US3539239A - Cabinet with retractable door - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent inventor Paul C. Mallonn Wooster, Ohio Appl. No. 769,780

Filed Oct. 23, 1968 Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Assignee Rubbermaid incorporated Wooster, Ohio a corporation of Ohio CABINET WITH RETRACTABLE DOOR 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl A47b 88/00 Field of Search 312/246,

Primary Examiner Dennis L. Taylor Attorney-Hamilton, Cook, Renner & Kenner ABSTRACT: A storage cabinet preferably of plastic material adapted to mount on the underside of a wall cabinet and having a front door which slides downwardly to open and retracts under the cabinet, the door having spaced side cam pins slidable in separate tracks on the side walls of the cabinet to guide the door, and interengaging flange means on said cam pins and said tracks to hold the door in closed and open positions.

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Patented Nov. 10, 1970 I I 3,539,239-

INVENTOR. PAUL C. MALLONN ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Sheet IIINVENTOR. PAUL c. MALLONN ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, 1970 I 3,539,239

Sheet f of4 FIG. 6

- INVENTOR. PAUL C. MALLONN BY L M bn kw ATTORNEYS CABINET WITII RETRACTABLE DOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Certain prior cabinet constructions have had pullout drawers with guide rollers mounting the drawer in the side walls of the cabinet, and when a drawer is pulled out access to its contents is had only from the top. This is particularly disadvantageous where the drawer is mounted above eye level as it would be if mounted on the underside of a kitchen wall cabinet above a counter.

A conventional cabinet having a hinged front door, if mounted on the underside of a kitchen wall cabinet, requires space in front of the cabinet to swing the door open, and the open door is always in the way and presents a hazard if left I SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises an improved cabinet of molded plastic material having a rear wall, bottom wall and sidewalls adapted for attachment to the underside of a kitchen wall cabinet, said sidewalls having separate tracks for slidably mounting cam pins on the sides of a front door to guide it downwardly and under the cabinet, the pins cooperating with the tracks to support the door in closed and retracted posi tions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved cabinet with a retractable door which is adapted for mounting on the underside ofa kitchen wall cabinet.

Another object is to provide an improved cabinet with a retractable door which is easy to operate, economical to construct and install, and sturdy and stable in all positions.

A further object is to provide an improved cabinet with a retractable door adapted to be entirely out of the way when left in open position. 4

These and other objects are attained by the improved cabinet construction shown and described herein, modifications and variations in details of construction being within the scope of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I open and retracted position.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view, partly broken away, on line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The cabinet indicated as a whole at 10 in FIG. 1 has molded plastic sidewalls 11 and a rear wall 12 and bottom wall 13 preferably integral therewith. The plastic material may be medium impact polystyrene or other suitable material. The

top front ends of the sidewalls 11 are preferably held in proper spaced relation by a spacer bar 14 which may be of the same material and extends between the sidewalls with its ends abutting shoulders IS on the sidewalls (FIG. 2). The shoulders 15 are formed by recesses I6 in the front ends of the inturned flanges 17 at the tops of the sidewalls. The rear wall 12 has an outturned top flange I8 which is a continuation of the flanges 17.

Preferably, the sidewalls II each have a series of internal vertical reinforcing ribs 19 depending from the flanges I7 intermediate their ends, said ribs being connected at their lower ends by a.horizontal rib 20. Two closely spaced ribs 19' pro vide a channel into which a T-nut 22 may be inserted from the lower end, the T-flange abutting the lower horizontal rib 20. Long bolts 23 are inserted through holes in the bottom wall 24 of a kitchen cabinet K and through aligned holes in the top flanges l7, and are screwed through the nuts 22 for supporting the sidewalls of the cabinet on the underside of the kitchen cabinet. Vertical guard flanges 25 are provided on the sidewalls 11 below the horizontal flanges 20 for straddling the lower end portions of the bolts 23. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the bottom wall 13 preferably has both longitudinal external ribs 26 and transverse external ribs 27 for reinforcing the bottom.

Two rubber friction pads 28 are provided on the top surfaces of the ends of the spacer bar 14 for abutting the under surface of the kitchen cabinet K at the front edge 29 for maintaining alignment therewith. At the rear ends of the top flanges I7 leveling screws 30 abut the underside of the kitchen cabinet K and are threaded through T-nuts 31 in flanges 17 to keep the cabinet I0 in level horizontal position.

The door indicated as a'whole at 33 preferably has a normally vertical upper front panel 34 with horizontal and vertical peripheral flanges 35 and 36, respectively, and an intermediate horizontal flange 37. An offset rearwardly inclined lower door panel 38 is connected to the bottom of panel 34 and an upwardly extending finger hold recess 39 having an upper wall 39' is provided between panels 34 and 38 medially of the sides of the door. In the closed position of FIG. 3 the upper edge portion of panel 34 overlaps the front downturned flange 40 on spacer bar 14 forming the top of the front opening into cabinet 10, and the bottom edge portion of panel 38 overlaps the front edge of the cabinet bottom wall 13 forming the bottom edge of the cabinet opening. As seen in FIG. 3, the lower portions of the front edges of sidewalls II are rearwardly inclined to conform to the lower door panel 38. The side edges of the door overlap the sides of the cabinet opening defined by inturned vertical upper flanges 42 connecting with inturned downwardly inclined lower flanges 43 on the front edges of the side walls 11.

