JP2024076895A - Cupboard - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] In a modular cupboard in which a plurality of upper left and right storage cabinets and a plurality of lower left and right storage cabinets are connected vertically via a counter-structured top plate and installed adjacent to the left or right side wall of a room corner, a sufficient wiring space for power cords is ensured between the adjacent side wall and the cabinet body while the gap is hidden from view from the front. [Solution] The doors of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall side are made to open sideways so that they open to the opposite side from the side wall, and the width of the doors of the side wall side storage cabinets is made a predetermined distance larger than the width of the cabinet body of the storage cabinet, so that when the doors are closed, the side wall side end of the doors overhangs the side wall side of the cabinet body by a predetermined distance, thereby reducing the distance between the cabinet body and the side wall of the side wall side storage cabinet as seen from the front. [Selected drawing] Figure 7

Description

Application for exception to loss of novelty has been filed

This invention relates to the configuration of a modular cupboard.

Recently, there has been a demand for cupboards that can efficiently realize a variety of storage functions in the limited kitchen and dining space. From this perspective, a unit-structure cupboard has been proposed in which, for example, a cabinet for storing tableware and cooking appliances and other storage cabinets is provided on the upper side, and a cabinet for storing an electric rice cooker equipped with various drawer-type storage cabinets and a slide table is provided on the lower side, with the two sets of upper and lower cabinet sections being connected together via a counter-structured top plate (for example, see the configuration in Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1).

In the case of such modular cupboards, the length of the countertop in the left-right direction is often increased to allow the installation of a necessary side cabinet (side box) on one side of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets.

A cupboard with this configuration can reliably store tableware, cooking appliances, and other kitchen items of different properties, types, uses, shapes, sizes, weights, etc. in a compact kitchen and dining space. In addition, the various storage cabinets on the upper and lower sides each have an independent unit structure, allowing for free combination (planning), and the cabinet positions can be set for ease of use in a layout that suits the room layout and purpose.

Patent No. 5680781

Incidentally, a cupboard with the above configuration is generally installed with either the left or right side adjacent to the right or left wall of a room corner (the so-called left- or right-placed type). In this state, power cords from various cooking appliances or internal power outlets installed in the cooking appliance installation space are extended to the corresponding power outlets on the wall, and the necessary power is obtained via the power plug.

In this regard, the variety of cooking appliances used in the kitchen has increased in recent years, and their power consumption has also increased. This has resulted in the need for dedicated power outlets, and there is a trend toward an increase in the number of power outlets (on the side and rear walls) and ports on the walls of room corners, the number of internal power outlets in cupboards, and the number of wiring holes provided in the side and back panels.

On the other hand, the installation of the cupboard is done by aligning the side panel surfaces of the upper and lower side cabinets on the side sections and the end surfaces of the counter top that connects them to form a continuous, flush surface, taking into consideration the power outlet (plug receiving housing part) on the floor side of the corner of the room, the height of the power plug (cord connector part) inserted into the power outlet, the protruding dimensions of the baseboard, and the wiring space for the power cord from the power outlet to the upper and lower side cabinets, and by installing the cupboards with a specified distance between them so that the above surfaces do not come into contact with the wall of the adjacent room and damage the baseboard or wallpaper on the wall. This distance becomes larger as the number and number of wall-side power outlets increases as mentioned above, and the number of power cords to be wired increases.

Because of this, the cupboard cannot be installed flush against the adjacent wall in the corner of the room, and must be roughly installed with a fairly large gap between it and the wall, resulting in an installation that lacks a sense of fit (flushness) in the left-right width direction.

Originally, modular cupboards were designed to come in a wide variety of sizes for each unit with a different storage purpose, with the height, width, and depth each tailored to fit the kitchen space in which they are installed, making effective use of limited storage space while improving ease of use for each individual user and enhancing the interior design.

Nevertheless, the original design intent is not realized if a large space is left between the wall and the equipment in a rough state, and multiple power outlets or multiple sockets, multiple power plugs plugged into those multiple power outlets or multiple sockets, and many power cords extending from those multiple power plugs into the upper and lower cabinets are exposed in that space.

However, as mentioned above, there is a trend toward an increasing number of power outlets, and in practice, there is a need for sufficient wiring spacing between the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower cabinets and the wall of the room. Furthermore, wider wiring spacing makes wiring easier during and after installation. Ensuring sufficient wiring spacing and achieving a tight fit to the wall by reducing said spacing have been mutually exclusive issues.

The invention of this application has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a cupboard with a similar unit structure as the above, in which the doors of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall side of the multiple storage cabinets located above and below the counter top are made to open sideways, and are configured to open on the opposite side to the side wall, and the width of each of the doors is made a specified distance larger than the width of the cabinet body of the storage cabinet, so that when each door is closed, the side wall side end of the door overhangs the side wall side of the cabinet body by a specified distance, and the overhanging portion covers the gap between the side wall while ensuring an effective wiring gap between the cabinet body and the side wall, thereby reducing the gap between the cabinet body and the side wall of the side wall side storage cabinet as seen from the front.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured with the following problem-solving means:

(1) Solution to the Problems of the Invention of Claim 1 The solution to the problems of the invention is a modular cupboard that is vertically integrated with a plurality of upper left and right storage cabinets and a plurality of lower left and right storage cabinets via a counter-structured top plate, and is installed adjacent to the left or right wall of a room corner,
Among the multiple left and right storage cabinets located above and below the top plate of the counter structure, the doors of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface side are made to have a side-opening structure and are configured to open opposite the side wall surface, and the width of the opening and closing doors of each side-wall surface storage cabinet is made larger by a predetermined dimension than the width of the cabinet body of the storage cabinet, so that when the opening and closing doors are closed, the side wall surface end of the opening and closing door overhangs by a predetermined dimension toward the wall surface beyond the side wall surface end of the cabinet body, and the overhanging portion covers the gap between the side wall surface, thereby reducing the distance between the cabinet body and side wall surface of the side-wall surface storage cabinet as seen from the front, while ensuring an effective wiring distance between the cabinet body and side wall surface of the side-wall surface storage cabinet.

This configuration allows the distance between the cabinet body and the side wall of the side wall side storage cabinet to be substantially increased, while the distance between the opening and closing door on the front side of the side wall side storage cabinet and the side wall side can be made sufficiently small.

As a result, a sufficiently large wiring space can be formed between the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall side and the room side wall surface, according to the housing height of the side wall side power outlet and the height of the cord connector part of the power plug inserted into the power outlet, making it easy to insert the power plug into the power outlet and allowing the required number of multiple power cords to be loosely wired from the side wall side power outlet into the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets. This makes it possible to wire a large number of power cords, including connecting power cords to various home appliances inside the storage cabinet body and connecting power cords to other internal power outlets. It also makes each of these tasks easier.

At the same time, the gap between the open end of the front opening door of the storage cabinet and the corresponding room side wall surface can be made sufficiently small.

As a result, even though the gap between the cabinet body of the storage cabinet and the room-facing wall is effectively increased and a large number of power cords can be wired, including the dimensions of the power plugs, the power cords and power plugs are almost invisible from the front, improving the sense of fitting snugly against the wall and creating a very attractive appearance.

The doors of the side wall storage cabinets are also designed to open in the direction opposite the room wall, making them easy to open and close, and unlike when they open in the direction of the side wall, they can be opened widely enough. This makes it easy to store, remove, and operate various storage items.

(2) Solution to the Problem of the Invention of Claim 2 The solution to the problem of the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that, in the solution to the problem of the invention of claim 1, the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface is made a predetermined dimension smaller than the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the non-side wall surface side, and an effective wiring spacing similar to that on the side wall surface side is ensured between the rear surface of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface and the rear wall surface of the room.

Recently, the variety of cooking appliances used in the kitchen has increased, and the number of appliances that consume a lot of power, such as microwave ovens, is also on the rise. This has resulted in the need for dedicated power outlets, and there is a trend toward an increase in the number of power outlets (on the side and rear walls) and ports on the walls of room corners, the number of internal power outlets in cupboards, and the number of wiring holes provided in the side and back panels.

In addition, in recent homes, it is common for the owner to install a greater number of power outlets than usual in desired locations, at their request. And often these locations are also where the kitchen cupboards are planned to be installed.

The problem-solving means of this invention is configured to be able to deal appropriately with such cases, and it is possible to secure not only a wiring space corresponding to the power outlet on the room side wall, but also a wiring space corresponding to the power outlet on the rear wall of the room. Then, the side panels or back panel of the cabinet body are provided with the required number of wiring holes in the required positions corresponding to each of these wiring spaces.

