Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
r
10799;;~7
Thig invention relates to prefabricatsd closets which may fit
tightly between floor and ceilinge of rooms of variou~ heights
~ACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
: ..
Ths structural slements and wall panels needed to make clo~ets,
~ such as wardrobes, are generally cut and fitted in ~itu one ~ith
;- the other and between floor and ceiling This operation is time- -
con~uming Therefore, in order to reduce the cost, it has been
previously proposed to make prefabricated standard unit~ which are
assembled in situ. The main problem with these units is that they
,,,
~- 10 require tool~ for their assembly, that they cannot possibly be mede
,.;,
~;~ to suit rooms of various heights betwsen floor and csiling and that
thsy require finishing work
ORIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE I~NVENTION
It $8 therefore the objsct of ths present invsntion to provide
; . .
1 a prefabricated closet which can be assembled in situ and which would
Y tit between ~loor and ceiling ûf rooms of various heights, in a minimum
~.'
smount of time, without the use~of tools and u~ing leso ~killed
personnsl since no tinishing work i8 required
~,
The modular cloaet in sccordance with a preferred embodiment
of the invention, consists of prefabricated floor, ceiling and wall
units which are assembled together in aitu and form the wall~ ot the
enclosure with external trames forming a backing adapted to rsceive
standard wall panel- tor the room3. Telescopic structural units are
;.
also provided to permit the closet to extend up to the ceiling, 80
as to allow tor ad~u~tment of the closet to tit rooms of various
~; height- nd serving oo a bocking for tandard wall panels
i . . .
i The floor, ceiling ond wall unit~ ~re secured together by means
of a special clip. To that ettect, the structural elements are
generally hollow and have o longitudinal opsning, of substantial
width, extending the full length thereof, 0nd the clip has leg- which
0re adapted to be inserted into the opening ot the telescopic structural
element with o snap action ~ ~
~ 2
- 2 -
" , . .
, , .
107992'7
~RIEF_0ESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be disclo~ed, by way of example, with
reference to a preferred embodiment thereof illu~trated in the
accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure l illustratea a per~pective view of a modular c~lo3et
; in accord~nce with the invention;
':
~ Figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of the components of the
....
modular closet ot Figurs l;
: . .
Figure 3 illustrates a section view taken along line 3-3 of
Figure l
Figure 4 illustrate~ e section view taken along line 4-4 ot
Figure 1;
Figure 5 illustrates a perspsctive view of the clip used for
securing the variou- units of the moduler closet together;
: Figure 6 illustrstea a iection view through the clip of Figure
~ 5 when 8 tructural element lo as-embled thereto;
; Figure 7 illustrates e top view of the modular closet of Figure l;
Figure 8 illustrates e tront elevational view of the modular unit
of Figure l; nd
Figure 9 illustrates 8 oide elevationsl view of the modular unit
of Figure 1. -
Referring to Figuresl-9, there ig ahown a modular closet to be
incorporeted within the ~olls of a house and conoisting generally of
B floor unit 10, side well units 12, 14, back wall unit 16 and ceiling
- unit 18. The floor unit 10 is pre~erebly msde of sheet of clapboard
msteriel, elthough other meterials con elso be used. Similorly, the
ceiling unit 13 io preferobly msde ot a ~heet of pressed wood chips;
but other materiel can elso be utilized. The side end beck well units
12, 14, and 16 are each mede up of o rectanguler frame consi-ting of
metallic structurel elementa 20, which are secured by any suitable
; meena to tranoverse top and bottom structural elements 22 snd 24.A sheet of gyproc, or any other suitable panel, i8 secured to the
inside surfece of the frames.
, ", ;~
'
1~'79927
.
, . .
. .
A lintel unit-28 is mountad acrDss the top ~ront Df the
modular closet. Lintel unit 2~ consists of a frame formed of
transverse metallic structural element~ 30 and upright structural
elements 32. A panel ~see Fig. 4) is secured to the inside ~urface
of the rrame Or the lintel unit. Swivel door3 34 close the frQnt
of the modular closet. As commonly known~ such doors are ot
' .
standard size and the dimensions Or the closet ere ouch as to match
- the 8iZB Or the doors. A wooden stud 36, covered on the inside with
~,s ,
j~ a shset 37 ot maeonite, or any other suitable mater$al, is secured
i: 10 on each sido Or the doors between lintel unit 28 and floor unit 10
:,,,
~i j to fill the JpaCe between the side walls and the doors.
Finally, a molding 38 is secured to the edge of the stud 36
~- and the lintel unit 28.
Although not abeolutely necessary, the inside ot the modular
closet ln accordance with the in~ention i~ made Or masonite, or
.. . .
other equivelent material, to provide a permanent interior ~inish,
which will not require repainting.
Each Or the above-dil~closed units is pretabricated and assembled
in ~itu by means Or speci-l clip8 40, more clearly shown in Figure~
5 and 6. The clip 40 is generally U-shaped with turned-in outwardly
~; converging legs 42. Structural elements 20 are hollow having a U-
~'.s i-.
~ shaped cross-section and provided with inwardly directed lips 44
i~ -
- derining a longitudinal opening extending ths full length the element
to permit insértion Or the legs 42 Or the clip. The flat portion Or
.~ .
the clip 40 is also provided with turned-out ears 46, which permit
attachment o~ the clip to the back walls, the rloor and ceiling units
with a predetermined spsca between the unit and the clip. Ouring
assembly of the units, the walls Or the structural element open up
slightly and the lips 44 slide around the corners Or the clip and snap
back into position in the sp ce between the clip end the units.
The units are assemblsd in the following order.
The rloor unit 10 is secured to the floor of the room. Then
, ,.
~::-
-- 4 --
,.
1~799Z7
., ,
'~ using cl'ip9 40, the back wall unit is secured to the floor unit 10
. . .
and the left and right side wall units, with the moldings 38 attached
thereto, are sscured to the back well unit and to the floor unit.
The lintel unit 28 is finally secured to the front of the closet. The
panels of the units 12, 14 end 28 together with floor unit lû'and
ceiling unit 1~ form the surraces o~ the enclosure defined by the
assembled closet. The ceiling of the enclosure i9 at a lower height
than the ceiling of the room in which the closet is installed.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, and more particularly to
Figures 7-9, the end atructurul elements 20 of the back wall unit 16
as well a8 the front structural elements 20 of the side wall units,
telescopically receive the legs 20' of invsrted U-shaped telescopic
units. The back telescoplc unit includes a tranaverse member 40
., .
- secured to two legs 20', while the front telescopic unit include~
e transverse member 49 secured to two legs 20'. The two telescopic
; units ere extended up and secured to the ceiling of the room, a8
shown by errow A of Figure 1.
- The efore-mentioned moduler closets may be installad on an outsids
wall or for part of a partition wall in the same menner as the
conventional closets, except that they can be instslled in a much
shorter period of time by relatively unskilled labor. The exposed
frames o~ the beck well unit, the side wall units, the lintel
unit and the telescopic units serve as a backing for fixing thereto
i standard wall panels such as gyproc wall panels.
",'
'' .
: B
.
.
.
