Combined storage and decorative unit

Abstract: A decorative storage unit comprising (a) a container having means whereby it can be mounted on a wall; (b) a door hinged to the container so that in its closed position the door conceals the container when the container is wall mounted and in its open position allows access to the interior of the container; and (c) a picture or other graphic display carried by the outer surface of the door so that when the door is in its closed position, the picture or graphic display is visible.

Description: Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a combined storage and decorative unit. A number of proposals have been made in the past for providing various types of storage unit which are also decorative. For example, it has been known for many years to provide the lid of a storage unit, such as a box or trunk with decoration of one sort or another, such as a graphical design or carving. It is also known to have wall mounted storage units such as cupboards for various uses, eg kitchen cupboards and bathroom cabinets. Whilst such known types of storage unit are perfectly adequate and satisfactory in many domestic and even office environments they can prove to be too bulky, heavy and expensive. US Patent No. 3,709,578 discloses a storage cupboard comprising: a container; mounting feet adapted to be bolted to a wall; a pair of hinged doors, so that in their closed position the doors conceal the container when the container is wall mounted, and allow access to the interior of the container when open. The present invention is concerned with providing a product which will be particularly useful where floor and wall space is at a premium, where the product must not be too bulky and where the product must be of relatively low cost. According to the present invention there is provided a decorative storage unit comprising: a container having means whereby it can be mounted on a wall; a door hinged to the container so that in its closed position the door conceals the container when the container is wall mounted and in its open position allows access to the interior of the container; characterised in that: the door comprises a flexible lamina member held in tension on a surrounding frame; and the container comprises a hollow framework. Preferably, the storage unit specified in the immediately preceding paragraph has one or more of the following further features: i. the door comprises a flexible lamina member held in tension on a surrounding frame with the construction as claimed in our co-pending British patent application 99 27 027; and/or ii. the storage unit comprises a hollow framework of wire; and/or iii. the door comprises a translucent panel; and/or iv. the storage unit houses means for illuminating the interior of the storage unit and the rear surface of the door when the latter is in its closed position; and/or v. the outer surface of the door is provided with means whereby one of a number of different graphic displays or pictures carried on their own lamina surface may be removably mounted on the outer surface of the door. The illuminating means or lamp referred to in iv. can also act as a wall light where the container is an open framework and not solid. How the invention may be carried out will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a decorative storage unit constructed according to the present invention with the door closed; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the unit with the door open; Figure 3 is a front elevational view, partly cut-away, showing the construction of the door shown in Figures 1 and 2 ; Figure 4 is a perspective enlarged fragmentary view of one of the four adjustable corner joints of the door of Figure 3 ; Figure 5 is a front elevational sectional fragmentary view of the corner joint of Figure 4 ; Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the detail of the hinge construction by which the door of the unit is hinged to the wire framework container; Figure 7 is a plan view of Figure 6 ; and Figures 1 and 2 The decorative storage unit according to the present invention comprises a hollow wire framework construction container 1 which has a base 1a and a front frame 1b . This basic structure may be provided with a variety of different internal support members, such as shelves, designed to suit the storage of differing items within the container. In this embodiment, these internal support members comprise two wire shelf members 1c and 1d on which a number of items, such as video cassettes 2, may be supported within the container 1. The open front of the container 1 is closeable by means of a door 3 which is hinged to the front frame 1b at 4 and 5 . A catch arrangement is provided to hold the door in its closed position. In this embodiment it comprises two patches of Velcro (Registered Trademark) 21, 22 mounted on the frame 1b and door respectively. Figures 3 to 5 The door 3 has substantially the same construction as that disclosed in our co-pending British patent application 99 27 027, but its construction will now be described in relation to Figures 3 to 5 . Essentially the door 3 comprises a metal frame 6 which supports a flexible lamina panel 7 in tension. The panel 7 is typically made from a woven material and is translucent. More particularly, the frame 6 is made up of basically four aluminium members 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d which are adjustably interconnected to each other at the corners of the frame. The rectangular flexible lamina of fabric 7 , is mounted between the two longitudinal frame members 6b, 6d which are contained in pockets 7b , 7d formed in the longitudinal sides of the fabric. The shorter transverse ends of the fabric lamina panel 7 have pockets 7a, 7c formed in them which on the transverse frame members 6a, 6c respectively. The ends of the longitudinal frame members 6b, 6d and transverse frame members 6a, 6c have adjustable corner connections 17, 18 , 19 and 20 by which those ends can be connected to one another and also by which the tension in the fabric lamina panel 7 may be adjusted. The corner connections are adjustable to in effect increase or decrease the overall peripheral length of the frame and to thereby adjust the tension of the flexible lamina panel 7 . These adjustable corner connections are shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5 and are substantially the same as the arrangements disclosed in our above mentioned earlier patent application and described in relation to Figures 4 and 6 of that patent application. Each of the four adjustable comer arrangements comprises a cam member 10, which fits into the open tubular end of a longitudinal frame member 6d, and an end cap 11 which fits in the end of an adjacent tubular transverse frame member 6a . The cam member 10 consists essentially of an inclined cam surface 13, which is integral with a spigot member 14, the latter being a force-fit into the end of the tubular longitudinal frame member 6d. The cam surface 13 is provided with a slot 13a through which an Allen key 15 may be inserted to engage the end of a captive screw 16 which is threaded into the end cap 11 . The captive screw 16 is normally inserted fully within the member 11 so that the left-hand end of the screw, as viewed in Figure 5 , is flush with the left-hand end of the member 11 . After the frame members have been located in the respective pockets 7, 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d , the end of the screw member 16 is engaged by the Allen key 15 and rotated, as indicated by the arrow A in Figure 4 , so as to make it progressively emerge from the member 11 and contact the cam surface 13 , as shown in Figure 5 . As the screw 16 is progressively drawn out of the member 11 , the left-hand side of the screw 16 will ride up the cam surface 13 which will have the effect of moving the transverse frame member 6a in the direction of the arrow 'B' and the frame member 6b in the direction of the arrow 'C' to thus tension the flexible material 7 forming the door. By adjusting each of the screws 16 associated with each of the four corner arrangements 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the frame, the overall tensioning of the material flexible lamina 7 , can be effected. The lamina panel 7 has applied to its front surface a graphic design or picture 9 . Figures 6 and 7 In addition to the adjustable corner connections previously described, the adjustable frame 6 is provided with two hinge arrangements 4 and 5 as previously mentioned, these being shown in more detail in Figures 6 and 7 . Each of the hinges 4 and 5 comprises a male member 4a, 5a and a female member 4b, 5b respectively. The female members 4b, 5b consist of internally threaded tubes welded to the metal front frame 1b of the wire container 1 . The front surface of the flexible lamina panel 7 is provided with a graphic design or picture 9 which can be applied to the panel in a number of ways. The preferred way of applying the graphic design or picture 9 is by screen printing, but it could be hand painted. In the latter case the unit shown in Figure 1 , when sold, could have sold with it a painting kit. This kit could comprise a number of designs (eg in the form of stencils or transfers) and the necessary colouring materials such as paints, so that the purchaser can select and execute the graphic design or picture of the purchaser's choice. The graphic design or picture can also be applied to the front surface of the lamina panel 7 in other ways. For example, the adjustable frame 6 could be provided with means whereby pre-printed graphic designs or pictures (typically a poster) could be detachably secured to the front surface of the panel 7. The unit of the present invention could be sold to the end user ready assembled, or as a kit for self assembly. In the former case, the door 3 would already have been assembled, ie the assembly steps described and illustrated with reference to Figures 3 to 5 would have been carried out by the supplier. Preferably, and as illustrated in Figure 1 , the lamina panel 7 which acts as a hinged door to the wire container 1 is of substantially larger area than the front opening of the wire container so that when the panel is hinged closed it will conceal the wire container not only when the unit as a whole is viewed centrally or at right angles to the wall on which the unit is mounted but also when viewed obliquely. Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings in which the container 1 and the hinged door lamina panel 7 are rectangular, both the container and the hinged panel could be other shapes, the key feature being that when the panel is hinged closed it substantially conceals the container which is between it and the mounting wall. A key feature of the unit of the present invention is that it is of lightweight construction. This is achieved by (a) having the storage part of the unit constructed from relatively thin, but strong metal wires thus making it light in weight and (b) by having the hinged door to the unit comprising a relatively light frame on which is mounted a tensioned flexible lamina panel which again is light in weight. The unit described with reference to the accompanying drawings is particularly useful in rooms (both domestic and commercial/office) which are small and therefore offer extremely limited capacity for housing storage units.

