The present disclosed subject matter is concerned with cabinets of the type configured with retractable one or more support units.
Hereinafter in the specification and claims the term cabinet is used in its broad sense including any structure or piece of furniture with shelves, drawers, etc., configured for holding or displaying items indoors or outdoors, e.g. a utility cabinet, a refrigerator, cupboard, a closable shelving system, a niche cabinet (stand alone or built in), etc.
The term support unit is used to designate any fixed or retractable/removable support unit, such as a drawer, a basket, a bucket shelf, a shelf, etc., used for holding or displaying items.
References considered to be relevant as background to the presently disclosed subject matter are listed below:
US2012/086319
US2011/279956
WO0191610
Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the presently disclosed subject matter.
US2012086319 is directed to a cabinet including a housing, two first rails, two pairs of pivoting elements, and two second rails. The housing includes two doors pivotably mounted to opposite sides of a front end of the housing. The first rails are respectively fixed to opposite internal sides of the housing. First ends of a pair of pivoting elements are pivotably connected to an inner side of each of the doors, and second ends of the pair of pivoting elements of each of the doors are pivotably connected a corresponding one of the second rails. When the doors are opened parallel to the first rails, the second rails are operable to move relative to the corresponding doors and aligned with the corresponding first rails to form two extended sliding rails.
US2011279956 is directed to a server cabinet including a cabinet, a first slide rail, and a second slide rail. The cabinet includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear wall, two sidewalls, and two doors. The first slide rail is mounted on an inner surface of one of the sidewalls. The first slide rail has a first end and an opposite second end. The first slide rail defines a first slide groove. The first end is adjacent to the doors, and the second end is close to the rear wall. The second slide rail has a first and a second connection ends. The second slide rail defines a second slide groove. The first connection end is rotatably coupled to the first end so that the second slide rail is capable of rotating relative to the first slide rail to a position where the second slide rail aligns with the first slide rail.
WO0191610 relates to a workstation container that comprises a cabinet body that can be opened and closed and that is provided with casters. The body is composed of a frame on which a shell is mounted on each side. Said shells consist of a substantially planar surface with a periphery that determines the shell depth. The shells substantially correspond in size to the opening of the frame. At least one of the shells is articulated on the frame and can be pivoted like a door leaf.
According to the present disclosed subject matter there is provided a cabinet configured with at least a right side wall and a left side wall, defining together a cabinet space, closeable by a at least one front door pivotally articulated at a front portion of the cabinet and displaceable between a closed position and at least a first open position, wherein at said first open position each of the at least one door is coplanar with a respective side wall and wherein at least one of the right side wall and the left side wall are configured with wall rail segments, and wherein one or more of the respective at least one front door is configured with door rail segments, such that the wall rail segments are coextensive with respective door rail segments, with a sliding gap extending between neighboring ends of a wall rail segment and a door rail segment, and defining together one or more sliding planes, each configured for slidingly supporting a support unit mountable thereon.
According to the present disclosed subject matter there is provided a cabinet configured with a right side wall and a left side wall, a top wall, a bottom wall and a back wall, defining together a cabinet space, closeable by a at least one front door pivotally articulated at a front portion of the cabinet and displaceable between a closed position and at least a first open position, wherein at said first open position each of the at least one door is coplanar with a respective side wall and wherein at least one of the right side wall and the left side wall are configured with wall rail segments, and wherein one or more of the respective at least one front door is configured with door rail segments, such that the wall rail segments are coextensive with respective door rail segments, with a sliding gap extending between neighboring ends of a wall rail segment and a door rail segment, and defining together one or more sliding planes, each configured for slidingly supporting a support unit mounted thereon.
According to an example of the disclosed subject matter, the support unit is provided with a runner or at least three rail engaging members at least at its one side, the runner or the at least three rail engaging members being receivable in the respective rail segment in a sliding engagement.
According to another example the support unit is provided with a latching mechanism for latching the support unit within the rail segment so as to prevent movement of the support unit within the rail segment.
According to a particular configuration a right side wall and a left side wall of each support unit is configured with at least three rail engaging members, wherein at least two rail engaging members remain engaged with rail segments upon displacement of a support unit.
According to yet a particular example, the cabinet comprises at least two doors, configured for pivotal displacement with respect to one another between a closed position and an open position, wherein at the open position the doors are substantially parallel to one another and coplanar with side walls of the cabinet.
