Supports: cabinet structure – With movable components – Door-type closure having article support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-06
2001-05-29
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3636)
Supports: cabinet structure
With movable components
Door-type closure having article support
C312S292000, C312S242000, C049S169000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238030
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
There are no related applications.
CROSS REFERENCE TO FEDERAL FUNDING
N/A
CROSS REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to closets, and more particularly to closets which may be mounted and located in hidden locations, such as within doors and within larger closets.
B. Background
FIG. 1
shows a prior art closet
10
. Certain parts of the closet
10
include sidewalls
16
and doors
12
. Within the sidewalls
16
and doors
12
, and also within a back, top, and floor (not shown), articles
14
may be stored. Articles
14
may include clothes, jewelry, shoes, knick-knacks, etc. One disadvantage of the closet
10
is that the same is bulky and requires significant floor space in an apartment or house. With real estate prices rising throughout the country, saving square footage is an important concern for many families. Thus, many families are choosing to live in smaller dwellings to reduce cost outlays for housing. Such families, as well as others, have a need for a smaller type of closet, and one that requires little or no square footage of space to maintain.
FIG. 2
shows a prior art door assembly. The door assembly includes a door
18
mounted to a frame
20
. The frame
20
includes a top piece
22
, two side pieces
24
, and a bottom piece
28
. A handle
26
is employed to allow the door
18
to be easily opened and closed. A set of hinges are employed to provide an axis about which the door rotates (not shown for clarity in the figure). Such doors may be used on entrances to rooms or also on entrances to closets, such as walk-in closets, among numerous other uses. Such doors do not, however, provide for any other uses.
The door
18
includes a first side
17
and a second side
19
. The first side
17
and the second side
19
are typically maintained in a parallel relationship with each other via insertion of a material between the first side
17
and the second side
19
. This material may be Styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, etc. The material may also be strips of a material having sufficient hardness to maintain the first side
17
and the second side
19
in a fixed and preferably parallel relationship with respect to each other. In this case, the material will usually span from and between the first side
17
and the second side
19
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the needs discussed above.
In one aspect, the invention is directed towards a door closet for holding articles. The door closet includes a door having a hollow interior, a volume of the hollow interior bounded at least by a backing and at least one sidewall. At least one secondary door is mounted to the door by a hinge, the secondary door further providing a boundary of the volume and including an interior wall and an exterior wall.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following. At least one hooking device may be mounted to the backing or to the interior wall. The hooking device may be a “T”-type straight pin. The door closet may further include a layer of foam mounted to the backing, where the foam is selected from the group consisting of: EPS, ethafoam, polyethylene, polystyrene, polylam, and Styrofoam. The secondary door may actually be two secondary doors. Molding may be attached to the door, and the hinge of the secondary door may be attached to the molding and to the secondary door. Molding may instead be attached to the secondary door; in this case, the hinge of the secondary door may be attached to the molding and to the door. A layer of fabric may be attached to the foam, such as velvet or satin. The secondary door may be made of the same material as a material of the door.
This invention provides several advantages. The invention is easy to manufacture and is of a relatively simple design. The invention may be conveniently retrofitted to most current door frames. The invention allows storage of small or flat articles, such as jewelry, ties, etc., to be accomplished with only a minimum of space required. Other articles which may be so stored include belts, accessories, craft supplies, handkerchiefs, etc. The articles so stored are protected from accumulation of dust, etc. The user is afforded quick access to the articles, which might otherwise have languished hidden in crowded drawers. The invention allows drawer space to be freed for other uses. The invention reduces the need for stand-alone cabinets requiring substantial floor or dresser space. The invention reduces the need for corrugated cardboard to be used as filler for hollow doors, thus having beneficial impacts on the environment.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the background above, the description hereinafter, including the claims and drawings.
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Hansen James O.
Wieczorek Mark D.
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