WO2018090076A1

WO2018090076A1 - Adjustable mounting system for attaching and aligning drawer fronts

Info

Publication number: WO2018090076A1
Application number: PCT/AU2017/000243
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ian Payne
Original assignee: Ian Payne
Priority date: 2016-11-18
Filing date: 2017-11-20
Publication date: 2018-05-24
Also published as: AU2017361109A1; AU2016259457A1

Abstract

The invention provides an adjustable mounting system for attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body having drawer sides perpendicular to the drawer front. At least one support member (20) is adapted to be mounted at a side (14) of the drawer body and includes a cam (24). The support member comprises a rotatable pin (21) with an eccentric head (23) comprising cam (24). At least one mounting member (30) has a first portion (35) to be fixed to a rear face of the drawer front (16) and a second portion (40) to be sited adjacent the side of the drawer body (10), the second portion (40) having a support member engaging means in the form of a leg (41) and a cam engaging formation (44) in the form of a ramp along the leg. When the mounting member is engaged with the support member, movement of the cam (24) results in movement of the mounting member (30) and the attached drawer front (16) up or down in relation to the drawer body (10).

Description

ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING SYSTEM FOR ATTACHING

AND ALIGNING DRAWER FRONTS

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to mounting systems and methods for adjustably mounting drawer fronts and the like.

Background of the Invention

Many drawer sets in kitchen and other cabinetry are made in carcass form with a decorative front panel added after manufacture, often on site during installation.

Each drawer is usually made of five pieces of board to form the tray or drawer box. The tray or box comprises a front, a back, two sides and a bottom. These typically move on ball race or under slung runners in a drawer cabinet. The decorative drawer front, also referred to in the field as the "drawer face", is a panel fixed onto the front of the drawer box usually by screwing from inside the drawer box into the rear of the drawer front. Even slight misalignment could cause the faces to foul each other or at least look aesthetically unappealing.

There have been developed or proposed drawer front fixing systems. However, these have either been for metal drawer cabinets or have involved the manufacture of complex fasteners with ratchet type mechanisms or frangible tabs for adjustment.

Object of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple to manufacture and easy to use adjustable mounting system for attaching a drawer front to a drawer body or the like. The system preferably allows the drawer fronts to be adjusted in both horizontal and vertical directions. The invention relates primarily to wooden cabinetry but could be used in relation to other types of cabinetry.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect the invention provides an adjustable mounting system for attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body, said drawer body having upright drawer sides composed of solid board substantially perpendicular to the drawer front once attached, said system comprising:

(a) a support member adapted to be mounted to a said drawer side and including a pin having a shaft and a head, the shaft of the pin being located in use in a hole provided in the solid board of which the drawer side is composed and being rotatable in the hole, the head projecting laterally from the drawer side when the shaft is located in the hole, and the head having a cam, and

(b) a mounting member with a first portion adapted to be fixed to a rear face of said drawer front and a second portion adapted to be sited laterally adjacent said side of said drawer body, said second portion having a support member engaging means and a cam engaging formation,

such that when said mounting member is engaged with said support member so that the cam engaging formation engages with the cam, rotation of the shaft of the pin in the hole causes rotation of said cam which results in movement of said mounting member and the attached drawer front up or down in relation to said drawer body.

Preferably the head has a peripheral shape which is eccentric relative to the rotation axis of the shaft so as to define the cam. Preferably the head has a similar peripheral shape on each of the lateral sides of the rotation axis of the shaft so that the same pin can be used for left and right sides of a drawer body. The head of the pin may further include a visible guide to facilitate installation of the pin by its user in its correct functional orientation. The visible guide may comprise a particular shape of the head, such as a teardrop shape with the pointed part or lobe of the teardrop shape to be located pointing downwardly when the pin is installed with the shaft rotatably received in the hole in the drawer side.

Preferably the support member engaging means comprises a leg to rest upon or be hooked over or otherwise engage with the support member. Preferably the cam engaging formation of the mounting member is a ramp. The ramp may be inclined at an angle of between 65° and 75° to the horizontal when the mounting member is engaged with the support member and the ramp is engaged with the cam. The first and second portions of the mounting member are preferably disposed at right angles to each other and are made of sheet material.

