Supports: cabinet structure – Externally stepped or set-back
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-05-01
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3636)
Supports: cabinet structure
Externally stepped or set-back
C312S330100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224176
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kitchen cabinet and, more particularly, to a kitchen cabinet having a drawer-housing space at a bottom of an interior of the cabinet.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is desirable that a kitchen cabinet have a front bottom cutout formed by receding a front bottom end of the cabinet from a standard front surface of the cabinet. The cutout allows a user standing in front of the cabinet for, for example, cooking, to place the user's toes inwardly of the standard front surface of the cabinet. In a related kitchen cabinet art described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. HEI 7-27460, a base frame whose front surface is receded from a standard front surface of a cabinet is provided beneath the cabinet so as to form, at the bottom of the cabinet, a space in which a user can place the user's toes. Since the cabinet body is placed on top of the base frame, an internal space of the cabinet body itself can be utilized to store various articles. However, an internal space of the base frame is closed to the outside, so that the internal space of the base frame cannot be used to store articles. That is, the space is wasted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention is intended to solve the above-described problem of the conventional kitchen cabinets. It is an object of the invention to provide a low-cost and simply constructed kitchen cabinet that has a cutout portion which allows a user to place the user's toes inwardly of a standard front surface of the cabinet without requiring a base frame and that makes it possible to effectively use a bottom space of the cabinet as a storage space
To achieve the aforementioned and other objects, the invention provides a kitchen cabinet including a cabinet frame including opposite side surfaces, and a front surface having, at a lowermost portion thereof, an opening, the cabinet frame defining a drawer space that is open to an outside via the opening, and a drawer being slidably fittable into the drawer space of the cabinet frame via the opening. A lower end portion of a front surface of the drawer is formed so that when the drawer is fitted into the drawer space, the lower end portion of the front surface of the drawer is positioned rearward of the front surface of the cabinet frame.
Therefore, the kitchen cabinet of the invention provides a cutout space that allows a user to place the user's toes inwardly of a standard front surface of the kitchen cabinet, without employing a base frame as employed in the related-art kitchen cabinets. Furthermore, the kitchen cabinet of the invention allows a lowermost space portion of the cabinet to be effectively utilized as a storage space.
In the kitchen cabinet of the invention, the drawer may have a lower front plate portion that is provided at the lower portion of the drawer so that when the drawer is fitted into the drawer space, the lower front plate portion is positioned rearward of the front surface of the cabinet frame, and an upper front plate portion located forward of the lower front plate portion. The lower front plate portion and the upper front plate portion may be interconnected by a connecting member that extends in a front-rear direction.
Furthermore, the cabinet frame may have a cutout portion that is formed by receding a lower portion of a front end of each side surface of the cabinet frame from an upper front edge of the side surface. A depth of the cutout portion of the cabinet frame measured in a front-rear direction may be substantially equal to a distance between the lower front plate portion and the upper front plate portion of the drawer measured in the front-rear direction.
Still further, the kitchen cabinet may further include receptacle rails extending in a front-rear direction on inner surfaces of side plate portions of the cabinet frame. The receptacle rails support the drawer so that lower surfaces of a drawer body of the drawer do not contact any undesired members or objects. Further, the cabinet frame may include a foot member extending at a front lower end of the cabinet frame so as to serve as a stopper for the drawer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2320556 (1943-06-01), Belshaw
patent: 3779624 (1973-12-01), Werderitsch
patent: 5277487 (1994-01-01), Simon
patent: 5466061 (1995-11-01), Lautenschlager
patent: 5525002 (1996-06-01), Huber
patent: 579071 (1941-08-01), None
patent: 5-309022 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 10-108748 (1998-04-01), None
patent: 10-117866 (1998-05-01), None
Beltecno Company
Hansen James O.
Parkhurst & Wendel LLP
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