Vehicle cabinet

A recreation vehicle cabinet has a table leaf extensible across the center aisle and a pair of seats swingable about the front corner posts of the cabinet into and out of the cabinet interior.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A widely used recreational vehicle has a pair of side by side seats at the 
front for the driver and passenger, a double bed across the rear, and an 
access aisle therebetween. The spaces along the aisle are needed for a 
seat behind the driver, a stair to a side door, and equipment for storage, 
washing, cooking and refrigeration. Consequently, the table and seats for 
dining and the bed are usually constructed so that the bed can be moved 
aside to make room for the dining facilities, and vice versa. Such 
unavoidable movement back and forth is a nuisance which detracts from the 
relaxed enjoyment of recreation in the vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a convertible cabinet which is so compact as 
to require minimum space where it is mounted, but which can be opened out 
to provide extended table surface and seats in a position suitable for 
sitting at the table. It is particularly useful when mounted immediately 
behind the front passenger seat of a recreational vehicle, and immediately 
in front of the stair leading to the side door of the vehicle. In that 
position, the cabinet is out of the way while retracted, and uses the 
adjacent aisle space to make room for the extended table and seats when 
the cabinet is opened up. Since this position is well away from the bed in 
the rear of the vehicle, there is no need to disturb the bed when it is 
desired to use the dining facilities. 
The present preferred embodiment of the invention has a pair of seats which 
swing out from a cavity in the central portion of the cabinet, and has a 
table leaf which rests on top of the cabinet while retracted but swings 
out over the position of the seats when extended. Storage compartments are 
provided in the cabinet above and below the space occupied by the 
retracted seats. 
Other advantages, objects and details of the invention will become apparent 
as the following detailed disclosure proceeds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the 
accompanying drawings, a recreational vehicle 10 has a convertible cabinet 
12 mounted between the front passenger seat 14 and a stairwell 16 leading 
up from the vehicle's side door 18. The driver's seat 20 is next to the 
front passenger seat 14. A double bed 22 extends across the rear of the 
vehicle, and a central aisle 24 extends between the bed 22 and seats 14 
and 20. A rear passenger seat 25, toilet enclosure 28 and wardrobe 30 
extend along the side of the aisle behind the driver's seat; and cabinet 
12, stairwell 16 and a stove 31 and cooler 32 unit extend along the 
opposite side of aisle 24. The floor level is lower, by about five inches, 
to the rear of a step 33 behind seats 14 and 20. 
Cabinet 12 has two seats 34 and 36 which may be retracted inside of it, as 
shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 10. A table panel 38 is secured in a fixed 
position across the top of cabinet 12, and a table leaf 40 covers panel 38 
when the cabinet is not in use. When the seats 34 and 36 and leaf 40 are 
retracted, the cabinet is in a compact rectangular form presenting no 
obstacle to passage along aisle 24. 
When cabinet 12 is needed for dining, writing, or the like, a supporting 
bracket 42 is pulled out horizontally from a position in the cabinet 
beneath fixed panel 38. A table leaf 40 has an edge secured by hinges 44 
to the edge of panel 38 along the front of the cabinet. When leaf 40 is 
swung up and over on hinges 44 to rest on bracket 42, the resultant 
exposed upper surfaces of panel 38 and leaf 40 are flush with each other 
and present a substantially continuous horizontal table surface extending 
across the top of cabinet 12 and across aisle 24 toward seat 25 (FIGS. 2 
and 6). Seats 34 and 36 are then swung out to positions beneath opposite 
sides of the extended leaf 40. The amount of such swinging movement of the 
seats is adjustable for the comfort and convenience of the person sitting 
down on them to dine or write on panel 38 and leaf 40. 
Seats 34 and 36 are supported for such swinging movement by arms 46 and 48 
(FIG. 5). The arms extended horizontally from and are integral with short 
vertical central corner post sections 50 and 52 which fit rotatably about 
fixed cylindrical vertical rods 54 and 56 (FIGS. 5 and 6). The lower ends 
of rods 54 and 56 extend down into the upper ends of lower vertical corner 
post sections 58 and 60 of cabinet 12, and extend upwardly into the lower 
end of upper vertical corner post section 62 and 64 of cabinet 12. Rods 54 
and 56 have a close fit within the upper and lower post sections, and each 
rod is secured to at least one of the upper or lower post sections 
(preferably the lower one). All of the said post sections are of the same 
square section, so that a continuous corner post appearance is presented 
when seats 34 and 36 are in their retracted positions. Spring-loaded pins 
66a (FIG. 11) extend through housings 66b and 66c secured to central post 
sections 50 and 52, and may be inserted in openings in rods 54 and 56 in 
order to lock seats 34 and 36 in their retracted or extended positions 
during travel of vehicle 10. 
As shown in FIG. 7, the rear corners of cabinet 12 are formed by upper and 
lower post sections 70a and 70b on one side, and 72a and 72b on the other 
side. Rods 70c and 72c are similar to rods 54 and 56, and fit within post 
section 70a and -b and 72a and -b to hold them together when cabinet 12 is 
fully assembled, but to permit the upper part of the cabinet, bounded by 
upper post sections 62, 64, 70a and 72a, to be lifted away from the lower 
part of the cabinet, bounded by lower post sections 58, 60, 70b and 72b. 
The upper part of the cabinet is held together between its post sections 
by upper cross members 74a and lower cross members 74b; and the lower part 
of the cabinet is held together between its post sections by upper cross 
members 76a and lower cross members 76b. When the upper part of the 
cabinet is so lifted away, the rods 54 and 56 remain with the post 
sections to which they are fastened (preferably lower post sections 58 and 
60). 