Extending rearwardly from the upper door panel 34 are two substantially rectangular side wing flanges 44 positioned to pass within and adjacent to the sides of the cabinet opening defined by the front flanges 42 and 43. In the closed position of the door the upper edges 45 of the wings are within the cabinet opening below transverse flange 40, and the lower edges 46 extend rearwardly from the lower part of panel 34 where it is connected by flange 39 to the lower panel. A trans verse rearwardly extending reinforcing flange 47 on the door panel 34 connects the upper edges of the wings 44. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 the bottom wall 13 of the cabinet is provided with forwardly open slots 48 extending rearwardly from the front side flanges 43, to receive the wing flanges 44 when the door is retracted.

The cam pins for movably mounting the door project laterally outwardly from the inner corners of the wing flanges 44. The upper cam pins 50 are cylindrical while the lower can pins SI are flattened on the bottom and rear sides to form depending lips 52 at their rear edges for a purpose to be described.

The tracks for the pins 50 are formed by spaced-apart interior flanges or ribs 53a and 53b on the sidewalls 11. The ribs 53a and 53b extend downwardly from the top flanges 17 first in a rearwardly inclined direction and then in a forwardly curving direction The change of direction in the forward ribs 53a is marked by a sharp point 54, against which the upper pins 50 abut to hold the door in closed position as shown in FIG. 3. The lower ends of ribs 53a merge with lower front flanges 43, and the lower ends of ribs 53b terminate in horizontal flanges 55 which connect with flanges 43 to close the tracks and form stops for the pins 50 in the retracted position of FIG. 4.

The tracks for the lower pins 51 are formed by two downwardly and rearwardly curved space-apart flanges or ribs 560 and 56b on the interior surfaces of the sidewalls II. These tracks may be open at the top and rear ends as shown. In the closed position of the door, the upper ends of track flanges 56h are positioned to engage the bottoms of pins 51 against the front of the lips 52 so as to support the weight of the door and at the same time hold the lower panel 38 thereof inwardly in the fully closed position. In the retracted position the curved surfaces of pins SI rest on the rear ends of flanges 56a, as seen in FIG. 4.

When it is desired to move the door from the position of FIG. 4 to the closed position of FIG. 3, the door is grasped at the upper peripheral flange 35 and lifted until the inner transverse flange 47 abuts the transverse flange 40, as shown in the phantom position of the door in FIG. 4. In this position the lips 52 are raised above the upper ends of track flanges 56b, and by pressing slightly inwardly on the door and releasing it, the door will assume the position of FIG. 3.

To open the door, it is lifted slightly and rocked forwardly by grasping the finger hold 39 so as to prevent binding, until the lips 52 ride over the upper ends of flanges 56b, whereupon it will swing freely by gravity to the open position of FIG. 4.

The improved cabinet with the retractable door is economical to construct and is quickly installed on the underside of conventional kitchen wall cabinets. It is easily operated and retracts to a convenient out-of-the-way position when opened.

lclaim:

I. A storage cabinet having a rear wall. a bottom wall, and sidewalls connected to said rear and bottom walls and forming an open front end to said cabinet, a door for closing said front end having side wings extending into said open front end adjacent the interior surfaces of said sidewalls, a pair of spaced laterally projecting cam pins on each side wing, and separate track flanges on the interior of each sidewall for slidably receiving the cam pins to guide the door from closed position to an open retracted position under said bottom wall, said bottom wall having slots receiving said side wings in the open retracted position ofsaid door.

2. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 1, in which flange means are provided on said tracks to support said door in closed and open positions.

3. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 2, in which one track flange on each sidewall engages one of the pins on the adjacent wing to hold the door inwardly in its closed position, and a flange at the lower end of said track engages said pin to support the door in open retracted position.

4. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 2, in which one track flange on each sidewall engages one of the pins on the adjacent wing tosupport the door in closed position.

5. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 2. in which one track flange on each side wall engages one of the pins on the adjacent wing to hold the door inwardly in its closed position and a flange on the lower end ofsaid track engages said pin to support the door in open retracted position, and a flange on the other track on each sidewall engages the other pin on the adjacent wing to support the door in closed position.

6. A storage cabinet having a rear wall, a bottom wall, and sidewalls connected to said rear and bottom walls and forming an open front end to said cabinet, a door for closing said front end having side wings extending into said open front end adjacent the interior surfaces of said side walls, a pair of spaced laterally projecting cam pins on each side wing, and separate track flanges on the interior of each sidewall for slidably receiving the cam pins to guide the door from closed position to an open retracted position under said bottom wall, said track having flange means to support said door in closed and open positions,.one track flange on each sidewall engaging one of the pins on the adjacent wing to support the door in closed position, said pin engaged by the tract flange to support the door in closed position having a lip engaging behind the end of said track to hold the door inwardly in its closed position.

7. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 1, in which each pair of spaced cam pins comprises an upper and a lower pin, and the track for receiving the upper pin has a flange portion for engaging said pin to hold the door inwardly in its closed position and has a flange at its lower end for engaging said pin to support the door in its open retracted position.

8. A storage cabinet as defined in claim 1, in which each pair of spaced cam pins comprises an upper and a lower pin, and the track for receiving the lower pin has an upper end flange for engaging said pin to support the door in its closed position.

9. A storage cabinet as defined in claim I, in which each pair of spaced cam pins comprises an upper and a lower pin, and the track for receiving the upper pin has a flange portion for engaging said pin to hold the door inwardly in its closed position and has a flange at its lower end for engaging the pin to support the door in its open retracted position, and the track for receiving the lower pin has an upper end flange for engaging said lower pin to support the door in its closed position.

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