Stoage Cabinet With Improved Features

Abstract

The improved storage cabinet incorporates several improvements. These improvements include cabinet doors with an interior space; adjustable door hinges that allow the assembler or end user to adjust the fit and movement of the doors; door hinges located on the periphery of the doors that are adapted so the doors do not require any clearance to open; a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows a shelf or drawer to be mounted directly to the side wall of the cabinet without the necessity of a mounting bracket; and a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows for the easy interchange of drawers and shelves both during production and by an end-user. These features, can be implemented as individual improvements of a cabinet or can be implemented as combinations or subcombinations of improvements of a cabinet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/521,235 filed on Mar. 17, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved storage cabinet and method of making the same.

BACKGROUND

In both home and industrial environments, storage cabinets are often used to store and organize various items so they are easily accessible yet out of sight. Storage cabinets can be also be extremely helpful in preventing clutter because they can store, in a compact organized manner, many items that otherwise would occupy much floor, tabletop or other surface space. Typically, these storage cabinets include a combination of drawers, shelves, storage pegs or hooks, or other storage devices.

It is desirable in the industry to maximize the storage and organizational capabilities of a storage cabinet of a given size by making the storage cabinet more compact or by creating additional storage locations and surfaces within the cabinet. In addition, it is desirable to simplify the method of manufacturing a storage cabinet, thereby increasing production efficiency and decreasing production costs. Finally, it is also desirable in the industry to increase the interchangeability of various components of the storage cabinet to improve the method of manufacturing the cabinet and to increase the end users ability to customize the storage cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A storage cabinet with improved features is provided. The storage cabinet provides for easier and more efficient use of the cabinet and the storage space defined therein. The cabinet provides for the following features, implemented individually or in subcombinations, cabinet doors with an interior space; adjustable door hinges that allow the assembler or end user to adjust the fit and movement of the doors; door hinges located on the periphery of the doors that are adapted so the doors do not require any clearance to open; a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows a shelf or drawer to be mounted directly to the side wall of the cabinet without the necessity of a mounting bracket; and a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows for the easy interchange of drawers and shelves both during production and by an end-user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The storage cabinet of the present invention may be more readily understood by reference to the following drawings. While certain embodiments are shown as illustrative examples of the storage cabinet, the scope of this application should not be construed as limited to these illustrative examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first illustrative embodiment of the storage cabinet of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the storage cabinet shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a door and hinge assembly of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the storage cabinet of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the interior of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1 with a shelf with a slide mount carrier and attached drawer with a slide mount.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a shelf for use with the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a the shelf shown in FIG. 1 attached to the sidewall of the cabinet.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the assembly of a slide mount and cabinet first shelf/drawer mounting portion assembly.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third illustrative embodiment of the storage cabinet of the present invention having a plurality of drawers.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a drawer, slide mount, back wall and two side walls of the storage cabinet shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fourth illustrative embodiment of the storage cabinet of the present invention for mounting to a wall or other surface.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a fifth illustrative embodiment of the storage cabinet of the present invention as a floor cabinet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-2 illustrates an embodiment of the improved cabinet disclosed herein. The improved storage cabinet incorporates several improvements over existing storage cabinets. These improvements include, but are not limited to, the following: thick doors with interior shelves for additional storage; adjustable door hinges that allow the assembler or end user to adjust the fit and movement of the doors; door hinges located on the periphery of the doors that are adapted so the doors, which can be relatively thick or deep (in some embodiments at least three inches thick), do not require any clearance to open; a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows a shelf or drawer to be mounted directly to the side wall of the cabinet without the necessity of a mounting bracket; and a shelf/drawer mounting system that allows for the easy interchange of drawers and shelves both during production and by an end-user. It should be appreciated that these features, as well as other features disclosed in this application, can be implemented as individual improvements of a cabinet or can be implemented as combinations or subcombinations of improvements of a cabinet.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the storage cabinet 10 generally includes a base 20, a back wall 22, a pair of side walls 24 and a cap 26. The base 20 and cap 26 of the storage cabinet 10 are very similar in that they have the same general shape and configuration and are generally made out of the same materials. The base 20 and cap 26 of the storage cabinet 10 are typically formed out of metal, although other suitable materials, such as plastic, can be used. In fact, the entire storage cabinet 10, or any component of the cabinet, could be made out of a material different from metal, including plastic. In the illustrated embodiment displayed in FIGS. 1-2, the base 20 and cap 26 have tubular frames 30 that have a generally C-shaped configuration extending around the perimeter of the front 32 and sides 33 of the cabinet 10. The frames 30 of the base 20 and cap 26 include a main portion 35 and a pair of leg portions 36 that wrap around the sides 33 of the cabinet 10. In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-2, the two corners 38 formed by the intersection of the leg portions 36 and the main portion 35 of the frames 30 are radiused. These rounded or radiused corners 38 of the frames 30 provide the base 20 and cap 26 with an improved appearance and a blunt surface. However, it should be appreciated that it is not necessary that the frames 30 have these rounded corners 38.

