GB2503099A

GB2503099A - Office cabinet with sliding door

Info

Publication number: GB2503099A
Application number: GB201308240A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terry Ronald Hunt
Original assignee: METAL OFFICE EQUIPMENT Ltd
Current assignee: METAL OFFICE EQUIPMENT Ltd
Priority date: 2012-05-08
Filing date: 2013-05-08
Publication date: 2013-12-18
Also published as: GB201308240D0; GB201208007D0

Abstract

An office cabinet 10 has a base 11 supporting a pair of opposed end walls 12,13 and a rear wall 14. A pair of access doors 15,16 are slidably mounted for movement between closed and open positions where one door 16 overlies the other 15. Each door has a front leaf 18 and a top leaf 19 secured to the upper edge of the front leaf to extend perpendicularly thereto. The rear edge of the top leaf 19 remote from the front leaf 18 is slidably mounted to the rear wall 14 whereby sliding either door to its open position allows access to the interior of the cabinet through both the front and top of the cabinet. The invention, if appropriately dimensioned, may be used as a desk pedestal but which still allows easy access to the interior.

Description

OFFICE CABINET

This invention relates to an office cabinet. Though primarily intended for use in a commercial office, the cabinet of this invention may be used in other environments and the invention is not to be regarded as limited to a cabinet for office use.

Traditionally, an office desk includes a pair of drawer stacks to each side of a leg keyhole with the desktop extending over the keyhole and the two drawer stacks. More recently, with modular office furniture, drawer stacks are formed separately from the desk and its legs or other supports and are arranged to be positioned where required below the desktop. Such drawer io stacks are usually referred to as pedestals and frequently are fitted with castors to allow easy movement of the pedestal to the required position.

A conventional desk pedestal may have two or three drawers arranged on ball-bearing drawer slides which support the drawer in a cantilever manner, when the drawer is opened. These cabinets have storage limitations in that they are not particularly practical for large items such as ring binders and box files, and drawer loading is restricted to avoid a risk of the cabinet over-balancing. This opening of the drawers is also limited and this makes it difficult to access items stored within a drawer towards the back end thereof.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide an office cabinet which, if appropriately dimensioned, may be used as a desk pedestal while still giving easy access to the interior of the cabinet. Further, the cabinet may be differently dimensioned so as not to be suitable for use as a desk pedestal but which still allows easy access to the interior.

According to this invention, there is provided an office cabinet comprising a base supporting a pair of opposed end walls and a rear wall extending between the end walls, and there being at least one access door slidably mounted with respect to the end walls for movement to and from an open position, the access door comprising a front leaf mounted on the base having substantially the same height as the end walls and a top leaf secured to the upper edge of the front leaf to extend substantially perpendicular thereto, the edge of the top leaf remote from the front leaf being mounted on the rear wall whereby sliding the access door to its open position allows access to the interior of the cabinet both through the front and the top of the cabinet.

It will be appreciated that the cabinet of this invention opens in a novel manner, in that when opened, access to the interior of the cabinet may be obtained from both the front of the cabinet and through the top thereof. In this way, items may be inserted into the cabinet or removed therefrom within difficulty and moreover it is easy to view items in the cabinet.

In order to facilitate sliding movement of the access door, it is preferred for there to be a front guide rail extending along the front edge margin of the base wall, the front leaf of the access door being arranged to slide along that rail. For example, that front leaf may be provided with a pair of spaced rollers which run on the guide rail both to support the front leaf and to allow free sliding movement. A retainer may be provided to prevent the rollers jumping off the guide rail. For example the retainer may comprise a tab associated with the front leaf and which engages below an elongate strip extending along the base.

The rear edge of the top leaf of the access door may be supported by a rear guide rail which extends along the top edge margin of the rear wall. In this case, the rear edge of the top leaf may be provided with spaced rollers which run along that rear guide rail, in a broadly similar manner to that described above in relation to the front leaf. In an alternative arrangement, a ball-bearing slide arrangement may be provided for the rear edge of the top leaf, one part of the slide arrangement being connected to that rear edge and the other part of the slide arrangement being supported on the rear wall.

In a highly preferred arrangement of cabinet of this invention, there are two similar access doors both slidably mounted on the base and to the rear wall, the front and top leaves of one access door being slightly smaller than the corresponding leaves of the other access door. In this way, either access door may slide relative to the other, with the front and top leaves of the larger access door sliding over the smaller, or the front and top leaves of the smaller access door sliding under the larger. The mounting arrangements for the larger and smaller access doors at both the lower edge of the front leaves and the rear edge of the top leaves substantially corresponding.

