Patent Application
20160360886
The invention relates to a drawer and cabinet pull and plate assembly. More particularly, the invention relates to a pull that serves as a handle for a drawer or cabinet and a backing plate for attachment of the pull to the drawer or cabinet while facilitating the concealment of preexisting holes created by attachment of prior pulls to the cabinet or drawer surface.
Cabinet doors attached to cabinets and drawer fronts attached to drawer boxes of drawers encounter the most physical contact with users by virtue of their connected pulls that are used as handles to manually open and close the cabinet doors of the cabinets and drawer boxes of the drawers. Due to the frequent contact with users' hands and other objects, the areas surrounding pulls attached to cabinet doors and drawer fronts are prone to physical damage including scratching, denting, abrasion, frictional wearing away of wood finishes, and staining from oils and other dirt and grime via contact with human hands and other objects. Such physical damage detracts from the aesthetic qualities of the surface of a cabinet door or drawer front.
In addition to physical damage caused to cabinet doors and drawer fronts in an area proximal to and surrounding the pull, additional physical damage is caused by the attachment of a pull to an exterior surface of the cabinet door or drawer front. Such damage becomes readily visible and is revealed when one installed pull is detached and removed from the exterior surface and a new replacement pull is installed. The original pull and the replacement pull are often of different designs and dimensions and may have one or more posts having attachment means on the ends for connecting to the exterior surface of the cabinet door or drawer front. The attachment means may be screws or other fastening devices that penetrate and scar the exterior surface of the cabinet door or drawer front. Such damage caused by installation of prior pulls is unsightly and detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the cabinet or drawer.
A need exists for pull and plate assembly, in which the pull replaces a prior pull and the plate covers and conceals damage caused by wear and tear during use of the prior-installed pull as well as damage caused by installation of prior pulls to the exterior surface of the cabinet door or drawer front.
The invention relates to a pull and plate assembly that is attachable to a repository, and more specifically, to an exterior surface of a drawer front of a drawer or to an exterior surface of a door of a cabinet. The pull and plate assembly includes a pull and a backing plate. The pull portion of the assembly serves as a handle for a drawer or cabinet so that the drawer can be opened and closed by pulling and pushing on the pull. The pull is attachable to the exterior surface of the repository with the backing plate being also attached to the repository between the exterior surface of the repository and attachment means of the pull. When attached to the exterior surface of the drawer front or cabinet door, the backing plate facilitates the concealment of preexisting holes created by attachment of prior pulls to the cabinet or drawer surface as well as wear and tear damage caused by use of prior pulls when opening and closing the drawer or cabinet.
In exemplary embodiments, both the pull and the backing plate can have corresponding shapes that are L-shaped with each piece including a first segment and a second segment wherein the two segments of each piece of the assembly are permanently connected to one another in a substantially perpendicular orientation. The pull can include surface ornamentation or texturing.
The invention is advantageous in that it allows the original drawer front or cabinet door to be retained when an existing pull is removed and the pull and backing plate assembly is installed even if that drawer front or cabinet door has visible damage caused by wear and tear or by installation or removal of prior pulls. The pull and plate assembly also provides an advantage in that it allows for the installation of an aesthetically attractive pull and backing plate to replace existing pulls. For example, if an existing pull breaks or is missing and is no longer manufactured or available for purchase so that a matching pull cannot be obtained that matches the existing pulls on other nearby drawers or cabinets, then the missing or damaged pull can be replaced with the pull and plate assembly. In another embodiment, all pulls on all cabinets or drawers could be replaced to make all of them matching where only one or some of them are missing or damaged.
The invention is also advantageous because the L-shape of the backing plate permits installation on an exterior surface of a drawer front or a cabinet door to cover and conceal damage around the area of installation of prior pulls regardless of whether the prior pulls were installed in a vertical orientation or in a horizontal orientation. The screw holes or other installation apertures and abrasions of the majority of prior installed pulls, which included two or more attachment points to the exterior surface, are aligned on the exterior surface either along a vertical axis or orientation or along a horizontal axis or orientation. The L-shape of the backing plate of the pull and plate assembly permit one type of backing plate to be selected and installed when replacing either one or multiple pulls in a set of cabinets, set of drawers, or mixed set of cabinets and drawers.
