Boltless cabinet assembly

Abstract

A boltless panel assembly for use in constructing a boltless cabinet comprises a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edge portions. At least one slot engaging member is attached to and extends interiorly from each side edge portion of the panel for insertion into slots of boltless support post. A releasable retaining member prevents disengagement of the slot engaging member from a slot once it has been inserted into and seated in a slot of a boltless support post.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a boltless panel assembly mountable on a pair of boltless support posts and releasably secured thereto and more particularly to a cabinet constructed with one or more boltless panel assemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of boltless storage racks have been designed to store tools, equipment, merchandise, and other items. Such boltless racks are popular for their ease of assembly. Panels have been designed to be mounted on the support posts of a boltless rack to create an enclosed cabinet. However, such cabinets are not typically of a boltless design that provide adequate security for the contents of the cabinet. It would be desirable to have cabinets that had the ease of assembly of a boltless design and the security provided by a conventional bolted cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a boltless panel assembly mountable on boltless support posts for use in construction of a cabinet for garage storage systems. The boltless panel assembly comprises at least one generally rectangular panel having top, bottom and side edge portions and exterior and interior faces. At least one, and preferably at least two (upper and lower) slot engaging member extends inwardly from each side edge portion for insertion into and seating in a slot of a boltless support post. Preferred engaging members include rivets and inwardly extending lances or tabs for engaging corresponding slots in the support posts.

In one exemplary embodiment, the panel is generally flat and the side edge portions, casing at least one and preferably at least two rearwardly extending slot-engaging members.

In another preferred embodiment, the side edges of the panel bend rearwardly for wrapping around the corner of a corner post and casing at least one and preferably at least two slot engaging members for engaging slots in a support post.

In another exemplary embodiment, the side edge portions of the panel bend rearwardly, then inwardly to form an inner lip portion which carries the slot engaging members.

In another exemplary embodiment, the side edge portions bend rearwardly to form a generally flat side wall and at least one, and preferably at least two L-shaped brackets are secured, e.g., by welding or the like, to the sidewall. The free legs of the brackets extend rearwardly and inwardly behind the panel and carry a slot-engaging member. In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the L-shaped bracket is hingedly attached to the side wall of the panel.

In an exemplary embodiment, each side panel assembly comprises frame members along at least the panel side edges and preferably also along the top and bottom panel edges. In one embodiment, the frame members have inwardly facing channels for receiving and capturing the edges of a flat, generally rectangular panel, made of wood, plastic, metal or any other suitable material. In another embodiment, the panel is hingedly attached to the frame so that the panel may swing open and will function as a door. As desired the panel may be divided into two pieces to provide two doors, e.g., in a side-by-side arrangement.

In an exemplary embodiment, the side members of the frame carry one or more hinges. One leaf of each hinge is fixedly attached to the frame, e.g., by spot welding and a second leaf is generally L-Shaped and carries one or more slot engaging members. Such an embodiment allows the frame and panel to swing from an open position for ease of assembly to a closed position, mounted on boltless support posts, concealing the slot engaging members.

The panel assembly of the present invention further comprises at least one releasable retaining member associated with at least one slot engaging member that extends inwardly from each side edge portion. The releasable retaining member prevents a slot engaging member that has been inserted into and seated in a slot in a support post from disengaging from the slot. The releasable retaining member is preferably not accessible from the exterior of the cabinet.

An exemplary releasable retaining member comprises a screw that extends from inside the cabinet through a slot in the support post at a location adjacent the top of a slot and is threaded into a hole in the panel, panel frame (if present) bracket (if present), or hinge (if present) of the panel assembly. Another exemplary releasable retaining member useful with rivet-style slot engaging members is a spring clip that can be fitted between the head of the rivet and the inner surface of the support post. Another exemplary releasable retaining member useful with a tab or lance-type slot engaging member is a pin, clip or ring-type retainer that can be passed through a hole in the lance or tab and is sufficiently large to prevent passage of the lance out of the slot.

The present invention further comprises a front panel assembly comprising at least one door panel, at least one hinge assembly along an outer peripheral portion of the door panel and at least one slot engaging member associated with the hinge assembly. In one exemplary embodiment, the hinge assembly comprises a frame extending along at least one of the top, bottom or side edge portions of the door panel which carries at least one and preferably at least a pair of slot engaging members.

