Connecting fitting for connecting leg frame

Abstract

The pitch D of the chairs to be connected can be narrowed to the degree of the material thickness of the connecting fitting.SOLUTION: The connecting fitting 20 comprises a first connecting fitting 21 and a second connecting fitting 31. A first connection fitting 21 is provided on a lower frame side 4a of one connection leg frame 3 of the chair 1, and a second connection fitting 31 is provided on a lower frame side 4b of the other connection leg frame 3 (b, c). In the first connection fitting 21, a first connection plate 23 having a connection long hole 25 in a tip part is horizontally continuously arranged from one edge side 22a of a semi-cylindrical first frame fixing part 22. In the second connection fitting 31, a second connection plate 33 having a connection insertion part 34 in a tip part is vertically continuously arranged from one edge side 32a of a semi-cylindrical second frame fixing part 32 (a). The lower frame side 50A and side 50B of the chair side 4a and side 4b to which the connecting fitting 20 is fixed are arranged at a pitch D, and the connecting insertion part 34 of the second connecting plate 33 is inserted into the connecting long hole 25 to connect both chair side 50A and side 50B (a, d).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame that is attached to the connecting leg frame of furniture such as a chair and is used to connect two parallel connecting leg frames when connecting two pieces of furniture. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There have been many proposals for single-seat chairs having legs, a seat and a backrest, each having a connecting means so that a plurality of chairs can be connected for use. In the type in which the leg frame is constructed using square-shaped loop legs, the same connecting member is placed on one chair and the other chair that are arranged side by side on a pipe placed on the floor so that the engaging parts face each other.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a structure in which two chairs are fitted with connecting members each consisting of a hook-shaped engagement piece in a plan view and an engagement groove into which the engagement piece fits, with the connecting members attached to the chairs in reverse front to back, and adjacent connecting members are fitted together to prevent relative movement. In this case, according to the drawings, the connecting members are also used as members that are grounded to the floor (see Figures 2, 3, etc. of Patent Document 1). In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes a structure for connecting side frames of a chair arranged side by side, in which a connecting member is rotatably attached to a receiving portion of one side frame, and a claw portion is provided on the other side frame to hook onto the locking portion of the connecting member after rotation. When connecting the chairs, the connecting member is rotated relative to the receiving portion of one side frame, and the claw portion of the other side frame is hooked onto the opening of the connecting member. At this time, the position of the connecting member is determined by an elastic piece. Furthermore, the connecting member has a rotation prevention mechanism that prevents the hook from being released. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2002-223888 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2008-178627 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The invention described in Patent Document 1 uses connecting members consisting of hook-shaped engaging pieces and engaging grooves in a plan view. The engaging pieces of one connecting member are engaged with the engaging groove of the other connecting member to connect the chairs. Therefore, the connecting member of the other chair must be positioned directly above the connecting member of the other chair to engage the other chairs. Furthermore, to release the engagement, the connecting member of the other chair must be lifted directly above the connecting member of the first chair and moved. Therefore, connecting and disconnecting the chairs requires careful work. Furthermore, because the connecting member also serves as a member for contacting the floor, a certain degree of strength is required for the connecting member. This is also the case with other embodiments described in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, the two connecting members have complex shapes with engaging pieces and engaging grooves to engage with each other. Therefore, various components must be placed in the gap between the two chairs, which creates the problem of making it difficult to narrow the gap between the connected chairs.

[0006] Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, the connecting member had to be rotated when connecting chairs, which required cumbersome operation and resulted in a complex structure. Furthermore, the connecting member was positioned using an elastic piece to latch the claw, which is presumed to be a secure latching structure. Furthermore, when releasing the latch, the claw had to be pulled out, contrary to the action of the anti-rotation mechanism, making the operation cumbersome. Therefore, Patent Document 2 also required various components to be placed in the gap between the two chairs, which posed the problem of not being able to narrow the gap between the connected chairs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention solves the above problem by configuring the connecting fittings to consist of a first connecting fitting with a connecting long hole and a second connecting fitting with a connecting insertion portion, so that the connecting fittings can be connected simply by inserting the connecting insertion portion into the connecting hole.