In a preferred embodiment the mounting member, the locating projection being positioned a predetermined distance from a guide formation of the mounting member so that when the projection is temporarily engaged with a top edge of the drawer and the planar face extends down the outer face of the drawer side of the drawer body, the guide formation is accurately positioned where a hole is to be drilled in the body of the drawer side for receiving the shaft of the support member.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of furniture or cabinet work comprising at least one drawer having a drawer body and a drawer front mounted to the drawer body by a system according to the first aspect.

In a third aspect the invention there is provided a method of attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body, said drawer body having two upright drawer sides composed of solid board spaced apart and parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the drawer front once attached, said method comprising: (a) appropriately positioning two support members adapted to be mounted to a respective said drawer side and each support member including a pin having a shaft and a head, the shaft of the pin being located in a hole provided in the solid board of which the respective drawer side is composed and being rotatable in the hole, the head projecting laterally from the respective drawer side when the shaft is located in the hole, and the head having a cam, and

(b) appropriately positioning two corresponding mounting members to a rear face of said drawer front, each of said mounting members comprising a mounting member with a first portion, fixing the first position of each mounting member to a rear face of said drawer front, each of said mounting members comprising a second portion, said second portion having a support member engaging means including a cam engaging formation, siting the second portion of each mounting member laterally adjacent a respective one of said drawer sides,

(c) engaging each of the two said mounting members with its respective support member so that the cam engaging formations contact respective cams, and selectively rotating each of the shafts of the pins so as to adjust each cam such that the associated mounting member is moved up or down to obtain a desired alignment of the drawer front in relation to said drawer body; and thereafter

(d) fixing in place position securing means associated with said support members and/or with said mounting members so as to secure the desired alignment of the drawer front against subsequent movement.

The method preferably utilises a head of each support member which has a peripheral shape which is eccentric relative to the rotation axis of the shaft so as to define the cam. The peripheral shape of the head is preferably a teardrop shape with the pointed part or lobe being located pointing downwardly when the pin is first located with its shaft in the hole in the respective drawer side.

In the preferred method, position securing means is associated with each of said mounting members and comprises a fastener operated to fasten the associated mounting member to the respective drawer side when said desired alignment is achieved.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the first portion of the mounting member has a locating projection extending from a planar face thereof and the second portion of the mounting member has a guide formation provided in a predetermined spatial relationship to the locating projection, and, before positioning step (a) and positioning step (b) are performed, a preliminary positioning step is performed comprising temporarily engaging the projection with a top edge at the front corner of the drawer body and the planar face extends down and against the drawer body and the guide formation is caused to be accurately positioned where the hole is to be drilled in the drawer side so as to receive therein the shaft of the pin constituting the support member at that side of the drawer body. In this preferred method, the first and second portions of the support member are disposed at right angles to each other and are made of sheet material, and the preliminary positioning step comprises positioning the mounting member so that it wraps around a front corner of the drawer side with the locating projection engaging a top edge of a front facing surface and the guide formation is overlying the outward side face of the drawer side enabling the hole to be drilled into the drawer side at the location of the guide formation. Preferably the guide formation is a hole through the second portion of the mounting member, that hole later being used to receive a position securing means in performing the fixing step (d). Summary of the Drawings

Possible and preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an exploded partial view of a system according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows the system of the invention in use and how the vertical level of the drawer front is adjusted.

Figs. 3a and 3b show respectively front elevation and rear perspective views of a support member in the form of a pin with enlarged head.

Figs. 4a to 5b show views of left and right side mounting members in the form of a bracket.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a second possible configuration of a mounting member useable in the present invention.

Fig. 7 is the same perspective view as Fig. 6 showing the relationship of the support member in use.

Figs. 8a to 8f are further views of the mounting member of Fig. 6, in particular being underneath, first side, plan, second side, first end, second end views of the mounting member.

Fig. 9 shows the mounting member positioned abutting the drawer body for accurate drilling of hole in the drawer side for receiving the support member.

