Closet Construction

Abstract

Upper and lower closets are formed at the end of a room by fastening side supports to the side walls of the room near the back wall. A track member is secured at its ends to the side supports and extends across the room from one side wall to the other. A center support is connected between the track member and the back wall and the center support along with the side supports provides subjacent support for a shelf which divides the space between the room ceiling and floor into upper and lower closets. The track member is a unitary structure and includes a set of upper tracks on which upper sliding doors ride and a set of lower tracks from which lower sliding doors are suspended. The upper doors close the upper closet and their upper ends are confined by guide means attached to the ceiling. The lower doors close the lower closet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to closest and, more particularly to a closet construction having sliding doors.

The current practice among home builders is to provide bedrooms and halls with wide clothes closets and to close these closets with sliding doors. Normally, two doors are employed and each door is suspended from a separate track positioned across the upper end of the closet opening. The tracks are parallel but offset so that one door passes by the other when opened, thus affording access to the interior of the closet.

One variation of the standard sliding door closet actually consists of two closets, one located above the other. The lower closet usually shares the same floor as the room into which that closest opens and is high enough to accommodate clothing suspended from conventional clothes hangers. The upper closet is disposed directly above the lower closet and usually extends up to the ceiling of the room, although it may also extend up to a lintel set below the room ceiling. In any event, the upper closet, while having the same width and depth as the lower closet, is considerably shorter in height, and consequently is used for storage of relatively small items which are not needed often. The upper closet is likewise closed by sliding doors, and these doors are set in channel-like tracks which are installed separately from the tracks used to suspend the doors of the lower closet.

The foregoing twin or double closet arrangement costs considerably more to construct than the conventional single closet since it requires a rather complex framework. In particular, the carpenter normally roughs in the two closets with studs and lintel pieces, the latter of which form the framework of the partition separating the upper and lower closets. Then a suitable covering material is nailed to the studs the lintel pieces, thus forming two separate openings or closets. The closets are individually finished by installing separate tracks on each side of the partition so formed and mounting doors on these tracks. The doors on the upper track further require guide means along the ceiling or along another lintel piece. The foregoing procedure for constructing closets requires considerable carpentry work and lumber, primarily for constructing the necessary framework, and is therefore quite expensive.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a closet construction which requires a minimum amount of carpentry work to construct. Another object is to provide a closet construction having upper and lower closets provided with doors which ride on easily installed tracks. A further object is to provide twin closet arrangement which is easy and inexpensive to construct and does not require a complex framework. An additional object is to provide a closet wherein a shelf-like partition member is combined with track means having tracks thereon for both the upper and lower doors, and wherein the track means itself acts as a support member. These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a closet construction including spaced side walls against which support members are positioned. The support members support a shelf, and track means extend between the support members. Doors are engaged with and slide relative to the track means. The invention further resides in the track means itself and in the method of constructing a closet of the foregoing type. The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts whereover they occur:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away and in section, of a closet construction constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 2 designates a closet construction (FIG. 1) which normally extends completely across the end of a room 6 having a floor 8, a ceiling 10, side walls 12 and 14, and a back wall 16. The ceiling 10 and floor 8 extend into the closet construction 2 and form the top wall and bottom, respectively, thereof. Likewise the side walls 12 and 14 extend into the closet construction 2 and form the sides thereof between the floor 8 and ceiling 10. The back wall 16 is perpendicular to the side walls 12 and 14 and extends between the end margins of those sides walls 12 and 14, thereby forming the back or rear of the closet construction 2.

Normally the floor 8 constitutes a poured concrete slab or else a wood flooring material nailed to floor joints. The ceiling 10 is normally composed of sheets of wallboard nailed to ceiling joints. The room walls, including the side walls 12 and 14 and the back wall 16, normally comprise upright studs fitted between the floor 8 and ceiling 10 and wall board nailed to those studs and completely obscuring them. While walls constructed from wallboard and studs are perhaps the most common insofar as residential construction is concerned, it should be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to other forms of wall construction and similarly other forms of floor and ceiling constructions also. Thus, the closet construction 2 may be bounded by masonary walls, plywood walls, lath and plaster walls, and the like. Moreover, the closet construction 2 need not extend completely across the end of the room 6 as illustrated, but may be disposed across an inset formed in and opening out of one of the walls bounding the room 6.

