Furniture with improved safety features and methods of manufacturing same

Abstract

In some examples, a clothing storage unit, includes a frame having a top and a bottom, a front and a back, and two sides, the frame defining an interior, a plurality of drawers, disposed with the interior of the frame, the plurality of drawers being configured to be pulled out from the front of the frame, at least one side access door disposed on one of the two sides of the frame and configured to allow access into the interior of the frame, and at least one false door affixed to the front of the frame, the at least one false door being disposed orthogonal to the at least one side access door.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates to furniture. More particularly the present disclosure relates to furniture with improved safety features such as anti-tipping features.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] Furniture manufacturers are subject to various safety regulations. For example, the STURDY Act, provides new child safety measures. Under this legislation, mandatory rules were established for freestanding “clothing storage units,” such as dressers and chests. These rules now include an increased testing weight of 60 pounds, effectively simulating the weight of children up to 72 months old during product safety evaluations. Real-world scenarios involving common usage, including factors like carpeting and typical forces applied to dressers, are now integrated into the testing protocols. Furthermore, stringent warning labels have been implemented, ensuring that consumers are well-informed about potential risks associated with these products. With these comprehensive measures in place, the STURDY Act enhances the safety of clothing storage units, effectively mitigating risks to children.

[0003] In order to properly comply with the STURDY act, some manufacturers have added weight to the base of the furniture to lower the center of gravity and decrease the chances of furniture tipping. This increase in weight also increases the costs of freight and shipping, which adds to the price of the unit, or decreases profit margins to the manufacturers. The increase in weight also adds waste. Another approach is to shorten dressers, chests and other furniture, but this alone decreases the capacity of these pieces to the detriment of the consumer.

[0004] Thus, despite advances that have been made in this area, there are a variety of problems associated with currently available devices and methods. Hence, there is a continuing need for improving these fixtures and methods to address at least some of these concerns.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] In some examples, a clothing storage unit, includes a frame having a top and a bottom, a front and a back, and two sides, the frame defining an interior, a plurality of drawers, disposed with the interior of the frame, the plurality of drawers being configured to be pulled out from the front of the frame, at least one side access door disposed on one of the two sides of the frame and configured to allow access into the interior of the frame, and at least one false door affixed to the front of the frame, the at least one false door being disposed orthogonal to the at least one side access door.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0006] Various embodiments of the presently disclosed furniture items are disclosed herein with reference to the drawings, wherein:

[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a clothing storage unit according to a first embodiment;

[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective illustration of a clothing storage unit according to a second embodiment; and

[0009] FIGS. 3A-B are schematic perspective illustrations of a clothing storage unit according to a third embodiment.

[0010] FIGS. 4A-C are schematic perspective illustrations of a clothing storage unit according to a fourth embodiment.

[0011] FIGS. 5A-E are schematic perspective illustrations of a clothing storage unit according to a fifth embodiment.

[0012] FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic illustrations of additional embodiments of clothing storage units.

[0013] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings. It is to be appreciated that these drawings depict only some embodiments which may or may not all be required for functionality of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Despite the various improvements that have been made to this field, conventional devices suffer from some shortcomings as described above.

[0015] There therefore is a need for further improvements to the devices, systems, and methods of improving safety features of free-standing furniture clothing storage units. Among other advantages, the present disclosure may address one or more of these critical needs.

