GB2298355A - Cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible cabinet with synchronized doors which slide vertically and in opposite directions, comprises metal sides 1 that constitute the structural support for the bottom 17, the back plate 18 and roof section 19. Each side 1 has folds which create a recess into which a non metal board 23 is housed externally. Front end channels 26 receive guide means for two upward and downward synchronized trolleys 4, 4' on which are supported the frames 12 for the sliding doors. Channels 20 at the rear of the sides 1 receive the back panel 18.

Description

DISMOUNTABLE COMBINATION CABINET WITH SYNCHRONIZED SLIDING DOORS CONCEALABLE VERTICALLY AND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS The subject of the invention is a dismountable utility cabinet with synchronized sliding roller doors concealable vertically and in opposite directions that introduces noteworthy and significant advantages above those currently present in the marketplace.

Indeed, and as its name already indicates, the cabinet in question is dismountable and, although that fact by itself is not a novelty given that there is already an abundant offer of dismountable furniture in the marketplace, this is not so when we refer to office cabinets with sliding roller doors synchronized in the vertical and in opposite directions, popularly known as roller door cabinets in which from the centre of the furniture piece run two shutters made of rigid slats or using a flexible blade or an articulated mesh in opposite directions opening, one in the upward and other in the downward direction, giving access to the inside of the cabinet.

Also as described by its name it is a combination cabinet, indicating that its resistant structure is made of metal, whereas its external aspect shows a timber panel or a hardboard or plasticised chipboard finish, thus offering a more prestigious look than the purely metal finish one.

As already set out in the fore going paragraph, there is a wide offer of cabinets incorporating roller shutters.

Cabinets using a slat articulation and a guiding system have already been well known for several centuries; let us remember to this effect the previously popular clerical furniture pieces popularly called "secretaire" in which a roller screen hid or revealed the writing instruments and a elaborate system of drawers and doors behind which small compartments housed complementary objects. Roller doors systems where also popularly used in the small pencil cases for school children already in use from the beginning of this century.

Currently these cabinets are, despite being built in series, assembled one by one and finished without possibility of being disassembled so that, both as regards their storage and transportation, use up expensive volume that must necessarily have a negative effect in its retail price, that is to say, the consumer must finally bear the charges taxing indirect costs. Whenever a full load trip of a road freight vehicle needs to be made for a distance of around one thousand kilometres, it is very normal for the cost of the cabinet to double.

Another added difficulty is handling the already assembled furniture piece, to which must also be added a greater packaging cost and finally the inability, in the part of the retailer, and due to space limitations, to stock a few cabinet units besides the one being displayed, so that the opportunity of immediate sales is lost because he is counting on the delivery possibilities of the manufacturer who must also wait, due to reasons of economic expediency, until he accumulates a number of orders before processing them, in order to reduce manufacturing and freight costs.

It is also necessary to point out the fact that metal finished furniture lack warmth in working environments and that it is chipboard, in advantageous substitution of timber, the material that takes up the lead role as the basic material in furniture making. In fact the board may be covered with high quality hardwood or with a film of thermoplastic material such as melamine, thus acquiring a finish able to take up the look of high quality timber such as oak or beech, to name any, and to substitute this with a better level of resistance to abrasion, although at a disadvantage regarding mechanical qualities.

In fact not a single specialist is unaware of the fact that these materials offer very little resistance to buckling, even when the standard nineteen millimetre thicknesses are doubled. A cabinet side wall, for example, has height limitation, whereas a shelf has length limitation. To double the thickness means also to double the weight, to double the machining difficulties and to make freight more expensive, but does not proportionately solve the problem of mechanical resistance, given that the weight of the material itself must also be taken into account.

The inventor has not found in patent literature any record of patents trying to deal with the problems set out above, nor does the marketplace have any offer in this sense, as there are dismountable furniture pieces, but no cabinets with sliding rollers doors running one upward and the other downward. There are also metal furniture which mechanical resistance limits are very much above that of the chipboard plate but there are no chipboard furniture pieces fitted with a metal structure capable of conveying onto a furniture piece essentially made of chipboard the mechanical resistance conditions needed to breach the limitations imposed by the own nature of the chipboard material used.

This specification does not set out an invention that breaks up with the past, but one that distinctly starts off the technology within reach of any expert, together with the ingenuity of the inventor to supply a new, inexpensive and efficient solution to problems that exist, that are being suffered by participants in the industry, but that up to now no one has been able to solve.

In accordance with the information already set out, the invention starts off two masters side plates of metal construction, said side plates structurally receive the whole effort and support it so that they convey resistance to the assembly allowing its disassembly and assembly and making it possible for the sliding roller system to work perfectly and so the assembly is supplied in disassembled form and inside a package that is conveniently small, simple, cheap and recyclable. Thus the conventional storage and freight problems are reduced to the maximum extent possible.

Each one of the side plates presents a housing inside which is fitted a guiding track for matching rolling trolleys that follow an upward and/or downward trajectory parallel to the sides of the opening of the cabinet.

