This invention relates to cabinets and their manufacture and construction.

Figure 1 shows a conventional design of kitchen cabinet. The cabinet comprises two side walls 1 , 2, a base 3 which bridges between the side walls, a back 4 which is slotted into grooves in the side walls and the base, a door 5 which is hinged to one of the sidewalls and a top 6 which rests on the side walls. Typically the upper surface of the top acts as a work surface once the cabinet is installed. The door is provided with a protruding handle 7. Instead of, or in addition to, a hinged door as shown in figure 1 , the cabinet may be provided with drawers which are supported by runners mounted to the side walls.

Recently, a so-called “linear” design of kitchen has become popular. Figure 2 illustrates the appearance of a linear-style kitchen. A typical linear-style kitchen has visually bold horizontal strips 8 dividing the cabinet fronts, and an absence of protruding handles. Typically, storage may be provided by drawers. The drawers may be stacked vertically and separated by the horizontal strips.

Manufacturers of linear-style kitchens generally provide a dedicated cabinet construction which is adapted to the linear style. Figure 3 shows a cross-section through one example of such a cabinet. In this cabinet there is an upper rail 10 with a concave front finger channel which runs the width of the cabinet. The upper rail is recessed into the front face of the side panel 1 1 of the cabinet. An upper drawer front 12 of the cabinet can be pulled out by the user putting their fingers into the concave finger channel in the upper rail. A lower drawer front 13 can be brought out by the user pushing it inwards to activate a spring-loaded mechanism 14. The upper rail 10 has a rear extension 15 which sits on the top of the worktop side. An additional forward extension (not shown in figure 1 ) may extend under the forward part of the worktop 16 to help strengthen the overhanging portion of worktop. To provide space for the front channel, the worktop 16 can conveniently be supported on beams or spacers 17. This design allows for an absence of protruding handles on both the upper and lower drawers, but it requires the opening mechanism 14 in order to give access to the lower drawer. As an alternative to the opening mechanism, the upper edge of the lower drawer front can be bevelled, creating a lip at the top front edge of the lower drawer front. This allows a user to position their fingers behind the upper drawer front to pull it open. This requires specific shaping of the upper drawer front, which can increase cost and limit interchangeability of components.

For suppliers of kitchens, it is valuable to reduce the amount of stock that is needed to satisfy demand for both conventional and linear-style kitchens.

According to one aspect there is provided a cabinet assembly system comprising: two cabinet side walls, each side wall having a planar front surface; an elongate rail having a concave finger recess exposed at a surface and convex jointing regions spaced apart from each other along the length of the rail, the jointing regions having a common convex profile that extends partially around the circumference of the rail; and a cutting template having (i) a template surface region whose profile matches the convex profile of the jointing regions and (ii) alignment features located on the template such that when they are aligned with corresponding features on each of the cabinet side walls the template surface region is located immediately inboard of the planar front surface of the respective cabinet side wall.

According to a second aspect there is provided a method for assembling a cabinet system as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising: aligning the alignment features of the cutting template with the corresponding features of the first of the side walls; whilst the alignment features remain aligned with the corresponding features of the first of the side walls, cutting the first of the side walls along a path that follows the or each template surface region so as to form one or more recesses in the front surface of the first of the side walls; aligning the alignment features of the cutting template with the corresponding features of the second of the side walls; whilst the alignment features remain aligned with the corresponding features of the second of the side walls, cutting the second of the side walls along a path that follows the or each template surface region so as to form one or more recesses in the front surface of the second of the side walls; attaching each jointing region of the or each rail to a recess of a respective one of the side walls. The template may comprise a rigid sheet having at least one edge. The template surface region may be recessed into the edge of the sheet sufficiently far that it is spaced from the edge.

The alignment features may be rigid elements extending out of the plane of the sheet.

The alignment features may be rigid element that are snugly press-fitted into holes in the sheet.

The said corresponding features may be locations on the external edges of each side wall.

The said corresponding features may be locations on two external edges of each side wall. Those edges may be adjacent to each other. They may be straight edges. They may be non-parallel to each other. They may be edges in the thickness of the respective side wall.

