GB2207169A

GB2207169A - Domestic storage unit

Info

Publication number: GB2207169A
Application number: GB08716379A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Friedrichsen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-07-11
Filing date: 1987-07-11
Publication date: 1989-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 2007-07-11
Also published as: GB8716379D0; GB2207169B

Abstract

A domestic storage unit, for mounting upon a worktop, has a counterbalanced door 15 for sliding linear movement between a lower position in which the door covers a storage area and an upper position in which that storage area is accessible and the door lies at least partly behind an upper front part of the unit. The unit may be shelves with a deeper upper part which may be enclosed or have conventionally hinged door(s) or horizontally hinged upper door 13. <IMAGE>

Description

Domestic Storage Unit The present invention is a domestic storage unit of the type exemplified by wall-mDunted and free-standing kitchen units and display cabinets.

In the case of kitchen units in particular, often the bulk of the storage space is provided either below or above the normal worktop height, to the considerable inconvenience of users who are of limited mobility or of below-average height, among other users. However, as a general rule, storage units are not available which are designed or suitable for installation at the level of the worktop.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage unit sshich is in many of its forms suitable for mounting directly upon or immediately above a kitchen worktop, while also being suitable in other forms for use as a free standing unit in the kitchen or elsewhere.

The kitchen unit according to the present invention is characterised by having a door punted and counterbalanced for generally vertical sliding linear movement between two positions, in the lower of which the door covers a storage area within the unit and in the upper of which positions that storage area is exposed for access thereto and the door lies at least partly behind an upper front part of the unit.

The storage unit of the invention thus has the important advantages that the main storage space within the unit inay be concentrated in the lower half of the unit and that, because that space is exposed by raising the door covering it in a vertical linear movement, the unit may be stood upon a work-top without the considerable inconvenience which would arise if a conventional hinged-door unit were installed in this position.

Other advantages arising from the present invention in its various forms will become apparent in the light of the following more detailed description.

The door of the novel storage unit is, as stated, countebalanced. While if desired the counterbalancing of the door ray be achieved by means of one or irore springs offsetting the weight of the door, it is preferred to uvloy one or norse counterweights for this prrpose. For example, a cord from the centre or one side of the width of the door, or preferably a cord fran each side of the door, may pass over a pulley in the upper part of the unit and be secured at its other end to an appropriate oounterweight.

movement of the door between its two positions is by a linear, generally vertical path and this path may be defined, and sliding of the door assisted, by the provision of guide rails engaging corresponding channels in the door (or guide rails on the door engaging channels in the frame of the unit). Typically, such guide rails may be of nylon or other synthetic polymeric material.

In its lower position, the door covers what may be regarded as the main storage area of the unit, in the sense that the unit may be so mounted as to make this area the most readily accessible part of the storage area of the unit. Th take maximum advantage of this readily accessible storage space, it may usefully be suk-divided by one or mDre horizontal shelves, although as an alternative it may be left undivided or may be only partially provided with shelves. In its upper position, the door lies at least partly behind the unit front.

The upper part of the storage unit may be closed by a fixed or removable front panel (for example if this part will be largely out of reach or if it is to enclose sate feature such as an electric meter or wiring or water pipes). HD ever it is preferred to make use of the additional storage space potentially available in that upper part of the unit, by providing one or more hinged doors to enclose that space. For example, the upper end of the storage unit may be enclosed by a single door hinged at one side, or by a pair of doors hinged at their respective sides, or more preferably by an upwardly-swinging door hinged along its upper edge.Whatever form the upper front of the unit may take, the vertically-sliding door should move, in its upward movement, behind the unit front to a greater or lesser extent. Conveniently the vertical dinwsion of the vertically-sliding door is such that, in its upper position, the door is largely covered by the upper unit front. In this way the available lower storage space is maximised.

The lower storage space may be only slightly less in front-to-back depth than the upper storage space or may be substantially less. Thus the vertically-sliding door may, in its upward position, lie immediately behind the upper front of the unit or may lie a significant distance behind the front.

In this latter form of the invention, shelves provided in the upper part of the unit may be disposed in front of the lower door or may be placed both in front of and behind the door.

In a particularly preferred form of the invention each side of the storage unit is foamed of two spaced panels, the outer of which is a part of the overall structure of the unit.