Both frames 30 wrap around the front 32 and sides 33 of the cabinet 10. The frames 30 also extend outward beyond the remainder of the cabinet 10 and thereby provide the cabinet with a sturdy, unitary, aesthetically pleasing appearance. In addition, the frames 30 also provide a sturdy bumper-like surface that prevents the rest of the cabinet assembly from potential damage. For example, if the cabinet 10 were to be moved, the frames 30 of the cabinet may deflect the impact should the cabinet bump into another surface. As such, the frames 30 would protect the rest of the cabinets surfaces from being scratched, dented, marred or otherwise damaged.

The base 20 also includes a base plate 40 that is adapted to fit within the open space between the leg portions 36 of the base frame 30 and forming the top of the base 20. Similarly, the cap 26 of the storage cabinet 10 includes a top plate 45 that is adapted to fit within the open space between the leg portions 36 of the cap frame 26, thereby forming the underside of the cap 26.

The cap 26 of the storage cabinet 10 includes a work surface 50 that is adapted to fit within the open space between the leg portions 36 of the cap frame 30 and form the top of the cap 26. The work surface 50 provides a flat surface upon which the user can either work or place objects. The work surface 50 generally contains objects placed thereon. This prevents objects from rolling off of the work surface 50 since the work surface is surrounded by the cap frame 30.

The base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface 50 are typically formed out of metal, although other suitable materials can be used. In the illustrated embodiments, the base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface 50 have a generally rectangular shape that fits closely within the C-shaped frames 30. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that other shapes and configurations of base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface 50 can be used.

Each of the base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface 50 have a front and a back and a pair of sides. The two corners 52 located at the front of the base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface are radiused in a similar fashion to the corners 38 of the frames 30 to allow the base plate 40, top plate 45 and work surface 50 to fit closely within the frames 30 of the base 20 and the cap 26. However, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to such a multiple piece construction. For example, the base 20, the cap 26, or both could be of solid construction. The shape of both the base and the cap is also not limited to the shape used with the illustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-2, but instead could be any number of different shapes and configurations.

Optionally, a plurality of hinge pin receiving holes 60 can be defined within a surface of the base and cap frames 30, or in the base plate 40 and top plate 45. In several of the illustrated embodiments, two hinge pin receiving holes are defined within the surface of both the base and the cap frames 30 at the radiused corners 38 where each of the pair of leg portions 36 meet the main portion 35 of the frames 30. However, different numbers and locations of hinge pin receiving holes 60 could be used. The hinge pin receiving holes 60 are designed to mate with a portion of a hinge that is used to secure a door on the cabinet, as discussed further below.

The storage cabinet 10 includes a back wall 22 that is typically made out of metal, although other suitable materials can be used. The back wall 22 is generally perpendicular to both the base 20 and the cap 26 and is fastened to both the base plate 40 and the top plate 45.

