Synchronized Drawer Ejection for Wide Nested Furniture Assemblies

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing furniture designs with nested drawers often require complex movement sequences for access, and the maximum width is limited when drawers are stored on side walls using pull-out runners, making them difficult to handle and access.

Innovation Solution

A piece of furniture with two or more drawers connected via a common front panel, where each drawer is guided by two pull-out runners and actuated by synchronized ejection devices, allowing easy unlocking and ejection from a closed position by pressing the front panel into an overpressure position, ensuring stable and wide sliding elements with simple handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of moving object

If drawers are stored on side walls using pull-out runners, then the furniture structure is simple, but the maximum width is limited and handling becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrawer widthVSAvoidhandling ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple drawers (first drawer, second drawer, third drawer) are merged into a single sliding element that moves together as one unit. This is achieved by connecting the drawers through common components such as the front panel and synchronization means, allowing them to be actuated simultaneously by a single ejection device. This merging enables the sliding element to achieve a particularly large width while maintaining easy handling through unified actuation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Volume of moving object

If multiple drawers are nested in one another, then space utilization is improved, but access requires complex movement sequences

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidmovement sequence complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drawers are merged into a single sliding element that moves together as one unit, eliminating the need for complex sequential movements. The synchronization means (including coupling elements and synchronizing rods) ensure that when one ejection device is unlocked, all ejection devices are unlocked simultaneously, allowing all drawers to be accessed in a single simple action rather than requiring multiple sequential movements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from static nested drawers requiring sequential access to a dynamic sliding element where all drawers can be moved simultaneously. The ejection devices with energy accumulators provide dynamic actuation, allowing the sliding element to be quickly and easily accessed by a single unlocking action.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Stability of the object's composition

If drawers are connected via common front panel with multiple pull-out runners, then structural stability is improved, but the number of components increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguiding stabilityVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple pull-out runners are merged into a unified guiding system for the sliding element. Instead of treating each drawer's runners as separate components, they are integrated into a common guiding structure that supports the entire sliding element. This merging provides stable linear guidance for the wide sliding element while reducing the effective number of independent components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution provides a stable and wide sliding element with easy handling, allowing simultaneous ejection of multiple drawers from a closed position, enhancing accessibility and usability while maintaining structural stability.

Implementation Method 1

Each ejection device can have an energy accumulator, in particular a spring, in order to preload a movable driver, which can then be coupled to the drawer or a running rail.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP3531872B1Furniture
Publication Date: 2020.01.22 PAUL HETTICH GMBH & CO KG
  • EP3531872B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3531872B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3531872B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An item of furniture (1) comprises a furniture carcass (2), which comprises an external side wall (3) and at least one internal partition wall (4), between which a first drawer (5) is arranged in a closed position, which is moveably retained by means of a first pullout guide (10) on the outer side wall (3) and a second pullout guide (10) on the internal partition wall (4), wherein a front panel (7) is mounted on a front side of the first drawer (5), which front panel projects laterally beyond the first drawer (5), and at least one second drawer (6) is mounted on the projecting part of said front panel (7), which second drawer is movably retained by two pullout guides (10), of which one pullout guide (10) is mounted on the partition wall (4), wherein at least one ejector device (14, 14') is provided on each of the first and the second drawers (5, 6) for ejecting said drawers (5, 6) out of the closed position, and said ejector devices (14, 14') are synchronised by means of synchronising means (16, 16').