Patent Application
20120299454
A chest of drawers is usually large and bulky as the drawers need to slide in and out of the supporting chest and the chest has to be large enough and strong enough to support the drawers and the items contained in the drawers. But shipping assembled chests of drawers is bulky and expensive.
Collapsible chests of drawers typically have flat side and back panels that may hinge together at corners, or be separated and attached by brackets and connectors. But hinged panels are large and heavy, and it is cumbersome and time consuming to assemble chests using brackets and connectors. Moreover, the shipping and assembly costs are high. There is thus a need for an improved chest of drawers that has a compact shipping configuration, that can be shipped more cheaply, and that is easily assembled.
A collapsible chest of drawers is provided having front and rear frames formed with vertical corner posts joined by horizontally aligned shelf supports. Flexible material extends between aligned pairs of shelf supports to form shelves to hold the drawers. The front and rear frames are joined at each side by a collapsible and expandable side frame having two elongated members rotatably joined in an X configuration shape with the opposing ends of each member rotatably fastened to a different post on one of the front and rear frames. The side frames are parallel. Both upper or both lower ends of the members also translate along the post to which they are connected. Thus, the front and rear frames can move toward each other to a collapsed configuration and away from each other for a storage and shipping configuration. A brace extends between the front and rear frames to them in the expanded position during use. The drawers may also be collapsible by having a removable hard bottom, with sides that are hinged in the middle so the drawer can fold into a stack with the folded sides between the front and rear of the drawer.
There is further provided a collapsible chest of drawers having a front and rear with two opposing sides. The chest of drawers comprises a collapsible frame having a front frame formed by first and second front corner posts connected by a plurality of shelf supports and a rear frame formed by first and second rear corner posts connected by a plurality of shelf supports. The shelf supports on the front and rear frames are generally aligned with each other when the first posts are opposite each other and the second posts are opposite each other during use. A sheet of flexible material extends between and is connected to a pair of the generally aligned front and rear supports to form a generally horizontal support for a drawer during use. First and second collapsible and generally parallel side supports connect the front and rear frames. The side supports have two elongated members with each elongated member having a first end rotatably connected to one of the first or second posts and an opposing second end rotatably and slidably connected to the other of the first or second post. The elongated members are rotatably joined between the first and second ends and for a crossed or X-shaped configuration. First and second braces extend between and are configured to be connected to different ones of the opposing front and rear corner posts to position the frames relative to each other during use. At least one drawer is provided that is sized to fit between adjacent shelf supports and the front corner posts as the drawer slides on the at least one shelf. The drawer has a depth about the same as the distance between front and rear frames.
In further variations, the collapsible chest of drawers may have at least one brace rotatably connected to a corner posts. Each brace may have two legs joined at a rotatable joint located between the front and rear posts to allow the brace legs to move toward and away from each other as the front and rear frames move toward and away from each other. The braces may have a first substantially straight position placing the front and rear posts to which the brace is connected at a predetermined distance. The braces may have a second folded position with the front and rear frames adjacent each other. Advantageously, there are two braces on each side of the chest of drawers, one adjacent a bottom and one adjacent a top of the front frame. Preferably, one or more of the braces is rotatably connected to the front and rear posts at the same location as the rotatable end of the elongated members. Further, a rotation stop may be provided on a plurality of the braces, with the stop located to resist further rotation of the legs in one direction when the brace is substantially straight.
In still further variations, a top may be placed over a top end of the four posts. The shelves may be removably fastened to the shelf supports. Preferably there is a plurality of drawers, each of which is collapsible. The collapsible drawers may include a drawer having opposing front and rear panels joined by two opposing sides and a flexible bottom, with the sides being hinged at the middle to allow the sides to fold inward as the front and rear panels move toward each other.
In still further variations, the shelf supports are permanently fastened to the corner posts, preferably by welding. The second ends of the elongated members are preferably rotatably fasten to a mount encircling a majority of a corner post, the mount is configured to slide along a length of the post between adjacent shelf supports, and preferably has a cylindrical passage through which the corner post slides.
There is also provided a kit for a chest of drawers having a front and opposing back with two opposing sides. The kit includes front and rear frames each having two corner posts joined by a plurality of generally parallel shelf supports located to form a plurality of generally horizontal shelves during use. The kit also includes a plurality of flexible shelves configured to extend between and connect to a pair of aligned shelf supports to form the horizontal shelves during use. Two collapsible and parallel side supports are provided, each joining the front and rear frames to form a generally rectangular enclosure during use. Each side support has two crossed members rotatably joined to form an X shape during use. The crossed members have two top or two bottom distal ends that are fastened to allow translation along a length of the post to which the member is fastened as well as allowing rotation, and with the other of the top or bottom distal ends fastened to the posts to allow rotation. The side supports have a first, folded position with the crossed members close together when the front and rear frames are adjacent to each other and a second, expanded position with the crossed members spread apart when the front and rear frames are separated for use to support drawers. The kit has at least one brace extending between the front and rear frames to limit the relative movement of the frames in the second expanded position. A plurality of collapsible drawers is also included, with the drawers sized to fit into the shelves during use.
