Cabinet

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to cabinetry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cabinetry, particularly those used in kitchens, are often the centerpiece of a house. The cabinets, counter tops and flooring for a kitchen represent the largest expenditure for any room in the house. These features are permanently attached and are chosen based as much on their esthetic appeal as their functional qualities.

Cabinets are designed to last for many years. Given their expense, homeowners wish to choose cabinets that add to the visual attractiveness of a room, particularly a kitchen, for a long time. Cabinets are usually made from natural or simulated wood and are available in many different colors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide cabinets that are functional and esthetically appealing.

It is another object of the invention to provide cabinets having an appearance of an uninterrupted work of art.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide cabinets having a work of art that extends across the cabinet doors and frame.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide cabinets that are a work of art without reducing their functionality.

These and other objects of the invention become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the disclosure of the invention.

A cabinet has a frame defining an enclosure. Openings are formed in the frame for accessing the contents of the enclosure. Doors are connected to the frame and cover the openings. A design on the doors and frame maintains continuity across the doors and frame to give the appearance of a single picture.

The cabinets are formed by a frame enclosing shelves. The frame has a plurality of openings in the front face of the cabinetry to allow access to the contents of the cabinet. The openings are covered by doors connected to the frame by hinges. Art work covers the doors and frames of the cabinet and is arranged so that the art work is not distorted or interrupted by the division of the cabinetry front between doors and frame. The artwork extends across the door onto a frame in such a manner as to give the impression that it is a single piece of art. When viewed from a distance, the viewer sees the complete work of art even though the doors are operable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a representative example of cabinets having a work of art extending across the doors and cabinet frame.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention for frameless cabinets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

The cabinetry of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The invention applies to a single cabinet or a plurality of joined cabinets 10 which make up a single unit. The cabinets 10 may be, for example, floor cabinets supporting a counter top and/or wall cabinets (as shown) that are mounted on a wall above the counter tops. The cabinets 10 of the invention may be made out of any material normally used. This includes, but is not limited to, natural and synthetic wood, composite wood, plastic, and the like. The cabinets have a front frame 60 with a plurality of vertically extending frame segments 61-67. In the embodiment of the cabinetry shown 10, the cabinets are provided with pairs of doors 21-22; 31-32; 41-42; 51-52 as well as pantry doors 53 and the like. The cabinets 10 may also have draws (not shown). Although cabinets are conventionally provided with doors provided in pairs, the invention may be applied to any type of cabinet. In FIG. 1, the frame 60 and cabinet doors 21-22; 31-32; 41-42; 51-52 combine to create the total surface area of the cabinet's front face 70, 71.

The front face 70, 71 of the cabinets 10 is provided with continuous art work. The art work may be original art work or reproduction of existing art work or any continuous other design. It may be of any type such as abstract or representational. In FIG. 1, the design is shown applied to the cabinets' front face 70, 71 for clarity purposes. In use, the design, as shown, extends across the exposed vertical frame members 61-67 for extent of the cabinetry including exposed frames and may included such other features as draws and the like. The design is applied to the front face 70, 71 of the cabinetry 10 as, for example, by a painting, base relief, molded, sculpted, or any other means and is uninterrupted across the viewable portion of the front 70, 71 of the cabinetry 10 despite the fact that the front face 70, 71 is formed, for example, as shown, by a plurality of doors 21, 22, 31, 32, 41, 42, 51, 52 and the frame 60. It is an essential aspect of this invention that the design not only cover, be disposed across a door but that it extends across a door and part of the visible frame between the doors so as to present a continuous design. The design may also continue from the front to the exposed sides (not shown) of the cabinets box 10. Thus, this uninterrupted design, as illustrated in the example of FIG. 1 as a continuous balloon design, extends across the pairs of doors 21-22, 31-32, 41-42, 51-52. The design extends across the exposed frames 60-67. In this way, the design is continuous across the exposed frame members and doors and, if visible, cabinet draws (not shown). It also any extend to any other across the exposed surfaces, even though those surfaces present, for example, cabinet doors and frame members so that the design draws together the front face of the cabinet.

FIG. 2 shows a frameless cabinet 80. In a frameless cabinet 80, the hinges are concealed and the doors cover the entire frame. The doors abut one another including adjacent pairs of doors so that no frame is visible. Even though such doors hide the frame, there are clearly visible and defined by their marginal edges.

In FIG. 2 the frameless cabinet 80 the door construction provides pairs of doors 121-122, 123-124, 125-126, hiding the frame (partially shown in phantom 128). Thus, the frame 128 is not visible when the doors are closed. Adjacent pairs of doors 121-122, 123-124, 125-126 abut one another with minimal gaps to permit the doors to be hingedly opened and closed. Thus, to the observer, with the doors closed, what is clearly visible int the front surface is the adjacent doors.

To purpose of this invention is minimize or maker virtually invisible any interruption in the cabinet visible surface, thereby reducing or making almost invisible the existence of doors, draws, or the like. The cabinets 80 becomes, instead, a hanging design first and a cabinet second. The design may be a work of art or abstract design or the like and may be forme on or in or adhered to a sheet of material of the type described. As previously described, the design may be formed on or attached to the visible front surface by, for example, a base relief carved into the doors (and, where visible, the frame), molded onto or in the surface or adhered to the surface. A very small space is between any pair of doors so that the doors may pivot open. The same is true for any other exposed surface, such as draws. Additionally, the artwork may extend from the front continuously to an exposed or exposed sides 130 (one side is shown) of the cabinet box 80.

The purpose of this invention is to dispose the design so that it is continuous and extends across various doors and, if visible, the cabinet frame, draws, and the like and may be extended to any exposed side of the cabinets box so as to make the combined appearance of the edges of closed doors and draws be diminished or practically invisible when viewed as an overal presentation of the design. Thus, the viewer sees this single design despite the fact that the viewed front surface is made of many different components such as the doors and draws which remain operable.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, variations and modifications would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention covers such modifications and variations.