US1231233A - Cabinet. - Google Patents

Description

H. W. BERTRAM.

CABINET.

APPLmATmN FILED ocT. l1` i915.

ni sra PATENT @F.Fllld.

HENRY I/V. BERTRAIVI, OF FRAN KFORT, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO MCDOU'G'AIL COMPANY,

OF FRANKFURT, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2G, 19,17.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Henny W. BERTRAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frankfort, in the county of Clinton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Cabinet, of which the following is a specication.

The object of my invention is to produce certain details of construction of curtain front kitchen cabinets, by means of which gaps between the curtain andcoperating parts of the cabinet may be eliminated in a simple and eliicient manner, the construction being such that the curtain and its runways may be formed at a minimum of expense.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Figure l is a perspective view of a kitchen cabinet embodying` my invention; Fig. 2 .a central vertical section of the curtain closed compartment with the curtain in closed position; Fig. 3 a fragmentary detail, 0n a somewhat larger scale, showing more accurately the upper end of the curtain, the curtain guide or runway, and the meeting rail at the upper end of the compartment, with the curtain in closed position; Fig. t a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the curtain in open position and in end elevation, and also showing adjacent portions of the cabinet at and near the licor of the curtained compartment; Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 4L, but showing the curtain in closed posit-ion.

In the drawings, 10, 10, indicate the side walls of the superstructure of a kitchen cabinet, said walls having formed in their inner faces runways 11 for the reception of the ends of the slats of the flexible curtain 12. rThis curtain, as to its main body, is formed in the usual manner by a series of slats having mating edges and held together by a sheet of iexible material 13 to which the slats are secured. For ease of manipulation the runways 11 are slightly wider than the combined thickness of the slats and connecting web, as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4: and 5, the ends of the slats projecting into the runways. Each of these runways has a front vertical portion, a horizontal portion, and a rear vertical portion, the front vertical portion and the horizontal portion being connected by an eased curve 111 which lies just below the plane of the platform 15 which forms the bottom of the curtained compartment.

As previously stated, the curtain 12, as to its main body, is formed in the usual manner of narrow mating slats. The upper slat 16, however, is slightly thicker and wider, `as shown in Fig. 3. The ends are thinned, as indicated at 16', Fig. to properly enter the runways 11, the portion 16"' extending toward the front between the sides 10, 10, and the portion 1G extending toward the rear and cooperating with the forward edge of platform 15 when the curtain is lowered, vas indicated in Fig. 4. In my prior Patent, No. 1,113,928, this upper bar of the curtain is shown as being' formed in two pieces, such construction being necessary in order to permit the withdrawal of the curtain from the rear of the cabinet, the upper Vwidened bar of the curtain being removably secured 'to the upper standard slat of the curtain. In order to eliminate any screw holes in the upper surface of the upper curtain bar, so that the extension of platform 15 may be free from depressions, I have found it advisable to make the upper slat of the curtain non-detachable, the widened portions 16 and 16 being integral with the final slat of the curtain, as clearly shown in Fig. el. In order to permit the withdrawal of the curtain from the cabinet with this construction, I make the lower bar 19 of the curtained compartment readily removable, so that by the removal of this bar, a throat, beneath the platform 15, of sufficient width to permit the passage of the wide portion of bar `16, is formed, the curtain being withdrawable through the widened portions 2O at the rear of the runways 11.

As previously stated, the runways 11 are of such width as to afford a free and easy guideway for the ends of the slats 12, and in order to prevent, as much as possible, any noise during the operation of the curtain, the curved portion 14 of the runway must lie a sutlicient distance from the inner upper corner of the bar 19 to avoid any scraping of the curtain slats upon this bar. 0n the other hand, it is quite desirable that when the curtain is in its closed position, `as shown in Fig. 2, there should be no gap between the upper inner corner of the bar 19 and the curtain. In order to produce this result, I attach to the final slat 12 of the curtain, an end bar 21 which is somewhat thicker than the final slat 12 and is attached to the lower edge of the final slat 12 in such manner as to have its excess thickness projecting toward the front of the curtain. The forward lower corners at the ends of the bar 21 are eased away, as indicated at 22, so that, when the curtain is brought to its closed position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the weight of bar 21 will cause slat 12 to swing forwardly so that the front face, or upper front corner 23 of bar 21, will be swung into engagement with the upper inner corner of bar 19, thus automatically closing this gap and giving the curtain the appear'- ance of tightly closing the compartment. The construction is, nevertheless, such that, as soon as the curtain is started on its downward movement, there will be no dragging of bar 21 on the upper inner corner of the bar 19, and, consequently, there will be no marring of that face of the curtain which is exposedv when in its closed position.

