Title: Storage assembly with adaptable double hanging closet
Abstract: The storage assembly with an expandable double hanging closet includes: at least two lower horizontal bars forming a shoe-holder; at least an intermediate horizontal hanging closet bar, arranged substantially midway between the upper bar and the lower bars to hang short garments; and a vertical and mobile partition, whereof the lower part is mounted sliding on the lower bars and the upper part is integral with one of the ends of the intermediate hanging closet bar, the other end of the intermediate wardrobe bar being mounted slidably in the vertical post separating the two compartments, respectively, the linen closet and the hanging closet.
Patent Number: 6,896,341 Issued on 05/24/2005 to Cattoire
| Inventors:
|
Cattoire; Michel (Saint Jean de Luz, FR)
|
| Assignee:
|
Sogal France (Paris, FR)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
203040 |
| Filed:
|
February 21, 2001 |
| PCT Filed:
|
February 21, 2001
|
| PCT NO:
|
PCTFR01/00501
|
| 371 Date:
|
October 18, 2002
|
| 102(e) Date:
|
October 18, 2002
|
| PCT PUB.NO.:
|
WO0180688 |
| PCT PUB. Date:
|
November 1, 2001 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
312/205 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A47B 045/00 |
| Field of Search: |
312/205,237,240,257.1,273,351
211/175,204,206
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 842821 | Jan., 1907 | Tryon.
| |
| 1161934 | Nov., 1915 | Gilmore.
| |
| 2885090 | May., 1959 | Forman et al.
| |
| 5865517 | Feb., 1999 | Wang.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2435024 | Feb., 1976 | DE.
| |
| 9011488 | Jan., 1991 | DE.
| |
| 2703226 | Oct., 1994 | FR.
| |
| 2742639 | Jun., 1997 | FR.
| |
| 10437 | May., 1899 | GB.
| |
Primary Examiner: Hansen; James O.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oliff & Berridge, PLC
Claims
1. A storage assembly with adaptable double hanging closet, comprising:
a first vertical upright, a second vertical upright and a third vertical upright
which define two compartments including a linen compartment, with shelves and drawers,
and a hanging closet compartment, the hanging closet compartment having at least
an upper part and an upper horizontal bar disposed in the upper part to hang long
garments, wherein the hanging closet compartment includes:
at least two lower horizontal bars forming shoe-holders;
at least one intermediate horizontal hanging closet bar arranged substantially
midway between the upper horizontal bar and the at least two lower horizontal bars
to hang short garments, wherein the at least one intermediate horizontal hanging
closet bar has a first end and a second end; and
a vertical and mobile partition including a lower part and an upper part, wherein
the lower part is able to slide on the at least two lower horizontal bars and the
upper part is integral with the first end of the at least one intermediate hanging
closet bar, the second end of the at least one intermediate horizontal hanging
closet bar being able to slide through the second vertical upright separating the
linen compartment from the hanging closet compartment.
2. The storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, the vertical and mobile partition
defines a through hole and further comprises at least one plastic bearing arranged
in the through hole, wherein the at least one intermediate horizontal hanging closet
bar is able to slide at a limited speed through the at least one plastic bearing.
3. The storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, the at least one intermediate
horizontal hanging closet bar being positioned vertically, so as to include a part
extending into the linen compartment close to an underside of one of the shelves.
4. The storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, vertical and mobile partition
further comprises at least one plastic bearing, wherein the vertical and mobile
partition is able to slide at limited speed on the at least two lower horizontal
bars via the at least one plastic bearing.
5. The storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper horizontal bar
and the at least two lower horizontal bars include one end and an other end and
are connected at the end remote from the linen compartment, to the third vertical
upright of the hanging closet compartment, and slide near the other end, the assembly
further comprising:
at least one plastic bearing in the second vertical upright of the linen compartment;
a first module comprising the second vertical upright, wherein the first module
is a column that includes the first vertical upright the second vertical upright,
a top board, the shelves and the drawers; and
a second module defining the hanging closet compartment, including the third
vertical upright, wherein the third vertical upright carries the upper hanging
closet bar and the at least two lower horizontal bars, and an upper horizontal
panel that rests on an extension of the second vertical upright of the linen compartment.
