Abstract:
Furniture such as bathroom vanities are suitable to be shipped in collapsed form and then readily assembled/erected at the installation site. A back wall folds forwardly as bracing along the front folds vertically in one form. There can be a multi-piece collapsible brace between opposed side walls with four pivot points.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to furniture such as bathroom vanities. More particularly it relates to bracket structures, collapsible walls and foldable bracing structures that facilitate assembly of such furniture. 
         [0004]    Bathroom vanities typically have four main walls (front door frame, left side, right side and rear frame), with an open top. There may also be a bottom wall forming a storage shelf. A separate countertop with lavatory basin is supported by the vanity so that a basin drain extends into the vanity and out the vanity&#39;s rear frame. Water is typically fed to a faucet mounted through the countertop via the vanity&#39;s rear frame. 
         [0005]    Such vanities are sometimes purchased in an already assembled form. However, even a relatively small vanity may be difficult to ship from the store or warehouse to the installation site unless the shipper has a pick-up truck or other large capacity vehicle. This may make it difficult for some consumers to transport the vanities themselves. 
         [0006]    Moreover, if the vanity is already assembled during shipment it may be difficult to transport through some doorways at the installation site. Further, an already assembled vanity may take up undesirable amounts of display space at retailers. These problems can be exacerbated as the size of the vanity or other furniture item grows (e.g. a vanity suitable for a double basin sink). 
         [0007]    Hence, it is desirable to be able to store a vanity and ship it to the installation site in a collapsed/unassembled form. Thereafter, the vanity can be constructed on-site. 
         [0008]    However, there are a number of problems with this strategy. For example, if the assembly requires skilled labor, that can limit who can install the vanity, and further can unduly increase the cost of installation. Even where the assembly does not require skilled labor, if it is time consuming or requires following complex instructions, consumers may be dissatisfied with the process. 
         [0009]    Also, if assembly requires special tools, that may cause further delays and problems. Moreover, some assembly techniques are prone to causing breakage or insecure connections. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,458,242 and 3,975,069 disclose collapsible vanities that can be constructed at the point of use in expedited fashion. As particularly shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,069 patent the collapsed form presents an almost suitcase-like appearance. However, the structure that permits collapsing and expanding requires complex bracing structures and has sturdiness concerns. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,466 disclosed a collapsible folding table. Again, there are some concerns regarding stability and complexity. 
         [0012]    Other examples of collapsible apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,281,731, 3,801,208, 3,950,758, 4,065,195, 4,934,025, 5,308,157, 5,593,046, 5,664,854, 5,943,968, 6,578,500, 6,752,364, 6,766,623, 6,848,758, 6,851,564 and U.S. patent application publication 2005/0072340. Each of these assemblies has their limitations. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,509 disclosed a fastener for interlocking the corner portions of mutually orthogonal rectangular sheets, which could be used with a rectangular case. A disadvantage of this type of system was that it relied on a weak frictional connection. Further, the system did not adapt well to different thicknesses of walls. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. 4,191,439 disclosed a drawer construction in which brackets took the place of conventional dovetail joints. However, this type of assembly either left the brackets visible, or required a front wall to significantly overhang the side walls to avoid the bracket visibility. 
         [0015]    Other examples of apparatus for connecting perpendicular side panels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,284, 4,279,455 and 5,647,181. Each of these techniques had their limitations. 
         [0016]    Thus, a need still exists for improved collapsible furniture items which can be readily assembled at installation sites. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    In one aspect the present invention provides an item of furniture having a first side panel, a second side panel opposed to the first side panel so as to partially define an internal space there between, a wall extending between the first and second side panels so as to further define the internal space, and a brace also extending between the first and the second side panels at a position relative to the internal space opposite the wall. The wall can be folded inwardly between the first and second side panels (preferably into the internal space forwardly) in a first direction, and the brace can be folded in a second direction transverse to the first direction (preferably downwardly). Thus, the furniture item (e.g. a bathroom vanity) is suitable to be collapsed from an erected configuration to a more compact configuration. 
         [0018]    In a preferred form there is a brace which includes a first corner bracket mounted on the first side panel, a second corner bracket mounted on the second side panel, a first connector pivotably linked to the first corner bracket, a second connector pivotably linked to the second corner bracket, a central hinge plate, a third connector linked at one side of the central hinge plate so as to be releasably pivotable relative thereto, a fourth connector linked at a second side of the central hinge plate so as to be releasably pivotable relative thereto, a first arm extending between the first and third connectors, a second arm extending between the second and fourth connectors, and biased restraints for releasably restricting pivotal motion of the third and fourth connectors relative to the central hinge plate. 
         [0019]    The first connector may have a dovetail connection with the first side panel and the second connector may have a dovetail connection with the second side panel. There may also be a spring that restricts movement of the third connector along its axis of pivoting relative to the central hinge plate, with the central hinge plate including a stop surface to restrict pivoting of the third connector relative to the central hinge panel except when the third connector has been moved sufficiently along said axis. 
         [0020]    The panels of the furniture item/vanity can be stacked on top of each other and inserted into a compact carton for shipment and storage. When the panels are removed from the carton at a construction site, one can simply expand the panels to assemble. 
