FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a modular closet unit and more particularly, to a structure of upright frame members, interconnected horizontal tracks, bifold doors, fascia panels, and side panels for enclosing a specific storage area within a larger occupied space.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Storage areas, such as garages and basements, frequently become cluttered with items such as sporting equipment, tools, lawn and garden equipment, and the like. Sometimes, such items are stored on open shelving within the larger occupied space of a garage or basement. In any case, storage of such items is not only unattractive, but storage of such items may pose hazards where children or pets may have ready access to such items. Such a typical circumstance is illustrated in FIG. 2. Therefore, there is a need to provide an enclosed storage area within a larger occupied space, such as a garage or basement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the problem outlined above by providing an easily assembled modular closet unit comprising a structure of upright frame members, interconnected horizontal tracks, feet, bifold doors, fascia panels, and side panels. In one embodiment of the invention, the upright frame members extend between the floor and ceiling of the larger occupied space. The length of the upright frame members is variable by means of a top foot that extends upwardly from the top of the upright frame member to engage the ceiling of the occupied space. The top foot may be either spring-loaded to extend and thereby to engage the ceiling, or the top foot may be threaded into the top of the upright frame member and rotated in order to extend the top foot and thereby to engage the ceiling. Each upright frame member has a bottom frame member foot attached to the bottom end of the upright frame member. The bottom frame member foot contacts the floor of the occupied space to support the upright frame member. The bottom frame member foot further includes a bottom hinge pin foot for engaging and securing a lower hinge pin for each bifold door. An additional center foot, with a center foot slot on each side, is mounted to the floor of the occupied space to engage a lower guide pin on each of the bifold doors when the bifold doors are in the closed position.
The horizontal tracks are attached to the upright frame members and extend between adjacent upright frame members. The horizontal tracks are attached to the upright frame members at a height approximately equal to the height of the bifold doors. Each horizontal track includes a top track channel for engaging an upper hinge pin for the bifold door as well as for engaging an upper guide pin for the bifold door. The horizontal tracks are connected to the upright frame members by any suitable means including screws, hooks and slots, or other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The horizontal tracks have a length that is equal to the width of the bifold door or doors that engage the top track channel of the horizontal track.
Fascia panels preferably cover the space between the top of the bifold doors and the ceiling and are connected to the upright frame members by any suitable means, including screws, hooks and slots, or other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the fascia panels may not extend entirely to the ceiling. In other embodiments, the fascia panels may be omitted.
Side panels preferably cover the end of the modular closet unit and are connected to the upright frame members by any suitable means, including screws, hooks and slots, or other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the side panels may be omitted to facilitate access to the end of the modular closet unit.
In the second embodiment of the present invention, lower ends of upright frame members are supported by the floor of the occupied space and upper ends of the upright frame members are secured to an offset from a wall frame attached to a wall of the occupied space.
Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention gain structural integrity from the ceiling, floor, and/or walls of the larger occupied space. Thus, unlike conventional cabinets and utility cabinets, the size of the space enclosed by the present invention can be customized and adjusted to meet the particular storage needs of the customer. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can enclose larger spaces and hide larger items than conventional utility cabinets because multiple units of the present invention can be assembled side by side to create a large enclosed space. Because the units of the present invention are preferably assembled in place inside the larger occupied space, it is also possible to utilize the entire height of the occupied space. This feature contrasts with conventional utility cabinets which typically are shorter than the larger occupied space to facilitate movement of the cabinet into or out of the occupied space.
Further objects, features and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage before the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with two upright frame members and one horizontal track installed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with three upright frame members and two horizontal tracks installed.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with three upright frame members, two horizontal tracks, and a side panel installed.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with three upright frame members, two horizontal tracks, a side panel, two fascia panels, and two bifold doors installed.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with three upright frame members, two horizontal tracks, a side panel, two fascia panels, and four bifold doors (closed) installed.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an occupied area of a garage during the installation of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention with three upright frame members, two horizontal tracks, a side panel, two fascia panels, and four bifold doors (open) installed.