Accordingly, the invention features a pull and backing plate assembly attachable to a repository for use as a handle to open and close the repository. The assembly can include a pull and a backing plate. The backing plate can have a shape corresponding generally to a shape of the pull, wherein the backing plate is attachable to an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository, and wherein the pull is attached to the backing plate.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the repository being a cabinet and the movable barrier being a cabinet door attached to the cabinet.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the repository being a drawer and the movable barrier being a drawer front attached to the drawer.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the pull including a generally L-shaped handle portion and further including at least two posts, wherein each post has attachment means for connection to a surface.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the surface including the backing plate or the exterior surface of the movable barrier.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the backing plate including two segments permanently connected in a substantially perpendicular orientation.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the at least two posts including a first post and a second post, wherein the first post and second post are permanently attached to a bottom surface of the handle portion.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the first post being permanently attached to the bottom surface approximately adjacent to a first end of the handle portion.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the second post being permanently attached to the bottom surface approximately adjacent to a second end of the handle portion.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the pull being attached to the backing plate by at least one fastener.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the pull being permanently attached to the backing plate.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the shape of the backing plate being generally L-shaped so as to be capable of covering and concealing damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier including: (i) one or more existing holes in the exterior surface of the movable barrier, wherein the existing holes were created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to the exterior surface of the movable barrier, and (ii) damage generally adjacent to the existing holes.
In another aspect, the invention can feature the backing plate including two backing plate segments permanently connected in a substantially perpendicular orientation, wherein the pull includes two pull segments permanently connected to one another in a substantially perpendicular orientation, and wherein each backing plate segment is wider than its corresponding pull segment.
The invention also features a pull and backing plate assembly attachable to a repository for use as a handle to open and close a movable barrier of the repository and to cover and conceal damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier. The assembly includes a pull and a backing plate. The backing plate can have a shape corresponding generally to a shape of the pull, wherein the backing plate is attachable to an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository, and wherein the pull is attached to the backing plate. The backing plate can be generally L-shaped so as to be capable of covering and concealing damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier. The repository can be a cabinet or a drawer and the movable barrier can be correspondingly a cabinet door attached to the cabinet or a drawer front attached to the drawer. The damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier can include: (i) one or more existing holes in the exterior surface of the movable barrier, wherein the existing holes were created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to the exterior surface of the movable barrier, and (ii) damage generally adjacent to the existing holes.
A method of the invention can be used to cover and conceal existing holes created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository. The method can include the steps of: (a) placing a backing plate against an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository, wherein the movable barrier can be manipulated to open and close the repository, and wherein the backing plate is positioned against the exterior surface so as to cover and conceal existing holes in the movable barrier created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to the exterior surface; (b) aligning at least two posts of a pull over a set of apertures defined by the backing plate, wherein the number and location of the apertures correspond to the number and location of the at least two posts of the pull, and wherein the pull and backing plate together form an assembly; and (c) attaching the assembly to the exterior surface of the movable barrier by use of one or more fasteners extending from and through an interior surface of the movable barrier to the exterior surface of the movable barrier so as to securely engage the assembly to the exterior surface of the movable barrier.
Another method of the invention can include the repository being a cabinet or a drawer and the movable barrier being correspondingly a cabinet door attached to the cabinet or a drawer front attached to the drawer.
Another method of the invention can include the backing plate having two segments that join in a substantially perpendicular orientation so that the backing plate is generally L-shaped. The backing plate can be sized so as to be capable of covering and concealing the existing holes in the movable barrier whether the movable barrier is a cabinet door or a drawer front and whether the existing holes are located through the movable barrier in either a generally vertical or generally horizontal orientation relative to one another.
Another method of the invention can include step (a) of the method further including covering and concealing other damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier generally adjacent to the existing holes.
Another method of the invention can include the assembly being installed on the exterior surface of the movable barrier so that a corner of the generally L-shaped backing plate is oriented in a position selected from among the following positions relative to the installed assembly: top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions will control.
The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed drawings and description set forth herein. Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the drawings; however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, in light of the teachings of the present invention, those skilled in the art will recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, numerous modifications and variations of the invention may exist that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
The present invention should not be limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. The terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” may be a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means.
All conjunctions used herein are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) are to be given their ordinary and customary meaning to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and are not to be limited to a special or customized meaning unless expressly so defined herein.
Terms and phrases used in this application, and variations thereof, especially in the appended claims, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing, the term “including” should be read to mean “including, without limitation,” “including but not limited to,” or the like; the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least”; the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to”; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; and use of terms like “preferably,” “preferred,” “desired,” “desirable,” or “exemplary” and words of similar meaning should not be understood as implying that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the invention, but instead as merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the invention.
Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations; however, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C” is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.).
All numbers expressing dimensions, quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” unless expressly stated otherwise. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth herein are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained.
