A very fertile soil of innovations for all furniture and accessory producers is the making of lifting frames for covering panels of hanging pieces of furniture.

There is the need for a furniture's lifting/opening mechanism to be efficient, reliable and cheap.

Big companies with huge technical departments invest uninterruptedly resources to elaborate new mechanisms and new performances. Although at first sight it may seem not very convincing, the final client won't accept no more a simple swivelling plus hinge, but he expects sophistication and technology even in a mere and prosaic object such as a furniture. The furniture must be capable of lifting its cover-panel beyond the span it shields, so far as to bring it over the frame. It can be understood that a quite non-trivial articulation is necessary. In spite of deep researches, known mechanisms remain complex, hard to adjust and very expensive.

In the figure on the side there is shown the very recent invention by Girotto (as designed with Solidworks and produced by a famous and enterprising firm of furniture (Perin s.p.a.)), greatly solving the problem.

It comprises a tubular section bar including at its ends two pulleys, one fixed to the interior of the furniture, the other pivoted to the panel so as to be rotatable. The two pulleys are kinematically coupled by a transmission chain or belt, which is adapted to synchronize their rotary movement. A gas-spring is engaged and pushing on the edge of each pulley to complete the mechanism.

While the panel is being raised, the bond between the pulleys makes simultaneously rotate the panel, and at the same time the gas-spring servo-assists the motion and supports the panel in open position.

In a very simple manner (by varying the diameters of the pulleys and/or the characteristics of the gas-spring) a lot of mechanisms with different characteristics can be implemented, having a different "feeling" for the user. The array of products on sale and the attention for the clients' needs are enhanced.

It is apparent, here again, how the mechanism is simple and clever. The mounting is nearly immediate, the maintenance very easy and the costs reduced at a minimum.