US3729113A

US3729113A - Modular cabinet assembly, and components and subassemblies therefor

Info

Publication number: US3729113A
Application number: US00160662A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Lopatka
Original assignee: Reflector Hardware Corp
Current assignee: Reflector Hardware Corp
Priority date: 1971-07-08
Filing date: 1971-07-08
Publication date: 1973-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-24

Abstract

A modular cabinet assembly and components and subassemblies therefor. A sheet metal, L-shaped, back-bottom member provides a pair of longitudinal walls and integral mounting flanges at each side of each wall. The longitudinal edges of the walls are folded to form rigidifying finish edges. Side panels and brackets defining hooks are securable to the mounting flanges to provide a cabinet subassembly which may be hung from slotted supports. The other two longitudinal sides may be closed by a closure panel mounted to angles secured to the side panels, and an openable door. The openable door may be of a variety of types, selectively to provide a plurality of cabinet assemblies, each with an assemblage of identical subassembly components.

Description

[ 1 MODULAR CABINET ASSEMBLY, AND

COMPONENTS AND SUBASSEMBLIES THEREFOR [75] Inventor: Dale R. Lopatka, Hawthorn Woods,

Reflector Hardware Corporation, Melrose, Park, 111.

July 8, 1971 [73] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

[2]] Appl. No.: 160,662

[52] US. Cl ..220/18, 312/247 [51 Int. Cl. ..B65d 25/24 [58] Field of Search ..220/l8; 312/107,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES. PATENTS 2,702,649 2/1955 Neilson ....220/l8 2,730,263 1/1956 Neilson ..220/l8 2,754,079 7/1956 Krueger et a1. ..220/18 X 2,956,688 10/1960 Galassi. ..l08/l08 UX 45 Apr. 24, 1973 12/1960 Murphy et a1. ..312/245 x 2/1971 Ferdinand et a1 ..lO8/l08 x 571 ABSTRACT A modular cabinet assembly and components and subassemblies therefor. A sheet metal, L-shaped, backbottom member provides a pair of longitudinal walls and integral mounting flanges at each side of each wall. The longitudinal edges of the walls are folded to form rigidifying finish edges. Side panels and brackets defining hooks are securable to the mounting flanges to provide a cabinet subassembly which may be hung from slotted supports. The other two longitudinal sides may be closed by a closure panel mounted to angles secured to the side panels, and an openable door. The openable door may be of a variety of types, selectively to provide a plurality of cabinet assemblies, each with an assemblage of identical subassembly components.

18 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 3,729,113

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented April 24, 1973 Patented April 24, 1973 3,729,113

5 SheetsSheet 5 Patented April 24, 1973 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 MODULAR CABINET ASSEMBLY, AND COMPONENTS -AND SUBASSEMBLIES THEREFOR This invention relates to a modular cabinet assembly, and particularly to a cabinet assembly which incorporates a number of common basic components readily securable to each other to form a cabinet subassembly, to which subassembly several additional components may be secured, easily to produce a large number of different cabinet types with a minimum number of different parts. The cabinet assembly of this invention is especially adapted for suspension from an external support, such as a vertical wall support, and particularly a support which incorporates spaced apart slotted posts defining bracket receiving slots, thereby to support a cabinet assembly in a cantilever position.

Although efforts have been made to design cabinets which are adapted to be hung from brackets on vertical slotted posts, such cabinets have been limited in their use, and have generally required for their manufacture, specially manufactured components for each and every type of cabinet.

This invention provides an improved, simplified modular cabinet assembly, and one which incorporates a multicomponent subassembiy which has the unique capacity of serving as a basic modular subassembly for at least five different rectangular enclosed cabinet types. These cabinet types include hinged double door cabinets, pull-down hinged door cabinets, lift-up hinged door cabinets, lift-up hinged door tub cabinets, and sliding door cabinets. These five types of cabinets may be formed with an otherwise identical assemblage of components, by varying only the closure means, i.e., a pair of panel means, one of which may be immovably fixed or secured to the subassembly, and the other of which may comprise an openable door means. Indeed four of the cabinet types may utilize a single fixed panel, andmay be wholly identical, except for different openable door means, several of which openable door means may also be the same.

Not only are at least five cabinet types easily fabricated from a single basic subassembly, and a minor number of additional alternate parts, but a given modular cabinet subassembly which has an integral sheet metal back-bottom member providing legs which may serve as back and bottom walls, which walls are of different depths, may be interchanged thereby to provide double the number of cabinetassemblies, half being of a first height and depth and the other half being of a second height and depth-(equal to the first depth and height, respectively).

