US2318921A - Cabinet - Google Patents

Description

Filed Aug. 18, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HAROLD LL/m I K v ay 11, 1943. H. c. BULLARD 2,313,921

CABINET Filed Aug. l8, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q i c Z6 H. C. BULLARD Filed Aug. 18, 1939 CABINET 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mun IP H

liae7vdf.

19645040 0. 504 LA RD Patented May 11, 1943 STATS FNT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinets, and in par ticular to corner cabinets designed to fit into the right angle between two meeting. walls of a room. It has as its object the provision of a corner cabinet particularly adapted to use as a china closet, which shall be cheaper and simpler to manufacture than existing structures, and which can. be shipped. and sold in ready-cut and knocked-down relation, and can be assembled and installed. by an unskilled person with the simplest of tools, and can be securely fixed in place and yet admits of being easily and quickly removed without any appreciable damage to the existing walls or surfaces thereof of the room, either for permanent removal or for temporary removal for purposes of refinishing or redecorating. Another object is to provide a corner cabinet which can be disassembled without damage to itself to permit its removal through narrow doorways, or for transport. Further objects are to provide a cabinet which can easily and simply be made to fit closely'into corners which depart from true right angles; to provide support for the shelves independently of and without damage to the surfaces of the walls of the room; to support several shelves in truly parallel relation to each otherand to the floor, and securely and with no tendency to rock. or teeter on their supports; to give themaximum of interior space Within the'cabinet up to the limits imposed by the walls to which it is applied, and even to permit the surfacing of the Walls to serve as the lining of the cabinet interior and thus to harmonize with the decorative scheme of the room, butat the same time to provide simply and easily for liningthe cabinet with rigid side walls if desired. Other objects of the invention, and the manner of their attainment, areas made plain hereinafter.

' To these ends, the invention in its basic 'form contemplates the provision of three simple uprights to maintain the respective three corners of the triangular shelves in spaced and parallel relation independent of the walls of the room. In its preferred embodiment, the three corners of. each shelf are cut oil and formed with dovetailed tongues extending across the corners and sliding into correspondingly shaped dove-tailed pre-formed transverse grooves in the three uprights, thus providing both secure attachment and correct parallelism of the shelves. The upright forming the apex of the triangle which appears in the plan view of the cabinet being alone secured at its top and middle by screws within the corner formed by the walls of the room, and with the side pieces at the front-oi the cabinet adjustable'widthwise transverselyof the cabinet into accurate conformity withthe flare of the Walls of the room, accuratefit and secure retention ofthe shelves and of the; whole cabinet in place without damage to or dependence on the Walls-is attainedgiwhile the walls or the papering or other surfacing thereon isrevealed within the cabinet between the shelves thereof. Also, the predetermined location' of the dove-tailed grooves and hence; of the levels of the shelves assures the shelves being located accurately at the proper heights to correspond with the bars'in the glass sash of the door of the cabinet. Themounting oi the shelves independently of the walls oi'the roomor any interior lining walls ,oi the cabinet not onlywgives the greatest possibleuseful space within the cabinet, butgives a smooth: interior easy to finishand clean. The simplicity of the setting-up andinstallation of the improved cabinet obviates the expense of both assembling thecabinet", before saleand of installation by skilled labor afterpurchase by the, user; being sold-in-knoc-keddown relation, the expenses of crating, transportation;

and storagearecut to aminimum. Being-put together wholly with screws; it-can be-taken apart easily" without damage to the component-parts, for subsequent re-erection. The three screws put through the three uprights into the corners of each sh'elf' hold the shelves fixedly in place and:

cause the shelves to brace the-whole assembly into a rigid structure. It is asimple matter to cut and fit panels of plywood to cover the'entire areas. of the cabinet whiclrgo against'the'two Walls, if a lined cabinet is desired.

The. cabinet of the invention is especially adapted to the needs of a purchaser who is a tenant and who desires to remove the cabinet-with 1 other household effects when he moves to another abode; In. addition to leaving the walls un-, marred after its presence, a reversal of the oper-" ationsr-pe'rformed in erecting-it, whichyare well within the skills of any average 'person'and require merelyithe us'e of a screw-driver as the only tool,

resolves the cabinet without damage or marring of its. fini-s'hrinto' its component parts-for re-assembling'inthe new lo'catiom In rte-decorating age for the usual-wooden;shelf 'cleats nailed directly into the plasterwall at levelswhich must correspond with the cross-bars in the glass sash and the counternosing, but which levels do not always correspond with the laths lying behind the plaster, are met with in the improved construction. Many times plaster board or composition wallboard used in wall construction makes it impossible to get secure anchorage for the nails used in holding the shelf cleats. The difliculty of running the cleats so that the shelves will be perfectly level and supported without teetering is also obviated.

