Cabinet system and method of assembling same

• US 6,443,542 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lindquist, Stephen E., Mondor, Robert M., Tousignant, Phil, Staples, James F., Ganon, Kenneth D., Olson, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fisher, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/576,500
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 312/107, 312/111, 312/198, 312/199, 312/200, 312/237, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 312/223.6
• US Class Current: 312/198
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/008 Rectangular cabinets or racks in a side-by-side arrangement

Abstract

A cabinet system includes first and second cabinets each including first and second side walls, upper and lower rectilinear frames extending between the side walls at vertically spaced-apart locations therealong and weldments connecting the upper and lower frames to the side walls to form a rigid housing. A pair of spaced-apart locating holes are formed in the side wall of the first cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof and an additional locating hole is present in the first wall of the first cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof. Further, a pair of spaced-part locating pins are provided in the second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof along with an additional locating pin in the side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof. The locating pins of the second cabinet are arranged and adapted to slide into the corresponding ones of the locating holes of the first cabinet when the second side wall of the second cabinet is positioned flush against the first side wall of the first cabinet so as to align the cabinets in the X and Y directions. Fasteners are provided for securing the second side wall of the second cabinet to the first side wall of the first cabinet. A method of aligning the two cabinets is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A cabinet system comprising

pair of spaced-apart, upstanding, parallel, elongated side walls, each side wall consisting of a rigid plate having upper and lower edges;

upper and lower rectilinear box frames extending between said side walls at vertically spaced locations therealong;

upper and lower weldments connecting said upper and lower frames to said side walls to form a rigid, welded-together, box-like housing defining at least one interior compartment for contents that may be spaced from the housing exterior solely by the thickness of each plate;

a pair of spaced-apart locating pins connected directly to the lower frame and projecting laterally from one of said side walls;

a third locating pin connected directly to the upper frame and projecting laterally from said one of said side walls, and

a bolt hole extending through said one of said side walls adjacent to said upper frame.

2. The cabinet system defined in claim 1 and further including

a third rectilinear frame extending between said side walls between said upper and lower frames, and

a third weldment connecting said third frame to said side walls to define upper and lower interior compartments between said side walls.

3. The cabinet system defined in claim 1 and further including a base connecting the lower edges of said plates.

4. The cabinet system defined in claim 3 and further including

a plurality of spaced-apart wheels extending down from said base, and

a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically adjustable levelers extending down from said base.

5. The cabinet system defined in claim 3 and further including a top wall structure connecting the upper edges of said plate above said frames.

6. A cabinet system comprising

first and second cabinets each including first and second side walls, upper and lower rectilinear frames extending between the side walls at vertically spaced locations therealong and weldments connecting the upper and lower frames to said side walls to form a rigid housing;

a pair of spaced-apart first locating means extending laterally from the first side wall of said first cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof;

an additional first locating means in the first wall of said first cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof;

a pair of spaced-part second locating means in the second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof;

an additional second locating means in said second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof, said first locating means being arranged and adapted to slidably interfit with the corresponding ones of said second locating means when said second side wall of the second cabinet is positioned flush against the first side wall of the first cabinet, and

fastener means for securing the second side wall of the second cabinet to the first side wall of the first cabinet.

7. The cabinet system defined in claim 6 wherein said first locating means comprise holes and said second locating means comprise tapered locating pins.

8. The cabinet system defined in claim 7 wherein said additional first locating means is a vertically elongated hole.

9. The cabinet system defined in claim 7 wherein the pair of first locating means comprise different size holes.

10. The cabinet system defined in claim 6 wherein each cabinet also includes

a generally horizontal base extending between the first and second side walls of that cabinet below the lower frame thereof;

a plurality of spaced-apart wheels extending down from said base, and

a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically adjustable levelers extending down from said base.

11. The cabinet system defined in claim 10 wherein each cabinet also includes

a third rectilinear frame extending between the first and second side walls between said upper and lower frames, and

additional weldments connecting said third frame to said first and second side walls to define upper and lower interior compartments between said first and second side walls of each cabinet.

12. The cabinet system defined in claim 6 wherein said fastener means comprise a bolt extending through the second side wall of the second cabinet and the first side wall of the first cabinet adjacent to the upper frames of said cabinets, and

means for holding the bolt in place.

13. The cabinet system defined in claim 12 wherein the holding means comprise a threaded hole that receives the bolt.

14. The cabinet system defined in claim 13 and further including

a first a pair of bolt holes in the first side wall of the first cabinet adjacent to lower frame thereof;

a second pair of bolt holes in the second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the lower frame, thereof, said second pair of bolt holes being in alignment with the first pair of bolt holes when said first locating means interfit with said second locating means, and

fasteners extending through said bolt holes for securing said cabinets together.

15. A method of assembling a cabinet system composed of first and second cabinets each cabinet including first and second side walls, upper and lower rectilinear frames extending between the side walls at vertically spaced locations therealong and weldments connecting the upper and lower frames to the side walls to form a rigid housing, said method comprising the steps of

forming a pair of spaced-apart locating holes in the first side wall of the first cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof;

forming a third locating hole in the first wall of the first cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof;

providing a pair of spaced-apart laterally extending locating pins in the second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the lower frame thereof;

providing a third laterally extending locating pin in the second side wall of the second cabinet adjacent to the upper frame thereof, the locating holes of the first cabinet being positioned correspondingly to the locating pins of the second cabinet;

locating and leveling the first cabinet on a support surface;

moving the second cabinet to a position on the support surface next to the first cabinet so that the second side wall of the second cabinet is opposite the first side wall of the first cabinet and close enough to said first wall that the pair of locating pins of the second cabinet extend partially into the pair of locating holes of the first cabinet;

using a first threaded fastener extending through opposing walls of the two cabinets at a location adjacent to the cabinet lower frames and one of the pair of locating pins and locating holes, drawing the two cabinets together so that one of the pair of locating pins seats in the corresponding one of the pair of locating holes thereby aligning the lower ends of the two cabinets in the X and Y directions;

using a second threaded fastener extending through opposing walls of the two cabinets at a location adjacent to the cabinet upper frames and the third locating pin and locating hole, drawing the upper ends of the two cabinets together so that the upper ends of the cabinets are brought into alignment in the X and Y directions, and

using a third threaded fastener extending through the opposing walls of the two cabinets at a location adjacent to the cabinet lower frames and the other of the pair of locating pins and locating holes, drawing the two cabinets together so that said other of the pair of locating pins seats in the corresponding other of the pair locating holes thereof completing the joinder of the two cabinets in side-by-side alignment.

16. The method defined in claim 15 including additional step of positioning levelers between the second cabinet and the support surface so that the entire weight of the second cabinet is borne by the support surface.

17. The method defined in claim 15 including the step of forming the third locating hole with vertical elongation.

18. The method defined in claim 15 including the step of dimensioning the pair of locating holes so that said one of the pair of locating holes provides a tight fit for the corresponding one of the pair of locating pins and the other of the pair of locating holes provides a looser fit for the corresponding other of the pair of locating pins.