The invention provides a pull and plate assembly 10, as shown in
In one embodiment, the repository (not shown in the drawings) can be a cabinet and the movable barrier can be a cabinet door attached to the cabinet. In another embodiment, the repository can be a drawer and the movable barrier can be a drawer front attached to the drawer.
The pull 12 is described now in more detail. The pull includes a handle portion 20 and at least one post 18. The handle portion can be grasped to open and close the movable barrier. The post 18 is attached substantially permanently to a bottom surface 20a of the handle portion 20 and extends downward away from the bottom surface at a generally perpendicular orientation in relation to a longitudinal axis extending through the length of handle portion. The pull can include one, two, three, four, or more posts attached to the handle portion. In a preferred embodiment, the pull 12 can include two posts 18 that are attached adjacent to two opposing ends (i.e., a first end 22a and a second end 22b) of the handle portion 20. In other embodiments, rather than being attached to the bottom surface of the handle portion adjacent to the opposing ends, the posts can be attached to the bottom surface nearer to one another and nearer to a central portion of the bottom surface rather than being located adjacent to the ends of the handle portion.
Each post 18 can include a first end 18a that is substantially permanently attached to the bottom surface 20a of the handle portion 20 and a second end 18b that terminates away from the bottom surface of the handle portion. The second end may include an aperture (not shown in the drawings) that opens into a cavity that is an interior space defined within the post.
The posts can be entirely or partially cylindrical (including but not limited to circular, elliptic, hyperbolic, and parabolic cylindrical), conical, parallelepiped (including but not limited to cubical, cuboidal, and rhombohedral), or prismatoidal in shape. The handle portion of the pull can have a shape that is the same or different from the shape of the posts. The handle portion can be entirely or partially cylindrical (including but not limited to circular, elliptic, hyperbolic, and parabolic cylindrical), conical, parallelepiped (including but not limited to cubical, cuboidal, and rhombohedral), or prismatoidal in shape. The pull can be made from metal, plastic, composite materials, other materials, or a combination of the foregoing.
In an exemplary embodiment for use with cabinet doors, the pull can have a generally L-shaped handle portion that includes two segments 12a, 12b permanently or substantially permanently connected horizontally at a right angle, that is, in a substantially perpendicular orientation. In another embodiment that is exemplary for use with drawer fronts, the pull can include only a single linear segment. In still other embodiments, the pull can include three, four, or more segments connected horizontally at various angles as desired. A surface of the pull can include ornamentation or texturing to increase its aesthetic appeal but also to enhance surface friction between a user's hand and the pull so as to allow for a better grasp of the handle by the user's hand.
The backing plate 14 is now described in more detail. In an exemplary embodiment, the backing plate is a generally flat strip that can be installed flush to the exterior surface of the movable barrier of a repository. The backing plate typically will be metal, but in other embodiments, can be made from metal, plastic, composite materials, other materials, or a combination of the foregoing. In exemplary embodiments, the backing plate can have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the handle portion of the pull. For example, if the handle portion of the pull is L-shaped, then the backing plate can also be L-shaped so that when the pull and backing plate are installed on the exterior surface of a movable barrier, the two segments of the backing plate are aligned beneath the two segments of the pull.
In an exemplary embodiment for use with cabinet doors, the backing plate 14 can be generally L-shaped having two segments 14a, 14b permanently or substantially permanently connected horizontally at a right angle, that is, in a substantially perpendicular orientation. In this embodiment, the pull of the assembly having a generally L-shaped backing plate can also be L-shaped.
In another embodiment that is exemplary for use with drawer fronts, the backing plate can include only a single, generally linear segment. In this embodiment, the pull of the assembly having a single, generally linear segment as a backing plate can also be generally linear.
In still other embodiments, the backing plate can include three, four, or more segments connected horizontally at various angles as desired.
Although the general shapes and installation orientations of the pull and backing plate correspond to one another (e.g., L-shaped pull paired with L-shaped backing plate installed with their corresponding segments oriented in the same direction and with each pull segment aligned above its corresponding backing plate segment), in some embodiments, the shapes, installation orientations, or both the shapes and installation orientations of the pull and backing plate may not be corresponding. For example, an L-shaped pull might be used and installed in conjunction with a backing plate having only a single, generally linear segment or with a backing plate that has three, four, or more segments.
A top face 24a of the backing plate 14 can include ornamentation or texturing to increase its aesthetic appeal. The backing plate's segments can be narrower than or the same width as the segments of the handle portion of the pull. The backing plate's segments can be shorter than or the same length as the segments of the handle portion of the pull. However, in preferred embodiments, each backing plate segment can be wider and longer than its corresponding pull segment. In the preferred embodiments, the backing plate has more surface area to provide additional protection to the exterior surface of the movable barrier from physical damage caused by contact when a user opens and closes the cabinet or drawer using the pull.