The wiring holes on the rear panel of the cabinet body, which are not visible from the outside and do not pose any problems in terms of strength, can be formed in whole or in part as open holes without a back panel as necessary.

This allows for flexible wiring that can accommodate different installation positions (top, bottom, left, right) of the power outlets on the rear wall (power outlets on the rear wall are often installed not only on the floor but also in the middle of the wall in the vertical direction), as well as the number of outlets and the number of ports.

On the other hand, in the above configuration, the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the non-side wall surface side is configured to be a predetermined dimension larger than the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface side.

Therefore, after installation, the gap between the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the non-side wall side and the rear wall of the room is small, and even if a wiring space corresponding to a power outlet is formed on the rear wall side of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall side, the wiring space cannot be seen from the non-side wall side. Therefore, there is no problem with appearance.

(3) Problem-solving means of the invention of claim 3 The problem-solving means of this invention is configured in such a way that, in the problem-solving means of the invention of claim 1 or 2 above, the side wall surface end portion of the top plate of the counter structure is extended a predetermined distance toward the side wall surface beyond the side wall surface outer surface of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall surface side, and the side wall surface overhang end portions of each opening and closing door of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall surface side are made to correspond to the side wall surface extended end portion of the top plate.

With this configuration, the side wall end of the counter top and the side wall end of each of the side wall storage cabinets located above and below it are flush from top to bottom, realizing a more unified design for the cupboard as a whole. This further improves the fit to the wall.

In addition, with this type of configuration, the end of the countertop that extends toward the sidewall, which is a protruding portion toward the sidewall at the vertical middle, is used as a reference point to measure the distance between the end and the sidewall, and the cupboard is installed with a certain amount of space required to protect the wall, making it easier to measure the distance between the end of the countertop and the sidewall and to install the cupboard.

(4) Solution to the Problem of the Invention of Claim 4 The solution to the problem of the invention of this invention is the solution to the problem of the invention of claim 1, 2 or 3, in which each door that opens to the opposite side to the side wall surface is configured to be opened to a maximum opening angle of approximately 150 degrees.

Therefore, according to the problem-solving means of this invention, when the configuration of the problem-solving means of the invention of claim 1, 2 or 3 is adopted, not only can the doors themselves be opened and closed easily, but when the doors are open, it is possible to easily pull in the power cord from the side wall power outlet or the rear wall power outlet into the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall and to easily wire the power cord within the upper and lower storage cabinets without being restricted by the presence of the doors (similar to when the doors are not present).

As a result, the work efficiency of each task is greatly improved, making it possible to create a cupboard that is easy to install. It also makes it easier to store and retrieve various storage items.

As a result, according to the invention of this application, the necessary clearance between the adjacent side wall of the cupboard installation corner and the cabinet body of the storage cabinet on that side wall side for protecting the side wall, and the sufficient clearance required for pulling in and routing the power cord from the side wall power outlet to the cabinet body, can be secured, while the said part can be effectively covered by the side wall end of the front opening door of the side wall storage cabinet.

As a result, the unsightly appearance of the previous model is eliminated, greatly improving the interior design. In addition, the number of power outlets and ports on the side wall can be increased, making it possible to effectively accommodate the recent increase in the number of home appliances and their increased power consumption.

Moreover, these functions can be achieved simply by attaching the opening and closing door on the front of the side wall storage cabinet so that it opens in the direction opposite the side wall, and by making the side wall end of the opening and closing door overhang the side wall end of the side wall storage cabinet body by a specified width, resulting in a simple configuration and low cost.

Therefore, by simply reversing the mounting position of the opening and closing door of the side wall storage cabinet, it can easily be used as either a left-side or right-side cupboard.

In this case, if the same wiring spacing is formed between the rear of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall side and the rear wall of the room, it is possible to ensure sufficient spacing required for pulling and routing the power cord from the power outlet on the rear wall side into the cabinet body, while also covering the same part from view with the storage cabinet on the non-side wall side, which has a larger dimension in the front-to-rear direction.

The door of the side wall storage cabinet is also designed to open at a large angle of about 150 degrees to the side opposite the side wall. This means that when wiring power cords inside and outside the side panels and back of the side wall storage cabinet located against the wall, the worker can get his or her body fully inside the cabinet body, and there is ample work space on the left and right sides of the opening, making the work easier. This also improves ease of installation. Furthermore, it also makes it easier to store and remove various storage items after installation.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a modular cupboard having side cabinets on either the top or bottom side of a counter portion according to an embodiment of the invention of this application, with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the modular cupboard with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the modular cupboard with the opening and closing doors of the upper and lower side cabinets open. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the modular cupboard with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets open. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the configuration of the modular cupboard with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets closed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1) showing the configuration of the modular cupboard with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets closed. This is a front view of the modular cupboard installed in the left corner of a room, with the left wall and the wall-mounted power outlet located at the bottom of the left wall in relation to the upper and lower side cabinets (opening and closing doors) and the counter top, with the opening and closing doors of the upper and lower side cabinets removed (the closed state of the removed opening and closing doors is indicated by dashed double-dashed lines). This is a cross-sectional view (corresponding to A-A in Fig. 1) of the upper and lower side cabinets with their doors closed, showing the relationship between the wall power outlets provided on the rear wall and the vertical middle part of the rear wall, and the upper and lower side cabinets and counter top when the modular cupboard is installed in the left corner of a room corner as in Fig. 7. This cross-sectional view basically corresponds to the cross-sectional view of Fig. 6, but in Fig. 7, in order to particularly show the wiring state with the wall power outlet, the fourth and fifth lower shelves of the upper side cabinet in Fig. 6 have been removed to expand the storage space and store a relatively large cooking appliance such as a mixer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the upper cabinet of each of the upper and lower side cabinets in the modular cupboard with the door closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the upper side cabinet of the upper and lower side cabinets in the modular cupboard with the door open. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the top plate of the counter structure in the modular cupboard with the right end side cut away. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lower side cabinet of each of the upper and lower side cabinets in the modular cupboard with the door closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lower side cabinet of each of the upper and lower side cabinets in the modular cupboard when the door is open. FIG. 13 is a front view of the upper and lower side cabinets when the modular cupboard is installed in the left corner of a room corner, showing the positions and dimensional relationships between the wall power outlets on the left side wall and the lower part of the left side wall, the rear wall and the middle part of the rear wall, the upper and lower side cabinets, the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets, and the counter top, with the doors of the upper and lower side cabinets opened to their maximum opening angle. FIG. 13 is a front view of the same cupboard, showing an example of a configuration in which an upper cabinet is provided at the upper end of the modular cupboard.

The configuration and operation of the cupboard according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 1 to 8, for example, a modular cupboard is used, which is made up of a combination of multiple independent storage cabinets according to the storage purpose (storage use). This modular cupboard is roughly divided from top to bottom into three components: an upper cabinet section A, a counter section B, and a lower cabinet section C. Of these three components, the upper cabinet section A and the lower cabinet section C, which make up the cupboard main body, are vertically connected together via the counter section B with connecting bolts.

In this embodiment, the upper cabinet section A is configured with two sets of cabinets arranged side by side: an upper side cabinet (upper side box) 1 on the left side, and a tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 on the right side. The upper side cabinet 1 and the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 are each configured as independent unit-structure cabinets.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the upper side cabinet 1 is a vertically long box-shaped housing consisting of a main top plate 11a and a decorative top plate 11b, a pair of left and right side plates 12, 12, a back plate 13 in the upper half, and a bottom plate 14. The space inside is divided into two spaces, upper and lower, by a third shelf plate 15c located and fixed in the vertical middle. The upper space is provided with first and second shelves 15a, 15b, which can be adjusted in height at a predetermined dimensional pitch, and the lower space is provided with fourth and fifth shelves 15d, 15e, which can be adjusted in height at a predetermined dimensional pitch. Overall, six storage spaces, first to sixth, are formed through the five shelves 15a to 15e. And, at the front of the opening, first and second upper and lower opening doors 16A, 16B, which have a side-opening structure and are cover-type, are provided.

In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 14, the cupboard is designed to be installed on the left side of a room corner (so-called left placement), and for this purpose, the first and second opening and closing doors 16A and 16B are attached at their right ends to the front end of the right side panel 12 in a cover structure (offset) using two sets of sliding hinges 17, 17, 17, 17, respectively. These two sets of sliding hinges 17, 17, 17, 17, respectively, are wide-angle types that open at a maximum angle of 155 degrees with respect to the front of the opening (see θ1 and θ2 in Fig. 14). The first opening and closing door 16A corresponds to the main body top panel 11a to the first, second, and third shelf panels 15a to 15c, and the second opening and closing door 16B corresponds to the third shelf panel 15c to the fourth and fifth shelves 15c, 15d, and bottom panel 14.

