TRI-FOLD MIRROR ORGANIZER
An organizer that includes a cabinet with an interior space formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, a top wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, a bottom wall opposing the top wall and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, and a back wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall and from the top wall to the bottom wall. A door, for the interior space, extends between the top wall and the bottom wall and from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, opposite the back wall when in a closed position. The storage organizer may further include a base joined to the bottom wall by a swivel joint, the swivel joint allowing the cabinet to rotate 360 degrees about the base. A tri-fold mirror is provided by two panels that may be rotated towards the front of the organizer the panels having mirrors disposed on their front surfaces.
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/868,613 filed Dec. 5, 2006 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe embodiments of the present invention pertain to organizers and, more particularly, to organizers incorporating a tri-fold mirror.
BACKGROUNDVanity items such as jewelry and cosmetics, for example, makeup, hair styling products, creams, lotions, etc., are often stored in a number of storage receptacles, such as, cabinets and chests, that may vary considerably from one another, according to the type of item stored therein and the intended placement thereof, for example in a drawer, on a counter or dresser top, or on a floor. These various storage receptacles may not be conveniently located with respect to one another from the user's perspective. Also, a user often requires a mirror to inspect the application of cosmetics, the styling of one's hair or the placement of jewelry. Most often, a single planar mirror is used and the user has a limited field of view that does not encompass side views or a rear view. It would be desirable to provide a system that incorporated storage with the enhancement of mirrors offering a greater field of view.
The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of the present invention and therefore do not limit the scope of the invention. The drawings are not to scale (unless so stated) and are intended for use in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description. Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The following detailed description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides practical illustrations for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the first panel 18 is rotatably secured to the top and bottom panels 28 and 30 on the right side (when viewed from behind the organizer) and the second panel 22 is rotatable secured to the top and bottom panels on the left side (when viewed from behind the organizer). The first panel 18 is secured at a position closer to a front edge of the top and bottom panels than the second panel 22 so that the second panel 22 can be accommodated between the first panel 18 and the back wall 32 of the organizer 10.
Alternatively, other arrangements may be used to secure the first and second panels other than screws. In one preferred embodiment shown in
As previously described, the back wall 32 of the organizer may be provided with a mirror. The mirror may encompass substantially the entire back wall of the organizer or only a portion thereof. In addition, the back wall may be provided with hooks or rods from which items such as ties, necklaces, purses and/or belts may be hung. In addition, the back of the organizer may be provided with a secret compartment to house items of value. The secret compartment may be a drawer or drawers, for example, secured to the back wall of the organizer.
The organizer is preferably received in a stand. Various types of stands may be used to receive the organizer.
Several embodiments of tilt mechanisms are described in U.S. Ser. No. 11/368,019 entitled “Swivel Organizer” which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. Of course other types of tilting mechanisms now known or later invented may be used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,858 entitled “Christmas Tree Stand”, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety, describes a tilt mechanism which may be adapted for use with organizers of the present invention. Furthermore, foot activated mechanisms for applying either a lever or a wedging action may be incorporated into tilting mechanisms for organizers of the present invention.
The organizer according to the various embodiments described herein may be mounted on another structure such as a chest of drawers, for example such as seen in
In the foregoing detailed description, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, it may be appreciated that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
1. An organizer comprising:
- a cabinet including a first interior space formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, a top wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, a bottom wall opposing the top wall and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, and a back wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall and from the top wall to the bottom wall whereas the top wall and bottom wall each extend past the back wall, to form an overhang;
- a first door extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, the first door rotatably coupled to the first sidewall wherein the first door extends from the first sidewall to the second sidewall when in a closed position;
- a first panel rotatably coupled to the overhang of the top wall and bottom wall near the first side wall wherein the first panel can be rotated from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the first side wall away from the cabinet.
- a second panel rotatably coupled to the top wall and bottom wall near the second side wall wherein the second panel can be rotated from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the second side wall away from the cabinet.
2. The organizer of claim 1, wherein:
- the back wall of the cabinet includes a first side and a second side, and the first interior space is disposed on the first side of the back wall; and
- further comprising a mirror disposed on the second side of the back wall.
3. The organizer of claim 1, wherein: the first panel has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface wherein when the first panel is in the expanded state its first surface faces a front of the organizer.
4. The organizer of claim 3 further comprising a mirror disposed in the first surface of the first panel.
5. The organizer of claim 4 further comprising a mirror disposed on the second surface of the first panel.
6. The organizer of claim 3 further comprising a set of hooks disposed on the second surface of either the first or second panel.
7. The organizer of claim 1 further comprising a secret compartment disposed on the back wall of the organizer.
8. The organizer of claim 1 further comprising a base joined to the bottom wall by a swivel joint, the swivel joint allowing the cabinet to rotate 360 degrees about the base.
