Residential fire extinguisher cabinet

Abstract

A cabinet for storing a fire extinguisher in a residence, which cabinet is aesthetically compatible with typical residential decor. The cabinet has a sheet metal back box and an outwardly projecting flange bearing holes for receiving a wall anchor for securement to dry wall material. The open interior of the back box is dimensioned and configured to receive and store a fire extinguisher. A decorative door covers the interior of the back box and the fire extinguishers. In alternative embodiments, the door may be finished wood or finished metal. The door has hinges disposed to maintain the door in a fully open position and to urge the door closed if it is not in the fully open position. An alarm powered by a battery activates an audible or visible alarm when the fire extinguisher is removed.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An aesthetic cabinet for housing a fire extinguisher, comprising: 
 a back box having a rear wall, a right side wall, a left side wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and flanges each projecting from one of said right side wall, said left side wall, said top wall, and said bottom wall, and an open front, each said flange having at least one hole for receiving a fastener for fastening said back box to drywall material;    a door movable between a fully open position revealing said open front of said back box and a closed position closing said open front of said back box, said door having hinges disposed to fastening said door pivotally to said back box, wherein said hinges are disposed to hold said door in the fully open position and to urge said door to close when said door is not in the fully open position, and wherein said door has a finished wood outer surface; and    an alarm comprising a sensor disposed to sense presence of a fire extinguisher placed within said back box, and a visible alarm which is activated when the fire extinguisher is removed from said back box.    
     
     
         2 . The cabinet according to  claim 1 , further including a fire extinguisher dimensioned and configured to be received and stored within said back box and to be accessible for removal from said open front of said back box.  
     
     
         3 . The cabinet according to  claim 1 , further including a plurality of wall anchors dimensioned and configured to pass through said holes of said flanges of said back box and to engage said flanges of said back box when tightened against a supporting environmental substrate which abuts said flanges when said back box is mounted to the supporting environmental substrate.  
     
     
         4 . The cabinet according to  claim 3 , wherein said wall anchors are of a spring loaded type disposed to urge said flanges against the supporting environmental substrate.  
     
     
         5 . The cabinet according to  claim 1 , wherein the depth of said back box from said rear wall to a said flange is within a range of three to five inches.  
     
     
         6 . The cabinet according to  claim 5 , wherein the depth of said back box from said rear wall to said flange is about three and three quarter inches.  
     
     
         7 . The cabinet according to  claim 6 , wherein said back box has a height from said top wall to said bottom wall of about sixteen inches, a width from said right wall to said left wall of about five inches, and said flanges extend outwardly from said back box by about five eighths of an inch.  
     
     
         8 . The cabinet according to  claim 1 , further including an audible alarm disposed to sense and annunciate removal of a fire extinguisher from said back box.  
     
     
         9 . An aesthetic cabinet for housing a fire extinguisher, comprising: 
 a back box having a rear wall, a right side wall, a left side wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and flanges each projecting from one of said right side wall, said left side wall, said top wall, and said bottom wall, and an open front, each said flange having at least one hole for receiving a fastener for fastening said back box to drywall material;    a door movable between a fully open position revealing said open front of said back box and a closed position closing said open front of said back box, said door having hinges disposed to fastening said door pivotally to said back box, wherein said hinges are disposed to hold said door in the fully open position and to urge said door to close when said door is not in the fully open position, and wherein said door has an unpainted, polished metallic outer surface; and    an alarm comprising a sensor disposed to sense presence of a fire extinguisher placed within said back box, and a visible alarm which is activated when the fire extinguisher is removed from said back box.    
     
     
         10 . The cabinet according to  claim 9 , further including a fire extinguisher dimensioned and configured to be received and stored within said back box and to be accessible for removal from said open front of said back box.  
     
     
         11 . The cabinet according to  claim 9 , further including a plurality of wall anchors dimensioned and configured to pass through said holes of said flanges of said back box and to engage said flanges of said back box when tightened against a supporting environmental substrate which abuts said flanges when said back box is mounted to the supporting environmental substrate.  
     
     
         12 . The cabinet according to  claim 11 , wherein said wall anchors are of a spring loaded type disposed to urge said flanges against the supporting environmental substrate.  
     
     
         13 . The cabinet according to  claim 9 , wherein the depth of said back box from said rear wall to a said flange is within a range of three to five inches.  
     
     
         14 . The cabinet according to  claim 13 , wherein the depth of said back box from said rear wall to said flange is about three and three quarter inches.  
     
     
         15 . The cabinet according to  claim 4 , wherein said back box has a height from said top wall to said bottom wall of about sixteen inches, a width from said right wall to said left wall of about five inches, and said flanges extend outwardly from said back box by about five eighths of an inch.  
     
     
         16 . The cabinet according to  claim 9 , further including an audible alarm disposed to sense and annunciate removal of a fire extinguisher from said back box.