Fastening device for modular furniture
O 1 United States Patent 1 1 1111 aaw l Gianardi Apr. 29, I975 FASTENING DEVICE FOR MODULAR 3,429,540 2/l969 wOl&#39;i&#39;allO 248/246 FURNITURE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [75] Inventor: Agostino Gianardi, Arcola, Italy 1,374,951 9/1964 France 248/243 [73] Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti &amp; C., S.p.A., lvrea (Torino), Italy Primary E.\&#39;am1nerCasm1r A. Nunberg Flledi O l- 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ira J. Schaefer [2]] Appl. No.: 404,082  
  [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Appllcatlon Priority Data Nov. 30. 1972 Italy 53803/72 Fastening device for modularfumiwre having a Piece provided with a plurality of securing apertures and in- 521 US. 01 248/246; 52/753 c; 248/235 eluding an hook adjustable on the apertures The p- [51] Int. Cl. A47g 29/02 ertures are disposed on a lateral side of a parallel [58] Field 61 Search 248/216, 217, 218, 223, groove of the piece and the hook Comprising at least 24 224 235 243 245 24 2205 304; one lateral member curved or inclined such that a 52/753 C 7(,() force acting on the hook tends to press the hook laterally against the lateral side of the groove and rearward [56] R f r Ci d against the bottom side of the groove.  
 UNITE ATES PATENTS D ST 3 Claims, 9 Drawing lFigures 2.727,7ll 12/1955 Bally 248/246 PATENTEDAPR29I975 3.880.391  
 SHEET 10F 2 FIG. 8  
 FASTENING DEVICE FOR MODULAR FURNITURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fastening device for modular furniture, for instance a collapsible piece of office furniture, having hooks fixed at adjustable levels in holes in the piece of furniture, the hooks serving to support shelves or other items of equipment.  
  Various arrangements of this nature are known. In some the hooks are clinched or riveted in the holes so that their removal, to adjust to a different level for example, destroys the hooks, which have to be replaced. Other hooks are readily removed and replaced but are insecure in use.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide a fastening device for modular furniture wherein the hooks are absolutely secure in use but are easily removed and replaced.  
  According to the present invention, there is provided a fastening device for modular furniture having adjustable hooks for supporting items of equipment, the hooks being disposed in a plurality of vertical grooves, each of which has a vertical series of holes formed in a lateral face of the groove, each hook having a lateral appendage which extends into one of the holes and is downwardly inclined or curved, in an arrangement such that. weight acting on the hook urges the hook both against the lateral face of the groove which has the holes therein and against the bottom face of the groove.  
  There will now be given, by way of example, a description of an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of part of a fastening device;  
  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are respectively a front view and two similar side views of hooks for fitting to the fastening device;  
  FIGS. 5 and 6 represent respectively the initial and final positions of the hook of FIG. 2 as it is fitted to the fastening device;  
  FIG. 7 is a section taken along the line VIIVII of FIG. 6;  
  FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a shelf supported by the hooks of FIG. 1; and  
  FIG. 9 shows the mounting of a working surface on the fastening device.  
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A collapsible piece of furniture 10 (FIG. 1) comprises a rear wall 11 and a pair of like side walls 12, fixed to the rear wall, in a known manner not shown in the drawings, and perpendicular thereto. Each side wall 12 (see also FIG. 5) comprises a pair of sheet panels 13, the vertical edges of which are bent into channelled flanges having the shape of a U and joined together by means of a series of bolts 15. A connecting section 16, of substantially double-T shape, is arranged on each of the side edges of the walls 12 in order to connect to the element 10 other furniture parts or office partitions (not shown in the drawings). The section 16 is connected to the edges 17 of the panels 13 by housing the edges 17 in corresponding grooves of the section. On the side walls 12, between the sections 16 and the panels, there are thus defined pairs of vertical grooves 18 whose sides 10 are provided with a series of holes 21.  
  To each upper and lower edge of the walls 11 and 12, there are fixed (in a known manner not shown in the drawings) capping sections 22 whose ends cover the sections 16. The lower sections 22 are provided with four feet 23.  
  To the element 10 there can be fixed various items of equipment, such as shelves, drawer or other containers.  
  The weight of some items of equipment acts wholly within the plan area of the walls of the element 10; such items can be supported solely by hooks 31 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Other items are cantilevered from the element 10, in which case brackets 36 (FIG. 9) are used in conjunction with the hooks.  
  A hook 31 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) is composed of a bar 32, of substantially prismatic shape, provided with a pair of pins and an arm in one piece with the bar 32. The dimension P of the bar 32 is substantially equal to the depth of the groove 18 (FIG. 7), whilst the dimension Q (FIGS 3 and 4) is slightly less than the width of the groove 18 (FIG. 7). The pins 33 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are identical and arranged on the sides of the bar 32. The bar 32 is normally constructed in plastic and the pins 33 in steel. The connection between the bar 32 and the pins 33 is obtained by embedding the pins in the melted plastic in the moulding of the hook.  