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a back elevation view of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a detailed front elevation view of an upright frame member, two horizontal tracks, and two fascia panels near the top of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a detailed front elevation view of an upright frame member and two bifold doors near the bottom of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a detailed back elevation view of an upright frame member and two bifold doors near the bottom of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a detailed back elevation view of an upright frame member, two horizontal tracks, two fascia panels, and two bifold doors near the top of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a detailed back perspective view of an upright frame member, a horizontal track, a fascia panel, a bifold door, and a side panel near the top of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a detailed back perspective view of an upright frame member, a bifold door, and a side panel near the bottom of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a detailed back perspective view of an upright frame member, a horizontal track, a fascia panel, two bifold doors, and a side panel near the top of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a detailed back perspective view of an upright frame member, two bifold doors, and a side panel near the bottom of the modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a modular closet unit in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1, 3-20 show a first embodiment of a modular closet unit 10 in accordance with the present invention. Like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views.
With particular respect to FIGS. 9-20, the first embodiment of a modular closet unit 10 comprises, for example, three upright frame members 12, two horizontal tracks 30, four bifold doors 40, two fascia panels 70, and one side panel 60. As shown in FIG. 1, the modular closet unit 10 encloses a space bounded by a floor 4, a ceiling 6, a back wall 8, and a sidewall 9 of the larger occupied space of a garage or basement. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3-12, the upright frame members 12 extend between the floor 4 and the ceiling 6. While the invention will be illustrated in connection with a modular closet unit 10 having three upright members 12 and four bifold doors 40, the modular closet unit 10 may include a lesser or greater number of upright frame members 12 and bifold doors 40 depending on the space to be enclosed. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 3-12 is bounded on one side by a side panel 60 and on the other side by a sidewall 9 of the larger occupied space. In other embodiments, the modular closet unit 10 can be bounded by a side panel 60 on both sides of the modular closet unit 10. In yet other embodiments, the modular closet unit 10 can be bounded on both sides by a sidewall 9 of the larger occupied space. In some embodiments, an optional back panel (not shown) can be fastened to the rear of the modular closet unit 10 to obviate the need for the modular closet unit 10 to abut a back wall 8 of the larger occupied space.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the lower end of the upright frame member 12 includes a bottom frame member foot 16 including a bottom hinge pin foot 18 on one or both sides of the bottom frame member foot 16. The floor 4 supports the bottom frame member foot 16 and thereby supports the upright frame member 12. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, each bottom hinge pin foot 18 is preferably fastened to one side of the bottom frame member foot 16 by suitable fasteners including screws, hooks and slots, or other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As described in more detail below, each bottom hinge pin foot 18 is adapted to engage a lower hinge pin 44 of a bifold door 40.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 16, the upright frame member 12 has a top foot 14 that frictionally engages the ceiling 6. In order to accommodate different height ceilings, the top foot 14 is connected to the top of the upright frame member 12 by means of an extension 24. The extension 24 may be spring-loaded into the upright frame member 12 in order to extend and thereby frictionally engage the ceiling 6. Alternatively, the extension 24 may be threaded into the upright frame member 12. By rotating the threaded extension 24, the extension 24 may be extended into frictional engagement with the ceiling 6.
As shown in FIGS. 9-11, horizontal tracks 30, each having a horizontal track channel 32, extend between upright frame members 12 at a height approximately equal to the height of the bifold doors 40. The horizontal tracks 30 are connected to the upright frame members 12 by means of screws, although other suitable fasteners may be used. The upright frame members 12, which frictionally engage the floor 4 and the ceiling 6, and the interconnected horizontal tracks 30 together provide the basic structural frame for the modular closet unit 10. Each horizontal track channel 32 of a horizontal track 30 preferably has a cross section substantially similar to an inverted capital “U” such that the upper portion of an upper guide pin 46 is positioned within the horizontal track channel 32. When the bifold doors 40 are opened or closed, the horizontal track channel 32 will form a guide through which the upper guide pin 46 can travel, thus preventing the bifold doors from disengaging from the horizontal tracks 30.