A key-operated lock mechanism may be provided on the larger access door, the mechanism having a lock member which, when activated, projects internally of the cabinet so as to co-operate with the smaller access door and so block sliding movement of both access doors, thereby locking the cabinet as a whole.

A preferred embodiment of cabinet of this invention is formed from metal sheets, by appropriate cutting, folding and connecting processes, so as to have dimensions allowing the cabinet to serve as a desk pedestal. So that the cabinet may be moved under a desk when access is not required and moved from under the desk when access is required, the cabinet may have 360° is castors fitted to the underside of the base.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of office cabinet of this invention and a modification thereof will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is an isometric view of the embodiment of cabinet, in the fully closed position; Figure 2 corresponds to Figure 1 but showing the smaller access door partially opened; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet from the front and above, again showing the smaller access door partially opened; Figures 4 and 5 are also perspective views of the cabinet from the front and above but with the larger access door partially and fully opened; Figure 6 is a cross-section through one of the access doors of the cabinet, Figures 6A and SB being detailed views on an enlarged scale of those parts of Figure 6 encircled A and B, respectively; and Figures 7A and 7B are detailed views similar to those of Figures 6A and 6B but of an alternative runner arrangement.

Referring to the drawings, the cabinet 10 comprises a base 11 supporting a pair of opposed end walls 12,13 and a rear wall 14, the rear wall being of a slightly lesser height than the end walls. A pair of access doors 15,16 are slidably supported on the base 11 and rear wall 14, door 15 being slightly smaller than door 16 such that door 15 may be slid behind door 16 as shown in Figure 2, or door 16 may be slid over door 15 as shown in Figure 4.

Each access door comprises a front leaf 18 and a top leaf 19, the front edge of the top leaf 19 being secured to the top edge of the front leaf 18, with 90° between the two leaves. In the preferred embodiment, the front and top leaves are formed integrally from a single piece of material, by suitable cutting and folding operations, in such a way that the external corner 20 between the front and top leaves is both smooth and rounded. Depending upon the precise manufacturing technique, bracing between the two leaves may be provided, to maintain those leaves at 90°.

A pair of rails 21,22 (Figure 6) are secured within a larger channel 23 extending along the front edge of the base 11, the two rails 21,22 being formed from a common piece of sheet material by a folding operation so as to extend parallel to but spaced from each other. The rails could instead be formed by an extrusion process, from a ductile material. The lower edges 24 of the front leaves 18 of the access doors are provided with rollers 25 which run on the rails 21 and 22. In Figure 6, only the larger access door 16 is shown, with its rollers running on the outer rail 22. A similar arrangement is provided for the smaller access door 15, the rollers of which run on the inner rail 21. Each roller is rotatably supported by a carrier 26 secured to the door leaf and within a marginal flange 27 of the front leaf 18 so that the roller itself is largely concealed.

At the upper edge of the rear wall 14, there are provided two slider mechanisms shown diagrammatically by channel 28 and slide 29 fitting within that channel. Though not shown, a ball-bearing arrangement is provided between the channel 28 and slide 29 in order to allow the slide 29 to run freely along the length of the channel 28. The channel 28 is secured to the rear wall 14 adjacent the upper edge thereof (not shown in Figure 6B) and the slide 29 is attached to a bracket 30 which itself is secured to the underside of the top leaf 19. As with the rails 21,22 the channel 28 could be formed as an extrusion.

The arrangement of the rails 21,22, the rollers 25 and the slider mechanisms at the upper edge of the rear wall allow each access door to run freely in both directions, to close the cabinet or to give access to the interior thereof.

A key-operated lock mechanism 32 is fitted adjacent the upper edge of the front leaf lB of the larger access door 16 and includes a blocking member (not shown) which may be received in an aperture formed adjacent the upper edge of the front leaf 18. When the blocking member is rotated out of the aperture, the two doors are locked together preventing sliding movement with is respect to each other and so access to the interior of the cabinet is not possible.

Mounted on the underside of the base 11 are four 3600 castors 33 each having a pair of wheels 34. These castors allow easy wheeling of the cabinet as a whole from place to place as required, such as under the top of a conventional office desk, so long as the cabinet is of a suitable size for positioning in this way. When access to the interior of the cabinet is required, the cabinet may be wheeled from under the top.

Shown diagrammatically in the drawings are a pair of removable hanging rails 35 for carrying suspension files, and also a shelf 36 supported by brackets (not shown) located in chosen apertures 37 formed in the end walls, whereby the vertical position of the shelf can be adjusted as required. Further, a compartment 38 having a lid 39 is provided within the cabinet, that lid including a lock 40 to secure the lid in the closed position as shown. The lid also has a handle 41 to allow easy opening of the lid, when unlocked.

