U.S. patent application number 12/701120 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-11 for cabinet assembly and assembly unit thereof.
Invention is credited to I-Huang CHEN, Chang-Feng LIN.
Application Number | 20110192854 12/701120 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44352871 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110192854 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; I-Huang ; et
al. |
August 11, 2011 |
CABINET ASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY UNIT THEREOF
Abstract
A cabinet assembly having at least one assembly unit and
multiple cover plates. Each assembly unit has a tapered shell and
mounting frame. The tapered shell is hollow and has a first end, a
second end, multiple outer surfaces and multiple first fastener
sets. A diameter of the second end is smaller than a diameter of
the first end. Each multiple first fastener set is formed on a
corresponding outer surface. The mounting frame is mounted around
the second end of the tapered shell and has multiple exterior
surfaces and multiple second fastener sets. Each exterior surface
aligns with a corresponding outer surface of the tapered shell in a
plane. Each second fastener set is formed on a corresponding
exterior surface. The cover plates are detachably attached to the
tapered shell and the mounting frame. The cabinet assembly is
easily manufactured and assembled.
Inventors: |
CHEN; I-Huang; (Pateh City,
TW) ; LIN; Chang-Feng; (Yonghe City, TW) |
Family ID: |
44352871 |
Appl. No.: |
12/701120 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/660 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/0202
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/660 |
International
Class: |
B65D 6/00 20060101
B65D006/00 |
Claims
1. A cabinet assembly comprising: at least one assembly unit, each
one of the at least one assembly unit comprising: a tapered shell
formed hollow and having a first end having a diameter; a second
end having a diameter, the diameter of the second end smaller than
the diameter of the first end; multiple sidewalls defining a
cavity, each sidewall extending from the first end to the second
end and having two borders respectively connected to two adjacent
sidewalls; and at least one mounting slot formed on the sidewall
near the second end; a polygonal collar attached to the sidewalls,
extending from the first end toward the second end and having
multiple outer surfaces, each outer surface opposite to a
corresponding sidewall; and multiple first fastener sets, each
first fastener set formed on a corresponding outer surface of the
polygonal collar; and a mounting frame formed hollow, mounted
around the second end of the tapered shell and having multiple
attaching surfaces defining an opening for accommodating the second
end of the tapered shell, each attaching surface having at least
one mounting projection corresponding to and engaging a
corresponding mounting slot to connect the mounting frame and the
tapered shell; multiple exterior surfaces, each exterior surface
aligning with a corresponding outer surface of the polygonal collar
of the tapered shell in a plane; multiple second fastener sets,
each second fastener set formed on a corresponding exterior
surface; and multiple cover plates detachably attached to the
tapered shell of the at least one assembly unit and the mounting
frame of the at least one assembly unit and each cover plate having
a body having a front side; a rear side; a flat top surface; and a
bottom surface; multiple third fastener sets respectively formed on
the bottom surface at the front side and the rear side of the body
of each cover plate, wherein each third fastener set at the front
side of the body engages a corresponding first fastener set of the
polygonal collar of a corresponding one of the at least one
assembly unit; each third fastener set at the rear side of the body
engages a corresponding second fastener set of the mounting frame
of a corresponding one of the at least one assembly unit.
2. The cabinet assembly of the claim 1, wherein at least one of the
multiple sidewalls of the tapered shell is parallel to the
corresponding outer surface of the polygonal collar.
3. The cabinet assembly of the claim 1 comprising multiple assembly
units as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first fastener sets
of one of the multiple assembly units engages a corresponding first
fastener set of an adjacent assembly unit of the multiple assembly
units; and one of the second fasteners of the one of the multiple
assembly units engages a corresponding second fastener set in the
adjacent assembly unit.