Claims: A decorative storage unit comprising: a container ( 1 ) having means whereby it can be mounted on a wall; a door ( 3 ) hinged to the container ( 1 ) so that in its closed position the door ( 3 ) conceals the container ( 1 ) when the container is wall mounted and in its open position allows access to the interior of the container ( 1 ); characterised in that : the door ( 3 ) comprises a flexible lamina member ( 7 ) held in tension on a surrounding frame ( 6 ); and the container comprises a hollow framework. A unit as claimed in claim 1 , in which the flexible lamina member ( 7 ) is made from a woven material. A unit as claimed in claims 1 or 2 , in which the flexible lamina member ( 7 ) has pockets ( 7b,7d ) which contain longitudinal frame members ( 6b,6d ) of said frame ( 6 ). A unit as claimed in claim 3 , in which the framework is made of wire. A unit as claimed in any previous claim in which the door is made of translucent material. A unit as claimed in any previous claim in which the container houses means for illuminating the interior of the storage unit and the rear surface of the door when closed. A unit as claimed in any previous claim having internal support members (1c,1d) to support items stored within said unit. A unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said internal support members (1c,1d) comprise of wire shelf members.

Inventors: PEPPETT ROBERT ANTHONY, PEPPETT, ROBERT ANTHONY
Applicants: PEPPETT ROBERT ANTHONY, PEPPETT, ROBERT ANTHONY
Application year: 2001
Main classification: A47B43
IPC codes: F16B7, B44C5, E06B9, A47G5, B44C3, E06B5, G09F15, G09F19, A47F5, G09F11, E04B2