The storage cabinet 10 includes two side walls 24 that are typically made out of metal, although other suitable materials can be used. The side walls 24 are generally perpendicular to both the base 20 and the cap 26 and are fastened to both the base plate 40 and the top plate 45. The side walls 22 can be fastened to the base plate 40 and top plate 45 in many different ways, such as, for example, with bolts, screws, welds, slots and tabs, or other fastening methods. The two side walls 22 of the storage cabinet 10 also attach to the back wall 22 of the storage cabinet 10. When viewed from above, the assembly of the back wall 22 and the two side walls 24 has a generally C-shaped configuration. The assembly of the base plate 40, back wall 22, pair of side walls 24 and the top plate 45 defines a partially closed space.

In some embodiments, the side walls 24 do not extend completely up to the front of the base plate 40 or top plate 45. The dimensions of the sides of the base plate 40 and top plate 45 are larger than the length of the side walls 22, thereby creating an overhang 70 in the base plate 40, top plate 45, or both. The overhang 70 of the top plate 45 allows for a larger work surface 45. The overhang 70 of the base plate 40, together with the frame 30, helps to catch items that are dropped by the user of the storage cabinet 10. For example, if the user drops a small item, such as, for example, a nut or bolt, when they are using the storage cabinet, this overhang 70 on the base plate 40 will help to prevent the item from falling to the floor and rolling under the storage cabinet 10. In addition, the overhang 70 on both the top and base plates 40, 45 allows for the use of thick cabinet doors 100 while maintaining a flush outer surface. The thick cabinet doors 100 are discussed further below.

Each of the two side walls includes a first integrated shelf/drawer mounting portion 110. As best shown in FIGS. 6-7, the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110 is a portion of the side wall 24 that is bent in a U-shaped configuration near the back of each side wall 24. A plurality of evenly spaced apart notches 112 are defined within the surface of each of the first shelf/drawer mounting portions 110. These portions of the side walls 110 provide for direct mounting of drawers and/or shelves 120 to the side walls 24. The side walls 24 of the storage cabinet 10 have a second integrated shelf/drawer mounting portion 130. This second shelf/drawer mounting portion 130 is a portion of the side wall 24 that is bent in a U-shaped configuration near the front of each side wall 24. A plurality of evenly spaced apart fastener openings 132 are defined within the surface of each of the second shelf/drawer mounting portions 130. This is an improvement over storage cabinets that require a separate mounting bracket to mount drawers or shelves to the side walls. Conventional cabinets include separate mounting brackets that are attached to the front and back portions of each side walls. Mounting brackets are separate pieces that are fastened to the side walls by rivets, screws, nuts and bolts, tabs and slots, pins, welds or other fasteners. The integration of the shelf/drawer mounting portions 110, 130 eliminates the step of installing these mounting brackets from the assembly process. In addition, drawers and/or shelves 120 can easily be removed from the cabinet 10.

In addition, the integrating of the shelf/drawer mounting portions 110, 130 into the side walls 24 of the storage cabinet 10 ensures that the drawers and/or shelves 120 will be mounted evenly. With conventional cabinets that use separate mounting brackets there is the potential that the mounting brackets to be fastened incorrectly or unevenly to the side walls. If the mounting brackets are not located in the correct spot on either side wall, the drawers and/or shelves 120 that are mounted on them will be crooked or uneven. Even a small difference in location of the mounting brackets can make a noticeable difference in the appearance and effectiveness of the drawers and/or shelves 120. However, integration of the shelf/drawer mounting portions 110, 130 into the side walls 24 obviates the need to position the mounting brackets and, therefore, avoids uneven mounting of the drawers and or shelves 120.

Optionally, the storage cabinet can include a pair of doors 100, such as the thick door shown in FIGS. 1-3. Each of these doors 100 includes a top end cap 142, a bottom end cap 144 and a door surface 146. The end caps 142, 144 and door surface 146 of each door 100 are typically made out of metal although other suitable materials can be used. The top end cap 142 has a generally rectangular shape and may have at least one of the corners 148 radiused. The bottom end cap 144 of each door 100 has the same general shape as the top end cap 142 and may include a radiused corner 149 matching the radiused corner 148 of the top end cap 142.