[0008] In other words, this invention is a connecting fitting used when arranging furniture pieces each having a connecting leg frame in parallel and connecting the connecting leg frames to connect the furniture, and is a connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame characterized by being configured as follows. (1) One connecting leg frame and another connecting leg frame are arranged in parallel with each other while maintaining a pitch D. (2) A first connecting fitting fixed to a fitting mounting position of the one connecting leg frame and a second connecting fitting fixed to a fitting mounting position of the other connecting leg frame, (3) The first connecting fitting includes a first connecting plate disposed toward the second connecting fitting, and a connecting slot is formed at the tip of the first connecting plate. (4) The second connecting fitting has a second connecting plate that can be inserted and positioned at the pitch D between one connecting leg frame and another connecting leg frame, and the second connecting plate is positioned approximately perpendicular to the first connecting plate and has a connecting insertion portion that can be inserted into the connecting long hole.

[0009] Furthermore, the above-mentioned connecting fitting for the connecting leg frame is characterized by being formed as follows. (1) The metal fitting mounting positions of the one connecting leg frame and the other connecting leg frame are provided on the lower frame of each connecting leg frame that is disposed along the floor surface. (2) The first connecting fitting is configured by connecting a first connecting plate, which is approximately horizontal, to one edge of the first frame fixing part, which is part of the outer periphery of one connecting leg frame and covers the opposite position of the other connecting leg frame in an approximately vertical direction. (3) The second connecting fitting is configured by connecting a second connecting plate to one edge of the second frame fixing part that covers the upper or lower outer periphery of the other connecting leg frame. (4) The first connecting plate of the first connecting fitting is arranged tangentially to the one connecting leg frame, and the second connecting plate of the second connecting fitting is arranged tangentially to the other connecting leg frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the above-mentioned connecting fitting for the connecting leg frame is characterized by being formed as follows. (1) The first connecting fitting is configured by connecting a first connecting plate to the lower edge of the first frame fixing part, which covers approximately half the circumference of one connecting leg frame in a substantially vertical direction on the opposite side of the other connecting leg frame. (2) The second connecting fitting has a second connecting plate connected downward to one edge of the second frame fixing part, which covers approximately half of the upper periphery of the other connecting leg frame.

[0011] Furthermore, the above-mentioned connecting fitting for the connecting leg frame is characterized by being formed as follows. (1) The first connecting plate and the second connecting plate are configured so that the pitch D between one connecting leg frame and the other connecting leg frame is approximately the thickness of the second connecting plate.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above, there is provided a connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame, characterized in that it is formed as follows. (1) The first connecting plate is configured so that the connecting slots have approximately the same width as the pitch D and are arranged at approximately the same positions as the pitch D in the direction perpendicular to the pitch D. (2) The width of the connecting slots is configured to allow the second connecting plates to be inserted at the pitch D with some margin.

[0013] The above-mentioned connecting leg frame is primarily intended as a connecting leg frame for a chair, but can also be applied to other furniture with connecting leg frames, such as desks and tables. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] In this invention, the connecting fittings are composed of a first connecting fitting with a long connecting hole and a second connecting fitting with a connecting insertion portion, and the connecting fittings can be connected simply by inserting the connecting insertion portion into the connecting hole, which makes it possible to simplify the connecting structure and also has the effect of allowing the pitch D of the connecting leg frames to be connected to be formed as narrow as the material thickness of the plate-shaped connecting insertion portion.As a result, when arranging furniture with connecting leg frames, such as chairs, the connecting pitch (i.e., pitch D) can be narrowed, and more furniture can be lined up in a limited space (particularly in the width direction of the furniture). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] (a) is an assembly diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a left side view of the present invention applied to a chair, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a front view of the chairs connected together. [Figure 2] 1(d) are enlarged views of the P portion in the embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a right side view with the display position rotated, and (c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] 1. Chair 1 used in the practice of this invention

[0017] (1) A chair will be described as a representative example of furniture to which this invention is applicable. Chair 1 to which this invention is applicable comprises connecting leg frame 3 formed by bending a pipe with a circular cross section, seat 17, and back 18. Connecting leg frame 3 comprises lower frame 4 disposed along floor surface 52, rear legs 7 that rise slightly forward from the rear end of lower frame 4 via rear bent portions 6, front legs 12 that rise upward from the front end of lower frame 3 via front bent portions 11, and seat frame 15 that is disposed above front legs 12 and supports seat 17 (Figs. 1(b)(c)). Descriptions of members not directly related to the present invention have been omitted.

[0018] Further, in the lower frame 4, grounding members 5, 5 for grounding on the floor surface 52 are formed to project downward in the vicinity of the front bending portion 11 and in the vicinity of the rear bending portion 6, and a gap portion 10 is formed with a central portion of the lower edge 4c of the lower frame 4 having a predetermined distance H0 from the floor surface 52 (FIG. 1(c), FIG. 2(b)).

