Drive device for moving a movable furniture part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9386850-B2
Application number	US-201213679016-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	May 20, 2010
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive device for moving a movable furniture part, in particular a drawer, said drive device acting as a latching and unlatching spring-loaded ejection device for ejecting the furniture part from a closed position in the opening direction and as a spring-loaded refraction device for retracting the furniture part into the closed position. The same spring spring-loads the drive device both when the latter acts as an ejection device and when the drive device acts as a refraction device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive device for moving a movable furniture part, wherein the drive device comprises a spring arranged such that the drive device acts
as a lockable and unlockable spring-loaded ejection device for ejecting the furniture part from a closed position in an opening direction into a first open position, wherein the ejecting of the furniture part starts with the furniture part being in the closed position, and
as a spring-loaded retraction device for retracting the furniture part from a second open position in a closing direction into the closed position,
wherein the spring spring-loads the drive device both in its function as an ejection device and also in its function as a retraction device,
wherein the spring has a relief travel,
wherein between the second open position and the closed position the spring passes a first part of the relief travel in which the spring retracts the movable furniture part, the first part of the relief travel corresponding with a retraction spacing of the travel of the movable furniture part from the second open position in the closing direction into the closed position,
wherein starting from the closed position and between the closed position and the first open position the spring passes a second part of the relief travel in which the spring ejects the movable furniture part, the second part of the relief travel corresponding with an ejection spacing of the travel of the movable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction into the first open position,
wherein the retraction spacing of the travel of the movable furniture part in the closing direction and the ejection spacing of the travel of the movable furniture part in the opening direction at least partly overlap,
and wherein in a state in which the drive device is locked with the movable furniture part being in the closed position, unlocking of the drive device is triggered by applying pressure to the movable furniture part in the closing direction.

2. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the spring can be stressed along a stressing travel upon opening or closing of the movable furniture part.

3. The drive device according to claim 2 , wherein
the spring in the closed position of the furniture part has a first medium spring stress between the first part of the relief travel and the second part of the relief travel,
after ejection of the furniture part and relief of stress along the second part of the relief travel the spring has a second, substantially relieved spring stress at a given ejection spacing after leaving the closed position,
upon closure of the furniture part the spring is stressed along the stressing travel and at a given retraction spacing before reaching the closed position, reaches a third spring stress which is increased in relation to the first spring stress, and
starting from the third spring stress with stress relief along the first part of the relief travel and automatic retraction of the furniture part, the spring is relieved into the first spring stress.

4. The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein the retraction spacing is less than the ejection spacing.

5. The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein the stressing travel is longer than the second part of the relief travel.

6. The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein upon unlocking of the ejection device the spring has a fourth spring stress which is slightly increased in relation to the third spring stress.

7. The drive device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a first base element and a second base element which are movable relative to each other in the opening direction and the closing direction, respectively, of the movable furniture part;
a control element which is mounted movably on the first base element, the spring acting on the control element as a force storage means; and
a locking element connected to the control element, wherein the control element is guided with the locking element in a portion of a locking and unlocking path,
wherein a drive element for the second base element is arranged on the control element,
wherein the second base element has a guide path for the drive element, and the guide path
has an ejection portion in which the second base element is movable relative to the first base element in the opening direction of the movable furniture part by the drive element,
has a free-running portion in which the drive element is freely movable in the opening direction,
has a stressing portion in which the drive element is movable in opposition to a spring force of the spring acting on the control element, and
has a retraction portion in which the drive element moves the second base element relative to the first base element in the closing direction of the movable furniture part with partial stress relief of the spring,

wherein the ejection portion of the guide path, the locking element and the drive element with the spring forms the lockable and unlockable ejection device, and the retraction portion of the guide path with the drive element and the spring forms the retraction device,
and wherein
the spring is relieved in the ejection portion from the first medium spring stress to the second spring stress,
the second spring stress remains substantially the same in the free-running portion,
the spring is stressed from the second spring stress to the increased third spring stress in the stressing portion, and
the spring is relieved from the third spring stress to the first spring stress in the retraction portion.

8. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the spring is an individual spring or is formed by a spring pack.

9. The drive device according to claim 1 , further comprising a damping device which damps the retraction movement of the drive device.

10. The drive device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first base element and a second base element which are movable relative to each other in the opening direction and the closing direction, respectively, of the movable furniture part;
a control element which is mounted movably on the first base element, the spring acting on the control element as a force storage means; and
a locking element connected to the control element, wherein the control element is guided with the locking element in a portion of a locking and unlocking path,
wherein a drive element for the second base element is arranged on the control element,
wherein the second base element has a guide path for the drive element, and the guide path
has an ejection portion in which the second base element is movable relative to the first base element in the opening direction of the movable furniture part by the drive element,
has a free-running portion in which the drive element is freely movable in the opening direction,
has a stressing portion in which the drive element is movable in opposition to a spring force of the spring acting on the control element, and
has a retraction portion in which the drive element moves the second base element relative to the first base element in the closing direction of the movable furniture part with partial stress relief of the spring,

and wherein the ejection portion of the guide path, the locking element and the drive element with the spring forms the lockable and unlockable ejection device, and the retraction portion of the guide path with the drive element and the spring forms the retraction device.

11. The drive device according to claim 10 , wherein the control element has a limiting projection which limits the movement of the control element between two abutments in the first base element.

12. The drive dev

Assignees

• Blum Gmbh Julius

Inventors

• Dubach Fredi

Classifications

• F03G1/024

  using helical springs · CPC title

• A47B88/463 Primary

  self-opening · CPC title

• A47B88/0477

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A47B88/047 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• F03G1/00 Primary

  Spring motors (spring-driven toys A63H; springs in general F16F; precision time mechanisms, e.g. for clocks or watches, G04B) · CPC title