S-box storage unit

• US 8,899,701 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardinal Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cardinal Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Inventors: Walker, Elaine Claire
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilkens, Janet M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROERSMA, ANDREW MARK
• Application Number:
  US12/679,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20100301715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 312/312, 312/306, 312/319.4, 3123195-3198, 312/7.2, 312/247, 312/246, 312/242
• US Class Current: 312/312
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2220/0013 Table or cupboards with upwardly concealable compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 77/08 for incorporating apparatus operated by power, including water power; for incorporating apparatus for cooking, cooling, or laundry purposes

Abstract

A household item (12), such as a microwave oven, can be moved from a lowered storage position to a raised usable position. In the storage position the moving surface lid (14) is flat with the surrounding work surface (10) having been lowered by a manual force and held in place by a suitable catch or latching mechanism. The household item can be raised by pushing the housing slightly downwards, thus releasing the housing from its anchored position. A counterweight (15) greater than the weight of the household item is suspended by way of a wire and pulley system (1a, 1b, 1c) that in turn powers the platform and displaces the lid, on which the household item is located, upwardly.

Claims

1. A storage device adaptable to different thickness worktops having a storage unit for storing kitchen, office, or home appliances, provisions, or equipment and being movable between a raised position and a storage position in which, in the storage position, the storage unit is located within a housing and has a lid flush with an adjacent surface of the worktop, wherein:

the storage device comprises a driving means including a counterweight having a first weight and a pulley operable to move the storage unit between the storage position and the raised position;

the first weight of the counterweight is selected so that in use the counterweight and pulley arrangement exert a greater upward force on the storage unit than the storage unit exerts downwardly such that the storage unit moves toward the raised position when in a free state by the upward force of the counterweight and pulley arrangement alone;

the counterweight is configured to allow for manual alterations thereof so as to increase or decrease the first weight;

the storage unit further comprises guides configured to ensure aligned movement of the storage unit when moved between the raised position and the storage position within the housing;

the counterweight is arranged generally centrally beneath the storage unit when the storage unit is in the raised position and in the storage position;

the driving means and the storage unit are contained within the housing;

the storage unit includes a floor;

the floor of the storage unit, when the storage unit is in the in the raised position, is flush with the adjacent surface of the worktop; and

the storage unit further comprises a latching mechanism having multiple latching positions, each said latching position corresponding to a different stop point for the storage unit such that each stop point permits a different thickness of a worktop to be accommodated such that the lid remains flush with the adjacent surface of the worktop in the storage position.

2. A storage device as claimed in claim 1 in which in the raised position, the storage unit is partly or wholly out of the housing.

3. A lid device as claimed in claim 1 in which the storage comprises a flat surface.

4. A storage device as claimed in claim 3 in which the lid of the storage unit is movable between a lowered position wherein the storage unit comprises a flat horizontal surface and a raised position wherein the storage unit comprises a flat horizontal surface.

5. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes a top surface and the housing includes a work surface, further wherein the top surface is terminated adjacent to the work surface.

6. A storage device as claimed in claim 1 in which the housing includes a base.

7. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, including a linkage arrangement connected to the driving means and arranged to raise the storage unit from the storage position to the raised position when the driving means are activated.

8. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, including a platform supporting the storage unit with the driving means being arranged to move the platform upwardly thereby moving the storage unit from the storage position to the raised position.

9. A storage device as claimed in claim 8, in which the drive means includes a lifting mechanism having at least one guide extending from a top region of the storage unit to a bottom region.

10. A storage device as claimed in claim 9 in which the guide of the lifting mechanism is connected to the platform.

11. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, in which, in the storage position, a top of the storage unit, in plan view, is side-by-side with the housing around a complete extent of the housing.

12. A storage device as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one side of the storage unit is substantially open or accessible.

13. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit is an enclosed storage unit.

14. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, comprising any one or more of an LCD TV, laptop, microwave, spice rack, utensil rack, kettle, knife block or rack, bread machine, fruit, cookies, paperwork, hairdryer, cosmetics, perfume, soaps.

15. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes an upper surface and the housing includes a work surface, further wherein the upper surface is of the same appearance as that of an adjacent surface portion of the work surface.

16. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes a top surface with marble or other work surface on top of the storage unit.

17. A storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit is operable to be fitted to a work surface by suspending the storage unit from said work surface.