[0019] 2. Embodiment of the connecting fitting 20 of this invention (FIG. 1(a), FIG. 2)

[0020] (1) In this embodiment, the connecting fitting 20 of this invention is composed of a first connecting fitting 21 attached to one lower frame 4a of the connecting leg frame 3 of the chair 1 and a second connecting fitting 31 attached to the other lower frame 4b of the connecting leg frame 20 of the chair 1 (FIG. 1(a) to (c), FIG. 2).

[0021] (2) The first connecting fitting 21 is composed of a first frame fixing portion 22 having an axial length L10 of the lower frame 4a and a first connecting plate 23 having the same length as the first frame fixing portion 22.

[0022] (3) The first frame fixing portion 22 is in a semi-cylindrical shape (substantially semi-circular in cross section) that can enclose approximately half of the lower frame 4a. In the first frame fixing portion 22, a rectangular first connecting plate 23 is integrally connected to the lower edge 22a in the tangential direction of the cross section of the semi-cylindrical circle. A connecting long hole 25 having a length L11 (<L10) is formed at the central portion in the length direction (axial direction of the lower frame) of the first connecting plate 23. Naturally, since the connecting insertion portion 34 (second connecting plate 33) described later is inserted into the connecting long hole 25, the length L11 and L10 are adjusted so that sufficient strength is maintained within the first connecting plate 23 and the inserted connecting insertion portion 34 (second connecting plate 33) can be securely held as long as possible. In this case, the semi-cylindrical first frame fixing portion 22 that can be approximately semi-circular is located on the lower frame 4a at the semi-circular circumference inside the chair 1 (i.e., on the side of the other lower frame 11B). Since the first connecting plate 23 is formed continuously with the lower edge 22a (lower end) of the first frame fixing portion 22, it is arranged in the tangential direction from the lower edge 4c of the lower frame 4a to the outer circumference and can be located above the gap portion 10. Therefore, it can be formed compactly with less protrusion from around the lower frame 4a.

[0023] (4) The second connecting fitting 31 is composed of a second frame fixing portion 32 having an axial length L20 (<L11) of the other lower frame 4b and a second connecting plate 33 having the same length as the second frame fixing portion 32.

[0024] (5) The second frame fixing portion 32 is semi-cylindrical (with a substantially semi-circular cross-section) that can be approximately semi-circular by being connected and fitted to the outer circumference of the lower frame 4b. At one edge 32a of the second frame fixing portion 32, a rectangular second connecting plate 33 is integrally connected in the tangential direction of the cross-section of the semi-cylindrical circle. The tip of the second connecting plate 33 constitutes the connecting insertion portion 34. Therefore, the length of the connecting insertion portion 34 is the same as the length L20 of the second frame fixing portion. In this case, the second frame fixing portion 32 is located at approximately the semi-circular circumference of the lower frame 4b on the upper side of the lower frame 4b (i.e., on the side of the seat portion 17). Since the second connecting plate 33 is formed continuously with one edge 32a of the second frame fixing portion 32 (on the outer side of the chair 1, on the opposite side of one lower frame 4a), it is arranged in the tangential direction of the outer circumference of the lower frame 4a. Since the connecting insertion portion 34 is located near the connecting long hole 25, the connecting insertion portion 34 can be made short and can be located above the gap portion 10, and it can be formed compactly with less protrusion from around the lower frame 4b.

[0025] (6) Also, naturally, the center 25a in the length L11 direction of the connecting long hole 25 of the first connecting fitting 21 and the center 34a in the length L20 direction of the connecting insertion portion 34 of the second connecting fitting 31 coincide in a plan view (Fig. 2(a)). Also, in the length L11 direction of the connecting long hole 25 of the first connecting fitting 21, the length L20 is formed such that the connecting insertion portion 34 of the second connecting fitting 31 fits loosely. Furthermore, the connecting insertion portion 34 of the second connecting fitting 31 is formed to fit loosely in the direction perpendicular to the length L11 of the connecting slot 25 of the first connecting fitting 21 (width direction) as well, in the direction of the connecting slot 25. Therefore, the width of the connecting slot 25 is formed slightly larger than the material thickness of the connecting insertion portion of the second connecting fitting 31 (the same as the second connecting plate).

[0026] (7) Furthermore, the first frame fixing portion of the first connecting fitting and the second frame fixing portion of the second connecting fitting are formed with pin holes for fixing to the lower frame.