  The pins 33 (FIG. 3) are cylindrical in cross-section and are near one end of the bar. The pins are inclined away from this end of the bar, as shown in FIG. 3, or are curved away from this end of the bar, as shown in FIG. 4. The use of the two types of pins is absolutely equivalent. In both cases their diameter is slightly less than that of the holes 21 (FIG. 5), moreover the distance between their ends is greater than the width of the groove 18. The presence of two pins 33 ensures the possibility of fixing a hook 31 in either one or in the other groove 18 of a side wall 12. The bar 32, the pins 33 and the arm 34 have chamferred edges to facilitate the coupling thereof with the members with which they will be associated.  
  To fix a hook 31 (FIG. 5) to the element 10, one proceeds as follows. The operator grasps the hook 31 by the part opposed to the pins 33, holding bar 32 horizontal with the arm 34 turned upwards and with a pin 33 approximately parallel to a hole 21. The operator presents the pin 33 to the mouth of the hole 21 and introduces it therein, in the direction indicated by the arrow, until the bar 32 touches the outer corner of the wall 20. With a rotation downwards of the hook 31, the operator introduces the bar 32 into the groove 18 (FIG. 7) until its rear face lies against the bottom wall of the groove 18, whilst the face adjacent to the introduced pin lies closely against the wall 20 (FIG. 6). The arm 34 (FIG. 7) projects from the wall 12, thus constituting a support element, for example for a shelf.  
  FIG. 5 shows that, although the distance between the ends of the pins 33 is indeed greater than the width of thr groove 18, the pin 33 can be easily introduced into a hole 21, since the other pin 33 is in part external to the groove 18 in the initial phase of the introduction.  
  In the case of a shelf 40 (FIG. 8) which has downturned flanges 41 in which there are formed slots 42, these slots can be hooked over the arms 34 of four hooks 31 arranged at the same level.  
  If the force which weighs on the shelf 40 is directed downwards and acts within the area defined by the four hooks 31, it is clear that, because of the inclination of the pins 33, each hook 31 is subjected to two forces, of which one presses it against the wall 20 and the other against the bottom wall of the groove 18.  
 The pin 33 cannot pull out of the hole 21 because this,  
 is only possible when the hook is swung up sufficiently towards the position shown in FIG. for the opposite pin 33 to project outside the groove 18.  
  To fix to the element (FIG. 1), an item of equipment such as a shelf, working surface or receptacle which is cantilevered from the element 10, there are employed the same four hooks 31 (FIG. 9) and a fixing bracket 36.  
  The bracket 36 consists of a horizontal plate, spanning the width of a wall 12, with a down-turned flange having windows 36 correctly spaced to fit over the arms 34 of two hooks fitted in the channels 18 running down the two edges of the same side of the wall 12. The bracket can be hooked on to the two arms 34 and can only be removed therefrom by a lifting action.  
  A working surface 44 is fixed to the bracket 36 by screws 45 passing through holes 38 in the bracket into threaded goles 46 in the surface 44.  
 What I claim is:  
  1. A fastening device for modular furniture having a vertical groove provided with a bottom side and a lateral side including a plurality of securing apertures serially arranged along said lateral side and an hook adjustable on said aperture, said hook comprising a bar provided with a rear part, a side part and a front part, said front part including an arm protruding therefrom, at least one lateral member, said member protruding from said lateral side of said bar and cooperative with said apertures for insertion therein, and said apertures being arranged so that said rear part of said bar impinges against said bottom side and said arm protrudes from said groove upwardly, said lateral member being curved or inclined downwardly such that a force acting on said arm tends to press said lateral side of said bar laterally against said lateral side of said groove and said rear part of said bar rearward against said bottom side of said groove.  
  2. A fastening device for modular furniture having a vertical groove provided with a bottom side and a lateral side including a plurality of security apertures seri ally arranged along said lateral side and an hook adjust able on said apertures, said hook comprising a rectangular bar provided with an upwardly curving arm on the front part and at least one lateral member curved or included such that a force acting on said hook tends to press said hook laterally against said lateral side and rearward against said bottom side, said lateral member being constituted by a pin protruding from a lateral side of said bar and inclined or curved downwardly, said pin having a length greater than, and a diameter smaller than said apertures for insertion therein, said pin and said apertures being arranged so that when said bar impinges against said bottom side, said arm protrudes from said groove.  
  3. A fastening device as in claim 2, further comprising a pair of said hooks and at least one bracket provided with holes for mounting other furniture elements and with a pair of slots for accomodating said arms of said pair of hooks preventing lateral displacement of said hooks of said pair when subjected to upwardly di- 9 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 35880,391 I DATED April 29, 1975 |NVENTOR(S) I Agostino Gianardi It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:  
  In Claim 1: a Column 3, line 30, delete &#34;an&#34; and insert --a-;  
 line 31 delete &#34;aperture&#34; and insert -apertures-.  
  In Claim 2: Column 4, line 13, delete &#34;an&#34; and insert a--;  
 line 17, delete &#34;included&#39;nnd insert inc1ined--.  
  Signed and Scaled this O ninth a O [SEAL] D y f March 1976 Attest:  
 Q RUTH c. MASON c. MARSHALL DANN Aneflmg 01/16 Commissioner ofParenrs and Trademarks