The cabinet assembly system may comprise a second elongate rail having a concave finger recess exposed at a surface and convex jointing regions spaced apart from each other along the length of the second rail, the jointing regions having a common convex profile that extends partially around the circumference of the second rail; and wherein: the cutting template has a second template surface region whose profile matches the convex profile of the jointing regions of the second rail and the alignment features are located on the template such that when they are aligned with the corresponding features on each of the cabinet side walls the second template surface region is located immediately inboard of the planar front surface of the respective cabinet side wall.

The cabinet assembly system may comprise first and second fascia panels, each fascia panel having a length and a height, and wherein: each of the rails defines a range of distances from (a) the distance between the closest parts of the two jointing regions of the respective rail to (b) the distance between the furthest apart parts of the two jointing regions of the respective rail; the length of each fascia panel lies in both those ranges; the template defines a range of distances from (a) the distance between the closest parts of the first and second template surface regions to (b) the distance between the furthest apart parts of the first and second template surface regions; and the height of one of the fascia panels lies in that range.

The fascia panels may be drawer fronts and the system may comprise drawer components for constructing drawers between the side walls with the fascia panels as fronts thereto. Alternatively, one or more of the fascia panels may be cupboard doors.

The upper edges of each of the fascia panels may be planar and perpendicular to the major surface of the respective fascia panel.

Each side wall may be a planar element principally composed of engineered wood.

The concave finger recess of the or each rail may extend along at least 90% of the length of that rail.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a conventional kitchen cabinet.

Figure 2 illustrates one design of linear-style kitchen cabinet.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section through a design of linear-style kitchen cabinet.

Figure 4 is a view of a linear-style kitchen cabinet from above, front and one side, with a lower drawer open and an upper drawer closed.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-section through the cabinet of figure 4.

Figure 6 shows a jig.

Figures 7 shows the jig of figure 6 engaged against the side panel for a kitchen cabinet. Figure 8 is a side view of the jig of figure 6.

Figure 9 shows examples of mid rails in cross-section.

Figure 4 shows a storage cabinet suitable for, for example, a kitchen. It may be used in other applications such as office storage, bedroom storage and so on. The cabinet comprises a left side wall 20, a right side wall 21 , a lower drawer indicated at 22 and an upper drawer indicated at 23. A worktop 24, shown in chain-dotted lines, rests on the upper edges of the sides. The drawers are supported by and travel on runners 25 which are mounted on the side walls. The upper drawer has a drawer front 26. The lower drawer has a drawer front 27. The drawer fronts together form the major part of the fascia of the cabinet. Each drawer front comprises a panel. In this case the panels are flat on their front faces, but they could be shaped, e.g. with decorative moulding or rebating applied to the front surface.

The cabinet has a mid rail 28 and a top rail 29. At least part of each of those rails is exposed to the front of the cabinet when the drawers of the cabinet are closed. The fronts 26, 27 are spaced apart vertically, defining a gap therebetween, the mid rail overlapping that gap in a vertical direction. The upper front 26 is spaced apart vertically from the underside of the worktop 24, defining a gap therebetween, the upper rail overlapping that gap in a vertical direction. These factors mean that when the cabinet is viewed from the front the components that are visible are the fronts 26, 27, the mid and top rails 28, 29 and the worktop 24.

