초록 ▼

A pivot assembly that can be inserted into kitchen cabinets to utilize otherwise unused and unreachable overhead spaces over kitchen wall cabinets. The pivot assembly has a pair of pivot arms pivotally connected to opposite sides of a frame, the frame slidably attached within a cabinet. A drawer is

A pivot assembly that can be inserted into kitchen cabinets to utilize otherwise unused and unreachable overhead spaces over kitchen wall cabinets. The pivot assembly has a pair of pivot arms pivotally connected to opposite sides of a frame, the frame slidably attached within a cabinet. A drawer is connected to the pivot assembly between the pivot arms. The drawer slides out of the cabinet on a pair of drawer slides and rotates down and out 180 degrees on the pivot arms, from an up position to a down position, wherein the drawer remains stable even as the pivot arms pass through a middle position. The pivot arms form a primary and secondary parallelogram shape during operation, the secondary parallelogram supporting the primary parallelogram at its weakest point in the middle position.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A pivot assembly comprising: a. a front pivot arm pivotally connected to a top bar and a bottom bar, and a rear pivot arm connected to the top bar and the bottom bar; b. said pivotally connections between said pivot arms and said bars forming an outer parallelogram; c. said pivot arms p

I claim: 1. A pivot assembly comprising: a. a front pivot arm pivotally connected to a top bar and a bottom bar, and a rear pivot arm connected to the top bar and the bottom bar; b. said pivotally connections between said pivot arms and said bars forming an outer parallelogram; c. said pivot arms pivotally connected to a rigid element, said pivot arms rotating around said connection with said rigid element from an up position, through a middle position, and to a down position, the bars spaced apart in the middle position and touching in the up position and the down position; d. said connections between said pivot arms and said rigid element and said connections between said pivot arms and said bottom bar forming an inner parallelogram; e. said inner parallelogram forming a substantially rectangular shape in said up position and said down position, said inner parallelogram becoming undefined in said middle position; f. said outer parallelogram forming a substantially rectangular shape in said middle position, said outer parallelogram preventing warping when said pivot arms pass through said middle position, said outer parallelogram forming a non-rectangular shape in said up position and said down position. 2. A pivot assembly comprising: a. a rear pivot arm with a base pivot, a drawer pivot, and a stabilizer pivot, the drawer pivot of said rear pivot arm pivotally connecting the rear pivot arm to a rear end of a bottom bar, and the stabilizer pivot of said rear pivot arm pivotally connecting the rear pivot arm to a rear end of a top bar; b. a front pivot arm with a base pivot, a drawer pivot, and a stabilizer pivot that correspond to the base pivot, the drawer pivot, and the stabilizer pivot of the rear pivot arm, the drawer pivot of said front pivot arm pivotally connecting the front pivot arm to a front end of the bottom bar, and the stabilizer pivot of said front pivot arm pivotally connecting the front pivot arm to a front end of a top bar; c. said bars disposed substantially parallel to each other such that an outer parallelogram is formed with a bottom side from the drawer pivot of the front pivot arm to the drawer pivot of the rear pivot arm, a rear side from the drawer pivot of the rear pivot arm to the stabilizer pivot of the rear pivot arm, a top side from the stabilizer pivot of the rear pivot arm to the stabilizer pivot of the front pivot arm, and a front side from the stabilizer pivot of the front pivot arm to the drawer pivot of the front pivot arm; d. the base pivot of both pivot arms adapted to be pivotally connected to a rigid element such that each pivot arm is free to rotate about that pivot arm's base pivot without impedance by the rigid element, the drawer pivot of the front pivot arm and the drawer pivot of the rear pivot arm rotating along a common constant plane, and the stabilizer pivot of the front pivot arm and the stabilizer pivot of the rear pivot arm rotating along a common constant plane; e. said base pivots disposed such that an inner parallelogram is formed with a first side from the drawer pivot of the front pivot arm to the drawer pivot of the rear pivot arm, a second side from the drawer pivot of the rear pivot arm to the base pivot of the rear pivot arm, a third side from the base pivot of the rear pivot arm to the base pivot of the front pivot arm, and a fourth side from the base pivot of the front pivot arm to the drawer pivot of the front pivot arm; f. each pivot arm having a shape and size that allows the rear pivot arm to rotate about the rear pivot arm's base pivot without impedance by the front pivot arm; and g. the top bar adapted to rest on the bottom bar when the pivot arms are in an up position, the top bar separated from the bottom bar as the pivot arms are rotated from the up position to a down position, and the top bar adapted to rest on the bottom bar when the pivot arms are in a down position; h. said inner parallelogram forming a substantially rectangular shape in both said up position and said down position, said inner parallelogram becoming undefined when the pivot arms are in a middle position; i. said outer parallelogram forming a substantially rectangular shape in said middle position, said outer parallelogram preventing warping when said pivot arms pass through said middle position, said outer parallelogram forming a non-rectangular shape in said up position and said down position. 