TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to cabinets and, more particularly, to corner cabinets.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Corner cabinets typically include an L-shaped casing establishing an L- shaped interior, and a door having two sections hinged together and disposed at a right angle to one another with one of the sections pivotably hinged to the casing. Also, corner cabinets usually include fixed L-shaped shelving or a Lazy Susan having notched circular shelves carried by the casing in the interior. Although such corner cabinets are widely accepted and successfully commercialized, access to contents in the interior may be difficult and/or utilization of interior storage space may be less than optimal.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

[0003] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a corner cabinet drawer (14, 114) includes first and second drawer modules (36a, b, 136a, b) each including drawer frames (38a, b, 138a) having side walls (46a, b 146a), rear walls (52a, b, 152a), and front walls (54a, b, 154a), wherein the drawer modules are pivotable between a side-by-side closed position and a spread-apart open position. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a corner cabinet (10, 110) includes the corner cabinet drawer translatably and pivotably mounted with respect to a cabinet housing (12), and including drawer articulators (40a, b, 41 a, b, 60a, b, 140a, 141 a, 160a, b) coupled to the cabinet housing and to the drawer, wherein the first and second drawer modules are translatable via the drawer articulators from a stored position with respect to the cabinet housing to the extended closed position and the spread-apart open position. Aspects of the individual drawer modules are also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view according to an illustrative embodiment of a corner cabinet of the present disclosure, and illustrating a cabinet housing, a countertop, and closed doors and drawers; [0005] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG.

1 , and illustrating a corner drawer translated outwardly and in a partially extended position;

[0006] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 1 , and illustrating the corner drawer in a deployed position wherein drawer modules have been extended and spread apart;

[0007] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view according to another illustrative embodiment of a corner cabinet of the present disclosure, and illustrating a cabinet housing, a countertop, and a left corner drawer module being opened and a closed right corner drawer module; [0008] FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, omitting the right corner drawer module, and illustrating the left corner drawer module in a partially extended position;

[0009] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, and illustrating the left corner drawer module in a closed position and showing a portion of an articulator; [0010] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, omitting the left and right corner drawer modules and illustrating the left articulator;

[0011] FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional front end view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, illustrating the left corner drawer module in a closed position; and

[0012] FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, illustrating the right corner drawer module in a closed position and the left corner drawer module in an extended position; [0013] FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, illustrating the right corner drawer module in a closed position and the left corner drawer module in a deployed position, extended and pivoted to a spread open position; and

[0014] FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the corner cabinet of FIG. 4, omitting the right corner drawer module, and illustrating the left corner drawer module in the deployed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In general, an articulatable corner drawer will be described using one or more examples of illustrative embodiments of a residential kitchen corner cabinet having an L-shape with one leg of the L-shape longer than the other. However, it will be appreciated as the description proceeds that the presently disclosed corner drawer is useful in many different applications and may be implemented in many other embodiments. For example, the corner cabinet may have legs of equal length, and may be used in bathrooms, workshops, or any other location in residential applications, or in any suitable location in hospitals, restaurants, offices, factories, or any other commercial or industrial applications. [0016] Referring specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a corner cabinet 10 including a casing or housing 12, an articulatable corner drawer 14 translatably and pivotably carried with respect to the housing 12, upper drawers 16 translatably carried by the housing 12 and lower doors 18 pivotably carried by the housing 12 on either side of the corner drawer 14, and a countertop 20 carried on the housing 12. FIG. 2 shows the corner drawer 14 moved partially out of the housing 12

[0017] With reference to FIG. 3, the corner cabinet 10 is L-shaped, having a longer left portion 10a that has a first length extending along a first length axis A1 , and a shorter right portion 10b that has a second length extending along a second length axis A2. Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in other embodiments, the right portion 10b could be longer than the left portion 10a or the left and right portions 10a, b could be of equal length. The corner cabinet 10 may include left and right rear walls 22a, b that may be disposed at a right angle with respect to one another and that may not connect directly to one another, a corner wall 24 that may be disposed at forty-five-degree angles with respect to the rear walls 22a, b and that may have a central space or opening 26 to accommodate extension of the corner drawer 14 therethrough. The corner cabinet 10 further may include left and right front walls 28a, b, and left and right end walls 30a, b extending between the rear and front walls 28a, b. The corner cabinet 10 also may include upper and lower walls 32, 34 respectively connecting the other walls, and/or various cross-members, struts, reinforcement members, or the like connecting two or more of the walls. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the various walls may be panels in and of themselves, or surfaces of panels, or the like.