The support units are displaceable between a fully retracted position, wherein they are fully received within the cabinet space, and an extracted position wherein they are completely out of the cabinet space, however supported between the front doors. At the fully retracted position three rail engaging members at each side of the support unit bear over the respective wall rail segments of the sliding plane; at the extracted position the three rail engaging members at each side of the support unit bear over the respective door rail segments of said sliding plane; at a first extracting sequence of drawing a support unit, a front rail engaging member extends at the sliding gap and at least two rail engaging members at each side of the support unit bear over the respective wall rail segments of the sliding plane, such that loads are born by both top and bottom wall rail segments; at a first intermediate extracting sequence of drawing a support unit, a front rail engaging member extends at the door rail gap and at least one rail engaging member at each side of the support unit extends at the wall rail segments of the sliding plane, such that loads are born substantially by bottom wall rail segments and door rail segments, at this position a typically a central rail engaging member extends at the sliding gap; at a second intermediate extracting sequence of drawing a support unit, a rear rail engaging member extends at the sliding gap and at least two rail engaging members at each side of the support unit bear over the respective door rail segments of the sliding plane, such that loads are born by both top and bottom door rail segments; upon further extracting the support unit to a position where a front rail engaging member extends out of the rail segments, at least two rear rail engaging members at each side of the support unit bear over the respective door rail segments of the sliding plane, such that loads are born by both top and bottom wall rail segments.
By indicating that loads are born by both top and bottom wall rail segments it is suggested that a moment is applied over the support unit, resulting in transferring loads at points of contact of the rail engaging members with the respective top and bottom wall rail segments.
According to a particular arrangement, the wall rail segments and the door rail segments are parallely disposed at a substantially equi-distanced configuration, wherein the rail engaging members are supported between a top rail segment and a bottom rail segment depending on displacement location of a support unit.
A sliding plane is configured such that the rail engaging members are disposed between a top rail segment and a bottom rail segment respectively.
The rail engaging members can be slidingly engaged by the top rail segments and bottom rail segments. Alternatively, the rail engaging members are merely slidingly disposed between the respective top rail segments and bottom rail segments.
In order to eliminate or at least substantially reduce trembling of the support units as they slidingly displace over the gap between the wall rail segments and the door rail segments, the rail engaging members are configured for snug sliding/rolling engagement between respective top and bottom rail segments, i.e. with substantially no axial freedom of the rail engaging members between the supporting top and bottom rail segments (i.e. in the vertical direction).
The doors can be further pivotal into so-called wide-open positions, namely non-coplanar positions with respect to the respective side walls, disposed angular positions greater than 90° or even 180°. At the wide open positions the support units are restrictedly slidable only about a respective portion of the wall rail segments.
Any one or more of the following properties, designs, features and configurations can be associated with the cabinet subject of the presently disclosed subject matter, separately or in combinations:
In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Attention is made to the attached drawings, illustrating different cabinets and support units according to the present disclosure.
In
The cabinet 10 is supported over supports disposed at respective corners thereof, suitable for leveling the cabinet (said supports can be height adjustable according to a modification, not shown), and spacing it from the floor to leaving a small gap, if any. According to an example, the supports may be movably received within the corners of the cabinet (not shown).
The front doors 30 and 32 are pivotal between a closed position (
It is however appreciated that according to other designs (not shown), the front doors can be pivotally secured the side walls over the front frame portions, concealing same.
The present illustrated examples are directed to a cabinet made of injection molded plastic material. It should be noted however, that the cabinet can be made in other technologies and be made of other materials. Even more so, in the presently disclosed examples, the cabinet is composed of two side walls, a top wall, a base and a back wall. However, according to other arrangements (not shown), the cabinet can be a niche cabinet wherein all or one or more of the walls of the cabinet are walls or structure elements of other constructions (e.g. a built-in cabinet or a partially built-in cabinet). Optionally, where one or both of the side walls are structure elements of other constructions, there may be inserted an inside wall plate configured with a plurality of rail segments and mimicking an inside face of the respective side wall (not shown).
The right side wall 12 and the left side wall 14 are each configured at their inside surface 12A and 14A respectively, with a plurality of parallely disposed, opposing, wall rail segments 40, wherein each pair of opposing wall rail segments 40 define together a sliding plane configured for sliding accommodating a support unit, as will be discussed herein.
