Anti-Pinch Device

The present invention belongs to the field of child protection articles, and particularly relates to an anti-pinch device capable of locking movable parts such as drawers and doors to prevent finger pinch injuries.

In home life, the opening and closing of movable parts such as drawers and cabinet doors may cause finger pinch injuries. Especially for immature children, finger pinch injuries caused by playing with drawers or cabinet doors often occur. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an anti-pinch device to avoid finger pinch injuries.

For example, Chinese patent No. CN204260217U discloses a drawer anti-pinch device which is composed of a stop block and a fixed block hinged together. Referring toof this patent, the anti-pinch device is mounted on an outer surface of a drawer, and the stop block can rotate outward. Therefore, when a lower drawer is pulled open, the stop block rotates along with the lower drawer, and when the pull-open distance exceeds a predetermined value, the stop block is reset, thereby preventing the drawer from being closed and achieving anti-pinch. When the lower drawer needs to be closed, the stop block needs to be manually rotated. On the one hand, the anti-pinch device is mounted on the outer surface of the drawer, which is unsightly and may be damaged. On the other hand, the anti-pinch device needs to be manually operated every time the drawer is closed, resulting in inconvenient use.

An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the above-described shortcomings and provide an anti-pinch device capable of being mounted on an inner surface of a drawer or a door without being exposed to the outside.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following solution.

In some embodiments, there is provided an anti-pinch device including: a first body, a second body rotatably connected to the first body about a pivot as an axis and pivotally disposed to be switchable between at least a first position and a second position; and a first resetting member provided between the second body and the first body, so that the second body has a tendency to be displaced toward the first position.

The second body is in a distant position relative to the first body when the second body is located in the first position and is in a proximate position relative to the first body when the second body is located in the second position.

When the second body is locked in the first position, the second body is retained to prevent a part to be protected from being closed via abutting of an abutting surface against a body to be protected to achieve an anti-pinch function, and when the second body is displaced to the second position, the anti-pinch device is not in contact with the body to be protected to allow the part to be protected to close.

In some other embodiments, there is also provided an anti-pinch device including: a first body; a second body rotatably connected to the first body and pivotally provided between at least a first position and a second position; a first resetting member acting between the second body and the first body to apply a resetting force to the second body; and an actuating member provided on the first body.

The second body is pivoted from the first position toward the first body by a first predetermined angle to reach the second position, and when the second body is locked in the second position, a pivotal movement thereof is locked or unlocked by a rotational locking mechanism.

When a part to be protected is to be closed, the second body is adjusted to the second position, and then the anti-pinch device is displaced with the part to be protected to a closed position, the actuating member comes into contact with the body to be protected and is actuated to retract to drive the rotational locking mechanism to unlock, and the second body is rotated from the second position toward the first position by a second predetermined angle under a resetting force of the first resetting member to cause the second body to abut against the body to be protected.

When the part to be protected is opened next time, the anti-pinch device is displaced with the part to be protected to an open position, and the second body is rotated toward the first position by a third predetermined angle under the action of the resetting force of the first resetting member to reach the first position.

In another preferred embodiment, any of the above anti-pinch devices is configured for built-in mounting.

Reference numerals in the drawings are as follows:

In order to make those skilled in the art better understand the present invention and thereby define the scope of the present invention more clearly, the present invention is described below in detail with respect to some specific embodiments of the present invention.

An anti-pinch device is used to be mounted on the inner side of movable household parts such as drawers and doors to prevent finger pinch injuries when the drawers or doors are closed. The device has two states, namely an activated state and an inactivated state. In the activated state, the device can prevent a drawer or door from being closed to avoid finger pinch injuries. In the inactivated state, the device is retained in a state/position that does not prevent the drawer or door from being closed.

As a reference, the present embodiment is understood by mounting the anti-pinch device internally in a drawer cabinet to manage opening/closing of a drawer, thereby illustrating the structure and principle of the device. As is known in the prior art, a drawer cabinet generally consists of a cabinet body and drawers that are movably disposed and can be pulled out, whether to prevent or not prevent the drawers from being closed depends on whether a portion of the device can play an interference role, when the portion of the anti-pinch device abuts against the cabinet body to prevent the drawers from being closed, and when any portion of the anti-pinch device does not interfere with the cabinet body, the device does not prevent the drawers from being closed. Of course, the device can also be mounted on an outer surface of a drawer for use, that is, external mounting, and the working principle is similar and will not be repeated.

