Patent Application
20120242209
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The invention disclosed broadly relates to the field of furniture, and more particularly relates to the field of hardware used in the manufacture of cabinet boxes.
Conventional cabinets, such as file cabinets, storage cabinets and shelving units, typically comprise a box-like structure including a back panel, a top panel, a bottom panel and side panels. For the most part, the technology used to manufacture conventional cabinets has not changed appreciably for many decades. As such, there is a long-felt need to address the variety of drawbacks associated with the construction of conventional cabinets.
One problem with conventional cabinets is the lack of the ability to change the position, or vertical placement, of the drawers, doors or shelves. In a conventional cabinet, the drawers are usually coupled to the cabinet via drawer slides that are coupled to the interior surface of the side panels. Drawer slides comprise horizontal metal elements that are generally screwed into the interior surface of the side panels, wherein the drawer slides provide a track on which a drawer slides. Thus, in order to change the vertical position of a drawer, the slides must be unscrewed and removed from their current location, positioned into an appropriate new location and re-screwed into place. This can be time-consuming and tedious. Likewise, in a conventional cabinet, the shelves are usually coupled to the cabinet via shelf supports that are coupled to the interior surface of the side panels. In order to change the vertical position of a shelf, the shelf supports must be removed from their current location, and after appropriate measurement and marking, attached into a new location. Again, this can be an annoying and lengthy process for a consumer.
Furthermore, most mainstream consumer cabinets include holes that are predrilled into the side panels, into which the drawer slides or shelf supports are attached. These consumer cabinets usually have little or no alternatively-placed holes for changing the location of the drawers or shelves. Thus, consumer cabinets of this type don't provide the end-user with the complete ability to change the vertical placement of drawers or shelves.
Another problem with conventional cabinets is the lack of the ability to change the position, or vertical placement, of door hinges. In a conventional cabinet, a door hinge is usually screwed into the interior surface of the side panels. Thus, in order to change or adjust the vertical placement of the hinge for any reason, a significant amount of unscrewing, measuring and re-screwing must be done. And since most mainstream consumer cabinets include few, if any, alternative locations of predrilled holes into which hinges are screwed, consumers are provided with few options for adjusting the placement of door hinges for conventional cabinets.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a more versatile and user-friendly cabinet.
Briefly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a versatile cabinet system is disclosed. The cabinet system includes a top planar panel, a bottom planar panel, and a vertical corner piece that couples a corner of the top planar panel with a corresponding corner of the bottom planar panel, wherein the vertical corner piece comprises an extruded element. The vertical corner piece further includes at least one upwards-facing orifice located at a top of the vertical corner piece, wherein the at least one orifice accepts a fastener that extends from the top planar panel and wherein the at least one orifice comprises a top end of a channel that runs a length of the corner piece. The vertical corner piece further includes at least one interior-facing channel located on a side of the vertical corner piece, wherein the at least one interior-facing channel has a greater width at its nadir than at its opening and wherein the at least one interior-facing channel runs a length of the corner piece.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and also the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention solves problems with the prior art by providing a versatile cabinet system that provides a user with the ability to change, quickly and easily, the position, or vertical placement, of the drawers, shelves or doors in the cabinet. Drawer slides, shelf supports and door hinge plates are attached to the interior surface of the cabinet system using a fastener that, when loosened, allows the drawer slide, shelf support or door hinge plate to slide vertically up and down the entire height of the cabinet without requiring removal of any hardware. Once placed in the desired position, the fastener is tightened and the drawer slide, shelf support or door hinge plate is once again fixed in its new position. This feature is advantageous since it lessens the time required to adjust the height of a drawer, shelf or door in a cabinet and requires a single tool.
The present invention further improves upon the prior art by providing a cabinet system that does not require side panels, since the corner pieces of the present invention provide the vertical structural support necessary for the cabinet. This reduces the time, resources and cost of producing the cabinet of the present invention. The present invention further requires minimal fabrication, since the only fabrication necessary is cutting the top, bottom and back panels to size, drilling pilot holes in the top and bottom panels and cutting the corner pieces to desired length. Further, the minimal number of components of the present invention allows for easy shipping or transport of the cabinet system since the cabinet can be assembled conventionally in a cabinet shop or the components can be shipped unassembled to the job site saving the substantial cost of packing and shipping assembled cabinets that are frequently subject to damage during handling. Lastly, the highly adjustable and adaptable nature of the corner pieces allows the cabinet system to be used with third party providers of doors, end panels, drawers and shelves, resulting in a highly versatile cabinet system.
The present invention will hereby be described with reference to
Corner pieces 110-116 each comprise an elongated element manufactured from a metal, such as aluminum, or other substantially rigid material such as plastic, using an extrusion process. Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material is pushed or drawn through a die of the desired cross-section.
Bolts 406 are threaded or extended through the orifices in door hinge plate 402 and into the threaded orifices 408 of square nuts 404. When the bolts are loosened, the door hinge plate 402 may slide vertically up and down the entire height of the channel 302 without requiring removal of any hardware. Upon tightening of the bolts 406, door hinge plate 402 is then fixed in position with respect to channel 302 and corner piece 110. Subsequently, a hinge and door may be coupled to the door hinge plate 402.
Bolts 506, 508 are threaded or extended through the orifices in drawer slide 502 and into the threaded orifices of the square nuts. When the bolts are loosened, the drawer slide 502 may slide vertically up and down the entire height of the channel 302 and upon tightening of the bolts 506, 508, drawer slide 502 is then fixed in position with respect the corner pieces 110, 112. Subsequently, a drawer may be coupled to the drawer slide 502.
Bolt 606 is threaded into the threaded orifice of square nut 604. When the bolt is loosened, it may slide vertically up and down, and when tightened, it is fixed in position with respect to channel 310 and corner piece 110. Subsequently, a shelf may be supported by the shoulder bolt 606. This procedure is duplicated with respect to the corner piece 112.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments. Furthermore, it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