The modular closet unit 10 is completed by installation of the bifold doors 40 within the framework formed by the upright frame members 12 and the horizontal tracks 30, by installation of the fascia panels 70 on the upright frame members 12 above the bifold doors 40, and by installation of side panel 60 between the back wall 8 of the occupied space and the upright frame member 12 at the end of the modular closet unit 10. The fascia panels 70 and side panels 60 can be attached to the upright frame members 12 using suitable fasteners such as screws, hooks and slots, or other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The fascia panels 70 and side panels 60 can be attached to the ceiling 6 and side wall 9, respectively, by any combination of brackets, screws, or other fasteners. As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the fascia panels 70 only proceed partway above the bifold doors 40 and are not attached to the ceiling 6. In other embodiments, the fascia panels 70 may be omitted altogether.
In order to install the bifold doors 40, the bottom hinge pin foot 18 engages and secures the lower hinge pin 44 of the bifold door 40, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 18. Preferably, a lower hinge pin bracket 45 is attached to the interior portion of the bifold door 40 near the bottom. The lower hinge pin bracket 45 may contain one or more threaded portions allowing the lower hinge pin 44 to threadably engage the lower hinge pin bracket 45. Preferably, the bottom hinge pin foot 18 has a hollow vertical shaft which is adapted to receive the lower portion of the lower hinge pin 44 of the bifold door 40. Advantageously, this allows the edge of the bifold door 40 to pivot as the bifold door is closed or opened, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively.
The horizontal track channel 32 of the horizontal track 30 engages and secures the upper hinge pin 42 of the bifold door 40 (FIGS. 16 and 17). Preferably, an upper hinge pin bracket 43 is attached to the interior portion of the bifold door 40 near the top. The upper hinge pin bracket 43 may contain one or more threaded portions allowing the upper hinge pin 42 to threadably engage the upper hinge pin bracket 43. The upper portion of upper hinge pin 42 can then be inserted into a hollow shaft in horizontal track channel 32. In such a manner, the upper hinge pin 42 can be allowed to rotate about its axis yet firmly anchor the upper portion of bifold door 40 to horizontal track 30.
A center foot 20 (FIGS. 9-11 and 20), with a center foot slot 22 on each side, is attached to the floor 4 at a position where the bifold doors 40 converge when closed. The center foot slot 22 engages a lower guide pin 48 of the bifold door 40 in order to stabilize the lower end of the bifold door 40 when the bifold door 40 is in the closed position. Preferably, a lower guide pin bracket 49 is attached to the interior portion of the bifold door 40 near the bottom. The lower guide pin bracket 49 may be similar to the lower hinge pin bracket 45 and/or the upper hinge pin bracket 43. That is, preferably the lower guide pin bracket 49 may contain one or more threaded portions allowing the lower guide pin 48 to threadably engage the lower guide pin bracket 49 and be held firmly in place. In some embodiments (not pictured), a lower horizontal track can connect the bottom frame member foot 16 to the center foot 20, thus forming a lower horizontal track channel through which the lower guide pin 48 can travel. Such embodiments have enhanced stability near the lower portion of the bifold doors 40 as they are opened, closed, or come to rest.
The horizontal track channel 32 of the horizontal track 30 engages an upper guide pin 46 (FIG. 19) of the bifold door 40 in order to guide the bifold door 40 during opening and closing and to stabilize the upper end of the bifold door 40 when the bifold door 40 is being opened or closed or comes to rest. The upper guide pin 46 is preferably attached to the bifold door 40 by an upper guide pin bracket 47. The upper guide pin bracket 47 may be similar to the lower guide pin bracket 49, the lower hinge pin bracket 45, and/or the upper hinge pin bracket 43. That is, the upper guide pin bracket 47 may have one or more threaded portions allowing the upper guide pin 46 to threadably engage the upper guide pin bracket 47 and be held firmly in place.
In some embodiments, the upper guide pins 46 and/or lower guide pins 48 may be spring-loaded so they may be easily inserted into the horizontal track channel 32 or lower horizontal track channel (not pictured). Similarly, in some embodiments, the upper hinge pins 42 and/or lower hinge pins 44 may be spring-loaded so they may easily be inserted into a hollow shaft opening in the horizontal track channel 32 or the bottom hinge pin foot 18, respectively.