The first and second doors 16A and 16B are equipped with earthquake-resistant latches 18a and 18a that engage with each other in the event of an earthquake and automatically lock the first and second doors 16A and 16B in a closed state, and push latches 18b that facilitate the opening operation of the first and second doors 16A and 16B, and are configured so that they can be opened with a single push. In addition, the two sets of upper and lower sliding hinges 17, 17, 17, 17 each are equipped with a catch spring, and when the first and second doors 16A and 16B are manually closed to a predetermined closing angle position, the biasing force of the catch spring acts to automatically close them.

In this embodiment, the back panel 13 is provided on the rear surface of the housing section (upper half) from the main body top plate 11b to the first, second and third shelves 15a-15c, which corresponds to the first opening door 16A, as described above. However, the back panel 13 is not provided on the rear surface of the housing section (lower half) from the third shelf plate 15c to the fourth and fifth shelves 15d, 15e and bottom plate 14c, which corresponds to the second opening door 16B, and the rear surface is open as it is (so-called open configuration/see Figures 6 and 8).

On the other hand, the back panel 13 and the left side panel 12 of the housing part from the main body top panel 11b to the first, second and third shelves 15a to 15c, which correspond to the first opening door 16A, are provided with two sets of wiring holes, wiring hole 19a opening outward on the back side and wiring hole 19b opening outward on the side side, located between the second shelf panel 15b and the third shelf panel 15c. These wiring holes 19a and 19b are used as wiring holes for passing power cords between the rear wall power outlet 92 and the side wall power outlet 91 when a mobile phone charger or other electrical equipment is stored in the storage space between the second shelf panel 15b and the third shelf panel 15c (see Figures 7 and 8).

The left side panel 12 of the housing part, which corresponds to the second opening and closing door 16B and extends from the third shelf 15c to the fourth and fifth shelves 15d, 15e, and bottom panel 14, is provided with a wiring hole 19b (one set) located between the fifth shelf 15e and bottom panel 14 and opening outward on the side surface. This wiring hole 19b is used as a wiring hole for passing a power cord between the side wall power outlet 91 (lower) and the storage space between the third shelf 15c and bottom panel 14, for example, when the fourth and fifth shelves 15d, 15e are removed to increase the vertical distance, and a cooking appliance 30 such as a mixer that is tall in the vertical direction is stored in the storage space.

Of course, the storage space between the third shelf 15c and the bottom plate 14 does not have a back panel, and the back side is open to the rear wall 9d (open configuration). Therefore, if there is a power outlet 92 on the rear wall 9d side, the power plug 30a of the cooking appliance 30 such as a mixer is inserted into the power outlet 92 on the rear side, and the wide opening on the rear side is used as a wiring port for passing the power cord 30b through (see Figures 7 and 8).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 and 9, the width of the first opening and closing door 16A and the second opening and closing door 16B are each formed to be larger than the width of the cabinet body (the width between both ends of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12) by a specified dimension (a-f), and the small end surface of the right end of the door is aligned with the outer surface of the right side panel 12 of the cabinet body, and the sliding hinges 17, 17, 17, 17 are provided on the inside of the door, and the door is attached in a cover structure that allows it to be opened and slid from left to right (from the wall side to the non-wall side).

As shown by the imaginary lines in FIG. 7 and the solid lines in FIG. 9, when the doors 16A, 16B are closed, the left end portions (wall end portions) 16a, 16a of the doors 16A, 16B overhang (protrude) to the left of the outer surface of the side plate 12 on the left side (wall side) of the cabinet body by the above-mentioned predetermined dimension (a-f). As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 14, when the cupboard (upper side cabinet 1) is installed adjacent to the left wall surface 9b of the room corner, the distance b between the left end portions (wall end portions) 16a, 16a of the doors 16A, 16B and the left wall surface 9b of the room can be narrower than the distance c between the left end portions and the outer surface of the side plate 42 of the cabinet body by the overhang dimension (a-f).

As a result, the side power cords (wiring) that connect to the home appliances stored in the wall power outlet 91, located at the bottom of the left wall 9b of the room, through the side wiring holes 19b, 19b and the rear wiring holes 19a, 19a are hidden and difficult to see (see the phantom lines in Figure 7).

When the left end portion (side wall surface 9b end portion) 16a, 16a of each opening/closing door 16A, 16A of the side cabinet 1 is made to overhang the side wall surface 9b end portion (outer surface of the side panel 12 on the side wall surface 9b side) of the cabinet main body by a predetermined dimension (a-f), for example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 7 and 14, the side wall surface 9b end portion 3a of the counter top 3 described later is extended toward the side wall surface 9b by a predetermined dimension a (for example, a = 30 mm) from the side wall surface 9b end portion (outer surface of the side panel 12 on the side wall surface 9b side) of the cabinet main body of the side cabinet 1, and the left end portion (side wall surface 9b side overhang end portion) 16a, 16a of each opening/closing door 16A, 16A of the side cabinet 1 is configured to correspond to the extended side wall surface 9b end portion 3a of the counter top 3. In this case, the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 11c of the upper decorative top plate 11b of the side cabinet 1 also extends toward the side wall surface 9b by the same dimension a as the end 3a of the counter top plate 3 on the side wall surface 9b.

With this configuration, the left end portions (end portions on the side wall surface 9b side) 16a, 16a of the first and second opening and closing doors 16A, 16A of the side cabinet 1, the upper decorative top plate 11b and the wall side extended end portions of the lower counter top plate 3 are continuous in a state of being substantially flush from the top end to the bottom end, and as described later, the opening and closing door 46 of the lower side cabinet 4 is configured in the same way, so that the cupboard of this embodiment as a whole has a more unified design. This effectively improves the sense of fitting tightly against the wall (see the configurations in Figures 1 and 7).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 14, the left end 16a, 16a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A (end on the side wall 9b side) is located inside the side wall extension ends 11c, 3a of the decorative top 11b and counter top 3, respectively, by a small dimension f (for example, f = 3.5 mm or so), and although the top and bottom do not form a completely continuous surface, f = 3.5 mm is extremely small compared to the large vertical dimension of the entire cupboard, and as is clear from Fig. 1, the difference is almost imperceptible.

The above dimension f is an adjustment dimension (adjustment interval) that is adjusted in relation to the width dimensions of the multiple cabinets 1, 2 arranged side by side on the upper side of the counter top 3 so that none of the two ends of the cabinets 1, 2 protrude beyond the end 3a of the counter top 3 when they are combined. Therefore, the overhang dimension of the left end (end on the side wall surface 9b side) 16a, 16a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B is expressed as (a-f), but the overhang dimension (a-f) is 30 mm-3.5 mm=26.5 mm, and can effectively cover more than half (26.5/50=53%) of the gap c (for example, c=50 mm) between the outer surface of the side panel 12 on the side wall surface 9b side of the upper side cabinet 1 installed as shown in Figures 7 and 14 and the wall surface 9b of the adjacent room. The above-mentioned adjustment dimension (adjustment interval) f is set in the same way at the right end (non-side wall end) 3c of the counter top 3 in the left-side installation state, but in the case of the right side, it is set between the outer surface of the right side panel 22 of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 described below (see Figure 14).

The distance b (e.g. b = 20 mm) between the end 3a of the counter top 3 on the room side wall 9b and the side wall 9b, and between the rear end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c of the room, is at least the minimum distance required to allow the power cord to be wired from the lower side of the counter top 3 to the upper side and from the upper side of the counter top 3 to the lower side, and is the minimum distance required to take into consideration safety (wall protection) to prevent the end 3a on the side wall 9b and the end 3b on the rear wall 9c of the counter top 3 from abutting against the side wall 9b and the rear wall 9c, including the height (protruding dimension) of the baseboards 9e, 9e at the bottom of the side wall 9b and the rear wall 9c of the room, and is also the dimension required on the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B side to achieve smooth opening and closing without the ends 16a, 16a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B abutting against the side wall 9b of the room.

With the above configuration, while maintaining these conditions, the distance between the left end (end on the side wall surface 9b side) 16a, 16a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B and the side wall surface 9b (see b+f in Figures 7 and 14) can be made sufficiently smaller than the distance (wiring space c) between the cabinet body (the outer surface of the side panel 12 on the side wall surface 9b side) and the side wall surface 9b (can be reduced to 47%, less than half).