As shown in FIGS. 4, 9 and 10, an upper side panel 78a covers the areas 
between and is secured to the cross members 74a and -b between post 
sections 62 and 70a; and an opposite upper side panel 80a covers the area 
between and is secured to the cross members 74a and -b between post 
sections 64 and 72a. Spaced below panels 78a is a lower fixed side panel 
78b covering the area between and secured to the cross members 76a and -b 
between post sections 58 and 70b and opposite to panel 78b; and spaced 
below panel 80a is a lower side panel 80b covering the area between and 
secured to post sections 60 and 72b and the cross members 76a and 76b 
between post sections 60 and 72b. 
Across the back of the cabinet are a pair of abutting panels 82a and 82b. 
Panel 82a covers the area between and is secured to the cross members 74a 
and -b between post sections 70a and 72a; and panel 82b covers the area 
between and is secured to the cross members 76a and -b between post 
sections 70b and 72b. 
At the front of the cabinet, facing the aisle, an upper access panel 84a is 
hinged along its bottom edge to the cross member 74b between post sections 
62 and 64, to swing up to cover and down to uncover the area between upper 
post sections 62 and 64. Downward movement of the upper access panel 84a 
stops when it is horizontal, under control of a pair of brackets 77 
secured to opposite sides of panel 84a and slidable against the sides of 
upper post sections 62 and 64 which face each other and slidably engage 
the sides of panel 84a. Each of the brackets 77 has an inturned flange 79 
that engages the backside of the adjacent upper post section 62 or 64 when 
the panel 84a is horizontal, but swings away from the adjacent post 
section as upward movement of panel 84a swings brackets 79 into the 
interior of the space behind panel 84a. Such upward movement of panel 84a 
stops, in a vertical position, when the top of the panel 84a engages the 
cross member 74a between upper post sections 62 and 64. 
A horizontal member 86 is secured to cross members 74b and extends to and 
between the bottom edges of panels 78a, 80a, 82a and 84a. It forms the 
floor of an upper compartment in the cabinet which is accessible through 
panel 86a. 
A similar lower access panel 84b is hinged along its bottom edge to the 
cross member 76b between lower post sections 58 and 60, to swing up to 
cover and down to uncover the area between those post sections. Panel 84b 
controls access to a lower compartment bounded by panels 78b, 80b, 82b and 
84b between a horizontal cover member 88 secured to and extending 
horizontally between cross members 76a, and a floor member 90 secured to 
and extending horizontally between cross members 76b. Sufficient space is 
left between floor 86 and cover 88 to receive seats 34 and 36 and their 
supporting arms 46 and 48 within the cabinet, and to provide slots for 
their movement into and out of the cabinet. A pair of side slots are 
provided between the lower edges of side panels 78a and 80a and the upper 
edges of side panels 78b and 80b. A front slot is provided between the 
lower edge of access panel 84a and the upper edge of access panel 84b. 
These slots prevent interference with the turning of post sections 50 and 
52, and facilitate reaching into the intermediate space to push out the 
seats 34 and 36. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the seats 34 and 36 are 
mounted for swinging movement in separate superimposed planes, so that 
they can be partially overlapped in a retracted position, to save space. 
Lower access panel 84b has no brackets corresponding to brackets 79 because 
it is supported by the floor of vehicle 10 while in its downward position. 
When swung up, its upper end engages the cross member 76a between lower 
post sections 58 and 60. 
Handles 92, 93 and 94 are secured to the exteriors of hinged panels 84a and 
-b, and to the exposed side of table leaf 40 in its folded back position. 
Arms 46 an 48 serve as convenient handles for swinging seats 34 and 36 to 
and from their retracted positions. 
Access panels 86a and 86b are held in their closed positions by retainers 
96. As shown in FIG. 12 for panel 86a, the retainer has a bushing 98 
secured in an opening through the panel. A conical opening 99 through the 
bushing receives a conical plug 100 extending from an integral cylindrical 
member 102 which extends through and is secured to the cross member 74a 
between post sections 62 and 64. A rubberlike o-ring 104 is seated in a 
groove 106 around plug 100 and enters a groove 108 around the inside of 
the conical opening 99 to hold panel 86a releasably in place when it 
reaches its closed position. The far end of plug 100 projects beyond 
bushing 98 and has a hole 110 through it to receive a locking pin to hold 
panel 86a securely in place during travel. 
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the front passenger seat 14 may be reversed to 
face cabinet 12, and an additional leaf 112 may be attached by hinge 113 
to the adjacent side edge of tabletop 38 to provide a convenient working 
surface for the occupant of seat 14 when leaf 112 is swung up to a 
horizontal position. It may be supported there by a conventional 
telescoping support 114 secured between leaf 112 and upper post section 
62. Leaf 112 can be useful for a passenger during travel, or for any extra 
person while stopping to eat. 
Cabinet 12 needs to be strongly anchored to the floor when seats 34 and 36 
are in use. Four vertical bolt holes are conventionally provided in the 
floor of vehicle 10 beneath the position of cabinet 12, and these receive 
and hold four bolts 116 whose heads 118 lock down on a pair of spaced 
parallel channel members 104 which extend from front to back of the bottom 
of the cabinet, between and secured to the cross members 76b along the 
front and back of the cabinet. Two of the bolts go through each of the 
channel members, and this has proved satisfactory for the purpose. 
The tops of post sections 62, 64, 70a and 72a are secured to the bottom of 
table top 38, and the lower ends of lower post sections 58, 60, 70b, and 
72b rest on the floor of vehicle 10. 
While methods and apparatus of practicing the invention have been 
illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention is not 
limited thereto, but rather by the scope of the following claims.