Drive-in furniture leg pads

Abstract

To easily attach a fixture to the lower end surface of a furniture leg and to reduce the possibility of misalignment or buckling occurring during the attachment. [Solution] A hammer-in type furniture leg pad 1 is attached to the lower end surface of a furniture leg, and comprises: a pad portion 2 having a contact surface that contacts the floor surface; a pointed portion 2A with a non-circular cross section that protrudes from the furniture leg side of the pad portion; a guide member 4 having an abutment surface that abuts the lower end surface; an insertion hole 4H provided in the guide member for inserting the pointed portion, the insertion hole having an inner wall shaped to follow the outer shape of the pointed portion; an engagement portion 2F provided on the furniture leg side of the pad portion; and an engaged portion 4F provided on the floor side of the guide member that can be engaged with the engagement portion.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive-in type furniture leg pad that is attached to the lower end surface of a furniture leg such as a chair leg or a table leg. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a drive-in chair leg pad that can be attached to the underside of a chair leg to improve the sliding properties of furniture and prevent scratches on the floor. This drive-in chair leg pad has a nail protruding from the center of the upper surface of an inverted dome-shaped pad, and can be attached by driving the nail into the underside of the chair leg. Chair leg pads attached with nails in this way have the advantage of being stronger and longer-lasting than those fixed with adhesive. Incidentally, the drive-in chair leg pad described in Non-Patent Document 1 uses ring nails as the nails, which can also be expected to have a preventative effect. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Hit the chair legs! Hammering method", Misumi Group Inc., [Searched August 7, 2024], Internet<URL:https: / / jp.misumi-ec.com / vona2 / detail / 221006257230 / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the hammer-in type chair leg pad in Non-Patent Document 1 requires that a single nail be hammered straight into the center of the bottom end surface of the chair leg, which makes it difficult to stabilize the posture of the pad when hammering in the nail. As a result, the nail is hammered in at an angle, which creates problems such as a high possibility of the nail being misaligned or of the nail being bent and buckled.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a hammer-in type furniture leg pad that can be easily attached to the lower end surface of furniture legs such as chairs and tables, and that can reduce the possibility of misalignment or buckling during attachment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one hammer-in type furniture leg pad of the present invention is a hammer-in type furniture leg pad that is attached to the bottom end surface of a furniture leg, and includes: a pad portion having a contact surface that contacts the floor surface; a pointed portion with a non-circular cross section that protrudes from the furniture leg side of the pad portion; a guide member having an abutment surface that abuts against the bottom end surface; an insertion hole provided in the guide member for inserting the pointed portion, the insertion hole having an inner wall shaped to follow the outer shape of the pointed portion; a fitting portion provided on the furniture leg side of the pad portion; and a fitted portion provided on the floor side of the guide member that can be fitted into the fitting portion.When the pad portion is fitted into the guide member while the abutment surface abuts against the bottom end surface, the guide member guides the pad portion so that the pointed portion is hammered perpendicular to the bottom end surface.

[0007] In any of the drive-in furniture leg pads according to the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the pointed portion may be rectangular.

[0008] In any one of the drive-in type furniture leg pads according to the present invention, the pointed portion may be provided with a barb for preventing it from slipping out.

[0009] In any one of the drive-in type furniture leg pads according to the present invention, the pointed portion may have an arrowhead shape.

[0010] In any one of the drive-in type furniture leg pads according to the present invention, the pad portion may have a plurality of protruding pointed portions.

[0011] In any of the hammer-in type furniture leg pads according to the present invention, the plurality of pointed portions may be formed by bending a single metal plate.