The mid rail 28 spans between the left and right side walls. In this example the laterally outer edges of the mid rail are flush with respective lateral edges of the cabinet, but in embodiments where there is a run of contiguous cabinets a single mid rail could span multiple cabinets. The mid rail has a concavity to the front of the cabinet. In this example the concavity occupies the full vertical height of the mid rail, but the concavity could occupy only part of the vertical height of the mid rail. For example, the mid rail could have planar vertically disposed upper and lower portions on either side of a concave portion. In this example the concavity occupies the full lateral width of the mid rail, but the concavity could occupy only part of the lateral width of the mid rail. For example, the front of the mid rail could have planar vertically disposed left and right portions on either side of a concave portion. The concavity could be smooth or angular. It could be semi-circular or part-rectangular in cross-section. The concavity forms a finger recess. The drawer fronts are configured so that when the drawers are closed the lower edge of the upper drawer front 26 is spaced from the upper edge of the lower drawer front 27. The mid rail is positioned so that (in front view) its concavity overlaps the upper edge of the lower drawer front 27 when the lower drawer 22 is closed. To illustrate this, the position of the lower drawer front when the lower drawer is closed is shown in dotted lines at 30 in figure 4. The fact that the upper edge of the drawer overlaps the concavity of the mid rail means that a user of the cabinet can insert their fingers from the front of the cabinet, between the lower and upper drawer fronts, into the concavity of the mid rail and then behind the top part of the lower drawer front. The user can then pull on the lower drawer front to open the lower drawer. This can avoid the need for a pusher mechanism, and for any need to bevel the upper edge of the lower drawer front. It can permit similar operation of both the upper and lower drawers, which is easier for users to remember than if the two operate differently or have different forms of grip. As shown in figure 4, the mid rail may be positioned so that its concavity overlaps the lower edge of the upper drawer front 26 when the upper drawer 23 is closed. This means that a user of the cabinet can insert their fingers from the front of the cabinet, between the lower and upper drawer fronts, into the concavity of the mid rail and then behind the lower part of the upper drawer front. The user can then pull on the upper drawer front to open the upper drawer

Each drawer front may have an absence of a handle extending from or sunk into the front surface of the drawer front. The absence of a forwardly extending handle reduces the overall space occupied by the cabinet. The absence of an inset handle avoids the need for an operation to process the drawer front to form such a handle.

The top rail 29 spans between the left and right walls 20, 21 . In this example the laterally outer edges of the top rail are flush with respective lateral edges of the cabinet, but in embodiments where there is a run of contiguous cabinets a single top rail could span multiple cabinets. The top rail has a concavity to the front of the cabinet. In this example the concavity occupies the full vertical height of the top rail, but the concavity could occupy only part of the vertical height of the top rail. For example, the top rail could have a planar vertically disposed lower portion below a concave portion. In the example of figure 4 the concavity occupies the full lateral width of the top rail, but the concavity could occupy only part of the lateral width of the top rail. For example, the top rail could have planar vertically disposed left and right portions on either side of a concave portion. The concavity could be smooth or angular. For example, it could be part-circular or part-rectangular in cross-section. The concavity forms a finger recess. The top rail is positioned so that (in front view) its concavity is overlapped by the upper edge of the upper drawer front 26 when the upper drawer 23 is closed. The upper edge of the upper drawer front is spaced from the top of the side walls and from the base of the worktop 24. This means that a user of the cabinet can insert their fingers from the front of the cabinet, between the worktop and the upper drawer front, into the concavity of the top rail and then behind the top part of the upper drawer front. The user can then pull on the upper drawer front to open the upper drawer.

In the example of figure 4, the concavities of the top and mid rails extend across the full width of the cabinet. To accommodate the top and mid rails the sides 20, 21 of the cabinet are recessed. The front edge of each side comprises an upper recess (indicated at 32) which is shaped to snugly accommodate the top rail and a lower recess (indicated at 31 ) which is shaped to snugly accommodate the mid rail. In a vertical cross-section perpendicular to the top rail, the shape of the surface defining the upper recess matches the exterior surface of the top rail, i.e. the surface of the top rail opposite its concavity, and the surface which abuts the cabinet side wall when the cabinet is assembled. In a vertical cross-section perpendicular to the mid rail, the shape of the surface defining the lower recess matches the exterior surface of the mid rail, i.e. the surface of the mid rail opposite its concavity, and the surface which abuts the cabinet side wall when the cabinet is assembled. These recesses 31 , 32 allow the top and mid rails to be secured neatly to the side walls without protruding substantially beyond the front edges of the side walls. This avoids the top and mid rails resisting the drawers from being fully closed with their drawer fronts abutting the front surfaces of the side walls.

