KNOCK DOWN CABINET AND HARDWARE FOR ASSEMBLING THE SAME
United States Patent 3749465
The components of the cabinet are assembled to one another and attached to the wall of a room by clip-type hardware which fits partially into slots formed in the cabinet components and in rails on the wall and which is adapted to be clamped to the components and the rails.
US Patent References:
Cabinet system
Fink et al. - January 1968 - 3362768
FURNITURE ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTOR THEREFOR
Sager - July 1971 - 3594056
QUICKLY ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE HINGE ASSEMBLY
Dargene - July 1971 - 3590419
Steel shelving
Ferdinand et al. - June 1966 - 3255722
Bookcase construction
Richards - February 1926 - 1571601
Cabinet system
Fink et al. - January 1968 - 3362768
FURNITURE ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTOR THEREFOR
Sager - July 1971 - 3594056
QUICKLY ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE HINGE ASSEMBLY
Dargene - July 1971 - 3590419
Steel shelving
Ferdinand et al. - June 1966 - 3255722
Bookcase construction
Richards - February 1926 - 1571601
Application Number:
05/126728
Publication Date:
07/31/1973
Filing Date:
03/22/1971
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Amerock Corporation (Rockford, IL)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
312/263, 312/257.100
International Classes:
A47B47/00; F16B12/20; F16B12/22; F16B12/00; A47B43/00
Field of Search:
312/245,263,195,257,345,347,348 52/285 108/156,144,107,111,153
US Patent References:
Primary Examiner:
Mccall, James T.
Assistant Examiner:
Marquette, Darrell
Claims:
I claim as my invention
1. A cabinet assembly comprising a pair of horizontal rails adapted to be anchored to the wall of a room in vertically spaced relation; a pair of upright side panels spaced horizontally from one another and extending outwardly from said rails; an upright face frame abutting the outer edge portions of said side panels; a horizontal shelf spanning said side panels and extending outwardly from the lower rail to said face frame; slots of generally T-shaped cross-section formed in each of said rails, said panels, said face frame and said shelf; and clips having clamping elements fitted at least partially into said slots with:
2. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the clamping elements for each of said clips comprise a mounting plate and a retaining plate generally facing one another, a bolt extending from one of the plates and threaded into the other of the plates, said bolt being operable when turned to vary the spacing between the plates, and a finger formed integrally with and projecting from one of the plates and engageable with the other of the plates to limit relative turning of the plates and to maintain the plates in substantially fixed angular positions relative to one another.
3. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 in which certain ones of the clips connecting said side panels to said face frame comprise a generally flat elongated web disposed in a horizontal plane, the clamping elements of each of the latter clips comprising a pair of vertical legs formed integrally with and projecting downwardly from opposite ends of said web, said legs being inclined relative to the longitudinal centerline of said web and diverging away from one another, a retainer spaced from and facing each leg, and a bolt extending from each leg and threaded into a hole in the opposing retainer and operable when turned to change the spacing between the leg and the retainer.
4. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 3 in which certain ones of the clips connecting said side panels to said rails comprise a generally flat elongated web disposed in a horizontal plane, the clamping elements of each of the latter clips comprising a pair of vertical legs formed integrally with and projecting downwardly from opposite ends of said web, said legs being inclined relative to the longitudinal centerline of said web and diverging away from one another, a retainer spaced from and facing each leg, and a bolt extending from each leg and threaded into a hole in the opposing retainer and operable when turned to change the spacing between the leg and the retainer.
5. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 4 further including a horizontal counter top adapted to be supported on the upper edges of said side panels, and a vertically extending hole formed through each of said webs and adapted to receive a fastener for anchoring the counter top in place relative to said side panels.
6. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 further including a drawer slide assembly comprising an elongated horizontal member defining a drawer guiding track, said track extending outwardly from said wall to said face frame, means for anchoring the inner end of said track to said wall, a mounting plate connected to the outer end of said track, a retainer plate spaced outwardly from and facing said mounting plate, a bolt extending from one of said plates and threaded into the other of said plates and operable when turned to vary the spacing between the plates, said bolt and said retainer plate being fitted at least partially in one of the sets of slots formed in face frame.
1. A cabinet assembly comprising a pair of horizontal rails adapted to be anchored to the wall of a room in vertically spaced relation; a pair of upright side panels spaced horizontally from one another and extending outwardly from said rails; an upright face frame abutting the outer edge portions of said side panels; a horizontal shelf spanning said side panels and extending outwardly from the lower rail to said face frame; slots of generally T-shaped cross-section formed in each of said rails, said panels, said face frame and said shelf; and clips having clamping elements fitted at least partially into said slots with:
2. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the clamping elements for each of said clips comprise a mounting plate and a retaining plate generally facing one another, a bolt extending from one of the plates and threaded into the other of the plates, said bolt being operable when turned to vary the spacing between the plates, and a finger formed integrally with and projecting from one of the plates and engageable with the other of the plates to limit relative turning of the plates and to maintain the plates in substantially fixed angular positions relative to one another.
3. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 in which certain ones of the clips connecting said side panels to said face frame comprise a generally flat elongated web disposed in a horizontal plane, the clamping elements of each of the latter clips comprising a pair of vertical legs formed integrally with and projecting downwardly from opposite ends of said web, said legs being inclined relative to the longitudinal centerline of said web and diverging away from one another, a retainer spaced from and facing each leg, and a bolt extending from each leg and threaded into a hole in the opposing retainer and operable when turned to change the spacing between the leg and the retainer.
4. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 3 in which certain ones of the clips connecting said side panels to said rails comprise a generally flat elongated web disposed in a horizontal plane, the clamping elements of each of the latter clips comprising a pair of vertical legs formed integrally with and projecting downwardly from opposite ends of said web, said legs being inclined relative to the longitudinal centerline of said web and diverging away from one another, a retainer spaced from and facing each leg, and a bolt extending from each leg and threaded into a hole in the opposing retainer and operable when turned to change the spacing between the leg and the retainer.
5. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 4 further including a horizontal counter top adapted to be supported on the upper edges of said side panels, and a vertically extending hole formed through each of said webs and adapted to receive a fastener for anchoring the counter top in place relative to said side panels.
6. A cabinet assembly as defined in claim 1 further including a drawer slide assembly comprising an elongated horizontal member defining a drawer guiding track, said track extending outwardly from said wall to said face frame, means for anchoring the inner end of said track to said wall, a mounting plate connected to the outer end of said track, a retainer plate spaced outwardly from and facing said mounting plate, a bolt extending from one of said plates and threaded into the other of said plates and operable when turned to vary the spacing between the plates, said bolt and said retainer plate being fitted at least partially in one of the sets of slots formed in face frame.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cabinets and to hardware for assembling the cabinets, the cabinets being of the so-called knock down type which are assembled at their place of ultimate use rather than at the plant of the cabinet manufacturer. More particularly, the invention relates to cabinets and hardware which partially utilize certain principles disclosed in Dargene U. S. application, Patent No. 3,590,419. That patent discloses hardware in the form of quickly detachable hinges which are fitted partially into specially shaped slots in the cabinet door and frame and which are simply clamped to the door and frame to attach the two together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The general aim of the present invention is to provide a new and improved knock down cabinet whose various components are capable of being completely assembled together in a fast and easy manner with unique clip-type hardware adapted to be slipped into slots in the components and then clamped to the components. In furtherance of this aim, the invention provides a novel cabinet with side panels which may be anchored to the wall of a room and attached to the cabinet face frame by clip-type hardware and then tied rigidly to one another as an incident to installing a shelf between the side panels with hardware of the same general type.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel clip-type hardware assembly which not only interconnects the cabinet side panels with another component of the cabinet but which also provides a mounting support for a horizontal counter top or the like and enables attachment of the counter top to the cabinet in a convenient manner.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a new and improved drawer guiding slide equipped with clip-type hardware to enable quick and easy attachment of the drawer slide to the cabinet face frame.
The invention also resides in the novel construction of the clip-type hardware to simplify its manufacture and to facilitate quick attachment of the hardware to the various components of the cabinet. The invention is further characterized by the provision of uniquely shaped and arranged slots in certain of the cabinet components and in the provision of novel mounting rails enabling quick attachment of the cabinet to the wall.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new and improved cabinet assembled with novel hardware embodying the features of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of one of the side panels of the cabinet and showing the slots formed in the side panel.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of one of the rails used for anchoring the side panels to the wall of a room.
FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view primarily showing a hardware assembly for anchoring the upper portion of a side panel to the rail and for supporting the counter top.
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 6.
FIGS. 8 and 9 are views taken along the lines 8--8 and 9--9, respectively, of FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the hardware assembly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 11--11 of FIG. 7.
FIGS. 12 and 13 are fragmentary cross-sections taken substantially along the lines 12--12 and 13--13, respectively, of FIG. 6.
FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing a hardware assembly for attaching the upper part of the side panel to the face frame.
FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a front elevation of the hardware assembly shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.
FIG. 17 is a view taken along the line 17--17 of FIG. 15.
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a hardware assembly for anchoring the lower portion of a side panel to the rail.
FIGS. 19 and 20 are enlarged fragmentary cross-sections taken substantially along the lines 19--19 and 20--20, respectively, of FIG. 18.
FIG. 21 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 18.
FIG. 22 is a view taken along the line 22--22 of FIG. 21.
FIG. 23 is a view taken along the line 23--23 of FIG. 22.
FIG. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching a kickboard to one of the side panels.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the kickboard.
FIG. 26 is an enlarged rear elevational view of part of the kickboard and showing the slots formed therein.
FIG. 27 is a cross-section taken along the line 27--27 of FIG. 26.
FIG. 28 is a view of a routing tool for forming the slots in the kickboard.
FIG. 29 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the rear of the shelf to the rail.
FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 29, parts being broken away and shown in section.
FIGS. 31 and 32 are views taken substantially along the lines 31--31 and 32--32, respectively, of FIG. 30.
FIG. 33 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the front of the shelf to the face frame.
FIG. 34 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 34--34 of FIG. 33.
FIG. 35 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the lower part of the face frame to one of the side panels.
FIG. 36 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 36--36 of FIG. 35.
FIG. 37 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the drawer guiding slide.
FIG. 38 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 38--38 of FIG. 37.
FIG. 39 is an enlarged top plan view of part of the drawer slide shown in FIG. 37.
FIG. 40 is a view taken along the line 40--40 of FIG. 38.
FIG. 41 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a bracket for attaching the rear of the drawer slide to the wall.
FIG. 42 is a top plan view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 14 to 17.
FIG. 43 is a view taken along the line 43--43 of FIG. 42.
FIG. 44 is a fragmentary top plan view of still another modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 14 to 17.
FIG. 45 is a view taken along the line 45--45 of FIG. 44.
FIG. 46 is a top plan view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 29 to 32.
FIG. 47 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 47--47 of FIG. 46.
FIG. 48 is an elevational view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 35 and 36.
FIG. 49 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 49--49 of FIG. 48.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a cabinet 50 of the type whose components are shipped in a knocked down condition by the cabinet manufacturer and then are assembled in the room where the cabinet is to be installed. While the invention encompasses both wall and floor cabinets with various different components, the exemplary cabinet which has been illustrated rests on the floor of the room and is made up by seven basic components. These consist of a pair of upright, horizontally spaced side panels 51 (FIGS. 1 and 2) extending forwardly from a wall 52 of the room and resting on the floor, a kickboard 53 spanning the forward edges of the side panels adjacent the lower ends thereof, a lower floor or shelf 54 disposed between the side panels and above the kickboard, a face frame 55 attached to the forward edges of the side panels, a drawer slide assembly 56 extending rearwardly from the face frame, and a counter top 57 extending across the upper ends of the side panels. The cabinet further includes a drawer (not shown) supported and guided by the drawer slide assembly 56 in a conventional manner and also includes a door (not shown) which is hinged to the face frame 55 to close the opening beneath the drawer, the door being hinged in the manner disclosed in the aforementioned patent.
The present invention contemplates anchoring the cabinet 50 to the wall 52 and assembling practically all of the components of the cabinet to one another in a unique manner with novel clip-type hardware which is adapted to be clamped quickly and easily to the components without need of using wood screws or the like. As an incident to assembling certain of the components with the hardware, the side panels 51 are tied securely together and are held in rigid right angular relation to the wall 52.
More particularly, the side panels 51 are adapted to be attached to a pair of horizontally extending and vertically spaced rails 59 and 60 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) suitably secured to the wall 52 by screws 61, the side panels being notched along their rear edge portions as indicated at 63 in FIG. 2 so as to receive the rail and enable the rear edges of the panels to butt against the wall. Each rail herein is a tubular extrusion of rectangular cross-section and is formed with a centrally located, rectangular-shaped passage 65 (FIG. 5) extending lengthwise of the rail. Formed in and extending along the forward side of each rail and communicating with the passage 65 is an elongated slot 66 whose height is considerably less than the height of the passage. The passage 65 and the slot 66 thus coact to define in the rail a composite slot of T-shaped cross-section as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably but not necessarily, rectangular openings 67 (FIG. 4) having the same height as the passage 65 are formed in the forward side of each rail at spaced intervals along the length thereof and communicate with the passage.
A clip or bracket 70 of the same general type as shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 is used to attach the upper rear portion of each side panel 51 to the upper rail 59. In accordance with one feature of the invention, the brackets 70 are uniquely constructed not only to connect the side panels 51 to the upper rail 59 and to brace the panels but also to provide a means by which the counter top 57 may be anchored in place above the panels when the counter top is subsequently installed. To enable attachment of the brackets 70 to the side panels 51, the upper rear edge portion of each panel is routed to form a pair of slots 71 and 72 (FIG. 3) which are substantially identical to several other pairs of routed slots (to be described subsequently) formed in various ones of the cabinet components to facilitate assembly of the components.
As shown in FIG. 3, each slot 71 opens out of the upper edge of the respective side panel 51, is comparatively wide, and is defined in part by vertically extending walls 74. Each slot 72 is formed in the inner face of the side panel, opens out of the upper edge thereof, and communicates with the slot 71. The slot 72 is defined in part by vertically extending edges 75 which are spaced apart a distance less than the spacing between the walls 74 of the slot 71 and thus the slot 72 is comparatively narrow. Together, the two slots 71 and 72 define a T as viewed from above the upper edge of the side panel 51. Neither slot extends completely through the side panel and thus the original appearance of the outer face of the side panel is preserved. Reference is made to the aforementioned patent for a more detailed description of the slots.
The bracket 70 for attaching the left side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 is shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 and comprises a generally flat elongated web 76 disposed in a horizontal plane. Formed integrally with and depending from opposite ends of the web are vertical plates or legs 77 and 78 which are inclined at angles a (FIG. 7) of 45° to the longitudinal axis or centerline b of the web and which flare away from one another as they progress from outer edge of the web to the inner edge thereof. Retainers 79 and 80 in the form of flat plates are spaced outwardly from the outer sides of the legs 77 and 78, respectively, and are located in planes disposed parallel to the legs. The retainers are substantially square with the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the retainers being less than the height of the passage 65 and the width of the slot 71 and being greater than the height of the slot 66 and the width of the slot 72. Each retainer is connected to its respective leg by a bolt 81 (FIG. 11) extending loosely through a hole 83 in the leg and threaded into a hole 84 in the retainer, the head 85 of the bolt being located adjacent the inner side of the leg. Thus, by tightening the bolt with a screwdriver, the retainer is drawn toward the leg to decrease the spacing between the two. To advantage, each bolt 81 is captivated relative to its respective leg to prevent the spacing between the leg and the retainer from being changed except by turning the bolt. For this purpose, an enlarged captivating collar 86 (FIG. 11) is formed around the shank of the bolt adjacent the outer side of the leg and coacts with the head 85 to prevent the bolt from shifting axially relative to the leg. The collar is formed during manufacture of the bracket by deforming the shank of the bolt with a suitable die after the bolt first has been inserted through the hole 83 in the leg.
The retainers 79 and 80 also are held in substantially fixed angular positions relative to the legs 77 and 78 and are restricted against turning when the bolts 81 are tightened or loosened. This is achieved by forming inwardly projecting fingers 89 and 90 integrally with the retainers 79 and 80, respectively. The finger 89 is alined vertically with the respective bolt 81 and overlies and engages the upper side of the web 76 to restrict turning of the retainer 79. The finger 90 is alined horizontally with the bolt 81 threaded into the retainer 80 and projects alongside and engages the outermost edge of the leg 78 to limit turning of the retainer.