This allows for an installation that feels flush against the wall, with the effective gap c (c = b + a) between the cabinet body of the upper side cabinet 1 (the outer surface of the side panel 12 on the side wall 9b side) and the room side wall 9b, i.e., the minimum clearance dimension b for wiring the power cord and protecting the wall 9b, and the effective wiring spacing a for multiple power plugs and power cords, while still ensuring the smallest possible clearance (gap) b + f between the left end portions (end portions on the side wall 9b side) 16a, 16a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B and the side wall 9b.

Incidentally, the fact that a minimum clearance dimension b is required for wiring the power cord and protecting the room wall, and that an effective wiring spacing a is required taking into account the dimensions of the power plug's cord connector portion when wiring multiple power cords, is basically the same on the rear wall 9c side where the power outlet 92 is located, except for the issue of appearance.

Therefore, it is conceivable to extend the rear wall 9c side end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c side end 11c of the decorative top 11b evenly over the entire width direction of the room toward the rear wall 9c of the room by the same dimension a (a = 30 mm) as above from the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12 and the back surface of the back panel 13 of the side cabinet 1, thereby ensuring an effective wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for wiring multiple power cords on both the back side of the side cabinet 1 and the back side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 described below, and ensuring the minimum clearance dimension b required to protect the wall surface of the room between the rear wall 9c side end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c side end 11c of the decorative top 11b.

However, if this is done, the increased wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) will be visible when viewed from the right side, causing the same problems as with the conventional method on the side wall surface 9b.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6, 8 and 14, for example, the rear wall 9c end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c end 11c of the decorative top 11b are not extended toward the rear wall 9c of the room by the above-mentioned dimension a beyond the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12 and the back surface of the back panel 13 of the side cabinet 1, respectively. Conversely, the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12 and the back surface of the back panel 13 of the side cabinet 1 are reduced forward by the above-mentioned dimension a beyond the rear wall 9c end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c end 11c of the decorative top 11b, thereby ensuring a wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) similar to that on the side wall 9b side, at least on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 1. On the other hand, on the rear wall 9c side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2, the rear end faces of the side panels 22, 22 and the back surface of the back panel 23 are configured to be positioned on the same plane as the rear wall 9c side end 3b of the counter top 3 and the rear wall 9c side end 11c of the decorative top 11b.

This ensures effective wiring spacing for wiring multiple power cords at least on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 1, while the right side panel 22 on the rear wall 9c side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 limits the gap between the rear wall 9c to the minimum distance b required to protect the wall of the room, making the multiple power cords on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 1 invisible.

When this configuration is adopted, an effective wiring interval a is formed between the rear wall surface 9c and the rear of the cabinet body of the side cabinet 1, taking into account the minimum clearance dimension b for wiring the power cord and protecting the wall, as well as the dimensions of the cord connector parts of the power plugs of the multiple power cords. Therefore, the clearance c between the rear wall surface 9c and the rear of the cabinet body of the side cabinet 1 is expanded by the dimension a, and the entire space of the sufficiently wide clearance c (c = b + a), which is the minimum clearance dimension b for wiring the power cord and protecting the wall plus the wiring interval a taking into account the dimensions of the cord connector parts of the power plugs of the multiple power cords, can be used as wiring space for the power cords. As a result, it becomes possible to wire more power cords on the rear side, and it becomes easier to add internal power outlets and increase the number of outlets on the adjacent tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 side.

Furthermore, with the above-mentioned configuration, when installing a cupboard in a corner of a room, it is sufficient to measure the dimensions between the side wall surface 9b end 3a and the rear wall surface 9c end 3b of the counter top 3 and the side wall surface 9b and rear wall surface 9c of the corner of the room, and install the cupboard so that the dimensions of these parts are the clearance dimensions b, b required for wall protection described above, making it easy to measure the clearance dimensions b, b required for wall protection and to perform the installation work.

The above relationship also applies to the relationship between the wall surface end 46a of the cabinet body and the opening/closing door 46 of the lower side cabinet 4, which will be described later, and the walls 9b and 9c.

<Modification>
As described above, by reducing the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12 and the back surface of the back panel 13 of the side cabinet 1 by the above-mentioned dimension a forward from the end portion 3b of the rear wall surface 9c of the counter top 3 and the end portion 11c of the rear wall surface 9c of the decorative top panel 11b, thereby ensuring the same wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) on the rear wall surface 9c side of the side cabinet 1 as on the side wall surface 9b side, the depth dimension of the side cabinet 1 is reduced and the storage volume is reduced.

In addition, the power cord to the internal power outlets 26a, 26b of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 located on the non-side wall surface side is wired using the gap b (b = 20 mm) between the back surface of the back panel 23 of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 and the rear wall surface 9c of the room. However, this gap b (b = 20 mm) is much narrower than the wiring gap c (c = b + a = 50 mm) on the rear side of the side cabinet 1 described above, making wiring difficult.

Therefore, while leaving the front-to-rear dimensions of the cabinet body of the upper side cabinet 1 unchanged, the end 3b of the rear wall 9c of the counter top 3 and the end 11c of the rear wall 9c of the decorative top 11b are extended evenly across the entire width of the room toward the rear wall 9c by the same dimension a (a = 30 mm) as above from the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 12, 12 and the back surface of the back panel 13 of the side cabinet 1, thereby ensuring an effective wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for wiring multiple power cords on both the back side of the side cabinet 1 and the back side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 described below.

On the other hand, the front-to-rear dimension of the right side panel 22 (non-wall side) of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 is increased toward the rear wall 9c of the room by the rear extension dimension a of the counter top 3.

In this way, the end of the rear wall surface 9c of the extended right side panel 22 forms an overhanging end similar to the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B, and this overhanging end can conceal the effective wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for the power cord wiring formed on the rear side of the upper side cabinet 1 and the rear side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2.

In this configuration, not only does it not have to reduce the storage volume of the upper side cabinet 1, but it is also possible to form effective wiring space on the back side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 in addition to the back side of the upper side cabinet 1, making it easier to wire the power cord to the internal power outlets 26a, 26b on the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 side.

This configuration can also be configured in the same way on the lower side cabinet 4 side, which will be described later.

The tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 is constructed with a main top plate 21a, a decorative top plate 21b, a pair of left and right side plates 22, 22, and a back plate 23. The space inside the box-shaped housing is long in the left-right direction and is divided into two spaces, an upper space and an lower space, via a middle plate 24. A tableware cupboard 25 is provided on the upper side, and a cooking appliance installation space 26 is provided on the lower side.

The inside of the cupboard 25 is divided into two rooms at the middle in the left-right direction, and each room is provided with multiple shelves that can be adjusted in height at a predetermined dimensional pitch (not shown because the internal structure is not visible), and sliding doors 25a, 25b that can slide to the right or left are provided at the front side. The cooking appliance installation space 26 is provided with heat-resistant internal power outlets 26a, 26b corresponding to cooking appliances such as microwave ovens and toasters, located at the rear of the lower part of the inner surface of a pair of left and right side panels 22, 22. In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to the back panel 23 that covers the entire opening, the back side of the cooking appliance installation space 26 is provided with a reinforcing plate 23a of a predetermined vertical width located on the front side of the lower end of the back panel 23. And, wiring holes 26c, 26d corresponding to the internal power outlets 26a, 26b are provided at both left and right ends.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, if a power cord 30d is extended from the internal power outlet 26a in the cooking appliance installation space 26 to the rear side through the wiring hole 26c to another outlet of the power outlet 92 on the rear side of the upper side cabinet 1, and the power plug 30c at the tip of the power cord 30d is inserted, power can be supplied to the internal power outlet 26a.

The same applies to the internal power outlet 26b on the other side (right side); if a similar power cord is extended from the internal power outlet 26b through the wiring hole 26d to the rear side and the power plug at the end of the power cord is inserted into the power outlet 92 on the rear wall 9c side, power can be supplied to the internal power outlet 26b (in this case, the number of outlets on the power outlet 92 on the rear wall 9c side is made three).

The counter section B is composed of a counter-structured top plate 3 (hereinafter referred to as the counter top plate) having a front-to-rear width W and a left-to-right length (reference numbers omitted) that fully corresponds to the entire bottom surface of the upper cabinet section A and the top surface of the lower cabinet section C, as shown in Figures 11 and 14. This counter top plate 3 has a sufficient thickness and also functions as a counter table in the cupboard and as a bottom plate for the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2.