The top and bottom end cap 142, 144 of each of the doors 100 are positioned apart from each other with the door surface 146 spanning the distance between them. The door surface 146 generally follows the profile of the top and bottom end cap 142, 144, thereby giving the door 100 a flat front with a rounded side corresponding with the radiused corners 148, 149 of the top and bottom end caps 142, 144 of the door 100.

The front 150 and two sides 152 of each door 100 are enclosed by the door surface 146, while, the back 155 of the door remains open. Thus, the door surface 146 defines a partially enclosed space 156. A plurality of shelves 160 are located within this interior partially enclosed space 156 of the door. These shelves 160 provide additional storage space for items such as, for example, bottles, cans, containers, and other things. With storage cabinets, it is desirable to maximize the space where items can be stored. The doors 100 provide additional storage space that is not available with traditional doors. This allows more items to be stored within the storage cabinet 10 making it a more effective and useful storage device. The illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has a door 100 with at least a three inch depth. This added storage space in these deep or wide doors 100 is not available with the thin planar doors that have been conventionally been used with storage cabinets. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, an elastic band, bungee cord, or other device 162 could be used to attach items to the interior portion of the door 100.

Each of the doors 100 have a height, a width and a depth. The height measurements of the doors 100 are adapted to fit closely within the space defined between the base frame 30 and the cap frame 30. The width measurements of the doors 100 are adapted so the edges of the doors are flush with the side walls 24 of the storage cabinet 10. The depth measurements of the doors 100 are adapted to fill the space defined by the extending overhang portions 70 of the top and bottom plates 40, 45. The curved portion 170 of the door 100 closely mirrors the radiused corners of the base plate 40, top plate 45, work surface 40 and frames, thereby providing storage cabinet 100 with a smooth, consistent appearance.

Optionally, each of the doors of the present invention can include a handle 175. The handle 175 is located along the door surface 26 and is used to open and close the door 100. Additionally, the handle 175 could include a latching assembly (not shown). A locking assembly 177 can also be used to prevent unwanted access to the interior of the storage cabinet 10.

A pair of hinge assemblies 180 can be used to in conjunction with the mounting of each of the doors 100. The hinge assemblies 180 each include a hinge bracket 182, typically made out of metal or other suitable material. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the hinge brackets 180 have a quarter circle shape, but it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other shapes of hinge bracket could be used. The radiused ends 184 of hinge assemblies 180 mirror the radiused corner 148, 149 of the top and bottom end caps 142, 144 of the doors 100 to give the doors a uniform aesthetically pleasing appearance. Each of the hinge assemblies 180 include a hinge pin 186. The hinge pins 186 are attached to the hinge bracket 182 and extends outward from the hinge bracket 182 in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the hinge bracket 182. Each of the hinge pins 186 is adapted to fit closely within the hinge pin receiving holes 60 located on the base and cap frame 30 of the cabinet. In some embodiments, the hinge pins 186 are located proximate to the radiused edge 184 of the hinge bracket 182.

The location of the hinge pin 186 together with the dimensions and shape of the door end caps 142, 144, base plate 40 and the top plate 45 are adapted to allow the doors to fully open without the need for clearance. For example the doors 100 can open between 150 degrees and 180 degrees, or more, in relation to the cabinet 10, without requiring any clearance between the side walls 24 of the cabinet 10 and another surface, such as, for example, the surface of an abutting wall or cabinet. Typically, if a storage cabinet's side walls 24 abut directly against a hard surface, the configuration of the door hinges in prior art storage cabinets will not allow the doors to open fully. The edges of the doors swing out further than the side walls of the cabinet and, therefore the surface the cabinet abuts against impedes the opening of the doors. In contrast, the storage cabinet 10 can directly abut against another surface, and the doors 100 can open substantially, for example between 150 degrees and 180 degrees, or more, without interfering with or knocking into the abutting surface. The sides 152 of the door 100 do not protrude out further than the side walls 24 of the cabinet 10 during opening of the door. As such, the door 100 will move freely until the front face 150 of the door 100 actually encounters a surface or object in its path. The design of the hinge assembly 180 allows the storage cabinet 10 to be placed in the corner of a room, up against a wall or directly next to another storage cabinet, thereby saving space and producing a cleaner look, yet still providing the full range of motion and hence use of the cabinet door.