In furtherance of the aim to make possible the shipment and handling of the knocked-down cabinet as cheaply as possible, the shelves are utilized as crating members on both sides of the glass sash of the door, so that a simple corrugated paper container can be used for the entire lot of parts comprising a cabinet and yet the glass or finish will not become damaged if other packages are dropped on the container during shipment. Also, all parts are securely but temporarily fastened to the front frame by brads to prevent the parts from sliding about in the package and doing damage to each other, and also to provide a square, rigid package suitable for safe transportation to any distance.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of the cabinet in assembled relation and as it appears when installed.

, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the basic structure comprising the shelves and three uprights.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the parts of Fig. 3. r

1 Fig. 5 is a detail similar to the right-hand corner of Fig. 2, showing the manner of fasteningthe parts together, and also showing how a plywood back or lining can be added to the cabinet if desired.

Fig. 6 is a detail in section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of the counternosing and the corresponding shelf in relation to the upper door.

Figs. 7 and 8 are front and back views of the parts as lightly nailed together for shipment, showing how the shelves are used to protect the glass.

Fig. 9 is an end view of the parts of Fig. '7, showing how they are packed in a light container for shipment.

Fig. 10 is a. detail of one of the joints of the cabinet.

- The basic structure of the cabinet comprises three uprights or shelf-supports l, 4, Figs. 3 and 4, provided with dove-tail grooves 2, Fig. 8, to receive the correspondingly dove-tailed tongues 3, Fig. 7, at the truncated corners of otherwise triangular pieces 5 of wood forming the shelves, counter shelf, and top of the assembled cabinet. The two equal sides of these triangular pieces 5 are commonly disposed at an angle of 90 to each other, but may be made at any desired angle. To simplify production and erection, all of these pieces 5 are identical in size and shape. The dove-tailed grooves in the shelf-supports are accurately formed at the same points in the length of each of the three shelf-supports I, 4, and thus accurately locate the height of the three corners of each shelf in a horizontal plane, and space the shelves and the top in exactly parallel relation to each other. The dove-tailed joint at each corner of the shelves is further secured by a screw 1 driven through each shelf-support 1. into the, tongue of the shelf, thus making a 1 join each other.

very rigid structure, the feature of the dove-tails at right angles to each other on each shelf preventing the shelf-supports from moving away from the shelves and the screws preventing them from moving along the shelves, with the whole forming a triangular truss structure of great rigidity. Accurately located screw-holes are provided in the uprights and in registering position in the corners of the shelves at the factory when desired.

After the shelves and supports have been assembled and fastened, the resulting structure shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is then set temporarily in its intended location in the corner of the room. While in this position, two uprights which I term closure-members 9 are placed respectively against the front edge of each side shelf-support I and then moved laterally toward the walls ll until the beveled edge [3, Fig. 5, of each closure-member fits tightly against the wall as in Fig. 2, thus entirely closing the space between the wall and the front or face plane of the cabinet. While the parts are held in this position, screws 15 are then driven through each closure-member 9 Where it overlaps its adjacent shelf-support I, and into the said shelf-support. Three or four screws in the length of the closure-member 9 are ample to fasten the latter securely to the shelf assembly. By this means, any gap otherwise occurring between the lateral edges of the cabinet and the walls as a result of inequalities in the walls themselves or due to the angle between the walls not being a true can be satisfactorily closed.

The skeleton cabinet is hen removed from the corner and laid face down upon the back surface of the front frame unit ll, which comprises the entire structure shown in Fig. 1 with the exception of the closure-members 9 partly visible at each side thereof. This front frame unit is ordinarily completely assembled at the factory, and shipped in complete readiness for being mounted on the skeleton cabinet after the latter has been assembled and fitted as described. The portions I9 of the door frame are received accurately between the portions of side shelf-supports I which extend forward a slight distance beyond the shelves 5, and portions l9 rest snugly against the front edges of the shelves, top, and counter shelf as a result of the accurate control of dimensions achieved through the dove-tailing of the shelves into the shelf-supports. Screws 2| are then driven through members l9 from the inside of the cabinet into the trim 23, herein & a reeded pilaster, and other screws 25 are similarly driven from behind through closure-members 9 into the trim 23, about three screws in the length of each member 9, I 9, being adequate. This fixes the skeleton cabinet and its front unit firmly-together, and the cabinet is then ready for permanent installation.