In the absence of the recesses 31 , 32 the front edges of the cabinet side walls in the entire region of the drawers (e.g. from the upper edge of the upper drawer to the lower edge of the lower drawer) could be straight. This would allow the cabinet side walls to be used for conventional constructions such as the one illustrated in figure 1 . A convenient way to distribute the cabinet, and especially the cabinet walls, is to distribute the cabinet walls without the cut outs 31 , 32. The cabinet walls may be stored and delivered to an intended construction side without the cut outs 31 , 32 being present. The fronts of the side walls could at that stage be straight. Optionally, an upper region of the side wall fronts (that region occupying e.g. greater than 60% or greater than 80% of the height of the side walls) may be straight and the remainders of the side wall fronts may be set back from those regions so as to provide a kick space under the drawers. Preferably a major region of the front of each side wall is straight, and most preferably planar across the thickness of the side wall. Once the side walls have been transported to an intended construction site, the side walls may be cut (e.g. with a saw, router or other tool) to form the recesses 31 , 32 to accommodate the top and mid rails. This may be done before the walls are assembled to the back 33 of the cabinet or afterwards. Then the top and mid rails may be attached to the side walls. The top and mid rails may be supplied together with the side walls, e.g. as part of a kit of parts for constructing a cabinet. With this system, the same side walls may be distributed for conventional cabinets (e.g. of the type shown in figure 1 ) and for linear style cabinets. If a side wall is to be used for a conventional cabinet its straight front region can remain intact during assembly. If a side wall is to be used for a linear-style cabinet a recess can be cut into its straight front region at the point of assembly. This approach enables a cabinet supplier or installer to satisfy requirements for conventional and linear-style cabinets from a common stock of side walls.

To facilitate the forming of the recesses 31 , 32 a jig or template may be provided. Figure 6 shows an example of such a jig. In this example the jig is generally in the form of a sheet of rigid material. It could be formed of, for example, metal (e.g. steel or aluminium), wood (e.g. natural or engineered wood), a plastics material or a composite material. The jig comprises a body 40. The body is of generally planar or sheet form. The body has a major surface which abuts a major surface of a cabinet side wall when the jig is positioned home against a side wall. The periphery of the body defines a first contour 41 and a second contour 42. The body has one or more registration features 43, 44, 45 which are adapted to permit the body to be registered positionally with a cabinet side. The registration features extend out of the plane of the sheet. In this example the registration features are defined by pegs. They could be defined by walls, studs, pins or any other suitable elements. The registration features can engage the periphery of a cabinet side wall so that the jig can be translationally and rotationally set in a predefined position with respect to that side wall. In this example (see figure 7) a first peg 43 is positioned to engage the base of the cabinet side wall, a second peg 44 is positioned to engage a first location on the front of the cabinet side wall and a third peg 45 is positioned to engage a second location on the front of the cabinet side wall. Preferably the registration features are configured to engage at least three locations on the periphery of the cabinet side wall, so that the jig can be kept in known registration with the side wall when those features are held abutting the side wall. One or more of the registration features may, as an alternative to abutting the periphery of the cabinet side wall, be configured to be aligned visually with a location on the cabinet side wall. For example, the jig may be positioned in its correct registration with the side wall when an edge of the jig is aligned with an edge of the cabinet side wall or with a fiducial mark that is printed or inscribed on the cabinet side wall. The contours 41 and 42 are shaped, and are positioned relative to the registration features, to guide an operator to form the recesses 31 , 32 in a cabinet side. Contour 41 is shaped to match the size and shape of recess 31 . Contour 42 is shaped to match the size and shape of recess 42. Contour 41 is positioned on the jig so that when the jig is properly aligned by means of the registration features with the cabinet side it is coincident with the boundary of the correct position of recess 31 . Contour 42 is positioned on the jig so that when the jig is properly aligned by means of the registration features with the cabinet side it is coincident with the boundary of the correct position of recess 32. When the jig is positioned properly against a cabinet side wall (as shown in in figure 7), an operator can cut the cabinet wall around paths perpendicular to the wall and coincident with the boundaries of the contours 41 , 42 to thereby form the recesses 31 , 32 in the correct locations to receive the top and mid rails 29, 28. Each contour is defined by a portion of a front face of the jig.