[0018] With continued reference to FIG. 3, the corner drawer 14 includes first and second drawer modules 36a, b that may include drawer frames 38a, b, upper tracks 40a, b and lower tracks 41 a, b carried by the drawer frames 38a, b, and doors 42a, b being carried by the drawer frames 38a, b and disposed at a right angle with respect to one another and having handles 44a, b. The drawer modules 36a, b are in a side-by-side facing relationship and are linearly translated out of the housing 12 along a direction that extends at about forty-five-degree angles with respect to the longitudinal/length axes of the left and right portions 10a, b of the corner cabinet 10. The drawer frames 38a, b each may include a plurality of walls including side walls 46a, b, top walls 48a, b, bottom walls 50a, b, rear walls 52a, b, and front walls 54a, b disposed at a right angle with respect to one another, wherein the walls establish closed outboard sides and open inboard sides facing one another when in the stored and closed/extended positions of the drawer modules 36a, b. The front walls 54a, b may be constituted by the doors 42a, b or may be separate panels or the like in addition to the doors 42a, b and to which the doors 42a, b are coupled. The tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b may be fixed to the drawer frames 38a, b against movement with respect thereto and may be carried, respectively, by the top walls 48a, b and the bottom walls 50a, b of the frames 38a, b.

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates the corner drawer 14 deployed out of the housing 12. The drawer modules 36a, b translate outwardly on the tracks 40a, b to an extended position, and then spread apart from one another to an open position, wherein the modules 36a, b may be disposed at a right angle with respect to one another. Conversely, the drawer modules 36a, b pivotably fold or collapse closed toward one another back to the extended position and then translatably slide inwardly into the cabinet housing 12 back to the stored position of FIG. 1.

[0020] In this regard, FIG. 3 also illustrates that the corner drawer 14 may include a hinge 56 pivotably coupling the drawer modules 36a, b to one another, for example, at rear inboard corners 58a, b thereof. Likewise, FIG. 3 further illustrates that the corner cabinet 10 may include upper drawer supports 60a, b having cabinet ends 62a, b coupled to an undersurface of the countertop and/or to an upper frame portion of the cabinet housing 12, and oppositely disposed drawer ends 64a, b translatably and pivotably coupled to the upper tracks 40a, b to allow the drawer modules 36a, b to be translated and pivoted outwardly. Likewise, the corner cabinet 10 also may include lower drawer supports 61 a, b having cabinet ends 63a, b coupled to a floor or a lower frame portion of the cabinet housing 12 and oppositely disposed drawer ends 65a, b translatably and pivotably coupled to the lower tracks 41 a, b to allow the drawer modules 36a, b to be translated and pivoted outwardly. Additionally, the cabinet ends 62a, b of the supports 60a, b may be fixed to the cabinet 12 against translation and/or rotation of the supports 60a, b relative to the cabinet 12. Or, as illustrated, the cabinet ends 62a, b may be retained to the cabinet 12 but in a manner suitable to allow translation of the upper and lower supports 60a, b and 61 a, b, for example, by being translatably carried on upper and lower tracks 66a, b and 67a, b that may be fixed to the cabinet 12, or in any other manner suitable to allow translation and/or rotation of the supports 60a, b and 61 a, b relative to the cabinet 12.

[0021] The supports 60a, b and 61 a, b may include brackets having mounting holes, slots, scalloped edges, apertures, or the like to facilitate mounting of the brackets to the cabinet 12, the cabinet drawer(s) 38a, b, and/or a floor, and also may include track followers 68, which may include rollers, other tracks or linear guides or portions thereof, pins, shoes, or any other type of track followers suitable for cooperating with corresponding tracks to facilitate linear and pivotable motion. The supports 60a, b and 61 a, b and the tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b may be coupled to the cabinet 12 and the drawer modules 36a, b using separate fasteners or retainers, integral fastening arrangements, adhesive, and/or in any other manner suitable for use with cabinet hardware. In this regard, the drawer ends 64a, b and 65a, b of the supports 60a, b and 61 a, b may include track followers 68 carried in the drawer module tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b, and the tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b may extend over the majority of the length of the top walls 48a, b and bottom walls 50a, b of the module frames 38a, b, from a location at or near the front walls 54a, b to a location at or near the rear walls 52a, b. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, conversely, the tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b could be carried by the cabinet housing 12 and the followers 68 could be carried by the drawer modules 36a, b. [0022] In any case, the tracks 40a, b and 41 a, b and the track followers may constitute examples of portions of drawer articulators coupled to the cabinet housing 12 (or the countertop and/or a floor) and to the drawer frames 38a, b, such that the drawer modules 36a, b are translatable via the drawer articulators from the stored position to the extended position with respect to the cabinet housing 12, and are pivotable about vertical axes to a deployed, spread-apart open position with respect to one another and the housing 12. Accordingly, portions of upper drawer articulators are coupled to the drawer frames 38a, b such as the top walls 48a, b thereof, and portions of lower drawer articulators are coupled to the drawer frames 38a, b such as the bottom walls 50a, b thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, upper tracks 40a, b of upper drawer articulators are coupled to top walls 48a, b of the drawer frames 38a, b, and upper supports 60a, b are coupled to corresponding upper portions of the cabinet frames 38a, b or countertop 20 and include track followers 68 to cooperate with the upper tracks 40a, b to facilitate articulation of the drawer modules 36a, b relative to the cabinet 12. Likewise, lower tracks 41 a, b of lower drawer articulators are coupled to bottom walls 50a, b of the drawer frames 38a, b, and lower supports 61 a, b are coupled to corresponding lower portions of the cabinet frames 38a, b and include track followers 68 to cooperate with the lower tracks 41 a, b to facilitate articulation of the drawer modules 36a, b relative to the cabinet 12.