On the other hand, the lower cabinet section C below the counter top 3 is integrated with three sets of storage cabinets with different storage configurations, namely, a lower side cabinet (lower side box) 4 on the left side, a drawer cabinet 5 in the middle, and a cooking appliance cabinet 6 on the right side. The lower side cabinet 4, the drawer cabinet 5, and the cooking appliance cabinet 6 are each constructed as an independent unit structure.

As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the lower side cabinet 4 is a vertically long box-shaped housing consisting of a top plate 41, a pair of left and right side plates 42, 42, and a back plate 43. The space inside is divided into three storage spaces, the first to third, via two shelves 45a and 45b, the height of which can be adjusted at a predetermined dimensional pitch, and a side-opening door 46 is provided in front of the opening. Unlike the upper side cabinet 1 described above, the lower side cabinet 4 does not have a bottom plate, and the lower side is open to the floor 9c of the room. Therefore, by removing the first and second shelves 45a and 45b as necessary, it is possible to store items with relatively large vertical dimensions, such as vacuum cleaners.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the cupboard is designed to be installed on the left side of the room corner, and for this reason, the right end of the door 46 is attached to the inside of the front end of the right side panel 42 in an offset state using three sets of upper, middle, and lower slide hinges 17, 17, 17. These three sets of upper, middle, and lower slide hinges 17, 17, 17 are wide-angle types that open at a maximum opening angle of 155 degrees relative to the front of the opening (see FIG. 14). The door 46 is equipped with a push latch 18b, just like the doors 16A and 16B of the upper side cabinet 1. It is opened and closed by the same one-push method. However, earthquake-resistant latches 18a, 18a are not provided.

The back panel 43 and the left side panel 42 on the rear of the housing are provided with two sets of wiring holes, a wiring hole 19a that opens outward on the rear side and a wiring hole 19b that opens outward on the side side, located between the top panel 41 and the second shelf panel 45a and between the second shelf panel 45b and the lower floor surface 9c. These wiring holes 19a and 19b are used as wiring holes for passing a power cord between the rear wall power outlet 92 and the side wall power outlet 91 when an electrical device such as a vacuum cleaner is stored as described above.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the width of the opening and closing door 46 is made larger than the width of the cabinet body (the width between both ends of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42) by a specified dimension (a-f), and the small end surface of the right end of the door is aligned with the outer surface of the right side panel 42 of the cabinet body, and the three sets of sliding hinges 17, 17, 17 are provided on the inside of the door, and the door is attached in a cover structure that allows it to slide open from left to right.

As a result, as shown in Figure 12, when the opening and closing door 46 is closed, the left end 46a of the opening and closing door 46 overhangs (protrudes) to the left of the outer surface of the left side panel 42 of the cabinet body by a predetermined dimension (a-f). As a result, as shown in Figure 14, the distance b between the left end 46a of the opening and closing door 46 in the lower side cabinet 4 and the left wall surface 9b of the room can be made narrower than the distance c between the left end 46a and the outer surface of the side panel 42 by the overhang dimension (a-f).

As a result, just like in the case of the upper side cabinet 1, the side power cord (wiring) that connects from the wall power outlet 91 provided at the bottom of the left wall 9b of the room through the side wiring holes 19b, 19b and the rear wiring holes 19a, 19a to the stored equipment is hidden and difficult to see (see the imaginary lines in Figure 7).

When the left end (wall end) 46a of the opening/closing door 46 of the lower side cabinet 46 is made to overhang toward the side wall 9b from the wall end of the cabinet body by a predetermined distance (a-f), for example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 7, and 14, the side wall end 3a of the counter top 3 is extended toward the side wall 9b from the outer surface of the side wall of the cabinet body of the side cabinet 4 by a predetermined distance a (for example, a = 30 mm), and the left end (wall overhang end) 46a of the opening/closing door 46 of the side cabinet 4 is adapted to match the wall side extension end 3a of the counter top 3.

With this configuration, the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 46a of the opening door 46 of the lower side cabinet 46, the side wall surface 9b end 3a of the counter top 3, the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 16a, 16a of the first and second opening doors 16A, 16B of the upper side cabinet 1, the decorative top 11b of the upper side cabinet 1, and the extended end of the side wall surface 9b of each are all continuous in a state of approximately the same plane from the top to the bottom, realizing a more unified design for the entire cupboard. This further improves the sense of fitting tightly against the wall (see the configuration in Figures 1 and 7).

In this case, as in the case of the upper side cabinet 1, when the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 is made to overhang the side wall surface 9b end of the side wall surface 9b of the cabinet body by a predetermined distance (a-f), the side wall surface 9b end 3a of the counter top 3 is extended toward the side wall surface 9b by a predetermined distance a (for example, a = 30 mm) from the outer surface of the side wall surface 9b of the cabinet body, and the left end (side wall surface 9b side overhang end) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 is adapted to match the side wall surface 9b end 3a of the counter top 3 that has been extended.

However, as shown in Figures 2 and 14, in reality, the position of the left end (end on the side wall surface 9b side) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 is inside the end 3a on the side wall surface 9b side of the counter top 3 by a small dimension f (for example, f = 3.5 mm or so), and although they do not form a completely identical continuous surface, f = 3.5 mm is extremely small compared to the large vertical dimension of the entire cupboard, and as is clear from Figure 1, the difference is almost imperceptible.

The above dimension f is an adjustment dimension (adjustment interval) that is adjusted in relation to the width dimensions of the multiple cabinets 4, 5, 6 arranged side by side on the lower side of the counter top 3 so that none of the two ends of the cabinets 4, 5, 6 protrude beyond the end 3a of the counter top 3 when they are combined. Therefore, the overhang dimension of the left end (end on the side wall surface 9b side) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 is expressed as (a-f), but the overhang dimension (a-f) is 30 mm-3.5 mm=26.5 mm, and as shown in Figures 7 and 14, it can effectively cover more than half (53%) of the distance c (for example, c=50 mm) between the outer surface of the side panel 42 of the installed lower side cabinet 4 and the side wall surface 9b of the adjacent room. The above-mentioned adjustment dimension (adjustment interval) f is set in the same way at the right end 3c of the counter top 3 in the left-side installation state, but in the case of the right side, it is set between the outside surface of the right side panel 62 of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 described later (see the relationship between the cupboard and the cooking appliance installation cabinet 2 in Figure 14).

The distance b (e.g. b = 20 mm) between the outer and rear end faces of the side panels 42 of the side cabinet 4 and the side wall surfaces 9b and 9c of the room is necessary for wiring the power cord, and is the minimum required distance, including the height (protruding dimension) of the floor-side baseboard 9e, to ensure that the ends 3a and 3b of the counter top 3 do not come into contact with the side wall surfaces 9b and 9c of the room, and is also the necessary distance on the opening and closing door 46 side to ensure smooth opening and closing without the end 46a of the opening and closing door 46 hitting the side wall surface 9b of the room.

With the above configuration, while maintaining such conditions, it is possible to reliably make the gap b+f between the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 and the side wall surface 9b smaller than the gap c between the cabinet body (outer surface of the left side plate 42) and the side wall surface 9b. This makes it possible to effectively secure the gap c between the cabinet body (outer surface of the left side plate 42) and the side wall surface 9b, i.e., the wiring space for the power cord, while also making the gap between the left end (side wall surface 9b end) 46a of the opening and closing door 46 and the side wall surface 9b as small as possible, allowing for an installation that feels tight against the wall.

Incidentally, the minimum clearance dimension b required for wiring the power cord and protecting the room wall, and the sufficient wiring spacing a required for wiring multiple power cords taking into account the dimensions of the cord connector at the power plug portion of the power cord, are basically the same on the rear wall 9c side, except for appearance issues.

Therefore, it is conceivable to extend the end 3b of the counter top 3 on the rear wall 9c side of the room evenly across the entire width direction by the same dimension a (a = 30 mm) as above beyond the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42 and the back surface of the back panel 43 of the lower side cabinet 4, thereby ensuring sufficient wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for wiring multiple power cords on both the back side of the side cabinet 4 and the back side of the drawer cabinet 5 and cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 described below, taking into account the dimensions of the cord connector at the power plug part of the power cord, and also ensuring the minimum clearance dimension b required for wiring the power cords and protecting the wall surface of the room between the end 3b of the counter top 3 on the rear wall 9c side.

However, if this is done, the increased wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) will be visible when viewed from the right side, causing the same problems as with the conventional method on the side wall surface 9b side.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6, 8, and 14, for example, the end 3b of the counter top 3 on the rear wall 9c side is not extended toward the rear wall 9c side of the room by the above-mentioned dimension a beyond the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42 and the back face of the back panel 43 of the side cabinet 4, but rather the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42 and the back face of the back panel 43 of the side cabinet 4 are reduced forward by the above-mentioned dimension a beyond the end 3b of the counter top 3 on the rear wall 9c side, thereby ensuring sufficient wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) at least on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 4, taking into account the dimensions of the cord connector part of the power plug similar to those on the side wall 9b side.