In further variations, the kit includes a brace formed by an elongated member rotatably connected to a post on one of the front or rear frames and releasably engaging a post on the other of the front and rear frames. Advantageously, there are four braces, two connected to each of the front and rear corner posts. The brace may alternatively comprise a two members rotatably joined at the middle and having a first end rotatably connected to the front frame and a second opposing end rotatably connected to the second frame. The rotatably joined brace members may have a stop to limit relative rotation of the joined members. The stop may be located so the rotatable joint moves away from an adjacent end of the frame as the front and rear frames move toward each other. The kit may also include a top sized to fit over a top of the corner posts.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
a is a perspective view of the drawer of
b is a perspective view of the drawer of
c is an exploded perspective view of the drawer of
d is a sectional view taken along section 6d-6d of
a is a perspective view of the chest of drawers of
b is a perspective view of the chest of drawers of
Referring to
The frame 12 has a quadrilateral shape and is formed by four generally vertical corner posts 18 located at the corners. Two corner posts 18a are at the front and two posts 18b are at the back. Drawer or shelf supports 20 extend generally horizontal between corner posts 18. Front supports 20a extend between front corner posts 18a and rear supports extend between rear corner posts 18b. The supports 20 may be fastened to the corner posts 18 by welding, adhesives, connectors, brackets, or by fitting ends of supports into mating holes in the posts. Welding is preferred for metal supports 20 and posts 18. Adhesives or melted joints are preferred for plastic or elastomeric supports 20 and posts 18. Tubular posts 18 and supports 20 are preferred, with metal posts and supports having circular cross sections being most preferred. The abutting ends of supports 20 may be shaped or notched to fit the shape of posts 18, or to reduce costs the parts may simply abut each other and be welded, melted or adhered or otherwise fastened. The connection is preferably permanent rather than removable as with brackets or connectors such as post and socket connectors, or with brackets having openings or slots into which protrusions extend to form the connection. Advantageously, the frame 12 is viewed as including a front frame that has front posts 18a joined by a plurality of shelf supports 20, and a rear frame that includes rear corner posts 18b joined by a plurality of shelf supports 20. Each of the front and rear frames are preferably rigid structures, with the supports 22 welded or permanently fastened to the posts 18.
A support or shelf 22 extends between the front and back shelf supports 20a, 20b. Preferably the shelf 22 comprises a sheet of flexible material fastened to the supports 20a, 20b. Canvas, fabric, nylon, plastic or other flexible materials are believed suitable for the shelf 22. Various means can be used to fasten the flexible shelf 22 directly to supports 20, including rivets, sewing, adhesives, melting, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc. Preferably the shelf 22 is a flexible sheet of material that is folded back on itself to form an extended loop or channel through which the support 20 passes. The releasable hook and loop fastener 24 allows removal of the shelves for easier cleaning, and allows the shelves to be more easily fastened to the supports 20 after the frame 12 is formed. Flexible shelves 22 also allow front and rear posts 18a, 18b to move toward each other for compact storage, with the shelves 22 sagging downward or otherwise folding as the front posts 18a and supports 20a move toward the rear post 18b and supports 20b. As seen in
Opposing side supports 26 extend between and join the front and back corner posts 18a, 18b on opposing sides of the chest of drawers 10. The side supports 26 are preferably formed of crossing supports 26a, 26b and optionally rotatably connected at the center. Flat straps are preferred, but other cross-sectional shapes can be used. Thus, the front and rear frames are movably joined by side supports 26 located on and joined to opposing sides of the front and rear frames.
As the front posts 18a move toward the rear posts 18b (or vice versa) to collapse the frame 12, the side supports 26 will increase in length if left unrestrained, as the two legs forming each side support 26 fold from a crossing, X shape into a single line of overlapping and aligned parts. Thus, the upper or lower ends of the support 26 are rotatably mounted to the posts 18, while the other lower or upper ends are mounted to rotate and translate. In the depicted embodiment, a first, lower end of each support 26a, 26b is rotatably fastened to one of the corner posts 18a, 18b. Bolts, rivets, pins, screws, or other fasteners that allow rotation of the support 26a, 26b about the fastener may be used, with the fastener orientated to allow posts 18a and 18b move toward each other or apart from each other. The second, upper end of supports 26a, 26b also rotates and further translates along the length of the post 18 to which they are connected. Mounting sleeves 28 encircle a portion, and preferably encircle all of a corner post 18a or 18b and slide along the length of the encircled post. Each mounting sleeve 28 may have a yoke formed by a pair of parallel walls forming a slot into which the second end of supports 26a, 26b extends and is rotatably fastened, as for example, by a pin passing through the support 26 and walls of the yoke. This allows the first (lower) ends of the supports 26 to rotate as the second (upper) ends rotate and translate which occurs when front posts 18a and rear posts 18b move toward each other to collapse the frame 12. While the upper ends of supports 26 are shown as rotating and translating, the upper ends could be rotate only with the lower ends rotating and translating. If the sleeve 28 encircles all of post 18, then it must be located so it can slide along the post 18 between the expanded and collapsed configuration of the frame 12 without hitting one of the shelf supports 20.
