Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
D15 445~ 7~ 9
This invention relates to an assembly for a sheet metal
cupboard or cabinet that can be assembled from a lay-flat, knock-
down condition to an erected position without the use of bolts.
Assemblies for sheet metal cupboards and the like that
can be erected f~om a knock-down to a set-up position are popu-
lar. The component parts of the assembly of the nature with
which this invention is concerned are made from a relativel~
light guage sheet metal. The consumer buys the assembly in a
cardboard container in the lay-flat condition, takes it home and
assembles it. The assembly operation is, of necessity, simple
because it mu~t be something that can be handled by the ordinary
householder, who is not a skilled fitter.
The use of these assemblies has, however, given rise to
problems that are of long standing. In the past the assemblies
must be secured in position by bolts. These bolts require screw
drivers and, in some cases, wrenches for completion. Many house-
holders do not have an appropriately sized screw driver or
wrench. This is obviously an inconveniene. Many others find it
difficult to manipulate nuts and bolts in the assembly of a
simple cupboard. In many instances the assembly of these cup-
boards is attempted by persons of the lowest mechanical skill.
There is also the problem of providing sufficient nuts
and bolts to do the job and the problem of nuts and bolts becom-
ing lost. ~hese are problems of stock keeping and of complaints
made to retailers because of deficiencies of the shipment.
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D15-4458-1
This invention overcomes all of these disadvantages
that arise from the inclusion of nuts and bolts in the cupboard
assembly. With this invention the component parts have been fash-
ioned to interlock and maintain themselves in assembled position
without the use of nuts or bolts. The general arrangement of the
parts is similar to that of the prior art, but the parts have
been designed such that they interact with each other to maintain
the assembly rigid without the use of bolts and this is a very
substantial advance in the art of providing simple knock-down cup-
board assemblies.
A boltless cupboard or cabinet assembly according to
this invention comprises a boltless sheet metal cupboard having a
top wall, a bottom wall, a back wall, and opposed side walls, the
back wall and the side walls being formed along their adjoining
edges to telescope ~ogether in a direction longitudinally of
their edges, a rigidifying top bar to extend between the side
walls of their upper extremities, said top bar and said side
walls being formed to telescope together, a rigidifying bottom
bar to extend between the side walls at their lower extremities,
said bottom bar and said side walls being formed to telescope
togther, said top wall having a downwardly extending front flange
adopted to overlie the front face of said top rigidifying bar and
an inwardly projecting locking flange at the lower edge of said
front flange adapted to engage the marginal area of the underside
of said top rigidifying bars in use, said bottom wall having a
D15-4458-1
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downwardly extending front flange adpted to overlie the front
face of said bottom rigidifying bar and an inwardly projecting
locking flange at the lower edge of said front flange adapted to
engage the marginal area of the underside of said bottom rigidify-
ing bar in use, the side walls and back wall being formed along
their adjoining edges to the bottom wall with a channel adapted
to receive the adjoining edge of the bottom wall in nesting rela-
tion. The invention will be clearly understood after reference
to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with
the drawings.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is an illustration of a cupboard in set up
position;
Figure 2 is an illustration of the first steps in set-
ting up the cupboard from the knock-down condition;
Figure 2A is an illustration along the line 2A-2A of
Figure 2 showing the telescoping nature of the interconnection of
the side walls and the back wall;
Figure 2B is an illustration along the lines 2B-2B of
Figure 2 showing the channelled nature of the longitudinal edges
of the side walls which telescopingly receives the stab connect-
ors of the top and bottom rigidifying bars;
Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the flanged
top wall and bottom wall are locked into position with the action
D15 4458~
of their locking flnges that lock over the under side of the
rigidifying bars;
Figure 4 is a view along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 show-
ing the manner in which the flanged bottom wall nests in the bot-
tom walls and interlocks with the rigidifying bar;
Figure 5 is an illustration along line 5-5 of Figure 3
showing the manner of assembling the top wall; and
Figure 6 is an illustration similar to Figure 5 but
with the top wall in place and the lugs in the flange along the
back edge of the top wall depressed from the plana of the flange
to limit the sliding movement of the back wall with respect to
the side walls.
In the drawings the numeral 10 generally refers to a
cupboard constructed in accordance with the present invention.
The cupboard has been assembled without the use of bolts of any
kind. This is a very substantial advantage for a cupboard of
this general class which must be manufactured for shipping and
storage in a knock-down form wherein each of the walls and
shelves are packed in stacked relation within a cardboard contain-
er. It is practice to ship these items to retail merchants who
sell them to consumers. The consumer takes delivery of the com-
pact flat package and erects the cupboard himself.
It will be apparent that it is of importance with such
articles that the component parts should be easy to assemble and
preferably without the use of bolts because bolts tend to become
D15-4458~ Lt;~
misplaced. They also require tools for assembly. Many household-
ers do not have a good selection of tools available and, in the
case where a screwdriver is required, there is often a necessity
to acquire a special screwdriver for the particular type of bolt
supplied.
The cupboard illustrated has a top wall 12, a bottom
wall 14, a back wall 16 and opposed side walls 18 and 20. A door
22 is hinged to a channel formation on an edge of side wall 20.
As noted above, the top wall, bottom wall, back walls
and door are supplied in knock-down form. Figures 2 to 5 illus-
trate the manner of assembling these parts.