The bracket 70 is shipped by the manufacturer and received by the cabinet installer as a unitary assembly with the retainers 79 and 80 already connected to the legs 77 and 78 by the bolts 81. In addition, the bracket is shipped with the bolts 81 threaded only part way into the retainers so that the horizontal spacing between the retainers and the legs is comparatively great. To attach the bracket 70 to the upper end of the side panel 51, the retainer 79 first is slipped downwardly into the slot 71 from the upper end thereof thereby to position the leg 77 alongside the inner face of the side panel (see FIGS. 6 and 13). Because the bolt 81 is captivated against sliding relative to the leg 77 by the collar 86, the comparatively large spacing between the leg and the retainer 79 is maintained automatically when the retainer is inserted into the slot 71 and thus the installer need not pull the retainer away from the leg preparatory to inserting the retainer in the slot and positioning the leg alongside the inner face of the side panel. In addition, the finger 89 keeps the retainer in the proper angular orientation for entry into the slot 71.
As an incident to inserting the retainer 79 downwardly into the slot 71, the bolt 81 and the finger 89 are moved downwardly into the slot 72 (see FIG. 13). Thereafter, the bolt 81 is simply tightened to clamp the side panel 51 between the leg 77 and the retainer 79 and thereby anchor the bracket 70 to the side panel.
After attachment of the bracket 70 to the side panel 51, anchoring of the upper end of the panel to the upper rail 59 is effected by moving the panel rearwardly and edgewise toward the rail with the retainer 80 alined with one of the openings 67 in the rail so that the retainer may slip broadwise through the opening and into the passage 65 (see FIG. 12). Thereafter, the side panel 51 is moved lengthwise of the rail 59 to locate the panel at the proper position along the wall 52 and, during such movement, the retainer 80 slides along the passage 65 while the leg 78 moves along the forward side of the rail. The bolt 81 and the finger 90 extend through the slot 66 and move along the latter during positioning of the panel (see FIGS. 6 and 12).
Once the panel 51 has been properly positioned along the rail 59, the bolt 81 is simply tightened to clamp the forward portion of the rail between the leg 78 and the retainer 80 and thereby lock the bracket 70 rigidly to the rail. With the bracket 70 thus attached and locked to both the panel 51 and the rail 59, the web 76 extends diagonally across the internal corner between the panel and the rail and acts as a corner brace to hold the two in substantially rigid right angular relation to one another. Although the web extends diagonally, the legs 77 and 78 lie flat against the side panel 51 and the rail 59 as a result of the legs being inclined relative to the web at the angles a of 45 degrees and thus the legs can be clamped rigidly to the side panel and the rail.
In keeping with the invention, a vertically extending hole 92 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is formed through the central portion of the web 76 and is adapted to receive a fastener such as a wood screw 93 (FIG. 2) for fastening the counter top 57 to the bracket 70 and across the upper edge of the side panel 51. Accordingly, the bracket 70 serves to connect the side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 and, at the same time, to provide a mounting support for the counter top 57.
The bracket 70 for securing the right side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 is identical to the bracket 70 for the left panel except that the retainers 79 and 80 of the right hand bracket are reversed with respect to the legs 77 and 78. That is, the retainer 79 of the right hand bracket is associated with the right leg 78 of the right hand bracket 70 while the retainer 80 is associated with the left leg 77 so that the fingers 89 and 90 will be properly oriented to fit into the slots 72 and 66, respectively, of the right side panel 51 and the upper rail 59.
To attach the lower end portions of the side panels 51 to the lower rail 60, unique corner clips 94 of the type shown in FIGS. 18 to 23 are employed, each clip fitting partially into the passage 65 and the slot 66 in the rail and fitting partially into a pair of slots 95 and 96 (FIGS. 2 and 20) formed in the lower rear end portion of the side panel. The slots 95 and 96 are formed adjacent the lower notch 63 and are identical to the slots 71 and 72 except that the slots 95 and 96 extend horizontally and open rearwardly out of the rear edge of the side panel 51.
As shown in FIGS. 18 to 23, each of the clips 94 comprises a pair of integral mounting plates or legs 97 and 98 stamped of sheet metal and bent at right angles to one another. Spaced from and facing the outer sides of the legs 97 and 98 are retainer plates 99 and 100, respectively, which are connected to the legs by bolts 101 extending through the legs and threaded into the retainers, each of the bolts being captivated against sliding relative to its respective leg. The retainers 99 and 100 are generally C-shaped and are restricted against turning relative to the legs 97 and 98 by fingers 103 and 104 (FIGS. 21 to 23) advantageously struck out of the metal of the legs and fitting into notches 105 formed in the straight vertical edges of the retainers and offset vertically from the horizontal centerlines of the retainers. The finger 103 is struck from the leg 97 near the free vertical edge thereof while the finger 104 is struck from the leg 98 near its junction with the leg 97 and within the confines of the leg 98 so as to leave an opening 106 (FIG. 22) therein. By virtue of unsymmetrical disposition of the fingers 103 and 104 with the legs 97 and 98, the retainers 99 and 100 may be used with either of the legs while still allowing the fingers to register with the notches 105 in the retainers. The clip 94 also is shipped as a unitary assembly with the retainers 99 and 100 already connected to the legs 97 and 98 by the bolts 101.
After the brackets 70 have been attached to the upper ends of the side panels 51 and before the latter are positioned against and attached to the upper rail 60, one clip 94 is attached to the lower end portion of each side panel. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the retainer 99 of the clip 94 is inserted into the slot 95 from the open end thereof, the bolt 101 and the finger 103 are located within the slot 96, and the leg 97 is positioned alongside the inner face of the side panel 51. Accordingly, when the bolt is tightened, the side panel is clamped tightly between the leg 97 and the retainer 99 and the clip thus becomes anchored to the side panel.
When each of the side panels 51 is shifted rearwardly and edgewise toward the rails 59 and 60 during installation of the panel, the retainer 100 of the clip 94 attached to the panel first moves into the opening 67 of the lower rail 60 and then is shifted along the passage 65 thereof as the panel is moved lengthwise of the rail to the proper position along the wall 52. The finger 104 and the adjacent bolt 101 project through and move along the slot 66 during positioning of the panel (see FIG. 19). After the panel has been positioned, the bolt 101 is tightened to clamp the rail 60 between the leg 98 and the retainer 100 so as to lock the lower end portion of the panel 51 to the rail. Either just before or just after clamping of the clips 94 to the lower rail 60, the brackets 70 are clamped to the upper rail 59 and thus the panels are held securely to the rails at the upper and lower rear end portions of the panels.
Once the panels 51 have been attached to the rails 59 and 60, the kickboard 53 is attached to the lower forward edges of the panels by a pair of clips 107 (FIGS. 2 and 25) identical to the clips 94. The lower forward edge portion of each panel is notched as indicated at 109 (FIG. 2) to receive the kickboard and is formed with slots 110 and 111 identical to the slots 71 and 72 but extending horizontally and opening forwardly to receive the retainer 99 and associated bolts 101 of the clips 107. The retainer 100 and the other bolt 101 of the clip 107 are received in unique slots 113 and 114 (FIGS. 24 to 27) formed in the inner face of the kickboard 53 at each end thereof. As shown in FIGS. 24 to 27, the slots 113 and 114 coact with a generally circular hole or opening 116 in the inner face of the kickboard 53 to define a composite slot shaped as a keyhole and formed by a combined drilling and routing tool 118 (FIG. 28) which first is moved endwise toward the inner face of the kickboard and then moved from lengthwise (FIG. 25) along the kickboard. The diameter of the circular opening 116 is greater than the major diameter of the C-shaped retainer 100 of the clip 107 and is equal to the distance between the walls 120 (FIG. 26) of the slot 113. The slot 114 is considerably narrower than the slot 113 and not only communicates with the slot 113 but also opens into the opening 116, the slot 114 being defined in part by edges 122. The slots 113 and 114 are formed with curved end walls 124 and 125 as a result of being formed by the tool 118 with the wall 124 being concentric with and spaced from the wall 125. Neither the slots 113 and 114 nor the opening 116 extend completely through the kickboard 53 and thus the continuity of the outer face of the kickboard is maintained.
