TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to closet equipment, and in particular to storage compartments in a closet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
It is known to store neckties in a cabinet having a door on the cabinet, wherein the cabinet is equipped with a mirror. See Elmo (U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,022). However, this type of fixed arrangement requires considerable space, and therefore is not optimal for use in a walk-in closet.
It is also known for a storage cabinet to be mounted above a track so as to slide from a retracted position to an extended position. See Janson (U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,143). However, combining such a system with Elmo would be problematic, for several reasons. For example, the mirror would face the wrong way when the cabinet door is opened.
Additionally, a pullout tie and belt case is known from the Sienna Collection. See http://www.closets.com/siena/accessories-ptbc.html (accessed 21 May 2007). Unfortunately, such a case does not show how to include a mirror. The Siena case also does not include any door for securing the contents, or for providing additional storage. Further problems with the Siena case include the fact that it cannot be attached to an existing closet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to make the best use of a small space within a typical closet system. For men, this space could be used for belts, ties, and a mirror. For women, this space could be used for belts, jewelry, and a mirror. The present invention combines several potential uses in one small area, by providing a slidable cabinet that fits in this small space. The cabinet includes a front, a first side, a second side, a back, and a slide mechanism for sliding the cabinet along a line perpendicular to the front.
The invention is based partly on the realization that an access door to access the interior of this retractable cabinet will preferably be hinged toward the rear of the cabinet, so that the open door will not block or inhibit the access. However, a mirror will preferably be hinged toward the front of the cabinet in order to provide a more convenient and close-up reflection. Thus, it is apparent that the mirror should not be on the same side of the cabinet as the access door.
Therefore, the cabinet of the present invention includes a mirror hingedly attached closer to where the second side meets the front than where the second side meets the back. The mirror has a reflective surface facing outwardly from the cabinet, if the mirror is in a closed position parallel to the second side. The cabinet also includes a for accessing the first side, the door being hingedly attached closer to where the first side meets the back than where the first side meets the front.
In the track system of the present invention, full extension tracks are used for strength, stability and smoothness of operation. This invention can be oriented for left or right hand use (for the opening of the unit), by simply turning the unit upside-down.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the standard closet system showing the invention in a retracted position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the invention in an extended position with the swing-out mirror closed and the upper and lower full extension tracks visible.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the invention in the extended position with the swing-out door and swing-out mirror shown in open positions. The unit can be flipped upside down for mirror on left side.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the invention in the extended position with the swing-out doors shown in open positions. This interior view illustrates the belt rack on the inside of the swing-out door and the tie racks mounted to the inside surface of the main structure.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional top view illustrating how the belt rack, tie rack and mirror nest together when swing-out doors are closed.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the system showing of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the present invention with adjustable shelves added for shoes and folded clothing articles. A support caster can be seen at the bottom of unit, serving as a slide mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described. It is to be understood that this detailed description is an example only, and does not in any way limit the scope of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a closet system 100 is shown. This slidable cabinet provides a valet organizer. The slidable cabinet has a front 105 including a handle 110 for pulling the cabinet in and out from an enclosure 107 formed by the rest of the closet system 100.
FIG. 2 shows the cabinet once it has been pulled from its retracted position along the line 205 perpendicular to the front 105. The cabinet is attached to the closet system via the top slide mechanism 210 and the bottom slide mechanism 215. The material of the cabinet is preferably a solid wood material that is light enough so no slide mechanisms are needed on the first side, and instead the slide mechanisms are only located on the second side 220 where a mirror 225 is also located.
Turning now to FIG. 3, it is seen that the mirror 225 is hingedly attached to the rest of the cabinet. Because the hinges are toward the front 105 of the cabinet, the mirror will swing open close to the user. In contrast, the access door 300 is hingedly connected toward the rear of the cabinet, and thus the door 300 swings open in a way that provides easy access to the interior of the cabinet.
FIG. 3 shows that the second side 220 is open, allowing access to the interior of the cabinet, but in another preferred embodiment the second side 220 is closed so that swinging the mirror open does not provide any access to the interior of the cabinet. In other words, it is acceptable (and perhaps preferable) for the door 300 to provide the only access to the interior of the cabinet.
