EP0722681A2 - Sockelanlage zum Nivellieren von Geräten - Google Patents

Sockelanlage zum Nivellieren von Geräten Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0722681A2
EP0722681A2 EP95120390A EP95120390A EP0722681A2 EP 0722681 A2 EP0722681 A2 EP 0722681A2 EP 95120390 A EP95120390 A EP 95120390A EP 95120390 A EP95120390 A EP 95120390A EP 0722681 A2 EP0722681 A2 EP 0722681A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
pad
recess
ball head
lip
stud
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP95120390A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0722681A3 (de
Inventor
Ronald C. Lassy
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Enerpac Tool Group Corp
Original Assignee
Applied Power Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Applied Power Inc filed Critical Applied Power Inc
Publication of EP0722681A2 publication Critical patent/EP0722681A2/de
Publication of EP0722681A3 publication Critical patent/EP0722681A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B91/00—Feet for furniture in general
    • A47B91/02—Adjustable feet
    • A47B91/022—Adjustable feet using screw means
    • A47B91/028—Means for rotational adjustment on a non-rotational foot
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B91/00—Feet for furniture in general
    • A47B91/02—Adjustable feet
    • A47B91/022—Adjustable feet using screw means

Definitions

  • This invention relates to equipment leveling pad assemblies of the type that are used for furniture and light machinery.
  • Equipment leveling pad assemblies are commonly used on many different types of equipment including light machinery and furniture such as desks, tables, clocks, and almost any other floor standing structure which needs to be leveled.
  • equipment leveling pad assemblies include a foot and a shank in an assembly such that the shank can be screwed into or out of a nut or other threaded hole which forms part of or is fixed to the furniture. By screwing the stud into or out of the furniture, the level of the furniture or furniture leg can be adjusted.
  • furniture pad assemblies were typically made so that the stud was not easily disassembled from the pad, and disassembly of the stud from the pad typically resulted in destruction of the assembly.
  • a ball headed stud was inserted into a recess in a metal pad and the upper end of the pad around the recess rolled in a metal forming operation around the ball head so as to capture it in the recess.
  • the invention provides a equipment leveling pad assembly having a pad, a foot and an upwardly opening recess.
  • the foot has a bottom floor engagement surface radiating perpendicularly from its axis and an opposite recess with a bottom support surface separated by solid material from the bottom floor engagement surface.
  • a sidewall having a circular cross-section extends upwardly from the floor engagement surface and a circular lip extends inwardly from the sidewall, is spaced from the bottom support surface and defines an opening to the recess of a certain inner diameter.
  • a stud of the assembly has an axis, a threaded shank at one end and a ball head at the other end.
  • the ball head defines a spherically shaped surface which is larger in diameter than the inner diameter of the opening defined by the lip so that the ball head can be snapped past the lip into the recess.
  • the lip closes over the spherically shaped surface to retain the ball head in the recess with the stud extending from the pad and alignable so as to be co-axial with the pad.
  • the bottom support surface of the recess is conical. Since the conical shape generally conforms to the spherical shape of the ball head, the ball head rests against a relatively larger surface area than if the bottom of the recess was flat, for better support and transmission of the supporting forces to the bottom of the pad.
  • the spherical surface may be truncated with a flat surface at a free end of the ball head so as to increase the surface area of contact with the conical surface.
  • the pad is molded in one piece from plastic material and the recess sidewall is defined in part by a relatively thin-walled sleeve which is an upwardly extending portion of the pad.
  • the sleeve is integral with the lip and flexes to allow expansion of the lip when the ball is pushed through it.
  • the lip is separate from a foot portion of the pad, and is defined by a cover which is made of a thermoplastic material.
  • the cover engages the foot so as to be retained by the foot, and retain the ball in the recess of the foot.
  • the cover preferably includes an inwardly extending lower flange, a sleeve extending upwardly from the flange, and an inwardly extending upper flange at the top of the sleeve.
  • the lip defines an inner diameter of the upper flange
  • the foot has a conically shaped sleeve and a groove at the base of the sleeve. The sleeve of the foot cams against the lower flange to expand the lower flange as the cover is pushed over the sleeve, and the lower flange engages in the groove after the lower flange clears an upper edge of the groove.
  • At least one pad and two studs, or at least two pads and one stud are provided to make at least two different leveling pad assemblies. If two pads are provided, they both fit with the same stud with a snap swivel connection, and if two studs are provided, they both fit with the same pad. Thereby, a variety of assemblies can be field assembled from a minimum of number of parts.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates an equipment leveling pad assembly 10 including a pad 12 and a stud 14.
  • the stud 14 has a threaded shank 16 at one end and a ball head 18 at the other end, with a nut 20 which defines an exterior polygonal surface for engagement by a wrench so as to turn the stud 14.
  • the shank 16 is threaded into a nut 22 which is welded or otherwise affixed to a furniture leg 24, so that turning the stud 14 changes the elevation of the leg relative to the pad 12.