The trolleys have reversed movement patterns, that is to say, that they follow opposite trajectories so that when one then runs up the other one runs down, either opening or closing the roller screen door, roller screen that, as will later be observed, is made up of frames fitted with a plurality of slats that are articulated and linked between them as conventionally.

It is necessary to establish that the term roller door encompass a wide spectrum of possibilities ranging from a simple taut canvass to a metal lattice and generally to a flexible laminar surface non expandable lengthwise and laterally and able to slide upon the tracks, concealing itself and thus opening the door or reappearing to close it and to constitute an obstacle defending access and protecting its interior.

Pulleys are fitted at each one of the guiding tracks on which the sections of an endless cable are made taut, cable sections of which one runs upward whereas the other one runs downwards, thus always obtaining a reversing movement that makes it possible for the rollers to slide reciprocally.

At each side there are two trolleys fitted with rolling means enabling them to move smoothly upon the guiding tracks. The trolleys are furthermore linked to the endless cables made up of steel cables, preferentially twist resistant, due to their having been proven in practice as the most appropriate to the requirements of the invention.

It is fundamental to point out that the upward running cable section is linked to the upward running trolley, where the opposite is true regarding the opposite trolley. Each trolley allows free passage through it of the cable section that moves in the opposite direction and both trolley find themselves inevitably in the centre of the closing trajectory so that the frames meet laterally ensuring their closure. The opposite maximum opening point is always equidistant from the centre.

Two lug pieces per trolley are to be fitted on the cables in order to enable the movement of the trolleys in perfect synchronism. Out of these lug pieces, two of them are fixed to the corresponding cable section, whereas the other two serve as a guiding mean acting as a thrust bearing letting pass freely the cable section travelling in the opposite direction. The trolleys position and render the lug pieces non mobile and constitute, with the cables and pulleys, an assembly that allows, thanks to the side guiding tracks, the smooth and synchronized movement of the frames and the roller slats articulating therein, roller slats that slide upon guides fitted on the side and which, thanks to the specific constitution conferred by the invention, lend the necessary resistance capacity to the assembly, as later described.

Each one of the trolley is fitted with coupling means to couple the linking lever arms to the frames of the roller shutter, so that when one of the sides is assembled against the other the lever arms are axially fitted into the frames and the assembly is then mounted upon a lower panel, linked to a back plate and made stiff by a roof section.

The guide for each trolley assembly is housed into the side itself and specifically into a resistant stanchion defined into the metal structure making it up. To this end the side of the fore edge features an elbow shaped quadruple that is a continuation of an extending fold and that defines a housing for a double wing profile acting as a guide for the trolleys at the same time that makes up an opening for the carrier lever arms of the roller frames.

At the opposite front each side features a wing looking outwards, wing that folds in parallel to the plane on which the trolley guide seat internally, to elbow bend again closing upon an inward overlapping wing and making up the proper housing for the back plate.

The sunk area defined by the folds at each side edge house timber plates that dress it up and conveys upon it the general timber outlook that constitutes one of the aims of the invention.

No mention is made of the fixing means between the various parts using studs, given that said means already belong to the current state of the art and are within the scope of any skilled person.

In order to illustrate the above description this patent specification incorporates drawing sheets that schematically represent an example of execution that must not be interpreted in a limitative form, but merely as indicative of the practical possibilities of execution arising from the development of the invention.

In figure number one of the drawings an exploded perspective in assembly projection view of the subject of the invention on which partial cuts have been made is shown, thus allowing a representation of internal parts and further lending it a greater clarity and schematic simplicity of the parts shown.

Figure two specifically shows the disposition of the cables, the constitution of the rolling trolleys and the way in which said trolleys attach to the frames acting as a support to the roller door or element functioning as such.

In accordance with all of the fore said, the invention starts off two master side panels made of metal, said side panels receive structurally all the effort and support it so that they confer resistance to the assembly, allow its disassembly and reassembly at the same time that make it possible for the roller system to operate perfectly.

Each one of the side plates 1 present a housing 2 in which there is a guiding track 3 for rolling trolleys 4, 4' that follow an upward and/or downward trajectory that is parallel to the side stanchions 26 of the opening of the cabinet.

The trolleys 4 are of reversing movement, that is to say, they follow reciprocating trajectories so that whenever one of them runs up the other one runs down, opening the mouth of the door or, alternatively, closing roller 6, said roller 6 may, as already set out, be made up in various different ways, given that the term roller door encompasses a wide spectrum of possibilities ranging from a simple taut canvass to a metal lattice and generally to a flexible laminar surface non expandable lengthwise and laterally but able to slide upon the tracks, concealing itself and thus opening the door or reappearing to close it and to constitute an obstacle defending access and protecting its interior.The roller does, conventionally and independently of its method of operation, run upon roller guides that in the case that concern us is made up by wings 24 that fold upon a reinforcing plate 25 which will house the supports necessary to fix shelves or hanging file system bars.

