DE29703762U1 - Commodity, in particular fittings or fittings - Google Patents

Description

DE 7046 : : ·· f. '

Reinfried Frhr. v. Schorlemer

Karthäuserstr. 5A 34117 Kassel Germany

Telephone (0561) 15335

(0561)780031

Fax/Telecopter (0561)780032

HEWI Heinrich Wilke GmbH, 34454 Arolsen

Article of daily use, in particular fitting or equipment

The invention relates to a consumer article of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

Articles of daily use, in particular fittings or fittings of this type, are known in numerous designs, for example in the form of fittings, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, shelves, ashtrays, door handles, pull handles, towel holders, letter slots or the like (DE-PS'en 51 846 and 58 062, DE 25 35 894 A1, EP 0 313 970 A1, DE 31 05 217 A1). As a rule, one of the two parts is designed as an assembly or base part to be attached to a wall or similar, while the other part is given the desired form of use and is placed entirely or partially on the base part or a selected section of it during assembly and thus not only serves the desired purpose, but at the same time should also cover those areas of the base part in which the fastening screws or similar intended for attachment to a wall or similar are arranged.

To firmly connect the two parts, one part has a spring tongue with a hook-shaped attachment or similar, which automatically snaps into a corresponding receptacle on the other part during assembly. The connection created in this way is released by acting on the spring part with the hand or a tool, thereby removing the attachment from the receptacle, so that

one part can then be pulled off the other part. Since such connections can be easily undone by anyone, which often results in unauthorized dismantling and theft, especially in public buildings such as hospitals, gyms, swimming pools, schools, etc., many of the well-known everyday objects are not designed to be undone by hand. Instead, one of the two parts has a very small opening or hole with a diameter of e.g. 1 mm, through which a small steel pin or similar must be inserted to release the connection.

In connection devices of this type, the spring tongue always serves to secure the connection at the same time, so that a compromise must be found between a stable holding force and a comparatively low force required to release the connection. To avoid this often undesirable dependency, it can be provided to provide different elements for the connection and for securing the connection. For example, it is known (EP 0 313 971 A1) to provide fittings and equipment parts with an anti-theft device in such a way that a snap connection holding the two parts together must first be released before an additional second connection device preventing the two parts from separating can be released. Another known connection device of this type (DE 25 35 894 A1) contains a pin that extends through the two parts, while a spring tongue serves as an anti-theft device, which normally prevents the pin from being pressed in and thus the connection from being released, but can be brought into a release position using a tool that allows the pin to be pressed in. Finally, it is also already known (DE 31 05 185 A1) to provide the two parts with interacting connecting elements in the manner of a bayonet connection, which are brought into engagement with one another by turning the two parts. In this case, for the purpose of anti-theft protection, a movable slider under the influence of a spring force is provided in one of the parts, which normally prevents the two parts from turning back and thus separating. However, this slider can be pushed back against the spring force to release the rotation by means of a steel pin that can be inserted through a small opening in one of the parts and acts on an inclined surface provided on the slider.

9 · &igr;

•&bgr;·- ··

In the case of the objects described above, the connection is always released by a movement that is directed transversely to the joining direction, i.e. transversely to the direction in which one part is placed on the other part. This often results in restrictions when assembling the objects, since when assembled there must be a sufficiently large space above, below or to the side of the objects, which allows the objects to be disassembled if necessary. In addition, the connections described are often not sufficiently stable, especially if the attachment that creates the connection is formed on a spring element.

The invention is therefore based on the task of designing the everyday object of the type described at the beginning in such a way that a largely arbitrary design of the elements used to create the connection on the one hand and the elements used to secure the connection on the other hand is possible and the direction in which the tool used to release the connection must be moved can also be freely selected to a large extent. In particular, it should be possible to release the connection from the front, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the wall or similar to which the object is attached.

The characterizing features of claim 1 serve to solve this problem.

The invention has the advantage that the direction of movement of the slide and the position of the inclined surface can be selected largely freely. This also means that the position of the opening intended for the insertion of the tool can be selected largely freely. In addition, the slide can be designed either as a spring-loaded connecting means or as a pure securing element for a connection made with another, spring-loaded connecting means.