4. The cabinet assembly of the claim 1, further comprising:
multiple decoration panels detachably attached to the tapered shell
and the mounting frame of one of the multiple assembly units and
each decoration panel having a base mounted on the tapered shell
and having a front side; a rear side; multiple through holes; and
multiple fourth fastener sets respectively formed at the front side
and the rear side of the base, wherein each fourth fastener set at
the front side of the base engages a corresponding first fastener
set of the polygonal collar of the tapered shell; and each fourth
fastener set at the rear side of the base engages a corresponding
second fastener set of the mounting frame.
5. The cabinet assembly of the claim 1, wherein the tapered shell
has six sidewalls; the mounting frame has a hexagon shape in cross
section and six attaching surfaces, each attaching surface abutting
against a corresponding sidewall of the tapered shell.
6. The cabinet assembly of the claim 2, wherein the at least one
assembly unit further comprises a partition dividing the cavity
inside the tapered shell into two.
7. The cabinet assembly of the claim 2, wherein each first fastener
set has a male fastener and a female fastener; and each second
fastener set has a male fastener and a female fastener.
8. An assembly unit comprising: a tapered shell formed hollow and
having a first end having a diameter; a second end having a
diameter, the diameter of the second end smaller than the diameter
of the first end; multiple sidewalls defining a cavity, each
sidewall extending from the first end to the second end and having
two borders respectively connected to two adjacent sidewalls; and
at least one mounting slot formed on the sidewall near the second
end; a polygonal collar attached to the sidewalls, extending from
the first end toward the second end and having multiple outer
surfaces, each outer surface opposite to a corresponding sidewall;
and multiple first fastener sets, each first fastener set formed on
a corresponding outer surface of the polygonal collar; and a
mounting frame formed hollow, mounted around the second end of the
tapered shell and having multiple attaching surfaces defining an
opening for accommodating the second end of the tapered shell, each
attaching surface having at least one mounting projection
corresponding to and engaging a corresponding mounting slot to
connect the mounting frame and the tapered shell; multiple exterior
surfaces, each exterior surface aligning with a corresponding outer
surface of the polygonal collar of the tapered shell in a plane;
and multiple second fastener sets, each second fastener set formed
on a corresponding exterior surface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a storage cabinet, and in
particular to a cabinet assembly and assembly unit thereof.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Arts
[0004] Cabinet assemblies are used in modern society for a wide
variety of storage applications. Conventional cabinet assemblies
have a set appearance, monotonous design and lack variation and
taste so can not satisfy various decorative needs. On the other
hand, most conventional cabinet assemblies are usually composed of
multiple rectangular boards and multiple regular partitions, which
are connected by fasteners, such as screws, and form multiple
juxtaposing rectangular rooms. The boards and partitions of a
conventional cabinet assembly need to be assembled with the
fasteners one by one. Therefore, assemble of the conventional
cabinet assemblies is awkward and complicated.
[0005] To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides
a cabinet assembly and assembly unit thereof to mitigate or obviate
the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The main objective of the invention is to provide an
assembly unit and cabinet assembly comprising thereof that has a
design for easy manufacture and convenient assembly.
[0007] An assembly unit in accordance with the present invention
comprises a tapered shell and a mounting frame.
[0008] The tapered shell is hollow and has a first end, a second
end, multiple sidewalls, a polygonal collar and multiple first
fastener sets. The first end has a diameter. The second end has a
diameter. The diameter of the second end is smaller than the
diameter of the first end. The sidewalls define a cavity. Each
sidewall extend from the first end to the second end, has two
borders and at least one mounting slot. The two borders are
respectively connected to two adjacent sidewalls. The mounting slot
is formed on the sidewall near the second end. The polygonal collar
is attached to the sidewalls, extends from the first end toward the
second end and has multiple outer surfaces. Each outer surface is
opposite to a corresponding sidewall. Each first fastener set is
formed on a corresponding outer surface of the polygonal
collar.
[0009] The mounting frame is hollow, is mounted around the second
end of the tapered shell and has multiple attaching surfaces,
multiple exterior surfaces and multiple second fastener sets. The
attaching surfaces define an opening for accommodating the second
end of the tapered shell. Each attaching surface has at least one
mounting projection. The mounting projection corresponds to and
engages with a corresponding mounting slot to connect the mounting
frame and the tapered shell. Each exterior surface aligns with a
corresponding outer surface of the polygonal collar of the tapered
shell in a plane. Each second fastener set is formed on a
corresponding exterior surface.
