UTILITY CLOSET WITH ADDITIONAL FURNITURE STORAGE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to closets. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a stabilized utility closet that can further store additional related furniture.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.

Nowadays, most of the closets are particularly bulky furniture, which is not easy to move, and basically will not move from the point of view of moving into the home and assembling it. This can be very obstructive from the point of view of moving or wanting to change the layout of the house afterward. At the same time, limited to the size of the space and other factors, the furniture, such as desk or nightstand that may be inside the bedroom, may also have the problem of not being easy to move.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a closet that can be easily moved and provide storage for both items and potential additional furniture items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention aim to solve the aforementioned problems in the current closet. The bottom wheels make the closet of the present invention easier to move, while the closet may include built-in additional furniture, such as a built-in folding table and folding nightstand. The most suitable way to use the closet, according to aspects of the present invention, is in recreational vehicles (RVs) and some prefabricated mobile houses, for example. Also included in aspects of the present invention are two new types of furniture that may be folded and stored within the utility closet, such as a desk and nightstand.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a closet comprising a base member supporting uprising side walls and a back wall, the closet having one or more front openings to access an interior of the closet; a plurality of wheels on the bottom of the base member, each of the plurality of wheels extending downward from a plane defined by the base member; and a support mechanism for stabilizing the closet.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a closet comprising a base member supporting uprising side walls and a back wall, the closet having one or more front openings to access an interior of the closet; an opening formed in the base member, the opening facing downward toward a surface supporting the closet; a plurality of wheels on the bottom of the base member, each of the plurality of wheels extending downward from a plane defined by the base member; one or more furniture items stored in the one or more storage regions, the one or more furniture items removable from the one or more storage regions, the one or more furniture items operable to be unfolded and used outside of the one or more storage regions; and a movable member extending from and retracting into the opening, the movable member movable to extend from the opening and contact the surface to support the closet in a desired location.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front perspective view of a closet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates a back perspective view of the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C illustrates a front view of the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D illustrates a detailed view taken around circle I of FIG. 1C;

FIG. 2A illustrates a back perspective view of the closet of FIG. 1A with elements removed to show the anti-roll features thereof;

FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2C illustrates a detailed view of a stabilization tab at a base of the closet of FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate front perspective views of the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 5A illustrates a front view of a portion of the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 5C illustrates a detailed view of a lift mechanism;

FIGS. 6A through 6C illustrate views of the closet of FIG. 1A with front covers removed therefrom;

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of a table fitting into the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 8 illustrates a folding procedure for the table of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9A through 9C illustrates views of the table of FIG. 7 in a folded configuration;

FIGS. 10A through 10C illustrate a nightstand, in a folded configuration, fitting into the closet of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 11A through 11C illustrate a folding process for the nightstand of FIG. 10A; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of the nightstand of FIG. 10A.

The illustrations in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide a utility closet that can combine part of the bedroom furniture, such as a desk and bedside table, with a wardrobe. Also, the lower part of the closet can be equipped with wheels to facilitate the change of position, while the bottom also has a support frame to hold the closet better on the floor. Both the desk and the nightstand are foldable and can be placed in the closet drawers after folding. At the same time, the hanging rod inside the closet can have a grooved design to prevent the clothes hanging inside the closet from falling when it is transferred, such as when installed in a recreational vehicle or mobile home.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A through 5, a utility closet 10 (also referred to simply as closet 10) can have height and dimensions that are by conventional closet size standards. The closet 10 can have a front surface including large drawers 32, small drawers 34, a storage cover 33, and cabinet/wardrobe doors 12. The front can be bounded by side members 14, a top member 18 and a bottom member 20. A back member 16 can be provided on the back side of the closet 10.

A wall attachment member 26 may extend from a top member 18 of the closet 10. The wall attachment member 26 may be affixed to the closet 10 and may provide an opening for a fastener (not shown) to extend through and into a wall to affix the closet 10 in a desired location. The use of the wall attachment member 26 may be optional, depending on the intended use and need by the end user. The wall attachment members are shown extending from the top member 18, but could also extend from the side members 14, for example.

