US20030201698A1

US20030201698A1 - Storage cabinet

Info

Publication number: US20030201698A1
Application number: US10/131,468
Authority: US
Inventors: Yi-Yi Liang; Hung-Chi Wu; Kuan-Chieh Yu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-25
Filing date: 2002-04-25
Publication date: 2003-10-30

Abstract

A storage cabinet comprised of an upper cover, a frame, a base, a back mirror, and a rear panel. The frame is fabricated of steel tubing (hollow metal tubes) and active hinges are installed on the frame to provide for its folding, thereby simplifying packaging material cost. Slide slots are formed along the top edges of lateral frame members that provide for the installation and positioning of the back mirror and the rear panel. The overall design of the present invention reduces components to a bare minimum and is safe, convenient, facilitates DIY assembly, and lowers import and export shipping costs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1) Field of the Invention

The invention herein relates to a storage cabinet that facilitates consumer DIY assembly, simplifies packaging material utilization, and reduces international shipping charge expenditures

2) Description of the Related Art

Storage cabinets are widely used in households and no longer utilized exclusively for bottles of wine and liquor. Since decorative objects, rare wine bottles, tea paraphernalia, books, and so on of a family displayed in them reflect the taste and sensibilities of a household, storage cabinets are highly popular among consumers.

However, conventional storage cabinets are typically of all-wood construction, with the technological means of fabrication consisting of fitting and fastened together. After construction, the physical dimensions of the storage cabinet takes up considerable space and since it is incapable of being folded, expenditures for the package material required cannot be saved and results in higher international shipping cost, which easily leads to greater production and sales cost that are passed on to consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the invention herein is provide a storage cabinet that is foldable to simply packaging material utilization, reduce international shipping charge expenditures, and facilitate consumer DIY assembly and in which frame is fabricated of steel tubing (hollow metal tubes) and can be folded and packaged following its construction. Situated within slide slots, a back mirror facing inward reflects objects contained in the frame and a rear panel facing outward prevents damage to the said back mirror. Rotary pegs supporting partition boards are fastened an appropriate distance apart along the upper and lower two sides at the interior of lateral frame members and, furthermore, a plurality of folding-type hinges are attached an appropriate distance apart along their inner bottom edges. Side glass doors are installed in the lateral frame members. A front sheet of glass is fitted into the anterior surface pane insertion insets of a main frame member and a center frame member is placed in the boundary area articulated between the two said anterior surface pane insertion insets.

The brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the most preferred embodiment of the invention herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded drawing of the frame invention herein. [0008]
FIG. 2 is an isometric drawing of the frame of the invention herein in the assembled state. [0009]
FIG. 3 is an isometric drawing of the frame of the invention herein in the folded state. [0010]
FIG. 4 is an isometric drawing of the back mirror and rear panel assembly of the frame of the invention herein. [0011]
FIG. 5 is an magnified orthographic drawing that illustrates the installation of the back mirror and rear panel into the lateral frame member slide slots of the invention herein. [0012]
FIG. 6 is an isometric drawing of an embodiment of the invention herein. [0013]
FIG. 7 is a magnified cross-sectional drawing of the rotary peg and partition board installed on the lateral frame members of the invention herein.[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the exploded drawing of the [0015] frame 2 of the invention herein, the said frame 2 consists of a main frame member 21, a lateral frame member 22 at each of its two sides, an anterior surface pane insertion inset 211 formed into the main frame 21 with screw holes 212 disposed in both sides such that a horizontal posturing means is formed between the two anterior surface pane insertion insets 211 in the main frame member 21; an L-shaped opening 221 adjoining a slide slot 11 is formed along the inner top edges of the lateral frame members 22 and, furthermore, a plurality of folding-type hinges 12 are attached an appropriate distance apart along their inner bottom edges; and the folding-type hinges 12 are designed such that they have fastening holes 121 in their opposite appendages which are aligned with the screw holes 212 of the main frame member 21.
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the isometric drawings of the [0016] frame 2 of the invention herein in the assembled and the folded state, since one appendage of the folding-type hinges 12 is attached an appropriate distance apart to the inner bottom edges of the lateral frame members 22, the inward folding-type hinges 12 are designed such that there are fastening holes 121 in their opposite appendages, and the L-shaped opening 221 adjoining the slide slot 11 is formed along the inner top edges of the lateral frame members 22, therefore, the manufacturer can fold the frame 2 following its construction such that the folded frame 2 occupies less space, packaging is simpler, packing materials expenditures are lessened, and international shipping charges are decreased, thereby reducing overall production costs and the consumer price and, furthermore, the consumer completes the DIY assembly of the frame 2 after unpacking it.
Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the respective isometric and the magnified orthographic drawing of the [0017] back mirror 4 and rear panel 5 assembly of the frame 2 and the installation of the back mirror 4 and rear panel 5 into the lateral frame member 22 slide slots 11, given the said assembly components, when the main frame member 21 of the frame 2 is laid out flat by the user or the consumer, the lateral frame members 22 at the two sides are brought upward into a vertical position and the boundary area so articulated between the two anterior surface pane insertion insets 211 in the main frame member 21 provides for the placement of a center frame member 9 that serves as a buttress for an inserted back mirror 4 and back mirror 4 and, therefore, after situating into the L-shaped opening 221 adjoining the slide slot 11, the back mirror 4 faces inward and the rear panel 5 faces outward within the slide slot 11 such that the said back mirror 4 reflects objects contained in the frame 2 and the rear panel 5 prevents damage to the said back mirror 4.
Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the isometric drawing of the back mirror and rear panel assembly of the frame of the invention herein, the isometric drawing of an embodiment of the invention herein, and the magnified cross-sectional drawing of the rotary peg and partition board installed on the lateral frame members of the invention herein, [0018] rotary pegs 10 supporting partition boards 8 are situated an appropriate distance apart along the upper and lower two sides at the interior of the lateral frame members 22; since the said rotary pegs 10 have threaded sections 101 that enable them to be screw-fastened into the lateral frame members 22, the partition boards 8 can be placed onto the projecting peg heads 102 of the said rotary pegs 10 and, furthermore, a front sheet of glass 6 is fitted into the anterior surface pane insertion insets 211 and side glass doors 7 are installed in the lateral frame members 22.
In summation of the foregoing section, since the storage cabinet of the invention herein possesses industrial utility and, furthermore, is original and progressive, the present invention meets new patent application requirements. However, the said detailed description only discloses a few of the most preferred embodiments of the invention herein and shall not be construed as a limitation applicable to the claims thereof. Furthermore, all modification and embellishments based on the patent application claims of the present invention shall remain protected with the scope and claims of the invention herein. [0019]

Claims

1. A storage cabinet comprised of an upper cover, a frame, a base, a back mirror, and a rear panel; the said frame is fabricated of steel tubing (hollow metal tubes) and, furthermore, can be folded and packaged following its construction to simplify packaging material utilization and reduce international shipping charge expenditures; to facilitate consumer DIY assembly, slide slots are formed along the top edges of lateral frame members for the insertion of the said back mirror and the said rear panel, rotary pegs for supporting partition boards are fastened an appropriate distance apart along the upper and lower two sides at the interior of lateral frame members, a plurality of folding-type hinges are situated an appropriate distance apart along the inner bottom edges of the said lateral frame members for conjoinment to a main frame member, side glass doors are installed in the said lateral frame members, and a front sheet of glass is fitted into anterior surface pane insertion insets of the said frame main frame member, with a boundary area articulated between the two said anterior surface pane insertion insets, the said top cover is installed onto the top end of the said frame, and the said base is fastened under the bottom end of the said frame and, given the said assembled components, the said back mirror faces inward and the said rear panel faces outward within the said slide slots.

2. As mentioned in claim 1 of the storage cabinet of the invention herein, the said frame is constructed of hollow metal tubes such as steel tubing and stainless steel tubing.

3. As mentioned in claim 1 of the storage cabinet of the invention herein, the said slide slots have recessed areas capable of containing the said back mirror and the said rear panel.

4. As mentioned in claim 1 of the storage cabinet of the invention herein, one appendage of the said folding-type hinges is attached an appropriate distance apart to the inner bottom edges of the said lateral frame members and the opposite appendage is designed such that they have fastening holes which are aligned with screw holes in the said main frame member.