Further advantageous features of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

The invention is explained in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings using an exemplary embodiment. They show:

Fig. 1 shows the rear view of the lower part of a utility article according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section along the line Π-Π of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the lower part according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 the rear view of the upper part of the article of use;

Fig. 6 is a partially sectioned top view of the upper part according to Fig. 5, approximately in the area of a line VI-VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sectioned portion of the upper part shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 to 10 partial sections along the lines Vm-Vm, IX-IX and X-X of Fig. 5 and 6; 15

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a slider according to the invention;

Fig. 12 is a front view of the slider according to Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a partially sectioned side view of the slider according to Fig. 11;
Fig. 14 is a bottom view of a cover plate for the base according to Fig. 1 to 4;

Fig. 15 is a section along the line XV-XV of Fig. 14; and
25

Fig. 16 a longitudinal section through the article of daily use according to the invention in
assembled state.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an example of a glass holder, in particular a dental glass holder. This essentially contains two parts, namely a lower part 1 according to Fig. 1 to 4 and an upper part 2 according to Fig. 5 to 10. Furthermore, a slider 3 according to Fig. 11 to 13 and a cover plate 4 according to Fig. 14 and 15 are provided.

The lower part 1 consists of a sock-shaped body which has an essentially flat oval cross-section (Fig. 1 and 3) and a recess 5 on its rear side which is delimited on the long sides by two wall sections 6 extending to a mounting surface 7 and on its front side by a wall section 8. The recess 5 is open towards the rear of the lower part 1, while it is delimited by support surfaces 10 on part of its height in the direction of the two short ends 9 of the lower part 1 which are bent along a radius. To attach it to a wall or the like, the lower part 1 has through-holes 11 arranged near the ends 9 and on both sides of the recess 5, which are preferably designed like elongated holes in order to compensate for the distance between drill holes (not shown) or to allow slight displacements on the wall. Also near the ends 9 of the lower part 1 are two blind holes 12 that are open towards the rear. In a central part of the wall section 8, a continuous opening 13 is formed that extends to the recess 5. Furthermore, the mounting surface 7 is conveniently located perpendicular to a central axis 14 (Fig. 2) of the lower part 1, which is arranged parallel to the axes of the screw holes 10.

According to Fig. 5 to 7, the upper part 2 has a circular, solid or hollow ring section 16, the inner contour 17 of which is closed, while its outer contour 18 merges tangentially into a mounting section 19 on two diametrically opposite sides. The mounting section 19 is designed as a hollow body, only open towards the rear of the upper part 2 and provided with a flat oval inner cross section (Fig. 5) which essentially corresponds to the outer cross section of the lower part 1 (Fig. 3). The mounting section 19 can therefore be placed as a whole on the lower part 1 (Fig. 16) until it covers it on all sides with a surrounding wall section 20 and a rear mounting surface 21 is aligned flush with the mounting surface 7 of the lower part 1. In addition, the upper part has a central axis 22 running perpendicular to the mounting surface 21, which in the assembled state is arranged coaxially with the central axis 14 of the lower part 1.

According to Fig. 6 and 10, the assembly section 19 is delimited in the area adjacent to the ring section 16 by a corresponding ring-shaped wall section 23, on which a web 24 extending parallel to the central axis 22 is arranged with a transversely thereto.

nated, hook-shaped projection 25 is provided. At its end facing the rear end of the assembly section 19, but still completely arranged in it, the web 24 or projection 25 expediently has an insertion bevel 26. The hook-shaped projection 25 points to the right in Fig. 6 and 8, i.e. to one short side of the upper part 2, but could also point to the left. The web 24 and the projection 25 expediently consist of material sections that are so thick that they are largely inflexible or rigid. Immediately next to the point where the web 24 adjoins the wall section 23, the latter is provided with a continuous opening 27 on the side of the projection 25, which is only visible in Fig. 10, but not in Fig. 6, due to the section line VI-VI (Fig. 5) running above the section line X-X.

To assemble the article of daily use described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10, as indicated in Fig. 16, the lower part 1 is first placed with its mounting surface 7 against a wall or the like and fastened to it using fastening screws that protrude through the screw holes 11. The mounting section 19 of the upper part is then placed on the lower part 1, with the joining direction running parallel to the central axes 14 (Fig. 2) or 22 (Fig. 6) until the mounting surface 21 of the upper part 2 also rests against the wall and the lower part 1 is completely covered by the mounting section 19. The arrangement is preferably such that the upper part 2 is held essentially immobile on the lower part 1 in the joined state in directions transverse to the central axes 14, 22.