[0016] As used herein, the term “proximal,” when used in connection with a component of a fixture, refers to the end of the component closest to the ground, whereas the term “distal,” when used in connection with a fixture, refers to the end of the component farthest from the ground.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, a clothing storage unit 100 (e.g., a dresser) may include a frame 101 with a top 102, bottom 104, front 106, back (not shown), and two sides 108a,108b, defining an interior space 110. Within this frame, multiple drawers 120 are positioned to be pulled out from the front. In this example, three pull-out drawers 120 are disposed in the middle of frame 100, although more of fewer drawers are possible. In this example, the uppermost drawer is spaced from the top of the frame by a gap equal to the height of one of the drawers. In this manner, an uncovered cavity 121 may be formed over the plurality of drawers 120. The elimination of drawers above a critical height and the inclusion of an uncovered cavity 121 may be useful in increasing safety by reducing the possibility of tipping of the unit (i.e., a child cannot hang onto a drawer at the height of the uncovered cavity to tip the storage unit). Additionally, unit 100 may include at least one side access door 122 on one of the frame's sides 108,108b to provide entry into the interior. In this example, two side access doors 122 are formed on each end of the unit, the side access doors being configured to open via a hinge fixed to the back of the unit. Cubbies, receptacles or compartments 123 may be accessible via the side access doors 122. To enhance aesthetics (and to maintain the appearance of a traditional dresser), at least one false door 124 is attached to the front of the frame 100, oriented at a right angle to the side access door. Two false doors 124 are shown, flanking the plurality of drawers 120. False doors 124 may be permanently affixed to the front of the frame or hinged to allow access through the front. In some examples, the false doors 124 will have a pattern that looks like pullout drawers.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a clothing storage unit. In this example, a clothing storage unit 200 (e.g., a chest) may include a frame 201 with a top 202, bottom 204, front 206, back (not shown), and two sides 208, defining an interior space 210. The sides 208 define a first width W1, and the front defines a second width W2, the second width W2 being larger than the first width W1. Within this frame, multiple drawers 220 are positioned to be pulled out from the front 206. In this example, three pull-out drawers 220 are shown, although more or fewer drawers are possible. At least one accessible door 230 is disposed above the drawers 220. In this example, two accessible doors 230 that cover two cavities are shown above the doors. The accessible doors 230 may be pivotable. The accessible doors 230 may be slidable. The accessible doors 230 may be both pivotable over a hinge then slidable so that they are completely out of view when open. The elimination of drawers above a critical height and the inclusion of a cavity 121 may be useful in increasing safety by reducing the possibility of tipping of the unit. Specifically, in this example, the plurality of drawers 220 are limited to being positioned only below the critical height. This critical height may be 24 inches, 26 inches, 28 inches, 30 inches, 32 inches, 34 inches, 36 inches, 38 inches or 40 inches. Any compartments or cavities above the critical height may be covered only by accessible doors 230.

[0019] FIG. 3A-3B illustrate another example of a clothing storage unit 300. In this example, a clothing storage unit 300 (e.g., a chest) may include a frame 301 with a top 302, bottom 304, front 306, back (not shown), and two sides 308, defining an interior space (not shown). The sides 308 define a first width W1, and the front defines a second width W2, the second width W2 being larger than the first width W1. Within this frame, multiple drawers 320 are positioned to be pulled out from the side 308. In this example, three pull-out drawers 320 are shown, although more or fewer drawers are possible. At least one accessible door 330 is disposed above the drawers 320. In this example, one accessible door 330 covers two cavities. The accessible doors 330 may be hinged, as shown, pivotable or slidable. In this example, the plurality of drawers 320 may be limited to being positioned only below the critical height, which may be 24 inches, 26 inches, 28 inches, 30 inches, 32 inches, 34 inches, 36 inches, 38 inches or 40 inches. Any compartments or cavities above the critical height may be covered only by accessible doors 330. Additionally, as shown, the plurality of drawers 320 and the at least one accessible door 330 have a similar design and would be indistinguishable to the user from the outside.

[0020] FIG. 4A-4C illustrate another example of a clothing storage unit 400. In this example, a clothing storage unit 400 (e.g., a chest) may include a frame 401 with a top 402, bottom 404, front 406, back (not shown), and two sides 408, defining an interior space (not shown). The sides 408 define a first width, and the front defines a second width, the second width being larger than the first width as previously described with reference to the previous embodiment. Within this frame, multiple drawers 420 are positioned to be pulled out from the side 408. In this example, two pull-out drawers 420 are shown disposed above two shelves. At least one accessible door 430 is disposed over the drawers 420 and shelves. The accessible doors 430 may be hinged, as shown, pivotable or slidable. In this example, the plurality of drawers 420 may be limited to being positioned only below the critical height, which may be 24 inches, 26 inches, 28 inches, 30 inches, 32 inches, 34 inches, 36 inches, 38 inches or 40 inches. Any compartments or cavities above the critical height may be covered only by accessible doors 430.