The closet construction is divided into upper and lower closets or sections 20 and 22 by a horizontal shelf 24 which extends between the side walls 12 and 14. The shelf 24 consists of two segments 26 and 28, the former of which telescopes (FIGS. 2 and 3) into the latter so that the length of the shelf 24 can be varied to accommodate closet constructions 2 of different widths. The telescopic connection between the two segments 26 and 28 also facilitates installation of the shelf 24 in the closet construction 2 as will hereinafter be described in greater detail. The segments 26 and 28 are preferably stamped from metal and have downwardly turned flanges 30 along their front and rear margins. The rear flange 30 is presented outwardly toward the open area of the room 6. Each flange 30 merges into a relatively narrow horizontal base wall 32 which underlies and extends parallel to the top surface of the shelf segment 26 and 28. The base walls 32, in turn, merge into upwardly turned lips 33. The flanges 30, base walls 32 and lips 33 rigidify the segments 26 and 28 and prevent them from bowing or sagging when subjected to loading.

The shelf 24 is supported at its ends by side supports 34 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which are fastened to the side walls 12 and 16 by screws 35. The mid portion of the shelf 24 is supported by a center support 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which is attached to the back wall 16 by means of an angle bracket 38. The racket 38 is affixed to the wall 16 and to the center support 36 by screws 39. Normally, both side supports 34 and the center support 36 are cut from standard 3/4 inch thick lumber. While the thickness of the center support 36 and the side supports 34 must fall within prescribed limitations, as will subsequently be more apparent, the width of the supports 34 and 36 is not critical. In most applications the side supports 34 are three-fourths inch wide and the center support is 2 to 3 inches wide.

Fitted over the forwardly presented ends of the side supports 34 and the center support 36 is a track member 40 (FIGS. 1 and 2) along which two pairs of upper sliding doors 42 slide and from which two pairs of lower sliding doors 44 are suspended. The doors 42 close the upper closet 20, while the doors 44 close the lower closet 22.

More specifically, the track member 40 is preferably an aluminum extrusion including (FIG. 2) a face plate 50 which extends across and completely masks the forward edges of the supports 34 and 36. The face plate 50 extends a short distance above the upper surfaces of the supports 34 and 36 in the provision of front guide rail 52 and projects a considerably greater distance below the lower surfaces of supports 34 and 36 so as to obscure the upper ends of the lower doors 44. Formed integral with and projecting rearwardly from the face plate 50 is an upper horizontal section 54 which extends along the upper surface of the supports 34 and 36. The upper section 54 has intermediate and rear guide rails 56 and 58 projecting upwardly from it, and both of these guide rails are parallel to the front guide rail 52 on the face plate 50. All of the guide rails 52, 56 and 58 furthermore project upwardly above the upper surfaces of the supports 34 and 36 an equal distance. The front and intermediate guide rails 52 and 56 form a forward channel-like track 60 on the upper section 54 of the member 40, and that track 60 receives one door of each pair of upper sliding doors 42. Similarly, the intermediate and rear guide rails 56 and 58 form a rear channel-like track 62 which receives the other door in each pair of upper sliding doors 42.

The track member 40 similarly includes lower horizontal section 64 which is formed integral with and projects along the underside of the supports 34 and 36 parallel to the upper horizontal section 54. The lower horizontal section 64 has front and rear tracks 66 and 68 projecting downwardly from it, and each track 66 and 68 loops rearwardly and then upwardly for a short distance at its lower end so as to form roller troughs 70. Thus, in cross-section the tracks 66 and 68 have a hook-like appearance.

