Patent Application
20100146737
The present invention relates generally to handles, and more particularly to removable cabinet door and drawer handles for opening and closing cabinet doors, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise for commercial and residential uses.
Cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise are often manufactured without handles for purposes of allowing the purchaser the ability to select custom handles according to their desired taste. Therefore, it is likely that a purchaser may install and begin to use cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without installing their respected handles. This may pose a problem for purchasers who wish to use their cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise and have not installed handles because cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise may be difficult to use (i.e. open or close) without the installation of handles.
Handles can be attached by adhesives. For example, one part of a door handle generally protrudes outwardly from the door for grasping and pulling open or closing the door, while the adhesive portion of the handle is adhesively bonded to a surface of the door. The adhesive attaching may minimizes the possibility of marring the door, which is a concern by many cabinet owners when the handles are attached via fasteners, however, the adhesive attachment of the handle can be messy and may leave an adhesive residue on the surface of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise once the handle is removed. Thus, there is a need for a removable handle that attaches to cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without the downsides of using adhesive as well as the damage and difficulty that may arise from the use of common fasteners (e.g. nails, screws, staples).
The invention solves this problem by providing a removable handle permitting the purchaser to easily install the removable handle without the use of additional tools such as screw drivers, drills, and the like or having to use adhesives, screws, nails, staples, or otherwise. Until the purchaser decides on permanent handles, the removable handles of this invention can aid the owner in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise. Alternatively, if the purchaser does not desire to purchase permanent handles, the removable handles may be utilized permanently to aid in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise.
The present invention meets some or all of the above-mentioned needs by providing a removable handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer.
One aspect of the invention is directed towards a handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer comprising a first wall member; a second wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the first wall member; a third wall member attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, the first wall member and the third wall member are substantially parallel to each other and extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member; and/or the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer.
This aspect of the invention may be further characterized by one or any combination of the following: the first wall member is generally curved; the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape; the second wall member further comprises a tab that protrudes from the second end for grasping, and maneuvering a door or drawer; the third wall member is integrally formed with the second wall member; the third wall member is removably attached to the second wall member; the outer surface of the second wall member includes a column of one or more spaced apart and generally parallel to one another ridges; the third wall member further comprises a head defining a bore for receiving the second wall member such that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the head matingly engages the ridges of the outer surface of the second wall member so that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the handle comprises a non-marring material, and/or the handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple.
It should be appreciated that the above referenced aspects and examples are non-limiting as others exist with the present invention, as shown and described herein. For example, any of the above mentioned aspects or features of the invention may be combined to form other unique configurations of the finished block, as described herein, demonstrated in the drawings, or otherwise.
The features of the present invention shall become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the attached detailed description along with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Referring to
The first wall member 20 includes an inner surface 22, and an outer surface 24. The first wall member 20 is flexible and resilient allowing movement of the first wall member 20 in relation to the third wall member 50. This allows the distance between the first wall member 20 and the third wall member 50 to increase at certain points when the handle 10 is attached to a cabinet door 60 as shown in
The handle 10 further may include a second wall member 30 having an outer surface 32, an inner surface 34, a first end 36, and a second end 38. The second wall member 30 is substantially planar in shape, and is integrally formed and joined to the first wall member 20. The second wall member 30 may further include a tab 40 that protrudes from the second end 38 for grasping, and maneuvering the cabinet door 60 open or closed. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that the substantially planar shape of the second wall member 30 may also contain indicia (e.g. manufacturer name etc.) on the outer surface 32 of the second wall member 30 as shown in
The handle 10 further includes a third wall member 50. The third wall member 50 may be generally perpendicular to the second wall member 30. The third wall member 50 may also be generally parallel to the first wall member 20. The third wall member 50 may be integrally formed and joined to the second wall member 30.
Referring to
In
Referring to
Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Plural structural components can be provided by a single integrated structure. Alternatively, a single integrated structure might be divided into separate plural components. Similarly, specific features or components described in the different embodiments of the blocks may be used with other embodiments or may be combined with yet other features or components to form other embodiments. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed. A person of ordinary skill in the art would realize however, that certain modifications would come within the teachings of this invention. Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of the invention.
