Medicine/cosmetic cabinet with pivoting mirror assembly
A medicine/cosmetic cabinet recess or surface mounted with a framed door with a separately hinged mirror inset. A front door frame assembly with a pivoting mirror laid within the door framing provides 2-way access to a storage space within which may have adjustable shelving. The front door frame assembly is positioned outward from the wall so it appears as a decorative framed mirror parallel to the wall. The door frame assembly comprises of a swinging door frame with both a rear surface and a front surface, and a separate mirror which pivots individually when opened. This allows the door to be opened with the mirror closed, just the mirror to be opened which pivots in the opposite direction of the door or both may be opened simultaneously. This allows the user very close viewing in the mirror without leaning, turning or bending.
Conventional medicine/cosmetic cabinets include a cabinet and hinged door structure that typically includes a mirror on its outer surface. It is not uncommon for such a cabinet to be placed on or within a wall that is adjacent and perpendicular to a larger wall mirror over a bathroom counter, such that the hinge of the door is near the wall mirror. In such an installation, the mirrored door may be readily pivoted away from the cabinet, thereby allowing easy access to the contents of the cabinet. Further, as the mirrored door is opened it opens to be in parallel alignment facing the wall mirror, thereby not allowing the person to see themselves in the mirror and depending on where they look, and the position of the mirrored door, different views of their face.
Such conventional medicine/cosmetic cabinets are difficult to use for close-up observation of one's face. With the installation previously described, the person must lean over the counter or sit on the bathroom counter to get their face close to the mirrored door or to the larger wall mirror if one exists. Conventional medicine/cosmetic cabinets have additional drawbacks such as they can only be opened from one side.
Clearly, then, there is a need for a mirrored medicine/cosmetic cabinet that allows access to the cabinet, and will allow the mirror to open so it will be parallel to the person and right in front of their face. The cabinet design allows it to be mounted or recessed on any side wall without any additional modification and it would still operate as intended. Such a needed device, even when opened, would be aesthetically pleasing, durable, and easy to clean and maintain. Finally this medicine/cosmetic cabinet would be relatively simple to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe front door frame assembly is positioned outward from the wall for presenting a front cabinet or decorative framed mirror parallel to the wall. The medicine/cosmetic cabinet further includes a door frame assembly for closing against the front cabinet face and for covering the storage space. The door frame assembly comprises a swinging door with both a rear surface and a front surface, and a mirror which pivots in the opposite direction of the door when opened. The hinged swinging door frame assembly is typically a rectangular or square open box. The mirrored door fully covers the contents of the cabinet, and is mounted to the swinging door frame assembly by a set of hinges on the opposite side of the door frame assembly hinges. The swinging door frame assembly may include a latch and catch for maintaining closure of the swinging door frame assembly against the front cabinet face, and a second latch and catch for maintaining closure of the mirrored door against the front surface of the swinging door frame assembly. The cabinet may be recessed or flush mounted.
With the hinged mirror door closed against the front door frame assembly, the door frame assembly may be pivoted about the first hinge to gain access to the storage space. Likewise, with the swinging door frame assembly closed against the front frame, and with the mirrored door closed within the swinging door frame assembly, the mirrored door may be pivoted about the second hinge as a means to gain access to the storage space through the mirrored door; however this would be an abstract use of the cabinet. The typical use would be to open the door frame assembly as in a standard medicine/cosmetic cabinet, and use the pivoting mirror for close-up work. Both doors can be opened simultaneously to allow access to the cabinet and use the mirror for close-up viewing. As such, access to the storage space may be gained from using either option of access to the medicine/cosmetic cabinet.
This invention is a mirrored medicine/cosmetic cabinet that allows unhindered access to the contents of the cabinet from either side. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. For example, a locking mechanism could be included to prevent either the mirrored door or the door frame assembly from opening, or to include lighting or magnification within in the mirror (not shown). Thus, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in 9 drawings:
With initial reference to
Claims
1. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet comprising: a cabinet body comprising outer side walls, back wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall; at least one door frame assembly hinged to the cabinet surrounding a mirror which is pivotally hinged to open outwardly in a direction opposite that of the door frame; wherein said door frame assembly is hinged to said cabinet body; and wherein said mirror is hinged on the opposite side of the hinge on said door frame assembly.
2. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said cabinet body comprises of a hard surface.
3. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said cabinet body is recessively mounted in a wall opening.
4. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said cabinet body is flush mounted on a wall.
5. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said door frame assembly comprises of a hard surface.
6. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said door frame assembly comprises a width slightly larger than said cabinet body.
7. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said door frame assembly includes a hinge or hinges attached to said cabinet body.
8. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said door frame assembly may include an optional catch and an optional latch attached to said cabinet body.
9. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said door frame assembly is surrounding a mirror which is pivotally hinged to open outwardly in a direction opposite that of the door frame assembly.
10. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said pivoting mirror includes a hinge or hinges attached to said door frame assembly.
11. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein said pivoting mirror includes a catch, and latch is attached to said door frame assembly and closing against so as to cover the storage space.
12. A medicine/cosmetic cabinet as described in claim 1, wherein shelves are mounted in and supported by shelf supports in holes in the respective outer side walls inside said cabinet body.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 10, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 10, 2011
Inventor: Ilene Ruth Schwartz (Brandon, FL)
Application Number: 12/462,771
International Classification: A47B 67/00 (20060101);