Cabinet

Abstract

The invention relates to a cabinet. The cabinet includes an outer member for positioning adjacent a body of the cabinet and at a corner of the cabinet. A liner is provided for positioning adjacent the body and for sealing the cabinet at the corner. The cabinet also includes an inner component for holding the pad. Advantageously, the liner may seal the cabinet at the corner without welding, and thus avoid associated difficulties in handling the body material during welding. Preferably, the cabinet is not welded at all.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cabinet. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use in a cabinet for a camping trailer. Background Art

[0002] Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

[0003] As a component used in the camper trailer manufacturing process, the storage cabinet is formed by welding metal sheets together. In practice, the metal sheets are bulky, which complicates material handling during welding.

[0004] The preferred embodiments provide for improved manufacture of camping trailer storage cabinets. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cabinet comprising:

[0006] an outer member for being positioned adjacent to the body of the cabinet and at a corner of the cabinet;

[0007] a gasket for positioning adjacent the body and for sealing the cabinet at the corners; and

[0008] An inner component for holding the gasket.

[0009] Advantageously, the gasket can seal the cabinet at the corners without the need for welding, thus avoiding the associated difficulties of handling of the main body material during welding.Preferably, the cabinet has no welds at all.

[0010] The cabinet may also include fasteners for fastening the exterior, padding and interior together. The exterior, padding and interior may be nested together. The fastening may be a compression fastening. The fastener may include a threaded shaft and a nut. The nut may be located within the interior. The exterior, padding and interior may preferably be integrally formed by injection molding. Preferably, the seal is a waterproof or weatherproof seal.

[0011] The outer component may include a panel. The panel may be flush with the body. The outer component may be flush with the body. The outer component may include a receiving portion for receiving a cushion. The outer component may include an alignment post extending from the panel. The alignment post may be aligned along a cushion corner of the cushion. The outer component may define a hole for receiving a fastener. The outer component may be rigid. The perimeter of the outer component may engage the perimeter of the body. The perimeter may coincide with the cushion.

[0012] The gasket may seal the interface between the body and the external component. Preferably, the gasket is located inside the cabinet. The gasket may be elastic. The gasket may be compressible. The gasket may include rubber. The gasket may define a hole for receiving a fastener. The gasket may define a gasket corner along which the alignment posts of the external component may be aligned. The gasket may include a socket for receiving a plunger of the internal component. The socket may be L-shaped. The gasket may define a plunger for receiving in at least one socket of the body. The plunger may be L-shaped. The gasket may define a receiving portion for receiving the body.

[0013] The liner may be retained or compressed within the body using a tapered arrangement. The inner component may include a receiving portion for receiving the liner. The inner component may define a plunger for being received in a socket of the liner. The plunger may be L-shaped. The inner component may be rigid.

[0014] The body may include at least one socket for receiving a gasket. The body may include a lip for receiving in the gasket. The body may include two side panels interconnecting the top panel and the bottom panel. The body may also include end panels. The panels may be adhered or mechanically fastened together. The body may include a door.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a corner seal for a cabinet, the corner seal comprising:

[0016] an exposed component for positioning at a corner of a cabinet;

[0017] Gaskets for sealing the cabinet at the corners; and

[0018] A holder is used to hold the gasket.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a cabinet, comprising:

[0020] positioning the exterior component adjacent to the body of the cabinet and at a corner of the cabinet;

[0021] positioning a gasket adjacent the body to seal the cabinet at the corners; and

[0022] Use the inner part to hold the pad.

[0023] The outer component may be positioned to fill a gap defined by the body. The gasket may receive the body and / or abut the outer component. The gasket may plug into the valve body. The inner component receives and / or abuts the gasket. The inner component may plug into the gasket. The inner component may expand the gasket.

[0024] The method may involve fastening the outer component, the cushion and the inner component together with a fastener. The fastening may involve compression fastening.

[0025] Within the scope of the present invention, any feature described herein may be arbitrarily combined with any one or more other features described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The preferred features, embodiments and variations of the present invention can be seen from the attached detailed description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to implement the present invention. The detailed description should not be considered to limit the scope of the foregoing invention in any way. The detailed description will refer to the following multiple drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 A is an upper front perspective view of a camping trailer storage cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 1 B is Figure 1 Top front perspective view of cabinet A showing exploded corner seals.