Counterbalance weights to off-set the weight of the sliding door may then be disposed in the space between the panels.

The foregoing description recognises the features of the storage unit which make it of particular value in the kitchen, although it may be used in other forms and in other locations.

In the kitchen in particular, the unit may replace a conventional upper storage unit, which is usually mounted upon the wall at a significant distance above the worktop. The present unit may be mounted directly upon the worktop, by which is meant that it may be mounted in direct contact with the worktop although in fact it will normally still be secured to the wall for stability.

The unit may be provided without a back, relying upon the adjacent wall for that purpose, or may have a back panel.

When mounted at worktop level, the unit may advantageously be somewhat shallower front-to-back than a conventional upper kitchen unit, although it need not be so.

In another form, the storage unit of the present invention may be designed to stand upon the floor. In both its wall-irounted and free-standing forms, the unit is suitable for the kitchen or for other rooms, for exan#le as a cupboard unit or for displaying china.

The unit, that is the structural framework and/or the doors, may be made in a wide variety of materials such as are already used for units of this general type. Such materials include wood, chipboard, metals and plastics materials. The decorative finish is a matter of choice and may include laminated finishes and paints and varnishes appropriate to the intended use of the unit.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the acoompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one ertodiment of the storage unit according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, with the top of the unit removed and to a larger scale, of one side of the unit of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the unit of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a corresponding vertical sectional view of a second embodYnEnt of the storage unit according to the invention.

The e storage unit illustrated in Figs. I to 3 is mounted uEDn a worktop 5 and is secured to the wall 6. The unit comprises a rectangular outer framework including side-walls 7, base 8 and top 9 and is furnished with a thin back panel 10. Inner side-walls 11, spaced frcm side-walls 7 by spacers lla, define with the side-walls narrcrw vertical spaces 12 at each side of the unit.

An upper door 13, which when closed conceals shelves 14, is hinged along its upper edge and thereby can swing outward and upward as illustrated in Fig. 1 to allow access to those shelves.

A lower door 15 is mounted upon vertical rails 16 to slide upwardly from a normal closed position adjacent to the base of the unit to an upper position in which it lies behind the upper door 13, thereby exposing the lower storage area at worktop level. The door 15 is balanced by counterweights 17, one at each side of the door and disposed within the spaces 12.

A cord 18 attached at the upper edge of the door runs from each side thereof over a pulley 19 located at the top of each of the side spaces 12 and is connected to one of the counterweights 17 at its other end.

A splash-guard 20 across the lower front edge of the unit may, if desired, be provided with electric sockets (not shown) to supply power to any domestic electrical equipment on the worktop 5. Also if desired, the top 9 of the unit may be extended forward slightly (with the door 13 being 'roved forward by the same arrount) in order to accomodate strip lighting on its underside without impeding the action of the door 15.

In the modified form of the unit which is illustrated in Fig. 4 (and in which like numbers identify like parts), the upper part of the unit is about twice as deep front-to-back as the lower part. The shelves 21 in the upper compartment are each divided at 21a to allow the door 15 to move to its upward position in the same way as in the first illustrated embodiment.

Claims

1. A domestic storage unit, diaracterised by having a door mounted and counterbalanced for generally vertical sliding linear mDuament between two positions, in the lower of which positions the door covers a storage area within the unit and in the upper of which positions that storage area is exposed for access thereto and the door lies at least partly behind an upper front part of the unit.

2. A domestic storage unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door is balanced by one or mrne counterweights.

3. A domestic storage unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein each side of the unit is formed of two spaced panels and a counterbalance weight for the door is located in the space between the panels at each side.

4. A domestic storage unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, having a generally vertical guide rail at each side of the door to guide the door between its two positions.

5. A domestic storage unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper front part of the unit is formed by one or more hinged doors.

6. A dorresti storage unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the upper front part of the unit comprises an upzzardly-swinging door, hinged along its upper edge.

7. A domestic storage unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said lower part# of the unit is substantially less in front-to-back depth than said upper part and wherein said generally vertically sliding door is spaced behind the front of said upper part when said door is in its upper position.

8. A domestic storage unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein shelves are provided in the upper part of the unit, located between the sliding door and the front of the unit.

9. A domestic storage unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, mounted upon a worktop.

10. A domestic storage unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figs. 1 to 3 or Fig. 4 of the accanpanying drawings.