To connect the two parts 1 and 2 in this position, the web 24 with the appendix 25 serves as a connecting means provided on the upper part 2, which in the joined state projects through the opening 13 into the recess 5 of the lower part 1. In contrast, the lower part 1 has as a connecting means an edge 30 (Fig. 13) which is engaged behind by the appendix 25 in the joined state, i.e. in the position of use. In the exemplary embodiment, this edge 30 is provided on the slide 3, which is movably mounted in the lower part 1. As Fig. 11 to 13 show, the slide 3 consists of an essentially cuboid-shaped body which is provided with a transverse groove 32 in a central region of its rear side 31. A wall section delimiting the groove 32 on the front side 33 is provided in a central area with a continuous passage opening 34, which opens into the groove 32, but is located behind its center line on both sides.

cut edge sections partially covering the front of the groove 32 and delimiting the passage opening, one of which forms the edge 30. On its short sides, the slide 3 is also provided with an obliquely projecting spring arm 35, which can be moved against an elastic spring force developed by it in the direction of the side walls of the slide 3.

As shown in particular in Fig. 16, the slide 3 is dimensioned in such a way that the central axis of its passage opening 34 after the slide 3 has been inserted into the recess 5 of the lower part 1 is essentially coaxial with both the central axis 14 (Fig. 2) and with the axis of the opening 13 of the lower part 1 and the free ends of the two spring arms 35 in this state are supported on the support surfaces 10 assigned to them (Fig. 2 and 16). The distance between the support surfaces 10 is chosen to be slightly smaller than the distance between the free ends of the spring arms 35 in the relaxed state, so that the slide 3 is held in a central position within the recess 5 due to a certain pre-tension of the spring arms 35.

Furthermore, the dimensions and positions of the various parts relative to one another are selected so that when the upper part 2 is placed on the lower part 1, the projection 25 of the web 24 first enters the opening 13 of the lower part 1 and then into the through-opening 34 of the slide 3. The introduction slope 26 (Fig. 10) runs onto the edge surrounding the through-opening 34, whereby the slide 3 is displaced against a spring force which is developed by the spring arm 35 shown on the right in Fig. 16. When the upper part 2 is pushed further forward, the introduction slope 26 then gradually slides away from the edge of the through-opening 34 until the projection 25 of the web 24 is completely located below the through-opening 34. The slider 3 is now moved back to the starting position by the spring force of the spring arm 35 on the right in Fig. 16, whereby the edge 30 (Fig. 13) comes behind the projection 25 and the groove (Fig. 13) provides the necessary clearance. After this, unauthorized removal of the upper part 2 from the lower part 1 in the direction opposite to the joining direction is impossible, because this would pull the slider 3 against the wall section 8 and then block further movement of the upper part 2. The described article of use is therefore provided with an automatic and spring-locking connection device. At the same time, the connection is made by the spring force of the spring arms 35.

between the lower part 1 and the upper part 2 is locked or secured against unauthorized release, since on the one hand the web 24 is arranged essentially rigidly and immovably, and on the other hand, with sufficient spring force, there is no danger of the slider 3 being accidentally moved and the edge 30 releasing the projection 25. Since movements of the upper part 2 relative to the lower part 1 transverse to the joining direction are also impossible, the connection cannot be released by shaking movements on the upper part 2.

The opening 27 shown in Fig. 10 and formed in the upper part 2 serves the purpose of allowing authorized persons to release the connection. For this purpose, on the one hand, the passage opening 34 of the slide 3 according to Fig. 11 to 13 is limited to the front and to the sides by striking surfaces 38 inclined in the direction of movement of the slide 3, one of which lies exactly below the opening 27 (Fig. 16) in the assembled state. On the other hand, the opening 13 in the lower part 1 is so large that this inclined surface 38 remains accessible through the opening 27 in the joined state. If, therefore, in the position of use according to Fig. 16, a tool, e.g. a steel pin or the like, is pressed through the opening 27 into the lower part 1, then this comes into contact with the relevant inclined surface 38 and thereby moves the slider 3 to the right in Fig. 16 until the edge 30 releases the projection 25, thereby releasing the connection and the upper part 2 can be pulled off the lower part 1. Since the slider 3, which is designed as a spring element overall, is invisible through the opening 27 and thus hidden, particularly if the opening 27 is designed to be sufficiently small, the opening mechanism is not immediately recognizable by unauthorized persons, although the opening 27 is accessible from the front and is also visible after removing a glass or cup held in the ring section 16.