Description of Illustrated Embodiments

Part of drawer body 10 and drawer front 16 are shown in Fig. 1. Drawer body 10 comprises body front 12 with top edge 12a. Drawer front 16 is a decorative front panel or front face larger than body front 12 and has top and bottom edges 16a and 16b respectively and rear face 16c which once attached sits flush against body front 12.

Drawer body front 12 and drawer front 16 (when attached) are disposed at right angles to drawer sides 14 composed of solid board such as timber or composite (the drawer bottom and other drawer side are omitted for clarity in the drawings). When properly installed drawer front 16 should have edges 16a and 16b parallel with body front top edge 12a (and with the cabinet carcass horizontals, and with other drawer fronts) so that the drawer will function correctly and have a neat appearance. Although a drawer body front 12 is shown here, it is not necessarily present in all types of drawers and the invention can be used on drawer bodies not having a drawer body front.

Fig. 1 and Figs. 3a and 3b show support member 20 comprising pin 21 with rotatable shaft 22 and eccentric head 23 which provides inclined or curved camming surfaces 24 on each lateral side in front view (Fig. 3a) so the same pin can be used on either left or right side of the drawer body 10. The head further includes a visible guide 50, shown as a particular shape of the head 23, to enable a user to install the pin in its correct functional orientation. The particular shape of the head 23 illustrated is a teardrop shape with the pointed part or lobe 51 of the shape to be located pointing downwardly when the pin is installed. This ensures that the cam surfaces 24 are correctly positioned to receive the mounting members 30 describer later.

Head 23 has slots 25 suitable for receiving a screwdriver 27. (Slots suitable for Allen keys or for screwdrivers other than cross head or Phillip's head may be provided).

Camming surface 24 cooperates with a formation 44 described below. Rotatable shaft 22 is adapted to be inserted in the bore hole 14a in the drawer side 14, the axis of which is generally parallel to top edge 12a of drawer body front 12. Pin 21 can be made of plastics or any other suitable material. The support member 20 may be incorporated into the manufacture of the drawer side 14 as a movable projection similar to pin 21 when the drawer body is manufactured or may be affixed later as shown here.

Mounting member 30 (shown in Figs. 4a to 5b) is made of sheet material such as sheet metal and is essentially an angle bracket 31 with a first portion 35 adapted to be fixed to a rear face 16c of drawer front 16 via apertures or slots (35a, 35b) and screws (50a, 50b) (see Fig. 1). The slots 35a, 35b allow for horizontal adjustment of the drawer front 16 via relative movement of the bracket 31 in relation to screws 50a and 50b prior to tightening of those screws and prior to adjustment via pin 21 described below.

Mounting member 30 has second portion 40 which extends at right angles from first portion 35 and is adapted to be sited adjacent to and along side the drawer side 14. Support engaging means 42 is essentially a cut away leg 41 which extends downwardly from the second portion 40. The cut away portion 41 may have an edge forming a ramp 44 at an angle Θ of about 65° to 75° to the horizontal in Figures 4b and 5b. It is in the space provided by this leg that pin 21 or more particularly its head 23 is sited, i.e.

straddled by leg 41 and rear face 16a of the drawer front 16. Leg 41 is designed to sit on, or hook over pin 21. The cut away portion is of suitable dimensions to allow pin 21 to be rotated when the adjustment described below is carried out. Cam engaging formation 44 is shown as a ramp, being inclined from the free end of leg 41 upwards towards main body of portion 40 and towards the rear face 16a of drawer front 16 in use.

In use, two brackets 31 which are mirror images (as shown in Figs. 4a to 5b) are employed. Each bracket 31 is fixed at an appropriate position onto rear face 16c of drawer front 16 with regard to the drawer body size and desired drawer front position. The positioning of first portions 35 determines the horizontal or side to side placement of drawer front 16 in relation to drawer body 10. Similarly at each of the left and right sides of body 10, hole 14a is drilled at a suitable position in drawer side 14 and pin 21 is inserted. Various guides, jigs and templates can be employed at the erection and installation site for correct positioning of the screw receiving points 50c, 50d on the rear face 16c of drawer front 16 to locate the brackets 31 on drawer front 16. Alternately such drill holes can be provided in a factory at the time of manufacture.

