Folding Connecting Member, Folding Supporting Structure, and Folding Cabinet

This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202421305260.5, filed on Jun. 7, 2024. Chinese patent application number 202421305260.5 is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of folding cabinets, and in particular to a folding connecting member, a folding supporting structure, and a folding cabinet.

Modern home life advocates for simplicity and aesthetic appeal. Minimalism is not only environmentally friendly and economical but also brings a simple, natural lifestyle to modern individuals accustomed to fast-paced work routines. Traditional wardrobes are typically non-detachable and non-foldable, making packaging, transportation, and storage extremely inconvenient. As a result, portable wardrobes have become common household items in contemporary home design. Currently, the structure of widely used, quick-assembly portable wardrobes often requires iron pipes combined with plastic connectors for assembly. The drawbacks of this structural design include: plastic connectors are prone to cracking and have poor structural stability; numerous scattered assembly parts make installation time-consuming and labor-intensive, resulting in low efficiency; there is inadequate strength of the assembled wardrobe; there are fixed compartmentalized storage spaces; and there is limited functionality in wardrobe usage.

The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a folding cabinet.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a folding connecting member, and the folding connecting member comprises a first supporting seat and a second supporting seat pivotally connected to the first supporting seat. Ends of the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat adjacent to each other and partly overlapping each comprises an insertion block. When the folding connecting member is unfolded, the insertion blocks of the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat approach each other and extend outward, and movement of the insertion blocks is inhibited between the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat in an unfolding direction of the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat.

When the folding connecting member is folded, the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat rotate toward each other along a pivot position to drive the insertion blocks to be retracted inward in a folding direction of the first supporting seat and the second supporting seat.

In a preferred embodiment, the first supporting seat comprises a first port, and the second supporting seat comprises a second port. When the folding connecting member is unfolded, an opening of the first port and an opening of the second port face away from each other. When the second supporting seat rotates and drives the second port to approach the first port, the folding connecting member is folded.

In a preferred embodiment, the first supporting seat comprises a third port in a height direction of the first supporting seat, and the third port is perpendicular to and fixedly connected to the first port.

In a preferred embodiment, a folding supporting structure comprises the folding connecting member. A first folding frame configured to be rotated along a rotating axis about the folding connecting member, and two second folding frames configured to be rotatably connected to two sides of the first folding frame. The first folding frame and the two second folding frames are configured to be rotated relative to each other to switch the folding supporting structure between a storage state and an unfolded state.

In a preferred embodiment, the first folding frame comprises three longitudinal rods and four lateral rods, and the three longitudinal rods are parallel to each other and connected together through the four lateral rods.

In a preferred embodiment, the three longitudinal rods are divided into two first longitudinal rods located at two side positions of the first folding frame and a second longitudinal rod located at a middle position of the first folding frame. Ends portions of the second longitudinal rod are connected to the four lateral rods located on two sides of the second longitudinal rod through the folding connecting member.

In a preferred embodiment, the folding supporting structure comprises supporting rods. A first end of each of the supporting rods is rotatably connected to a corresponding one of the two first longitudinal rods, and a second end of each of the supporting rods is inserted into an insertion port on a connecting member.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the two second folding frames comprises a long rod, and the long rod is interlocked between a corresponding two of the supporting rods to inhibit unfolding movement of the first folding frame. Two ends of the long rod are connected to the connecting member.

In a preferred embodiment, a side of the long rod comprises a socket for receiving a position-limiting rod, and a first end of the position-limiting rod is inserted into the socket. A second end of the position-limiting rod is matched with the insertion blocks of the folding connecting member.

In a preferred embodiment, the connecting member is a right-angle bent connecting member, and an end surface of the connecting member in the height direction comprises a shaft hole.

In a preferred embodiment, a folding cabinet comprises the folding supporting structure and a folding enclosure structure enclosed on a periphery of the folding supporting structure. The folding enclosure structure is interlocked with the folding supporting structure, and the folding enclosure structure comprises protruding edges. A bottom of one or more partition boards is placed on the protruding edges.

In a preferred embodiment, the folding enclosure structure comprises a back panel, side panels rotatably connected to two sides of the back panel, and panels pivotally connected to the side panels through rotating shafts.

In a preferred embodiment, two ends of the rotating shafts are inserted into and connected to shaft holes on connecting members.

In a preferred embodiment, the folding enclosure structure is made by vacuum-formed plates.

Compared with the existing techniques, the technical solution has the following advantages.

1. The folding supporting structure and the folding enclosure structure are integrated foldable structures, which reduces a storage space and overcomes the inconvenience of packaging, handling, and storage in the background technology.

