US20130106268A1

US20130106268A1 - Structure of knockdown cabinet

Info

Publication number: US20130106268A1
Application number: US13/281,457
Authority: US
Inventors: Ming-Hwa Hsu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-10-26
Filing date: 2011-10-26
Publication date: 2013-05-02

Abstract

A structure of knockdown cabinet includes a plurality of connectors and a plurality of partition plates that is coupled to the connectors to form the knockdown cabinet. The connectors each have at least two side faces forming coupling ribs, and coupling ribs are selectively fit into and connectable to coupling slots formed in the partition plates to allows a user to joint the partition plates with the connectors for forming a variable configuration of knockdown cabinet, which allows of reduction and expansion as desired. The partition plates can be of different sizes, so that the partition plates can form storage compartments of different volumes to enhance variability of the cabinet.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a knockdown cabinet, and more particularly to a structure of knockdown cabinet that allows of expansion and modification as desired by a user and is also easy to assemble.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A cabinet is generally provided for a user to place miscellaneous items for storage and organization. Most of the cabinets are made by manufactures for sale to the general consumers. However, since a cabinet occupies quite an amount of space, making it generally difficult to pass through a house door, the manufacture of cabinet often needs to take the size of a doorway into consideration. To handle such a problem, diversified designs of cabinet are now available in the market and some cabinets are now made and sold in a knockdown fashion to allow the general consumers to assemble the cabinet by themselves. The known knockdown cabinet is assembled by securing components thereof together through screwing. This makes the assembling operation very tedious and time inefficient. In addition, the general consumers are not allowed to modify the configuration of a specific knockdown cabinet they purchase. For example, a knockdown cabinet that are originally formed of three layers of shelf or storage cells cannot be changed into a two-layer shelving configuration or a configuration having a shelving structure of more than three layers. Apparently, the knockdown cabinets need further improvement and the present invention aims to overcome such a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the problems discussed above, the present invention aims to provide novel structure of knockdown cabinet that allows of expansion and modification as desired by a user and is also easy to assemble.
An objective of the present invention is thus to provide a knockdown cabinet showing variable configuration through selective combinations of a plurality of connectors and a plurality of partition plates to allow a user to reduce or expand the cabinet as desired. Further, with the partition plate being selectively made of different sizes, a knockdown cabinet having different storage compartments can be formed.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a structure of knockdown cabinet, which comprises a plurality of connectors, each of which has at least two side faces each forming a coupling rib. The coupling ribs are selectively fit into and connectable with coupling slots defined in partition plates, whereby with the coupling ribs serving as interfacing means for connecting multiple partition plates, expansion of the cabinet through mutual connection can be done to provide a knockdown cabinet that can be made larger and more humanistic. With the above arrangement, the drawbacks that the conventional knockdown cabinets can only be assembled by being secured through screwing that makes the assembling operation complicated and labor inefficient and that does not allow a user to change the configuration of the knockdown cabinet so assembled can be overcome to realize practical improvement.
The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a knockdown cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the knockdown cabinet according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a partition plate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a connector according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention jointing two partition plates.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connector forming three coupling ribs according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a connector forming four coupling ribs according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating an application of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a schematic view illustrating an application of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, which show respectively a perspective view and a front view of a knockdown cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of a partition plate, and an enlarged view of a connector connecting two partition plates according to the present invention, the drawings clearly show that the present invention provides a knockdown cabinet 1, which comprises generally a plurality of connectors 2 and a plurality of partition plates 3. Each of the connectors 2 has at least two side faces each forming a coupling rib 21, 22, and the coupling ribs 21 are respectively arranged along directions that are normal to each other at an angle of 90 degrees (as shown in FIG. 4). The partition plates 3 each have opposite side faces respectively forming coupling slots 31, 32, whereby the coupling slot 31 is fit into and connectable to the coupling rib 21 to have the partition plate 3 connected to the connector 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, which show respectively a perspective view and a front view of a knockdown cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a schematic view of a connector having three coupling ribs, the drawings clearly show that the connector 2 has three side faces each forming a coupling rib 21, 22, 23 for connecting the partition plates 3 in an assembling operation, whereby the connector 2 provides a support to sideway expansion of the knockdown cabinet 1 to form a greater number of storage compartments 4.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, which show respectively a perspective view and a front view of a knockdown cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a schematic view of a connector having four coupling ribs, the drawings clearly show that the connector 2 forms a coupling rib 21, 22, 23, 24 on each side face thereof so that each side of the connector 2 is connectable to a partition plate 3 to allow of expansion in multiple directions. This connector 2 is useful for connection at an intermediate location of the knockdown cabinet 1 to form greater height and size of the knockdown cabinet 1.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 7A, which illustrate an application of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention, these drawings clearly show that the knockdown cabinet 1 a according to the present invention generally comprises a plurality of connectors 2 a connecting a plurality of partition plates 3 a, whereby the selective combination of the connectors that have coupling ribs 21 a, 22 a, 23 a, 24 a formed on two or threes sides or each side of the connector with the coupling slots 31 a, 32 a of the partition plates 3 a provides a desired configuration of the knockdown cabinet la, in which the partition plates 3 a can be of different sizes so that when a user wishes to have a knockdown cabinet la that is composed of storage compartments 4 a of different sizes, the partition plates 3 a of different sizes can be jointed in a selected manner to form the storage compartments 4 a of different sizes and also form storage compartments 4 a of inconsistent volume for providing an advantage of diversification and expandability
Preferred embodiments have been described for explanation of the present invention, yet it is understood that such embodiments and details thereof are not intended to constrain the scope of the present invention, which is interpreted solely on the basis of the appended claims and including all modification and equivalents of what described above that are considered within the scope of the present invention.
The present invention, when put into practice, provides the following advantages over the known devices:
Through selective combinations of a plurality of connectors 2 and a plurality of partition plates 3, various and diversified configurations of knockdown cabinet 1 can be formed, allowing a user to reduce or expand the cabinet by himself or herself. Further, through use of partition plates 3 of different sizes, a knockdown cabinet 1 having storage compartments 4 of different sizes can be formed.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A knockdown cabinet, comprising:

a plurality of connectors, each of which has at least two side faces each forming a coupling rib; and

a plurality of partition plates each of which has opposite side faces respectively forming coupling slots for selectively receiving and coupling with the coupling ribs.

2. The knockdown cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the connector has at least three side faces respectively forming coupling ribs.

3. The knockdown cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the connector forms a coupling rib on each of side faces thereof

4. The knockdown cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the partition plates are of different sizes.

5. The knockdown cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the coupling ribs are arranged along directions that are normal to each other at an angle of 90 degrees.