GB2245153A - Cupboard constructions - Google Patents

Abstract

A cupboard construction comprises a one piece moulded plastics open fronted liner (17) having integral side (23), top, bottom and back walls and a peripheral flange (25) around the open front thereof. The liner is mounted in a support structure (10) including spaced upright panels (12, 14) mounted on legs (13) and a plinth (18) and supporting a work surface (11). The side panels (12, 14) have laterally extending flanges (40, 42) at their lower ends to support the liner between the panels with the liner secured to the panels. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CUPBOARD CONSTRUCTIONS This invention relates to cupboards and is particularly although not exclusively applicable to "built-in" floor or wall mounted cupboards.

Up to now most cupboard units have been made by assembling components that have been machined from sheet materials. These include chipboard, plywood, medium density fibreboard (M.D.F.), steel and the like.

This invention provides a cupboard construction comprising a one piece moulded plastics liner providing a bottom, side walls, back, top and a doorway opening and a support structure to receive and support the liner including spaced upright members between which the liner engages and to which the side walls of the liner are secured to support the liner in situ.

The liner is preferably manufactured from a one piece composite injection moulding. This has the advantage of being impervious to water, therefore much more durable where the potential ingress of water is possible, like under sink units for instance.

Hygienically such liners are far superior with a seamless interior finish and radius where a conventional carcass would have a joint.

Moreover, the liner, being seamless, has no applied edge treatment. Sheet materials like chipboard, plywood or M.D.F. need to be surface treated with either, melamine or laminate then edge treated with paper, laminate, P.V.C. or wood. This means that these applied surfaces on conventional carcassing are likely to delaminate or detach themselves with wear.

The new liner arrangement requires no surface treatment or edge treatment and therefore will be much more durable.

Steel cabinets need to be finished with a coating of paint, plastic or enamel which can chip or flake off in time.

The new liner system may be 'through colour' in other words it is impregnated with the same colour through the thickness of the moulding thereby obviating the need to coat the surface with anything.

If surface abrasion occurs, marks can be polished out and the surface finish restored. The new carcass is unique in its concept of installation. The liner is non-structural and is not intended to support the work surface in any way. By supporting the work surface either side of the carcass with frames, the liner can easily be removed for improved access to services.

Secure fixing of internal components like hinges, drawer runners etc., is achieved by first attaching the components to the liner. This can be done with screws, bolts or rivets. One or two fixing points are left until the liner has been installed between the worktop frame supports. Final fixing of the liner and the internal component is achieved by using an extended screw or bolt which passes through the internal component then through the liner and firmly fixed into the worktop frame support.

All fittings that would normally be fitted to the side of a liner will benefit from the stronger fixings as above. In an industrial application a steel frame can be used to support the worktop and there fore give the internal fittings of the carcass the benefit of being self-tapped or bolted to a steel frame. This form of fixing is far superior to that of internal components fixed to liners constructed of a sheet material.

It is envisaged that only a minority of the total fixings used to attach an internal carcass component would be fixed through to the frame so as to allow factory fitting of components into carcasses before installation on site. The fixings that carry through the carcass side and into the frame are coloured or identified by their head in some way to distinguish them from the fixings used just to place the components in the factory.

This enables easy removal of the liner by removing the identified screws and sliding out the liner for access to services etc.

In the front face edge of the carcass a sealing strip is inserted which will be fitted to all four face edges in a moulded continuous groove. The only necessary joint on the sealing strip therefore will be at the top of the carcass, obscured from view by the overhang of the worktop.

Carcasses made from sheet materials usually have four joints (one at each corner) with this type of sealing strip.

The invention is equally applicable to both floor and wall mounted cupboards and in the case of floor mounted cupboards the invention is applicable to both built-in and free-standing cupboards.