[0023] Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the drawer frame front walls 54a, b are disposed at acute angles with respect to the drawer frame side walls 46a, b, and the rear walls 52a, b are disposed at right angles with respect to the side walls 46a, b. In other embodiments, the rear walls 52a, b may be disposed at obtuse angles with respect to the side walls 46a, b, and the front walls 54a, b may be disposed at right angles with respect to the side walls 46a, b. Moreover, each drawer module 36a, b may also include one or more shelves 70a, b, which may be supported by the rear walls 52a, b and front walls 54a, b, such that the corner drawer modules 36a, b may be mirrored shelving modules. The shelves 70a, b and the bottom wall may include inboard lips to prevent items from sliding off of those structures. [0024] Although not illustrated, in another embodiment, a corner drawer may include a unitary single drawer instead of the illustrated drawer modules 36a, b wherein the single drawer may be drawn out of the cabinet 10 and then pivoted to one side to allow access to an inside of the single drawer. [0025] FIGS. 4 through 11 illustrate another illustrative embodiment of a corner cabinet 110. This embodiment is similar in many respects to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 3 and like numerals between the embodiments generally designate like or corresponding elements throughout the several views of the drawing figures. Accordingly, the descriptions of the embodiments are hereby incorporated into one another, and description of subject matter common to the embodiments generally may not be repeated.

[0026] With reference to FIG. 4, the corner cabinet 110 includes the cabinet housing 12 and countertop 20 described previously, and also includes a presently disclosed corner drawer 114 carried by the cabinet housing 12 and constructed and operated according to the presently disclosed embodiment. The corner drawer 114 includes corner drawer modules 136a, b, which, as illustrated, may be independently translatable with respect to one another. Likewise, as will be described further herein below, the drawer modules 136a,b, also may be independently pivotable. In any case, the modules 136a,b will be described with reference to a left module 136a. The module 136a includes a frame 138a, one or more tracks 140a, 141 a coupled to the frame 138a, and a front door 142a coupled to the frame 138a.

[0027] With reference to FIG. 5, the frame 138a includes a plurality of walls including a side wall 146a, a bottom wall 150a, a rear wall 152a, and a shelf 170a. The rear wall 152a may be disposed at an acute angle to the side wall

146a. The side wall 146a may include an upper side wall 174a establishing an outboard side of the drawer frame 138a and a lower side wall 176a laterally offset from the upper side wall 174a in an inboard direction and carrying the tracks 140a, 141 a. The lower side wall 176a may be a single component or may include a drawer panel 178a and a shim 180a coupled to an outboard side of the drawer panel 178a and carrying the tracks 140a, 141 a. Also, the upper side wall 174a may include a rearward portion 173a and a forward portion 175a laterally offset from the rearward portion 173a in an inboard direction. One or more of the offsets of the side wall 146a facilitate pivoting of the drawer module 136a to a wider angle against an adjacent portion of the cabinet 10 than otherwise would be possible.

[0028] In any case, the tracks 140a, 141 a may constitute examples of portions of a drawer articulator coupled to the cabinet housing 12 (or the countertop and/or a floor) and to the drawer frame 138a, such that the drawer module 136a is translatable via the drawer articulator from the stored position to the extended position with respect to the cabinet housing 12, and is pivotable about a vertical axis to a deployed, spread-apart or spread open position. The drawer articulator includes a side drawer support 160a coupled between the drawer frame 138a and the cabinet housing 12 and the tracks 140a, 141 a carried by the side wall 146a of the drawer frame 138a. The tracks 140a, 141 a may be fixed to the drawer frame 138a against movement with respect thereto and may be carried, respectively, by the lower side wall 176a of the frame 138a.