The track member 40 is secured to each of the supports 34 and 36 member 24 by screws 72 (FIGS. 2 and 4) or other suitable fastening devices which extend through the lower horizontal member 64 between the face plate 50 and the forward track 66 as well as between the two tracks 66 and 68.

The lower doors 44 are suspended from the tracks 66 and 68 by roller brackets 80, (FIG. 2) each of which is fastened to the backside of its particular door 44 and is provided with a nylon or other suitable roller 82 which revolves about an axis perpendicular to the door faces and is transversely centered above the upper edge of the door 44. These rollers 82 ride in the troughs 70 of the tracks 66 and 68, allowing the doors 44 to move easily between the side walls 12 and 14. In this connection, the tracks 66 and 68 are spaced far enough apart to enable the doors 44 suspended from the rear track 68 to pass behind the doors 44 suspended from the front track 68. Similarly, the front track 66 is positioned far enough to the rear of the face plate 50 to prevent any interference between the plate 50 and the upper end of the doors 44 which are suspended from the track 66, yet is close enough to the face plate 50 to obscure the roller brackets 80 on those doors 44.

To prevent the lower doors 44 from swinging into and out of the lower closet 22, floor guides 84 (FIG. 2) are attached to the floor directly below the track member 40 and, as the name implies, the guides 84 guide or confine the lower ends of the suspended doors 44, yet do not impede the sliding of the doors 44.

Turning again to the two sets of upper doors 42, whereas the lower ends of those doors ride in the channel-like tracks 60 and 62 on the track member 40, the upper ends of those doors are transversely confined by a ceiling guide in the form of a double channel member 90 (FIG. 2) attached to the ceiling 10. The channel member 90 includes a base plate 92 having parallel front, intermediate and rear guide rails 94, 96 and 98 depending from it and forming front and rear inverted channels 100 and 102. The channel member 90 is fastened to the ceiling 10 by screws 104 which extend through the base plate 92 and into the ceiling 10, and when so fastened the front channel 100 is disposed directly above the front channel-like track 60 of the track member 40, while the rear channel 102 is located directly above the rear channel-like track 62. The upper ends of the doors 42 fit into the inverted channels 100 and 102 and consequently are confined both at their upper and lower ends, In this connection, it should be noted that the guide rails 94, 96 and 98 are somewhat deeper than the guide rails 52, 56 and 58 and that the clearance between the upper edges of the doors 42 and the base plate 92 is slightly greater than the depth of the rails 52, 56 and 58. This enables the doors 42 to be installed or withdrawn without removing neither the upper channel member 90 nor the track member 40. In other words, the doors 42 are installed and withdrawn merely by lifting them upwardly until their lower edges clear the guide rails 52, 56 and 58, then swinging their lower ends over those guide rails 52, 56 and 58, and finally allowing them to drop into the appropriate channel-like tracks 60 and 62.

Extending between the channel member 90 and the track member 40 is a center mullion 106, (FIGS. 1 and 2) the ends of which fit into the front channel 100 and the front channel-like track 60. The center mullion 106 is secured in place by screws 108 which pass through the front guide rails 52 and 94 on the track and channel members 40 and 90, respectively. Not only does the center mullion 106 support the center of the partition member 24 from the ceiling 10, but it also masks the abutting edges of the two centermost doors 42 when those doors are in their closed position. The centermost doors in such an instance should, of course, be in the rear track 62 and the corresponding inverted channel 102, while the two outermost doors should be in the front track 60 and corresponding channel 100.

Finally, a clothes rod 110 (FIG. 1) is connected to the side walls 12 and 14 beneath the side supports 26 for the partition member 40.

Once the side walls 12 and 14, the back wall 16, the floor 8, and the ceiling 10 are constructed in accordance with conventional construction procedures, the channel member 90 is fastened to the ceiling 10 with the screws 104. Then the side supports 34 are attached to the side walls 12 and 14 with the screws 35 at the height at which the shelf 24 is desired. Next the angle bracket 38 is fastened to the back wall 16 with the screws 32 at the same elevation as the side supports 34 and midway between the side walls 12 and 14.