[0010] A cabinet assembly in accordance with the present invention
comprises at least one assembly unit as described above and
multiple cover plates. The cover plates are detachably attached to
the tapered shell and the mounting frame. Each cover plate has a
body and multiple third fastener sets. The body has a front side, a
rear side, a flat top surface and a bottom surface. The third
fastener sets are respectively formed on the bottom surface at the
front side and the rear side of the body. Each third fastener set
at the front side of the body engages with a corresponding first
fastener set of the polygonal collar; and each third fastener set
at the rear side of the body engages with a corresponding second
fastener set of the mounting frame.
[0011] The tapered shell is suitable for manufacture by injection
molding and can be easily removed from a mold. The difference
between the diameter of the first end and second end of the tapered
shell is filled by the mounting frame. Therefore, each outer
surface of the polygonal collar of the tapered shell aligns with a
corresponding exterior surface of the mounting frame in a plane, so
the assembly units can be assembled parallelly.
[0012] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cabinet assembly
in accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is another exploded perspective view of the cabinet
assembly in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet assembly in FIG.
1;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view in partial section of the
cabinet assembly in FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a side view in cross section of the cabinet
assembly in FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a front view in cross section of the cabinet
assembly in FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a front view of another cabinet assembly in
accordance with the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of yet another cabinet assembly
in accordance with the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 9 is a front view of the cabinet assembly in FIG.
8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a cabinet assembly in
accordance with the present invention comprises at least one
assembly unit (10), multiple cover plates (20) and multiple
decoration panels (30).
[0023] The assembly unit (10) has a tapered shell (40) and a
mounting frame (50).
[0024] The tapered shell (40) is hollow and has a polygon shape in
cross section, such as trigon, tetragon, petagon, hexagon and the
like, a first end (411), a second end (412), multiple sidewalls
(41), a polygonal collar (42) and multiple first fastener sets
(43)(43').
[0025] The first end (411) has a diameter. The second end (412) has
a diameter. The diameter of the second end (412) is smaller than
the diameter of the first end (411) and has a difference to the
diameter of the first end (411). The tapered shell (40) preferably
has six sidewalls (41).
[0026] Each sidewall (41) is trapezium, extends from the first end
(411) to the second end (412) and has two borders and at least one
mounting slot (44). The two borders of the sidewall (41) are
respectively connected to two adjacent sidewalls (41). The
sidewalls (41) together define a cavity. The cavity extends from
the first end (411) toward the second end (412). The mounting slot
(44) is formed near the second end (412) of the tapered shell
(40).
[0027] The polygonal collar (42) is mounted around the sidewalls,
extends out from the first end (411) toward the second end (412)
and has multiple outer surfaces (421). Each outer surface (421) is
opposite to a corresponding sidewall (41). At least one of the
outer surfaces (421) of the polygonal collar (42) is parallel to
the corresponding sidewall (421) thereof. The polygonal collar (42)
may have a polygon shape in cross section, such as trigon,
tetragon, pentagon, hexagon or the like.
[0028] Each first fastener set (43)(43') is formed on a
corresponding outer surface (421) of the polygonal collar (42) and
has a male fastener (43A)(43C) and a female fastener
(43B)(43D).
[0029] The mounting frame (50) is hollow, is mounted around the
second end (412) of the tapered shell (40) and has a polygon shape
in cross section, multiple attaching surfaces (51), multiple
exterior surfaces (53) and multiple second fastener sets (54)(54').
