Hanging Stack and Rolling Rack

Abstract

A method for installing a set of drawers under the counter-top in the blind corner of kitchen cabinets. The stack of drawers is attached to a rack and hung from little wheel-cars in tracks. To access any of the drawers the door of the adjacent cabinet is opened and the stack is rolled sideways into borrowed space temporarily made available there. The drawers can then be pulled open. When finished the drawers are closed and the stack rolled back. Unlike existing products, this design's mechanisms permanently occupy very little of the adjacent space, only the top 3. The rest is only borrowed. The flooring of this space is regular kitchen floor. It can be occupied by anything that can be easily moved out temporarily when corner access is needed.

Claims

1. This invention embodies the following technical features of prior art: 1. Drawers and their slide mechanisms. 2. The method by which drawers and their slides are installed in cabinets 3. The tracks, wheel-cars, and latches used to suspend and operate folding doors. The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: A method for storing items in, and conveniently retrieving them from, the blind-corner space in kitchen cabinetry that is characterized by: a) A stack of drawers and slides installed in a frame in the same manner that drawers are installed in cabinets, b) A rack that has latches on its upper surface and is attached to the frame and drawers by ordinary carpentry techniques, c) A system of tracks and wheel-cars with downward projecting pins that the rack-mounted latches engage thereby suspending the rack/frame/drawer assembly so it can be slid sideways out of the corner space to a position where the drawers can be opened, d) A space in the adjacent cabinet equal in area to the corner-space with regular kitchen flooring suitable for storing anything that can be readily moved out and back when corner access is needed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0031] The drawings depict a design with the shuffle-space to the right. If the stack of drawers was in a north-west corner the shuffle-space would be to the east in the cabinet along the north wall. The adjacent cabinet on that side (from which the shuffle space is expropriated) is identified as the right cabinet. If positioning the shuffle space to the left was preferred (i.e. south along the west wall) the design drawings would be mirror images.

[0032] The drawings assume this design will be fitted into a set of kitchen base cabinets nominally 24 deep and 36 high. Both corner and shuffle spaces have a footprint 2424. The Hanging-Stack has a footprint of 2121, resulting in clearances of 1 in back, 2 in front, and a clearance between the left-side adjacent cabinet and the side of the open drawers of 4. The bottom clearance is intended to match the base/toe-kick height of the adjacent cabinets. (4.5 is typical. The height of the door bottom should also match this.)

[0033] The design can be applied to a range of counter-top and cabinet dimensions. Installers may need to adjust the dimensions shown to suit a particular case. The size of the hanging stack can be increased or decreased as appropriate but the clearances should not be reduced. Recently a counter depth of 30 is becoming more popular. This makes the blind corner space even larger and harder to access and thus the value of this design greater. It also increases the size of possible shuffle partners.

[0034] The drawings show a pair of door-stops on the rolling rack. Operating the hanging stack does not require them any more than opening a door does, but in both cases they smooth the operation. In the type recommended here one part has a spring-mounted magnet and the other is just a thick metal washer for a stop and holder.

[0035] The drawings do not show any door for the shuffle space as it is not part of the design. It is expected that a sliding door would be the usual choice and the 2 clearance in front of the stack provides for it. Alternatively, a swinging door with built-in shelving could serve as both a door and a shuffle partner that provides more storage space.

[0036] The following drawings are attached:

[0037] 6.1 Drawing #1: Hanging Stack in the IN position.

[0038] FIG. 1: Top-down viewPlan view with counter-top removed.

[0039] FIG. 2: Front-side viewSouth elevation view with left-side adjacent cabinet removed.

[0040] 6.2 Drawing #2. Hanging Stack in the OUT position.

[0041] FIG. 1: Top-down viewPlan view with counter-top removed.

[0042] FIG. 2: Front-side viewSouth elevation view with left-side adjacent cabinet removed.

[0043] 6.3 Drawing #3. Parts Details

[0044] FIG. 1: Top-down view of rolling rackPlan view

[0045] FIG. 2: Close up views of wheel-car in track and pin and latch mechanism.

[0046] FIG. 3: Front-side view of track & wheel-carsSouth elevation

[0047] FIG. 4: Front-side view of rolling rackSouth elevation

[0048] FIG. 5: Front-side view of hanging stackSouth elevation

[0049] FIG. 6: Right-side view of hanging stackEast elevation

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0050] Drawing #1: Hanging Stack & Rolling RackStack IN

[0051] FIG. 1: Top down view.