The hinge brackets 182 include a plurality of attachment holes 188 that accept screws or other fasteners 189 for attaching the hinge brackets 182 to the door hinge plate fastener openings 190 of the door end caps 142, 144. The door hinge fastener openings 188 are larger in dimension than the fasteners 189 used to secure the hinge plates 182 to the door end caps 142, 144. The fasteners 189 can be easily loosened and the location of the hinge plate 182 can be adjusted due to this arrangement. This allows the hinge assembly 180 of each door 100 to be adjusted with relation to the door end cap 142, 144 to ensure the proper fit, alignment, and motion of each door 100. This allows for a tight seal between the doors 100 and prevents the existence of unsightly gaps between the doors 100 when they are closed.

Optionally, the storage cabinet 10 can include at least one shelf 120, as best shown in FIGS. 5-7. The shelf 120 can be made out of metal, although other suitable materials could also be used. The shelf 120 includes a pair of shelf attachment pins 200 that extend outwardly from the rear 202 of the side flaps 204 of the shelf 120 and fit within the notches 112 of the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110 of the side walls 24. To allow the shelf to be placed at the desired height, the first shelf/drawer mounting portions 110 of each side wall 24 include corresponding notches 112 that are located at set intervals along the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110. Similarly, the second shelf/drawer mounting portions 130 of each side wall 24 includes corresponding fastener opening 132 located at set intervals along the second shelf/drawer mounting portion 130, wherein the set internals of the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110 match the set internals of the second shelf/drawer mounting portion 130. Fasteners (not shown) are used to attach the front of the shelf 206 to the second shelf/drawer mounting portion 130 of the cabinet 10 once the attachment pins 200 of the shelf 100 are secured within the proper notches 112 of the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110. In the illustrated embodiment, rivets are used to fasten the shelf 120 to the sidewall 24, however, less permanent fasteners could be used, such as, for example, nuts and bolts, screws, tabs and slots, or pins, or other fasteners to allow the end user to remove and adjust the shelf 120.

Optionally, one or more of the shelves 120 can be mounted to the sidewalls 24 of the cabinet 10 by a slider bracket, similar to that which is used to mount drawers, as discussed below. This allows the shelves 120 to be pulled out from within the cabinet to allow for easier access to the items stored on the shelves.

In some embodiments, one or more of the shelves 120 can include a set of sliders 210 mounted to the underside of the shelves 120. Such sliders 210 provide for the mounting of an interior drawer 215 as shown in FIG. 5.

Optionally, the storage cabinet 10′ can include at least one drawer 220 as shown in FIGS. 9-10. The drawer 220 is made out of metal, although other suitable materials could be used. The drawer 220 has a generally box like shape with a bottom drawer surface 222 and a front wall 224, back wall 226, and pair of sidewalls 228 extending upward from the bottom drawer surface 222. The front wall 224 of the drawer 220 has the same general profile as the doors 100 described above, with radiused side corners 230 adapted to fill the space between the overhang 70 of the base plate 40 and top plate 45. Therefore, when the drawers 220 are closed, the storage cabinet 10′ has a clean smooth unitary appearance with the edges of the drawers 220 lining up with the sidewalls 24 of the storage cabinet 10′. It should be appreciated the storage cabinet may include only doors, only drawers, or a combination of doors and drawers.