Figure 7 shows the jig positioned against a cabinet side wall. The major part of the jig is of planar form. The registration features 43, 44, 45 extend out of the plane. Registration features 44 and 45 are abutted against the front face 50 of the side wall. Registration feature 43 is abutted against the lower face 51 of the side wall. The registration features are positioned such that whilst they all remain abutted against the requisite walls, the jig can only adopt one position and orientation relative to the side wall. In this way the registration features allow the jig to be unambiguously located relative to the side wall. Figure 7 shows that when the jig is properly located with respect to the side wall the contours 41 , 42 are located immediately inboard of the front face of the side wall. This allows them to serve as templates for the cutting of the recesses 31 , 32. The locations of those recesses are indicated at 52, 53 in figure 7.

When the jig is being used, it is convenient to lay the side panel flat and to position the jig on top of the side panel. This means that the side panel can be cut by a jigsaw supported by the side panel and/or the jig. The jig can be clamped in position during cutting.

The layout of the jig is shown more clearly in figure 8. The inner edges of the front registration features, which are configured to abut against the front face of the cabinet side wall, lie on an axis 55. The contours 41 , 42 extend inboard of that axis: that is on the opposite side of that axis (or of a plane containing that axis and perpendicular to the face of the jig) from the front registration features (or from the neighbouring or front wall of the jig). Thus, the contours 41 , 42 are recessed into the edge 58 of the jig to such an extent that they are spaced from that edge. The contours 41 , 42 are located on the opposite side of axis 55 from the edge. The contours 41 , 42 terminate at the axis 55. This configuration allows a saw to cut into the cabinet side wall, entering in a direction from the front of the jig (edge 58) when the jig is properly abutted to the side wall, without cutting the jig in the process. Thus, behind the front edge 58 of the jig, each contour 41 defines part of the edge of a recessed region which comprises a forward portion 56 and a rearward portion 57. The forward portion 56 lies outboard of the axis 55. The rearward portion lies inboard of the axis 55 and will therefore overlap the cabinet side wall when the jig is properly positioned against a cabinet side wall. The axis also runs through both locations on the front registration features 44, 45 which abut the cabinet side wall when the jig is properly located against the side wall.

In a convenient form, the jig has the following features:

1 . A rigid body generally in the form of a planar sheet. The rigid body may optionally carry handles or other elements which extend out of the plane of the sheet in a first direction. That direction will be away from the workpiece when the jig is engaged with a workpiece.

2. A first abutment which extends out of the plane of the sheet in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The first abutment extends in a direction parallel with the plane of the sheet. The first abutment may be provided by a single elongate rib or by multiple isolated pegs. The first abutment is intended to make contact over an extended length with structure such as an edge surface of the workpiece. When the first abutment makes contact with the workpiece over an extended length, it can locate the jig relative to the workpiece in a rotational sense about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the sheet.

3. A second abutment which extends out of the plane of the sheet in the second direction. The second abutment is intended to make contact with structure such as an edge surface of the workpiece different from the edge surface with which the first abutment is intended to make contact. When the second abutment makes contact with the second edge surface of the workpiece and the first abutment simultaneously makes contact with the first edge surface over an extended length, and the first edge surface is non-parallel with the second edge surface, the abutments can collectively locate the jig relative to the workpiece in both a rotational and a translational sense.

4. A template structure. The template structure can be an edge of the jig which constitutes a cutting guide. The template structure can match the regions of one or both of the rails at their interfaces with the side walls. Thus the template structure may comprise a region whose profile is identical to the profile (perpendicular to the length of the mid rail) of the rear surface of the mid rail at the region along its length where it mates to a side of the cabinet. The template structure may comprise a second region whose profile is identical to the profile (perpendicular to the length of the top rail) of the rear surface of the top rail at the region along its length where it mates to a side of the cabinet. The template structure may be positioned on the sheet such that when the sheet is located against the side wall of a cabinet as a workpiece, in the manner described above under point 2, the template structure overlies the side wall and preferably terminates at points aligned with an edge of the side wall. That may preferably be the edge against which the first abutment is located.