To install the assembly, the pull can be attached to a surface by one or more fasteners. That surface can be the top face 24a of the backing plate 14. A bottom face 24b of the backing plate 14 contacts the exterior surface of the movable barrier when installed, and in this embodiment, the pull contacts and is secured to the backing plate's top face. In another embodiment, the backing plate can include apertures sized to receive the posts of the pull, and the pull, via its posts, can be attached and secured directly to the movable barrier's exterior surface. Any suitable fastener or attachment device (e.g., screws, etc.) may be used to install the pull and plate assembly on the movable barrier.
In an alternate embodiment, the pull may not include posts but instead its bottom surface may include apertures. In this embodiment, the backing plate may include posts on its front surface, similar to those described above with respect to the pull, that are hollow and through which fasteners or other attachments means (e.g., screws) may be inserted through holes from a rear surface of the movable barrier and into the posts to secure the backing plate to the movable barrier's exterior surface and the pull to the backing plate.
In another embodiment, the pull can be permanently attached to the backing plate so that the posts attach directly to the backing plate and the pull and backing plate are one unitary device both before and after installation on the movable barrier's exterior surface.
The pull and plate assembly is capable of covering and concealing damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier that includes: (i) one or more existing holes in the exterior surface of the movable barrier that were created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware (e.g., prior installed pulls) to the exterior surface of the movable barrier, and (ii) damage generally adjacent to the existing holes. The latter damage includes physical damage such as, for example, scratching, denting, abrasion, frictional wearing away of wood finishes, and staining from oils and other dirt and grime via contact with human hands and other objects. Such physical damage and general wear and tear detracts from the aesthetic qualities of the surface of a cabinet door or drawer front while use of the pull and plate assembly both covers and conceals preexisting such damage and assists in preventing additional such damage by placing the backing plate of the assembly so that users' hands contact the backing plate rather than the exterior surface of the movable barrier.
The invention also relates to a method that can be used to cover and conceal existing holes created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository. The method can include the steps of: (a) placing a backing plate against an exterior surface of a movable barrier of a repository, wherein the movable barrier can be manipulated to open and close the repository, and wherein the backing plate is positioned against the exterior surface so as to cover and conceal existing holes in the movable barrier created by the attachment of a prior handle hardware to the exterior surface; (b) aligning at least two posts of a pull over a set of apertures defined by the backing plate, wherein the number and location of the apertures correspond to the number and location of the at least two posts of the pull, and wherein the pull and backing plate together form an assembly; and (c) attaching the assembly to the exterior surface of the movable barrier by use of one or more fasteners extending from and through an interior surface of the movable barrier to the exterior surface of the movable barrier so as to securely engage the assembly to the exterior surface of the movable barrier.
In this method, the pull and backing plate can be constructed and installed as described elsewhere herein. The backing plate can be sized so as to be capable of covering and concealing the existing holes in the movable barrier whether the movable barrier is a cabinet door or a drawer front and whether the existing holes are located through the movable barrier in either a generally vertical or generally horizontal orientation relative to one another. The method is useful for covering and concealing other damage to the exterior surface of the movable barrier generally adjacent to the existing holes.
In alternate embodiments of the method, the steps of the method can be adjusted as necessary for embodiments of the assembly in which the pull does not have posts but the backing does have posts.
In some embodiments of the method, the assembly can be installed on the exterior surface of the movable barrier so that a corner of the generally L-shaped backing plate is oriented in a position selected from among the following positions relative to the installed assembly: top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right.
In this method, where the pull and plate assembly are both L-shaped, the assembly may be installed so that the right angle of the installed assembly corresponds to an outer corner of the cabinet door, which corner also includes a generally right angle. The outer corner of the cabinet door means an upper corner or a lower corner of the cabinet door on a side of the cabinet door opposite to a side of the cabinet door to which hinges or other opening mechanisms are connected. With floor-mounted lower cabinets, for purposes of convenience, the L-shaped pull and plate assembly may be installed on an upper corner (rather than a lower corner) of the cabinet door to be closer to the hand of the user so as to minimize the need to squat down or lean over to reach the pull when opening and closing the cabinet door. On the other hand, with wall-mounted upper cabinets, for purposes of convenience, the L-shaped pull and plate assembly may be installed on a lower corner (rather than an upper corner) of the cabinet door to be closer to the hand of the user so as to minimize the need to stretch or reach far to reach the pull when opening and closing the cabinet door.
It is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims.