2. The folding supporting structure realizes the switching between the storage state and the unfolded state by rotating the folding connecting member, making an overall assembly more convenient and efficient and having the characteristics of strong overall connectivity and good force resistance.

3. The folding enclosure structure is made by the vacuum-formed plate, which is light, high-strength, and easy to carry.

4. The protruding edges for placing the one or more partition boards are made by vacuum forming on the folding enclosure structure, and a bolt assembly structure in a traditional cabinet is replaced to increase flexibility of space separation.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments, and all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms “installed”, “provided with”, “installed”, “connected”, etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “connection” can be a wall-mounted connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. It can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. It can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. It can be the internal connection of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

Referring to, the present embodiment provides a folding cabinet, and the folding cabinet comprises a folding supporting structureand a folding enclosure structureenclosed on a periphery of the folding supporting structure. Different from a traditional folding cabinet which is assembled by using scattered accessories, the folding supporting structureand the folding enclosure structuredescribed in the present disclosure are integrated foldable structures, which realize rapid unfolding of an internal skeleton (i.e., the folding supporting structure) to achieve support, and convenient folding of an external cabinet panel (i.e., the folding enclosure structure) through unfolding and folding of an overall structure. Specifically, the folding supporting structurecomprises a first folding frameconfigured to be rotatably unfolded and folded about a middle line of the first folding frameas a rotating axis and two second folding framesconfigured to be rotatably connected to two sides of the first folding frame. The first folding frameand the two second folding framesare rotated relative to each other to switch the folding supporting structurebetween a storage state and an unfolded state.

The first folding framecomprises three longitudinal rods extending in a height direction of the folding cabinet and arranged at intervals and four lateral rodsextending in a horizontal direction. The four lateral rodsare parallel to each other and connected between the three longitudinal rods. The three longitudinal rods are divided into two first longitudinal rodslocated at two side positions of the first folding frameand a second longitudinal rodlocated at a middle position of the first folding frame. A first end of each of the four lateral rodsis fixedly connected to a corresponding one of the two first longitudinal rods, and a second end of each of the four lateral rodsis detachably connected to the second longitudinal rodthrough a folding connecting member. The first folding framerealizes a rotating unfolding and folding of the folding supporting structurethrough the folding connecting memberssymmetrically connected to a position of the middle line of the first folding frame. From a perspective of structural characteristics, the folding connecting memberin the unfolded state comprises a third portconnected to the second longitudinal rodin the height direction and two radial ports (i.e., second ports) connected to corresponding two of the four lateral rodson two sides of the folding connecting memberin the horizontal direction. Openings of the two radial ports are arranged facing away each other and are configured to be rotated and spliced to a connecting shaftto achieve a connection. The two second folding framesare rotatably connected to an upper side and a lower side of the first folding framethrough supporting rodson the first folding frame. Since a first end of each of the supporting rodsis rotatably connected to the first folding frame, a second end of each of the supporting rodsis connected to an insertion porton a connecting memberby insertion. The connecting memberabuts a long rodof a corresponding one of the two second folding framesto form the second folding frame. The connecting memberis a right-angle bent connecting member, and two rod connecting ends (i.e., defining the insertion port) of the connecting memberare at a right angle. The connecting membersdisposed on the two sides of the first folding frameare connected to the long rod, and the long rodis configured to support the first folding frameto inhibit unfolding movement of the first folding frame. Since the two second folding framesand the first folding frameare connected together by the supporting rods, the first end of each of the supporting rodsis rotatably connected to a corresponding one of the two first longitudinal rods, and the second end of each of the supporting rodsis inserted into the insertion porton the connecting member. A rotating connection method allows the two second folding framesand the first folding frameto have a certain degree of freedom in unfolding and folding. However, as a skeletal support structure of the folding cabinet, a connection between the first folding frameand the two second folding framesneeds to have a rigid structure. Obviously, the first folding frameand the two second folding framesneed to be fixed in a relative position when the folding supporting structureis unfolded. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a socketon a side of the long rodfor receiving a position-limiting rod. A first end of the position-limiting rodis inserted into the socket, and a second end of the position-limiting rodis tightly matched with an insertion blockon the folding connecting memberto achieve relative fixation between the first folding frameand the two second folding frames.

