Abstract:
A system for replacing furniture panels which includes a frame secured to a piece of furniture and a panel which may be inserted or otherwise slid into the frame and secured therein is disclosed. The panel has front and rear surfaces having different appearances and either surface can be exposed. This allows the decor of the furniture to be easily and quickly changed at will.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed toward a system for replacing decorative furniture panels and more particularly, toward decorative panels which may be replaced easily and as often as desired by the consumer in order to change the appearance of his or her furniture. 
     People often desire a change in the motif or appearance of their furniture. In particular, people often change the look of their bedroom. Also, as children grow older their likes and dislikes change. In addition, styles frequently change over the years. Thus, while the child&#39;s furniture itself may be still be serviceable, the decor for an infant may not be suitable for a young child or adolescent. The problem however, is that it may not be very economical to change furniture as often as a person desires, especially when the furniture is still in good condition. 
     Several patents suggest systems for changing the look of certain pieces of furniture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,647 to Schneider et al. discloses a replaceable panel for various types of furniture. This patent discloses components for furniture which comprise a plurality of frame components and at least one panel which is received within the frame component. The panels may be changed in order to alter the appearance of the furniture. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,375 to Santo discloses decorative panels which slide into or out of support channels on a waterbed frame in order to change its decor. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,031 to Hayman-Chaffey discloses a table with a decorative insert that can be slid into or out of a groove for changing the appearance of the tabletop. 
     While the patents discussed above provide for various ways to change the appearance of various pieces of furniture, they appear to be rather cumbersome and not very simple to accomplish. Therefore, a need exists for a system of changing the panels of various pieces of furniture in a simple manner thereby allowing the same to be accomplished by the average unskilled homeowner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple system for replacing furniture panels. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for replacing decorative furniture panels so that the look of the furniture may be changed easily. 
     In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there are provided furniture panels which may be replaced easily and as often as desired by the consumer. The system includes a frame secured to a piece of furniture and a panel which may be inserted or otherwise slid into the frame and easily secured therein. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a bedroom set using the decorative panels in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer panel of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating a panel being slidably mounted within a drawer front frame in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the panel shown in FIGS. 1-4; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a drawer panel of a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the panel of the second embodiment slidably mounted within a frame; 
     FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the panel shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective of the head or foot board of a bed utilizing the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a decorative panel being slidably mounted within the frame of the head or foot board of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the decorative panel of FIGS. 9 and 10, and 
     FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a bedroom set using the reverse side of the decorative panel shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a bedroom set utilizing a furniture panel system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as  10 . 
     A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2-5 wherein the invention is applied to a night stand  11  or similar piece of furniture. The furniture panel system essentially includes a frame  12  and a decorative panel  14  with the frame  12  being located at the front of a drawer  16  as best shown in FIGS. 2,  3 , and  4 . The frame  12  is secured to a drawer front  18  and the panel  14  is shown inserted into the frame  12 . (See FIGS. 3 and 4.) The frame  12  is spaced from the drawer front  18  by spacers  19   a  and  19   b  located at the top and bottom and a similar spacer (not shown) located along the left side, the right side being left open thereby forming grooves or channels  20   a  and  20   b  within which the edges of the panel  14  may be slid and held in place from vertical movement. 
     As is typical in the art, a drawer pull  22  in the form of a knob or the like is also provided. The knob  22  is secured in place in a conventional manner through the use of a screw  24  passing through hole  26  in the center of drawer front  18 . A similar hole  27  is formed in the center of panel  14  and is arranged so that when the panel  14  is properly inserted into place within the frame  12 , the two holes  26  and  27  are in alignment with each other to allow the screw  24  to pass there through in order to secure the knob  22  in place. 
     In order to change the panel  14  and, therefore, the appearance of the front of the drawer  16 , the knob or other drawer pull  22  is removed by removing the screw  24 . The panel  14  is then slid out of the frame  12  as shown in FIG. 4. A second different panel can then be inserted into the frame  12  and the knob  22  is reattached in the manner described above. 
     In lieu of inserting a new panel, it is also possible with the present invention to simply reverse the panel  14 . As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the panel  14  has a front side  28  which has a design thereon or is otherwise decorated or colored. As shown in FIG. 5, the panel  14  also has a rear side  30  which is colored or has a design which differs from the design on the front side  28 . Thus, instead of providing a new panel, the panel  14  may simply be reversed and inserted into the frame. 
     While only one panel has been described, it should be understood that a variety of panels may be used. Furthermore, in lieu of a single panel, it is possible that two or more smaller panels may be arranged in the frame next to each other to provide different patterns. Even further, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide a plurality of panels with each of the panels having the same overall size but of half or one third the thickness. In this way, a plurality of panels of different design can be stored in the frame  12  instead of the single panel  14  with the design of only the outermost panel being visible. 
     The invention has thus far been described with respect to a night stand of a bedroom set  10 . As should be readily apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art, the panels and frames may be secured to different types of furniture for use in a bedroom and otherwise as will be discussed in greater detail below. 
     FIGS. 6,  7 , and  8 , for example, show a second embodiment of the invention that may be used on a dresser  111 . A frame  112  and panel  114  for a dresser drawer  116  with two drawer pulls or knobs  122   a  and  122   b  is shown. This panel and frame function in the same manner described above except that two rather than one knob must be removed from the panel and drawer before the panel is changed. (See FIG. 6.) Again, once the knobs  122   a  and  122   b  have been removed, the panel  114  may be slid out of the frame  112 . (See FIG. 7.) The panel  114  has a front side  128  which is colored or has a design different from the color and/or design on the reverse side  130  of the panel  114 . The panel may be reversed or a different panel inserted into the frame in the manner described above. 
     FIGS. 9-12 illustrate a frame  312  and panel  314  of the present invention used in the foot board (or head board)  316  of a bed. The foot board  316 , for example, is comprised of front and rear planer members  318  and  320  that are spaced apart from each other by a gap  322  having a thickness that is slightly greater than the thickness of the panel  314 . As best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gap  322  is open at the bottom so that the panel  314  can be slid upwardly into place. 
     The foot board  316  also has opening or window  324  formed there through which is framed by the frame  312  preferably on the front and back thereof. When the panel  314  is slid into place, its decorative face  328  is visible through the window  324 . The panel  314  is held in place, that is, it is prevented from dropping downwardly by the use of clips  329 , or the like that are attached to the bottom of the foot board  316  across the gap  322 . Preferably, the clips  329  are secured to only the front or back of the frame and can be rotated by hand into and out of place so that the panel  314  can be easily and quickly removed and replaced. 
     As in the embodiments discussed above, the panel  314  has a front side  328  and rear side  330  wherein the rear side  330  has a color or design that is different from the front side  328  as shown in FIG.  11 . In this regard, FIG. 12 illustrates the same bedroom set as illustrated in FIG. 1 but with each of the panels in each of the night stand  11 , dresser  111  and head and foot boards  316  being reversed to show the rear sides thereof. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to bedroom furniture but is equally applicable to other pieces of furniture. Accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.