As shown in, the anti-pinch device includes a first bodyand a second bodywhich are in a rotatable movable connection. The first bodyis used to be fixed to an inner surface of a drawer (or a door, and the subsequent “drawer” can be replaced with “door”) using known methods including but not limited to adhesive bonding or screw fixing. By rotating the second bodyrelative to the first body, the overall device can switch between different positions to prevent or allow the drawer to close.

are schematic diagrams showing that the anti-pinch device blocks the drawer from being closed;are schematic diagrams showing that the anti-pinch device does not block the drawer from being closed, andis also a schematic diagram showing that the device does not block the drawer from being closed, with the difference in that the device is in a normally closed state at this time. That is, in the state shown in, the device allows the drawer to be closed this time, and after the drawer is opened again the next time, the device can be rotated to the state of blocking closing as shown in. As shown in, the device is retained in a normally closed state and allows the drawer to be opened or closed once or multiple times.are schematic diagrams showing that the second bodyis in a first position,are schematic diagrams showing that the second body is in a first position, IG.is a schematic diagram showing that the second body is in a third position.

As shown in, the first bodyand the second bodyare hinged near their respective ends, so that the overall structure of the device composed of the first body and the second body is compact and small in size, and easy to fold or unfold. A fixing surfacefor fitting to the inner surface of the drawer for fixation is formed on a back surface of the first body.

Preferably, 3M adhesive may be pre-applied to the fixing surfaceto facilitate adhesive fixation of the first body. In some other embodiments, the fixing surfaceis fitted to the inner surface of the drawer and fixed by screws.

As shown in, the second bodyis limited and retained in the first position and cannot continue to rotate to open the drawer, and abuts against a body to be protected (i.e., the cabinet body) by an abutting surface, thereby achieving the purpose of preventing the drawer from being closed.

As shown in, when the second bodyis rotated downward from the position shown inabout a pivotas an axis, the second bodycan be rotated to switch from the first position to the second position, so that the anti-pinch device can be displaced to a second state in which the draweris not blocked from being closed, and the first bodyis rotated by an angle b in the process, as shown in. In the present embodiment, b is 95°, and in other embodiments, the numerical value of b may be set as necessary, without limitation.

Preferably, in the present embodiment, the anti-pinch device can be retained in the second position, so that the user only needs to rotate the device by the angle b without continuously applying force to retain the device in the second position, which can simplify the operation and improve the user experience. Of course, in other embodiments, the structure of retaining the second bodyin the second position may be omitted, and the user may manually retain the position of the second bodyduring use so as not to interfere with the closing of the drawer.

As shown in, the first bodyis composed of a first lock member, the first lock memberincludes a fitting portionand a connecting portion, a top surface of the connecting portionis formed as an upper end surface of the first body; and the second bodyis composed of a second lock member, and the second lock memberincludes a connecting armand a blocking arm. The connecting armand the blocking armare preferably integrally formed, there are two connecting armsextending from a lower end of the blocking arm, and a first connecting cavityis formed between the two connecting arms. When assembled, the two connecting armsare respectively locked in both ends of the connecting portion, and the first connecting cavityaccommodates the connecting portionwholly or partially therein.

Preferably, a mounting cavityhaving a non-circular cross-section may be provided in the connecting portion. For example, the mounting cavityhas a half-track cross-sectional shape, and a connecting memberis at least partially accommodated in the mounting cavityand both have corresponding shapes, so that the connecting memberis non-rotatably disposed in the mounting cavity. In other embodiments, other shapes may also be used to create the non-rotatable arrangement, such as triangular, square, or other non-circular cross-sectional shapes, or an anti-rotation structure having a circular cross-section but a concave-convex shape. In short, any shape that allows the connecting memberto be non-rotatably mounted in the mounting cavityis acceptable.

Moreover, the connecting memberis telescopically disposed in an axial direction, that is, the connecting membercan reciprocate in the direction of the pivot. A first locking structureis provided at an outer end of the connecting member, and a second locking structureis provided on the corresponding connecting arm, so that the first locking structureand the second locking structurecan be engaged or disengaged by the displacement of the connecting memberin the axial direction, the rotation of the second lock memberis locked when the two are engaged, and the second lock memberis allowed to be rotated when the two are disengaged. The first locking structureand the second locking structureform a rotational locking mechanism, so that pivotal movement of the second bodycan be locked or unlocked by the rotational locking mechanism when the second bodyis in the second position.

In the present embodiment, the first locking structureand the second locking structureare a convex member and a concave member respectively to form a concavo-convex fit therebetween. In other embodiments, the first locking structureand the second locking structuremay be in frictional locking.