The following is a description of some specific embodiments of the invention reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a built-in floor mounted cupboard in accordance with the invention including a support structure and two plastics liners one of which is shown in situ and the other of which is shown out of the support structure to illustrate the construction; Figure 2 is a similar view to that of Figure 1 showing the support structure alone; Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 showing the support structure with a lower plinth removed; Figure 4 is a front view of one of the plastics liners for the cupboard unit of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 on Figure 4; Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 on Figure 4;; Figure 7 is a detailed view of a foot supporting a lower end of a side panel of the support structure of the cupboard unit; Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 on Figure 7; Figure 9 is a front view of the assembled cupboard unit of Figure 1; Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view through the cupboard unit of Figure 9 in a horizontal plane; Figure 11 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the joint between two liners of the cupboard unit; Figures 12 to 18 illustrate the direction of the supporting structure to receive the cupboard liners.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, there is shown a double cupboard unit comprising a support structure indicated generally at 10 and including a worktop 11, supported on end walls 12 mounted on short legs 13 and an intermediate partition 14 mounted on similar legs 13. The partition 14 is positioned equidistantly between the end walls 12 to create two side-by-side cavities 15.

One piece moulded plastics box form cupboard liners 17 are slotted into the cavities 15 as illustrated in Figure 1 to provide cupboard interiors and an inset plinth 17 is provided at the bottom end of the support structure to enclose the legs supporting the end walls 12 and partition 14.

The construction of each moulded plastics cupboard liner 17 is disclosed in greater detail in Figures 4 to 6 to which reference will now be made.

Each moulded plastics liner is formed in a glass fibre reinforced polyester resin between a pair of matched dies. The liners could, equally, be formed in polyester resin with other forms of reinforcement and could be formed in other plastics such as an epoxy resin or could be formed as injection mouldings in a thermoplastics materials. As indicated above, the liner is a one piece moulding formed with a box shape having a top wall 20, back wall 21, bottom wall 22 and side walls 23. The liner has a rectangular opening 24 to provide a doorway for the liner and the edge portion of the liner around the doorway is formed with an out-turned rim 25.

Referring again to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the cupboard unit is "built in" against a wall 30 and on a floor 31. The worktop 11 rests in part on a batten 32 secured to the wall and in part on the end walls 12 and intermediate partition 14.

End walls 12 and intermediate partition 14 are mounted on two spaced legs 13 which are illustrated in greater detail in Figures 7 and 8. Each leg 13 terminates in a foot 34 connected to the leg by means of a screw jack 35 for adjusting the length of the leg. The leg is formed with a socket 36 at its upper end having a screw threaded bore extending into the socket from the upper end thereof. Each end wall 12 and the partition 14 have two spaced channel section members 38 which engage at spaced locations along the lower edges of the end walls and partition respectively and from which bolts 39 project downwardly with the heads of the bolts trapped in the respective channels.The partition 14 has a plate 40 extending along the lower edge thereof and to either side of the partition and the bolt 39 extends through holes 41 in the plate into the heads 36 of the legs 33 into which the bolts are firmly screwed.

Similarly the end walls 12 have plates 41 extending along the undersides thereof and projecting on the inner side of the support structure only and having holes through which the bolts 39 extend into the legs 13 supporting the end walls. The sides of the channels 38 may be cut away as indicated at 42 to provide access to the heads of the bolts 39 for tightening the bolts into the sockets at the tops of the legs.

Thus the end wall 12 and partition 14 are adjustably mounted on legs 33 above the ground to permit the worktop 11 supported by the end walls and partition to be accurately levelled along and across the worktop.

The plates 40 and 42 provide support for the cupboard liners 17 as the liners are inserted into the support structure. Once the liners have been located in place, the side walls 23 of the liner are secured by screws to the intermediate partition 14 and the end walls 12 to hang the liners on the end walls and partition. The rims 25 encircling the liners overlap the forward edge 14 of the central partition 14 and abut one another to conceal the partition and, similarly, the rims partially overlap the end walls 12. Cladding sheets 45 are secured to the end walls to cover the end walls and, as indicated earlier, an inset plinth 18 encloses the lower part of the structure beneath the end walls and liners.

Cupboard doors are provided hinged to the cupboard walls with the fastenings for the hinges screwed through the wall of the liner into the central partition 14 or end walls 12 as appropriate.

Likewise internal fittings for shelves, drawers and the like are secured through the plastics side walls into the end walls/central partition of the support structure.