9. The organizer of claim 1, further comprising a jewelry storage element mounted within the first interior space.
10. The organizer of claim 1, further comprising a jewelry storage element mounted on an inner surface of the first door.
11. The organizer of claim 1, further comprising:
- a first mirror disposed on an outer surface of the first panel; and
- a second mirror disposed on an outer surface of the second panel.
12. The organizer of claim 8, wherein the swivel joint includes a pair of mating stops to slow rotation of the cabinet at a discrete location, the stops allowing rotation of the cabinet past the location.
13. An organizer comprising:
- a cabinet including a first interior space formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, a top wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, a bottom wall opposing the top wall and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, and a back wall extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall and from the top wall to the bottom wall whereas the top wall and bottom wall each extend past the back wall, to form an overhang;
- a first door extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, the first door rotatably coupled to the first sidewall wherein the first door extends from the first sidewall to the second sidewall when in a closed position;
- a first panel slidably coupled between the overhang of the top wall and bottom and behind the black wall wherein the first panel can be slid out from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the first side wall away from the cabinet.
- a second panel slidably coupled between the top wall and bottom and behind the back wall wherein the second panel can be slid out from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the second side wall away from the cabinet.
14. The organizer of claim 13, wherein:
- the first panel has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface wherein when the first panel is in the expanded state its first surface faces a front of the organizer.
15. The organizer of claim 14 further comprising a mirror disposed in the first surface of the first panel.
16. The organizer of claim 13, further comprising a jewelry storage element mounted within the first interior space.
17. The organizer of claim 13, further comprising a jewelry storage element mounted on an inner surface of the first door.
18. The organizer of claim 13, further comprising:
- a first mirror disposed on an outer surface of the first panel; and
- a second mirror disposed on an outer surface of the second panel.
19. The organizer of claim 13 further comprising a base joined to the bottom wall by a swivel joint, the swivel joint allowing the cabinet to rotate 360 degrees about the base.
20. The organizer of claim 19 wherein the swivel joint includes a pair of mating stops to slow rotation of the cabinet at a discrete location, the stops allowing rotation of the cabinet past the location.
21. An organizer comprising:
- a cabinet including a first interior space formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, a top wall extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, a bottom wall opposing the top wall and extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a back wall extending between the first sidewall and second sidewall opposite the open side of the interior space,
- at least one lower panel section extending externally from the cabinet near the lower portion of the back wall or the lower back portion of the first and second sidewalls; at least one upper panel section extending externally from the cabinet near the upper portion of the back wall or the upper back portion of the first and second sidewalls;
- a first door extending between the top wall and bottom wall, the first door rotatably coupled to the first sidewall wherein the first door extends across the open side of the interior space when in a closed position;
- a first generally vertical panel rotatably coupled to at least one said lower panel section and at least one said upper panel section near the first sidewall wherein the first generally vertical panel can be rotated from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the first sidewall away from the cabinet; and
- a second generally vertical panel rotatably coupled to at least one said lower panel section and at least one said upper panel section near the second sidewall wherein the first generally vertical panel can be rotated from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends from the second sidewall away from the cabinet.
22. The organizer according to claim 21 wherein the upper and lower panel sections comprise overhanging sections of the top and bottom walls, respectively, that extend past the back wall.
23. The organizer of claim 21 further comprising a base joined to the cabinet such that the cabinet may rotate about the base.
24. An organizer comprising:
- a cabinet including a first interior space formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, a top wall extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, a bottom wall opposing the top wall and extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a back wall extending between the first sidewall and second sidewall and opposing the open side of the interior space;
- at least one lower panel section extending externally from the cabinet near the lower portion of the back wall or the lower back portion of the first and second sidewalls; at least one upper panel section extending externally from the cabinet near the upper portion of the back wall or the upper back portion of the first and second sidewalls;
- a first door extending between the top wall and bottom wall the first door rotatably coupled to the cabinet wherein the first door extends across the open side of the interior space when in a closed position;
- a first panel slidably coupled between at least one lower panel section and at least one upper panel section, wherein the first panel can be slid out from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends generally from the first sidewall away from the cabinet; and
- a second panel slidably coupled between at least one lower panel section and at least one upper panel section, wherein the second panel can be slid out from a collapsed state in which it is behind the back wall to an expanded state where it extends generally from the second sidewall away from the cabinet.
25. The organizer according to claim 24 wherein the upper and lower panel sections comprise overhanging sections of the top and bottom walls, respectively, that extend past the back wall.
26. The organizer of claim 24 further comprising a base joined to the cabinet such that the cabinet may rotate about the base.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2007
Publication Date: Jun 5, 2008
Inventor: Lori Greiner (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 11/768,979
International Classification: A47G 1/00 (20060101); A45C 11/16 (20060101); A47B 67/00 (20060101); A47B 88/00 (20060101);