[0029] Figure 2 A is Figure 1 A lower front perspective view of the cabinet of A;

[0030] Figure 2 B is Figure 2 Close-up of detail Y in A, front perspective view;

[0031] Figure 3 A is Figure 1 An upper front perspective view of an exploded corner seal shown in B;

[0032] Figure 3 B is Figure 3 A is a lower rear perspective view of an exploded corner seal;

[0033] Figure 4 A is Figure 3 A is an upper front perspective view of the assembled corner seal;

[0034] Figure 4 B is Figure 3 A is a lower front perspective view of the assembled corner seal;

[0035] Figure 4 C is Figure 3 An upper rear perspective view of the assembled corner seal shown in B;

[0036] Figure 4 D is Figure 3 A lower rear perspective view of the assembled corner seal shown in B;

[0037] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 Orthogonal projections of various views of the assembled corner seal in A;

[0038] Figure 6 A is Figure 1 A top front perspective view of the cabinet of A, showing the hidden details of the corner seals;

[0039] Figure 6 B is Figure 6 Close-up front perspective view of detail Z in A;

[0040] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 An exploded upper front perspective view of the main body of the cabinet of A;

[0041] Figure 8 A is Figure 1 an exploded side cross-sectional view of the base of the cabinet of A; and

[0042] Figure 8 B is Figure 8 A side cross-sectional view of the base of the cabinet after assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a Figure 1 A camping trailer storage cabinet 100 with corner seals 102 is shown.

[0044] like Figure 1 B, the corner seal 102 includes an outer member 104 that is positioned adjacent to the box-like body 106 of the cabinet 100 and at the lower front corner of the cabinet 100. An elastic rubber gasket 108 is positioned adjacent to the body 106 inside the cabinet 100 to seal the cabinet 100 at the corner. The corner seal 102 also includes an inner retaining member 110 for retaining the gasket 108. The cabinet 100 also includes a fastener 112 for compression-fastening the nested outer member 104, gasket 108, and inner member 110 together.

[0045] Advantageously, the gasket 108 seals the cabinet 100 at the corners without welding, thus avoiding the associated difficulties of material handling of the body 106 during welding. In fact, the cabinet 100 has no welds at all, greatly facilitating material handling and manufacturing. The body 106 defines an annular rim 114 (or lip) received within the corner seal 102, and the front door (not shown) abuts against the annular rim 114.

[0046] like Figure 2As best shown in FIG. 1 , the exposed perimeter of the outer member 104 engages the complementary shaped perimeter of the corner of the body 106. The outer member 104 is flush and matched with the body 106. The underlying gasket 108 seals this peripheral abutment 200 (or gap) between the mating body 106 and the outer member 104. In particular, the exposed abutment 200 is placed in coincidence with the underlying gasket 108 pressed against it.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the exposed outer member 104 includes a panel 300 that sits flush with the body 106. An L-shaped flange 302 extends from the panel 300 and forms a receiving portion 304 for receiving the oversized gasket 108. The outer member 104 also includes an alignment post 306 extending from the panel 300. The alignment post 306 is aligned along the gasket corner of the gasket 108. The outer member 104 also defines a countersunk hole 308 for receiving the fastener 112.

[0048] The gasket 108 similarly defines holes 310 for receiving fasteners 112. Further, the gasket 108 defines a gasket corner along which the alignment posts 306 of the outer member 104 are aligned. The gasket 108 defines an upper receiving portion 312 for receiving the alignment posts 306 and the cabinet body frame 114.

[0049] The oversized gasket 108 defines an L-shaped plunger 314 for receipt in the channel socket of the body 106. On the opposite side, the gasket 108 further defines an L-shaped socket 316 for receipt of an L-shaped plunger 318 of the inner component 110. The inner component plunger 318 is tapered to allow the plunger 314 of the gasket 108 to expand within the socket of the body 106 to form a tight fit.

[0050] The inner member 110 includes a receiving portion 320 for receiving the gasket 108. The inner member 110 defines a hole 322 for receiving the fastener 112. On the opposite side, the inner member 110 defines a recess 324 for receiving the nut of the fastener 112. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , fasteners 112 are used to compress the gasket 108 between the outer member 104 and the inner member 110 .

[0051] like Figure 5 As best shown in FIG. 3 , the fastener nut 500 in the recess 324 engages the threaded shaft 502 of the fastener 112 to draw and hold the seal 102 together. Specifically, the fastener 112 includes an M6 countersunk bolt 502 and a zinc nyloc nut 500 captured in the back of the inner component 110.

[0052] Steering Figure 6, the seal 102 seals the corner of the cabinet 100. When the fastener 112 is tightened, the inner component 110 pushes and holds the gasket 108 against the lip frame 114.

[0053] Go to Figure 7 , the body 106 comprises two side panels 702, 704 connecting the top panel 706 and the bottom panel 708 to each other. The front of each sheet of metal 702, 704, 706, 708 is folded to define a lip frame 114 and a channel socket 710, in which the L-shaped plunger 314 of the gasket 108 is compressed. In this way, each front corner of the cabinet 100 is adapted with a seal 102. The body 106 is adapted with a door adjacent to the lip frame 114. In practice, the door is exposed to the elements and the front of the cabinet 100 is sealed with the help of a waterproof or weatherproof seal 102 to prevent the ingress of rainwater.

