DE20115989U1 - Bathroom cabinet may be raised, lowered or swivelled on an upright column - Google Patents

Abstract

A bathroom cabinet has a frame (2) which is mounted on a support fixture which allows the cabinet to be raised, lowered or swivelled about a vertical axis, with respect to the support fixture (3). The vertical support fixture is a column. The cabinet has a front hatch with a mirror or blind.

Description

Cabinet, especially bathroom cabinet

The present invention relates to a cabinet, in particular a bathroom cabinet, with a cabinet body and a support device adhering to the cabinet body.

Cabinets are known which stand directly on the floor of a room and do not require any additional support device. Cabinets are also known which are held at a distance from the floor of a room by a support device. The present invention relates to the latter group of cabinets, the object of the invention being to design a cabinet of this type in such a way that the positioning of the cabinet body can be easily and conveniently changed for different applications.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the cabinet body can be displaced vertically upwards or downwards along the support device and can also be pivoted about a vertical axis.

LOESENBECK · STRACKE · SPECHT · DANTZ - PATENT ATTORNEYS - EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMiVRK ATTORNEYS

Registration text dated 28.09.2001 Page 2

In contrast to conventional designs in which the cabinet body is fixedly mounted in a predetermined position, in a cabinet according to the invention the cabinet body is height-adjustable relative to the support device and can be pivoted about a vertical axis so that the positioning of the cabinet can be quickly and easily adapted to a wide variety of applications.

The position of the cabinet body can therefore be easily and conveniently changed at any time, so that access to the interior of the cabinet body can be adapted to the most diverse applications and needs of a user.

This advantage is particularly important for people with impaired mobility, such as wheelchair users. The disabled person can easily and conveniently adjust such a cabinet body so that the interior of the cabinet body is easily accessible, but if necessary the cabinet body can then be moved to another position that appears more advantageous for other users.

Further features of the invention are the subject of subclaims.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are described in more detail below.

Show it:

Figure 1 is a front view of a cabinet according to the invention with the cabinet body open,

Figure 2 is a schematic vertical section through the cabinet according to Figure 1,

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LOESENBECK · STRACKE · SPECHT · DANTZ - PATENT ATTORNEYS - EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

Registration text dated 28.09.2001 Page 3

Figure 3 is a front view of the cabinet according to Figures 1 and 2 with the cabinet body closed,

Figure 4 is a side view of the cabinet according to Figures 1-3,
Figure 5 is a view in the direction of arrow V in Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a plan view of a cabinet according to the invention arranged adjacent to a washbasin,

Figure 7 is a highly schematic front view of a cabinet according to the invention according to a further embodiment of the invention.

In Figures 1-5, the reference numeral 1 designates a cabinet as a whole, which comprises a cabinet body 2 and a support device 3, wherein the cabinet body 2 is fixed to the support device 3.

The cabinet 1 shown in Figures 1-5 is a bathroom cabinet which, as Figure 6 shows, can be arranged, for example, adjacent to a washbasin 4 within a bathroom.

In the sense of the present invention, the cabinet body 2 can be displaced vertically upwards or downwards along the support device 3 in the sense of the double arrow A in Figure 2 and can also be pivoted about a vertical axis, so that the position of the cabinet body 2 can be changed, for example in relation to a washbasin 4, which can be described as stationary.

In the embodiment of the invention according to Figures 1-6, the support device 3 consists of a vertically extending column 5, which can be fixed to a wall, for example, at its upper end via a cross bracket 6. This column 5 passes through the cabinet body 2 in its rear area, which is shaped like a carcass.

LOESENBECK · STRACKE · SPECHT · DANTZ - PATENT ATTORNEYS - EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

Registration text dated 28.09.2001 Page 4

and can be closed by a door or flap 7. The cabinet body 2 is held relative to the column 5 in such a way that any sliding or pivoting position of the cabinet body 2 can be fixed.

The arrangement can be selected so that the cabinet body 2 can be adjusted in height and pivoted manually or by motor.

In the embodiment shown, the column 5 passes through the cabinet body 2 in the area of the central longitudinal axis, but it is also possible to have the column 5 run in the adjacent area of a side edge of the cabinet body 2.

In any case, the cabinet body 2 in the embodiment according to Figures 1-6 can be pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the column 5.

The distance of the cabinet body 2 from a wall is selected by the upper cross arm 6 such that the cabinet body 2 can be pivoted around the longitudinal axis of the column without hindrance.

The cabinet body can therefore be adjusted and swivelled into any position for each user, so that access to the interior of the cabinet body can be adapted to the user's current position.

This is particularly important for people with mobility impairments, such as wheelchair users, as illustrated by the pictogram designated by reference number 8 in Figure 6.