The attaching surfaces (51) define an opening for accommodating the
second end (412) of the tapered shell (40). Each attaching surface
(51) abuts against a corresponding sidewall of the tapered shell
(40) and has at least one mounting projection (52). The mounting
projection (52) corresponds to and engages the mounting slot (44)
to connect the mounting frame (50) and the tapered shell (40). With
reference to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, each exterior surface (53) aligns
with a corresponding outer surface (421) of the polygonal collar
(42) of the tapered shell (40) in a plane. Each second fastener set
(54)(54') is formed on a corresponding exterior surface (53) and
has a male fastener (54A)(54C) and a female fastener
(54B)(54D).
[0030] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, the cover plates (20) are
detachably attached to the tapered shell (40) and the mounting
frame (50) and has a body (21) and multiple third fastener sets
(22). The body (21) has a front side, a rear side, a flat top
surface and a bottom surface. The third fastener sets (22) are
respectively formed on the bottom surface at the front side and the
rear side of the body (21) and each third fastener set (22) has a
male fastener (22A) and a female fastener (22B). The third fastener
set (22) at the front side of the body (21) engages a corresponding
first fastener set (43) of the polygonal collar (42). The third
fastener set (22) at the rear side of the body (21) engages a
corresponding second fastener set (54) of the mounting frame (50).
When the cover plate (20) is attached to the assembly unit (10),
the flat top surface allows the assembly unit (10) to stand stably
on a surface.
[0031] With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, the decoration panels
(30) are detachably attached to the tapered shell (40) and the
mounting frame (50) and has a base (31) and multiple fourth
fastener sets (33). The base (31) has a front side, a rear side and
multiple through holes (32). The fourth fastener sets (33) are
respectively formed at the front side and the rear side of the base
(31). Each fourth fastener (33) has a male fastener (33A) and a
female fastener (33B). Each fourth fastener set (33) at the front
side of the base (31) engages a corresponding first fastener set
(43') of the polygonal collar (42). Each fourth fastener set (33)
at the rear side of the base (31) engages a corresponding second
fastener set (54') of the mounting frame (50).
[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
female fastener (22B)(33B)(43B)(43D)(54B)(54D) has a trench; and
the male fastener (22A)(33A)(43A)(43C)(54A)(54C) has a post. The
post of the male fastener (22A)(33A)(43A)(43C)(54A)(54C)
corresponds to in shape and is selectively mounted in the trench of
the female fastener (22B)(33B)(43B)(43D)(54B)(54D).
[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with
reference to FIG. 1, the tapered shell (40) further has multiple
reinforcing ribs (45). The reinforcing ribs (45) protrude from the
tapered shell (40) toward the cavity between the sidewalls (41) and
extend from the front sides to the rear sides of the sidewalls (41)
to strengthen the tapered shell (40).
[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with
reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the assembly unit (10) further has a
partition (60). The partition (60) is mounted in the cavity inside
the tapered shell (40) and has two ends. The two ends of the
partition (60) are respectively attached to the tapered shell (40)
to divide the cavity inside the tapered shell (40) into two.
[0035] With reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, an assembly unit (10) is
attached to an adjacent assembly unit (10), wherein a first
fastener set (43)(43') of the assembly unit (10) engages a
corresponding first fastener set (43)(43') in the adjacent assembly
unit (10); and a second fastener (54)(54') of the assembly unit
(10) engages a corresponding second fastener set (54)(54') in the
adjacent assembly unit (10), whereby the cabinet assembly is formed
as a honeycomb.
[0036] In accordance with the present invention, the tapered shell
(40) can be easily made by injection molding and removed from a
mold. The difference between the diameter of the first end (411)
and second end (412) of the tapered shell (40) is filled by the
mounting frame (50). Therefore, each outer surface (421) of the
polygonal collar (42) of the tapered shell (40) aligns with a
corresponding exterior surface (53) of the mounting frame (50) in a
plane so the assembly units (10) can be assembled in
parallelly.
[0037] Based on structure of the assembly unit (10) and the cabinet
assembly in accordance with the present invention, the cabinet
assembly can be arbitrarily assembled and stably stood on a plane
since at least one of the multiple sidewalls of the tapered shell
is parallel to the corresponding outer surface of the polygonal
collar thereof.
* * * * *