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings of which:

FIG. I is a front perspective view of a cabinet assembly made in accordance with this invention, showing it in a cantilever supported position adjacent a vertical wall providing slotted support posts;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cabinet assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cabinet assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the cabinet assembly of FIG. 1, with the doors in a partially open position;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a sliding door cabinet assembly in accordance with this invention, which cabinet assembly incorporates the cabinet subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a cabinet assembly of this invention of the pull-down hinged door type, incorporating the cabinet subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a cabinet assembly of this invention of the lift-up hinged door type, incorporating a cabinet subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a cabinet assembly of this invention of the lift-up tub type, incorporating a cabinet subassembly assembled from the components forming the cabinet subassembly of FIG.

FIGS. 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are front perspective views of cabinet assembly types similar to those of FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively, with the depth and height dimensions reversed, each of which incorporates a cabinet subassembly assembled from the components forming a cabinet subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a plan view, partially in section, taken substantially along the line 14-l 4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a front elevational view, partially in section, taken substantially along the line 15-15 of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 16-16 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of the back-bottom member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged front elevational view of the cabinet assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 20--20 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 21-21 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged front elevational view of the cabinet assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged side view of the door and hinge assembly of FIG. 22 as viewed from the line 23 23 of FIG. 22 when the door is in an open position; and

FIG. 24 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 24-24 of FIG. 22.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4 and 14 to 18, a cabinet assembly 10 of this invention is formed from a number of basic components, into a cabinet subassembly which is an assemblage of those basic components. The components of which a cabinet subassembly is formed includes a back-bottom member 12. Back-bottom member 12 is formed by folding a metal sheet member along a common longitudinal edge to provide a backbottom member which is L-shaped in transverse crosssection (see especially FIGS. 16 and 18 which illustrate the right angled or L-shaped configuration), and which defines a pair of

expansive legs

14, 16 which are adapted to serve as longitudinal walls, such as a back wall and a bottom wall for cabinet 10. As will become clear, the positions of

legs

14 and 16 are reversable, so that either may serve as a back or bottom wall depending upon the orientation of the back-bottom member, and depending upon the depth and height dimensions desired in the particular cabinet. In

certain cases legs

14, 16 may serve as top and back walls for a cabinet, as will be explained. Accordingly, the term back-bottom member as used herein should be understood as contemplating that orientation also of the folded metal sheet 12 where the integral legs are positioned as top and back walls.

Back-bottom member 12 terminates at the free outer longitudinal leg edges in folded multifold reinforcing ribs 18, which ribs also serve to provide longitudinal finish edges for

legs

14, 16. Ribs 18 are parallel to the common longitudinal edge and preferably are J-shaped (see FIG. 18) in transverse cross-section. And, as may be best seen in FIGS. 14 and 15,

legs

14 and 16 terminate at their side edges in reversely folded hem sections which include hems 20 folded back along the back surfaces of

legs

14 and 16. At the inner ends of hems 20, mounting flanges integral with the hems are provided. These flanges are folded at right angles to their associated

legs

14 and 16 and extend rearwardly therefrom. These

mounting flanges

22 and 24, associated with

legs

14 and 16, respectively, are provided at each side of each of

legs

14 and 16 and are proportioned and adapted to engage and to secure side panels to back-bottom member 12.

Side panels 30 may each be formed from a single sheet of metal. In such cases a side panel 30 comprises a major face portion 32, top and bottom edges 34 and front and back edges 36. Edges 34 terminate inwardly in mounting flanges 38 and front and back edges 36 terminate inwardly in mounting flanges 40.

Integral mounting flanges

38 and 40 define a plurality of apertures or holes 42 which are equally spaced from each other, and which are adapted to be aligned with similar equally spaced apertures or holes 44 in mounting

flanges

22 and 24. When side panels 30 are juxtaposed and nested with back-bottom member 12, as illustrated in the drawings, fasteners such as threaded fasteners 46 may be engaged in aligned

holes

42, 44, thereby releasably to secure side panels 30 to back-bottom A pair of hanger brackets 50 are provided for each cabinet assembly 10. A first such bracket 50 is shown in FIG. 14, and a pair of the brackets is illustrated in FIG. 2. The brackets 50 are mirror images of each other, each being fixedly secured to a back-bottom flange, and to an associated side panel flange, as by sheet metal screws 64.