To install the kickboard 53, a clip 107 first is attached to each end of the kickboard. This is achieved by initially moving the clip toward the kickboard to place the retainer 100 in the opening 116, and then by sliding the clip lengthwise of the kickboard to shift the retainer into the slot 113 and to position the associated bolt 101 within the slot 114 (see FIG. 24). Thereafter, the bolt is tightened to clamp the kickboard between the leg 98 and the retainer 100 of the clip 107. It will be noted that the composite slot shaped as a keyhole and formed by the slots 113 and 114 and the opening 116 permits insertion of the retainer 100 and the associated bolt 101 into the slots 113 and 114, respectively, even though these slots do not open out of the edge of the kickboard and are not accessible from the edge as in the case of the slots 71 and 72. Thus, by forming the opening 116 at the ends of the slots 113 and 114, the retainer 100 and the bolt 101 can be inserted into the slots from the comparatively wide inner face of the kickboard.
After the clips 107 have been attached to the kickboard 53, the latter is connected to the side panels 51 by moving the kickboard broadwise toward the side panels to insert the retainers 99 and the associated bolts 101 into the slots 110 and 111 (see FIGS. 2 and 24). The bolts then may be tightened to clamp the panels 51 between the legs 97 and the retainers 99 and thereby anchor the kickboard to the side panels.
After installation of the kickboard 53, the shelf 54 is 30), edgewise and rearwardly to a position located between the side panels 51, the side edges of the shelf being received in grooves 127 (FIG. 2), routed in the inner face of side panels. Before the shelf is slid between the side panels, however, an anchoring clip 129 of the type shown in FIGS. 29 to 32 is clamped to the lower rail 60 midway between the side panels. The clip 129 includes a long vertical leg 130 and a shorter horizontal leg 131 connected to retainers 133 and 134, respectively, by captivated bolts 135. A finger 136 on the retainer 133 engages one side edge of the vertical leg 130 while a finger 137 on the retainer 134 engages the outer edge of the horizontal leg 131, the fingers restricting the retainers against turning.
Before the shelf 54 is placed between the side panels 51, the clip 129 is attached to the lower rail 60 by inserting the retainer 133 into one of the openings 67 located along the rail between the side panels, by shifting the clip lengthwise along the rail within the passage 65 to a position midway between the side panels, and by tightening the bolt 135 to clamp the clip to the rail (see FIGS. 29 and 30). Thereafter, the shelf is moved rearwardly and edgewise toward the anchored clip 129 so that, in effect, the retainer 134 and the associated bolt 135 are inserted into slots 139 and 140 (FIGS. 2, 29 and 20), opening out of the rear edge of the shelf. The slot 140 is formed in the upper surface of the shelf and thus the horizontal leg 131 lies alongside the upper surface. The vertical leg 130 projects above the lower rail and is received in a vertically extending notch 141 formed in the rear edge of the shelf adjacent the slots 139 and 140 so that the rear edge of the shelf may abut directly against the wall 52.
After the shelf 54 has been positioned with the retainer 134 of the clip 129 disposed within the slot 139, the associated bolt 135 is tightened to clamp the shelf between the retainer and the leg 131 (see FIGS. 29 and 30). As a result, the rear of the shelf becomes anchored to the lower rail 60.
The next step in the assembly of the cabinet 50 consists of attaching the face frame 55 to the forward edges of the side panels 51. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the face frame is formed by upright side members 143, by upper and lower cross members 144 and 145, and by an intermediate cross member 146. Formed in the rear face and opening out of the inner side edge of each side member 143 near the lower end portion thereof is a pair of slots 147 and 148 (FIG. 2) which are disposed at the same elevation as a pair of slots 149 and 150 formed in the inner face of each side panel and opening out of the forward edge thereof. Also, a pair of vertically extending slots 151 and 152 (FIGS. 2, 33 and 34) are formed in the rear surface of the lower cross member 145 and open out of the lower edge of the lower cross member. The latter slots are located opposite a pair of horizontally extending slots 153 and 154 formed in the underside of the shelf midway between the side edges thereof and opening out of the forward edge of the shelf.
Prior to positioning the face frame 55 against the forward edges of the side panels 51, the clips 155 (FIGS. 2, 35 and 36) identical to the clip 94 are fitted into each pair of slots 147 and 148 and are clamped to the side members 143 of the face frame. In addition, an identical clip 156 (FIGS. 2, 33 and 34) is fitted into the slots 151 and 152 and is clamped to the lower cross member 145. Thereafter, the face frame 55 is moved broadwise and rearwardly toward the forward edges of the side panels 51 and the shelf 54 so as to insert the clips 155 into the slots 149 and 150 in the side panels and to insert the clip 156 into the slots 153 and 154 in the shelf. The clips 155 then may be clamped to the side panels 51 as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 to anchor the lower portion of the face frame 55 to the lower portions of the side panels.
Next, the clip 156 may be clamped to the shelf 54 (see FIGS. 33 and 34) and, as an incident thereto and in keeping with the invention, the side panels 51 are tied rigidly to one another and are positively prevented from swinging laterally relative to the wall 52. That is, the shelf 54 is anchored to the wall 52 by way of the clip 129 and the lower rail 60 and, when the clip 156 is clamped to the shelf, the latter becomes anchored to the face frame 55 which, in turn, is attached tightly to the side panels 51 by the clips 155. Thus, in addition to being connected directly to the wall 52 by the corner brackets 70 and the lower clips 94, the side panels 51 are further connected to the wall by way of the shelf 54 and the face frame 55 together with the clips 129 and 156 and, as a result, the shelf serves to tie the side panels together to keep the side panels from hinging about their connections with the wall at 70 and 94 and to keep the side panels locked rigidly at right angles to the wall.
After attaching the face frame 55 to the side panels 51 and the shelf 54 with the clips 155 and 156, the upper portion of the face frame is attached to the upper portions of the side panels by corner clips or brackets 160 (FIGS. 2 and 14 to 17). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 14, pairs of vertically extending slots 161 and 162 are located near the ends of the upper cross member 144 of the face frame 55, the slots being formed in the inner or rear face of the cross member and opening out of the upper edge thereof. In addition, vertically extending slots 163 and 164 are formed in the inner face of each side panel 51 at the forward portion thereof and open out of the upper edge of the side panel.
Each of the corner brackets 160 (FIGS. 14 to 17) is identical to the brackets 70 with the exception that the two retainers 165 of the bracket 160 are identical to one another. That is, each retainer includes a finger 166 overlying and engaging the web 167 and located in vertical alinement with the bolt 169 so that the finger may move into the appropriate slot 162 or 164. Installation of the brackets 160 is a simple procedure requiring only the fitting of each bracket into the slots 161, 162 and 163, 164 by moving the bracket downwardly toward the upper edges of the side panel 51 and the face frame 55. The brackets then may be clamped to the side panels and the face frame by tightening the bolts 169 thereby to anchor the upper end portions of the panels to the face frame.
After installation of the brackets 160, the counter top 57 may be attached. This is achieved simply by laying the counter top across the upper edges of the side panels 51 and by anchoring the counter top to the four corner brackets 70 and 160 with the wood screws 93 (FIG. 2) which advantageously extend upwardly through holes in the webs 76, 167 of the brackets.
The final step of assembling the cabinet 50 involves the installation of the drawer slide assembly 56. The latter includes a channel-shaped track 170 (FIGS. 37 to 41) adapted to receive a guide wheel (not shown) or the like fastened to the drawer, the rear end of the track being telescoped tightly into a plastic, sleeve-like bracket 171 (FIGS. 2 and 41) which may be fastened to the wall 52 midway between the side panels 51 by screws or tacks.
At its forward end, the track 170 is constructed in a unique manner and is received partially within vertically extending slots 173 and 174 (FIGS. 2 and 38) formed in the inner face of the intermediate cross member 146 of the face frame 55 and opening out of the upper edge thereof. As shown in FIGS. 37 to 40, a bracket is located at the forward end of the track 170 and includes an upright flange 175 which is riveted to the closed vertical side of the track. Integral with the flange and extending across the forward end of the track is a vertical plate or leg 176 whose upper end is formed integrally with a horizontal leg 177 projecting forwardly from the vertical leg. A C-shaped retainer plate 179 is spaced forwardly of the vertical leg 176 and is connected to the latter by a captivated bolt 180 extending through the vertical leg and threaded into the retainer, the retainer being restricted against turning by virtue of its straight horizontal edge engaging the underside of the leg 177.