6. The storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising several supplementary
bars at horizontal that accompanies the upper horizontal bar, wherein the upper
horizontal bar and the several supplementary bars forms a blanket shelf, each of
the several supplementary bars connected to the third vertical upright of the hanging
closet compartment and able to slide at limited speed through the second vertical
upright of the linen compartment.
Description
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to a storage assembly and more particularly concerns assemblies
comprising a linen compartment with shelves and/or drawers and a hanging closet compartment.
Depending on the embodiment, the hanging closet compartment comprises:
- either a single horizontal bar in the upper part for hanging long garments
such as overcoats or raincoats,
- or two superposed horizontal bars, one in the upper part and the other
approximately halfway down, each of these bars being able to take short garments
such as jackets or the like.
Whether the bars of the hanging closet are fixed permanently or detachably
between the two uprights of the hanging closet compartment, the user of this compartment
must choose, either when purchasing or when erecting the assembly, between the
two configurations. If he opts for two superposed hanging closet bars, the user
gains in storage capacity, but has to put his long garments, such as his raincoat,
elsewhere. If he opts for a single hanging closet bar he can store his long garments,
but loses 50% of the height of the hanging closet.
Once the decision is made, it is practically definitive because, even if the
bars can be taken out, removing the lower bar, for example to store a long garment,
reduces the storage capacity by half and is out of the question unless the user
has other means of storage.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to solve this problem by providing a
storage assembly with an adjustable double hanging closet that can be adapted to
the storage requirements of the user, without too great a reduction in the hanging
garment storage capacity.
For this purpose, the storage assembly according to the invention comprises:
- at least two lower horizontal bars forming shoe-holders,
- at least one intermediate horizontal hanging closet bar arranged substantially
midway between the upper bar and the lower bars to hang short garments,
- and a vertical and mobile partition, whereof the lower part is able
to slide on the lower bars and the upper part is integral with one of the ends
of the intermediate hanging closet bar, the other end of this intermediate hanging
closet bar being able to slide through the vertical upright separating the linen
compartment from the hanging closet compartment.
The mobile partition integral with the intermediate hanging closet bar can thus
occupy a variety of positions, between a clearance position, in which said partition
is against the upright separating the hanging closet compartment from the linen
compartment, thus leaving this linen [sic] compartment completely free, and a position
of maximum use, in which this partition is placed against the external upright
of the hanging closet compartment and allows complete use of the intermediate bar
for storing short garments on both hangers. In the intermediate positions, the
bars can take short garments, but the upper bar can also take a number of long
garments that depends on the distance left between the external upright of the
hanging closet and the vertical partition, and this distance can be increased or
reduced as required by the user.
This inexpensive arrangement, adjustment of which is very easy, greatly improves
the storage options in a hanging closet and can be adapted to suit both the user
and the season.
Depending on the particular embodiment, this arrangement can be applied
to a unit with fixed compartments or to an extensible unit, for example of the
type disclosed in French Patent 93 04095.
Other features and advantages will be found in the following description which
refers to the appended diagrammatic drawing showing by way of example the application
of the invention to an extensible storage assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the storage unit;
FIG. 2 is a front view with the separating partition in an intermediate position;
FIG. 3 is a partial part [sic] view in cross section showing on an enlarged
scale an embodiment of a guide bearing for the bars;
FIG. 4 is a partial side view in elevation of the upper part of the internal
upright of the linen compartment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT
In general terms, the storage unit is made up of two compartments, namely: a
linen
compartment A fitted with shelves
2 and drawers
3, and a hanging
closet compartment B. These compartments are defined between an external
4,
an internal
5 and an external
6 vertical uprights.
In the embodiment illustrated corresponding to an extensible storage assembly
whose width can be adjusted to the gap between the two walls of a recess in the
wall, the unit is made up of two independent modules, that is:
- a first module M1 in the form of a column comprising the uprights
4 and 5, the shelves 2, the drawers 3 and a horizontal
top board 7,
- and a second module M2 comprising the external upright 6,
a top board 8 and a vertical return 9.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show clearly that the return
9 [sic] is supported on the
extension
5a of the internal upright
5, while the return
9
is supported on the top board
7 of the first module M
1.