As shown in particular in Fig. 8, the inner contour 17 of the ring section 16 is provided with a circumferential shoulder 39, which serves as a support for a dental glass arranged upright or the like. Alternatively, however, it is sometimes desirable to use glasses arranged in a hanging position, which are provided with an outer shoulder on their upper edge, which rests on the ring section 16 from above when the glass is hung in the ring section 16. In order to enable both applications, when using the last-mentioned glass shape, the same upper part 2 is used, but rotated by 180° around the axis 22 (Fig. 6).

tenth position. In this application, the projection 25 in Fig. 5, 6, 10 and 16 points to the left instead of to the right. If the upper part 2 is now pushed onto the lower part 1 in the same way as described above, the slide 3 is moved to the left in Fig. 16. Otherwise, the processes for making and releasing the connection are analogous to the above description, since both the slide 3 shown in Fig. 11 to 13 and 16 and the opening 13 in the lower part 1 on both sides of the coaxial center axes 14 (Fig. 2) and 22 (Fig. 6) are identical and thus mirror-symmetrical. Overall, the projection 25 of the upper part 2 can therefore be inserted into the passage opening 34 of the slide 3 in two opposite directions.

The cover plate 4 shown in Fig. 14 and 15 serves the purpose of preventing the slider 3 from accidentally falling out of the recess 5 of the lower part 1 during assembly. The cover plate 4 essentially consists of a plane-parallel plate that fits between the two wall sections 6 and is provided with pins 40 on the front that can be inserted into the blind holes 12 (Fig. 1, 2) of the lower part 1 in a clamping manner. The wall sections of the lower part 1 that have the screw holes 11 and the blind holes 12 are shorter than the wall sections 6 by the thickness of the cover plate 4, so that the rear side 41 of the cover plate 4 is flush with the mounting surfaces 7 and 21 (Fig. 16) when assembled. The cover plate 4 not only closes the recess 5 of the lower part 1 after the slider 3 has been inserted, but also preferably has a smooth front surface 42, which ensures that the slider 3 can be moved easily and is not hindered by any joints or ridges between the tiles covering a wall or the like. In addition, the cover plate 4 can have screw holes that correspond to the screw holes 11 and can be aligned with them.

To further secure the connection between the two parts 1 and 2, the part (here the lower part 1) in which the slide 3 is mounted has means for preventing undesired movements of the slide 3. In the exemplary embodiment, this means consists of a recess 43 which is formed in the side of the wall section 8 facing the recess 5 and has a length in the direction of the slide movement that corresponds to the cuboid part of the slide 3, the height of the recess 5 essentially corresponding to the height of the slide 3. Therefore, if the

If the upper part 2 is pulled forwards when attempting to remove it without authorization from the lower part 1, then the slider 3 is also moved forwards due to the effect of the projection 25 on the edge 30, so that it partially enters the recess 43. An unintentional movement of the slider 3 in the sense of releasing the connection is then no longer possible.

Finally, the lower part 1 and the upper part 2 can be provided with conventional, interacting undercuts 44 (Fig. 1, 2, 4) or 45 (Fig. 5, 6, 9) to further protect against unauthorized disassembly, which form automatically locking snap connections when the upper part 2 is placed on the lower part 1. In this case, these undercuts can also be regarded as the actual connecting means, while the slider 3 and the projection 25 represent a means of securing this connection.

The lower part 1, the upper part 2, the slide 3 and the cover plate 4 preferably consist of one-piece plastic injection-molded parts.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiment, which can be modified in many ways. While in the described embodiment the web 24 and the projection 25 are largely rigid and the slide 3 is a spring element that serves both to create the connection and to secure this connection, applications are also conceivable in which the slide 3 is only used to secure a connection. For this purpose, for example, the web 24 is designed to be springy and the arrangement is such that the web 24 in the assembled state only extends through the opening 13 of the lower part 1 and is pressed by the slide 3 or by the spring force of a spring arm 35 against the edge delimiting the opening 13 in such a way that the projection 25 engages behind this edge. In this case, this edge therefore forms the connecting means provided on the lower part 1. The connection can be released analogously to the above description by assigning the opening 27 to an inclined surface that may be located at a different location but is designed to correspond to the inclined surface 38. It is also clear that if the upper part 2 is only to be able to be placed on the lower part 1 in a predetermined position, the through opening 34 of the slide 3 could be missing and only the opening on the corresponding side of the axis