To fix the cabinet in its permanent position in the corner, corner blocks 21 are fastened in the apex of the angle between the walls ll of the room. These blocks 21 are specially shaped, being triangular in plan with their two equal sides set at slightly less than a right angle to each other to permit them to fit into a corner which may be less than a true right angle due to irregularities in plastering, and with the apex of the angle between the two equal sides truncated. The usual method of constructing buildings provides two or more studs 29 disposed as shown in Fig. 2 at each corner where two walls T s P its the passing of.

long slender screws 3i through holes previously'drilled in blocks 21, and through the plaster of walls H into these studs 29, thus firmly an choring the corner blocks to the walls. Two of these corner blocks 21 are customarily employed, one located at theupper end of the cabinet withit's'top flush with the top 5 of the cabinet, filling the space between such top and wall to prevent dirt accumulation, and the other at an intermediate point in the height of the cabinet, preferably just below the counter shelf. The cabinet is then fastened to the corner blocks 21 by two screws 33' each passing through the back shelf-support 4 and into one'of the two corner blocks 21. held in place by only two screws, and the corner blocks receiving these screws are themselves attached to the building by only founscrews passing-through the plasterer other wall surfacing at an inconspicuous location in the Very. corner of the room, andwith no appreciable dam, agethereto. from the front afterthe cabinet is: set in place. The only visible part of the fastenings holding the cabinet to the wall are=the heads of the two screws 33; these are easily accessible from the front of the cabinet so that the cabinet may be removed to the center of the room for cleaning or painting, with easy access .toall parts because of the skeleton framework holding the shelves.

Where there is a baseboard along the walls to which the cabinet is applied, the bottom ends of the side shelf-supports l and the closure-members 9 are cut away to receive the thickness of the baseboard, two short cuts in each of these four members being all that is required. With the single exception of this use of a saw where needed, the entire cabinet is assembled with no other tool than a screw-driver, and with all holes pre-formed this becomes the simplest of operations, the total screws to be driven totalling around forty. By avoiding the use of nails I obviate the need for the considerable skill required to drive them without splitting the wood or doing damage to surfaces thereof; the use of nails precludes the possibility of disassembling the cabinet for moving, without doing serious injury.

Where a lined cabinet is desired, sides made of plywood purchased locally can be applied in simple manner as indicated at 35 in Fig. 5, being cut to be coextensive with the height of the cabinet and wide enough to overlap part way onto the shelf-supports l at; the extremities of each equal side of the shelves 5, a few brads 31 driven through the plywood into the beveled edges of the shelf-supports I, 4, being adequate to retain the sides in place. Where there is a baseboard, the sides 35 will be terminated at the top edge thereof.

For shipment, the various parts forming the cabinet are nested and temporarily tacked together as shown in Figs. 7 to 9. The arrangement is designed to utilize the shelves 5 as crating on both sides of the glass sash door so that the glass or the finish of the door cannot :become damaged. Thus, two or three of the shelves 5 are tacked to the inside and to the outside respectively of the front unit IT by means of brads 39 through the corners of the shelves, so that the shelves will extend across the glazed portion of the sash door. Alternatively, one or more shelves can be used to protect the front of the Thus, the entire cabinet-is- The corner blocks arenot visible bottom door from marring. The remainder of the parts required for the cabinet are tacked to the back of the front frame I! atvarious points, as shown in Fig. 8, the only excesspieces of crating not employed in the erected cabinet being a strip of Wood 4|- nailed across the back of the pediment flush with the raised central portion; thereof, and a similar protectingstrip'fl across the bottom of the lower door. With the parts thus tacked together, the whole. is packedwithin a corrugated paper carbon or container 43, Fig. 9, thus providing a square, fiat, .rigiclpack-. age. suitable for easy. handling. and storage: and safe transportation to any distance. 1

1 The cabinets can be shipped, either in an unfinished; or a highly finished state, either enameled or lacquered.

As is obvious, any desired type oftrim can be employed to suit the taste of the purchaser, the construction of the cabinet imposing no limitations in this respect. The. shelves areprovided with plate-grooves 45, andthe shelves can: be reversed ifithese grooves are not wanted f0r.use; As shown in Fig. 6, theshelffi which-serves as the counter shelf is located a. fractionofits-thicket ness above the level. of the vcounternosing At; which butts against it, so thatthe counter shelf forms a stop for the bottom of the sash. door, the door also stopping against the edges of the uppershelves as well. Any one of the six. shelves may be used as a counter without special provision. A rail 48 applied to the back of member 5110f the cabinet front extends slightly below sucnmember to form a stop for the, bottom door 49 Member 50 is permanently attached by dowel 52'to the rest of the cabinet front.