As shown in, the first locking structureis composed of a bumpconvexly provided on an end surface of the connecting member, and the second locking structureis a groovecorrespondingly concavely provided on the connecting arm. Preferably, there are two bumpswhich are provided on both sides of the pivot, and two groove groups are correspondingly provided on the connecting arm, and each groove group has two grooves, that is, a first groove groupand a second groove groupare provided on the connecting arm. The first groove groupis used to lock the second lock memberin the first position (i.e., as shown in), and the second groove groupis used to lock the second lock memberin the second position (as shown in), so that the second lock membercan be retained in either the first position or the second position.

In the present embodiment, the groovecorresponding to the first position forms a limit planeon one side and a third guide surfaceon the other side, and the third guide surfacemay be an inclined plane or a curved surface, so that the opening of the second lock membercan be locked, but the closing of the second lock memberis not locked, that is, the rotation of the second lock memberfrom the first position to the second position is free and unlocked (based on the guiding effect of the guide surface). The groovecorresponding to the second position forms a limit planeon both sides, so that the second lock memberis completely locked in rotation when in the second position and must be unlocked before the second lock member can be rotated again.

Therefore, if it is considered to remove locking function of the second lock memberin the second position, the second groove groupmay not be disposed, and since the connecting memberis movably disposed in the axial direction and can be retracted, the bumpdoes not interfere with the connecting arm.

Of course, in some other embodiments, the first groove groupmay be further omitted, and other structures may be adopted instead to achieve the purpose of limiting the rotation of the second lock member. For example, the first lock memberis convexly disposed upward by a certain distance to abut on the back surface of the second lock memberfor limiting, or the second lock memberis abutted and limited by a drawer as shown in.

In the present embodiment, a pinis penetratingly provided in the connecting memberand passes through third shaft holesthe two connecting armsof the second lock member, thereby pivotally connecting the second lock memberto the first lock member.

Preferably, the pinis non-rotatably connected to the two third shaft holes, for example, an anti-rotation structure such as a spline structureis provided, and the pinis rotatably and penetratingly disposed in a first shaft holeof the connecting member. A first resetting memberis provided between the first lock memberand the second lock member, so that the second lock memberinitially maintains a tendency to be rotate toward the first position. For example, a torsion spring is used as the first resetting member. A bossis formed around the third shaft bore, the bossis circular and convexly disposed to facilitate positioning of the anti-pinch device in a mounting base.

As shown in, a second resetting memberis provided between the connecting memberand a bottom wall of the mounting cavity. The second resetting membermay preferably be a return spring, so that the connecting memberinitially has a tendency to protrude.

Due to the need to drive the connecting memberto displace in the axial direction for unlocking, an actuating memberis also provided in the present embodiment. By driving the actuating memberto move, the connecting memberis driven to retract and displace inward in the axial direction, so that the first locking structureand the second locking structureare disengaged and unlocked.

Preferably, the actuating memberis movably disposed in a direction perpendicular to the pivot, more specifically in a vertical direction, and the actuating memberand the connecting memberare separately provided with a first guide surfaceand a second guide surface, and at least one of the two guide surfaces is an inclined plane or a curved surface, which allows to convert displacement movement of the actuating memberperpendicular to the axial direction into the displacement movement of the connecting memberin the axial direction, so that the movement of closing the drawer can be used to drive the actuating memberto displace, achieving the purpose of unlocking the second lock memberfrom the second position while closing the drawer. When the drawer is opened again next time, the anti-pinch device can restore to the working state by itself under the action of the first resetting member, that is, the second locking memberrotates to the first position by itself, which is convenient to use.

In the present embodiment, a second mounting holeextending perpendicularly to the axial direction is provided on the connecting memberto accommodate the actuating memberat least partially therein. Since the pinis penetratingly disposed in the connecting member, both a width of the second mounting holein the axial direction and a height of the second shaft holeprovided on the actuating memberhave an allowance to meet the displacement requirement.

A first mounting holeis provided on an upper end surface of the connecting portion, and the actuating membersequentially passes through the first mounting holeand the second mounting hole, so that the actuating member can be exposed on the connecting portionas an abutting endfor abutting against an upper wall surface of the cabinet body. Preferably, a lower end surface of the connecting portioninto which the actuating memberis penetratingly disposed is provided with a third mounting holeto allow an actuating member lower endof the actuating memberto move downward, for example, the actuating member lower endprotrudes from the third mounting hole.