The drawers 220 are mounted to the storage cabinet 10′ by a pair of slider mounts 240 as shown in FIG. 10. The slider mounts 240 may be any standard slider, such as, for example, those that include a plurality of nested slider members that each have a channel shape that allows each member to be extended.

The slider mount 240 includes a slider attachment pin 242 and at least one fastener opening 244. As best shown in FIG. 8, the slider attachment pin 242 fits within one of the notches 112 of the first drawer/shelf mounting portion 110. Once the slider attachment pin 242 is secured within the proper notch 112, the front of the first slider member 246 is attached to the sidewall 24 of the cabinet 10′ with a fastener (not shown), such as, for example, rivets, nuts and bolts, screws, tabs and slots, pins, or other such fasteners. Use of a non-permanent fastener allows the end user to remove and adjust the slider mount 240.

Since the first and second drawer/shelf mounting portions 110, 130 operate in similar fashion for either shelves 120 or drawer slides 240, the end user can easily move the shelves 120 and drawer slides 240 interchangably and in any combination that properly fits the cabinet. The interchangeable shelves 120, which may include those that are mounted on slide bars or have slide bars mounted on the shelf for attachment of an inner drawer 215, drawers 220 improves both the method of manufacturing the storage cabinet and the end users ability to customize the cabinet. During production, the assembly of the shell of each cabinet which includes the base 20, sidewalls 24, back walls 22 and cap 26 is the same for each cabinet. In addition, the shelf/drawer mounting portions 110, 130 are integrated into the sidewalls 24 of the cabinet and are identical for each cabinet configuration. The assembly of the shell can be performed efficiently since there is no need to customize any part of this process to provide for differently configured cabinets.

Furthermore, the assembly process for both shelves 120 and slider mounts 240 is uniform. Each of the shelves 120, shelves with slider mounts and slider mounts 240 include pins 200, 242 that extend outward and attach to the first shelf/drawer mounting portions 110 of the sidewalls 24 in the same manner. Once these pins 200, 242 are properly located in the first shelf/drawer mounting portion 110 of the sidewalls 24, the front of the shelf or slider mount is then fastened to the second shelf/drawer mounting portion 130. Accordingly, once the shell of the cabinet is assembled, either shelves 120 or slider mounts 240 can be mounted to the shell using the same motions and processes. This streamlines the assembly process and increases the manufacturing efficiency of the cabinet. Consequently, each storage cabinet can include a combination of shelves, sliding shelves, interior drawers and drawers without complicating production. Also, drawers, shelves and shelves with slider mounts can be easily be interchanged by the end user creating a more easily customizable cabinet. The storage components of the cabinet can be removed or reconfigured to adapt to whatever the user desires to store in the cabinet.

Optionally, the storage cabinet 10 could include a wheel assembly 280, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The wheel assembly 280 includes a wheel mounting bracket 282 made out of a suitable material such as metal. The wheel mounting bracket 282 is attached to the base 20 of the storage cabinet 10 by fasteners (not shown). Each wheel assembly 280 includes a wheel 285 that is attached to the wheel mounting bracket 282 by fastening means (not shown). The wheels 282 enable the cabinet 10 to be moved around and easily relocated. The wheels 285 are capable of being locked to prevent the unwanted movement of the storage cabinet 10.

The cabinet construction disclosed herein can be applied to a number of different cabinet configurations. Two additional illustrative examples are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 illustrates a cabinet 10″ that is intended to be mounted to a wall, workbench, or other surface. This wall storage cabinet 10″ includes a wall mount bracket 300 that is attached to the storage cabinet 10″. The wall cabinet 10″ can be constructed in various sizes and shapes and can include various combinations of interior drawers, large drawers, doors, shelves, shelves with slider mount brackets or other storage aids. FIG. 12 illustrates a cabinet 10′″ that stands on the floor or other surface. The cabinet 10′″ is shown as a closet-sized cabinet, the cabinet can be any size. Optionally, storage cabinet 10′″ can include a stabilizer bracket 310 that is attached to the storage cabinet and is secured to a wall, tool bench, or other surface to stabilize the cabinet and prevent it from tipping. Optionally, the floor cabinet 10′″ can also include a plurality of feet or casters 320 fastened to its base. The feet 320 raise the base of the cabinet off of the floor to prevent rust, water damage, or other issues that may arise if the base of the cabinet rests directly on the floor. The floor cabinet can be constructed in various sizes and shapes and can include various combinations of interior drawers, large drawers, doors, shelves, shelves with slider mount brackets or other storage aids.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. Clearly, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. The scope of the invention and claims are not limited in any way by the description of the preferred embodiments, which are provided only to illustrate various examples of the invention.