Continuing with the description of the drawings, in each one of the guiding tracks 7 will be fitted pulleys 8 upon which are made taut the sections 9-10 of an endless cable, sections of which one 9 runs upward whereas the other 10 runs downward, always achieving thus an inverse movement enabling the reciprocating movement of the rollers.

At each side 1 there are two trolleys 4, 4' fitted with rolling means 5 so that they travel smoothly upon the guiding tracks 7. The trolleys 4, 4' are furthermore linked to the endless cables.

It is fundamental to point out that the upward running cable section is linked to the upward running trolley, 4 where the opposite is true regarding the opposite trolley 4'. Each trolley 4, 4' allows free passage through it of the cable section that moves in the opposite direction and both trolley find themselves inevitably in the centre of the closing trajectory so that the frames 12 reinforcing the rollers 6 meet laterally ensuring their closure. The opposite maximum opening point is always equidistant from the centre.

Two lug pieces 13-14 per trolley are to be fitted on the cables 9-10 in order to enable the movement of the trolleys 4, 4' in perfect synchronism. Out of these lug pieces two of them, 13 are fixed to the corresponding cable sect ion, whereas the other two 14 serve as a guiding mean acting as a thrust bearing letting pass freely the cable section travelling in the opposite direction. The trolleys position and render the lug pieces non mobile and constitute, with the cables and the pulleys 8, an assembly that allows, thanks to the side guiding tracks 7, the smooth and synchronized movement of the frames 12 and the roller slats 6 articulating therein, roller slats 6 that slide upon guides 7 fitted on the housings 2 on the sides 1 and which, thanks to the specific constitution conferred by the invention, lend the necessary resistance capacity to the assembly, as later described.

Each one of the trolley 4, 4' is fitted with coupling means to couple the linking lever arms 16 to the frames 12 of the roller shutter 6, so that when one of the sides 1 is assembled against the other the level arms 16 are axially fitted into the frames 12 and the assembly is then mounted upon a lower panel 17, linked by a back plate 18 and made stiff by a roof section 19.

The housing 2 for the guide 7 for each trolley assembly 4 is defined by the side itself 1 and more specifically by the metal structure making it up. To this end the side 1 of its fore edge features an elbow shaped quadruple that is a continuation of an extending fold and that defines a housing 2 or a double wing profile 7 acting as a guide for the trolleys 4, 4' at the same time that makes up an opening for the lever arms 16 carrying the roller frames 12.

At the opposite front each side 1 features a wing 20 looking outwards, wing 20 that folds in parallel to the plane upon which seats the guide 7 of the trolleys 4, to elbow bend again closing upon an inward overlapping wing 21 and making up the proper housing for the back plate 18.

The sunk area 22 defined by the folds of each edge of the sides 1 houses timber plates 23 that dress it up and conveys upon it the general timber outlook that constitutes one of the aims of the invention.

As previously pointed out, no mention is made of the fixing means between the various parts using studs or pegs, given that said means already belong to the current state of the art and are offered in the carpentry accessories marketplace.

It is not considered necessary to say anything more in this specification in order to enable a person skilled in the art to, on the basis of everything described and referenced, carry out a practical development of the invention that shall not stray from the essentiality to be reflected in the claims below and which shall admit variations regarding shape, dimensions or structure without significantly modifying the invention.

Claims (7)

Claims

1 A dernountable combination cabinet with synchronised slidable shutters movable vertically and in opposite directions, in which the cabinet has two opposing metal side members providing structural support for a common base panel, back panel and top panel, in which each side member has in it an outer recess adapted to house a side panel of non-metallic material, the recess being bounded fore and aft by channels formed in the side member, with the front channel housing a pair of trolleys intended to be secuzed in pairs to the outer ends of a roller shutter, and with the rear channel being adapted to receive the respective upright end of the back panel.

2 A cabinet as claimed in claim 1, in which the front channel of each side member forms, or has in it, a guide track for the trolleys.

3 A cabinet as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the trolleys are adapted to move synchronously in opposite directions along tracks provided by shaped flanges of a reinforcement member secured to the inner major side face of the respective side member.

4 A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at the ends of each of the front channels there are pulleys on which is mounted an endless case to one run of which each trolley is secured, and of which the other run slides freely through each trolley.

5 A cabinet as claimed in claim 4, in which each trolley has at least two pairs of opposing jaws on opposite sides of the endless cable, with one pair of jaws gripping the cable so as to prevent relative movement between the trolley and the respective cable run, and with the other pair of jaws remaining spaced apart and acting as bearings for the relatively-movable cable run extending between them.

6 A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each trolley has an arm extending from it and adapted to be secured to the respective roller shutter while the cabinet is being assembled, so that the cabinet is finally supported by the base panel, linked by the back panel, and made rigid by the top panel.

7 A demountable combination cabinet with synchronised slidable shutters movable vertically and in opposite directions substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying drawings.