To attach the forward end of the track 170 to the cross member 146, the track is simply lowered downwardly toward the cross member to insert the retainer 179 into the slot 173 and to insert the bolt 180 into the slot 174. After the bracket 171 telescoped over the rear end of the track 170 has been attached to the wall 52, the bolt 180 may be tightened to clamp the cross member 146 between the leg 176 and the retainer 179 thereby to anchor the track securely in place. It will be noted that, when the track 170 is installed, the horizontal leg 177 overlies and covers the upper open ends of the slots 173 and 174 and thus the slots are not visible when looking down at the upper side of the cross member 146.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings to the art several versions of new and improved clip-type hardware assemblies and uniquely utilizes the hardware to facilitate assembly of the cabinet 50. With the exception of the counter top 57, the rails 59 and 60 and the drawer slide bracket 171, all of the components of the cabinet are assembled together and are anchored to the wall 52 simply by fitting the hardware into the various slots and by clamping the hardware to the components. In all cases, the slots are made somewhat larger than the retainers and bolts of the various brackets and clips and thus the latter may be adjusted within the slots before being clamped so as to enable the cabinet components to be adjusted as necessary and located in the proper positions relative to one another.
It will be appreciated that the invention applies to different types of cabinets and that several concepts of the invention may be employed interchangeably. For example, instead of using extruded members for the rails 59 and 60, wooden strips (not shown) may be attached to the wall 52, such strips being formed at spaced locations along their length with routed slots defining a keyhole similar to that formed in the kickboard 53 by the slots 113 and 114 and the circular opening 116. Also, keyhole-type slots may be formed in various other ones of the cabinet components in those cases where it may not be desirable or practical to form T-shaped slots opening out of the edges of the components.
The hardware assemblies also are susceptible of various advantageous modifications. As a specific example, a modified corner bracket 160' is shown partially in FIGS. 42 and 43 and includes retainers 165' with fingers 166' which project into slots 185 in the legs 168' instead of overlying the web 167' as in the case of the fingers 166 of the bracket 160. This allows the counter top 57 to lie directly against the web 167' without the fingers 166' being positioned between the counter top and the web.
Still another modified corner bracket 160" is shown partially in FIGS. 44 and 45 and includes a retainer 165" with a finger 166" which engages the lower edge of the leg 168". As a result, when the bracket 160" is installed, the finger 166" will bottom against the curved lower wall of the slots 162 or 164 and will automatically locate the bracket at the proper elevation for installation of the counter top 57. In addition, the counter top may lie directly against the web 167" of the bracket 160".
A clip 186 which may be used in place of the rear shelf clip 129 is shown in FIGS. 46 and 47 and includes a leg 187 connected by a bolt 188 to a retainer 189 and mountable at the rear of the shelf 54 with the retainer 189 insertable into the slot 140 in the shelf. The leg 190 of the clip 186, however, is simply a flat plate formed with holes for receiving wood screws 191 by which the clip may be attached directly to the wall 52. Thus, when the clip 186 is employed, the rear of the shelf 54 is attached directly to the wall 52 instead of being attached to the wall by way of the lower rail 60.
FIGS. 48 and 49 illustrate a clip 193 which may be used in place of, for example, the clips 155. In this instance, retainers 194 and 195 are formed integrally with legs 196 and 197 and are bent reversely away from the legs as indicated at 199. The clip 193 is made of resiliently yieldable sheet metal and thus, when the bolts 200 are tightened, the retainers 194 and 195 hinge about the bends 199 and are drawn toward the legs 196 and 197 so as to clamp the cabinet components between the retainers and the legs.
This invention relates to cabinets and to hardware for assembling the cabinets, the cabinets being of the so-called knock down type which are assembled at their place of ultimate use rather than at the plant of the cabinet manufacturer. More particularly, the invention relates to cabinets and hardware which partially utilize certain principles disclosed in Dargene U. S. application, Patent No. 3,590,419. That patent discloses hardware in the form of quickly detachable hinges which are fitted partially into specially shaped slots in the cabinet door and frame and which are simply clamped to the door and frame to attach the two together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The general aim of the present invention is to provide a new and improved knock down cabinet whose various components are capable of being completely assembled together in a fast and easy manner with unique clip-type hardware adapted to be slipped into slots in the components and then clamped to the components. In furtherance of this aim, the invention provides a novel cabinet with side panels which may be anchored to the wall of a room and attached to the cabinet face frame by clip-type hardware and then tied rigidly to one another as an incident to installing a shelf between the side panels with hardware of the same general type.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel clip-type hardware assembly which not only interconnects the cabinet side panels with another component of the cabinet but which also provides a mounting support for a horizontal counter top or the like and enables attachment of the counter top to the cabinet in a convenient manner.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a new and improved drawer guiding slide equipped with clip-type hardware to enable quick and easy attachment of the drawer slide to the cabinet face frame.
The invention also resides in the novel construction of the clip-type hardware to simplify its manufacture and to facilitate quick attachment of the hardware to the various components of the cabinet. The invention is further characterized by the provision of uniquely shaped and arranged slots in certain of the cabinet components and in the provision of novel mounting rails enabling quick attachment of the cabinet to the wall.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new and improved cabinet assembled with novel hardware embodying the features of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of one of the side panels of the cabinet and showing the slots formed in the side panel.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of one of the rails used for anchoring the side panels to the wall of a room.
FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view primarily showing a hardware assembly for anchoring the upper portion of a side panel to the rail and for supporting the counter top.
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 6.
FIGS. 8 and 9 are views taken along the lines 8--8 and 9--9, respectively, of FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the hardware assembly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 11--11 of FIG. 7.
FIGS. 12 and 13 are fragmentary cross-sections taken substantially along the lines 12--12 and 13--13, respectively, of FIG. 6.
FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing a hardware assembly for attaching the upper part of the side panel to the face frame.
FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a front elevation of the hardware assembly shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.
FIG. 17 is a view taken along the line 17--17 of FIG. 15.
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a hardware assembly for anchoring the lower portion of a side panel to the rail.
FIGS. 19 and 20 are enlarged fragmentary cross-sections taken substantially along the lines 19--19 and 20--20, respectively, of FIG. 18.
FIG. 21 is a top plan view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 18.
FIG. 22 is a view taken along the line 22--22 of FIG. 21.
FIG. 23 is a view taken along the line 23--23 of FIG. 22.
FIG. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching a kickboard to one of the side panels.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the kickboard.
FIG. 26 is an enlarged rear elevational view of part of the kickboard and showing the slots formed therein.
FIG. 27 is a cross-section taken along the line 27--27 of FIG. 26.
FIG. 28 is a view of a routing tool for forming the slots in the kickboard.
FIG. 29 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the rear of the shelf to the rail.
FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the hardware assembly shown in FIG. 29, parts being broken away and shown in section.
FIGS. 31 and 32 are views taken substantially along the lines 31--31 and 32--32, respectively, of FIG. 30.
FIG. 33 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the front of the shelf to the face frame.
FIG. 34 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 34--34 of FIG. 33.
FIG. 35 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hardware assembly for attaching the lower part of the face frame to one of the side panels.
FIG. 36 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 36--36 of FIG. 35.
FIG. 37 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the drawer guiding slide.
FIG. 38 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 38--38 of FIG. 37.
FIG. 39 is an enlarged top plan view of part of the drawer slide shown in FIG. 37.
FIG. 40 is a view taken along the line 40--40 of FIG. 38.
FIG. 41 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a bracket for attaching the rear of the drawer slide to the wall.
FIG. 42 is a top plan view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 14 to 17.
FIG. 43 is a view taken along the line 43--43 of FIG. 42.
FIG. 44 is a fragmentary top plan view of still another modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 14 to 17.
FIG. 45 is a view taken along the line 45--45 of FIG. 44.
FIG. 46 is a top plan view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 29 to 32.
FIG. 47 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 47--47 of FIG. 46.
FIG. 48 is an elevational view of a modified hardware assembly which may be used in place of the assembly shown in FIGS. 35 and 36.
FIG. 49 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 49--49 of FIG. 48.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a cabinet 50 of the type whose components are shipped in a knocked down condition by the cabinet manufacturer and then are assembled in the room where the cabinet is to be installed. While the invention encompasses both wall and floor cabinets with various different components, the exemplary cabinet which has been illustrated rests on the floor of the room and is made up by seven basic components. These consist of a pair of upright, horizontally spaced side panels 51 (FIGS. 1 and 2) extending forwardly from a wall 52 of the room and resting on the floor, a kickboard 53 spanning the forward edges of the side panels adjacent the lower ends thereof, a lower floor or shelf 54 disposed between the side panels and above the kickboard, a face frame 55 attached to the forward edges of the side panels, a drawer slide assembly 56 extending rearwardly from the face frame, and a counter top 57 extending across the upper ends of the side panels. The cabinet further includes a drawer (not shown) supported and guided by the drawer slide assembly 56 in a conventional manner and also includes a door (not shown) which is hinged to the face frame 55 to close the opening beneath the drawer, the door being hinged in the manner disclosed in the aforementioned patent.
