US2301856A

US2301856A - Cabinet

Info

Publication number: US2301856A
Application number: US351711A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Conwell
Original assignee: G I Sellers & Sons Co
Current assignee: G I Sellers & Sons Co
Priority date: 1940-08-07
Filing date: 1940-08-07
Publication date: 1942-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 1959-11-10

Description

Nov. 10, 1942.

W. J. CONWELL CABINET Filed Aug. 7, 1940 wlliamzl onwell,

Patented Nov. 10, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CABINET William J. Conwell, Elwood, Ind., assignor to G. 1. Sellers & Sons, 00., Elwood, Ind., a corporation of Indiana 1 Claim.

This invention relates to cabinets, more particularly of the type for household use, such as kitchen cabinets.

Cabinets of the type above referred to, in many cases, include a shelf, table or cupboard portion having utensil or storage drawers beneath the same and shelving covered by doors at the top. In order that the doors covering the shelving may not interfere with free use of the shelf or table portion, a space is provided at the rear thereof and below the doors which conveniently permits of the storage of small articles for kitchen use such as condiment holders, cans, boxes and the like. Frequently these articles present a disordered appearance when viewing th cabinet from the front, and for the purpose of not only concealing these articles from view but also utilizing this space as a covered or protected storage compartment, it is desirable that the same be provided with a closure. From the nature of the particular article of furniture, th closure must be mounted for operation so as not to interfere with the free use of the shelf or table, and, at the same time, it must also clear articles stored at the rear of the shelf.

Accordingly, the present invention has primarily in view a kitchen cabinet wherein the space between the upper shelving closed by doors and the Work table or shelf is made into a compartment which may be opened and closed by providing a door mounted to be swung to closed position to provide a neat and finished appearance to the cabinet and, at the same time, shield and enclose articles stored at the back of the shelf, and, on the other hand, which may be readily lifted to an out-of-the-way position to provide access to the compartment and also clear the working space on the shelf for unobstructed use.

Other objects may appear as the description proceeds.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a cabinet embodying the present improvements and showing the closure constituting the present invention in open position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the compartment with the door closed.

Referring to the drawing, the cabinet is provided with the shelf, table, or work surface including the front portion A and the rear portion A. The portion A is preferably elevated above the front surface A by being supported upon the 55 molding or filler strip A Below the combined shelf surface AA, that is, in the base of the cabinet, suitable utensil or storage drawers B may be provided while above th surface AA is an upper storage space closed at its sides by the cabinet side walls C, at its back by the cabinet rear wall E, at its bottom by the shelf portion A, and at its front by the vertically hinged doors D. The space between the said upper storage space and the work shelf or table portion A constitutes an open front compartment E which is formed by the said cabinet side walls C, the back wall E, the shelf or table portion A and the bottom E of the upper storage area.

The open-front of the compartment E has associated therewith a closure in the form of a flat door F whose longitudinal dimension is co-extensive with the distance between the inner faces of the side walls C of the cabinet, and whose vertical dimension is greater than the height of the open-front of said compartment between the filler strip A and the lower edge G of the apron which extends below the upper doors D. As will be apparent from Fig. 2, the lower edge I of the door F is made to fiushly rest on the strip A when the door is in a vertically disposed closed position. The upper edge of the door is bevelled upwardly and inwardly as indicated at 2 to flushly engage when the door is closed, with a complemental bevelled surface 3 inclining upwardly and inwardly from the lower edge G of the apron pre viously referred to.

For the purpose of mounting the door F for convenient swinging movement between its vertically disposed closed position and an out-of-the- Way substantially horizontally disposed open position, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2, suitable hinge means is provided. As shown, this hinge means preferably comprises a pair of brackets 4 disposed respectively adjacent to opposite sides of the door and each having a flange 5 secured to the inner face of the door by suitable fastenings. The rear ends of the brackets 4 are mounted on related fixed horizontally disposed pivot; pins 6 supported by related brackets 1 secured to the inner faces of the related side walls C of the cabinet by suitable fastenings 8. The pivot pins 6 are located at points with respect to the door F and with respect to the door opening at the front of the compartment E so that when the door is swung to its vertically disposed closed position it enters said opening and when it is swung to its substantially horizontally disposed open position, as determined by engagement of its lower portion with the aforesaid edge G, it has an out-of-the-way location at the top of the compartment E in which it is overbalanced inwardly against accidentally dropping to its closed position. In other words, the distance between the pivot pins 6 and the lower outer corner of the door is greater than the distance between said pivot pins and the aforesaid edge G whereby, when the door is swung open, its lower, outer face engages the said edge G and the latter thereby constitutes a stop limiting opening swinging movement of the door. Moreover, the door, when open, has a major portion of its weight disposed rearwardly of a vertical plane including the axes of the pivot pins 6 whereby it is maintained open by gravity. Suitably fastened against the lower, outer face of the door is a hand-grip element 9 for use in swinging the door between its closed and open positions.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a kitchen cabinet including simple and practical closure means at the front of a compartment formed by the upper and lower storage cabinet for the two-fold purpose of protecting and concealing the contents of the compartment. By elevating the rear surface A' by the filler or molding A the lower edge of the door 1 will not come too close to the surface A in moving fro-m one position to another and thus not interfere with knives, spoons or the like lying close to the bottom edge of the door. Also by reason of the mating bevelled edges 2 and 3, a tight joint will be formed with the apron.

I claim:

A kitchen cabinet comprising a front wall having a door opening, a fiat door for said opening, brackets fixed to said door at opposite sides thereof intermediate its top and bottom edges and extending rearwardly therefrom, and fixedly located horizontal pivot pins pivotally mounting said brackets at points spaced rearwardly from the door and thereby pivotally mounting said door for swinging movements between a vertically disposed closed position and a generally horizontally disposed open position adjacent to the top of the door opening, the edge of said front wall at the top of said door opening and the upper edge of said door being inclined up- J wardly and inwardly and said pivot pins being located at points with respect to said door and with respect to said door opening so that when the door is swung to its vertically disposed closed position it enters said opening, the distance between said pivot pins and the lower outer corner of the door being greater than the distance between said pivot, pins and the edge of said front wall defining the top of said door opening so that when the door is swung to its open position its lower portion engages said front wall edge and the latter thereby constitutes a stop to limit opening swinging movement of the door, said door when in open position having a major portion of its weight disposed rearwardly of a vertical plane including the pivotal axes of said brackets, whereby it is maintained open by gravit y WILLIAM J. CONW'ELL.