The fascia panels 70 are connected to the upright frame members 12 above the bifold doors 40 by means of screws or other suitable fasteners. The fascia panels 70 give the modular closet unit 10 a finished look. In some embodiments, the fascia panels 70 may be attached to the ceiling 6 by means of brackets, screws, or other fasteners, alone or in combination. In other embodiments, the fascia panels 70 may not extend entirely to the ceiling 6. In yet other embodiments, the fascia panels 70 may be omitted altogether.
As shown in FIG. 7, the sidewall 9 encloses the right end of the modular closet unit 10. The side panel 60 encloses the left end of the modular closet unit 10. The side panel 60 is attached to the upright frame member 12 at the left end of the modular closet unit 10 by means of screws or other suitable fasters. The side panel 60 is attached to the back wall 8 at the back of the modular closet unit 10 by means of brackets, screws, or other suitable fasteners, alone or in combination. It is understood that the modular closet unit 10 can be adapted to abut a side wall 9 at the left end of the module closet unit 10 with a side panel 60 being attached to the right end of the modular closet unit 10. Furthermore, as described above, the modular closet unit 10 can be adapted to have a side panel 60 at both ends. In some embodiments, one or both side panels 60 can be omitted to allow access to the interior of the modular closet unit 10 from one or both ends. Alternatively, the modular closet unit 10 can be adapted to be enclosed by a side wall 9 at both ends. In some embodiments, optional trim (not shown) may be used to cover a gap between a side panel 60 and the wall or between an upright frame member 12 and the wall.
Turning to FIGS. 2-7, the step-by-step installation of a modular closet unit 10 is shown. FIG. 2 shows an occupied area of a garage with an existing unsightly storage shelving system.
FIG. 3 shows two upright frame members 12 placed in front of the existing shelving system with a horizontal track 30 connecting the two upright frame members 12. The left upright frame member 12 is resting on a bottom frame member foot 16. One bottom hinge pin foot 18 is attached to the left side of the bottom frame member foot 16 and another bottom hinge pin foot 18 is attached to the right side of the bottom frame member foot 16. The right upright frame member 12 is resting on another bottom frame member foot 16.
FIG. 4 shows the installation of a third upright frame member 12 towards the left of the modular closet unit 110. FIG. 4 also shows a second horizontal track 30 connecting the leftmost upright frame member 12 to the middle frame member 12.
FIG. 5 shows the addition of a side panel 60 to the left side of the modular closet unit 10. The right side of the modular closet unit 10 is bounded by a side wall 9 of the occupied space. FIG. 5 also shows the addition of two upper fascia panels 70.
FIG. 6 shows the placement of two bifold doors 40 between the middle upright frame member 12 and the rightmost upright frame member 12. FIG. 7 shows the placement of two additional bifold doors 40 between the leftmost upright frame member 12 and the middle upright frame member 12. FIG. 8 shows the completed modular closet unit 110 with the bifold doors 40 in the open position, thus revealing the contents of the pre-existing shelving system.
A second embodiment of a modular closet unit 110 is shown in FIG. 21. The modular closet unit 110 comprises three upright frame members 112, two horizontal tracks 130, four bifold doors 140, two fascia panels 170, and one side panel, which has been removed in order to show inside detail. As shown in FIG. 21, the modular closet unit 110 encloses a space bounded by a floor 4, a ceiling (not shown), a back wall 8, and a sidewall 9 of the larger occupied space of a garage or basement. The upright frame members 112 are supported by the floor 4 and are offset from the wall by a wall frame 125. While the second embodiment of the invention will be illustrated in connection with a modular closet unit 110 having three upright members 112 and four bifold doors 140, the modular closet unit 110 may include a lesser or greater number of upright frame members 112 and bifold doors 140 depending on the space to be enclosed.