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which the invention may be embodied l am aware that many modifications may bemade therein by any person skilled in. the art, without. departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but

What I do claim is:

1. A corner cabinet having in combination shelves, uprights holding the shelves in vertically spaced and parallel relation, and the shelves in turn holding the uprights in fixed and parallel spaced relation, a member fitting the corner between two walls of a room, means for fixing such member within the corner, and means fixing one upright of the cabinet to such member.

2. A corner cabinet having in combination a plurality of shelves of substantially right-triangular shape with truncated corners, two shelfsupporting uprights in dove-tailed engagement with the corners at opposite ends of the shelves along lines parallel to the line bisecting the right angle of each shelf, a third upright in dove-tailed engagement with the third corner of each shelf along a line perpendicular to the said bisecting line, and decorative trim connected to each of the two first-named uprights.

3. A corner cabinet for attachment to the walls of a room, having in combination an element at the rearmost part of the cabinet to enter and be secured within the angle of the room walls substantially at the apex ofsuch angle, shelves in dove-tailed engagement with such element, and a front structure including a door and door frame rigidly held to such element and thus to the walls of the room by such shelves.

4. A packaged cabinet adapted to be packed fiat in a carton and for subsequent assembly into g a unitary article, having in combination a front unit comprising a door, door frame, and trim in finished and assembled relation, a plurality of shelves temporarily tacked to such unit so as to extend flatwise across and protect the door from injury, and shelf-supporting and wall-fitting members temporarily tacked to the back of such unit.

5- A cabinet having in combination a plurality of generally triangular shelves having truncated comers, and means holding such shelves in spaced and parallel relation, the shelves being joined to the said holding means by dove-tails across the several corners of the shelves and each disposed at right angles to another in the plane of a shelf, and the shelves having means extending through the joints to prevent relative motion lengthwise of the dove-tails.

6. A commercial package consisting of a readycut knocked-down corner cabinet to be subsequently assembled and connected together to form a unitary article for attachment to the walls of a room, comprising, in combination, a factory-assembled front structure consisting of a door, door-frame, and trim; a disassembled set of generally triangular shelves each havin dovetails across its truncated corners, and tacked across the door to protect it during shipment; a plurality of shelf-supports transversely grooved to receive the dove-tails on the several shelves, and tacked to the back of the door-frame; and closure-elements to fill the space between the door-frame and the walls of a room between which the cabinet is to be installed, also tacked to the back of the door-frame.

7. A corner cabinet having in combination generally triangular shelves having truncated corners, uprights at opposite ends of such shelves holding the latter in spaced and parallel relation,

and being held in like relation by the shelves, adjustable closure-members for bridging the space between the uprights and the walls of a room, means applied from the front of the cabinet for fixing such closure-members in adjusted position, and a front unit including a door and door-frame joined to the shelves and uprights and hiding the means fixing the closure-members, and other means fixing the front unit to the shelves and uprights and applied from within the cabinet to the back of the front unit. I

8. A cabinet fitting into the corner formed by two walls and the floor of a room, having in combination a plurality of generally triangular shelves having truncated corners, uprights supporting the opposite ends of the shelves at the front of the cabinet, means attached to the rearward truncated corners of the shelves pulling the shelves and thus the uprights-back into the corner, adjustable means varying the overall width of the front of the cabinet, and fastening means attached solely to the cabinet securing the adjustable means in fixed position.

9. A cabinet fitting into the corner formed by two walls and the floor of a room comprising, in

combination, a shelf structure including generally triangular shelves having truncated comers, and. supporting means joining them together in spaced and parallel relation, means for drawing such structure back into the corner, a front structure including a door and door-frame, and means interposed between and uniting the two structures and secured thereto with capacity for widthwise adjustment fitting the overall width of the front part of the cabinet to the spacing of the room walls as determined by the distance to which the said means draw the cabinet into the comer.

HAROLD C. BULLARD.

Images