Claims

1. A cabinet comprising:

a base member, a pair of sidewalls, a back member and a top portion defining a first storage space therein;

two cabinet doors, wherein each of said doors include a front surface, a curved side portion, a top cap and a bottom cap defining a second storage space therein.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said second storage space includes one or more shelves therein.

3. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said two cabinet doors are attached to said base member and said top portion by a set of hinges.

4. The cabinet of claim 3, wherein said set of hinges include a hinge pin that matches with a set of hinge pin apertures, wherein said hinge pin apertures are located on said base member and said top portion and are spaced apart from said pair of sidewalls.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said two cabinet doors can be rotated at least 150 degrees from a closed position when one or more of said pair of sidewalls are abutted by another surface.

6. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising a set of wheel assemblies.

7. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising a set of interchangeable drawers and shelves.

8. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said pair of sidewalls include an outer wall and first and second mounting sections located inward of said outer wall.

9. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said base member and said top portion extend forward from said sidewalls to form overhang sections.

10. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the axial distance between the front surface of the door and an end of said curved side portion of said door is at least three inches.

11. A cabinet comprising a box-like frame enclosing a storage space on all but one side and a pair of cabinet doors that when closed, fully enclose the storage space, and wherein said pair of cabinet doors can rotate open at least 150 degrees from the closed position when at least one of a pair of sidewalls that form part of the box-like frame abuts another surface.

12. The cabinet of claim 11, wherein each of said pair of cabinet doors include a storage space defined therein.

13. The cabinet of claim 11 further comprising a set of interchangeable drawers and shelves.

14. A storage cabinet comprising a frame and a set of interchangeable drawers and shelves mounted within the frame of the cabinet, wherein any one of said set of interchangeable drawers and shelves can be removed from said storage cabinet by removing one fastener from each side of the drawer or shelf and then pulling a set of pins located on the back of the drawer or shelf out of a set of notches.

15. The storage cabinet of claim 14 further comprising a pair of doors, each of said pair of doors including a storage space defined therein.

16. The storage cabinet of claim 15, wherein said pair of doors can be rotated at least 150 degrees from a closed position when another surface abuts at least one of a pair of sidewalls that make up a portion of said frame.

17. The storage cabinet of claim 15, wherein each of said pair of doors are mounted on a pair hinges, each hinge providing a predetermined tolerance to allow the door mounted thereon to be selectively adjusted.

18. A storage cabinet comprising:

a frame including a base member, a top member, a back wall and two sidewalls, wherein said frame defines a first storage space therein; and

two doors, wherein each of said doors include a front surface and a radiused side portion, wherein said radiused side portion connects said front surface and is planar with one of said sidewalls at an edge that abuts said one of said sidewalls.

19. The storage cabinet of claim 18, wherein each of said doors further comprises a second storage space defined therein.

20. The cabinet of claim 18, wherein said doors are attached to said base member and said top member by a set of hinges.

21. The cabinet of claim 20, wherein said set of hinges include a hinge pin that matches with a set of hinge pin apertures, wherein said hinge pin apertures are located on said base member and said top portion and are spaced apart from said pair of sidewalls.

22. The cabinet of claim 20, wherein said doors can be rotated at least 150 degrees from a closed position when one or more of said sidewalls are abutted by another surface.

23. The cabinet of claim 20 further comprising a set of interchangeable drawers and shelves.