GB2450129A

GB2450129A - Cabinet carcass with separate front portion

Info

Publication number: GB2450129A
Application number: GB0711446A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert James Bradbury
Original assignee: CONTRACT UK
Current assignee: CONTRACT UK
Priority date: 2007-06-14
Filing date: 2007-06-14
Publication date: 2008-12-17
Also published as: GB0711446D0

Abstract

A carcass for a furniture unit 10, in particular a kitchen unit, is provided with a rear portion 20, a decorative front portion 30 and means for attaching the front portion to the rear portion. The rear portion 20 has first and second side panels 22, a top panel 24 and a bottom panel 26. The front portion 30 has first and second side panels 32, a top panel 34 and a bottom panel 36. The depth of the front portion is substantiall less than the depth of the rear portion. The use of a two-part carcass allows the rear portion of the carcass, for which the colour and material is less important, to be installed at the same time as the necessary electrical installations and/or plumbing for the kitchen, for example as soon as a new-build property is constructed. The decorative front portion of the carcass may be chosen later by the customer and fitted quickly and cleanly to the rear portion.

Description

Furniture units

Technical field of the Invention

This invention relates to a carcase for a furniture unit, particularly but not exclusively to a carcase for a kitchen unit, and a method of installation relating thereto.

Baclçground to the invention When constructing new properties, the kitchen is often not fitted until the purchaser has chosen a style, colour and material for the units. This means that the kitchen units cannot be ordered until the purchaser has made their choice, and cannot be fitted until the chosen units arrive. In turn, the installation of the utilities, i.e. gas, electricity and water, can often not be finished until the kitchen is fitted. Also, it may not be possible to complete the central heating until the kitchen units have been installed. These individual delays, which may be substantial in themselves, may add up to cause even greater delays overall to the completion of the property.

Owners of existing properties often wish to update the look of their kitchen. They can do this by changing the doors of the units. However, this may mean that the door surrounds do not match the doors. The only solution to this is to completely remove the existing kitchen units and replace them with new ones.

An aim of the present invention is to address the

problems of the prior art as described herein or

elsewhere.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus and method as set forth in the appended claims. Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a carcase for a furniture unit, the carcase having a rear portion, a front portion, and means for attaching the front portion to the rear portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a furniture unit having a carcase as herein referred to.

The furniture unit is preferably a kitchen unit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing one or more carcases as herein referred to comprising the steps of: installing the rear portion in a desired location; and subsequently attaching the front portion to the rear portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing one or more furniture units as herein referred to comprising the steps of: installing the rear portion in a desired location; and subsequently attaching the front portion to the rear portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of changing the appearance of one or more furniture units as herein referred to, the method comprising removing the front portion of the carcase, and subsequently attaching a new front portion to the rear portion.

The present invention includes any combination of features or limitations as herein referred to.

Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view from the front and above of a kitchen unit of the present invention; Figure 2 shows part of the kitchen unit of Figure 1 with the front portion of the carcase removed.

Figure 3 shows part of the kitchen unit of Figure 1 with the front portion of the carcase attached.

Figure 4 shows a further perspective view of the kitchen unit of Figure 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment

Figures 1-4 show a kitchen unit 10 comprising a carcase having a rear portion 20 and a decorative front portion 30. The carcase is thus modular.

The rear portion 20 has first and second side panels 22, a top panel 24 and a bottom panel 26. The front portion 30 has first and second side panels 32, a top panel 34 and a bottom panel 36. The front portion 30 is removably attached to the rear portion 20. The rear portion 20 extends over a larger portion of the depth of the carcase (i.e. the distance from front to back in direction D), whilst the front portion 30 extends over a smaller portion of the depth of the finished kitchen unit.

The depth of the front portion 30 is preferably in the range 20-100 mm and most preferably about 60mm. The front portion 30 needs to be deep enough to enable it to be securely attached to the rear portion 20. However, it is desirable to keep the front portion 30 shallow, especially as the cost of the material for the front portion 30 is likely to be higher than that of the rear portion 20.

In the present embodiment the front and rear units 20, rest directly on the ground. However, any other suitable conventional arrangement is envisaged. For example, the kitchen unit 10 may be provided with legs fitted to the bottom panel 26 of the rear portion 20.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, attachment means for fixing-the front portion 30 to the rear portion 20 are provided in the form of conventional quick fit dowels 38 and cam locks 40. These lock the front portion 30 to the rear portion 20 quickly and easily.

An optional decorative end panel 42 is shown attached to one side panel 22 in Figure 1. The end panel 42 is preferably attached to the side panel 22 by press fit means (not shown). The end panel 42 may also be attached to the corresponding side panel 32 of the front portion 30.

When it is desired to install a kitchen, the rear portions 20 of the kitchen units 10 are installed first.

The utilities may be installed in the appropriate locations as dictated by the layout of the kitchen units/appliances. When a customer has decided on the style of the kitchen units, the corresponding front portions 30 and doors 50 can be ordered. The front portions 30 are then mounted on the rear portions 20 by means of the dowel and cam lock arrangement. The front portions 30 may be mounted with the doors 50 already attached. The doors 50 may be pre-assernbled to the front portions 30 in the factory to minimise the amount of fitting required in the kitchen.

Although the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3 shows the use of a dowel and cam lock attachment means, any attachment means may be used that allows the front portion to be securely held on the rear portion, whilst preferably allowing the front portion 30 to be easily detached from the rear portion again. In particular, a push fit arrangement is particularly convenient.