5. One or more accessways whereby the template structure can be accessed by a tool extending through the plane of the sheet. Each accessway may be a passage extending from an edge of the sheet to a hole in the sheet, the boundary of the hole being in part defined by a portion of the template structure. It is preferred that each accessway extends to the edge of the sheet through material that is on the opposite side of the contact region of the first abutment (i.e. the line along which it is intended to make contact with the cabinet side wall) from the respective hole. This can facilitate the introduction of a cutting tool into the hole to form a cut-out that will match the rear shape of a rail.

Under this approach, manufacturers and suppliers of a cabinet components can manufacture, store and supply cabinet walls of a single type to serve both conventional and linear-style kitchen manufacture. For the manufacture of a conventional kitchen, an installer can procure cabinet walls of the type shown in figure 7, without the cutouts for receiving mid and top rails. The installer can then straightforwardly assemble a cabinet of the type shown in figure 1. For the manufacture of a linear-style kitchen, an installer can procure cabinet walls of the type shown in figure 7. Then the installer can make cutouts in the cabinet walls using the jig shown in figure 7. The cutouts can conveniently be made at the site where the cabinet is to be installed. Then the installer can assemble a cabinet of the type shown in figure 4. The cutouts could be made when the cabinet is partially assembled, for example once the cabinet sides are attached to its back and/or top.

In the example of figure 4, the cabinet has two drawers arranged one above the other, and correspondingly a mid rail 28 and a top rail 29. The cabinet could have a single mid rail, as shown in figure 4. The cabinet could have a single drawer (in which case it may have no mid rail), or more than two drawers (in which case it may have multiple mid rails). Multiple drawers could be arranged side-by-side and/or one above the other. The cabinet could have one or more hinged doors instead of or in addition to drawers. In each case, the cabinet would have one or more rails such as rails 28 and 29 which are concave and extend across the cabinet, each rail being set into respective recesses in the front edge of the cabinet side wall.

With the recessed mid and/or top rails, the fronts of door(s) and/or drawer(s) need not be provided with handles or shapings such as bevels. A user may position their fingers behind a door or drawer front by putting their fingers in the concavity provided by a mid or top rail. An upper drawer front or cupboard door may be pulled by a user putting their finger in a concavity in a top rail, as described above, or by putting their finger in a concavity in a mid rail which concavity overlaps the lower edge of the upper drawer front or cupboard door. In that implementation a top rail of the type described above may be omitted. The or each door or drawer front may be provided with no mechanical pusher, since it may be pulled by a user as described above.

Figure 9 shows examples of some suitable designs for a mid or top rail. In each case the rails are shown in cross-section, the convex profile for joining to the cabinet side walls is shown at 60 and the concave finger recess is shown at 61 . Rail 62 has a straight-sided joining profile 60. Rail 62 is formed of a sheet material and the concave profile 61 follows the convex profile 60. Rail 63 has a curved joining profile 60. Rail 63 is formed of a material having greater thickness than that of rail 62, allowing the concave and convex profiles to have different shapes.

Different jigs may be provided for different rail profiles, or a jig may have profiles matching one form or rail on one edge and profiles matching another form of rail on another edge. Alignment features on the jig may be movable for different sizes of cabinet side wall or to suit different rail profiles. This may conveniently be done by providing a set of holes on the jig to suit each application, and a set of pegs that can be press fitted into the appropriate holes to configure the jig as required.

The cabinet side walls and the rails may be formed of any suitable material. For example, they may be formed of wood (natural or engineered), which may be coated with a foil (e.g. a polymer sheet). Alternatively, the rails may be formed of metal, (e.g. extruded aluminium). The rails may be attached to the side walls by any suitable mechanism, for example adhesive, screws, nails or clips. Each rail is attached to both side walls. The location at which each rail is attached to a side wall is such that the profile of the rail matches that of the recess in the front surface of the side wall at which the rail is attached. In the example shown in the figures the fronts 26, 27 are the fronts of drawers. They could be hinged or sliding cupboard fronts.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.