shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction.

5. The counter according to claim 4, wherein the side surface of the base portion and the wall surface of the recess are in close contact.

6. The counter according to claim 4, wherein the receiving portion is connected to the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the lateral direction of the base portion.

7. The counter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thickness of the base portion is 2.5 mm or more.

8. The surface of the top plate body on the backing material side is partially exposed, and has a fastening member attached to the receiving portion, and a fixing fitting fastened to the receiving portion by the fastening member, wherein the fixing fitting presses a sink against the exposed surface of the top plate body on the backing material side. The counter according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. A kitchen cabinet having the counter according to claim 8.

10. A furniture having the counter according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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