[0027] (8) The first connecting fitting 21 is fixed to one lower frame 4a of the chair, and the second connecting fitting 31 is fixed to the other lower frame 4b. For one of the lower frames 4a, the first frame fixing plate 22 is fitted into the lower frame 4a with the first connecting plate 23 of the first connecting fitting 21 facing downward (towards the floor surface 52) (i.e., horizontally) and outward (the opposite side of the other lower frame 4b), and pins 43 are driven into the pin holes 41 from a substantially horizontal direction to fix the first connecting fitting 21 to the lower frame 4a. Therefore, the first frame fixing part 22 is fixed facing inward of the lower frame 4a (towards the other lower frame 4b). On the other lower frame 4b, the second connecting plate 33 of the second connecting fitting 32 is positioned outward (opposite the one lower frame 4a) and approximately vertical, with its tip facing downward (toward the floor surface 52), and the second frame fixing part 32 is fitted into the lower frame 4b, and pins 43 are driven into the pin holes 42 from the side to fix the second connecting fitting 31 to the lower frame 4b (FIG. 1(a)). Therefore, the second frame fixing part 32 is fixed facing toward the upper surface of the lower frame 4b (opposite the floor surface 52). In this state, the center 25 of the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the lower frame 4) of the connecting elongated hole 25 of the first connecting fitting 21 and the center 34a of the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the lower frame 4) of the connecting insertion portion 34 of the second connecting fitting 31 are approximately aligned in a plan view (Figure 2(a)).

[0028] (9) With the above steps, a chair 50 with a connecting fitting, to which the connecting fitting 20 of the present invention is attached, is constructed (FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c)). This chair 50 with connecting fittings can be used as a single chair, just like a normal chair. In this case, the amount of protrusion of first connecting fitting 21 from lower frame 4a and the amount of protrusion of second connecting fitting 31 from lower frame 4b are small, so connecting fitting 20 does not get in the way.

[0029] 3. Connecting chair 1 (chair 50 with connecting fittings)

[0030] (1) The connection between one chair 50A with connecting fittings and another chair 50B with connecting fittings will be described. The lower frame 4a of one chair with connecting fittings 50A and the lower frame 4b of another chair with connecting fittings 50B are arranged so as to be aligned at pitch D. In this case, in one chair with connecting fittings 50A, the connecting elongated hole 25 is positioned below (vertically) pitch D, and the width of the connecting elongated hole 25 is formed to be approximately the same as pitch D. The connection can be easily completed by simply lowering the connecting insertion portion 34 of the second connecting fitting 31 of one chair with connecting fittings 50B from above the first connecting fitting 21 of the lower frame 4a of the other chair with connecting fittings 50A, thereby inserting the connecting insertion portion 34 into the connecting long hole 25 (Figures 2 and 1(d)). In this case, the pitch D between one chair with connecting fittings 50A and the other chair with connecting fittings 50B is formed to be approximately the width of the connecting elongated hole 25, that is, the pitch D is formed to be approximately the material thickness of the second connecting plate 33 (including the connecting insertion portion 34), that is, the pitch D is formed slightly wider than the material thickness so that there is some leeway when the second connecting plate 33 is inserted into the pitch D. Therefore, the pitch D can be narrowed to be approximately the material thickness of the second connecting plate 33.

[0031] (2) Furthermore, in the connected state, only the thickness of the first connecting plate 23 of the first connecting fitting 21 protrudes from the lower edge 4c of the lower frame 4a within the gap 10 with the floor surface 32, so there is no risk of the connecting fitting 20 coming into contact with the floor surface 52. Furthermore, when disconnecting, the connection can be easily released by simply lifting the chair 50B with the connecting fitting upward.

[0032] 5. Other Embodiments

[0033] (1) In the above embodiment, grounding members 5a, 5b are provided on the lower frame 4 to form a gap 10 between the lower frame 4 and the floor surface 52. However, the gap 5 can also be formed by bending the lower frame 4 upward except for the portion that contacts the floor surface 52 (not shown).

[0034] (2) In the above embodiment, the first connecting plate 23 is connected to the lower edge 22a of the first frame fixing portion 22, but it can also be fixed to the upper edge 22b of the first frame fixing portion 22 (not shown). In this case, the second frame fixing portion 32 is disposed on the floor surface 52 side, and the second connecting plate 33 is disposed facing upward (not shown).

[0035] (3) Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first frame fixing portion 22 and the second frame fixing portion 32 are used, but these may be omitted and the first connecting plate 23 may be fixed directly to the lower frame 4a, and the second connecting plate 33 may be fixed directly to the lower frame 4b (not shown).

[0036] (4) In the above embodiment, the connecting fittings 20 are fixed to the lower frame 4 of the connecting leg frame 3, but they can also be fixed to other parts of the connecting leg frame 3, such as the rear legs 7 or the front legs 7 (not shown). In addition, since the shape and structure of the connecting leg frame 3 are arbitrary, the connecting fittings 20 can also be fixed to any position on a connecting leg frame with a different configuration (not shown).