In another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a generally rectangular frame and the door panel or panels are hingedly mounted on the frame. The side members of the frame comprise at least one slot-engaging member and preferably at least upper and lower slot engaging members for engaging slots in support posts. The door panel assembly may comprise a single door panel that is hingedly connected to the frame along its bottom edge portion, top edge portion or a side edge portion. Alternatively, the front panel assembly may comprise a pair of door panels that are hingedly attached along their side edge portions.

The front panel assembly also comprises at least one retaining member for prevention of disengagement of the slot engaging member(s) from a support post once the front panel assembly has been mounted on the support posts.

The front panel assembly further comprises a closure mechanism to keep the door panel(s) in a closed position. The closure mechanism may comprise any suitable releasable latch mechanism, lock mechanism, clips, magnets or the like. Each door panel may, if desired, comprise a handle for ease of opening and closing.

The boltless panel assembly according to the present invention is particularly useful in the construction of a boltless cabinet system. An exemplary boltless cabinet comprises four corner support posts boltlessly connected together by front, rear and side cross beams at two or more elevations. At two elevations, the cross beams support shelf panels which form the floor and ceiling of the cabinet. The ceiling shelf panel is preferably releasably fixed in place by brackets or screws secured to the shelf and to a cross-beam or panel assembly by brackets. The cabinet further comprises side, rear and front panel assemblies as described herein.

Boltless cabinets comprising at least one panel assembly according to the present invention are particularly useful in the construction of garage storage systems. Such systems comprise at least one cabinet comprising one or more panel assemblies, and at least one open storage rack shelves. In one exemplary embodiment the garage storage system further comprises at least one work bench, at least one open storage shelf and at least one cabinet having at least one panel assembly, all supported by boltless support posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures attached hereto show the following:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 showing an open door panel.

FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of a boltless rack on which panel assemblies are mounted.

FIG. 3 b is a an enlarged, exploded perspective view of an exemplary mounting arrangement of the panel assemblies shown in FIG. 1 to boltless support posts.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary cross beam.

FIG. 6 a-6c are enlarged perspective views of another exemplary boltless support post and cross-beam connection.

FIG. 7 is an interior view of another exemplary rivet and retaining clip arrangement.

FIG. 8 is a interior view of another exemplary lance and retaining ring arrangement.

FIG. 9 is another is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9 showing an open door panel.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another exemplary panel assembly.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the panel frame of the exemplary panel assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an exemplary garage storage system.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another exemplary garage storage system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary boltless cabinet 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-4. The cabinet 10 comprises the upper portion of a boltless rack which acts as a support frame 11 for the cabinet 10. In addition to the support frame 11, the cabinet 10 comprises shelf panels 12, and front, side and rear panel assemblies 13, 14 and 15 respectively. The support frame includes left and right front support posts 17 and 18, and left and right rear support posts 19 and 20. Front cross-beams 21 extend generally horizontally from left front support post 17 to the right front support post 18. Rear cross-beams 22 extend generally horizontally from the left rear support post 19 to the right rear support post 20 at about the same elevation as the front cross-beams 21. Side cross beams 24 extend between the left front and rear support posts 17 and 19 and the right front and rear support posts 18 and 20, again at the same elevation as the front and rear cross-beams 21 and 22. The cross beams are configured to support the peripheral edges of shelf panels 12.

The cross-beams are vertically spaced according to the desired space between the floor, any shelves within this cabinet and the ceiling of the cabinet. The dimensions of the cabinet as well as the number and spacing of the shelves are not critical and are a matter of choice.

With reference to FIG. 3b, the support posts include keyhole slots 30 having a large, generally circular upper portion 32 and lower, narrower slot portion 34. The keyhole slots 30 receive and seat rivets 36 at the ends of cross-beams 20, 22, and 24 More specifically, the cross-beams 21, 22, and 24 are anchored to the support posts 17-20 by passing the heads of the rivets 36 through the large upper portion 32 of keyhole slots 30 and lowering the cross-beam and rivets 36 until the shafts of the rivets 36 seat in the lower portions 34 of the keyhole slots 30.