A cabinet subassembly of this invention, in addition to back-bottom member 12, panels 30 and brackets 50, also comprises a pair of mounting angles 70 which are secured to opposite side panels 30, as by sheet metal screws 72. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the angles 70 are secured to top mounting flanges 38, to provide horizontal support legs 74, thereby to provide a means for fixedly securing a top closure panel to the cabinet subassemblage.

The subassemblage is assembled as described when leg 16 is to serve as the bottom of a cabinet. I-IOwever, when leg 14 is to serve as the cabinet bottom (and leg 16 as the back) as is the case of FIG. 5, brackets 50 will be secured to flanges 24 and angles 70 will be secured to flanges 40. In that simple fashion the height and depth dimensions of a subassembly having components identical to the subassembly of cabinet assembly 10 (see FIG. 4), may be interchanged to those illustrated in FIG. 9 as cabinet assembly 10'.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the angles 70 are horizontally disposed and are secured to upper mounting flanges 38. That is because the clo- 40. Bracket 50 further includes a short middle leg 56 and a hook bearing rear leg 58. Desirably, rear leg 58 bears a plurality of spaced hooks 60 which are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between slots in an appropriate slotted post 62 (see FIG. 1), thereby to provide a multiple interlock between hooks 60 and a plurality of slots in slotted post 62. Posts 62 may project from or may be flush with a suitable wall surface S, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 14. The

legs

52, 58 of hanger brackets are desirably offset so that, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the side ofa cabinet assembly 10 will not extend beyond the side of a slotted post 62. As such, a pair of cabinet assemblies 10, or a cabinet assembly 10 and another wall supported unit, may be placed in close adjacency to be supported from two closely adjacent slotted posts 62, when desired, as is illustrated by FIG. 14.

sure means for the cabinet subassembly in that case comprises a fixedly secured longitudinal top closure panel 80 which lies parallel to leg 16, and a vertically disposed openable door means at the front of the cabinet which, when closed, lies parallel to leg 14. Of course, if the front of a cabinet is to be closed, for example as in the cabinet illustrated in FIG. 8, and the top is to be closed by an openable door means, then the mounting angles would instead be secured to front side flanges 40.

Closure panel is simply releasably, but fixedly secured to the cabinet subassembly, by placing panel 80 upon support legs 74 of angles 70, and by driving suitable fastening means, such as screws 82 through apertures or holes provided in the support legs 74 and into panel 80. Thereafter, the door means may be mounted to complete cabinet assembly 10.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a hinged double door construction is provided. Each of doors may be provided with a pair of spaced hinge members 92, of any suitable known construction. Each door is hingedly secured to the cabinet to pivot about a vertical axis, which axis is perpendicular to the plane of leg 16. Hinge members 92 may each provide a mounting bracket 94 providing apertures through which suitable fasteners, such as screws 96, may pass into threaded engagement with suitable complementary openings in mounting flanges 40. The other end of the hinge members may be secured as by screws to the doors 90. A suitably positioned and proportioned magnetic or mechanical catch 98 may be provided internally of the cabinet to hold doors 90 in a closed position. It is clear that when the doors 90 are closed, legs l4, 16, panel 80, doors 90 and side panels 30 cooperate to define an enclosed cabinet 10.

Back-bottom member 12, as stated, is formed from a sheet of metal and may be provided with any desired decorative finish, for example with paint of a desired color. Side panels 30, when of metal, may be similarly finished, although it is clear that if desired, they may be made of wood, of veneered chip board, etc. Although closure panel 80 and doors 90 have been described as being of wood, it is clear that they may be made of metal or of any other suitable material.

In most environments back-bottom member 12 will provide the back and bottom legs of a rectangular enclosed cabinet. However, as stated above, in special circumstances such as where a cabinet is to be mounted at eye level or above, the back-bottom member 12 may provide a top leg and a back leg, with a closure panel, such as closure panel 80, serving as a bottom closure panel. Such a construction is exemplified by inverting cabinet as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 (of course reversing the direction in which the hooks 60 of hanger brackets 50 extend).

As has already been explained, the assemblage of components of the cabinet subassemblies of FIGS. 4 and 9 is the same, that is to say that the back-bottom members 12, the side panels 30, the hanger brackets 50 and the angles 70 may be identical in

cabinets

10 and 10. They are secured together in the respective manners described above,

legs

14 and 16 having reversed their back and bottom positions. To complete cabinet assembly 10, a differently dimensioned closure panel 80' is secured to angles 70 and differently dimensioned doors 90 are hingedly secured to, the cabinet 10' in the manner described above.