  • the pad 10 has an axis 26, a generally pancake shaped foot 28 which is integral on its upper surface with a tapering sleeve 29, and an upwardly opening recess 30 aligned along axis 26 and formed in the sleeve 29 and extending into the foot 28.
  • the foot 28 has a bottom floor engagement surface 32 which radiates perpendicularly from the axis 26, and the recess 30 is on the opposite side of the pad from the floor engagement surface 32.
  • the recess 30 has a bottom support surface 34 which is conical in shape, a side wall 36 which is circular (which is defined by the generally cylindrical interior surface of sleeve 29) extending upwardly from the floor 34, and a circular lip 40 near the top of the recess 30 which extends inwardly toward the axis 26 from the sidewall 36 and is spaced above the bottom support surface 34.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates two different studs 14 or 14', either of which may be used with the pad 12.
  • the studs 14 and 14' are identical except for the diameter of their respective shanks 16 and 16'.
  • the ball head 18 and 18' of each stud has a spherically shaped surface, although it may be truncated at its lower or free end as shown by the flat surface 42.
  • the ball heads 18 and 18' are the same diameter so that either stud 14 or 14' will fit in the same pad 12. If a different type of pad were also available, such as that shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and described below, from the two studs and two pads, a total of 4 different assemblies could easily be made.
  • the lip 40 defines an opening to the recess 30 which is of a certain inner diameter which is less than the diameter of the spherically shaped surface of the head 18.
  • the ball head 18 can be snapped past the lip 40 into the recess 30 and the lip closes over this spherically shaped surface to retain the ball head 18 in the recess 30 with the stud 14 extending from the pad 12 and alignable so as to be co-axial with the pad.
  • the diameter of the wall 36 is slightly greater than the diameter of the spherical surface of the ball head 18 so as to allow the pad 12 to freely pivot relative to the stud 14 without binding.
  • the lip 40 is defined by the surfaces 40A, 40B and 40C.
  • the surface 40A is an upwardly diverging conical surface so as to cam on a ball head 18 as it is being inserted into the recess 30 so as to expand the lip 40 outwardly.
  • the surface 40B is generally cylindrical so as to provide a transition zone between the surfaces 40A and 40C.
  • the surface 40C is downwardly diverging so as to cam on a ball head 18 when the ball head 18 is extracted from the recess 30 so as to facilitate expanding the lip 40 during removal of the stud 14 from the pad 12.
  • the ball head 18 rests against the floor engagement surface 34 so as to transfer the weight of the furniture to the floor engagement surface 34 and through solid material of the foot 28 to the floor engagement surface 32.
  • the bottom support surface is preferably made conical so that it generally conforms to the shape of the ball head 18 so as to help radiate the downward thrust of the weight of the furniture on the ball head 18 to the floor engagement surface 32.
  • the pad 12 should be made of a thermoplastic material which can flex, so as to allow the ball head 18 to snap past the lip 40.
  • Any suitable thermoplastic material may be used which is sufficiently hard to support the weight of the furniture to be supported without excessive creep.
  • DelrinTM which is an acetal resin commercially available from DuPont Engineering Polymers, has good hardness and lubricity properties for many applications.
  • the foot part 28 of the pad must be made of a harder and more inelastic material, such as steel or stainless steel so as to support the head 18 and the weight of the furniture.
  • the invention can be applied as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.
  • a cover 50 is provided on which the lip 40 is formed and which snaps over an inner sleeve 29' which is integral with the foot 28'.
  • a boot over the bottom of the foot 28 which may for example be made of rubber or neoprene, to provide a degree of skid resistance, anti-marring or vibration isolation to the pad assembly.
  • the cover 50 is made from a relatively elastic material, such as a thermoplastic, e.g., DelrinTM, and has an inwardly extending lower flange 52 which engages in a groove 54 formed at the base of the inner sleeve 29'.
  • a relatively elastic material such as a thermoplastic, e.g., DelrinTM
  • the outer surface of inner sleeve 29' is conical so as to expand flange 52 outwardly as the cover is pushed onto the sleeve 29', so that flange 52 snaps into the groove 54 when it clears the upper edge of the groove 54.
  • the inner diameter of flange 52 is defined by conical surface 52A and cylindrical surface 52B, which are provided to engage and cam on the conical surface of sleeve 29' so as to expand flange 52 outwardly, and to positively engage in the groove 54.
  • a relatively thin walled outer sleeve 56 extends upwardly from the flange 52 to allow this expansion to take place without permanent deformation.
  • sleeve 56 integrally joins with an inwardly extending upper flange 58, the inner diameter of which is partially defined by the lip 40'.
  • the upper flange 58 has a somewhat thicker cross-section for rigidity, but to still allow the ball head of the stud to be snapped past the lip 40'.
  • the assembly of Figs. 6 and 7 is made by first snapping the cover 50 over the sleeve 29', and thereafter snapping a ball head 18 of a stud past the lip 40' into the recess 30' defined by the cover 50 and foot 28'.
  • shank 16 of the stud need not be integral with the ball head 18, but the ball head could be internally threaded and the shank could be threaded into the ball head. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should be defined by the claims which follow.

