Cabinet Foot

Abstract

A cabinet foot 20 comprises an upright 46 for attaching to a side wall (16,18; Figure 1) of a cabinet (12,14; Figure 1). At least one flange 58 extends transversely from the upright to lie beneath and

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cabinet foot, such as is used to support a furniture cabinet. BACKGROUND ART Furniture often needs to be placed on an uneven or non-level floor and nevertheless be stable and upright. This is especially so for kitchen furniture, such as kitchen cabinets, which are typically placed on a hard floor such as a tiled or stone floor, which may also be uneven. In addition, kitchen cabinets often act as the or a support for a worktop. Often, the worktops are of a dense and brittle material such as marble or granite. This therefore dictates that the upper edge of the cabinet must be accurately positioned at the level of the undersurface of the worktop, and that the cabinet may need to support a significant weight. A worktop often stretches across multiple cabinets and they must therefore all be aligned so that there are no "high spots" which may tend to crack the worktop especially in the vicinity of weaker areas such as cut-outs for sinks, etc. The foot of a kitchen cabinet therefore needs to be adjustable in height so as to allow individual adjustment of each cabinet to make it level and at the same height as the adjacent cabinets. This is usually achieved by providing a cabinet foot which is attached to a lower part of the cabinet and whose length can be adjusted to tailor the cabinet height. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This specification relates to an improved cabinet foot aimed at providing enhanced stability, adjustability, and ease of installation for kitchens. The main function allows for precise levelling of cabinets on uneven floors. The invention allows the adjustability of height and angle to be seamlessly incorporated within the structure of the foot, along with other advantages which will become apparent. The present invention therefore provides, in its first aspect, a cabinet foot comprising an upright for attaching to a side wall of a cabinet, at least one flange extending transversely from the upright thereby to lie beneath and support the side wall, and a leg having an adjustable length extending downwardly from the upright. We prefer to include a bracket, extending transversely from the upright, in a direction opposite to that of the at least one flange, with an aperture through which the leg extends. The aperture can be internally threaded, and the leg externally threaded to engage with the threaded aperture, thereby to provide the adjustability of length for the leg. To provide additional rigidity, a second bracket can be provided, extending transversely from the upright, spaced vertically from the bracket, and with a second aperture through which the leg also extends. That second aperture can also be internally threaded, engaging with external threads of the leg. Such a cabinet foot is able to provide support to a cabinet with a high degree of rigidity and robustness, in particular as the weight of the cabinet can be transmitted directly to the foot via the flange. Together with an upright attaching to a side wall of the cabinet, this rigidity is sufficient to allow the cabinet to be drawn sideways across a floor (which may be uneven) without causing damage. Existing cabinet feet fit to an underside panel of the cabinet and are apt to buckle or bend when the cabinet is dragged sideways. Existing feet that are attached to the side of a cabinet do not provide direct support and are reliant solely on the strength of the fixings, which are liable to fail. In its second aspect, the invention provides a cabinet foot comprising an upright for attaching to a side wall of a cabinet, a pair of transversely-extending brackets having vertically-aligned apertures therein, and a leg having an adjustable length extending downwardly through the vertically-aligned apertures. The pair of brackets ideally extend substantially parallel to each other. The apertures are ideally internally threaded, and the leg externally threaded, engaging with the threaded apertures, thereby to providing the adjustable length of the leg. Other means of adjusting the leg are possible, though, such as a nut fitted on the externally-threaded leg, bearing against the bracket(s) to hold the leg in place. In either aspect, we prefer that which the upper end of the leg has a non-rotationally-symmetric form, thereby to allow engagement with an adjustment tool. This can include at least one of a hexagonal formation, a slot for accepting a screwdriver blade, and a cross-head for accepting a cross-headed screwdriver. The leg can also usefully comprise a through-hole for receiving a tommy bar. Such a foot is then completely adjustable using any of a Pozidrive, Phillips or flat-head screwdriver, or a fixed or adjustable spanner, or a tommy bar. The upright preferably includes at least one hole for accepting a fixing passing through the side wall of the cabinet. The hole is ideally internally threaded thereby to engage with an externally-threaded fixing, which will make it easier for a fitter working alone to pass a bolt (or similar) through the side wall and engage it with the upright. The upright is preferably in the form of a plate adapted to lie against the side wall of the cabinet, which will allow a plurality of holes to be provided, ideally spread horizontally and vertically, which will help spread the fixing load and provide a more resilient attachment. A lower end of the leg can be provided with a foot, which can be resilient so as to conform to the surface on which it rests and absorb vibrations &reduce sound transferred from any appliances (such as washing machines or the like) housed in the cabinet, and / or have three protruding points of contact with a floor to provide a stable contact, and / or be connected to the leg via an angularly-adjustable means so as to accommodate the local profile of the floor. We also prefer that upper portion of the leg is externally threaded, and that an internally-threaded cap is provided, securable on the upper end of the leg. This allows the cap to be tightened down until it abuts the bracket (or an uppermost bracket) thus securing the leg position. Alternatively, a simple lock nut could be provided, but a cap is likely to be easier to adjust once the cabinet is fitted, especially if provided with a knurled external texture. As this needs to be installed through a hole in the base of the