22 is required. It would also be possible to arrange or design the opening 27 and the inclined surfaces 38 at other locations so that the tool used to release the connection has to be moved in a direction other than the joining direction. The arrangement described is, however, always preferred at least when the opening 27 is covered in use, e.g. by a glass or cup, and is therefore not visible from the front. It is also possible to mount the slide 3 in a direction other than perpendicular to the joining direction or to move it differently than shown. It is also possible to mount the slide 3 in the upper part 2 and to provide the web 24 on the lower part 1 and/or to replace the spring arms 35 with springs inserted between the slide 3 and the support surfaces 10 (Fig. 1, 2). The shape of the upper part 2 is also to be understood as an example, since the upper part 2 could also be designed as a shelf, soap dish or something else. Designs are also conceivable, e.g. for large-area shelves, in which an upper part 2 is pushed onto several correspondingly designed lower parts and connected to them with the help of a corresponding number of attachments 25, or in which the upper part 2 only partially covers the lower part 1, in particular in the area of its fastening screws. It would possibly be possible to provide the opening 27 on the lower part 1 instead of on the upper part 2. Finally, it is understood that the described and illustrated features of the various parts can also be combined with one another in a manner other than that shown.

Claims (15)

Expectations 1. Article of daily use, in particular a fitting or equipment element, with at least one lower part (1) to be fastened to a wall or the like, with an upper part (2) that can be placed on the lower part (1) in a joining direction to produce a position of use, with at least one connecting means on each of the parts (1, 2) to form a detachable connection between the two parts (1, 2) that automatically and resiliently engages when the position of use is produced, with at least one resilient element intended to prevent unauthorized release of the connection and arranged hidden in one of the parts (1, 2), and with at least one opening (27) in one of the two parts (1, 2) through which a tool intended to act on the resilient element for the purpose of releasing the connection can be inserted, characterized in that the resilient element is a movable slider under the influence of a spring force (3) which has at least one inclined surface (38) intended for the attachment of the tool. 2. Article according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the parts (2) has, as a connecting means, a web (24) extending parallel to the joining direction with a hook-shaped projection (25) arranged transversely thereto and the other part (1) has, as a connecting means, an edge (30) which is engaged behind by the hook-shaped projection (25) in the position of use. 3. Article according to claim 2, characterized in that the web (24) is formed essentially rigidly on one part (2) and the edge (30) is provided on the slide (3) which is movably mounted in the other part (1). 4. Article according to claim 2, characterized in that the web is designed to be resilient on one part and the edge on the other part and the slider in the position of use acts on the web in such a way that the edge is gripped behind by the hook-shaped projection. 5. Article according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the appendix (25) and/or the slider (3) is provided with an insertion bevel (26) which when placing one part (2) on the other part (1) initially causes the slider (3) to be pushed back against the spring force and then enables the slider (3) to be pushed forward automatically under the influence of the spring force until the hook-shaped appendix (25) engages behind the edge (30). 6. Article according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the slider (3) consists of a plastic injection-molded part and the spring force is formed by at least one spring arm (35) made in one piece with the slider (3). 7. Article according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the slide (3) is provided in a central section with a passage opening (34) for the web (24) and the edge (30) is formed by an edge delimiting the passage opening (34). 8. Article according to claim 7, characterized in that the slide (3) is designed so that the projection (25) can be inserted into the passage opening (34) in opposite directions. 9. Article according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the slider (3) is movably mounted in the lower part (1) and the web (24) is attached to the upper part (2). 10. Article according to claim 9, characterized in that the slide (3) is mounted in a recess (5) provided on the rear side of the lower part (1) and this can be closed with a cover plate (4) preventing the slide (3) from falling out. 11. Article according to one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that the part (1) in which the slide (3) is mounted has means (43) for preventing unauthorized movements of the slide (3). 12. Article according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the upper part (2) completely covers the lower part (1) in the position of use. 13. Article according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the opening (27) intended for the insertion of the tool in the upper part (2) and parallel to the web (24). 14. Article according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the opening (27) intended for the introduction of the tool is arranged in one of the two parts (1, 2) in such a way that, when the article is assembled, it can be opened from the front
is accessible. 15. Article according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the slider (3) is movable essentially perpendicular to the joining direction.