The subassemblies of the

cabinets

10, 10A, 10B and 10C (FIGS. 4 to 7, inclusive), all may comprise an identical assembly of a back-bottom member 12, side panels 30, hanger brackets 50 and angles 70. Indeed, an identical closure panel 80 may be used as the top closure panel for each of those cabinets, the only difference between the

cabinets

10, 10A, 10B and 10C being in their openable door means, and the manner in which they are secured to the cabinets. The cabinet 10D (FIG. 8) utilizes an identical group of subassembly components. However, because the closure means comprises a fixed front closure panel 80', the angles 70 are secured to flanges 40. Door 490 is hingedly secured to the cabinet by conventional hinge assemblies, such as hinge assembly 492, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 8.

Referring now to cabinet 10A, and to FIGS. 5, 19, 20 and 21, cabinet 10A includes a cabinet subassembly and a closure panel 80 identical to those of FIG. 1. However, the door means is different. Door means 190 comprises a suitable frame assembly including a peripheral metal frame 192 securing and mounting suitable top and

bottom tracks

194 and 196, respectively. Slidable door members 198, which may be transparent glass or plastic, are slidably mounted and retained in

tracks

194, 196. Frame 192 is proportioned to be closely received in the opening defined by flanges 40, leg 16 and closure panel 80. To retain the frame,

screws 200 pass through aligned apertures in frame 192 and flanges 40, and if desired, also into closure panel 80 and leg 16.

Referring next to FIGS. 6, 22, 23 and 24, a cabinet assembly 10B incorporates a cabinet subassembly identical to that of FIG. 1, and a closure panel 80. A door 290 is provided at its opposite sides with suitable conventional hinge assemblies 292. Hinge assemblies 292 hingedly secure door 290 to the cabinet for pivoting about a longitudinal hinge axis. Hinge assemblies 292 may each comprise a door secured bracket 296 providing an integrally formed first hinge arm 294. A second hinge arm 298 is secured to flanges 40, as by screws.

Hinge arms

294 and 298 are pivotally connected, as by a hinge pin 300. A slotted bracket 302 may also be secured to side panel 30 to mount a restraining and support arm 304 which is pivotally secured to bracket 296 to limit the downward movement of door 290, and to provide additional support for the door 290, for example if it is to assume a horizontal position when fully opened. Hinge assemblies 292 may, if desired, be provided at each side of door 290. Either or both may provide a restraining and support arm 304. As illustrated in FIG. 22, a lock, or other suitable latch means, may be provided for holding door 290 in a closed vertical position, when that is desired.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further cabinet assembly 10C which in all respects is the same as the cabinet assembly 108 of FIG. 6, except that a door 390 is mounted to the cabinet assembly by one or two hinge assemblies 392 which permit the door to flip up, rather than to flip down as was the case with cabinet assembly 10B. Suitable hinge assemblies for this purpose may be ones which will hold the door 390 open in one or more positions, and may be identical to hinge assemblies 292.

As stated, cabinet assembly 10D of FIG. 8 utilizes a cabinet subassembly, the components of which are identical to those of FIG. 4. However, the closure means comprises a front closure panel 80' which is secured to the cabinet assembly by angles which have been secured to mounting flanges 40, rather than to mounting flanges 38. The openable door 490 is hingedly secured, as to mounting flanges 38 of panels 30, by one or two suitable hinge assemblies 492 which may be identical to hinge assemblies 292.

As stated above, the

cabinet assemblies

10', 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D may incorporate subassembly components identical to those of the

counterpart cabinet assemblies

10, 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D, respectively, except that the removably secured closure panels and the doors are differently dimensioned. The similarities and dissimilarities in those regards have been indicated by the utilization of the same part numbers, indicating, however,'by a primed part number, that a specific part is different. It should also be noted that one hinge assembly may be provided to serve as

hinge assemblies

292, 292, 392, 392, 492 and 492'. And the same basic door panel may be used for

doors

290, 390 and 490, whereas a single basic door panel may be used for

doors

490, 290 and 390.

The foregoing makes it quite clear that a minimum number of basic standard components may be used to form the major portion of a variety of types of cabinet assemblies with a minor number of components providing, for example, as many as ten or more different cabinet configurations of given rectilinear dimensions.

