US20030201699A1

US20030201699A1 - Tool cabinet

Info

Publication number: US20030201699A1
Application number: US10/123,463
Authority: US
Inventors: Chin-Chuan Hong; Lian-Kuei Lu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-16
Filing date: 2002-04-16
Publication date: 2003-10-30

Abstract

A tool cabinet includes a cabinet frame unit with an open top portion, and open front, rear, left and right sides. A receiving tray is mounted in the top portion of the frame unit, and is covered by a top lid. A rear board member is mounted on the frame unit to close the rear side thereof. Parallel slide rails are mounted in the frame unit and cooperate with the receiving tray to define a drawer-receiving space in the cabinet frame unit below the receiving tray. A drawer member is disposed slidably in the drawer-receiving space. Left and right door panels are mounted pivotally on the rear board member and the cabinet frame unit for closing the left and right sides thereof. A front door panel is mounted pivotally on the frame unit for closing the front side thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a tool cabinet, more particularly to a tool cabinet which incorprates a top lid and left, right and front door panels so as to facilitate fetching of tools therefrom.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a

conventional tool cabinet

1 is shown to include a cabinet body 11 which defines an open front side and two drawer-receiving spaces accessible from the open front side, and two drawer members 12 which are slidably and respectively disposed in the drawer-receiving spaces and which are capable of being drawn out of the drawer-receiving spaces via the open front side of the cabinet body 11 for fetching tools 2 therefrom.

One disadvantage encountered during use of the aforesaid

conventional tool cabinet

1 is as follows:

The

drawer members

12 cannot be drawn out fully from the cabinet body 11 due to a limiting member (not shown) which prevents the drawer members 12 from being removed from the cabinet body 11. As such, the user encounters difficulties when fetching the tools 2 which are disposed at a rearmost part of the drawer members 12.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a tool cabinet that can eliminate the occurrence of the aforesaid disadvantage which results during use of the conventional tool cabinet.

Accordingly, a tool cabinet of the present invention includes a cabinet frame unit, a rear board member, a receiving tray, a drawer member, a top lid, left and right door panels, and a front door panel. The cabinet frame unit has an open top portion, a bottom portion, an open left side, an open right side, an open front side, and an open rear side. The cabinet frame unit includes hollow left and right frame members, a plurality of connecting rods, and a pair of parallel slide rails. The left and right frame members are disposed uprightly, define the open left and right sides of the cabinet frame unit, and are spaced apart from each other in a first direction. The connecting rods extend in the first direction, interconnect the left and right frame members, and are disposed to define the open front and rear sides of the cabinet frame unit. The slide rails are mounted respectively on the left and right frame members and extend in a second direction transverse to the first direction. The rear board member is mounted on the cabinet frame unit to close the open rear side. The receiving tray is mounted in the open top portion of the cabinet frame unit. The receiving tray cooperates with the slide rails to define a drawer-receiving space in the cabinet frame unit below the receiving tray. The drawer-receiving space is accessible from the open front side of the cabinet frame unit. The drawer member is disposed in the drawer-receiving space, and is in sliding engagement with the slide rails such that the drawer member is capable of being drawn out of the drawer-receiving space via the open front side of the cabinet frame unit. The top lid is mounted pivotally on the cabinet frame unit so as to conceal the receiving tray in the open top portion of the cabinet frame unit. The left and right door panels are mounted pivotally on one of the rear board member and the cabinet frame unit for closing a respective one of the open left and right sides of the cabinet frame unit. The front door panel is mounted pivotally on the cabinet frame unit for closing the open front side of the cabinet frame unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of this invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0009]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional tool cabinet; [0010]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a tool cabinet according to the present invention; [0011]
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how a front door panel is opened in order to draw a drawer member outwardly from a cabinet frame unit; [0012]
FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how a top lid of the cabinet frame unit is supported by right and front door panels when the top lid is moved to an open position so as to permit access into a top portion of the cabinet frame unit; [0013]
FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how pivotal movement of the front door panel relative to the cabinet frame unit is arrested when at the open position; and [0014]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in use.[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a tool cabinet according to this invention is shown to include a [0016] cabinet frame unit 3, a rear board member 35, a rectangular receiving tray 36, two rectangular drawer members 37, a top lid 4, left and right door panels 5,7, and a front door panel 6.
As illustrated, the [0017] cabinet frame unit 3 has an open top portion, a bottom portion, an open left side, an open right side, an open front side, and an open rear side. The cabinet frame unit 3 includes hollow left and right frame members 31,32 that are generally inverted U-shaped, upper and lower pairs of connecting rods 33, and two pairs of parallel left and right slide rails 34. The left and right frame members 31,32 are disposed uprightly, define the open left and right sides of the cabinet frame unit 3, and are spaced apart from each other in a first direction. The connecting rods 33 extend in the first direction, interconnect the left and right frame members 31,32, and define the open front and rear sides of the cabinet frame unit 3. The slide rails 34 are respectively mounted on inner sides of the left and right frame members 31,32, extend in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and are vertically spaced apart.
The [0018] rear board member 35 is mounted removably on the cabinet frame unit 3 to close the open rear side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
The receiving [0019] tray 36 is mounted in the open top portion of the cabinet frame unit 3, and cooperates with the slide rails 34 to define two drawer-receiving spaces in the cabinet frame unit 3 below the receiving tray 36. Each of the drawer-receiving spaces is accessible from the open front side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
Each of the [0020] drawer members 37 is disposed in a respective one of the drawer-receiving spaces, and is in sliding engagement with a respective pair of the slide rails 34 such that the drawer member 37 is capable of being drawn out of the respective drawer-receiving space via the open front side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
The [0021] top lid 4 is mounted pivotally on the right frame member 32 of the cabinet frame unit 3 via two hinge units 41 so as to conceal the receiving tray 36 in the open top portion of the cabinet frame unit 3.
The [0022] front door panel 6 is mounted pivotally on the right frame member 32 of the cabinet frame unit 3 via three hinge units 61 for closing the open front side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
The [0023] right door panel 5 is mounted pivotally on the right frame member 32 of the cabinet frame unit 3 via three hinge units 51 for closing the open right side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
Three [0024] fastener trays 72 are mounted on an inner side surface of the left door panel 7 to receiver fasteners, such as bolts and screws, therein, as best shown in FIG. 6. Preferably, the rear board member 35 has a mounting flange portion 350 which projects relative to the left frame member 31. The left door panel 7 is mounted pivotally on the mounting flange portion 350 of the rear board member 35 via three hinge units 71 such that the fastener trays 72 can be disposed on the inner side surface of the left door panel 7 without interfering with the left frame member 31 when the left door panel 7 is at a closed position for closing the open left side of the cabinet frame unit 3.
The bottom portion of the [0025] cabinet frame unit 3 is provided with a plurality of casters 9 that are mounted on bottom ends of the left and right frame members 31,32 to facilitate movement of the tool cabinet.
In this preferred embodiment, each of the right and [0026] front door panels 5, 6 is provided with a known retractable foot unit 52, 62. The foot unit 52, 62 is operable so as to extend between a retracted position, as best shown in FIG. 3, where the foot unit 52, 62 does not extend beyond a bottom edge of a respective one of the right and front door panels 5, 6, and an extended position, where the foot unit 52, 62 extends beyond the bottom edge of the respective one of the right and front door panels 5, 6 so as to be adapted to abut against a ground surface in order to arrest the pivoting movement of the right and front door panels 5, 6 relative to the cabinet frame unit 3. Preferably, each of the foot units 52,62 is provided with a resilient foot pad 521,621 to avoid slipping of the foot units 52,62 relative to the ground surface when the foot units 52,62 are at the extended position, as best shown in FIG. 5. Under this condition, the top edges of the right and front door panels 5,6 can cooperatively support the top lid 4 thereon in case the latter is moved to an open position when fetching a tool 8 from the receiving tray 36, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.
Referring again to FIG. 2, each of the [0027] drawer members 37 is provided with a pair of sliding rollers 370 at a rear part thereof. The slide rails 34 confine a pair of sliding passages 340 within which the rollers 370 are movably confined. Each of the slide rails 34 has a top wall 341 formed with a downwardly facing recess 342 at a front portion thereof. The recess 342 is in spatial communication with the sliding passage 340 and permits a respective one of the rollers 370 to extend therein when the drawer member 37 is drawn out of the drawer-receiving space to a fully drawn position, as best shown in FIG. 3. At the fully drawn position, the drawer member 37 is disposed to incline downwardly relative to the cabinet frame unit 3, thereby facilitating the fetching of tools 8 from the drawer members 37.
With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated in the appended claims. [0028]