A wheelchair user, for example, who is in front of the washbasin designated with the reference number 4, can move the cabinet body into his immediate access area. If the wheelchair user now changes his position to the left side of the cabinet body 2 compared to Figure 6, he has the option of swiveling the cabinet body 2 again so that

LOESENBECK · STRACKE · SPECHT · DANTZ - PATENT ATTORNEYS - EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

Registration text dated 28.09.2001 Page 5

facing the front of the cabinet body 2 and has unhindered access to the interior of the cabinet body 2.

If the cabinet body 2 has an overall height that is not fully accessible for a wheelchair user, it is possible to adjust the height of the cabinet body 2 so that both the lower and the upper areas of the cabinet body 2 are easily accessible.

The interior of the cabinet body can be divided into different compartments by shelves 9 in the usual way.

It is advantageous if the cabinet body 2 is also equipped with insert boxes 10 on the inside, some of which can be swung out to the front.

The front of the cabinet body 2 can advantageously be closed by a blind 11 which consists of an upper and a lower section. These two sections of the blind 11 are coupled to one another in such a way that a displacement of one section by a certain amount results in a displacement of the other section by the same amount in the opposite direction.

This means that when the lower half of the blind 11 is moved downwards in the sense of an opening movement, the upper half of the blind 11 is moved upwards by the same amount. Instead of a blind, a roller blind or the like can of course also be used. The blind 11 or a roller blind can consist of slats or a cloth-like structure.

The already mentioned door or flap 7 for closing the rear chamber of the cabinet body 2 can advantageously be made from a mirror.

As Figures 1 and 3 clearly show, additional shelves 12 or mirrors 13 as well as lights or the like can be mounted on the outside of the cabinet body 2.

LOESENBECK · STRACKE · SPECHT · DANTZ - PATENT ATTORNEYS - EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

Registration text dated 28.09.2001 Page 6

Figure 7 shows a highly schematic front view of a cabinet 1 according to a further embodiment of the invention, in which the cabinet body 2 is mounted on a support device 3 which consists of two vertical columns 5 running parallel to one another. These columns 5 are attached at their front ends to swivel frames 14 which make it possible to pivot the cabinet body 2 together with the columns 5 about a vertical axis.

Here, too, manual height adjustment and pivoting can be implemented, and it is also possible to implement motorized adjustment and pivoting in this embodiment.

The column 5 in the embodiment according to Figures 1-6 and at least one of the columns 5 in the embodiment according to Figure 7 can be used to guide electrical cables or the like into the interior of the cabinet body 2 in order to be able to supply lighting devices, sockets or the like with power.

The basic construction of a cabinet 1, as described above, is not only advantageous in the case of a bathroom cabinet, but can also be used to advantage in cabinets for other applications, in particular in the kitchen area.

Claims (11)

1. Cabinet, in particular a bathroom cabinet, with a cabinet body and a support device holding the cabinet body, characterized in that the cabinet body ( 2 ) can be moved vertically upwards or downwards along the support device ( 3 ) and can also be pivoted about a vertical axis. 2. Cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the support device ( 3 ) consists of a vertically extending column ( 5 ) to which the cabinet body ( 2 ) is connected in its rear region so as to be displaceable along the column axis and pivotable about the column axis. 3. Cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the support device ( 3 ) consists of two columns ( 5 ) which run parallel to one another and vertically and are fastened at least at one end to a rotating frame ( 14 ), to which the cabinet body ( 2 ) is slidably connected in its rear region. 4. Cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cabinet body ( 2 ) is connected to the column ( 5 ) or columns ( 5 ) in the region of a rear chamber which can be closed by a door or flap ( 7 ). 5. Cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that the door or flap ( 7 ) consists of a mirror. 6. Cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front of the cabinet body can be closed by a blind ( 11 ), a roller blind or the like. 7. Cabinet according to claim 6, characterized in that the blind ( 11 ), the roller blind or the like consists of two sections movable in opposite directions to each other. 8. Cabinet according to claim 7, characterized in that the two sections are coupled to one another in such a way that a displacement of one section by a certain amount results in a displacement of the other section by the same amount. 9. Cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that shelves ( 11 ) and/or mirrors ( 13 ) and/or lighting fixtures are connected to the outside of the cabinet body ( 2 ). 10. Cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that power cables leading to the cabinet body ( 2 ) are laid through the column ( 5 ) into the area of the cabinet body ( 2 ). 11. Cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that shelves ( 9 ) and/or boxes ( 10 ) which fold out towards the front of the cabinet body ( 2 ) are arranged in the interior of the cabinet body ( 2 ).