[0052] Counter-top is not shown. The numbers refer to the following: [0053] 1. Left-side adjacent cabinet [0054] 2. Right-side adjacent cabinet [0055] 3. Kitchen wall [0056] 4. Rolling rack [0057] 5. Hanging Stackframe and 3 drawers [0058] 6. Wheel-cars, two per track [0059] 7. Two tracks, 48 long supported at ends [0060] 8. Corner space occupied by hanging stack [0061] 9. Shuffle space (empty) [0062] 10. Bumper Magnet and spring [0063] 11. Bumper stop and holder. [0064] 13. Top drawervisible thru openings in rack

[0065] FIG. 2: Side view

[0066] Counter-top shown, left-side adjacent cabinet & door not shown [0067] 2. Right-side adjacent cabinet [0068] 3. Kitchen wall [0069] 4. Rolling rack [0070] 5. Hanging stackframe & 3 drawers [0071] 6. Wheel-cars, two per track [0072] 7. Two tracks, 48 long supported at ends [0073] 8. Corner space occupied by hanging stack [0074] 9. Shuffle space (empty) [0075] 10. Bumper Magnet and spring [0076] 11. Bumper stop and holder. [0077] 12. Opening in track to get wheels cars in & out. [0078] 13. Top drawer [0079] 15. Kitchen floor [0080] 16. Counter-top

[0081] Drawing #2: Hanging Stack & Rolling RackStack OUT

[0082] FIG. 1: Top down view

[0083] Counter-top & door not shown [0084] 1. Left-side adjacent cabinet [0085] 2. Right-side adjacent cabinet [0086] 3. Kitchen wall [0087] 4. Rolling rack [0088] 5. Hanging stackframe & 3 drawersRolling rack [0089] 6. Wheel-cars, two per track [0090] 7. Two tracks 48 long supported at ends [0091] 8. Corner spaceempty [0092] 9. Shuffle space occupied by hanging stack [0093] 10. Bumper Magnet and spring [0094] 11. Bumper stop and holder. [0095] 13. Top Drawer (half open) [0096] 14. Middle drawer (closed but visible thru rack openings)

[0097] FIG. 2: Side view

[0098] Counter-top shown, left-side adjacent cabinet not shown [0099] 2. Right-side adjacent cabinet [0100] 3. Kitchen wall [0101] 4. Rolling rack [0102] 5. Hanging stackframe & 3 drawers [0103] 6. Wheel-cars, two per track [0104] 7. Two tracks, 48 long supported t ends [0105] 8. Corner space (empty) [0106] 9. Shuffle space occupied by hanging stack [0107] 10. Bumper Magnet and spring [0108] 11. Bumper stop and holder. [0109] 13. Top Drawer. [0110] 14. Middle drawer. [0111] 15. Kitchen floor [0112] 16. Counter-top

[0113] Drawing #3: Parts

[0114] FIG. 1: Top-down view of Rolling-rack. [0115] 4. Rolling-rack corner areas where latches are installed. [0116] 17. Four latches are bolted to top of rack. [0117] 18. Openings to permit manual access to latch releases through rack from below (when drawers are not in frame). [0118] 19. Hand-grip opening to pull the hanging-stack out.

[0119] FIG. 2: Close-ups: Wheel-cars & Latches [0120] 4. Rolling rack corner area where latch is bolted in position over a hole that provides space for the wheel-car pin. [0121] 6. Four-wheeled car goes inside track, pin protrudes down thru slot in track. [0122] 7. Cross section of track. [0123] 17. Latches have spring-loaded catches that engage the wheel-car pins. These catches can be manually released to detach rack and frame from the suspension system.

[0124] FIG. 3: Front-side view of track & wheel cars. [0125] 6. Two 4-wheel cars per track. [0126] 7. Track. [0127] 12. Opening to get cars in & out. [0128] 16. Counter-top.

[0129] FIG. 4: Front-side view of rolling-rack [0130] 4. Rolling-rack can be a simple piece of plywood. Additional pieces could be added to strengthen its attachment to the frame. [0131] 10. Bumper magnet & spring.

[0132] FIG. 5: Front-side view of hanging stack. [0133] 5. It contains a stack of drawers that can be any mix of size and number that fits in 27. [0134] 20. Hand grip to pull hanging stack out.

[0135] FIG. 6: Right-side view of hanging stack [0136] 5. Side of hanging stack. [0137] 20. Hand grip to pull hanging stack out.