[0037] (5) Although the present invention has been applied to the chair 1 in the above embodiment, it can also be applied to other furniture that has a leg frame, such as a table (not shown).

[0038] (6) In the above embodiment, the first connecting fitting 21 and the second connecting fitting 31 are formed by bending plate material of the same thickness, but they may also be made of different thicknesses (not shown). The first frame fixing portion 22 and the first connecting plate 23 can also be formed as separate members and fixed together by welding or the like to form the first connecting fitting 21. Similarly, the second frame fixing portion 32 and the second connecting plate 33 can also be formed as separate members and fixed together by welding or the like to form the first connecting fitting 21 (neither is shown). [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Chair (furniture) 3 Linked Leg Frame 4, 4a, 4b Lower frame (connecting leg frame) 4c Lower edge of the lower frame 6 Back bending section (connected leg frame) 7 Rear legs (connected leg frame) 10 Gap (with floor) 11 Anterior bend 12 front legs 15 Seat frame 17 Seat area 18 Back 20 Connecting fittings 21 First connecting fitting 22 First frame fixing part (first connecting bracket) 23 First connecting plate (first connecting fitting) 25 Connecting slot (first connecting bracket) 25a Center of connecting slot 31 Second connecting fitting 32 Second frame fixing part (second connecting fitting) 33 Second connecting plate (second connecting fitting) 34 Connection insertion part (first connection fitting) 34a Center of connecting insert 41 Pin hole (first frame fixing part) 42 Pin hole (second frame fixing part) 43 pin 50, 50A, 50B, 50C Chair with connecting hardware (furniture with connecting hardware) 52 Floor

Claims

1. A connecting fitting for connecting leg frames is used when arranging furniture pieces each having a connecting leg frame in parallel and connecting the connecting leg frames to connect the furniture pieces, and is configured as follows. (1) One connecting leg frame and another connecting leg frame are arranged in parallel with each other while maintaining the pitch D. (2) A first connecting metal fitting fixed to a metal fitting mounting position of the one connecting leg frame and a second connecting metal fitting fixed to a metal fitting mounting position of the other connecting leg frame, (3) The first connecting fitting includes a first connecting plate disposed toward the second connecting fitting, and a connecting slot is formed at the tip of the first connecting plate. (4) The second connecting fitting has a second connecting plate that can be inserted and positioned at the pitch D between one connecting leg frame and another connecting leg frame, and the second connecting plate is positioned approximately perpendicular to the first connecting plate and has a connecting insertion portion that can be inserted into the connecting long hole.

2. 2. The connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame according to claim 1, which is formed as follows: (1) The metal fitting mounting positions of the one connecting leg frame and the other connecting leg frame are provided on the lower frame of each connecting leg frame that is disposed along the floor surface. (2) The first connecting fitting is configured by connecting a first connecting plate, which is approximately horizontal, to one edge of the first frame fixing part, which is part of the outer periphery of one connecting leg frame and covers the opposite position of the other connecting leg frame in an approximately vertical direction. (3) The second connecting fitting is constructed by connecting a second connecting plate to one edge of the second frame fixing part that covers the upper or lower outer periphery of the other connecting leg frame. (4) The first connecting plate of the first connecting fitting is arranged tangentially to the one connecting leg frame, and the second connecting plate of the second connecting fitting is arranged tangentially to the other connecting leg frame.

3. 3. The connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame according to claim 2, which is formed as follows: (1) The first connecting fitting is configured by connecting a first connecting plate to the lower edge of the first frame fixing part, which covers approximately half the circumference of one connecting leg frame in a substantially vertical direction on the opposite side of the other connecting leg frame. (2) The second connecting fitting was connected with a second connecting plate facing downward to one edge of the second frame fixing part, which covered approximately half of the upper periphery of the other connecting leg frame.

4. 3. The connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame according to claim 2, which is formed as follows: (1) The first connecting plate and the second connecting plate are configured so that the pitch D between one connecting leg frame and the other connecting leg frame is approximately the thickness of the second connecting plate.

5. 3. The connecting fitting for a connecting leg frame according to claim 2, which is formed as follows: (1) The first connecting plate is configured so that the connecting slots have approximately the same width as the pitch D and are arranged at approximately the same positions in the direction perpendicular to the pitch D. (2) The width of the connecting slots is configured to allow the second connecting plates to be inserted at the pitch D with some margin.

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