Claims

I claim:

1. A tool cabinet comprising:

a cabinet frame unit having an open top portion, a bottom portion, an open left side, an open right side, an open front side, and an open rear side, said cabinet frame unit including

hollow left and right frame members which are disposed uprightly, which define said open left and right sides of said cabinet frame unit, and which are spaced apart from each other in a first direction,

a plurality of connecting rods which extend in said first direction, which interconnect said left and right frame members, and which are disposed to define said open front and rear sides of said cabinet frame unit, and

a pair of parallel slide rails which are mounted respectively on said left and right frame members and which extend in a second direction transverse to said first direction;

a rear board member mounted on said cabinet frame unit to close said open rear side;

a receiving tray mounted in said open top portion of said cabinet frame unit, said receiving tray cooperating with said slide rails to define a drawer-receiving space in said cabinet frame unit below said receiving tray, said drawer-receiving space being accessible from said open front side of said cabinet frame unit;

a drawer member disposed in said drawer-receiving space and in sliding engagement with said slide rails such that said drawer member is capable of being drawn out of said drawer-receiving space via said open front side of said cabinet frame unit;

a top lid mounted pivotally on said cabinet frame unit so as to conceal said receiving tray in said open top portion of said cabinet frame unit;

left and right door panels mounted pivotally on one of said rear board member and said cabinet frame unit for closing a respective one of said open left and right sides of said cabinet frame unit; and

a front door panel mounted pivotally on said cabinet frame unit for closing said open front side of said cabinet frame unit.

2. The tool cabinet as defined in claim 1, wherein said bottom portion of said cabinet frame unit is provided with a plurality of casters that are mounted on bottom ends of said left and right frame members.

3. The tool cabinet as defined in claim 1, further comprising a fastener tray mounted on an inner side surface of one of said left and right door panels.

4. The tool cabinet as defined in claim 1, further comprising a foot unit mounted on one of said front, left and right door panels, said foot unit being operable so as to extend between a retracted position, where said foot unit does not extend beyond a bottom edge of said one of said front, left and right door panels, and an extended position, where said foot unit extends beyond said bottom edge of said one of said front, left and right door panels so as to be adapted to abut against a ground surface in order to arrest pivoting movement of said one of said front, left and right door panels relative to said cabinet frame unit.

5. The tool cabinet as defined in claim 1, wherein said drawer member is provided with a pair of sliding rollers at a rear part thereof, said slide rails confining a pair of sliding passages within which said rollers are movably confined, each of said slide rails having a top wall formed with a downwardly facing recess at a front portion thereof, said recess being in spatial communication with said sliding passage and permitting a respective one of said rollers to extend therein when said drawer member is drawn out of said drawer-receiving space to a fully drawn position, said drawer member inclining downwardly when disposed at said fully drawn position.