[0054] The body 106 also includes end panels 712. Although the panels 702, 704, 706, 708, 712 may be mechanically fastened together with rivets or screws 714, they may additionally or alternatively be adhered together to improve resistance to water intrusion. The body 106 is sealed with adhesive silicon along the folded tabs in the tab planes and the exterior is sealed along the exposed seams to complete.

[0055] The rigid outer member 104, the compressible cushion 108 and the rigid inner member 110 are preferably integrally formed by injection molding.The outer member 104 and the rigid inner member 110 are formed of black nylon GF30, while the rubber cushion 108 is formed of Shore A30 material.

[0056] refer to Figure 8 A method of forming the cabinet 100 is briefly described.

[0057] First, the box-shaped body 106 of the cabinet 100 is assembled.

[0058] The outer member 104 is positioned adjacent to the main body 106 at a corner of the cabinet 100. The outer member 104 is positioned to fill a gap defined by the main body 106 at the peripheral interface 200.

[0059] The inner gasket 108 is positioned adjacent the body 106 to seal the cabinet 100 at the corners. The L-shaped plunger 314 of the gasket 108 is received in the channel socket 710. The gasket 108 receives the lip frame 114 of the body 106 in the receiving portion 312. The gasket 108 also abuts the panel 300 and alignment posts 306 of the outer member 104.

[0060] The L-shaped plunger 318 of the inner member 110 is inserted into the L-shaped socket 316 of the gasket 108. The receiving portion 320 of the inner member 110 receives and abuts the rear portion of the gasket 108. The tapered inner member 110 expands the gasket 108 to be retained in the channel socket 710.

[0061] The method then involves compression fastening the outer member 104 , the gasket 108 , and the inner member 110 together using the fasteners 112 .

[0062] The other three seals 102 may then be assembled in a similar manner.

[0063] Finally, the doors are hinged to the front of the cabinet 100. The cabinet 100 can be made with internal flush doors or external doors that extend beyond the door frame profile.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0065] In one embodiment, the cabinet 100 may be an electrical cabinet or other similar cabinet that is exposed to the elements.

[0066] In one embodiment, fasteners 112 are not required.

[0067] The body panels 702, 704, 706, 708, 712 may be formed from aluminum or steel or any particular material.

[0068] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodological features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown or described, since the means herein described comprise preferred forms of carrying out the invention.

[0069] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

Claims

1. A cabinet comprising: an outer member for positioning adjacent to the body of the cabinet and at a corner of the cabinet; a gasket for positioning adjacent the body and for sealing the cabinet at the corners; and An inner member is provided for holding the gasket.

2. The cabinet according to claim 1, wherein: The gasket seals the cabinet at the corners without the need for welding and thereby avoiding the associated difficulties of body material handling during welding; and / or The cabinet has no welding at all.

3. The cabinet according to claim 1, further comprising a fastener for compressively fastening the outer component, the gasket and the inner component together, preferably, the fastener comprises a threaded shaft and a nut.

4. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the outer member, the cushion, and the inner member are nested together.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the outer member is rigid and flush with the body.

6. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein a perimeter of the outer member is engaged with or adjacent to a perimeter of the main body.

7. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the perimeter coincides with the padding.

8. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the gasket weatherseal seals the interface between the body and the exterior member.

9. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the padding is resilient and is located within the cabinet interior.

10. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the gasket includes a receptacle for receiving a plunger of the interior component.

11. The cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the gasket defines a plunger for receipt in at least one receptacle of the body.

12. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the gasket is retained or compressed within the body using a tapered arrangement.

13. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the interior component defines a plunger for receipt in a receptacle of the gasket.

14. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the body includes at least one receptacle for receiving the gasket.

15. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the body comprises two side panels interconnecting a top panel and a bottom panel, the panels being adhered or mechanically fastened together.

16. A corner seal for a cabinet, the corner seal comprising: an exposed member for positioning at a corner of the cabinet; a gasket for sealing the cabinet at the corner; and A holder is used to hold the gasket.

17. A method for forming a cabinet, comprising: positioning an exterior component adjacent to a body of the cabinet and at a corner of the cabinet; positioning a gasket adjacent the body to seal the cabinet at the corner; and An inner member is used to hold the gasket.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the outer component is positioned to fill a gap defined by the body.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the pad: admitting said subject; abutting said external component; and / or Insert into the body.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the internal component: receiving the cushion; adjacent to said cushion; inserting said pad; and / or The cushion is expanded.

21. The method of claim 17 involving compression fastening the outer member, the cushion, and the inner member together.

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