[0021] In another example, shown in FIGS. 5A-5E, a clothing storage unit 500 (e.g., a dresser) may include a frame 501 with a top 502, bottom 504, front 506, back (not shown), and two sides 508 defining an interior space 510. Within this frame, multiple drawers 520 are positioned to be pulled out from the front. In this example, two pull-out drawers 520 are disposed in the middle of frame 500, although more of fewer drawers are possible. In this example, the uppermost drawer is spaced from the top of the frame by a gap equal to the height of one or two of the drawers. In this manner, an uncovered cavity 521 may be formed over the plurality of drawers 520. The elimination of drawers above a critical height and the inclusion of an uncovered cavity 521 may be useful in increasing safety by reducing the possibility of tipping of the unit (i.e., a child cannot hang onto a drawer at the height of the uncovered cavity to tip the storage unit). Additionally, unit 500 may include at least one side access door 522 on one of the frame's sides 508 to provide entry into the interior. In this example, two side access doors 522 are formed, one on each end of the unit, the side access doors being configured to open via a hinge fixed to the back of the unit. Cubbies, receptacles, compartments or lockable hidden lockers 523 may be accessible via the side access doors 522. To enhance aesthetics (and to maintain the appearance of a traditional dresser), at least one false door 524 is attached to the front of the frame 500, oriented at a right angle to the side access door. Two false doors 524 are shown, flanking the plurality of drawers 520. False doors 524 may be permanently affixed to the front of the frame or hinged to allow access through the front. In some examples, the false doors 524 may have a pattern that looks like pullout drawers. Additional schematics are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 which illustrate variations of the themes and features described herein.

[0022] Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0023] It will be appreciated that the various dependent claims and the features set forth therein can be combined in different ways than presented in the initial claims. It will also be appreciated that the features described in connection with individual embodiments may be shared with others of the described embodiments.

Claims

1. A clothing storage unit, comprising:a frame having a top and a bottom, a front and a back, and two sides, the frame defining an interior;a plurality of drawers, disposed with the interior of the frame, the plurality of drawers being configured to be pulled out from the front of the frame;at least one side access door disposed on one of the two sides of the frame and configured to allow access into the interior of the frame; andat least one false door affixed to the front of the frame, the at least one false door being disposed orthogonal to the at least one side access door.

2. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one side access door comprises two side access doors disposed on a respective one of the two sides of the frame.

3. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, wherein at least one false door comprises two false doors flanking the plurality of drawers.

4. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of drawer includes at least two drawers, an uppermost drawer of the at least two drawers being spaced from the top of the frame by a cavity, the cavity having a height of one of the plurality of drawers.

5. The clothing storage unit of claim 4, wherein the plurality of drawer includes at least three drawers.

6. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of side compartments that are accessible via the at least one side access door.

7. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of receptacles that are accessible via the at least one side access door.

8. A clothing storage unit, comprising:a frame having a top and a bottom, a front and a back, and two sides, the frame defining an interior, each of the two sides having a first width, and the front having a second width, the second width being larger than the first width;a plurality of drawers, disposed with the interior of the frame, the plurality of drawers being configured to be pulled out from at least one of the two sides of the frame;at least one side access door disposed on one of the two sides of the frame and configured to allow access into the interior of the frame; andat least one false door affixed to the front of the frame, the at least one false door being disposed orthogonal to the at least one side access door.

9. The clothing storage unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of drawers comprises three drawers, and wherein the at least one side access door comprises a side access door disposed above the plurality of drawers.

10. A clothing storage unit, comprising:a frame having a height, top and a bottom, a front and a back, and two sides, the frame defining an interior;a plurality of drawers, disposed with the interior of the frame below a critical height, the plurality of drawers being configured to be pulled out from the front of the frame; andat least one accessible door that is disposed above the critical height and configured to allow access to an interior of the frame behind the at least one accessible door.

11. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the plurality of drawers comprises three drawers.

12. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the plurality of drawers comprises two drawers.

13. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the plurality of drawers is limited to being positioned only below the critical height.

14. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the at least one accessible door is pivotable or slidable door.

15. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the at least one accessible door is pivotable and slidable door.

16. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the at least one accessible door includes two accessible doors.

17. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the critical height is 36 inches.

18. The clothing storage unit of claim 10, wherein the critical height is 40 inches.

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