After the side supports 34 and the angle brackets 38 are fastened in place, the upper end of the center mullion 106 is inserted into the front channel 100 of the channel member 90 midway between the side walls 12 and 14, and when properly positioned the screw 108 is advanced through the front guide rail 94 and threaded into the mullion 106. Similarly, the center support 36 is fastened to the angle bracket 38 with the screws 39 so that it projects forwardly toward the depending center mullion 106.

Thereafter, the track member 40 is installed over the forward ends of the two side supports 34 and the center support 36 such that their forward ends fit into the space between the upper and lower horizontal sections 54 and 64. The entire track member 40 is then advanced rearwardly until its face plate 50 comes into abutment with the forward edges of the supports 34 and 36. While track member 40 is advanced rearwardly, it is simultaneously bowed slightly downwardly at its center to enable the lower end of the center mullion 106 to clear the rear and intermediate guide rails 58 and 56, and when the face plate 50 abuts the forward edge of the center support 36, the lower end of the mullion 106 is guided into the front channel-like track 60. Thereafter, the screws 72 are passed through the lower horizontal section 54 and into the forward ends of the side supports 34 and center support 36 for attaching the track member 40 to those supports 34 and 36. Another screw 108 is passed through the front guide rail 52 of the track member 40, and into the mullion 106, thus supporting the center of the track member 40 from the ceiling 10.

With the track member 40 and mullion 106 firmly in place, the shelf 24 is telescoped to its smallest dimension and fitted into the upper closet 20, and when clear of the mullion 106 the segments 112 and 114 are shifted relative to each other until the shelf 24 extends from one side wall 12 to the other side wall 14. When so disposed the base walls 32 along the front and back of each segment 26 and 28 rest upon the side supports 34 and center support 36, and form a partition which separates the upper and lower closets 20 and 22. Moreover, the downwardly turned flanges along the front of each segment 26 and 28 will be disposed behind the rear guide rail 98 on the track member 40.

Once the shelf 24 is installed, the upper ends of the doors 42 are inserted into the inverted channels 100 and 102 to their fullest extent, and then the lower ends are swung forwardly to the channel-like tracks 60 and 62. When the lower ends are positioned over the tracks 60 and 62 the doors 42 are allowed to descend into those tracks 60 and 62. Accordingly, the doors 42 will slide on the tracks 60 and 62 and in the channels 100 and 102, but will not move transversely of them.

Thereafter, the bottom doors 44 are installed on the track member 40 by hooking the rollers 82 of their roller brackets 80 over troughs 70 of the roller tracks 66 and 68. This suspends the doors 44 from the track member 40 and enables them to slide to and fro relative to the side walls 12 and 14, in which case the rollers 82 merely roll along the tracks 66 and 68. Finally, the floor guides 84 are installed on the floor 8 between the side walls 12 and 14, and these guides prevent the doors 44 from swinging into and out of the lower closet 22.

Thus, by means of the hardware and other structure previously described and the simple steps outlined above, the end of a room 6 or an inset in a room wall is converted into upper and lower closets 22 and 24, the former of which is closed by the sliding doors 42, while the latter is closed by the sliding doors 44.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a room having spaced apart side walls, a back wall extending between the side walls, a ceiling also extending between the side walls, and a floor at the bottoms of the side and back walls, improved means for constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: a track member extending between the side walls, the track member being positioned intermediate and spaced from both the ceiling and the floor and further being spaced outwardly from the back wall, the track member having a door track thereon; end supports attached to the side wall for supporting the track member at its ends, a mullion spaced from the side walls and extending between the ceiling and the track member for supporting the track member intermediate its ends, an intermediate support member extending between and supported by the back wall and the track member, the support member being spaced from both side walls; a shelf extending between the side walls and between track member and back wall for dividing the space between the floor and ceiling into upper and lower closet sections, the shelf being supported at its ends on the side walls and resting on the intermediate support member between its ends, and a set of sliding-type doors on the door track for closing one of the closet sections.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the track member comprises spaced upper and lower horizontal sections and a facing section connecting the horizontal sections at their front margins to form a rearwardly opening channel on the track member; and wherein the intermediate support member fits into the rearwardly opening channel of the track member.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the shelf comprises two shelf segments, one of which is telescoped within the other in a direction parallel to the track member, whereby the shelf will fit closets of varying width.