The front, rear, and side cross-beams 21, 22, and 24 preferably have the same construction. With reference to FIG. 5, the cross-beams of this embodiment comprise a generally vertical outer wall 38, a generally horizontal top wall 40 extending inwardly from the top edge of the outer wall 38, an inner generally vertical wall 42 descending downwardly from the inner edge of the top wall and a generally horizontal shelf support wall 44 extending inwardly from the bottom edge of the inner vertical wall. There is also a stabilizing lower wall 46 that extends inwardly from the bottom edge of the outer wall. The outer wall 38 carries a pair of outwardly extending rivets 36 at each end. The rivets 36 are vertically spaced apart for insertion into and seating in an adjacent pair of slots 30 in the support posts.

Another preferred cross-beam construction is a Z-beam construction disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 60826037, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The shelf panels 12 form the floor and ceiling of the cabinet. For security, the ceiling shelf panel may be fixed in place by brackets 28 or the like, may be made of any suitable material, including wood, metal, e.g., sheet metal, plastic, wire, and the like. A preferred shelving material is particle board, particularly medium density fiberboard (“MDF”).

It is understood that the size, shape and spacing of the slots and the size, shapes and number of the slot engaging members may be varied as desired. For example, FIGS. 6a-6c show another preferred slot engaging member and slot arrangement. In this arrangement, the slots 50 are wedge-shaped and the slot engaging members are metal lances 52 formed in L-shaped brackets 54 at the end of each cross-beam.

It is understood that the cross-beams may comprise only a single slot engaging member at their ends. It is also understood that the front, rear and side cross-beams need not have the same cross-sectional configuration. Further, the invention may be performed with only a pair of opposing cross-beams for supporting each shelf-panel.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the cabinet 10 comprises a front door panel assembly 13, a pair of side panel assemblies 14, and a rear panel assembly and 15. Each of the side and rear panel assemblies comprises a generally rectangular sheet metal panel 55 having a generally vertical and rectangular exterior face and an interior face, a top wall 60, bottom wall 62, and side walls 64 extending rearwardly along the periphery of the exterior face 56, and generally normal to the exterior face. A lip 60 extends inwardly from the inner edges of the top wall 60, bottom wall 62, and side walls 64.

The front panel assembly comprises a pair of door panels 79 having the same design as the side and rear panels 55.

Upper and lower hinges 68 and 70 are fixedly attached, e.g., by welding, to the outer side walls 64 of the door panels 79 and to both side walls of side and rear panels 55. As shown in FIG. 3b, the hinges 68 and 70 comprise first and second leaves 71 and 72. The first leaf 71 is fixed to the side wall 64 of the panel so that the pivot pin 73 is adjacent the outer edge of the side wall 64. The second leaf 72 is L-shaped and pivots from an open position as shown in FIG. 2 to a closed position, doubling back across the first leaf 71 and then extending behind the lip 66 as shown in FIG. 1. The second leaf 72 carries a rivet 36 as shown in FIG. 3b that can be inserted into and seated in a slot 30 in a support post.

Each hinge 68 and 70 further comprises a threaded screw hole 75 for receiving a screw 76. The screw hole 75 is located such that when the panel assembly is mounted on support posts with the rivets 36 seated in the lower slot portions 34 of the keyhole slots 30, the screw hole 75 will be just below the top of a slot 30.

The door panel assembly 13 is mounted on a pair of support posts by inserting the rivets 36 on the hinges 68 and 70 attached to the outer side wall 64 portion into keyhole slots 30 of the support posts and then seating the rivets in the lower slot 34 portions of the keyhole slots 30. Screws 76 are then threaded into the screw holes 75. The screws 76 are not accessible from the exterior of the cabinet when the door panel is in its closed position. The screws 76 prevent the rivets 36 from moving upwardly into the circular portions 32 of the keyhole slots 36 where they may become disengaged.

The side and rear panel assemblies 14 and 15 are mounted in the same way as the front door panel assembly 13 except the rivets carried by both side walls must be seated into the slots. For at least one side of the side and rear panel assemblies, the retaining screws 76 must be threaded into the screw holes 75 from the interior of the cabinet.

It is understood that any mechanism for mounting rivets on the panel may be used. For example, rather than a hinge, an fixed L-shaped bracket may be attached to the side wall 64 of the panel. If desired, a portion of the panel lip 66 could carry the rivets 36.