FIG. 4 is a view of the same closet system 100, but now showing the first side 420, and hinges 425. Observe that no slide mechanism is needed on the first side 420, assuming that the solid wood of the cabinet is sufficiently light, as compared to a relatively heavy melamine material. The top slide mechanism 210 and bottom slide mechanism 215 should adequately support the cabinet, provided its weight is not excessive. The interior of the cabinet may include various equipment, for example tie racks 430, belt rack 435, and shelf 440.
This unit can be manufactured in different sizes for a variety of applications. A larger unit may be used for shoe or sweater storage, with adjustable shelves, or a smaller unit with the appropriate hooks and storage areas for scarves and/or jewelry.
FIG. 5 is a top view of a system 500 according to the present invention. This embodiment includes slide mechanisms 510 at both the first side 520 and the second side 530, respectively. These slide mechanisms are for sliding the cabinet in and out of the enclosure 503. The glass mirror 535 swings open near the front 537 using hinges 539, while the access door 540 swings open near the rear 542 using hinges 539. A belt rack 543 and a tie rack 547 of various different designs can be used. The decorative front 537 can have a handle 553 selected from a variety of colors and styles.
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the system 500. This system, including the main structure and swing-out doors, are constructed from ¾″ melamine. As mentioned, an alternative solid wood material can be used to decrease the weight of the system, in which case fewer of the slide mechanisms (e.g. tracks) need to be used.
As shown in FIG. 6, the construction of this unit comprises front and rear panels 602 and top and bottom panels 603. These four panels are screwed together to form a box. The top and bottom panels cover the top and bottom ends of the front and rear panels. Next to be installed are the four track base/gusset plates 605, 606. These are screwed into place on the outer, upper left and right, and the outer lower left and right of the box. The plates are sized to match the outside dimension formed by the construction of the front, rear, top and bottom panels. The doors 604 are sized to fit between the upper and lower gusset plates with a ⅛″ −3 1/16″ gap on each end. The width of the doors is ⅜″ less on each side, than the actual outside of the box. The doors 604 are fastened using 3 hinges 610 for each door. One door holds the tie rack 543 (screwed in place) on the inside. The other door holds the mirror 535 on the outside, fastened in place with a “J” channel at the bottom using adhesive between the door surface and the back of the mirror. The shelf 611 and the tie racks 547 are screwed into the inside of the box. The fill extension tracks 510 are screwed in place on the gusseted plates 605, 606 previously installed on the upper left and right, and lower left and right of the box. The space between the tracks, top and bottom, is such that they will line up with the standard closet holes pattern. The decorative front panel 537 is screwed to the front end of the box from inside, then the handle screws secure the handle 553 going through both the box panel and the decorative front itself.
The sequence for assembling the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 includes screwing front and rear panels 602 to upper and lower panels 603; screwing track base/gusset plates (TBG plates) 605, 606 to the box; screwing male portion of full extension track 510 to TBG plates 605, 606; screwing female portion of full extension tracks 510 to closet system (8×60)′ opening; sliding unit into place, engaging all four tracks; checking for proper operation by opening and closing unit; putting pre-assemble belt rack 543 and hinges 610 onto door 604; putting pre-assemble mirror 535 and hinges 610 onto door 604; installing shelf 611 and tie racks 547 into box; installing pre-assembled doors 604; installing decorative front 537 and handle 553 onto box.
Turning now to FIG. 7, a modified embodiment 700 of the present invention has adjustable shelves 712 added for shoes and folded clothing articles. A support caster 720 can be seen at the bottom of the unit. The dimensions for this unit would be much larger than for the belt/tie unit. The swing-out mirror and/or door are also included, but are not shown in FIG. 7.
It is to be understood that the present figures, and the accompanying narrative discussions of best mode embodiments, do not purport to be completely rigorous treatments of the system and cabinet under consideration. A person skilled in the art will understand that the various structures described in this application can be implemented by a variety of different configurations, using various different combinations of hardware and material which need not be further detailed herein.
Patent Application
20070278914