Each of the cabinet assemblies specifically illustrated and described above, as was made clear, incorporated a single set of common or basic components assembled into predetermined subassemblies, each such subassembly including a back-bottom member 12, a pair of side panels 30, a pair of hanger brackets 50 and two support angles 70. When wall surfaces or

legs

14 and 16 were of different depths, at least ten different cabinets could be made by the simple expedient of providing ten different pairs of closure means, each including only a closure panel and an openable door means. Indeed, only two different closure panels, 80, 80' were necessary to accommodate all ten cabinets. And, one basic hinge assembly may be used in six cabinets and two basic door panels may be used as doors for six cabinets.

As such, it may be seen that a wide variety of cabinets of a given longitudinal dimension may be made from a minimum number of components, simplifying their manufacture, and minimizing the number of parts which it is necessary to stock to provide a wide range of types and sizes of cabinets.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that modifications may be made in cabinet components, in cabinet subassemblies and in cabinet assemblies as they have been described, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, this invention should not be considered as being limited, except insofar as the appended claims may dictate.

What is claimed is:

1. An elongate unitary cabinet member adapted to be assembled with side panels and with closure means to form an enclosed cabinet assembly, said cabinet member comprising a folded sheet metal member, said folded sheet metal member providing a pair of expansive wall surfaces disposed at right angles to each other, and being joined along a common longitudinal edge and adapted to function as a pair of cabinet walls, said expansive wall surfaces terminating in outer longitudinal edges parallel to said common edge, each having edge portions folded at an angle to its associated wall surface thereby to reinforce and finish said longitudinal edges and said wall surfaces, each of said expansive wall surfaces at each side edge thereof providing an integral mounting flange disposed at right angles to the associated wall surface, each of said mounting flanges defining a plurality of apertures adapted to receive fasteners for securing side panels to said wall surfaces, and wherein each of said wall surfaces terminates at each side edge in a reverse folded hem, and said mounting flanges are integral with said hems,,said mounting flanges being inwardly offset from the side edges of said wall surfaces and projecting at right angles to said hems and their associated wall surfaces.

2. The cabinet member of claim 1, wherein said edge portions are .l-shaped in transverse cross-section.

3. A modular cabinet subassembly adapted for suspension from an external support comprising a metal sheet folded to form an integral back-bottom member which is L-shaped in transverse cross-section and which defines a pair of expansive wall surfaces comprising longitudinal walls for said cabinet subassembly, said back-bottom member further defining integral mounting flanges at each side edge for securing a side panel to each side thereof, side panels at each side of said back-bottom member and secured to said mounting flanges, bracket means fixedly secured to said cabinet subassembly for suspending said cabinet from an external support surface, and each wall surface having an integral mounting flange at each side edge thereof.

4. A cabinet subassembly in accordance with claim 3 in which said bracket means comprises a pair of brackets, each defining a plurality of hooks, and said brackets being secured to mounting flanges at opposite side edges of one of said wall surfaces.

5. A cabinet subassembly in accordance with claim 4 in which each side panel provides closure panel mounting means for fixedly securing a closure panel to said subassembly.

6. A modular cabinet subassembly adapted for suspension from an external support comprising a metal sheet folded to form an integral back-bottom member which is L-shaped in transverse cross-section and which defines a pair of expansive wall surfaces comprising longitudinal walls for said cabinet subassembly, said back-bottom member further defining integral mounting flanges at each side edge for securing a side panel to each side thereof, side panels at each side of said back-bottom member and secured to said mounting flanges, bracket means fixedly secured to said cabinet subassembly for suspending said cabinet from an external support surface, and further including closure panel mounting means secured to said side panels for fixedly securing a closure panel to said subassembly.

7. A cabinet subassembly in accordance with claim 6 in which each wall surface provides an integral mounting flange at each side edge thereof.

8. A modular rectangular enclosed cabinet adapted for suspension from an external support, comprising a metal sheet member folded along a common longitudinal edge to form an integral back-bottom member which is L-shaped in transverse cross-section and which defines a pair of expansive wall surfaces comprising longitudinal walls for said cabinet, and which back-bottom member also provides integral mounting flanges at each side edge for securing a side panel to each side thereof, a side panel secured to said mounting flanges at each side of said back-bottom member, bracket means fixedly secured to said cabinet for suspending said cabinet from an external support, and closure means comprising a longitudinal closure panel secured to said cabinet and lying parallel to one of said expansive wall surfaces, and an openable door means secured to said cabinet and lying parallel, when closed, to the other of said expansive wall surfaces, said closure means acting, with said pair of wall surfaces and with said side panels, to define an enclosed cabinet.

9. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which each wall surface provides a mounting flange at each side edge thereof.

10. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which said bracket means are secured to mounting flanges at opposite side edges of a wall surface, each of said bracket means being Z-shaped and defining a plurality of hooks.

11. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which mounting means are secured to said side panels and said longitudinal closure panel is secured to said mounting means.

12. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which said door means comprises a frame assembly mounted between said side panels, said frame slidably retaining and mounting a pair of slidable doors.

13. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which said door means is hingedly secured to said cabinet to pivot about a longitudinal hinge axis.

14. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which said door means is a double door, each door being hingedly secured to said cabinet to pivot about spaced parallel hinge axes normal to the plane of one of said wall surfaces.

15. A cabinet in accordance with claim 8 in which said wall surfaces define back and bottom longitudinal walls for said cabinet.

16. A modular rectangular enclosed cabinet for cantilever suspension from a pair of vertical slotted posts, said cabinet comprising a metal sheet member folded to form an integral back-bottom member which is L- shaped in transverse cross-section and which defines a pair of expansive wall surfaces comprising longitudinal walls for said cabinet, each of said wall surfaces providing an integral mounting flange at each side edge for securing a side panel to each side thereof, a side panel secured by threaded fasteners to said mounting flanges at each side of each of said wall surfaces, and a bracket fixedly secured to the mounting flanges of one of said wall surfaces, each of said brackets defining at least two spaced hooks for suspending said cabinet from said slotted posts, said closure means comprising a longitudinal closure panel fixedly secured at its side edges to said side panels and lying parallel to one of said expansive wall surfaces, and an openable door means secured to said cabinet and lying parallel, when closed, to the other of said expansive wall surfaces, said closure means acting, with said pair of wall surfaces and with said side panels, to define an enclosed rectangular cabinet.

l7 A modular cabinet in accordance with claim 16 further comprising a mounting angle secured to each of said panels, and fixedly securing said closure panel to said side panels.

18. A modular cabinet in accordance with claim 17 in which said brackets are Z-shaped to facilitate closely adjacent mounting ofa pair of modular cabinets.

Claims

1. An elongate unitary cabinet member adapted to be assembled with side panels and with closure means to form an enclosed cabinet assembly, said cabinet member comprising a folded sheet metal member, said folded sheet metal member providing a pair of expansive wall surfaces disposed at right angles to each other, and being joined along a common longitudinal edge and adapted to function as a pair of cabinet walls, said expansive wall surfaces terminating in outer longitudinal edges parallel to said common edge, each having edge portions folded at an angle to its associated wall surface thereby to reinforce and finish said longitudinal edges and said wall surfaces, each of said expansive wall surfaces at each side edge thereof providing an integral mounting flange disposed at right angles to the associated wall surface, each of said mounting flanges defining a plurality of apertures adapted to receive fasteners for securing side panels to said wall surfaces, and wherein each of said wall surfaces terminates at each side edge in a reverse folded hem, and said mounting flanges are integral with said hems, said mounting flanges being inwardly offset from the side edges of said wall surfaces and projecting at right angles to said hems and their associated wall surfaces.

2. The cabinet member of claim 1, wherein said edge portions are J-shaped in transverse cross-section.

16. A modular rectangular enclosed cabinet for cantilever suspension from a pair of vertical slotted posts, said cabinet comprising a metal sheet member folded to form an integral back-bottom member which is L-shaped in transverse cross-section and which defines a pair of expansive wall surfaces comprising longitudinal walls for said cabinet, each of said wall surfaces providing an integral mounting flange at each side edge for securing a side panel to each side thereof, a side panel secured by threaded fasteners to said mounting flanges at each side of each of said wall surfaces, and a bracket fixedly secured to the mounting flanges of one of said wall surfaces, each of said brackets defining at least two spaced hooks for suspending said cabinet from said slotted posts, said closure means comprising a longitudinal closure panel fixedly secured at its side edges to said side panels and lying parallel to one of said expansive wall surfaces, and an openable door means secured to said cabinet and lying parallel, when closed, to the other of said expansive wall surfaces, said closure means acting, with said pair of wall surfaces and with said side panels, to define an enclosed rectangular cabinet.

17. A modular cabinet in accordance with claim 16 further comprising a mounting angle secured to each of said panels, and fixedly securing said closure panel to said side panels.

18. A modular cabinet in accordance with claim 17 in which said brackets are Z-shaped to facilitate closely adjacent mounting of a pair of modular cabinets.