On the other hand, on the rear wall surface 9c side of the drawer cabinet 5 and the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 described below, the rear end faces of the side panels 52, 52 and the back surface of the back panel 53 are configured to be positioned on the same plane as the end 3b of the rear wall surface 9c side of the counter top 3.

This ensures effective wiring spacing for wiring multiple power cords at least on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 4, while the rear wall 9c side of the drawer cabinet 5 and cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 described below allows power cords to pass through the gap between the rear wall 9c and the rear wall 9c by using the backs of the drawer cabinet 5 and the right side panel 62 of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6, and the minimum clearance dimension b required to protect the wall of the room is only required, making the multiple power cords on the rear wall 9c side of the side cabinet 4 invisible.

When this configuration is adopted, at least between the rear wall surface 9c of the room and the rear cabinet body of the side cabinet 4, in addition to the minimum clearance dimension b for inserting the power cord and protecting the wall surface, an effective wiring spacing a for the multiple power cords is formed, taking into account the dimensions of the cord connector part of the power plug. Therefore, the clearance c between the rear wall surface 9c and the rear cabinet body of the side cabinet 4 is expanded by the same dimension a, and the entire space of the sufficiently large clearance c (c = b + a), which is the minimum clearance dimension b for inserting the power cord and protecting the wall surface of the room plus the effective wiring spacing a for the multiple power cords, can be used as wiring space for the power cords.

As a result, it is possible to wire a larger number of power cords on the rear side, and it is also easy to add more internal power outlets and increase the number of outlets on the adjacent cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 side.

Furthermore, with the above-mentioned configuration, when installing a cupboard in a corner of a room, it is sufficient to measure the dimensions between the side wall surface 9b end 3a and the rear wall surface 9c end 3b of the counter top 3 and the side wall surface 9b and rear wall surface 9c of the corner of the room, and install the cupboard so that the dimensions of these parts are the clearance dimensions b, b required for wall protection described above, making it easy to measure the clearance dimensions b, b required for wall protection and to perform the installation work.

<Modification>
Incidentally, as described above, by reducing the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42 and the back surface of the back panel 43 of the side cabinet 4 forward by the above-mentioned dimension a relative to the end 3b of the rear wall surface 9c of the counter top 3, thereby ensuring the same wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) on the rear wall surface 9c side of the side cabinet 4 as on the side wall surface 9b side, the depth dimension of the side cabinet 4 is reduced and the storage volume is reduced.

When using the power outlet 91 on the side wall 9b side, the power cord to the cooking appliance of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 located on the non-side wall side must be routed from the back of the side cabinet 4 through the gap b (b = 20 mm) between the rear of the drawer cabinet 5 and the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 and the rear wall 9c of the room. When using the power outlet 92 on the rear wall 9c side, the power cord must be routed from the back of the side cabinet 1 through the gap b (b = 20 mm) between the rear wall 9c side end 3b of the counter top 3, the rear of the drawer cabinet 5 and the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 and the rear wall 9c of the room. In either case, the wiring distance is extremely narrow compared to the wiring distance c (c = b + a = 50 mm) on the rear side of the side cabinet 4 body described above, making wiring difficult.

Therefore, while leaving the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body of the lower side cabinet 4 unchanged, the end 3b of the rear wall 9c of the counter top 3 is extended evenly across the entire width of the room toward the rear wall 9c of the room by the same dimension a (a = 30 mm) as above beyond the rear end faces of the pair of left and right side panels 42, 42 and the back surface of the back panel 43, thereby ensuring an effective wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for wiring multiple power cords on both the back side of the side cabinet 4 and the back sides of the drawer cabinet 5 and cooking appliance storage cabinet 6.

On the other hand, the dimension in the front-to-rear direction of the right side panel 62 of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 is increased toward the rear wall surface 9c of the room by the extension dimension a toward the rear of the counter top 3.

In this way, the end of the rear wall surface 9c of the extended right side panel 62 forms an overhanging end similar to that of the opening and closing door 46, and this overhanging end can cover and hide the effective wiring spacing c (c = b + a = 50 mm) for the power cord wiring formed on the rear side of the lower side cabinet 4, the rear side of the drawer cabinet 5, and the rear side of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6.

In this configuration, not only does it not have to reduce the storage volume of the lower side cabinet 4, but it is also possible to form effective wiring space on the rear side of the lower side cabinet 4 as well as on the rear end of the rear wall surface 9c of the counter top 3, the drawer cabinet 5, and the rear side of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6, making it easier to wire the power cords to the cooking appliances inside the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6.

Next, the drawer cabinet 5 is configured with a vertically long box-shaped interior space made up of a top panel 51 (not shown), side panels 52, 52 (not shown), a back panel 53 (not shown), and a base 54, and is provided with first to fourth drawers 55a to 55d arranged in a four-tier structure in which items can be classified and stored.

The cooking appliance cabinet 6 is a vertically long box-shaped housing consisting of a top plate 61 (not shown), a pair of left and right side plates 62, 62 (see FIG. 1), a back plate 63 (not shown), and a base 64. The upper part of the housing has a cooking appliance storage space 66 for storing cooking appliances such as electric rice cookers via a slide table 65, which can be pulled out when in use, and the lower part has a drawer 67 for storing a dust box and other items.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6, the front-to-rear dimension (depth dimension) of the two sets of cabinets in the upper cabinet section A is a predetermined dimension smaller than the front-to-rear dimension (depth dimension) of the three sets of cabinets in the lower cabinet section C, while the front-to-rear dimension of the counter top 3 located between them (see W in Figures 11 and 14) is a predetermined dimension d larger than the front-to-rear dimension (depth dimension) of the two sets of cabinets in the upper cabinet section A, and is also a predetermined dimension e larger than the front-to-rear dimension (depth dimension) of the three sets of cabinets 4, 5, and 6 in the lower cabinet section C.

As a result, the counter top 3 of the counter section B protrudes forward by a specified dimension d from the upper cabinet section A and a specified dimension e from the lower cabinet section C. This results in a so-called piano-type cupboard structure, which makes cooking easy in the counter section C area and makes it easy to use the installed cooking appliances.

<Features of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4 located on the side wall surface 9b side of the multiple left and right cabinets located above and below the counter top 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention>
In the embodiment of the present invention, among the multiple left and right cabinets located above and below the counter top 3, the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 located on the side wall surface 9b side each have a door with a side-opening structure that opens to the side, and is configured to open opposite the side wall surface 9b. The width of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 of each of the side wall surface 9b side cabinets 1, 4 is made a predetermined dimension larger than the width of the cabinet body of the side cabinets 1, 4, and when the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 are closed, the side wall surface 9b side end portions 16a, 16a, 46a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 overhang a predetermined dimension toward the wall surface side beyond the wall surface end portion of the cabinet body, and the overhanging portion covers the gap between the side wall surface 9b, thereby reducing the distance between the cabinet body of the side wall surface 9b side cabinet 1, 4 and the side wall surface 9b as seen from the front.

This configuration allows the distance between the cabinet body of the side cabinet 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side and the side wall surface 9b to be substantially increased, while allowing the distance between the opening and closing door 16A, 16A, 46 on the front side of the side cabinet 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side and the side wall surface 9b to be sufficiently small.

Therefore, a sufficiently large wiring space can be formed between the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4 on the side wall surface 9b and the side wall surface 9b according to the housing height of the power outlet 91 on the side wall surface 9b and the height of the cord connector part of the power plug inserted into the power outlet 91, making it easy to insert the power plug into the power outlet 91 and allowing the necessary number of power cords to be loosely wired from the power outlet 91 on the side wall surface 9b into the cabinet body. Therefore, it becomes possible to wire a large number of power cords, including power cords to various home appliances in the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4, power cords to the internal power outlets 26a and 26b of the adjacent cabinet 2, and power cords to the adjacent cabinet 6.

At the same time, the gap between the front opening door 16A, 16A, 46 of the side cabinet 1, 4 and the side wall surface 9b can be made sufficiently small.

As a result, even though the gap between the cabinet body and the side wall surface 9b of the side cabinets 1 and 4 is effectively increased and a large number of power cords can be wired, the power cords and power plugs are almost invisible from the front, improving the sense of fitting closely to the wall and resulting in a very attractive appearance.