If the unit 10 is to be used as an end unit, as shown in Figures 3. and 4, it will also be necessary to cover the corresponding side panel 22 with an end panel 42. This may be simply push fitted to the rear portion 20 and/or the front portion 30 after the front portion 30 has been assembled to the rear portion 20.

The surface finish of the front portion 30 is generally designed to match the door 50. This is because the front portion 30 is partially visible when the door is closed. Furthermore, the surface finish of the end panel 42 is generally designed to match the door 50. This is because the end panel 42 covers any exposed portion of the corresponding side panel 22 where the side panel 22 would otherwise be visible in the finished kitchen. This means that the customer can have a completely acacia coloured kitchen, viewed externally with the doors shut, without the surface finish of the rear portion 20 having to match the door 50.

In the arrangement of Figures 1-4, the front portion is removable from the rear portion 20. When a customer desires to change the look of their kitchen, all that is necessary is for the front portion 30 to be removed from the rear portion 20, and a replacement front portion 30 and door 50 to be attached, for example in oak. This is relatively quick and clean compared with having to replace the entire unit as has previously been necessary.

The use of a modular two-part carcase allows the rear portion of the carcase, for which the colour and material is less important, to be installed at the same time as the necessary electrical installations and plumbing for the kitchen, for example as soon as a new-build property is constructed. Exact measurements will thus be known for worktops, pelmets, front portions of the carcases, doors and the like, at the time the customer chooses the style of the kitchen. This will speed up the ordering process.

Once the front portions 30 and doors 50 are delivered, they may be quickly and cleanly fitted. When using push fit attachment means, no screws or glue are required.

The present invention thus gives the developer more lead time, which in turn gives better stock requirement information. Furthermore, the kitchen fitter can already have drawn up a list of the items that are required for the customisation. When the customer has decided on the style, colour and materials for the kitchen units, all that needs to be done is to order the front portion together with the doors. Also, the modular arrangement of the present invention means that damage to the decorative surfaces of the units, i.e. the front portion 30, the doors 50 and end panels 42, is likely to be significantly reduced.

Many kitchen units are just single door storage units as described above with reference to the Figures.

However, the same principle may be applied to other more complex units. For example, the principle may be applied to units that have more than one door and/or one or more drawers, or to units that receive ovens. In these cases the front portion may be provided with additional panels, or divider, as required to provide a uniform appearance to the front of the unit. For example, a two door unit may require an additional vertical divider between the two doors. The divider merely needs to be substantial enough for the doors to rest on, and thus only extend a short distance in direction D into the front portion of the carcase. Alternatively, it may be desired to have a full dividing wall between the two halves of the two door unit, in which case, the front portion of the dividing wall would be provided on the front portion of the carcase and the rear portion of the dividing wall would be provided on the rear portion of the carcase.

The principles of the invention are not limited to kitchen floor units, but can be applied to any furniture unit. For example, the invention applies equally to kitchen floor units as to kitchen wall units.

The present invention is tailored particularly towards the Construction industry, but can also be applied to the retail sector.

Although a few preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification

(including any accompanying claims, 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.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s).* The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

Claims 1. A carcase for a furniture unit, the carcase having a rear

portion, a front portion, and means for attaching the front portion to the rear portion.
2. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the rear portion comprises two side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall and an open side.
3. The carcase according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front portion comprises two side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall and two open sides.
4. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the front portion of the unit has depth of 20-100 mm.
5. The carcase according to claim 4, wherein the front portion of the unit has depth of 60 mm.
6. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the front portion has a different surface finish to the rear portion.
7. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the front portion has a decorative finish.
8. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means are adapted to removably attach the front portion to the rear portion.
9. The carcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means are push fit means.
10. A furniture unit having a carcase according to any preceding claim.
11. The furniture unit according to claim 10, wherein the furniture unit is a kitchen unit.
12. The furniture unit according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising at least one end panel, each end panel having attachment means for attaching the end panel to a side of the rear portion and/or the front portion of the carcase.
13. The furniture unit according to claim 12, wherein the attachment means are adapted to removably attach each end panel to the rear portion and/or the front portion of the carcase.
14. The furniture unit according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the end panel attachment means are push fit means.
15. The furniture unit according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the furniture unit further comprises at least one door which is mounted on the front of the front portion of the carcase to close the corresponding open side.
16. A method of installing one or more carcases according to any of claims 1-9, comprising the steps of: installing the rear portion in a desired location; and subsequently attaching the front portion to the rear portion.
17. A method of installing one or more furniture units according to any of claims 10 to 15, comprising the steps of: installing the rear portion in a desired location; and subsequently attaching the front portion to the rear portion.
18. The method of claim 16 or 17, further including a step of attaching at least one door to the front portion, before the step of attaching the front portion to the rear portion.
19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein the method further includes the step of attaching at least one end panel to a side panel of the rear portion and/or front portion.
20. A method of changing the appearance of one or more furniture units according to any of claims 10 to 15, the method comprising removing the front portion of the carcase, and subsequently attaching a new front portion to the rear portion.
21. The method of claim 20 when dependent on any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the method includes the step of removing the end panel before removing the front portion of the carcase, and subsequently attaching a new end panel to the rear portion and/or the front portion after attaching the new front portion to the rear portion.
22. A carcase substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figures.
23. A furniture unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figures.
24. A method of installing a furniture unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figures.
25. A method of changing the appearance of one or more furniture units substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figures.