In a modified construction illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the end cladding 45 for the end walls comprises plastics mouldings similarly constructed to the cupboard liners. Each moulded cladding 45 has a rim 46 along one edge which engages around the forward edge of the end wall 12 of the support structure to abut with the out-turned rim 25 on the adjacent liner to enclose and thereby conceal the forward edge of the end wall.

The joint between the two liners and the central partition 14 is illustrated in greater detail in Figure 11. One of the screw fastenings 50 for securing one of the liners to the central partition 14 is illustrated. The forward faces 51 of the rims 25 are formed with continuous grooves 52 and hollow D-section fields 53 encircle the faces 51 with barb section anchors 54 trapped in the grooves to anchor the seals to the surface of the rim. The seals cushion the closing action of the cupboard doors mounted on the rims and also provides seals against ingress of dust and dirt.

The method of assembly and mounting of the cupboard construction is as follows: Fix a level batten 32 on the wall 30 at a height which corresponds to the underside of the worktop.

Attach vertical end walls 12 and intermediate partition 14 to batten after levelling to floor with adjustable leg supports 13. A dummy liner temporarily offered up to the support frame can accurately determine the spacings of frames.

Fix worktop 11 to walls and partition.

Attach end decor panels 45 (if any).

Scribe plinths 17 to floor and attach to leg supports 13.

Insert one piece moulded plastics liners 17 between walls 12 and 14 and fix to walls, either with separate screws or through internal cabinet fittings.

Figure 13 shows a support wall made from a sheet material 15mm thick. The panel is attached to the wall by means of brackets which are attached to the batten running along the wall.

The panel can be cut away for clearance of services etc.

Figure 16 shows a frame support panel made from hollow square section steel 15mm wide to be utilised instead of walls 12, 14.

This frame is attached to the batten by brackets welded to the frame.

Liner support flange 40, 42 is bolted between frame and adjustable leg supports.

Figure 11 shows a section of the front edge of two liners where they join. The section also shows how the main fixing screws extend through the sides of the liner and into the main support walls. This provides a very firm fixing, especially where a steel frame is used as the screws can self-tap into the walls of the hollow square section steel tube.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A cupboard construction comprising a one piece moulded plastics liner providing a bottom, side walls, back, top and a doorway opening and a support structure to receive and support the liner including spaced upright members between which the liner engages and to which the side walls of the liner are secured to support the liner in situ.

2. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the support structure includes spaced upright members engaging the outer sides of the liner adjacent to the doorway in the liner to receive hinge means for hinging a door over the doorway in the liner.

3. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the doorway to the liner has an encircling rim and the parts of the rim extending down the respective side walls of the liner at least partially overlap the upright members of the support structure supporting the liner.

4. A cupboard construction as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the upright members of the support structure comprise spaced vertically extending panels between which the liner is located and secured to.

5. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the support structure further comprises a worktop from which the side members depend to be supported from the floor and to receive the liner between the side members and underneath the worktop.

6. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the side members have inwardly projecting flanges spaced above the floor to support the liner between the side members above the floor.

7. A cupboard construction as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein spaced upright panels are supported on a plurality of adjustable legs to permit vertical adjustment of the panels for levelling the cupboard.

8. A cupboard construction as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a plurality of said liners are provided to be mounted side-by-side in said support structure with a common spaced upright member or members between adjacent liners.

9. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 8 and in the case where the liners have encircling rims around the doorway openings thereof, wherein the rims of adjacent liners abut one another and thereby conceal the upright member between the liners.

10. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 9 wherein plastics cladding panels to match the liners are provided to cover the upright members of the support structure at the ends of the structure.

11. A cupboard construction as claimed in Claim 10 and in the case where the one piece liners have out-turned rims which partially overlie the side members of the support structure, wherein the cladding panels have corresponding rims to cover the remaining exposed parts of the upright members and to abut with the adjacent rims of the liners.

12. A cupboard construction as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the edge of the liner encircling the doorway is formed with a moulded in continuous groove in which a sealing strip is inserted with which a door hung on the liner abuts.

13. A cupboard construction as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein internal fixtures for shelving, drawers and the like are secured through the liner to the upright members of the support structure in which the liner is mounted.

14. A cupboard construction substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.