Figures 7A and 7B show a modified runner arrangement for the doors of the cabinet described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In this modified arrangement, insofar as it is possible the same reference numbers are used for like components with those of the cabinet described above.

In Figures 7A and 7B, there are shown the pair of access doors 15,16 in an overlapping configuration as in Figures 2 to 4. The doors themselves are essentially the same as those of the first embodiment but a somewhat difference runner and wheel assembly is employed, to give smoother running and a reduced likelihood of a door coming away from its track.

Referring initially to Figure 7A, there is shown an extruded door guide 45 for mounting on the base 11 of the cabinet 10, for example by means of a series of fixings 46, along the length of the guide. The guide provides two channels 47,48 along which run wheels 49,50 associated respectively with doors IS and 16. Each wheel is mounted to the respective door by a retaining bracket 51 or 52. Each retaining bracket includes a leg 53 having a foot portion 54 which engages beneath a lip 55 formed as a part of the extruded door guide 45. In is this way, the foot portion ensures the respective wheel remains in its channel 47 or 48 as the door is slid between its open and closed position. As with the previous embodiment, two or more wheel assemblies are provided for each door.

Referring now to Figure 76, there is shown the arrangement of a guide and runner for each door, at the upper rear edge of the two doors 15,16. The same extruded door guide 57 is employed as is used on the base of the cabinet, but secured to a rear wall 14 of the cabinet by a series of fixings 58.

Each door has a respective mounting bracket 60,61 secured thereto by fastenings 62,63 respectively, each bracket rotatably supporting a respective roller 64,65. The rollers are shown partly in section for the sake of clarity and run on the lips 66 of the guide 57. The rollers are flanged and receive a part of the channels 47,48, such that the rollers are retained on the lips 66. In this way, each door is held to the guide 57 and cannot accidentally be moved away therefrom.

In all other respects, the arrangement of Figures 7A and 7B corresponds to that of the previous drawings. Reference should be made to those drawings for a fuller description of the other parts of the cabinet.

The embodiment of cabinet shown in the drawings is manufactured from sheet metal, by appropriate cutting, forming and joining techniques, well known to those skilled in the art. The actual manufacture of the cabinet will not therefore be described in any further detail here.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An office cabinet comprising a base supporting a pair of opposed end walls and a rear wall extending between the end walls, and there being at least one access door slidably mounted with respect to the end walls for movement to and from an open position, the access door comprising a front leaf mounted on the base having substantially the same height as the end walls and a top leaf secured to the upper edge of the front leaf to extend substantially perpendicular thereto, the edge of the top leaf remote from the front leaf being mounted on the rear wall whereby sliding the access door to its open position allows access to the interior of the cabinet both through the front and the top of the cabinet.
2. An office cabinet as claimed in claim I, wherein there is provided a front guide rail extending along the front edge margin of the base wall and along which the front leaf of the access door slides.
3. An office cabinet as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the front leaf of the access door is provided with a pair of spaced rollers which run on the guide rail to support the front leaf.
4. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the front leaf is provided with a retainer which engages an elongate surface extending along the base to resist lifting of the front leaf off the guide rail.
5. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there is provided a rear guide rail extending along the top edge margin of the rear wall, the rear edge of the top leaf being supported by and running along the rear guide rail.
6. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear edge of the top leaf of the access door is provided with a pair of spaced rollers which run on the rear guide rail to support the rear edge thereof.
7. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 5, wherein the top leaf of the access door is provided with a ball bearing slide mechanism interconnected with the rear guide rail to support the rear edge thereof.
8. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there are two similar access doors both slidably mounted on the base and the rear wall, the front and top leaves of one access door being slightly smaller than the corresponding leaves of the other access door, whereby said other access door may slide over the one access door thereby allowing access to a selected half of the interior of the cabinet by sliding one door or the other door.
9. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 8, wherein a key-operated lock mechanism is provided on the other access door, said lock mechanism co-operating with the one access door to prevent relative sliding movement between the doors when the mechanism is locked.
10. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base is provided with castors to allow wheeling of the cabinet as a whole from one position to another.
II. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vertical height of is the cabinet is such that the cabinet may be wheeled under the top of an office desk.
12. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the cabinet is furnished with one or more of a shelf, hanging rails for suspension files and a drawer.
13. An office cabinet as claimed in claim 12! wherein the vertical position of the shelf, hanging rails and drawer can be adjusted to a chosen setting.
14. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the cabinet is furnished with a lockable compartment.
15. An office cabinet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the walls of the cabinet are manufactured from sheet metal.
16. An office cabinet as claimed in claim I and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.