The folding enclosure structureis a plate assembly made of vacuum-formed material, which is lightweight, high-strength, and easy to carry. The plate assembly includes a back panel, side panelsrotatably connected to two sides of the back panel, and panelspivotally connected to the side panelsthrough rotating shafts. The folding enclosure structureencloses and surrounds the folding supporting structurein the unfolded state, and pins at upper ends and lower ends of the rotating shaftsare inserted into and connected to shaft holeson the connecting membersat upper and lower positions of the folding supporting structure, so that the back paneland the side panelscan be stably attached to three sides of the folding supporting structure, and the panelscan rotate around a position where the rotating shaftsare located to be opened and closed. End panelsare assembled on a top and a bottom of the folding cabinet, so that the folding cabinet is surrounded to form a closed space for storage. In addition, considering a need to effectively divide an internal space for placing items, the present disclosure is designed with protruding edgesextending along an enclosure direction (e.g., the horizontal direction) of the folding enclosure structureand protruding inward, and a bottom of one or more partition boardsfor placing the items is placed on the protruding edges. This not only allows a position of the one or more partition boardsto be flexibly distributed, but also has a low assembly cost and significantly improves assembly efficiency compared to a traditional method of fixing the one or more partition boardswith a bolt assembly structure in a traditional cabinet.

Referring toand, the present embodiment provides a folding connecting member, and the folding connecting membercomprises a first supporting seatand a second supporting seatwhich are pivotally connected. The second supporting seatcan be rotated relative to the first supporting seatto realize switching the folding connecting memberbetween a storage state and an unfolded state. Specifically, the first supporting seatand the second supporting seateach comprises an insertion block, and the insertion blockis located adjacent to ends of the first supporting seatand the second supporting seatthat overlap. The ends of the first supporting seatand the second supporting seatare connected by a connecting shaft. When the folding connecting memberis unfolded, the insertion blocksof the first supporting seatand the second supporting seatapproach each other and extend outward, and movement of the insertion blocksis inhibited between the first supporting seatand the second supporting seatin an unfolding direction of the first supporting seatand the second supporting seat. When the folding connecting memberis folded, the first supporting seatand the second supporting seatrotate toward each other along a pivot position to drive the insertion blocksto be retracted inward in a folding direction of the first supporting seatand the second supporting seat.

The first supporting seatcomprises a first port, and the second supporting seatcomprises a second port. When the folding connecting memberis unfolded, an opening of the first portand an opening of the second portface away from each other. When the second supporting seatrotates and drives the second portto approach the first port, the folding connecting memberis folded. In addition, the first supporting seatcomprises a third portin a height direction of the first support, and the third portis perpendicular to and fixedly connected to the first port. In the unfolded state, the first portof the first supporting seat, the third port, and the insertion blockextending outward are perpendicular to each other. When the second supporting seatdrives the second portto rotate about the connecting shaftas a rotating axis to enable the first portand the second portto face a same direction, the insertion blockis retracted inward in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the second supporting seat, and the folding connecting memberis in a folded state.

Referring to, a folding supporting structureprovided in the present embodiment comprises a first folding frameconfigured to be rotated about a folding connecting memberas a rotating axis and two second folding framesconfigured to be rotatably connected to two sides of the first folding frame. The first folding frameand the two second folding framesare rotated relative to each other to switch the folding supporting structurebetween a storage state and an unfolded state.

The first folding framecomprises three longitudinal rods and four lateral rods. The three longitudinal rods are parallel to each other and connected together through the four lateral rods. The three longitudinal rods are divided into two first longitudinal rodslocated at two side positions of the first folding frameand a second longitudinal rodlocated at a middle position of the first folding frame. Ends portions of the second longitudinal rodare connected to the four lateral rodslocated on two sides of the second longitudinal rodthrough a folding connecting member. Supporting rodsare rotatably connected to the two first longitudinal rods, an end of each of the supporting rodsaway from the two first longitudinal rodsis connected to an insertion port, and each of the supporting rodsis connected to the two second folding framesthrough a connecting member.

Each of the two second folding framescomprises a long rodand a position-limiting rod, of which one end is inserted into the long rod. The long rodis interlocked between a corresponding two of the supporting rodsto inhibit unfolding movement of the first folding frame. Two ends of the long rodare connected to the connecting member. A side of the long rodcomprises a socketfor receiving the position-limiting rod. A first end of the position-limiting rodis inserted into the socket, and a second end of the position-limiting rodis tightly matched with a third radial portof the folding connecting memberto inhibit swinging movement of the two second folding framesrelative to the first folding frame.

The above is only a preferred specific implementation method of the present disclosure, but the design concept of the present disclosure is not limited to this. Any technician familiar with the technical field who uses this concept to make non-substantial changes to the present disclosure within the technical scope disclosed by the present disclosure shall be deemed to infringe the protection scope of the present disclosure.