In addition, the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 of the side cabinets 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side are each configured to open on the side opposite the side wall surface 9b, so the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 are easy to open and close, and unlike when they open on the side wall surface 9b side, they can be opened sufficiently wide. This also makes it easy to store and remove various storage items.

When the wall surface side end portions 16a, 16a, 46a of the opening/closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 of the side cabinets 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side are made to overhang a predetermined distance toward the side wall surface 9b from the wall surface side end portions of the cabinet body as described above, the side wall surface 9b side end portion 3a of the counter top 3 is extended a predetermined distance toward the side wall surface 9b from the side wall surface side outer surface of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side, and the side wall surface side end portions (overhanging end portions) 16a, 16a, 46a of the opening/closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 of each of the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 on the side wall surface 9b side are made to correspond to the side wall surface 9b side extension end portion 3a of the counter top 3.

With this configuration, the end 3a of the extended side wall surface 9b of the counter top 3 and the end (overhang end) 16a, 16a, 46a of the side wall surface 9b of each of the side cabinets 1 and 4 located above and below it are all on the same plane from the top to the bottom, resulting in a more unified design for the cupboard as a whole. This further improves the sense of fitting snugly against the wall.

In addition, in this embodiment of the invention, the front-to-rear dimensions of the cabinet bodies of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4 located on the side wall surface 9b are made smaller by a predetermined dimension than the front-to-rear dimensions of the cabinet bodies of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2, drawer cabinet 5, and cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 located on the non-wall surface side, ensuring an effective wiring distance similar to that on the side wall surface 9b side between the rear of the cabinet body of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4 located on the side wall surface 9b and the room rear wall surface 9c.

Recently, the variety of cooking appliances used in the kitchen has increased, and the number of appliances that consume a lot of power, such as microwave ovens, is also on the rise. This has resulted in the need for dedicated power outlets, and there is a trend toward an increase in the number of power outlets (on the side and rear walls) and ports on the walls of room corners, the number of internal power outlets in cupboards, and the number of wiring holes provided in the side and back panels.

In addition, in recent homes, it is common for the owner to install a greater number of power outlets than usual in desired locations, at their request. And often these locations are also where the kitchen cupboards are planned to be installed.

This configuration is designed to be able to deal appropriately with such cases, and can effectively secure not only the wiring space corresponding to the power outlet 91 on the room side wall surface 9b, but also the wiring space corresponding to the power outlet 92 on the room rear wall surface 9c. Then, as described above, the necessary number of wiring holes 19a, 19a..., 19b, 19b... are provided in the necessary positions on the side panels 12, 42 or back panels 13, 43 of the cabinet body to correspond to each of these wiring spaces.

The wiring holes in the rear panel 13, 43 of the cabinet body, which are not visible from the outside and do not pose a problem in terms of strength, are formed in whole or in part as open ports without a back panel as necessary. In the above configuration, as an example, the lower half of the back panel 13 of the upper side cabinet 1 is formed as an open port.

This allows wiring to be flexibly adapted to differences in the installation location, number, and number of outlets of the power outlets 92 on the rear wall 3c of the room.

On the other hand, in the above configuration, in such a case, the front-to-rear dimensions of the cabinet body of each of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 2, drawer cabinet 5, and cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 located on the non-side wall surface side (right side) are configured to be a predetermined dimension larger than the front-to-rear dimensions of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 located on the side wall surface 9b side.

Therefore, after installation, the gap between the cabinet body of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 2, the drawer cabinet 5, and the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 located on the non-side wall surface side and the rear wall surface 9c of the room is small, and even if a wiring space corresponding to the power outlet 92 is formed on the rear wall surface 9c side of the cabinet body of the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4 located on the side wall surface 9b side, the wiring space cannot be seen from the non-side wall surface side. Therefore, there is no problem with appearance.

In addition, in the case of an embodiment of the present invention, each of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16A, 46 that opens on the side opposite to the side wall surface 9b is configured to open up to a maximum opening angle θ1, θ2 of approximately 155 degrees, as shown in Figures 3 and 14, for example.

As a result, not only are the doors 16A, 16A, 46 easy to open and close, but when the doors 16A, 16A, 46 are open, it is easy to pull the power cords into the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 and to wire the power cords inside the upper and lower side cabinets 1, 4 without being restricted by the presence of the doors 16A, 16A, 46.

This greatly improves the efficiency of each task, resulting in a cupboard that is easy to install. It also makes it easier to store and retrieve various storage items.

As a result of the above, the wall-side side cabinet configuration according to the embodiment of the invention of this application ensures the necessary clearance between the wall adjacent to the installation corner and the cabinet body of the side cabinet to protect the wall, etc., and the necessary clearance for pulling in and routing the power cord from the wall-side power outlet to the cabinet body, while effectively covering the same area with the wall-side end of the front opening and closing door of the side cabinet.

As a result, the unsightly appearance of previous models is eliminated, and the interior design is greatly improved. In addition, the number of wall power outlets and their number of ports can be increased, making it possible to effectively respond to the recent increase in the number of home appliances and their increased power consumption.

Moreover, these functions can be achieved simply by attaching the opening and closing door on the front of the wall-side side cabinet so that it opens away from the wall, and by making the wall-side end of the opening and closing door overhang the wall-side end of the wall-side side cabinet body by a specified amount, resulting in a simple configuration and low cost.

Therefore, by simply reversing the mounting position of the opening and closing door of the wall-facing side cabinet, it can easily be used as either a left- or right-mounted type of cupboard.

The door of the wall-facing side cabinet is designed to open at a large angle of about 155 degrees (150 degrees ±α) away from the wall. This allows the operator to work closely together when wiring the power cord inside and outside the side panels and back of the side cabinet located against the wall, and allows for ample working space on both sides, making the work easier.

This also improves ease of installation. Furthermore, once installed, it also becomes easier to store and retrieve various storage items.

<Installation of upper cabinet>
1 to 8, the modular cupboard in the embodiment of the invention of this application is roughly divided from top to bottom into three components: an upper cabinet section A, a counter section B, and a lower cabinet section C. Generally, this three-section configuration is sufficient for storage according to the purpose.

However, some households require more storage space. Also, with the above structure, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, there is a possibility that a space will remain between the unit and the ceiling surface 9a, resulting in a lack of fit after installation. Originally, the characteristic of a cupboard with the above modular structure is that it is available in a wide variety of sizes for each unit with different storage purposes, and the height, width, and depth can be adjusted to suit the kitchen space in which it is installed, making effective use of limited storage space while improving usability for each user.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, an upper cabinet section D consisting of two sets of upper cabinets 8A, 8B of different sizes is provided on the upper side of the upper cabinet section A, and a configuration is also adopted as desired to further increase the storage volume and fill the space between the upper cabinet section A and the ceiling surface 9a in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 to improve the fit in the vertical direction.

In this case, although not shown, the housing bodies of the first and second upper cabinets 8A and 8B are similar to the upper side cabinet 1, each consisting of a top plate, a pair of left and right side plates, a bottom plate, a back plate (reference numbers are omitted as these are not visible), and side-opening doors 86, 87, 88, and 89. The door 86 of the first upper cabinet 8A located on the left side wall surface 9b side has a right-opening configuration similar to the first and second doors 16A and 16B of the upper side cabinet 1 described above, and its width in the left-right direction is also the same dimension.

As a result, the end 86a on the side wall surface 9b is aligned vertically with the extended end 3a on the side wall surface 9b of the counter top 3, similar to the end 16a, 16a on the side wall surface 9b of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B of the upper side cabinet 1 and the left end 46a of the opening and closing door 46 of the lower side cabinet 4.

However, in the case of the first upper cabinet 8A on the side wall surface 9b, there are no corresponding power outlets 91, 92 like the upper side cabinet 1 and lower side cabinet 4 described above, and it is not usually conceivable that cooking appliances would be stored in a usable state in this position. Therefore, there is no need to provide wiring space for power cords between this first upper cabinet 8A and the side wall surface 9b.

Therefore, in the case of the first upper cabinet 8A, not only is the width of the opening and closing door 86 widened as described above, but the width of the cabinet body is also made the same as the width of the opening and closing door 86, thereby expanding the storage volume. In other words, the wall side end 86a of the opening and closing door 86 does not have an overhang portion (a-f) in relation to the cabinet body. In addition, the front-to-rear dimension of the cabinet body is made as close as possible to the front-to-rear dimension of the decorative top plate 11b of the upper side cabinet 1 (the decorative top plate 11b is about 9 mm longer in the front direction), so that the storage volume is effectively expanded in the front-to-rear dimension as well. In other words, in the case of the first upper cabinet 8A, there is no wiring space for the power cord on the back side like the upper side cabinet 1 described above. As a result, the rear end surface of the first upper cabinet 8A coincides with the rear end 3b of the counter top plate 3.

