Abstract:
A popcorn popper includes a cabinet with a door selectively closing a cabinet opening. The door swings 90 degrees to an open position then is translated or retracted in a direction parallel to the door and alongside the cabinet without rotation over an adjacent counter. Door mounting brackets and operatively associated slide tracks are disclosed.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    Applicant claims the benefit of the filing date, Nov. 27, 2013, of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/909,591, which application is incorporated herein by express reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to popcorn popper cabinets and more particularly to doors for such cabinets. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Popcorn popper cabinets typically include at least a top, back, two sides and an open front closed off by one or two doors which can be swung open to allow access to the cabinet interior for loading unpopped kernels into a popping kettle or to accommodate removal of popped popcorn. Current door designs include one or more doors hinged at edges near front corners of the cabinet. These allow popper doors to swing open 270 degrees from closed position until they contact the side of the popper. As they swing open, they sweep through an arc over any adjacent counter. This position is advantageous because the opened doors are out of the way, disposed in close proximity generally parallel to the side of the popper cabinet and do not project onto or take up any valuable space in the concession stand. When another piece of equipment is placed next to a popper however, it obstructs opening motion or swinging of the door and does not allow the door to completely rotate open next to the popper. As a result, the door remains protruding from the popper at its hinge point into the adjacent concession space until the doors are again closed. This either causes the door to project into the concession space, and prevents the open door from opening fully into position alongside the cabinet. If full opening is required, counter space adjacent the cabinet must be clear and unused to allow the door to swing fully open. This diminishes usable counter space adjacent the popper cabinet. 
         [0004]    It is accordingly an objective of the invention to provide a popper cabinet with doors which can be opened and moved to a stored or retracted position alongside or parallel to the cabinet side, and while remaining operably connected to the popper cabinet at the same time do not require the necessary swing arc across the adjacent concession space as in prior known cabinets to open the doors fully. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention allows doors to be tucked away next to the popper cabinet even when a piece of equipment or other item is located adjacent to the popper. The doors, however, are present and ready for immediate use and any health inspection, while adjacent counter space can be used for other items. 
         [0006]    A preferred embodiment of the invention allows popper doors to swing open about 90 degrees from their closed position across the cabinet front to an open position that is substantially parallel to the side of the popper but with doors protruding forwardly from the front of the popper. The doors are then slideable in a direction parallel to the side of the popper, along the sides of the popper until they oriented in a stored open position along the respective sides of the popper but no longer protrude from the front of the popper cabinet. No swinging past the 90 degree arc is required and the opening of the doors do not swing across adjacent counter space. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    These and other advantages will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and from the drawings in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is an isometric illustration of a popcorn popper cabinet provided with right and left front doors in closed position according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an isometric illustration of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  (in phantom lines for clarity) and showing the left and right side doors swinging 90 degrees from their position in  FIG. 1  to an open position; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an isometric illustration of the cabinets of  FIGS. 1 and 2  showing the final stored open position of the doors alongside side walls of the cabinet, with the cabinet illustrated in phantom lines for clarity. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    Turning to the drawings it will be appreciated that  FIGS. 1-3  illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         [0012]    In  FIG. 1  a popcorn popper cabinet  10  is illustrated and has a left side wall  11 , front wall  12 , right side wall  13 , rear wall  15 , left front door  16  and right front door  18 . The cabinet encloses a popping kettle  20  in its upper regions under a cabinet top  19  and a popcorn bin  22  in its lower regions as shown. Kettle  20  is shown only in phantom lines in  FIGS. 2-3  for clarity. Preferably but not necessarily, the cabinet front and side walls at least are transparent 90 degrees. 
         [0013]    Doors  16 ,  18  are hinged at left and right hinge axes  24 ,  26  and can swing open to provide access to cabinet  10 , through open front  28 . For clarity in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , cabinet  10  is shown therein only in phantom. 
         [0014]    It will be appreciated that each door  16 ,  18  is pivotally secured to cabinet  10  by a respective door bracket  30 ,  32  hinged to a slide bracket  34 , 36 , respectively. 
         [0015]    Slide brackets  34 , 36  are slidably received by respective upper and lower slide tracks  38 ,  40  and  42 ,  44  mounted to the respective cabinet sides  11 ,  13  and perhaps as best seen in  FIG. 2 . In this  FIG. 2 , doors  16 ,  18  are partially swung open 90 degrees from their closed position of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates doors  16 ,  18  positioned generally parallel to cabinet sides  11 ,  13  respectively, having been slid back along sides  11 ,  13  to a fully open and stored position. At this point door bracket  30  and slide bracket  34  are generally parallel to each other, to the door  16 , and to side  11 , having slid from the  FIG. 2  position. Likewise, door  18 , door bracket  32 , slide bracket  36  and cabinet side wall  18  are proximate parallel to each other. So the doors  16 ,  18  are opened by swinging 90 degrees from closed position ( FIG. 1 ) to an open position ( FIG. 2 ). From there the doors are slid rearwardly to the stored position as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0017]    In this embodiment and as noted, cabinet  10  is provided with two front doors  16 ,  18 . It will appreciated from the FIGS that doors  16 ,  18  are substantially mirror images of each other, as are brackets  30 , 34  on one side and brackets  32 ,  36  on the other. 
         [0018]    It will be appreciated that slide bracket  34  is slidably mounted to upper and lower slide tracks  38 ,  40 . As well, slide bracket  36  is slidably mounted to upper and lower slide tracks  42   44 . Moreover, it will be appreciated the brackets  30 ,  34  mount door  16  and brackets  32 , 36  mount door  18  so each door can be pushed rearwardly to the stored position of  FIG. 3  without swinging past the original 90 degree opening arc, and without interference by the brackets or tracks. Any suitable mechanism, offset brackets or the like providing this function can be used. 
         [0019]    It will be appreciated that a popper cabinet according to the invention can be provided with only one door, mounted on one side of the cabinet as described herein, covering an access opening in the front wall, and thus providing the advantages of the invention here described. 
         [0020]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , door  16  has been slid rearwardly into a retracted stored position, parallel to side  11 , with door edge  17  positioned rearwardly of front left cabinet edge  14 . Door  18  is similarly positioned on the other side of the cabinet. 
         [0021]    While doors  16 ,  18  are preferably generally parallel to sides  11 ,  13 , they lie generally alongside sides  11 ,  13  and may be slightly angled with respect thereto, dependent upon the maximum swing arc provided at pivots or hinge axes  24 ,  26 , or other features of the mounting or slide brackets or tracks. 
         [0022]    It will be further appreciated that slide brackets  34 ,  36  are beneficially and operably mounted in any suitable way to slide tracks  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  respectively for sliding therealong, and for pivotally supporting door brackets  30 ,  32  suitably, as well as doors  16 ,  18  respectively. 
         [0023]    Respective bracket sets each comprise two pivoted brackets  30 ,  34  and  32 ,  36  respectively pivoted with respect to each other. Each of slid tracks  38 ,  40  and  42 , 44  respectively define a set of slide tracks. 
         [0024]    It will be appreciated the doors swing open only about 90 degrees from closed position across the front of the associated cabinet to an open position where they extend forwardly of the cabinet. From there the doors can be stored out of the way by retraction in a direction generally parallel to the respective cabinet sides. No door rotation beyond the original 90 degree opening swing is required so there is no area beside the cabinets which are swept by the door opening from closed position to stored position. Items next to and adjacent the cabinet do not obstruct the door movement from closed position to fully stored position; and the doors are advantageously stored without removal. Counter space otherwise left open due to door opening, can now be advantageously used for items which might otherwise block full door opening. 
         [0025]    It will appreciated that as noted and as shown in the FIGS., the doors  16 ,  18  and sides  11 ,  13 , and front wall  12  rear wall  15  are transparent, however they could be translucent or opaque, and of any suitable material. 
         [0026]    Finally, it will be appreciated that other suitable mounting structures providing the described door movements might be advantageously used. For example, slideable tracks might be mounted on the doors with fixed, pivoted brackets mounted on the cabinet sides, in a manner to allow the same door movement as described above. The invention thus contemplates pivoting slide means of either form for rotating then sliding the doors for storage as described above. In any event, in each embodiment, a respective set of brackets is operably connected with a respective set of slide tracks to support a door which can open 90 degrees from a closed position on a cabinet to an open position, and which can then be retracted to a stored position in a direction parallel to the cabinet side.