The lower end of each of the upright frame members 112 includes a bottom frame member foot 116 including a bottom hinge pin foot 118. The floor 4 supports the bottom frame member foot 116 and thereby supports the upright frame member 112. The upright frame member 112 has a top end 114 that is offset from and secured to the back wall 8 by means of a wall frame 125. The wall frame 125 comprises a vertical wall frame member 126 that is secured to the back wall 8 by means of screws or other conventional fasteners, a horizontal wall frame member 128 that is secured to the back wall 8 by means of screws or other conventional fasteners, offset wall frame members 129 that extend between the top end 114 of the upright frame member 112 and the horizontal wall frame member 128, and corner angle members 127 to provide rigidity between the horizontal frame member 128 and the offset wall frame members 129.
Horizontal tracks 130 extend between upright frame members 112 at a height approximately equal to the height of the bifold doors 140. The horizontal tracks 130 are connected to the upright frame members 112 by means of screws, although other suitable fasteners may be used. The upright frame members 112, which are supported by the floor 4 and secured by the wall frame 125, and the interconnected horizontal tracks 130 together provide the basic structural frame for the modular closet unit 110. The modular closet unit 110 is completed by installation of the bifold doors 140 within the framework formed by the upright frame members 112 and the horizontal tracks 130, by installation of the fascia panels 170 on the upright frame members 112 above the bifold doors 140, and by installation of the side panel (not shown) between the vertical wall frame member 126 on the back wall 8 of the occupied space and the upright frame member 112 at the end of the modular closet unit 110.
An optional top panel (not shown) can be fastened to the top of wall frame 125, thus providing a shelf on top of the modular closet unit 110 for accommodating additional storage items. In addition, the vertical wall frame member 126 adapts the side panel to the back wall 8 where the wall 8 has a kickboard or footer that would otherwise interfere with installing the side panel directly to the back wall 8. Certain embodiments of the modular closet unit 110 may comprise a back panel (not shown) that can be attached to the rear of the wall frame 125 for enclosing the modular closet unit 110 without utilizing the back wall 8.
Each bifold door 140 of the modular closet unit 110 preferably has an upper hinge pin bracket and a lower hinge pin bracket similar to the hinge pin brackets of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-10. These upper and lower hinge pin brackets are adapted to hold upper and lower hinge pins in place. In turn, the upper and lower hinge pins function to engage the horizontal track 130 and bottom frame member foot 116, respectively, and to secure the bifold door 140 in place.
Similarly, each bifold door 140 of the modular closet unit 110 preferably has an upper guide pin bracket and a lower guide pin bracket similar to the guide pin brackets of the first embodiment. These upper and lower guide pin brackets are adapted to hold upper and lower guide pins in place. The upper and lower guide pins are adapted to engage the horizontal track channel of the horizontal track 130 and the center foot slot of the center foot 122, respectively.
Finally, the modular closet unit 110 can be adapted to include a lower horizontal track (not pictured) that connects the bottom frame member foot 116 to the center foot 122. Such a modified embodiment of the modular close unit 110 provides a lower horizontal track channel through which the lower guide pins may travel when the bifold doors 140 are opened or closed. These embodiments provide added stability towards the bottom of the modular closet unit 110.
In some embodiments of the present invention, sliding doors can be utilized instead of the bifold doors 40, 140 described above. In yet other embodiments, swinging hinged doors can be utilized instead of the bifold doors 40, 140.
Advantageously, modular closet units of the present invention can be assembled in a variety of configurations to create an enclosed space. In some configurations, multiple units can be placed side by side to create a wide enclosed space such as along an entire wall or to partition the larger enclosed space into two (or more) rooms. In some configurations, two units can be placed at right angles to one another and be used to enclose the inside corner of the larger occupied space. In other configurations, four units can be placed at right angles to each other to create an interior room inside the larger occupied space. The size of any such room can be expanded by placing multiple units on each side of the enclosed room. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a variety of shapes of enclosed spaces, partitions, or partial enclosures can be created by arranging multiple units of the present invention in various configurations.
While this invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that variations and modifications can be affected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein and as described in the appended claims.
Patent Application
20110088332