Drawer front 16 with brackets 31 loosely fixed only by untightened screws 50a and 50b passing through slots 35a and 35b is placed into position by sliding second portions 40 on to and over pins 21 so that legs 41 sit over pins 21. The drawer is closed and then the drawer front 16 is tapped laterally to its desired final lateral position. The drawer front is then lifted off the mounting pins 21 and screws 50a, 50b are tightened to set the lateral position of the drawer front 16.

After replacing the drawer front 16 onto pins 21 , adjustment of the vertical position of drawer front 16 (i.e. the vertical position of top edge 16a in relation to the drawer body 10) is achieved by using a screw driver 27 in slots 25 to rotate eccentric cam head 23 so that inclined or curved camming surface 24 engaged with the ramp constituting the cam engaging formation 44 causing the leg 41 to travel up or down which, in turn, causes the relevant side of attached drawer front 16 to move up or down. For example, referring to Figs. 2 and 3, clockwise rotation of the head 23 about axis 48 causes the camming surface 24 at or about the 10 o'clock position relative to axis 48 contacting the ramp 44 to lift the leg 41. Conversely, anticlockwise rotation of the head 23 about axis 48 causes the camming surface 24 at or about the 10 o'clock position relative to axis 48 contacting the ramp 44 to lower the leg 41. On the opposite side of the drawer body, the contact of the leg 41 with the camming surface will occur at about the 2 o'clock position. When both sides of drawer front 16 are adjusted to their final desired vertical positions, they can be secured by fixing screws (not shown) through apertures 43 into drawer sides 14.

In Figs. 6-9 the alternative construction and configuration of mounting member 30 has the same reference numerals as the Figs. 1 to 5 to refer to corresponding functional parts. The mounting member 30 of Figs. 6-8 can also function as a jig or template to accurately locate the position on the drawer side 14 where the hole 14a is to be drilled for receiving the support member 20. Λ locating projection 55 extends from the planar face 35 of the mounting member 30, the locating projection 55 being positioned in a predetermined spatial relationship to, including a predetermined distance "D" from, a guide formation 56 of the mounting member 30 so that when the projection 55 is temporarily engaged with a top edge 12a at the front corner of the drawer and the planar face 35 extends down the drawer body 10, the guide formation 56 is accurately positioned where a hole 14a is to be drilled in the side 14 of the drawer body 10 for receiving the support member 20. The guide formation 56 in this construction later functions as the aperture 43 through which a fixing screw is passed to secure the mounting member 30 in its final position to the side 14 of the drawer body 10.

More particularly, in a preferred method of attaching and aligning the drawer front 16 according to the third aspect of the invention before positioning of the support members 20 and mounting members 30, a preliminary positioning step is performed comprising temporarily engaging the projection 55 with the top edge 12a at the front corner of the drawer body 10 and the planar face 35 extends down and against the drawer body and the guide formation 56 is caused to be accurately positioned where the hole 14a is to be drilled in the drawer side 14 so as to receive therein the shaft 22 of the pin 21 constituting the support member 20 at that side of the drawer body. The first and second portions 35, 40 of the support member 30 are disposed at right angles to each other and are made of sheet material, and the preliminary positioning step comprises positioning the mounting member 30 so that it wraps around a front corner of the drawer side 14 with the locating projection 55 engaging top edge 12a of a front facing surface 12 and the guide formation 56 is overlying the outward side face of the drawer side 14 enabling the hole 14a to be drilled into the drawer side at the location of the guide formation. The guide formation 56 is a hole 43 through the second portion 40 of the mounting member, that hole 43 later being used to receive a position securing means in performing the fixing step.

The mounting member 30 in Figs. 6-8 has offset edge formations 57, 58 and 59 enabling a cover (not shown) to be snap fitted over the assembly for a neater aesthetic finish.

The above described and illustrated assembly systems allow drawer fronts and the like to be positioned accurately both horizontally and vertically prior to final fixing of the drawer front in place. It will be seen that the components of the system can be simple to manufacture and easy to fit.