Preferably, the anti-pinch device of the present embodiment is mounted and positioned using the mounting base, and the mounting baseis provided with a positioning structureand a snap-fit cavity. The positioning structureis used for positioning assembly with the body of the product to be protected, and the size of the snap-fit cavityis slightly smaller than that of the anti-pinch device and is preferably adapted to the shape of the boss, thereby allowing the anti-pinch device to be interference assembled in the snap-fit cavity, and finally the anti-pinch device is accurately positioned and mounted on the inner surface of the drawer, resulting in convenient mounting.

In the present embodiment, the second lock memberis rotated downward from the first position by an angle b to reach the second position, as the drawer is closed, the abutting endof the actuating memberis actuated to release the locking relationship between the first locking structureand the second locking structure, and the second lock memberis rotated toward the first position by an angle a under the action of an elastic force of the first resetting member, and after rotated by the angle a, the rotational locking can no longer be formed between the first locking structureand the second locking structure. Therefore, when the drawer is opened again, the second lock membercan be further rotated to the first position under the action of the elastic force of the first resetting member. Therefore, with such a design, the automatic unlocking can be realized by using the drawer closing process. That is, when the drawer is closed, the actuating memberis driven downward by the upper wall surface of the cabinet body to release locking connection between the two locking structures, so that the second lock membercan be rotated towards the first position under the action of the first resetting memberuntil the second lock member abuts against the upper wall surface of the cabinet body. In this way, when the drawer is opened next time, the second lockcan continue to be rotated to the first position, achieving automatic return and convenient use. Here, the numerical value of the angle a may be set as necessary, without limitation. For example, in one embodiment, the angle a is 5°.

As shown in, a first retaineris provided on the first lock member, and a second retaineris correspondingly provided on the second lock member. When the second lock membercontinues to be rotated downward from the second position until the second lock member is close to fitting with the first lock memberto reach the third position, the first retaineris connected with the second retainerto retain the second lock memberin the third position. When the user releases the two retainers, the second lock member can be unlocked from the third position, and the actuating membercannot unlock the second lock member. Preferably, the first retainerand the second retainerare in snap-on connection or interfered connection to lock and retain the second lock member(i.e., the second bodyis kept from rotation). The first retainerand the second retainerform a normally open locking mechanism. When the second bodycontinues to be pivoted from the second position by a fourth predetermined angle to reach the third position to result in an anti-pinch state of the anti-pinch device, the normally open locking mechanism can lock or unlock the pivotal movement of the second bodywhen the second bodyis in the third position.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a shaft protrusionand an annular cavitysurrounding a periphery of the shaft protrusionare provided at the other end of the connecting portionopposite to the mounting cavity, a fourth shaft holeis provided in the shaft protrusion, and the fourth shaft holeis concentrically disposed with the first shaft holefor the pinto pass through to stabilize rotation of the second lock member.

Several typical usage states of the anti-pinch device of the present embodiment are as follows:

1is a schematic side structural view of the anti-pinch device assembled on a drawer and in the working state (the same is true for the case that the anti-pinch device is assembled on the inner surface of the door). The fixing surfaceis fitted to the inner surface of the drawer, and a mounting height of the anti-pinch device in a vertical direction meets the use requirements (the specific mounting height can be positioned by the mounting base). At this time, the second lock member(i.e., the second body) is in the first position, which blocks the drawer from being closed to avoid finger pinch injuries. The anti-pinch device is remained in this state unless operated by the user.

2. If the drawer needs to be closed, the user pulls the drawer outward by a certain distance, and then pushes the second lock memberto rotate downward. Because the first groove grouphas a one-way locking structure, the second lock member can be pushed without the need to operate the actuating memberto unlock, the second lock memberis rotated by the angle b to the second position, and the bumpand the second groove groupare in concavo-convex fit to lock and retain the second lock memberin the second position, resulting in the state as shown in. When the drawer is pushed inward to nearly close, the actuating memberis abutted against to displace downward, the first locking structureand the second locking structureare unlocked, and the second lock memberis rotated toward the first position by the predetermined angle a under the action of the first resetting memberuntil the second lock membercomes into contact with an upper wall of the cabinet body. When the drawer is pulled open again next time, the second lock membercan continue to be rotated to the first position under the action of the elastic force of the first resetting member, and the anti-pinch device is restored to the working state as shown in, which is convenient to use.

3. If the anti-pinch device needs to be set to the normally closed state, that is, no matter how the drawer is opened and closed, the device will not work. When the user rotates the second lock memberto the third position, as shown in, the second lock memberis snap-fitted and locked by the first retainerand the second retainer, and the drawer can be opened and closed at will.