MULTISIDED MAGNETIZED REMOVABLE FURNITURE SECTION
Storage furniture is provided that includes storage area(s) and removable section(s) for enclosing the storage area(s), wherein the removable section(s) include multiple sides, and wherein any one of the sides of a removable section may be made optionally apparent by the user when the removable section is placed in position to obscure a corresponding storage area. In one embodiment, metal areas are provided with the removable sections that are attracted via magnetization by magnet(s) provided substantially adjacent a corresponding storage area, so that any side of a removable section may outwardly face an observer when the removable section is covering an associated storage area.
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The present invention is directed to furniture having at least one multisided section that is removable by way of a plurality of magnets, so that multiple sides of the section may be exposed to a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFurniture that also houses or covers up a variety of user items (e.g., blankets, pillows, magazines, books, storage media, gaming consoles, peripherals, etc.) has existed for a long time. Especially as computing devices and associated components proliferate everywhere, furniture with organized storage has become a practical necessity to avoid overall chaos and to maintain simplicity where such devices have proliferated. One particular kind of technology that has taken over living rooms, basements, conference rooms, etc. is the gaming console. From the time that gaming consoles appeared on the market in the 1970s, the gaming industry has evolved at light speed as a technology as a whole, and correspondingly the number of components that are associated with such gaming consoles have grown rapidly as well.
In the past, chests with lids, storage benches, cubby holes, drawers, to name a few, have all been used to house one or more items out of view of a user. However, at the same time, generally speaking, the way that a user's things have been stored inside such furniture items has remained static in terms of functionality. In general, there have been two classes of functionality where it has been desirable to hide one or more of a user's things out of view: hinged doors and drawers.
For instance, with respect to hinged doors, as shown in
With respect to drawers, as shown in
However, with both hinged doors and drawers, when the door or drawer is in the closed position, the same surface is always presented to the user. For instance with a door, when the door is swung closed, the front panel of the door is always apparent to an observer. Conversely, when the door is swung open, the inside panel of the door is always apparent to the observer. Similarly, with a drawer, whether the drawer is open or shut, the front panel of the drawer is always apparent to an observer. What is thus desired is a section of storage furniture that allows and prevents access to a storage area of the storage furniture, like a drawer or hinged door, but which also allows multiple flexible views of the section from the user's standpoint, even where the section is in the “storage area closed” position. Accordingly, for these and other reasons, improved furniture structures for enabling these and other objectives are desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn various embodiments, the invention provides storage furniture that includes one or more storage areas and one or more removable sections for enclosing the one or more storage areas, wherein the one or more removable sections include a plurality of sides, and wherein any one of the plurality of sides of a removable section may be made optionally apparent by the user when the removable section is placed in position to obscure a corresponding storage area. In one embodiment, a plurality of metal retention mechanisms are provided with the one or more removable sections that are magnetized by one or more magnets provided substantially adjacent a corresponding storage area, so that any side of a removable section may outwardly face an observer when the removable section is covering a corresponding storage area.
Additional features of the invention are described in more detail below.
The multisided magnetized removable furniture section(s) of the invention are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
As described in the background, traditional storage furniture has not allowed the flexibility to interchange sides of a multisided storage enclosure section of the storage furniture. As mentioned, hinged doors are either open (one side of the door shows) in a first position or shut (the other side of the door shows) in a second position, and drawers always display the same side to observers (the front of the drawer).
Accordingly, in various embodiments, the invention provides multisided removable furniture section(s) including first retention mechanisms for a furniture item that includes second retention mechanisms near a storage space opening. When any side of the multisided removable furniture section(s) is placed so that the first retention mechanisms engage the second retention mechanisms, the multisided removable furniture section(s) substantially cover the storage space opening irrespective of which side is faced outwards from the furniture item. In this fashion, multiple patterns can be outwardly displayed enabling a host of visual experiences and/or practical scenarios (e.g., games) for a user or observer of the furniture.
In one embodiment, the second retention mechanisms include any number of magnets, and the first retention mechanisms are provided as metal (e.g., steel or iron attracted to the magnets), or vice versa, although any mechanical means known to those of skill in the art of mechanical attachments could be used for a similar retention purpose.