It is understood that any retainer retaining clip, pin, or other retaining mechanism for preventing the slot-engaging members from disengaging the slots may be used. For example, the length of the shaft of the rivet 36 may be selected to provide a gap between the head of the rivet and the inside face of the support post. In such an embodiment, a spring clip 37 that snaps around the shaft of the rivet 36 between the head of the rivet and the inside face of the support post, e.g., support post 17, could releasably retain the rivet 36 in place as shown in FIG. 7.

If a lance 52 is used as the slot engaging member, a small hole 51 could be provided in the lance 52 through which a retaining pin or ring 53 could be inserted as shown in FIG. 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the cabinet comprises a pair of rear panel assemblies 15, each constructed and mounted on the support posts in the same manner as the side panel assemblies 14. It is understood that a single large rear panel assembly could be used rather than two rear panels as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the front door assembly comprises a latching mechanism 81 for latching the door panels 79 in their closed position. It is understood that any latching mechanism 81 may be used, including latching mechanisms that lock or that incorporate locks. Door handles 83 are also provided.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown a full length cabinet. As shown, there are upper and lower front door panel assemblies 13a and 13b, each comprising right and left door panels, and upper and lower side panel assemblies 14a and 14b. the right upper and lower door panels are connected by a door handle 83 and the left upper and lower door panels are connected by another door handle 83. It is understood that a single door panel assembly 13 and side assemblies 14, having panels extending the full height of the frame could be used if desired.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the panel assemblies comprise a generally rectangular frame 80 including horizontal upper and lower frame members 82 and 84 and generally vertical side frame members 86. The frame members 82, 84 and 86 comprise an outer wall 87, side wall 88 and inner wall 89, an inwardly facing channel for receiving the edge of a panel 91.

The panel 91 can be made of any suitable material, including wood, plastic, metal, or wire. Preferred panels are made of particle board, particularly MDF, and pegboard. Pegboard is particularly useful if the cabinet is located adjacent a work bench or the like because it allows the mounting of hooks and other pegboard accessories for holding tools and the like.

Attached to the side wall 88 of each side frame member 86, are hinges 92, which carry rivets 36 as disclosed above with respect to the embodiment. of FIG. 1. Rather than hinges 92, brackets could be used. Alternatively, rivets can be fixed directly to the inner wall 89 of the side frame member 86. The rivets are releasably retained in the slots by the screw or screw hole arrangement described above by an suitable retaining mechanism.

The boltless panel assemblies of the present invention are particularly useful in the assembly of garage storage systems. FIG. 13 shows an exemplary garage storage system comparing a pair of boltless storage racks, the left storage rack 100 comprising three shelves and a cabinet 101 having a front door panel assembly 102 constructed in accordance with the present invention, and the right storage rack 103 comprising three shelves and a drawer mounted below the middle shelf. Between the left and right storage racks is a boltless work bench 104 having a bench top 105 supported by front and rear cross-beams which are, in turn, supported by boltless front and rear support posts 106 and 107. The rear support posts 107 extend above the bench top. A drawer is provided beneath the bench top. A peg board panel 108 extends vertically at the back edge of the bench top 105. Extending between the left and right rear support posts 107 are braces 109 to stabilize the work bench assembly. Storage bins 110, e.g., as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/369262, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, or other articles, e.g., hooks, shelf brackets and the like, may be hung from the brace.

FIG. 14 shows another exemplary garage storage system comprising a single integral unit. The support posts are of the wedge-shaped slot design shown in FIGS. 6a-6c. The system comprises right and left storage racks 112 and 113 each with two shelves 114 and an upper cabinet 115 The cabinets 115 are formed by side assemblies 116 comprising sheet metal panels that wrap around the corners of the support posts 117 and comprise lances that seat within the slots of the support posts.

The front door panel assemblies 118 of the cabinets 115 comprise a generally rectangular frame 119 having top, bottom and side frame members. The side frame walls carry lances that seat in the slots of the support posts. The lances of the side panel assembly 116 and the front door assembly 118 are releasably retained in the slots by retaining screws or other releasable retaining pins, clips or the like as described above. The door panel assemblies 118 comprise a pair of door panels attached by hinges to the side members of the frame 119. A work bench top 120 extends between the right and left storage racks 112 and 113 supported by front and rear cross-beams. One or more cross-beams or braces 121 extend between the rear support posts above the bench top for stability and to support bins, hooks, shelves, etc.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description and not of limitation. As is understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, a variety of modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims, which should be given their fullest, fair scope.