Wheels 22 may be disposed in the bottom member 20 and may extend slightly beyond a plane of the bottom member 20. Herein, the term “slightly” may refer to extending from about 5 percent to about 45 percent of the overall diameter of the wheel 22. A lock 21 may be disposed on each wheel to prevent the wheels from rotation.

A plurality of stabilization tabs 24 may be disposed within recesses 26 in the side members 14, as illustrated best in FIG. 2C. The stabilization tabs 24 may be extended to extend outward beyond a front and or a back plane of the closet 10 to provide additional stabilization, as desired. Conventional closets are subject to the risk of tipping, especially during the transfer of the closet, which is likely to be caused by improper handling. Therefore, there is a support that can be turned out at the front and back edges of the closet to support the closet in times when it tends to tip over.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage cover 33 may be opened to reveal a storage area 58, 60 (see FIG. 6A) for storing additional furniture. For example, a table 38 and a nightstand 36 may be disposed in the storage areas 58, 60 and may be removed and deployed, as described in greater detail below.

An opening 30 may be provided in the bottom member 20 of the closet 10. A movable surface 46 may extend from and retract into the opening 30, where a user can extend the movable surface 46 to contact a floor surface, thereby better supporting and stabilizing the closet 10. The movable surface 46 may be moved by a scissor jack 42, for example, where a fixed end 50 may be fixed in the closet 10, and the user may move a knob 40 to move a movable end 48 to extend or retract the movable surface 46. The knob 40 may be a rotating knob or may be pushed or pulled and locked into a desired position. Of course, other mechanisms, such as a hydraulic lift, may be used, provided that such mechanisms permit the movable surface 46 to extend from and retract into the opening 30.

Referring to FIG. 6, the closet 10 is shown without the doors or drawers. An opening 52 in the top may be sized to hang clothes therein, for example. A hanger rod 53 may extend between the sides of the closet 10, where the top of the hanger rod 53 may be grooved so that hangers do not jump off the rod during movement of the closet 10 or movement of a vehicle in which the closet 10 is disposed. The closet can include openings 58, 60 for furniture storage, as well as a small drawer opening 56 and large drawer openings 54.

A table 38 may be disposed in the closet 10. Referring to FIGS. 7 through 9C, the table can include a top surface 62, a folding leaf 66 on each end of the table 38, and telescoping legs 64 supporting the table 38. The folding leaf 66 can include a recess 74 into which an extension 72 of a leg brace 68 can be placed to support the leaf 68 in the deployed state. A hinge, or other pivot structure 71 can be provided to pivot the folding leaf 66.

As shown in FIG. 8, to fold the table 38, the leaf 66 may be folded upward and the leg braces 68 may be pivoted inward, so that both leg braces 68 and all four legs 64 are on the same edge of the table 38. The legs 64 may also be retracted and then folded to be disposed longitudinal adjacent to the bottom of the top of the table 38. A bottom board 70 may be disposed along one edge of the bottom of the table 38, so that the leg braces 68 fold up against the bottom board 70. Various mechanisms may be used to releasable secure the legs and leg braces in the use position, where the user can activate a mechanism to begin the folding process.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A through 12, a nightstand 36 can include a top member 80 with two leg 82 pivotably extending from sides of the top member 80 via hinges 86 or other similar pivot members. One leg 82 may extend downward from a front of the top member on one side thereof, while the other leg 82 may extend downward from a back of the top member, on the other side thereof. Each leg 82 may include a floor contacting member 84 that extends orthogonally at the distal ends of the legs 82. The leg 82 at the front of the top member 80 may have a floor contacting member 84 extending rearward, while the leg 82 at the back of the top member 80 may have a floor contacting member 84 extending forward as shown in the Figures.

Of course, the table and nightstands illustrated herein are examples and various furniture of different sizes or shapes may be used with the closet 10 according to embodiments of the present invention.

All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention.