Wall mounted storage cabinet

A wall mounted storage cabinet includes a compartment having a front cover which is pivotable between a substantially horizontal open position and a substantially vertical closed position. The front cover is spring biased toward the closed position. An inner storage bin or binder holder is pivotally mounted inside of the compartment. The inner storage bin is pivotable between an upright position and an angled forward position. The inner storage bin is constructed to remain in either the forward or upright position, whichever is its current position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to wall mounted storage cabinets, and in 
particular to wall mounted storage cabinets especially suited for hospital 
and health care environments. 
In general, wall mounted storage cabinets typically include a compartment 
defined by a pair of side walls, a top and bottom wall, and a front and 
rear wall. The front wall is often pivotable, or otherwise moveable, in 
order to allow access to the compartment. When neither ingress or egress 
of items to or from the storage cabinet is desired, the storage cabinet is 
covered by the pivotable front panel, and the interior of the cabinet is 
not visible. Often the front panel is downwardly pivotable to a generally 
horizontal position which allows the front panel to be used as a writing 
surface. The storage cabinet is desirably compact, aesthetically pleasing, 
easy to use, and space efficient. 
In a hospital or health care environment, additional design criteria must 
be considered. For example, in a hospital environment, storage cabinets 
are often used to store prescription medicines or confidential medical 
information, and the cabinet therefore desirably includes a lock. Hospital 
storage cabinets are also desirably designed to accommodate the hospital's 
typical storage needs for a patient or patients and their needs, to be 
easily adjusted according to the continually changing identity of the 
patients, to facilitate communication between staff personnel, and of 
course to be economical. 
While prior hospital storage cabinets have addressed these considerations, 
they have not been without the need for additional improvements. One area 
of improvement relates to the ease of access to storage bins or other 
storage sections within the cabinet. Some prior cabinets have included 
bins, or the like, within the storage cabinet for holding binders and 
other items. These bins, however, have been rigidly constructed so that 
removal of items from the bin requires significant empty space within the 
cabinet which is thereby wasted. An example of one such prior art cabinet 
can be seen in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 illustrates a prior art wall mounted 
storage cabinet 1000 which includes a rigid binder storage bin 1002 
oriented vertically within storage cabinet 1000. As can be seen, in order 
to remove a binder 1004 from binder bin 1002, binder 1004 must be lifted 
vertically upward a distance substantially equal to its height before it 
can be pulled forward. Removing binder 1004 from bin 1002 therefore 
requires a significant amount of unobstructed space 1006 which cannot be 
used for storage purposes. This use of storage space is inefficient, and 
requires that extra materials and expense be expended in the construction 
of this type of cabinet. There is also limited ability for facile use of 
items such as a laptop computer or notebook tie-in with the cabinet, or 
other communication devices. Thus, prior art hospital storage cabinets 
lack modularity. They are not capable of a degree of functional 
interchangeability to accommodate different storage/ease of access 
requirements. 
Another design area of prior hospital storage cabinets for which 
improvement is desirable relates to the placement of the lock in the 
storage cabinet. In prior lockable storage cabinets which include a 
downwardly pivotable front cover that forms a writing surface, the locking 
mechanism has typically been placed on the front cover itself. The locking 
mechanism projects outwardly from the back of the front panel and 
interferes with the use of the back of the front panel as a writing or 
working surface. This is desirably eliminated. 
Other areas of potential improvement for prior cabinet designs include the 
reduction of costs while maintaining the same quality, the difficulty of 
storing modem devices, such as computers, in the cabinets, and the 
obstruction created in a room or hallway by the front panel when it is 
left in the downwardly pivoted position. It can therefore be seen that a 
need exists for an improved wall mounted storage cabinet which overcomes 
these and other disadvantages. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to one aspect of the present invention, a cabinet adapted to be 
mounted to a wall includes a compartment having a front panel pivotally 
mounted to it. The front panel is pivotable between a closed and an open 
position and thereby selectively allows access to the compartment. An 
inner bin is located inside the compartment and is pivotally mounted to 
allow the bin to pivot between a vertical position and a forward position 
projecting outwardly from the compartment. The front panel is biased 
towards the closed position, and the inner bin is biased to remain in its 
current position. 
The wall mounted storage cabinet according to this aspect of the invention 
thereby provides storage space which is efficiently utilized and is easily 
accessible. The forward pivotability of the inner bin not only allows a 
user easier access to the bin, but the cabinet does not require large 
volumes of unobstructed space. The same amount of storage space can 
therefore be provided in a more compact cabinet, and the cost of producing 
the cabinet is consequently reduced. The biasing of the front panel 
towards a closed position also facilitates the ease of use of the cabinets 
and ensures that, without human intervention, the hospital hallway is not 
inadvertently obstructed by outwardly projecting front panels that have 
been forgotten to be closed. The biasing of the inner bin to remain in its 
current position facilitates the ease of use of the cabinet. In other 
aspects of the invention, the cabinet may be mounted in recessed fashion 
to the wall so that the front panel is securely flush with the wall. Also, 
the bin is modular in principle so that different adaptions can be 
selected between file storage to other uses such as reduced file storage 
and mounting of a lap top for easy access and use. 
These and other benefits, results, and objects of the present invention 
will be apparent to one skilled in the art, in light of the following 
specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will now be described with reference to the 
accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals correspond to like 
elements in the several drawings. For purposes of description herein, the 
terms "forward" or "front" and "rearward" or "back" will be used to 
describe the direction facing the wall and the direction pointing away 
from the wall, respectively. 
A wall mounted storage cabinet 10 according to one embodiment of the 
present invention includes a rear panel 12 secured to a frame 14 (FIG. 1). 
Frame 14 includes a generally flat top panel 16, and a pair of parallel, 
downwardly depending side panels 18 oriented roughly at right angles to 
top panel 16. Top panel 16, and side panels 18 are secured to each other 
and are oriented to form a generally upside-down U-shaped arrangement for 
frame 14. Frame 14, in combination with rear panel 12, defines an interior 
compartment 22. A front panel 24 having a front surface 25 and a back 
surface 27 is pivotally secured in front of compartment 22 by a pair of 
spring pivot assemblies 26 located inside compartment 22 near the bottom 
of side panels 18. Front panel 24 is pivotable between an upright or 
closed position substantially parallel to rear panel 12 (FIG. 3), and a 
flat position projecting forwardly from compartment 22 (FIG. 1). Storage 
cabinet 10 further includes an inner bin 28 pivotally mounted inside of 
interior compartment 22. Inner bin 28 is pivotable between an upright 
position and a forward position (shown in phantom, FIG. 1) independently 
of front panel 24. 
In the illustrated embodiment, rear panel 12 includes an upper flange 13 
which extends above top panel 16. With upper flange 13 extending above top 
panel 16, cabinet 10 is designed to be mounted to a wall such that rear 
panel 12 abuts against the wall and cabinet 10 projects forwardly from the 
wall. Cabinet 10 can alternatively be configured such that rear panel 12 
extends no higher than the top of top panel 16. In this configuration, 
cabinet 10 is designed to be mounted in a recess formed in the wall such 
that the front of cabinet 10 is substantially flush with the wall. When 
designed to be flush mounted, cabinet 10 may optionally include an upper 
front flange such as can be seen in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 8. 
Inner bin or item holder 28 is a modular part which can be used with a 
variety of differently designed storage cabinets. Inner bin or item holder 
28 includes, at the very least, a front wall 36. Inner bin 28 may also 
include a bottom 42 secured to front wall 36 at generally a right angle to 
form a mounting plate 102 for a computer as described below (See FIG. 8). 
When cabinet 10 includes mounting plate 102, compartment 22 will define an 
aperture for receiving electrical power, such as that illustrated in FIG. 
8 (aperture 96). In the preferred embodiment, inner bin 28 also includes a 
pair of side walls 38 extending back from front wall 36 and a rear wall 40 
generally parallel to front wall 36 (FIG. 2). The walls and bottom are 
secured to each other to form an item holding receptacle having an open 
top to allow ingress and egress of items thereto. Front wall 36 includes a 
front surface 37 which may preferably be covered with a porcelainized 
coating that enables a dry erase marker to be written and erased on it. 
Side walls 38 of bin 28 each include a circular aperture 44 defined in the 
lower, forward comer of side walls 38. Circular apertures 44 are aligned 
with each other and define the pivot axis of inner bin 28. A bushing 46 is 
inserted into each circular aperture 44 in side walls 38. A pair of pivot 
pins 48 are welded onto side panels 18 of compartment 22 and extend 
inwardly toward each other (FIG. 4). Bushings 46 matingly receive pivot 
pins 48 and thereby allow inner bin 28 to pivot about pivot pins 48. The 
locations of circular apertures 44 in side walls 38 ensures that bin 28 
will be biased or weighted to remain in either the forward or upright 
position once moved there. 
Inner bin 28 further includes a segmented bin stop 50 projecting angularly 
upward from bottom 42 of bin 28 (FIG. 2). Segmented bin stop 50 is an 
extension of bottom 42 and prevents bin 28 from being pivoted forward past 
an angle of approximately 45 .degree.. Segmented bin stop 50 also serves 
as a pen or pencil holder and the segmentation facilitates grasping the 
pens or pencils. It will be understood that the angle of segmented bins 
stops 50 can be varied to allow for different degrees of forward movement 
of inner bin 28. Bin 28 may also include a divider wall 52 secured 
approximately midway between side walls 38 and extending from rear wall 40 
to front wall 46. Divider wall 52 thereby divides inner bin 28 into two 
separate receptacles. 
A lock 30 is secured in an overhang flange 32 which is adjacent and 
generally perpendicular to top panel 16 (FIG. 1). Lock 30 is adapted to 
rotate upon insertion of a key between a locked and an unlocked position. 
Lock 30 includes a locking tab (not shown) which, in the unlocked 
position, is hidden behind overhang flange 32. When lock 30 is in the 
locking position, the locking tab is rotated downward and inserts into a 
lock slot 34 on front panel 24 (FIGS. 4 and 5) when front panel 24 is in 
the closed, upright position. The insertion of the locking tab into lock 
slot 34 thereby prevents front panel 24 from being pivoted. The placement 
of lock 30 in overhang flange 32 allows back surface 27 to be generally 
flat and overcomes the prior disadvantage of having a lock projecting out 
of the back surface 27 of front panel 24 which interferes with the use of 
front panel 24 as a writing surface. 
Front panel 24 includes a pair of side flanges 31 which extend along the 
sides of front panel 24 at generally a right angle (FIGS. 4 and 5). Side 
flanges 31 help prevent pens, pencils and the like from falling off of 
front panel 24 when it is in a flat position. Front panel 24 further 
includes a handle 33 adjacent the top or the front of front panel 24, 
depending upon the current position to which front panel 24 is pivoted. 
Handle 33 is defined by an angled surface 35, a flat, recessed surface 39, 
a top surface 41, and a gripping surface 43 (FIG. 3) generally parallel to 
recessed surface 39. Angled surface 35, recessed surface 39, top surface 
41, and gripping surface 43 are configured to define a recess 45 into 
which a user's fingers can be inserted. Front panel 24 is opened by 
grabbing the back side of gripping surface 43 and pulling forward. Handle 
33 also helps prevent pens, pencils, and the like from falling off of the 
front end of front panel 24 when it is in the open, horizontal position. 
Spring pivot assemblies 26, which bias front panel 24 toward an upright 
position, each include a rotation bracket 56 and a spring adjustment 
bracket 58 which is dimensioned to fit under rotation bracket 56 (FIGS. 6 
and 7). Spring adjustment bracket 58 includes a pair of arms 60 which 
define a pair of aligned apertures 62 through which a pivot rod 64 is 
inserted. Surrounding pivot rod 64 is a cylindrical spacer 66 and a pair 
of springs 68. Pivot rod 64 extends through a pair of aligned apertures 72 
on front panel 24 (See FIG. 4) and thereby secures front panel 24 to 
spring pivot assemblies 26. A bushing 74 and a retaining ring 76 are 
inserted into spacer 66 over pivot rod 64 and prevent pivot rod 64 from 
sliding out of aligned aperture 72 on front panel 24. Springs 68 each 
include a pair of legs 70 which are oriented generally at right angles to 
each other when viewed axially. One leg engages spring adjustment bracket 
58 and the other leg engages the bottom of front panel 24. In this manner, 
when front panel 24 is pivoted forward, the angle between legs 70 of 
spring 68 is resiliently decreased and spring 68 thereby exerts a biasing 
force against front panel 24. The biasing force acts against the bottom of 
front panel 24 and biases front panel 24 toward a closed position. 