4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the mullion is attached to the ceiling through a ceiling guide which is fastened securely to the ceiling directly above the track member and extends between the side walls; and wherein the sliding doors rest and slide on the track member and are guided at their upper ends by the ceiling guide.

5. The structure according to claim 4 wherein the ceiling guide has spaced guide rails which form a downwardly opening channel therein, the track member has spaced guide rails which form an upwardly opening channel therein, and the ends of the mullion fit into the channels formed by the guide rails on the ceiling guide and track member.

6. In a room having spaced apart sidewalls, a back wall extending between the sidewalls, a ceiling also extending between the sidewalls, and a floor at the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall, improved means for constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: an end support member securely attached to each sidewall, the end support members projecting only slightly outwardly from their respective sidewalls and being spaced from one another so that a void exists between the two support members; a track member extending between the sidewalls and spaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly from the ceiling, and upwardly from the floor, the track member including spaced upper and lower track sections connected by a front section to form a rearwardly opening channel into which the forward ends of the end support members fit, the track member further having a door track on the lower track section and upper tracks on the upper track section, the track member being fastened securely to the end support members; and intermediate support member extending between and supported by the back wall and the track member, the intermediate support member at its forward end being fitted into the rearwardly opening channel of the track member, the intermediate support member being further fastened securely to the track member and the back wall; a shelf extending between the sidewalls and resting at its ends on the end support members and intermediate its ends on the intermediate support member, the shelf further extending between the track member and the back wall, whereby the space between the floor and the ceiling is divided into upper and lower closet sections, the shelf including two segments, one of which telescopes within the other in the direction parallel to the track member so that the shelf will fit closets of varying width; a ceiling guide attached to the ceiling; sliding-type doors on the upper tracks and engaged with the ceiling guide; and another sliding-type door on the lower door track for closing the lower closet section.

7. In a room having spaced apart sidewalls, a back wall extending between the sidewalls, a ceiling also extending between the sidewalls, and a floor at the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall, improved means for constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: an end support member securely attached to each sidewall, the end support members projecting only slightly outwardly from their respective sidewalls and being spaced from one another so that a void exists between the two support members; a track member extending between the sidewalls and spaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly from the ceiling, and upwardly from the floor, the track member including spaced upper and lower track sections connected by a front section to form a rearwardly opening channel into which the forward ends of the end support members fit, the track member further having a door track on the lower track section and upper tracks on the upper track section, the track member being fastened securely to the end support members; an intermediate support member extending between and supported by the back wall and the track member, the intermediate support member at its forward end being fitted into the rearwardly opening channel of the track member, the intermediate support member being further fastened securely to the track member and the back wall; a shelf extending between the sidewalls and resting at its ends on the end support members and intermediate its ends on the intermediate support member, the shelf further extending between the track member and the back wall, whereby the space between the floor and the ceiling is divided into upper and lower closet sections; a ceiling guide attached to the ceiling; a mullion located between and spaced from both of the sidewalls, the mullion extending vertically between the ceiling guide and the track member and being fastened to the ceiling guide and the track member for supporting the track member intermediate its ends, the mullion being located between and spaced from both of the sidewalls; sliding-type doors on the upper tracks and engaged with the ceiling guide; and another sliding-type door on the lower door track for closing the lower closet section.