Gear/rack flipper door mechanism

• US 5,026,130 A
• Filed: 11/30/1990
• Issued: 06/25/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Soberalski, Edward D., Wright, Alan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Falk, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/620,452
• Time in Patent Office: 207 Days
• Field of Search: 312/323
• US Class Current: 312/323
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/582 with horizontal swinging axis E05D15/581 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/62 Synchronisation of transmission members
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/706 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furnitures, e.g. cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/5045 specially adapted for furniture E06B3/52 takes precedence

Abstract

A storage cabinet is provided with a front opening for access to the interior thereof, and a door is coupled to the cabinet for movement between a closed position wherein the door extends vertically across the access opening, and an open storage position wherein the door is disposed generally horizontally and is positioned at least in partial overlapping relationship directly over the cabinet top wall. A pair of support mechanisms couple the door to the cabinet housing adjacent the upper corners thereof. The support mechanism includes an intermediate support member which is hinged on a bracket secured adjacent the front edge of the housing top wall for swinging movement about a horizontal hinge axis which is located adjacent the front edge of the top wall. A gear is rotatably supported on the intermediate support member with its rotational axis being spaced radially from the hinge axis. The gear is maintained in continuous meshing engagement with an elongate gear rack which is fixed to the inner side of the door and extends generally perpendicularly between the upper and lower edges thereof. A guide track is also fixed to the inner surface of the door in generally parallel relationship to the gear rack. The intermediate support has a guide part which is slidably engaged with the guide track, and which couples the door to the intermediate support so as to permit solely relative sliding therebetween and hinging generally about the hinge axis.

Claims

1. In a storage cabinet having a housing defined by generally parallel top and bottom walls rigidly joined together by side walls, the housing defining therein an interior storage compartment and having an opening in a front side thereof for access to said storage compartment, a door positionable adjacent the front side of said housing when in a closed position for closing off said access opening, and a pair of support mechanisms disposed in sidewardly spaced relationship and connected between said door and said housing for permitting the door to be both swingably moved into an open position wherein the door extends generally horizontally in closed proximity to the elevation of the top wall and linearly into a storage position wherein the door is positioned at least partially closely adjacent and directly over said top wall, the improvement wherein said support mechanisms comprise:

a support bracket fixed to said housing in the vicinity of the front edge of said top wall;

a rigid leverlike support member pivotally mounted on said support bracket about a generally horizontal pivot axis which is fixedly disposed in close proximity to and extends approximately parallel with the front edge of said top wall, said support member being constrained solely for vertical swinging movement about said pivot axis;

elongate linear gear rack means fixed to said door and being accessible solely from the inner surface of the door, said gear rack means being elongate in a direction which extends generally perpendicularly between upper and lower edges of said door when the door is in said closed position;

elongate guide rail means fixed to said door in close proximity to said gear rack means and extending in generally parallel relationship with the elongate direction of said gear rack means;

gear wheel means rotatably supported on said support member for rotation about a generally horizontal rotational axis which is parallel to but spaced radially a predetermined distance from said pivot axis, said gear wheel means being supported on said support member for vertical swinging movement of said rotational axis about said pivot axis due to vertical swinging movement of said support member, said gear wheel means being continuously maintained in meshing engagement with said gear rack means;

said support member having guiding means fixedly mounted thereon and maintained in linear slidable engagement with said guide rail means for permitting solely linear slidably displacement along said rail means in the elongated direction thereof when said door is being moved between said closed and storage positions; and

said support member and said guide rail means having cooperating structure which permits solely said relative slidable movement but which normally prevents separation of said door from said housing.

2. A cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said support mechanisms include a single elongate horizontal shaft which is positioned in close proximity to the front edge of said top wall and which extends generally therealong and has each end thereof nonrotatably coupled to one of said gear wheel means as associated with the respective support mechanism.

3. In a storage cabinet having a housing defined by generally parallel top and bottom walls rigidly joined together by side walls, the housing defining therein an interior storage compartment and having an opening in a front side thereof for access to said storage compartment, a door positionable adjacent the front side of said housing when in a closed position for closing off said access opening ,and a pair of support mechanisms disposed in sidewardly spaced relationship and connected between said door and said housing for permitting the door to be both swingably moved into an open position wherein the door extends generally horizontally in close proximity to the elevation of the top wall and linearly into a storage position wherein the door is positioned at least partially closely adjacent and directly over said top wall, the improvement wherein said support mechanisms comprise

a support bracket fixed to said housing in the vicinity of the front edge of said top wall;

a support member pivotally mounted on said support bracket about a generally horizontal pivot axis which is disposed in close proximity to and extends approximately parallel with the front edge of said top wall;

elongate linear gear rack means fixed to said door and being accessible solely from the inner surface of the door, said gear rack means being elongate in a direction which extends generally perpendicularly between upper and lower edges of said door when the door is in said closed position;

elongated guide rail means fixed to said door in close proximity to said gear rack means and extending in generally parallel relationship with the elongate direction of said gear rack means;

gear wheel means rotatably supported on said support member for rotation about a generally horizontal rotational axis which is parallel to but spaced radially a predetermined distance from said pivot axis, said gear wheel means being maintained in meshing engagement with said gear rack means;

said support member having guiding means fixedly mounted thereon and maintained in linear slidable engagement with said guide rail means for slidably displacement therealong in the elongated direction thereof when said door is being moved between said closed and storage positions, said guiding means and said guide rail means having cooperating structure which permits solely said relative slidable movement but which prevents separation of said door from said housing; and

said guide rail means including a pair of generally parallel and sidewardly spaced elongate guide grooves which extend along said elongate direction and are accessible from the inner side of said door, said guide grooves being undercut in opposite sideward direction, said guiding means of said support member including a pair of generally parallel and sidewardly spaced guide elements which are of generally L-shaped configuration and oppositely sidewardly directed so as to be slidably but captively retained within the pair of guide grooves, said gear rack means being fixedly positioned generally between said guide grooves, and said gear wheel means being positioned sidewardly between said guide elements.

4. A cabinet according to claim 3, wherein said guide elements are elongate in a direction which is perpendicular to a plane containing both of said pivot and rotational axes.

5. A cabinet according to claim 4, wherein said support mechanisms include a single elongate horizontal shaft which is positioned in close proximity to the front edge of said top wall and which extends generally therealong and has each end thereof nonrotatably coupled to one of said gear wheel means as associated with the respective support mechanism.

6. A cabinet according to claim 3, wherein said pivot axis is spaced slightly downwardly from the underside of said top wall and is spaced slightly rearwardly from the front edge of said top wall, and wherein said rotational axis is positioned generally horizontally forwardly from said pivot axis and in approximately the same horizontal plane when the door is in said closed position.

7. A cabinet according to claim 6, wherein said top wall has a small cutout formed therethrough directly adjacent the front edge thereof and directly over said gear wheel means so as to permit said gear wheel means to project upwardly through said cutout when the door is in said storage position.

8. A cabinet according to claim 7, wherein said gear wheel means has a radius which is greater than the radial spacing between said pivot and rotational axes.

9. A cabinet according to claim 7, wherein said door a horizontally-extending upper edge which is disposed substantially flush with the upper surface of said top wall when the door is in said closed position.