In a non-limiting implementation, a lid of a cubical storage space includes metal that is attracted to magnets positioned substantially near the storage space so that either side of the lid may adhere to the magnets. In this fashion, the cubical storage space can be oriented in any direction, e.g., horizontally, without the lid falling off the storage space, and an observer can view either side of the lid. While lids typically are flat surfaces, any geometry with multiple sides is contemplated. For instance, 3-D polygons with three or more sides that can adhere to the retention mechanism of the storage space are contemplated. The retention structures of the present invention, e.g., metal portions and corresponding magnets, can be applied in any corresponding numbers, types of storage areas (i.e., irrespective of the shape of the storage area) and kinds of furniture items (towers, coffee tables, display stands, shelves, etc.).
Exemplary Non-Limiting Retention Structures for a Section of FurnitureIn various non-limiting embodiments described herein, the invention enables a multisided section of furniture to join to a furniture item via any of the multi-sides of the section. For instance, as shown in
In more detail, and as illustrated in
In addition, one or more holes, handles, indented portions, etc. HO may be provided on the lids, such as lid CSEL1, in order to enable a user to engage and disengage the lid without pinching the user's fingers at the edge. The storage furniture of the invention thus includes a removable multi-sided section having ways to grip or grab the removable multi-sided section so that a user can counteract a retention force maintained by the at least one first and second retention mechanisms. While the implementation of
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various Figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. For example, one skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention as described in the present application may apply to any storage furniture including a storage area that is covered by a hinged door, drawer, or single sided removable panel. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
Claims
1. Storage furniture, including:
- a housing that houses a storage area including storage space for storing one or more items, wherein the housing includes an opening enabling the storage space to be accessible externally to the housing;
- at least one first retention mechanism positioned substantially near the opening; and
- a removable multi-sided section, with at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section each including at least one second retention mechanism for engaging with corresponding ones of the at least one first retention mechanism, whereby when the at least one second retention mechanism of a side of the at least two sides engages with the at least one first retention mechanism, the storage space is covered, and the removable multi-sided section is removable by the user by disengaging the at least one second retention mechanism from the at least one first retention mechanism.
2. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the at least one first retention mechanism is at least one magnet.
3. The storage furniture of claim 2, wherein the at least one second retention mechanism of each side of the at least two sides is composed of at least one of iron and steel, and the at least one second retention mechanism engages with the at least one magnet to magnetically retain the removable multi-sided section to cover the opening.
4. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the removable multi-sided section includes means for grabbing the removable multi-sided section so that a user can counteract a retention force maintained by the at least one first and second retention mechanisms.
5. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the removable multi-sided section is composed at least partially of at least one of iron and steel.
6. The storage furniture of claim 5, wherein the removable multi-sided section is composed entirely of at least one of iron and steel.
7. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section is two sides.
8. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein each side of the at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section includes a different pattern.
9. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein each side of the at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section includes a different color.
10. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein each side of the at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section includes a different texture.
11. The storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the housing is stackable by other housing of the same type of housing as the storage furniture.
12. Cubical storage furniture, including:
- a housing that houses a storage area accessible via an opening of the housing, wherein the housing includes first retention means; and
- a removable lid having two sides and second retention means, wherein either of the two sides covers the opening when either one is aligned so that the second retention means operably engages with the first retention means, and whereby the other side not covering the opening is outwardly displayed.
13. The cubical storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the first retention means includes at least one magnet.
14. The cubical storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the removable multi-sided section is composed at least partially of at least one of iron and steel.
15. The cubical storage furniture of claim 1, wherein each side of the at least two sides of the removable multi-sided section includes a different pattern.
16. The cubical storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the removable multi-sided section includes means for grabbing the removable multi-sided section so that a user can counteract a retention force maintained by the at least one first and second retention mechanisms.
17. The cubical storage furniture of claim 1, wherein the housing of the cubical storage furniture of the same type is stackable with the housing of other cubical storage furniture of the same type.
18. Storage furniture, including:
- a housing that houses a storage area including a plurality of magnets; and
- a removable multi-sided cover, with at least part of at least two sides of the removable multi-sided cover each comprising at least one of an iron portion and a steel portion, wherein when the at least one of an iron portion and a steel portion of any of the at least two sides comes into contact with the plurality of magnets, the removable multi-sided cover is retained by magnetism to cover the storage area.
19. The storage furniture of claim 18, wherein at least an outer layer of the removable multi-sided cover is composed substantially of at least one of iron and steel.
20. The storage furniture of claim 18, wherein the plurality of magnets are positioned substantially near an opening of the storage area.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 13, 2006
Publication Date: Jan 17, 2008
Applicant: SLAM BRANDS, INC. (Redmond, WA)
Inventor: Hyung J. Kim (Lynnwood, WA)
Application Number: 11/457,345
International Classification: A47B 87/02 (20060101);