[0012] In any of the drive-in type furniture leg pads according to the present invention, a notch may be provided at a predetermined position on the upper end surface of the pad portion, into which a lever can be inserted to release the engagement with the guide member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] A user of the drive-in furniture leg pad of the present invention can attach the drive-in furniture leg pad to the bottom end of a furniture leg by abutting the contact surface of the guide member against the bottom end and driving the contact surface of the pad toward the furniture leg with a hammer or the like. During the driving process, the pad is guided by the guide member, stabilizing its position and reducing the possibility of the pointed portion being driven obliquely into the bottom end of the furniture leg. Therefore, the drive-in furniture leg pad of the present invention has the advantage of being easy to attach to the bottom end of a furniture leg and reducing the possibility of misalignment or buckling during installation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(A) is a perspective view of a drive-in type furniture leg pad according to this embodiment before fitting, and FIG. 1(B) is a perspective view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad according to this embodiment after fitting. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the drive-in furniture leg pad. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(A) is a perspective view of a metal plate that is the base of the pointed portion, and FIG. 3(B) is a perspective view of four pointed portions that are formed by bending the metal plate. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(A) is a side view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad before mating, and FIG. 4(B) is a cross-sectional view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad before mating. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(A) is a side view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad after engagement, and FIG. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad after engagement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 1. Overview of the embodiment A preferred embodiment of the drive-in furniture leg pad of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drive-in furniture leg pad of this embodiment is a drive-in furniture leg pad that is attached to the bottom end surface of a furniture leg. The term "furniture" as used herein includes chairs, tables, cabinets, chests of drawers, etc., and the term "furniture legs" as used herein includes not only columnar legs but also flat-shaped legs such as frame members (such as back panels) attached to the bottom of furniture. The following description assumes that the cross-sectional shape of the furniture leg is circular or a regular polygon and that the furniture leg is made of wood, but the present invention can also be applied to furniture legs of other shapes and materials.

[0016] 2. Structure of hammer-in furniture leg pads Fig. 1(A) is a perspective view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad according to this embodiment before engagement, and Fig. 1(B) is a perspective view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad according to this embodiment after engagement. As shown in Fig. 1, the drive-in type furniture leg pad 1 according to this embodiment comprises an inverted dome-shaped pad portion 2 having a contact surface 2S that contacts the floor surface, and a substantially disk-shaped guide member 4 having a contact surface 4S that contacts the lower end surface of the furniture leg. In Fig. 1, the body of the pad portion 2 (indicated by a dotted line) is shown as transparent so that the internal structure can be observed.

[0017] 3. Pad configuration Figure 2 is an exploded view of the drive-in furniture leg pad. As shown in Figure 2, the pad portion 2 is composed of a roughly bowl-shaped lower pad member 2B and an upper pad member 2U that is pre-fitted into the recess of the lower pad member 2B. A cushioning member 2FL, such as felt, is attached to the floor side of the lower pad member 2B. The surface of this cushioning member 2FL is the contact surface S2 that comes into contact with the floor. The shape of this contact surface 2S is a gently curved convex surface, which reduces friction between the floor and the furniture leg. Therefore, a furniture leg with a drive-in furniture leg pad 1 driven into it slides easily on the floor, preventing damage to the floor. Here, a plurality of (four in this example) arrowhead-shaped pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are arranged at equal intervals in a circle and protrude from the center of the furniture leg side of the upper pad member 2U. In the example shown, the number of pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A is four, so the four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are arranged in a square, and the orientations of two adjacent pointed portions 2A, 2A are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of each of the four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A is non-circular (here, rectangular), and each of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A is provided with four retaining barbs 2Ar, 2Ar, 2Ar, 2Ar as two-stage retaining barbs, two on each side.Incidentally, in the illustrated example, the shape of each of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A is an arrowhead shape with a rectangular cross section. Furthermore, a ring-shaped groove-shaped fitting portion 2F is provided on the furniture leg side of the upper pad member 2U, which can be fitted into a fitted portion 4F of the guide member 4, which will be described later. Furthermore, at a predetermined position on the upper end surface of the peripheral wall of the lower pad member 2B, a notch 2G is provided into which a lever (not shown) can be inserted to release the engagement between the guide member 4 and the pad portion 2.