The module M
2 is equipped in the upper part with a horizontal hanging
closet bar
10, of which one end is connected to the upright
6 and
the other is able to slide through the upright
5, more precisely through
a bearing
12 made of a synthetic material placed in a bore
13 in
the wall
5.
The external upright
6 is also integral in the lower part with the ends
of two horizontal bars
14 forming a shoe-holder, the ends of these bars
being able to slide through the lower part of the internal upright
5, either
directly or through intermediate plastic bearings
12. According to the invention,
the lower part of a mobile vertical partition
15 that is not as tall as
the uprights
5 and
6 is able to slide on these two bars
14.
In one embodiment, this sliding movement is speed-limited and occurs via plastic
bearings
12 fitted to the mobile partition
15.
Near its upper end, the mobile partition
15 is integral with one of the
ends of an intermediate hanging closet bar
16, the other end of which is
able to slide at limited speed through a bearing
12 fitted to the internal
upright
5.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show that the various bearings
12 fitted to the internal
upright
5 for the bar
10, for the bar
16 and for the bars
14, are in a vertical arrangement such as not to coincide with the side
of a drawer or with the edge of a shelf and, preferably, are arranged so as to
be immediately underneath a shelf
2 and underneath the board
7.
The shelf which is close to such a bearing
12 is advantageously provided
with a fascia
2a to conceal the projecting part of the bar
10,
16 or
14 where it passes into the linen compartment A.
It will be obvious that the bars
10,
16,
14 have a length
equal to the gap between the external upright
6 and the return
9
of the module M
2 and are therefore longer than the width of the hanging
closet compartment B in order to be able to be supported by the internal upright
5, even when the assembly is in its position of maximum extension.
With this arrangement, the mobile partition
15 can be moved transversely
between the uprights
5 and
6, to occupy various intermediate positions
between two extreme positions, a clearance position in which this partition
15
is against the upright
5 and leaves the hanging closet compartment B completely
free, and a position of maximum use in which the mobile partition
15 is
against the inside face of the external upright
6 and forms an intermediate
hanger extending across the full width of the hanging closet compartment. In this
position, the upper hanger and the lower hanger can only take short garments, such
as jackets.
If the user wishes to store one or more long garments in the hanging closet,
he
simply moves the mobile vertical partition
15 by a value S in FIG. 2 to
form a compartment C that can take long garments hanging from the upper bar
10.
FIG. 2 shows that, in this configuration, the storage capacity of the intermediate
hanger is reduced in the same way as the storage capacity for short garments of
the upper hanger, but to a lesser extent than if the entire intermediate hanger
were removed.
By means of this arrangement the operator can vary the width of the compartment
C according to his storage requirements, without too much affecting the storage
of short garments, in order to fit in long garments.
In the embodiment illustrated, one of the hanging closet bars, for example the
upper bar
10, is accompanied by several supplementary bars
20 with
which it forms a shelf for duvets or blankets.
The bars
20 are, like the bar
10, fixed at one end in the upright
6 and able at their other end to slide at limited speed through bearings
12 fitted to the internal upright
5.
FIG. 1 shows that the uprights
5 and
6 comprise, between the upper
bar
10 and the intermediate bar
16, bearings
12 and blind
holes
21, respectively, which can be used to install another series of bars
10 and
20, for example if the storage assembly is designed to take
shorter children's garments. These bars allow the upper part to be used to store
duvets or blankets.
FIG. 4 shows that when the bars are used with a hanging closet bar
10,
they are arranged above the level of this bar
10 so as not to interfere
with the insertion of the hooks of coathangers over this bar
10, yet forming
a cavity
25 that will keep duvets or blankets in place.
This hanging closet arrangement can of course be applied to a storage assembly
with two fixed compartments. In this case, only the bar
16 is able to slide
through the internal upright
5, the other bars
10,
14 and
20 being connected, directly or indirectly, to the uprights
5 and
6.
*