The rotatable connections are preferably formed by pins, rivets, bolts or other elongated fasteners oriented parallel to the intersection of the planes formed by the generally horizontal shelves 22 and the two generally vertical back posts 18b-18b or the plane formed by the generally vertical front posts 18a-18a. Alternatively, the first and second ends of supports 26 may be connected by a single pin, rivet or bolt parallel to the above defined intersection. Other connectors and connections can be used as long as one pair of ends on supports 26a, 26b rotate while the other ends rotate and translate. Connections that do not require rotation and translation can be used. The crossed supports 26a, 26b form a generally X shaped support 26. While a single X-shaped support 26 is shown on each side of the frame 12, more than one could be used, in which case all connections with the posts 18 would rotate and translate except for one horizontally aligned pair of connections which would only rotate.
At least one and preferably two braces 32 are provided on each side of the frame. Advantageously the braces 32 comprise a pair of segments or legs hinged or rotatably joined at the middle by a rotatable connector 34, as for example by a pin, bolt or rivet. The opposing ends of the brace 32 are connected to opposing posts 18a, 18b, preferably at the same rotatable connection as fastens the side supports 26 to the posts 18. Brace 32 stops the corner posts 18a from moving too far from posts 18b. Advantageously, the flexible shelf supports 20 are sized to also limit movement of the front posts 18a away from the rear posts 18b, at the same distance as allowed by braces 32.
One segment of the brace 32 has a rotation stop 36 extending in a direction to hit the other segment of the brace and limit relative rotation of the parts. The stop 36 can include a ledge on an edge of one segment of brace 32 which ledge extends inward toward an inside of the frame 12 a distance sufficient to abut the other segment of the brace. Pins, screws, offset portions of the frame members 26 or other projections can be used to form the stop 36. The stop 36 is preferably located so the segments of brace 32 are aligned and form a straight line. The stop 36 rotates out of engagement with the other segment of the brace 32 when the frame 12 is collapsed. The rotation stop 36 prevents the segments forming brace 32 from moving or folding in one direction as the frame 12 is collapsed and forces the segments to fold in a desired direction.
Referring to
As desired, protective end-caps 38 can be placed over the ends of corner posts 18 to prevent the ends of the posts from damaging abutting surfaces. Rubber and elastomeric caps are known and believed adequate for end caps 38.
Referring to
The drawers 14 may have optional handles 40. The handles may take various forms, including hinged handles, flexible straps with one or both ends fastened to the drawer, or holes allowing fingers to grab and move the drawer. The depicted embodiment shows handles 40 comprising openings in the front of the drawer, with grommets defining the openings so fingers can hook through the openings and pull the drawers out. As reflected by
As best seen in
The drawer 14 is preferably made of stiff inserts or boards 54, such as MDF, cardboard or stiff plastic, encased in pockets formed by walls 56 made of flexible material such as fabric, nylon, canvas or plastic. Seams 58 around the edges of the rectangular drawer 14 preferably join the edges of walls 56.
One collapsible drawer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,516, the complete contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The top 16 is optional, and may comprise any sheet of material covering the top of the frame 12. Advantageously the top 16 has a shallow box shape with a generally flat top surface 60 joined to sides 62. The top surface 60 is advantageously sized so the sides 60 fit snugly over the frame 12 during use, with the top surface 60 being stiff enough to support the weight of items placed on the top 16, and with the sides 62 engaging the corner posts 18 sufficiently to help support the top surface 60.
During use, the frame 12 is held in its expanded configuration by braces 32 and stops 36. Side supports 26 help hold the corner posts 18 in position and strengthen the frame 12. Top 16 is fit over the corner posts 18 and may further help maintain the position of the frame 12. Shelves 22 extend between and are connected to opposing and aligned supports 20a, 20b. Drawers 20 are expanded, held in their shape by stiff bottom 50, and slid onto shelves 22.
Referring to
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-5, after the drawers 20 are removed, the braces 32 are released and the posts 18a and 18b moved toward each other, causing the braces to bend in to V-shapes and supports 26 to move from a broad based X-shape into a small base, elongated X shape. The connectors 34 on braces 32 preferably move toward each other. The shelves 22 hang or fold between the supports 20, or may optionally be removed if the shelves are removably connected to the shelf supports 20.
Referring to
The brace 32 is shown above as a folding, hinged member with opposing ends permanently fastened to opposing front and rear posts 18a, 18b. But the brace 32 could be releasably fastened to one or both posts.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
The posts 18, shelf supports 22, side supports 26 and sleeves 28 are preferably made of metal. Posts 18 and supports 22 made of tubes with circular cross sections are preferred, while side supports 26 are preferable made of metal straps about .5 inches wide and about .2 inches thick. But suitably strong plastic or elastomeric materials may also be used, especially for posts 18 and shelf supports 22. The exact dimensions of the parts will vary according to design and manufacturing considerations.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention, including various ways of rotatably fastening the supports 26 to posts 18, of fastening shelf supports 20 to the posts 18, and of fastening flexible shelves 22 to shelf supports 20. Further, the various features of this invention can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the invention is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments but is to be defined by the following claims when read in the broadest reasonable manner to preserve the validity of the claims.