The back wall 16 is laid flat on a floor with the shelf
hooks 25, to be referred later, facing upwardly. The side edges
of the back wall each have a longitudinally extending hem which
assumes a U-formation as at 24 in Figure 2a. The back upright
edges of the side walls 18 and 20 each have a flange that extends
at right angles therefrom and that is also formed with a U-shaped
hem as at 26. The U-shaped hems on the back wall and the side
walls are adapted to interlock as the side walls are slid longi-
tudinally of the back wall in right angled relationship as indi-
cated in Figure 2.
The front edges of each of the side walls is formed
with a channel as at 27 (Figure 2B) to accommodate the stab con-
nectors 28 of the top and bottom rigidifying bars 30.
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D15-4458~ 7~
The rigidifying bars generally indicated by the numeral
30 comprise a U-shaped horizontal sheet metal channel 32 to which
is welded a stab contact generally indicated by the numeral 28.
Stab contact 28 has a U-shaped form at its inner portion with a
bottom 32 and side walls 34 and 36. The U-shaped channel forms a
channel that telescopes within the U-shaped channel 27 of th*
side walls. The free end portion of the stab has been cut away
as at 38 to facilitate alignment. The inside wall of channel 27
is also cut awa~ adjacent each end of the side walls to permit
the laterally extending channel 32 to sit flush with the top and
bottom of the cabinet as illustrated in Figure 3 when the stabs
of the rigidifying bars are firmly in place.
Figure 2 generally illustrates the direction of inser-
tion of the stabs of the rigidifying bars into the channels of
the side walls and Figure 3 illustrtes the side walls and rigidi-
fying bars finally in place.
Thus, the initial steps of installation as indicated in
Figure 2 consist of sliding the side walls into contcat with the
back wall and inserting the stabs of the rigidifying cross bars
into the channels of the side walls wherein they are a snug tele-
scoping fit~
The top wall 12 has downwardly depending ~langes that
are adapted to overhang the vertical walls of the cupboard at the
upper marginal portions. The sides of the top wall are slipped
over the end of the body as indicated in Figures 3, 5 and 6. It
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will be noted thak the front flange of the top wall 12 has an
inwardly directed locking flange 39 along its front edge. This
locking flange snaps over the lower edge of the rigidifying bar
30 to maintain the top wall in assembled position with respect to
the body.
It will also be noted that the back wall of the top 12
has a seam 40 on its downwardly flange. The upper edge of the
back wall 16 also has a seam as at 42 along its edge for coopera-
tion with the seam 40. Figures 3 and 5 show the initial stages
of placement of the top wall. As the top wall is rotated in the
direction of the arrow the flange 39 snaps over the bar 30 as in
Figure 6.
After the top wall 12 has been snapped into position as
described, the back wall 16 is slid towards the top wall as indi-
cated in Figure 5. In this position the open edges of the seams
40 and 42 are facing each other. The back wall 16 is then slid
downwardly to cause the seams 40 and 42 to interlock with each
other. This achieves a securement of the back wall to the top
wall along their respective meeting edges.
It will be noted that the bottom edges of the side wall
18, back wall 16 and side wall 20 are each formed with an intern-
ally directed channel. These channels are adapted to receive the
downwardly directed flanges 44, 46 and 48 respectively of the bot-
tom wall 14. Downwardly directed flanges 44, 46 and 48 have an
in-turned edge and are a comfortable fit within their respective
Dl 5 - ~ 4 s 8 - 1 ~ 7~ ~9
channels on the side walls to achieve a good rigidi~ying func-
tion.
The front wall of the bottom 14 is formed with an
internally directed locking flange 50 that springs over the lower
edge of the bottom rigidlfying bar 30 as the bottom wall is pres-
sed into position. The bottom wall i5 pressed into position from
the inside of the cabinet as illustrated in Figure 3.
All parts are made from a sheet metal which has a cer-
tain amount of resilience to permit the springing action of the
flanges and the unit, when assembled as illustrated in Figure 1,
is rigid. The various flanges that fit within each other are a
comfortable fit that provides a support to maintain the cupboard
erect and square.
The door is simply attached by means of a simple hinge
that has previously been assembled to the door and the edge of
side wall 20.
The channels down the front edges of the side walls are
notched as at 54 to receive the front edge of shelving units 56
which are inserted from the top as indicated in Figure 1 and
rotated rearwardly to sit on the lugs 25 in the back wall.
The back wall 16 is locked against displacement by man-
ipulation of the lugs 58 in an inward direction to engage with
the upper edge of the U-shaped formation 42 on the back wall 16
whereby to prevent it from disengagement with the cooperative
seam 40 of the top wall as illustrated in Figure 6.
D15-4458~ 7~ 9
The basic structure of the unit is not new. For
example, units of this general type and having cross support bars
like the support bars 30 but which are held together by bolts are
old. The novelty in this invention is the construction of the
parts so that they can be slid and pushed together in a way that
they will maintain their erect position without the need of any
bolts. It is the combination of features that contribute to the
boltless construction and the features that are new and thought
to contribute to the end result. The sliding cooperation of the
side walls and back wall at their longitudinal edges, the spring
securement of the top wall and bottom wall with the side walls
through the expedient of the spring flanges 39 and 50 and the
interlocking of the top wall to the back wall along its upper
edge by displaceable lugs 58. These features combine to elimi-
nate the requirement for bolts in assemblies of this kind.
Embodiments of the invention other than the specific
one illustrated will be apparent to those skilled in the art and
it is not the intention that the invention should be limited by
the specific embodiment illustrated.
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