S-box storage unit
AssigneeCardinal IP Limited
InventorElaine Claire Walker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A household item (12), such as a microwave oven, can be moved from a lowered storage position to a raised usable position. In the storage position the moving surface lid (14) is flat with the surrounding work surface (10) having been lowered by a manual force and held in place by a suitable catch or latching mechanism. The household item can be raised by pushing the housing slightly downwards, thus releasing the housing from its anchored position. A counterweight (15) greater than the weight of the household item is suspended by way of a wire and pulley system (1a, 1b, 1c) that in turn powers the platform and displaces the lid, on which the household item is located, upwardly.
Claims17
A storage device adaptable to different thickness worktops having a storage unit for storing kitchen, office, or home appliances, provisions, or equipment and being movable between a raised position and a storage position in which, in the storage position, the storage unit is located within a housing and has a lid flush with an adjacent surface of the worktop, wherein:
- the storage device comprises a driving means including a counterweight having a first weight and a pulley operable to move the storage unit between the storage position and the raised position;
- the first weight of the counterweight is selected so that in use the counterweight and pulley arrangement exert a greater upward force on the storage unit than the storage unit exerts downwardly such that the storage unit moves toward the raised position when in a free state by the upward force of the counterweight and pulley arrangement alone;
- the counterweight is configured to allow for manual alterations thereof so as to increase or decrease the first weight;
- the storage unit further comprises guides configured to ensure aligned movement of the storage unit when moved between the raised position and the storage position within the housing;
- the counterweight is arranged generally centrally beneath the storage unit when the storage unit is in the raised position and in the storage position;
- the driving means and the storage unit are contained within the housing;
- the storage unit includes a floor;
- the floor of the storage unit, when the storage unit is in the in the raised position, is flush with the adjacent surface of the worktop;
- and
- the storage unit further comprises a latching mechanism having multiple latching positions, each said latching position corresponding to a different stop point for the storage unit such that each stop point permits a different thickness of a worktop to be accommodated such that the lid remains flush with the adjacent surface of the worktop in the storage position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.