As noted in the drawings, the wall rail segments extend substantially from the back wall 20 and do not reach the right front frame 36A and the left front frame 36B, but rather leave a gap 44 (best seen in
In the particular illustrated example, and as can best be seen in
In the illustrated examples the rail segments are disposed about the respective side walls 12 and 14, and about the front doors 30 and 32 at equal intervals, rendering the system suitable for interchangeably receiving a variety of support units, having different heights (
In the illustration of
In the example illustrated in
Further noted, the front doors 30 and 32 are fitted at their bottom edge with a floor engaging support, namely caster/swivel wheel 72, configured for rolling over a floor surface about an arced path 74, and supporting the doors at their respective closed and in particular first open position, when one or more support units are extracted from the cabinet space and are now supported by the door rail segments. As can be seen in the drawings, the bottom front edge 36D is configured with a recess 76 for receiving the floor engaging support wheels 72 of the front doors at their closed position, such that the wheels substantially do not project from the bottom front edge 36D. It will be appreciated that the floor engaging wheels of the front door can be configured for height adjustment. In accordance with another example the floor engaging wheels are detachably attachable members.
The support units are displaceable between a fully retracted position and an extracted position. At the fully retracted position (e.g. as seen in
With particular reference now being made to
At a next extracting sequence of drawing a support unit (level L3), the front rail engaging wheel 68A bears at B1 over a top surface 54 of the door rail segment 48, the center rail engaging wheel 68B extends at the door rail gap 44, and at the rear rail engaging member 68C bears at B3 over a top surface 54 of the door rail segment 40. Thus, loads are born by the door rail segment and the wall rail segment.
At a further intermediate extracting sequence of drawing a support unit (level L4), the front rail engaging wheel 68A bears at T1 under a bottom surface 56 of the door 30 rail segment 48, the center rail engaging wheel 68B bears at B2 over a top surface 54 of the door rail segment 48, and the rear rail engaging wheel 68C extends at the door rail gap 44. Thus, at this position loads are born substantially by the top and bottom door rail segment.
Upon further extracting the support unit to a position where a front rail engaging member extends out of the rail segments and is now fully supported only over the door rail segments (level L5), the loads are born by a top surface 54 of the door rail segment 40, at reaction to wheel engagement locations B1, B2 and B3 (corresponding with wheels 68A, 68B and 68C, respectively).
Further extracting the support unit, so that it partially projects from the doors (level L6) results in that the front rail engaging wheel 68A extends at or over the gap 50, the center rail engaging member 68B bears at B2 over the top surface 54 of door support rail 48 and rear rail engaging member 68C bears at T3 under top surface 56 of door support rail 40, such that loads are born by both top and bottom door rail segments, respectively.
It is thus noted that at each of the drawing positions at least two rail engaging wheels are in contact with rail segments, imparting it stability and retaining it a level state.
The support units can be full drawn out of the cabinet and returned, and a stopping arrangement (not shown) can be provided to prevent unintentional complete removal of a support unit.
As already mentioned in connection with
With further reference to
The cabinet 120 is substantially similar to the previous disclosure herein above, however, with the provision of a vertical partition wall 124 extending up to a shelf 126 (fixed in the present example, though according to other example can be removable), thereby dividing the cabinet space into three partitions 128A, 128B and 128C. The cabinet 120 is configured with two front doors 132A and 132B, both extending the entire height of the cabinet.
The arrangement is such that both the side walls of the cabinet are configured with wall rail segments 142A and 142B (the later seen only in
It is appreciated that the at least the right front door 132A is configured with door rail segments 146, coextending with wall rail segments 142A, as discussed herein above.
Support units 148 are disposed within the right partition 128B, slidingly retained between the wall rail segments 142A and the partition wall rail segments 142C and further over the door rail segments 146. However, in order to support the support units 148 at the retracted position, the support units 148 are supported at their partion wall facing side over a telescopic rail 152 (best seen in
Whilst not illustrated in the Figs., the top partition 128C could accommodate one or more support units slidingly disposed between the two side walls of the cabinet, and likewise, additional support units can be configured at the partition 128A.
Whilst in the annexed drawings there are illustrated cabinets configured with two doors, namely a right front door 30 and a left front door 32, it should be appreciated that the cabinet can be configured with one door only, or alternatively with more then two doors, mutatis mutandis.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IL14/50128 | 2/5/2014 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61760748 | Feb 2013 | US |