Multi-section cabinet

Abstract

A cabinet, having a cabinet-section assembly including a circuit of four, interconnected, square cabinet sections arranged around a central pole. The cabinet sections are suspended from a hub that is free to rotate atop the central pole. The suspension system biases the cabinet-section assembly toward either an open configuration, exposing open sides of the cabinet sections, or a closed configuration from intermediate configurations. A stabilizing bracket provides lateral support to the suspended cabinet-section assembly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet in a closed configuration, the cabinet embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section plan view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet of FIG. 1, in an intermediate configuration.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section plan view of the cabinet of FIG. 1, in an open configuration.

Claims

1. A cabinet, comprising: a cabinet-section assembly including a plurality of cabinet sections, each cabinet section defining a first and second hinge line, wherein each cabinet section, at its first hinge line, is hingedly attached to another cabinet section at its first hinge line, and each cabinet section, at its second hinge line, is hingedly attached to another cabinet section at its second hinge line, such that the plurality of cabinet sections form a complete circuit of interconnected cabinet sections; anda support body configured to support the cabinet-section assembly;wherein the cabinet-section assembly is characterized by a first configuration, a second configuration, and a range of configurations intermediate the first and second configurations, the first and second configurations being different from one another, and each of the first and second configurations being characterized by the cabinet sections' being drawn fully toward a central axis of the cabinet-section assembly; andwherein the support body is configured to bias the cabinet-section assembly to move to either the first configuration or the second configuration from every configuration intermediate the first and second configurations.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein for each cabinet section, the cabinet section is characterized by four lateral sides that are parallel to the first and second hinge lines and in a substantially square configuration, and by a top and bottom that are normal to the first and second hinge lines and on opposite vertical ends of the four lateral sides.

3. The cabinet of claim 2, wherein three of the lateral sides are closed and one of the lateral sides are open.

4. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein for each cabinet section: the cabinet section is characterized by a plurality of lateral sides that are parallel to the first and second hinge lines; andthe first hinge line and the second hinge line extend parallel to one another on opposite edges of one of the lateral sides.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein: each cabinet section defines a cavity;in the first configuration, the cabinet-section assembly substantially encloses the cavity; andin the second configuration, the cavity is externally exposed.

6. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the support bias is gravitationally driven.

7. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein each cabinet section of the cabinet-section assembly is gravitationally suspended from a hub of the support body such that each intermediate configuration has a greater gravity-based potential energy than the respective first or second configuration to which the cabinet-section assembly is biased to move from that intermediate configuration.

8. The cabinet of claim 7, wherein each cabinet section is connected to the hub by a connector that is closer to the central axis where it connects to the hub than where it connects to the cabinet section.

9. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the connector is selected from the group of a chain, a cable, a flexible line, and a rod with a joint.

10. The cabinet of claim 1, and further including a stabilizing bracket configured to provide lateral support to the cabinet-section assembly.

11. The cabinet of claim 10, and further including a second stabilizing bracket configured to provide lateral support to the cabinet-section assembly, the first and second stabilizing brackets being spaced along the dimension of the central axis.

12. The cabinet of claim 10, wherein: for each cabinet section, the cabinet section is characterized by four lateral sides that are parallel to the first and second hinge lines and in a substantially square configuration;for each cabinet section, the first hinge line and the second hinge line extend parallel to one another on opposite edges of a first side of the four lateral sides; andthe stabilizing bracket interconnects the first side of a first cabinet section with the first side of a second cabinet section directly across the central axis from the first cabinet section.

13. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the cabinet-section assembly in the first configuration or the second configuration is configured to rotate with respect to the support body.

14. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein each cabinet section includes shelves that are sized to hold at least one item type from the group of item types consisting of compact disks, digital video disks, video cassette recorder tapes, books, spices and cosmetics.

15. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cabinet sections includes a first plurality of cabinet sections and a second plurality of cabinet sections;each cabinet section of the first plurality of cabinet sections, at its first hinge line, is hingedly attached to one of the second plurality of cabinet sections at its second hinge line;each cabinet section of the second plurality of cabinet sections, at its first hinge line, is hingedly attached to one of the first plurality of cabinet sections at its second hinge line;in the cabinet-section-assembly first configuration, the first plurality of cabinet sections has their respective first hinge lines closer to the central axis than their respective second hinge lines;in the cabinet-section-assembly second configuration, the first plurality of cabinet sections has their respective second hinge lines closer to the central axis than their respective first hinge lines;for each cabinet section, the cabinet section is characterized by four lateral sides that are parallel to the first and second hinge lines and in a substantially square configuration, and by a top and bottom that are normal to the first and second hinge lines and on opposite vertical ends of the four lateral sides;for each cabinet section, three of the lateral sides are closed and one of the lateral sides is open;each cabinet section of the cabinet-section assembly is gravitationally suspended from a hub of the support body by a connector that is closer to the central axis where it connects to the hub than where it connects to the cabinet section, such that each intermediate configuration has a greater gravity-based potential energy than the respective first or second configuration to which the cabinet-section assembly is biased to move from that intermediate configuration; andthe cabinet-section assembly in the second configuration is configured to rotate with respect to the support body.

16. The cabinet of claim 15, and further including first and second stabilizing brackets, being spaced along the dimension of the central axis, each stabilizing bracket interconnecting the first side of a cabinet section with the first side of another cabinet section directly across the central axis.