Claims

1. A boltless panel assembly comprising: a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edge portions;at least one slot engaging member attached to and extending interiorly from each side edge portion for insertion into slots of boltless support posts;a releasable retaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of a boltless support post.

2. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a rivet.

3. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a metal lance.

4. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the panel comprises at least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the panel so that the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.

5. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein he releasable retaining member comprises a pin or clip for engaging the end of at least one slot engaging member once the slot engaging member has been inserted and seated in a slot of a boltless support post to prevent disengagement of the slot engaging member from the slot.

6. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the side edge portions of the panel are bent to form side walls and the panel assembly further comprises at least one bracket attached to each side wall, the slot engaging members being attached to the bracket.

7. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 6 wherein the at least one bracket are hingedly attached to each side wall.

8. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one bracket comprises a screw hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the bracket so that at the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.

9. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the screws are not accessible from the exterior of the panel assembly when the panel assembly is mounted on support posts.

10. A boltless panel assembly comprising: a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edge portions;a side frame member along at least the side edges of the panel, the side frame members comprising a channel for receiving the side edges of the panel;at least one slot engaging member attached to and extending interiorly from each side frame member for insertion into slots of boltless support posts;a releasable retaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of a boltless support post.

11. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a rivet.

12. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a metal lance.

13. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the side frame member comprises at least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the side frame member so that the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.

14. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein he releasable retaining member comprises a pin or clip for engaging the end of at least one slot engaging member once the slot engaging member has been inserted and seated in a slot of a boltless support post to prevent disengagement of the slot engaging member from the slot.

15. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 further comprising at least one bracket attached to each side frame member, and wherein the slot engaging members is attached to the bracket.

16. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein the at least one bracket is hingedly attached to a side wall.

17. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein at least one bracket comprises at least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the bracket member so that the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.

18. A boltless front panel assembly comprising: a pair of door panels having exterior and interior faces and outer side edge portions;at least one hinge attached to the outer side edge portion of each door panel;at least one slot engaging member attached to and extending interiorly from at least one hinge associated with each door panel for insertion into and seating in slots of boltless support posts such that, when inserted into and seated in slots of boltless support posts, the door panels are afforded swinging movement between an open position and a closed position; anda releasable retaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of a boltless support post.

19. A boltless front panel assembly as recited in claim 18 further comprising frame members extending along at least a portion of the side edges of the door panels, said side frame members carrying at least one slot engaging members and wherein the door panels are hingedly attached to the side frame members.

20. A boltless front panel assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein the side frame member comprises at least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the side frame member so that the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.

21. A boltless front panel assembly as recited in claim 20, wherein the screws are not accessible from the exterior of the front panel assembly when the front panel assembly is mounted on support posts and the door panels are in their closed positions.

22. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein he releasable retaining member comprises a pin or clip for engaging the end of at least one slot engaging member once the slot engaging member has been inserted and seated in a slot of a boltless support post to prevent disengagement of the slot engaging member from the slot.

23. A boltless front panel assembly comprising: a generally rectangular frame comprising a top frame member, bottom frame member and a pair of side frame members;at least one slot engaging member attached to and extending interiorly from each side frame member for insertion into slots of boltless support posts;at least one door panel hingedly mounted on a frame member; anda releasable retaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of a boltless support post.

24. A boltless cabinet comprising: a pair of spaced-apart front boltless support posts;a pair of spaced-apart rear boltless support posts;a plurality of generally horizontal front cross-beams extending between the front boltless support posts;a plurality of generally horizontal rear cross-beams extending between the rear boltless support posts;a shelf panel supported by a front cross beam at a first elevation and a rear cross beam at the same first elevation as the front cross beam for forming the floor of the cabinet;a shelf panel supported by a front cross beam at a second elevation higher than the first elevation and a rear cross beam at the same second elevation as the front cross beam for forming the ceiling of the cabinet; andat least one panel assembly comprising: a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edge portions;at least one slot engaging member attached to and extending interiorly from each side edge portion for insertion into slots of boltless support posts;a releasable retaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of a boltless support post.