cabinet, which is preferably kept to a minimum size so as to be discreet within the cabinet, a cap of this type will be preferable to (for example) use of a conventional nut as a lock nut, as the socket required for adjustment of a lock nut would require the hole in the base of the cabinet to be of a significantly larger diameter. Thus, a cap instead of a lock nut allows the interior of the cabinet to have a superior aesthetic finish. The present invention also relates to a cabinet, comprising a pair of side walls and at least one cabinet foot as defined above, the foot being attached to a lower portion of one of the pair of side walls with the at least one flange extending beneath a lower extent of the said side wall. The cabinet can also comprise a base portion extending from between the side walls above the cabinet foot, with an access hole located above the leg thus easing in adjustment of the leg height especially when the cabinet is in position. A removable cap can be provided, sized to fit in and cover the access hole, so that a neat appearance can be maintained after fitting. The cabinet may of course comprise an openable door to the front thereof. The invention further relates to a set of such cabinets, arranged in a side-by-side array and supporting a worktop. The foot defined above is primarily intended for use in relation to kitchen cabinets but could be applied to other forms of furniture requiring a degree of adjustability in their height, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which; Figure 1 shows a front view of a plurality of kitchen cabinets supporting a worktop, each being supported by a plurality of adjustable feet according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a front view of an adjustable foot according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows a side view of the adjustable foot of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the adjustable foot of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a view from above of the leg part; Figure 6 shows a view from beneath of the resilient foot part; Figure 7 shows a view from above of the upright part; Figure 8 shows a view from one side of the upright part; Figure 9 shows a view from one side of the leg part; Figure 10 shows a view from above of the cap part; and Figure 11 shows a blank for forming the upright, bracket and flange parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring to figure 1, a kitchen worktop 10 is supported over the illustrated part of its length by a first kitchen cabinet 12 and a second kitchen cabinet 14. In this instance, the two cabinets 12, 14 are substantially identical and are shown without doors, but in a specific implementation they may vary in width and / or configuration as required, and may have doors, and / or be provided with internal shelving, or carry drawers or pull-out units. Other cabinets may be provided either side of the illustrated pair to form a longer run, if desired. Each cabinet consists principally of a pair of side walls 16, 18 to either side of the cabinet with extend substantially vertically. They are supported at their lower edge by a set of adjustable feet 20 which are attached to the side walls 16,18 close to their lower edge and which will be described further below. In this arrangement, four such feet are provided, two on each side wall 16, 18, on towards the front and one towards the rear. This provides a secure and stable support for the cabinet, adjustable in all necessary respects. In other preferred arrangements, however, one or more feet may be of a different design, such as a fixed (non-adjustable) nature. One such foot in combination with three adjustable feet will still allow levelling of the cabinet in two dimensions but will not permit adjustment of the cabinet height. Two fixed feet, for example to the rear of the cabinet, will still allow adjustment of the cabinet pitch. A floor panel 22 extends between the side walls 16, 18 and serves to maintain the spacing between them and to provide a lower surface to the interior of the cabinet. A rear panel 24 is also usually provided to provide an appropriate aesthetic to the interior of the cabinet and to provide additional rigidity to the structure. At its upper point, the cabinets 16, 18 support the under-surface of the worktop 10. Thus, the weight of the worktop 10 is carried by the side walls 16,18 and the adjustable feet 20, with stabilisation and rigidity being provided by the floor panel 22 and rear panel 24. As noted previously, the worktop is often a dense material such as granite or the like and therefore the weight to be supported by the side walls 16,18 and the adjustable feet 20 can be considerable. Accurate adjustment of height can be important, especially in such cases, since many worktop materials are brittle and need a level and flat supporting structure. Meanwhile, the floor on which the cabinets are resting may be uneven, such as tiles of stone or slate material. Hence an accurate form of adjustment that does not drift over time is important in preventing damage to the worktop, especially around weaker areas such as sink apertures, etc. Figures 2 to 4 show an individual adjustable foot 20 according to the present invention. An elongate leg 24 is in the form of an externally-threaded bar, oriented substantially vertically. It passes through a pair of horizontal brackets 26, 28; each has a circular aperture 30 to receive the leg 24 which is internally threaded to match the leg 24. Thus, by rotating the leg 24 its height can be adjusted up and down, lending the adjustable foot 20 its required adjustability. The use of two brackets 26, 28 means that the vertical orientation of the leg 24 is easily maintained whilst using the minimum amount of material, but other arrangements could be employed such as a thicker single bracket or a bracket reinforced with a collar around the aperture 30. The upper end of the leg 24 (also shown in figure 9) is formed with an adjustment adaptor section 32 to assist with rotating it. Shown more clearly in figure 5, this comprises a hexagonal outer section 34 to the end of the leg 24, the tip of which is cut to provide a crossslit 36 which can accept a flat- or cross-head screwdriver of standard PZ or PH form. This allows a wide range of tools to be used to adjust the leg length. Of course, a simpler end profile could be adopted with just the hexagonal profile 34, or just a single slot for a flat-head screwdriver, or just the cross-slit 36, or some combination of these. The adjustment adaptor section 32 will likely sit