The present invention contemplates anchoring the cabinet 50 to the wall 52 and assembling practically all of the components of the cabinet to one another in a unique manner with novel clip-type hardware which is adapted to be clamped quickly and easily to the components without need of using wood screws or the like. As an incident to assembling certain of the components with the hardware, the side panels 51 are tied securely together and are held in rigid right angular relation to the wall 52.
More particularly, the side panels 51 are adapted to be attached to a pair of horizontally extending and vertically spaced rails 59 and 60 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) suitably secured to the wall 52 by screws 61, the side panels being notched along their rear edge portions as indicated at 63 in FIG. 2 so as to receive the rail and enable the rear edges of the panels to butt against the wall. Each rail herein is a tubular extrusion of rectangular cross-section and is formed with a centrally located, rectangular-shaped passage 65 (FIG. 5) extending lengthwise of the rail. Formed in and extending along the forward side of each rail and communicating with the passage 65 is an elongated slot 66 whose height is considerably less than the height of the passage. The passage 65 and the slot 66 thus coact to define in the rail a composite slot of T-shaped cross-section as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably but not necessarily, rectangular openings 67 (FIG. 4) having the same height as the passage 65 are formed in the forward side of each rail at spaced intervals along the length thereof and communicate with the passage.
A clip or bracket 70 of the same general type as shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 is used to attach the upper rear portion of each side panel 51 to the upper rail 59. In accordance with one feature of the invention, the brackets 70 are uniquely constructed not only to connect the side panels 51 to the upper rail 59 and to brace the panels but also to provide a means by which the counter top 57 may be anchored in place above the panels when the counter top is subsequently installed. To enable attachment of the brackets 70 to the side panels 51, the upper rear edge portion of each panel is routed to form a pair of slots 71 and 72 (FIG. 3) which are substantially identical to several other pairs of routed slots (to be described subsequently) formed in various ones of the cabinet components to facilitate assembly of the components.
As shown in FIG. 3, each slot 71 opens out of the upper edge of the respective side panel 51, is comparatively wide, and is defined in part by vertically extending walls 74. Each slot 72 is formed in the inner face of the side panel, opens out of the upper edge thereof, and communicates with the slot 71. The slot 72 is defined in part by vertically extending edges 75 which are spaced apart a distance less than the spacing between the walls 74 of the slot 71 and thus the slot 72 is comparatively narrow. Together, the two slots 71 and 72 define a T as viewed from above the upper edge of the side panel 51. Neither slot extends completely through the side panel and thus the original appearance of the outer face of the side panel is preserved. Reference is made to the aforementioned patent for a more detailed description of the slots.
The bracket 70 for attaching the left side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 is shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 and comprises a generally flat elongated web 76 disposed in a horizontal plane. Formed integrally with and depending from opposite ends of the web are vertical plates or legs 77 and 78 which are inclined at angles a (FIG. 7) of 45° to the longitudinal axis or centerline b of the web and which flare away from one another as they progress from outer edge of the web to the inner edge thereof. Retainers 79 and 80 in the form of flat plates are spaced outwardly from the outer sides of the legs 77 and 78, respectively, and are located in planes disposed parallel to the legs. The retainers are substantially square with the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the retainers being less than the height of the passage 65 and the width of the slot 71 and being greater than the height of the slot 66 and the width of the slot 72. Each retainer is connected to its respective leg by a bolt 81 (FIG. 11) extending loosely through a hole 83 in the leg and threaded into a hole 84 in the retainer, the head 85 of the bolt being located adjacent the inner side of the leg. Thus, by tightening the bolt with a screwdriver, the retainer is drawn toward the leg to decrease the spacing between the two. To advantage, each bolt 81 is captivated relative to its respective leg to prevent the spacing between the leg and the retainer from being changed except by turning the bolt. For this purpose, an enlarged captivating collar 86 (FIG. 11) is formed around the shank of the bolt adjacent the outer side of the leg and coacts with the head 85 to prevent the bolt from shifting axially relative to the leg. The collar is formed during manufacture of the bracket by deforming the shank of the bolt with a suitable die after the bolt first has been inserted through the hole 83 in the leg.
The retainers 79 and 80 also are held in substantially fixed angular positions relative to the legs 77 and 78 and are restricted against turning when the bolts 81 are tightened or loosened. This is achieved by forming inwardly projecting fingers 89 and 90 integrally with the retainers 79 and 80, respectively. The finger 89 is alined vertically with the respective bolt 81 and overlies and engages the upper side of the web 76 to restrict turning of the retainer 79. The finger 90 is alined horizontally with the bolt 81 threaded into the retainer 80 and projects alongside and engages the outermost edge of the leg 78 to limit turning of the retainer.
The bracket 70 is shipped by the manufacturer and received by the cabinet installer as a unitary assembly with the retainers 79 and 80 already connected to the legs 77 and 78 by the bolts 81. In addition, the bracket is shipped with the bolts 81 threaded only part way into the retainers so that the horizontal spacing between the retainers and the legs is comparatively great. To attach the bracket 70 to the upper end of the side panel 51, the retainer 79 first is slipped downwardly into the slot 71 from the upper end thereof thereby to position the leg 77 alongside the inner face of the side panel (see FIGS. 6 and 13). Because the bolt 81 is captivated against sliding relative to the leg 77 by the collar 86, the comparatively large spacing between the leg and the retainer 79 is maintained automatically when the retainer is inserted into the slot 71 and thus the installer need not pull the retainer away from the leg preparatory to inserting the retainer in the slot and positioning the leg alongside the inner face of the side panel. In addition, the finger 89 keeps the retainer in the proper angular orientation for entry into the slot 71.
As an incident to inserting the retainer 79 downwardly into the slot 71, the bolt 81 and the finger 89 are moved downwardly into the slot 72 (see FIG. 13). Thereafter, the bolt 81 is simply tightened to clamp the side panel 51 between the leg 77 and the retainer 79 and thereby anchor the bracket 70 to the side panel.
After attachment of the bracket 70 to the side panel 51, anchoring of the upper end of the panel to the upper rail 59 is effected by moving the panel rearwardly and edgewise toward the rail with the retainer 80 alined with one of the openings 67 in the rail so that the retainer may slip broadwise through the opening and into the passage 65 (see FIG. 12). Thereafter, the side panel 51 is moved lengthwise of the rail 59 to locate the panel at the proper position along the wall 52 and, during such movement, the retainer 80 slides along the passage 65 while the leg 78 moves along the forward side of the rail. The bolt 81 and the finger 90 extend through the slot 66 and move along the latter during positioning of the panel (see FIGS. 6 and 12).
Once the panel 51 has been properly positioned along the rail 59, the bolt 81 is simply tightened to clamp the forward portion of the rail between the leg 78 and the retainer 80 and thereby lock the bracket 70 rigidly to the rail. With the bracket 70 thus attached and locked to both the panel 51 and the rail 59, the web 76 extends diagonally across the internal corner between the panel and the rail and acts as a corner brace to hold the two in substantially rigid right angular relation to one another. Although the web extends diagonally, the legs 77 and 78 lie flat against the side panel 51 and the rail 59 as a result of the legs being inclined relative to the web at the angles a of 45 degrees and thus the legs can be clamped rigidly to the side panel and the rail.
In keeping with the invention, a vertically extending hole 92 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is formed through the central portion of the web 76 and is adapted to receive a fastener such as a wood screw 93 (FIG. 2) for fastening the counter top 57 to the bracket 70 and across the upper edge of the side panel 51. Accordingly, the bracket 70 serves to connect the side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 and, at the same time, to provide a mounting support for the counter top 57.
The bracket 70 for securing the right side panel 51 to the upper rail 59 is identical to the bracket 70 for the left panel except that the retainers 79 and 80 of the right hand bracket are reversed with respect to the legs 77 and 78. That is, the retainer 79 of the right hand bracket is associated with the right leg 78 of the right hand bracket 70 while the retainer 80 is associated with the left leg 77 so that the fingers 89 and 90 will be properly oriented to fit into the slots 72 and 66, respectively, of the right side panel 51 and the upper rail 59.