[0029] With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the side drawer support 160a includes a cabinet bracket 182a coupled to the cabinet housing 12, and a drawer bracket 184a coupled to the drawer module 136a and pivotably coupled to the cabinet bracket 182a about a vertical axis, e.g. via a hinge 186a. The cabinet bracket 182a may be fixed to a side wall 13a of the cabinet housing 12. The drawer bracket 184a may be translatably coupled to the side wall 146a of the drawer frame 138a. The drawer bracket 184a carries upper and lower followers 183a, 185a on which the tracks 140a, 141 a (FIG. 5) of the drawer module 136a are translatably carried. The followers 183a, 185a may include linear guides, tracks, or any other componentry suitable to facilitate translation of the drawer module 136a with respect to the cabinet housing 12. The followers 183a, 185a and/or the tracks 140a, 141a may include bearings, rollers, or any other suitable rolling elements.

[0030] With reference to FIG. 8, the cabinet bracket 182a may include a base wall 188a coupled to an inboard surface of the side wall 13a of the housing 12, a lower wall 187a extending inboard from the base wall 188a and coupled to an upper surface of a lower wall 13c of the housing 12, and an upper wall 189a extending inboard from the base wall 188a. The lower wall 187a may be fixed to the housing 12 via fasteners or in any other suitable manner. The drawer bracket 184a may include a base wall 190a and a mounting flange 191 a extending away from the base wall 190a at a right angle with respect thereto. The base wall 190a of the drawer bracket 184a may carry the hinge 186a, which may be pivotably coupled to the lower and upper walls 187a, 189a of the cabinet bracket 182a. The mounting flange 191 a of the drawer bracket 184a may be translatably coupled to the drawer module 136a, via the cooperating followers 183a, 185a and tracks 140a, 141 a, or via any other arrangement suitable for translatable motion.

[0031] With reference to FIG. 9, the left drawer module 136a may be extended out of the cabinet 12 while the right drawer module 136b may remain in a stored position in the cabinet 12. Accordingly, the drawer modules 136a,b may be independently extendable. Also, the cabinet 12 may include a corner cabinet housing 13, which may include the side walls 13a, b, the lower wall 13c, and a rear wall 13d, which, as illustrated, may extend at a right angle with respect to the side walls 13a,b and with respect to the extension and retraction direction of the drawer 114. In other embodiments, the rear wall 13d may include a rear corner wall including converging left and right portions extending at acute angles with respect to the side walls 13a,b.

[0032] With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the left drawer module 136a may be pivoted from its extended position to a spread open position, again, while the right drawer module 136b may remain in a stored position in the cabinet 12. Accordingly, the drawer modules 136a,b may be independently pivotable. Likewise, and although not shown, with the left drawer module 136a in the spread open position, the right drawer module 136b may be extended out of the cabinet 12 and then pivoted to a spread open position. [0033] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various features and aspects from the embodiments of FIGS. 1 -3 and FIGS. 4-11 could be interchanged including, but not limited to, the articulators, and the drawer frame side walls and other features of the drawer frames.

[0034] The configuration of the presently disclosed corner drawers may enable easier access to items stored throughout a full depth of a corner cabinet and more efficient use of interior storage space than some conventional corner cabinets.

[0035] As used in this patent application, the terminology "for example," "for instance," "like," "such as," "comprising," "having," "including," and the like, when used with a listing of one or more elements, is open-ended, meaning that the listing does not exclude additional elements. Likewise, when preceding an element, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" mean that there are one or more of the elements. Moreover, directional words such as front, rear, top, bottom, upper, lower, radial, circumferential, axial, lateral, longitudinal, vertical, horizontal, transverse, and/or the like are employed by way of example and not limitation. As used herein, the term“may” is an expedient merely to indicate optionality, for instance, of an element, feature, or other thing, and cannot be reasonably construed as rendering indefinite any disclosure herein. Other terms are to be interpreted and construed in the broadest reasonable manner in accordance with their ordinary and customary meaning in the art, unless the terms are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.

[0036] Finally, the present disclosure is not a definitive presentation of an invention claimed in this patent application, but is merely a presentation of examples of illustrative embodiments of the claimed invention. More specifically, the present disclosure sets forth one or more examples that are not limitations on the scope of the claimed invention or on terminology used in the accompanying claims, except where terminology is expressly defined herein. And although the present disclosure sets forth a limited number of examples, many other examples may exist now or are yet to be discovered and, thus, it is neither intended nor possible to disclose all possible manifestations of the claimed invention. In fact, various equivalents will become apparent to artisans of ordinary skill in view of the present disclosure and will fall within the spirit and broad scope of the accompanying claims. Features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention. Therefore, the claimed invention is not limited to the particular examples of illustrative embodiments disclosed herein but, instead, is defined by the accompanying claims.