[0018] 4. Guide member configuration As shown in Fig. 2, the guide member 4 has a constant thickness and is provided at its center with four insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H for individually inserting the four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A. The inner wall shape of these insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H conforms to the outer shapes of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A. In particular, in the illustrated example, since the cross-sectional shapes of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are rectangular, the cross-sectional shapes of the insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H are also rectangular. The insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H of this shape function as guide holes that limit the direction of movement of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A of the pad portion 2. Also provided on the floor surface side of the guide member 4 is a substantially ring-shaped fitted portion 4F that can be fitted into the fitting portion 2F of the pad portion 2. This substantially ring-shaped fitted portion 4F is formed around the area where the insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H are formed. In addition, since the guide member 4 of this embodiment is disk-shaped, the guide member 4 can be easily aligned with the lower end surface of the pillar-shaped furniture leg (aligned so that the central axis is coaxial).

[0019] 5. How to create the pointed part Fig. 3(A) is a perspective view of a metal plate that serves as the base for the pointed portions, and Fig. 3(B) is a perspective view of four pointed portions formed by bending the metal plate. As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A can be formed by bending a tapered, generally cross-shaped metal plate PA. Specifically, the production of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A includes, for example, the following steps (i) to (iv). (i) A metal plate PA is punched by press to form a roughly cross-shaped master (FIG. 3(A)) in which four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are arranged on a plane. (ii) By applying a press process to the prototype after cutting (Figure 3(A)), the base ends of the four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are bent to create four integrated pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A (Figure 3(B)). (iii) After the press working in step (ii), a quenching treatment is carried out to increase the strength of the four integrated pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A (FIG. 3(B)). (iv) After steps (ii) and (iii), the base ends of the four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A (Figure 3(B)) are inserted into a mold for molding the upper pad member 2U and injection molded to create an upper pad member 2U with four pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A protruding therefrom. According to the above manufacturing method, the strength of each of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A can be increased compared to when the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are separately protruded from the upper pad member 2U, and the cross-sectional shape of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A can be easily and reliably made rectangular.

[0020] 6. How the hammer-in furniture leg pad works Figure 4(A) is a side view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad before mating, Figure 4(B) is a cross-sectional view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad before mating, Figure 5(A) is a side view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad after mating, and Figure 5(B) is a cross-sectional view of the drive-in type furniture leg pad after mating. A user of the drive-in furniture leg pad 1 of this embodiment brings the contact surface 4S of the guide member 4 in the state shown in Figure 4 into contact with the bottom end surface of the furniture leg, and drives the bottom surface (contact surface 2S) of the pad portion 2 toward the furniture leg using, for example, a mallet. Then, the fitting portion 2F of the pad portion 2 fits into the fitted portion 4F of the guide member 4, and the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A protrude from the top end surface of the guide member 4 and are driven into the bottom end surface of the furniture leg, so that the drive-in furniture leg pad 1 is in the state shown in Figure 5 and is attached to the bottom end surface of the furniture leg. During this driving, that is, during the process of going from the non-engaged state of Fig. 4 to the engaged state of Fig. 5, the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are guided by the insertion holes 4H, 4H, 4H, 4H of the guide member 4, so the posture of the pad portion 2 is stabilized and the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A are unlikely to be driven obliquely into the bottom end surface of the furniture leg. Therefore, the drive-in type furniture leg pad 1 according to this embodiment can be easily attached to the bottom end surface of the furniture leg, and the possibility of the pointed portions 2A, 2A, 2A, 2A being displaced or buckled during attachment is reduced.

[0021] 7.Material Examples of materials for the drive-in furniture leg pads are as follows: Guide member 4 material: PA6 (6 nylon resin) Material of pointed part 2A: SUS (stainless steel) Upper pad member 2U body material: PA6 (6 nylon resin) Material of the body of the lower pad member 2B: Part or all of the resin selected from PP (polypropylene resin), POM (polyacetal resin), HDPE (high-density polyethylene resin), PA6 (6 nylon resin), and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer) Cushioning material 2FL felt However, the materials described here are intended for wooden furniture legs, so if the furniture legs are made of a material other than wood, the material of the hammer-in furniture leg pads will also be adjusted appropriately.