just beneath the floor panel 22 in use, so it is convenient to form openings 38 (fig 1) in the floor panels 22, directly above the leg 24, to allow a screwdriver or socket to be inserted and engage with the adjustment adaptor section 32. Covers can be provided (not shown) to snap-fit into the openings 38 after installation to provide a neat appearance and prevent small items from becoming lost. At the lower end of the leg 24, a ball joint 40 is provided for connection to a resilient foot to be described later. Immediately above that, a second external hexagonal section 42 is provided to allow adjustment of the leg length from beneath the cabinet. Also, a through-hole 44 is provided, sized to accept a small tommy-bar. In this way, the fitter has a range of routes for adjusting the leg length and can select whichever is more convenient. Depending on the configuration of the kitchen in question, some routes may be inaccessible or obstructed, so providing a wide range is useful. The brackets 26, 28 extend horizontally from a substantially-vertical upright section 46. This has a set of (in this case) four fixing holes 48 which allow it to be fixed in place on the interior face of a side wall 16, 18 as shown in figure 1. This ensures a rigid and robust connection to the remainder of the cabinet 12. Various means of fixing can be employed, such as threading the interior of the fixing holes 48 and passing a number of machine screws (preferably countersunk) from the outside of the side wall 16, 18 through the side wall to engage with each of the fixing hole 48. Alternatively, a plain hole can be used and a nut provided on the machine screw. In a further alternative, a screw or like fixing can be passed through the fixing hole to engage with the side wall 16,18. Adhesives can also be employed. The brackets 26, 28 are formed integrally with the upright 46 and are defined by a fold line 50, 52 between them and the upright, ensuring a secure connection between them. A suitable blank for forming this part is shown in figure 11 and the resulting shape is shown in figures 7 and 8; a strip 54 of mild steel at (say) 3mm thickness is drilled to form the circular apertures 30 and the fixing holes 48 and then bent through 90 degrees at two fold lines 50, 52 located between the respective circular apertures 30 and the group of fixing holes 48 into a square U-shape, thus forming the brackets 26, 28. Prior to the folding step, a pair of arcuate cut lines 56 are cut into the blank 54, extending from the lower fold line 52 between the upright 46 and the lower bracket 26, upwards into the upright 46 and then outwards to the outer side edge of the blank 54. As a result, when the blank is bent at the bend line 52 to define the lower bracket 26, a pair of flanges 58 are left extending transversely to the upright 46 in the opposite direction to the bracket 26. These can be located under the lower edge of the side walls 16,18 with the side walls resting on them and hence supported by them. Together with the fixing with the upright 46 via the fixing holes 48, this enables a very secure connection between the adjustable foot 20 and the side walls 16,18. This assists in transferring the potentially-substantial weight of the worktop 10 to the floor without stressing the fixings engaging the upright 46 to the side wall 16,18. It also provides a robust connection which we have found will withstand dragging the cabinet 12 across an uneven floor, such as from the location where it is assembled or delivered to the location where it is intended to be installed. Known adjustable legs often fix to the floor panel 22 of the cabinet 12 and are prone to collapse under such loading. Ideally, all of the above parts are made from a rigid metallic material such as mild steel, in order to provide the necessary mechanical strength. Figures 2, 3, 4 and 6 show the resilient foot 60 provided at the lower end of the leg 24. This has a socket 62 to accept the balljoint 40 of the leg 24. Using a ball and socket joint between the leg 24 and the resilient foot 60 allows the foot to adopt a range of angles to the leg and thus conform to the local angle of the floor on which the cabinet 12 is resting. This in turn permits the resilient foot 60 to have a flat lower face 64, which offers a wider area over which the load can be transferred, reducing the damage to the floor that can arise from point loadings. In additional, figures 2, 3 and 6 show three raised formations 66 spaced around the perimeter of the resilient foot 60 to allow for a strong and stable contact with the potentially-uneven floor. Both features contribute to providing a levelling ability for the cabinet on an uneven floor. The resilient foot 60 is formed of a material having good structural integrity but a degree of resilience, such as thermoplastic polymeric material or a hard rubber. A slightly resilient foot also absorbs vibrations, reducing the sound of appliances located within the cabinet 12. Figures 2, 3, 4 and 10 show the optional cap 68 for the leg 24. This has an internally-threaded bore which is longer than the adjustment adaptor section 32 and which can therefore be fitted over this section and screwed onto the threaded leg 24. Thus, once the cabinet 12 has been fitted and the adjustable foot 20 adjusted to the correct height, the cap 68 can be fitted over the leg 24 to protect the adjustment adaptor section 32 and, preferably, be screwed far enough down the leg 24 to abut and tighten against the upper bracket 28. This then secures the leg 24 against accidental rotation, fixing the adjustable foot 20 in its correct adjustment. The exterior faces of the cap 68 have a knurled texture to allow threading by hand. In addition, the top face 70 of the cap 68 (fig 10) has a cross-slit 72 to allow engagement by a screwdriver for secure tightening; this can of course be varied in the same manner as the adjustment adaptor section 32. Thus, the adjustable foot 20 of the present invention provides a stable and secure method of adjustably supporting a cabinet 12 such as a kitchen cabinet. It allows fine but secure adjustment of the cabinet height, whilst being straightforward and inexpensive to manufacture. It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the abovedescribed embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cabinet foot comprising an upright for attaching to a side wall of a cabinet, at least one flange extending transversely from the upright thereby to lie beneath and support the side wall, and a leg having an adjustable length extending downwardly from the upright.