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  • Pivots And Pivotal Connections (AREA)
EP95120390A 1995-01-17 1995-12-22 Sockelanlage zum Nivellieren von Geräten Withdrawn EP0722681A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US37373895A 1995-01-17 1995-01-17
US373738 1995-01-17

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0722681A2 true EP0722681A2 (de) 1996-07-24
EP0722681A3 EP0722681A3 (de) 1998-01-07

Family

ID=23473670

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP95120390A Withdrawn EP0722681A3 (de) 1995-01-17 1995-12-22 Sockelanlage zum Nivellieren von Geräten

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0722681A3 (de)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0874186A1 (de) * 1997-04-23 1998-10-28 FISHER & PAYKEL LIMITED Höhenverstell- oder Nivelliereinrichtung
EP0943859A1 (de) * 1998-03-19 1999-09-22 BETT SISTEMI s.r.l. Verstellbarer Stützfuss
GB2342855A (en) * 1998-10-20 2000-04-26 Illinois Tool Works Furniture levelling foot
EP1113213A1 (de) * 1999-12-30 2001-07-04 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Stützfuss für schwere Körper
EP1113212A1 (de) * 1999-12-30 2001-07-04 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Stützfuss für schwere Körper
EP1124086A1 (de) * 2000-02-11 2001-08-16 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Zapfen für Stützfuss für schwere Lasten und diesen aufweisenden Stützfuss
CN100541076C (zh) * 2005-05-10 2009-09-16 乐金电子(天津)电器有限公司 冰箱的高度调整装置
US20180313095A1 (en) * 2017-04-28 2018-11-01 Geoffrey Arthur Heschel Adjustable footing for a post
US20210337963A1 (en) * 2020-04-29 2021-11-04 Cornilleau Sas Game table including at least one stabilizer leg

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2262064A (en) * 1939-01-31 1941-11-11 Armstrong Cork Co Furniture glide and method of making same
GB1013033A (en) * 1963-10-11 1965-12-15 Technical And Scient Services Improved swivel glide
AU479972B2 (en) * 1975-04-28 1977-02-03 United Packages Limited Furniture fittings

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU741052B2 (en) * 1997-04-23 2001-11-22 Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited Height adjustment or levelling apparatus
EP0874186A1 (de) * 1997-04-23 1998-10-28 FISHER & PAYKEL LIMITED Höhenverstell- oder Nivelliereinrichtung
EP0943859A1 (de) * 1998-03-19 1999-09-22 BETT SISTEMI s.r.l. Verstellbarer Stützfuss
GB2342855A (en) * 1998-10-20 2000-04-26 Illinois Tool Works Furniture levelling foot
GB2342855B (en) * 1998-10-20 2000-12-13 Illinois Tool Works Furniture levelling foot and system
EP1113213A1 (de) * 1999-12-30 2001-07-04 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Stützfuss für schwere Körper
EP1113212A1 (de) * 1999-12-30 2001-07-04 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Stützfuss für schwere Körper
EP1124086A1 (de) * 2000-02-11 2001-08-16 Rexnord Marbett S.p.A. Zapfen für Stützfuss für schwere Lasten und diesen aufweisenden Stützfuss
CN100541076C (zh) * 2005-05-10 2009-09-16 乐金电子(天津)电器有限公司 冰箱的高度调整装置
US20180313095A1 (en) * 2017-04-28 2018-11-01 Geoffrey Arthur Heschel Adjustable footing for a post
US11162275B2 (en) * 2017-04-28 2021-11-02 Geoffrey Arthur Heschel Adjustable footing for a post
US20210337963A1 (en) * 2020-04-29 2021-11-04 Cornilleau Sas Game table including at least one stabilizer leg
US12256834B2 (en) * 2020-04-29 2025-03-25 Cornilleau Sas Game table including at least one stabilizer leg

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0722681A3 (de) 1998-01-07

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