To attach the lower end portions of the side panels 51 to the lower rail 60, unique corner clips 94 of the type shown in FIGS. 18 to 23 are employed, each clip fitting partially into the passage 65 and the slot 66 in the rail and fitting partially into a pair of slots 95 and 96 (FIGS. 2 and 20) formed in the lower rear end portion of the side panel. The slots 95 and 96 are formed adjacent the lower notch 63 and are identical to the slots 71 and 72 except that the slots 95 and 96 extend horizontally and open rearwardly out of the rear edge of the side panel 51.
As shown in FIGS. 18 to 23, each of the clips 94 comprises a pair of integral mounting plates or legs 97 and 98 stamped of sheet metal and bent at right angles to one another. Spaced from and facing the outer sides of the legs 97 and 98 are retainer plates 99 and 100, respectively, which are connected to the legs by bolts 101 extending through the legs and threaded into the retainers, each of the bolts being captivated against sliding relative to its respective leg. The retainers 99 and 100 are generally C-shaped and are restricted against turning relative to the legs 97 and 98 by fingers 103 and 104 (FIGS. 21 to 23) advantageously struck out of the metal of the legs and fitting into notches 105 formed in the straight vertical edges of the retainers and offset vertically from the horizontal centerlines of the retainers. The finger 103 is struck from the leg 97 near the free vertical edge thereof while the finger 104 is struck from the leg 98 near its junction with the leg 97 and within the confines of the leg 98 so as to leave an opening 106 (FIG. 22) therein. By virtue of unsymmetrical disposition of the fingers 103 and 104 with the legs 97 and 98, the retainers 99 and 100 may be used with either of the legs while still allowing the fingers to register with the notches 105 in the retainers. The clip 94 also is shipped as a unitary assembly with the retainers 99 and 100 already connected to the legs 97 and 98 by the bolts 101.
After the brackets 70 have been attached to the upper ends of the side panels 51 and before the latter are positioned against and attached to the upper rail 60, one clip 94 is attached to the lower end portion of each side panel. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the retainer 99 of the clip 94 is inserted into the slot 95 from the open end thereof, the bolt 101 and the finger 103 are located within the slot 96, and the leg 97 is positioned alongside the inner face of the side panel 51. Accordingly, when the bolt is tightened, the side panel is clamped tightly between the leg 97 and the retainer 99 and the clip thus becomes anchored to the side panel.
When each of the side panels 51 is shifted rearwardly and edgewise toward the rails 59 and 60 during installation of the panel, the retainer 100 of the clip 94 attached to the panel first moves into the opening 67 of the lower rail 60 and then is shifted along the passage 65 thereof as the panel is moved lengthwise of the rail to the proper position along the wall 52. The finger 104 and the adjacent bolt 101 project through and move along the slot 66 during positioning of the panel (see FIG. 19). After the panel has been positioned, the bolt 101 is tightened to clamp the rail 60 between the leg 98 and the retainer 100 so as to lock the lower end portion of the panel 51 to the rail. Either just before or just after clamping of the clips 94 to the lower rail 60, the brackets 70 are clamped to the upper rail 59 and thus the panels are held securely to the rails at the upper and lower rear end portions of the panels.
Once the panels 51 have been attached to the rails 59 and 60, the kickboard 53 is attached to the lower forward edges of the panels by a pair of clips 107 (FIGS. 2 and 25) identical to the clips 94. The lower forward edge portion of each panel is notched as indicated at 109 (FIG. 2) to receive the kickboard and is formed with slots 110 and 111 identical to the slots 71 and 72 but extending horizontally and opening forwardly to receive the retainer 99 and associated bolts 101 of the clips 107. The retainer 100 and the other bolt 101 of the clip 107 are received in unique slots 113 and 114 (FIGS. 24 to 27) formed in the inner face of the kickboard 53 at each end thereof. As shown in FIGS. 24 to 27, the slots 113 and 114 coact with a generally circular hole or opening 116 in the inner face of the kickboard 53 to define a composite slot shaped as a keyhole and formed by a combined drilling and routing tool 118 (FIG. 28) which first is moved endwise toward the inner face of the kickboard and then moved from lengthwise (FIG. 25) along the kickboard. The diameter of the circular opening 116 is greater than the major diameter of the C-shaped retainer 100 of the clip 107 and is equal to the distance between the walls 120 (FIG. 26) of the slot 113. The slot 114 is considerably narrower than the slot 113 and not only communicates with the slot 113 but also opens into the opening 116, the slot 114 being defined in part by edges 122. The slots 113 and 114 are formed with curved end walls 124 and 125 as a result of being formed by the tool 118 with the wall 124 being concentric with and spaced from the wall 125. Neither the slots 113 and 114 nor the opening 116 extend completely through the kickboard 53 and thus the continuity of the outer face of the kickboard is maintained.
To install the kickboard 53, a clip 107 first is attached to each end of the kickboard. This is achieved by initially moving the clip toward the kickboard to place the retainer 100 in the opening 116, and then by sliding the clip lengthwise of the kickboard to shift the retainer into the slot 113 and to position the associated bolt 101 within the slot 114 (see FIG. 24). Thereafter, the bolt is tightened to clamp the kickboard between the leg 98 and the retainer 100 of the clip 107. It will be noted that the composite slot shaped as a keyhole and formed by the slots 113 and 114 and the opening 116 permits insertion of the retainer 100 and the associated bolt 101 into the slots 113 and 114, respectively, even though these slots do not open out of the edge of the kickboard and are not accessible from the edge as in the case of the slots 71 and 72. Thus, by forming the opening 116 at the ends of the slots 113 and 114, the retainer 100 and the bolt 101 can be inserted into the slots from the comparatively wide inner face of the kickboard.
After the clips 107 have been attached to the kickboard 53, the latter is connected to the side panels 51 by moving the kickboard broadwise toward the side panels to insert the retainers 99 and the associated bolts 101 into the slots 110 and 111 (see FIGS. 2 and 24). The bolts then may be tightened to clamp the panels 51 between the legs 97 and the retainers 99 and thereby anchor the kickboard to the side panels.
After installation of the kickboard 53, the shelf 54 is 30), edgewise and rearwardly to a position located between the side panels 51, the side edges of the shelf being received in grooves 127 (FIG. 2), routed in the inner face of side panels. Before the shelf is slid between the side panels, however, an anchoring clip 129 of the type shown in FIGS. 29 to 32 is clamped to the lower rail 60 midway between the side panels. The clip 129 includes a long vertical leg 130 and a shorter horizontal leg 131 connected to retainers 133 and 134, respectively, by captivated bolts 135. A finger 136 on the retainer 133 engages one side edge of the vertical leg 130 while a finger 137 on the retainer 134 engages the outer edge of the horizontal leg 131, the fingers restricting the retainers against turning.
Before the shelf 54 is placed between the side panels 51, the clip 129 is attached to the lower rail 60 by inserting the retainer 133 into one of the openings 67 located along the rail between the side panels, by shifting the clip lengthwise along the rail within the passage 65 to a position midway between the side panels, and by tightening the bolt 135 to clamp the clip to the rail (see FIGS. 29 and 30). Thereafter, the shelf is moved rearwardly and edgewise toward the anchored clip 129 so that, in effect, the retainer 134 and the associated bolt 135 are inserted into slots 139 and 140 (FIGS. 2, 29 and 20), opening out of the rear edge of the shelf. The slot 140 is formed in the upper surface of the shelf and thus the horizontal leg 131 lies alongside the upper surface. The vertical leg 130 projects above the lower rail and is received in a vertically extending notch 141 formed in the rear edge of the shelf adjacent the slots 139 and 140 so that the rear edge of the shelf may abut directly against the wall 52.
After the shelf 54 has been positioned with the retainer 134 of the clip 129 disposed within the slot 139, the associated bolt 135 is tightened to clamp the shelf between the retainer and the leg 131 (see FIGS. 29 and 30). As a result, the rear of the shelf becomes anchored to the lower rail 60.