         [0021]    While the preferred furniture item is a vanity which has a sink mounted thereon, other furniture items such as, but not limited to, cabinets (stand alone or wall mounted), shelves, bed frames, credenzas, desks, tables, islands, and other furniture pieces could have the principles of the present invention applied to them. 
         [0022]    It should be appreciated that the furniture items of the present invention can be shipped in compact or disassembled form. Erecting or assembling these structures is straightforward and quick. 
         [0023]    The present invention permits the furniture to be shipped and stored prior to installation in a disassembled or collapsed state, which allows for smaller packaging, less display space requirements at retail, and easier transport to the worksite. Further, the assembly method can be achieved with a minimum of tools by largely unskilled persons. 
         [0024]    These and still other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings. Hence, the following claims should be looked to in judging the full scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective front view of an embodiment of a vanity incorporating foldable rear wall and foldable brace attributes of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective front view of the vanity of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3A  is a rear perspective view of the vanity of  FIG. 1 , with the sink and front doors removed; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3B  is a view similar to  FIG. 3A , but with the rear wall and bracing beginning to fold; 
           [0029]      FIG. 3C  is a view similar to  FIG. 3B , but showing the vanity completely collapsed; 
           [0030]      FIG.4  is an exploded enlarged perspective view of portion  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0031]      FIG.5  is an exploded enlarged perspective view of portion  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along section line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 3C ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along section line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 3A ; and 
           [0035]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view taken along section line  9 - 9  in  FIG. 3C . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0036]      FIGS. 1-9  disclose a furniture item  70  which has a first side panel  72 , a second side panel  74 , at least one brace  76  connected between first side panel  72  and the second side panel  74 , and a rear wall  78  connected between the first and second side panels opposite braces  76 . There is a counter top  80  with the usual sink basin, a faucet  82 , doors  84  hinged to the vanity in a conventional manner, and a shelf  86  further defining an internal storage area  87 . 
         [0037]    Each brace  76  includes a first corner bracket  88 , a second corner bracket  90 , connectors  110  and  112  linked to a center hinge plate  92 , and arm members  94  and  96  connecting the connectors  110  and  112  to the brackets. 
         [0038]    There is also a first hinge  98  that connects first panel  72  and rear wall  78 , and a second hinge  100  that connects second panel  74  and rear wall  78 . Further, rear wall  78  includes a first part  102  connected to first hinge  98 , a second part  104  connected to second hinge  100 , and a third hinge  106  connecting first part  102  and second part  104 . Hinges  98 ,  100  and  106  are preferably piano hinges, for example. 
         [0039]    When furniture item  70  is in an erected position, braces  76  can pivot vertically (preferably towards each other), and first part  102  and second part  104 , of rear wall  78 , can pivot inwardly. This two-directional folding is depicted best in  FIG. 3B , and if continued can result in the compact structure of  FIG. 3C . 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , each center hinge plate  92  includes a center base  108 , with connector  110  pivotably connected to one side of center base  108 , and connector  112  pivotably connected to another side of center base  108 . Connector  110  is fixedly connected at another end thereof to first arm  94 , and connector  112  is fixedly connected at another end thereof to arm  96 . This may be achieved with conventional screws  122  or via other means. 
         [0041]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , each the corner bracket  88 ,  90  includes a base  114  fixedly connected to a respective panel  72 ,  74 , and a connector  116  pivotably connected to base  114  and fixedly connected to a respective arm  94 ,  96 . However, to accommodate the right handedness of corner bracket  88 , and the left handedness of corner bracket  90 , respective bases and arms of brackets  88 ,  90  are preferably mirror images of one another. Each base  114  can include a dovetail extension  118  and a pivot axis  120  transverse to dovetail extension  118 . 
         [0042]    Center hinge plate  92  is connected to connectors  110 ,  112  via “shoulder” screws  124  and biasing elements such as springs  126 . Similarly, connectors  116  are connected to arms  94 ,  96  using screws  128 , and connected to bases  114  with shoulder screws  130 . 
         [0043]    When the connectors  110  and  112  are freed to pivot relative to the base  108 , the connectors  116  will follow the pivoting relative to bases  114 . However, the connectors  110  and  112  may normally be prevented from an undesired direction of pivoting by a stop like stop  150 . When they are pulled against the spring pressure towards the heads of the shoulder screws  125  they can be made to clear the stop  150 , and thus rotate. 
         [0044]    Hence, this configuration normally resists collapsing of the brace. However, this will permit the brace to be collapsed when it is desired to make the configuration compact for storage or shipment. 
         [0045]    Hence, the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-9  can be collapsed for shipment and storage, and then erected and finalized on-site with minimal tools and time. 
         [0046]    The above features are relatively low cost to produce. Further, they provide a secure construction for the most typical applications. 
         [0047]    While an embodiment has been described above, it should be appreciated that this is merely the preferred embodiment. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to just the described preferred embodiment. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the claims which follow should be referenced. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0048]    The present invention provides vanities and other furniture items which are capable of being shipped in collapsed fashion and quickly assembled.