[0022] 8. Variations 8-1.About the pad In the above-described embodiment, the pad portion 2 is configured by two members, the upper pad member 2U and the lower pad member 2B, but it may be configured by one member.

[0023] 8-2. Number of sharp points In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the number of pointed portions is four. However, a number other than four may be used. For example, the arrangement pattern of four pointed portions is a square, the arrangement pattern of five pointed portions is a regular pentagon, and the arrangement pattern of three pointed portions is an equilateral triangle. However, the greater the number of pointed portions, the more stable the position of the pad portion 2 becomes, but the higher the manufacturing cost of the pad portion 2 and the greater the force required for driving. Here, if the lower end surface of the furniture leg is flat, the stabilization effect is significantly greater when the number of pointed portions is four or more than when it is three or less. Therefore, considering the balance between the stability of the position of the pad portion 2 and the manufacturing cost, it is considered desirable to have four pointed portions, which is the minimum number for achieving stabilization. Incidentally, the cross-sectional shape of the pointed portions in this embodiment is non-circular (specifically, rectangular), which prevents the pad portion 2 from rotating during driving into the lower end surface of the furniture leg, unlike when the cross-sectional shape is circular. Therefore, in this embodiment or the modified example, even if the number of pointed portions is "1", displacement or buckling is less likely to occur than in the conventional example using the same number (=1) of nails.

[0024] 8-3. Arrangement pattern of pointed parts In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the furniture legs are assumed to have a circular or regular polygonal cross section, and the arrangement pattern of the multiple pointed portions is a pattern (regular polygon) in which the multiple pointed portions are arranged at equal intervals on a circle, but if the furniture leg has a rectangular cross section, for example, the multiple pointed portions may be arranged in a shape other than a regular polygon, such as a W-shape. In either case, it is desirable that the multiple pointed portions are erected in different positions from each other to prevent buckling.

[0025] 8-4. Shape of the fitting part In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the fitting portion 2F is groove-shaped (concave) and the fitted portion 4F is convex, but the fitting portion 2F may be convex and the fitted portion 4F may be concave. Furthermore, the shapes of the fitting portion and the fitted portion are not limited to ring shapes and may be other shapes that can be fitted together.

[0026] 9.Other The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments or modifications, and various inventions can be realized by appropriately modifying the components within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Push-in furniture leg pad 2 Pad section 2A Pointed part 2Ar return 2B Lower pad member 2F mating part 2FL buffer material 2G Notch 2S contact surface 2U upper pad member 4 Guide member 4F Mated part 4H insertion hole 4S Contact surface PA metal plate

Claims

1. A drive-in furniture leg pad attached to the bottom end surface of a furniture leg, a pad portion having a contact surface that comes into contact with a floor surface; a pointed portion having a non-circular cross section projecting from the pad portion toward the furniture leg; a guide member having a contact surface that contacts the lower end surface; an insertion hole provided in the guide member for inserting the pointed portion therethrough, the insertion hole having an inner wall shaped to follow the outer shape of the pointed portion; a fitting portion provided on the furniture leg side of the pad portion; a fitted portion provided on the floor surface side of the guide member and capable of fitting into the fitting portion, When the pad portion is fitted into the guide member while the contact surface is brought into contact with the lower end surface, the guide member guides the pad portion so that the pointed portion is driven perpendicularly into the lower end surface. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

2. 2. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 1, The cross-sectional shape of the pointed portion is rectangular. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

3. 3. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 2, The pointed portion is provided with a barb to prevent it from falling out. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

4. 4. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 3, The pointed portion has an arrowhead shape. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

5. 2. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 1, A plurality of pointed portions are protruded from the pad portion. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

6. 6. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 5, The plurality of pointed portions are formed by bending a single metal plate. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

7. 2. The hammer-in furniture leg pad according to claim 1, A notch is provided at a predetermined position on the upper end surface of the pad portion, into which a lever can be inserted to release the engagement with the guide member. A driven-in furniture leg pad.

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