The next step in the assembly of the cabinet 50 consists of attaching the face frame 55 to the forward edges of the side panels 51. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the face frame is formed by upright side members 143, by upper and lower cross members 144 and 145, and by an intermediate cross member 146. Formed in the rear face and opening out of the inner side edge of each side member 143 near the lower end portion thereof is a pair of slots 147 and 148 (FIG. 2) which are disposed at the same elevation as a pair of slots 149 and 150 formed in the inner face of each side panel and opening out of the forward edge thereof. Also, a pair of vertically extending slots 151 and 152 (FIGS. 2, 33 and 34) are formed in the rear surface of the lower cross member 145 and open out of the lower edge of the lower cross member. The latter slots are located opposite a pair of horizontally extending slots 153 and 154 formed in the underside of the shelf midway between the side edges thereof and opening out of the forward edge of the shelf.
Prior to positioning the face frame 55 against the forward edges of the side panels 51, the clips 155 (FIGS. 2, 35 and 36) identical to the clip 94 are fitted into each pair of slots 147 and 148 and are clamped to the side members 143 of the face frame. In addition, an identical clip 156 (FIGS. 2, 33 and 34) is fitted into the slots 151 and 152 and is clamped to the lower cross member 145. Thereafter, the face frame 55 is moved broadwise and rearwardly toward the forward edges of the side panels 51 and the shelf 54 so as to insert the clips 155 into the slots 149 and 150 in the side panels and to insert the clip 156 into the slots 153 and 154 in the shelf. The clips 155 then may be clamped to the side panels 51 as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 to anchor the lower portion of the face frame 55 to the lower portions of the side panels.
Next, the clip 156 may be clamped to the shelf 54 (see FIGS. 33 and 34) and, as an incident thereto and in keeping with the invention, the side panels 51 are tied rigidly to one another and are positively prevented from swinging laterally relative to the wall 52. That is, the shelf 54 is anchored to the wall 52 by way of the clip 129 and the lower rail 60 and, when the clip 156 is clamped to the shelf, the latter becomes anchored to the face frame 55 which, in turn, is attached tightly to the side panels 51 by the clips 155. Thus, in addition to being connected directly to the wall 52 by the corner brackets 70 and the lower clips 94, the side panels 51 are further connected to the wall by way of the shelf 54 and the face frame 55 together with the clips 129 and 156 and, as a result, the shelf serves to tie the side panels together to keep the side panels from hinging about their connections with the wall at 70 and 94 and to keep the side panels locked rigidly at right angles to the wall.
After attaching the face frame 55 to the side panels 51 and the shelf 54 with the clips 155 and 156, the upper portion of the face frame is attached to the upper portions of the side panels by corner clips or brackets 160 (FIGS. 2 and 14 to 17). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 14, pairs of vertically extending slots 161 and 162 are located near the ends of the upper cross member 144 of the face frame 55, the slots being formed in the inner or rear face of the cross member and opening out of the upper edge thereof. In addition, vertically extending slots 163 and 164 are formed in the inner face of each side panel 51 at the forward portion thereof and open out of the upper edge of the side panel.
Each of the corner brackets 160 (FIGS. 14 to 17) is identical to the brackets 70 with the exception that the two retainers 165 of the bracket 160 are identical to one another. That is, each retainer includes a finger 166 overlying and engaging the web 167 and located in vertical alinement with the bolt 169 so that the finger may move into the appropriate slot 162 or 164. Installation of the brackets 160 is a simple procedure requiring only the fitting of each bracket into the slots 161, 162 and 163, 164 by moving the bracket downwardly toward the upper edges of the side panel 51 and the face frame 55. The brackets then may be clamped to the side panels and the face frame by tightening the bolts 169 thereby to anchor the upper end portions of the panels to the face frame.
After installation of the brackets 160, the counter top 57 may be attached. This is achieved simply by laying the counter top across the upper edges of the side panels 51 and by anchoring the counter top to the four corner brackets 70 and 160 with the wood screws 93 (FIG. 2) which advantageously extend upwardly through holes in the webs 76, 167 of the brackets.
The final step of assembling the cabinet 50 involves the installation of the drawer slide assembly 56. The latter includes a channel-shaped track 170 (FIGS. 37 to 41) adapted to receive a guide wheel (not shown) or the like fastened to the drawer, the rear end of the track being telescoped tightly into a plastic, sleeve-like bracket 171 (FIGS. 2 and 41) which may be fastened to the wall 52 midway between the side panels 51 by screws or tacks.
At its forward end, the track 170 is constructed in a unique manner and is received partially within vertically extending slots 173 and 174 (FIGS. 2 and 38) formed in the inner face of the intermediate cross member 146 of the face frame 55 and opening out of the upper edge thereof. As shown in FIGS. 37 to 40, a bracket is located at the forward end of the track 170 and includes an upright flange 175 which is riveted to the closed vertical side of the track. Integral with the flange and extending across the forward end of the track is a vertical plate or leg 176 whose upper end is formed integrally with a horizontal leg 177 projecting forwardly from the vertical leg. A C-shaped retainer plate 179 is spaced forwardly of the vertical leg 176 and is connected to the latter by a captivated bolt 180 extending through the vertical leg and threaded into the retainer, the retainer being restricted against turning by virtue of its straight horizontal edge engaging the underside of the leg 177.
To attach the forward end of the track 170 to the cross member 146, the track is simply lowered downwardly toward the cross member to insert the retainer 179 into the slot 173 and to insert the bolt 180 into the slot 174. After the bracket 171 telescoped over the rear end of the track 170 has been attached to the wall 52, the bolt 180 may be tightened to clamp the cross member 146 between the leg 176 and the retainer 179 thereby to anchor the track securely in place. It will be noted that, when the track 170 is installed, the horizontal leg 177 overlies and covers the upper open ends of the slots 173 and 174 and thus the slots are not visible when looking down at the upper side of the cross member 146.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings to the art several versions of new and improved clip-type hardware assemblies and uniquely utilizes the hardware to facilitate assembly of the cabinet 50. With the exception of the counter top 57, the rails 59 and 60 and the drawer slide bracket 171, all of the components of the cabinet are assembled together and are anchored to the wall 52 simply by fitting the hardware into the various slots and by clamping the hardware to the components. In all cases, the slots are made somewhat larger than the retainers and bolts of the various brackets and clips and thus the latter may be adjusted within the slots before being clamped so as to enable the cabinet components to be adjusted as necessary and located in the proper positions relative to one another.
It will be appreciated that the invention applies to different types of cabinets and that several concepts of the invention may be employed interchangeably. For example, instead of using extruded members for the rails 59 and 60, wooden strips (not shown) may be attached to the wall 52, such strips being formed at spaced locations along their length with routed slots defining a keyhole similar to that formed in the kickboard 53 by the slots 113 and 114 and the circular opening 116. Also, keyhole-type slots may be formed in various other ones of the cabinet components in those cases where it may not be desirable or practical to form T-shaped slots opening out of the edges of the components.
The hardware assemblies also are susceptible of various advantageous modifications. As a specific example, a modified corner bracket 160' is shown partially in FIGS. 42 and 43 and includes retainers 165' with fingers 166' which project into slots 185 in the legs 168' instead of overlying the web 167' as in the case of the fingers 166 of the bracket 160. This allows the counter top 57 to lie directly against the web 167' without the fingers 166' being positioned between the counter top and the web.
Still another modified corner bracket 160" is shown partially in FIGS. 44 and 45 and includes a retainer 165" with a finger 166" which engages the lower edge of the leg 168". As a result, when the bracket 160" is installed, the finger 166" will bottom against the curved lower wall of the slots 162 or 164 and will automatically locate the bracket at the proper elevation for installation of the counter top 57. In addition, the counter top may lie directly against the web 167" of the bracket 160".
A clip 186 which may be used in place of the rear shelf clip 129 is shown in FIGS. 46 and 47 and includes a leg 187 connected by a bolt 188 to a retainer 189 and mountable at the rear of the shelf 54 with the retainer 189 insertable into the slot 140 in the shelf. The leg 190 of the clip 186, however, is simply a flat plate formed with holes for receiving wood screws 191 by which the clip may be attached directly to the wall 52. Thus, when the clip 186 is employed, the rear of the shelf 54 is attached directly to the wall 52 instead of being attached to the wall by way of the lower rail 60.
FIGS. 48 and 49 illustrate a clip 193 which may be used in place of, for example, the clips 155. In this instance, retainers 194 and 195 are formed integrally with legs 196 and 197 and are bent reversely away from the legs as indicated at 199. The clip 193 is made of resiliently yieldable sheet metal and thus, when the bolts 200 are tightened, the retainers 194 and 195 hinge about the bends 199 and are drawn toward the legs 196 and 197 so as to clamp the cabinet components between the retainers and the legs.