As previously stated, slats 12 are held by the curved portion 11i of the guides sufficiently far from the bar 19 to prevent any dragging of the forward faces of the slats over this bar.

IVhen the curtain is in its closed position, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, it is quite desirable that a. neat and tight joint be made between the upper bar 16 of the curtain and the fixed cross bar 25 at the upper end of the compartment. The upper surface of the widened portion of the bar 16 lies at an acute angle tothe main body of the bar, in order that it may form a straight continuation of the upper face of plat-form 15 and on its forward face near the upper edge, bar 16 is provided with a rib 26. The xed bar 25 is, therefore, provided on its under edge with a groove 27, one face of which is at an angle corresponding to the angle of thel upper edge of bar 16 and the other face of which is substantially vertical, so as to overlie the outer face of bar 16 immediately above the rib 26. The curtain is held in its closed position by means of a latch 30 which/engages a finger 31` carried by bar 16, said bar 16 also having finger pieces 32 by means of which the curtain may be readily lifted. When the finger 31 is engaged by latch 30, the upper edge 0f bar 16 lies snugly in the groove 27 of bar 25 and the inclined face of said groove serves as a substantial backing to prevent any inward pressing of bar 16.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a kitchen cabinet, a compartment having a vertical open face, curtain runways in its sides adjacent said open face and extended laterally beneath its bottomplatform, a finish bar arranged at the lower end of the open face of the compartmentbelow the bottom platform and beyond the runways, a slatted flexible curtain mounted in said runways and formed to close the open face of the compartment, said slatted curtain having a weighted lower slat formed to swing forwardly and outwardly so as to contact with the finish bar when the curtain is in closed position, the main slats of the Y curtain and the runways being so formed as to keep the slats free from said finish bar.

2. In a kitchen cabinet, a compartment having a vertical open face, curtain runways in its sides adjacent said open face and extended -laterally beneath its bottom platform, a stationary bar arranged across the upper end of the open face of the compartment and provided with a groove in its under face, the upper slat of the iiexible curtain having its free edge materially thicker thanthe thickness'of the main slats and formed to produce an extension of the bottom platform when the curtain is in open position, the forward upper corner and upper edge of said slat and the groove in the upper fixed bar being formed to mate with each other and the upper fixed bar forming a backing to prevent the inward movement of the upper slat of the curtain when the curtain is closed, and cooperating fastening devices carried by the upper slat of the curtain and the fixed bar to hold the curtain kin closed position.

3. In a kitchen cabinet, a compartment having a vertical open face, curtain runways in its sides adjacent said open face and extended laterally beneath its bottom platform, a. finish bar arranged at the lower end of the open faceof the compartment below the bottom platform and beyond .the runways, the said finish bar being readily removable, a slatted curtain mounted in said runways and freely slidable through the throat between the bottom platform and the finish bar except the final slat of said curtain, said final slat having a widened` free edge capable of coperating with the bottom platform to form an extension thereof when the curtain is in open position, 'the said final slat being movable with the curtain beneath the bottom platform when the finish bar is removed from the structure.

In witness whereof, I HENRY W. BERTRAM have hereunto set my hand at Frankfort, Indiana, this 7th day of ctOber, A. D.V one thousand nine hundred and sixteen..

y, HENRY w. BERTRAM. Y

Vifitnesses t BERGEN LA GRANGE,

kE. E. Bassum.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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