In the preferred embodiment, side panels 18, top panel 16, and bottom panel 
20 are all constructed from steel. Front panel or door 24 is preferably 
constructed from aluminum. Of course it will be understood that a variety 
of different materials are suitable as would be known by one skilled in 
the art. 
FIG. 8 illustrates a wall mounted storage cabinet 10' according to a second 
embodiment of the present invention. Like elements are denoted by the same 
number followed by a prime symbol. Storage cabinet 10' includes a center 
panel 78 attached to rear panel 12' approximately midway between, and 
generally parallel to, side panels 18'. Center panel 78 divides storage 
cabinet 10' into a right compartment 98 and a left compartment 100. In the 
illustrated embodiment, right compartment 98 contains an independently 
pivotable inner bin 28', and left compartment 100 contains an 
independently pivotable mounting plate 102. Mounting plate 102 is adapted 
to allow a laptop computer, or the like, to be mounted onto it. 
Center panel 78 generally includes a main panel 80 having a rear flange 82 
and an "L" shaped front flange 84. Rear flange 82 is oriented generally at 
a right angle to main panel 80 and includes one or more apertures (not 
shown) through which screws or the like are inserted to secure center 
panel 78 to rear panel 12'. A first pivot access aperture (not shown) is 
defined adjacent the bottom, front comer of center panel 78 and receives a 
pivot pin 90 which is inserted through circular aperture 44' in inner bin 
28'. Inner bin 28' is thus rotatable about the axis of pivot pin 90. A 
second pivot access aperture is defined in front flange 84 (not shown) in 
axial alignment with the first pivot axis aperture. A second pivot pin is 
similarly inserted through the second pivot access aperture and into an 
aligned aperture in mounting plate 102. Mounting plate 102 is thus 
pivotable about an axis defined by the second pivot pin, which is 
collinear with the pivot access of inner bin 28'. Inner bin 28' and 
mounting plate 102 are independently pivotable with respect to each other 
and with respect to front panel 24'. The location of circular apertures 
44' in inner bin 28' ensure that inner bin 28' will remain in its current 
forward or upright position via gravity. The location of apertures 104 in 
mounting plate 102 yields a similar effect. 
The side panel 18' adjacent mounting plate 102 includes one or more 
openings 96 for providing access to an electrical outlet for powering a 
computer or other electrical device mounted to mounting plate 102. A 
second opening 96 may be provided to allow access to a phone line or other 
data transmission line for the computer. 
It will of course be understood that storage cabinet 10' could 
alternatively include a pair of side by side inner bins 28' instead of the 
combination of a single inner bin 28' and a mounting plate 102. Or storage 
cabinet 10' could alternatively include a pair of mounting plates 102 
instead of a single mounting plate and an inner bin. Furthermore, the 
positioning of inner bin 28' and mounting plate 102 can be selectively 
switched so that inner bin 28' is located in left compartment 100 of 
storage cabinet 10' and mounting plate 102 is located in right compartment 
98 of storage cabinet 10'. 
Center panel 78 can also be affixed to rear panel 12 in the first 
embodiment. In such a case, center panel 78 is secured to rear panel 10 
via fasteners inserted through a set of center apertures 106 in rear panel 
12 (See FIG. 4). Due to the modular nature of inner bins 28 and 28', and 
mounting plate 102, cabinet 10 can be easily converted to a cabinet having 
both inner bin 28' and mounting plate 102 positioned side-by-side and 
separated by center panel 78. Such alterations allow cabinet 10 to be 
converted to generally resemble cabinet 10'. 
While the present invention has been described in terms of the preferred 
embodiments depicted in the drawings and discussed in the above 
specification, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the 
present invention is not limited to these particular preferred 
embodiments, but includes any and all such modifications that are within 
the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended 
claims.