On the other hand, the second upper cabinet 8B located on the right side, which is not on the side wall side, is divided by a vertical partition board into a horizontally long housing consisting of a top board, a pair of left and right side boards, a bottom board, and a back board, forming two sets of first and second storage chambers from left to right within the single housing (not shown). Of these first and second sets of storage chambers, the first storage chamber on the left side is long from left to right and is formed to be approximately twice as wide as the second storage chamber, and is provided with two sets of first and second opening doors 87, 88 that open sideways. The first opening door 87 opens from right to left with the center of the first storage chamber as the boundary, and the second opening door 88 opens from left to right with the center of the first storage chamber as the boundary.

On the other hand, the second storage room on the right side is formed to be approximately half the size of the first storage room, and is provided with a third opening door 89 that opens sideways. This third opening door 89 is designed to be opened from the left side to the right side of the second storage room.

The first, second and third opening and closing doors 87-89 are attached to the front side of the first and second storage chambers using slide hinges, just like the upper and lower side cabinets 1 and 4. The structure inside the first and second storage chambers can be formed into a shelf structure or any other desired structure.

The front-to-rear dimension of this second upper cabinet 8B is the same as the front-to-rear dimension of the first upper cabinet 8A, and there is an adjustment dimension f between the outer surface of the right side panel and the right end of the decorative top panel 21b at the top of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2, which is the same as the adjustment dimension f between the right end 3c of the counter top panel 3 on the outer surface of the right side panel 22 of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2.

In this way, by providing two sets of upper cabinets 8A and 8B, each with a large volume, it is possible to more effectively increase the storage space, and by filling the space between the upper cabinets and the ceiling surface 9a in Figures 7 and 8, it is possible to properly achieve a sense of fit in the vertical direction (a feeling of fitting perfectly to the ceiling).

<Installation in the right corner of the room>
The cupboard configured as described above can also be installed in a corner on the right side of a room by providing the upper side cabinet 1 and the lower side cabinet 4 on the right side of the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 and the right side of the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6, respectively, and shifting the right end portion 3c of the counter top 3 to the right by a specified distance a in the same manner as described above.

In this case, the first and second doors 16A, 16B of the upper side cabinet 1 and the door 46 of the lower side cabinet 4 are each designed to open to the left, the opposite of the above, and are attached to the left side panels 12, 42 using slide hinges 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17 so that they open in the direction opposite the right wall. Then, the right end portions 16a, 16a, 46a (not shown) of the doors 16A, 16B, 46 are made to overhang to the side of the right side panels 12, 42 of the respective cabinet bodies by the same amount as above.

Then, the power cord extending from the power outlet 91 (not shown) at the bottom of the right wall to the wiring holes 19b, 19b (not shown) on the right side of the upper side cabinet 1 and the lower side cabinet 4 is covered by the overhanging portion of the right end portion 16a, 16a, 46a (not shown) of each of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B, 46, making it almost invisible when viewed from the front. Therefore, even when there are many power outlets and wiring holes, the appearance is very good.

In this case, each door 16A, 16B, 46 is attached using a sliding hinge with a maximum opening angle θ1, θ2 = 155 degrees, just like in the case of right-opening. Therefore, it can be opened widely to the same state as when there are almost no doors, as shown in Figure 14. Therefore, after installing the upper side cabinet 1 and the lower side cabinet 4, even when wiring the power cord (wiring) using the wiring holes 19b, 19b (not shown) on the right side, the worker can move his/her body close enough to the front opening of each side cabinet 1, 4 and can put his/her hands freely inside the cabinet to perform the work (not restricted by the wall and the door).

As a result, wiring the power cord in a narrow corner of a room becomes much easier. In addition, the dimensional relationship between the right side wall (reference numerals omitted) and rear wall 9c, the right side wall end 3c and rear wall 9c end 3b of the counter top 3, and the right ends 16a, 16a, and 46a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B, and 46 during installation is exactly the same as in the case of installation in the left corner. There is an appropriate distance b between the right side wall end 3c and rear wall 9c end 3b of the counter top 3 and the right side wall and rear wall 9c so as not to damage the wall, and the distance (b+f) between the ends 16a, 16a, and 46a of the opening and closing doors 16A, 16B, and 46 and the right side wall is set to a distance (b+f) that protects the wall and is sufficient for opening and closing, taking into consideration the relationship with the dimensions of the upper and lower cabinets 2, 5, and 6 that are installed side by side.

<Other cabinet combinations>
1 to 8, a plurality of sizes are available for the length in the left-right direction of the counter top 3. By using a counter top 3 longer than that in Fig. 1 to 8, a configuration can be adopted as necessary in which a wine cabinet of the same height as the tableware and cooking appliance storage cabinet 2 is provided in the upper right portion of the cupboard in Fig. 1 to 8, and a specified storage cabinet of the same height as the cooking appliance storage cabinet 6 is provided in the lower right portion.

In this case, an upper cabinet similar to that shown in Figure 15 can also be provided.

A is the upper cabinet section, B is the counter section, C is the lower cabinet section, D is the upper cabinet section, 1 is the upper side cabinet, 2 is the cabinet for storing tableware and cooking appliances, 3 is the counter top, 3a is the end of the counter top 3 on the room side wall surface 9b side, 3b is the end of the counter top 3 on the room rear wall surface 9c side, 4 is the lower side cabinet, 5 is a drawer cabinet, 6 is the cabinet for storing cooking appliances, 8A is the first upper cabinet, 8B is the second upper cabinet, 11a is the main top panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 11b is the decorative top panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 12 is the side panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 13 is the back panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 14 is the bottom panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 15a is the first shelf panel of the upper side cabinet 1, 15b is the second shelf panel of the upper side cabinet 1 15c is the third shelf of the upper side cabinet 1, 15d is the fourth shelf of the upper side cabinet 1, 15e is the fifth shelf of the upper side cabinet 1, 16A is the first opening door of the upper side cabinet 1, 16B is the second opening door of the upper side cabinet 1, 16a is the end (overhang end) of the side wall surface 9b of the first and second opening doors 16A and 16B, 17 is a slide hinge, 19a is the wiring hole on the back panel, 19b is the wiring hole on the side panel, 41 is the main body top panel of the lower side cabinet 4, 42 is the side panel of the lower side cabinet 4, 43 is the back panel of the lower side cabinet 4, 45a is the first shelf of the lower side cabinet 4, 45b is the second shelf of the lower side cabinet 4, 46 is the opening door of the lower side cabinet 4, and 46a is the end (overhang end) of the side wall surface 9b of the opening door 46.

Claims (4)

The upper left and right storage cabinets and the lower left and right storage cabinets are connected vertically and integrally via a counter-structured top plate.
A modular cupboard that is installed adjacent to the left or right side wall of a room corner,
Among the multiple left and right storage cabinets located above and below the top board of the counter structure, the doors of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface side are made to be doors with a side-opening structure,
Each of the side walls is configured to open toward the opposite side,
The width of the opening and closing door of each of the side wall side storage cabinets is made larger by a predetermined dimension than the width of the cabinet body of the storage cabinet,
When the door is closed, the side wall surface end of the door overhangs the side wall surface end of the cabinet body by a predetermined distance toward the side wall surface,
By covering the gap between the side wall surface with the overhanging portion, an effective wiring gap is ensured between the cabinet body of the side wall surface storage cabinet and the side wall surface, while the gap between the cabinet body of the side wall surface storage cabinet and the side wall surface as seen from the front is reduced.
A cupboard characterized by the above. The dimensions in the front-rear direction of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface side are made smaller by a predetermined dimension than the dimensions in the front-rear direction of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the non-side wall surface side, and an effective wiring interval similar to that on the side wall surface side is secured between the rear surface of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets located on the side wall surface side and the rear wall surface of the room.
2. The cupboard according to claim 1. The side wall surface end of the counter structure top plate is extended a predetermined distance toward the side wall surface side from the outer surface of the side wall surface side of the cabinet body of each of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall surface side,
The side wall side overhang ends of the doors of the upper and lower storage cabinets on the side wall side are aligned with the side wall side extended ends of the top plate.
3. The cupboard of claim 1 or 2. Each door that opens to the side wall surface side and the opposite side is configured to open up to a maximum opening angle of about 150 degrees.
4. The cupboard according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

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