Flipper door assembly

Abstract

A flipper door assembly for use on a cabinet or the like. A generally rectangular door sized to cover the desired cabinet opening is suspended by a rack and pinion suspension mechanism. The rack and pinion suspension mechanism includes a pair of gear racks mounted in the cabinet opening and a corresponding pair of pinion gears located above the gear racks and engageable therewith. The pinion gears are connected to each other by an axle shaft. Hinges are mounted to the upper inside surface of the door with the hinge pivots parallel to the top of the door. The ends of the hinges mounted to the door are flat and the other ends are L-shaped with the outermost end of each hinge being rotatably mounted on the axle shaft. Guide channels are provided for the door parallel with and below the gear racks so that the door can be opened from a closed vertical position by lifting the door to pivot it via the hinge pivots to the horizontal position in parallel alignment with the guide channels, followed by pushing the door into the guide channels while the pinion gears traverse the gear racks until the door is contained within the cabinet.