Although particularly described and illustrated herein in relation to an adjustable mounting system for attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body, the present invention will also be understood to be useable with other mountings of a member, such as a panel, to another member particularly where fine vertical and lateral adjustment of the mounted member in relation to the other is required. An example may be mounting of a flat panel to a wall where line adjustment is needed for aesthetic or functional purposes.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and

"comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

It is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be made to the features of the possible and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as herein described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An adjustable mounting system for attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body, said drawer body having upright drawer sides composed of solid board substantially perpendicular to the drawer front once attached, said system comprising:

2. The system o claim 1 wherein the head has a peripheral shape which is eccentric relative to the rotation axis of the shaft so as to define the cam,

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said head has a similar peripheral shape on each of the lateral sides of the rotation axis of the shaft so that the same pin can be used for left and right sides of a drawer body.

4. The system of claim 2 or 3 wherein the head further includes a visible guide to facilitate installation of the pin by its user in its correct functional orientation.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the visible guide comprises a particular shape of the head.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the particular peripheral shape of the head is a teardrop shape with the pointed part or lobe of the teardrop shape to be located pointing downwardly when the pin is installed with the shaft rotatably received in the hole in the drawer side.

7. The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member engaging means comprises a leg engageable with said support member.

8. The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cam engaging formation of the mounting member is a ramp.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the ramp is inclined at an angle of between 65° and 75° to the horizontal when the mounting member is engaged with the support member and the ramp is engaged with the cam.

10. The system of claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein the first and second portions are disposed at right angles to each other and are made of sheet material.

1 1. The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the mounting member includes a locating projection extending from a planar face of the mounting member, the locating projection being positioned a predetermined distance from a guide formation of the mounting member so that when the projection is temporarily engaged with a top edge of the drawer and the planar face extends down the outer face of the drawer side of the drawer body, the guide formation is accurately positioned where a hole is to be drilled in the body of the drawer side for receiving the shaft of the support member.

12. An article of furniture or cabinet work comprising at least one drawer having a drawer body and a drawer front mounted to the drawer body by a system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

13. A method of attaching and aligning a drawer front to a drawer body, said drawer body having two upright drawer sides composed of solid board spaced apart and parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the drawer front once attached,

said method comprising:

(a) appropriately positioning two support members adapted to be mounted to a respective said drawer side and each support member including a pin having a shaft and a head, the shaft of the pin being located in a hole provided in the solid board of which the respective drawer side is composed and being rotatable in the hole, the head projecting laterally from the respective drawer side when the shaft is located in the hole, and the head having a cam, and

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the head of each support member has a peripheral shape which is eccentric relative to the rotation axis of the shaft so as to define the cam.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the peripheral shape of the head is a teardrop shape with the pointed part or lobe being located pointing downwardly when the pin is first located with its shaft in the hole in the respective drawer side.

16. The method of claim 13, 14 or 15 wherein said position securing means is associated with each of said mounting members and comprises a fastener operated to fasten the associated mounting member to the respective drawer side when said desired alignment is achieved.

17. The method according to any one of the claims 13 to 16 wherein the first portion of the mounting member has a locating projection extending from a planar face thereof and the second portion of the mounting member has a guide formation provided in a predetermined spatial relationship to the locating projection, and wherein, before positioning step (a) and positioning step (b) are performed, a preliminary positioning step is performed comprising temporarily engaging the projection with a top edge at the front corner of the drawer body and the planar face extends down and against the drawer body and the guide formation is caused to be accurately positioned where the hole is to be drilled in the drawer side so as to receive therein the shaft of the pin constituting the support member at that side of the drawer body.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first and second portions of the support member are disposed at right angles to each other and are made of sheet material, and wherein the preliminary positioning step comprises positioning the mounting member so that it wraps around a front corner of the drawer side with the locating projection engaging a top edge of a front facing surface and the guide formation is overlying the outward side face of the drawer side enabling the hole to be drilled into the drawer side at the location of the guide formation.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein the guide formation is a hole through the second portion of the mounting member, that hole later being used to receive a position securing means in performing the fixing step (d).