3. The pivot assembly of claim 2, wherein the pivot arms have a U-shape, the U-shape of the pivot arms providing structural stability to the pivot arms and providing space to attach a spring to a pivot arm. 4. The pivot assembly of claim 2, wherein the pivot arms are beveled or notched, the bevel or notch offsetting the rear pivot arm from the front pivot arm so that they may bypass each other. 5. The pivot assembly of claim 2, wherein the pivot arms can be rotated from the up position forward 180 degrees to the down position. 6. The pivot assembly of claim 2, wherein the pivot assembly comprises a right pivot assembly and a left pivot assembly. 7. The pivot assembly of claim 6, further comprising a frame, the frame having a right side, a left side, a back side, and a top side, the right side of the frame serving as the rigid element for the right pivot assembly and the left side of the frame serving as the rigid element for the left pivot assembly. 8. The pivot assembly of claim 7, wherein the sides of the frame have longitudinal bends to provide structural support. 9. The pivot assembly of claim 7, wherein the frame is connected to a pair of drawer slides, the drawer slides adapted to fit into a cabinet. 10. The pivot assembly of claim 9, wherein each drawer slide has a catch to limit how far the slide can extend. 11. The pivot assembly of claim 10, wherein the right pivot assembly is connected to a right side of a drawer and the left pivot assembly is connected to a left side of said drawer, the left pivot assembly and the right pivot assembly rotating approximately together under the influence of said drawer. 12. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein the drawer has a front adapted to be handled by a person. 13. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a right spring is connected to the right frame on a first end, said right spring is connected to the right pivot assembly on a second end, a left spring connected to the left frame on a first end, said left spring connected to the left pivot assembly on a second end. 14. The pivot assembly of claim 13, wherein the right spring comprises a pair of right springs and the left spring comprises a pair of left springs. 15. The pivot assembly of claim 12, wherein a latch removably connects the frame to a back side of the drawer front, the latch adapted to withstand a pull force exerted on the drawer as the drawer slides out of the cabinet, and the latch adapted to disengage due to the pull force when the slide catches stop the frame from sliding out, after the latch disengages the drawer pivoting outward and downward from the up position to the down position under the influence of the pivot assemblies. 16. The pivot assembly of claim 15, wherein the latch comprises a magnetic latch. 17. The pivot assembly of claim 15, wherein the latch comprises a right and a left magnetic latch, the right magnetic latch removably connecting the right side of the frame to a right back side of the drawer front, the left magnetic latch removably connecting the left side of the frame to a left back side of the drawer front. 18. The pivot assembly of claim 12, wherein the drawer is adapted to be handled by a person via a handle. 19. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein the front of the drawer comprises a door that flips down, said door adapted to be locked in a closed position. 20. The pivot assembly of claim 19, wherein the door flips down from the drawer on hinges. 21. The pivot assembly of claim 20, wherein the hinges are piano hinges. 22. The pivot assembly of claim 19, wherein the door locks with an elbow catch, the elbow catch connected to an inner side of the door, a catch mounting block with an elbow catch strike connected to a side of the drawer. 23. The pivot assembly of claim 22, wherein the elbow catch strike is mounted at an angle to the elbow catch. 24. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a bottom of the drawer has a cutout, and a window is set in the cutout. 25. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a bottom of the drawer is transparent. 26. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a back of the drawer has a height that represents the maximum height that will fit in the cabinet, the height of the back of the drawer indicating the maximum height of items which can be placed in the drawer. 27. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a side of the drawer has a cutout. 28. The pivot assembly of claim 18, wherein the handle is adapted to be pulled by an elongated hook tool. 29. The pivot assembly of claim 11, wherein a stick is mounted vertically in the drawer, the stick having a height that represents the maximum height that will fit in the cabinet, the height of the stick indicating the maximum height of items which can be placed in the drawer.