2. A cabinet foot according to claim 1 in which a bracket extends transversely from the upright, in a direction opposite to that of the at least one flange, and includes an aperture through which the leg extends.

3. A cabinet foot according to claim 2 in which the aperture is internally threaded, and the leg is externally threaded and engages with the threaded aperture, thereby to providing the adjustable length of the leg.

4. A cabinet foot according to claim 2 or claim 3 in which a second bracket extends transversely from the upright, spaced vertically from the bracket and includes a second aperture through which the leg also extends.

5. A cabinet foot according to claim 4 in which the second aperture is internally threaded and engages with external threads of the leg.

6. A cabinet foot comprising an upright for attaching to a side wall of a cabinet, a pair of transversely-extending brackets having vertically-aligned apertures therein, and a leg having an adjustable length extending downwardly through the vertically-aligned apertures.

7. A cabinet foot according to claim 6 in which the pair of brackets extend substantially parallel to each other.

8. A cabinet foot according to claim 6 or claim 7 in which the apertures are internally threaded, and the leg is externally threaded and engages with the threaded apertures, thereby to providing the adjustable length of the leg.

9. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which the upper end of the leg has a non-rotationally-symmetric form thereby to allow engagement with an adjustment tool.

10. A cabinet foot according to claim 9 in which the non-rotationally-symmetric form includes at least one of a hexagonal formation, a slit for accepting a screwdriver blade, and a cross-head for accepting a cross-headed screwdriver.

11. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which the leg comprises a through-hole for receiving a tommy bar.

12. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lower end of the leg comprises a hexagonal form for receiving a spanner.

13. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which the upright includes at least one hole for accepting a fixing passing through the side wall of the cabinet.

14. A cabinet foot according to claim 13 in which the hole is internally threaded thereby to engage with an externally-threaded fixing.

15. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which the upright is in the form of a plate adapted to lie against the side wall of the cabinet.

16. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which a lower end of the leg has a resilient foot.

17. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which a lower end of the leg has a foot comprising three protruding points of contact with a floor.

18. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which a lower end of the leg has a foot which is connected to the leg via an angularly-adjustable means.

19. A cabinet foot according to any one of the preceding claims in which at least an upper portion of the leg is externally threaded, and further comprising an internally-threaded cap securable on the upper end of the leg.

20. A cabinet foot according to claim 19 in which the cap has a knurled external texture.

21. A cabinet comprising a pair of side walls and at least one cabinet foot according to anyone of the preceding claims, the foot being attached to a lower portion of one of thepair of side walls with the at least one flange extending beneath a lower extent of the said side wall.

22. A cabinet according to claim 21 further comprising a base portion extending from between the side walls above the cabinet foot, the base portion including an access 5 hole located above the leg.

23. A cabinet according to claim 22 also including a removable cap sized to fit in and cover the access hole.

24. A cabinet according to any one of claims 21 to 23 comprising an openable door to the front thereof.10 25. A set of cabinets according to any one of claims 21 to 24 arranged in a side-by-sidearray and supporting a worktop.13

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